A Wish Unwanted - Part 9 free porn video

A Wish Unwanted - Part 9 by Limbo's Mistress Cheer practice was always held in one of two locations. If the weather was unpleasant, it would have taken place on the far side of the gym, opposite the location of where the volleyball matches from class had been held. A nearly opaque curtain could be drawn across the length of the room, effectively cutting off the area from distractions. As well as wandering eyes. However, if the day was nice and warm, such as today, then the squad would assemble approximately fifteen minutes after the last bell of the day on the field behind the sports complex. According to Cindy, while the rest of the girls went through the routines multiple times, Jen or Tabitha would take up a position in the bleachers. This gave them a crowds-eye view of the entire squad. All the better to spot those not pulling their fair share. Inside my locker, I'd discovered a pair of black athletic pants with the word "Raiderette" emblazoned down the right leg in cursive script. I pulled them on, at first thankful that I wouldn't have to lead the practice in a pair of short-shorts. Though, I already knew I'd have to deal with wearing the micro-skirt of the uniform before Friday. However, once I had the pants pulled up, I realized that they fit like second skin, showing off the curves of my calves, thighs, and other rounded body parts. I felt more exposed than I thought I should. I even tried to look at my rear in one of the nearby mirrors, convinced the extremely tight material would highlight the cleft between my buttocks. No wonder Cindy never wore her practice uniform around me. Part of me began to dread even leaving the locker room in it. "Come on, Peej," Sarah said, nodding her head toward the door. "Don't want to be late when you're the one in charge." I sighed. "Just temporarily filling in, remember?" Kara cut her eyes over at Sarah for a second, then looked away. My friend, though, simply smiled and mumbled a barely-audible, "For now." I almost asked what she meant by that, but decided to file it away for a later discussion. Because I really hoped she hadn't meant what I was pretty sure she meant. The three of us walked out of the building and down the curving pathway that led to the fields. Along the way, we picked up Candice, Jordan, and Melissa. "My parents are such losers," Melissa said in a contrite tone. "They wanted me to stay in and help reorganize the basement tonight. I told them that the girls were getting together later to brainstorm some new ideas for Homecoming." Kara turned around, walking backward so she could look at the other girl. "What about your stuff? Won't they think you leaving with a change of clothes just to hang out with us to be a little strange?" Melissa shrugged. "I'll tell them we're meeting at Sarah's and might sit around the hot tub." Sarah laughed. "So long as they don't pop over anytime soon. The tub is currently non-functioning." "Well, we can always say it did work until Candice tried to adjust the controls." "Hey!" the blonde girl said indignantly. "That's not funny. I'm not that bad with stuff. The only thing I ever really broke was Kara's garage door." "My dad still can't figure out how you mistook the light switch for the door switch." Candice looked a bit sheepish. "It was really dark." Sarah smirked. "You were also a little drunk." The rest of them giggled about that. I laughed along as well, though I had to push the chuckle out. Not because I didn't think what they'd said wasn't funny. It was more a small wave of sadness that, despite Penny having been there for it, I had not. It was kind of like standing outside, peering in through the window at a party. Over the past two days, I'd gotten to experience little moments of sharing in friendships that, to everyone else, had existed for years. As much as I didn't want to admit it, not having those memories actually hurt a little. Like I'd been robbed of something that should have been mine. When we made it to the field, we found the rest of the squad waiting for us on the soft grass next to the clearly marked lines of the gridiron. A couple of them were standing around, their attention focused on the phones in their hands. Upon seeing me approach, they stopped whatever they'd been doing and quickly joined in warming up with the others. I took particular note that Tabitha was one of those. Sarah gave me a little sly wink, which made me think she'd seen the blonde's haste to accompany the rest of the squad in loosening up. Then she and the other three jogged on ahead to add themselves to the line. As for me, I continued until I was facing them all. "Okay," I said, trying to sound like I'd done this a hundred times before and wasn't about to have a panic attack. "Jen's counting on me to make sure we are perfect for Friday's game. So I'm counting on you to give it your all. Let's show our captain that we are the best squad in the state." Several of the girls clapped, a few throwing in a quick backflip to show their support. Tabitha just smirked at me, obviously waiting for me to fall flat on my face in the leadership role. Her expression alone bashed through my trepidation and reignited my resolve. I could do this. I just needed to believe in myself. One ace up my sleeve was the fact that I was really good at memorization. When the mood struck me. If pressed, I could most likely recite on cue the stats of nearly every creature in the official Monster Manual. That alone had saved me dozens of hours over the course of a few years. "Raiderettes!" I yelled as I dialed up the playlist on Penny's phone entitled "Cheer Tunes", and synched my phone with the Bluetooth speaker sitting on the edge of the stands. "Routine order is: one, seven, three, six!" As soon as the music began to blast, the nine girls lined before me began to move. It took a few seconds of missteps, but in less than five minutes, they were flipping, jumping, and posing with near-perfect choreography. They formed a trio of three-girl pyramids, the top cheerleader being launched into a double backflip before being caught by the other two. After about fifteen minutes, I glanced over and nearly fell down in shock. Tabitha was at the pinnacle of a stack that consisted of Jordan and Melissa. The two of them held the mean blonde's left leg in a tight embrace while the right one was thrust out to the side. Then the pair on the bottom lowered their arms and tossed Tabitha upward, allowing her to twist around in what I think was an axel. She came down, easily caught by the two before she could hit the ground. The move itself wasn't the source of my surprise. It was the beaming grin plastered on the face of the girl who'd pretty much called me a pretender not eight hours earlier. Though I was sure she'd deny it if I challenged her, there was no mistaking the truth. Tabitha was having fun. Practice lasted for about an hour, with a ten minute break in the middle. During the downtime after, I talked to the group as a whole about what I'd seen. While I did have to point out some of the few flaws I spotted, I kept my words positive overall. "Just make sure when you take that step back before the round off in number eight, you don't back any further than shoulder width. On the ground it might look like you're still in line, but from up there," I pointed to the rows of seats behind me. "It's easy to see that you're not." Kara looked around, then back at me. "Who was the worst?" "Excuse me?" I asked. She shrugged and gestured at the rest of the girls, all of whom were staring expectantly at me. "Which of us was the biggest screw-up?" What? I hadn't said that. I also certainly didn't intend to convey that. "None of you," I said, trying to understand what the redhead was getting at. "I mean, there were a few times you guys got a little out of synch. But nothing so bad we can't have it smoothed out before Friday." "So ... no one is the Practice Idiot?" Shelly asked. Practice Idiot? What the hell? "No," I said, trying to not get angry. "There is no Practice Idiot." Several of them seemed to be visibly relieved. Sarah looked at me with a rather pleased expression. Tabitha, however, regarded me with a stare of suspicion. "Well, I guess that's it for today," I said. "I'll see you all at Jacob's this evening." Melanie grabbed the speaker and shoved it into her bag. "Bye, Peej," she said. "Great practice!" Then she broke into a little jog to catch up with the rest. Only Sarah, Tabitha, and I remained on the field. I gave my friend a little look, nodding my toward the parking lot before cutting my eyes at Tabitha. She glanced over at the blonde, gave me a single nod, then skipped off. I waited until she was out of earshot before turning to the still-smirking Raiderette. "Something you want to say, Tabs?" "I think it's funny," she said. "As a dorky guy, you should know jack shit about cheer routines, and even less about saying the right thing to motivate anyone." "I'm not a dorky guy anymore, remember?" "Oh, believe me, I definitely remember. But that's not what I find funny." I crossed my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at her. It was about a second after I assumed the pose that I realized that I hadn't thought about the increased girth of my chest. I mean, yeah, I knew those largish mounds were there. It was more like they'd simply faded into the background. Tabitha sighed. "What amuses me is that it's obvious you don't have the slightest clue about how Jen runs her ship. After the display that was just shown, she would have torn Shelly to shreds for being a second behind the others on two back handsprings. Kara would have been destroyed for stepping to the left, rather than the right, on that number seven." I shrugged. "Maybe I'm not the kind of leader who thinks screaming at people for their mistakes is the best way to get results. I mean, it's a cheer squad, not the damned Marines." The blonde's mouth dropped open for a second, then that haughty smirk she'd been wearing for most of the day reappeared. "Oh, that's great," she said. "Keep thinking along those lines, and I'll be co-captain again before you know it. No magic required." "I suppose when you were the Jen's Number One, you jumped the other girls' shit just as hard?" I countered. She hesitated for a second, then nodded. "If that's what it took, then yes. As her second, it was up to me to make sure I backed her up. Not to undermine her." I shook my head. "Tell me, Tabs. Where you a total bitch back when you were a nobody? Because Tracy seems pretty cool, and I'm having a hard time believing the two of you were ever friends." Another shocked expression floated across the other girl's face. Then she laughed. "She's only become 'cool' to you because she's just another fat, ugly dork. Pretty much like you used to be. Before that, she was a much different person. Maybe not as bad as Jen, but certainly not the paragon she tries to pretend to be now." I didn't want to give much credit to her words. However, a part of me had to admit that I knew nothing about what the two of them had been like before their wishes. It was possible that both of them had been horrible people in the beginning, and that Tracy had only reformed due to her circumstances. Tabitha flipped her golden hair over her shoulder and arched a brow at me. "Anything else you want to quiz me about, Sam?" I glared at her for a moment, then shook my head. Then, just as she began to walk off, I changed my mind. "Yes, actually. There was one other thing that's been bothering me." She turned back, lips curled in arrogance. "Only the one? You are adapting, aren't you?" I waved my hand dismissively. This wasn't the time, nor the person, to discuss how I was coping with my new reality. "Whatever," I said. "The thing I cannot seem to understand is why you would give the stone to Cindy. I mean, what if she had made a wish to be the head Raiderette? I mean, look at me. Just a slip of the lip has knocked you down a couple of places from the top." I watched her hands balls into tight, little fists. Obviously, she still smarted from her impromptu demotion. Especially when only a handful of people knew about it. "I didn't give Cindy Mueller the wishing stone," she sneered. "Tracy did." "Really? Because she said you were the one who had it last. That you kept it after trying to get a second set of wishes." The fury in those blue eyes never dimmed. "Bullcrap! After we realized the stone wasn't going to work a second time, I put it in my underwear drawer. I didn't want to risk anyone else using it. When I found out Jen knew about it, I went home to find it was gone. Tracy must have went into my house and stolen it. She was the one who gave it to your friend and screwed up things for me." Without waiting for any additional comments from me, she grabbed her bag and stomped off, passing right by Sarah without so much as a look. I watched her leave, pondering what she'd said. Why would Tracy have lied about giving the stone to Cindy? Was it because she didn't want to explain her part in how I became one of Benson High's Raiderettes? Or did she do it to foster some ill will between me and Tabitha? Making a mental note to ask Tracy for a better explanation when I saw her, I grabbed my stuff and walked over to where Sarah was patiently waiting. As I reached her, she stood up, brushed off her bottom, and slipped her pack onto her shoulder. "What was that all about?" she asked, nodding her head in the direction of Tabitha's rapidly departing form. Nothing major. Just a discussion about a magic stone and altered realities. I shrugged. "She thought I was being too soft on you guys. She seems to think that Jen is going to come back and be angry that I wasn't the hardass she is." Sarah gave me a confused expression. "If Jen hasn't figured out that your style isn't like her style by now, she should probably get her head examined. Peej, everyone on the squad knows that you build them up when she's busy tearing them down. Honestly, if both of you were like that, being a cheerleader would suck tremendously. It might not be completely enough to make us quit, but we'd sure consider it a lot more." I continued walking beside her, trying not to look like I just swallowed a whole orange. So, Penny was the yin to Jen's yang. The light to her dark. The Batman to her Joker. If that was the case, then why had Kara expected to get yelled at by me? The more I tried to wrap my mind around the ins and outs of this new life, the more I was convinced the ground beneath my feet wasn't as stable as it looked. "You okay?" Sarah asked after another minute. I nodded. "Yeah. Just thinking about things." "Things? Or people?" She smirked. "Or maybe a single person." I nudged her with my hip. "My thought process does not revolve around Lee Taylor." When she arched a disbelieving brow, I amended my statement. "Okay, it doesn't revolve around him continuously." She giggled. "Sorry. It's just that you get this little reddish tinge, right across your cheekbones, every time I mention him." I rolled my eyes. "Which seems to be quite a bit." Feeling the need for some behind the scenes info, I dangled a line before her. "Why is that? I mean, I've had guys I've been interested in before, right? What makes this thing with me and Lee so entertaining to you?" She grinned wider. "Maybe because, after two years of you two circling each other like ... fighters in a cage, you're actually both making your move." Hmm, well that was a rather interesting way of putting it. "It has so not been two years," I countered, trying to push for more details. Thankfully, Penny's bestie was more than happy to dish out more of my unknown history. Even if she did it with in an amused tone and a giddy smirk. "Seriously? Let's take you back to sophomore year. Back when we were both stick figures with pretend cleavage. It was lunchtime, and into the crowded room strolled The New Guy." I could swear I heard the capital letters. In Arial Black even. "I thought you were going to swallow your tongue, you little tramp. You just sat there, staring like a doofus, with your mouth hanging open and a spoonful of yogurt paused precariously in its trip from the cup in your hand to your face." Giving her a dubious look, as if I believed she was incorrect in her recounting, she cackled again. "I remember thinking that the big glob was going to fall off the spoon and land in your oblivious lap. Girl, you had it bad for him in an instant." So, Penny had been drawn to Lee from the first moment she'd seen him. Which would certainly explain the overwhelming attraction that pulled at me when I was in his presence. Her desires and wants hadn't completely vanished when I took over. Though, it wasn't exactly like I'd stolen someone else's life, right? I tried to imagine how it would have looked. Penny, who according to Sarah, wasn't yet the knockout she was today, staring all gaga-like at Lee as he walked through the lunchroom on his first day at Benson High. If he'd looked anything remotely close to his handsome self of present day, then Sarah's description of my reaction was probably spot on. However, that was two years ago. Why hadn't those two crazy kids hooked up before last weekend? "I remember now," I lied. "Tell me again why I didn't go after him then and there?" Another of those side-eyed looks. "Well, he was still dating that girl from Southwest Central for one. The second reason might have been the fact that you were with Derek at the time." Derek? There were only two guys named Derek who went to Benson that I knew of. Derek Millhouse was the tuba player in the school's marching band. He was also pretty much as big a nerd as Sam. I'd invited him to join in a session of our gaming group on afternoon. However, he turned into such an insufferable rules lawyer and meta-gamer that the rest of the players threatened to quit if he ever came to another session. Something told me that Penny, even one who was friends with Charlie Mueller and didn't yet have her curvaceous form, would not have been dating Derek Millhouse under any circumstances. That meant that the "Derek" of which Sarah spoke could only be Derek Heath. Which really wasn't much of an improvement. Derek Heath, to put it mildly, was rich. Well, his family was rich. Multi- millionaire rich, even. For comparison's sake, my folks were pretty well- off. My father was the CFO of a moderately successful data firm; my mother a pediatrician with her own practice. We were practically paupers compared to the Heath Family. Derek drove a red Ferrari Spider to school most days. When he wasn't behind the wheel of his black Corvette Stingray, or the gray Audi TT, that is. He carried himself with what I always considered to be an arrogant swagger, and steadfastly refused to talk to people we considered beneath him. A constant swarm of sycophants continuously orbited around him, agreeing with what he said and jockeying constantly for the position of Number One Toady As he refused to be involved in any school sports, he was not allowed to join the Elite clique. His membership in the second-tier crowd was based on his wealth alone. Especially since he was an insufferable douche canoe whose favorite subject was himself. I found it incredibly hard to believe that Penny had dated him on purpose. Perhaps, now that I thought about it, she'd actually been swapping spit with the band dork. "I claim momentary insanity," I said, laughing mirthlessly. "Derek was not one of my better life choices." Sarah shrugged. "We've all had romantic entanglements we've regretted, Peej. However, you have to admit that Charlie started leaving you alone as soon as you and Derek began dating." How I didn't stumble and fall on my face is beyond me. Chalk it up to the incredible sense of balance and exquisite muscle memory that came with the new curves and plumbing. Instead, I continued to walk toward the parking lot, keeping my gaze focused squarely on the Jeep waiting ahead. Penny had decided the best way to get Charlie to leave her alone, which I interpreted as deflecting his amorous advances, was to date the most obnoxious guy in the whole school? Who in the world would even consider such a ... A memory, dusty with disuse, surfaced. Near the end of freshman year, I decided that I would finally going to tell Cindy how I felt about her. Explain to her that I wanted to be more than just friends. I started making weak excuses to be around her, without the rest of our friends. A couple of times, I even "accidentally" brushed my hand over her arm. Or tucked a loose strand of blonde behind one of her ears. However, before I could actually summon the courage to say the words, she started dating Wayne Richards, effectively squashing my plans like Tiamat stomping on a gnome. Until that moment, I had never understood why she'd chosen Wayne as a romantic partner. The guy constantly laughed like a braying donkey, usually at his own jokes. Now, after hearing about Penny's decision to be with Derek just to get Charlie to back off, I fully understood. I'd been trying to change our relationship without talking to her about it. Instead, I'd gone all creepy- like, sending her rushing to the closest available guy who wasn't Sam. Seems I kept uncovering more and more of Cindy's former life entwined with my new one. Sort of like an Occam's' Razor for the universe, so to speak. "Plus," Sarah continued, unaware of my epiphany. "Six months is a little long for something you call 'temporary'. Thank god you eventually saw the light and dumped his ass. Otherwise you two would probably be engaged by now." Holy crap! Had Penny really dated that trust-fund jerk for half a year? It was a good thing the Girl I'd Never Been and the person I Was Now couldn't communicate to each other. Otherwise, I'd give her a cussing out like she wouldn't believe possible. "We would not," I argued, trying to sound like I believed it. Of course, I had no idea if Penny would have been that stupid. "Our relationship ran its merry course, and now I would like to forget it ever happened." Reaching out, I poked her in the shoulder. "I would like you to forget it as well." "Fine," she sighed, trying to cover up her glee at my discomfort and failing. "Consider Derek Heath stricken from the record. Nevermore shall we discuss the former love of your life, the guy who escorted you to the Fall Ball, and the pioneer who was the first to get his hands on that beautiful rack of yours." This time, I did stumble. Which made Sarah giggle again. Did I really let Derek Heath cop a feel? Total yuck! The thought alone made me feel I might possibly be sick right there. "I ..." Words just wouldn't form. "Of course, I knew the thing with Derek was headed toward an expiration date the second I saw you notice Lee." She sighed and shook her head. "Even after you'd kicked Mister Moneybags to the curb, it just seemed that neither you nor that hunky football player could make a connection." "That's a little harsh, don't you think?" "It's true. The two of you would flirt, but not act like you were flirting. We all saw it happening. Knew you two were eventually going to get together." She twirled her finger in the air. "It was like ... like ... watching a glass that's precariously balanced on a serving tray. You see it tip and tilt and slide toward the edge. Over and over. Each time thinking that will be the time it finally goes over the edge and crashes onto the floor." She grinned at me. "Took you long enough to crash, Peej." "Well, I don't know if we're together now. I mean, together together. Yeah, we went on a date. A single date. But that's it." "That's it?" she did not sound convinced. Shrugging, I looked away. "I guess, you know, we've kissed ... and stuff." An eyebrow arched at that last bit, but my friend, amazingly, didn't comment. Though I wouldn't be able to prove it in a court of law, something in the way Lee had kissed me in the parking lot that morning, the way my body had reacted to it, hinted to me that Saturday night might have been more hands- on than I originally would have admitted. "You two are together," she said, as if stating a fact. "You can tell yourself differently all you like, Peej, but I know you. Probably better than you know yourself." And that, folks, is the fracking understatement of the year. "Yeah, I guess you probably do." Then I shrugged. "Doesn't matter. After tonight, when we show up at Jacob's together, it won't just be a rumor or idle speculation any longer. Everyone else will know." She nodded. "I'm sure that will make things abundantly clear for the ten or eleven people at school who weren't sure before." I turned and gaped at her, stunned at her audacity. She, in return, cackled like a madwoman and took off running the last fifty feet to my Jeep. Shaking my head, I walked after her while continuing to try to scrub the knowledge that I'd let Derek Heath feel me up. Double yuck! On the drive to Sarah's house, she tried to make me insane by going through the hundred or so bathing suits she apparently owned, hoping to get my honest opinion about which one she should wear to the party. I attempted to point out, only once, that Jacob had never said he was having a pool party, and I felt she only inferred it to be so because he had a heated pool. For my attempt to present a rational argument, I'd been told that I was being an "old grannie" and that I'd better not "wuss out" on her. Girls, it would seem, can be just as argumentative as guys. I pulled the Jeep into Sarah's drive, leaving it running while she grabbed her stuff and climbed out. "Chad said he was going to pick me up around seven or so. I think the rest of the squad is planning on getting there between seven and seven-thirty." "Okay," I said. "I'll see you then." She nodded, started to close her door, then stopped to look at me. "Listen, Peej. I know I bust your hump a lot about Lee. But, you have to understand that I watched you lust after him from afar for almost a year. Then, when he started going out with Jen, I was there for all your moody ups and downs about it. Now he's single and you're single, so I think it's time for you both to be un-single. With each other. Just relax and let things go where they go. Okay?" I nodded, giving her a terse smile. "Okay." She beamed. "Awesome. Oh, I think you should wear that pink and white number you bought for our trip to Florida. It'll definitely get Lee's undivided attention." She giggled, winked, and closed the door. I waited until she was up the walkway to her front door before I backed out into the street and headed home. Walking into my own back door, I was greeted with the sight of my father in the kitchen. One hand held his phone, thumb sliding continuously across the screen. The other held what I assumed to be a tumbler full of Scotch. A pre-cocktail party cocktail. He glanced up from the screen for a moment as I entered, then went back to monitoring the stock market. "Hey, Pumpkin. Home from school?" Inwardly, I groaned. The wish had changed so much in my life, why couldn't it have also made it so that I didn't still have a father who asked the most inane, redundant questions? Whenever he presented Sam with a rhetorical question, the response had always been the most sarcastic possible. Home from school? No, dad. Just got paroled from prison. However, I assumed Penny was more of a enabler than Sam. Freaking Daddy's Girl. "Yes," I said as I slipped my backpack off my shoulder and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. "Finally home." He nodded, eyes still watching the electronic tickers. "I trust your mother informed you that we were going to be out this evening?" Another difference between then and now. Dad wouldn't have bothered to say anything. Probably because he knew Sam wouldn't care if the two of them were in or not. So long as they didn't bother him with stupid details. "She did. She told me that you'd likely be out until late." "Well, the event is supposed to be over at ten. But knowing Corbin, it'll be closer to eleven." I padded over to the fridge, examined the inside with a frown, and pulled out a bottle of flavored water. It would seem the Cheer Princess didn't drink Mountain Dew. "Sounds like fun," I said, not meaning a word of it. He glanced up again, his gaze going stern. "That is not an invitation to have a boy over here, though. Or a party. A couple of your friends, female friends, is fine. Just don't make a mess and be sure you've done all your homework." I smiled, hoping I looked like his sweet, innocent daughter and not like a deranged maniac in a Penelope suit. "Actually, I was going to go over to Sarah's. We were going to work on the Homecoming stuff and prep for Friday's French quiz." He kept looking at me, his gaze moving from stern to suspicious. "Why doesn't Sarah come over here?" Before I could answer him, using an explanation I couldn't begin to come up with, mom breezed into the room. She was wearing a forest green dress that sat off her shoulders and came down right to her knees. The heels on her feet clicked on the tile of the kitchen floor. "Oh, Darrin," she said, giving me a wink. "So badgering her so." She plucked the glass from my father's hand and took a sip before giving it back. The rim of the tumbler branded with a set of dark burgundy lips. "If she goes over to Sarah's for a while, it's no big deal." "I just don't want her running around at all hours of the evening on a school night, Helen," he said, trying to sound authoritative. Problem was, he was already acquiescing to my mother. "I promise I wont be out too late, Daddy." I reached up and made a cross sign over my left boob. He sighed and shook his head. Then went back to looking at his phone. "I shouldn't even bother. Can't win an argument with the way you two team up against me." I'm sure you won plenty of arguments when you had a son, Darrin. Now the power of estrogen overwhelms you. I bounced on my heels and went over to him. Before I could psych myself out of it, I went up on my toes and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you, Daddy. You're the best." "So you say. Every time you need the credit card." "Darrin, behave." Mom said teasingly. I grabbed my water and my bag, then headed upstairs. Behind me, I heard mom tell dad that they should probably get going if they were going to make it there by six-thirty. By the time I'd dumped my stuff into my room, and kicked off my sneakers, the sound of the garage door opening drifted through my partially open window. A moment after that, I heard my father's car pull out and drive off, leaving me to my own devices for the next six or so hours. I went back downstairs and heated up some leftover chicken lo mein and egg rolls. After eating quickly, I put the dirty bowl into the dishwasher and went back upstairs to start getting ready. The first order of business was to find something suitable to wear to the party. I didn't think a pair of jeans and a sweater would cut it, since I had little doubt I would be taking whatever I wore to Jacob's off. You know, to get in the pool. As I pulled various items out of the closet and held them up to my front while facing the mirror, I tried to focus on ease and cuteness. However, I also couldn't stop wondering, with each top or bottom, if Lee would like me in it. A common problem among most girls, to be sure. Lucky for me, I had an advantage over them. Being a former guy, I had a pretty good idea what a guy might like. After about twenty minutes, I settled on a black skater skirt, whose hem stopped several inches above the knee, paired with powder blue v-neck sweater. Since I expected it to be cooler once the sun went down, I snagged a pair of black knee socks to round out the ensemble. Tossing the selected clothing on the bed, I went and pulled my phone out of my backpack. The thing had dinged several times while I was trying to decide what to wear, indicating I had more than a few text messages awaiting my response. None of them were from Lee, which made a little tinge of sadness roll through me. However, the ten I did have were all from Sarah. Each with an attachment. Shaking my head, I opened the first and began scrolling through them. The first one bore the message, "How's this?" The photo attached was a selfie taken in front of her bedroom mirror. In the image, Sarah's hip was cocked to the side in a sassy pose while the rest of her body was adorned in a mint green string bikini that tied in little bows at the hips. The following messages, language-wise, only said. "Or this." The rest was another photo. Sarah in a red bikini. Sarah in a black bikini. Sarah in a blue bikini. Variations on a theme. There was a single one-piece in the bunch. It was a royal purple color, rode high on her curvy hips, and contained a large cleavage window that instantly made me think of Power Girl. Only Sarah wasn't quite as well-endowed as the Earth Two Kryptonian. Trying not to laugh at my friend's antics, I quickly typed a response. "The red one." A thumbs-up emoji was her reply. I headed down the hall into the bathroom, stripping out of my sweaty gym clothes along the way. By the time the room was sufficiently steamy, I was completely naked and ready for the soothing spray to do its best to ease my slightly sore muscles. As I washed, I tried to ponder what the evening would be like. Sam had never been invited to any parties in his entire school career that weren't being hosted by one of his friends. Those events, for the most part, were pathetic affairs where a half dozen or so guys and girls would mill around, all wishing they were somewhere else. The one popular party I'd attended was held at Cindy's house a few weeks before the end of junior year. I hadn't wanted to come, knowing I was going to be the only person there without some type of status. However, Cindy had insisted, vehemently, that I show up. For her sake. When I walked through her door, nearly every eye turned in my direction. All but a few of them had this confused look on their faces. As if trying to figure out why one of the dorkiest guys at Benson High was at a gathering populated almost completely by members of the in-crowd. My original plan had been to show up, hang for about thirty minutes, then tell Cindy I had to leave due to something having come up. Unfortunately, when I went to look for her, I ran into Jen instead. The head Raiderette's eyes widened to comical proportions when she turned around just as I was trying to get through a crowded hallway. We collided, her boob running into my bent elbow. For a second, neither of us said anything. Then a smile that would have given Emperor Palpatine the willies formed on her pretty face. She immediately grabbed the first Neanderthal she saw, pointed in my direction, and claimed that I'd tried to grope her. As expected, the dumb jock could only form the most rudimentary of brain processes. Rather than ask if I'd touched Miss Thing on purpose, or noticing that, due to the number of people in the hallway, if it was an accident, he decided a lesson was in order. He grabbed the front of my D20 shirt and slung me sideways into the wall. The impact rattled my teeth, but I didn't go down. So, he followed up with a punch to my gut. The only reason I didn't puke on Cindy's parent's floor was because I hadn't eaten anything in over six hours. Regardless, the blow drove the air out of my lungs and sent me down on my knees. Gasping and wheezing. Just as I started to get my breathing back under control, I looked up to see Jen had squatted down in front of me, glaring balefully. "You really shouldn't go where you're not wanted. A loser nobody nerd like you should stick to living under rocks and hanging out with slime. You're not worthy enough to be in the company of your betters." Then she actually patted me on the head, grimaced, and wiped her hand on the back of my t-shirt. By the time I managed to get back to my feet, she and the stupid jock who'd hit me had moved on. When Cindy called me later that evening to ask why I didn't come to her party, I didn't tell her what had happened. The embarrassment of the scene still burned inside me. Instead, I told her that I'd decided that spending my time in the company of morons and bimbos was time better spent elsewhere. Then I hung up before she could reply. Lathering up my hair, I was pretty positive that Jacob's would not present a repeat performance. After all, Pee-Jay was one of the Elite. Beyond reproach. Secondly, Jen would not be in attendance. Though, even if she was, she would have a much harder time convincing some crap for brains jock to punch her fellow cheerleader. Wasn't. Going. To. Happen. A smile appeared on my face as I rinsed out the shampoo and grabbed the conditioner. This party might actually be fun. Once I was thoroughly clean, I shut off the water, wrapped a towel around me, and headed back to my bedroom. Checking my phone, I saw a new text, this one from Lee. "Be there @ 630." Glancing over at the clock, I saw I had about forty-five minutes to get ready before he was ringing my bell. My doorbell, I mean. Opening my underwear drawer, I skipped over the logical choices and went straight to the pile of bathing suits crammed on the left side. I estimated there to be around thirty or so, the majority of which were two-piece. Why anyone needed that many bathing suits was beyond me. There was a really cute navy blue one-piece, with narrow shoulder straps and a pink anchor on the front. However, I simply pushed it aside, knowing that Pee-Jay would never show up at a pool party in something that tame. God knows I'd seen her Instagram feed. I found the one Sarah had suggested. It was white, with thin pink stripes running in a vertical pattern. It also seemed to be made with the most minimal amount of material possible. The top would likely cover my areolas, maybe, and the bottom was close enough to a thong without actually being one. Why didn't Sarah just suggest I go skinny dipping instead? Tossing that in the Big Ole Nope pile, I rooted around until I found a dark lavender one I thought might be cute and not indecent. Dropping the towel, I pulled on the bottoms, pleased with the way they hugged my generous backside without feeling like they were exposing too much. Whatever the material was, it clung to the flesh and seemed to promise that it would stay in place. The top was a bit more of a challenge. Rather than straps and clasps, like a bra, it sported strings that were supposed to go around the back of my neck and torso. Not wanting to fool around and waste time looking up "How to put on a bikini" on YouTube, I simply tied the damned thing in the front, turned it around, then pulled up the cups to fasten the tie behind my neck. The thicker material of the suit covered everything well enough that I wouldn't feel like I was preparing to take the main stage at the local strip club. It also provided a bit of support, so when I turned back and forth in front of the mirror, gaging my appearance, the swaying of the girls was kept to a minimum. Score one for the former guy. I sat down at the desk and pulled out my makeup pallet. If I was going to get wet, the clean kind, at Jacob's party, I didn't want to look like a drowned rat. I opted to only apply a little waterproof mascara and a light layer of plum-colored gloss. I could always take a small bag of supplies with me and perform a touch-up later. If needed. Call me vain, but I honestly couldn't help but stare at myself. The magic of the wish had made me beautiful, as expected by my careless wording. But it seemed to go beyond that. As Tracy had pointed out that first day, my skin was freaking flawless and seemed to have a natural glow that rivaled some of the best cosmetics out there. I probably could have skipped the little bit I did altogether, had I wanted. Back in the bathroom, I blow-dried my hair, choosing to leave it loose instead of clipping it back. The chestnut strands, like curtains of silk, only emphasized the attractiveness of the face they framed. Turning my head to and fro, I wondered how I would look if I let my hair grow out longer. Don't get me wrong, the shorter style was a lot easier for a newly-created girl to work with. Eventually, though, I would want a change. Longer hair might be the way to go. By six twenty-five, I was completely dressed, having added a pair of black, wedge-heeled ankle boots to complete my look. Grabbing a small brown leather bag from the closet, I tossed in it a beige bra, a light pink thong, a small cosmetics bag, and a hairbrush. Then I grabbed my phone from its charging stand and bounced down the stairs. No sooner had my adorable boots touched the tile in the foyer than I heard the rumble of a classic Mustang pulling into my driveway. My pulse instantly quickened, and I glanced into the large oval mirror hanging on the wall, to check for the tenth time, that I looked presentable. The engine outside silenced, followed by the sound of a door opening and closing. My palms dampened a bit as a nervous flutter ran through my belly. Should I go ahead outside, to meet him? Would it make more of an impact if I let him stand outside for a few moments, wondering if I was going to open the door? The choices whirling around in my mind came to an abrupt stop as the chime over the front door sang its happy, visitor-announcing, tune. I was proud of myself for not running to fling the door open. Instead, I settled for a brisk walk. As the heavy wooden slab swung open, my eyes drank in the sight of the attractive young man leaning against the frame with a sparkle in his eyes and a slightly pleased expression on his face. The second he saw me, however, those eyes widened and his jaw became slightly unhinged. "Oh... wow." The level of stunned in his voice couldn't be measured. Almost as if someone else was pulling my strings, I jutted my hip out to the side, planted one hand on it, and peered up at him through my thick eyelashes. "It take it you like something you see?" I'd thrown a purr into my voice on a whim, and was rewarded by seeing him shudder slightly. "Yes," he said, still looking at me in a way that was turning my insides all gooey. "Most definitely yes." I started to step back to let him come in, but he responded by taking a large step toward me. Before I could ask where he was going, his arms were around me and his mouth was on mine in a kiss overflowing with passion and desire. I let myself fall into the display of affection. I'd been kissed more times as a girl in the past two days than I had as a guy my entire life. Though, even if Sam had tongue-wrestled with a dozen girls, I doubted they would have made him feel the way Lee's lips made Penny feel. My heart, already racing, picked up the pace as a warmth formed in my belly and radiated outward. It swam through my core, growing more intense in the area just below my navel and drew heat away from my extremities. My head grew giddy as gooseflesh appeared on my exposed flesh. Out tongues swirled around each other, and the strength in the arms that held me caused me to feel both small and safe. After way too brief a time, Lee finally retracted his tongue from my mouth, though he continued to embrace me. Looking down into my eyes, he smiled. "I've been wanting to do that since this morning." "Me, too," I said in a hoarse whisper, still loopy from the delicious assault on my mouth and mind. Lee laughed, then looked up and over my head for a moment before bringing his gaze back down. A note of concern fluttered across his face. "Uh, your folks aren't home, are they? Because I just realized that your dad might not be happy to walk past and find me making out with his daughter in the doorway." I smiled up at him and shook my head. "They left about an hour ago and won't be back until late. We have the whole house to ourselves." The moment the words left my mouth, I realized just how many different ways they could be interpreted. From a statement of fact designed to put my paramour at ease to a sultry invitation of a more carnal nature. "That's good to know," he said, visibly relaxing. "Your dad can be a pretty scary guy." I never thought of him that way. Then again, I'd never been his teenage daughter. Another subtle difference between being a male child and a female one. If you'd asked me last week if I thought my parents and I had a good relationship, I probably would have answered with "what relationship"? Now, seeing the rapport Penny had with the two of them, I began to wonder if maybe the lack of connection between Sam and his folks had been strictly Sam's fault. I shrugged. "Well, he's my dad. Of course he's going to be all growly and snarly to any boy that I'm dating." An eyebrow arched. "Oh, are we dating now, Pee-Jay?" My heart lurched. "Well, I mean ... uh ...date. Any guy I go out on a date with. He's going to be protective. Like, with any guys that he meets ... thing." This brought another round of chuckles from Lee. "I really like you. You know this. But maybe we should go out a few more times before we make it a solid 'dating'. Okay?" I nodded, feeling my face grow warm with embarrassment. To change the subject, I gestured to the doorway of the foyer. "Would you like to see the rest of the house? Other than the foyer, I mean." He smiled. "I saw most of it Saturday." Frak! How could I have forgotten that he'd come inside when he met my dad. "Unless," he said in a low voice. "You were planning on showing me your bedroom." I froze, my jackrabbiting heart screeching to a halt like a kobald running into a lich. "Uh, well ..." I felt a cold sweat begin to break out under my arms and on the back of my neck. He leaned down and kissed me lightly. "I'm teasing you, babe. Just giving back a little of what I got on Saturday." Oh. Well, then. That made me feel a lot less vulnerable. The problem wasn't that I was worried about why Lee might do to me inside the walls of my sleeping area. I was afraid of what I might do. To him. With him. These feelings, which really should have been completely alien, felt so right, so natural, that I didn't trust myself to not act upon them. French kissing and heavy petting was one thing. Doing the actual dirty deed was something completely different. No matter how much I'd thought I'd wanted it as Sam, I wasn't quite sure I was ready to take that plunge in my new life. He leaned back down and planted another of those toe-curlers on me, sweeping away all my worries and doubts. When I was with him, I didn't have to pretend to be Penelope. I was Penelope. The kiss lasted a little longer than the first, and when it was over, Lee tilted his head in the direction of the open door. "Shall we be off?" I wanted to tell him no. Explain that going to a party with a bunch of people wasn't as high on my to-do list as staying here and kissing him over and over and over. Part of me wanted to drag him into the living room, push him down on the couch, then straddle him so I could taste his mouth until I couldn't take any more. Instead, I doused the fire raging inside me until it was back down to a more manageable level. Swallowing hard, I nodded. Intertwining my fingers in with his, I allowed him to walk me out the door, pulling it closed behind me. Author's Note: It took me a little longer to write this chapter because I wanted to make sure I was laying the foundation for things which will be rearing their heads soon. Plot-wise. I really hope you are continuing to find the story enjoyable. As always, review and comments are welcome. Either here or at [email protected]