Something Wicked This Way Comes Part 3 free porn video

Something Wicked This Way Comes 3 The locker room had been bad enough. He'd learned to keep his eyes forward, breathe slowly and not think about it. He'd hoped gym would be better here. Maybe easier. "Darn it," he whined, as the field hockey ball flew past him as he flailed hopelessly. A girl on the other team waited and snatched it up, running downfield and passing it for a goal. His teammates, such as they were, jogged past, glaring and grumbling. Except for one girl, Claire, a junior, who had an asymmetrical haircut dyed purple. She laughed. "You're not very good at this." He felt about six inches tall. "I'm teasing Teagan. It's Teagan, right?" He nodded and looked down. She touched his cheek. "Really, it's ok. Don't let them see you care." He stammered, "It's just that... I mean... we didn't play this at my old school." Claire smiled, looking into his eyes, causing him to pull at the edges of his shorts. Why did they make them so short? "It's ok," she said, "half the girls are just trying to avoid Chrissy and Kris hitting them in the shins." "They leave you alone." Even though she looked a little emo, Chrissy and Kris seemed to respect her. She'd even scored a goal. He, on the over hand, had bruises all down his left arm. "They treat me like a human pinata" She touched his arm and he tried not to jump. "You just have to whack them back a few times. Once they see you can take it and dish it out, they'll respect you. If they give you a hard time, just give me a whistle," she smiled. "I'll take care of them." He smiled widely, not caring how dorky he looked. He could feel his eyes widen and then blinked, so he didn't look like a total loser. Be cool, he thought. "Thanks! I really appreciate it." Real cool. Ice T coming through. She laughed, "No big deal. I saw your drawing in Ms. Patrick's room. You're really good." He nodded, feeling at once proud and embarrassed. "I'm in the drama club. But this term, Mr. Schwartz is letting us make a movie, sorry film, he gets upset when you call it a movie," she smiled and rolled her eyes. "You interested in doing the scenery?" Again he nodded, hoping there wasn't a big dumb grin on his face. "Can you come today after 6th period?" He still wasn't used to that. At the high school, where Logan and Miley were, they had eight periods. Every class, every day, 45 minutes each. Here, the classes were longer, and you had some classes four days one week and three the next. He felt like he spent the first week just trying not to be late. Or to trip while running between rooms. He still wasn't used to the weight on his chest. Or the hair in his face. "Sure," he said. "Definitely." His dad didn't finish until five, although that usually ended up being closer to six. He usually ended up spending an hour or so reading Sandman comics in the cafeteria while the staff set up for dinner. "What's your ID, in case I have to text you?" The whole campus was wired for WiFi. You couldn't keep your phone on you, unless you were a senior, but they hadn't taken messaging off the iPads, so everyone just used that. "KoopmanT," he offered. "With a K." She smiled. "RichmanC. With an R. Well, KoopmanT, I will see you later." He just nodded, trying to minimize his dorkiness. He went back into the locker room to change although, other than the sports bra, the uniform - shorts and a t shirt - was the closest thing to his old life here. He changed as quickly as he could, muscles tensed always waiting for the tap on the shoulder or for someone to cry out. "Hey Teagan." It was Scarlett, a horse faced girl who had ignored Ryan from the first day. Other than to make nasty comments. "Hey Scarlett." He was surprised she knew his name. "What's up?" "Never. Ever. Go near the ball." She smirked, to the amusement of her friends. "Leave her alone, it's not like you're any good," Kris entered followed by Chrissy. Scarlett stared daggers at him, but shut up. Being into sports gave Kris and Chrissy some strange immunity from Scarlett's popular circle. That and they had a couple of inches on the other girls in the grade. --- Ryan woke with a start. He felt like his body was overheating. Sweat poured down his back and it felt like his hair was plastered to his forehead. Had his dad turned up the thermostat? Struggling to sit up, he could tell something was wrong. He put a hand up to rub his head. What the f... Was he wearing a hat and gloves? Now wide awake, he checked his arms and hands. He seemed to be wearing some sort of onesie. Somewhere in the distance, he thought he heard a giggle. Pushing himself up, he staggered over to the light switch. He flicked it twice. Nothing came on. Cursing under his breath, he staggered out into the hallway. Again, there was a giggle. Looking around, he saw nothing in the gloom. Deciding he had more important business, he staggered off to the bathroom. Again no lights came on. A fuse must have blown. He groaned. There was enough light coming in through the window that he could see his reflection. He seemed to be wearing a rabbit onesie, complete with a hood and stupid floppy ears. Someone had gone as far as painting a black circle and whiskers on his nose. When he turned around, he could just about see a cotton tail stuck to his butt. His hands were covered in mittens and his feet by what looked like oversize children's booties. He spent a few minutes trying to find the zippers but, if they were there, they were well hidden. Next, he tried to find the zipper on the back, but again it was too well disguised for him. And even if he?d found them, he doubted he?d be able to work it open while wearing the mittens. The one zipper he could find was under his chin. And all that seemed to do was connect the hood to the main body of the onesie. Sitting down on the edge of the bath, he tried to calm himself. It had been snowing all day but now it had stopped. The world outside the window was covered in a white blanket. The trees standing like frozen giants, the sky clear and full of stars. He rubbed his head, hating how useless his fingers were and took a deep breath. Standing up again, he went over to the mirror. If he stood to the side a little, there was enough light to see by. The onesie was a rabbit costume, as he?d assumed. More than that, it was a girl bunny. At least it wasn?t a Playboy bunny, more like when Bugs Bunny dressed as a girl. To his disgust, he could tell that the fur was pink, with a heart shaped stomach area. He figured this must have been one of Jack?s practical jokes. He was about to call out when he stopped himself. Maybe it was Jack but, if it wasn?t he didn?t want to risk him seeing. He tried to remove the hood but it seemed to be fitted too tightly. He was trying so hard to remove it that he didn?t notice them at first. When he did he jumped. Two small faces in the mirror. The first thing he thought of was an old wives tale he?d heard. A story Logan had told him when their class was camping out overnight in the Museum of Natural History in the city. About how if you saw a ghost in the mirror it meant the devil is coming to take you to hell. He turned quickly to see them there. They were two girls, somewhere around 8 to 10 years old. The tallest was thin, with long hair pulled back into a ponytail. The shorter one had a short hair, cut with straight bangs. Both looked up at him and grinned. They were both wearing red windbreakers. ?W-who are you?? He must be dreaming he reassured himself. The tallest tilted her head. ?Are you going to play with us, Mrs. Rabbit?? The shorter one grinned. ?What? Did you?? It took him a moment to think clearly. ?Get me out of this!? he half shouted, half whispered. Both girls started laughing, then turned and ran. Ryan stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do. It took him a second to realize that his best chance of getting out of the onesie before anyone else saw was getting away. He ran after them, nearly slipping on the smooth wood of the hallway. Coming down the stairs, he kept a tight hold on the banister. The booties had no grip at all and he almost fell several times. Downstairs was silent, but the cold draft from the open back door told him where to go. The virgin snow in the backyard was broken only by two sets of footsteps disappearing into the woods. It was cold and at first he was unsure about leaving the house dressed as he was. It didn?t take much to imagine the backdoor slamming shut and his situation becoming much, much worse. Rattling around the kitchen drawers, he found the back door key. For added security, he propped the door open. The onesie was warm, even his feet felt protected from the cold. Only his face was exposed to the elements. The cold felt sharp, like little pin pricks against his skin. Halfway across the yard, he looked up. He could see the red of the girls? windbreakers just inside the woods. Sighing, he looked back at the house, there was no light. He hoped that, if this was one of Jack?s jokes, it was too dark for him to be filming this. The woods were completely silent, the snow acting like sound proofing. The booties may have protected his feet from the cold but he could still feel every branch, twig and stone under foot. He also had little or no grip meaning he had to steady himself by leaning on trees as he went. They remained just ahead of him. Too far away for him to grab them. But moving slowly enough, he could always see the red of their coats ahead of him. They were heading up the hill. At one point the density of the trees thinned out and he looked back. Behind him was dark. If it hadn?t been for the moon and the stars he wouldn?t have been able to make out the houses, arranged like little boxes. Had there been a blackout? He turned to see where the girls were. They were just about out of sight. He pushed on. As they reached the top of the hill, he came out into a clearing. In the centre of which was a small campfire. The yellow flames flickered, adding color in the grey and black. Around the fire was a series of tree stumps set up like chairs. The girls sat on the other side watching him. ?Come on, you two. Enough is enough. What?s going on?? He sat down, only then realizing how much the climb had taken out of him. ?Time for tea, Mrs. Rabbit!? The shortest one jumped up. She was now wearing a blue dress with a white apron tied in front. When had she had time to change? ?Um, I?m not a rabbit.? Or a ?Mrs? he thought. The little girl frowned, then looked at her fiend. The tallest one stood up. She was wearing a play tiara. Then she pointed at him. ?Bad rabbit.? Immediately he felt something growing under his chin. Too late, he realized it was the zipper rising up. It stopped just under his nose clinging to the skin of his lower face. He tried to get a finger between his face and the material but it was no use in those mittens. ?Mmmmph!? he protested. Waving his arms around in annoyance. ?That?s better.? The smallest girl came over. She put a hand on his arm and pushed gently. Feeling defeated, he sat down. ?It?s so nice of you to come for tea, Mrs. Rabbit.? Her friend got up and came around the fire. She was carrying a child?s tea pot, cup and saucer. She passed him the cup and saucer. He sighed. ?Mmks,? he mumbled through the thick material. He brought the cup up where his mouth was hidden behind the zipper and pretended to drink. Both girls smiled at him watching him intently. To his surprise he felt warmth spreading through his body. He felt sleepy, somewhere in the distance he could hear voices. Children singing. A knocking on a door. He woke up suddenly. It was still dark outside, but now it was the greyish dark of a November dawn. He sat bolt upright. Had it been a dream? ?You awake?? It was his dad. The door started to open. ?Don?t come in!? he shouted, panic rising. He was still in the onesie. The door stopped, open by only a few inches. He drew the duvet up to his chin. To his relief, he saw the mittens were off. They hung limply at his wrists. ?OK, OK, sorry. I get it. Privacy. Um, it?s just that we need to get going. There?s another snow storm coming in from Pennsylvania. So, we definitely need to get going.? ?I?ll be down in a minute. I ? I just need to shower.? ?Try and be quick. I want to get on the road in a half an hour,? the door started to close, ?and you need to eat something before we leave.? Once his dad left, he jumped out of bed. Struggling to find the zipper at the back, he nearly caused himself to fall over. Only when he was out of the hated thing did he relax. So, what had happened? One of Jack?s funny jokes? He began scanning the room looking for a hidden camera. In the end he gave up. He was starting to go crazy. Opening his closet, he stuffed the onesie right at the back. Pushing over two boxes of old things to hide it away. Then he started looking for clothes for the day. He looked over in the corner. Shit. His one pair of school pants crumpled in a ball. There?s no way she?d let him leave like that. He grumbled as he took his skirt out. It was going to be a long day. Opening one of the drawers, he rummaged around to find his thickest pair of leggings. ---- The drama club had use of the art studio for the first meeting of their new film sub-committee. It was the only room large enough for everyone to fit in. Ms. Hulse, the art teacher, sat silently at her desk, half keeping an eye on them, half marking papers. Everyone was sitting on tables, not the chairs. As if the distinction ensured that no one would confuse this with something as uncool as an actual class. Without needing to discuss the matter, Harper and Ryan chose a table near the back of the room. Ryan glanced up just long enough to see Claire at the front. She?d dyed her hair again, this time adding a streak of red. She sat next to Emily, a girl with such a strange New England accent that it occasionally roamed into a bad impression of a British one. Ryan had assumed she was putting it on the first time he heard her. He noticed she?d added a purple streak to her hair. The same color as Claire had the week before. As they sat down, a group of tenth graders turned and looked at them. The expressions on their faces showed their disapproval. Ryan was mortified when they lingered on him longer than Harper, who they barely seemed to notice. ?What?s wrong with them?? he hissed to Harper. ?Nothing, just ignore them.? Harper?s voice went up an octave. Poker face. ?Come on, tell me,? he looked directly at her, ?are people saying something about me?? He could see her turning bright red. ?Um,? she glanced nervously around. Perhaps hoping the meeting would start and save her. ?Some of the girls have been saying... about how you?re always in skirts...? Her voice trailed off. ?And?? A couple more girls turned around, making his cheeks burn. He lowered his voice. ?What have they been saying?? Harper looked nauseous. ?They think you?re showing off.? ?What?? His brain wouldn?t take it in. He no longer cared if anyone was paying attention. ?I know. It?s sooooo stupid. They call Alison McIntyre a lesbian because she only wears pants.? Harper looked at him. Somehow, her sympathy made him feel sicker. ?They?re just jealous. They wish they had legs like yours. And because you?re a day student, you?re an easy target.? He looked down at his skinny legs. Tugging at the hem, he tried to pull his skirt a fraction lower. The stupid thing was supposed to be helping him to fit in! There was a loud cough and they all looked to the front. Emily had stood up. ?So I?d like to thank you all for coming to this the inaugural meeting of the Muirwood Film Club. And thanks Ms. Hulse for letting us use her space.? Ms. Hulse barely acknowledged them with a nod. ?Those of you who are already in the drama club will know...? She went off into a long spiel about how the drama club had been petitioning for the formation of a film club for ages. Teagan zoned out. It was easy to see that the girls sitting in the front row were all long term drama club members. When one asked a question, Emily answered promptly and with an easy manner. A few hands went up in the rows behind them, but she only answered one girl. Harper whispered that she was the younger sister of a girl who often hung out with Emily?s group. ?So this, as I?m sure you all know, is Claire.? Claire gave a mock bow that had everyone laughing. Including Ryan, which got him an odd stare from Harper. ?Claire will be our director.? They had his attention now. Claire moved with more ease than Emily. Maybe it was just his opinion but she didn?t seem to need to work as hard for each laugh. He noticed how she would run a hand through her hair when she was thinking of an answer to a question. How, with sweater off, the school uniform didn?t look so bad on her. Like she was wearing it with a casual distance. Whereas his always seemed slightly crumpled and ill fitting. His mind elsewhere, he only just caught that they were making a horror movie. Then there was some discussion about the male gaze and he lost the thread again. Claire wasn?t talking anymore. Instead, she was watching Emily. Her asymmetrical bangs had fallen over one eye. Without thinking, Ryan had pressed his thighs together, a warmth spreading outwards. ?And working with our camera and design crews, we have a couple of newbies.? Emily was pointing at him and Harper. Harper, as ever sat up straight, smiled and said a bright, ?Hi.? He slumped forward slightly, as if hoping he could fold himself away, and gave them an embarrassed wave. Cold shame dribbled down his back. He couldn?t look at where Claire was sitting. Emily moved on from them without a second glance. After the meeting, broke up most of the girls stayed and milled around. Someone somehow had found snacks. Even Harper managed to talk to someone. She told one of the older girls that, ?She was trying out for the camera crew this year but 'next year or maybe the year after,' she wanted to be cast. The older girl seemed to be a little taken aback, but still chatted with her for a few minutes. Ryan, on the other hand, hung back. He caught one of the girls from the table in front of them looking at him. It was all he could do to fight back the urge to pull at his skirt. Glancing up, he caught a glimpse of Claire. She was just two tables away talking to some of the other drama club veterans. Two tables and a whole world away. He waited patiently while Harper talked to some of the others. Always standing a few feet back, trying to avoid eye contact. ---- Thanksgiving break. Normally, this would have been cause for celebration. Five days off from school. The public school kids only got four but Muirwood got five because as Harper told him, with an eye roll, ?everyone has to get away and you can?t expect them to be at the airport on Wednesday with the common people,? which made him laugh. Except he wasn?t going anywhere. Wednesday - 11 AM. At least, he got to sleep in. Well, fall back to sleep. Jack made sure to ?accidentally? bang into his door on his way out. Which followed his morning singing in the shower. And his ?where are my socks? at full volume. Which, if Ryan thought about it, was only fair since he had spent the night before pointing out how he was so glad that he had the extra day, how much he needed the sleep and how he was soooo sorry that Jack had school. His happy feeling didn?t last long. His mom stuck her head in the door and told him to get ready. They were going to the doctor. ?What?s wrong with this?? He was wearing his Giants sweatshirt over a pair of leggings and his sneakers. His hair was pulled into a ponytail. He was still not used to tying it back and much of the hair at the front had already sprung free. She looked up at him from the bottom of the staircase. ?It looks sloppy. And, like the Giants, that sweatshirt?s season is over.? ?I look fine. It?s what everyone at school wears. Besides, it?s just the doctor?s office. Who?s going to see me there?? No one, he hoped. Regardless, his mother stared at him. He took off the Giants sweatshirt and put on his Muirwood fleece. ?Is this better?? ?It?s...better,? his mother grumbled. ?We need to get to the city. I don?t want to be late.? A couple of hours later Ryan sat on the doctor?s examining table, his legs in the stirrups. Which still made him want to throw up, even after a year. Dr. Roman snapped off the rubber gloves. ?Everything looks perfectly normal.? Normal for whom? The doctor looked at him. ?OK, so you can get dressed and then come into the office and we can talk.? Ryan moaned as he pulled on his leggings and his fleece and went into the doctor?s office. He slumped in the chair. ?Sit up,? his mother said sharply, ?I know you don?t want to be here but it?s just the doctor. There?s nothing he hasn?t seen before.? This was her favorite line. ?I know he?s seen it but I haven?t,? muttered Ryan. Thank you for being so supportive. Diana. Regardless, Ryan sat up. ?So, Teagan,? the doctor smiled. ?How are you doing? How are you feeling?? Ryan looked at the diplomas on the wall, at the Latin. I hate my life. ?Good. Good.? ?How do you like the new school?? It sucks. I have one friend and she?s weird. And everyone looks at me. ?It?s good.? Ryan?s mom said, ?You can say something more than good, honey... tell him about the movie.? He doesn?t care. ?We?re making a movie. The film club. I?m doing scenery and stuff.? Happy now? Dr. Roman smiled, ?Well, that sounds... good.? Both adults laughed. ?So, anyway, I have the results of your blood work.? Two weeks ago, Ryan got to have blood drawn at a lab in Union. ?Everything looks fine. Your hormone levels are stable. Perfectly normal for a girl your age.? Ryan looked up at him and tried not to cry or scream. He felt his mother staring at him, as if to tell him ?shut up and deal.? Dr. Roman?s expression was sympathetic. ?I understand Teagan. But, given the circumstances, normal is a good thing.? Ryan nodded and the doctor continued, ?You?re developing normally.? Ryan let out a sharp, involuntary laugh. He felt his mother staring again and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dr. Roman hold up his hand. The doctor continued, looking at his iPad. ?Height 5?6?. Weight 125 pounds. All good.? Tentatively, Ryan asked, ?5?6?? Is there any chance I might grow?? Among other things, he hated his height. He hated looking up at Miley, at Harper. At Logan. The doctor flipped around the iPad and showed him an x-ray of his legs. He had those the same day as the blood work. At least, his dad let him have Brazilian barbecue for lunch. Dr. Roman took a pen and began pointing. ?OK, Teagan. This is your right leg. See how there?s no gaps between your patella and your tibia...? ?Uh huh.? He had a sinking feeling that this was not good. ?That means the growth plates have fused. So, this is as tall as you?re going to be.? Ryan slumped. ?5?6? is two inches above average for a woman,? he offered hopefully. The offer was rejected. ?Great,? Ryan mumbled. Ryan?s mom touched his hand, ?Teagan, it?ll be OK. You?re a perfectly normal height.? Which got a glare from him. ?We?ll talk in the car. Sorry, doctor.? ?No worries, Mrs. Koopman. I have two at home.? And he smiled in what he probably thought was a reassuring manner. Ryan wasn?t sure who he was trying to reassure. With that, they then discussed Ryan?s menstrual cycle and development, which made him woozy. He could hear the words but it sounded like he was underwater for the rest of the appointment. --- To add insult to injury, his mother chose some stupid diner for lunch, not the good one his dad had taken him to, even though he told her where it was. ?Sorry but we still have to go shopping for tomorrow.? His mother was dragging him to ShopRite to get everything she missed on her last trip. It was bad enough that Uncle Mark, Corey and Finn were coming. He had hoped that this holiday was with their mother. If Mark didn?t have the boys, he?d go to Atlantic City to gamble. He thought they switched off every year and then he remembered. Last year, it was just the four of them. He shuddered, remembering how miserable they?d all been. How Jack didn?t even smile when he let him win at Mario Kart. They drove to ShopRite, his mother talking about the appointment, dinner, everything. She never stopped to breathe, much less someone else talk, which was fine. The more she talked, the less he had to say. The ShopRite was less packed than he expected the day before Thanksgiving. He remembered going with his father when he was little and what a mob scene it was, all of the people pushing and shoving. Well, that and the gumballs. Whenever his father took them, he could always get him to buy him a gumball from the machine at the front. They were in the produce aisle when he heard, ?Hi, Diana.? He looked up from his phone to see Logan?s mom. And Logan. ?How have you been?? It had been three weeks since the party. He had no idea if they had spoken about it, or even to each other. His mom leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek, the tension palpable. ?Busy, Grace. Ridiculously busy. My brother and the boys are coming over tomorrow.? She smiled and saw Logan?s mom roll her eyes. ?Oh, it?s his turn this year, huh?? Ryan saw Logan?s eyes plastered to his phone. He hadn?t even acknowledged him. Ryan was alternating between looking at him and his own phone when he heard his mother say, ?Teagan. Mrs. Dumas was asking how school is.? Ryan looked up. ?Um, it?s good. Fine. It?s fine.? Logan?s mother smiled. ?And your classes?? ?Uh,? and Ryan pulled on his sweatshirt, suddenly feeling naked in his leggings. ?They?re fine. We have six periods instead of eight, and they?re longer, but they?re fine.? We have six periods instead of eight? Both mothers laughed. ?That?s good. And the commute?s not a problem?? Ryan looked around, hoping for a cart crash. Or a dropped jar. Anything to distract them. ?It?s...? Logan?s mom smiled. ?Let me guess. Fine?? Ryan wanted to crawl into a hole or run away. Mrs. Dumas had known him since he was five. Why was she doing this now? ?How?s school, Logan?? Ryan?s mom came to the rescue. ?And don?t tell me it?s fine,? she laughed. ?It?s, uh, good,? he mumbled, not looking at Teagan. ?Different than middle school. Bigger. And stuff.? The two mothers laughed again, Logan?s mom offering, ?As scintillating as this conversation has been, we should probably get moving before the crowds show up. Diana,? and she gave her a kiss. ?Teagan,? she leaned to give her a kiss on the cheek, which just felt weird. ?Um, yeah, bye,? Ryan stammered, confused, walking away. Ryan?s mom sent him to get the ingredients for stuffing when his phone buzzed. Logan. He smiled. ?Sry abt B4. Weird.? ?Totaly. How r U? Schl?? ?Fine :-).? Ryan smiled. ?Wht r U doing ltr?? ?Idk. Dpnds on Diana? followed by some very expressive emojis. He no longer called her mom, not unless it was to her face. ?U?? ?Nthing. Hmcmng @ schl. Nt gng.? ?Y?` ?N d8. Dn?t wnt 2. Bsds, 4 srs. Wnt 2 ply Swtch or Xbx?? Ryan smiled. In spite of himself, he smiled. ?K. My huse or yrs?? ?Cn u cm hr?? Ryan felt nervous, thinking of the party and everything that happened. Then, he thought, this is Logan. And we?re playing Xbox. Or Switch. ?K.? Just then, he heard, ?Teagan. What is taking you so long?? He typed. ?Gt 2 g. [dragon emoji] [eye emojis] 4 me. C U ltr. 730?? ?C U thn.? Followed by the smiley face. He went to put his phone in his pocket, then realized. No pockets. ?What is taking you so long?? His mother asked. ?Sorry. Harper texted me,? he lied, wondering how red his face was. ?They?re stuck in the airport.? Harper and her family were headed to Florida for the holiday, to Harper?s grandmother in Palm Beach. ?Good for them,? his mother said. ?Regardless, we have shopping to do.? She looked at him, fumbling with his phone. ?Maybe, we should get you a bag to carry that.? ?A bag?? ?A purse. You can?t walk around carrying your phone and your wallet in your hand.? He shuddered at the thought of a purse, remembering the one his great- grandma carried. The one with wadded up tissues and hard candy stuck to the bottom. ?I have my backpack.? His mother smiled. ?Teagan,? she said in her best, most condescending voice, ?There are certain circumstances where that won?t work. Maybe, after this, we?ll drop everything at home and go to the mall and get you one. OK?? ?Uh huh.? Purse shopping, hooray. After dinner, Ryan said, ?Um, I?m going to go to Logan?s. I?ll call you when I?m done.? ?Excuse me, young lady?? Her mother stared at her. ?What did you say?? ?I said I?m going to Logan?s. We?re going to play XBox or Switch. What?s the big deal?? His mother?s eyes narrowed. ?Who else will be there?? Ryan got defensive. ?No one. I mean his parents will be there. I think Michael will be at homecoming...? Ryan?s father piped up. ?Why isn?t Logan going to homecoming?? ?Because-? And he almost said ?because he doesn?t have a date,? and then stopped himself. ?He says it?s mostly seniors and stuff. Come on, no one else will be there. And Mr. and Mrs. Dumas will. Come on.? He hated the whine in his voice. ?Jason, call Carl and verify this,? his mother all but commanded. His father looked at him, with a mix of empathy and anger and took out his phone. ?Hey, Carl, it?s Jason. Good, good...you? That?s good. Ah, anyway, I?m calling to check and see whether it?s OK for Teagan to come over. No one else will be there, right? Heh, heh, yeah, you got it. Great.? He hung up and said, ?It?s clear. You can go over.? His mother looked at him. ?Heh, heh, what?? ?Nothing. Michael and homecoming.? Ryan could tell he was lying, but kept his mouth shut. His mother looked at him. ?If anyone else, anyone, is there, you are to call me. Not text me. Call me. Understood?? ?Seriously?? ?Do you want to go?? ?Fine,? Ryan huffed. ?If anyone else is there, I?ll call. But there won?t be.? --- ?Hey.? Ryan knocked on Logan?s bedroom door. There was the sound of things been moved around and then the door opened. ?Hey.? Logan smiled, the door only partly opened. ?You OK?? ?Just cleaning up.? Logan grinned stupidly. ?Since when do you clean up?? Ryan pushed his hair behind his ears. It had grown a lot. He wasn?t used to it brushing against the line of his jaw. His mom was threatening to get it cut. A complete 180 from the arguments they?d had in the first few months after the change. Anyway, it was true. Ryan was used to finding half eaten bags of Cheetos and moldy crusts of old pizza among the junk on Logan?s floor. ?Dunno.? Logan shrugged, not looking at him directly. ?After last time...? Ryan felt his cheeks burning up, ?... Well I just thought I should, y?know, make the effort.? ?Dude, don?t be stupid. It?s me.? They stood there for a moment looking at each other, until Logan stepped back to let him in. Just as he crossed the threshold, they heard Logan?s dad shouting from downstairs, ?The door stays open!? Ryan wanted to die, or at least become so small he could hide in the carpet. If the look on Logan?s face was anything to go by, he?d have company fighting off the giant ants. He was relieved when they started playing the game. Something to fill the empty silences. Still, Logan kept beating him which was frustrating. He knew he wanted to win too much, which never worked out. For the first time he could remember, Ryan?s mom brought them Cokes. ?I thought you two might be thirsty.? Logan stared at the screen, while Ryan stared at his controller, wondering what was wrong with it. ?Um, thanks, Mrs. Dumas.? She smiled and left the room. After she left, Ryan flung his control on the floor. ?You gave me the bad controller, asshole.? He felt a soreness in his breasts. Oh yeah, he thought, it's that time of the month. Shit. Logan smiled. ?Oh yeah, it?s the controller...? Ryan looked at him, trying not to adjust his bra strap which felt like it was digging into his shoulder. His mom kept telling him that they had to go bra shopping but he kept putting it off, like it would make this go away. ?What?s that supposed to mean?? Was he about to say something? That he was a girl now and couldn?t play games like this? ?Your hair,? Logan grinned. ?You spend like half your time keeping it out of your eyes.? He was staring up slightly above his eyes. Again Ryan felt his face grow hot. He hoped Logan hadn?t noticed. If he had, he didn?t let on. ?You wanna play Overwatch?? Overwatch was multiplayer game. Everyone they knew was on it. ?Sure.? Ryan smiled, glad of the diversion. The logged on and chose their characters. Logan already had his, Doomfist, a giant fighter with a hand cannon and huge muscles. In other words, everything Logan wasn?t. Ryan flicked through the options. ?I was thinking McCree...maybe Reinhardt...? He tried not to look over at Logan, although it took most of his will power not to do so. ?Yeah, sure, OK....? He turned for a split second to see Logan?s nodding in an unconvincing manner. ?Um, you know Elliot and the others will be online...? He could tell Logan wanted to say more. Ryan started scrolling through the characters. The female characters. ?D.Va looks cool. Or Sombra,? Logan said enthusiastically of the two heroines in skintight outfits. Ryan clicked on one. ?How about Tracer? She looks really cool.? He liked her spiky haircut and her ability to rewind her timeline. Still, he looked at Logan, hoping for signs of approval. ?Yeah, OK. I guess she?s pretty cool,? he said with finality. After that, he created a profile for T the Destroyer. ?Is it cool if I invite a friend to join us?? ?Miley?? Logan couldn?t keep the sulky note out of his voice. ?No, my friend Harper. From Muirwood. She?s down in Florida now and is probably bored AF.? He knew she was always on-line after dinner at school, when the other girls left her alone. Or as Harper said, ignored her. ?OK. Cool. Very cool.? Logan?s head bobbed up and down more enthusiastically this time. ?You are not imagining her in her school uniform, are you?? The look on Logan?s face said otherwise. ?Stop or I?ll kill you.? Logan grinned. ?You know that?s not me.? Ryan huffed. He wasn?t sure of that at all. Plus he had a strange suspicion Logan had stopped himself from ending that sentence with ?bae?. As soon as his profile was live two messages popped up. Alice, Conqueror of Worlds a/k/a Widowmaker: ?Hey T! U look badass!!!!!!!!!? Mary Hive Queen a/k/a Brigitte: ?OMG IT?S T? followed by an obscene amount of hearts. After a minute, the messages calmed down. At least until the Conqueror added, ?U @ Logans????? follows by a number of emojis that made Ryan blush. He was only too aware that Logan could see the same screen. --- Ryan took a deep breath and came downstairs, wearing jeans, a green sweater that Miley had said looked good with his coloring (whatever that meant) and his stupid school shoes. He had no idea why he had to do this - it was just them coming over - but he knew he had to. And he didn?t want to fight with his mother again. He figured this would placate her. ?This is OK, right? Not too sloppy?? She looked him up and down, then smiled. ?No, honey, it?s fine. That sweater really sets off your eyes.? She brushed the hair from his face. ?It?s going to be fine, honey.? Ryan looked at the floor, and then over her shoulder. ?No, it won?t. It was bad enough before and now it will be worse.? ?That?s not true. I know Uncle Mark can be,? and she paused, thinking of the right word, ?difficult sometimes. And I know you and Corey and Finn have never been,? another pause, ?close. But, things are different now.? He paused, wondering what to say. She didn?t want to hear what he was thinking - that it was different, just worse different. That was apparent from what she was saying. And the way she never asked him what he was thinking. But, whatever. ?K.? ?Do you like my outfit?? Huh? She was wearing a blue sweater and a black skirt. ?Um, sure. You look nice.? She laughed. ?Teagan, honey, you need to be a little more loquacious.? Great, vocabulary words. ?You look nice isn?t really helpful. Don?t your friends ever ask you how they look?? ?Um, we wear uniforms? We all look the same, pretty much.? He thought about Claire, how different she was to everyone else. His mother laughed. ?Somehow, I doubt that. Look at me a little more closely, then tell me what you?re thinking.? That I want to run away. Or crawl under the stove with Jack?s old action figures. He knew he wasn?t getting out of this that easily. He looked at her, stared actually. He walked around her, figuring that made him look more interested. ?Um,? and he took a deep breath, ?I mean, um, it looks good except, um, maybe, pull down the sweater a little because, um, your butt looks kinda...? His mother laughed and hugged him. ?Teagan, are you telling me my butt looks big?? He eyed the bottom of the stove, thinking that if he took a deep breath... ?Um, well...? She walked over to the mirror in the hall, taking him by the hand with her. ?Hmmm.? And she pulled down her sweater. ?That does look better. Thank you.? And she kissed him on the forehead. ?Honey, your friends are going to ask you that all the time as you get older. And you?ll ask them.? He felt sick thinking about that. ?You will and you need to be a little less nervous about it. I mean don?t look at them and say,? and she adopted a thick accent like her college friend Rachel had, ?ohmigawd, Diana, yaw ass looks YUGE.? Ryan laughed in spite of himself. ?Uh huh,? he stared at the floor. ?Teagan, honey, I know how hard this year has been on you.? Yup, we need to clean the floor. ?Um...? ?Look at me, honey. I know. But, you?re doing great.? ?Uh huh.? She didn?t know and she didn?t care, but anything to end this faster. ?And try and be positive today. It?s Thanksgiving!? He was positive. Just not in the way she thought. ?Help me set the table.? Then, she yelled, ?Jack, come here and help your sister set the table.? Somehow, ?sister? sounded worse. Jack came downstairs in a t shirt and shorts. ?You look very pretty, Teagan,? he laughed. Ryan licked his finger, stuck it in Jack?s ear and grinned. ?Mom, Teagan stuck her finger in my ear.? ?Stop it, both of you. You?re both too old for this nonsense,? she shouted from the kitchen, as Jack tried to reciprocate. Ryan ducked away from his finger and smiled, whispering. ?Come on, we have to set the table. Uncle Puke,? their nickname for him, ?is coming.? ?And Gory and Fish,? Jack laughed. An hour later, the doorbell rang. Fuck, he thought. The look on his father?s face said the same thing. Still, he opened the door. ?Hey, Mark,? he said, with a nauseous grin on his face and his hand out. ?Corey, Finn.? Corey looked over his dad?s shoulder, right at him. ?Hey, Uncle Jason,? he said, pumping his hand. ?Hey, uh...? ?Teagan,? Ryan?s father offered. ?Her name is Teagan.? Uncle Mark looked at Finn and smirked. ?Hi, Teagan, you look very pretty.? Uncle Mark could make anything sound obnoxious. ?Uh, thanks, Uncle Mark.? Mark stood with his arms at his sides, neither hugging him nor shaking his hand. Every year, he?d shake Ryan?s hand, squeezing until Ryan cried, ?uncle.? Finn and Corey just stood there, like they were afraid they?d catch it. Whatever it was he had. Then there was another figure behind them. In the gloom outside, Ryan couldn?t make out who it was. Until Jack shouted out, ?Grandpa!? Completely ignoring how old he was, Jack ran to the old man at the back. He was older and moved slower, maybe from the oxygen tank he was wheeling, but he looked like the old pictures from when mom was a kid. The man with the broad shoulders and big arms, that were now wrapped around Jack. Over Jack?s shoulder, the old man just looked at Ryan, making him feel six inches tall. ?Daddy!? Ryan?s mom exclaimed. Ryan always wondered what happened to his ball-busting lawyer mom around him. ?Mark didn?t tell me you were coming...? This was said with a smile to her father and a look at Uncle Mark. Ryan and his dad exchanged glances. The old man grumbled. ?Apparently, it was too cold for Jerry Bianchi this morning, so we called off golf.? Every year, since his mom was a kid, Grandpa and his friends would play golf on Thanksgiving Day unless it snowed. And the course was closed. After Grandma died, the ones who were widowers would go to dinner unless their families pushed. His mom took a deep breath and gave another look to Uncle Mark, who just smiled. ?I just hope we have enough...? This was ridiculous. Even after Uncle Mark took some, they?d have leftover food for three days. She smiled and said, ?Well, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone,? giving them all a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Finn held out a cake, like an offering. ?Hi, Aunt Diana. We picked this up when we were at mom?s.? She looked at the box. ?Oh wow, Palermo?s. Did you tell the boys to go there?? She looked at her dad. Mark looked a little irritated. Corey laughed, still staring at Ryan. ?Please, Aunt Diana. It?s like all dad ever talks about. How Grandpa used to take you there on Sundays.? Grandpa beamed, his mother blushed. Uncle Mark rolled his eyes and Ryan exchanged another glance with his father. ?Well, thank you anyway,? she laughed. ?Jason, take their coats. Come, go sit in the living room. The game is on.? They all walked towards the living room. They moved past Ryan towards the living room. For a moment, Grandpa looked at him and gave a weird smile. ?Still looks like you, Jason.? He went to ruffle Ryan?s hair, the way he always did, and stopped. ?Can?t do that anymore, I imagine,? he grunted as he pushed past, the tank behind him. Ryan?s dad mouthed ?sorry? and rolled his eyes. This made Ryan laugh, but then he was alone in the hall, not sure where he should be. ?Teagan, honey, can you help me in the kitchen?? Which brought a snicker from Jack who was near the living room door. He whispered, ?Yes, Teagan, honey, go help.? Ryan leaned forward and hissed, ?When they leave...? He was cut off by his mom calling for him again. Ryan stomped into the kitchen. ?Why do I have to help?? She looked at him. ?You?ve always helped me. And since when do you want to watch football? All you ever did was play with your DS.? ?I have a Switch now,? he huffed. ?Either way, I need your help. Get the cheese from the refrigerator and the crackers from the cabinet.? ?Fine,? he snapped. He took the cheese and crackers and put them on a plate. ?Take them into the living room. I?m heating up little hot dogs,? she smiled. ?If you play your cards right, I?ll save some for us. Before they eat them all.? ?Uh huh,? he said, taking the plate into the living room. He went in to find Corey and Finn on the couch, Jack between them, grinning. ?Mom said bring this.? His uncle, not taking his eyes off the TV, said, ?Thanks. What?s a guy have to do to get a drink around here, Jason?? His father looked at Ryan and rolled his eyes. ?Your usual, Mark?? Scotch on the rocks. After he?d leave, his father would say, ?arsenic, Mark? Strychnine?? ?Mike? Boys?? Grandpa didn?t answer, just nodded. They were watching football and football meant beer. Asking was just part of the ritual. Finn looked at Ryan and said, ?Hey, uh, Ryan...? ?Teagan,? Ryan said. ?My name?s Teagan now.? He gave Ryan an odd look, one he couldn?t interpret. Meanwhile Corey just kept staring. ?Right, got it. So, uh, Teagan,? and he looked at his father, ?why don?t you go get me a Coke?? Why don?t you go fuck yourself? ?It?s in the kitchen,? Ryan grumbled. ?Get it yourself.? Mark looked at Jason. ?You let your daughter,? the last word said somewhere between disgust and reproach, ?talk that way to people?? ?Maybe if he asked nicely...? Jason offered half-heartedly to snickers from his uncle. And his cousins. And Jack. His grandfather just stared forward. Finn grinned, ?Teagan. Would you please get me a Coke? Teagan.? Ryan looked at his father, who shrugged. He walked into the kitchen and threw open the refrigerator door. ?What?s going on in there?? His mother asked. Ryan, his eyes laser-focused on the inside of the fridge, grumbled, ?Nothing. Nothing is going on in there.? ?That doesn?t sound like nothing.? ?Finn is an asshole,? he said, to the orange juice. ?That?s what?s going on.? ?Don?t curse,? his mother said, her hand resting on the freezer door while she peered over his shoulder. ?What did he do?? ?Told me to get him a Coke.? ?That doesn?t sound so bad.? ?It?s the way that he said it.? The butter offering no disagreement. ?Then, he made fun of me. Kept calling me Teagan.? ?That?s your name, isn?t it?? She laughed. ?It?s NOT funny,? he said, turning around. ?You weren?t there. You didn?t hear him.? ?What did your father say?? Ryan sighed, ?He told him to ask nicely.? He saw worry lines appear on his mom?s brow, ?Did he?? ?No. Not really. He and Uncle Puke,? he let the name slip out, ?just laughed at me.? He almost said that Jack did as well, but he figured that he would take care of that himself later. ?Just ignore them,? she sighed. ?That?s what you say every year. And it doesn?t work.? His mother looked at him and put her hands on his upper arms. ?Teagan, I know. But please try and do this for me. I promise you that, if you do this for me, I?ll do something for you. OK?? There was nothing he wanted from her. But he knew it was less an offer than a command in the form of an offer. ?K. Do I have to bring him his Coke?? His mother sighed. ?I?ll bring it in for you.? Ryan could see her jaw line tense up. When dinner was served, it was like old times. ?So, Finn, how?s Gettysburg treating you?? his mother asked. Finn had walked onto the team at Gettysburg, as a wide receiver. Big deal. Ryan had checked their record. 1-9. Not that this stopped Finn, ?It?s been great. Way too busy between classes and practice. I?m glad now that the season?s over. I can relax a little. Coach says I have a chance of starting next year.? Ryan had looked on line at the statistics. He had played in one game and had one catch. For four yards. He pushed his mashed potatoes over his turkey and then back off. Then repeated the pattern. ?Well, that sounds terrific. I?m glad you?re enjoying it. Are you keeping your grades up?? ?So far, so good,? Finn said, through a mouthful of dark meat. ?Hey, uh, Teagan. You should cut back on the mashed potatoes. Carbs equal fat.? Ryan, not looking up, said, ?Thanks.? ?Just trying to help,? he laughed. ?It?s harder for girls to lose weight.? Before anyone could ask, his uncle said, ?I was telling the boys,? and he looked at Ryan, who kept staring at his plate, ?how Corey was All- County this year at striker and Jack told us how he was playing too. Jack, I used to tell you...two...all the time how being on a team is the best thing you can do. I?m glad someone listened to me.? Grandpa slapped Jack on the shoulder, making him wince. ?That?s the boy. Good job.? Even talking didn?t slow him down shoveling food in his mouth. Corey smiled, looking at Ryan and then the table. ?Hey, Jack, after dinner, wanna go outside and kick the ball around? I can show you some tricks that?ll really help you.? Jack?s eyes lit up. ?Cool. Thanks. That would be great.? Ryan?s father looked genuinely pleased. ?Thanks, Corey. That?s really great of you.? Then, they started talking about homecoming at his school and the big football game tomorrow. Then, family drama - something to do with his aunt Jeanie, who was like 90 and in a home - and then politics. Ryan spent the meal in silence, feeling like all eyes were on him when he took seconds of turkey and sweet potatoes. At some point, Ryan?s mom said, ?Teagan is working on a movie at school. She?s designing storyboards. Tell everyone...? He felt all eyes on him. Well, not really. It felt like one of those shows at the mall. You didn?t want to watch but when they came on the loudspeaker, you felt like you had to. ?We?re making a horror movie. Instead of doing a play. It?s nothing.? The looks on everyone?s face told him that they agreed. He started to describe it and then stopped. The conversational river flowed around him like he was a rock, no a pebble. When dinner ended, his mother said with a smile, ?So, why doesn?t every take a break and then we?ll have dessert?? Everyone pushed away from the table and Jack said, ?Hey, Corey, can we go outside?? With that, everyone went outside to play. Everyone except Ryan?s mother. ?Teagan, can you help me clean up?? ?Why can?t I go outside with everyone else?? She looked at him. ?You?d really leave me here to clean up by myself? Really? I?m asking you now. Next time, I won?t ask.? She took a big sip of wine. ?Fine,? he grumbled. ?This is so unfair. I get to clean up while Jack gets to play soccer. Yeah, that?s fair.? His mother took a deep breath and another sip. ?Teagan, I am asking you for help. If you don?t want to help, don?t. Go outside. But, I am asking you. Please.? ?OK, OK. I?ll help. But it?s not fair.? His voice went up. He hated the sound that made. His mother smiled. ?Thank you. I do appreciate it. And it isn?t fair. I know that. I hated it.? ?So you?re making me do it?? ?Why didn?t you tell them about your movie?? she said as she started rinsing dishes, passing the first to Ryan to put in the dishwasher. Ryan looked at her, ?Because they don?t care.? He almost said duh. She looked at him, about to say something then stopped. She didn?t care either. Whatever. The sooner they got cleaned up, the sooner he could get away from her. He cleared the table in silence, bringing in the dishes and putting them in the dishwasher. As he brought in a load of silverware, he slipped, scattering it everywhere without a loud clang. ?Darn it,? he yelled. ?Stupid silverware.? And he kicked it, scattering it everywhere and hurting his toe. He had forgotten how little padding the shoes had in the toes. ?Ow!? His mother stared at him. ?It?s OK. It was an accident.? And she bent over to pick it up. ?It?s not OK!? he snapped. ?It?s not! None of it is!? He started to pick up the silverware. Well, he tried to. He kept dropping it. ?I can?t stand this!? And he started to cry. His mother came over and put her arms around him. ?It?s OK, honey.? ?It isn?t,? he yelled into her sweater. ?It will be,? she said, rubbing his back. ?Why don?t you sit down for a second? I?ll pick this up.? ?No! I can do this!? He bent down and started to pick it up. ?I can do it myself!? He finished. ?See?? He held his arms out. ?Thank you, honey. Do you want to go outside now?? ?NO!? His mother looked at him. ?Sorry. No. I just want to go to my room. Can I go do that?? Without waiting for an answer, he stormed upstairs. He looked at himself in the mirror, the stupid mirror his dad put in last year, at his stupid hair and his stupid ears that stuck out too far and his stupid chest, that was too small and too big all at once. He laid down on his bed, looking at the Dr. Who poster and the old Buzz Lightyear figure, the one Jack tried unsuccessfully to claim last year. While he stared at the ceiling, his phone buzzed. Miley. ?Hi T Hows [turkey emoji]? [Gun emoji] [frowning face emoji] Y? Her? Yes n him n my uncle and cousins R they cute [winking emoji] U r sick!!!! No!!!! Hows ur [turkey emjoi] Janice = bitch [frowning emoji] O Y Just is R U in ur rm Yes Thy r all outside playing [soccer ball]. Me = clean up [frowning face] Me 2 [frowning face] Its BS AF R U arnd tmw want 2 hang K unless she makes me clean more [blecch face emoji] G2G Bitch alert [smiley face] Ltr [smiley face] [smiley face] [smiley face] He heard them all come in from outside, laughing, and he didn?t move, just played a game on his phone. A few minutes later. ?Teagan, we?re having dessert.? ?I don?t want any.? He yelled. ?Are you sure? It?s the chocolate cake you like. And apple pie with ice cream.? ?I SAID I?M FINE!? He figured if there was any left, he?d eat it later. Forty-five minutes later, his father, ?Teagan, come down here. They?re leaving.? He came downstairs in his bare feet. ?Bye.? Neither Finn nor Uncle Mark moved a muscle. They just snickered. Corey just stared. Grandpa just looked up, half smiled and grunted. He picked his mom up in both of his arms, picking her clear off the floor. When he put her down, she gave him another little hug. As the door closed, Jack grinned. ?You missed a great soccer game. Thanks for cleaning up though.? Expecting his parents to say nothing, Ryan preemptively looked at Jack. ?Give me back my Star Wars figures and my DS games. Now.? Jack whined. ?No! You gave them to me.? ?You took them when everything started. And now I want them back.? ?That?s not fair!? ?Life?s not fair,? Ryan said flatly. ?Give them back. NOW. Or I?ll go take them.? Ryan?s mother looked at them. ?Are we really fighting over Star Wars toys? Really? It has been a long day and I have no patience for this.? She turned to Ryan. ?You don?t play with them anymore.? And Jack smirked triumphantly. Only to get, ?And you can (a) apologize to your sister NOW and (b) clean up all of the dessert plates NOW. And wash them by hand. NOW. Teagan, would you like some cake? I saved you a piece.? --- Thanksgiving was winding down. His parents were collapsed on the couch in a food coma. Ryan eyed Jack as he left the room and headed upstairs. He waited five minutes before excusing himself. ?Knock, knock.? Ryan stood in the doorway. Jack didn?t look up from Call of Duty. His face was bathed in light from the screen as the sound of a loud explosion filled the room. Once it had died down, he hit the pause button and put the control down. ?What?? ?Had fun did we, Jackoff?? He knew how much his brother hated that nickname. Ryan moved into the room and closed the door. From downstairs, he could hear them turn on the TV. Perfect. ?Yeah, actually, I did. Finn and Corey are cool.? Jack leaned back allowing his long arms to hold him up. A satisfied smile flickered across his lips. Ryan felt a desperate need to wipe it off his face. ?Oh, are they? I bet you thought it was funny. Making me do all the work.? Ryan stood over him now, his arms folded. ?You should,? he said, a look of uncertainty crossing his face and then leaving. ?It?s women?s work.? Ryan aimed a kick at him, at his shins. ?What the fuck.? The first kick caught Jack by surprise. The second didn?t. ?Argh! You little shit,? Ryan protested. Jack had caught his ankle. It didn?t take long for him to break free, but for a few seconds he was left hopping around. Jack kept looking at the screen. Ryan could now see a scene of devastation caused by Jack?s bomb. Anger was welling up. At the way he?d been treated. At his parents for not listening. Logan for making things weird. At everything but most of all at the smug look on his brother?s face. He punched him in the stomach, as hard as he could. He pulled back, breathing heavily and wondering if he?d gone too far. He hadn?t. Jack took his time standing up. They were almost at eye level, and Jack had that same smug grin on his face. Then, he punched Ryan in this sternum, grazing his chest in the process. ?Ow, fuck! You little fucking shit.? His breasts were still sore from his period, which only made him see redder. He grabbed for Ryan and they fell over, shoving and pulling at each other. He tried to leg sweep Jack but his legs were strong from soccer practice and didn?t move. Somehow, Jack was on top, pushing his face into the carpet and smushing his chest. ?You little fucking shit.? ?Say uncle,? Jack said. The little bastard. Of all the things he could say... ?Fuck you, you little prick.? ?Say it. Say, I am sorry I ruined your game.? ?Fuck you,? Ryan grumbled, trying hopelessly to throw him off. Did he weigh more than him now? When did that happen? Jack twisted one of Ryan?s arms. ?Say it. Say, I am sorry I ruined your game and I will never do it again.? His tone was scarily matter of fact. Ryan, still thrashing. ?I hope you die in a fire.? Which led to him twisting even harder. ?Ow, you little fucking shit.? Between that and the rough carpet pressing against his chest, he was in pain. Jack got up and looked down at him with a look he had never seen before, ?No wonder Corey and Finn always thought you were a loser,? he said, in that same even tone, his face not even red and his breathing even. Ryan looked at him, trying not to cry. He took a deep breath. ?Fuck you Jack. You like Corey and Finn so much? Fine. But, from today on, I don?t know you. You?re not my brother.? ?Oooh, I?m so scared.? Jack grinned, smiling to himself. Once Jack had left Ryan turned over on his back, breathing in deeply. Not sure what had just happened. --- Miley woke up. Or whatever it was that you did when you entered a dream. She?d been having lucid dreams since she was eight, so it didn?t faze her. Looking around, she got her bearings. It seemed like she was in the woods on the edge of town, at the bottom of a steep hill. Above the line of the hill, she saw a sudden ball of fire rise up, for a moment creating something like a miniature sun turning the night into day. Knowing from past experience that there wasn?t anything she could do other than follow the logic of the dream, she decided to explore. The grass was wet from the snow under her feet. She was glad she?d dreamed she was wearing shoes. The heat from whatever was happening on the other side had started to melt the snow in the trees. However the warmth died quickly along with the fireball. As it fell away, the dripping water froze, creating icicles hanging of the trees. She wondered if she had seen that somewhere or was just remembering something from TV. Whatever. It had stuck in her head in enough detail for it all to look and feel real. What she saw surprised her. It looked like the big open-pit mine her dad had shown her when they went skiing in Utah, but she?d never seen anything like that here. It looked big enough to have swallowed the whole town. On the different concentric levels, she could see fires burning. Black ghost-like shapes moved around them. Miley assumed they were people. From above, the different levels looked like a concave version of the rings you find inside a tree. Each level was about as wide as the Parkway and as tall as her father. As she watched, another ball of fire rose up from the center, heading up into the sky. Straining her eyes as much as she could, she still couldn?t make out what was causing it. Sighing, she started climbing down. The good thing about dreams is that it didn?t matter whether your clothes got dirty. She had gone down two levels when she met the first of them. ?Oh no, no, no, no!? A small blue creature ran back and forwards, shaking its head. ?Uh...hello?? Miley asked with trepidation. ?This just won?t do!? The creature shook its head not looking at her. She brushed the dirt off her jeans, glad this was only a dream. Her mom would lose it if she could see her now. ?You!? For the first time the creature seemed to see her. ?It?s all your fault!? It bounced up and down and pointed a shaking figure at her. ?What did I do?? She crossed her arms. The blue creature gave a yelp, then ran off. ?Hey, wait!? She held up a hand, not that it mattered as she watched the creature zigzagging off along the level. Eventually, it ducked behind a large rock. Not too smart, are you, she thought. The rock was the only place to hide on the whole level. She approached slowly, hoping she wouldn?t scare it. ?What?s going on?? She circled the stone following the creature, who seemed to make sure the stone was always between them. Eventually it stopped and pointed its figure at her, ?You. It?s all you.? Miley tried to leap over the stone to grab it, but it jumped back, causing her to fall over onto her face. The blue man staggered backwards, loudly squealing, ?Never, never, NEVER!? It looked backward, seeing the edge. And then it jumped. Miley lunged forward to stop it, but she was too late. She looked over the edge and saw no sign of it. Shrugging, she set off down to the next level. She kept going, level after level. Every now and then, she?d catch glimpses of people dancing around what looked like fires. It looked like Burning Man or what she saw of it on TV, except that was in the desert and this was freezing, even with the fires. Every so often, she?d see a fireball that would light up the whole area. The floor of the pit was the size of a football field, maybe a little bigger. In the middle, there was an altar, like the one in her cousin?s synagogue, with a pole in the middle of it. From somewhere below it, fire kept shooting up, illuminating the figures moving around it. Their shadows were long, reaching out across the ground like the fingers of some giant ghost. Inching forward, she kept one eye on the pit floor. Luckily, there were a bunch of large boulders she could hide behind. She?d duck behind one, looking at the proceedings until she felt safe to move again. When she got close enough, she saw a figure tied to the pole. It was wearing one of those dresses like you?d see at the Renaissance Faire and a conical hat with a ribbon out of the top. The bottom of her face was covered by a ridiculously large gag. By then, she could also make out the figures. They each looked like the blue man from before. A couple of them held what she assumed were pitchforks, although to her they looked more like big barbecue skewers than anything else. Every so often, one of them would poke the woman tied to the pole, who?d try to retaliate by kicking, although her billowing skirts ensured she?d fail. Not knowing what else to do, Miley picked up a handful of stones from the floor and advanced. She threw the first stone, hitting one of the blue goblins. ?Eeek!? it shrieked then turned and looked at her. ?You, it?s you.? It extended its bony finger and pointed. ?This is your fault!? Then it turned to the figure on the altar. ?And hers!? Suddenly, the other creatures advanced, pointing and chanting, ?This is your fault,? over and over. She kept throwing stones, hitting a couple. Eventually, as she got close to the pole, they all turned and fled. Although not far away. She could see a couple of faces peeking over a boulder. She struggled to pull herself onto the platform and she could feel the warmth of the fire coming through the slats. Only when she got up there did she realize the captive wasn?t a woman but a girl, probably around her age. Even through their fear, the girl?s eyes looked familiar. The closer she got, the more the girl tried to pull away. As she approached, she held up her hands, palms forward as if to show she was harmless. ?It?s OK,? she said, as peacefully as she could. ?Don?t be scared. I won?t hurt you.? The girl grunted into the gag and her eyes shifted from fear to anger. Miley rolled her eyes. ?Whatever. You don?t want my help, fine? If this is what you and your friends are into....? ?Mmmmph!? This time there was no mistaking the pleading in the voice. Muffled or not. ?OK, OK, sorry,? she said, as she reached around the girl?s head to untie the gag. ?Teagan?? She watched as Teagan or Ryan or whoever gasped for air. ?This is fucked up. Why are you in my dreams?? She was bemused. She?d never had someone from real life in one of these dreams. ?Dream?? Teagan struggled to untie the ropes binding her to the pole. ?Dream?? Miley took the cue and, smiling, worked on untying her. ?This is totally a dream, I think. I?ve been having these since I was little.? Once Teagan was untied, Miley took her hand and helped her down off the platform, trying not to smile as Teagan held up her skirt. ?I mean, if this isn?t a dream, this is even weirder.? ?Don?t know,? Teagan shrugged, ?but it keeps happening to me.? The blue goblins were circling. She could hear them speaking, ?It?s her, she did it. Everything is her fault.? She also heard chattering. It sounded like her little cousin when she was trying to recreate the sound of the adults speaking. They made their way to the edge of the clearing. All the time away of the voices. Teagan was moving more slowly than she was. Miley took her hand and started pulling her along. ?Come on,? Teagan whined. ?You don?t know what it?s like to run in this. I?ll trip.? If she didn?t feel so bad for her, she?d have wanted to punch her for the way she pouted on the last word alone. As they reached the edge, they looked up. Thousands of little blue faces were looking down at them from the different levels above. Teagan dropped Miley?s hand and looked scared, ?Maybe we should just go...? They turned around to see the platform explode in a giant fireball. Which was accompanied by a roaring sound, like a 747 overhead. They both looked up to see something huge, black, red and scaly taking off into the sky. A dragon. Miley stood still, staring at it until she felt pushing from behind her. ?Come on!? Teagan?s eyes were wild with urgency, ?we have to move! Now!? They half crawled and half climbed. She could feel the soil and dirt getting under her nails and into her skin and eyes. The one time she was able to look behind her, she saw Teagan looking even worse. At least she was keeping up. ?Lose the hat?? Miley managed to get out. Teagan pulled at the bow that ran underneath her chin, attaching the thing to her. ?It won?t budge.? The chattering from the little blue things started again. ?Keep going!? Miley didn?t need telling twice. Then it was upon them. She could feel the heat building. The fire turning night into day. It built and built. All the while they stumbled forward. The heat was nearly unbearable when she heard Teagan stumble and fall behind her. Miley turned, grabbing the other girl?s hands and trying to pull her up. Teagan looked drained, like a crumpled pile of clothes, and she was crying. A low pitiful cry, one that reminded her of her cat when it had got itself trapped in a corner by a fox. Then she looked up and saw the fireball heading towards them. At first she thought she was looking at the sun up close. There was no use trying to run. It was too big. Too close. CRASH She had fallen on the floor. ?Miley!? Her bedroom door swung open. ?What happened? Are you OK?? Miley struggled to get up. She had the sensation that she should be looking for Teagan, that she could be hurt. ?I-I, must have fallen out of bed.? ?Uh huh.? Her mother looked her up and down, her face switching from concern back to its standard disapproval. ?Miley! What have you done to your hands?? Miley looked down. They were covered in dirt and red blood stains. It was everywhere, under her fingernails, rubbed into the skin. She looked up at her mother, unable to say anything. Her mother just shook her head. ?I don?t want to know. Just get in the shower.? After taking a shower, Miley took out her phone. What was she going to say? She typed out several possibilities, in the end settling on, ?Hy T, Hw R U?? She read it through several times. It seemed ambiguous enough. Nothing you could read into that, right? Just one friend checking up on another. She started getting dressed. About ten minutes later the phone started to ring. The caller ID said Ryan (she?d never changed the contact details). Why was he calling? Who called, besides her grandma? ?Er, hey.? Miley glanced at the door of her room, hoping her mother couldn?t hear. ?You OK?? There was a long pause. ?Yeah, I think,? her voice sounded strained and higher than the last time she?d heard it. Miley heard the fear in Teagan?s voice. She paused then said it. ?Did... did you have a dream last night.? Miley heard a gasp, ?Yeah.? She could hear Teagan breathing. ?Was there...? ?A dragon? Yeah?? The phone felt clammy in her hands. Teagan?s voice sounded shaky. ?Was I...? ?Were you in it? Yeah.? She debated saying the next thing but felt like she had to. ?And you were...? ?In a stupid dress.? Teagan sounded blunt. ?Yes.? ?We need to talk.?