Something Wicked This Way Comes Chapter 5 free porn video

Something Wicked This Way Comes 5 The sole saving grace of this entire trip was that Jack was not coming. It didn't hurt that he was pissed off. Ryan had been stewing ever since Jack's performance over pizza rolls in front of Harper. He had been kicking himself for not saying anything to his mom when she came home from grandpa's but the look on her face said 'not now. Not today.' Which she compounded by pouring a big glass of wine and walking into her room, the door closing behind her. That morning, while Harper was in the shower, Ryan fumed, "He is not coming with us." His mother, exasperated. "Teagan, please." "No, absolutely not. He's not going to come and embarrass me in front of my friends." He balled his fist. His mother sighed, something she seemed to do with her whole body. "Teagan, please. Stop." Ryan put his foot down. Well, stomped, but he meant to put it down. "Fine. Then, we're not going. It's not like I want to go to this dance anyway. You're making me. And, if he's coming, I'm not going." Jack came into the kitchen. "Oh, please, Teagan. I want to see your dress, Teagan. I bet you'll be the prettiest girl there." His mother turned to Jack. "You just proved your sister's point. You'll stay here." While Jack groaned and moaned about the new XBox game she said he could get at GameStop, Ryan's mom turned to him. "Happy now?" Actually, yes, he thought. Ecstatic. And Jack is miserable. Which makes me even more ecstatic. Jack continued moaning about how unfair, unjust this all was. Ryan's mother turned to him. "Jack, I think, on your next day off, I'm taking you to court in Newark. To help you properly set the bar for injustice." ---- And here he was. At the entrance to Charlotte Russe in the Willowbrook Mall. While Miley and Harper kept a watchful eye on each other. Harper couldn't stand still. "Let's go find you the hottest dress ever," she bubbled. Ryan had gotten used to her but, every so often, he could see the hearts and kittens whenever she spoke. Miley looked at him and rolled her eyes. Ryan's mom, searching her handbag and not looking up. "Not too hot." This wasn't supposed to have happened at all. It was supposed to have been him and his mom. But then Miley had asked him what he was doing today. He hadn't seen her since the kiss. They'd texted each other but they hadn't seen each other in person and he felt guilty. Plus, he figured maybe she'd dilute his mother somehow. Harper was a last second addition. Her parents were supposed to pick her up from school on Friday, but then they all of sudden had something in the city. He'd felt bad for her, he knew she was having a hard time in the dorms and he hadn't been able to resist when she asked. And so here they were. Ryan looked in the window, at the dresses, and took a deep breath. He may as well get it over with. The three of them walked in, with Ryan's mom behind them. "Don't you want to wait outside?" He pulled at the cords on his hoodie. "You'll just get bored." His mother looked at him. "My money. I get final say." Ryan groaned audibly. Pulling harder on the cords, shutting the hood so it created a small circle around his face. The saleswoman came over. "So, what can I do for you?" Ryan's mom nudged him forward and smiled. "My daughter has a winter formal and we need to get her a dress." He wondered if it sounded as weird to her as it did to him. The saleswoman looked at Ryan and his friends. "And so we're shopping by committee, I see." Which got a laugh from Ryan's mom. The woman turned to him. "So, what are you thinking of, sweetie?" Running away? Hiding? "Um, I dunno." He pushed the hood back. "I'm not good at this. That's why my friends are here." The saleswoman looked at him, in his hoodie, leggings and the flats his mother had bought him. He wanted to wear jeans and sneakers, but Harper told him that he should wear leggings, since they supposedly looked better and were easier when changing in and out of dresses. Which made him wonder exactly how many dresses he was going to be trying on? "So you look like you're a small." A small. Great. "Uh huh." The woman laughed. "Sweetie. It's a good thing," she said, looking at Ryan's mom, who laughed as well. "One day, you'll be grateful," she said, leading him and his friends to the racks. His mom followed and he glared at her, willing her back to a chair. Harper and Miley each began pawing through the racks, while Ryan stood back. The saleswoman looked at him. "Um, sweetie, aren't you going to look, too?" "No. I'm not good at this," he shrugged. "They're better, I mean." For example, they care about this. Harper pulled out a dress - blue. "It totally matches your eyes." It was very short. "Here," she thrust it at Ryan. "go try this one on." Miley looked up and they caught each other's eyes, and he was sure he saw a quick eye roll. Ryan held it up and looked at it. It didn't look like it would stay on, the straps were so small. "Uh...it looks kinda..." Miley grinned at him. "Come on, T, go try it on." Now it was Harper's turn to roll her eyes. "Seriously, Teagan," hitting 'Teagan' hard. "go. Come on. This is what everyone wears." Ryan walked over to the dressing room. He hung the dress on the hook and stared at it. He took a deep breath. He didn't have a choice, so he may as well. After getting stripped down to his leggings, he put on the dress. His shoulders were bare. His back felt cold. And his legs would have been bare, if he didn't have the leggings. He looked in the mirror, at the girl looking back at him. At her dirty blonde hair, her blue-green eyes and breasts, which weren't completely covered. Her bra straps were peeking out. And her legs, which definitely weren't covered, especially with the way the skirt flared out. The room had a three way mirror and he looked at himself from all angles. He couldn't decide what he thought of his butt. He looked at his hoodie and wondered if he could wear it out. He realized that he had no choice but to face the firing squad. Harper and Miley were standing by the entrance when he walked out. "Wow," Harper said, "You look AMAZING. That dress is so great." Ryan stared at the floor. "I dunno. It's kinda short and I feel kinda..." Naked? Exposed? Cold? Harper put her hand on his arm. "I know it's shorter than you're used to, but you look so hot." Then, she played with the straps. "You'd need a different bra, though." Then, she looked around him. "And different underwear." Great. All he knew about underwear was that he didn't used to need different ones. A dance, cleaning the yard, playing soccer. It was all the same. "What do you think, Miley?" he asked, noticing that Harper didn't look at her. Miley looked him up, down and around, and nodded. "It's not bad. But try these too," she said, thrusting another two dresses at him, one velvet, one not. "Oh, and next time," she grinned, "no leggings." It was slightly easier the second time around. He took the velvet dress and hung it on the hook. He stripped down to his bra and underwear, closing his eyes so he didn't catch his reflection in the mirror. He took the dress off its hanger and slid it over his head, then went back to the mirror. At least this one wasn't held up by thin straps. It was as short as the last one, although the skirt flared slightly less. And the neck was higher. He brushed his hair away from his face and looked at the girl in the mirror again. At the way the dress nipped in at her waist. And the color played with her eyes. He turned this way and that. Until... "OK T?" Miley was outside the dressing room. He was snapped out of his appraisal. "Uh, Yeah. I was just..." And he came out. Miley looked him up and down. He shifted from one foot to the other, trying to pull the hem of his skirt down. "That looks really good on you..." she mumbled. He could see her cheeks turning red. "Thanks," he said, with his eyes fixed on her shoes. There was a long pause between them. "I know, it's not what you would..." She didn't look away from him... "But... you do look really good..." Harper was at her most bouncy. "I am so jealous, Teagan! You look sooooo good!" Then she turned to Miley. "But velvet is too Christmas- y." Which got a look from the saleswoman. Ryan started to say something. What, he had no idea. Not being sure what Christmas-y meant and why this was it. Not that he had a chance because Miley looked at her. "What?" Harper. "Velvet makes me think of the dresses I used to wear at Christmas parties. Those dark purple ones. You know, when you're like 5." Miley. "They dressed you like that at 5? That's...weird." Ryan just watched, like he was reporting for some nature documentary. Harper put a finger to her chin like she was a judge on the dog show. "Teagan looks really good..." Ryan mumbled, "Thanks," still pulling at the hem. Ignoring him, Harper continued. "But velvet reminds me of Christmas. It just does." Ryan looked at the two girls arguing and then the saleswoman. "I'm gonna try on the other one." Then, he looked at the rack and asked, pointing, "Can I try this one too?" He went into the dressing room and tried on Miley's other choice. Black this time, with little sparkles all over it. It had a high neckline, up near his collarbone, which was good. But it was short. Very short. Like barely covering his...short. And it was tight. When the girl in the mirror looked behind, she winced. No. He tried on the last dress. It was black, with a silver neckline an inch or so below his - and he paused - cleavage, with sparkles along the hemline. His arms were bare. It was short, which he realized was what he was stuck with, but it didn't flare out like Harper's or cling like Miley's. He looked in the mirror at the girl. She turned and kept turning, looking at her legs and her chest, figuring it didn't draw as much attention as the first. If she had to do this, she may as well do it in this. Ryan walked out. "I think I like this one." His friends stared and he stammered. "What do you think?" The two girls looked at him, then each other and then back. "You look good, Teagan. You really like this best?" Harper asked. Her head bobbing up and down so much he thought it might fall off. Ryan pulled at the material. "Is there something wrong? Do I look funny?" Miley pushed her hands in her pockets. "You look really good T." Her cheeks started burning a deep red. After a minute or so of silence, Harper jumped in. "You, er look great," hopping from foot to foot like she needed to pee. "But like when I slept over last time, when we were looking, you didn't even look at this, so I was just surprised is all. This one. Get this one." The saleswoman smiled. "Mom?" Ryan's mom smiled. "I would go with this one. The first one was too low cut and velvet is too wedding-y." Wedding-y? "Let's pay for it and get going." Dress in hand, they were standing outside the store when his mother said, "Are you girls hungry?" Before the other two could answer, Ryan gave her a look. She sighed. "I'll take this to the car." She fished in her purse and handed him two twenties. "Go. Buy your friends lunch." As they started walking away, she said, "I expect change..." As they walked away, Harper looked at him. "You need shoes too. Do you want to go look?" "Not really, no." He stared. "I mean, I'm hungry, aren't you guys?" --- They held the dance in the school's dining hall which, other than serving food, bore no resemblance to the cafeteria at his old school. The girls on the committee had done a good job decorating it, making it something between a Mall Santa's grotto and a six year old's Frozen themed party. Ryan suspected a few parents had had to dig into deep pockets. He smoothed down his skirt, wishing again that it was longer. Harper smiled brightly, looking over her shoulder at him. "You look amazing." "So do you." She was wearing a black dress with sequins on it, almost as short as his. "Are you OK?" She kept smiling. He shivered, clasping his bare arms. "Er, yeah." He did his best to smile back. He probably looked nauseous. As she turned back he glanced over to the other side of the hall. He could see the first of the boys milling around in their rented tuxedos. A couple had already taken their jackets off. While six or seven of the girls had started dancing, all the boys were sitting or standing around the edge. They watched the girls with a hungry look in their eyes. The few girls dancing stayed close, in a group. Harper, who had been involved in one of the multiple organizing committees, had to go help with something, leaving Ryan standing alone. The worst thing was knowing what to do with his hands. Other than wish for pockets. He hadn't been standing there long when a boy came over. Ryan was surprised as he hadn't seen him coming over. He was tall with thick brown hair. "Hey." The boy nodded his head, flicking his hair back. "How's it going?" Ryan quickly scanned the room. Harper sadly was nowhere to be seen. "Um, ok." He tried looking around the guy. He could see several of the girls from his school watching them, there was even a little whispering going on. Great. The guy grinned broadly. "I'm Daniel," he said, flicking hair out of his eyes. He continued, ignoring Ryan's stunned silence. "Now, this is the part where you say your name." "Huh? Oh, Teagan. I'm Teagan." Despite his desperate glances, no one was coming to his rescue. He stepped back a little, bumping into the wall. Daniel reached up an arm and placed his hand over him, leaning forward. "That's a nice name." Smooth. "I'm a junior. What about you?" "Um," it felt like his skirt was getting shorter, maybe from Daniel's constant staring at his legs. And the girls over his shoulder whispering. "I'm a freshman. I mean, first year." The school was big on gender-neutral language, since 'there were no men here, fresh or otherwise.' "Um, are you looking at colleges?" An image of Finn came into his head. With that, Daniel was off, talking about SATs and where he wanted to go to school. How he played lacrosse. And wanted to study business like his father. He never let Ryan speak, which was fine by him. After a couple of minutes and Ryan drifting, Daniel looked annoyed but then smiled. "I asked if you wanted to dance." "Er." He looked around. A couple of the other girls had partnered up already. "Um, K. I mean, sure. Just one." He agreed more to get it over and done with. Hoping that if he took the initiative he could retain some measure of control, he put his hands on Daniel's shoulders. He tried to keep them as straight as possible, but Daniel gave him an odd look, put his hands on his hips and pulled him closer. It felt awkward to have to look up at him. To see the spots where he'd cut himself while shaving. He couldn't have been shaving long. His face was still soft and what was left of his facial hair was fuzzy and soft, not like Ryan's dad. He didn't need to turn around to know he was being watched. He could feel them looking. Why had he been the first one to be asked? The song seemed to last forever, helped by Daniel's erection poking him. When it did finally finish, they broke apart, Ryan desperately looking around the hall for Harper. He almost cried in relief when he saw her approaching. "Hey, you two." She sounded breathless as she looked from one to another. Ryan felt like running from the room. "Hi." He glanced towards Daniel. The bastard was going to make him introduce him. "Er, Harper this is er, Daniel..." He looked pleadingly at his former dance partner hoping he'd make it easy on him. "Hey, pleased to meet you." He was smiling again. He had perfect white teeth, which made Ryan feel that much more self-conscious. "Are you a friend of Teagan's?" "Uh huh." For a moment Ryan worried Harper was going to explode with happiness. Luckily this gave him an idea. "Um, sorry Daniel. I don't want to leave Harper alone." Harper looked confused, Ryan prayed she didn't ruin his escape plan. "No worries." And before Ryan knew what was happening, Daniel had signalled to his friends and a boy named James had arrived. Even more annoyingly, Harper seemed taken with this walking Adam's apple. "Why don't we go sit down?" Harper seemed almost bouncy with joy. Before he knew what was happening, there was a hand around his waist and he was being led off the dance floor. Of course, the table they chose was out of the way, hidden from the other dancers by a pillar. Ryan sat down, the two boys in between him and Harper. Harper started asking them about their school, which led them to talking about football. He looked over at Harper to see her listening, seemingly rapt with interest. As the two boys talked, he felt something brush against his leg. He tried pulling it away and, for five minutes, he felt nothing. Then, it was there again. He tried making a face to show how uncomfortable he was. Daniel didn't even turn around. Then a song by Cardi B came on and he was being dragged onto the dance floor again. This time by Harper, with Daniel and James following them like sharks circling a fishing boat. His heels nearly slipped on the polished wood floor. All around him, his classmates were doing some form of twerking. Backs pushed close to their partners - at least until the chaperones came around. He laughed a little, thinking of the black girls in middle school at dances. He felt Daniel getting close, hands on his hips, pulling him closer. Ryan's ass touching his groin. Then movement - and something poking him..again. It took all his will power not to scream. Instead, he pulled away, only to feel the hands pulling him back. Looking up, he saw faces smiling at him. Girls who wouldn't have spat on him if they'd seen him on fire in the halls. Now, they looked at him, even met his eyes. All because some guy was grinding his dick into his ass. As soon as the song finished, he pulled away. He half remembered saying something about needing the toilet over his shoulder. Again his shoes skidded on the floor. He wondered what those girls were saying about him now. He opened the stall and ran in, closing the door behind him. Only then, did he start to calm his breathing down. He looked up startled, there was a knock on the stall door. "Er, it's taken." He was surprised by how much his voice was shaking. "Um," Harper's voice pleaded, "it's me." "Oh. Hey." He felt all the energy drain out of him. Stupid. Of course, she followed you, he thought. "Sorry about that." Then, he thought about what they were all saying about him and he felt worse. "Don't worry," the false cheer in Harper's voice was the worst of it. "I understand." There was a pause. "I'll be outside." "OK." He put his head in his hands. There was no sound for a few minutes, then he heard a tap running. By outside, she obviously meant outside the stall, not the bathroom. After a while, he finally took a deep breath. The lock on the door seemed to echo around the bathroom as he turned it. Harper was standing there. "Are you OK?" Before he could answer, she came forward and put her arms around him. The embrace knocked the wind out of him. His mouth gaped open, unsure what to say. "It's OK." Harper smiled, then turned back to the mirror, focusing as she reapplied her eyeliner. "I understand." "Uh huh." That made one of them. She smiled brightly. "Logan." Logan? "Um..." "I know you two are..." He stared at his reflection in the mirror, the girl looking back at him. "Oh...yeah..." The molten lava of guilt swirled in his stomach, destroying villages as it went. He hadn't even thought of Logan. Harper stood next to him and, to his reflection, said, "It's just dancing but still I explained everything. Daniel's not mad or anything." She smiled and paused for a second. Then. "What do you think of James? He's a DJ." Her cheeks had gone red. Ryan wasn't sure if it was natural or the blush. --- Ryan checked himself out in the mirror. The costume wasn't bad. Black yoga pants, a black and white hoodie. He'd had to spend some time getting the hair right. He'd recreated Spider-Gwen's asymmetrical bob with hair pins. It'd taken a while but he was pretty pleased with the results. There was a knock on the bedroom door. He turned around quickly to see his father standing there. "I'm nearly ready," he muttered. His dad was giving him an odd look. "What?" "Nothing," he said, as his eyes darted away. "I mean, I'm, er, proud of you. Your costume. You worked on it. I can tell." "Shut up." He stared at the floor, feeling his face getting hot. There was a pause. "Anyway, we need to get going if we're going to pick up Logan." It was just some dumb promotion. Another store trying to generate interest, now that everyone bought everything online. Still, they were taking it pretty seriously. Ryan rang Logan's doorbell and waited. He could hear voices on the other side of the door. On the corner of the block, two kids stood there with their bikes watching him. Ryan pulled his jacket tighter. With it and the hoodie down he looked normal. He hoped. Finally the door opened. Logan had gone all out on his Miles Morales/Spider-Man costume. Logan grinned and Ryan tried to look away but the fabric of the top was pulled tight. He couldn't keep his eyes off Logan's chest and shoulders. Had they always been that broad? He was sure Logan had been through a growth spurt, putting another couple of inches between them. "Have you been working out?" It had come out as an accusation. He hated how high his voice was, almost as if he was pleading with him. "We used to make fun of the meatheads who worked out." "I like your hair," Logan changed the subject. Without thinking he brushed his bangs out of his face. It fell back immediately. "Er, thanks." He touched it again. They met the others at the entrance of the Mall. Elliot and Alice were holding hands. He could feel Logan's fingers reaching for his and, after a few seconds of silent negotiations, he let him take his hand. His skin felt warm against his own. He worried his palms were clammy. Elliot was wearing a t-shirt printed to look like the costume of the 11th Doctor and both Alice and Mary were wearing Captain Marvel t- shirts. Ryan pulled his jacket closer around him, hoping no one could tell he'd been so big a dork as to come in full costume. "Is that Game of Thrones?" Ryan examined Hands' t-shirt, which said 'I Drink and Know Things.' Hands nodded proudly. "Your parents let you watch it?" "Yes," Hands puffed his chest out, then deflated under Elliot's gaze. "I mean, I've read the books..." he mumbled. "I love your costume," Mary's eyes were growing big and round. "And your hair!" "It's so cool!" Alice seconded her. Despite himself he touched the point of his bangs feeling some pride. "It's just pins and stuff." He was vaguely aware of the boys disengaging. "You should get your haircut like that!" Alice was practically bouncing with joy. She could have been related to Tigger from Winnie the Pooh. "I don't think my mom would let me." Which he mused was probably true. "Seriously? What a b...I mean whatever. What does she know." He smiled and rolled his eyes. Then he frowned. Logan had slipped off his jacket and both Mary and Alice's eyes had shot to his shoulders. He inched a little closer to Logan, tightening his grip on his hand. After a little more awkward conversation, they went and joined the back of the line. Logan joining the boys at the font, Ryan hanging back with Mary and Alice. Mary was bemoaning her inability to have short hair. Apparently her face was the wrong shape, whatever that meant. When a guy came up to them. He was old, probably past twenty, with a hairline that was already starting to recede. "Cool costume," he grunted, standing a little too close. Ryan watched as he took out his phone. The man must have seen where his eyes were going. He couldn't have missed him pulling his jacket closer around his chest. "You wanna win the competition, right?" He indicated a poster stuck on the shop door. Ryan felt a little dazed. He'd forgotten the original reason for the fancy dress. A chance to get their hands on an early copy of the latest Marvel game. "Oh, um, yeah," he stuttered. "it's actually a part of a pair." He tried waving to get Logan's attention. "With my boyfriend I mean." As soon as he'd said 'boyfriend,' he knew that his face had turned red. He hadn't dared turn around in case he saw the expression on the other girls' faces. The man just grunted, his eyes not moving from his chest. Logan came over, putting a protective arm around his waist. The man gave a shrug. "Sure, lets get both of you in. Take the jackets off." He could feel him watching him, and only him, as he took it off. "Why don't you put on the mask?" the man asked. "Sure." Logan pulled on his. "I just need to find it." Ryan scrambled around in pockets of his jacket, which Mary was now holding. They were full of stuff and he was trying to calculate if the small hole he could fit two fingers through was large enough for the mask to escape out of. "Just him. Not you. After all the time you clearly spent on your hair," the guy smirked. A couple of poses later (Ryan refused to kick his leg up, shuddering at how that would be seen), the man suggested a group shot. Logan and Ryan squatted down in front, pretending to be shooting out webs while the others stood behind them. The man looked at his phone, smiled slightly then started off further down the line without saying goodbye. Just before he was out of earshot, Alice piped up. "Wait! Can we see them?" He looked at her like he'd seen her for the first time. "Huh? Oh, yeah, sure. Check out our Instagram. I'll put them up in a minute." He then told her the address. The line moved forward slowly. From the corner of his eye, he could see Mary and Alice, heads together, staring at Mary's phone. Waiting for the pics to go up. He let out a sigh. "What's up?" Logan nudged him. He let out a bigger sigh. "Nothing. It was just... weird." Again he pulled his jacket tighter around him. Perhaps the costumes had been a mistake. "I think we have a good chance of winning," Logan whispered excitedly. Ryan did the best he could to smile. He could still picture the way the man had looked at him. How his eyes had followed the lines of his body. As if saving it all... for later. He was brought out of it by Mary's squeal. She looked over at him, face beaming. "It's us!" Peering over her shoulder he saw the group picture. His eyes glanced at the hashtags below although he didn't take them in. Logan was pressing against him, trying to see over. His hand came to rest on his thigh and for a moment he felt his ass pushed up against Logan's crotch. It only lasted a minute or so. Then came the next picture. It had been one where Logan had his arm around him. Only Logan had been cropped out. "Shit, you can only see my arm." Ryan could hear the disappointment in his voice. The younger brother of a successful sibling. "Teagan looks great though." Mary looked up at Logan. "Yeah, yeah," he squeezed him, but Ryan had known him long enough. He looked around and touched him on the arm. Logan just shrugged and pretended to smile. The Nerd Cave was only a small shop so it'd taken them a long time to get it. There was a crush of people moving around inside, making it hard to stop in one place and look. Being smaller than most of the people in there, he was constantly having to duck to avoid elbows and shoulder bags. Logan was a little ahead of him, the crowd making it hard for him to keep up. Peering back, he saw Alice looking through the Scott Pilgrims. Two large guys pushed in between them. There was no going back, he'd have to push forward and get to Logan. A large kid in a Wookie costume stood in his way. Ryan tried to get around him, but it seemed as if every time he tried to go around the Wookie seemed to anticipate his move instantly and get in the way. It took several tries, but finally he got around. Just as he did, the Wookie moved away leaving an empty space. Logan and Elliot were now talking to someone. He could only see her back but she was tall and had blond hair. After being shoved in the back by another guy who hadn't seemed to see him he finally made it to Logan's side. "Hey," he said glancing nervously at the newcomer. She arched her back yawning. The movement seemed to mesmerize both the boys. There was a few second delay before Logan acknowledged him. He surprised Ryan by putting his arm around his waist pulling him closer. "Hey," he surprised him even more by kissing him. It was all he could do not to hit him. "This is Kaylee," Logan didn't seem to be able to meet his eyes. Kaylee looked like she came straight out of a movie about California. Long legs, blonde hair and she was tanned. Only her clothes were all black, along with her nails, and she had green highlights in her long hair. "Hi." Somehow she managed imbue those two letters with a weird mixture of boredom and disdain. Like she was some big star and he was some stupid fan getting in her face on her day off. "Um, hi." Her mouth was perfectly formed. It made him feel like his had been crudely drawn by a small child. "Logan was just telling me about your costumes." She reached out and touched Logan's arm. The movement was purposeful and graceful. Logan had an expression like one of the homeless men who hung out around town. The one's Ryan's mom said were on something. "They are just so adorable." Her hand moved up and gently rubbed Logan's shoulder. It looked like Elliot's eyes were about to bug out. Suddenly her voice turned professional, like his mom when she was trying to get a client off the phone. "Anyway, good luck and great to meet you but I've got to get going. Jordan's waiting for me." A dark cloud passed over the faces of both Elliot and Logan. There was no need to ask who Jordan was. At that point, Alice joined them. Ryan nearly fell into her as a fat kid pushed past knocking him forward. Elliot and Logan moved out of earshot, talking quickly. "Ugh." Icicles dripped from her voice, like in the old cartoons Ryan used to watch with his dad. "Who is she?" Ryan whispered. "Kaylee? She's in our grade and a total skank." Ryan smiled and she continued. "Like who does she think she is with that fake tan? Skin cancer much? Anyway, she's like all over this twelfth grader Jordan and they," she looked at Logan and Elliot, who were busy looking at the door as if to will Kaylee back. "follow her around like puppies. It's pathetic. Like they think they have a chance." Mary offered. "Like they'd know what to do if she said yes. Anyway, you look so much better than her, Teagan." Ryan found it hard to hide his smile, "Thanks." --- "Why do I have to go?" It was all Ryan could do to stop himself from stamping his foot. "Because," said his mother tersely. He rolled his eyes. To make things worse, Jack sat in the back of the minivan smiling contentedly. Was he humming? "Why can't I stay alone? I'm almost fifteen." He folded his arms. How could she miss the obvious solution? His mom pushed a hand through her hair. She looked tired. For a split second, he felt sorry for her. He quickly killed that emotion and buried it under a mile of concrete. "Because." And he stared at her. "I don't have to give you an explanation. I'm your mother." "But," without realizing it, his right foot was tapping rhythmically against the floor. Her face had changed, her jaw now set. He knew that expression meant she was no longer listening. She'd been in a mood with him since one of her work colleagues had sent her a link to the Spider-Gwen photos. He had no idea why. They hadn't discussed it and, when he'd tried to bring it up, she'd insisted there wasn't a problem and then refused to talk about it anymore. She clicked opened the door. "Get in." His shoulders sagged. He knew he couldn't win. As he got in, he caught a glimpse of the smug grin on Jack's face. He let his hair fall in front of his face, hoping it wouldn't look like he'd got to him. His parents had been planning this dinner party for over a month. Well, his mom had. His dad just went to Shop-Rite and the liquor store. Ryan knew that her boss and her partner were coming. They walked into the mall and stopped in front of the hair salon. "Ok, so when should we come back?" Ryan asked. Once he knew he had to go, he figured that he'd go to the comic book store, see what was in. Salvage this trip. His mother looked at him. "You need a trim" Her face was fixed in a grimace. "it'll be fun." To add insult to injury, she opened her purse and handed Jack a twenty. "You can keep yourself out of trouble for an hour, right?" Jack grinned from ear to ear, the smile so wide the top half of his head nearly flipped off. "Thanks, mom! Have fun. Teagan." Ryan glared at him, trying to ignite the twenty. "This is so not fair!" He hated the whine in his voice, which only increased as she pushed him into the salon. The shop was odd looking. Not helped by the large mirrors on both the left and right walls. As much as he tried, he couldn't avoid looking at her. The teen girl with the dirty blonde hair, freckles and boyish clothes. As his mom sat, he slumped into the chair next to her, arms folded under his armpits. The worst part was that he had been thinking about getting his haircut. He kept thinking about the way he looked in the costume. And the way Mary and Alice responded. And Logan, if he was being honest with himself. He'd started absentmindedly planning out a campaign to persuade his mother. Pretending to care about fashion, like he knew she wanted. Maybe if he waited and played his cards right, he could show her pictures of models with the same hair. But, he didn't have the time and he knew she'd say no. Listlessly, he picked up one of the well-thumbed magazines on the table in front of him. People. Vogue. Glamour. He flicked through, hoping to find a picture showing the hair he wanted. It took a while but eventually he came across a girl in a Gap ad. Taking a deep breath, he decided he had nothing to lose. "She looks nice..." He held the magazine open so she could see. Willing his face to look innocent. "Huh?" His mom glanced over. "We can stop at the Gap if you want," she smiled. He took a deep breath. "I mean I like her hair." His mom stared at the page, then her smile faded. "Oh. Hmmm. I guess she has the right face." He still had no idea what that meant. "I meant," and he gulped, "for me." "No." She didn't even look up. "Why?" he asked quietly. She looked up and cupped his face. "You look better with long hair. I like it long." "It's my face," he offered. "Why can't I wear it the way I want?" "Because you can't." He pulled away. "That's not fair. Why can't I have this?" She put down her magazine and stroked his face, while his eyes bored a hole in the floor. "I understand you're upset Teagan, but you have to trust me. You look much better this way. You look beautiful." She smiled, as she pushed a few strands of hair out of his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time she smiled at him like that. "Thanks." His eyes fell back to the floor. He knew his cheeks would be scarlet red. "But, I just...it's that...I feel like I want short hair..." She smiled sadly, "I know what you think you want. But trust me." Just then, the receptionist came with two bottles of water. She turned to Ryan. "Go back to the sink to get your hair washed." His shoulders slumped and he walked back. The shampoo woman draped a cape around his neck. Purple. With flowers. Great. "Lean back," she said. As he leaned back, he glanced at his mom, who was in deep conversation with what he assumed was the stylist. The shampoo woman, probably no much more than a couple of years older than he was, said, "Don't worry. Cindy knows what she's doing. You'll be fine." Ryan wasn't sure about that last part. Then, she looked at him. "Interesting shirt you're wearing." It was a 'Black Mirror: San Junipero' shirt, that was rapidly getting stretched. "My cousin has one like that." "K? Does she like the show too?" She began spraying his hair. "She's a lesbian," she said, matter-of- factly. She began shampooing his hair and, against his will, he began relaxing, feeling the hot water and the fingers massaging his scalp. He found himself feeling sleepy. He was done well before his mom. They only "took off some of the weight" and "trimmed it without making it shorter." It would be another month before he could even think of persuading her to let him to do what he wanted. He sat in the empty chair next to his mom, watching the stylist do whatever it was she did. Eventually, his mother smiled. "Why don't you go find Jack?" She reached into her purse and handed him a ten, "Get some snacks." He was about to ask why Jack got twenty but decided he'd lose. "I'll call you when I'm done. Another half hour or so." On the way out, he glimpsed himself in the mirror. The hair was still only a little below the jawline, but there was no mistaking it. It was girl hair. The door beeped as he shuffled out. He found Jack in GameStop. "Hey," he said. Jack grunted in response, neither looking at the other. "Mom's gonna be a while." Half an hour was an optimistic assessment. Wanna get a snack?" "K," Jack grunted. They started slouching past a bunch of stores. "What did you get?" Ryan asked, looking at his bag. Jack clutched it closed. "Stuff." "What stuff?" He was jealous. "Stuff," he said, in a way that made it clear that he wasn't giving anything more up. The food court was busy but no too full. Ryan bought a Coke and Jack a combo meal. The sat in silence, both staring at their phones. About ten minutes later, a shadow loomed over them. "Look what it is." His mind still on his game, Ryan didn't look up. He felt a push on his shoulder. "I said, look what it is..." Now, he looked up. Charlie Hansen. Bigger than he remembered and with a deeper voice, but, still his old nemesis. He tried to look away, but it was too late. "It's a freak. It's a fag. It's Koopgirl," he yelled, while the rest of the food court conveniently looked away. Charlie turned to his friend, all arms, legs and zits, and said, "You know what this is? It's a freak." He looked Ryan up and down. "So, they really did turn you into a girl," he crowed. He looked around as if expecting applause for his wit. Charlie turned to his friend, who now had a shit eating grin. "It used to be a boy." Ryan picked up his Coke and tried to get away. "Come on, leave me alone. It's not like we go to the same school..." As he stood up, Charlie shoved him back down, knocking away his Coke which was now all over his jacket. "Dick..." No one turned around to look. "Such language. It's not nice when girls curse." Charlie had an evil smile on his face. "Aw, don't cry, Koopgirl." He moved Ryan's hair from his face. "You look so much prettier when you smile..." Ryan tried to bat away his hand, but it was no use. When he hit it, it barely moved. Charlie grabbed his wrist and twisted it. His friend looked nervous. "Upchuck, come on. That's enough..." Charlie kept staring at Ryan. "No, it isn't. Because of this, I got a week's suspension. And had to go to a diversity." He spat the word. "workshop. Like this is normal. Do you think this is normal, Koopgirl?" And he twisted his arm some more, Ryan trying not to cry. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. Though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds between Jack getting up and the punch landing on the side of Charlie's head. He wanted to scream. Stop him. Tell him that Charlie was much bigger and could really hurt him. But he wasn't that much bigger, not anymore. And Jack had the benefit of surprise. When time resumed, he was standing up, looking at a dazed Charlie lying on the floor. He had no memory of standing or of Charlie letting go. He looked over to see Jack, who seemed even more startled than he was. "Come on." Ryan grabbed his hand. "We've got to go! The Blarts will be here soon." No doubt the mall cops would be on their way. He could see Charlie's friend had the same idea and was pulling him up. Waves of surprise and, Ryan was pleased to see, fear were passing over his meat-like face. It wouldn't be long until it turned to anger. "What happened? How did you ruin your hair already?" His mom reached over and started combing it with her hands. "And your jacket." Ryan tried batting her hand away. She hadn't said anything about them being out of breath. "Really, Teagan. I know it wasn't your first choice but come on, how old are you?" He mumbled sorry and looked over at Jack, who was surprisingly stone-faced. "Fine," his mother sighed and then pointed at her own hair. "Well, what do you think?" Ryan offered non-committal approval, not that he had an opinion one way of the other. "I suppose that's the best I'm going to get," she sighed. They exited into the parking lot. She squinted her eyes looking around her, "Where did we park again?" Neither Ryan nor Jack spoke on the walk to the car. Not that their mom seemed to mind. Every now and then, Ryan would glance over at his brother. He'd start composing something to say once she was out of earshot but drew a blank. When they climbed into the minivan, Ryan thought this might be his chance. Before he could say anything, Jack had put in his earbuds and looked down at his phone for the rest of the trip. When they got home, Ryan figured he'd give it another shot. But his mom dragooned him into helping with the bags and, by the time he'd finished, Jack had disappeared upstairs, his door slamming shut. He thought about just walking in but, after last time, decided against it. Instead, he headed to his room and logged into Smash Bros, seeing who was on line.. He felt a sense of relief when he saw Logan's username appear. 'K?' he typed. The reply came back almost instantly, 'Gd, U?' For a long time Ryan just stared at his control pad. Taking a deep breath he typed, 'Rn in2 UPCHUCK @ mll.' His finger wavered over the button before he hit send. A few seconds later, the dots told him Logan was writing a reply. It came a few more seconds after that, 'Sht. Wz h a,' then there was an eggplant emoji. Ryan typed faster this time, 'a hge,' then three eggplant emojis. He took a deep breath, pausing to scoop the hair out of his face. 'Clld m a fag.' He double checked they were having a private conversation before sending. It took less than a minute for a line of poop emojis to appear. Shortly after that came, 'Wht u do?' '?\_(?)_/? wht cld I do???' there was a pause while it hung there on his screen unsent. He added, 'Jck,' fist emoji, 'hm.' Logan sent back a long line of emoji expressing various levels of surprise. This made Ryan laugh. There was a loud shout. "Dinner's ready," from below. 'Sht, gtta go. The Demogorgon!' He stood on the landing waiting for the bathroom. He hadn't really been thinking of much when the door opened and he was face to face with Jack. "Hey." He stared at the floor. Jack made no noise. Ryan looked up and saw pure anger in Jack's face. "Um yeah. About before..." "Move," grunted Jack. Ryan stayed glued to the spot. He pushed past him. Ryan surprised himself by suddenly grabbing Jack's arm. "What?" he hissed. He couldn't think of anything else to say. "What?" For the first time Jack looked directly into the eyes of his brother. "What? Seriously?" Ryan stumbled, unable to find the words. "I... I... thank you for standing up..." His voice tailed off underneath Jack's glare. And then Jack shoved him. This wasn't the first time he'd done it, but he hadn't done it since everything. It was all Ryan could do to stop himself from falling over. He remained standing with his mouth open. "You're fucking pathetic. You let them do this to you!" Jack pinned Ryan against the wall, scaring him. "What was I supposed to do?" Ryan hated the high pitch of his voice. "I didn't expect him and he's bigger... I was surprised...." "Not that." Jack shook a little as he spoke, even as he sounded condescending. "God, you're stupid too." Ryan fought back the tears. He wasn't going to give him the pleasure. "I don't understand..." Jack looked him up and down. "Look at yourself. This. You let them turn you into THIS." "I didn't let them..." Jack balled his fists. "You didn't fight it. Any of it." "How could I fight it?" Ryan was cross now. Without realising it he'd tensed his body. Ready for flight or fight. Jack stared at him. "You just let them do it to you." It was Ryan's turn to be bold, he stepped forward, pushing Jack further back. "Who's 'them?' Mom and Dad? What did they do to me? And what was I supposed to do to stop them?" Jack seemed a little stunned at the forcefulness in his voice. "I know mom's can be crazy, but she's not that kind of witch. This isn't Harry Potter, they aren't Voldemort and Bellatrix." Jack went red at the mention of Harry Potter, probably remembering when he'd spent several months in his Hogwarts robe. Jack was still angry, but it was different - less unstoppable and more like a small child frustrated because he can't get what he wants. "They couldn't do it to me! I won't let them... fuck you, you abandoned me!" His breathing was heavy and uneven. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes. Ryan felt like he'd been slapped hard. It hadn't even occurred to him that Jack might be worried it'd happen to him. He went to put his hand on Jack's shoulder, but he recoiled like he'd been shot. "Jack," he offered, his voice as soothing as he could manage, "It won't happen to you." He tried to smile. "I know I suck at math, but the odds have to be huge." "You don't know that!" He pushed past into his room. Ryan went and sat on the toilet, lid down and his face in his hands. Tears didn't come. He looked at his hand, it wasn't shaking. He was feeling strangely calm. He didn't know how long he was there for. His mom called for dinner again, but he waited until he'd heard his brother's footsteps heading down the stairs. Then he got up, flushed the toilet just in case someone was paying attention then washed his hands. Stopping to splash water on his face. There she was again. The girl in the mirror. His eyes, her face. How had this happened? And why had he stopped asking? Maybe Jack was right, maybe he had let them? When he got to the kitchen, Jack was eating while watching some YouTube video on his phone. By the noise it sounded like some greatest skateboard fails compilation. His mother was on her phone talking to someone he guessed would be from work. His dad looked up and smiled and he sat down. He took out his own phone and ate in silence. --- Ryan and Miley lay on her bed staring up at the ceiling. Ryan was still in his uniform, his skirt having ridden up his thigh. He wanted to push it down but he didn't know how Miley would take that. Instead he stayed there, lying still as they listened to music. "So-" Miley's voice brought him out of his stupor. She sounded less sure of herself than she did normally. "So, uh, you and Logan huh?" Instinctively, Ryan pulled his legs up. "Um, me and Logan, what?" He was pretty sure he knew what. "You're an item." Her tone was back to its normal level of forcefulness. 'Item' sounded weird, like something his mother would say. "I dunno. Not really." He paused, not feeling right. "It's basically the same as before." "Except-" Miley's face was turned away from him, although he got the feeling that, somehow, she was examining him closely. "Except what?" he sat up, his legs underneath him, his skirt spread out. "It sounded like there was an 'except' coming." She mimicked some stereotype airhead girl. "It's just like when we were best friends 'except' when he holds me in his big strong arms..." He whacked her foot with his hand. He noticed she didn't move it away from him. "I never said that. I don't sound like that." Miley shrugged. "You do," she must have caught a look at his horrified face. "a little." She swung her legs off the side of the bed. "I mean, so you're into boys..." "Yes," he said firmly. As soon as he said it, all confidence drained out of him. "Maybe. I don't know." He sighed heavily. "I mean that's what I'm supposed to want. Right?" He was staring at the back of her head, wanting her to turn and look at him. She did turn, slightly. He caught the side of her face, if only for a moment. She looked angry. "Says who?" She turned around and grabbed her laptop. "I dunno," he mumbled. "I just thought..." "Did you think what they want?" She got up and grabbed her laptop off her desk. "Boys. Let's see what they want." Her back was turned to him as she began typing. When he realized that she wasn't going to tell him, he sat up on his knees, looking over her shoulder. He could smell her shampoo. She opened YouTube and began reading titles. "Kara - Golden Shower, Alexia - Backdoor Magic." He rested his chin on her shoulder. He could feel her tense but she didn't push him away. "How about this," she pointed at a video he couldn't see. "School Girl MILFs - Chapter 16." "That's gross AF," he said, moving away. "Who's into this?" She ignored him and hit 'play.' Two women sat in a bare looking room. Both were dressed in skimpy versions of the sort of uniform he was wearing, making him feel nervous. They were in some dumpy room that looked like a cheap hotel or the apartment Uncle Mark moved to right after the divorce. A bald man came in, his gut sticking out over his jeans. They watched for a while. The women in school uniforms were writhing on the floor for some unexplained reason. Miley looked at him, it was clear from Miley's expression that she thought this proved some sort of point. Then the guy pulling down his pants. For several minutes they watched, no understanding what was happened. Then... "Eww!" A hand shot up to Ryan's mouth. "They can't be..." "Yuck." Miley, who until then had seemed transfixed, suddenly started furiously hitting the escape button. "It won't turn off!" For a hideous moment, they both sat there, unable to look away from what was happening. Finally it disappeared, revealing a number of flashing garish ads behind. Miley hurriedly closed them all down. Ryan started speaking, then realized he still had his hand over his mouth. He tried again. "It can't have been real. That must have been chocolate pudding or something." "Or something." Miley's voice sounded distant. All her anger and certainty had drained away. "I mean, is that what you used to be into...y'know before?" She had shifted around so they were facing each other. Although her eyes were low, avoiding his. "No," he almost yelled, but kept his voice down, in case her parents came in. "That's disgusting," he hissed. "No?" she looked up. "No! I mean I liked girls but... I dunno... I was kinda young." "What about now?" "What about now what?" he found himself pulling at the little empty bit of his tights at the end of his toe. Watching the material stretch, then letting go and seeing how it failed to return to its original shape. "What are you into? Boys? Girls? That?" She looked at the laptop and then at his face, like she was searching for something. Ryan let out a big sigh. "I dunno. I mean, most of the time I'm still not sure what bathroom to use..." This made Miley laugh. She looked at him more kindly now. "And the dreams?" He could feel himself turning bright red. He'd refused point blank to discuss the dreams with her. "I," he started and failed. "Come on. You know. No one shares a dream unless it means something. Other than people in stupid songs. And it even means something to them." He was still having trouble understanding it and he couldn't talk to Dr. Cheryl, that stupid therapist his parents made him see, about this. "Maybe it's just...a coincidence...or something." That was lame, but it was all he had right now. From downstairs they heard Miley's mom calling, "Teagan, your dad is here." They looked at each other, it was Miley who spoke first. "Maybe we'll dream again tonight." He bit his lip. "Maybe." He looked down at his lap. "I hope so. They're better when you're there." And then he kissed her lightly on the lips and picked up his bag. --- The rhythmic thumping of the music woke him up. Blurry eyed, he swung his legs out of bed, then tried to stand up, nearly toppling over head first. It only took him a moment to realise why. He was wearing a black, figure hugging jersey dress. One that went down from his neck to his ankles. Over that was a long flannel shirt and on his feet were a pair of chunky retro sneakers. None were items that he owned. Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. It must be another dream. Looking out the window, nothing seemed different from any other night. Apart from the bass heavy music that shook the air. By now, he knew there was nothing to do but follow the dream and wait it out. While being tied to a wooden stake and menaced by a dragon had been far from fun, he hadn't actually been harmed, other than, y'know, the loss of his dignity. He just had to hope that it stayed that way. That what, or whoever, was doing this meant him no real harm. Heading out the bedroom door, he wasn't surprised to find the house still. Again, aside from the music. As an experiment, he popped his head into his parent's room. They lay next to each other. His mom always lay on her back, eyes covered with a mask. It reminded him of pictures they'd seen in history of medieval European kings lying in state. His dad laid face down. Covered by the sheets apart from one bare arm and one bare leg sticking out. He remembered his dad saying something about people sticking limbs out while they slept to regulate their body heat. Ryan went up to them. As gently as he could, he tapped his mom's shoulder. Nothing. He tapped it a little harder. She moved slightly, and muttered something imperceptible under her breath, but nothing more. Next, he tried his dad. He shook his shoulder harder than he dared shake his mom's. He had no idea what he'd say if he woke up, but figured his dad would be the more receptive to - 'I woke up in this strange dress I have no idea where it comes from and there's loud music playing outside,' than his mom. His dad grunted, making Ryan jump back. Which was hard to do in the dress without falling over. Ryan watched him for a while, but he didn't wake up. Neither of them seemed magically enchanted or whatever. They just seemed to be asleep. Which was strange enough, given how loud the music coming from outside was. He remembered a few years ago, when he and Logan had first discovered online multiplayer games. They'd started playing late night sessions after their parents had gone to bed. One time, Ryan had decided to forgo his usual headphones and just turn the volume down to the lowest setting. Even with the covers over him, it had been enough to wake his mom and have her confiscate his XBox for a week. He made his way down to the back door. Though the kitchen window, he could see glowing lights, their colors rapidly changing, behind the treetops. At the door, he noticed his usual coat was gone. Where it would have normally hung was a silver puffer jacket. The sort of item that would have no doubt got him beat up at his old school. From Harper's Instagram, he knew there were older girls at Muirwood who went clubbing on the weekends and wore this kind of thing when outside. Having now had a little experience of the sort of paper thin dresses they wore on those nights, he had some sympathy for their choice. Still, he hated putting it on. But he knew that, if the dream wanted him to wear that coat, he was going to end up in it anyway. Stepping outside, he felt the cold on his face. He didn't need a mirror to know his cheeks were bright red and part of him wished that the dream had provided him with a hat as well. Taking a deep breath of the chilly night air deep into his lungs, he set off in the direction of the music. The dress was made of stretchy material, making walking possible, just not easy. At least the thick soles of the sneakers were good on the uneven ground. So long as he kept glancing down, he'd be OK. Tree roots were the biggest danger. As he walked something, started hitting him on the chest. Looking down he expected to find a long necklace or medallion, what he saw was a whistle. He lifted it up and turned it around wondering what to make of it? As soon as he did, he heard a sharp whistle behind him making him jump and nearly fall over. The whistle was followed by another and then another. Turning around, he saw a large number of people walking towards the music. They were all wearing bright clothing and holding what looked like glow sticks. The colours from the glow sticks illuminated their faces, making them look otherworldly. Turning he nearly tripped again, something was moving around his feet. Kneeling down, he saw a fox. Somehow, he knew it was the one he'd seen in past dreams. The fox tilted its head quizzically and watched him. He held out a hand. "Hello, um, Mr Fox." He'd learned not to take gender for granted. "You don't seem bothered by the music." The fox moved forward, still looking at him, then sniffed his hand. People were moving past them now. He couldn't understand what they were saying but they sounded excited. "I don't have any food." He leaned closer to the fox. It didn't seem afraid. The fox just tilted its head to one side, still looking at him. "Do you want me to carry you?" It was a strange thought, but somehow he'd got that impression. Slowly, he held out an arm, expecting to be bitten or scratched. The fox jumped up into his open arms. It was all Ryan could do to not leap up in surprise. The fox moved around for a while but soon settled down. Slowly, Ryan got up. He was near the back of the group now. The other side of the woods was a large field. As he came out of the trees, he could see a large stage. On it was a figure, but couldn't tell who it was - or what. Although they appeared to be wearing a hat with antlers on it. Clearly this was where the lights and music were coming from. He knew enough to recognize 90s dance and rave music. This particular track seemed to have sampled some Middle Eastern music, the kind they played at that Turkish restaurant his parents liked. He nearly jumped when he heard a voice behind him. "I thought I'd see you here." He turned to see Miley standing there. She was wearing a baggy yellow t-shirt with a winking smiley face on it and large baggy jeans. She wore a hat that looked like the sort his uncle wore on fishing trips. Only he doubted his uncle had a fluorescent orange one. She looked at him and smiled. "Nice outfit...who's your friend?" She nodded to the fox. "Him?" or was it a her? "He's just along for the ride." As if on cue, the fox sprung out his arms and landed by his feet. The fox went over and started sniffing Miley. Miley stepped back nervously. "Um, he could, um, have rabies." "I don't think so. I mean he's friendly enough," Ryan smiled at her discomfort. "What do you think is going on?" Miley shrugged. "How should I know." The fox sniffed at her foot and went back to Ryan's side. "No weirder than a dragon, y'know. Let's go find out." They headed deeper into the crowd. In that stupid dress, Ryan had to ask her to slow down, which made Miley laugh and the fox growl at her. Near the front, it was getting hard to hear each other. Ryan stopped suddenly, grabbing Miley's arm. Miley turned confused. She was about to say something but must have seen the look on his face. He pulled at her again, then used his other hand to jab in the direction of one of the dancers. The girl was dancing alone. Flicking her hair from side to side in time with the beat. What was strange was that her eyes were closed and her face looked peaceful, like she was asleep. "I know her." Ryan tried to pull Miley back. He was disturbed by how much stronger she was than him. "What?" she shouted. He raised his voice. "Her. I know her. She's from my school. Her name is Claire." He led her over to the girl, whose eyes were still shut. Holding up a hand, he waved it in front of her face. There was no sign Claire had any idea he was there. Miley stood a little behind him now, her arms crossed. "Who is she?" Miley didn't, or couldn't, hide the annoyance in her voice. "I said," he frantically waved a hand in front of Claire's face, "she's just a girl from school. She's a junior. We're in the drama club together." "Ooo. Like totally drama," Miley said in a bad impression of a rich airhead. But things were starting to happen. They were both starting to move to the music. He felt Miley's hands on his hips. Then his crotch against hers. He was moving in ways he hadn't thought he could. Swaying his hips. Pressing against Miley. It was like he no longer had control, although he didn't hate the feeling. Miley moved closer, moving him so his back was against her front. He wondered if she'd lost control of her body as well? He was sliding up and down, rubbing himself against her. He looked up to see the other dancers holding their arms up to the sky. Many were blowing their whistles. He thought he saw the man on the stage. The one with the antler hat doing the same. When he woke, he remembered only a few images from the dancing. The glow sticks moving slowly, their colors seeming to bleed into each other. The fox watching him through the legs of the other dancers. Antlers hat man on stage, leading them. Naked from the waist up. Below, he seemed to be wearing some sort of fur covered pants. Claire's face, pale, beautiful, at peace. The sky getting lighter and more blue behind her. Then Miley, her hand on him. Moving him. The softness and warmth of her lips as they kissed. Whispering a name. Not Teagan, not Ryan, but something he couldn't quite remember... Fuck. He shot up suddenly. Someone was shouting, no screaming, his name. His head was too fuzzy and there wasn't enough time for him to figure it out before his bedroom door burst open. "Teagan, what the hell!" His mother stood there, framed by the doorway. She stopped stunned. "What are you wearing? Where did you get that dress?" He could almost hear the vein on her forehead throbbing. He sat himself up, rubbing his forehead and took in the scene. The retro trainers were left sprawled over his floor. Their soles covered in thick mud, and behind them a tell-tale line of footprints leading off out onto the landing. "Urgh," he groaned, letting his face fall back into his pillow. How was he going to explain this? "And your pillow is covered in makeup." His mom had gone back to that quiet, calm menace he feared most. "Urgh," he groaned again. Maybe the dream really did wish him harm.