sry man but i cant help you, you text back.
wtf! why?! comes the incredulous response.
But you remain unfazed and decide to stand firm. i've got stuff i need to do to get set up, you reply. talk to the others.
Joe protests a little more but very quickly his resolve fads and he acquiesces to your decision, especially when you tell him that you're going to hang out with some people today and possibly tonight and you'll at least scout out some identities for him. Does he have a preference? He says not really though he hopes it's someone who can somewhat easily hang out with everyone else. Despite that he does send some names he's tossed around as back ups though, most meaning nothing to you as neither you nor Melanie know them much if at all.
"Ugh, well that's over," you say to Allison with relief. "I turned them down and then, uh, I got some texts from my dad right after. He just wanted to see how things were going."
"You're a total daddy's girl or something?" she asks with amusement.
"Nuh uh," you shake your head. "Well not anymore than any other girl I guess. But my dad was, uh, the real emotional type? And I'm an only kid so, you know, he tried to dote on me a lot."
"Oh jeez, yeah. Alice's dad is like that too." Allison smiles at the thought. "Like me and Miranda were at her place a few weeks ago and her dad was, like, just popping in all the time and would call her princess and stuff," she begins to giggle at the memory, "and Alice was all 'oh my gosh he's so embarrassing'! I mean he's super nice but like, she was not having any of it! It was so funny!"
You laugh as well though less because you find the story amusing than the fact it makes you think of your own father, your real one and not this imaginary one you've cooked up, and image of him being the doting type. Would he have one one of those types if you had actually been born a girl? If you'd been Willa instead of Will? Well... no, probably not. But the image of it is certainly funny enough for that very reason.
"Oh, but it sounds like that was nothing then?" Allison asks but then gets an amused look on her face. "So who was that first person you were talking to? A boy?"
"Something like that," you say as your mind goes into construction mode once more. "Just, you know, someone I ran into with Melanie after we left the mall. I gave him my number just to get him to go away."
"Bad move, huh?" she asks.
You groan. "But I was pretty direct with him so hopefully he takes the hint," you reply. "Anyway, what's this lunch?"
* * * * *
It turns out to be a get together at La Cocina Cantina, a latin restaurant near Keyserling and certainly the nicer of the two well known latin places in town. Though Taco Famoso should more accurately be called Taco Infamoso as their food is so poorly regarded that it's something of a social media challenge to see how many of their nasty tacos one can eat before their stomach goes into open and explosively violent rebellion. You get what you pay for, you suppose.
La Cocina, on the other hand, is definitely not dingy and the food is much better regarded. It also tends to cost a little more but thankfully for your group you're friends of Miranda and as her parents own and run the restaurant you're able to get away with a discount. In fact it's a true family affair as, besides non-family employees, Miranda's parents also work in the kitchen while Miranda and her older brother Felipe work as servers.
"I really wish he'd come over here," Allison sighs. Felipe, a member of Keyserling's soccer team, is regarded by nearly all of Miranda's girl friends as a total hunk. It's something you can feel from Melanie's own mind as well.
"And do what? You're about five years too young for him," states Athena Thicke.
"Don't think I didn't see you staring at his butt when he first walked by," grins Wendy Adler.
"Who said I couldn't fantasize?" counters Athena. "At least I know it's just that."
"You all can fantasize all you want. I've got the real deal," Ava says as she grabs the arm of her boyfriend, David Harrell, and wraps it around her. "He's all the hottie I need."
It's a larger assortment of people than what you saw at the mall yesterday largely taken from the various athletic teams. Besides yourself and Allison, Athena is another member of the JV soccer team, David is on the JV football team and Wendy is a member of the track team along with...
"What about you, Kaylee?" asks Allison. "Are you and Ethan, like, actually a thing now?"
"What just because we came here together?" Kaylee Mercier giggles. "Um, we're just friends."
"Right now anyway," Ethan Clayborne adds as he gives Kaylee a certain look. "I'm joking though. I'm not really ready for any kind of relationship with anyone.
"You shouldn't let him play with you," Wendy says to Kaylee.
"Yeah, if you know what you want you better grab it," she says as she smiles at David, "because if you don't... oh!" Her eyes go wide at that as she turns to Allison. "Sorry, I didn't mean..."
But Allison brushes it off. "It's fine! I'm not going to, like, hyperventilate every time I see a couple," she states.
"What about you new girl," Athena says as she turns to focus her hard gaze on you (she might have the worst case of resting bitch face you've ever seen), "did you have any boyfriends where you're from?"
"Athena!" Allison interjects.
"Or girlfriends?" adds Wendy.
"Wendy!" Allison's interjection is, again, sharp.
But you shake your head. "Um, I really didn't," you titter nervously. "I just didn't stay in any places long enough to get the chance, or really want to, connect with a boy like that."
"That's so sad," Ava responds. "There's a lot of good guys here though. You should totally find one." She looks back at her boyfriend expectantly. "You know a lot of guys right? Tell them about Katie!"
"I can't really play matchmaker with all your friends," David protests.
"Well if Katie's looking for someone to help her get settled in," Ethan says while turning to you, a lascivious look on his face.
But you immediately put the clamp down hard on that "Sorry but I'm just not interested in that right now. Really," you demure.
It's in this manner that lunch continues. Talk of boys from the girls, of who's dating who, who broke up and who's hooked up before spilling off into other topics. The atmosphere is loose, light and easygoing and you find yourself, once more, at ease with this group much like with Melanie's friends from the mall. Your looks and Melanie's mind are certainly making the job of ingratiating yourself into this circle of popular sophomores a lot easier than you'd have anticipated.
* * * * *
"Dude!" exclaims Kaylee, really Grant, once most of the group has left. Either gone home or, in Athena's case, stopping into the restroom. "You're, like, cute as hell! That thing really did a good job."
"Thanks?" you reply. "You're not looking so bad yourself. When did you get her?"
"Yesterday afternoon," Ethan, really Justin, answers.
"Yeah, Kaylee has the hots for Ethan big time so it was really easy to get her to come over," adds Kaylee.
"Are you settled in?" you ask her before turning to Ethan. "What about you?"
"We're both good now," he answers. "It took us a while to start getting things at first but we've mostly got it. It's like flipping an off and on switch."
"Yeah," Kaylee giggles in the same way Grant does. "That's why we couldn't get Alejandra. I didn't really have any clue what to do at first. Then once I had everything," her face scrunches up. "Kaylee's never hung out with Alejandra really. The only way to get her would be through Miranda probably since they're on the same team."
"We could just get Miranda for Joe," adds Ethan.
"No go," you shake your head. "Melanie's mind is the one I'm using and I can tell you straight up she'd be pissed if you did that."
You notice an inquisitive look from Ethan at the mention of Melanie's name but it's Kaylee who pushes on. "Well we need to do something for him," she says before she perks up. "Hey, go grab Athena! I know for a fact she's one of the girls who gives Evie shit on the team."
"Oh, right!" Ethan chimes in. "I don't think it's personal from what she's said. Just that Athena's got that 'everyone has to measure up to my standards' type of personality."
"Your sure Joe would want her?"
"Well, I dunno," Kaylee admits. "She wouldn't be bad though right?"
She'd certainly be a place where Joe could help out Evie and as a bonus, if she's part of the same circle you're going to be running in then it'll mean you'd all have little issue getting together. Well maybe not Andy since his current identity's name hasn't come up in any conversation with Allison's group of friends and you wonder if it might be better to talk Andy into another identity, but you can't just force identities on and off of the others.
Which is probably why it'd be better to work from that list of names Joe sent you because he'd probably rather have one of them and you don't remember seeing Athena's name on it. There are a few names from Eastman that Melanie recognizes so maybe you could snag one of them at the party.
And as you look at Ethan an additional thought occurs to you: maybe you should mention that party to Justin because if he's there and Melanie's there... well, it's a subtle way of helping to pay Melanie back for her help.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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