Thanks to all who read Chapter 1 and to the reviewers: Jeriddian, spectre666, cpneb, MrDrP, conan98002, AtomicFire, Yankee Bard, Dr. J0nes, momike, daywalkr82, Zaratan, mattb3671, DuffKilliganFan, Commander Argus, dartblade, and CastaS.
Special thanks to MrDrP for beta reading.
Disclaimer: The characters in this story are property of Disney. Even the ones they never used.
Chapter 2
Tara awoke Saturday morning feeling invigorated, better than she had in weeks.
Things to do today, she thought as she got ready for her day, go to the mall with Jess, dump Jason, play chess with Cap'n K.
She'd enjoyed the game and the chatting online last night. They hadn't revealed very much about themselves, just general stuff about school and such, but it had been fun.
She grinned as she recalled how Cap'n K had thought she was a guy until right before she signed off. That was something she definitely was not used to.
Tara knew she was considered one of the prettiest girls at Middleton High, and most of her interactions with boys were colored by that fact. Boys generally saw her as a pretty face and a nice figure, and that was usually the end of it. When a boy talked to her, he was more often than not 'performing' in some way, either trying to secure a date, or if he already had a date, trying to kiss her. And if he'd kissed her … she blushed.
K had just been himself. Tara found that refreshing. She was sure K was a boy—it was clear that he was the MHS chess team captain, and Tara had a vague idea who that was. Some short kid, honor student, his name was Kenny or something; she'd never taken much notice of him. Besides, just from the way he wrote, the 'voice' that she heard as she read his words on-screen, he had to be a boy. Tara was an expert on boys.
She decided it would be best to keep their conversations casual for a while. She didn't want him to know who T-square was just yet. She felt a twinge of guilt over that; it was as if she was ashamed of some part of herself. That wasn't it; Tara just didn't want to take the chance of changing things between T-square and Cap'n K yet. Not to be big-heady or anything, but she was the only Tara around, and people in school knew who she was.
First task for the day: shopping and dishing with Jess. Her squadmate had borrowed her mom's car and came by to pick Tara up.
"So," the taller girl asked once Tara was buckled in and they got rolling, "you have a good date with Jason last night?"
"I had my last date ever with Jason," Tara said, "and that alone makes it one of the best."
"You guys broke up?"
"Not yet, but next time I talk to him I'm dumping him."
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Jess said. "You didn't seem to be enjoying dating him."
"I wasn't. It was like we were expected to date, the big basketball star and the cheerleader. All he ever wanted to do was show me off to his sports buddies, and then grope me when he got me alone. Like I owed him because he was some 'big hero.' Ha! Kim and Ron save people, they're heroes. Just 'cause he scored thirty-four points against West Whitewater in that playoff game, he seemed to think I owed him second base …"
Jess eyed her shapely friend as she waited at a traffic light. "Yeah, I'd say another point or two would've given him a better case, just from the numerology angle."
Tara reddened. "Oh, can it, Sundstrum. Being serious here."
"Come on, T, Jason's a boy. That's what they do."
"Is that what Steve does? You told us you had to 'force his hand,' so to speak."
Jess shot her friend a sly grin. "Steve had no experience with girls 'til me, and he had this idealized view of me at first, like I was pure and untouchable. He's adapted quite well to the idea that I'm a flesh-and-blood woman with needs and desires."
"Oh, I'll bet he has."
Jess piloted the Volvo into the mall parking lot and located a good space. "Say, if you and Jason are finished, Steve has this friend –"
Tara held up a hand. "Stop right there, Jess. So not interested in a set-up."
"But –"
"Don't want to hear it. I don't need to jump right back into the fray. I'll take some 'me' time, maybe find someone at Mad Dog Picnic."
Jess kept quiet. With Bonnie out of town, this was the best chance a boy like Kevin would ever have with Tara—Bonnie's opinion mattered a lot to Tara, and the Food Chain was all-important to Bonnie. But if Tara wasn't receptive to a fix-up, Jess knew better than to press the issue.
The clouds kept their rain to themselves for a change, so the Middleton Tee-Ball League was able to play that Saturday.
At Middleton Elementary's north diamond, a batter swung and topped the ball, knocking it off the tee and sending it rolling weakly toward first base. The fielder, a little blonde girl named Katie, picked it up and beat the batter to the bag for the final out.
Coach Farley jumped up from the bench. "All right, team, great game." He high-fived all his young charges and made sure they congratulated their opponents.
He and Assistant Coach Guberman began to collect the tee-ball equipment while their players went off to have ice cream with their parents.
"So, you're sure you don't have any idea who T-square could be?" Kevin asked Steve.
"None at all," Steve replied, "If you think she does band or a sport, there's lots of possibilities. Plenty of smart girls play sports, it looks good on college applications."
"He's right, Guberman," League Coordinator Steve Barkin said. "You should think about a sport next fall. Those Ivy League schools you're looking at want more than just good grades, they want well-rounded kids. You've done well with the chess team, and you and Farley here are getting community service credit for coaching these kids, but athletics are important too. You could go for something like cross country, swimming, or fencing. Middleton High has plenty of sports that smaller men can excel in."
"I'll think about it, Mr. B," Kevin said.
"Farley, you still set on the Air Force Academy?"
"Yessir, Mr. B."
"Well, I still wish you'd consider the Point," the Army veteran said. "Joining the Long Gray Line. Fancy-pants jet jockeys have the glamour, but the guys who get down in the mud, they're the real military."
"I appreciate your advice, Mr. B," Steve said. "Say, maybe you could help us. You're the AD, you know any girl athletes at school who play chess?"
"No, I don't. Why?"
"Kevin here has a secret admirer," Steve joked.
Kevin punched his friend in the arm. "Shut up!"
"Right," the big man said. "Well, carry on."
He walked away, thinking that Guberman, good kid, smart kid, heart of a warrior. Too bad girls his age don't usually go for the small and weak. But if Stoppable can get a girl …
Tara and Jess spent an enjoyable couple of hours trying on various outfits in different stores, finally ending up in teen fashion nirvana, aka Club Banana.
Tara noticed a display of exercise wear. "Oh, this is just what I need—something for the squad's weight-room sessions next year." She started browsing through the hanging outfits.
Jessica began looking on the other side of the big circular rack. She pulled out a two-piece set in Tara's size. "Here's one that would be great on you, T."
They were joined by an attractive African-American salesgirl. "Oh, you've got to try that one on, Tara. That bod of yours is perfect for that outfit," Monique said.
Tara took the outfit and the trio headed for the dressing rooms. While Tara changed, Jess browsed through a selection of tops laid out on a table.
"The striped one's cute," Monique said.
"Yeah, I like horizontal stripes," Jess said. "They give me the optical illusion of a chest."
Monique gave the tall blonde an appraising look. "Girl, you got your share goin' on in that department."
"I'm on the same cheer squad as Bonnie and Tara. Compared to them … not so much."
"Well, I bet that MFBF of yours has no complaints."
Jess looked confused. "Em effbee huh?"
"She means 'Mighty Fine Boyfriend,' Jess," came a familiar voice from behind her.
Middleton's cheer captain, teen hero and expert in Monique-speak had come to do some extreme shopping.
"Oh, hey Kim," said Jess, turning around. "Heard you had a mission last night. How'd it go?"
"It was no big. Just Duff Killigan threatening some pro golf tournament. We're still not even sure what he wanted. He kept ranting about the pros going back to 'gutties' and 'niblicks' and 'hickory shaft mashies,' whatever that means, 'til we took him down."
"So where's your BF?" Monique asked.
"I left him over at Victoria's Circuits."
"Uh, guys? I'm not sure about this."
Kim, Jess and Monique turned at the sound of Tara's voice. Six eyes went round as saucers and three jaws dropped.
Kim was first to find her voice. "Tara, you look … beautiful." The other two nodded mutely.
Tara stood there looking fit and strong as a comic-book superheroine, clad in a tank top and bike shorts set in a neon-bright shade of pink with contrasting black panels. The two pieces were skintight spandex and, aside from a two-inch gap at the waist, flowed over her lush curves as if painted on, with nary a stray bulge or roll to be seen.
She tugged at the low-cut top, trying to increase its coverage. "I don't know. I feel like I'm gonna pop out of here."
Monique shook her head. "Don't you worry about that, girl. That's a built-in MarvelBra in that top. They're not coming out of there 'til you say so."
She walked all around the curvy blonde, looking her over from every angle.
She then turned Tara toward a mirror and made her stand up straight and take a good look at herself. "Tara, the only way that outfit could look any better is if I bought it for myself. And since this girl don't do workouts, that ain't happening."
"You do look fantastic, T," Jess agreed.
Tara took a long look, turning this way and that, and then smiled, liking what she saw.
Kim and Jess exchanged a look. Then Jess wordlessly handed her captain one of the tops from the display table.
"Ooh, stripes. Spankin'!" the redhead said.
Tara decided to buy the outfit, and was about to change back into her street clothes when another Club Banana shopper was heard from.
"Whoa, Tara! Lookin' hot!" Jason Morgan, toting a bag from the mall's sporting goods emporium, grinned lasciviously at her, his eyes roaming up and down her voluptuous form. "Hey, you need any help peeling that outfit off, the Big J is here for you, babe."
"Jason!" Tara exclaimed. Jess, looking uncomfortable, leaned over and whispered to Kim and Monique.
The towering basketball star took a step toward Tara and bent down for a kiss, but she pulled away.
"What's going on, Tara?"
"Not now, Jason. Let's talk about this later."
"Talk about what, babe? You got something on your mind, say it right now." He reached out to grab her arm. Kim moved to intervene, but Monique got there first.
"Back off, Stretch," she ordered the hoopster. "You think you can come into my store and harass my friends and customers, you better think a little more. The girl doesn't want to talk to you right now, so you just turn around and march your size thirteens out of here while you still can."
"It's all right, Monique," Tara said, "I might as well tell him right here. There is no next date for us, Jason—we're through. I'm tired of sitting around while you talk hoops with your buds every time we go out. I'm dumping you."
"But Tara, you can't do this, we're great together." He reached for her again.
Kim's hand snaked out and clamped around his wrist, stopping him. "You try to put that hand on my friend again, sport, you'll need a bag to carry it home."
Jason took a step back and Kim relinquished his arm. He rubbed his wrist as he regarded the three determined girls forming a wall between him and his ex-GF. Eyes of emerald, obsidian and sapphire stared up at him, daring him to make a move.
"You heard the girl, Stretch," Monique said coolly. "Now, I don't think there's anything else in this store for you, so you can just take your ball and go home."
"Okay, Tara, if that's the way you want it. I don't need this. There's lots of girls out there who want to go out with me. Most of them are a lot more fun, too." He turned and walked away.
Tara's three defenders watched until he was out of sight, then they turned back to their friend.
"Are you okay, T?" Jess said softly.
Tara nodded.
"Girlfriend, you are way too fine for that jerk," Monique said.
"Yeah, you deserve a nice guy, Tara, not a self-centered creep like him," Kim added.
"Thanks, guys," Tara said.
"So, you still want the outfit?" Monique asked.
"Oh, you betcha," Tara said, grinning, looking in the mirror again. "Jason may be a creep and a lech, but he's right about one thing: I look hot in this!"
T-square and Cap'n K played and chatted for a couple of hours that night, and again on the next couple of evenings. Tara didn't win any games, but she was able to make K work hard for his victories, earning his praise. She continued to be pleased with the chats, too. K seemed just as comfortable with T-square the girl as he'd been when he assumed she was male.
So when Wednesday turned out to be yet another in the series of dreary, rainy days Middleton was enduring, Tara was happy to find Cap'n K logged in to the teen site. She curled up on the family room sofa with Mom's laptop and began another game.
After about twenty minutes of play, Tara's mother came looking for her computer.
"Tara, I'm taking some clients around town this afternoon to look at houses, and I'm going to need to bring my laptop. You have five minutes to finish what you're doing."
"Okay, Mom."
T-square: Gonna have to quit, K. Mom needs her computer.
Cap'n K: Too bad.
T-square: I know. I'm gonna be sooo bored. I hate this rain.
The cursor blinked for a few moments, then a response came.
Cap'n K: Maybe we could continue this face-to-face?
Tara was torn. The current arrangement was nice in a way, but she was getting tired of having to filter herself and keep the conversation so generic for the sake of her anonymity. Maybe it was time to go public.
T-square: Where do you live?
Cap'n K: You know the old farmhouse on Aspen View Rd? That's my house.
T-square: That's not far. I can be there in 15.
Cap'n K: See you then. K out.
Tara logged off, then wrote a quick note to her mom and left it with the laptop on the sofa table. She found an old hooded rain poncho that fit her and went out into the weather.
As she walked, she couldn't help giggling at what her friends would think of her appearance. Bonnie would undoubtedly declare the hideous blue poncho a fashion never-ever with a capital EVER. Under that, she wore a plain, many-times laundered green sleeveless top, faded blue jeans cut off a few inches above the knee, and old sneakers. To go out like that in public at all was bad enough, but she was going to meet a boy.
She felt so giddy, she started leaping over, and then splashing through, the many puddles along the route as she walked. Soon she reached Aspen View Road and easily found the antique farmhouse, one of the few homes still around from before the 1904 Fair.
She climbed the steps to the front porch and rang the doorbell. In a few moments a slim boy about her height, with grayish blue eyes and straight brown hair hanging low over his forehead answered the door. He was wearing khaki Cornet Lad cargo shorts and a green T-shirt with DARTMOUTH across the front in large white letters. He took one look at her and seemed to turn to stone.
to be continued …