Chapter 7

Unexpected Events

The summer that followed eighth grade was a little different than those of before. They each picked up some part time work which kept them a bit more occupied than previous summers. That didn't stop them from making regular trips to Disneyland, though they found they had been spoiled by the shorter lines of the school year. Today they found themselves waiting in the line for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. This had become to be a preferred ride during the summer months, since it was a ride that could accommodate little children and the boys found some fun in making extra noises that would scare the kids even more. They also would bring along mini squirt guns and shoot them straight up in the air, letting little drops fall on the passengers all around, and if they got close enough to those on other boats. Containing their laughter was the hardest part about pulling off the charade.

'Cody, you still looking for that secret entrance?' Jamal asked as they were standing in line. Cody's eyes had been wandering.

'Yeah, I mean, I'm not actively looking but we're here so I'm just kinda looking around to see if I notice anything different or unusual.'

'Never gonna find it. At least not like that.' Victor added.

'I know, but I just can't help keeping an eye out.' Cody responded.

'Maybe you're going about it wrong.' Jamal suggested.

'Do you have a better idea?' Cody asked.

'Yeah, all you have to do is find another Jedi, and follow them through.' Jamal said.

'And how do you propose I am going to find another Jedi?' Cody asked.

'Same way Vader knows Obi-Wan is on the Death Star, use your Force sense. Detect some other Jedi, then we follow him.' Victor said.

'You guys really want to waste time with me just wandering around hoping to detect another Jedi?' Cody asked.

'We've been on every ride we want, and the lines are crazy today. So yeah, after we're done with this ride, let's waste time wandering around. If we get to see some Jedi shopping mall it'll be worth it.' Victor said.

After the boys exited the ride barely subduing their laughter, Victor had been hitting one guy in the face over and over again, while Cody had faked getting hit, which made the guy think the water was coming from somewhere other than Victor's row. They walked around a bit to find a secluded spot with some semblance of peace for Cody to access the Force. Cody closed his eyes for a moment, and allowed the Force to flow through him. The meditating was really paying off, he didn't even need absolute quiet anymore to be able to quickly access the Force.

His eyes opened and the group began wandering around the park, Cody in a half-trance state as he was trying to feel for any changes in the Force around him. They walked around for —what felt like— ever, and Cody was beginning to wear out, so they found a bench under a tree to rest near the entrance of the park. As Cody sat and relaxed he released the tension that had unknowingly been building up. He had been focusing on his breathing when he felt something, a buzz or a tingle, pass right in front of him. He opened his eyes, and they fell upon a man in a light blue suit walking passed. He tapped both his friends and pointed at the man. They all stood up and started following at a safe distance. They tailed him through the crowd, almost losing him on multiple occasions, when finally they saw him enter a door at the back of New Orleans Square that had a sign that read, "Cast Members Only."

'Did you see where he went, Cody? I was watching him, but as he got close to the building things got a little blurry.' Jamal said.

'Yeah, it felt like my mind wanted to ignore him going in there.' Victor whispered.

'Weird, I saw him go through the door just like it was a regular door.' Cody said

'So, do we want to go in there?' Jamal asked.

'Yeah, why not, that's what we're here for?' Cody answered. 'Remember, act like you're supposed to be there.'

They entered through the door and found a small cafe. The patrons sitting at the tables didn't look like your regular Disneyland cast members, but they certainly weren't dressed like regular park goers either.

'Can I help you boys?' A man called from behind a glass display that featured a variety of pastries and desserts.

'Yes, I think we are finding ourselves the wrong end of a joke.' Cody responded.

'And how can I be of service?'

'We are just visiting here, and our friend, who finds himself a bit of a prankster, gave us direction to what he called "The District." Now, our directions have led us this far, but I'm fearing he left out another detail or two in order to reach our destination. He is probably laughing up a storm at us looking around foolishly in here.'

'I see. Well, a little harmless fun never hurt anyone. I think you are looking for what we call Fantasia. If you go around that corner, you'll be on your way to the restrooms. The men's is the first door on the right, don't go in. Once you reach that door, look to your left, you'll see a picture of Mickey in his Fantasia garb, just press the hat in the bottom right corner of the picture frame and. . . I won't ruin the surprise if you've never been before. Have fun, boys.'

'Thank you, sir.'

They made their way down the hallway, and the picture was exactly where it was described. They were slightly nervous about the surprise the man had described, he had a mischievous glint in his eye as he was giving the last of his directions. With nothing else to do, Cody reached out and pressed the little hat engraved in the bottom corner of the frame. A second later the ground beneath them disappeared and their free fall began. It didn't last long and soon they hit the pavement, landing on their rears. Surprisingly there was no pain upon impact, somehow this road must be cushioned.

'So, that's why the old guy was acting all devious.' Jamal said.

'I'll bet he would just call that harmless fun.' Cody added.

'Well, he wouldn't be wrong, we seem to be fine.' Said Jamal.

'Except, I've never seen Victor speechless before. Hello, you alive in there?' Cody asked as he waved his hand in front of Victor's face.

When they finally got to their feet and looked around, they saw they had entered into a carbon copy of Disneyland's Main Street USA, only with the shops containing magical goods and supplies.

'Sorry, man. It's just not what I expected.' Victor finally spoke. And they began walking down the street, Jamal leading over towards a book store that had a large display on the sidewalk.

'Cody, check this out, "Harry Potter and the Manticore Miracle." His scar looks kinda like yours, I bet you're glad yours isn't as big, or right in the middle of your forehead like his though.' Jamal said.

'Dude, if you cut your hair, and threw on some funny looking glasses, you could pass for his brother.' Victor observed.

'I've never heard of any of these things before. What's a hippogriff? Oh, here look, he tames a dragon, I've heard of that before.' Cody said.

'I think we've found your doppelgänger. You know they say every person has one near exact doppelgänger out there somewhere, your's is a storybook hero.' Jamal said.

'Who says that?' Cody asked.

'You know. . . people.' Jamal answered.

'You boys interested in some books?' The shop owner stepped outside and noticed the boys taking interest in his display.

'We're just browsing.' Victor answered. 'These Harry Potter books any good?'

'The young girls seem to take a liking to them, but they aren't as big a sellers as I'd hoped. Our supplier said they were selling so fast in England we had to give them a try here. Apparently the name doesn't carry the same weight over here.'

They all looked at each other with a hint of confusion. Jamal shook his head slightly, and the message was clear, if he thinks we should know something we need to just go along with it.

'Interesting. Maybe Chelsea would like them, but we'll have to come back another time. Thank you, sir.' Cody said.

'Anytime, lads.' And he waved them a goodbye.

'That guy was nice enough. Whoa, check out that poster. Guy is flying on a broom.' Victor said quietly.

'Quidditch? Weird word. Do you want to go in and look around?'

'Yeah, but I also don't want to have to answer a whole bunch of questions either.'

'Good point, we can just do some window shopping. And hey, nice story with the old guy in the cafe, by the way. He didn't even question a thing.'

'It was almost too easy.'

'Look, that looks like a shop just for owls.'

'A potion store. Wonder what kind of potions you can make.'

'I wonder if they would work on us?' Jamal pondered, while gesturing between him and Victor.

'They couldn't. Let's say they made a potion that could fix broken bones, for sure they would share it with the rest of the world.' Cody reasoned.

'Right, what kind of prick would you have to be to not share that kind of thing.' Victor added.

'Hey, if you want pointy hats, there's your store. Oh man, those things are hideous.'

'There's quite a few robe stores. Wizards must really value their bathroom wear.'

'I don't think those are bathrobes. Check out how many people walking around are wearing those. Maybe they're super comfortable.'

'I'm not much for fashion, but there's no way those things are that comfortable that people are choosing to wear them.'

'Look, a wand shop. Go get a wand, Cody.'

'No thanks, I don't want one. The guy said that's how they can track kids that use magic when they're not supposed to. I'm good using my lightsaber, they can't track that.'

'That makes sense. Well, looks like we're at the end of the shops. There's some weird stuff, but the food looked normal. Back to the park?'

'I'm ready to go home.' Jamal said.

'Me too. Let's go.' Cody added, and he apparated them back to his apartment.

So, although they still enjoyed Disneyland, they wanted to find something else, and they did, the beach. Between the sun, the surf, the sand and the eye candy, it was the perfect way to spend many a summer day. Combine those activities with regular wrestling tournaments, and the summer flew by. Before they knew it, a new school year was barreling down upon them.

And with that new school year came a new school entirely, high school. They were going from the top of the food chain to the bottom. Having experience in the building helped, as did having some upperclassmen as friends. It didn't end up being as big of a change as they had anticipated. Except for the zero hour weight training, waking up an extra hour early was rough at first, but after the adjustment period they found it was a great way to start the day.

The year progressed much the same as other years. The first part of school was just preparation for wrestling season. There was no required fitness test this year, though passing it wouldn't have been an issue anyway. Jamal was the only of the three to challenge for a varsity spot, he was up and down a few times before finally securing his spot. Finally, the upperclassmen that he had been battling with changed weight classes when he realized Jamal was only beating him more consistently. Cody and Victor were firmly entrenched in the junior varsity spots at their weights, but that suited them just fine for this year.

The high school gymnasium was far more elaborately decorated than the middle school counterpart had been in years past. The ninth grade had its own Winter Social event, so as to not interfere with the Winter Formal designed for the older grades. Cody, Victor and Jamal had to actually make an effort to hide from their mothers how excited they were for the event. After having been on the dance floor for the majority of the first half of the dance, Jamal and Cody were taking a break for a song when they saw Victor approaching with murder on his face.

'Guys, you won't believe this. Wait, actually you will. Oh man, that guy has got it coming.' Victor spat. He had just returned from the refreshment table.

'Hey, man, what happened?' Cody asked.

'Oh yeah, so while I'm getting a drink I see Brandon walk by—'

'Brandon, the guy that got us suspended for fighting back in 7th?' Jamal's irritation spiked.

'Same one, so he's walking by looking all smug, and I look over at his homies and they are all watching him. So, I keep an eye on him as he walks up to that not so pretty girl, Chelsea.'

'Chipmunk Chelsea? Not so pretty is being nice.' Cody chuckled. Victor glared at him, which shut him up quickly.

'You should probably stop calling her that, but anyways, yeah, her. He goes up to her and asks her if she wants to dance. She gets the biggest smile on her face. Man, she was so happy, and she said "yes" and was shaking her head all excited like.'

'I don't see why that's a big deal.' Cody said.

'No, listen. Right after she says "yes," he says, "well, the song is almost over, you better go find someone to dance with." Then he just turns around and walks back to his group, they are all laughing like it's the funniest thing ever. She just stood there with her jaw on the floor, and then she smacked the air after he walked away, like a delayed reaction. After that she ran away, I think she was crying.' Victor's disgust dripped from every word.

'I'm gonna kill him.' Jamal started walking but was quickly grabbed by Cody and Victor.

'Dude, you can't.' They both said.

'I can, and I will. He is always running his mouth. He still says stuff to me, you know. It's always under his breath and stuff, but I know he's trying to antagonize me, so I have to try and ignore it. And he says crap to others too, but he never gets in trouble. And now he picks on this girl. How low do you have to go? It's time.' Jamal was seething.

'You're right, it's time, but not here. Remember.' Cody implored.

'He's right, dude. If we do something here who knows what we'll get. It'll be our second time. We can take care of this outside of school.' Victor added.

'Argh, I can't believe we are going to let him get away with this.' Jamal growled.

'We aren't, but there's not much we can do to him tonight. But look there's Chelsea. I've got an idea.' Cody said.

'What are you gonna do?' Jamal asked.

'Stay here, but follow my lead when I'm done. If you want to, that is. You will.' Cody said as he began to walk away towards Chelsea. His friends watched in curiosity as he strode away.

She looked up as he approached, there was no one in the near vicinity so stealth was not an option for his arrival. Her cheeks were dry but her eyes still had a tinge of redness that betrayed her desire to cover up her crying.

'Hey, Chelsea. Would you like to dance with me?' Cody asked.

'The song's almost over, I know. Go find someone else to use your joke on.' She sneered.

'I'm not joking. I mean, I can wait with you until the next song comes on or, since this one is almost over, we can start dancing now and just continue dancing through the next one. Whatever you prefer.' He tried to push his sincerity into his words.

'You really want to dance with me? Why?' She responded suspiciously.

'Come on. I'll tell you once we are dancing.' He held out a hand to lead her out to the dance floor. She tentatively reached out to take his hand, probably waiting for him to pull his hand away. He didn't, and they made their way to find space on the dance floor. His friends watched as they were catching onto the plan.

He turned to face her, and she reached both her hands up to lay them on his shoulders.

'Oh no. We are dancing, not swaying.' He smiled at her confused look, and grabbed one of her wrists to place her hand on his shoulder while taking her other hand with his.

'I don't really know how to dance like this.'

'There's nothing to it, just follow my lead and try to have fun.' She smiled at him as he began to lead her around the dance floor.

'So, now are you going to tell me why you want to dance with me?' She asked.

'Would you be mad at me if I told you that it was because it looked like you weren't having any fun?'

'That would be an understatement, but no, I wouldn't be mad. At least you are being honest with me.'

The song ended, she took her hand off his shoulder and started to turn away. He quickly stepped in front of her to impede her escape, while not letting go of her hand he had in his.

'Hey, I was serious about dancing the next song with you. That was barely long enough to be considered a warm up. Will you stay?'

'Ok. I'm still trying to figure what you are doing.' She responded suspiciously.

'Dancing, we are at a dance. I like to dance. I needed someone to dance with.'

'You could've chosen just about any girl here and they would've been more than happy to dance with you.'

'Maybe. It's easy to speculate, but I'd rather just enjoy my time with who I'm actually dancing with.' He gave her a big smile.

This made her cheeks turn a deep shade of pink. She knew he couldn't have actually wanted to dance with her, but she couldn't deny that even in his pity, or whatever it was, he was making her feel good, so she would take his advice and enjoy it. They had an easy conversation until she got a sour look on her face and suddenly dipped her head.

'Hey, what's wrong?' Cody asked, it couldn't have been something he said, their conversation had been quite pleasant, and even funny. Then as he turned her he saw where her gaze had been set and noticed Brandon and his goons snickering in their direction. She hadn't responded to his question verbally. She had kept her head down and gently shook it a couple times.

'Forget them. They are just stupid jerks.' He spat.

'They call me names all the time. This whole year every time they walk by me they say something, I was stupid to think he was actually being nice to me.'

'They do that to everyone. In seventh grade they were saying some bad stuff to me and my friends and we ended up getting in a fight. They definitely got the worst of it, but apparently the message didn't sink in.'

'You did?' And she finally looked back up at him, something different in her eyes.

'Yeah, and Jamal said they still say stuff to him even now. He was ready to go beat them up on the spot, after Victor told us what he said to you.'

'He heard that?' She said with embarrassment.

'I told you, don't worry about it. There's no way you're the first person he's done that too, but you'll be the last.' He said with an almost evil grin.

'What are you going to do?'

'Yeah, you probably shouldn't know about that either. But one day, he and his friends are going to show up to school, and you'll know we took care of him.'

'I don't want you getting in trouble for me.'

'Oh, we've already learned that lesson, we won't get in trouble. And it's not just for you, it's for all the people they've bullied, and all the people they think they can get away with bullying in the future. It's time they were taught a lesson they won't soon forget.'

'You know you look kind of scary right now.'

'Just be glad I'm on your side then.' He grinned at her, and she smiled back. 'Chelsea, can I ask you something? You don't have to answer—'

'You want to know about my lip, don't you?' She cut across quickly.

'Uhh, yeah. I guess, I just don't know—' He was stammering but she saved him the embarrassment.

'It's ok, most people don't know, and the rest don't care to ask. It's called cleft palate, basically my upper jaw just didn't grow together as a baby. The scars are what's left from a bunch of surgeries. It also affected my teeth and cheeks to some degree. That's why people call me chipmunk. . . Yeah, I know about that'

'I'm sorry. You shouldn't—' Words failed him. The guilt washed over him as remembered times when he himself had used the nickname, and other times when he had laughed along. He was internally making a commitment to himself that he would stop going along with the crowd for the ease of it. And he would try to take notice, and help, those who were ostracized, especially for things out of their control.

'I've seen you laugh at me before.' And she narrowed her eyes at him slightly.

Wow, she was not letting him off easy, and that comment was like a dagger piercing his heart. And she didn't even have to put any venom in her voice, maybe that made it even worse, she mentioned it like it was her normal. His eyes began to shimmer as he looked back at her.

'Again, I'm really sorry. I have no excuse, except for being a stupid kid that has cared more about trying to be cool than doing what is right. If you'd let me, and if you will forgive me, I'd like to be your friend.' He asked, pleadingly. All of a sudden this girl's approval meant the world to him.

'They say, "actions speak louder than words." And you are friends with Victor, and he has never laughed at me, from what I can tell. So, I'll give you a chance, this dance has been a nice start.' She gave him a small smile.

'I only hope I can prove myself worthy of your friendship. Thanks for dancing with me Chelsea, I really enjoyed it, and I'm not just saying that, it really was fun. And, now that you've learned how to really dance, it looks like there are a few others that are waiting their turn.' He nodded for her to look over her shoulder. She turned to see Victor and Jamal steadily approaching,

'Chelsea, may I have this dance?' Victor asked regally.

'And can I have the one after that?' Jamal added.

'Save one for us too.' A couple more boys had walked up behind them, they were teammates and friends that Jamal and Victor had been chatting with while Cody was dancing with Chelsea.

'Are you serious? You all want to dance with me?' She asked as she brought her hand to cover her mouth, her eyes beginning to shine with tears again, but for a completely different reason than before.

'We all deserve to have fun, Chelsea.' Victor responded, as he took his dancing position and led her away.

Later Cody found himself dancing with Stephanie for the second time that evening. Per their usual, they found themselves dancing for more than just one song at a time. Cody had realized he missed what little interaction they had in their shared classes from the previous year, and especially missed her hand written notes and the different ways she would write his name. This year, with no shared classes, their communication had been limited to greeting each other as they passed in the halls. He had even altered his routes to different classes to try and maximize those instances —which his friends had caught onto— but even that hadn't amounted to much interaction. They didn't give him too much grief though, as they had been guilty of the same infraction on separate occasions.

'So, I saw you dancing with Chelsea, now she can't get a break. What is that all about?'

'Victor just noticed that she wasn't looking very happy, so we are trying to show her how much fun a dance can be. It's not her fault guys are jerks and weren't asking her to dance.'

'Yes, dancing can be fun, with the right person.' She said somewhat suggestively.

'Uh, r-right.' He stammered. Stephanie wasn't a flirt like a lot of the other girls, that was one of the things he liked most about her. This was about as forward a comment as she had ever said to him in all the time that they'd known each other, usually it was just a compliment about his dancing. Something about when he was dancing that he didn't want to have to deflect flirtatious comments. Off the dance floor, he was more than willing to engage with the more forward girls. So, Stephanie had become his preferred dance partner, even if their relationship didn't extend to much beyond that.

'Of course I'm right. But that was really nice of you to dance with her. She doesn't have many friends.'

'You know her?'

'Yes, she is in a lot of the honors classes with me, she is really smart. But she mainly keeps to herself.'

'We can be a cruel bunch, teenagers. I didn't know her much before, but I probably wasn't exactly nice to her either. Tonight was like a slap in the face.'

'Well, sometimes recognizing our faults doesn't feel good, but you can't change and get better without it.'

'Yeah, I guess.' He said sorrowfully.

'Your dancing hasn't got much better since last year.' She said dryly.

'I've heard it's hard to improve on perfection.' He tried confidence, but it just wouldn't come out right now. 'And, why are you teasing me?'

'You seemed so somber, I needed to break you out of your reverie.' Her smile drew one out of his own. 'That's better.' Their dance continued without much conversation, but the atmosphere was better, so he was content.

'Oh, and congrats on getting into all those classes, by the way. I know you worked hard to get in, and I haven't been able to talk to you much this year.'

'No, you haven't. You should do better.'

'I will try.'

'Wrong answer. There is no try, do or do not.'

'Did you just quote Yoda?' He asked incredulously.

'No, I actually messed up the quote, but I like the way I say it better. Don't you?'

'I must say I do. As always, Stephanie, it has been a pleasure dancing with you.' Cody said as the song had come to an end. His mood had definitely improved by the time they were done.

'Same Cody, let's do it again.' And she left with an impish grin. It was certainly not the usual smile she gave him, but he couldn't quite place it. This new Stephanie was making him feel weird, and he couldn't understand why.

'How has the first half year of high school been, Cody? Jennifer asked.

'It's been good, I guess.'

'Not what you expected?'

'I don't know, I didn't really know what to expect. It's just a lot of new stuff, I guess. And I don't have any classes with Vic or Jamal.'

'You seem to be adjusting well, from my perspective. You've been practicing the guitar more. It's sounding really good, you even have a good voice when you think no one is listening.' And she flicked her eyebrows a couple times.

'You're not funny. Our guitar teacher at school has an electric guitar that he'll let us play around with. It's not that much different, but it makes some cool sounds. I guess it has motivated me to practice more, I'd been neglecting it. That and all the new songs I have the music for now.'

'Yes, playing the same songs over and over can get a bit boring. Until you find some you absolutely love. You'll be able to play those the rest of your life and never tire of them. So, you seemed particularly happy the other night, after the dance.' She said suggestively.

'Aargh! Are we really talking about this again?' he moaned.

'It's been a while since we've chatted, I just want to know what's going on in your life. I mean, new year, new girls. I haven't found any notes this year. Even last year after our first chat, I kept finding a note here and there from, what was her name? Oh yeah, Stephanie.'

'Well, we don't have any classes together this year. She's in all those honors courses, and I'm not that smart.'

'I see. Well, this is just a mother's perspective, —a mother who happens to be a female— but I don't think she really cares how smart you are, as long as you aren't completely stupid, which you aren't. Did you dance with her on Friday?'

'Yeah, of course, a couple times actually, like always.'

'You like her.' She said confidently.

'Is that a question?' He just stared at her, and she smirked at him while letting the thought simmer.

'No, it's an observation. I'm not saying you need to do anything about it. Have you kissed her?'

'MOM!'

'What, can't a mom want to know what her little sweetie is up to?' She was lacing her tone with innocence, though her intention was anything but.

'Ugh, no. Well, yes. But, no, I haven't kissed her.'

'Her, huh? But you've kissed others? Interesting.'

'I never said that.' He tried, but he failed.

'You didn't have to, mother's intuition. So, anyone special?'

'Not really. Actually, not at all, they just kind of happened. I mean, I was with them and I could just tell that they wanted me to kiss them, so I did.'

'Cody! Did you do your little mind reading trick?' A bit of accusation in her voice.

'I didn't mean to. It just kind of came out, and once I knew, I almost felt bad not kissing them.'

'Oh, you poor thing, sacrificing your lips for the self esteem of others. I'm sure it was just miserable.' She sent a mock pouty face at him.

'You are so funny.'

'So, how about this Stephanie? Does she not want to kiss you?'

'I don't know, I turn off the mind thing when I'm with her.'

'As you should, because you know you shouldn't use it for that, and you're right, you shouldn't. But why do you turn it off when you are with Stephanie, and not others?'

'I don't know. Because she's more like a friend, and I don't want to invade her privacy, I guess.'

'But you're ok doing that with others? Maybe, because you don't know them as well, so it's easier to dismiss.'

'Yeah, it's easier if I know I can avoid them after.'

'You need to be careful to not treat people like their feelings don't matter. Especially with what you can do, don't use your talents to take advantage of people's feelings. I can tell you feel a little guilty about it, and I'm glad you recognize that.'

'Yeah, I've tried to actually turn it off more.' But I'm not going to stop entirely.

'That's good, I'm proud of you, Cody. Now, about this Stephanie girl—'

'Goodnight, Mom!'

A couple weeks into the next semester Cody, Jamal and Victor were eating lunch with Chelsea, which had become a nearly daily occurrence. It had taken a few days of tracking her down to sit by her before she started to really open up, but when she did they found a smart and clever girl underneath her shy exterior. She would make fun of them, and especially rip on Victor, which made the others laugh even more. Sometimes others from the wrestling team would join them, and occasionally Sierra and Stephanie would come by.

On this day the boys had been obviously distracted, always looking over their shoulders', like they were anticipating something. There was a definite sense of excitement coming from them, and it didn't take long for Chelsea to pick up on it.

'What are you guys looking for?' She asked them.

'Just wait for it.' Victor said with a coy smile.

'There they are.' Jamal spotted them first, walking to their seats a couple tables over.

'Hey, Brandon. What happened?' Cody yelled across the cafeteria, heads turned in their direction.

'Shut up, punk.' And he glared over at Cody and his friends.

They just chuckled at his insult. Their plan had worked to perfection. They had done some reconnaissance to see when and where they might get Brandon and his goons isolated, which turned out being easier than they anticipated. Then on the Sunday afternoon they had chosen, they followed at a distance until the coast was clear. Cody popped them directly behind the three targets. Each threw a pillowcase over the head of one of them and they proceeded to bloody and bruise them up.

Their intention wasn't to put them in the hospital or cause any long lasting damage, at least not physically. They wanted to leave very visible reminders of what happened, their goal was accomplished. The other boys' faces were bruised all over, with swollen lips and black eyes. And they had no evidence to prove the boys that they suspected as the culprits, were guilty. After they were done kicking the snot of those goons —they didn't do much work with their fists since they couldn't be showing up with broken knuckles— they popped over to a McDonald's a good distance away that was a regular hangout for lots of their friends. They quickly made a purchase, stashing away the receipt, and made their presence known to a bunch of people there, their alibi was secure.

Chelsea looked at them in shock.

'They shouldn't say anything to you ever again, and if they do, you better tell me.' Victor had fire in his eyes. If Cody thought he was protective of her, it paled in comparison to Victor. He had gone out of his way to make her feel comfortable, starting with kissing her on the cheek after their dance, which had made her go a deep shade of crimson. He treated her the same as his other friends right away, and maybe that is why she was so comfortable making so much fun of him.

'Are you guys gonna get in trouble?' She asked worriedly.

'I think I remember telling you not to worry about that.' Cody replied.

'We didn't do anything, so there's nothing to get in trouble for.' Victor said with a sly grin.

'You boys are too much.' She responded.

'Too much fun.' Victor responded, and they all started laughing.

Chelsea didn't have any issues with those boys the rest of the year. In fact, those boys didn't cause anybody much trouble for the rest of the year. And for those who thought it funny to still tease Chelsea; all it took was a hint that the fate that befell Brandon also awaited them, and their behavior changed quickly.

'Hey, Cody, do you think we could let Chelsea in on our secret?' Victor asked tentatively.

'What did you do?' Cody asked knowingly.

'Well, I kinda let it slip about our trips to Disneyland.'

'You What!?'

'It was an accident, man. I didn't say how we got there or anything, but just the way I was talking about it she could tell we go a lot. She's smart, man, and not just like book smart either. Whenever I tell her about any of my schemes, she sees right through them.'

'Ok, so she knows we go a lot, big deal.' Cody said.

'Well, I don't think I had a real good explanation, but fortunately she didn't push me too hard. She could tell there was something I didn't want to say, and I hate having to lie to her. And you should've seen the hope in her eyes when she thought she'd get to come with us. She's been before, but not very often, and not in the last couple years. Not to mention, she can keep a secret as good as anyone, you know she would never say anything to anyone.'

'You're right there, you're more likely to blab than she ever would be.' Cody teased.

'See, I'm already a bigger liability. It couldn't be any harder bringing one more person along.'

'Ok, we'll bring her with us next time. That'll give us four people, better for the rides anyway. But you think she's gonna be alright with all the Jedi stuff?'

'Dude, you are getting her into Disneyland for free, you could be a Sith Lord and she'd go along with it.'

'It's not like we have to tell her everything right away, just that we have a secret way to get to Disneyland.' Piped in Jamal, he had been silently contemplating during the entire conversation.

'That's a good idea, I like that.'

'Alright, I'll let her know. She's gonna be so excited.' Victor smiled broadly.

Minerva McGonagall stalked through the halls of Hogwarts after returning from a most interesting visit with a prospective student and her family. She needed to deliver this news to the Headmaster promptly.

'Juicy Fruit.' And she ascended the stairs without breaking stride.

'Minerva, what brings you here today? I wasn't expecting you.'

'Albus, we have had a potential student decline the invitation to attend Hogwarts.'

'Excuse me? Did I hear you correctly? A student rejected the invitation to Hogwarts?'

'Yes, you heard me correctly.'

'This is unheard of. In all my time as Headmaster there has never been a student decline the invitation. You spoke to the student and family yourself?'

'I am well aware, Albus, and yes, I went myself to converse with the family.'

'Did they give a reason?'

'They didn't like the idea of a child that young being away from home for so long. And they didn't like that they couldn't take a tour of the school, or come visit, ever.'

'That is very interesting. There is not much we can do to address those concerns at this time.'

'I'm actually surprised these issues haven't caused problems in the past. How should we proceed?'

'I fear we have done all we can for the moment. I suppose we could continue to visit the family, if you feel they might change their mind, but ultimately the decision is theirs. Then again, I wonder—'

'What is it? Do you have another idea?'

'Yes, but nothing regarding this particular individual. My presence is required in the owlery, now.'