This choice: Let Carrie try one of the Rumouratti's faces • Go Back...Chapter #41I'm a Big Girl Now by: imaj   It must be your lucky day, because you practically run into one of Alyssa’s coterie as well.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say she came looking for you. You’d retreated to the school library for the last period of the day, just to get a little quiet time to think at one of the tables hidden round at the back. Having dozed off for a minute, you were surprised to see one of the Rumouratti standing at above you when you opened your eyes.
Come to think of it, if they actively sought you out, it’s probably not a good sign at all.
"My, my," says Maddy Caron. "This is the last place I’d have expected to find you, Joe Durras."
"Why," you ask with a sleepy smile. "It’s nice and quiet and I like to get a nap in the afternoon. I love the wallpaper too," you add, gesturing at the bookcases around you. "Real old fashioned feel to the place."
"Now it all makes sense," she replies rolling her eyes. She folds her arms over her breasts as she realises you are staring at them. You can’t help yourself – it’s a mixture of Joe’s personality and that they really are that big. It doesn’t help that, with you seated and her standing, they are at eye level.
"You come for a power nap too," you ask, gesturing at a nearby seat.
Maddy smirks as she sits down. "Yeah, that’s it," she says insincerely. You pretend not to notice as she clasps her hands on the desk in front of you. "But now that I see you here, why don’t we have a chat."
"What do you want to talk about," you say, placing your hands on top of Maddy’s.
"Alyssa wanted me to talk to you about Carrie Carmichael," she blurts out. The look of shock on her face is priceless, but she rallies quickly. "I mean, we saw you talking at lunch. What is it with the basketball team and cradle robbing?"
"I don’t know what you mean," you say with a hurt expression on your face.
"Shawn and Sarah," asks Maddy. "Jon and Monique? You and Carrie?"
"Oh I get you," you reply. "I was just talking to her. She seems nice, but I prefer girls my own age," you explain.
"I bet you do," she says.
"Why’s it so important anyway," you ask, the words hanging in the air.
"Carrie’s on Alyssa’s shit list," says Maddy. "The last thing Alyssa wants is for her to hook up with you." Maddy’s eyebrows rise as she realises what she’s just said and her hand rushes to cover her mouth. There is a moment of utter silence before she speaks again. "I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that," she says, clearly shaken.
"That’s why I have my afternoon nap," you say, leaning your chin in one hand. "I’m always saying stupid things if I don’t get my nap."
"Really?" No snarky comeback – you must have gotten to her.
"Yeah," you grin. "Hey, I got this really neat meditation aid mask in my bag. You should try it."
"I uh, don’t know," says Maddy. She tries to rise to her feet unsteadily.
You grab hold of her hand again. Maddy is so fazed by your conversation she’s easy to lead. "What have you got to lose? Trust me, you’ll wake up so rested."
*****
"Can you do it," asks Carrie excitedly. "Can you make me a senior?" She’s sitting cross legged on Joe’s bed.
"Wouldn’t have given you that old shirt to wear if I couldn’t," you say. It took a little persuading but you managed to get Carrie to discard the snug blouse she showed up in for one of Frank’s old shirts. You even had to leave the room for five minutes to let her change. "Don’t think your Mom would have liked it if you went home with ripped clothes."
"I think you’re just trying to get me naked," she says wrinkling her nose. "You know, you could just ask me. Now, how’s this going to work."
"Magic," you say firmly.
"Magic," says Carrie, a little sarcastically. "What really?"
"Yeah, really," you parrot, picking up the mask you made earlier and handing it to her. "Magic’s real. Lot of other things are too, but this works by magic."
"And you know how to do it," asks Carrie suspiciously. "It’s just that… that you seem so… This is a joke, right?"
"Completely true, witch’s honour," you reply, making a v with your index and middle fingers just in front of your face. Carrie just looks at you blankly. "Just take a look at it."
"I can see someone’s face on the surface," she exclaims. "Isn’t that one of Alyssa’s friends?"
"Maddy," you explain. "Flip it over and you’ll see." Carrie does so and coos quietly when she spots the glowing letters of Maddy’s name hovering just above the inner surface of the mask. "I could tell you the metaphysics of it…"
"Metawhatsits," interrupts Carrie with a whine. "I don’t get it. You don’t talk like this normally Joe."
"I’m good at hiding things Carrie," you explain patiently. "Do you think anyone at school thinks I’m a bigshot sorcerer? Me, gee-shucks Joe Durras plumbing the depths of the power cosmic?"
"What about Frank?"
"Yes, Frank too," you sigh. "Look, Carrie, do you want to learn magic too?"
"Do I want to learn magic too," she repeats slowly.
"You do? Well, put that mask on and we’ll begin your first lesson."
"Uh, what will happen," Carrie asks nervously.
"I didn’t want to explain the metaphysics of it but… Well, that mask contains everything about Maddy," you explain carefully, thinking how to dumb it down to Carrie’s level. "It’s like a copy of her, except… Imagine you put your hand in some mud, you’d leave a hand print, right? Well Maddy put her face in that mask and she left a Maddy-print. When you put the mask on you can use that Maddy-print."
"Wait," says Carrie, a dazed expression on her face. "If I put it on I’ll turn into Maddy?"
"Yes," you reply. "And also no. It’s easier to do than for me to explain but… You do want to be a senior, don’t you?"
"Yes," she says firmly, lifting the mask towards her face. She topples backwards with a soft thud.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, you gently massage her hands until her eyelids flutter and she comes to. You help her sit back up, her movements are awkward and fumbling.
"Ohmygod," Carrie squeaks breathlessly. One hand grabs a bunch of Maddy’s brunette tresses, pulling them in front of her face to examine them closely. When you show her the hand mirror you brought in from the bathroom, she sits up and grabs it. Her eyes bulge as she stares at her reflection. "I'm her! I'm Maddy! I look just like her!"
"No one would be able to tell that you aren't her," you say.
"Oh wow," she squeals, and hops off the bed. She paces the room, staring into the mirror, and narrowly avoids tripping over a pair of sneakers that you left in the middle of the floor.
"Try pretending to be her," you say encouragingly.
"Like how?"
"Just think, I'm Maddy Caron. The rest should take care of itself."
Carrie's expression goes very rigid and cramped. For a moment, she is able to hold a face that is like Maddy's at her most intense, but then she dissolves in giggles.
"How would you like to do that at school?" you ask.
"Oh, but what if people saw us? What if she saw me?"
"I could help you step in for Maddy," you explain. "You’d be a senior and we could have some fun. I told you—" You take her hand. "I only date girls that are my age."
"Couldn’t I be Alyssa," whines Carrie.
"I guess," you shrug, "but she’s not as pretty as you Carrie, or as pretty as Maddy either. Besides, it wouldn’t let you get back at her."
"Back at her for what?"
"You're on Alyssa's shit list," you remind her.
Carrie's eyes pop. "I am? For what?"
"Think about it," you tell her.
Carrie's expression curdles, and she goes back to staring into the mirror. "If I was Maddy I could get back at her," she murmurs.
"That’s a clever idea," you say, feeding her ego. "Maddy could make Alyssa’s life difficult." You pause for a second. "Damn!"
"What," asks Carrie hurriedly.
"Well the rest of her clique would still be on her side. You’d need at least two more of them causing problems to have any real effect," you say, drifting into silence. You wait to see if Carrie picks up the hint.
"Maybe we could get some of my friends to help out as well," she eventually says.
"Ohhh," you say, as if you hadn’t being trying to get Carrie to say just that. "That would work. Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Sure," says Carrie. "Marissa and Patricia, they’d do it if I told them to, but…" she tails off. "There’s a couple of girls I was friends with in middle school, but we kinda drifted apart. They’re not as popular as me," explains Carrie. "I mean, maybe if we were all popular like Alyssa’s friends are we could be friends again."
Now that is interesting. It seems that Carrie still has something approaching a conscience. "Who are they," you ask.
"Sarah and Joanna," explains Carrie meekly.
It’s unlikely that Sarah and Joanna, whoever they are, will be as willing to help Carrie as her two friends would be. On the other hand, tensions within the group would make it easier to steer them, or at least stop them ganging up on you.   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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