Destiny's Road
Author: Travis Starnes
Date: 2015-09-27T18:00:00+00:00
Description: A sci-fi coming of age story. Caspian Grey’s life was already pretty weird, and then he started high school. He must cope with the bizarre changes in his life while trying to find the family he always wanted. “Plato once said: ‘No one can escape his destiny.’ A popular TV show pointed out that ‘Destiny is a fickle bitch.’ While I never really believed in destiny, looking back at my life I think they might both have had a point.” The first book in the Destiny Saga follows Caspian Grey and the women in his life as they cope with his unique nature and struggle to find a way to live in the world.
Publisher: Renegade Publishing

Destiny’s Road

Destiny Saga I

T. Starnes

Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Preview of The Ties that Bind

About The Author

Other Books By T. Starnes

This is a work of fiction.  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Destiny’s Road

Destiny Saga, Volume 1

Copyright © 2017 by T. Starnes

All Rights Reserved

ISBN 978-0-9968-6680-4

0996866809

Signup to get free previews of upcoming books before they’re released at

http://tstarnes.com/preview-notification-newsletter/

Chapter 1

Plato once said: 'No one can escape his destiny.' A popular TV show pointed out that 'Destiny is a fickle bitch.' While I never really believed in destiny, looking back at my life I think they might both have had a point.

In 1996, my family moved to a somewhat small town in east Texas called Allentown for Margret, my adoptive mother, to start a new job. Of course, this had me starting high school in a brand new school; but for a guy with no friends, that really isn't a big deal. Our house was about a half mile from the school, close enough for me to walk, instead of taking a bus.

The month before school, shortly after we moved in, I walked a few routes to Harry S. Truman High School to get an idea of how long it would take me and the best way to go. I would be walking by myself since the Jr. High, where my younger sister would be going, was further away and not in the same direction.

I gave myself forty minutes to get to school that first day and took a pretty easy pace. My path had me coming into the school across what is known as the back parking lot that runs behind the school's football field. It was small and mostly blocked from the main school, clearly either overflow for events or maybe good parking for the coaching staff.

I was cutting out of the woods and just hitting asphalt when I heard the sounds. Grunts, a yelp (or scream that was cut off before it got to full volume), and a bunch of scraping and thudding sounds. It was coming from between two cars off to my right. I could see a light brown head poke up between the cars a few times, before disappearing from view.

It was impossible to tell what was really happening, but something seemed wrong, so I jogged over to the two cars. What I saw stopped me cold for a second, mostly out of sheer surprise.

There were two boys and a girl there. The guy closest to me was wearing some kind of rock band tour t-shirt, jeans with a rip just above the left knee and sneakers. He had dark hair ... not quite black, but a very dark brown. His buddy was wearing a solid blue shirt and jeans, t-shirts and jeans seeming to be the go to clothing of choice for teenagers in the mid-90s, along with some kind of work boot. This was the kid whose head I saw come into view a couple of times.

In front of the kneeling dark haired kid was a girl lying on the ground. The light haired kid was holding her shoulders down on the ground, and had one hand over her mouth. Her shirt was torn enough that you could see her bra, and her skirt was pushed up to her waist. Her panties were torn and were only hanging onto one leg. She was kicking her feet, or attempting to, as the dark haired kid held one of her legs down while fumbling with his belt.

It took about a second to take this whole scene in, but the one thing that really sticks with me was her eyes. I am not sure I will ever forget the pure fear and terror in her eyes. She saw me right as I came around the car and locked eyes with me. The pleading in her beautiful brown eyes was unmistakable as she silently begged me for help.

Having not seen me yet the two kept taunting her. The light haired kid was laughing in a low chuckle that could only be described as creepy.

The dark haired kid told her, "Just hold still bitch. You know you want this."

I have never been in a real fight in my life. I had sparred in the dojo with other kids and even went to one competition the previous year, but this was different. I had never thrown a punch in anger. Actually, I'd never felt real anger. Sure, I had been mad at my sister and mother, and even other kids, before. But that was always an annoyance kind of mad. What I felt at this moment was pure fury. I saw red. I didn't think about it in the moment, but while this was an extreme situation I also had no idea who these people were, so looking back I am a little shocked at my reaction.

I dropped my backpack, took two large steps forward, and grabbed the dark haired kid by the head. I slammed his head fully onto the back panel of the car next to him. There wasn't much resistance to my grab and throw, since he had no idea I was there before I connected with him. As his head connected, his buddy turned to look up at me. He started to rise from his crouch, pulling his knee off the girl. This was totally the wrong move, however, as he was really off balance. Most of his weight on his back foot as he pushed up into a standing position. His hands were still lowered, just coming out of contact with the girl.

I used the momentum of my movement forward and half pushing off his friend's head with my left hand I raised my right foot and pushed into his chest. It wasn't a kick really, I wasn't in the right body potion for that and wasn't able to put very much weight behind my thrust. Power however, wasn't really needed, as he was so off balance. He fell backwards, bouncing off the front door of the opposite car his friend had hit, his head making a grazing contact with the rear view mirror.

Both guys being down for a second I ignored them. I wasn't going after them, I was just trying to get the girl free. I reached down, grabbed her hand and pulled her up. Turning but not letting go I pulled her after me, away from the two guys. Both of them were still down. They weren't unconscious, just stunned from the sudden burst of violence against them, and being slammed against the automotive sheet metal.

We cleared the small alley between the two cars, and I started pulling her towards the football field. The school lay on the other side of the field. It was then that I saw more people. In the distance was a preppy looking kid walking across the field to the school, and three other kids coming our way. The three kids coming our way did not look friendly. They looked a bit savage, and were running in our direction. One of them yelled out,

"Tyler! Are you alright?"

A pretty sure sign this was not the Cavalry, or at least not 'my' Cavalry. I changed the direction of our travel, not wanting to rush into these guys headlong. I rounded the car the dark haired kid bounced into and walked backwards putting a vehicle between me, the two kids just getting up off the ground, and their reinforcements. I pulled/pushed the girl behind me.

"Stay behind me. If you break and run, one of these guys might veer off and grab you. Wait until I am tangled up with them, then run for the school."

I didn't look back for an acknowledgment, keeping my attention on the guys closing on us. I did however spare a second to look in the direction of the preppy kid.

In my loudest shout, I yelled to him, "Hey! Get help!"

Apparently, the commotion had already drawn attention, as he was looking our way. I am not sure if he was going for help or not, but he did take off towards the school. I could only hope he was getting me some reinforcements.

I got a good look at these guys as they got up close. None were muscled, but also were not really out of shape. The guy in the middle was the tallest, at maybe five-eleven, with shoulder length hair that probably hadn't seen a comb in years. His two friends were a little shorter. The long haired guy seemed to be in charge; at least he spoke for the group as they closed.

"You are going to pay for hitting Tyler, you little faggot."

My guess is this last part was meant as a pure insult, and not an evaluation of me as a person. I am about six-three (considerably taller than he was), and I am pretty sure you cannot tell a person's sexual orientation from looking at them for a few seconds.

I will admit I was a little worried. The two original guys were getting to their feet and the new three were closing fast. Five on one odds is not great if you are the one. I did manage to keep my calm, however. While I am not some martial arts superstar or ninja master, I had been studying Krav Maga pretty hard for the past four years. I know that's not a lifetime of experience, but I had been going to the dojo four times a week, every week, for all those four years. I had really focused at it, too.

Krav Maga is an Israeli martial arts form that mixes boxing, Judo, Aikido, grappling, and a bunch of other forms into a fighting style focused on real world situations. The key to Krav Maga is to take the most effective and efficient move to neutralize an opponent as quickly as possible. If formal karate was the 'champion show dog, ' focusing on grace and skill; Krav Maga was the 'junkyard dog!'

As the guy in front lunged to grab me, I pushed his reaching arm aside, grasping across my left arm with my right hand to lock onto his wrist. With my left arm I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into his momentum, while twisting, redirecting him in a shallow arc. Letting go, I managed to bounce him off his friend. This sent them both to the ground, gaining me a moment to deal with the guy closest to me who was already swinging a punch. Both my hands were out of position, having just let go of the kid I designated as 'leader' in my mind, and my legs were still counterbalancing my throw. Not having any limbs to defend myself, I did the next best thing you can do to stop a punch: I took it.

The thing you have to know about a punch is that the hand is actually really brittle. There are lots of little bones in there. That's why boxers wear big padded gloves. The other thing to know is that behind your forehead is a pretty massive and solid piece of your skull known as the frontal bone. This part of your body was designed to take a blow, to protect your brain.

I lowered my head, and took his fist on my forehead. This is a move I really don't recommend to anyone. I am not going to lie. It rang my bell! My vision grayed for a moment, but snapped back into place. I didn't feel nausea, and didn't have any double vision or blurring, so I felt pretty confident I didn't have a concussion. I knew I was almost certainly going to have a colossal headache in a very short few minutes! This, however, was probably no relief to the punch thrower. Many of the bones in his fist snapped or pulverized as he came into contact with my skull. You could hear them breaking. I think he might have broken his wrist, as well. Either way, he clutched his destroyed hand with his other, as he began to drop to his knees, yelling.

Having no one else close enough, and not wanting to leave someone behind me still a threat; I brought my body back into alignment, and pulled my knee forward against the side of his head as he was dropping. As his brain bounced against the inside of his skull, he went down and stopped moving. I didn't put a lot of force behind it, so I was pretty sure he was just knocked out ... but, he was definitely down.

Heckle and Jeckle, the rapists from the beginning, were rounding the car as the leader and his buddy were getting off of the ground. As the leader was still within reach, I continued my motion forward from the knee strike, and started twisting. Planting my foot on the ground, I pulled around into a roundhouse kick against the leader's jaw. I didn't have great aim, as this is not a move I had practiced a lot. Also, I was aiming using only my starting peripheral vision. But, I did get a piece of him. Enough so that I felt the jaw pull, and I am pretty sure it was dislocated. It sent him spinning back to the ground.

I followed this by pulling in the foot that had contacted him, planting it on the ground, and using my spinning momentum as I pushed out with a flat palm against his friend that was just up and starting forward again. I caught him in the chest, and really got some power behind it. It did feel like I had just dead armed a brick wall, and I knew my shoulder would complain, later; but I was rewarded with a solid "oof" from the guy as he flew backwards, trying to suck in air. He would be down for a least a minute, trying to get oxygen back into his lungs. This cleared me to turn on his two rapist friends who had been coming at me, but were for the moment out of my line of sight.

As I rounded on them, both were looking at their downed friends as they pulled up sharply. I could see them reconsidering. At that moment, shouts could be heard from the direction of the football field. Clearly, retreat seemed the better part of 'valor' to them.

The dark haired kid said, "This isn't over, faggot!" as the two high-tailed it into the woods.

I stepped back, protectively putting a hand back and grabbing the girl's arm where she was standing in stark terror. I looked at the handful of adults just now crossing the far parking lot before getting onto our side of the football field. Confirming that the three guys wouldn't be back up before the adults got to us, I turned around and looked into the girl's eyes.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

I didn't get much of an answer from her. Rather, I got her release of terror and raw emotions. Tears began pouring from her eyes as she was overcome with wracking sobs. She rushed forward and grabbed onto me like a drowning man would grab a life preserver, clutching me to her with all her might.

I do not have a lot of experience with violence or girls ... actually, I had no experience with either ... so I just held her, stroking the back of her head with my left hand as I held her with my right, telling her everything was 'okay now' and that she was safe.

After about another minute I heard some groans from the ground, as the two teachers or whoever reached us.

"What the hell is going on?"

I turned towards them, the girl still holding onto me. Pointing at the woods with my left hand, I gave them a breakdown of the situation.

"The two guys who ran into the woods were attacking this girl, and I am pretty sure they were trying to rape her. I knocked them off of her, and tried to get her out of there, when these three of their friends showed up. They attacked me, I defended myself. The two original guys just took off into the woods when they saw you coming."

They looked at the girl who, still sobbing uncontrollably, started nodding at them.

The guy, who talked at first, a bigger man still in fairly good shape in his mid-40s I would guess, turned to the smaller Hispanic man beside him.

"Okay. I will stay with these guys. Mr. Garcia, please take these two students to the nurse. Then call the police and an ambulance."

We walked back to the school in silence, the girl holding on to me the entire way, occasionally looking back at the parking lot with fear in her eyes.

At the nurse's office, it took a little coaxing, but they managed to pry the girl off me. They took her into the nurse's office, while I was placed in a seat in the infirmary to wait. Another lady, I guess a second nurse or maybe a teacher, stayed with me. After explaining again, what had happened, I told her about the blow to my head, and asked for some Tylenol or aspirin. The headache I'd predicted had arrived with a vengeance.

We sat there, quietly, with sobs still coming out of the nurse's office for about thirty minutes, until a police officer came into the room. He ignored me and walked into the nurse's office, closing the door. After about twenty more minutes, he came back out and asked me to go over everything. I did. He asked me to do it again. So I told him it again.

After scribbling in his note pad he stepped outside where I saw him key his shoulder mic, say a few words I couldn't quite hear and listen to a longer unheard response. A few more minutes of back and forth continued before he came back in to talk to me. Sitting down in a chair across from me, he smiled for the first time since he had walked into the room.

"So it seems you saved that little girl in there. She confirmed everything you said, to the letter, and another witness who saw part of what occurred backs up your story, too. While that was pretty stupid ... getting into a fight with so many guys ... you really did a good thing, today. I have to ask, what the hell did you do to those three guys? They are pretty messed up; and the paramedics are saying two, at least, have broken bones."

I shrugged my shoulders and said, "I defended myself. I have been taking martial arts for several years and I just kind of reacted. I didn't really mean to hurt them, and I was trying to pull some of my punches when I knew they could cause permanent damage, but it happened really fast. This was my first true fight, so it was all adrenaline and training, I guess."

He let out a short bark of laughter.

"Ha! Kid, if this was your first fight, I would hate to see what you could do with experience. I will say we never condone that kind of violence, but if there was ever a case of self-defense, this is clearly that. The girl is headed to the hospital to get checked out, but she is pretty much begging for you to go with her. It's all the nurse can do to keep her from rushing back in here. Until she gets checked out and can talk to someone, we really need to keep her calm. Her mother is going to meet us at the hospital, but told her daughter it was okay for you to go with her. Would you be willing to do that?"

I thought about it for a second and nodded. "Sure. I just need to call home and tell my mom where I will be."

I used the phone sitting on the counter and left a message on her voice mail, as my mom was at her new job and I didn't have that number. Tina was at school. I figured that was good enough. Turning, I told the officer I was okay to go, and sat back in the chair. He stepped into the office again. After a second, the girl rushed out, threw herself on my lap, and went back to clutching me. She was still crying, not that I blame her. As traumatic events go, this had to be way up there. I just continued to tell her it would be okay, and rocked her until the officer finished whatever he was doing in the office, and came to get us.

We went to the guy's car with the girl maintaining a two handed grip on my hand the whole way. I am sure word of the events had spread. What seemed like hundreds (but was probably more like dozens) of kids and teachers watched us walk out of the office, and out the front of the school into the parking lot. The ride to the hospital was pretty quiet.

They allowed me to stay in the room with her until the doctor came in. At that point, they asked me to sit outside in the hall. When I sat down a man in a suit came up and introduced himself as a detective. He had me answer all the same questions again, had me write out everything that happened and fill out a form. I had agreed to press charges on all the guys for assault and said if they found the other two guys; I would testify that they tried to rape the girl. It was at that moment it occurred to me I had no idea what her name was.

When we finished, I was told I could go in and see her, as she was going to be released shortly. Going into the room, I saw she was sitting on the bed wearing a hospital gown. She looked much calmer than before. I sat in a chair next to her. This was the first time I had gotten a good look at her.

She had light brown hair that flowed part way down her back, a heart shaped face, and really expressive light brown eyes. Even in a hospital gown, I could see she was in excellent shape. Her legs were muscled, but in a very feminine way, and looked really smooth to the touch. She was completely stunning.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled a very cute little smile, and let out a soft laugh.

"You know, that is pretty much the only thing you have said to me. Yeah, I'm okay. Still really shaky, but nothing really happened ... I mean, they didn't get a chance to do anything to me."

I smiled at her and said, "Good. I didn't ask, yet, but what's your name?"

"Zoe Bell. You?"

"Caspian Grey, but pretty much everyone has always called me Cas."

"That's a weird name."

"Tell me about it."

She paused for a minute before looking straight into my eyes, reaching down and grabbing my hands.

"I want to say 'thank you.' You saved my life. Those guys were really brutal and I know I was so close to being raped. I couldn't do anything! I don't think I have ever been that scared in my whole life."

I smiled for a second but looked away while blushing.

"Anyone would have done it. I am just glad you are okay."

She pulled my hands to get my attention and shook her head. "No, I don't think anyone would have done it. You saved me, and fought off five guys. You put your body between me and them the whole time."

She hopped down off the table and I could tell her height. She was pretty short, maybe a good foot shorter than I am, when I stand up. She plopped down onto my lap and hugged me tightly as she whispered in my ear.

"You are my hero."

I honestly couldn't think of anything to say at that moment, so just held her again. After a few minutes of quiet hugging, the door opened and a woman walked in.

Zoe looked up, jumped out of my lap, and ran to the woman yelling, "Mom!"

I stayed seated while she hugged her mother tightly and told her what had happened, crying again. Tears were also falling down her mother's face, and I got a little back-story as to the full situation.

Apparently, there was a gang that got together a few years ago, in the middle school they all attended. It was led by a kid named Jake Masuko, the long-haired thug I had correctly identified as their leader. In the gang is his cousin Ralph, the red haired kid named Tommy, and the two that tried to rape Zoe. The dark haired kid is called Tyler Jones and the other kid was Tony Miller. They'd had a thing for Zoe for a while, it seemed, and had tormented her all through middle school. She lived not far from me and seemed to walk the same path. Tyler and Tony must have known that was where she was going to walk, and were lying in wait for her. They had grabbed her as she cleared the woods and pulled her down, saying awful stuff to her and pulling at her clothes. That was when I made my entrance.

When she finished the story, although I felt she had over-embellished my fight against the guys, her mother let Zoe go and marched over to me. She grabbed my hands and with a surprising strength yanked me to my feet. Although noticeably shorter than me, Zoe's mother pressed me into her ample chest and did her best impersonation of a python as she tried to squeeze the air out of my lungs in what only masochists would call a hug! She held her head against me, and her voice was choked with tears.

"Thank you! Thank you! You saved my baby. Thank you!"

I managed to get a squeak out: "Air!"

In the first real laugh, I had seen so far, Zoe pulled her mom back, and I took in a lung full of precious oxygen.

Zoe's mom looked sheepish for a second.

"Sorry about that. I was so terrified when the school called me. To know that she is okay is almost more than I can take."

Zoe turned to her mom. "Mom, can Cas come home with us for lunch? I still feel pretty shaky but I'm much better when he is with me. I don't think the school will let us come back today, anyway, with what has happened."

Her mom stopped to think for a minute, and then said, "I guess that would be okay. I do need to call his parents first though."

With that, she turned to look at me. I stopped to think for a moment.

"My mom started a new job, today. Actually, I have no idea what her number is."

Her mom considered this for a second, "What about your dad's work number?"

"My dad died several years ago. It's now just my sister, my mom, and me."

I was surprised with how sad she looked for a second, "I am sorry to hear that, Cas. I think, at least until it is time for school to let out, that it would be better for you to come back with us instead of going to an empty house. You were released to the police by the school, so I have to talk to the officer for a moment about this."

She stepped out into the hall and Zoe took this as an opportunity to come back and sit on my lap and hug me again. She was surprisingly light.

"I hope you don't mind I keep hanging off you. I am still really torn up. I feel much better when you hold on to me."

I smiled, briefly, and said, "I am glad I can help."

Mrs. Bell came back in the room after another minute and looked at us for a second before speaking. "The officer said it would be okay for Cas to go home with us until we can contact his parents. Zoe, you are being discharged. I need to go do some paperwork, and you need to get dressed. Cas, would you please wait outside until Zoe is decent."

"Of course," I said as I lifted Zoe off my lap and onto her feet. I looked down into her soft eyes, "I will be right outside."

I sat in the hallway for about five minutes before Zoe came out and plopped herself back onto my lap, curling up with her head against my chest. We sat like this until her mom came and got us.

The ride to her house was actually pretty short. When we pulled into her driveway I pointed out that, I lived just one street over. It was already well past lunch, the police and hospital having taken the entire morning, so Mrs. Bell made us some sandwiches with chips and a couple of cokes.

"So, Cas, tell me about yourself. You said your mom had a new job, did you guys just move here?"

Clearly, the fear of the day had subsided and I was now 'the boy in the house of a girl' getting grilled by her mother.

"Yeah, we moved here last month. We were living in Dallas before that."

"Is that were you grew up?"

"Not really. I lived in foster homes until I was ten. I was moved all over as they tried to place me."

At this news, both ladies gave me the 'sad eye thing' that usually seems to happen when someone finds out how late in life I was adopted. The new information seemed to have piqued Zoe's interest, as she took over the questions.

"Really? So you're adopted? What happened to your real parents?"

Her mom said a quiet "Zoe," in reproach, but I held up a hand.

"It's okay, Mrs. Bell. Those are always the questions people ask when they find out my past. Yes, I am adopted, and I have no idea about my birth parents. I was dropped off at a hospital in New York City when I was a baby, and transferred into the Texas system the same year. They're not really sure of my exact age. I was shifted down to Texas and moved around the foster system until the Grey's adopted me, five years ago."

Zoe's interest continued as she asked, "Wow. So how did you get your name? If they don't know how old you are, how do you know when it's your birthday?"

Her mother chided her again, with, "Zoe Bell!"

I again held up my hand as I said,

"Really, it's okay, Mrs. Bell. I don't mind the questions, I have nothing to hide. I am not sure who gave me my name. I know it wasn't given to me by my birth parents, as no note was left with me when I was dropped off. I can only guess that whoever picked it was either a big fan of the Narnia books, or really liked the inland seas of Asia Minor."

"I didn't have a last name while I was in the system but they agreed to give me a note to go with my birth certificate. It does make applying for stuff hard, since on my original birth certificate it just has 'Caspian' on it and the date is left blank. I never really celebrated a birthday when I was in foster care so about five months after I was adopted John, that was the name of my adopted father, declared that June 5th was my birthday and threw me a party." I smiled at the memory and then frowned. "He died the next month."

"Apparently he had some kind of problem with his heart. The doctor said it sometimes beat in an irregular pattern. He had improved his diet over the previous year, cut out salt and stuff like that, and even started to exercise. They couldn't say for sure what finally pushed his heart too much, but apparently the heart beat thing got worse until he had a massive heart attack. It's weird, I remember it really clearly. It was a Saturday morning and he had just sat down to watch some TV with me."

Both ladies gave a quiet 'Aww' before Mrs. Bell continued.

"So what about your mother and sister? Are you close with them, now?"

"No, not really. John's death hurt Margret, my adoptive mother, a lot. Bringing me into the family was really his idea and there are clues that she was not really on board with the idea. To her credit, she has always treated me fairly, and has taken care of me. Tina was already seven by the time I came along, and I am sure I was a shock to her previous 'only child' way of life. So no, I am not really close to either."

I got another 'Aww'.

"It's okay, really. I know people hear all kind of horror stories about kids who grow up in foster care. You hear about abuse and neglect. I never really had any of that. While I wasn't with anyone for very long, none of the families that housed me treated me bad. They were all generally pretty fair."

"Did you live in Dallas long? What about your friends there?"

"I guess. That was where the Grey's lived when I moved in with them, and we stayed there until Margret changed jobs this summer. To be honest, I really didn't have any friends. Foster care is a pretty lonely lifestyle, and I guess I just never picked up the skills. I read a whole lot, and Margret has supported my hobbies."

Zoe hopped up and hugged me tightly. From the look on Mrs. Bell's face, I could tell she kind of wanted to do the same thing. After letting Zoe hug me a few seconds more I pushed her gently back and looked back into her eyes.

"It's okay. My life has been pretty good and I am happy with it. It's not the normal story but it wasn't bad. All the horror stories you might hear about foster care didn't happen to me and I have had plenty of stuff to focus on."

Zoe sat back down, started to droop, and looked at her mother.

"Mom, I am feeling kind of exhausted. I want to go take a nap, and I would really like it if Cas could come and lay down with me."

To say the look on her mother's face was skeptical would be underselling how little she thought that was a good idea. Zoe clearly noticed the look, also.

"Nothing will happen. I will even leave my door open. I am just feeling really fragile, and Cas makes me feel better. I would really like to be held while I fall asleep."

This seemed to barely mollify Mrs. Bell's displeasure at the request, but she seemed to evenly weigh it, all the same.

"I guess these are special circumstances. I will allow it, but leave the door open." She turned, looked directly at me, and said, "Please continue being the gentleman you have been so far. I am a big fan of yours, right now. Please do not make me have to change my mind."

I nodded gravely as I replied, "Yes, Ma'am."

Zoe's room was 'all girl.' Having a sister three years younger than myself, I had seen this before; but, if anything, Zoe's room was more girly than Tina's. Pink was clearly a favorite theme. I slipped off my shoes and stood awkwardly for a second. I had never had friends, let alone a girlfriend. Other than the exceedingly rare ... and frankly, somewhat cold ... hugs from my 'mother, ' I'd barely had any female contact whatsoever. In fact, the hugging I had received from Zoe today had already exceeded my lifetime amount of female contact. I was way out of my depth.

Zoe must have noticed my apprehensive look.

"It's okay. Nothing is going to happen. I just really need someone to hold me. Don't be nervous. Despite what my mom thinks, I don't think I could handle a guy touching me in a sexual way right now. I would freak the hell out."

She toed off her shoes, grabbed my hand and pushed me onto the bed. I lay down and scooted back against the wall, giving her room. She lay down as well and pushed her back and butt against me, shifting for a second to snuggle in. Reaching around her, she grabbed my left arm and laid it down so she could rest her head on me. She grabbed my other arm, and pulled it across her placing my palm flat against her shirt-covered stomach.

We lay there quietly for an eternity; well, it seemed that way. It was probably closer to five or ten minutes. Her breathing started to slow down and even out. The slow rhythm of her breathing lulled me to sleep as well.

A scream pulled me back to consciousness. It was getting late. The sun was on its way down, outside the window, and I was still on Zoe's bed. She was screaming, telling whatever mysterious attacker to get away, and leave her alone. I started stroking her hair, and saying 'it's okay, ' over and over.

The half-ajar door burst open, and Zoe's mother flew into the room. I looked at her with pleading eyes, as I continued to stroke Zoe's hair. As her mother neared the bed, the yelling stopped and Zoe's eyes flew open. We all stopped for a second, and everyone seemed to hold their breath. Movement returned as Zoe rolled around and clutched me, sobbing.

"What a horrible dream. Tyler and Tony were back, and they were attacking me, but this time you didn't save me," she managed to squeak out between the racking sobs as I rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

"It's okay, Zoe. You're safe. I got there in time. No one is going to hurt you. You're safe, now."

I looked pleadingly at her mother, who did something completely surprising. She smiled at me and backed out of the room. What the hell? I thought I might have some parental back up for this terrified teenager in my arms.

"Cas, you will protect me right? You won't let them get me?"

I continued to comfort her.

"Always, Zoe. I won't let them get to you. I promise."

We lay there for almost another hour as I continued to reassure her she was safe.

Eventually the tears stopped, just in time for us to hear Mrs. Bell call us to come downstairs. She was holding a small directory, and was hanging up the phone as Zoe and I walked into the living room.

"I found your number in the new school directory, and called your mom at your home. I explained everything that had happened, and asked if you could spend some more time, here. I think Zoe might really need that. Your mom seemed fine with you staying here, tonight."

That last sentence was said with an unusual frown, and I wasn't quite sure if the frown was for my staying at their house or at something else. Also, was I just told I was supposed to spend the night with Zoe? My world went upside down for a second. For a kid who had never had friends, before, this was moving at light speed, and it was a little hard for me to keep up.

"I gave her our address, and directions. She said your sister would bring over a bag of stuff. Also, I checked around here. Your backpack, with your school books, is apparently still in the nurse's office. You can get it there, tomorrow."

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. I sat down on the on the couch, and Zoe sat right next to me, once against pushing against me and grabbing my hand. Mrs. Bell returned with Tina in tow. She carried my small gym bag, which I always took to the Dojo. Tina was shorter than Zoe, with light brown hair that went just past her shoulders. She was really petite. Since she had never been much into sports, she was not terribly athletic. She was just past puberty and her body was just starting to fill out.

She stopped for a second taking the picture in, and strange quizzical expression settled onto her face. After a moment, she stepped forward and handed me my bag.

"Mom said for you to stay as long as you are needed. Just let us know if you need more stuff or anything."

Again, there was a frown from Mrs. Bell. It was, however, outside of Tina's eye line.

"Tina, we are about to eat. Would you like to stay and eat with us?"

Tina shook her head, "No, thank you. Momma said I was to get right back so we could eat dinner."

Mrs. Bell escorted Tina out as I silently held Zoe's hand. When she returned I could tell Mrs. Bell was muttering something, but couldn't make it out. She looked up and her frown disappeared into a smile.

"Okay, kids, let's eat some dinner. You guys took a pretty long nap. Cas, after seeing the nightmare Zoe had, I think she could use your company again, tonight. Would you mind staying with us for a little while? I plan on getting Zoe to see someone, to talk about what happened, but she seems to feel better with you here. I don't want to take that away from her, at the moment. And, you did a good job at being a gentleman during your nap."

That last part was said with an unusual smile.

Dinner was interesting. We ate spaghetti and there were a lot more questions. They were all pretty much general questions, this time. Mrs. Bell told me how Zoe's dad had also passed away, although when Zoe was much younger. They were both really interested in my martial arts, and seemed to have never ending questions about it.

After dinner, we sat down and put on a movie, a comedy. I am pretty sure Mrs. Bell picked carefully in hopes of relieving some of the terror Zoe had felt, earlier in the day. I sat in a big recliner that they said had originally belonged to Mr. Bell. Zoe crawled up in the recliner with me.

I won't lie, it was really nice. I am a pretty typical male, and at fifteen years old, I really appreciated women. My lack of experience should not belie my enjoyment or fascination with them. I was certainly enjoying all the close contact I was having. However, a combination of respecting Zoe's fragile state, her mother being in the room, and my nervousness at all the new experiences, kept me from getting excited. Thank goodness!

When the movie ended, Mrs. Bell said we both had to go to school tomorrow, so it was time for bed. She showed me the shower, guest towels and everything, and handed me my bag. Looking inside I could see a change of school clothes as well as shorts and a t-shirt, my normal sleep attire. It seems Margret or Tina, whoever packed this bag, knew or assumed I was spending the night. I took a quick shower, changed into the t-shirt and shorts, and went to Zoe's room.

She had gathered up her stuff, told me she would be back, and walked out of the room. I sat awkwardly on her bed and looked around the room. There were a few posters of popular bands, some trophies that looked gymnastics related, a few stuffed animals, and a bookshelf with a lot of books I recognized. I was just considering going to look at what books were there, when Zoe came back.

She was wearing boxer shorts that showed a lot of her amazingly defined legs. My t-shirt almost covered even her boxer shorts it was so long on her. I was stunned that she had grabbed my dirty t-shirt and put it on. She must have noticed me staring at it.

"I hope it is okay that I took your shirt. I usually wear a t-shirt to bed, and this smells like you."

I had no idea what to make of that statement, so chose my normal policy of saying nothing. She came over and pushed me back on the bed. Crawling into bed, she lifted the covers over us, laid her head on my chest and threw a leg over me. After a few seconds, she lifted back up to look into my face.

"I keep saying this, but, thank you."

I smiled at her.

"You don't have to thank me, Zoe. I did what was right, and I am glad you are okay. It works out in my favor, anyway. I think I have made my first friend."

She gave me the most amazing smile I think I have ever seen. It was as if the sun had come out from behind the clouds.

"You have, you really have. I have lots of friends, but you are going to be my best friend. And wait till we go back to school! I know my other friends are really going to like you almost as much as I do."

With that, she leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't passionate. It was closed-mouthed, soft and tender, and felt like a thousand volts of electricity were shooting through my body. It seemed to go on forever, before she pulled away. She once again looked into my eyes, and smiled.

"Goodnight, Cas."

"Goodnight, Zoe."

She lay back onto my chest, snuggled closer, and we both quickly slipped into sleep.

Chapter 2

For someone who spent the bulk of his life moving from home to home, waking up in a new bed really wasn’t that weird. Feeling the weight of another body on mine, however, was bizarre beyond belief. As my senses came around, I could see the outlines of shapes around the room as dawn started to show through the windows. Zoe’s head was tucked under my chin and I could smell the soft clean scent that I could only guess to be typical of a girl, seeing as how my experience was non-existent. Whatever it was, I found the fragrance intoxicating, and tried to lock the sensory memory into my brain. If this was a one-time thing, I never wanted to forget it!

I had always been an early riser. In some foster homes, breakfast was a first come, first served kind of thing. When the food was gone, it was gone! Somewhere along the line, my body had learned to push me awake at the crack of dawn. Besides my normal sleeping habits, a pressure on my bladder told me it was time to get up. That’s easier said than done, when you have two-thirds of a girl sprawled across you. I managed to slide out from under her, and climb off the bed, but not without waking Zoe up.

“Whazzit?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her sleepy question.

“Everything’s okay. I am getting up to do my morning jog. I will be back in about an hour.”

“K,” was all I got back from her, as she curled into a ball and pulled a pillow under her. Smiling again, I covered her with a blanket. Thankfully, I was able to make it to the bathroom before anything drastic happened. Then I pulled my shoes on, and slipped out the back door.

Running is my peaceful time. Some people do Tai Chi, others swim; but, for me, the morning run is when I get my brain to focus. It’s when I am able to turn the previous day’s events over in my head and plan for the oncoming one. And man, did I have a lot of events to go over!

Only being one street over I made my way to my normal path and started slowly adding speed to bring me to my normal pace. I didn’t push my run but I wanted to be able to feel it after I was done. I would eventually settle into a six-minute mile pace. I would hold this for the next forty-five minutes or so, before slowing to cool down near the end of my run.

As my feet began the rhythmic beat on the pavement, I marveled at how much my life had twisted in the last twenty-four hours. I’d had my first fight, yesterday. Really, thinking about it, I found that I was not happy to have been in a fight. Somewhere inside of me must be a secret pacifist. Not that I thought the fight was unjustified, nor did I think there was a way things could have happened to avoid the fight. I wasn’t mad at myself for fighting, but simply wished it hadn’t been necessary.

And Zoe. Wow. What was happening there? Here I was, a guy with no real friends before yesterday, spending the night sleeping with what seemed like the most beautiful girl in the world. She spent almost the entire day yesterday, once we were back from the hospital, in constant contact with me. She was either hugging me, sitting on my lap or just holding my hand. And that kiss. It was amazing! It seemed to reach down into the very core of my being. But what did it mean?

The analytical part of my brain was screaming to tread lightly. This was a girl pulling out of a traumatic experience, and clinging to the person who saved her. This was some kind of hero worship and not really real. I was, however, having a lot of trouble listening to that part of my brain. The sentimental side of my brain, which seems to have much more control, seemed to think there was real affection there. She seemed to really like me and care about me, but it has been only one day. I was already really attached to her, and even just thinking about her made me smile. What if this all wore off and she went back to her life and I went back to mine… just two friendly acquaintances, who would nod at each other in the hall. I considered this possibility and realized if that was where things went, it would break my heart. Not just because she is a pretty girl who I seem to be developing feelings for, this was my first friend. I felt safe with her. I felt loved, or at least really cared about, by both her and her mother. These were new experiences for me! Now that I knew what it was like, I didn’t want to give it up!

I’d been in my first fight, and yet yesterday qualified as the best day of my life. Life is really weird.

That last though crossed my brain as I slowed to a walk and headed back into their house. The door was still unlocked. I felt a little weird just opening their door, but knocking would have seemed really foolish. I could smell something cooking, and I peeked into the kitchen. Mrs. Bell was in a fluffy robe at the stove. She smiled when she saw me.

“Well, look who is up bright and early this morning. Did you have a good run?”

I nodded as I stepped into the kitchen near her, “Yes Ma’am. It was pretty good.”

Setting down the spatula, she gave me a brief bone-crushing hug that seemed to be her MO.

“My! You are all sweaty. Go take a shower and get dressed for school. And tell that slug still sleeping upstairs to get her butt up, and into gear. Breakfast will be ready in ten.”

I headed up the stairs and into Zoe’s room where she was still curled up. I pulled the covers back and gently shook her shoulder. After a few moments of this, she turned and looked at me with blurry eyes, stretched her lean body to its fullest length, and then totally surprised me. Reaching up with her arms she wrapped both hands around my neck and pulled my face down towards hers, pressing our lips together. As with last night, this wasn’t a passionate kiss, but there was some force behind it. Finally, she let me go.

“Good morning. Mmmmm, you smell good, like a man. All sweaty.”

I just chuckled at her as she gave me a somewhat devilish smile.

“I am going to go take a shower. Your mom said breakfast will be ready in a few minutes and you needed to get up and get ready.”

She was starting to sit up so I went out and took a shower, brushed my teeth and got dressed. When I got back to her room, she had an armload of stuff and was headed out the door. Then, strangely, she pointed to the bed and told me to sit. I did as I was told.

About 7 minutes later… which, based on my estimation of how long it took Tina and Margret to take showers at home, seemed really fast for a girl… Zoe came back. She had a towel wrapped around her head, and another one around her body, just covering all the stuff that interest guys.

I was not sure what was going on, and was torn between total fascination, and wanting to bolt for the door.

She looked over her shoulder at me and smiled, but said nothing. She folded my shirt and put it on the top of her dresser with her boxer shorts. I guess she had decided to keep that shirt for herself. She reached into a drawer, pulled out a pair of panties, and slid them on while the towel still covered her. Keeping her back to me, she dropped the towel. Her body was toned and curvy, the bikini style panties showing the lower swells of her butt cheeks, where her legs joined the rest of her body. As she moved, I could see the muscles move in her shoulders and back. She pulled out a bra, did something in the front and then twisted it around putting the straps into place.

Now clothed, at least to some degree, she turned around and started gathering up clothes. She pulled on jeans and a t-shirt, sat down putting on socks and shoes. The whole time she kept glancing at me. I was pretty sure I had stopped breathing. While I had not really seen anything, at least nothing you wouldn’t see at any beach, it was possibly the most erotic thing I had ever seen. It took me a moment to remember to get my heart beating again.

She pulled me up and kissed me gently again.

“Come on. Mom is probably wondering why we aren’t down, yet.”

Breakfast was a pretty quiet. We chatted about inconsequential stuff like my morning run and what classes we had. Mrs. Bell announced she was driving us to school, just until things returned to normal. When she dropped us off, she reminded both of us we needed to go to the office before going to class. As we closed the door, she rolled down one window.

“You kids have a good day at school and I will pick you up in the afternoon. Be good! Love you two!”

I tripped as my legs went out of sync and almost fell down. It was one of those off-the-cuff “I love yous” people say when departing, and was motherly on top of that; but it was also the first time anyone had ever said that to me. Being in the foster system, there isn't usually a lot of time to build affection, either between the kids or between the kids and parents. Even caring foster homes aren’t places where people tell each other they love them. Zoe noticed, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it. We walked into school holding hands.

At the office, we were told to sit for a moment. The Principal came, called Zoe into her office. I waited. After about fifteen minutes, Mrs. Polanski got me, and brought me back to her office, too.

“The first thing is I wanted to say, is how proud I am for you to be here at Truman High, Mr. Grey. I looked at your previous grades, and notes from teachers, and you are clearly an excellent student. So, even if nothing else had happened, I am sure you would have been an asset. But your actions yesterday, on the very first day of school, exemplify what a good citizen should be. You stood in defense of a classmate you had never met. While we do not condone fighting, you seemed to do just enough to defend yourself. Coach Andrews tells me from what he saw; he believes you could have done a lot more damage. He also commented on how you stopped fighting as soon as there were adults available to make it safe for you and Ms. Bell.

While we normally censure all students involved in a fight, these are clearly extraordinary circumstances. Not only will you suffer no marks in your record or repercussions, I am adding a note to your file commending your actions and restraint.

I want to warn you this is not a free reign. I know those boys have friends. We will try and protect all our students as best we can. While I do think students should defend themselves, I am not giving you clearance to fight at will. However, I am confident that you will show the same clear judgment as yesterday.”

She paused so I gave her the requisite ‘Yes Ma’am’. Zoe was looking at me with one of those high wattage smiles.

“If you run into trouble, I want you to inform my office immediately. I am very impressed with you, young man. I expect big things from you, here at Truman. I will be keeping an eye on you and I am certain you and Ms. Bell will be model students. Now go to class, and prove me right.”

Outside the office, I stopped and looked at my schedule.

“I am off this way.”

Zoe shook her head at me.

“No way, mister. You need to walk me to my class, first.”

While her voice was jokingly stern, her eyes quickly turned soft and pleading. “You don’t mind walking to each class do you? I know I am already asking a lot, but I want you by my side as often as possible.”

When I said I didn’t mind, I was rewarded with another one of those amazing smiles, and was pulled down the hall still holding hands. After dropping her off I had to hustle to make it to class before the bell. I would have to figure out good routes, if I was going to go to all of her classes in between. I didn’t mind. I was pretty sure that for one of those smiles, I would do just about anything.

The first half of my day was uneventful. Turns out, missing the first day of school is pretty much a non-event, except that in all but one class, the only seat available was in the very front. I was okay with that.

Clearly, the events of the previous day had made the rounds. Since no one really knew me, I didn’t get a lot of questions, but I did get a lot of stares and whispers after I walked by.

Lunch time rolled around. When we walked into the cafeteria, the volume of sound dropped, noticeably. A lot of people were looking at me. This was a new experience for me. At all my other schools, I had been more or less invisible.

Zoe squeezed my hand, and we got our lunches of ‘mystery meat,’ and strangely colored vegetables. I imagine there is very little difference between school lunches and prison lunches. The state dictates the nutrition of a meal, but obviously made no conditions about taste.

Zoe pulled me to a table already filled with kids, mostly all in good shape and fairly attractive. If I had to guess, this was where the jocks and cheerleaders sat. My life continued its bizarre turn as a place was made for me next to Zoe.

“Hey, guys. This is Caspian, but he likes to be called Cas. He saved me, yesterday.”

I got a smile from Zoe but wasn’t thrilled about how this introduction started. The guy next to me, a blond kid that was so big he might have been carved out of a mountain, was the first to turn to me.

“Dude, I was just on the field when you and Zoe were walking out. I saw them load Jack and his buddies into ambulances. What did you do to them?”

Zoe leaned past me, “Josh, be nice. Remember this is his first day here.”

Josh held his hands up, “No worries. I didn’t mean to grill him. I was just amazed is all. He really did a number on those guys.” Josh stuck his hand out. “Josh Baker. The dudes are my defensive team if we make JV. The guys next to me are Matt Conway, Mark Stoltz and Andy Simons. Over there is the rest of my guys, Travis Anderson, Simon Wallace and Quam Koman. We have all played football together since we were in peewee leagues. There are seven of us that make up the line, but people always call us The Baker’s Dozen. I guess it’s cause we are all so big.”

That seemed to get a laugh across the table, even though I would bet money that joke was old hat to everyone at the table. He was on a roll and didn‘t stop.

“The rest of the team eats in the ‘B’ lunch period, but if I see you I will make sure to they all get to know you, too. Hang with us, man. We need someone to keep us safe.”

Everyone laughed, mostly because as tall as I am and even though I am in really good shape these guys dwarf me completely. I am pretty sure I was just adopted by the football team, or at least the defensive line. Weird.

“The girls are all cheerleaders with Zoe. There is Amanda Beck, Tami Smith, Rachel Cruz and Andrea Simons. Andrea is Andy’s twin sister, and it seems their parents weren’t real original with names.”

All the girls waved high. Zoe then jumped in and proceeded to tell everyone way more about me than what I wanted. When she talked about my being adopted, and my childhood, I got the standard ‘Aww’ from the girls. When she talked about my martial arts and the fight from her point of view, I got a bunch of ‘Dude’s’ from the guys. I did my best to hide under the table, at least as much as I could, with Zoe holding on to me so tightly.

After lunch, my day became even stranger. Every class seemed to have a cheerleader type or a jock type in it, and they all patted my back or, in some of the girls cases, gave me a hug. Everyone said hey to me and bye when I left. I felt….popular. I had gone from invisible to having kids switching to sit next to me. The day seemed like it couldn’t get any better. I should have known that kind of track record couldn’t keep up.

I had just dropped Zoe off at her 6th period class and was walking fast. My class was damn near on the other side of the school and I really had to book it to get there in time. When I neared the hallway to my English class, it was pretty deserted, except for the six scruffy looking guys in front of me. I recognized two of them. It was Tyler and Tony from yesterday.

“If it isn’t the big hero. You ready to get what you deserve hero?”

I started backing away, putting up my hands.

“Guys, I really don’t want a fight. You don’t like me, and I don’t like you, but let’s keep this calm. No one needs to get hurt.”

All I got for my efforts was a sneer.

“Ohh, someone needs to get hurt, all right.”

They were starting to close on me when a teacher yelled at us to get to class. Tyler gave me one last sneer, and pushed against my shoulder as they walked past.

“This isn’t over, hero.”

Damn, and just when it seemed my life was getting on track.

Chapter 3

After the run in with the thugs, the rest of the school day was pretty uneventful. I met Zoe, and we went out and found her Mom in the parking lot. No one addressed it, but I guessed they had decided I was going back home with them.

As soon as we got in the car I brought up running into Tony and Tyler. After running through everything that happened in the hallway I asked the question that had been bugging me.

“How are these two guys not in jail?”

Mrs. Bell looked at me through the review mirror and said, “Because their parents have a lot of money and influence. And after talking with the detective it became clear that we would be the ones who would have to push to have charges filed. And even then, there was a strong chance little would happen to them.  I just didn’t want to put Zoe through that.”

“I wish you would have talked to me,” Zoe said.  “I want to see those jerks behind bars. What’s the worst they could do to me? We all know what happened.”

“I know but, sadly, in cases like these the truth is rarely enough. And they would almost surely come after us with lawsuits.  Their attorney more or less came out and said that.  Even though we have the truth, it would make life very difficult on us.  I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you.  I know you’re disappointed I couldn’t see a way around this.”

Zoe looked miffed but said, “It’s ok Mom.  I know you are just trying to do what’s best.”

Once we got back to their house Mrs. Bell made us a quick snack, and then took off to go back to work… although she did give me a brief warning to ‘be good’. We ate our snack and watched TV for a little bit, neither one of us really having homework yet this early in the school year. The first week is always prep stuff, looking over the syllabus, talking about grading, and so on.

After about thirty minutes, Zoe announced we needed to go up to her room and talk. I may be young but I already knew the secret to dealing with women: just do what you’re told. Still, I wasn’t sure what was happening as we walked into her room. She excused herself and changed into the sleepwear she had on the previous night, including my t-shirt. She sat on the bed and patted next to her. When I took my assigned place, she lay down with her head in my lap and looked up at me.

“You don’t have to be nervous, Cas. I don’t bite”

I guess I had been pretty obvious, “Sorry, I guess this is all happening so fast that I am having trouble holding on. Put that together with my limited, umm, knowledge of girls and I am a little flustered.”

She gave me one of her sweet innocent smiles, the one that I think means she is thinking of more than she is saying. I have a strong suspicion Zoe is more cunning then people give her credit for.

“You are doing fine. I know we just met yesterday and this seems like it is going really fast. I appreciate you letting me be in the driver’s seat. Mom made me an appointment for the head doctor for next week, but really I am feeling so much better already.”

“I’m glad, Zoe. Yesterday was pretty bad and I still worry about you.”

She smiled and we sat silently for a little bit while I worked up some courage.

“Zoe?”

Her eyebrows lifted in a silent question.

“I am not sure how to ask this. I told you about my past… and you know I don’t really have a lot of experience dealing with girls… I have really enjoyed spending time with you last night, and so much of today… we have been pretty, umm, intimate over the last twenty-four hours… and, well, I’m worried this might be a temporary thing while you are getting your life back on track. I would totally understand that… and even if it was, I would be honored by the way things have gone… but I would also be kind of sad. Hmmmm, I guess I don’t know how to say what I am asking, but, do you think this is just temporary, or… umm…”

She smiled back up at me.

“It’s not temporary, Cas. I really like you. Really really like you. Would we have met if that stuff hadn’t happened? I don’t know. Honestly, maybe not. You have said how quiet and reserved you were, so I am betting we probably wouldn’t have. But you know what, our meeting almost redeems everything that happened. You are so interesting. Strong and gentle, dangerous yet caring. You are a weird mix that I am fascinated with.”

She stopped and her brow creased again as she added, “I guess it has been crazy, huh. Here I am, falling for you, and we have known each other barely two days. That is one of the reasons I wanted to come up here and talk.”

It was my turn to do the questioning eyebrow thing.

“I have a lot of thoughts so bear with me. I really like you, and I think it’s headed to more than that. Also, I am pretty sure you are headed the same way, too.”

I nodded but remained silent.

“Yeah, I thought so. I want to see where this goes, but I think we need to do some planning. One, while I am not totally inexperienced, I need some time to edge myself back into a relationship. I am not as fragile as I was yesterday, but I still need to do this slowly. I still need to talk to the head-doc and make sure I don’t have some kind of melt down coming. I am not broken or anything, I don’t think, but I am pretty sure I am a little bent. Also, I am aware how limited your experience is. I feel like we could be really intense, but I don’t want you going into it without knowing the options.”

My brow furrowed, “What does that mean?”

“I think you should date a little bit. Not exclusively. Anyone you date will know how things are between us and know that I have my claws into you. At least until you have enough information to make an informed decision about us.”

“What? I can’t…I don’t…how would…”

Zoe’s laugh stopped me short, “That caught you by surprise, huh. Here I am snuggling all night with you, giving you a little show, kissing on you and then telling you to go date other girls. But I mean it. You need to know what is out there, not just for yourself but also for me. When, or if, you choose me; I want to know it’s cause you knew to choose me, and I wasn’t the default first option. As to the how, I will help. You are my new project. I will get you ready to date and even get you set up on a date.”

“That’s… weird.”

“I told you I was a little bent, right now. I get that this seems weird, but I think it is important. There are a few more steps that need to happen. I think you need to go back and spend the night at your house. I bet my mom would let you stay, but we need to slow things down a little bit.”

She must have seen the look on my face.

“Only a little bit. We will still be hot and heavy, but I think we just need a detour or two before we hit L-ville.”

“Okay. I trust you, Zoe. You are the master and I will be your student.”

“Ha. Now I have more that I think you will like, grasshopper. You need to learn about women.”

I did my sputtering stammering thing again. She continued to be amused at my discomfort.

“Thought that would throw you, stud. I want our first date and our first time to be special. And that means no awkwardness.”

“A girl wants me to date and learn about women, so she can date me. I think my brain just had a ten-car pileup.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. But I thought about this a lot, today. I think this is a good plan. It allows us to work on whatever is between us, gives me time to heal a bit, and you get to learn. Its win-win.”

“What if I go on this date with some other girl and find I really like her too. I wouldn’t want to hurt you. Not that I think that is going to happen, but it feels like we are playing with fire.”

“Yeah, I know. There are dangers. I get that. But wouldn’t we want to know? If that happens, it happens. At least we will know this wasn’t meant to be. We have been so intense, so far, that I think we need to really know. Ya know?”

I may have said “yeah” but I really wasn’t convinced.

“It will be okay. I promise. You promised to protect me and I trust you to do that. I need you to know I will protect you too. Even if it is just your heart.”

“Okay. I trust you.”

She sat up, moved over, and sat in my lap with her arms around my neck.

“Great. I think it is time for girl lesson number one: kissing.”

I did a pretty accurate impersonation of a deer in the headlights.

“Trust me baby, you will like this.”

She leaned forward, pressing her chest into me. Her lips pressed against mine. It was forceful but still the simple kiss we had shared before. She held it for a few seconds then I felt her mouth open slightly. The tip of her tongue brushed my top lip. I was surprised and my mouth opened slightly in response. She took this as some kind of signal as her tongue made small line across and inside my lip, occasionally brushing against my tongue.

After a moment, I experimented with the same technique, brushing across the inside of her lip and running my tongue across hers. The taste of her was amazing. It was clean and pure, with a hint of something fruity, I guess from her lip-gloss. We continued this way for another few minutes, our explorations becoming a little more forceful in a show and repeated tell kind of fashion. I was almost sad when she pulled away.

“Wow.”

Her giggle was so damn cute I almost couldn’t stand it.

“Thanks for the compliment. You weren’t half bad, yourself. Let’s go again, and feel free to let your hands explore. Although for now let’s avoid bathing suit areas.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” I said with a smirk, which earned me a punch on the shoulder.

“I’ll show you ‘Ma’am!’”

She leaned into me again. We continued to explore each other’s mouths as I started letting my hands wander. I rubbed her arms, over her shoulders and along her back. The feeling of her muscles was pretty amazing. I ran my hand down across her waist and onto a bare leg. It was so smooth it felt like I was stroking velvet. I moved my hands up and down her leg while we continued to make out, and was rewarded with a slight moan.

I brought my hands up again and slipped them under her shirt feeling her toned stomach. It was hard, yet still really soft and feminine.

Her hands were not still either, running all over me. Eventually her hands worked into my shirt and across my chest and stomach.

After a while longer, we pulled apart.

“Wow.”

She laughed pretty forcefully this time, “Ha. You know for a guy that reads a lot of books, your vocabulary needs some serious work. Although this time I have to say I agree. That was pretty intense.”

She leaned forward and gave me a brief peck on the lips, but pulled away before we could get going again.

“Now, there is something I am curious about. Pull off your shirt.”

I said the most intelligent thing that I could think of, “Huh?”

Another giggle, “You know your shirt. The thing you are wearing. Take it off.”

I did as I was instructed. She ran her hands over my chest and across me. I am not muscle bound but spending ten-plus hours in the dojo every week, running every morning, plus regular sit-ups, pull-ups and crunches had me pretty toned. I even had a small 4 pack.

“Now it’s my turn. Wow. I hadn’t really noticed before, but you are kind of gorgeous.”

“Guys aren’t gorgeous.”

“Bullshit. Look at you. Now I am starting to doubt this you dating other girl’s thing. I could just run my hands over you all day long. I love the muscles.”

“It’s not that much. Look at Josh, he has muscles.”

“Ha! Josh is a brick wall. His muscles are just chunks that hang off him. When you move yours kind of flow and ripple. So sexy.”

She half growled, and I swear I saw her lick her lips.

“I still think I am getting the better end of this.”

She pulled back and preened a bit as she asked, “Like what you see, do you?”

“You’re kidding. You are amazing. That show you put on this morning has been running through my head all day.”

“Really? Liked it did you?”

“God, yes. And your legs. I didn’t want to stop rubbing them, earlier.”

“Well then, I guess we will have to do a little more practice, won’t we.”

We continued ‘practicing’ my make out skills until her mom got home an hour later. Did I say yesterday was the best day of my life? I need to update that, ‘cause I somehow managed to top it. No other clothes came off, but we were both panting when we heard the door downstairs close. We even managed to get my shirt back on.

We watched more TV while her mom worked on dinner. It was some kind of soup, and really good. When we sat down Zoe announced I was going to go back home, tonight. I swear her mom looked concerned.

“He is? Did something happen?”

“No, Mom. I just think I want to ‘have something’ with Cas; and for that to happen, we need to slow things down. He needs to sleep in his own bed, and see if we can work as something more than friends.”

Her mom smiled at this news, “That is interesting. So you two are going to try going steady?”

She got an eye roll from Zoe for this. “Jeez. First of all, stop acting like your eighty-five! No one says ‘going steady’ anymore. And yeah, we are going to try and see if we match. I have a plan.”

“You do, do you?”

“Yes, Mother. I do. Trust me. Cas trusts me on this, and you should too.”

“Okay, we will see. And Cas, how do you feel about this.”

I shrugged, “Like she said Mrs. Bell, I trust Zoe completely. I will follow where she leads.”

She reached over and patted my cheek and we finished eating. When we finished eating, Zoe said she would walk me home. Mrs. Bell gave me another bone crusher hug, and told me to be sure and come to their house in the morning for a ride to school. I agreed.

Zoe grabbed my hand as we walked around the block to my house.

“So, you really trust me?” Zoe asked, a bit apprehensively.

“Yeah I do. I might think you’re a bit crazy, but I still trust you. If you think my dating someone else first is important, then that is what I will do. I will say I want to do stuff with you, too.”

She pulled herself to me, hugging onto one of my arms as she said, “Oh, we will still do stuff, too. I am not letting you go that easy. Plus you still need to walk me to all my classes. I have it worked out, don’t worry.”

“We’ll see.”

“Ohh, don’t lock your window.”

Again ever the quick wit I said, “Huh?”

“Don’t lock your window. Leave it unlocked so you can have visitors.”

We arrived at my door, and I turned to look into her eyes. I lost myself for a few seconds in the swirling brown pools. Leaning forward I kissed her gently, at least until she pressed herself into my body. Our kissing became more aggressive until finally we broke apart, winded. I also noticed the living room curtain settle back into place. Okay, so we had an audience.

“Okay, I will see you tomorrow, I guess.”

She hugged me again, and gave me another brief peck.

“Night, Cas. I will be thinking about you,” she said, and then she skipped away, down the street.

Chapter 4

I went into the house, looked to the right, and saw Tina at the window. I smirked at her.

"Get a good show?"

She looked down sheepishly.

"Sorry. I just hadn't seen you come home with anyone, before. I was curious. Is she your girlfriend?"

That was an excellent question with an answer that was too complicated for me to understand, let alone try and to explain to someone else.

"Um, I'm not quite sure. We are working on that."

"She is a cheerleader, right?"

"Yeah, or she was in Jr. High. I don't think they have had tryouts yet this year."

"And you spent the night at her house last night?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Margret knew about it. Zoe's mom called and got permission. Something bad happened to Zoe and she felt she needed company."

"What happened to her?"

"She was attacked by some guys."

"And why did she need your company?"

"I guess 'cause I was the one who helped her when she was attacked."

Her curiosity must have been sated, as all she said was 'ohh' before she went upstairs. I continued on to my room, but stopped at Margret's room on the way since her light was on. I knocked.

"Margret, I am home."

I got an 'okay' but she didn't acknowledge me beyond that. Par for the course. I took a shower, unlocked my window and drifted off to sleep. My last though was of Zoe.

Something was off. I knew where I was: back in my room. I could see my posters on the wall. But something was different. It took another few seconds to register the weight on my shoulder. It was still a little dark, so it took me time to identify the person sleeping against me. It was Zoe. I shook her awake.

"Zoe?"

"Hmm?" "What are you doing here?"

She sat up and blinked.

"I couldn't sleep last night. I had a bad dream. Tyler and Tony were after me, again. I snuck out and climbed in your window." Well, I guess that explained it. I lay back down and stared at the ceiling.

"Are you mad?"

"No, I am glad you are here. I was thinking a lot about you last night."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I missed you."

I guess that was the right answer. She snuggled hard against me.

"I need to get up and do my run."

"Ugggg. This early morning thing of yours will take some getting used to."

I laughed quietly at her and said, "Says the girl who climbed into my window, in the middle of the night?"

"Hush, you like it that I am here."

I heard a squeak at the door and lowered my voice to a bare whisper as I said, "We have a visitor"

Zoe lifted her head and looked at the cracked door, right as it closed.

"I guess she heard us talking. You go do your run and I will go have a little 'girl talk' with her."

I wasn't sure Zoe hanging out in my house, talking to Tina at the crack of dawn was the best idea I had ever heard of, but I had my orders and who was I to question them. I slipped out of bed and did my morning run letting the previous day's events tumble around for a while.

When I got back I found Zoe and Tina in my room, and I stopped cold in the doorway.

"There you are. So, I talked with Tina and she is interested in seeing the next step in my dating prep plan."

Okay, not what I thought she was going to say. And considering what the last step was, I got pretty nervous.

"And that is?"

"We need to get you better dressed."

"What is wrong with how I dress?"

"You dress like a teenage boy."

"But I am a teenage boy."

That came out a bit more whiny than I'd planned on.

"Nope. You are an exceptional teenage boy, and so must dress like it. Tina, let's look in his closet and see what he has."

It was about five minutes of 'nope' and the occasional 'maybe' and only one 'yes'.

"Jeeze. Do you know t-shirts are not the only clothing option available at the store? Okay, Tina and I have decided that this is the only good shirt you have and it will work with jeans, everything else is for inside the house, or exercise only. Right Tina?" Tina laughed but nodded. Okay, so now Zoe had a sidekick.

"After school today we are going to go shopping for a few more shirts. Some of the other girls might go with us. I also invited Tina to go. You go get dressed." My mind was having trouble keeping up, but I took the clothes and headed to the bathroom but ran into Margret on the way there.

"I heard voices."

"Yeah, sorry, Margret. Zoe came over after my run to help me pick out clothes and I guess she talked to Tina a while, 'cause Tina was helping."

"What?"

"Yeah, that is about how I feel. I am kind of thrown for a loop, maybe you should talk to the two of them while I change clothes."

That got me a weird look, but I was already pretty damn confused. It seemed to work as Margret headed back to my room also. So now, my pseudo-girlfriend, my adoptive sister, and my adoptive mother were all going to have a talk about me. Yep, there is no way this could end badly. After finishing my shower, I put on the blue button up shirt and jeans the girls picked out and went back into my room. There I found the three women, who all turned to me as I came in. Once again I stopped, not sure how to proceed. Tina took the reins.

"You're right that is probably the best combo. I hadn't noticed before but it does seem to be all t-shirts besides that."

Zoe gave me the once over, "That is pretty typical for boys. Don't worry; he is my new special project."

She then turned to address Margret, "Some girls and I are going to take him to the mall and get him sorted out. I offered to let Tina come with us, would that be okay?"

Margret thought for a minute and then looked over at me, "I don't know Caspian. Things are pretty tight right now, and you might have another growth spurt. We can't shell out money just because you need to look good for your new girlfriend."

Tina gently touched her mother's shoulder, "With the move, we never did the back to school clothes thing for either of us. You know, some of my clothes are getting a little worn also."

Margret just signed, "Fine, I will leave some money in the kitchen for him. Tina, I will leave some for you too so you can get a few things as well."

She then turned and walked out of the room.

I stupidly raised my hand, "Do I get any say in this?"

Tina and Zoe did this look (that mind-meld thing that must be genetic to all women), and laughed after saying 'No' in unison.

Well, who am I to fight against that much estrogen?

"We need to get going, Zoe."

As we were leaving, I got a hug from Tina. What the hell happened when I was in the shower? This in fact was the exact question I asked Zoe when we walked to her house.

"Ohh, just some girl talk."

I have now spent nearly an entire two days with a girl, and I think I understand them less now than I did before.

The first half of the day progressed pretty much like the previous one, with me rushing around all over the campus to meet Zoe, and still make it to class. When we sat at lunch, Zoe pulled all the girls' attention. When she explained the shopping trip and its objective to the girls, they all got excited. For most of the rest of lunch, the girls discussed what clothes I should get. Apparently, I was going to be a life sized 'Ken' doll for them to dress up, and they were all looking forward to it. Eventually I got an elbow from Josh.

"You stepped in it, this time, dude."

He thought it was pretty funny until Amanda spoke up. I had learned she was dating Josh.

"Laugh it up, meathead. You need some new clothes too, so you are going with us!"

The look on his face was just about the funniest thing I had ever seen. Everyone but Josh broke down laughing. He kept looking for the bus that ran him over.

The trip to the mall was interesting. All of the girls from the lunch table were there; Amanda's older sister came along as well so she could drive their parents suburban, plus Zoe and Tina of course. They picked out dozens of different types of clothes to try on, each giving their opinions on the pros and cons of each outfit. Even the younger Tina weighed in a bunch of times. Wrong color, wrong style, sleeves are wrong, the pleat is wrong. On and on. I think I was more tired at the end of our shopping trip than I ever was after a run! They gave the same treatment to Josh, as well. He looked as shell shocked as I felt.

Finally, it was all done. Amanda's sister dropped us all off at our respective houses, except Zoe got out with Tina and me. Margret was home by then, and even invited Zoe to stay for dinner. After dinner, the girls had me put on another show for Margret so she could see all the outfits. She seemed to approve of their choices. Eventually we went upstairs and Tina went off to her room.

Zoe started putting all my clothes onto hangers and pulling off tags. "So, I think that went well."

"I am glad you think so. You ladies just about did me and Josh in."

"Boys are such wimps."

We both laughed, but I had to give it to her. I didn't think I could do that kind of a trip, two days in a row.

"So, umm, are you going to come back through my window tonight?"

"I don't know, but I don't think so. I'll try to tough it out at home. We need to get a little alone time, away from each other, to help evaluate what is going on between us. Don't worry. I will see you bright and early. I just think we need to pace ourselves."

I could see she had a point. I walked her to her house and took a moment to say 'Hi' to Mrs. Bell. Zoe and I took about thirty minutes to say goodbye to each other. It might have only been a couple of days now, but I am getting pretty addicted to the kissing thing. I practically floated home and back up to my room. I was still daydreaming about Zoe when there was a knock at my door, and Tina stuck her head in.

"Hey, Cas, can I come in for a bit?"

"Sure, Tina, come on in."

Tina turned the chair at my desk around and plopped down. She sat quietly for a minute staring at the ground. The silence went on until I couldn't take it anymore.

"What's up?"

"Is it true that you saved Zoe from those guys trying to rape her?"

While I can definitely trace where that question originated, it was so out of the blue it threw me for a second.

"I guess. I just kind of reacted. I saw her there so scared and those guys were hurting her, and so I rushed in. I didn't really think about it much at the time."

"That is really brave."

"I don't know about that. Like I said, I didn't really stop to think. It just kind of happened."

"Had you stopped to think, would you still have done it?"

"Yeah, I think I would have. Good people can't stand aside while something like that is happening. I think I am a good person. I hope I would have still made the right decision."

The silence dragged on for another few moments. I could tell she was building up courage and I didn't want to spook her. Eventually she started up again.

"I haven't been very nice to you, have I?"

In these situations, you have two choices. Totally honesty or play it safe to make the other person feel better. While I am all for people feeling better, in the long run I generally think, honesty is the way to go.

"I wouldn't say that. You have never been mean to me, but our relationship has been more like two forced acquaintances, more than like siblings. I don't blame you for that. I know John thrust me on the rest of the family. You had a life, already, and were a happy seven years old when I came along. I threw your world out of balance. Then your Dad died. I know how hard that was on you. While I hadn't known him long, I knew he was a good man. I know he loved you and I know you loved him. I know that after he died, my being here became really strained. I don't blame you for the way things have been."

"Do you wish things were different?"

"Yes. I think today was the first day we ever actually hung out. Sure all the other girls were there, but we spent time together. I got a chance to see who you really are, and I think that is a girl I really like."

"Have you really never felt loved before?"

"What? Who said..."

"It's something Zoe said. She said her mom told you she loved you, and the reaction was really big. She said she thought it was the first time anyone had said that to you."

Having something like that talked about out in the open is pretty emotional. I sat quietly for a moment while I tried to keep a lid on everything I was feeling.

"I wish she hadn't told you that. But yes, it is true. Remember I was moved around a lot for my entire life before you guys brought me into your family. And those foster families always knew how transient we were. They were nice enough people, but there was never time for connections. And the way things went, once your dad passed away, made sure we never got close. I know your mom feels responsible for me, and she has done a good job making sure I am taken care of, but I know she doesn't love me. And you and I never really connected. There was never a chance for a bond to form."

More silence passed until Tina spoke up again.

"You know I overheard Mom and Dad talking the weekend before they went to see you the first time. Dad said one of the reasons he wanted to get an older boy, was to have someone to look after me."

"I guess. It's not something we ever talked about."

"If I was in trouble, would you protect me like you protected Zoe?"

"Of course I would."

"But you would do that even if I was a stranger, right?"

"Well, yes. At least I hope I would. But I do know you, at least a little more after today, and while we haven't been close, I do care what happens to you. I do want you to be safe and happy. So I think I would want to protect you more than a stranger."

I could see a tear making a path down her cheek. I know this was an emotional conversation for both of us, but I wasn't sure which part was making her cry. She cried silently for what seemed like a long time. I wanted to go hug her, but I wasn't sure if that would be the right thing to do.

"You really are a good guy. I don't think we, mom and I, have been fair to you. I can't believe we have someone like you in our house and we haven't even noticed it before."

"I am nothing special Tina. You are a good person, too. You care about people. I can see it. Even right now, you are beating yourself up because you think you have been unfair to someone. Only a good person would feel moved by something like that."

This time I did get up and go to her. I pulled her out of her chair, leaned down, and hugged her. Really hugged her. It was the first real, loving hug we had ever shared. I could feel her trembling as she cried into my shoulder. Finally, I stood and lifted up her head to look up at me, wiping away the tears with my thumbs.

"Tell you what. Let's call a 'do over.' I think it's time for us to see what it's like to be brother and sister. What do you say?"

"I would like that. Ever since you were here, I always thought I would want a real big brother. I think I would really like for you to be that person."

"Then it's a deal. Let's try and spend more time together, and get to know each other as people. I already think you're pretty great, so we have a good head start."

She gave me the biggest hug she could, putting all of her might into it.

"Thanks, Cas."

She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then dashed out of the room. I stared at her retreating form as she disappeared out of sight wondering what that was about.

Chapter 5

Like clockwork, I drifted out of sleep just as the sun started coming up. I was lying on my side and realized I could feel a body against me. I guessed Zoe had changed her mind after all. I reached an arm across her stomach and pulled her to me. It took about ten seconds for something to register. Everything felt different. One, stuff wasn't where it should be. My arm was much closer to her waist then it should have been. The hair was coarser and shorter, and the body pressed against me was much softer then I had previously experienced. Clearly, this wasn't Zoe.

My brain was still a little sleep addled so it took almost thirty more seconds to realize this was Tina, and not Zoe. I could feel her waking up from my contact and quickly pulled my arm away.

"Tina?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I saw Zoe cuddle with you the other morning, and it looked nice. I wanted to snuggle with my big brother. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. You just surprised me. I need to get up. Why don't you go back to your room and get a little more sleep."

"Nope! I'll get up, too. I have a job to do this morning."

"Huh?"

"Zoe said if she isn't over here, it's my job to help you pick out clothes."

"Come on, I'm fifteen years old! I can dress myself."

"That isn't what Zoe and the other girls said. They said 'Boys need our help. If we left it to them it would be t-shirts and shorts every day.' She made me promise to take charge when she wasn't here."

"What's wrong with t-shirts and shorts?"

She finally got up, laughing as she said, "See, I guess they were right. You go run. I will lay your clothes out on your bed."

I have to admit Tina did a good job with my clothes. Even my feeble teenage brain could recognize I looked pretty good. I gave Tina a big hug on the way out the door. I did a lot of thinking about Tina on my run and even more on the walk to Zoe's. I hadn't realized how much I wanted a real family. The change between Tina and me since last night was really noticeable. Even Margret made a comment about it this morning. This might be new but I think I am really going to like having a little sister.

This time I did knock on Zoe's door. Mrs. Bell answered, and I was able to go find Zoe once I recovered from her hug. Man! That woman's stronger than she looked. I got half way across the entranceway, when Zoe came flying down the stairs and leaped into my arms. It was all I could do to stay on my feet.

"Well, that's a good way to say good morning!"

I put her down and got a slug on the arm. "Don't get cocky. I just missed you is all."

"Hey, I don't know what you said to Tina, but thank you. We had a really good conversation last night."

"Yeah, and I see she did her job this morning. You are looking good."

I did a little twirl for her, and got a laugh.

"Yeah. She informed me that you and the girls agreed I was hopeless and needed a keeper."

"See, it worked out. You no longer look like a slob."

I stuck my tongue out at her as I commented, "Although it was weird to still have a visitor this morning."

"What?"

"Tina said she thought the way you cuddled looked nice, and she wanted to try it. She was there when I woke up."

"That little hussy is trying to steal my man."

Her words were angry but her eyes and voice were not. Also, the fact that she called me her man did not go unnoticed by even someone as slow as me.

"'Your man, ' huh?"

I was rewarded with another punch to the shoulder.

"Don't get cocky. Let's go. Time for school."

On the way, Zoe informed me she had cheerleader tryouts after school, and I was required to stay and support her and the rest of the girls from the lunch table. Mrs. Bell took the opportunity to comment on how nice it was for Zoe to have a pet. They both thought the joke was much funnier than I did.

School went pretty well. The girls were all pumped about their tryouts, and the guys were all talking about the JV tryouts. Apparently, freshmen were not eligible for varsity. By 3:30 I was standing off to the side of the field, watching Zoe, Amanda and the rest of the cheerleaders from our crew jumping and tumbling under the watchful eye of a teacher/advisor, and a couple of seniors who I would guess led the varsity squad. Zoe was pretty good, but I was amazed by Amanda. The stuff she was doing didn't seem possible, of course I have never really watched cheerleading or gymnastics before, so my knowledge base was pretty limited. It took about an hour for them all to cycle through and do whatever the requirements were. The whole time one of the senior girls was marking stuff off on a clipboard.

Out in the field, Josh and his crew were doing some kind of scrimmage against other kids. I cycled between watching the girls and watching the activity out on the field. Like any kid in Texas, football held my interest. They seemed pretty good and I was really impressed with Josh and his crew. Josh seemed to be a pretty good leader and kept everyone focused.

Finally, Zoe came bouncing over to me, bubbling over with energy.

"So what did you think?"

"You guys are really good. I am amazed by all the flips and stuff."

"I wish I were as good as Amanda. She has been doing gymnastics since she was like three years old. If they didn't have a 'no freshman in varsity' policy, she would be varsity for sure."

"Yeah, she was pretty impressive. But don't sell yourself short. You were really good."

That earned me one of her big smiles and a hug. I have to remember to compliment her more often; it sure did pay off for me.

She was turning to yell something at one of the girls when a shout rang out across the field. I looked up and a ball was headed right for her head, and she was just starting to react. Now, I have never played football and only passed the ball a few times. It is tough to play group sports when you are a loner. So my reaction must have been pure instinct. Her head made the agonizingly slow turn and the ball was inches from her face when my hand snaked out, gripped the ball, and pulled it to my chest.

Zoe stood stock still, in shock. That was a near miss. A second later and she would have had some serious injuries. It was surprisingly quiet all across the field.

Zoe let out a whisper, "Holy shit."

I grabbed her shoulder as I asked, "Are you okay, baby?"

It was weird that I chose that moment to use some kind of affectionate nickname. My brain was still playing catch-up.

She looked at me and fell into my arms. "I am thanks to you. You keep having to save me. How did you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Catch the ball with one hand like that. I barely saw you move. You were so fast."

"Umm, I don't know. I just sort of reacted."

"Whatever. I swear I am going get myself surgically attached to you. You need to never ever leave my side."

I laughed, more to ease her tension then at the joke.

"You're okay. It was a freak thing."

Just then, a bunch of the girls and the players from the field came running over. The girls pulled Zoe away and I guess they were checking on her. It was hard to keep up with them, at the speed they were talking. They seemed to fall into some kind of female secret code that involved a lot of squealing. The guys started pounding my back and used the words 'Dude' and 'Awesome' a lot.

There was a shout and the crowd around me sort of parted. I recognized the bigger of the adults from the end of the fight the other day.

"You're Caspian Grey, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why aren't you out on the field trying out?"

"Why would I try out? I don't play football. Never have."

"Son that was a textbook reaching catch and your speed was top notch. How about this. I want Troy to throw you some passes for you to catch. They will talk you through running the routes." I got a nod from Zoe when I looked at her, so I shrugged and agreed, "Sure, I guess I can do that."

"Okay. Troy, take him out. First try a couple of short cuts then do a couple of long down the middle passes. Let's get a feel for how he does." Walking back Troy ... who was a senior, and the varsity teams QB ... was trying to get a read on me.

"How much do you know about plays?"

"I know some. I watch a lot of football. I kind of like the stats, but I also pay attention to the plays."

"Okay. We are going to start with two short cut routes. On the first one, I want you to run ten yards, cut left, and keep an eye for me. I will hit you with the ball. On the next one, I want you to do the same thing, but cut right."

I nodded and stopped at the point he indicated. He started the down-set thing and when he said hut I sprinted off the line and turned at the right point. When I looked over, I could see the ball sailing right at my chest, where I pulled it in. The other pass went about the same way.

I tossed the ball to Troy as I jogged back. "Not bad. Good catches and your speed seemed okay. Next is a long pass. I want you to haul ass straight out, but keep an eye out for the ball. You need to watch your position, keep an eye on other people on the field, and an eye on me and the ball."

"That has me trying to look two directions at once?"

"Yeah, it kind of does. No matter how it looks on TV, football isn't easy."

I took off at my mark. I really piled on the speed, and looked over my shoulder. I could see the ball sailing my way and in my head worked out the angle. If I kept this pace, I would intersect it with no problem. It seemed that my ability with math, in some ways helped out here. Who knew that could happen?

I pulled in the ball easily, and jogged back to them.

"Damn, you have some speed, kid. When we are done here, the coach needs to time your sprints. Let's do one more."

We did the same thing again, but when I worked out the ball's path, I could tell there was no way I could make it in time. He had really over thrown it. When it neared and was crossing over me, I leapt as high as I could. I managed to get one hand on it, and pulled it to my chest. I came down pretty hard, but managed to keep running, and to hold onto the ball.

I heard the coach exclaim, "Hot Damn!" as I jogged back.

"That was pretty high above me."

"Yeah. Coach said to overthrow you, and see what you did. That was exactly what you are supposed to do. Nice work."

The coach ran over to us.

"Son, I want to put you on the JV team as a receiver. We will work every day after school, to get your fundamentals in line, but you have some real natural ability."

Everyone seemed happy at this, and Josh was beside himself. He seemed totally pumped I was going to be his teammate. I agreed that I would get a permission slip signed, and be at practice the next afternoon. The coach said he would get my gym class switched around so I was in the football group.

When I got back to the girls, Zoe was jumping up and down, squealing, "You were amazing!" Amanda and the rest quickly agreed.

"Don't get too happy. This will be my first time playing, ever. Let's see how I do learning the basics, first."

Zoe placed a big kiss on me, and then said, "You'll be great. And I just made the JV squad, so I will get to see all your games."

So ... I guess I am a football player now.

On the way home, Zoe mentioned this was her first trip to the psychologist to talk about her near-rape. She agreed to call me as soon as she got home. I made a snack for Tina and me. Then I went to get my homework done while I waited. After about twenty minutes, there was a knock at my door. It was Tina.

"Hey, Cas. I was just talking to my friend, Judy. Her older sister is Tami."

"I know Tami."

"Yeah. Judy said Tami said you tried out for JV football, and you were amazing. When did you decide to go play football?"

"It was a fluke thing. A stray pass almost hit Zoe, and I caught it. They thought it was impressive for some reason, and had me do some stuff, then offered me a spot. I am supposed to start practices with them, tomorrow."

"Wow! That is so cool. Judy said Tami and the other girls keep talking about how great you were. It looks like my big brother is going to be a star."

That last part was said with a smirk. I think she was jerking my chain. I just rolled my eyes at her and went back to doing my homework.

It was almost five, when Tina yelled that I had a phone call. That is pretty unusual for me, but of course, it was Zoe. She was asking me to come over for dinner. I went and found Margret and handed her the permission slip.

"I need to get a permission slip signed, so I can play football at school. Also, can I go to Zoe's for dinner?"

Margret took the slip, signed it kind of offhandedly, and said, "Sure." as she went back to what she was doing.

I was at Zoe's house five minutes later, getting a big hug from Mrs. Bell.

"Zoe keeps raving about your football tryout. I guess I will have to pay attention to the game when I go this year, huh?"

Zoe laughed, "Mom hates watching football. She has always gone to see me cheer, but she seems soooo bored otherwise."

"Well, I will pay more attention if our Cas is in the game."

'Our Cas?' I wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

Zoe played with her food for a minute, and then looked up at me.

"So, I had my appointment."

I put my fork down so I could give her my full attention.

"How did it go?"

"She says generally I am pretty solid, considering what has happened. We talked about my dreams, and she said they were totally normal, and would go away over time. She was very happy to hear about you."

"Why?"

"Apparently, one of things that can happen in a case like this is that the girl can pull away from men and become afraid of them. She thinks you are going to be good for my recovery, but she thinks we need to be careful."

"Why?"

"Well, our relationship started off on a strange footing. She said I need to pay attention to my motives around you, and try and keep track of my 'real' feelings. She said it is possible I have envisioned you as some kind of 'White Knight' persona that no one could live up to. She is concerned if we are honest about our real feelings, and said I needed to be aware that we (or at least, I) might be looking at 'us' through some kind of hero worshiping lenses or something."

"Does she think you are?"

"She couldn't answer that. I think I might have talked you up too much to her. She said she has concerns and would like for you to go to my next session with me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. She said if we had a stable interaction, it would really speed my recovery, but if we went into things the wrong way, it could lead to making things worse. She wants to evaluate our relationship and then talk to you separately to get a feel for the two of us together."

"I guess I can see that. If it is important for your recovery, I will definitely go."

She played with her food quietly for a few more seconds.

"I told her about my plan."

"How did that go over?"

"She said the overall idea of slowing things down to evaluate the relationship, was a good idea, and very mature. However, she was not as crazy about the other details of my plan."

"Let me guess. She didn't like the sound of the 'dating other girls' part."

"Pretty much."

Mrs. Bell had been silently listening through all of this, but her head shot up at that last sentence.

"What 'dating other girls' part? Zoe, what are you planning?"

"Welllll, Cas doesn't have experience with girls. I need time to work on me before I am ready to actually date. My plan is to get Cas to date a couple of other girls to learn stuff, while I am putting myself back together."

"And what do you think about this, Cas."

I shrugged, "I don't know, but to be honest, I am not crazy about it. And there are all kinds of pitfalls. But, I trust Zoe and will do as she suggests. I mean, she isn't wrong. I am totally lost in the whole dating thing."

"Zoe, you know this could blow up in your face. And you are playing dangerous games with this young man's feelings."

"I know, Mom. But I still think this is a good idea. And I promise I will do everything I can to not hurt Cas."

Mrs. Bell did not look convinced.

We changed the subject, and chatted a bit longer 'till it was time for me to go home and go to bed.

Chapter 6

For the first time in days, I woke up all alone and decided I preferred to have company. There is something soothing about waking up cuddled next to another person. After breakfast, I reminded Margret I had football practice that afternoon, and that I would be home late. Then I headed over to Zoe's house for breakfast.

At some point, it became assumed that I would eat breakfast with them every day. I wasn't sure I knew when that happened. Breakfast went pretty fast and we headed off to school. This was the point when Zoe clued me into step three of her plan.

"Today, after practice, we are going to move to step three."

Mrs. Bell turned off the radio. I think she was as intrigued by where Zoe was going as I was.

"And what is step three?"

"You need to learn how to ask a girl on a date, and how to go on a date."

"Okay. So, wise master, how is this going to work."

"First, don't get a smart mouth." She did turn and give me a smile to acknowledge she found me funny. "At lunch, you are going to ask Tami out, for after practice, to go get dinner tonight. She will let you know if you did it right or not, give you pointers, and you will try again. Once she decides you have done a good enough job, she will agree to go out with you. After practice, the three of us will get a ride with Amanda's sister to Little Joe's."

Little Joe's was a neighborhood burger place. Not a greasy spoon, but only one step up from that. The burgers were pretty good, but their fries were mind blowing.

"Tami will be your date, and she and I will walk you through how to go on a date. Later, Amanda's sister will drop us off at Tami's house. She lives only a couple of doors down."

Mrs. Bell finally spoke up, "This is beyond weird."

"I have to agree with your mom. I am going to ask Tami out and go on a date with her while you give a running commentary."

"Pretty much. This is a trial date, not a real date. Tami is the only one not seeing anyone ... and she kindly volunteered."

"Okay. So where do I do the asking out?"

"At the lunch table. All the girls want to be able to give critiques, and maybe the guys will pick up a few pointers."

"You realize how incredibly embarrassing this is going to be for me, right?"

"Yeah, but I am okay with that."

Another smile as she turned back on the radio. I guess I had my instructions.

The day seemed to drag on towards lunch. I am not sure why I was nervous. I mean, I wasn't really asking her out and it wasn't a real date. Maybe because I knew this was going to be just about the most embarrassing thing I had ever done.

Finally, it was lunchtime. I picked Zoe up from her class, as usual, and we headed for the cafeteria.

"So, do I get lunch first?"

"No. One of the girls brought you something so you could focus. Just walk up to the table and give it your best shot."

The look on my face probably said volumes.

"Don't worry. It will be okay. Sure it will be embarrassing, but I will make sure you are well rewarded."

She pinched my butt and rushed ahead of me into the cafeteria, probably so she could get a good seat. I felt a little like one of the Christians headed into the Coliseum, but the promise of a reward from Zoe allowed me to steel myself and plunge forward.

I nervously walked up to the table. It was at that moment I started thinking about my hands. What was I supposed to do with my hands? Put them behind me. In front of me. In my pockets. Why have I never thought how hands work, before? Okay, now I have been standing here for like thirty seconds not saying anything, everyone staring at me. I opened my mouth but was interrupted.

Amanda gave me a rude buzzer sound. "Baaahhhhhhh. Sorry champ, no good."

"I didn't say anything yet."

Amanda smiled at me, "Yep, and that was the problem. It was a little creepy you just standing there. Go away, come back and try it again."

All the girls and some of the guys were laughing when I walked away. This time walked directly up and started speaking right away.

"Umm, Tami ... if you aren't busy tonight I was thinking we ... um..."

Another buzzer sound, this time from Rachel. "Baaahhhhhhh. No good. Go and try again."

"What did I do this time?"

"You were all over the place. Girls want confidence. Walk up and ask her out somewhere specific. Don't pause and hem and haw. Just ask. The worst that can happen is that she will say no. Who cares? There are other girls in the sea, Papi."

I walked away and came back again. Confidence. Be sure of myself. Yeah, right.

"Hey Tami. Do you want to go and get dinner at Little Joe's tonight after practice?"

Tami smiled at me, "Sure hot stuff."

Zoe threw her arms up in the air, "Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner."

I sat down and buried my head in my arms as the girls all laughed. I did notice none of the guys were laughing. They actually looked like they were paying attention to the critiques. This was a clear signal to let the mocking begin. Rachel started it.

"Hey, Papi, when you are done with Tami let me know. I can give you lessons on how to deal with a real woman."

Tami stuck her tongue out at Rachel and Jacob pulled Rachel back down.

"I think you have enough man Rachel."

"Hey, a girl likes to test her options."

Jacob was clearly used to her antics and rolled his eyes.

Zoe stayed quiet through all the teasing as each girl took a chance at messing with me, but did throw a protective arm around me. I guess she was marking her territory or something.

After school, I was out in the locker rooms where I was assigned pads and what not. I actually had to have Josh walk me through what went where. I have to say the first day of practice didn't go well. I managed to not drop the ball, but I never knew where any of the defenders were. I got tackled over and over. I missed a bunch of my routes.

The guys rode me pretty hard about my performance, but it was in good fun. The coach seemed okay and said 'good job, Grey' when he walked by me in the locker room. I guess he saw something I didn't understand, because I felt like a clown out there.

After showering and getting dressed, I met Zoe and Tami in front of the school. Both had changed into something other then what they wore to school. I guess they had planned ahead. They did look nice.

"Hey, ladies."

Zoe shook her head. "Tonight you are with Tami. Ignore me unless I give you pointers."

"Right. Sorry. You look nice, Tami."

She did in fact look nice in a fairly short skirt and button up shirt. Tami is taller than Zoe, about 5'6" or so and pretty petite. She has shoulder length straight brown hair and green eyes. Her chest is much larger then Zoe's, but isn't really huge either. She was wearing little studs in her ears. Like Zoe, she had very shapely legs. One might argue that she was pretty hot.

"Hey, Big man." So it seems she was planning on teasing me all night. "You sure did spend a lot of time on your backside at practice."

"I was just resting up for our big date. Have to have energy to sweep a sexy cheerleader off her feet."

I don't think she expected me to throw it back at her. Both girls laughed before Tami turned to Zoe.

"Ohh, he is going to be fun."

Zoe just grinned like an idiot.

Amanda's sister Megan drove up and hauled us off to Little Joe's. We got out and I started to walk to the door when I got the buzzer sound from Zoe. "Baaahhhhhhh"

This was getting old. Zoe and Megan were standing by the suburban and Tami was still inside the vehicle.

"You always open the door for your date," Zoe said pointing at the car door.

I slinked back to the car with my tail between my legs and opened the door for Tami, holding out my hand to her. She smiled at me and held my hand as we walked up to the restaurant. At least I catch on fast and opened the door for her and the other ladies. I was rewarded with more smiles.

At the hostess stand, I held up four fingers. "Four please"

At this, I got an elbow from Tami. Shit.

"Umm, Sorry. Two please."

Another elbow. What the hell?

"Three?" Okay, that was said as a question, but I was lost. I got a nod of the head, and said again, more confidently, "Three, please."

The hostess looked at me as if I was an idiot but led me, Tami and Zoe to a table. Megan broke off and sat at the bar/counter area where you could see them cooking the burgers. I sat down and got a buzzer sound from Zoe. The hostess took a step back, surprised.

"Pull your date's chair out, and push it in when she sits."

I got up, wondering who decided on all these rules. I did as instructed and seated Tami. I would have done that for Zoe, also, but she was already seated.

"So, umm. What are you thinking about getting?"

Tami looked at the menu. "Probably a salad."

"Okay."

We ordered a chicken salad for her and a bacon burger for me. I managed to get through that section with no buzzer sounds.

I sat quietly until there was a buzzer sound from Zoe. I looked at her pleadingly.

"You need to talk to your date. First dates are about getting to know her. You should focus on her, try and keep the conversation about her. If she asks you a question, answer it, and then try and redirect a question back to her. Avoid touchy subjects. No talking about religion, politics or sex."

I nodded and looked back at Tami who was fighting a grin. She clearly thought this was hysterical.

"So, Tami, what do you do for fun?"

"I read when I can, but I stay pretty busy. Besides cheer practice, I have gymnastics and dance classes, as well as piano practice."

"Wow that is a lot. How do you find time for it all?"

"I don't know, that's just how it has always been. My mom says we should always stay busy, and she keeps my sister and I in lots of activities. It's fun, though ... well, except for the piano. I don't really like that, but Mom says I have to keep going. What about you?"

"I don't do much. Just practice at the dojo, and read."

"Really, tell me about the dojo."

I saw Zoe's eyes narrow. Okay, I am betting there is a trap somewhere around here. Zoe had said to turn the conversation back to her.

"Not much to tell. I practice there four times a week, and it keeps me in good shape. So, you have a sister?"

I saw a smile from Zoe. Clearly, I had done that correctly.

"Yeah, Judy. She is three years younger than me, and I think she is friends with your sister."

"You guys get along?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean she is a bit of a pest, but you know how siblings can be."

I shook my head, "Not really. Until yesterday, I had barely even spoken to my sister. Thanks to Zoe, we are trying to fix that now."

I know the conversation was supposed to stay on her, but Tami looked really interested. "Is that 'cause you were adopted?"

"Yeah, I guess. That and the fact that it was her dad's idea to adopt me, and he died six months after it was official. It was hard on them. But, things are getting better. We have been doing really well since Tina and Zoe talked."

I got a smile from Zoe at that.

Our dinner conversation continued the back and forth as we ate. I found out about her last gymnastics competition; and a play she was in, last year, in school. She was really interested in my family dynamics. I think I managed to keep the conversation on her enough, and avoided any other buzzer sounds.

Eventually we left, and Megan dropped us off at Tami's house. I kind of stood there for a moment, and got a buzzer.

"You always walk your date to her door."

So I did. I simply said goodnight, and got another buzzer. I looked back at Zoe.

"First date you see where things are going. When you drop her off, evaluate her responses for the evening. Has she been engaged in conversation? Check. Has she been maintaining physical contact with you? Check."

She had indeed touched my hands a lot of times and even now rubbed my arm.

"These are signs she is interested in you. Next, you see if she is interested in kissing you."

"How do I manage that?"

"Lean into her, but keep eye contact. See if she flinches or pulls away. If she does, turn it into a hug. If not, close your eyes and kiss her. Maybe put a hand on her waist."

I followed her instructions. I leaned closer to Tami and looked into her eyes. There was something there, smokiness, maybe. Her hand was back on my arm and pulled me in a bit. I guess this was the high sign. I leaned in and pressed my lips gently to hers. As they slightly opened, I started teasing her with my tongue as I pulled her body into me. I followed what I had learned about Zoe from the previous lessons, and found that some things got responses but others didn't. I filed that away for later, and explored Tami with my hands and mouth for several minutes before pulling away. Tami just sagged against me, holding on to my neck with one arm.

Zoe was smiling.

"While you might not want to go quite so far in your kissing on most first dates, I think Tami was giving you the 'give me more' signal."

Tami stood up, laughed and said, "Yes I was. That was delicious. Our boy may need work on learning to date but he has kissing down cold! That might be the best I have had so far."

I smiled at her as I replied, "I had a good teacher."

Both girls laughed.

Zoe and I walked slowly back to her house, talking.

"Sooo ... how was it kissing another girl?"

I glanced at her, "Jealous?"

"No, not really. I will admit part of tonight was so I could feel my reaction to seeing you with another girl. I will say I would have preferred to be the one you were kissing, but I didn't get upset over it. I actually found it ... sexy."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I am not sure what that is about. Something to explore for later."

"To answer your question, I liked it well enough. It wasn't the same as you. I didn't lose myself in it, or forget where I was, but it did feel good. I also learned something."

"Like what?"

"When you and I made out, I started figuring out what you liked, and made a note of it to do those things again. Some of those things didn't seem to work for Tami. On the other hand, some things you didn't respond to, worked on her."

"Well, duhhh. We aren't machines stamped out of a factory. All girls are different. When we go to more advanced lessons, you will find the same is true there. First thing you do when going to the next level with someone, is to map them out. Figure out what works and doesn't work."

We finished walking to her house in silence, and stopped at her door. She leaned in and pulled on my arm, exactly as Tami had done. I didn't lean in, but raised an eyebrow. She just smiled at me.

"Okay, I'm being silly, but I still want you to kiss me."

So I did just that, and for a long while.

Chapter 7

I woke up the next morning, and felt the telltale signs that someone was in bed with me. I opened my eyes to find Zoe lying in my bed, her head propped up on her hand, staring at me.

"Morning, sunshine."

"This is pretty early for you, Zoe."

"Yeah, I had to set an alarm to get up. But I wanted to make sure I was here to give you your reward."

"Do tell?"

"First, go brush your teeth. You have 'morning breath.'"

I hurried and brushed my teeth and got back into bed. I was rewarded with a small kiss.

"Much better."

She leaned into me and showed me just how much she appreciated my following along with her insane plan.  Most our clothes stayed on, but I got the message loud and clear.

"Okay, time for you to go run. I will set your clothes out."

I got back to find my clothes on my bed, and Tina talking to Zoe. Both stopped when I walked in and just looked at me. I picked up my clothes and headed for a shower. Tina was gone and Zoe was going through one of my desk drawers.

"Find anything interesting."

"No, not really. I was just snooping. It's something girls do to their guys. We want to know everything about them."

"I wasn't complaining. Look away, I have nothing to hide. So what were you talking about with Tina?"

"Just girl talk."

I laughed and she said, "What?"

"It's just, that's always the answer you give."

She shrugged. "Something you are going to have to deal with. Girls talk about stuff. Boys just have to live with it. Let's go eat breakfast and head to school. Today, after practice, you need to go to Dr. Snider's office with me, so she can talk to you."

"That's today?"

"Yeah. She said she needs to get 'the lay of the land, ' and that includes you."

At lunch, the table was all-abuzz when I sat down. The girls were all talking to Tami about last night.

Amanda started it off, "So how did our boy do?"

"A lot of the normal boy problems but Zoe set him right. He was fun to talk to. Once you get past the shy-guy stammering thing, he is really interesting."

"You know I am sitting right here."

They all looked at me for a second as if I were an idiot, and then went back to ignoring me.

"He did the stuff guys normally do. Forgot to open doors, walked without checking where I was, stuff like that. Zoe trained him up right, though."

"How did the date end?"

"He walked me to my door and eventually gave me a kiss goodnight."

Rachel leaned in, interested, "And?"

"And no instruction needed. Our boy has skills!"

They all looked at me like I was the lunch special. Zoe pulled me in close.

"Careful, ladies. You have to get an appointment through me."

Was I just pimped out by my quasi-girlfriend?

"Hey, don't look at me. You all have guys I respect. Only single ladies need apply."

I swear to god Rachel looked a little sad but Tami piped up.

"I'm single and I think I might want seconds."

Zoe glared at Tami.

"Slut."

Tami glared back.

"Tease."

They both laughed. Girls are strange.

Practice was mildly better. I didn't spend as much time on my ass, and I think I hit most of my routes. While I still managed to not drop the ball, I didn't feel like I did all that well. Coach gave me another atta-boy, though. I guess it is all part of the process.

The amount of homework I got from football was surprising. I had a huge binder of plays I had to memorize. I even had to memorize the plays where I wasn't involved.

After practice, Mrs. Bell drove us to the doctor's office. We were all very quiet. I was nervous about this. What would happen if the doctor didn't think I was a good influence? I knew if she said I was bad for Zoe's recovery; I would have to let her go. As much as I hated the idea of not having Zoe in my life, there was nothing more important to me than her health and safety. If I had to back away from whatever this relationship was to give her that, I would.

We sat in reception area for a few minutes, until an older lady came out. She motioned for Zoe to sit down.

"I just want to talk to Caspian first."

Zoe sat back down and I followed her into her office. There wasn't the laying down couch thing you image, just three very comfortable looking chairs. I sat in one of them. She placed an audio recorder on the table next to her chair and sat down holding a notepad and pen.

"Let me set down the ground rules. I am not your doctor. Therefore, you and I have no doctor/client privilege. I am not saying I will tell anyone what you tell me here, but I might. If there is something you don't want Zoe or her mother to know, then I would suggest you tell me you aren't comfortable answering the question. I am not here to judge you or evaluate you. To be honest, I probably will still evaluate you, since that is more or less my nature, but I am not officially checking you over. My main concern is to learn about you and determine how you influence Zoe. Specifically, how your influence might affect her recovery. Clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Tell me about yourself."

"I guess the first thing, is I prefer to be called Cas. I was orphaned in Queens, New York, before the age of one. I spent most of my life in the Texas foster care system. I bounced from house to house a lot. I was adopted by a family when I was ten. The father of the family, John, was the driving force behind that decision. He died six months after I was adopted. We lived in Dallas until this summer when Margret, my adoptive mother, got a new job. We have never been very close. I wasn't close with my sister Tina either, although we recently started working on that."

I stopped and through about what else to say.

"I'm pretty good in school, I read a lot and I like to stay physically active. I just joined the football team, although time will tell if that will stick."

She was scribbling a lot of notes.

"You referred to your mother as your adoptive mother, but made no qualification about your sister. Can you tell me why you did that?"

"Really? Huh, I didn't know I did that. I normally qualify Margret as my adoptive mother, although I am not sure why. Maybe it's to distinguish her from my birth mother. I actually usually make the same qualification about my sister as well."

"And do you have a thought on why you didn't do that this time?"

"My best guess would be because we have started working on our relationship. Zoe and Tina had a long talk a couple of days ago, and I am pretty sure Zoe told her some of the stuff that had happened, and confided in her some of the things she had observed about me or things I had told her. After that, Tina and I had a long conversation and we agreed to start our relationship over, and try to learn to really be brother and sister. Actually, it has been nice. She is a really sweet girl."

"If you were to guess, what was the thing that pushed Tina over the edge into talking with you?"

"While it might have been the fact that I saved Zoe, I don't think that's it. She was feeling too guilty during our conversation. I think Zoe told her that no one had ever said 'I love you' to me, before. I think that brought some of the issues in our family into the open. Tina felt guilty enough over it, to talk to me."

"Why do you think no one has ever said 'I love you' to you before?"

"If I was being pedantic I would say that someone has said it. Mrs. Bell told me and Zoe she loved us the other day. But I get what you are trying to ask. I think it's situational. Foster homes aren't environments that breed love. I never knew my birth parents so there was no chance, there. And the situation with John and Margret was sabotaged from the beginning. Margret was really never on board with adopting me, although if John had lived I suspect things would have gone differently, and we might have made a connection. But with his death the deck was stacked against us."

"Why did you decide to save Zoe?"

"Because it was the right thing to do."

"And do you always do the right thing?"

"Probably not. I try to always do the right thing, but no one is perfect. I am sure I have screwed up enough times and have probably intentionally done the wrong thing, too. But I make an effort to always try and do the right thing. I think that is what is important."

"Do you love Zoe?"

"It's too early to tell. Maybe. While I have never been in love before, I am fairly confident I would know if I was. Do I care deeply for her? Yes. Do I think I am falling in love with her?"

I paused to consider this. "Yes. Am I IN love with her? I don't know. It's really too soon to tell. I think no, but I also think I am getting pretty close."

"From what I have been told, she is your first romantic experience. Do you think your feelings might be swayed because of the newness of the situation? Or because she is nice to you?"

"You mean do I think my hormones are making me think I am in love?"

She laughed and acknowledged my statement with a nod and a wave of the hand.

"I admit my hormones are speaking, but no I don't think that is the cause. Sure, I love the intimacy we have shared, but I think I would feel this way without it. If you are asking why am I falling for her, I don't know what to tell you. Why does anyone fall in love with anyone else? I know I feel a connection to her. I know I care very much what she thinks of me, and I care even more about her well-being. Enough that if you said to end things because it was bad for her recovery, I would."

"That is a pretty tall statement. Words are easier than actions."

"You're right. But I think I would all the same. Even saying that makes my heart ache a little. I have no desire to give up Zoe, but all I want is for her to be healthy and happy."

"What do you think about her 'plan?'"

"I think it's a little nuts. I am not sure what to make of it, but I trust her. She makes some valid logical arguments. If she says this is the way it needs to be, then this is the way it needs to be."

"And how far has she gone so far."

"She had me go out on a test date while she critiqued what was wrong and what was right."

"That sounds weird and a little embarrassing."

"It was both. The hardest part was when I was supposed to kiss Tami goodnight."

"How do you think that went over with Zoe?"

"I asked her that as we walked back to her house. She genuinely seemed okay with it. She admitted she would prefer it to have been her, but she said she didn't feel jealous. I believed her."

"That is a hard thing for anyone to pull off. Why do you think she was okay with it?"

"Well, mainly I think it is cause she really trusts me. She knows I would never do anything purposefully to hurt her."

"And?"

I wasn't sure what she was looking for, "And?"

"You said 'mainly.' That usually indicates there is a second element."

I thought hard about how to put my thoughts into words.

"I think she might have feelings she hasn't admitted to herself."

"Such as?"

"I think she might like girls a little bit. I mean in a physical way."

"You think she might be gay?"

"No, I don't think so. She might be a little bi, or just find the idea of girls interesting. But her reaction after I kissed Tami was more than just a reaction to me."

"Okay. I think I have what I need. I will be right back with Zoe."

Zoe came in and sat in one of the other chairs. She looked incredibly nervous. I held her hand and gave it a squeeze. The doctor looked at us and made another note in her pad.

"Okay, Zoe. Cas and I had a nice talk. I have to say this boy of yours is very perceptive. With training and some life experience, he might even make a good therapist."

I think I was more surprised by that statement than Zoe was.

"Really?" I said.

"Yes, Cas. You picked up on a lot of subtext, both from me in our conversation and in your observations about Zoe. You have your head screwed on straight. You seemed to be completely aware of your own mental state and your own flaws. Your background really stacked the deck against you, as you put it, and many would have not come out the other end well adjusted. I said I wasn't here to evaluate you, but I did say I would probably do it anyways. I would bet you tend to drop into mild depression more than you would like to admit, but you haven't allowed yourself to wallow. You have laid down a moral code, for lack of a better word, and stuck to it. If I had to guess, it was that code that allowed you to plow through adverse circumstances with your sanity intact."

Zoe was smiling brightly at me.

"I think you will be good for Zoe in her recovery. She needs multiple stable influences. She needs someone she can go to when the insecurities and doubts from her trauma hit. When her value in herself falls, she needs someone she can trust to tell her what her true value is. And trust them enough to believe it. From what I can see, you fill that role well and are up to the challenge."

"Now, Zoe. You know I have misgivings about your plan. I agree you need to take things slow and ease back into a relationship. But your plan has many chances to make you lose the trust you have in Caspian, even if he does nothing wrong to cause you to lose that trust. Without it, this thing falls apart and you will backslide dangerously."

Zoe tried to shrink down in her seat, but I held tightly on her hand. "I need to know. I trust Cas, but I need to know that it is real."

"Okay, Cas. I think it's time for you to head back into the waiting room. Zoe and I need to spend some time together."

I got up, squeezed Zoe's hand one more time and walked out. Mrs. Bell held my hand in the waiting room and I assured her everything was fine. Eventually the doctor led Zoe out. Zoe had been crying. I looked concerned.

"It's okay, Cas. Crying is part of the healing process. There are a lot of intense emotions that we have to get to. She is perfectly fine. Mrs. Bell, I have heard Zoe's plan and I know you expressed your misgivings. I share them. This will either really work out and help her or it will tear her down. It is a dangerous game she is playing. But there is no talking her out of it. I am certain if you tried to stop it, she would sneak around you."

Zoe nodded.

"So all that is left is to love her, give her support, and pray for the best. Cas, you are a good kid. You are important to Zoe's recovery. Stick with her and be her rock. Protect her, even from herself."

"I promised to always protect Zoe. I meant it."

She patted me on the shoulder and said, "Good man."

The ride home was silent. Zoe clutched my hand. When we got to her house, she finally spoke.

"Mom, can Cas stay here, tonight."

Mrs. Bell looked at Zoe and then nodded. "I think that will be okay."

"Thanks. I will call Tina and have her bring clothes."

Tina came over about ten minutes later with my gym bag. She gave me a hug, at which Mrs. Bell smiled. She also hugged Zoe. Tina must have noticed Zoe's puffy eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I am fine. I just had a tough session with the psychiatrist, that's all."

Tina gave Zoe another hug and went home.

"Things seem to be going better between you two."

"Yeah, they are Mrs. Bell. Zoe really helped out there. Whatever she said to Tina seems to have worked."

We ate a quiet dinner and went to bed early. I was lying on my side and spooning against Zoe, holding her tight.

"Dr. Snider had a lot of good things to say about you. I think she was impressed."

"Good. I am glad."

"Did you really tell her that if she said I shouldn't see you, you would break up with me?"

"Well, we aren't dating. You made that very clear."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do. And yes, I told her that. Your health and safety are really important to me. If I thought I was bad for you, bad for your recovery, I would take myself out of the picture. I promised to protect you. There is a saying, 'A man's word is his bond.' I believe that. I will always protect you, even if it is from yourself. Or from me."

"But that would hurt me."

"It would make you sad. But that would be temporary."

I felt a tear hit my arm.

"Don't be sad baby. She didn't say I was a problem. In fact, she said the opposite, that I should stay with you and support you. It was a hurdle with dangers just as scary as your dating plan. We passed that hurdle."

She turned around to face me and gave me a short kiss.

"So you promise to protect me?"

"Always and forever."

She curled up, still crying, and fell asleep against me. It took me a long time to drift off.

Chapter 8

Zoe was really quiet the next morning. We didn’t say much to each other. I won’t lie. I was starting to get nervous. I had thought the trip to Dr. Snider’s went well, but clearly, there was some blow-back. We ate breakfast in silence and I excused myself to go home. It was Saturday and I could tell Zoe wanted some alone time.

As soon as I lay down on my bed, Tina burst into my room. She was clearly in a good mood.

“You won’t believe what happened, yesterday.”

I sat up as I asked, “What?”

“Steven Mertz asked me out.”

“Who?”

“He’s really popular. And he asked me out.”

She was bouncing up and down.

“Great. I am happy for you.”

“I have to call Zoe and tell her.”

And with that, Tina bounced out of my room. I guess she and Zoe are friends, now.

I hadn’t been to the Dojo at the previous week and didn’t want to slide. I was working hard on the final steps to get my G4 grade. Krav Maga originally had a belt grading system similar to other martial arts, and that still kind of existed. But later there was a patch system instituted. Each belt covered several patches. There was P1 through P5, this was the Practitioner level. P5 was the first half of the Green belt. After the Practitioner patches, there was G1 through G5, which make up the Graduate category, which takes you through brown belt. Finally, there is the black belt that has all five of the patches for the expert grade. Getting my G4 would put me into brown belt and leave me one more patch before I was able to start working on Expert patches, which I really wanted to try. Expert grades cover more military type aspects and protection techniques.

I still had a few weeks until I could take my test, but I wanted to put in as much work as I could before it came time. I wanted to be ready. In the last hour, I got to spar some with one of the guys working on G5. I didn’t hold my own, but that was to be expected against someone with more experience. I learned a few things though, and that really is the whole point.

By the time I got home I was tired and sweaty, but I wasn’t moping about Zoe any more. I was still concerned but I had stopped feeling sorry for myself.

Dinner was strange. Margret had clearly been crying and she was really quiet. Tina glanced at me with a questioning look and then gave a head nod in Margret’s direction.

“Umm, Margret. Is everything okay?”

She sniffled, “Yeah. Everything is fine.”

“You have been crying. Something is wrong.”

“Nothing for you guys to worry about. Some trouble at work. I got my hours cut. Don’t worry, everything is okay.”

She had finished eating so she put her plate into the sink and went up to her room. Tina did not look mollified.

“I don’t think it’s nothing.”

“I agree. Let me think for a minute.”

Asking Margret again would clearly not give us any answers. I went over to the table where we kept the mail and started digging through it. There were a bunch of bills, some of them different colors. I read each one, and learned that the different colored bills were past due.

“I think we have money problems.”

“But, mom has a good job.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think we have the whole story. I don’t think things are going well at her work, and the cut in hours means we will have less money to pay these bills.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“I don’t know. Give me till tomorrow to talk to some people. I would leave your mom alone about this for right now, she is already upset. At least until we are sure there is nothing we can do.”

Tina did not look confident, “I guess. But we are kids, what can we do?”

“I don’t know.”

It took me a very long time to fall asleep.

Sunday had passed with me trying to work out a plan in my head. We went to church and afterwards I did some yard work and helped clean up around the house. It was a productive day even if my mind was not in the work.

Monday morning I spent my run working through both the problem with Zoe and the problem with Margret. I didn’t have enough experience with either to know what to do. I needed some advice from an adult.

When I got back, Tina had already laid out my clothes so I dressed and quickly ran out to Zoe’s house. When I knocked, Zoe opened the door and laid a giant kiss on me.

“I think I like how you say good morning.”

She was pressed against me in a hug, still wearing my t-shirt and the shorts she slept in. “I just wanted you to know everything is okay. I was just a little freaked out Friday, is all. I told you I was still bent. Thanks for giving me time to work through stuff. I have to go change for school.”

She gave me another squeeze and took off up the stairs.

I took the opportunity to corner Mrs. Bell.

“I need some advice.”

She smiled at me, “You are doing just fine. She just needed some thinking time.”

I stopped for a moment, “Oh, no. Not about Zoe, although I am very glad she is in a good mood, today. Friday just about killed me with how sad she looked.”

“So, what’s wrong then?”

“It’s my family. Margret is having trouble at work, and we are having money problems. What would it take for a fifteen year old to get a job?”

“Oh, dear. Well, you have to be sixteen to work in Texas, but they allow for some hardship exceptions. There is a form you have to fill out at the courthouse, and get approved.”

“Could you take me to the courthouse today after school?”

“Yeah, I can do that. Do you want me to help out? Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t think so, Mrs. Bell. I think if Margret knew I knew, and if she knew, I told other people, it would upset her more. I could use an advisor though. Some of this stuff is beyond my experience and I need an adult to talk to sometimes.”

“You can always talk to me, sweetie.”

“Thanks, Mrs. B.”

I got a pat on the cheek.

School went much better today. I was still distracted a bit, now because of Margret’s problem rather than Zoe, but I had a course of action. I was able to focus on my classes, and get my work done. That focus lasted until lunch when Tami pulled me aside.

“Judy told me that Steven Mertz asked out your sister.”

“Yeah, Tina seemed really happy.”

“Judy is worried. Apparently, Mertz has a bad rep. I knew his older brother Doug before he went to juvie. The whole family is bad news.”

“Really? Tina said he was popular.”

“Yeah, but I bet with the wrong crowd. Just watch out for her.”

“Thanks for the heads up, Tami.”

She smiled sideways at me, and pulled herself into me, “Now about that second helping.”

Her eyes were laughing, and I knew she was teasing me, well, mostly.

“Hey,” Zoe yelled out from the lunch table, “hands off, hussy.”

Tami laughed and stuck her tongue out at Zoe, but went to sit down.

“Sorry, Zoe, but I had to take a shot. We are all going to Little Joe’s for a snack after practice. You two in?”

I shook my head, “Zoe can go but I have to go to the courthouse.”

Zoe looked concerned, “Why?”

“I need to get a hardship permit to be allowed to work. Then I need to go fill out applications at burger places or what not. I need to find a job.”

Amanda piped up, “Why do you need a job.”

“Margret, my adoptive mom, is having some job problems. I think the family needs help so I need to start contributing.”

Josh turned to the rest of us, “My uncle needs a general shop help at his engineering company. It’s mostly sweeping, running errands … that kind of thing. I can put in a good word for you. I have a thing tonight, but call me tomorrow night.”

Sweet! Zoe was out of her funk, and I had a lead on a job that wasn’t flipping burgers. Pretty good way to start my week.

Chapter 9

I woke up earlier than usual, the next morning. Hair was covering my face and making it a little hard to breathe. I instantly recognized the soft, gentle scent of Zoe's hair. She is a pretty light sleeper. So, as usual, she woke up when I started to try to get untangled from the arm and leg gripping me.

I received a sweet kiss and a grimace.

"'Morning breath,' but totally worth it."

I hopped out of bed and pulled her with me, "I have just the thing for that."

Seeing the coast was clear, I dragged Zoe into the bathroom and showed her the extra toothbrush I had hidden in one of the bathroom drawers. She quickly started to brush her teeth.

"Since you seem intent on crawling through my window pretty regularly I figured I should start providing you with some amenities."

She turned and smiled at me, but she still had the toothbrush in her mouth and a bit of toothpaste drooled out as she did. It was both adorable and totally ridiculous at the same time. We both broke down laughing before catching ourselves. I hoped we hadn't woken up Margret.

Back in my room, she started to pick out my clothes when she laid a bombshell on me.

"Today is the next step in my plan. You have to get a date."

"I thought that is what we did with Tami."

"No, silly. That was a practice date. You have to get a real date. Don't worry, I have picked the girl out and already talked to her. She is prepped for our ... unusual circumstances. Her name is Vicki Hollabrand. I have known her for years, and she is a really sweet girl. You will like her, she is really cute."

"Zoe, I wish I could talk you out of this plan. I don't need to go date some random girl."

"Nope, we are sticking to the plan." She stopped what she was doing and pointed a finger in my face. "I want you to listen to me very closely, Caspian Grey. Don't take this for granted, and don't blow this off. You will give her your best effort when asking her out. You will give her your full attention on your date. And you will give it your best shot. If you hit it off and I am out of the picture, then so be it. You will still be my best friend, and I will still love you. But I need this. I need for you to give 100% to this. Do you understand me?"

I didn't answer for a long while. Zoe probably thought I was weighing her statement, but that wasn't it. I don't even think she had noticed, but Zoe had said she loved me. It was like the air was knocked out of my stomach. I was having trouble hearing and the world started to swim.

"Cas?"

Okay, I was quiet too long and she got worried.

"Sorry. You're right. It wouldn't be fair to this girl to purposefully make the date go bad or anything. I couldn't do that to someone else. I will give it my best effort, I promise."

"Great. I knew I could count on you. Now, she has the same lunch as us but sits with some of the smart kids at another table. You need to go ask her out at lunch."

"Sure thing."

I only wished I was as upbeat about this as I tried to sound.

I had trouble focusing for most of the rest of the morning leading up to lunch. I was incredibly nervous. Not about asking out Vicki, since clearly Zoe had worked out those details already, but about what it might mean for Zoe and me. I was already insanely attached to Zoe. She was my first real friend, fixed my relationship with Tina and was the first one to show me love, even if we hadn't mutually acknowledged it as that yet. The thought of doing something, even accidentally, to hurt my bond with her was gnawing at me.

When Zoe and I entered the cafeteria, Zoe pointed out a tall blond girl just sitting at a table across the big room from where our group's table was.

When I hesitated I got a slap on the ass and a, "Go get her, Tiger."

In a daze, I made my way over and sat in the open seat next to Vicki. She just turned to me and smiled, although everyone else at her table looked at me like I was an alien.

I pulled together as much courage as I could muster.

"Hi, Vicki, I am Zoe's friend Cas. I was wondering if you wanted to go out this Friday."

"Yeah, I think I would like that," she said. She wrote down a phone number on a piece of paper. "Here is my number. Call me Thursday night, and we will work out the details."

"Great. Talk to you then."

My cool exterior was in stark contrast to all the crazy thoughts bouncing around my head. I made my way back to the normal lunch table. I noticed but didn't really internalize the fact that everyone at her table looked like someone had just told them who killed Jimmy Hoffa. What was weird was most the kids at my table, except Zoe, had the same look. Zoe just looked smug.

Amanda grabbed my arm as soon as I sat down, "What did you just do?"

"Huh? I asked Vicki on a date for Friday. Why?"

Tami's mouth hung open, "You asked out Vicki Hollabrand?"

"Umm, yes?" I was at a loss to understand what the big deal was. "Why is everyone freaking out?"

"You don't know who Vicki is, do you?"

"No. I know she is a friend of Zoe's, that's it."

"Cas, Vicki is the only daughter of the richest family in the city. He has like a bazillion dollars. Also, I don't think anyone has ever asked Vicki out ... ever."

All the girls were leaning in and Rachel threw in her two cents, "I am also pretty sure she swings the other way."

"Really. She seemed to like the idea and agreed to go out with me."

I found it weird no one asked what Zoe thought about this, but since they all knew about the trial date with Tami, I bet they knew the whole deal. It was weird from my vantage point as I watched kids slowly move from one table to the other as the gossip of my asking Vicki out spread. You would think something major had happened. I looked over and Vicki caught my eye. She smiled and gave me a wink.

Clearly, I was way over my head.

I knew practice was going to be awkward. Knowing that I was going to have to get a job, there was no way that was going to mesh with a football schedule. I enjoyed playing, but the game didn't rule my life like it did a lot of other kids. I had no dreams about playing in the big leagues or college glory. I just didn't see my life going that way and it wasn't what I really wanted. So giving up playing wasn't a big deal in the theoretical sense. But I also hated letting people down, and I was afraid I was going to let both the coaches and my new friends down. I got to practice as fast as I could and found the JV coach still in his office.

"Coach, you have a sec?"

"Sure, Grey, what can I do for you?"

"Well, my family is having some problems and I am going to have to get an after-school job. With my studies, this doesn't leave a lot of time for practices or games. I guess what I am trying to say is I need to quit the team."

"You have really been coming along lately Grey. You could have some big things in your future if you work to foster your raw abilities. Are you sure this is something you want to give up?"

"Yes, sir. Family comes first. And besides, I don't have football glory dreams. I will miss the guys on the team, but past that..." I ended the sentence with a shrug.

"We already shifted your schedule once. It will be a pain to have to shift it again."

"I don't mind if you keep me around as a water boy or gopher, or whatever, if you need to. I am willing to work in class and even occasionally after school. I feel a little obligated to the team, I just have to keep my priorities straight."

"Well, it will take some time to get your schedule shifted anyway. Let's see how useful you can make yourself."

"Thanks, Coach. And sorry."

I had some thoughts in the back of my head as to how I could still support the team. I wanted to talk them over with Josh when we talked about the job for his uncle. If they would work, maybe I would be able to still play ball with the guys.

Chapter 10

I watched Zoe finish practice and did my homework, anticipating the call with Josh later that night. Walking out to the parking lot to find Mrs. Bell, we heard a shout. Out near one of the cars partway back in the parking lot, I saw Tami pressed up against a car with Jake Masuko pawing at her. It was clear she was trying to push him away. I dropped Zoe's hand and sprinted towards them. When I shouted Tami's name, Jake backed up. Seeing me he practically bristled, his hands balled up into a fist. I slowed as I closed, aware he was ready for a rematch. He made a step towards me when there were more shouts. Mrs. Bell was coming at us from one direction and one of the assistant coaches was coming from another.

Jake was rethinking his plan and started to walk off, saying, "Next time, Grey."

I wouldn't let that happen, and got in his face.

"If you want to come at me, bring it on. But remember your last trip to the emergency room. If you ever even talk to one of my friends again, your visit will be a lot longer, and a lot more serious. Zoe, Tami and the rest of the girls are off limits to you and the rest of your shit-bird friends. Now run away, before I decide to beat the shit out of you again."

I was surprised to see fear pass across Masuko's face. I guess a bully is a bully. He high-tailed it out of there.

I turned to Tami, who looked terrified and fell into my arms. Zoe and I hugged her until the adults arrived. They had each of us give our version of what had happened. Fortunately for Tami we arrived before anything had happened, but that meant there wasn't anything we could do about Jake. He hadn't actually done anything wrong, just scared Tami a bit.

We told Mrs. Bell we would see her at the car after we walked Tami to her car. Tami wouldn't let go of my hand until she was seated in her car. Zoe leaned in to hug her again.

"Don't worry Tami. Cas will protect us all, I am sure of it."

Tami looked hopefully at me.

"I have a plan. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to any of you."

"Thanks, Cas, Zoe. You guys are real friends."

I squeezed her shoulder once more and we said goodbye. On the way back to her mom's car, Zoe kept looking at me and smiling.

"What?"

"You mean it don't you? You plan on protecting all of us?"

"Sure. I would do that even if I didn't know you guys, but I do. No one is going to mess with my girls."

She snorted, "Your girls, huh?"

"You know what I mean, all our lunch friends."

"Yeah, I know. I was just wondering if you had suddenly developed an ego. I'm glad you are going to look after them. Everyone should have someone like you looking after them."

"Well, it's not going to be me, directly. I can't be everywhere, but I have a thought. I need you to talk to as many girls from the varsity and JV squads as possible, plus any of the guys from the team you can get hold of. I will talk to Josh tonight and make sure he calls people, too. I want everyone to meet me in the gym after school. I will talk to the coach and get the okay for us to all meet there."

"Okay. What are you planning?"

"I am not 100% sure, but I will know, tomorrow. Trust me."

"You know I do."

I puttered around the house for a while but my nerves were building for Josh's call. If I could swing this job, it could make a difference for Margret. She was already really on edge and I wanted to do something to help them. Even though we had never been close, she had always been fair and provided for me. I needed to be able to contribute. Tina was only twelve years old, so there was nothing she could really do.

"Dammit, Cas, go run around the block or something. Your pacing is driving me crazy."

I stopped and smiled at Tina. I had probably passed the doorway to the living room two dozen times. I had no doubt it was distracting.

"Sorry, Tina, just waiting on the call from Josh."

"Yeah, I know. If he can get you a job then it's a big deal. But you have to stop pacing or you won't live long enough to answer the phone."

I laughed, "What are you going to do, little girl?"

"Fight dirty."

She stalked towards me. We hadn't really played or roughhoused ever in our relationship so I had no idea what she was doing, until the tickling started. She was relentless and I couldn't force her away since I didn't want to accidentally hurt her. All I could do was beg to her to stop.

She had me backed against a wall, "Look at the big bad fighter begging his little sister to leave him alone. How about this, you walk me down to Joe's and buy me a milkshake and I will leave you alone ... for now."

"Deal, just no more tickling. I am about to pee on the floor."

She smiled and tossed her short pony tail. "Boys are such wimps."

I couldn't help to smile after her. Also, I felt less nervous and was able to watch TV with her until the phone rang.

"Hello."

"'Sup, dude?"

"Hey, Josh. Sooo ... tell me about your uncle and the job."

"Ha! Right to the point. Okay, so I talked to my uncle and told him about you. He owns an engineering company that designs and builds, um, stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Okay, so I am not sure what they design. I know a lot of it is for the oil and gas industry. I mean, this is Texas. I think they do other business, too. Anyways, the job is minimum wage to start and involves doing pretty much whatever they need done that isn't skilled labor. Carrying stuff, cleaning stuff, getting stuff."

"This place is big on stuff."

I could hear him laughing, "Stuff it. The good part is my uncle is really a fair guy. He trains people and promotes from within, and loves teaching young people ... stuff."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"He said to go down and meet him tomorrow afternoon, and he will interview you."

"Awesome. Josh, man, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate this."

"Hey, I am glad to help. You're a good guy, and I have a feeling you and Uncle Ted are really going to get along."

"Great. I will be there. Also, before you go, I need another favor."

"What, finding you a job isn't enough."

"Well, to be fair, this isn't really for me, not exactly. I need you to talk to all the players and have them meet at the gym tomorrow, after school but before practice. Talk to the Varsity and JV players. If you can find players from other sports, specifically those where the cheerleaders perform, let me know."

"Zoe mentioned something to me a little while ago. What's going on? A lot of us are really wondering. Zoe said it had something to do with what happened to Tami."

"Yeah, it does. I have a plan, and I need the help of everyone. This is important."

"You can count on me, Cas. I got your back. See you at lunch."

I hung up and went to find Tina.

Tina and I walked down to Little Joe's, ordered some milkshakes and found a booth. I wasn't sure what to say so I just drank my milkshake, and stared out the window. Eventually, Tina cleared her throat.

"So I had an ulterior motive besides getting a milkshake."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"It has been great the way we have gotten along since our talk, but I realized I didn't really know a lot about you. I know you probably don't know a lot about me, either. I think this should change. If you and I are going to be real siblings, we need to get to know each other."

"Ha, so a sibling 'first date?'"

She blushed, "Something like that."

"Okay, I guess you start. Ask anything you want. I already told you a lot about my past."

"Hmm, I probably should have written down some questions. I guess I didn't plan well. Do you have hobbies?"

"Probably only the ones you know about. The Krav Maga that I started when I was eleven and reading."

"And now, Zoe," she blushed again.

"Yeah, and now Zoe."

"You have done a lot with your martial arts class thing. What is your goal with that?"

"I don't know. I like the way I feel after I practice. And it is very centering. Usually it feels like a million things are bouncing around inside my head. When I am practicing or sparring, my brain seems to focus and things become calmer."

"I thought that was why you ran in the mornings."

"It is, although it's a little different. When I run, I pick specific things bouncing around my head and focus on those, trying to work them out. At practice, I clear my head of them, at least for a little while. It allows my brain to take a break, and only focus on the moves I am doing."

"Huh."

"What about you?"

"I guess I don't have a lot of hobbies. When I was little before ... um ... before..."

"Before me?"

She looked sheepish, "Yeah. I used to go to riding lessons. I loved that so much. I loved working with horses. Dad was the one who always signed me up for them. Mom thought it was expensive, and kind of a waste of money. Also, she said people got hurt riding. When it came time to sign up again after Dad died, she said no. I was still feeling really sad, so I didn't push it."

"Tell me about your dad."

She got a dreamy yet sad look, "He was amazing. He was so smart. And he really loved Mom and me. When I was little I used to crawl in his lap and fall asleep watching TV. It was probably the safest I have felt in my life."

She looked like she was about to say something else, but stopped.

"What?"

She blushed again and looked nervous, "I was thinking that the only time I have felt like that since Dad died, was the night I slept in your bed."

"Oh."

"Anyway, he was really funny. I mean, I never told him that. He told corny jokes all the time and he loooved puns. They were so bad, but he was so happy when he told one, and he would get this silly grin. I couldn't help but laugh."

"He sounds like an amazing man. I am sorry I never really got to know him."

"You know, I think he would have really liked you. So, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"Ha, you don't go for the easy questions. I don't know, really. I've never really thought about my future. It always seemed like this far off thing that I had no control over. I guess I will have to start thinking about it, now."

We went back and forth like this for a long while. She told me about her best friend Judy, her favorite color and what foods she liked. I told her about Mrs. Mackelroy, the foster lady I lived with for the longest amount of time; and the Dewey brothers, two kids who I ran up against in one of my early foster homes. It was a great evening. By the end of the night, Tina and I had taken another step towards being real siblings.

Chapter 11

The next afternoon the gym started filling up. I had to walk the coach through my plan, before he would agree to the meeting. He made some suggestions, but otherwise agreed to what I was going to do.

When it seemed like everyone who was going to show was in the gym, I stood up a few steps on one of the bleachers. There were a lot of kids I knew, and even more, I had never met before. I wasn’t used to this kind of public speaking in front of a group, so I was pretty nervous.

The two groups had kind of a pack mentality so the girls were a little separate from the guys, and the JV and Varsity guys kind of bunched separately. I also noticed the coach, a couple of the assistant coaches, and the principal were standing at the back of the gym. Great, now I had an adult audience to worry about, too.

“Hi, everybody. I know you are all really curious what this is about and I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to me. I know a lot of you don’t know me, and those that do might wonder why the new kid who was only on JV for like a week called a mass meeting of the cheerleaders and players.”

There were a lot of head nods at that.

“First I want to ask a question of the girls. I know this is embarrassing, and I promise we won’t ask follow up questions, but please as many of you as possible answer truthfully. How many of you after games or practice have been bothered, accosted or threatened? Please raise your hands as an answer.”

It took a minute and a lot of the hands were very tentative, but the sheer number was startling. It was nearly every single girl there. There was a murmuring around the guys.

I looked at all the guys for a second, “Guys, we have a problem. These girls support you at your games. They are your friends, and in many cases, your girlfriends. Would you be happy if something happened to one of them?”

There was a lot of head shaking, angry looks and a few murmured no’s.

“Most of you know my run in with several guys over the assault on one of the cheerleaders on my first day of school. Many also know I had to step in to help another girl, just yesterday after practice. This has to stop.”

“In most cases, the guys aren’t doing anything bad enough to get the faculty involved, but the girls still feel threatened and worried. You guys all know about team work. One of the number one rules of any team, is you look after your teammates. That is a good rule, and it applies to the cheerleaders as much as it does to the guy next to you in the huddle.”

“While the faculty and teachers are around to help us, we can’t rely on them. The best they can do is respond after something happens. That isn’t good enough.”

They were starting to get into it. I saw a lot more head nodding.

“Here is what I propose. I say we step in and make sure everyone, and I mean everyone, is safe. After practice, after games and other events, we walk the girls to their cars and make sure they get out safely and securely. I believe in the buddy system, and this will be our buddy system. I would like for the girls to get with the team after an activity, and ask two of the guys to escort them to their cars. I would like for the guys to be aware of the girls and make sure they are available to walk the girls out. If you can plan it out among yourselves, before the event starts, all the better. Guys, do you think this is something that could work?”

There were a lot of kids saying ‘yeah’ and a lot of head nodding. No one seemed to disagree.

“Girls, would this make you feel, and in fact be, safer?”

More agreement from the girls.

“I know it is a pain waiting for, or finding the guys to walk you out, but I assure you being assaulted by some jerk would be more of a pain. Is this something you would agree to?”

More affirmation.

“Great. Let’s try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. I am hoping we don’t have any more incidents of something bad happening to any of our teammates.”

“Also, there is one giant caveat to this. This is not a license to go out and rough anyone up. If you run into trouble, head back to the gym, field, locker-room or wherever there are still people and adults. Ignore the people bothering you and head back to safety. If attacked then defend yourself and your teammates, and again I am including the girls in the category of teammates, but do not instigate a fight. This is not ‘open season.’ We owe it to the principal, your coaches and the faculty to act maturely. We need to show them how real, honorable students behave. Guys, we need to show them how real men behave.”

“Is that clear?”

A general smattering of agreements.

“Seriously, you can do better than that. Is everything we discussed here clear?”

They knew about having spirit and enthusiasm. They let me know it this time, with plenty of volume.

“Alright. Thanks for taking the time to listen to me and thanks to the Sophomores, Juniors and Seniors for putting up with a twerpy freshman giving out advice. I think the coach’s know we all might be a few minutes late, but let’s get to practice.”

On the way out of the gym, I got a lot of back slaps and hugs from a bunch of the girls. The coach and principal stopped me on the way out.

“Coach Andrews filled me in on your plan. I have to say this is really unusual, but I liked it. I like you are organizing support of students by other students. I like that you emphasized the no fighting thing. Mr. Grey, you continue to surprise me.”

The coach actually shook my hand, “I wish you would reconsider quitting. You have the makings of a leader and that is something we always need on the field. Even still, I think I will take you up on your offer to remain involved with the teams. If you can pull more stuff like this out of your hat you will always be welcome.”

I thanked them both and hurried out of the school. I had arranged for Mrs. Bell to pick me up and take me to my interview. I hated to interrupt her workday, but she knew how important this was, and had quickly agreed.

I was pretty quiet on the ride to Josh’s uncle’s office, as my nerves ran wild. Josh’s uncle had already agreed to get me a ride home so Mrs. Bell just dropped me off, told me good luck and that she loved me, and headed back to work.

The receptionist was very nice and asked me to sit in the lobby. After about five minutes, an older, bald-headed man came out. He was shorter than I was, maybe five-eight, a little over weight but not really fat, with small square framed glasses.

“You must be Mister Grey. I’m Ted Baker.”

I stood up, shook his hand and said, “Thank you for the opportunity to interview for this job.”

“Well, you certainly have manners. Follow me back.”

He had me sit and fill out an application, which was easy seeing as how I had no advanced schooling or work history. After a few minutes, he came back in, read my application and pushed it aside.

“We both know that this is a fairly simple job that doesn’t take a lot of experience or knowledge. Since anyone can do it, why should I hire you?”

“Umm, well, sir….”

He interrupted me, “I am betting from what Josh has told me, you are usually polite, down play your abilities and are humble. While we are in this room, don’t do that. It’s fine in social situations, but I need not only a good read on what you can do, but I want to see how you think. Let ‘er rip, son.”

I shrugged in resignation.

“Okay. Although I don’t have formalized training, I am smarter than most people you have coming into this building and anyone who will be applying for this position. I work extremely hard and do not give up on a task until it is done. I believe that a man’s word is his bond and I live my life by that. If I promise something I will do it or die trying. I learn extremely fast, and have a true thirst for knowledge. I truly believe there is nothing I can’t do if I set my mind to it.”

“Well, hell, when you let it fly, you really let it fly. I wonder how long you have been hiding that ego behind your charm.”

Ha! I liked this guy.

“I don’t know if it’s ego, sir. I admit that I have flaws. I am overly confident in my own abilities, obviously. I am seriously under-socialized, and can easily run into problems with personal interactions and communications. I tend to leap before I look, and I suffer from the normal teenage flaws of thinking there is nothing I don’t know and believing I am immortal. But I also know my abilities. You wanted my frank assessment of what my strengths were. I believed that was what you really wanted, so I gave you exactly that.”

“Fair enough. Since this is such a short interview, I want you to do a minor task for me. Clearly, this is a test, but don’t focus on that. Just take the instructions as they are given and give it your best shot.

I followed him back through the offices to a warehouse area. Over one workbench there was a wall with dozens of small drawers holding small parts. Ted pointed to a bin on the table filled with small parts.

“These are unused or reclaimed parts that need to go in the respective drawers. Put up all the parts in the bin and clean this workspace. When you’re done hit extension 112 on that phone and let my secretary, Mary Ann, know.”

“Yes, sir.”

All the little drawers had labels, so I started opening them up. I actually wasn’t surprised to see that the drawers contained not one part, but various parts. Ted did say this was a test. I started by pulling out all the drawers and sorting them. I had to make some guesses as I wasn’t completely sure what this or that part was, but I was able to work it out through a process of elimination.

Once the drawers were all properly sorted, I started putting the miscellaneous parts into the correct drawers and put them all back in their original place. Following that, I went and found cleaning supplies and wiped down the workbench and swept the area. I noticed the bench next to it was empty and equally as messy so I continued cleaning around that area as well.

It was all pretty easy, and took me less than half an hour to finish. When I called Mary Ann, she said Ted would be right down. Sure enough, less than five minutes later, Ted reappeared.

“The area looks good. Why did you clean the adjacent desk?”

“I don’t know. I guess it looked bad being so dirty, when the one next to it was clean. I already had the supplies out, so it only took a few minutes to clean it, as well.”

“Were you doing that to try and impress me as part of the test?”

“I was aware that it would help me on the test, but I didn’t actually think about it. I just kind of did it.”

He then looked through the parts bin and drawers.

“I see you re-sorted everything.”

“I noticed the drawers were mixed up with more than one part in a drawer. I couldn’t just dump parts in a drawer with the wrong part so I sorted them first.”

“And you knew what all the parts were.”

“I knew some of them. The rest I worked out through a process of elimination.”

“Good, I like seeing initiative. You have the job. Come in Monday, Wednesday and Friday and work a few hours ‘till we close down. I would also like for you to work a few hours on Saturdays. I know you have school activities in the afternoon some times, so I don’t care what time you get here, as long as you spend two to three hours here each day. You will be general help. Employees will make notes of things they need done every day. When you get here, you will start working on that list and clear as much as you can trying to keep note of the priorities. You will also help straighten up for the end of the workday. You can use your Saturday hours to catch up on overflow from the week and get the office in good shape for the next week. Is that something that will work for you?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I know you don’t have transportation so I, or more likely Mary Ann, will arrange a ride home for you every day.”

“Thank you, sir. That makes things a lot easier.”

“Great. Go see Mary Ann, tomorrow, for your first day.”

I was in a fabulous mood the rest of the week. Things seemed to be right on track. The buddy system for the cheerleaders was definitely working. While everyone seemed to be fine with it at first there were two incidents where someone was clearly waiting for the girls and the guys were able to intervene. There was no fighting but words were exchanged. Those two incidents, more than my little speech, really cemented the need for the plan in the minds of the players and cheerleaders. Everyone was now fully on board.

Work was also a delight. The tasks were pretty menial, but the people were all nice. I learned there was no manufacturing at the office building where I interviewed and went, every day. Apparently, there was a separate building where the actual production took place. The offices held the administrative functions, and the R&D section. While the administrative areas were okay, the work they had for me was mostly busy work. I helped with data entry and occasionally covered the phones for Mary Ann, so she could have a break. The work in the R&D area, however, was fascinating. Most of the work revolved around helping to compile data and organizing notes, as well as gopher work. However, occasionally they would ask me to help in a test.

I had never really worked on machines before, and I suddenly realized I missed out on a hobby I would have loved. Every step of the tests I helped in was interesting. I paid close attention to everything the guys said, trying to work out what they were doing. The people that worked there… some were scientists, others were hard core mechanics… noticed my attention and started to explain things to me. Turns out guys like this love to explain things. Usually, however, they are dealing with people who already know a lot of it or are too busy to just listen to them talk, so I was a treat for them. I absorbed everything they told me. They even would answer my questions.

It only took the rest of that week for the whole shop to adopt me as some kind of special project, something I was completely happy about. Individually they each started recommending outside study material. They said it was so I could better assist with tests, but I was pretty sure that was a cover. What they were really doing was trying to teach me. There were books on mechanics and scientific theory as well as books on math.

I absolutely loved my job and looked forward to going in every day.

On Friday, I stopped early enough for Mary Ann to be the one to take me home. Usually, I stayed until after six, because I couldn’t be torn away. Then one of the shop guys would run me home. When Mary Ann asked why I was headed out so early I told her about my date with Vicki. She thought it was cute and quizzed me on it. Quickly the conversation turned to ‘the Zoe angle’ of the date, and her plan. Mary Ann seemed almost annoyed that she had to stop asking me questions when she dropped me off, but made me promise that I would spill everything the next day at work.

The girls had arranged for Megan to drive me to pick up Vicki and take us on our date, since neither of us had a license. I sat up front with her on the way to Vicki’s house, which was further than I thought it was.

“Megan, thanks for driving me tonight. I am sorry we keep calling on you to be a chauffeur.”

“Don’t worry about it. I remember what it was like to not have a car. Besides, I heard what you did.”

“What did I do?”

“The buddy system you put in place. I was never a cheerleader like Amanda, but we all know how much they have been harassed. I was really worried for my sister and the word is out that it already is helping. I am extremely grateful for you helping to protecting my sister.”

After a lull in the conversation, Megan started up again.

“Also, ever since your first day at school I keep hearing about you from Amanda. I swear if you didn’t have Zoe and she wasn’t with Josh, Amanda would be all over you.”

“Huh?”

“Come on. All the girls on the team think you are about the best thing since sliced bread. They all have a thing for you, especially little Tami. Even the few friends I have on Varsity talk about you now. And Josh! I don’t know what you did to that kid but he is your biggest fan. I swear there isn’t a time I have been around those two when your name doesn’t come up at least once.”

“Well, that’s embarrassing.”

“Nah, they just really like you. And hey, I get to drive around the freshman Wunderkind. It gives me gossip material.”

I sat looking embarrassed and she badly hid how funny she found it. We made less embarrassing small talk until we got to Vicki’s house. House is not really the right word for it. Small mansion might be more appropriate. Vicki answered the door and we took off to eat at La Festa, an Italian place Mrs. Bell recommended. What is really embarrassing was the money Mrs. Bell handed me when she recommended the place. I was shocked but she said a young man needs to pay for the lady and she knew I hadn’t made any money at my job yet. I had promised to pay her back but she blew it off. Megan dropped us off and said she was going to eat there also and read a book. While we were seated, I saw Megan head to the other side of the restaurant. After we ordered, I was able to focus on Vicki.

“I was surprised your parents weren’t there. I was half expecting the parental grill session that happens on a first date.”

“Yeah. Daddy would probably have raked you over the coals. But they are out of town at some charity thing in Dallas.”

“Oh. Do they leave you alone a lot?”

“I guess. I am kind of used to it. Actually, I am never really alone. We have some live in help that is usually around, but they give me my space, now that I am old enough to be self-sufficient.”

“So tell me about yourself, Vicki.”

The dating dance had begun. We talked about light stuff at first, all the getting to know you stuff. I thought I was pretty successful at keeping the conversation focused on her.

“So, Amanda said something interesting the other day, although I hope this doesn’t embarrass you. She said she didn’t think anyone had asked you out before.”

Vicki shrugged, “Pretty much. I do get asked out by kids from the country club, I guess they aren’t intimidated by my family’s money. But they are also generally total ass-hats who think their family money entitles them to, well everything.”

“It sounds a little lonely.”

“Nah, I have lots of friends. And I have dated some. Not everyone that has asked me out has been unbearable. Just none have been quite right for me.”

“So how do you know Zoe?”

“Oh, we have been schoolmates since we were tiny. My parents always thought it was important for me to go to public school, to keep me grounded in reality. Zoe made friends with me my first day of Kindergarten, and we have been friends ever since. She is so sweet.”

I must have had a look on my face because she laughed as she said, “I can see you think so, too.”

Following dinner, we went to a romantic movie. A few minutes in, I took her hand and she smiled at me. We held hands through the rest of the movie. I actually found I really liked Vicki. She was witty and pleasant. She loved to tease and was clearly just a good person. I tried to do what Zoe had asked of me. I kept putting Zoe out of my mind and focused on Vicki and our date. When we got back, I got out to walk Vicki to her door. I was surprised when Megan said she would see me later and took off. Vicki must have noticed my look of shock.

“Don’t worry; I will get you a ride home. Zoe told Megan to just drop you off at my house and we worked out transportation."

“Ha, you girls have it all worked out already.”

She gave me a ‘boys are helpless’ kind of look and said, “Of course. That’s what we do.”

We kept holding hands as we got to the door. When we stopped in front of it, she put her hand on my bicep in a signal I recognized from the date with Tami. I leaned into her and she closed her eyes and leaned into me. I stopped a breath away from her lips and pulled back.

“I’m sorry.”

She looked surprised.

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I have tried to keep the date focused on you and honestly, you are amazing. Anyone who dates you would be extremely lucky. But just now as I leaned in to kiss you something really hit me.”

“What was that?”

“I love Zoe. I mean really love her. I like you and really enjoyed our date, but nothing compares to how I feel about Zoe. I am sorry I led you on, and the date is ending so badly; but it isn’t fair to kiss you, when I am thinking about her. It isn’t fair to you and it isn’t fair to Zoe. Again, I am really sorry.”

She just smiled at me and rubbed my arm but I was feeling a little bad about the situation.

“I shouldn’t have let Zoe talk me into this. I mean, I am not sorry we went out, it was really nice. But I knew I was developing feelings for Zoe before I even asked you out. This entire date was unfair to you. You are a wonderful girl, and should be dating guys who want to focus on you.”

“Zoe was right, you really are very sweet. Come inside.”

That was not the reaction I was expecting, and I was a little shell shocked, both from the intensity of my feelings and from her unusual reactions. She led me into a sitting room and sat me on a couch. She then went to a phone on a nearby table and called someone. Her side of the conversation was interesting.

“Hey.”

Pause

“Yeah, exactly as you thought.”

Another, longer pause.

“No, it was great. He was really attentive, and made me feel special all night.”

A short pause.

“Yeah, I have no problem with that. You might have problems getting him back though.”

Another short pause.

“Ha, I know. I was just teasing. I am actually looking forward to this. He really is sweet.”

She paused then looked over at me.

“Yeah, like a deer in headlights. I feel kind of sorry for him. He looks like someone hit him over the head with something.”

She paused one more time.

“Yeah, one sec.”

She sat down the phone and motioned to me.

“She wants to talk to you.”

I was like a zombie when I picked up the phone. I worked out a lot of the other side of the conversation, but it was all too weird. Of course, it was Zoe on the other end.

“Hey, Cas.”

“Zoe, what is happening right now?”

“I told Vicki this might happen, and I am really happy this is the way it went. You and I are going to have a really long conversation, later. Right now, however, something else is going to happen.”

“What?”

“You’ll see. Everything that is going to happen, I already know about, and even planned on. I trust Vicki completely. Please just follow her lead, and do as she says.”

“Umm, okay, Zoe, but I’m still really confused.”

“Yeah, I know. This is the next step in my plan now that you have decided to be with me. My instructions for the date remain. Give yourself 100%. Don’t hold back. Please make this good for Vicki. Just trust me, trust Vicki, and have fun.”

With that, she hung up. But she was right. I had decided to be with Zoe. That’s why what happened next, surprised me even more. As I hung up the phone, Vicki grabbed my hand and walked me upstairs into her bedroom.

Chapter 12

“Okay, I know you are a bit stunned. Here is what’s going to happen. We are going to make out for a little bit. Then, I am going to teach you about women.”

Clearly, my brain was still foggy as comprehension was slow in coming, so I said, “Huh?”

“I am going to teach you about women. About a woman’s body and about how to please a woman.”

I started to stand, “Vicki, we can’t do this. It wouldn’t be fair to Zoe, and it really wouldn’t be fair to you. You deserve to be with someone who really cares about you, and wants to be with you. I can’t use you like this."

She pushed me back down and rubbed a hand across my chest.

“Man, you are so sweet. A girl could really fall for you. First of all, Zoe knows what is happening. Hell, it was her plan. Second of all, I have been with a lot of boys who could care less about what I wanted. In fact, I can see you care for me more than almost every boy I have been with. Your girlfriend has already told you that you have permission for this, and I am clearly a willing participant, and still you protest and are concerned about my feelings. You aren’t using me. I am going to get a lot of enjoyment out of this, both physical and emotional. I promise this will be great and you and I are going to be really good friends. I am really looking forward to this.”

And with that she pushed me down and initiated me into the wonders of the female form.  We didn’t have sex, but in my mind it came damn close.

She was kind of out of it so I held her head into my chest and stroked her back with one hand and her hair with another. I swear to God, she started to purr! We lay like that for a long while until her breathing settled back down to normal and she lifted her head to look at me. Before she could speak I kissed her gently.

“Cas, that was amazing. You did it just right. But I swear the best part was you holding me, afterwards.” She was quiet again so I just stroked her back. “You’re the first boy who ever held me like that afterwards.”

“I am glad I made you feel good, Vicki. I enjoyed that, though maybe not as much as you did!” I said. She snorted at my little joke. “You are a wonderful girl, and I am happy I could make you happy.”

“Will you stay here for a little while and just hold me?”

“Of course.”

As we lay together, I could feel her start to slide into sleep. I think I might have slept, also, if my brain hadn’t been in full overdrive.

Sleep eluded me.

I must have been totally zoned out, holding Vicki, because I did not sense anyone around me until I felt pressure on the bed, behind me. My head snapped around to find Zoe there, lying down next to me. Vicki must have felt it, too, because she started to sit up. I think it was then that Zoe noticed the line of tears on my cheeks. She looked at me a little in alarm.

“What’s wrong, Cas?”

She threw a look of concern at Vicki.

I tried to give her a reassuring smile.

“Nothing. Tonight was wonderful.”

“Cas, talk to Zoe.” Vicki rubbed my cheek and looked at Zoe, “He probably thought I was completely asleep, but I could feel tears hitting my neck for a little while. He didn’t say anything though.”

I sat up and leaned my head against the headboard. Both girls cuddled up next to me.

“I am sorry about that, Vicki. I wanted this to be very nice for you.”

“Oh, it was, Cas. It was wonderful.”

Zoe started looking really concerned. “Cas, talk to me. I am getting really worried.”

I smiled at her weakly, and said, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ruin this for you girls.”

I let out a big sigh.

“I know what the point of this was, I guess. I passed the test or whatever it was. When I told Vicki that I loved you and we moved to the next step in your plan, I know you wanted me to get some experience in pleasing a woman. I am humbled that you would think of that and more so that Vicki would offer herself to me like that. But…”

Both girls looked concerned.

“I think the one thing I learned here, is I cannot do something like this, casually. I don’t think I am built for it.”

“Zoe, we haven’t known each other for long, but I am certain that I love you completely. Every time I think about you, I feel like my heart is going to explode in my chest. There is nothing I wouldn’t do for you, which is why I went along with this. But, as I started getting close with Vicki tonight, I started to connect with her also. I feel a lot of affection and caring for Vicki, now, as well. I feel like my heart is pulling in two directions. I don’t want to hurt Zoe and yet I felt like I have already given a small piece of my heart to Vicki. If not exactly equally, I still care for you both deeply. I just don’t know what to do.”

The girls shared a look between each other before Zoe started to speak as Vicki rubbed my back.

“It never occurred to me that you would feel something like this for Vicki, at least not once you pushed her away and told her you loved me. I guess I thought most guys would love an experience like this. I forgot you aren’t most guys.”

“So what do we do Zoe? I am flying blind here… Please tell me what we can do.”

“Vicki, how do you feel after tonight?”

“I am not going to lie. I really like your boy. He is so caring and sweet. I don’t think anyone has made me feel as special like he has, ever before. I don’t love him or anything, but yeah I really like him and care about him. I think we may have screwed up.”

Zoe smiled at Vicki for a moment, which threw me.

“I have an idea. Cas, there is something you and Vicki should know.”

I raised my eyebrow at her. I saw a look of shock on Vicki’s face, so I guessed she knew what was about to happen.

“Vicki and I have been friends for a long time. I know that Vicki likes girls as much as guys. It wasn’t something I had thought about, before, but recently I started considering it. And honestly, it really intrigues me.”

It must have been my inexperience leading me to complete confusion, as all I could say was, “Huh?”

“I like guys. Vicki likes guys. Vicki also likes girls. I think in certain circumstances, I might also like girls, too.”

I guess what I told the shrink wasn’t too far off the truth.

“Here is my thought. I love you completely, but I also really like and care about Vicki. Both personally and physically. You love me, and care about Vicki… I am guessing both personally and physically. I know Vicki cares about each of us in the same way.”

Vicki had a wicked grin. Being a guy and therefore the dumbest of the three of us, I was still playing catch up.

“My idea is I will be your girlfriend, completely in love with you. You will be my boyfriend, completely in love with me.”

I was with her, so far, but that didn’t seem to fix the problem. “Okay… but...”

“I’m not done. Vicki will be your girlfriend, completely infatuated but not really in love with you. You will be Vicki’s boyfriend, as you are infatuated but not really in love with her. And… I will be her girlfriend and she will be mine, as we are infatuated with each other.”

There could have been a plane crash in the back yard, and I would not have noticed. I may have been dumbfounded, but Vicki had clearly caught up.

“I like it. I get some more of the sweet Cas I enjoyed tonight, and some hot girl loving from Zoe. Where do I sign up?”

“But…”

Both girls looked at me and said in unison, “Yes?”

“But…”

Zoe smiled wickedly, “I think we broke him. Cas, do you have a problem with me dating a girl?”

“Well, no. I only have a problem with you not dating me.”

“This solves that, doesn’t it? We all get to date each other.”

“But, how do we keep people from getting jealous?

Zoe considered this for a moment.

“Well, I am not sure that will be a problem. I am in love with you, but Vicki isn’t. She just really likes you.”

Vicki nodded.

“About as much as I think she likes me. I also had no problem with you being with her, tonight. It didn’t bother me. I am not really sure why, exactly. Maybe because I know you love me or I trust you so completely. Either way, it doesn’t bother me, because I am not afraid I will lose you to her.”

Vicki turned my head to look at her, “Zoe is right. I am not jealous, because I am not staking a claim on you. I like you, but I don’t love you. I recognize Zoe and you are tied together; and that it’s a lot stronger than me and you, or me and Zoe.”

“Girls, I am still not sure about this. I worry about both of you. I will go along with this, I guess, because I care about you both a lot. I can’t think of any other way to have this end that doesn’t have one of us getting hurt.”

Zoe leaned across me and kissed Vicki. Really kissed her deeply and passionately. I will admit that it was really hot. Then Vicki grabbed me and kissed me deeply. Finally Zoe grabbed me and kissed.

“You know, girls, this will be a ‘thing,’ at school," I said after we broke apart. "We are going to be in for a lot of gossip.”

Vicki just laughed, “I am always a subject of gossip.”

We didn’t do much else that night, mostly just cuddling for an hour or so, before Vicki had one of the staff drive us home.

Chapter 13

I was up early the next day to get my run in, and get to work. So far, work had been really fun. Today would be my first long day at work. I had spent the last several days I worked with Mr. Farber and his team, watching them work on a bearing assembly. They had let me watch them take it apart, had showed me how to read the design blueprints, and assigned me a ton of reading. For most people, reading about bearings may not sound interesting, but that's because most people haven't looked into the history of that small mechanical piece. Turns out a form of bearings were used by the ancient Egyptians, and Leonardo daVinci drew a diagram of a bearing assembly that looks remarkably like some of the roller bearings currently in use today. It was really fascinating stuff.

They even let me take some of the blueprints and test printouts home to read. Tina had caught me looking at them and had called me a nerd, but she was kidding. I am pretty sure she was amazed that I was sitting at the kitchen table with these blueprints and test diagrams. Of course, some of the math on the test diagrams was way beyond me; but I was doing a lot of cross-referencing, to try and figure out what it all meant.

When I got into the shop, Mr. Farber and his team were gathered around one of the R&D workbenches arguing about something.

"Albrecht, I know you want to think the best of people, but it has to be the supply house. We have checked out all of the mechanics and everything runs smoothly. The only thing that could explain the loss of strength over time is substandard metal. We checked everything else."

"I know, I know. I talked to COO and he swears they checked the last batch completely and it should hold up. Besides, we are using some of the same steel in other parts and we are not having degradation issues there."

They clearly had been at it a while already, and everyone was looking frazzled. I refilled all their drinks and cleaned up their area, since it was about the only way I could contribute. After that I left them alone to start doing some of the data entry the sales team had left for me. I kept one eye on Mr. Farber however, because I had a question for him once they started to break up. When I saw the team start to pack up their papers, I rushed over hoping to get a moment.

"Umm, Mr. Farber."

"What, Cas?"

My, he was annoyed. He was usually so polite that his tone was even more noticeable. I think even some of his team noticed it.

"I am sorry to bug you, but I was doing some of the reading you assigned me last Wednesday, and there is something I don't understand."

"Sure, but make it quick. My head hurts, and I have had just about enough of this place today."

"Sure. Sorry to keep you. So I was looking at the first test, the one where everything went smoothly. Then I was look at one of the tests on the returned piece that was showing stress, but I couldn't find out why the two diagrams were so off. See, on this first one there is just the steel flushing, on the front. On this other one, there is this other stuff that I don't know what it is. I only noticed it because it is slightly off center in the tests, from what you can see in the original design diagram."

I pointed to the diagram. He grabbed it from me, looked at it off handily, and then froze. He really looked at the two documents, and then yelled for his team to get their asses back over to him. Everyone was really excited. I knew whatever it was I showed him was setting them off, but since I didn't understand the new diagram completely I was lost.

One of his team was standing open mouthed in disbelief, "How the hell did we not see this," while another exclaimed, "Son ... of ... a ... bitch."

Mr. Farber was just shaking his head, "Because, we were only looking at the rebuild diagram and the results of the returned piece. We had shelved the original diagrams after the update to add the pieces marketing suggested. No one thought to go back and look at them."

Both men turned to look at me and I gave them a helpless look, "I have no idea what is happening, right now."

Mr. Farber grabbed my arm, dragged me over to the workbench and started pointing at areas on the diagram. "Look, here! You see this part that you asked about. You mentioned how it was slightly off from the original diagram. That is tin flashing. It's used to make the piece look ... shiny I guess is the best way to describe it. Before the update, this part looked really ugly and marketing asked for us to add something to make it easier to sell. Why a shiny part sells better don't ask me, but apparently it does. We had compared the updated diagram to the test of the returned piece, and both had the tin flashing on it. But you're right; if you look at the original you see that there is a slight variance. If I had to bet, I would say during long use the Tin is unseating and sliding into the frame. I swear we had all forgotten the piece used in the long wear test was one of the ones without the tin plating. You just saved us an incredible amount of time. Son, you're a genius."

"No, but apparently I am lucky. I had no idea what I was looking at. I just noticed something was different."

The other engineer was just smiling, "What you are is a God damn good luck charm. It would have been weeks 'till one of us thought to pull the original diagram and test results."

It seemed the whole team wanted to shake my hand. I knew my input was a complete fluke, but I can't say I didn't love the praise. Ted chose that moment to walk out to join us.

"Come on Cas, time to get your paycheck."

Mr. Farber held up his hand and said, "One sec, Ted, do you know what your wunderkind here did? My team spent the last three days trying to figure out the problem with those tapered bearings and were getting nowhere. He walks in here, sets some plans down, and finds the issue in under five minutes."

I was looking sheepish and wasn't sure I liked being called a wunderkind.

"I was just asking a question. I had no idea what I was even looking at."

Ted shook my hand, "Yeah, but sometimes it is that one question that makes all the difference. You're already one week in, and showing us what you can do. Damn I am good at hiring people."

They all laughed at Ted's self-congratulation.

"Cas, clean up the areas down here then come up and get your check from Mary Ann."

It took longer than normal to clean up, because I kept getting stopped for back slaps. Eventually I did make it up to Ted's office, and Mary Ann handed me an envelope. I started to turn and leave when Ted stopped me.

"Go ahead and look at it now, son."

I said, "Okay," and opened the envelope.

Looking at my check I was surprised. It was only one week of work at minimum wage, but there was an extra line that said there was a bonus of $500.

"Ted, what is this bonus?"

"For what you did downstairs. Albrecht said you saved his team a week or two of work trying to find the problem. Those guys get paid a lot of money, and now they can focus on new products. You just saved the company a stack load of money. This is an expression of my appreciation."

"This is too much. I didn't do anything."

"Bullshit. You earned it. I am proud of you. Now git! One of the shop guys is waiting on you, downstairs, to drive you home."

Wow, $500 extra! I even managed to talk the guy driving me into stopping at the bank to cash my check.

When I got home Tina and Margret were already sitting down to lunch, but Tina jumped up when she saw me.

"Cas, I didn't know you would be home so soon. Let me grab you some lunch."

"I'm okay Tina, I ate earlier." I pulled an envelope out of my back pocket and put it in front of Margret and then sat down. She looked confused and opened it, the stopped cold.

"What is this, Caspian?"

"Remember that hardship work permit I had you sign?"

"No."

"Well, you signed it. I then went out and got a job. This is from my first paycheck, plus a bonus I got. Well, most of it is the bonus, since normally I wouldn't be paid so much."

"Cas, there is $600 here."

"Yeah. I kept out a little for myself, so I could take out Zoe."

"But why are you giving it to me?"

"Margret, I know we are having money problems. You have always done right by me, and now I am giving back."

She looked stunned.

"How did you know... ?"

"Honestly? I snooped. You have seemed really upset, recently, and Tina and I were worried. So I did some snooping. I know we are behind on bills."

"I wish you wouldn't have done that. I am the parent here, let me worry about our finances. And stop looking through things that don't concern you."

"Margret, I am a member of this family and I know we are having trouble. Let me help."

"No, I won't accept your money. You should be going to school like a normal student, not going out and getting a job. Why can't you just be a normal teenager?"

"That's not fair Margret. I am doing well in all of my classes, advance classes I should add. I am handling all of my responsibilities, something I think most parents would be happy to have their teenager do."

"That's besides the fact. I don't need your money Cas."

I was getting frustrated and stood up.

"Ok, well if you change your mind the offer is still open. I am headed over to Zoe's."

Tina caught me just outside the door.

"I will work on her, Ok? Give me the money, I will figure out a way to make her take it."

I smiled at Tina and gave her a one armed hug while handing her the envelope, "Thanks Tina."

I got to Zoe's house, and found that Vicki and Josh were both there. Given our new arrangement, I wasn't all that surprised to see Vicki; but, in the time that I had known Zoe, I hadn't seen Josh visit before.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

The girls both came over and both of them gave me fairly intense kisses. If I'd had to guess, I would've said they were putting on a show for Josh's benefit ... maybe to get the idea of the three of us out there before we went back to school on Monday. Josh, for his part, sat there with his mouth hanging open. When I sat down each girl sat on a knee and put an arm around my neck.

Josh had no idea how to react. He just stared at us, his mouth working but no sound coming out. He was saved when Mrs. Bell came in and voiced the obvious question.

"Zoe, what are you girls playing at?"

"Well, Mom, you know I had Cas go on a date with Vicki last night. Well, things went great ... and terribly."

When Zoe paused her mom made a 'keep going' gesture.

"So, at the end of the date, Cas told Vicki that he couldn't kiss her because he was in love with me."

"Well, it's nice to see you two kids get together. Even your clueless mother could see the chemistry between you two. But that still doesn't explain Vicki at this moment."

"Well..." she stopped and looked at Josh.

"This next part is private. We all trust you, Josh, so you can stay. But never repeat what I am going to say unless all three of us tell you it is okay."

Josh finally managed the first words since I walked into the room, "I promise, Zoe. You know I like all three of you and wouldn't do anything to hurt you guys."

"Okay," she said turning back to her mom. "So I kind of convinced Cas that he should sort of hook up with Vicki to get some, education."

"Sort of hooked up?"

"No intercourse."

"Okay. Continue."

"Well, Cas agreed. That isn't exactly right. Cas argued with me about it. He didn't want to do it."

"Really? Cas turned down the free pass you two girls were giving him? Interesting."

"I probably should have listened to him, but I think I am fine with the way things ended up. You see, Cas eventually gave in and he and Vicki fooled around. When I met up with them afterwards, Cas was really upset. It seems he had developed some kind of feelings for Vicki, too. I never occurred to me that the caring and sensitive side of Cas that we all find so wonderful, would backfire on us like this. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious."

"The three of us talked about it. It was agreed that while Cas and I love each other we both really liked Vicki, and she really liked us, although she wasn't in love with us nor were we in love with her. So I suggested, and they agreed, that we would try a, ummm, three way relationship until Vicki eventually finds her one and only.

Josh's mouth flew open again, "No way."

Mrs. Bell was equally as stunned, but did not seem to find it as positive as Josh did. "Three way relationship? So you are going to date Cas and Vicki is going to date Cas?"

Zoe paused, looked at Vicki for a second before saying, "And I am going to date Vicki."

Mrs. Bell just stared at her daughter, "Really?"

"Well, I know Vicki likes girls. And something I think I have realized, is I might kind of like girls, too. And, you know Vicki and I have been friends for a long time, and Vicki is really attracted to me, and I, umm, kind of have the hots for her, too." Mrs. Bell finally walked from where she was standing and sat down.

"This is a lot of information for a mother to absorb. I guess I don't have a problem with your liking girls, but Cas, what do you think about this."

"I don't know, Mrs. Bell. Zoe is right. I do love her. And she is also right that I care for Vicki. I think she is funny and sweet, and basically kind of wonderful. I think this might be okay, because we have talked about it and are going into this with open eyes. Vicki is perfectly aware of the discrepancy in the level of feelings between the three of us. She's aware that Zoe and I are more connected to each other, than either of us is to her. But, she says she isn't really looking for serious, at least at the moment. If we three remain honest, and communicate, I think this can work."

"You realize the one thing most teenagers are the worst at, is communication, right?"

I considered this, "True ... but then, in your estimation, are the three of us like most teenagers?"

"Hmm, point. I guess part of growing up is allowing you guys to make your own decisions and learn from them. I won't say I am thrilled by this, but I won't stand in your way. Of course, since there are three of you, I am not the only parent involved.

Vicki finally spoke up after letting Zoe and I lead the conversation, "Mine won't be a problem I don't think. They are hardly ever around ... and honestly, they don't pay much attention. From my conversations with Cas, his mother doesn't pay much attention to his activities, either."

There was a lull in the conversation until Josh leaned towards me, "Dude, did you three all hook up?"

I frowned at Josh, "I get you are thrown by all this info, but that wasn't cool. First, it is kind of a rude question to ask, especially with the girls here. And second, there is no way I would tell you what goes on in private between me and them. They have given me their trust, and I will honor that. If they want to tell you, then that's fine, but you will never hear it from me."

That earned me smiles from both girls. Josh looked apologetic, "Sorry, Cas. I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know. I wasn't mad at you, just giving you my stance on the subject. So, now that that uncomfortable conversation is out of the way, why is Josh here? Also, could you two get actual chairs to sit in, this is kind of distracting."

Both girls laughed and gave me a kiss on the cheek before moving to chairs next to me. For his part, Josh looked almost relieved to change the subject after my short tirade,

"Well, Amanda was talking to Zoe and she mentioned that you go running every morning. When you were still practicing with us, we all saw that your conditioning was a lot better than most of the JV team. A bunch of the guys are not where they need to be physically. We do weights during practice and many of us also do that after school, but coach had mentioned we were too focused on bulk and were not building real strength. The program can't add additional staff to help us train properly and the coach and his assistants have their hands full working on actual skills, the playbook, prepping for games, and so on. So it got me thinking. Could you help JV with our conditioning? I ran it by the coach at yesterday's practice and he thought it was a good idea."

My first inclination was to pass, as I had no real knowledge about getting other people's fitness levels up.

"I don't know, Josh. Sure, I am in good shape, but I don't know how to translate that to other people."

"Yeah, I know. This is a new area. But honestly, our choices are you, or we have to try and figure it out on our own. We all want to get better so we have a shot at varsity next year. Not only are you already in better shape than most of us, but you are better at studying. If anyone could put together a workout for us, it would be you. I know you have to work after school, but you could do some stuff with us on your off days, and some stuff before school starts, and the rest of the time just give us directions and check up on us. You can delegate some of the leaders on the team to managing the actual workouts, while you just give them directions."

"What does the team think about this?"

"Most of them are totally on board. We all want to improve and get better. And they all trust you."

"Okay. Contact all the guys. Have them meet me at the school at 6:30. We will start with my normal workout. I will get with you guys after school but before practice and do a short rundown. I will also talk to the people you select about leading more impactful workouts when I am not around, and set up a schedule. We also should try and talk to a nutritionist about the team's diet. I guess I can go talk to the nurse and the coach and see what they have to say."

"Well, that isn't all of it. Some of the guys are having trouble in classes, already. The coach suggested we get with other students and form study groups, preferably with some people not on the team, who know the material better than we do. Your name came up when the coach talked to several of us about this."

"I see. Sure, I can help with that. I guess to start with, it will just be me. Then we'll see what we can do about adding several people into the mix. I think student tutoring is a great idea."

"Thanks, Cas. I knew we could count on you."

Josh took off and Zoe, Vicki and I decided to spend the rest of the day hanging out. I trailed along with the two of them as they shopped at the mall. Since the girls had just taken me shopping the other day, I had everything I needed. I didn't really get involved. Mostly, I just watched the girls browse and try stuff on. While shopping is never my favorite pastime it was nice to spend some time just hanging out with them. We were still all a little nervous together, but the longer we spent hanging out as a trio, the more that nervousness seemed to subside.

Back at Zoe's house we ended up watching a movie with both girls curled up in my lap in the recliner. Mrs. Bell kept throwing us glances and it was obvious she was not sold on our arrangement. I knew that at some point down the road I was going to end up in a long and probably uncomfortable conversation with her over it. I guess the awkwardness got too much for her, as she excused herself half-way through the movie to go to her room.

With parental supervision gone the rest of the movie was ignored while the girls took turns kissing me or each other. I honestly have no idea how the movie ended, as I was pretty distracted. Eventually, Vicki called and had someone come pick her up, getting good night kisses from both Zoe and I. I left shortly afterwards, and headed home. It was actually a pretty pleasant evening.

Sunday I spent the day doing research. I ended up at the library looking up books and reference material on workouts and conditioning. I looked at a pretty wide cross-set of information including books written by football players and body builders on fitness, military PT (physical training) regimens from both standard and special forces branches, as well as PT requirements for other military organizations like the British SAS, Israeli armed forces, and the French Foreign legion. On top of that I looked into several modified forms of martial arts exercises. I wanted something that would be doable in a set amount of time, yet hard enough to work them and get results, with a track record of increasing endurance, strength and speed. In the end, none of the workouts was exactly what I wanted, so I put together a mash of several ideas.

There would, of course, be the morning runs. When the weather was right we might do swimming instead. It offered the same benefits as running, but also worked different muscle groups, many of which were not normally worked during other exercises. Afternoon workouts would be thirty minutes, and would be a constant push. Not every day would be the same, as I did a two week rotation of workouts so that no two days were identical during those two weeks. I had read a really good article by a physical therapist about repetition causing the body to become more efficient and actually lowering the efficacy of the workout. All of these workouts could be done in the gym, or on the practice field.

In addition, I made a schedule for weight workouts. While I planned on joining the guys in the program when I could, this was the one point I wasn't planning on doing with them. I didn't need to bulk up, as a lot of the guys did; and with my studies, work, and everything else, I just couldn't see a way to implement it.

When I finally looked up at the clock, the library was closing. I had been there almost six hours. It was weird how sometimes I would get totally focused and lose track of time like that. But, I had managed to put together a workable plan, and I was ready for the next morning.

Chapter 14

I woke up in the morning to the now usual sensation of another body against mine. Peeking, I found Vicki had made her way through my window at some point. Similar to when Zoe joined me, Vicki was up against me, with a leg and an arm thrown over me. The one big difference however was that while Zoe wore shorts and a t-shirt, Vicki apparently slept naked. She also seemed to be a much deeper sleeper then Zoe, as it took a little bit for me to wake her up.

"Morning, sleepy head."

"Zoe was right. You get up ridiculously early."

Looking at the clock, I saw it read five-thirty.

"Well, this is earlier than normal, since I have to start getting up to exercise with the team. You need to get up, too, and get some clothes on before my sister gets curious. As it is, I am going to have to find a way to explain you to her."

"Nah. Zoe called Tina last night and explained things. I am looking forward to meeting her."

I just shook my head as I rolled her off me, got a kiss, and headed off to the bathroom. When I came back from getting ready, my clothes were laid out. Tina was talking to Vicki and both were laughing.

"Cas, your little sister is pretty funny."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I think we are going to be almost as good of friends as she is with Zoe."

Tina just smiled at me. I could see Zoe's hand in this and I wasn't sure I was crazy about it. But it was also clear that there were some things the girls were just in charge of, and I had to live with whatever they decided. I guess I was okay with that. I did notice Tina watching me pretty closely, like she was studying something. Her stare was pretty intense, but I had a big morning planned. I didn't want to get into it, right then. I was positive at some point, over the next day or two, she would corner me.

"Well, girls, I have to get the day started. I am supposed to be at the school in twenty minutes to meet the JV team for morning exercises."

I packed my clothes into my gym back figuring I would shower and change in the locker room, after the practice. I got a hug from Tina and a kiss from Vicki, and was out the door.

At the field, the whole JV team was there. I also noticed some cheerleaders, including Zoe, were in the stands. I had called her the previous night, and had asked her and a couple of the girls to come out and assist me. One of the assistant coaches was also in the stands. I would bet he was assigned there since this was a semi-official school activity.

"Okay guys. The morning workout is our strong cardio. Most days I plan on us, or at least you, running. Later, we might work in some swimming, but I have to talk to the coach and get clearance for that. Since this is our first go, we'll keep it pretty light, and get a baseline for everyone."

"The girls," I gestured to them in the stands, "have agreed to help us with tracking our workouts. As we set up our schedule, they have agreed to make sure someone is there with our records, as well. We are going to track everything to measure progress. The important thing to remember, here, is that this is about improving yourself. You are not in competition with anyone, except with your previous time, score or whatever. Hold the pace we set as long as you can. If you have to drop out, do it. Just push hard, each time, and you should see your performance improve. Today, let's do an easy seven-minute mile pace, and try and hold it for thirty minutes."

We took off, going round and round the track. Most of the linemen did not make the thirty minute time. I was surprised to see Andy Simons keeping up with me the whole way. He was the second biggest guy on the team, next to Josh, and I had him pegged for dropping out early. When we finished the run, I made sure everyone knew we were meeting every school day, at six. We'd do our morning run, then check in with Zoe and the girls, to make sure they had the record keeping handled. They did and looked at me like I was an idiot for checking on them.

On the way to the locker room Josh threw an arm over my shoulder and said, "Dude, I am about to pass out and you weren't even breathing hard!"

"Well, I have you guys at a pretty big disadvantage. I run a six-minute mile every day for an hour. I've have been doing that for a couple of years. This was a really light day, for me."

He just shook his head, and we went to get cleaned up and ready for classes.

The rest of the day was a little weird. I was getting looks from people everywhere I went. Of course there was no doubt what the cause of this was. From the show they put on for Josh, I am sure the girls had covertly gotten the word out to everyone about our relationship. I guess they wanted to get the gossip out in the open so it would die down faster. In the one class I shared with Vicki, she had changed seats with the person next to me. I thought it was sweet.

Lunch was where it got really interesting. Vicki had moved from her previous table, and now she and Zoe flanked me on either side. Everyone at our table was totally captivated.

Tami was the first to ask the question everyone at school wanted to know, "So, is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Josh said the three of you were dating, like as a set. Both Vicki and Zoe were your girlfriends."

Zoe put an arm around me, "Yep, it's true. He's our man."

I don't think Tami's eyes could have gotten any bigger.

"How do I sign up?" she asked.

I wanted to change subjects so I said, "Well, Vicki, are you going to sit over here from now on? What about your friends at the other table."

She looked thoughtful, then said, "Well, today was more of a demonstration to give everyone some juicy gossip for the rest of the week." She punctuated that by leaning over and kissing me, then added, "But, yeah, I don't want to abandon those guys."

"How about let's rotate. One day we sit here, the next we sit over there. You guys could either switch tables with me or stay at the separate tables and I could switch between."

Zoe shook her head, "No. I want to stay with you. I like the idea of us as a trio switching between tables. While I will miss eating with this bunch every single day; I'll see them after school at practice, and I guess some days before school at your new workout too."

Tami looked at me, and then at Josh as she said, "So how was the new workout this morning?"

She was one of the few girls from our table who hadn't watched the practice. I guess maybe because she wasn't dating one of the guys, as that is really the only reason I could see someone getting up as early as everyone had.

Josh let his head thump onto the table, and then he said, "It almost killed me. And the worst part, was that Cas wasn't even breathing hard."

"It will get better, Josh. Like I said, I have been doing that kind of run for a while. You guys aren't used to extended distances like that. It is a completely different skill than the sprints you normally do. You know who surprised me? That was you, Andy."

Andy was about to speak up but his sister beat him to the explanation, "We have both been training up for a marathon in a few months. Although I think his pace on the marathon is a little slower. I am thinking I might join you guys in the morning run. I need to keep getting ready for it, too. Would you mind if I ran with the guys?"

"You, and anyone else, are welcome to join us in both our morning runs and the afternoon conditioning. When is the marathon?"

"Just before Christmas. They do it every year."

"Interesting. Is it too late to sign up?"

"Nope. Sign up hasn't happened yet, we are just getting a head start on getting ready."

"I think everyone on the team should sign up."

Groans from all the guys at the table.

"Come on, guys. This will give you a tangible goal to reach for, which is always good. And it will be a good experience. Andrea, could you get sign-up sheets for everyone here?"

She was smiling, "Sure. I think us all going together would be awesome."

The rest of the conversation bounced around as usual, but thankfully never went back to talking about Zoe, Vicki and me. I was certain when we sat with Vicki's friends this conversation would have to be repeated.

At the end of school Vicki and I met Zoe at her last class and we all headed to the practice field for the afternoon workout. In between the main building and the gym, which was between the main building and the practice field, was a covered walkway and a strip of grass. Since buses and the parking lots were not on this side of the school, it tended to be fairly deserted at the end of the day, as everyone was rushing to get off campus and to things they would rather be doing.

Almost certainly, this is why Tyler and Tony chose this spot to lay in wait. We pushed through the double doors from the school and stepped under the covered path and stopped, as the two thugs and three of their friends were there waiting. I instantly stepped in front of the girls.

"Girls, go get help. Right now."

Both stepped back, but Vicki pushed Zoe towards the door. "Zoe, you go, I need to stay as a witness."

Tyler just sneered at her, "You are going to be a witness to his beating. But stick around. The boys would love a reward, after beating his face in."

I could feel color rising in my cheeks but I mentally calmed myself. It was clear this wasn't going to be broken up this time and I needed to keep my head about me. I could hear the door open as Zoe took off to get help.

"Tyler, one last time. Don't do this. No one needs to get hurt."

He didn't say anything, just advanced on me. I had my shoulders squared to them with my legs planted apart, mentally prepared for them. Tyler closed on me first, telegraphing his punch the entire way. Using my left wrist I pushed his arm out away from me. I started twisting, catching him in the side of the head with an elbow strike. As he fell away from me, I continued my counter-clockwise spin and lowered my body from the swing of the unidentified guy on Tyler's left. I swept my leg out, catching him behind his heels and used the force of my momentum to lift his feet out from under him.

As I came back facing forward, I found myself in a bad position. Tony was right in front of me, and I was out of place to do anything about the punch he was throwing. In addition another unidentified guy was closing on me right next to Tony. I decided to take the punch to the chest from Tony, and started a backwards fall. While the contact of his fist hurt, since I was already moving with the blow, most of the force was mitigated. I fell straight back, did a backwards roll, and quickly regained my feet. This also added a little distance between me and the three guys still advancing. I took note that the second guy was on his way back up, but Tyler was holding his head and seemed out of the fight.

Tony tried a strong right hook. I moved into a wrist to wrist defense so I could control his swing; stopping his blow and leaving his body open to my right hand. I did a strong palm strike, aiming for the center of his chest. I managed to put enough force behind it to lift him slightly off his feet and send him falling backwards. His left heel caught the head of the guy just getting up. While not causing further injury, it did knock the guy down again. Not what I intended, but I would take it.

As I was pulling my arm back, another nameless attacker was closing to my right. I pivoted the weight of my body to my left foot, and did a quick snap kick with my right, catching him low in the stomach. As he doubled over I put my weight back on my right leg and pulled my left knee up, connecting with his face. I must have broken his nose as blood exploded when I connected, and he dropped.

The problem with five to one odds is that it's hard to keep clear of everyone. The fifth guy had come behind me and grabbed me in a bear hug. I stamped hard on his insole. I think there was a chance I broke his foot. When his grip dropped off, I grabbed onto his upper arm and did a shoulder throw, sending him sailing over my back and landing hard on the cement path with his head facing me. I followed through with a strike, but moved the location from his face, which could have done more damage than I wanted to have happen, and placed it on his chest. The wind went out of him, and there was a chance I'd cracked his rib. Either way, he was out. Tony was getting back up, as was the guy who was knocked down twice. The other three seemed to be out of the fight, all together.

Tony was clearly pissed and just charged, trying to tackle me. Right as he connected, I brought an elbow square into his back, dropping him to the cement with a thunk. He must have hit his head, as he didn't move after that. The last guy standing chose the option of turning and hobbling away. He wasn't moving very fast. I think he must have sprained his ankle when I did the sweep. I didn't care, as long as he was gone.

Seeing everyone not getting up, either being still or writhing around moaning, I stepped back to Vicki but never turned my back.

"You're bleeding," she pointed out through her tears.

Sure enough, somewhere I had gained a cut next to my left eye. Must have been that one punch. I also noticed the pinky on my left hand was not looking quite right. I checked, and found it was dislocated. When I pushed it back into position, there was a yelp from Vicki in sympathetic pain. We stood there, the guys not getting up, for another three or four minutes until Zoe returned followed by two teachers.

"What the hell?" the first teacher through the door exclaimed.

Zoe and Vicki both started to speak as the other teacher turned and ran back into the building. My best guess was he was headed to call an ambulance, and maybe the police. After Vicki and Zoe explained the course of events, the other teacher returned with the nurse in tow. I didn't see what happened after that as the first teacher took the three of us to the principal's office.

Chapter 15

Neither Vicki, Zoe, I or the teacher spoke as we walked to the front office. We were seated in the outer waiting area, and were instructed to sit silently. About fifteen minutes later a female uniformed police officer came in, and walked back to the principal's office. After ten minutes, both came out and asked for Vicki. Twenty minutes later, they changed her for Zoe. I just sat as people slowly built up in the office. While Zoe was in the office Margret, Mrs. Bell and another woman I had to guess was Vicki's mom showed up. They went into the office and moments later Zoe came out.

After a few minutes, I could hear voices starting to rise. I couldn't make out the words but someone was shouting. Eventually the Principal came out and brought us all back into the office.

"Cas, this officer has questions for you. While your two friends are not in any trouble, I requested that the officer wait to talk to you until your parent could be here, as you are a minor. I think you should be aware you are being considered as a suspect in a crime."

I was shocked, "A crime? But I defended myself. Margret, if I am being accused of doing something wrong, shouldn't I have a lawyer."

Margret sounded annoyed, "Just answer her questions, Caspian."

Mrs. Bell looked mad enough to spit nails, but refrained from saying anything. I noticed the officer had a name tag that said Jawarski.

"Mister Grey, please explain to me the circumstances where you assaulted those other juveniles."

"Assaulted? I didn't assault anyone. They have threatened me several times since our first run in. They were there waiting on me, and attacked me when I went outside. I asked them not to do it, and to back away. I also sent Zoe, immediately to find a member of the faculty."

"So you have assaulted them previously?"

"What? No."

"I have a report where you were present in a previous confrontation with some of the same kids."

"They were trying to rape Zoe. What was I supposed to do? I was defending someone else, that day; and defending myself, today."

Mrs. Bell had enough, "He is clearly the victim, here. Why are you attacking him?"

"Mrs. Bell, we have been over this already. You will refrain from interfering in my investigation. If you have another outburst, I will ask you to leave."

Margret still said nothing.

"I have witness who will back me up that I was defending myself. Do you have someone saying I went out and just attacked those guys?"

"The only witnesses are the two girls you are apparently dating. That does not give their account a lot of credibility. Currently the other juveniles are not talking and no one is filing charges. But that may happen in the future. I strongly suggest you take the appropriate disciplinary actions, Mrs. Polaski. This young man clearly has a propensity for violence, and is a danger to your school."

With that she closed up her notepad and walked out of the school. I was stunned into silence. Margret just glared at me and said we would talk when I got home, and walked out. Finally, I looked at the Principal.

"You are not in trouble, Cas. At least not at the school. I know you did not instigate the fight, and I know you probably tried to avoid it. I understand you are helping with something with the JV football team, please go out and join them."

I walked numbly out of the office, only barely aware that Vicki and Zoe were holding my hands. When I got out of the office, I stopped and turned to the unidentified woman.

"Are you Vicki's mom?"

"Yes."

I reached out to shake her hand, "I am sorry we are meeting under these circumstances. Please know that I think your daughter is a wonderful person, and I am sorry she got involved in this mess."

"Thank you for saying that. I was a little concerned, but Angela," she said, indicating Zoe's mom (which was good, since I did not know that was her first name), "assured me that you are a good person. I am going to take Vicki home, but I promise I will not hold these events against you."

"Thank you, ma'am."

When she left, Mrs. Bell gave me one of her hugs.

"I took the rest of the afternoon off, when the school called. I would like to watch your workout with the team, and then take you and Zoe home."

"Thanks for supporting us, Mrs. B. Also, I am sorry Zoe had to get involved in this. Please know I would never do anything to get her hurt."

"I know, Cas. You don't have to worry about me."

That done we walked to the practice field as I tried to get ahold of my raging emotions.

When we got out to the field Josh and a bunch of other guys ran up to us.

"Dude, we heard you got into it with Tony and Tyler."

"Yeah, it's okay, though. Just one scratch. Everything's fine."

Zoe was still pretty angry from what had happened in the principal's office.

"It isn't fine. The police were there, and made it sound like he picked the fight and attacked those guys. The officer talked about filing charges, and suggested he be expelled."

There were a bunch of gasps, and a few people said 'no way'.

"What are you going to do?"

"Nothing. There is nothing that I can do. They said right now no one was pressing charges against me, and the principal said she had no plans on expelling or suspending me. Now let's drop this, we are late to do our workout. Everyone out on the field."

I then led them through thirty minutes of the most brutal workout I could put together that I thought was doable. I knew this first time would be extra hard on them and it was. A bunch of the guys didn't make it all the way through, but they would improve the more we did this.

We did push-ups, sit-ups and mountain climbers. We ran the bleachers. We did exercises that would fatigue one muscle group and then immediately jumped into another muscle group, only to return to the fatigued muscles right after. We never stopped moving for the whole thirty minutes. By the end I was sweating pretty hard, and had to take a second before I could start speaking to them again.

"Okay, guys, that was a good workout."

A bunch of groans met me from the scattered bodies littering the ground where everyone had fallen as soon as the thirty minutes was up.

"It will get easier as our conditioning improves. Of course that only means we have to make the exercises harder as we get better. Just like this morning, the girls have a schedule of what needs to be done each day. We aren't going to do the same exercise every day, to keep our bodies guessing. Thanks for meeting up with me today, and I will see you bright and early for running."

More groans.

When I got home, Mrs. Bell said she wanted to come inside with me. I wasn't sure what she was planning, but it had been a hell of a day, and at this point I didn't care. All I cared about was if Zoe was coming in, because I was in some serious need of cuddling.

When we got inside you could almost feel a chill in the air. Tina looked at me with almost a sad expression, then hauled ass upstairs. Margret was sitting at the kitchen table, and looked pissed.

"Caspian, send your girlfriend home, and go upstairs. We will talk about your actions, today, once your friends leave."

Clearly the annoyance she displayed at the school was still there. I looked at Zoe to say goodbye but was surprised when Mrs. Bell interrupted.

"Zoe, take Cas upstairs. His mother and I need to have a talk."

Margret opened her mouth to say something, and Mrs. Bell interrupted again.

"Go. Now."

We didn't need to be told again, and I didn't want to stay in the line of fire any longer. We took off up the stairs and into my room. As soon as we sat on the bed Tina came in.

"Cas, what happened? Mom has been tearing around the house since she got home ranting about you."

I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I just wanted to sleep for a while and let this day finally end. Zoe however was full of curiosity.

"What was she saying?"

"Really horrible stuff. She was saying that Cas had killed Dad with stress, and was now trying to do the same to her. Then she needed to find a way to get rid of Cas."

Tears were pouring down Tina's face. She looked almost as miserable as I felt. I held out my arm and Tina fell into me crying. I held out my other arm and Zoe hugged onto the other side of me. She had been right there through everything that happened and it must have been really frightening for her, too. Finally, I answered Tina's original question.

"There was a fight at school. Tyler, Tony and a few of their friends were waiting for me and the girls. The cop that showed up, seemed to think I instigated everything, and those guys were the victims. Margret seemed to agree with her, but Mrs. Polaski and Mrs. Bell were on my side."

We stopped talking for a minute, and that is when we heard the yelling. We couldn't make out what was being said, but it was mostly Mrs. Bell's voice. It sounded like she was really laying into Margret. Tina was crying harder. I let go of Zoe, and pulled Tina's head up, holding onto the sides of her face.

"It's okay, Tina. Even if Margret is mad at me that has nothing to do with you. I know it's tough, 'cause she's your mom, and she is mad at me, and you care about me, and still care about her. It's okay not to pick a side if something happens. She is your mom, and I would never hold that against you. Just know I care about you, and am glad you are my sister."

Tina hugged tightly into my arms. Zoe went to the other side and hugged Tina from the back and we both sat there for a while comforting Tina.

Eventually the door opened and Mrs. Bell stuck her head in.

"Cas, your mother said it would be okay if you stayed at our house. Get your things for school, tomorrow, and come with us."

Tina looked despondent as I started packing up, but Zoe was there whispering in her ear. It only took a few minutes until I had a bag packed and we were out the door.

When we got back to Zoe's house and got inside, Mrs. Bell gave me one of her python hugs, and held onto me for a long while. I could feel how much she cared for me, and it felt amazing. Eventually, we stopped and ate dinner in more or less silence, with everyone lost in their own thoughts. After dinner Mrs. Bell declared it had been a long day and sent us off to be alone.

We both got ready for bed, but didn't fool around. Our mood was pretty somber. I just held her as we lay in the dark.

"Cas, I am a little scared."

"About what?"

"About what is going to happen? That cop sounded like she still plans on taking you to jail. And your mom is really pissed at you. I don't know what my mom said, but I am worried. I am worried that now that we are together, something will tear us apart."

"It will be okay. Even if they do arrest me, all the facts are on my side. There's nothing to worry about there. And we go to the same school, live down the street from each other, and your mother approves of us. I don't think there is any realistic way Margret could keep us apart. It will all work out, you will see."

We kissed for a few minutes, and then both fell asleep, exhausted from the adrenaline and stress of the day.

I was back to dealing with unusual sensations early in the morning. I had grown accustomed to waking up with a girl sleeping against me, but I felt a weight against both shoulders and hair splayed everywhere. After lifting up my head I was able to identify Zoe on one shoulder and Tina on the other. Zoe must have felt my movement because she offered a whispered explanation.

"She was really upset she was going to lose you, so I told her I would leave my window open, so she could come sleep with us."

The whispering must have woken up Tina, because she sat up and blushed.

"Sorry. I was just upset, and didn't want to sleep by myself."

I hugged her and said, "No problem. But you need to get headed home and sneak back into your room. I don't think it would help if Margret found you gone."

She hopped out of bed, gave Zoe a hug, and was out the window.

Chapter 16

For the rest of the week, the story of my fight with the guys from Jake's crew flew around school. It actually managed to displace the previous gossip of my dating Zoe and Vicki.

Every morning, I met the team for our run. By the middle of the week the group included half the cheerleaders, several of the players from varsity, and even a few kids from the basketball team. They said they had heard of our workouts, and wanted to be in better shape when their season started. Only two of the cheerleaders made it to our afternoon workout, but everyone else from the morning joined us for that as well.

I was particularly happy that we had been able to slightly increase the pace of our morning run by the end of the week. It wasn't much, but seeing that kind of improvement so quickly really encouraged everyone.

Saturday afternoon rolled around and it was time for our first study sessions. We had all agreed to meet at the library and I was there as soon as I got out of work. There wasn't much prep that I could do for it. Since I had never run a study session before I wasn't clear on what to expect. I figured for this first time it would be more organization than anything else. I had managed to discover that two of the players, and three of the girls on the JV cheerleading squad, including Zoe, were doing really well in their classes. I had also talked to Vicki, since she excelled in all of her classes. They all agreed to help tutor the other students.

First, I found out what classes everyone had. Most of us had some of the same classes so it was easy to go over those subjects en masse. For the rest, we made a list of what everyone had, and figured out which tutor was best with which subject. Just like at school, we set periods of study, and after a set amount of time, switched around to other subjects. Sometimes, like going over stuff for English, most everyone was studying together. Everyone had the same class, and most even had the same teacher.

The time seemed pretty productive for the most part. The person of all of us who seemed to have the most trouble was Josh. He was having trouble with every single class, and struggled with a lot of the concepts. I don't think it was that he was incapable of learning the material. He was just putting a ton of pressure on himself. If he didn't get the concepts down right away, he just gave up. He was pretty defeatist when it came to his school work.

I tried to stay near him throughout the study session and keep him calm and focused, but wasn't having much luck. Amanda had something to do this first time, but I was determined I would pull her aside early next week and talk to her about him. She generally did okay in her classes, and I thought maybe she would have more luck in motivating him.

I pulled him aside at the end of the study session.

"Josh, you seemed to get really frustrated and just give up. What's going on, man?"

"I don't know. I am not as smart as you guys, and I can't understand everything."

"Bullshit. You are plenty smart. The few times I could get you to focus, and get past the first attempt at a problem; you got it and were fine with that concept. You just kept getting hung up, when you didn't understand it right away. You have to ease up and give yourself time to study the material, and really understand it."

"I know, but I don't have the time. If I don't get my grades up, I will fall below the academic threshold and coach will bench me. I really need to do good this year and get on Varsity. I need the full three years there for scouts to notice me. I will never be a 'brainiac, ' like some of you guys. Football is my only way to a better life."

"That's not true. You can do anything you put your mind to. I know it's a cliché, but slow and steady really does win the race. By freaking out and giving up, you are actually making it take longer to learn the stuff you don't know. How will that get you prepared for class?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I will think about it."

With that he turned and walked away. I got the distinct impression that he was blowing me off. This made me even more determined to talk to Amanda on Monday. If I couldn't convince him, then it was time to bring out the big guns. I noticed Zoe and Vicki looking at me and just shrugged at them. Nothing I could do about it right then.

Vicki went back with us to Zoe's house. We all sat at the kitchen table and finished up the homework we'd been assigned over the weekend, just enjoying being around each other. Eventually that was done, and we decided to watch some TV. This was, of course, 'code' for sitting in the recliner and making out. Mrs. Bell clearly knew the code, as she seemed to find stuff in other rooms of the house to keep busy. It was nice that she let us have privacy like that. I would have to remember to thank her.

It was a really pleasant afternoon with the girls. We watched some of the movie we found on TV, but generally just messed around. It still got my motor running to see the girls making out with each other as their hands roamed freely.

I was the luckiest guy ever.

While I might wish to stay there with them forever, night eventually snuck up on us. Vicki said she needed to go home. After Vicki got picked up, Mrs. Bell surprised me again.

"Zoe, please go to your room for a little while. I need to talk to Cas in private."

Her tone was serious enough that Zoe didn't argue. She didn't sound angry, however, just serious. I looked at Zoe with a questioning glace, but she gave me an 'I don't know' look back and headed upstairs, throwing looks over her shoulder at us.

I was a little nervous when Mrs. Bell led me to the kitchen table and told me to sit down. She just looked at her hands for a few minutes before finally meeting my questioning eyes.

"I have noticed some strange things about you, Cas, and I wanted to talk to you about them."

"Like what?"

"It's hard to describe. Like for instance, the fact that you're dating my daughter, and Vicki. Now I know it wasn't your idea, but I am strangely okay with it, at least emotionally. But when I try and think of it logically, I know I shouldn't be okay with it. I know I should be bothered, but still find myself accepting it in spite of that."

"Or, how often you stay with my daughter here, or she sneaks out in the middle of the night to go to your house."

I had just about the worst poker face ever, and the surprise on my face said it all. She actually laughed at me.

"Cas, I was a teenager, once ... and I am not an idiot. I may not have noticed the first time, but I did figure it out. But the weird thing is, that also doesn't upset me. You are a teenage boy, dating my teenage daughter, and we have only known you for a short while. Yet I trust you implicitly. Ohh, I know you two are fooling around. I have no illusions I could keep two teenagers from messing around anymore then I could stop the Sun from coming up. But I trust you to treat her fairly and act responsibly with her. Again, logically, I shouldn't trust you to that level."

"I'm not the only one. I have noticed it with your Principal and with the Coach. Even Dr. Snider mentioned the unusual way you drew her in."

"It isn't just adults. You have pulled a lot of kids into your circle of friends extremely quickly. Which considering the nature of high school students in general, and the fact that you are the 'new' student, again seems at odds with the norm."

"And yet it doesn't seem to be everyone. Your mother and that police officer have darn near the opposite reaction to you. They have an almost instant dislike and mistrust."

She stopped talking and just looked at me. I think she was trying to gauge my reaction.

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Think about adults you have come in contact with. Looking at those interactions with what I have just described, can you see how unusual that is?"

"Honestly, no. But that may be because I have usually isolated myself from others ... adults included. The reactions I am getting, I guess, seem normal to me. They are all I know."

"So I take it you have no thoughts on why people respond to you like they do?"

"No, ma'am."

"Well, I guess there is nothing to do about it. I mean, I still trust you so there is that. But I would like for you to do me a favor. Be aware of people's reactions. Pay attention! Zoe may not have mentioned it, and I can't imagine it coming up in conversation, but I am a researcher by profession. I have a lot of curiosity, and you are full of unanswered questions. So I will want to revisit this conversation."

"Hey, if you can figure out why I am so weird, more power to you ... and please let me in on it."

She just smiled at me, and dismissed me with a wave of her hand. I did not need to be told twice. I bolted upstairs.

We were hanging out in Zoe's room listening to some music when there was a fairly loud pounding on the door, followed by Mrs. Bell's call for us to come downstairs.

As soon as I entered the front entry way I stopped, frightened. There was the police officer from the school, along with another uniformed officer. More frightening than that was the look on Mrs. Bell's face. She looked terrified.

Before anyone could do anything the officer stepped forward and spoke.

"Caspian Grey, you are under arrest for assault in the second degree. Turn around."

I numbly followed her instructions and was forcefully pushed against the wall. My hands were yanked behind me as handcuffs were clamped onto my wrists.

As the officer started to drag me out of the door I looked helplessly at Zoe. She was crying hysterically and clutching her mother, who was also crying. The cop went through the whole 'you have the right to remain silent' thing, but I wasn't really paying attention to her.

"Don't worry, Cas. We are calling a lawyer right now. We will be there shortly."

I think I was too shocked to cry. I just stumbled forward and was pushed into the back of the patrol car. I did twist around to keep watching the two women until the car finally turned a corner and they disappeared from sight. It was then I finally started to silently weep.

At the station I was roughly processed through. My picture was taken, my fingerprints were taken, I was strip-searched and they took all the stuff I had on me. The processing officer was a nice enough lady, wasn't rude or anything, but I was still too numb to answer her questions and just nodded. Eventually, they moved me to a holding area with several other people. Thankfully no one really talked to me. I sat silently on a bench.

It was fairly late, and apparently the bus to the larger jail where most prisoners go if they have to stay for more than just a few hours, had just left. I got to spend the night in a very bare and uncomfortable cell, there at the jail house. I am not sure if there were visiting hours or anything, but about nine the next morning, another officer came up and called my name.

"Grey?"

"Yes, sir," I stood up.

He waved me over, had me put my hands through the bars and cuffs were applied again. From there he led me into a small room. When I went in, there was a man not in uniform, but wearing a badge around his neck. The guard, who had escorted me, attached my cuffs to a metal slot on the table, which only gave me a few feet that I could move away from the provided chair. I guess they weren't taking any chances with me. The officer left and closed the door.

The guy in the room was looking over some papers and didn't look up at me when he started talking.

"You were read your rights earlier?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do you want to talk to me about the fight?"

"Shouldn't I have a lawyer?"

"Did you do something wrong?"

I shook my head, "No, sir. I was defending myself."

"Then why do you want a lawyer. I mean, sure if you want one we can get one in here for you, but then I can't help you. Why don't you tell me what happened."

I knew he was playing me. Everything I had ever seen on TV always said don't talk without your lawyer, but after a night stewing I was pissed and ready to explode. So I ignored what I knew and talked.

"Zoe, Vicki and I were headed out of the school toward the practice field. Tyler, Tony and a bunch of their friends were there. They said they were going to beat my face in, I guess in revenge for the first day of school. I told Zoe to go get an adult. As they moved in on us, I got in front of Vickie. Then they attacked me, and I defended myself."

He was making notes as I talked.

"The reports of their injuries were pretty serious in some cases. To see this many guys hurt this bad by one person, usually it takes the one person to surprise them. And usually have a weapon. What did you do with the weapon?"

"I didn't have a weapon, and I didn't surprise them. They surprised me."

"Then explain the injuries."

"Well, I have been taking martial arts for several years. I guess it prepared me to defend myself."

He made more scribbles.

"I see. And you said this was revenge?"

"There was another fight on the first day of school. I came across Tyler and Tony trying to rape Zoe."

"Go on."

"Well, they had her on the ground, and had pulled off some of her clothes. She was struggling to get away, so I helped her. Then some of those guys' friends showed up and I defended myself and Zoe. The school knows all about the incident."

He flipped through a few of the pages, frowning. He opened his mouth to say something else when the door opened. A guy in a suit walked in, followed by another cop.

"I am Mr. Grey's attorney. I would like to talk to my client."

The officer with the badge around his neck picked up his papers and left, closing the door. The man in the suit took his place.

"I am Jonathan Colleta. Mr. Hollabrand has hired me as your attorney. His business attorney called my firm, and asked for someone to come and see you as soon as possible. I know you have been here overnight, but it took a little time to get my ducks in a row."

"So what is happening? How much trouble am I in?"

"I have looked at the arrest report and the statements from the complaining parties. It is really weak. In addition, I brought signed affidavits from several parties supporting your version of the events at school. Did you talk to the detective that was here?"

"Yes, sir."

"You shouldn't have done that. From now on, talk to no one unless I am present. What did you say to him?"

"I described the fight. He was asking about a weapon, and I told him there wasn't one. He asked about my martial arts. He had me tell him about the first fight. He didn't seem to know anything about that."

"Yes, it seems a lot of information was left out of the arresting report. Okay, wait here for a few minutes."

The man left and I sat and waited for another hour. I just stared at the clock, with nothing else to do. Eventually, Mr. Colleta and the detective came back in. The detective looked pissed. Behind him was the lady officer who was at the school. Her face was red, and she looked really angry. The detective leaned over and undid my cuffs.

"Mr. Grey, you are free to go. Someone will take you to out-processing to get your possessions."

I just stared at him and didn't get up.

"So, I am not under arrest anymore?"

"No, we are dropping the charges. Actually, I want to apologize. It seems there was a misunderstanding of the situation. Once we had a clearer picture of the events at the school, it became obvious you were actually the victim. I am sorry you had to go through this, but I caution you to please try and avoid more fights. Please take my card. You can call me if you run into any more trouble."

He handed me a business card. I was taken down to a counter, where they gave me back my things. On the way out, the lawyer put a hand on me to stop me walking.

"You should be fine, there won't be anything else happening with this fight at school. Also, the detective is pretty embarrassed about your being arrested. The original incident report was really poorly done, and only included statements from the other kids. No statements were taken from the girls with you, or from the faculty. Once he had a chance to look into it, he got pretty angry at the arresting officer. You should understand that both his apologizing, and him offering to help you in the future, are really unusual. It actually opens them up to being sued."

"I don't want to sue them. I just want to put it behind me."

"Well, I know he feels really bad about all this. Anyway, here is my card as well. If you should be arrested again, or something should happen, don't answer questions. Just ask for an attorney. Either call me or have the police call me."

I took his card and shook his hand.

"Thank you, Mr. Colleta"

When we got outside Mrs. Bell, Zoe, Vicki and Vicki's mom were all out there waiting for me. Zoe and Vicki rushed to me and hugged me with all their might.

Zoe was crying again as she said, "We were so worried for you."

"I'm okay. A night in a jail cell isn't the end of the world."

I looked over at Vicki's mother.

"Thank you for the lawyer, Ma'am. I was very happy to get the help, although I feel bad for you having to spend the money."

"Well, Jonathan tells me that you were being railroaded by the arresting officer, so we are happy to help. Of course, it also made Vicki very happy, and Richard would do anything his little girl asked."

I looked back at Vicki and said, "Thank you."

That earned me a kiss.

"Okay, I am ready to get home and relax for a little while."

We all agreed, and Vicki went back with us to Zoe's house. Thankfully, the rest of the night was uneventful. Aside from some time at the Dojo on Sunday, I was able to spend the remainder of the weekend at Zoe's house, trying to forget how bad the previous week had been.

Chapter 17

School, the next few days, started off pretty smoothly. If only my life out of school was less troublesome. I knew I had an uncomfortable conversation coming at the dojo on Tuesday, and I was quietly dreading it.

My instructor doesn't come in on Sundays, and I work on Mondays, so Tuesday would be my first chance to talk to him about my fight. I hadn't mentioned it to my instructor after the first fight, but I knew I would have to talk to him now, about what was happening. I hadn't ever been in a fight, nor had I been close to anyone else who worked out at the dojo that might have been in a fight, I wasn't sure how he would react. Levi, who owned the dojo and who was my overall instructor, was very specific when talking to new students.

One of the things he said to me on my first day at the dojo was that practitioners of Krav Maga should avoid confrontation if at all possible. For most people, although I guess this didn't apply to those in the Israeli military, it is a defensive skill. Of course, he also says that if you are unable to avoid the confrontation, then your goal should be to finish the fight as quickly as possible. I believe this applied to my situation but who knows. I didn't want to alienate Levi, or make it uncomfortable to work out there.

In addition to that hanging over my head, was the fact that I was back sleeping in my own bed Monday night, and my relationship with Margret had gone downhill. This is saying something considering the somewhat frosty way we had lived together up to that point. Now, Margret wouldn't even meet my eye. On top of that, was Tina. The poor girl was caught in a tough place. She maintained an aloof distance from me when her mother was around, but had made a point of stopping me early Monday morning to let me know she wasn't upset at me, and that she would find time later in the week to talk to me.

At least I didn't have to worry about meeting new people this week. The girls had decided to put off the lunch table switching thing until next week. If I had to guess I would say they were waiting for gossip of the fight to die down a little bit. Zoe had also told me about her birthday party Saturday night. I hadn't known her birthday was coming. Honestly, our relationship was so new there were still a lot of details I was missing. She was really excited. She made it known in no uncertain terms that I was expected to be there.

When I arrived at the dojo on Tuesday afternoon, I went straight to see Levi. Levi is about my height and solid, although not bulky. I guess if I had to pick a word to describe him, it would be wiry. He kept his head shaved, had dark bushy eyebrows, and expressive eyes. His full name was Levi Peretz, and someone had told me once that he was some kind of commando in the Israeli Defense Forces, before immigrating to the States. You don't think about any of that, usually, when talking to him. He's such a friendly guy. Sure he was hard on students in practice, but afterward he would laugh and joke with everyone. I really liked him.

"Levi, could I talk to you for a few minutes in your office?"

"Sure, Cas. Mike," he turned to speak to one of the other instructors, "could you work with these guys for a little while. I will be back shortly."

We went into his office but I didn't sit down, although I did manage to not give in to my desire to pace.

"I thought I needed to tell you some of the stuff that has been happening."

He just kept looking at me, his face having gone pretty stoic. I had no read on him at all.

"Well, almost a month ago, I ended up in a fight on the first day of school."

"And you waited until now to tell me."

"I know. I guess I was embarrassed. I understand that we are not supposed to use our training to hurt others if we can avoid it, but I felt this was unavoidable. I came across two guys trying to rape a girl. I just knocked the guys down so I could pull her away, and as we tried to run, his friends came up and cornered us. So I didn't have much choice."

"I see. And is this all that happened?"

"No, sir. Last week these guys, and several of their friends, were waiting for me and two of my friends after school. I wasn't sure I could get the girls away from them safety, so I fought them again."

"So you have been in two fights?"

"Yes, sir."

"You said you could not get away. Did you do anything else to try and avoid the confrontation?"

"In the first fight, no. I was trying to get the girl free of them. They were already on top of her, and her clothes had already been ripped. In the second one, I pleaded with them not to fight us. That it wasn't necessary."

"So in both cases you felt the fight was unavoidable?"

"Yes, sir. But I still regret getting into the fights."

"Why?"

"Because we are supposed to avoid confrontation, because fighting is wrong."

"Where did you hear this?"

"From you."

"You have heard me say fighting is wrong."

"Well, you say we are supposed to avoid getting into fights."

"And this makes it wrong?"

"Umm ... Yes?"

"If you are sick, and you have to take pain killers prescribed by your doctor, have you done something wrong?"

"No."

"But you have also been taught that you should avoid drugs."

"Yeah, but that is different."

"And so is this. Our training isn't about avoiding fights at all costs. Sure there are other forms of training that stress this, but what we learn is more pragmatic. Do you know what KravMaga means in Hebrew, or at least what it can be translated as?"

"No."

"Krav means 'Combat', and Maga means 'Contact'. It translates as Contact Combat. Many of the Asian forms have names that translate as 'Flowing Hand' or 'Gentle Way' ... very poetic. Most have not only a physical aspect, but a philosophy that goes along with it. What we learn is that if forced into a fight, we should end it as quickly and efficiently as possible. That is it. The philosophy behind KravMaga is threat neutralization. It is defense and aggression, and how to use that aggression responsibly. Do you believe that you acted responsibly in both situations?"

"Yes."

"Good. From your brief description it sounds like you did. Protecting someone else, which you say was your motivation in both confrontations, is a responsible use for what you have learned. Of course, if I hear from others that things aren't as you have said, I will be upset with you. But you have always shown yourself to be trustworthy and reliable, so I don't think we need to worry about that. Do you feel you ended each confrontation as quickly and safely as you could have?"

"Yes."

"Well, there you go. Is everything resolved?"

"Umm..."

"So there could still be trouble?"

"Well, there is this gang ... not a real gang, but a group of bullies at school. There are a bunch of them. And they seem pretty determined on trying to hurt me and my friends."

"And how many of these kids attacked you each time?"

"Three the first time, and five in the second."

"I see. Well, if you think you are in danger, and others are in danger, maybe we should slow your training for your next grade test and start focusing on additional skills that you might need. Let's go! Times a wasting."

He was smiling as he led me out of his office.

The next morning I found myself waking up with a visitor in my bed. While this was no longer unusual, it was unexpected because I had asked the girls to lay off coming by for at least this week. I was trying to keep away anything that might set back my relationship with Margret any more, if that was possible. I knew it wouldn't stay like this, but I wanted to give us some time to find the new equilibrium in the house. Thankfully, it wasn't Zoe or Vicki ignoring my request. It was Tina, who at least was less likely to get caught.

"Tina, you shouldn't be here. Things are tough enough, and if Margret finds you..."

I left the rest of that statement unsaid, but Tina rolled over and nodded in understanding.

"I know, Cas, but I wanted to find some time for us to talk. I feel terrible about what is happening and about how Mom is treating you. And we were just starting to do so good, you and me."

"Like I said the other day, what is happening will not affect you and me. I have really been enjoying our new relationship, and I am not giving you up that easy. Honestly, even if things went so bad that I could no longer live here, I would still find a way to stay in contact. We agreed to work at being siblings, and I am holding you to that. I will consider you my sister until you, not Margret, tells me you aren't."

She pressed her head into my chest and hugged me tightly.

"I am so glad to hear that, Cas. Honestly, I'm terrified that she will find a way to make you leave. The way she acts around you now is so awful. I don't know why she hates you so much."

"I don't know if it is hate. She has had a hard couple of years, ever since John died. And then this year starts, and I throw a mountain of chaos onto the heap. I mean, I was arrested! That alone would tear a family up..."

She gripped my shoulder and interrupted me.

"But that wasn't your fault."

"No, but it still happened. And then there is her job. Even my helping out, while it seems positive, puts added stress on her. How do you imagine it feels to be an adult, and have to get money from one of your kids? That is a pretty big blow to the ego. So she has all this stress, and I am the obvious target to pin that on. I am a convenient outlet for it."

"It's not fair."

"What did they say in the Princess Bride?" I asked. It was a movie we had recently discovered that we both loved. "Life isn't fair. Anyone who is telling you differently is trying to sell you something."

She smiled briefly at my reference.

"It's just the way it is. We don't have to like it, but we do have to deal with the situation we have, the best way we can. It will be okay, though. I was adopted. All the paperwork is finished. She can't return me like a present she doesn't want. It's too late for that. Worst case is she could kick me out of the house. I am nearly positive that if that happens, Mrs. Bell would take me in."

She just shrugged and said, "I guess."

"Nothing to guess about. Mrs. B has made it clear that she would if things went that bad. So our worst case scenario is that I will live one street over. I'm not going anywhere."

She gave me another hug, this one very tight and lasting a pretty long while. Eventually, she let me go.

"I always feel better after talking to you, Cas. Thanks. Now you are late for your morning run thing at the school."

"Yeah, I know, but Andrea will get them started. She is more gung-ho about this then I am. And making sure you are okay, is a much bigger priority."

But she was right, I was late. I got up and got ready to face the day.

Thankfully the rest of the week was less eventful. No more run-ins with Tony, Tyler or any of Masuko's group. In fact, I didn't see any of them at all. I didn't share classes with any of those guys, but usually I would at least have seen one or two of them in the hallway, or across the lunch room. I was able to spend the week anticipating Zoe's birthday party, and shopping for her gift. This was the first time I had ever bought a present for someone, let alone for a girlfriend, so I was way out of my comfort zone. Luckily, I had a team of advisers to turn to. They agreed to go with me to the mall on Friday, to shop.

Yay, more shopping.

Megan picked me, Amanda, Vicki, Rachel, Tami up from school, right after we finished with the afternoon workouts and got out of the locker rooms. I was surprised to see Tina in the car with Megan.

"Tina, what are you doing here?"

Megan turned, smirked at me and said, "You know that isn't a very nice way to greet your sister."

"Your right. Sorry, Tina. But seriously, I am surprised to see you here."

Tina was all smiles.

"Vicki called me and told me what was going on, and invited me. I even got to be on the call when all the girls decided what stores we were going to."

I imagined it would be a big deal for a twelve year old to be included as a member of the group, by a pack of high school girls ... and cheerleaders, to boot. Tina seemed so excited she was about to burst out of her skin.

"So, you girls have had planning conversations to figure out my schedule?"

Before either girl could answer, I felt someone slap me on my ass. Turning, I saw the hit had come from Vicki who, along with the rest of the girls, had arrived and was piling into the suburban.

Vicki looked back at me as she climbed into the car.

"Of course we do. We couldn't leave something as important as this up to you. I mean, you're just a guy. This is too big for you," she said.

"Ha! Funny girl. Well, you all know how much I appreciate you girls looking out for me."

My attempt at sucking up did not derail them as I had hoped. They spent the next ten minutes teasing me about how hopeless I was. I did eventually manage to find a topic that would get them focused.

"So, what do you girls think I should get Zoe?"

There was about thirty seconds when they all tried to speak at once, before things settled down and they got a little organized.

"Well, there are rules to getting gifts. It has to be from the heart, and it can't be purely practical. It needs to be romantic, but you two have only been going out for a little while, so not too romantic."

"Uhhh..."

"Jewelry is good, but no rings ... at least, not yet. Maybe a necklace or bracelet."

"Why no rings?"

"You're too soon in your relationship. Yeah, you two are pretty intense together, but still a ring is like ... a commitment. Not always, but it is still a more serious purchase."

"Okay. I guess I will listen to the experts. But jewelry is a good idea?"

They all laughed and Rachel leaned forward, "Baby, jewelry is always a good idea."

They started joking again, but I mostly tuned it out as I started thinking hard. Not just about this one gift but future gifts. Sure, in our relationship, Zoe and I could be considered the primary members; but, there was Vicki to think about. I had to keep in mind my relationship with her, as well. When we arrived, I gripped Vicki's hand and slowed her down, so the rest of the girls could get ahead of us. They of course figured out what I was doing, but were nice enough to give me some space to talk privately with Vicki.

She gave me a sidelong glance, "What's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I have a good idea what I want to get Zoe, but I don't want you to feel left out by my gift to her. How I feel about Zoe, in no way changes how I feel about you."

She squeezed my hand and smiled at me as she replied, "I know that, silly. I realize how much more intense you and Zoe are than I am with either of you, and I'm okay with that. You are both really sweet to me, and I love it. I have no problem with you showing Zoe how you feel about her. In fact, I insist upon it. Now, I have to figure out a gift to give to her. I mean, she is my girlfriend, too."

I let go of her hand, and put my arm around her in a semi-hug.

"I think I have an idea about that," I said. "It is more of a two-in-one kind of gift ... or, in our case, a three-in-one ... but I think it will work, and she'll love it."

She looked relieved and gave me a kiss. Grabbing her hand again, I hurried us into the mall after the rest of the group.

Of course saying I had a plan, and actually buying the presents, were two separate things. I told the girls my idea of a three-way gift, and my separate idea of my gift for Zoe. They loved both ideas and it got me all kind of affection from Vicki. My moment of glory, however, was short lived. When I started actually picking stuff out at the counter, they remembered I was just a guy, and therefore incompetent. It turns out jewelry isn't of just one type. There are all kinds of things that determine what makes one piece better than another. But, eventually, they managed to get me headed in the right direction and the presents got purchased.

Another problem was solved when Tina took all the presents from me. She made it clear that she didn't think I knew how to properly wrap a present (which, honestly, I didn't know how to do), and said she would take care of it for me.

The next trouble didn't pop up until Saturday, at the group study session. We all gathered at Vicki's, this time, and were spread across her living room and dining room in small groups. Most of the groups had already started reviewing, since many of the classes were nearing their first exams. I set to work with a bunch of players prepping for an American Literature test. What surprised me was who was missing. Josh was nowhere to be seen.

My surprise was because he had clearly been worried about this test. I am not sure how Josh got this far into school with such poor reading skills, but he was really struggling. I was in one of the advanced placement classes. My tests would be a little different, but I had made sure to visit with several teachers, to get an idea where his test would focus. They had been reading Of Mice and Men, and had a test covering the imageries, characterizations, and allegories found in the book. I knew part of the test was multiple choice, but the harder part would be the short answer sections. We had covered some of this in previous sessions, but I had prepped some short answer questions on each of the key points for the guys to work on, figuring that would be the hardest part for most of them.

At the last study sessions, Josh was still really struggling on identifying those parts of the book. He was also far behind in his reading of it. He should have been finished the previous week, and I knew he was barely half way done with it. I still powered through the study plan despite my worry, not wanting to hurt the other guys, but I made sure to pull aside Amanda as the study session was breaking up.

"Hey, have you heard from Josh?"

The first thing I noticed was she was not meeting my eyes. "No, I haven't talked to him today. I'm sure he just has family stuff."

I held onto both her shoulders until she looked at me, "Amanda, what is going on?"

She signed and her posture slumped a bit, "He said he didn't need to come to the study group. He said he had figured something out."

"What the hell does that mean? I like Josh, but he can't go from having trouble even finishing the book last week, to being totally prepared for the test this week. I don't buy it."

"I don't know, Cas. I tried to ask him and he said to just leave it alone, that he had it sorted out. He really didn't want to talk about it."

I frowned, let go of Amanda and walked over to the phone sitting on a nearby table. Josh answered after the second ring.

"Hello."

"Josh, it's Cas."

There was a really long pause until I wasn't even sure we were still connected. "Josh?"

"Yeah, what do you want, Cas."

He sounded annoyed that I was calling.

"You know what I need. Why weren't you at the study session?"

"Because I have what I need for the test, and I had other stuff to do, today."

"What does that mean, 'you have what you need'? Are you saying you are ready for the test?"

He sounded even more annoyed, "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

"Come on, Josh. You weren't even close, last week. How are you totally ready, now?"

"I just am, okay? Back off, Cas. I appreciate you helping out the team, but you aren't in charge of anything. Tell Amanda to call me when she gets home." He hung up and I just stared at the receiver for a few seconds before hanging up my end.

Amanda was twirling a lock of hair, and looking worried, "What did he say?"

"He told me to back off, and asked for you to call him."

She looked more worried, "Cas, I am worried. This doesn't seem like him."

"I know, but there is nothing we can do now. His test is on Monday, so I guess we will have to wait and see what happens."

"Yeah, I guess."

Amanda, who was one of the last people there, left.

I hung out at Vicki's for another two hours, waiting until it was time for Zoe's party to start. I had actually wanted to head straight to Zoe's house, but Vicki said the girls had agreed I would hang with Vicki until it was time for the party to start. More of the girls planning out my life. Of course, who was I to complain?

Chapter 18

We arrived at Zoe's house a little later than most everyone else, mostly because Vicki decided she wanted to fool around in the shower while we were getting cleaned up. I wasn't sure why, but Vicki was being exceptionally feisty all evening ... not that I was complaining.

The house was really decorated. There were balloons tied to the mailbox, and a big banner that said "Happy Birthday Zoe" hanging down, right as you walked into the door. More balloons, pretty much all pink, were scattered around the house. Kids were standing in small groups talking. No one had discussed the plans for the party so I wasn't sure what to expect. My guess was that nothing had started, yet. I did, however, recognize everyone. They were all part of our social groups at school. They included kids from the cheerleading squad, the football and basketball teams, and some additional kids that had been helping during the study sessions. I also noticed Tina talking to some of the cheerleaders, although I didn't think she noticed me yet. It occurred to me at that moment, how completely I was integrated into Zoe's social group. So much so that my sister was also integrated.

When we walked in, Zoe was talking to Tami and Amanda and she hadn't noticed us. I held my finger over my lips when Tami looked past Zoe and noticed me. Sneaking up behind her, I turned Zoe around and kissed her deeply then hugged her.

"Happy birthday, beautiful."

She hugged me back hard for a moment before stepping back.

"So, what's the plan for tonight?"

Zoe started to speak, but Tami beat her to it.

"All kinds of stuff. Mrs. B's got a lot of pizzas and we are going to swim in the pool then do some games. It's going to be fun."

I found it amusing how many people had picked up my name for Zoe's mom. As if on cue she came inside, from the back yard.

"Okay, everyone, get changed and head outside. Pizza is on the way, and the pool is ready."

As Zoe and I started walking up to her room to get our swim suits, her mom stopped us.

"Okay, Zoe, as agreed I will hide in my room until eleven. Then I expect kids to start making their way home. I will stay out of your way, but I hold you to your promise to keep the noise level down, and to behave yourself. Cas, I expect you to help Zoe keep order. Remember that our neighbors can hear you across the fence, so be mindful of them and behave yourself. I would hate to break up the birthday party."

I looked back and forth between them for a moment.

"You aren't going to be at the party?"

She smiled at me as she said, "Zoe informed me that fifteen-years-old is almost an adult, and also reminded me how responsible she has been this year. She already has my gift, and I have promised to stay out of your way tonight, as part of that gift."

There was an interesting look that passed between mother and daughter, which I couldn't read. Still, this would be the first 'parent free' party that I had ever attended, and I was kind of excited. Zoe's mom gave both of us a hug, and wished Zoe happy birthday before disappearing into her room. We both got our suits, but changed separately of course. When Zoe came out of her room, I was floored. She was wearing a revealing two-piece suit that really got my motor running. I gave her an appreciative whistle, and she wriggled her rear at me as she walked past and headed for the stairs.

Outside, several kids were already in the pool. I stopped by the edge and watched Vicki across the pool as she sat on the edge talking to Tami. She looked up and smiled at me, or at least I thought she was smiling at me. It became obvious who she was really smiling at when I felt Zoe's hand on my back pushing me into the water. My arms flailed in a fairly convincing impersonation of a cartoon character, as I went off my feet.

The girls laughed hysterically, both diving in to attack me. Shortly Tami and Tina both joined in the assault as they tried to get past my defense to tickle me. I would get hold of one girl, only to be manhandled from all sides, as my hands were full. I eventually surrendered to their tactical superiority.

Similar scenes were playing out across the pool between the guys and various groupings of the girls. Pretty much everyone at the party had brought a date except Tami and Tina who had both come 'stag.' Following the initial horseplay, the girls all arranged for 'chicken fights.' Two couples would pair off and try and push the girl off the guy's shoulders. Usually the girl would then climb up again, and they would go find another couple to spar against. In my case, I switched girls and rotated through both of my ladies, my sister, and Tami. I hadn't really played games like this, before, and I really enjoyed myself. While the actual chicken fights were great, the best part was having the girls up on my shoulder and having to support them with my hands on their smooth legs. It was a great excuse to do a little groping.

After about thirty minutes, a bunch of pizza's arrived, and we all climbed out of the pool and dug in. Since nearly everyone was involved in one of our groups, either the study groups or one of the two exercise groups, conversation tended to hit those two subjects hard. There had been a lot of competition in both the people doing the morning runs and those doing the afternoon workouts. Everyone was trying to beat the performance of the other people involved and there was significant trash talking. Funniest of all was that the most trash talk came from Andrea.

She was talking very loud to Rachel, clearly intending to have others hear her.

"It is so sad all these big strong guys can't keep up on the track with a little girl like me."

That was funny considering she was the tallest of all the girls in our social group.

Rachel enjoyed her mocking the guys, and egged her on, saying, "They just like to think they are tough. Everyone knows guys can't keep up with girls."

The guys were generally rolling their eyes. This was not the first time we had done this little dance. Andy, Andrea's brother, took the next line in the little play.

"You are forgetting that Cas still beats you. You aren't even close to his time."

I really wished they stopped mentioning me when performance in the workouts was discussed. I truly hated being the center of attention.

Andrea just shrugged, "He doesn't count. No one beats Cas, he is some kind of freak of nature."

Both brother and sister were grinning at me. I, of course, did what I always did. I changed subjects.

"So, what are we going to do, now?"

Vicki spoke up, "I've had enough swimming. How about a game of truth or dare?"

Most of the kids seemed to like the idea, with the exception of Tina and myself. My guess was neither of us had done this kind of thing and the stories of what could happen could be a little nerve wracking. Zoe, however, had no sympathy for me.

"Great idea. Okay guys, dry off and lets all head for the living room."

Everyone followed her instructions, but no one put on more clothes. It ended up with the entire group still in our bathing suits, sitting on towels in a circle in the living room. It was the largest open room in Zoe's house. It also conveniently could be closed off, with the doors giving us a semblance of privacy.

Couples more or less stayed grouped together. It appeared I had Tina and Tami permanently attached to my group at the party, as both girls joined me, Zoe and Vicki.

"So how do we do this?"

Rachel spoke up, "I will start. Andrea, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Okay, who is the worst person you ever dated."

From the look of annoyance on Andrea's face it was obvious Rachel already knew the answer.

"Jack Masuko."

I couldn't help myself, "No way."

She hung her head.

"Yeah, I can't believe we dated for a month. It was in Junior High and I was clueless. I thought he was cool. What a slug."

I could see how uncomfortable she was so I didn't ask anything else. Eventually she looked over at Andy.

"Truth or Dare."

He looked smug as he said, "Dare."

"Okay, take the person to your right on a piggy back ride around the room."

We all laughed when we realized the person to his right was Josh. Andy made it about three feet before collapsing under Josh's weight.

"Get off me, you ox."

It may not have been the risqué dare that I was expecting, but that was pretty amusing. I had to hand it to Andrea.

It was then Andy's turn and he looked at Tami, who took Truth. "When was the last time you masturbated?"

She turned five shades of red as she replied, "Yesterday."

Next Tami dared Quam to make out with Alison Hauge (one of the tutors from the study group), for two minutes. Alison blushed more than he did, and everyone in the room knew she had a giant crush on him. They actually went longer than the two minutes, and we had to tell them to break off and sit back down.

Alison decided to get back at Tami, who chose 'truth' again.

"Who did you think about when you rubbed one out, yesterday?"

Tami looked at Alison for a full minute before answering. Alison looked smugly back, since she knew Tami had set it up so Alison had to make out with her crush.

Tami finally glanced my way then looked down, "Cas."

While I blushed fiercely, I noticed interesting expressions on both Zoe and Vicki. Neither looked mad or annoyed, which I might have expected. I wasn't really sure of what they were thinking, but both were looking at Tami intently.

The game continued for a while before getting to me. I took dare and was told to close my eyes. Four girls were going to kiss me and I had to identify them.

The first was easy, it was Zoe. We had racked up a lot of kissing time by that point and I had no doubt. The second I didn't recognize really, but the girl was extremely forceful and slipped some tongue. The third I was fairly certain was Vicki. The fourth was much shyer and while the kiss lasted a good thirty seconds, it was closed mouthed and chaste. Finally, it ended. I waited a minute so everyone could sit back down, and opened my eyes.

"The first girl was Zoe. The third girl was Vicki. I have no idea about the other two."

Both of my girls looked pleased, and Zoe leaned over to whisper in my ear, "You will be getting a special prize for picking us out."

Jacob nudged Rachel, "She was the second girl. I swear she has been trying to find an excuse to lay one on you since your date with Tami."

Oddly enough, he didn't seem annoyed. She just shrugged.

"Well, you are a lucky man, Jacob. She is quite the kisser. So who was the fourth girl?"

No one said anything for a minute until Zoe spoke up, "It was Tina."

My head whipped around, "What?"

Tina was blushing hard, and finally looked at me, "I was just curious about what it was like."

Everyone was looking at us so I let it pass. On the next couple of rounds through everyone took dares. The dares were mostly benign. Tami had to kiss Rachel, which I will admit was hot, and Zoe had to prank call one of her teachers. From what I had imagined, I was surprised by how tame our version of truth and dare was. Unfortunately for me the game came around to me again. A little gun shy after the last go around, I chose truth.

"What is it like having two girlfriends?"

I wasn't surprised by this question. I knew there was a lot of curiosity in our group about the three of us, and for the most part they had avoided prying. This was a more acceptable way to ask about it.

"I don't know how to answer that. What's it like having multiple friends? Does hanging out with one friend diminish how you hang out with another? There are two people I really care for. I enjoy spending time with them, and they mean the world to me. Feelings ... affection ... love ... These aren't finite. There isn't a limit you reach and then run out. I care for each girl in her own right, as her own person. I care for Zoe. I care for Vicki. I care for Zoe and Vicki. Each of those statements is true, and that is what it's like."

The girls both hugged me and then Vicki took charge.

"Okay, I think it is time we moved to presents."

Everyone was on board. We passed out presents, and I handed her one of the two things I had purchased. Most of the presents were music and the like. Vicki gave Zoe a little music box that Zoe went crazy for. My guess was they had discussed this type of thing at some point, because I would have never guessed she would have reacted so strongly to it. Zoe teared up when she opened the music box and listened to the quiet notes it played. Setting it down gently she leaned over me and kissed Vicki deeply, which got grins from a lot of the guys sitting around the room. I looked questioningly at both girls but they shook their heads at me and Vicki mouthed the word 'later'.

I had bought a thin bracelet for Zoe. It took her a minute to find the inscription, which got me a quizzical look since it was written in Chinese.

"What does it say?"

"It's a Chinese idiom I got from a book I read a long time ago. It means 'Mountains vow, Oceans swear.' It's an old saying in China, and usually refers to love between two people. It basically means that I will love you as long as there are mountains and oceans."

She tackled me, and put me in a lip lock.

I half heard Rachel say to someone else, "That is how you give a gift. Take notes."

The rest of the party was pretty sedate. Everyone sat around chatting, and occasionally eating another piece of pizza. For the rest of the party, Zoe stayed right by my side gripping my hand. About eleven o'clock everything started winding down. A few parents swung by and picked their kids up. Megan drove the rest home, leaving just Zoe, Vicki and me in the house.

"Okay, so I have to know. What was with the music box?"

Zoe teared up again briefly before speaking, "It is exactly like a music box I had as a little girl. My dad bought it for me. It got lost shortly after he died. I don't know how Vicki found it, but the song is exactly the same. It is identical."

She wrapped Vicki in another tight hug.

Vicki hugged her back, saying, "I'm not telling."

"Okay, well, we have one more gift for you. This is from Vicki and me."

I handed her a small wrapped present. She opened it and found a delicate chain with two heart charms hanging from it. One had VH engraved on it, the other had CG on it. Vicki took it from Zoe, and placed the ankle bracelet in its place. Vicki then attached a similar chain around her own ankle.

"We each have one of these. Except mine has charms with Cas's and your initials."

I pulled a set of dog tags we had made from my bag and put them on. "And I had these made, since the bracelet would have looked weird on me. These have your two initials engraved on it. We each are wearing something now showing that we are attached to each other."

Zoe looked at what we were both wearing and then down at her leg.

"I love it."

Vicki and I smiled at each other, pleased with our choice.

"I knew you would. Okay, I am going to clean up down here, you two head on up."

Zoe pulled at my hand. I looked back at Vicki and got a wink. When we got into Zoe's room I saw candles scattered around. Zoe pushed me on the bed and went about the room, lighting candles. She then came over and sat in my lap, putting her arms around my head. After kissing me for a few minutes she pulled back and looked into my eyes.

"You have one more present to give me."

"Which is?"

She looked away for a second, drew in a ragged breath, and then looked back into my eyes evenly.

"I have been with boys, before. I am not a virgin, but I have never been with anyone I loved, before. I haven't felt about anyone like I do with you. I was once told that there is nothing that compares to making love with the person you love. I want to find out if that is true."

I was stunned.

"Zoe ... I haven't ... I mean..."

She smiled softly at me, "I figured. It's ok. Just go with the flow. Do what feels natural. We love each other, so it should be okay."

With that, she pushed me back on the bed and we kissed softly for a while. I knew this was her night so I wanted to make it special for her

Eventually she said, "You’re getting good at that ... but your clothes are still on."

"I don't have any protection."

She smiled, "I love that you are thinking ahead, but in this case we are okay. Mom put me on birth control, last year."

I was surprised. I couldn't imagine Margret ever being that accepting with her daughter having sex.

"Really?"

"Well, I told her after I had sex the first time. Although we'd used a condom, she said she would feel better if I had a form of protection that didn't only rely on us remembering something in the heat of the moment."

I sat back, stunned further.

"You told your mother you had sex?"

Zoe let out a soft giggle as she said, "Yeah, I know that's unusual, but my mom really trusts me, and I owe it to her to not break that trust. I didn't give her details or anything, but sex has never been taboo in my family. She had 'the talk' with me, after I'd had my first period. She made it clear she wasn't naive enough to believe I would never have sex."

I looked around for a minute before asking the question rattling around in my brain. "Will you tell her about us ... about this?"

"I already did. Why do you think she made herself scarce? She knows we are having sex, tonight."

"What?"

"Don't worry. She said she understood, and it was okay, as long as we were safe and this never got out of hand."

I just stared at her for a second before she pulled me back to her.

"Don't think about it for now. We can talk about all this stuff, later. Just know that I love you, we are protected, and I want this more than anything."

Afterwards we lay cuddled together, enjoying each other’s presence when the door opened and Vicki's head poked in. She saw us cuddling and came all the way into the room, stopping at the side of the bed.

"You two look so cute."

We both reached up and pulled her down between us so we could all cuddle together.

"Thank you for giving us time together, Vicki. I promise we won't leave you out, next time."

"Ohh, I don't plan on getting left out, this time."

Aside from the fact that I did use protection with Vicki, it was as wonderful an experience as my time with Zoe.  I slowly fell asleep marveling at how lucky I was.

Chapter 19

My pleasant slumber was cut short when a pushing on my side brought me awake. I found that the girls had piled on me at some point in the night and we had worked ourselves into a jumbled mass. Zoe was trying to get my leg off her, and she looked a little frantic.

"Cas, get off."

"Are you ok Zoe?"

"No, I feel really queasy. I need to get to the bathroom. NOW!"

That last was said in a yell when I didn't move fast enough. As soon as a path was cleared, she bolted for the door. By this time Vicki was awake and looking at me concerned.

"I don't know. Let's go check on her."

We both threw on clothes and hurried after her. When we got to the bathroom we could hear Zoe letting lose through the closed door. Mrs. Bell came up in her robe just as we got there.

"Zoe darling, what's wrong?"

She was speaking to Zoe but looked at us. Only retching sounds came back to her from the bathroom.

"I don't know Mrs. B. She woke up and said she felt sick. Then she just ran to the bathroom."

Just then we hear the toilet flush and water running in the sink. Another minute and she came out. Mrs. B put her hand on Zoe's head.

"You aren't running a fever."

"I know. I just feel ... bad. My stomach was really upset, but it feels better now. I still feel kind of sore and just ... tired."

"Do you want to stay home today?"

"No. We have a big English test that I am ready for. If I have to do a makeup they will change a lot of stuff and I will have to study again. I will be ok."

"It's still early. You go sleep another hour and I will get some breakfast made. I will make you some warm honey tea. It can help with an upset stomach."

"Thanks mom."

Zoe held onto Vicki's arm and the two went back to her room. I followed her mother down to the kitchen.

"I don't know how to say this without embarrassing either of us, but I hope it wasn't what happened last night that made her sick."

"Unlikely Cas. People don't just get sick overnight. Infections, whether viral or bacterial require at least some incubation time. This was probably something she picked up over the last couple of days."

"Good. Umm ... I know Zoe talked to you about ... uhhh."

"Yes she did. And I can see you're worried. Honestly, I would prefer if you kids waited, but I know how teenagers are. I would prefer you two are safe and responsible, rather than sneaking around behind my back."

"Thank you Mrs. B."

She stopped cooking and turned to look at me, gesturing with a wooden spoon as she spoke.

"Don't think you are getting a free pass around here. This house isn't going to become some latter day Gomorrah. I expect you two to act responsibly. If your other responsibilities are affected, I will put a stop to this. Also, I expect you to respect my daughter. What happens between her and you stays between her and you ... and Vicki I guess because of your little arrangement. Anything happens behind closed doors. I am holding you to a high standard Caspian Grey."

"I understand and will respect your wishes. I promise I will make you proud of me Mrs. B."

She patted me on the cheek, "I already am Cas."

After a little while, the girls came downstairs. Zoe still looked like death warmed over, but she was soldiering through and insisting she could go to school. Since she wasn't running a fever, Mrs. B finally gave in.

During the morning, I made it a point to meet her as quickly as I could between each class and check on her. Thankfully, as the day progressed she seemed to feel better. By lunch Zoe seemed almost normal and we decided to go ahead and sit with Vicki's group after a quick hello to the people at our normal table.

Vicki made the introductions. In my previous interactions with this group that step had been missed.

"Hey guys. Sorry I haven't been around much. I know some of you remember Cas from when he came and asked me out, and this is my girlfriend Zoe."

I guess word of the three of us was well out as no one looked surprised by that announcement. One of the girls I didn't know spoke up.

"It's so weird the three of you dating."

I broke in before Vicki could say anything and possibly get angry at her friend.

"Yea it's different. But who cares. Who at this table hasn't had to deal with being different? Maybe a little weird, maybe a little shy. Too fat. Too gawky. Too nerdy. Whatever. Are you sure you feel comfortable labeling someone else as different."

That hit them where they lived. The 'smart kids' were regularly picked on by some of the other groups around school and had been for years. The ones that had contemptuous looks on their faces dropped those in a hurry and the kid who spoke looked away guiltily. Thankfully this topic was derailed by Alison, one of the few people I knew from this group. I had spent some time talking to her at Zoe's party and felt pretty comfortable with her.

"How did you guys do on the English test?"

Zoe put her head on the table, talking into her lap, "It should have been easy. I wish I was feeling better. As it is it took me way too long to do and I had to really focus on every question."

There wasn't much we could say to that so I just rubbed her back while Vicki held her hand.

"I did pretty good. Zoe's right, it wasn't a hard test."

Alison then leaned in conspiratorially, "My sister is in one of the regular classes with Josh, and did you know he was the first one in his class to turn his test in?"

"Really."

"Yea. She thought it was strange."

The rest of lunch was good. I had classes in common with most of the kids at the table and we talked about various assignments and projects we were working on. I convinced several of them to come help tutor at the study sessions. It would help the kids who were struggling, mostly jocks, and help the kids doing the tutoring by building bridges with some of the people who would pick on them. For a shy, smart kid, having a jock as a friend in high school could be a lifesaver.

They were really interested in what I was doing at work, even if I didn't get to work on the really interesting stuff. I also learned that Alison's sister was in fact her fraternal twin sister, which I didn't know she had.

On the way out of the lunchroom Amanda ran up and grabbed Zoe and me.

"Cas ... Josh got pulled into the principal's office along with a couple of kids from varsity. Something's going on. Mrs. Polaski and Coach Andrews seemed really, really mad."

"Ok. I will go see what's happening. Stay with Zoe."

When she nodded her assent, I hurried towards the school office. Josh was sitting outside the office. I didn't see any of the other kids, Principal Polaski or the coach.

"Josh, what is happening?"

"Leave me alone Cas."

"Josh, this seems serious and Amanda is freaked. Talk to me."

He rolled his eyes, "Why do you always have to butt in. Fine. We were caught cheating on the test."

"You WHAT??"

"Cliff, Leon, Hunter and I took a copy of the test and used it. There was one question on the version we took that was a typo, and all four of us put the same wrong answer."

"What the hell were you guys thinking?"

"We were thinking we needed to pass the test. We all can't be perfect like you."

"Josh, you can't..."

"Leave me alone Cas. We will deal with this."

"How?"

"I don't know. We will talk to the coach and I am sure he will..."

"Get your ass expelled. You know how he feels about cheating. What you need to do..."

"Shut up and leave me alone Cas."

His words were angry, but he was clearly feeling guilty. He wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Look at me Josh."

He didn't make eye contact. I felt myself getting heated, my disappointment and anger at Josh rising in my throat."

"Look ... at ... me."

I didn't yell, but even in my own ears I heard something different in my voice. Something I had never heard before. Josh's head snapped up and he looked in my eyes. Out of my peripheral vision I saw two of the student office assistants and the school secretary stop what they were doing and also look in my direction.

"What you are going to do is man up. You are going to live up to your responsibilities. You will take your punishment. You will start trying to do better. You need to become the person you are meant to be. You do not cheat and find the easy way out. You put in the work. You live up to and strive to exceed the highest expectations put on you. That is what a real man does. Do you understand me?"

He had anger in his eyes and started to snap back a response, but strangely stopped and just looked at my hard eyes. "Yes sir."

"Dammit Josh. You are better than this. I am disappointed in you."

He hung his head in shame. That is when I heard a noise behind me. I turned to find the coach and the principal looking at me.

"Caspian, while I applaud your sentiment, this is really more of a matter for us and his parents."

"Mrs. Polaski, can we speak in your office."

She thought for a moment but nodded and moved out of the way, granting me entry into her office.

When the coach and I were inside, she shut the door behind us.

"Ok, what do you want Caspian."

"I want to take responsibility for Josh."

"What does that mean?"

"Josh is not a bad guy. He just feels under a lot of pressure because he sees football as his only way out of school, and he was afraid of academic suspension."

The coach snorted, "He should be afraid of a lot more than that now."

I turned from looking at Mrs. Polaski to looking at Coach Andrews.

"Don't you see how big of a mistake that is? He was already feeling trapped and you are going to cut off the one door he sees open to him for success in his life. He already doesn't feel up to meeting academic standards. Boot him from the team and he will give up."

"But what can we do? We have a very clear policy on this."

"Yes, but you also have a clear mandate, to nurture and prepare kids for the world. Use this as motivation for him to fight to meet academic standards. You can't just use the stick, you need the carrot. Suspend him for the first game. Put him on some form of probation. Mandate regular study times with tutors. I can line those up from the guys who help me in the study sessions. I will personally take responsibility that he meets the expectations set down for him and we don't have a repeat of this situation."

Coach Andrews was frowning, "I don't know."

Mrs. Polaski was shaking her head at the coach, "He is right Doug. We do have a mandate as educators. If there is a chance this might work, I say we back Mr. Grey. If he can get students to tutor Josh, I think we try for it."

"Ok. But I want it made clear to my kids that this is not something I will stand for."

"Thanks Coach. Thanks Mrs. Polaski. Can I talk to Josh alone for a minute?"

Mrs. Polaski accented and let Josh in her office while she and Coach Andrews stepped outside.

"So, how dead am I?"

"You aren't. You are still going to be on the team. You can still make varsity. But there are going to be repercussions."

He sounded dejected again, "ok."

I felt the same unusual forcefulness as before enter my voice.

"Dammit Josh, now is not the time for a pity party. Take your lumps. But I want this one thing clear. Your ass is mine. You will do EVERYTHING they set down for you and you will meet my expectations. Any more slacking and I can't help you; you will be on your own. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Good."

And with that, I walked out of the office, stopping to thank both adults again. Amanda was waiting on me outside the office.

"What happened?"

"Josh got caught cheating."

"He what? What is going to happen to him? Are they going to expel him?"

"No. I spoke to Mrs. Polaski. They agreed to suspend him and put him on probation, but he can still play football. He is going to have several mandatory tutoring sessions. And I am going to ride his ass hard. But he should be ok."

Amanda threw herself against me, crying.

"Thank you Cas. Josh is lucky to have such a good friend."

"He won't think so. I am going to set high expectations for him and make him meet them. Even if it kills him."

"Good. He gives up too easily and thinks football is his only chance to make it. I am always afraid he will prepare himself and will leave everything riding on some football scholarship for college."

"I know. Don't worry Amanda. I will take care of him."

She squeezed my shoulder and went into the office to wait. I took Zoe's hand and headed off to our next class.

Chapter 20

My mind was in a cloud by the end of the day. I hadn't really even paid much attention in any of my classes. My brain was stuck on Josh. I just couldn't believe he had cheated. He had always been such a stand-up guy that it seemed outside of his character.

More than that, I didn't buy his contrition. There was an entitlement to his thinking that he couldn't seem to get past, even now. I was really worried for him. If he didn't snap out of this way of thinking, he was going to end up digging himself into a hole he couldn't escape from.

I was completely lost in my thoughts as we started out the back of school on our walk to Zoe's house. It had been weeks since Mrs. B stopped picking us up, as things had now died down. I am certain had I not been so preoccupied, I would have seen what was happening. As it is, I didn't notice anything was wrong until I heard the squealing of tires.

I looked up to see a car accelerating towards us. The rear window was open and a gun was sticking out of it. This is when something weird happened. It was like everything slowed down a little around me. I could feel myself moving but seemed to have a lot of time to think as I watched the car drift towards us.

I reached out, my arms slowly climbing to grip Zoe with both hands. Lifting her off the ground I threw her into a grassy area well clear of where I was standing. I knew what was coming. I knew who was in the car. And I knew who they were after. If Zoe was clear she would be safe. The landing might be hard on her, but she would be safe from a bullet meant for me, and that is all that really mattered.

The car was passing me by that point. Zoe was still in the air, flailing but already out of the immediate area of danger. I could see fire spitting out of the end of the gun. I could even make out the bullet traveling my way, but I could not move my body fast enough. I started to drop and twist away, trying to get out of the way of the bullet, but there was no way that could happen. While the world seemed to be moving slow, my body was moving at the same slow speed and there was no way I could dodge a bullet.

With the first impact everything snapped back to the correct speed. It felt like I had been kicked by a mule, the bullet smacking very high in the left side of my chest, almost as high as my shoulder. The next impact was at the very edge of my shoulder. It felt like fire was lancing its way through me.

And then I was on the ground, the back of my head smacking against the asphalt. The pain was excruciating in both my head and my chest. I could feel the world turning dark. The last thing I could see was Zoe's face leaning into my field of vision. I could hear her voice calling for me, but it was so far away. The tunnel was getting darker.

And then ... Nothing.

It was dark. I managed to claw my way out of the tunnel just a bit. I could hear a beeping sound. Someone was yelling. I could feel the hand on my good arm being held.

"Tell them ... multiple GSW... 10 minutes..."

It was hard to make out the words.

"BP is ... worried about shock ... unit's plasma..."

My throat was so dry. I managed to croak one word.

"Zoe..."

The hand holding me squeezed. I knew she was there with me. And then I fell back into the tunnel.

My next trip into consciousness I seemed to have a better hold on the world. It was so bright, much brighter than the last time. I got my eyes opened most of the way. Ceiling tiles were rushing by.

"Caspian ... can you hear me Caspian."

My throat was still too dry to speak, I nodded.

"I am Doctor Chang. You have been shot and we are taking you into surgery. Do you understand?"

I nodded again.

"Do you have any allergies to medication?"

I shook my head no.

"What..."

That is the last thing I heard from the doctor as the darkness enveloped me again.

I don't know how long I was out that last time. When I came to the tunnel wasn't there any longer. I wasn't awake through some kind of haze, but actually awake. It was dark outside and I could hear a slow, steady beeping sound. Glancing around I saw Zoe and Vicki squeezed in a fairly big chair together. The girls were asleep with Zoe resting her head on Vicki's shoulder and Vicki with hers on top of Zoe's in a little clump. They looked so peaceful.

Tina was propped up in a corner, Tami next to her. Both had their eyes closed. The door opened spilling a little light in the room and I saw Mrs. Bell come in. She must have noticed me moving, because she hurried over to me. She must have been trying not to wake any of the girls, because she kept her voice to a whisper.

"Cas. How do you feel?"

"Sore. Really tired. There was a car and someone had a gun."

"Yes. Someone did a drive by shooting."

"Who?"

"We don't know yet." Tears were streaming down her face. "Cas, you got Zoe out of the way. You saved my baby again."

"This time it was my fault though. They were aiming for me. I couldn't let her be hurt by a bullet meant for me."

There was a shout from the corner of the room.

"CAS!!"

And with that, all the girls were up and huddled around my bed, each trying to hug and kiss me. Mrs. B had to put her foot down and raised her voice.

"Girls, you need to give him some room. We are all happy he is ok, but he won't be if you smother him."

They back off from the bed a little bit, all but Zoe who held my hand in a death-tight grip. The door opened again.

"What is all this racket, I said you could stay if ... Ohh. He's awake."

The woman made her way to my bedside, pushing several of the people clustered around me out of the way to make room. She started reading the machines and checking on the various tubes and wires attached to me. She then lifted the bandage and looked at one of the wounds before shaking her head and reapplying it. Eventually she stopped and addressed everyone in the room.

"I know you are all happy to see him awake, but could you please leave the room. I need to speak with Mr. Grey in private."

She turned and looked at Mrs. Bell.

"You can of course stay with your son."

"Ohh, I am not his mother."

"Sorry. I assumed. Then if you could please step outside."

I held up a hand, "No, They can all stay."

"Mr. Grey, I have some questions to ask in order to give you the best care I can, and it is best if only your guardians stay in the room. This will be very private."

I began pointing to each of the girls in turn, "Mrs. Bell is for all intents and purposes my guardian, if not in the legal sense, and my advisor on pretty much everything. Tina is my sister. And the other three are my girlfriends."

I saw a stunned look hit Tami's face and a smirk cross Vicki and Zoe's faces. They just realized I had figured out their little game.

"So ... speak."

She cleared her throat.

"Ok. We are having some ... confusion with your treatment. First of all, do you know what blood type you are?"

"umm, no. Not really. What type am I?"

"That's the first problem. We can't tell?"

Mrs. Bell's eyebrows shot up, "What do you mean you can't tell?"

"Just that, we can't tell. We ran the standard antibodies test to determine what blood type Mr. Grey is, and his blood didn't react."

"So he is O then."

It was the Doctor's turn to look surprised, "Do you have a scientific background?"

"I am a genetics researcher at the university."

"Ahh. Ok. I should have said, we ran the standard antibody tests and his blood didn't react, at first."

"What does that mean?"

"It clotted with neither the A nor the B group antibodies and showed no RH factor markers. So we typed him at O negative, which is what he received during surgery. The lab tech got interrupted by an emergency and stepped away, not disposing of the samples. When she came back, she wasn't sure where she was in her testing and double checked her last results to make sure she didn't skip a step by accident."

"She found that the blood had then reacted to both the A and the B group antibodies. Which should be impossible. So she called me and we did a second test and watched the results. It was fascinating. As with the initial test, nothing happened at first. Then, the blood separated, which you know shouldn't happen without a centrifuge, and then recombined there on the slide. After recombining it reacted with the applied antibodies."

"So ... wait. That isn't possible. Was your sample contaminated?"

"That was considered. But we drew fresh blood and retested. Eleven times. Same every time."

Mrs. Bell sat down and just stared at the floor. I was frowning, my brain working very quickly.

"So you are saying my blood morphed. By reacting to both sets of antibodies, either my blood changed to become the blood type of the antibody, or the antibody changed to become the same as type as my blood."

She flashed me a quick smile, "Wow, I am surprised you put that together so fast. Yes, that is the conclusion I came to, after about twenty minutes staring at the results I might add. Are you in some type of medical study program?"

"No ma'am. I am a freshman in high school. I just took what you said and made the logical leap to the most likely hypothesis."

"Ha, spoken like a scientist."

Mrs. Bell finally rejoined us. "But, how is this possible."

"Frankly, it isn't. Beyond that his CBC panel had some surprising results as well. His white blood count was high, as is expected for someone who just suffered a serious wound and then had surgery. But the rest of his panel matched what I would expect from a world class athlete in the middle of training. Mr. Grey is in fine shape, but this is beyond what I would have ever expected. And that is not all."

"What else?"

"The inflammation around the wound site is already decreasing. It shouldn't be. It is still fresh. His wound should not reach the proliferation phase for a while. His wound area looks like one that had surgery two days ago, not seven hours ago. Everything about Mr. Grey is shouting he is a medical mystery. And then there is the other thing."

I cocked my head at her, "What other thing."

"No one was able to get an accurate medical history on you."

"Because no one you talked to, including my mother who you most likely called at my house, knows my long term medical history."

"Correct. We have your records. Between what your mother provided and the state had on file for you, those were on hand. But zero extended medical history workup."

"Because no one knows who my parents are."

"Correct again. Not that unusual, but when coupled with a seeming medical mystery..."

I nodded, thinking.

"Doctor ... umm."

"Chang."

"Doctor Chang, is there any way I could convince you to keep my records extremely confidential? Even among other hospital staff?"

She paused, "And why would I do that?"

"Because, I have a feeling what you have found so far is enough to set off all kinds of red flags. People, curious people, are going to want to run a lot of tests. At heart you are all scientists, and I am going to be a puzzle they can't resist. And I do not want to become a lab rat."

"What if the red flags are already raised?"

"They haven't been. Most the administrators are gone for the day. And the staff will be paying more attention to patient care then trying to find something they can use to earn recognition for the hospital."

She laughed softly, "A fair guess. And why would I do that? I do think about my career."

"Access. In exchange for holding anything you find. You can't release my information without my say so anyways thanks to the new HIPAA laws. And I will not be in the hospital indefinitely; you will eventually lose access to me. So, you keep what you know locked up. So just you see it, and I will let you work on the medical miracle."

"Everyone here is going to notice how fast you are healing."

"Not really. I will play it up to seem worse off than I am. And even though my wound is healing, it won't be painfully obvious to anyone who looks until after I am out of the hospital. I am betting I am almost to the point that you will release me in the next day or so."

"Yes. Beds are at a premium and your surgery went through without a problem. Even without your apparent amazing rate of recuperation, I would be ordering your release tomorrow."

"And of course finally, you're my doctor. You are the one who would notice anything to keep me from getting released or realize I am hiding the extent of my recovery."

She thought for a minute, "You are much too clever for a high school kid."

"I am much too clever for any kind of kid. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes."

"Great. Go run the tests I know you are dying to run. Figure me out. I need to talk to my friends."

She started to turn and walk out, but stopped and looked at me again.

"I have a feeling my time with you is going to be extremely interesting Mr. Grey."

"We can only hope Doctor Chang."

She smiled again and left the room. After the door closed, a silence fell over the room. The only sound that could be heard was the steady beep ... beep sound of the monitor. I looked at each of the women scatted around my bed, and waiting. Tina broke the silence first.

"CAS ... I don't understand what happened."

"I know. It's ok. Mrs. Bell has an idea of what is going on. Don't you Mrs. B."

"Yes."

"Could you explain it to Tina?"

She was still sitting in the chair she sank into during the conversation with the doctor. She continued to stare at me for nearly a minute before finally looking at Tina and Tami who were standing side by side next to my bed.

"There is something different about Cas. Not personality wise, but actually ... physically different."

"What?"

"I don't know. I don't even have a guess, but I know it's true."

I sighed and took over, "Mrs. B stopped me the other day to talk. She expressed confusion about me, or rather her reaction to me, and her observations about my interaction with other people since we met. I am sure you all noticed the same thing but didn't put all those pieces together yet. Then the doctor comes in talking about my strange blood tests and my healing. The information is starting to snap together."

Zoe looked near tears, worried. "I don't get it still. Are you sick? Is something wrong?"

"No. This isn't about me being sick. I mean, yeah I got shot, but I am healing quickly, like the doctor said. No, there is something different about me that we don't understand yet. But we will."

"Can you explain it to me so I can see what you and mom see?"

"Sure."

I held up fingers as I counted off the points.

"One. The new information you all heard, weird blood tests and faster than normal healing."

"Two. My unusual social interactions."

"Unusual?"

"Think how quickly everyone you know has taken to me. How much I get away with. I talked my way into a meeting with the principal to help Josh, and then talked them into a solution. I somehow convinced your mother to take me into her home and let us ... um ... have time together. How many mothers of teenage daughters would do that? I made friends with your entire social circle, easily. Put all the social situations you have seen me in and think about it."

"Not everyone took to you. Tyler. Your Mom. That Cop."

"That is three. There are people who have the opposite reaction to me, but nearly as extreme as those who have accepted me. The people you listed, would you consider any of their reactions in line with normal behavior."

"No."

"Four. You have seen me work out. I run longer and can work out harder than anyone we train with, and think how good shape all of those people are in."

"Five. I am in all advance classes and sleeping through them. Your mother noticed my reading the other day. I am going through college level and beyond texts in math and engineering for work, and going through them fast."

"Put all that together. Does that sound right? Does that sound like someone who is normal?"

"But, none of that is bad."

I smiled at Zoe and took her hand.

"No, none of it is bad. What is going on isn't bad. It might not be good. We don't know what is happening. But something is happening. We need to find out what. And..."

Mrs. B heard the tone in my voice and looked up, "And?"

"Two more things happened."

"What?"

"Well ... One was when I confronted Josh. He was being obstinate and entitled and I needed him to listen to me. And I was focused on that, my need for him to pay attention. As I raised my voice and ... commanded is the only word for it, him to listen to me I felt a ... click in my head. Click is the wrong word, but I felt something. And his attitude changed instantly. I told him to shut up and pay attention and he did just that. So did the other three people in ear shot. I wasn't really thinking of it then, but looking back the reaction I got was, while not like sci-fi hocus-pocus or mind control or anything, out of the range of a normal reaction."

"The second was right as I was getting shot. It felt like time slowed as the car was bearing down on me, but that isn't what happened. My body was moving at the same speed everyone else, well in relation to how I would normally move in comparison. But I had time to think. A lot of time to think. That is how I was able to recognize what was about to happen and get Zoe out of danger. From my point of view it was like everything went into slow motion, but I think that is a flaw in perception. I think what really happened was my processing of information accelerated. That of course is a wild ass guess as I have no idea what actually happened."

"So ... what all this means is, something about me is out of the range of normal. Something is going on and for now we have to wait and see what it is, but I think we need to start paying more attention to this stuff. Because I feel like we are on just the edge of whatever it is."

I looked at everyone around the bed again, making eye contact with each.

"There is something first that I think we should all be in agreement on. The information you are hearing, it all stays in this group for now. No talking about it with your friends, with your parents, with anyone."

Tami looked confused, "Why?"

"Because what is happening is out of the range of normal, and scientists love exploring stuff that is new and unusual. Imagine what would happen if word got out. And if there is more to it, like I think there might be, it could go beyond that. I do not want to be a lab rat to be poked and prodded for the rest of my life, or worse."

"Worse."

"Cut open and autopsied for the good of science."

Tina gasped, "No one would do that."

"Yes someone would absolutely do that. Think the experiments with DDT in the 70s. Corporations and governments do not have the same moral basis as we do. If there was a chance I could hold the key to some type of discovery, it could go that way."

"To be clear, I am not saying I think that will happen, but precautions should be taken. You five women and the doctor, who we really need to come up with a way of keeping on a tight leash, are the only people in on this. You are my inner circle."

Tami looked both concerned and oddly hopeful, "Why us?"

"Trust. Vicki, Zoe and I are dating and I think more than that. We are a unit and I trust them with my life. Tina is my sister and I trust her to abide by my wishes and do what is best for me. Mrs. B is the best advisor we have, I know she cares for me, she is rational and I trust her completely. Also, we need an adult in on this; it is too big for a bunch of kids."

"And me?"

"You, Tami, are an interesting case. I find it telling of all of the friends I have made, you five are the ones in my room when I woke up. And, if I had my guess, you were invited or even prodded to be here. Right?"

She shot a glance to my two girls, "Yes."

"Ok, I need some rest and time to think. Most of you need to get home, get cleaned up, and also get some sleep. Tomorrow is a school day."

None of them, not even Mrs. Bell seemed to like that idea.

"Guys, we are at the very beginning of whatever is happening here. It is going to be a lot of wait and see what happens. This is a marathon, not a sprint. So we need to settle in for the long haul. Before you all go, could you three," I gestured at Zoe, Vicki and Tami, "stay behind for a second. I would like to talk to you."

Mrs. Bell smiled at me and gave me a hug. Tina leaned down and I gave her a kiss on the forehead. Both then stepped out into the hall. I looked at Tami.

"I am going to throw out some guesses. The girls have been asking you about stuff, haven't they?"

"Yes."

"Stuff about me"

"Yes."

"About your feelings towards me."

"Yes."

"Have they promised or told you anything specific yet?"

"No."

"But you have your hopes up, right?"

She looked away and bit the corner of her lower lip, "Yes."

"You want to join our ... umm ... relationship."

"Yes."

"Ok. I need to talk to the girls for a little bit now and I won't promise anything, but I want you to know I really like you. We will talk about this when I am out of the hospital and not jacked up on meds, ok?"

"Ok."

"Come here a second."

She leaned down towards me and I kissed her. It was a slow and somewhat passionate kiss that suggested a promise that I had just denied seconds before.

"Ok. Let's put a pin in this for now. Do you mind if I talk to the girls for a minute?"

"No. I will see you later Cas."

She left and I looked at my two girls. They looked away guiltily.

"So you two have been plotting I see."

Zoe kept dodging my gaze, but Vicki decided to meet me head on. Of the two, she clearly had the more forceful personality.

"Yes. She has it bad for you Cas. Has ever since that date with you. She turns down every boy who asks her out. All of them. She only talks about you now."

"And how do you two feel about adding a fourth?"

Zoe finally joined in the conversation, "You said it yourself. Nothing about what is happening is normal. And I think the three of us fall into that category. Have you ever heard of high school kids with a relationship like ours? And on top of that, the thought of adding her to our ... umm ... group I guess doesn't scare me at all. Vicki and I have talked about it, and we are both very much into the idea."

"I can see that. I want to make it clear; there will be no junior partners in our relationship. I know we started this off with me loving Zoe more than Vicki, and Vicki not really loving either of us, but that has changed, I can feel it."

Both girls nodded.

"I don't think there is any half way in this. I can already feel the pull of her. If she comes in, there is no undoing it without both of us getting hurt. My affection for her will almost certainly be the same as it is for the two of you. Are you ok with this?"

They held hands and both looked evenly at me before Zoe spoke up.

"More than ok. We want this too."

"Ok. We will wait till I am out of here, and let me be the one to talk to her. I want to give her a final out, and I don't want this to happen here."

They both smiled.

"Now, before you go home and I go to sleep, how about you show and remind me how much I love you two."

After ten minutes the nurse came in and ended our make out session so I could get some rest.

Chapter 21

I spent a long time during the night, lying with my eyes closed, plotting out my next moves. I knew whatever was happening was bigger than anyone had discussed yet, mostly because I could feel something happening. The biggest tip-offs were my planning and concerns. I had always been aware of my own intellect, but ideas, thoughts and understandings were coming much faster than I had ever experienced before. I could literally feel the difference in my mental abilities, and it was scaring me a little. There was no good reason I could imagine for getting suddenly smarter overnight. But there it was, and I was using whatever this was to make plans.

My first step was to call Jonathan Colleta, the lawyer who had helped me when I was arrested. I called as soon as I thought someone would be in his office. I arranged for him to draw up some documents and worked out how I would pay for the service, since this was on my own dime. Luckily what I wanted wasn't extremely time consuming, but it would eat into my earnings from work.

Next was to call work and let them know what happened. Ted offered any help he could, and said my job would be waiting when I was back on my feet. For all the entitlement and stubbornness I got from Josh, I am surprised by the difference in his uncle.

The girls had school, so I knew I wouldn't see them until the afternoon; but, Mrs. Bell had taken off work, just to be with me. Luckily, she was able to stop and pick up the paperwork from Mr. Colleta's office.

"Cas, what is this exactly," she asked as she handed me a sealed manila envelope.

"My plan to get a little control over Doctor Chang. We need to understand what is happening, and she is our best resource to do that. But, I don't know her, and I don't trust her, so I need leverage. Would you see if you can find her?"

She gave me a look, but went out of the room anyway. Ten minutes later she, returned with the doctor in tow.

"You were looking for me, Mr. Grey."

"Yes, I was. After our conversation last night, I did some thinking. There is more going on than you know from your tests. I think if you are going to study what is happening to me, you need to be in the loop, all the way."

She looked very pleased in a haughty, self-centered way, "Excellent. Let me get something to record our conversation."

I held up a hand, "Not so fast. First, some insurance."

"Insurance?"

"Yep. I am giving you a lot of access to my life. I need to make sure neither my friends nor I are exposed to any potential harm. Here."

She took the envelope, "What is this?"

"I want you to sign that. It is a non-disclosure agreement, and a contract. In exchange for complete access to me, and my complete cooperation; you are agreeing, in writing, to not talk to anyone I do not designate, about anything you learn. You are not to keep any notes or records. You can, of course, take notes, but they stay with me, locked up. You can also access them any time you wish, but I can't take the chance of your notes ending up with someone else. We made the penalties pretty harsh if you break any of the rules, or talk to anyone about this."

"What makes you think I would sign something like this?"

"Same thing that made me think you would last night. You are dying to know what is going on. And I'll bet even more so, now that you know there is more information you don't have."

"And if I don't sign?"

"You get nothing else from me when I walk out of here. Also, I will have my lawyer regularly check to ensure you are not in violation of any HIPAA laws, by sharing my tests."

She did not look happy about that.

"Doctor Chang, I want to make it clear. I want to work with you on this. I think I could benefit from your expertise. I think eventually you could use the information to get the boost to your career you want. But, everything has to be done in a way where I am protected. I promise we will find a way for you to use whatever you discover, but on my terms. Can you work with this?"

"I don't have a choice, do I?"

"No, but that shouldn't stop us from working together."

She frowned again, but took out a pen and signed the papers.

"Okay, so what else do you have to tell me?"

"Not here. Come by Mrs. Bell's house on Thursday and we will have a long conversation."

"I can live with that. I should have some of my first reports back by then."

"Great. See, it's all working out."

She harrumphed at me and left. That afternoon I got the second thing I needed out of the way, a visit with police detectives. Luckily, the detective that showed up was the one I had dealt with at the station and not the uniformed cop who seemed to have it in for me. It was still too early for the girls to be out of school, so it was just Mrs. Bell and I in the room when he arrived.

"Mr. Grey, I don't know if you remember me..."

"I remember you, Detective Casper. I guess you are here about the shooting?"

"Yes. We got statements from everyone at the scene, but now that you are cleared to talk by your doctor, we wanted to talk to you. Can you describe to me what happened?"

"Sure. I was walking home from school with Zoe. The path to our neighborhood leads through a small section of woods and we were on the back side of the school. We had already crossed the parking lot. I didn't notice anything at first, as I had a lot on my mind. The first clue, that I had that something was wrong was the squealing of tires. I turned and saw a car coming towards us. The rear window was down and I could see a gun. I reached over, grabbed Zoe, and threw her out of the line of fire. Just about then the car crossed in front of me and there were gunshots ... I don't remember how many. I felt the bullets hit and fell to the ground, striking my head. Then I blacked out."

"Did you see who was driving?"

"No, as soon as I saw the gun, I stopped paying attention to the car. I was only trying to get Zoe out of the way."

"So I am guessing you didn't see the license plate."

"No. Honestly, I don't even remember what the car was, except that it had a dark paint job, like dark blue or black or something. I was more concerned with Zoe's safety. Sorry."

"I would ask if anyone had a grudge against you, but I already know the answer to that."

"Yes, they would be my first guess. Them or their friends."

He closed his notebook.

"Sorry I couldn't be more help."

"It's okay. It isn't unusual for the victim in cases like this to miss the details. There is usually a lot going on, and the fact that you were able to get your girlfriend out of harm's way says a lot. It could have been a lot worse than it was."

Mrs. Bell touched the detective on his arm to get his attention.

"Do you have any leads?"

"I can't really talk about that, but I will say whoever did this was not very smart about it. There were a lot of witnesses in the parking lot. A student and a teacher both wrote down the license plate ... so, yeah, we have a lot of leads."

He looked back at me.

"I think we'll be able to clear this, but we will need you to testify when it goes to court. Also, these guys are still out there, so be careful and stay aware of what is going on around you."

"Yes, Sir."

"I think that's all I need, for now. We'll be in touch."

A few hours after the detectives left, my two ... or rather, it seemed three ... girls showed up from school. They must have hurried, since Zoe and Tami were still in their cheerleader uniforms. They hadn't even stopped to change. They were just in time, too, as I was getting released from the hospital. I was still ordered to stay on 'bed rest' for the next week and a half. I also had a follow-up appointment with the doctor, after that before I could be cleared to go back to school.

Eventually it was time to go. Doctor Chang showed up as we were leaving to say goodbye, and to remind me to take it easy and stay in bed. Getting from the wheelchair that the Candystriper was pushing, and into the car, was harder than I would have thought. It would have been hard enough because of my injuries, but the three girls trying to help me added a lot of confusion. Eventually, Mrs. Bell had to put her foot down, and make the girls back off. She also announced I would still be staying with her while I recuperated, and took me back to their house. Once in Zoe's room, I noticed something. The bed was different. Where there had been a double bed and a lot of floor space, before, now there was a king sized bed. It was so big that it made the room seem small. I looked at Mrs. Bell but she just shrugged and helped me get comfortable. She did admonish all three girls to take it easy on me as she headed out of the room.

"What's with the new bed?"

Zoe laughed, "Believe it or not, it was Mom's idea. She said if you were going to be staying here with me and a bunch of other girls then I needed to make some changes."

"Wow! I am ... surprised."

"Yea! Six months ago I would have never guessed my mother would be cool with this. I mean, basically, my boyfriend is moving in with me."

"Well, while I am hurt, at least."

Vicki signed, "I wish I could move in with you guys."

Tami was sitting at the foot of the bed and just said, "Yeah, me too."

We all looked at her and she looked sheepish.

"Okay, I think now is a good time to have this conversation. Tami, first I want to make sure this is what you want. You understand how unusual this relationship is. You wouldn't just be dating me, but the girls, too. We are all equal in this, together. Wouldn't you rather find one guy who can give you all the attention you deserve?"

She shook her head and her eyes looked panicked. "No. I don't want any other guy. I want you, and I will take you any way I can get you, and I really like Zoe and Vicki, too. Plus, I see you three together. You are all so loving. You really care for each other. No one I have ever dated has been half as loving as the three of you are to each other. Besides, how can I get more attention from one person, than I can from three people? No, this is what I want. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you guys since you kissed me last night. I want to be part of this relationship, if you will have me."

I smiled at her as I replied, "I spoke with the girls last night. They have been trying to maneuver you into our relationship for a little while. They both are totally on board. I am, too. We all really like you Tami, so ... yes, you're in. You are our girlfriend."

She squealed and leapt on me, which caused me to groan in pain.

"Oh god, Cas ... I'm so sorry."

I groaned again, but wrapped her with my good arm and pulled her down to me.

"It's okay baby, I will survive. I think however, we are going to have to limit our romance until I am better. Now, if only our other two girlfriends would join us."

It didn't take much prompting and they were on us in a flash. The four of us engaged in some fairly serious petting. It was funny to watch Tami when she played with the girls. It was clear she didn't have any girl-on-girl experience, and yet she was throwing herself into it with enthusiasm! I wasn't sure if it was for her own pleasure, or to try and prove something to us, but she was really getting into it. Eventually, it was time for Vicki and Tami to go to their own homes.

We ate dinner, with me lying on the couch, and the other two eating on TV trays. I was in a fairly good mood. I had resisted adding Tami to our group; but now that she was in, I was actually really happy about it. Not in that 'ohh here's another girl to sleep with' way. I didn't really even understand it myself, but it was the same thing that had happened with Vicki. Once I brought them into my life in a romantic way, my attitude shifted and I became somehow attached to them. I wasn't sure what that attachment was, but I could feel it with all three girls.

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts about Tami, that I didn't notice how quiet Zoe was being until she helped me into bed.

"Zoe, is something wrong?"

"Yeah, well, maybe. I don't know."

"Are you having second thoughts about Tami?"

She looked surprised as she said, "God, no! I think Tami is amazing. I am really glad we added her to our group. No, what is bothering me is this."

She lifted up her shirt just enough to expose her stomach. I have spent a lot of time looking at Zoe's body and feeling her stomach, so I did notice the difference. She has always been toned, but never muscular. She is kind of firm but kind of soft. When she lifted her shirt I noticed the beginnings of a four pack where before she'd a smooth stomach.

"Have you been working out a lot?"

"No. Actually we have been so busy lately that I have been working out less and eating worse. I noticed it this morning. It's not just my abs, the rest of my muscles are a lot more defined. I went by the weight room today to check, and I can lift a lot more then I used to. I actually gave a couple of the football players a run for their money ... and that isn't all."

"What else?"

"This is going to sound crazy, but I swear to God I am smarter today than I was before. I don't know when it happened, but I noticed it today. Everything is coming a lot easier. A couple of classes I was struggling in were no problem today. I understood everything. I don't know if I am making any sense."

"You are. I understand what you are saying. When did you notice everything?"

"I noticed it today. I was so distracted yesterday with feeling sick, and then you getting shot, and the hospital, and everything ... that I wasn't paying attention to anything else. So, really, who knows?"

"I wonder if it is connected with your getting sick. The timing is too ... convenient. I guess the best thing we can do is wait and watch. Next time I go talk to the doctor, you should come with me."

She looked down, "I guess. I just hope whatever is happening stays. It is amazing. You know how I have kind of been toying around with computers? Well, today at lunch, I went by the library. I read most of a book on programming, and I understood everything. I have always been intimidated by computers before. I think, now, with whatever this is, I want to start really learning them."

"I think you could do it, even if nothing was happening. You are an amazing person, Zoe, and I have faith that you can do anything you put your mind to."

She lay down next to me and cuddled on my good arm.

"Well, you are highly biased, Mister ... and I love you for that."

After a couple of sweet kisses, we both fell asleep.

Chapter 22

The next morning, everyone was gone ... including Mrs. Bell, who'd had to go to work. I was mobile enough that I could go get something to drink or go to the bathroom, but I was still supposed to lie down most of the day.

It was still a little before lunch, and I was just finishing reading Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers ... a title I found amusing since it sounded like I was reading a book owned by someone else ... when the doorbell rang.

It rang twice more in the time it took me to get to the door. I found if I moved slowly, it didn't hurt so badly. Finally, I got to the door and opened it. To my surprise, Margret stood on the other side.

"Margret? Is everything okay?"

"No, it is not. Can I come inside?"

I stepped out of her way, and let her by. She walked past me and sat down in the living room on one of the couches. I made my way to the big, soft recliner and sat gently down, and then raising it so I could get in a half-laying down position to take some of the pressure off my wound.

"Sorry, I need to stay more or less horizontal as much as I can. What's up?"

"What is up is I have had enough."

Her voice was cracking from the amount of anger in it. We hadn't been getting along well, but I wasn't sure why she was so mad.

"Enough of what?"

"Of everything. Of your behavior. Fights at school and now some kind of gun battle. Medical bills piling up that we can't afford."

"I was cleared of any wrong doing in those fights. And I got shot just standing still, they were in a car. That isn't a gun battle. I am sorry this has put more of a burden on our family ... that I agree is my fault. I know I am a minor, but I will see what I can do about getting those bills applied, to me and not to you. I can try and pay for it out of my job."

"It isn't just that. I don't know where you got the nerve to send Angela Bell over to talk to me, or how you convinced her you were some kind of saint, but I do not take kindly to that. You know I was working and couldn't come to the hospital. I do not need to be lectured, and certainly not on the behalf of a teenager."

I hadn't known Mrs. Bell went to see her, but I could see that it would have bothered her that Margret didn't come and visit me at the hospital.

"I am sorry she came to talk to you. I didn't know that had happened. I will talk to her and make sure she leaves you alone."

"I would prefer if you left me alone. I don't want you in my house any longer. You have caused nothing but trouble since the day you moved in."

"So, you're kicking me out?"

"Yes. I am sure your girlfriend will take you in. It's clear this is where you want to be, anyway."

"I would prefer to stay with you, since you are my legal guardian. I never wanted there to be a rift between us, and for that I apologize."

"Don't sweet talk me. You may fool everyone else, but I see through your little act."

Margret was being more unreasonable than usual. I knew there was no talking to her like this.

"Well, I am sorry you feel that way. Regardless, I will come get my things when I am up and moving again."

"I will have your stuff brought over. I don't want you to step foot in my house again, and I want you to leave Tina alone."

"That is where we are going to have a problem. I plan on continuing to spend time with Tina, and to act as her brother."

"She is my daughter! I can say who..."

"And technically I am your son, regardless if you kick me out. If you start hassling her or me about us spending time together, then we will have a problem. I am sure child protective services would love to hear about how you are treating your adopted son. Do you want to lose Tina to the state?"

She practically growled at me, "I knew this is what you were like. Fine! Blackmail me all you want. I don't care who you spend time with, as long as it isn't in my house."

I kept my calm and didn't scream at her, but it was a close thing.

"Okay. Please send my stuff over here when you can. I will only contact you when I have to, as you are still my legal guardian. Past that I will leave you alone."

She said nothing else to me. She just stood up and walked out of the house, slamming the front door. I closed my eyes and tried to get a grip on my temper. I thought about getting up to call Mrs. Bell, but I didn't want to move any more than I had to, and she'd already missed enough work because of me.

Eventually I did get up ... when nature called. I took that opportunity to grab some more books before lying down. That was where I was when Zoe, Vicki and Tami got home.

I was focused on my reading, and didn't hear them come in. The first clue I had that they were in the room was when I heard "Holy Shit!' from behind me.

I looked up ... well, upside down ... and saw the three girls standing in the doorway.

"Hey ladies. How was school?"

Vicki smirked at me, "Before we get into anything, how long have you been able to do that?"

"Do what? Read?"

"Read that fast. We sat here watching you for several minutes and it seemed like you were just glancing at a page for like thirty seconds and then going to the next."

"Really? I just kind of got absorbed in what I was reading. I didn't think it was any faster than normal."

"Well it is. I have seen you read before ... and, yeah, you're a fast reader ... but not like this. I guess that explains the giant stack of books you had Mrs. Bell pick up. I thought you couldn't make up your mind, but you are going to read all of those, aren't you?"

"Yeah. Gotta do something when I am lying here, and you are all at school. Now, how about instead of standing in the door watching me read, you three get over here and let me show you how much I missed you."

Of course that was more talk than anything, as it was already getting late in the day. We only fooled around for twenty minutes before they had to start working on homework. Even then, it was nice to have all my girls there with me, even if they were doing their own thing. At one point Zoe looked up at me and saw a goofy grin on my face.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about how lucky I am."

That got me a chorus of 'awwws'. I was starting to figure out some of the tricks to this dating thing. Just then the door downstairs opened and we heard Mrs. Bell shout up that she was home.

"I need to talk to Mrs. B for a minute. Can you girls hang up here for a minute so I can go talk to her?"

Zoe was shaking her head, "No. You have been moving around too much as it is. I want you to stay here and lie down. We will go get her and send her up."

"Yes, Ma'am."

That got me a pat on the head as she and the other two girls were leaving. After a minute, Mrs. Bell came into the room.

"You needed to talk to me, Cas?" she said smiling at me.

"Yeah. Margret came over today to talk to me."

Her smile faded instantly ash she asked, "What did she want?"

"She wanted to make it clear that I wasn't welcome in her house, anymore. She tried to forbid me to see Tina too. But I squashed that idea. I can still see Tina, but I can't stay there any longer."

"Oh dear. I was afraid this would happen."

"Did you go talk to her?"

She looked away for a second, then said, "Yes, I did. I was very angry she didn't even come to the hospital to see you. As soon as I started talking to her, I realized it was a mistake. Her feelings for you are so irrational that there is no way we can reason with her. I am sorry I messed up everything for you."

"It's not your fault, Mrs. B. This was bound to happen. You're right about how irrational she has been. There isn't much we can do about that. But, it leaves me with a problem. I now need to find a place to live."

"No you don't. You can live here. You practically do, anyway, and we already consider you part of the family."

"Thanks, Mrs. B. I was hoping you would say that. Umm, about living here..."

"I think this is a discussion for more than just you or me."

She hollered for the girls, who all came thumping up the stairs and into the room.

"Okay, family meeting time."

I looked at her sideways, and she noticed the glance.

"You heard me. I am not sure how we got here, but this is now our weird little family. I don't know Tami all that well, but if you three have accepted her I am sure she will fit right in. So, we have a new change. Cas is going to be living here permanently from now on."

The conversation was interrupted by Zoe's squeal.

"Before you get too excited, we need to think about where he is staying. I know you kids would prefer to share a room, but there are issues with that. One, if anyone ever brought it up and sent CPS here they would have problems with that. I could be accused of contributing to the delinquency of a minor."

"So..."

"We have the guest room. We will set that up as Cas's room. Although I am not a fool, I know you two will end up in the same room, just ... don't be too obvious about it. Okay? I must be out of my mind."

She mumbled that last part to herself.

"No, you aren't. This is a weird situation, I agree. And I appreciate how liberal you are with us."

"Yeah Yeah," she waved her hand at us as she turned to leave.

Vicki sank back on the bed next to me, looking at the ceiling, "I wonder how I can talk my parents into living here with you guys."

That stopped Mrs. Bell cold, "No. No you don't. We are not breaking up any families here. While you are still kids and under your parents care, you will live where they want you to live. Cas is a special case, and I will accept frequent visits ... but you live with your families. Families are important."

Vicki sighed, "Okay, you're right. It just I have two now. My normal family and my ... um ... I don't know what to call us."

"Me either," Mrs. Bell said over her shoulder on her way out of the room.

The rest of the week and a half of bed rest was more or less me reading during the day, and spending time with the girls at night. All in all it was a really peaceful week in spite of my being in pain from my wound and having been kicked out of my house. Finally, our appointment with the doctor came around. Hopefully, I would be cleared to get back to school. I was starting to go stir crazy.

Normally, this is done at the hospital. However, as we had other things to talk about, we arranged for Doctor Chang to meet us at the house. It was late in the afternoon, and the meeting included the three girls and Mrs. Bell, in addition to me and the doctor. Doctor Chang was in her full professional mode and started off before we could offer her a drink or anything. It was all we could do to get her to hold on for a moment, 'till we could get seated, instead of talking by the front door.

I derailed her before she could jump in again.

"Doc, before we get started on what you have learned and what we have to tell you, could we get the examination out of the way. I think the conversation will be distracting enough that if we don't take care of this now; we might not get it done. I need to get off of bed rest before I go insane."

She opened her mouth to argue, paused, and then said, "I guess you're right. I just really want to talk about what I learned."

She came over, checked my vitals and looked under the bandages. She pressed and poked at me asking 'does this hurt' and 'how about here'? She was as thorough with her examination here, as she'd been in the hospital, and I had no complaints. Although she was a little high-strung and pushy, she was a very competent doctor.

"You seem to be healing very nicely. Actually, better than nicely. I continue to be astounded by your recovery rate. You will probably still experience stiffness and pain, and I want you to refrain from strenuous physical activity, but you are cleared to return to school. No more bed rest."

"Thank God! I can't wait to get out of the house."

She shook a finger at me, and smiled.

"This is not a license to go right back to your old routine. Take it easy, and make sure someone there knows to watch out for you."

I let out a short laugh, then said "I don't think that will be a problem. I have a feeling my nursemaids will not let me out of their sight."

All three girls were nodding their heads in agreement.

"Okay, good. With that done we can get to the good stuff. Before I tell you about my findings, I would like to hear this additional information you mentioned."

"Sure thing. So, besides my weird blood tests, and whatever else you found, we have noticed other oddities about me."

"First is, how people react to me. It is very much out of the ordinary. I generally get one of two reactions. Either people seem predisposed to trust me and support me or they are set to hate me. That may seem like just a teenager complaining and I am not talking about bias but an extreme level of both. A good example of the 'hate' part would be the police officer who doctored a report of a fight so I could be put in jail. This is a woman whom I had never met before, yet her report was biased to the point that when charges were dropped, I got a personal apology from one of the detectives about the report and her attitude. That is one example, but there are others. Any of the ladies here can attest to how strong it is. The flip side is equally strong. Recently, I was able to talk the school principal into overriding school and district policy, so that I could handle a disciplinary problem with another student at school. I may be persuasive, but no one is that persuasive."

"That is of course all anecdotal, and while notable, isn't something easily quantifiable. I'll get it, if you want to write that off. Next are my physical and mental abilities. At the hospital you mentioned my tests looking like something you would expect from a world class athlete. I may not be world class, but they can attest that my physical abilities are above the norm. I can run a six minute mile for an hour with no problem and hold a conversation while I do it. The mental side of things, I think I can show you an example. Girls, would you go up and get those books."

They all nodded, having been told before hand that I would ask for them. Each came back with an armload of fairly dense books and professional journals. All covered physics, math or engineering.

"I read all of these, this week ... and, if you open to random pages, I would be happy to answer any question you might come up with."

She did just that. The doctor would take a book, open it randomly, read a few sentences and formulate a question. After I'd answered the twentieth question, she put the books down and looked back at me.

"That is astounding. Have you always read like this?"

"I have always been a fast reader and intelligent, but the degree to which I am picking up knowledge seems to have accelerated since the shooting. But, again, that is hard to quantify. It's not like I measured my reading prior to the attack."

She nodded, her eyes getting a far off look as she replied, "That would make sense."

When I gave her a questioning look, she waved me off.

"We will get to that in a minute. What else?"

I told her about the slow motion thing. She sat stunned for a minute before speaking.

"Do you feel like something happened to those around you or was it something happening to you?"

"Definitely something happening to me. No one else noticed anything weird."

"Were you actually moving faster or was it a perceived speed?"

"I don't think I was moving fast at all. In fact, my body felt sluggish as I tried to move it. I am pretty sure I was moving at the same speed as everyone else. But, I had time to consider and plan. If I had to guess I would say my mental processing speed accelerated. I think the slow motion thing was my perception of the situation, and not a physical thing."

"Has it happened since the shooting?

"No, that was the only time. I have some guesses about it, but they would be just that-- guesses."

"Okay, is there anything else?"

"Nope, that's it for me. Nothing overt, except the slow motion thing, which could be written off as something I dreamed up while on medication following the shooting. But when you take all of them collectively, and add in the blood test thing, it becomes suggestive. Also, there is Zoe."

"What about her?"

She said this last part while looking over at Zoe and considering.

"Zoe has started to feel some things. She got sick the other morning out of the blue, and since has started accelerating in her classes and noticing increases in her physical performance. This seems to have started right before the shooting. We really haven't had much time to consider the implications or even verify if something is actually happening, but I thought I would throw it out there."

"I see. We will table that part for now and focus on you, but I think it would be a good idea to bring her in for tests. Actually, I would like to bring every one of your inner circle here in for tests. If something is happening to her, it is possible that is caused by interaction with you or all of you are affected by something in the environment. Who knows? Regardless I would like to get some baseline tests on everyone and make sure we see the whole picture."

"Now, about your tests. I want to say upfront I took your concerns about secrecy very seriously. I ran all the tests I could, myself. On those where I needed the assistance of someone else, I anonymized the data, and held all the results myself. No one has looked at any of your tests results collectively, except for me, so there shouldn't be anything that might bring in unwanted interest."

"I ran a full panel on your blood work and started on a full DNA workup. That of course takes a while, but I did get back the preliminary results. In addition I have the results of the MRI and CAT scans that we took while you were still in the hospital."

"The blood work continues to be suggestive. I am sure that the morphing that we observed is actually your cells attacking and changing the introduced serum, and not your blood itself changing. Your white blood cells in particular are interesting. They are significantly more aggressive than they should be, and they go after anything that is introduced. It seems your body does not need antibodies in order to start reacting. In the lab I, threw in some low level viruses, ones that you mostly likely have never encountered or been vaccinated against. Since your blood was responding to foreign cells so aggressively, I wanted to see what it would do against something actually attacking it. From a biological standpoint, it was brutal. Your cells shrugged off every attempt for the virus to latch on and your white blood cells attacked and destroyed the invader. That shouldn't have happened, at least not like that."

"I then took it a step further. While I couldn't use anything really serious without having to go through channels to get access to a lab with a high enough bio-safety level, I did have access to a sample of HIV, which I threw against both a tissue sample and a blood sample that we took. Keep in mind there is no immunity from HIV. We have no effective antiviral and no immunizations. Your sample however had no problem in withstanding the virus's attempts at infection. I haven't seen anything like it. Your blood seems to be a cure for practically every virus and bacteria I could test. For a moment I thought you might be the key to a serious medical breakthrough."

"Unfortunately that wasn't to be. Any attempts I made to synthesize or replicate your cells in order to build something we could create in the lab failed. There seems no way to duplicate your unique ability. That means for anyone to make use of your gift, they would have to get blood or plasma directly from you."

I nodded in understanding, and Mrs. Bell was staring wide eyed at Doctor Chang. Vicki and Tami looked a little perplexed, but I noticed Zoe was also nodding and clearly followed along.

"I guess it's a good thing I worked so hard to keep you from sharing any of the information."

Tami finally broke in, "Why is that? I get that Cas's blood can beat infections, but why is it important to keep that a secret?"

Doctor Chang kept looking at me as she answered Tami, "Because Caspian was correct. If people found out about this, his life would surely be in danger. This isn't something we can replicate or make medicine out of. Imagine how much someone would pay to get their hands on him, the source of a cure-all for a wide range of diseases. Imagine how desperate someone might be, and imagine if they are rich and powerful. They would spare no expense at capturing and draining every drop out of him to cure themselves."

All three girls looked a little scared, "Don't worry. We took precautions against that. Doctor Chang has shared none of this information and kept it really compartmentalized. We are fine."

Having reassured them, or at least attempted to reassure them, I turned my attention back to the doctor.

"So my system fights off infection. What else."

"That isn't a small thing, but you're right. There is more. From the blood tests, beyond what we talked about it also seems your system is extremely efficient at what it does. For instance, your blood carries significantly more oxygen than normal. There is a technique (not legal) in competitive sports where someone will store some of their blood and then inject it into themselves prior to a race. This effectively increases the amount of oxygen their body can transport for a time, and thereby increasing the efficiency of their muscles. Your system seems to be able to accomplish the same thing without the assistance of blood doping. It goes part way to explaining your observations about your physical abilities."

"Beyond the blood tests, were the results from the MRI. Now, I want to be clear that this next part is not an exact science. There is still a lot that we don't know about how the human brain works, and a lot of what I am basing my analysis on comes from really cutting-edge research that still hasn't been completed or verified."

"In your scans we saw a significant increase in the activity in both the posterior parietal cortex, and frontoparietal network. Research suggests that there is a correlation with increased activity in these areas of the brain, specifically involvement of the frontoparietal network through preferential activation of the posterior parietal regions, and high intelligence. The difference is, that in gifted subjects where this activity was identified, it was considered statistically significant. Yours goes beyond that into actually significant readings. That may not sound like much to you, but in science there is a big difference between statistically significant findings and observably significant findings."

"I know that was a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, so let break it down a little bit. You sometimes hear people say we use 10% of our brain and then go on to speculate what would happen if we used a greater percentage of our brains. None of this is really accurate. We use all of our brains. All of us do. It is the level to which the brain is used that is notable. The volume of neurons being transmitted, the increase in blood flow in the brain, all of this is indication of increased volume of brain activity. In our tests on you, we found the activity well above normal."

"I don't buy into most IQ tests, as the results are too easy to be skewed, but I am certain you would test off the charts. Your feelings about your level of intelligence seem accurate, from a purely biological standpoint. That is not, however, what is most interesting about your brain scans. There are areas of your brain that have marked activity, where we never see any activity at all. Honestly, I have no guess as to what this means, as we are outside the realm of known science. We are not even sure of everything these areas of the brain control."

All I could say was, "Huh!"

"That is also not the most amazing thing we learned."

We all were just staring at her. She knew she had us hooked.

"The initial DNA results are in. It is too early to get back any genetic tests, but your DNA is not human."

"WHAT?!" I swear all of us yelled that at the same time.

She, however, was smiling at us.

"Okay, I did that for the drama, and it isn't really accurate. You are most definitely human, but your DNA shows some kind of mutation, compared to of what we would normally expect."

I had been pretty smug, at least in my head, at being able to follow along with her description of everything. However, this last part completely derailed me. I was still way back at the beginning.

"Wait, so I'm a mutant?"

"Technically that is accurate, but don't take it like that. Mutations happen all the time. People with pigmentation problems or an extra toe are genetic mutations. It's how we evolve."

Mrs. Bell finally broke in, "How far are you in your research on this? I am guessing this is mostly supposition on your part. You would need a full genetic workup to know for sure if he is genetically different."

"Genetically different," it seemed like my brain would never catch up.

Mrs. Bell took sympathy on me, "Cas, don't put too much into this. Don't freak out until we know what is going on."

I relented, but couldn't keep the doubt out of my voice, "Fine. I will wait for a while to find out if I am a genetic freak."

Mrs. Bell just patted my hand before turning back to the Doctor and saying, "You have entered my field. Since I am already in the know I would like to work with you on the results of his tests. Let's see if we can build a full genetic profile."

Doctor Chang actually looked relieved.

"Good, I was hoping you would offer that. I looked you up, and you have pretty good reputation from what I was told. This is a little outside my area of expertise, so I will take all the help I can get."

She then addressed me again, clearly wrapping up.

"Caspian let me and Angela work on this, and get some real answers. I would like you, Zoe and the rest of your girlfriends to come in for a complete workup as well. I want to get as much data on you and everyone around you as we can. We are a long way from being able to figure out what is going on with you."

I nodded and numbly let the girls lead me upstairs for some comforting. It isn't every day that someone suggests you're a mutant! I knew it would be a while before I could adjust and start making sense of everything.

Chapter 23

After Doctor Chang left I was in a funk, lost in my own head. Thankfully, the girls were very understanding. They didn't leave me on my own, but also didn't intrude on my thinking. I sat in one of the more comfortable chairs in Zoe's room and stared off into space. The girls spread across the room, doing quite things to let me have solitude to think but refusing to leave me alone. Tami and Vicki lay on the bed next to each other, doing homework while Zoe sat on the floor, leaning against the wall facing me. She was pretending to read, but I noticed when she thought I wasn't looking she would just stare at me with a look of concern. Even though I had a lot to think about, I did spare a minute to be thankful of how wonderful my girls were.

Most of my concentration was on what Doctor Chang has said. It was clear from her tests that I was a genetic abnormality, but what did that mean. What caused it? Was I born this way? If so were my birth parents also like me? Or did they find out about me and decide to get rid of me because of it? Was I abandoned because I was some genetic freak?

I weighed the possibilities of what this would mean with my life. I could see the clear upside. There was no denying the upside of having some kind of extreme resistance to getting sick and increased physical and mental abilities. But I could see downsides, too. Besides the danger discussed in our little meeting, there were other considerations. What would my genetics passed down to children be like? Also, clearly my abilities were becoming stronger, so what was next? Where would this stop?

Eventually, I gave up worrying. I sighed and announced it was time for bed. Vicki and Tami both had called their parents and received permission to sleep over with Zoe. I am pretty sure no one mentioned that I would also be sleeping with them.

When Vicki reached across to start caressing my chest I put a hand on hers.

"I am sorry sweetheart, but I have too much bouncing through my head. This is going to sound strange, coming from a guy, but I am really not in the mood, tonight."

Tami hugged against my back, "We understand, Cas. You had a big bombshell dropped on you."

I reached around and grabbed her hand while still holding Vicki's, "Thank you for being so wonderful. Just because I don't feel like fooling around, I don't want you to think it means I feel any different towards you girls. I still love you three with all my heart."

Vicki turned around so I could spoon her, and pushed tightly into me while Tami pushed in hard behind me. It almost felt like they were trying to make us into one person. Zoe was now on the front side of Vicki, spooning, and pulled my arm across Vicki so she could hold my hand.

"We love you, too, Cas. Just remember we are here if you need to talk."

"Thanks, Zoe."

I kissed the back of Vicki's neck and we all drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like I was being squished. Vicki had turned around in her sleep, and was pressed against one shoulder with Tami pressed against my side, but under my shoulder so she didn't bother my injury. Zoe had somehow managed to work herself completely over Vicki to lay on top of me, again lower on my body so she didn't push against my chest wound. I was nearly totally covered by the girls.

It was mildly claustrophobic but I didn't make a sound, not wanting to wake the girls and break the loving contact with them. Zoe must have noticed my change in breathing however.

"Am I squishing you?"

"Yes, but I think I like it. However, if you girls don't let me up soon, we are going to have an accident here in the bed."

Zoe scrambled off me, waking up the two girls and I was able to escape to the bathroom. Since everyone was still asleep I went out for a very slow walk. I knew I wasn't up to running yet, but I wanted to get my muscles working again. I had read somewhere that physical activity was important in the recuperation process.

It also gave me more thinking time. I loved our workout group, but I also missed my solo morning runs. We had a busy day ahead of us. Besides a trip to the hospital to get the girls tested, there was also a football game that evening. Tami and Zoe would both have to cheer at it, and I knew Vicki wanted to go and support them. I am not sure why, but she loved watching Zoe, and I guess now Tami, out on the field.

When I got home I was surprised to see another car in the driveway. Walking inside I found Mr. Colleta sitting at the kitchen table with Mrs. Bell and the girls.

"Mr. Colleta, is something wrong?"

He stood up and shook my hand, "No, I am not here about anything bad. You heard that both Tyler and Tony were arrested and charged with attempted murder on you and Zoe?"

"No, I didn't know that, but I have been a little out of the loop. Why on Zoe?"

"She was added to the count, because she was there with you. Even if she wasn't the target, she was in the line of fire. Liability follows the bullet, not the intent of the shooter."

"Huh. Ok, well, I guess I will have to testify at some point, then?"

"Yes, you will, but that is not why I'm here."

"Ok."

"Their attorneys have contacted me about a settlement."

"A settlement to what?"

"Well, besides a criminal case, they are open to a civil lawsuit for the shooting."

"But we haven't sued them."

"No, but you could, and they are worried about it. Both families have money, and are worried you will come for it."

I stopped and thought about that. I didn't want to hurt their families, although I can say I wasn't all that happy with them. These two didn't get the way they were in a vacuum, and their parents had some hand in creating monsters like that. I think I still hated them more for trying to rape Zoe than shooting me, but I hated them all the same.

"So what was the offer?"

"Each is offering to pay $500,000 if you will sign off against ever bringing a civil lawsuit against them for the shooting. They also want you to sign off liability for the fight at school. That of course would be a lot harder for us to win if we sued them, but I think their lawyers are trying to cover all their bases."

"What about when they tried to rape Zoe?"

"They did think of that also. They have offered $25,000 each to her to shut down anything on that and her suffering from the shooting."

"Why so much less?"

"Well, for one a shooting comes with a lot more liability. Also, on the rape there were no independent witnesses. It would be a very hard case to win. If it weren't for the shooting they wouldn't have done anything on this, but as it is they are trying to make a clean sweep of the whole situation."

I looked over at Mrs. Bell and Zoe.

"For my end, I am fine, but what do you think? I feel bad that they are offering you so much less. What happened to you was horrible."

Zoe just smiled at me and took my hand, "Come on, Cas. You were shot. I was almost raped ... not actually raped. Besides, I wasn't hurt in the shooting. I am really getting paid off for being terrified, not actually being hurt. And $50,000 is a lot of money."

"Ok, if Zoe is in on that so am I. What do we have to do?"

"Nothing. I will go over the agreements to make sure they aren't overreaching, and get all that taken care of. Then you just have to get your parents to sign off."

"Umm, that might be a problem. I no longer live with my adopted mother."

"Ohh?"

"I was kicked out for being a trouble maker."

He had a shocked look on his face, "That's ridiculous. You were the victim. She shouldn't have done that."

"It's fine Mr. Colleta. I understand Margret's point of view, even if I don't agree with it. I want to just let things be and Mrs. Bell has been nice enough to take me in."

"I am still not happy with that situation, but you're the client. It will require a conversation with your mother, and Mrs. Bell would have to agree, but I think I can get her assigned temporary guardianship. That will allow her to sign off on any legal documents for you."

"That would be great, Mr. Colleta, though please don't let Margret know about the money. I do intend to pay off all the medical bills so she doesn't have to worry about that, but I don't want the money to make our relationship harder than it already is."

"I understand."

He collected his things back into his briefcase and stood up. Patting me on the uninjured shoulder he said, "I will take care of this for you. You just heal up." With a nod to Mrs. Bell he left to go do his lawyer thing.

Mrs. Bell also stood up and began collecting herself, "Ok, now we have to get to the hospital for those tests. I have no idea how long they are going to take, but there is the game tonight, and the girls have to be early enough to ride the team bus."

It actually wasn't all that bad. The four of them all had to go through getting blood drawn and various x-rays, various MRIs and CAT scans. Doctor Chang had managed to get everything rolled into some research grant she had. I wasn't very clear on the specifics of it, but it felt like she was playing very fast and loose with what she was allowed to do. The net result was that the tests cost us nothing, so that at least helped. We met her in her office after the last scanning was done.

"While you were getting all the scans out of the way I did some quick tests on each of your blood. Angela, Vicki and Tami all show normal responses. I was able to type your blood with no problem and the morphing affects do not appear to be present in your samples."

Mrs. Bell was starting to look concerned, "What about Zoe?"

"That is where it gets interesting. Her blood reacted very similarly to Caspian's. We won't know about anything else until we do further testing, but this will give us a lot to think on. The odds of two people having the same genetic mutation, especially one like this, has such a low probability that we can discount it as being developed independently. Everything else is up in the air, but your tests will help us nail this down."

We thanked Doctor Chang, but now both Zoe and Mrs. B were distracted by the news. In the car we all started throwing out guesses, until Mrs. Bell shut us down.

"There is no use sitting here trying to figure out what is happening. All we know right now is that something is making Cas and Zoe a little different. And as far as we can tell those differences are all positive. The research I am doing with Doctor Chang is progressing. This is all too weird to make guesses at."

All of us grudgingly agreed, but it was pretty clear we would go back to this discussion when Mrs. Bell wasn't around, or at least the girls would. I kind of agreed with Mrs. Bell that anything we thought now would be wild guesses, and that wasn't productive.

Soon enough it was time for the girls to go to the game. Tami really wanted to go to a party that was happening after the game. I begged off, saying I still wanted to take it easy for a few more nights before going back to school, but Vicki and Zoe both agreed to go with them. I was actually pretty happy about that. This last couple of weeks had been really stressful and they needed to blow off some steam.

I spent some time reading and making notes up in our room. Eventually I looked up and realized how late it was. The girls were still not back and I was starting to worry. I knew where the party was, it was at a house in our neighborhood. Mrs. Bell was already asleep so I got dressed and slipped out the back door. I didn't want to wake her if nothing was wrong. I figured I could check on the girls and then head back if nothing was wrong.

I quickly walked the five blocks to the party and was happy I didn't feel bad at all. My shoulder was still a bit stiff and twinged a bit, but otherwise I was feeling well on my way to being recuperated. Whatever was going on with my body it was nice to know it rebounded so quickly. I was pulled out of my thoughts the second I rounded the corner. The house was half way down the block from where I was, and I could see strobing blue lights. I quickened my pace up to a jog and just as I passed the first cop car a voice pulled me up sharp.

"Stop right there."

I turned around and felt a touch of dread. It was officer Jawarski; the woman who had arrested me and filed the flawed report. Kids were being shooed out of the house, and two came out in handcuffs followed by other officers. I recognized both from the varsity football team.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"My girlfriend is in there. I wanted to make sure she was all right and get her home."

"We are getting people out of here, not adding any in. Leave. Right now."

I stepped back to the sidewalk.

"Officer, I want to wait and make sure they come out all right. I will not go any closer to the house than this."

She was starting to look angry, or at least more angry, and was about to say something when my three girls came out of the house. They all saw me and came running over, greeting me with an armful of girls.

"We're ok, Cas. The party got out of hand. A bunch of kids from the school we played against, found out about the party and showed up. They started getting in the face of our guys, and a fight broke out."

"How many of our guys went to jail?"

"Five."

"Ok, let's get you three back home. I need to call the coach."

Tami was wobbly and had clearly been drinking. Vicki and Zoe seemed fine however. I was half carrying Tami after the first few hundred feet. She was shuffling forward but was smiling at me with a goofy grin.

"You're so nice to us, Cas."

I smiled down at her, "Had a good time I see."

She giggled, "Yeah. They had this really good punch someone made."

I looked over at Vicki.

"Don't look at me. They knew it was spiked but wanted to let their hair down."

"You didn't want to let your hair down?"

"Spoken like a clueless guy. Cas, if it is just a group of girls, you always want at least one girl to stay sober. You never know what might happen, and one of us has to be ready to go for help."

"Well, that is a frightening thought."

"That's just what it's like to be a girl in a guy's world. So I was the designated whatever, and they had some fun. What surprises me is that Zoe drank as much as Tami, yet Tami is lit up and Zoe isn't even buzzing."

Zoe shrugged her shoulders, "Yeah, that is weird. Of all the girls on the squad, everyone knows I have the lowest tolerance. I am usually such a cheap date. But ... nothing."

Our conversation had carried us to the house and in the door.

"That is weird. I am just glad you are all home and safe. What about your parents?"

This last was directed at Vicki, but she knew I meant her and Tami.

"Told them we were going to a party and crashing at Zoe's again. They threw a little fit but said ok. I don't know about Tami, but I need to spend the rest of the week in my own bed, just to keep the peace."

"Ok. Well, you two go tuck our little lush in bed. I need to call Coach, and let him know what happened."

Tami was still grinning at me like an idiot.

"You're such a good guy, Cas. I'm so happy I am in your harem."

I just laughed at her and gave her a kiss.

"I am glad, too. Now let the girls put you to bed."

She gave me back a much fiercer, if highly uncoordinated, kiss.

"I was hoping you could tuck me in."

"Honey, I have to deal with this. I will be up in a little bit."

I turned her around and swatted her butt, getting a half yelp/half giggle. I kissed the other two girls and they helped Tami wobble up the stairs. I watched them go, smiling to myself. Once they were out of sight I put my game face on and called the coach. The line picked up and there was rustling sound for a second.

"mmm ... ello."

It occurred to me how late it is.

"Sorry for calling so late. This is Caspian Grey."

"What do you want, Mr. Grey."

"We have a problem. There was an after game party that just got busted up by the cops. I didn't go to the party, but when I went to check on some friends that had gone I saw several varsity guys being pulled out in handcuffs. I was told there was some kind of fight."

There was silence on his end. I figured his brain was still pulling out of sleep and he was registering what I said. He started to sound much more awake.

"What?"

"Some of the guys from the team have been arrested. I don't know how to get ahold of their parents, to get them bailed out."

"Dammit! Okay, thanks for calling. Let me call around and see what I can find out."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No. I need to find out who was hauled in and get their parents to the jail. I will see you Monday. Thank you for calling me about this."

"No problem, Coach."

I hung up so the coach could do what he needed to do. I knew that come Monday there would be hell to pay.

Chapter 24

Sunday morning Vicki, and a slightly hung over Tami, had to head back home. They left, but only after they made Zoe promise to take care of me. With a wicked grin she told them she could handle me, no problem. I gave both girls long goodbye kisses, even though I would see them at school the next day. I hid upstairs while their parents picked them up. Better to keep my being at the extended sleepover as much under wraps as possible.

Sunday flew by quickly. We spent the day in our room. Zoe was working on something on the computer, and I was making more notes on my ideas. We did find a little time to fool around, however.

The next morning Coach found me almost as soon as I walked into the school.

"Grey, thanks for calling me."

"No problem, Coach. Sorry I couldn't do anything else. I didn't actually go to the party, myself. By the time I showed up, the cops were already hauling kids out. It's okay. I am happy to help you and the guys any way I can."

He smiled slyly at me, "I am glad you said that."

I could almost feel what was coming next, but I stayed silent and kept looking at him.

"I am going to have to bench the guys who were fighting. There is nothing I can do about that. Put that together with the cheating problem from two weeks ago, and we are starting to have problems with enough eligible players. You showed real promise, before; and, honestly, we need some bodies on the field."

"Coach, I really want to help but I don't see how I can. You know I have a job that will interfere with some practices, and maybe games."

"You work during the day on weekends, right?"

"On Saturdays, yes."

"So no problem. Our games are at night. As for practices, we will make it work. Honestly, it's either this, or I have to start going through gym classes and finding kids to convince to join the team, and who knows where that will end! You showed some promise, and will at least give us somewhere to start."

I sighed. Coach had been good to me, and he'd went along with my recommendation for Josh. I was backed into a corner. I knew I owed him.

"Okay. I'll give it a shot, I guess."

He slapped me on the back a little too exuberantly.

"Thank you, Mr. Grey. Also, Mrs. Polaski mentioned that if I saw you, she needed to talk to you. Please head to her office."

"What did I do?"

"I don't know, but I think you should be fine. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, but thanks, Coach."

I headed for the principal's office. I couldn't help but wonder how I had managed to go through all of my schooling, never before being sent to the principal's office, and this year it seemed like I couldn't stay away from it.

When I got to the office the secretary checked quickly that Mrs. Polaski was available and then waved me through. When I got into her office I saw a man I didn't recognize.

"Thank you for coming, Caspian. We needed to talk to you about a few things."

"Ok."

"This is Mr. Jenkins. He is the school district's attorney. We..."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"You haven't done anything wrong. We have been discussing your situation since the shooting the other week and we needed to know what your plans are concerning the district."

"I am sorry, ma'am. I don't follow."

She looked at the lawyer briefly then back to me.

"What I mean is, do you plan on suing the district."

"No, ma'am."

The lawyer looked pleased but Mrs. Polaski looked concerned.

"Really? I had heard there was some kind of settlement negotiations happening between the boys involved, and you. We were certain we were the next people your lawyer was going to turn to."

As she was saying this, the lawyer was trying to wave her off.

"It's not like that, ma'am. They approached us about a settlement ... although, I won't lie, I probably would have still gone after them. However, I don't think the school district is to blame for this."

The lawyer was smiling again. He reminded me vaguely of a shark.

"Great. We just need you to sign some documents to that effect and you can get back to class."

I shook my head at him, "My lawyer will have to review these. For one thing, I am a minor. I can't sign any legal documents. For another, while I don't plan on suing the school, I don't usually sign things blindly. Please contact my attorney. He will get it cleared up."

The lawyer looked annoyed at this, but Mrs. Polaski put her hand on his arm to stop him from saying anything.

"That should be fine, Mr. Grey. Mr. Jenkins, if you could get started on taking care of that, I would like to talk to Caspian for a little bit."

Effectively dismissed, he left in a bit of a huff.

"While you are here, there is something else I wanted to talk to you about. I have been speaking with some of your teachers."

That sentence freaked me out a little bit. Why would the principal be checking in with my classes? Mrs. Polaski must have noticed my concern.

"It's not bad, and you don't have to be worried. Actually several have come forward and mentioned you were sailing through on their classes. Specifically your math teacher and science teacher have both come to me and said that they felt their class was not challenging you. They both feel they want to put together some sort of accelerated program for you."

"I am already in advanced classes, Mrs. Polaski. I didn't think there was a step above that."

"Not normally, no, but there is precedence for this. They can accelerate your work this year. Basically, they'd teach you what you would learn this year, and next year. This, of course, would mean more work for you. You would be doing most of your learning in independent study. You would be reading assigned readings and assignments, separately from your class. It would be up to you to go to your teachers and get assistance and instruction on what you didn't understand. In return for this extra work on your part, next year you'll essentially be at a junior level on those classes."

"So if I do the same thing next year, that means I would have finished my required classes in two years. What would I do for the remaining two years?"

"There is always the option of graduating early. There is also the opportunity to take college level courses the following two years and get a jump start on your college degree."

"I can do that?"

"Possibly. It really depends on how you do this year, and next, with an accelerated school schedule. When you get to your classes you will get your new reading schedule and assignments, as well as another text book in each class."

"Ok. I guess the worst that can happen to me, is that I'll fail miserably, and have to drop out of school. Right?"

While my words sounded a bit extreme it was pretty obvious from my goofy grin that I was joking. She was laughing as she stood up and walked me out of her office.

"My thoughts exactly, Mr. Grey. I think you will do fine either way this turns out."

The next few days were a blur, as far as classes went.

The advanced math class already combined Algebra I and Geometry into a single class. I was expected to accelerate to a pace where I could complete that class by the end of the semester, and then shove the entire Algebra II class from sophomore year into a single semester. My teacher also laid out the next year's plan, for me to take a combination trigonometry and pre-calculus class in the first semester and a calculus class in the second semester.

Something similar was set up except it was a mix of science and math classes. For my science classes I was going to have Biology pushed into this first semester, Chemistry in the second semester, and next year they would give me Physics in the first semester. Probability and Statistics would be shoe-horned into the second semester, just in case I didn't have enough math already.

If I pulled this off, that would be all of my high school math and science classes. It would open me up for two years of college level courses in those subjects. They had considered trying to do this with other subjects, as well, but it was agreed that it might be too much of a load for me. I would keep the normal schedule for my English and Social Science classes.

I actually wasn't worried about any of this. While my study had been extremely focused, I was already doing more math on my own time, than I would have in either of the next two years. Nevertheless, I was actually really excited by this plan. In my personal studies I had already moved well past many of these classes, mostly the math classes and the physics class since those topics interested me the most.

I checked with Doctor Chang, and she told me I couldn't start back to physical activities. Most certainly not football practice, this week. But, she promised she would look at me Monday, and give me a yes or no then. I passed this on to Coach. He still wanted me to come to practice, if for nothing else than to start integrating with the team, and learning plays. Oddly, I found the playbook much easier this time than I had on my first attempt, at the beginning of the year.

By Wednesday I was back to work and I stopped in Ted's office as soon as I got there, although that took a few extra minutes so Mary could mother over me before sending me in. He had come by the hospital to visit while I was still there and told me not to worry about my job, and just focus on healing, which I really appreciated. Still he had given me a chance and I felt a little bad about being gone for so long.

"Hey, Ted."

He jumped up from his desk, and came around to see me.

"Cas, you're back! How are you feeling? How's the shoulder?"

"It's actually getting much better. The doctors are happy with my recovery. It is still a little sore but they said I was good to get back to my normal routine. Actually, they said I needed to keep moving around to help keep scar tissue from building up."

"So, I guess I better put you back to work right away, then ... of course, just in the interest of speeding your recovery."

That made me laugh. You couldn't help but like Ted.

"Thanks for looking out for me. I better get to work, before you decide to look out for me some more!"

He laughed at me and waved me away, shaking his head. I actually was really busy getting caught up. The sales guys had stacks of paperwork they needed help with, and someone made a mess of one of the work benches. Late in the day, when it was almost time to go home, I was walking by some of the offices when I heard cursing. I never had been able to control my curiosity and peeked inside to find one of the design engineers named Marcus Long. He was a short, guy in his mid-40s. His hair was starting to go a little gray and he was pudgy around the middle. I hadn't dealt with him a lot but I had always found him to be pretty level headed. Which is why I was surprised to see him knock a bunch of stuff off his desk and kick over a chair, cursing the whole time.

"Marcus, you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine, Cas."

"Doesn't look like it to me. Looks like you're pissed. Something happen?"

"No, it's just the universe is conspiring to crush me."

"What's going on?"

He sighed, picked up the chair and flopped down in it.

"You only get so many great ideas, you know? And I have a doozy. I mean, this is the idea of my career, but I can't do anything with it."

"Why not?"

"Because it's going to cost! It's outside of what we normally do, here, and Ted is stretched too thin to make an expansion. So, the idea is just going to sit on a shelf, and nothing is going to happen."

My mind was racing. Ever since my meeting with Mr. Colleta I'd had thoughts bouncing around my head. Now everything was starting to groove together, like a massive jigsaw puzzle.

"Marcus, how good is this idea. You make it sound like it has potential to be a money maker."

"It's a great idea. Watching what happened over in Bosnia, and where the military is going, this thing could sell. We would make a ton of money, and position ourselves to be a major military supplier. But, it needs start-up costs, and that isn't going to happen."

"How much would it take to get the whole thing started?"

"More that we have. Probably close to a million, just to get a couple of prototypes out the door. The we'd have to spend the time and money trying to sell them."

"Could you do me a favor? Call Ted and have him meet us down here."

"Why?"

"Just humor me, Mr. Long. I promise I'm not wasting your time."

He glared at me for a second, but went ahead and called. Ted showed up after about ten minutes.

"What did you need, Marcus? You sounded vague on the phone."

"I don't know, it wasn't my idea to call you."

Ted looked at me with a puzzled expression as he asked, "Cas, what's going on?"

Marcus's office was still a little trashed from his tantrum, and I could see the wheels turning in Ted's head.

"I had a couple of questions. Marcus was pretty upset about this invention of his not being able to get going."

Ted glanced at Marcus with an annoyed look.

"Marcus, you know I want to back you on this. The idea looks solid, but we just aren't set up to do something like this. The company focuses on the small stuff, the parts that go into other things. We aren't set up to design something that big. It would require us to set up a small production facility somewhere, and get techs to work on it. Things are going good here, but I am just not in a place to launch a new venture."

"Ted, how good of an idea is this?"

"Honestly? It's really good. It could be a money maker. It pisses me off, too, that we have to let it pass."

"So it will make money?"

"Without a doubt."

"And it will cost a million dollars to get going?"

"Seems like that. Maybe a $1.1 million."

"And everyone is dancing around it, what are you talking about building?"

They looked at each other, and then Ted nodded his head in my direction, "Go ahead. Tell him."

"It's a new concept in drones. What General Atomics is doing with the Predator, is good, but it has drawbacks ... especially for covert work. It's too loud and the payload package is all wrong. My idea, if it works, which I think it will, is for a stealth drone. Not so much to hide from radar ... although, I have a design to patent that, as well ... but more like silent enough to not be easily noticed."

"And why do you think this is going to be such a big seller."

"Last year they started upping the use of Drones in the Balkans, mostly for recon work. There has been a lot of talk that other branches of the government are headed that way, too. I think we are on the verge of a big increase in the use of UAVs, and right now the design I have in mind will be more effective and cheaper than what General Atomics is putting out."

"And you think you could sell this to them? I'm betting it's not that easy to get government contracts."

Ted waved a hand, dismissible, "That wouldn't be a big deal. I don't know if I told you, but I spent several years in the Air Force, and some of that was staff time in R&D and procurement. I have a good number of contacts over there. It's why I am pissed that we can't do this! It would be a no-brainer."

"And you can't get financing?"

"Not really. We expanded a few years ago and still have that on the books. We are over- extended as it is and the banks know it. Five years from now we will be fine, but by then we might miss our shot at this."

"How much could you put into it?"

"What is this about, Cas?"

"Humor me. Just this last question."

"I don't know, probably like four hundred thousand, which is just not enough to make it work."

"So, all you have to do is come up with another six or seven hundred, right?"

Ted just shook his head and chuckled, "Yep, that's 'all' we have to do. Sounds easy."

"What if I said it's doable?"

Ted stopped laughing, looked sharply at me and said, "What?"

"It's doable. Ted, you are a smart man. So is Marcus. If you two think this is a great idea, and could be big, I believe you. I would like to talk about putting up the rest of the money."

"Cas, where the hell would you get that kind of money?"

"Remember? I got shot, right? Well, the guys who did it are from fairly rich families that are terrified of a lawsuit. They are pushing stacks of money at me, to walk away from it. I should have the money in a couple of weeks."

"You would just invest that kind of money?"

"Not blindly. I would want to go over all the plans, get my lawyer involved, and set up some kind of company around it. I would want to make sure my investment was protected, and that all three of us are treated fairly. But yeah, I would put in the money. I have been trying to figure out what to do with it."

Marcus was looking at me, slack jawed. Occasionally his mouth would move but no sound came out.

Ted rolled with the news better, "Well, hot damn, son! I didn't see this coming. Let's sit down and go over all these designs Marcus drew up, and talk about how this will work. If it looks good, so far, call your lawyer and let's set up a meeting to make this happen. I can't believe we are going to make this work."

"Believe it, Ted. Believe it."

Chapter 25

When I got home, my first call was to Mr. Colleta. Although it was late, he was still at the office.

"What can I do for you Cas?"

"I had a couple of questions about this settlement thing."

"Okay, shoot."

"How sure are we that this is going to happen?"

"Positive. I have already have the first draft of the contract. We are working it out, now. We should be able to sign everything in the next week or two."

"And what happens with the money, when we do that."

"Well, at first, it will go into a bank account. From there, you and I need to sit down and talk. The best course of action would be to put it in a trust for you until you come of age."

"What if I already had a plan for the money?"

"Cas, this is a lot of money. While a portion of it would be fine, you need to get most of it into some kind of trust, and get it invested. It isn't uncommon for people who come into easy money, like people who win the lottery, to blow it quickly. I don't want to see this happen to you."

"I understand, and I have a project I want to invest in."

"Who have you told about the settlement?"

"What?"

"Have you been talking to people about it?"

"Not really."

"Then why are people coming to you with investment opportunities. You have to be careful, Cas, this kind of money will bring out the vultures."

"It's not like that. I came across this on my own and it's a really good opportunity."

"And how much do you want to invest."

"Seven hundred thousand."

"JESUS! That is almost your entire settlement."

"I know, but I think there is a huge upside. The risk is worth it."

"You need to be careful, here. You need to do your 'due diligence.'"

"I understand that, and it's why I am calling you. I would like to hire you to check into it, and advise me if it is the opportunity I think it is. If it is, I want you to take the point in setting this deal up. I am not naïve Mr. Colleta; I am not just going to throw down money without having it checked out."

"Ohh, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Sorry if my knee-jerk reaction was off the mark."

"No problem. So, you know Ted Baker, the guy I am working for?"

"Yes."

"He will be one of the principals on this. I would like for you to meet with him, and Marcus Long, the engineer who actually had the idea. If it checks out, Ted will be putting up some money but I will be the principal backer of the project. We will need to set up some kind of company to make this happen and have both Ted and I as stock holders, at levels appropriate to our investments. Marcus will also need to have a stake since it is his idea and he will be putting in 'sweat equity.'"

"You have done some reading on this, I see."

"Yes, sir, I have. For now, please just tell them that you are doing due diligence on it. I am not empowering you to enter us into any agreements. While I want you with me on this, I want to be there for the negotiations."

"Sure thing, Cas. Let me get on this."

"Thanks, Mr. Colleta."

Just like that, I was on my way to having a business. A pretty exciting end to the day, actually, after such an exciting week. Although, I guess not as exciting as the week when I got shot!

The weekend promised to be interesting. The girls had a game, and even though I wasn't allowed to play yet, Doctor Chang was coming by the house again, on Sunday. She would have to clear me, then I was supposed to watch the plays, and get a feel for it. I thought it would actually be fun to watch the girls cheering from the sidelines. All three had promised me, however, to skip any after game parties!

That plan was sidelined Friday afternoon, at school. We were just leaving to head home, but before I could open the door, Zoe spun me around.

"Okay, I think recovery time is over. It's Friday night, and we haven't been on a date in while."

"Okay. So what do you girls want to do, tonight?"

Tami jumped in, "We talked about it, and we want to go shoot pool."

"Most of the pool halls are 'eighteen and up.'"

"Yeah, but they have that room at the bowling alley that has the two tables in it," Vicki said. "Okay, sounds good. Let's all go home and change. Do you want to meet at Zoe's? We can walk from there."

The bowling alley was just outside of the neighborhood, only a ten minute walk from the house.

"Sounds good," Tami said as she and Vicki hopped into Megan's car. Zoe and I headed out behind the school for our normal walk home. When we got there, I started going through my clothes. True to her word, Margret had sent Tina over with a few boxes that had my personal stuff, and clothes.

"Is that what you are going to wear?"

I was pulling on a clean t-shirt.

"What?" I said looking at the shirt.

"Ugh! Boys! Move aside."

Zoe pushed me out of the way and started going through my stuff. She reemerged from the closet with a collared shirt and a pair of khaki pants.

"Here you go."

"Really?"

"Really. Put them on."

She then proceeded to ignore me as she got ready. It's interesting living in the same room as a girl. It hadn't occurred to me how much work they put in, to getting ready. Besides the clothes, there was primping, some plucking, lotions, base coats, makeup, and accessories.

It was a serious task: getting ready!

I eventually sat down to read while Zoe spent the better part of forty-five minutes, 'getting ready.' Just about the time she was getting done, I heard thumps coming up the stairs. Tami and Vicki appeared at the door. Both were also well primped and looked good.

Vicki gave me the once over.

"Good choice in clothes, Zoe."

"Seriously! How do you know I didn't pick this out?"

All three girls just laughed at me and then started talking about clothes. I tuned it out until Tami hit my foot.

"Off the bed, boyfriend, and let's go."

"Yes, ma'am."

We headed out of the house and down the street. We had a lot of fun playing pool. We played teams, and the girls kept cycling through who was on my team. They seemed to play fine by themselves when they were against us, but whoever was on my team seemed to need help lining up shots. They all took this as a good opportunity to push back into me as I was 'helping'. By the time we got home, all of us were charged up. I gave a serious good night kiss to both Vicki and Tami before they headed out the door. I noticed Zoe doing the same. We each took turns taking showers and Zoe spent a good thirty minutes getting all the crap she'd put on her face, back off. I was once again amazed by how much work it seemed to take to be a girl. Not that I was complaining about the results!

"Let me ask you a question."

She didn't look away from the mirror but gave me the 'uh-huh' to proceed.

"Were you into girls before we got together?"

"Not really, no"

"So, what is with you and Vicki and Tami? At first there was a little between you and Vicki, but that was mostly just when the three of us were in bed. Lately I have noticed you three getting a lot more physical with each other."

She stopped what she was doing, "Huh. I guess you're right. I hadn't actually been thinking about it."

"So, what's up with that? Are you starting to get into girls?"

"Umm, not really, no. Other girls do nothing for me. It's just Vicki and Tami. With them, I kind of feel how I feel about you. Like, not just that I love them, although I do, but I am really attracted to them. It's not that they are girls, it's just ... them."

"Weird."

"Actually, you know, thinking about it; I don't really feel attracted to other guys, either. It's strange. At football games I used to ogle the players when we weren't performing. I don't think I did that at the last game. I mean, I am trying to remember, because it wasn't conscious; but, even sitting here now and trying to think of other guys ... even past boyfriends ... none of them do anything for me. Really thinking about it, I only feel attracted towards you, Vicki and Tami."

"Okay, that's weird. We should talk to them about this, also."

We let the conversation go at that, although Zoe did her level best to try and show me exactly what she felt towards me.

The next day was game day. Zoe and Tami were off with the cheerleaders and I was on the bench. I didn't suit up, since I hadn't been issued a uniform, and a lot of the guys were looking at me sideways in the locker room. I hadn't gone to any of the practices yet and I am sure they were wondering what I was doing there. The coach gave a little speech, but didn't say anything about me so I figured I should just stay quiet and watch.

We were a 4A team, which meant we were not tiny, but not as big as the 5A teams like most of the schools in Houston. Some of the outlying cities however were also 4A. Tonight we were playing Tomball High School and I could see the guys were worried. Tomball was a small town north west of Houston and about an hour and a half from Allentown. Texas is a big place, and sometimes the more spread out cities have to travel a good distance to find schools to play against. The only thing I really knew about Tomball, was that their football team had always been really competitive. Word was, next year, they might get bumped up to 5A. While we would have our own 4A division state championships; in Texas, 5A was where the real attention was. In the 4A division we tended to play a lot of teams from mid-size towns. There were also 3A, 2A and 1A divisions. Each was determined by the student population of the school district. It seemed, generally, the further from the big cities like Houston and Dallas you got, the smaller the school district was. 1A schools tended to be in really rural areas.

We were playing at home and Tomball was one of those towns that would pack up the entire population, and caravan out to the stadium. Their colors were red and white, and their side of the stands seemed like a sea of red. It made our turn out feel a little meager.

The game didn't start out well for us. They won the toss and we kicked off. Somehow they managed to break through and score on the kickoff return. Not even a minute into the first quarter and we were already down seven points. From there it just got worse. Our line managed to hold its own and keep the QB from getting sacked, but we couldn't seem to get past their line when we were defending. It didn't help that three of the guys in our line had been brought up from JV, and this was their first game with varsity. Josh was among them, and they just weren't working as a single machine.

The other problem was we couldn't get our running game to work, and they were all over our receivers. By half time it was 21 to 3. Everyone was pretty run down in the locker room. The coach was just as frustrated as everyone else and railed into the guys. I managed to catch up with him on the way out.

The second half wasn't much better. Josh did manage to get one sack, which got our fans cheering, but that was about it. The game wrapped up 49 to 10. I knew the next week the coach was going to run us ragged trying to get all the new guys up to speed. There were nine of us brought up from JV, or in my case brought back to playing, to replace the players that got booted off the team.

I caught up with the girls once I was out of the locker room so we could walk home.

"Well, that was pretty sad."

Zoe just shrugged, "Yeah, I guess, but we always loose to Tomball, so it's really not a big deal. I mean, not that bad, but we still lose."

"Yeah, still the coach was pissed. He is going to be hell on wheels next week in practice." I was a little surprised when Vicki and Tami didn't break off once we got into the neighborhood. They kept with us to Zoe's house. Once we were upstairs I noticed at some point they had each dropped off an overnight bag.

"I guess you're both staying tonight, huh?"

Vicki pressed herself into my side and purred, "We couldn't go to a party, tonight, so we thought we could make our own party."

"We should get protection," I suggested.  It seemed to be my mantra lately every time I ended up in bed with the girls.

"Tami and I went on the pill. We couldn't let Zoe have all the fun," Vicki said.

Afterward, we were left in a sweaty pile.

"I asked Zoe something last night, and I wanted to ask you two, also. Before we all got together, were you into girls."

Tami shook her head 'no, ' but Vicki said, "I was, kind of. Not in a serious way but sometimes I liked playing with girls."

"But it seems more than that, now, right? I mean you three played with each other as much as me, tonight. Have you changed your mind about girls?"

Both thought about it but Tami answered, "I haven't. Thinking about girls, even now, does nothing for me."

"What about thinking about Vicki and Zoe?"

"Hmm, yea I do like the idea of fooling around with them."

"So you aren't into girls, just this group?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, another question. Before I ask it keep in mind I am not jealous or anything, I really want to know. Do you still find yourself thinking about other guys? I mean like, any guys ... famous actors, models, whatever. What is your attraction level to guys?"

"You know ... thinking about it, no. At least, not that I can remember in the last few weeks. That's weird."

"Yeah. Zoe and I had this conversation last night and she had noticed the same thing. I think when Doctor Chang comes over tomorrow we should mention it to her."

They all agreed and we cuddled up for the night. The next morning I was woken up when someone stepped on me, scrambling out of bed. I looked up just in time to see both Tami and Vicki run out of the room. Zoe and I followed them, concerned. We got to the bathroom just in time to hear both girls heaving. Zoe put a hand on me to stop and went into the bathroom alone, shutting the door. Mrs. Bell came over a few minutes later.

"Zoe, again?"

"No, both Tami and Vicki."

"Huh. Seems odd for one morning Zoe to have issues, and then later you spend the night with all three and the other two have issues."

"Yeah, it's a bit too coincidental. If they follow Zoe's pattern they should be okay, and Doctor Chang will be here in a few hours. We should add this to the list of strange occurrences to talk to her about."

"There are others?"

"Yeah, at least one other."

"Okay. Let's get dressed, and get the girls to lie down for a little while longer, until Doctor Chang gets here. I will go start breakfast."

I headed back to get changed, but kept the bathroom door in view, concerned about the girls. Eventually they came out and curled up in bed, groaning. I went to feel their heads but Zoe pulled me up short.

"No fevers. Just nausea and feeling sluggish, just like me the other day."

I sat down and started rubbing Tami's back while talking to Zoe.

"Yeah, I talked to your mom. Doctor Chang should be here in a while and will look them over. Until then both you girls try and get some sleep."

The rest of the morning Zoe and I nursed our two sick girls, as best we could. They started slowly feeling better as the day wore on, but were still really lethargic by the time Doctor Chang showed up, and Mrs. Bell led her up to the bedroom.

"Hey, Doctor Chang."

"Angela says two of the girls are sick."

"Yeah, this morning. They are starting to feel better. Apparently, it is very similar to what happened to Zoe the other day."

"I see. Angela mentioned there seemed to be more to it than that."

I blushed a little bit, knowing the upcoming conversation was going to be embarrassing.

"Yeah. Both last night and the night before Zoe got sick, I had spent the night with the girls."

"I see. And this is the first time you had sex with any of them?"

Subtle was apparently not her thing.

"For Zoe, yes. I have previously slept with Tami and Vicki before last night actually, so that's different."

"And was there any difference from your previous encounter and last night's encounter."

Zoe's eyes lit up, "Yes, there was. They just went on birth control. Last night was the first time he had sex with them without a condom."

"I see." She was making notes.

"Actually, the night before I got sick, I also had unprotected sex with Cas. Well, not unprotected. I was on the pill. You know what I mean."

"Yes. So each of these illnesses was preceded by the first instance of fluid transfer."

Seriously, fluid transfer. Her bedside manner was astounding. I continued to blush, and tried to not make eye contact with Mrs. Bell. Zoe however was absorbed in the conversation.

"Yes."

"Since your previous illness, did you engage in similar sexual acts?"

"Yes."

"And you did not get sick after those activities?"

"No, just the first time."

"I see. Okay, before I check out, Caspian, I will go ahead and take a new set of samples from the entire family once again."

And that is precisely what she proceeded to do. After she spent time treating us like lab rats she put away all the samples and had me sit down. I then broke down the other strange things we had noticed, including the oddities of our relationships we discovered over the past couple of nights. She then proceeded to do a complete examination of my wounds, which by this point no longer needed bandages.

"So what's the word, Doc?"

"Astounding would be the one I would use. Your wounds are progressing at an amazing rate. You need to keep up with working those areas, but you are so far ahead of where you should be, it amazes me."

"So can I go back to doing my workouts?"

"Yes, that should be fine."

"Also, how about football? Am I cleared to start playing?"

"Well, I would like you to take it a little easy, still; but, yes, you should be okay."

"And when should we know something from all these tests."

Mrs. Bell finally spoke up from the doorway.

"It is still a couple of weeks away. We are doing some DNA sequencing on the samples and that takes a little time. We should have all the results back, and be able to talk about it then."

I sighed, "Okay"

"I know you want answers, Cas. We all do. But you have to give us time to do the science properly, otherwise anything we say would be a wild guess."

We cleaned up and Doctor Chang left. I really wanted to get the results and find out what was happening to me, but I couldn't complain. They were all doing a lot of work to figure that out. I needed to have patience.

Chapter 26

As the week progressed, the girls felt better and got back to normal, just as Zoe had. I, however, started to withdraw from them, and from Mrs. Bell at the same time. I still went to classes, and started showing back up at the morning runs, afternoon workouts, study sessions and football practices; but I wasn't really focused on any of that. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts and feelings of guilt.

Once Doctor Chang laid it out, it was clear I had done something to the girls. Not just their getting sick ... although that was bad enough ... but I was certain we would find their blood tests showed the same changes Zoe's had. I should have put it together after Zoe got sick! I should have done something to protect Vicki and Tami! But, no, I let my own desires cloud my judgment. My hormones got the better of me! I thought more about getting laid, than protecting them! That wasn't sitting well with me.

Worse, I wasn't hiding my brooding very well. The girls all noticed and tried to talk to me about it, but I blew them off. It came to a head Wednesday night, when I mentioned I was going to sleep in the separate room Mrs. Bell set up for me, rather than with Zoe. I had already walked past Zoe's door when a hand grabbed me and turned me around.

Zoe was about as annoyed as I had ever seen her. She steered me into her room and over to her desk.

"Enough of this bullshit, Cas! Now, sit down. We need to talk."

"Look, Zoe, everything..."

"No. When I said we need to talk, what I meant is I need to talk, and you need to listen."

Thanks to my rapidly gaining experience with women I knew exactly what to do, I shut up and nodded.

"I love you, you know that. But you have been moping around here since Sunday, and it has to stop. I know you are upset about everything that's been happening, and I know you have a lot on your mind; but don't you shut me out! Do you understand? If you are upset you sit me, Vicki or Tami down, or all three of us together; and talk to us! We might not be able to help, but we can listen! Bottling up your problems will only make things worse. Now, tell me why you are so upset."

"I'm not really upset..."

"No. Do not BS me, Caspian Grey. 'Everything's alright' and 'I can handle it' are not acceptable. If you want to stay on my and your other girlfriends good sides, then you need to start talking. Right now!"

I sighed. Clearly, there was no way I was going to dodge her.

"Fine. I guess I am upset because I wasn't able to protect you three."

"What do you mean?"

"From me. Something about me made you sick, and it was preventable. I guess with you there was no way to know that was going to happen ... although I still feel bad about that ... but I should have known enough to prevent it from affecting Vicki and Tami, too. I was stupid, and I let my dick do my thinking ... and it got you hurt!"

Then she did something I never saw coming, she laughed at me.

"Cas, for such a smart guy, you are a dumb ass! You know that?"

"What?"

"Okay, so we got a little sick for like one day. No big deal. And, while we don't know the full extent of it, we do know that at least I picked up some of your abilities, or it seems that way. I am in better shape than I have been in my whole life. I am smarter that I have ever been. The only way you have 'affected' us, is by making us bad-asses. Hell, had I known this was going to be what happened, I would have jumped your bones the first day we met!"

"But we don't know what else is going on, yet."

"No, but whatever it is, it is happening to you, too. There is nothing about you that I or the other girls wouldn't share. We want to be part of your life, completely."

"Yeah, but you didn't get to make the choice. I had sex with you girls without giving you a chance to understand what could happen."

"Pull your head out of your ass! Seriously. Not only did we all knowingly accept what was happening, but honestly you weren't driving. We all pushed you to take the next step with us."

"But..."

"No 'buts.' Stop feeling sorry for yourself. We love you, and we accept everything that is happening."

I sighed and looked at the floor, but nodded.

"Okay."

"Good. Now, I know you are a bit stressed, so we are going to get a little stress relief. This weekend Amanda invited us to join her, Josh, Megan and Megan's boyfriend at their parent's lake house for the weekend. Vicki and Tami agree we need to get away from all this mess and blow off some steam. Can you get the time off work?"

"Yeah."

"Good. We will pack our stuff in Megan's suburban Thursday night and take off after school on Friday. Now, come to bed."

We didn't do anything, I was still feeling a little guilty, but Zoe tried hard to get me past that by cuddling and whispering loving thoughts to me before we both fell asleep.

Friday morning I had my first meeting with Mrs. Runkle, who had been assigned to oversee this new advanced schedule. I will admit I was a little distracted thinking about our weekend trip. I hadn't mentioned it to the girls, but this would be my first vacation, even if it was just a short weekend. She had asked that I come in early and talk to her before school, and instead of sitting at her desk she sat at one of the student desks next to me.

"How are your classes so far, Caspian?"

"Good. Nothing too difficult, yet."

"But you do find it more challenging?"

"I guess. I have already read the textbook that we are covering this semester, and I have done a random selection of problems from each chapter to make sure I understood it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but keep in mind I was on bed rest for a whole week. Boredom got the best of me. By Wednesday that week I was going crazy and so got a head start on all of my text books for this semester."

"Well, I guess you should be all set then. You and Alison really are putting your best effort into this."

"Alison?"

"Yeah, Alison Hauge. I think you know her. She mentioned she knew you from the study sessions to help the athletics department."

"Yeah, I know Alison, but what does she have to do with this?"

"I thought you knew. This isn't special treatment for you. We are running a pilot program investigating accelerated learning for advanced students."

"Ahh. Alison is a good choice. She is really smart, and a hard worker."

"Yes, we thought so, too."

"So we are the only ones in the program?"

"At the moment."

"How were we selected? Could more people be added?"

"Both of you were selected through recommendations from your teachers. We are still working on testing criteria for adding students to the program. Why, who were you thinking about suggesting."

"Zoe Bell."

"That's your girlfriend or, if the rumor mill is to believed, one of them. Why do you think she should be included in the program?"

"I am not crazy about there being talk about us around the school, but yes she is one of my girlfriends. And I think she would be a good candidate. Her past tests may not support it, but look at her recent work and talk to her teachers about her recent performance."

"If her previous work didn't stand up, why do you think she is now up for the challenge? Why should she be judged on just recent performance?"

"She has always been smart. Maybe she was just bored and unfocused before. All I can say is, recently she has started to really focus. Her work should prove that out."

"OK. Normally I would not take a suggestion that was clearly biased, but you have a solid track record, and Principal Polaski thinks you hung the moon, so I will talk to her and her teachers."

"Thanks, Mrs. Runkle."

"No problem. Now let's go over your current assignments and upcoming work, to make sure you are all set."

I was only half paying attention as we went over my work, since I was already confident I could handle what was assigned. Instead I started to think over how to talk to Zoe about this. We hadn't discussed it, but with the signs she had been showing since she was ... altered ... by me, this seemed like a no-brainer. The only hard part would be to get the teachers to look past her work prior to the changes.

The rest of the day was uneventful, except that there was a lot of chatter at the lunch table about our trip. Several of the couples also wanted to go, but there was limited room. Amanda had already promised she would set up another weekend, to take the guys who couldn't come this time.

When school let out, we all made a mad rush for Megan's Suburban. I climbed into the back seat with my girls, while Josh and Amanda took the Captain's chairs in the middle. There was a guy up front that I didn't recognize, but guessed it was probably Megan's boyfriend. He turned around, looking past Josh and Amanda, to stare at me.

"So, you're the kid I keep hearing about?"

I won't lie. He came off as a bit obnoxious and annoyed me a little.

"I guess that would depend on what you have heard."

"Well, that somehow you managed to swing three girlfriends, and convince them it was a good idea."

Megan reached out and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Alex, don't."

"It's okay, Megan, I don't mind answering questions. Yes, I have three girlfriends, all of whom I love and I believe they feel the same about me."

"And how did you talk them into that."

Zoe had started to frown and finally spoke up, "He didn't talk us into it. We had to convince him."

He made a "humph" sound and turned around. We were pretty silent for a while as the conversation with Megan's boyfriend, who I later learned was named Alex Turner and a senior just like Megan, set us on edge. After about forty-five minutes of driving, Amanda announced she needed a pit stop. At the gas station Alex and Josh also hopped out. Megan took this opportunity to turn back and talk to us.

"Cas, I am really sorry about Alex. I don't know why he is acting like that. Normally he is really a nice guy."

I gave her a small smile as I replied, "It's okay Megan. I don't know why but I just rub some people the wrong way. I will stay out of his way this weekend, and try and not cause any trouble."

"You shouldn't have to do that. We invited you so you could have some down time after everything that has happened. The last thing you need is more stress. Maybe I should ask Alex to go back home."

"No, don't do that. It's not fair to him. I will be okay and I promise to relax. Honest, I think if I just stay out of his way we should avoid any problems."

By that point the guys were back at the car so we shut up, although Alex did take the opportunity to glare at me. While I had put on a confident front for Megan, I wasn't sure we would be able to avoid trouble all weekend. I wasn't certain, but the pattern of some people liking me and some people hating me on reflex seemed to be at work here. It was something to discuss with Doctor Chang, but Alex seemed to fall into the same category as Margret and Officer Jawarski.

For the rest of the drive, I mostly talked to my girls while Amanda and Josh talked to Alex. From what little bit I could overhear, he actually did seem like a nice guy, and kind of funny too. We got to the lake just before evening settled in. While I helped Josh and Alex unpack the car, just dumping all of our stuff in the main room, the girls called to order some pizzas for dinner. Then it was time for Megan to split up the room assignments.

"Okay, normally, I would take the master bedroom; but, since there are four of you guys, why don't you take it, Cas."

I could see Alex's eyebrows furrow at this.

"No, we are guests. Give us one of the guest rooms. We'll be fine."

She started to argue back, but saw my expression, and backed off.

"Okay, then, Cas, you and your ladies take that room," she pointed to one of the other bedrooms, "and Amanda you take the room you normally use. Let's get our stuff situated and dinner should be here in thirty minutes."

When we got in the room it was clear the bed would be a little small for all four of us.

"Well, we normally all sleep smashed together anyways. Now we will have a reason to get really cozy."

All the girls were staring at me but Tami spoke up for them, "Cas, what is going on."

"Everything's okay. You know how we talked to Doctor Chang about how some people seemed biased against me? I think this is one of those cases. Whatever is happening to me, I think it affects some people negatively. Alex is one of those people. From what you guys have said, and what I could see when he wasn't paying attention to me, Alex seems like a pretty nice guy. I think his problem with me isn't his fault, it's part of whatever my deal is."

"Well, I don't like it. This was supposed to be a relaxing weekend," Vicki said as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"And it will be. We will make it work. I will talk to Megan, and try and find a way to explain his reaction to me. I don't want this to hurt her relationship with the guy. Now let's put our stuff up, and get out there so we don't miss the pizza, 'cause I am starving."

When we got out into the main room I was surprised to find that Alex wanted to pull me aside and speak with me.

"Cas, I want to apologize for how I treated you in the car."

His tone of voice and expression did not match his words. It was pretty clear Megan had read him the riot act.

"No need. Listen, I know you don't particularly like me; and really, that's okay. From what I have seen, you seem like a good guy. Maybe we just have clashing personalities. It happens, sometimes. I will try and stay out of your way, and keep from bugging you. You just focus on Megan and having a good time. We don't have to be friends, but I am confident we can remain civil around each other."

Hopefully he would buy that, and I could set up a truce with him. I stuck my hand out.

"I guess that would be okay."

He didn't sound convinced, but he shook my hand and we went in our different directions.

The rest of the evening we ate pizza and played some board games. I got crushed at Monopoly, but that was okay by me. What really mattered was everyone had fun, and the agreement to ignore each other seemed to be holding between me and Alex. I did pull Megan aside when he went off to throw out the trash.

"Hey, don't hold his reaction to me against Alex, okay?"

"I am glad you are being so calm about this, but I am not okay with how he has been acting."

"No, I mean it, really. Don't hold it against him. Some people have a negative reaction to me and can't help it. I don't really understand it myself, but something about me puts off some people, no matter how nice they normally are. This isn't the first time this has happened. I watched you two when he didn't know I was around, and he seems like a nice guy. I am sure you two normally get along great. So please, just accept that he doesn't like me, and it isn't his fault."

"Okay, I will try."

That night we were so tight for bed space that Tami, who was the smallest girl in our group, ended up sleeping on top of me. Actually, I found I really enjoyed that, and made a mental note to find an excuse to sleep in tight quarters again. Having three girls nearly completely cover you while you sleep might be the best alternative to a blanket ever!

The next morning I got up to go do some exercises and was surprised to find all three girls getting dressed also.

"What's up?"

Vicki looked over at me while she was pulling on running shorts.

"We're going with you. Both Tami and I have been feeling really energized, all week. We talked to Zoe, and she mentioned the same thing happened to her afterwards, also."

I frowned as my dark thoughts started to resurface, but then pushed those back down, and tried to put on a happy face.

"Okay. Well, Zoe is up to a six minute mile, but it still took her a little time to work up to that. So I will keep the pace a little slower today and we will just go for some distance.

I know I didn't fool the girls, and all three exchanged a look, but they didn't say anything. It was already the middle of October and the it was starting to cool down a little bit, but for Texas that meant the high eighties instead of ninety degrees, so we were all in light clothes and shorts. We ran just about ten miles, although that was a best guess based on our pace since we didn't know the area, or have marked off distances.

Zoe had been getting used to my faster pace, so she was only somewhat winded when we got back and Vicki and Tami were both still good, despite being a little more worn down. They both made it clear they wanted to go through our whole routine, so I led them through the rest of my morning workout; which included situps, pushups, and the like.

By the time we finished I noticed we had a small audience.

Amanda actually applauded when we finished, "Do you guys do that every day?"

"Zoe and I do and Vicki and Tami are just working up to it."

"I thought I saw you guys go out running?" Megan added, looking interested.

"Yeah, we did a quick ten miles. We are about done, though. Let's all grab a shower and then we are ready for whatever you have planned for the day."

Josh was shaking his head, "You know, I have known Zoe for a long time. Even in middle school she never could keep up in gym class. Now you she is out here running ten miles and doing a whole bunch of situps and pushups."

Zoe tried to blow it off, "I have been training with Cas for a while. He's helping me get in shape."

It was time to head off this conversation, "Okay, guys, enough talk about exercise. Let us go take showers, and then we'll be up for whatever you want to do."

The rest of the day was pretty enjoyable. We took a boat out on the lake, did some swimming and water skiing. The water was a little cold, but still it was a really relaxing way to spend the day. I also found some time to hang with Josh, and we played a little one-on-one. By this point I was really aware of the physical changes I was undergoing, and had already noticed some looks from Josh and a few others. I purposefully held back a little during the game, and made a note that I would start having to do the same during football. With as weird as things were getting, the last thing I wanted to do was to start drawing a bunch of attention to myself.

Alex and I managed to generally stay out of each other's way, and remain civil. This gave me some hope for a future relationship with Margret, since whatever the deal was, both of them seemed to share it. He even nodded to me when they dropped us off.

I hadn't expected it, but the girls were right, I was feeling a lot less stressed and moody after a weekend away.

Chapter 27

With all the excitement from the previous few weeks, I was happy that the week following our mini-vacation was fairly calm. Coach was really pushing me in practice, to get me up to speed with the rest of the team. Honestly, I was looking forward to playing in my first real game, that weekend. It did help to keep my mind off the fact that Mrs. Bell and Doctor Chang would be sitting down with me and the girls, to go over what they had learned over the weekend.

That isn't to say nothing happened. It seemed to be a rule of thumb with my life, this year. It was impossible for a few days to go by without something notable taking place. The first thing came on Monday night, while I was finishing up my homework and Zoe was working on her homework on her computer ... or, at least, I thought that was what she was doing.

"YES! I'm in."

"What are you in?"

She looked back at me with a strangely guilty expression on her face.

"Umm, nothing. Sorry, go back to your book."

She has a terrible poker face and I was instantly intrigued, so I set my school books down.

"Nuh-uh. I don't buy that. What are you doing over there?"

"Well, I was talking to some guys over in an IRC chat room, mostly about networks and websites and vulnerabilities. And they mentioned some places where they were testing, umm, some of those vulnerabilities. I was curious so I, uhh, tried it out myself."

"Testing vulnerabilities? That sounds like a euphemism for breaking into something. So, which place were you testing out vulnerabilities?"

She looked away from me, and didn't say anything for a minute.

"Zoe?"

Finally she sighed and said as she looked at me, "NASA"

"You broke into NASA?"

"Well, just their computers."

"You hacked into NASA's computers?"

"I just wanted to see if I could."

"You know that's against the law, right? Like, go to jail against the law."

"Yeah, but I covered my tracks well. I did test runs against a bunch of people I know from online first to make sure I was safe."

"And what do you plan on doing now that you're in?"

"Nothing, just look around. I don't want to actually cause anyone any problems; I just wanted to see if I could do it."

"I am surprised you were able to get into NASA. With all the big brains there, you would think it would be pretty darn secure."

"Yeah, but the big brains work in the lab. They still have all the normal bureaucratic office people. Red tape makes for terrible security."

"I guess. Well, just be careful and don't go poking the bear. Try and stay away from government systems from now on, because that could really come back to haunt us."

"Yeah, I know. I just really wanted to know I could do it."

"Okay, good job, I guess."

Even though she looked appropriately apologetic, she was having a lot of trouble hiding her excitement and pride. I wasn't that worried she would keep doing this, or take things to a level where we could really be in trouble; that just wasn't her. It's hard to be annoyed at her when she was so happy. She just looked too damn cute. I picked my school books back up, and left her to her computer.

Besides the upcoming meeting, and the game on the weekend, there was one more thing that had been bugging me that I needed to take care of. I hadn't seen Tina since she dropped off my stuff, after Margret kicked me out.

I left a little early, and told Zoe I would meet her back at home and walk her to school. I then ran off to Tina's bus stop. I managed to get there just as she was arriving, and was able to stop her and talk before she joined the rest of the kids.

"Hey, Tina, wait up."

She turned and looked at me, and I noticed she didn't smile. "What's up?"

"I hadn't talked to you in a while and I wanted to make sure everything is okay."

"Yeah, it's fine."

"So, do you think you might have some time to come hang out with us one day soon?"

"I don't know, maybe."

This was not going how I expected it to go. Before Tina had been starting to get really close. "Okay. Well, if you can, let me know. Zoe also mentioned she missed spending time with you. I don't know if you heard, but I am back on the football team. I'll be playing in my first game this weekend. Do you think you could come watch?"

"Maybe. Look, I have to go catch the bus. I'll talk to you later."

With that she turned around and walked away. I moped my way back to Zoe's house, where she was standing by the front door waiting for me.

"I am going to guess that didn't go well."

"No. She blew me off."

"What's going on? Do you think she is siding with her mom, and is mad at you also?"

"I don't know. She didn't seem mad, just like she didn't care."

She leaned in and gave me a tight hug.

"I'm sorry. I know you were working hard to make your relationship with her work."

"Thanks. It will be okay. I am sure this has all been confusing to her. We just need to give her time."

I put on a brave face after that, but Tina's attitude shook me. I had just discovered her as my sister, and now we were back to how it was before. It made me more than a little sad.

Saturday rolled around, and it was time for the game. I was pretty pumped, and had busted my butt all week in practice to get ready. I was nervous and jittery on the bus ride to the stadium, but once we were on the field and started warming up, I calmed down a bit.

The team we were up against was from Huntsville, a town about thirty minutes to the west of us. It was known mostly for being the home of the state prison, but also serviced a lot of rural communities around the city. They were actually pretty competitive, and our school had problems with them the previous year.

We had the coin flip, and received the ball. We got stopped just shy of the fifty yard line, putting me in the game for the first time. Tony, our QB, called the play. It had me running out fifteen yards. It seemed most of our plays were either short passes or running the ball. Coach had a philosophy about marching the ball up the field, rather than trying to go for the spectacular plays.

The ball was snapped and I rushed out with my defender right on my heels. I was able to put a little distance when I cut left and looked up to see the ball sailing towards me. I actually hadn't expected that, because the defender was still pretty tight in on me. I added a little speed once I grabbed the ball out of the air. Not wanting to overplay my abilities, when I saw a guy coming in from my right for the tackle I held back from kicking into high gear, and let him get a piece of me, taking me down. I still managed to pick up fifteen yards. I know a lot of people in my position would rather have the glory, but I still believed laying low was my best bet.

The rest of the game progressed like that, and I did manage to put up some good numbers. While I was still holding back. Being able to drop into what I had started calling 'slow motion, ' I had time to work out all the variables on a catch. Coupled with my reaction time and speed, it made getting and holding the ball a lot easier. So I did manage to avoid fumbles or interceptions. I also managed a nice snag in their end zone, from a twenty yard pass. There were two guys all over me, and I told Tony to throw it a little high, that I could get it. He looked at me weird, but did as I asked. The pass was just over the defenders' finger tips. I managed to get up enough to get one hand on the ball, and pull it in.

Our running back, a guy named Charles Hall, also put up some pretty respectable numbers and we pulled out the win: 27 to 13. He actually got the game ball from the coach, since most of the touchdowns were his.

Josh was staring at me the whole time we were getting our stuff packed away in the locker room. He pulled me aside on the way out.

"Cas, I have seen you run and workout a lot. What was with you, tonight?"

"I thought I did good. I put up some respectable numbers, and got the one touchdown."

"Yeah, you did fine, I guess. It just felt like you weren't running as fast as I have seen you run. Once or twice it seemed like you slowed down right as they got to you."

Well, damn. It's easy to forget when looking at Josh, that he is a pretty bright guy. It was pretty obvious now that I would have to start pulling back more in our workout sessions and in practice so people didn't notice the difference.

"Yeah, I was a little off. I don't know if it is still the injury, or if it's cause I normally don't run in all this equipment, but I think you're right. I wasn't at my best."

He just looked at me for a moment, considering.

"I don't know about the injury. You seemed fine working out with your girls, this weekend."

"Yeah, but that was without the equipment."

"I guess."

"Hey, I will try and do better next game. And you did good, out there. Looks like you are here to stay on Varsity."

"Yeah, the guys we are playing against are bigger, but it is fun."

Properly derailed, we talked about his view of the game, and how the defensive team was going with all the changes. I did make a note to remember and talk to the girls about this, later. We needed to keep a lid on what we did around other people, if we didn't want them to start watching us closely.

I also hadn't noticed Tina in the stands, even though I was able to pick out Vicki. I hoped I just had overlooked her, but I figured she would have come over with Vicki to meet up with us, and she didn't. I had a sinking feeling she had skipped out on the game.

Although Tami and Vicki both stayed over, between the stuff with Tina and the impending visit from Doctor Chang in the morning, I just wasn't in the mood. Luckily my girls were incredibly understanding, and settled for some making out and petting before we all cuddled up and went to bed.

The girls were as nervous as I was, and we were all up early the next morning. Even though our workout group didn't meet on weekends, all four of us still had a lot of pent-up energy to burn off. I was in my own world, and ended up at my normal pace. I did notice that both Vicki and Tami managed to keep up, and weren't as winded as they were during our workouts the previous weekend. As we walked the last block back to cool down, I mentioned that to them.

"Yeah, both Vicki and I have seen major improvements. Hell, I finally started getting abs like Zoe, now," Tami answered back patting her stomach.

Vicki was nodding in agreement as she added, "We also noticed our school work is getting easier. We talked through with Zoe about what she went through, and I am pretty sure the same stuff is happening to us."

"Well, we'll know more in a little while. The full tests they did on you were before anything changed, but Zoe was tested afterward. I would bet once the doc rechecks everything on you two; you will end up with similar results to Zoe."

Zoe knew I had a tendency to drop into a funk on this topic, and took the opportunity to latch onto my arm.

"Well I, for one, am glad. I am buff as hell and able to hack into government networks. I love the new super me."

To their credit, the other girls agreed. When we got home, I was made to stay in the shower as each cycled through with me, all three wanting to fool around a little bit to make up for what we missed the night before. I went down to the kitchen to wait, while the girls took their time getting ready ... as usual. I found Mrs. Bell sitting at the table holding her head in her hands.

"Are you okay Mrs. B?"

She looked up and smiled weakly at me, "Yeah, just a bit of a headache."

"Do you want me to go get you some Tylenol or something?"

"No, I took something already. Thanks though."

I bent and gave her a hug before going to the fridge to get a drink. I needed to think up something nice to do for her. I hadn't told her as much as I should how much I appreciated everything she did for me.

Before I could get to the fridge, the doorbell sounded. I waved Mrs. Bell back to her seat, and went to answer it, letting Doctor Chang in. The girls all trooped downstairs at the sound of the bell as well, gathering around the table.

"Okay, Doc, it's your show."

That got me a brief smile as she started pulling papers out of her briefcase.

"There is a lot we have learned, so I am going to jump right in. From our last conversation, you know that we found your blood had some kind of morphing capability, although that isn't the right word for it, so I will start with that. Have you ever heard of stem cells?"

"I have seen them mentioned in some of the stuff I have read, but other than having heard the name before, not really."

"Okay. So, a quick primer. Stem cells are unique in that they have the potential to develop into different cell types, and are usually found in the body during the early stages of life. Honestly, what we know about them is still limited, but there are a lot of studies currently underway. I am betting in the next few years we will have some big breakthroughs. We do know that in some tissues, these cells serve as a kind of internal repair system, essentially dividing without limit to replenish other cells. The important thing to know is that they can assume the identity of other cells.

"As I said, these are types of cells that are really important in the embryo stage of human development, but they don't act quickly. There are a lot of different kinds of stem cells, including hematopoietic stem cells. The ones we encounter the most, are used during bone marrow transplants. We rely on them when we treat blood diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma.

"Now, all that is established science. The weirdness is where you come in. Your blood seems to have a lot of these stem cells, but they don't just reproduce themselves. They actually replace the cells that are there, basically changing everything over. They also don't seem to be limited to just their type. For instance, your blood stem cells can get into tissue, and start changing tissue also. The rate that they reproduce is astounding! You can actually see it take place in real time, under a microscope. It is why you heal so incredibly fast."

"Wow!"

"Yeah, it really is spectacular. Your blood could be the gateway to some amazing breakthroughs in stem cell research."

I started to speak and she held up a hand.

"I know, I need your permission. Also, anything I do would have to be highly scrubbed to keep it anonymous and away from you. Really, we can talk about that, later. This isn't even the most amazing part."

"Really? It gets better than super adapting cells?"

"Yep! Actually, they are more than that. You aren't changing things on just a cellular level. Your body actually changes other human biological material it comes into contact with, on the DNA level. It seems you are able to rewrite, to a degree, the DNA of other cells. Angela actually did most the work on this part, so I will pass the floor to her."

She still had a pained look to her face, so I knew her head was still bothering her, but the focus on her work and what she discovered was pushing that aside.

"Thank you, Alexandra. Okay, before I go into the specifics on the DNA, let's talk about evolution. We are members of what is known as Homo Sapiens. We can trace our genetic lineage down through earlier versions of humans such as Homo Heidelbergensis, which had brains of ninety-three percent the size of ours, and a morphology very close to human. Homo Antecessor and Homo Erectus had some features similar to us, but with a smaller brain and some significant physical variation from modern man. We can keep going back until we are out of the Homo line ... you girls stop laughing, this is serious."

Sure this was amazing news, but Mrs. Bell had to know there was no way she could get a line like that past a group of teenagers, without some snickering. She gave the three girls a glare before continuing.

"As I was saying, once past our line, you go down into the hominids, which lead further into our shared genetic ancestors with the primates. That is the basic tree of human evolution, although there is a lot of branches I left out, such as the Neanderthals which branched off from Homo Antecessor separately from our line, and then died out. The further back in the line you go, the more different we are genetically from our ancestor species. For instance, we share ninety-six percent of the same DNA as the Chimpanzee, which is a genetic cousin of ours. They branched out from a shared genetic ancestor, creating a four percent difference as we evolved independently of them. The closer you get to us, the closer the DNA gets. But, as you can see, between us and the Chimpanzee, there are only a couple of percentage points of genetic difference. Yet that small difference can make a really huge difference in species. Between us and what we think is our most recent genetic ancestor, there are just fractions of percentage points of difference. Neanderthals ... which, as I mentioned, were a very close genetic cousin of ours ... was only about twelve hundredths of a percent different from us, genetically. That's close enough that it is believed there was cross breeding between our ancestors and the Neanderthals, before they died out.

"Now you may ask, why the science lesson?"

She paused to look me directly in the eyes.

"From what we are seeing, you are about five tenths of a percent different genetically from us. 'Us, ' being Homo Sapiens."

It wasn't until Vicki braced against me, that I noticed I was starting to sway. There was a rushing sound in my ears, as it seemed the whole world was focusing on just Mrs. Bell. Finally, I blinked, trying to compose myself.

"What..." I stopped and swallowed to clear the frog in my throat, "What am I, then?"

She reached out to give my hand a squeeze.

"Honestly, we don't know. We have a guess. The one big question in studying evolution, is what is known as 'the missing link.' Essentially, where is the linkage between one genetic version, and a later genetic version? Generally, the theory of evolution states that there are tiny mutations that keep changing, until eventually you end up with the 'new' version of a species. When looking at the fossil records, we are only looking at snap shots of those small changes."

"However, it is possible that there were large leaps forward. This is not supported by known science, but consider if there was a large leap into the next stage of evolution. There, most or all of the traits added in the next step, would show up together. That leap forward procreates and, thanks to the advantages of those changes, supplants the earlier version."

"Doctor Chang and I have discussed this, and we think you are that leap. We believe that somehow, you are the next step in human evolution. We are Homo Sapiens, and you are Homo ... who knows?"

"Why? If I am the next stage, what made me this way?"

"We have no way of knowing. Freak occurrence? Aliens? Mole men from the center of the planet? Honestly, there is no way to answer that. We will keep studying you to try and learn more, but I don't think we will ever have an answer to that."

"So what does this mean? You mentioned brain size and physical features were different in our ancestors. Am I going to start looking different?"

"No, I don't think so. It seems the big difference, so far ... besides the over-active stem cells ... is efficiency. Your body processes all seem significantly more efficient than ours. Keep in mind, the human body continues developing well into the late teens. So we may not have seen all the expected differences. A lot of the changes you have undergone have been fairly recent, and my guess is that they are somehow part of the maturation process. I expect we will see more differences over the next few years."

"I wish you would say mine and yours. I don't think I like thinking of myself as something different."

"I know, but it is what it is. Also, that isn't all."

I laid my head on the table, talking into my lap.

"What else?"

Doctor Chang started speaking again. Clearly, they knew we would come to this question, and it was her turn to present how freakish I was.

"Well, for one, you are so genetically different that I don't think you can procreate with other homo sapiens."

I sat back up at this news.

"So if I am the next step in human evolution, but can't have kids, how the hell would we get beyond just me?"

"That is where things get interesting. We checked Zoe, as well, and right now she is about point-oh-one percent diverged from standard."

I swear you could hear the thunk of Zoe's chin hitting the floor by how fast her mouth opened.

"What's more, she seems to be continuing to diverge. Vicki and Tami's results came back as normal, but I bet if when we retest them, we will start to see the same divergence in their DNA. Also, I think they will continue to mutate as your DNA overwrites theirs. It's why they are starting to get some of the same abilities as you. My guess is that you are altering them to become genetically compatible with you."

"Because I had sex with them."

"Well, unprotected sex. But yes. It seems this is evolution's way of moving your genetic line forward."

Vicki and Tami were looking equally as shell shocked, but Vicki was holding it together enough to ask questions.

"So we are going to be what, some kind of genetic forbears to a new race of humans?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Whoa!"

Tami was shaking her head in agreement, "Yeah ... whoa!"

I turned to my three girls, "I am really sorry guys, I didn't mean..."

Zoe cut me off, saying, "Don't go down that road, again. Yeah, this is all shocking, but we already knew something like this was happening."

She then turned back to Doctor Chang and asked, "So if this new advance in human evolution is going to take place, it is up to us to start the new species?"

"Yes."

"But we can't until we adapt enough to be compatible?"

"Right."

Mrs. Bell stood up, "I can see where this is heading, and I think we have some time 'till we need to discuss it. While I would love nothing more than to be the grandmother of the next stage of human evolution, this is a topic for when you are out of school. We still have time. As of now, we don't know the rate at which your bodies are changing. Until they change enough, it is a moot point."

Doctor Chang also stood up, but Mrs. Bell continued talking, addressing me this time.

"I think we have had enough bombshells for one day. We will continue studying all this, and try to figure out what is happening; but, really, all this information changes nothing about what you are doing. You already knew you had these special abilities, we just now sort of know why. We will talk later about whatever responsibilities you might have towards the future of human evolution, but for now you need to stay focused on growing up. I will show Alexandra out. You three," she pointed at my girls, "take him upstairs. I know all four of you are a little overwhelmed at the moment. Just relax and remember nothing has really changed."

The girls took me upstairs, but we avoided the subject for the time being. Every time I tried to bring it up, Zoe cut me off and told me not to worry about it, right now. Instead we just cuddled each other, lost in our own thoughts.

Chapter 28

When the girls finally fell asleep I continued to stare at the ceiling, thoughts bouncing through my head. The big question I kept coming back to was, what now? Now that I know what I am, what do I do about it? Do I continue on with my life as if nothing is different? On the face of it that was the easy answer. Just continue being a teenager, go off to college, and get a job. Be one of the masses.

But the more I thought on that, the more that idea started to unravel. There was a responsibility here. If what Mrs. Bell said is true, then I was the key to where we were headed. Wasn't I accountable to the human race and my role in it? If I ignored this and just lived my life as if nothing were different, then would my genetic line be one more of those dead branches like the Neanderthals? That seemed like a waste, more so since I had brought the girls into the equation, no matter how unknowingly. They are a part of this now, and if I bore a responsibility to the human race, I had an even bigger responsibility to them.

If I were to choose option two ... to work towards expanding my genetic line, and eventually pull the human race forward with me ... what would that entail? Just getting the girls pregnant and have as many kids as possible? Again, an easy sounding answer until it was honestly considered. I could see the path to how the expansion of my genetic line would go. If I had two kids with each of my girls, and each of those kids had two kids, it would be millennia before there were enough of us to affect the destiny of the human race. Of course, we could always have more kids, and they have more kids, and on and on to increase that pace. However no matter how the numbers work out, it would be several hundred years before we made an impact. The bigger sticking point was that, even to me in my privileged middle class life, it was clear that the world was a screwed up place. There were serious doubts in my mind that the human race could make it long enough for that to happen.

There was apathy from the mass of humanity towards the legacy we were leaving for our children and their children. We were using the earth up as fast as we could and we continued to fight each other, the weapons getting bigger and more deadly. Iran, North Korea and Iraq were all trying hard to get weapons of mass destruction and had no qualms about it. Religious zealots and pure crazies ... both those abroad and the home grown kind, like the guy who blew up the FBI building in Oklahoma ... were on the rise. It was pretty depressing to think about.

What that really meant was, if I committed to working towards our genetic destiny, I couldn't just have kids. I had to find a way to set my future generation up for success. But how to do that?

I was smart enough now to know that there was no way I had the ability to answer that question. I needed to bring in people with real world experience, and get their thoughts on that. For now my only options were Mrs. Bell and Doctor Chang, although I was already ruling out the Doctor's advice. She was just too singularly focused and seemed to have no problems blowing up any obstacles between her and her goal. While she may be a great doctor, long term strategy was not her strength. That left just Mrs. Bell. I loved her dearly and valued her experience and knowledge, but she wasn't enough. We needed more points of views. This was something that we were going to have to discuss, not just our plans moving forward, but putting together the people to actually make those plans.

I realized then I had cleared one hurdle on my own however. My mind was made up, and I knew the path I would take. I just had to find out how to make it work. With the big question out of the way I found it a lot easier to finally fall asleep.

We were up pretty early again the next morning. It seemed like the roller coaster that was my life couldn't quit. I had a meeting after school with Mr. Colleta about the settlement, followed by another meeting with Marcus and Ted to talk about the new company. It had already been decided if we were going to go into business together then I shouldn't be his employee anymore.

I had to wonder what He and Marcus thought about having a high school kid as a partner and what they considered to be my role in the new company. As part of my decision on where to go with my life, I knew I couldn't just be the bank. This seemed like a good stepping stone towards getting things set up, but I needed to be in control for that to happen.

Besides stuff with the new company, I also had a football game on the weekend, and then Sunday I was going to be testing to get my G4 ranking. I was actually pretty excited about that. Levi had already started working with me on some more advanced techniques not normally taught until you hit the Expert level, but he thought it was prudent considering all the scrapes I had been in recently. He was however adamant that if I were going to start learning this stuff, I needed to work hard to progress to build the rest of the fundamentals to go with what I was being taught. I knew it was going to be a long day, though. When I tested for my G3, it took almost six hours and I lost almost five pounds during the test. It was grueling.

The first thing to deal with was the morning meeting with Mrs. Runkle, and I knew she wasn't going to be thrilled. We started off by her reviewing my and Alison's assignments and the notes from our teachers.

"Everything is looking good you two. I am glad you are both meeting the standards we put down for you. Both your teachers say you are having no issues with the increased pace."

Alison jumped in before me, "Thank you Mrs. Runkle. I don't know about Cas, but I am really enjoying the new speed of our assignments. I feel like I am being challenged and I'm really loving it."

"Yeah, I agree with Alison. School work was always kind of boring. Being pushed to do better and go further has made a big difference for me."

"Well, you two keep it up. I expect our weekly meetings to continue like this."

As Alison got up to leave, I edged closer to her desk.

"Can I have a minute, Mrs. Runkle?"

"Sure, Cas. What's on your mind?"

"Well, you know how you agreed to have Zoe test into the program. I would like to get that set up so she doesn't get further behind."

"Sure thing. I think we are going to schedule testing for next Monday after school."

"Great. Also, I would like to ask that we invite Vicki Hollabrand and Tami Smith to test also."

She just stared at me for a minute. "Correct me if I am wrong, but they are your girlfriends also, right? You are in some kind of group dating thing with them and Zoe."

"Yes, ma'am. They are my girlfriends."

"Caspian, this is not some charity program or a way to spend more time with your girlfriends. This is a serious pilot program that I really want to see succeed."

"Mrs. Runkle, would you consider me and honest and earnest person?"

"I guess."

"Have you ever seen or heard of my acting frivolously, or purely for my own benefit, regardless of the affect it has on others."

"I guess not."

"Then I hope you will believe me when I say that these girls deserve to be in the program, and they will do well. I am not saying simply invite them. Have them test into it, just like Zoe. I believe they will surprise you."

"Okay, Cas. You can have them come to the same testing session. I wouldn't normally do this, but you're right, you have built a pretty good reputation among the teachers, so I will give you your head on this one. Please don't make me regret giving you the benefit of the doubt."

"I won't. Thank you, Mrs. Runkle."

That afternoon after school, Mr. Colleta met me at the entrance of the school to pick me up and drive us both to his office. I said a quick hello to his secretary and we moved into his office. "So first, the settlement is all finished and the money is already in escrow. You already gave me power of attorney in these matters, so I signed the documents for you but I wanted to give you the chance to look them over before we moved forward."

I did a quick once over each page, but didn't have enough knowledge or experience in the area to really know what I was looking at.

"Do you feel comfortable with everything that is here?" I asked.

"Yes, I do."

"And the main stipulation is that I will not sue them over the shooting?"

"Or the two previous fights."

"Does it cover future acts they may do against me?"

"An excellent question, actually. They did try to slip something like that in but I had them pull it before I would agree to push this through. No, it only covers the events of the shooting and the two fights, and only precludes you from taking civil action. While it does have a non-disclosure clause to it, it does not prevent you from talking to the authorities about criminal action nor testifying to a grand jury or in court, which is something I wanted to bring up."

"The prosecutor contacted me just before the weekend about your giving a deposition for their trial. I already told him it should not be a problem, but I wanted to check with you.

"No problem. I am happy to help and honestly those two are a danger to everyone around them."

"My feeling is he is going to use your deposition to push them into a plea deal. They are young enough that they can't be charged as adults, so there isn't a lot he can throw at him. Honestly I think he is just trying to get this case off the books. It shouldn't be hanging over us for too long."

"Okay, now that that is all settled, let's go over the next thing. I looked over everything that your two potential partners put together, and I have spoken to them and their attorneys. We have a meeting with them shortly but I wanted to discuss it with you first."

"The first point I stressed is that, since you are the primary financial backer, you should have the largest stake. They agreed and the split will be 60-30-10, with you taking the controlling interest and Marcus getting the smallest percentage of ownership. Because you are a minor, you are not allowed to own stock directly. Instead I will set up a trust that will hold the stock for you."

"The company will be set up as a C Corp, with a board of directors that we will have to discuss. The company structure will be such that you will be named as CEO, once you are of age. Ted will move to COO. Prior to that, Ted will serve as CEO and Marcus as CTO. Once you are past the design phase you are going to have to find a CFO and most likely break off a piece of your share of the company for him. That is why I was able to argue for such a large portion of the company. The CFO will probably end up with a five percent stake when all is said and done. Well, that and the fact that this project would never get off the ground without you."

"Once we sign everything, we will open a corporate account into which Ted will deposit his seed money. You will deposit half of the money you allotted. The remainder of your money will be given over to the company as certain design and production benchmarks are met."

"Everyone has more or less agreed to this, and their attorneys have already looked at the paperwork, so all that is left are the formalities of getting together and signing everything."

"Next, there was a big push to have this money placed in a trust, since courts don't like handing this kind of cash over to a minor. So we will be putting the money into the same trust that will be controlling your interest in the company, and it will be able to be used by the person you assign to control the trust until you come of age to support yourself."

"I haven't talked to her yet, but I would like to put Mrs. Bell in charge of my trust and you to be the trust's legal counsel. I guess I probably need to have myself and Mrs. Bell meet with someone about how to deal with the trust's finances. Do you know someone we can talk to?"

"Yeah, I don't know anyone directly, but I can get you some recommendations."

"Great. Set me up a meeting with him for later this week, and we can get that ball rolling. So, now we head over to the meeting with Marcus and Ted?"

"Yep, let's go."

Mr. Colleta's office was only about ten minutes from Ted's, where we were scheduled to meet. However, since both men worked there, we were the last ones to arrive.

I knew their attorneys knew I was going to be involved, and knew I was a minor since my portion was being set up as a trust, so I was a little surprised by the skeptical looks they gave me.

"Hey, Ted ... Marcus. You guys ready to go into business together."

Marcus looked like the cat that ate the canary as he replied, "I just can't believe that this is actually going to happen. I had all but written it off, and honestly even after our conversation the other day, I never took it seriously. But, here we are."

Ted was shaking his head, "I kept telling you not to doubt Caspian. He has never ceased to amaze me."

"As much as I would like to sit here and let you two gush about my virtues, let's get down to business. Now, I know that we have most of the details worked out, and everyone is in agreement about what is going to happen here, but I do want to get one thing out on the table. Ted, Marcus ... I know I am young, but I want to actively participate in the decision making of this company. I am not going to 'big foot' you, and I want to keep everything as friendly and informal as possible when we get things going, but I made sure Mr. Colleta here put my voting interests in a position of power. I will get a say so in the majority of the Board of Directors. Again, this isn't a threat or a complaint, because I am confident we will work well together; but, I want you to know what I expect, and that I know I can force the issue if need be."

Ted and Marcus were both nodding, but one of their lawyers broke in, "Don't worry, kid. I am sure everything will be just fine, and whoever you appoint..."

I cut him off sharply, "Not whoever I appoint ... me. Sure, by the letter of the law, I have to have a trustee who overseas my interests, and will be supported by board members appointed my trustee; but, in reality, I will be doing the decisions making."

"Look, kid, you can't expect..."

Ted cut him off this time, "Tom, you should be careful here. I know Caspian is young, but you need to seriously consider that he is most likely the smartest person in this room and I have seen his determination before. You need to treat him with respect, unless you want to lose mine."

He swallowed hard but Ted was already ignoring him, "Sorry about that Cas. I know I speak for Marcus when I say we have no problem with that. In all of our dealings so far, you have shown you are more than capable of handling this. I for one am looking forward to it."

With that out of the way we ... or rather, they and Mr. Colleta, as my trust's representative, ... signed all of the agreements. He was smiling when he finished.

"Well, gentleman, it looks like that about clears everything up. We will sit down with Caspian's trustee and submit our names for the board of directors but you guys are ready to get to work. The money should be in the company bank accounts this afternoon."

I couldn't help but grin along, "Great. So, let's get together Wednesday for our first meeting and get this started. Sound good?"

Both men were nodding.

"Great. I know it is already pretty late so we will get out of your hair. See you guys on Wednesday."

I actually also had a lot going on. I needed to sit down and talk to Mrs. Bell about the trust and her and the girls about the future, or at least start that conversation. And I wanted to do some prep work before the meeting on Wednesday. Then there was still the ball game and the G-4 test match, this weekend. Man, when it rains it pours!

The girls were still at the afternoon practice, since Vicki had taken to going and watching Zoe and Tami every afternoon. I had called Mrs. Bell to see if it were possible for her to meet me at home early and talk with me and Mr. Colleta. She was there when we arrived.

"Sorry to drag you away from work, but I wanted to get all this stuff ironed out so we can get going. I know I mentioned to you about taking some of my settlement money and investing in a business with Ted from work. Well that is all worked out, but it turns out that as a minor I can't actually own part of a company. Mr. Colleta here has created a trust for me that will manage my interest until I am old enough to own stuff outright, but we need to get a person set as the administrator of the trust, as well as work out a few more things. I am sure Mr. Colleta can explain the details."

"Sure, oh and maybe you should start calling me Jonathan. You are quickly becoming a pretty big customer for me and I think we are past the Mr. Colleta stage. Anyway, we need someone to be set as the actual controlling party on the trust, who can make decisions on behalf of the trust and sign off on documents. Although to be fair, Caspian made it clear he wanted to make the decisions. He's looking for this person to be more of a public face, as well as advisor on the decisions he is going to make."

"Yep, that is about it. Would you be willing to do this, Mrs. B?"

"Cas, I don't know anything about business. I am not sure I am the right person for this."

"Well, like Jonathan said, I do want to take an active role in the decisions of the trust. Plus we have him as an advisor, and we are going to be talking to a financial expert to get advice from them as well. The reasons I want you to control is that I trust you implicitly. I know you have my best interests at heart."

"I guess I can't refuse when you put it like that. Of course, I would be honored to help."

Jonathan had her go through and sign a whole bunch of documents. Once that was done he quickly excused himself and left to go file the paperwork. The girls walked in a few minutes after he left.

"Great, I am glad you are here. We need to have a family meeting."

I noticed Vicki and Tami looking at each other.

"I am including you two in this. With what we learned this weekend I can safely say we are collectively a family, at least where this topic is concerned. Mrs. B, I would like for you to be here, also."

I got everyone seated at the table and jumped right in.

"I did a lot of thinking last night and pretty soon we are going to have to decide what to do about it. I already have some thoughts on that, although I want a few more days to mull it over. But one thing is for sure, we can't continue on through high school the way we started."

Mrs. Bell was looking at me thoughtfully, "So what new path do you have for the four of you?"

"For one, you three are all now much more capable that you were, and you now have an amazing potential. Whatever we decide to do, we need to put ourselves in a position where we have the tools we need, to achieve whatever it is we decide to achieve. What that means right now, is taking the right steps in school."

"I have been invited into a special pilot program for accelerated studies. So far the program is just me and Alison Hauge. The program will allow us to finish all of our high school math and science in two years, allowing us to attend some kind of college courses for the remaining two years, getting a jump on our college education. I have requested that you three be allowed in the program. Seeing as how we are dating, there's some skepticism, but they have agreed to allow you three to come in next Monday and test into the program."

Zoe looked a little shocked, "We are going to get to take college courses while still in high school? They will let us do that?"

"Yes, if you pass the tests they give you. I think this is important. We have a big future ahead of us, not just for us but it seems like for all of humanity, but we need to put ourselves in a position to make things work out in our favor. This is a first step to that. Will you three all try to test into the program?"

They all replied that they would, but Mrs. Bell was still looking determinedly at me.

"If I didn't know better Cas, I would say you already have a plan. Why are you making us wait to hear it?"

"Because I am not a hundred percent sure about it, yet, and this is a big enough decision it needs to be the right one. I am not saying I am going to be making the decision for everyone, but I want to make sure what I suggest is what I feel is the best course. I really do want you guys to be thinking about our future, as well. I promise we will sit down and have this discussion very soon."

The rest of the week chugged along. During the football game, we did pretty good again, I tried to be more subtle in the ways I was holding back and I was very aware that Josh was watching me when he could. I may have held back too much as we were nearly tied in the last few minutes of the game. I told Tony to make a long pass to me in the end zone, but indicated he should throw it away from my normal route. He was skeptical but we were far enough away from scoring with too little time to do anything about it, so it was that or nothing.

I let my defender get down field, and as I neared the end zone I cut right and put on a respectable burst of speed. Since I hadn't been pushing it all night, my defender wasn't ready for it. I took him by complete surprise. By the time the ball arrived, I was all alone and made the easy grab.

While it made sure we won the game, I was a little nervous about it. The coach and all my team mates were really excited by my performance, and that was something I was eager to avoid. Too much attention could come back and bite me on the ass. I down played it a lot and blamed it on suckering the defender rather than any exceptional ability on my part, although that is a tough argument to make, considering I asked for that play.

I told Vicki and Tami to sleep at their own homes that night and made sure Zoe knew I wasn't going to be fooling around. I needed to focus and get my mind ready for my G-4 test, tomorrow. We were up early and I ran silently with Zoe right beside me allowing me time to center myself. I was actually pretty relaxed when we made it to the Dojo the next morning.

I had told the girls that the first couple of sections would be pretty boring, but they all said they really wanted to see what I was doing.

I filled out all the required paperwork for testing and then started in with Levi on a whole bunch of drills. After about thirty minutes, he declared I was warmed up, although it felt a little past that for me. To get to level four, I had to go through not just the stuff from level three, but all the materials from levels one and two again, also.

First we went through what is known as 'the workshop' portion. We went through all of the material, and he made some corrections and refinements to my technique. This actually took almost five hours, since there was so much to cover. At that point we broke for lunch. The girls gave me a sandwich and a bunch of fruit they had brought, and I also took time to re-hydrate properly.

Next we went into sparring. I was the only person testing that day, so it went fast, but Levi had brought some of the advanced guys to help with this section. I went through six rounds of stand-up sparring, and three rounds of what is known as ground fighting, where I wasn't allowed to be higher than my knees. The first part was throws, kicks and punches, while the second part ended up to be mostly grappling moves.

I was surprised that when I looked over between one set and saw the girls were all asleep. Admittedly, we had been going for almost seven hours at that point. We practiced going one on one, and defending against multiple attackers. By the end it was full contact and I was feeling pretty beat up. After the last bout, Levi came up to shake my hand.

"Good job, Cas. You know your material and your muscle memory is on point. You are still having some trouble in the ground work; I don't think you practice that enough. But, you are good enough to pass. Congratulations."

"Thanks, Levi."

The girls all ran up to me and hugged me.

"Cas, do you guys always beat the crap out of each other like that."

Levi couldn't help but laugh at that, "Full contact is how you learn. You should see the top level guys go at it, it's pretty amazing to watch."

Still laughing, he walked off. I was still looking around at the audience.

"Tina didn't make it, did she?"

Zoe looked sad at me. I could tell that Tina's recent aloofness from us hurt her almost as it hurt me.

"No, she didn't show. Sorry, Cas."

I gave her a quick hug before trying to force some happiness in my voice.

"Okay girls, take me home and get me a shower. I am tired and sweaty."

Chapter 29

Back home after everyone had zonked out, I stared at the ceiling and thought back to everything that had happened in just a few months.  I was no longer the loner kid without a family.  I had three women who loved me and who I loved completely.  Instead of a distant mother who blamed me in some small way for the death of her husband, I had lived with a kind, nurturing woman who treated me in every way as her son.

I was still wrapping my brain around all the physical changes I was going through and everything that we had discovered so far.  If I said I wasn't nervous about it, I would be lying.  Even normal teenagers go through troubles finding themselves and I was sitting on the mother lode of identity crises.  It's one thing to accept that I am some harbinger of the next stage in humanity.  It's another thing entirely to try and sort out how to take on that responsibility without screwing it up.  At least it was guaranteed to keep my life from getting boring.

The one thing I did have some regrets about was Tina.  She had pulled away from me and I was worried I would never get her back.  Besides Zoe, she was my first connection to anything like a family, and I was loth to give her up now.  Zoe seemed to have faith that everything would turn out alright and I sure as hell hoped she was right about that.

In reality there was nothing I could do but accept what was happening and move forward.  Rolling over I draped an arm over Zoe's stomach, pulling her closer to me.  Unlike most people, I knew what life had in store for me now, or at least a little bit of it.  My destiny in life seemed a little more clear and I knew that as long as I had Zoe and the rest of the girls with me, we had a good chance of making things work.

Preview of The Ties that Bind

They say that high school is the next stage in our lives, when we learn how to stop being children and start becoming adults. I feel like I am the poster child for this idea. Three months ago I was a loner, with a family that regretted adopting me, no friends, and little idea of where I was going. I was totally lost.

In three short months everything changed. I learned I have a purpose in life. Not just a purpose, but a destiny. A reason for being. Sure it is totally overwhelming and I still think there is no way I am going to live up to what is expected of me, but what teenager doesn't think that. I will admit most teenagers don't have to worry about being the next stage of human evolution, but that's just details.

Thankfully I don't have to go it alone. I'm not that quiet kid without any friends anymore. I have three girlfriends, all of whom love me unconditionally. I have a woman who treats me like I am one of her own kids. I have some great friends that completely support me.

Sadly, I also had a schedule that seemed to want to crush me. There was a company meeting on Wednesday to get the last of the details of Marcus's drone project worked out so we could get moving on it. I had another football game on the weekend that I hadn't prepared nearly enough for. But first I had a meeting with the financial guy Jonathan had set up for after school on today to figure out what to do with all the money I was now sitting on, at least until I had to hand it over to Ted and Marcus.

As soon as morning exercises were over I met with Mrs. Runkle, and introduced her to the girls so they could take the aptitude test; but I couldn't stay to find out how they did. Mrs. Bell was already waiting to take me to the meeting with the financial guy. Since she was now officially in charge of the trust, she had to be there, too.

We met Jonathan outside the office building in the town's business district. I always laughed when I heard it called that. While not a map dot, Allentown was not that big, and our 'business district' consisted of about a one block area with a couple of office buildings.

I had talked to Jonathan about him the night before, and I brought Mrs. Bell up to speed as we walked into the building and rode the elevator up to the third floor.

Jonathan said he hadn't worked with Mr. Stoner before, but that he came highly recommended. He suggested we get this guy's thoughts on how he would manage the money, but we shouldn't commit today.

Mrs. Bell smiled at me, "Cas, you know I am just a figurehead. Business has never been my thing. You seem to know what you want to do, plus it's your money."

"Yeah, but you know how much I value your opinion."

She gave me a one handed hug, and then winced.

"Is it your head again?”

"Yeah, it still hurts. Maybe it's the florescent lights.”

I knew she was blowing me off. I let her get away with it, but I was worried about her. These headaches had been going on for weeks.

"Have you talked to anyone? Doctor Chang or your regular doctor?”

"No, not yet. It's just a headache.”

I made an uncertain grumbling sound at her, but we had arrived at the guy's office so I dropped it. There was a woman that I guessed was in her mid-twenties at a desk by the door.

"Hi. Caspian Grey and Angela Bell to see Mr. Stoner. We have a four o'clock appointment.”

"Please have a seat and I will let him know you are here.”

We sat and waited. I figured it would be several minutes until he got to us, since we got there a little early. I looked around what I could see of the offices while I waited. I hadn't seen this setup before.  There were a lot of office doors and an open area where the receptionist was waiting. Each had an office number and a name on the door.

"Excuse me, but is this all Mr. Stoner's office?”

"No, Mr. Stoner rents just one of the offices. There are several small offices run by different people that share the space and split the administrative costs. There are two financial advisors, including Mr. Stoner, a CPA, and a guy who does something with computers I don't really understand.”

"Ahh, okay. Thanks.”

Four o'clock came and went and no sign of Mr. Stoner. Eventually it rolled around to 4:15 and he came out of his office and greeted us, or rather, he greeted Mrs. Bell. Me, he seemed to ignore, but we all went back into his office. Introductions were made and then he jumped right into it.

"What can I do for you?”

He was looking at Mrs. Bell but I answered.

"I received a decent amount of money recently, and I need to see about investing it. I need four hundred thousand in a fairly risk free investment. I need it to be accessible in the next six months, as it has already been committed to a business partnership. The remaining three hundred thousand does not have to be as liquid, but I still want to avoid any high risk investments. I know it isn't a lot, as far as investments go, but I wanted to try and keep that second amount of money split among several smaller investments if possible.”

"Okay, seems someone did his homework. On the first part I guess what you are thinking of is a CD, but that isn't going to do you a lot of favors.”

He said the first part very patronizingly to me and then returned his attention back to Mrs. Bell.

"I would suggest putting the entire amount into an annuity. I actually have one in mind that is returning good rates.”

I cleared my throat to get his attention back on me.

"Correct me if I am wrong; but getting my money out of an annuity early, would be a little costly for me, right?”

"Well, there would be some fees, but if you could keep it in there long enough, I am sure you will earn enough interest to offset that. It really is your best option.”

"Aside from the four hundred thousand, which I really do not think should go into an annuity; wouldn't it be a better idea to keep the remaining money a bit more diversified?”

"Some people might say that, but I say strike when the iron is hot. Now this product I am suggesting is the best performing investment I have seen in years. You would be crazy to look elsewhere.”

This guy was setting off all kinds of alarm bells in my head. It wasn't just what he was saying, which already seemed sketchy, but his attitude was rubbing me the wrong way. Plus, although I was doing all the talking, he kept addressing Mrs. Bell.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Stoner. We will think about this.”

As I stood up to leave, he leapt up and moved over to Mrs. Bell.

"Ma'am, I think it's great to have your son in here learning about finances, but this should be taken seriously. This isn't something you want to wait on.”

Mrs. Bell was frowning, and stepped around him.

"As Caspian said, we will think about it and get back to you.”

As we walked away from him, I shared a look with Mrs. Bell. She was clearly having similar concerns about this guy. There was a guy leaning against the door frame of the office closest to the receptionist as we were walking out, drinking a cup of coffee and watching us.

We stopped as he addressed us in passing.

"Stoner up to his old tricks, again?”

"What old tricks?”

I looked back and Mr. Stoner was glaring at us for a minute, or more likely, he was glaring at this guy, before he went back into his office and closed the door.

"Let me guess, he had this one thing that was the best investment he had seen in years, and thought you should put all your money into it, right?”

"Yeah, that is about how that went.”

"Man, will he ever learn? I swear half my Rolodex is people he made that pitch to, who later got burned.”

"If it is so bad, why does he keep doing it?”

"'Cause it's only bad for the client. He always suggests whatever he gets the biggest commission off of. He makes his money up front.”

"So what would you recommend that is different.”

"I couldn't say. Investing your money isn't one size fits all. Anyone that suggests the same product to all of their clients is doing them a disservice. It depends on how much capital you have, how diverse you want to be, and how adverse to risk you are.”

I looked over to Mrs. Bell and she gave me a head nod.

"Do you have a few minutes to sit down with us?”

He looked at his watch.

"Yeah. My next meeting isn't for an hour. Come on in.”

We walked into the small office and sat down in front of his desk.

"I guess I should say my name is Charles Green. Give me a little background on what you guys are looking for.”

"Sure. I'm Caspian Grey and this is Angela Bell. I recently came into some money as part of a legal settlement ... a million dollars, in fact. All of it is sealed up in a trust, with Mrs. Bell here as the trustee. Seven hundred thousand of that is already earmarked for an investment, with the first three hundred thousand already paid. The remaining four hundred thousand isn't due right away, but I need it available in six months at the latest. I know that really limits the options available on that portion of the money. The remaining three hundred thousand I would like to keep diversified. I am hoping the company we are starting will be able to add more money into my portfolio, enough for the trust to start paying out a stipend to help cover home expenses.”

Mrs. Bell turned to me, "Caspian, you should keep your money invested. You shouldn't have to help...”

"No, I want to. With me, you have an extra mouth to feed, plus we regularly have the other two girls visiting us, which adds to the cost. I want to do my part. Now, with the company, I am no longer working for Ted ... at least, I'm not getting a paycheck.”

Mr. Green was watching the back conversation.

"Girls huh, that sounds interesting. As for a stipend out of the trust, you need to get it larger to be able to do that. With so much of your money already tagged for a hard investment ... and, I am guessing, not one with a dividend payout or disbursement in the near future ... you need to leave the rest of your money in the trust. Three hundred thousand sounds like a lot, but unless you leave it to build on itself, you will eat your principal up quickly if you start pulling money out.”

"For the first chunk, the only real option is a short term CD. The interest will be better than just sticking it in a bank account, but not by much. But, it would be available in a set amount of time, and it's fairly safe. The other option is to try and do a bunch of short buys and sells, or maybe short a few stocks. That would increase your return on the investment, but it is also more risky. It is possible that, even if you make the best decisions possible, you would lose some of your principal. The stock market works great on the long term, but for short term investments like yours it is more of a high risk, high reward sort of thing.”

"Yeah, I don't think that would be the smart play.”

"For the remainder, I would put some into the market, maybe a mutual fund, and the rest into smaller investments. Perhaps an energy company, or some form of real estate investment. I do agree that being diversified is a good idea, but you don't have enough capital to really spread it around. Still, I think if we played with the money right, you could get close to a ten-percent return on the principal every year. Thirty grand isn't 'get rich' money, but if you leave it in the trust and allow compound interest to do its thing, you should grow your cash nicely. Of course if this initial investment works out and you have more money to play with, we can start getting really interesting.”

"Mr. Green, I'm sold. I will get you my attorney's information. Please work with him and Mrs. Bell to get it all arranged.”

We got up and both shook hands with him. We were just walking out the door when Mrs. Bell grabbed her head, let out a cry and dropped to the ground. Her whole body was convulsing as I dropped to the ground next to her and tried to hold her still. I noticed her eyes had rolled up into her head.

About The Author

Travis Starnes is a freelance writer living in Texas. He has a love for books of all types, but preferably sci-fi, mystery and the occasional history. His passion is creating worlds and characters that live and breathe, letting them loose, and seeing what happens.

To find out more, get listings of new titles, or links to see chapters written in real time visit tstarnes.com

Signup to get free previews of upcoming books before they’re released at http://tstarnes.com/preview-notification-newsletter/

Other Books By T. Starnes

Destiny Saga

Ties That Bind

Destiny’s Interlude: A Summer’s Cruise

What Lies Ahead

No Good Deed

Table of Contents

- TITLE PAGE
- CHAPTER 1
- PREVIEW OF THE TIES THAT BIND
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- OTHER BOOKS BY T. STARNES