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Delivery Tuck -*- Copyright 2002 by Ellen Hayes.

Any resemblance between the writings in this work, and any actual
persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental, except when
used for satirical purposes.

This work contains adult situations, adult language, adult concepts, and
possibly sex.  If you are legally not allowed to read materials
containing such things, then you will be breaking the law by reading
this.  I am not responsible.
Continuing to read this document, or storing it or reproducing it
in any format means that you explicitly affirm that you are legally
allowed to possess and read such materials in your city, county/parish,
state, and country.

All rights reserved.  See the bottom for distribution rights.


Delivery Tuck


***
22:34 18 Aug

     "So, get Mike and some more of those hooligan friends of yours,"
which I almost protested over in reflex despite, or because of, the fact
that it was marginally true.  "And," Susan continued, "go talk to her
for a minute.  You know, be calm and all that, don't freak out-"
     "You don't think that's a bad idea?"  _I_ thought it was a VERY bad
idea, but she apparently didn't, because she shook her head.
     "Just tell her it's okay, or something like that, and she doesn't
owe you anything," Susan said.
     "But... I, I mean, it's sort of handy to have her owe me a favor,"
I eventually admitted.  "She's got a lot more social power than you'd
think."
     "Let her friends owe it to you, if you're going to be formal about
it," Susan said.  "Let her off the hook, and that way she won't feel
like you're going to pop it on her some time and sc- hurt her with it."
     "You think?"
     "You wanna call Mike and check this out?" she asked me.
     "Uh," I checked my watch.  It was a little late to call for casual
conversation, even about Debbie.  "What about tomorrow?"
     "Tomorrow would be good," she allowed.  "Just don't ignore it and
wait too long, because I'm gonna call Mike tomorrow and ask if you did,"
she grinned at me.
     "Suze!"
     "You didn't even listen to it until two days after she left it,"
Susan accused me, "and you wouldn't have done it now except I made you.
I don't think you're dealing with her, and you really do need to, for
you, AND for the 'random' person you didn't let get beaten up by some
asshole guy," she said.
     Pause.
     "Oh," I said.
     "And speaking of tomorrow, are you cooking over there again?" she
asked me.
     "Uh, what?  Babys-  Yeah, I was planning to, why?"
     "So you'll be home about eight?"
     "Uh, well, I was, uh, going out..."
     "With 'him'?" she grinned.
     "Yeah!" I said defensively, then stopped when all she did was grin
and shake her head at me.  "Why?"
     "Just wondered when you were going to be home," she said.  "I was
thinking about staying until Wednesday morning, and then leaving about
the time you do."
     "That'd be okay," I said, selfishly thinking of the extra day of
sleep I'd be sure to get.
     "So, go to sleep," she ordered.

***
22:40 18 Aug

     "Suze?"
     "Uh?"
     "You really think I should talk to Debbie?"
     "Yeah," she said sleepily.  "Just for a couple of minutes, and just
tell her it's okay, you'd have done that for anyone, and she doesn't owe
you anything."
     "You... you don't think she'll freak or get mad or something?"
     "Tuck, you are a complete idiot," she sighed.  "No, she won't.
Just do it quick and then leave, preferably the entire area, and don't
hang around where you can watch her either.  Promise?"
     "Okay," I sighed.  "Why?"
     "If she was that upset on the phone," Susan said like I ought to
know this already, "then she might start crying again when, I mean after
you talk to her, and it'll mess both of you up worse if you can see it.
But you ABSOLUTLELY need to talk to her, now.  And make sure she has a
few friends of hers around her after you leave, right?"
     "Right," I sighed.  "Do I have to talk to her?"
     "Yes.  If you don't, I will," she threatened.
     "Okay, okay," I sighed again.
     Pause.
     "Now, go to sleep!"
     "Can I have a drink of waterrrr?" I whined back, and she reached a
hand around and poked me a few times.

***
06:00 19 Aug

     "Ah!" Susan and I both said at the same time as my alarm went off.
*TOMORROW,* I decided firmly.

***
06:11 19 Aug

     "I just don't want to go," I said into Susan's ear.
     "I know," she said into mine, "but college really is better than
high school, and..."
     I sighed, and just hugged her a little tighter for a while.
     "First Amy, now you..."
     "Tuck," she chuckled into my ear, "you've got how many friends now,
that even come over here for Sundays?"
     "It's not the same," I said through the lump in my throat.
     "I know," she said back, and squeezed me a little tighter herself.

***
06:56 19 Aug

     "Urgh," Kim mumbled as she waved.
     "She's having difficulty adjusting to her new schedule," Jill
translated.
     "I'm sorry, Kim," I said, and patted her on the head before I sat
down.
     "Uhuh," Kim sighed, and smiled wearily at me for a moment.
     "Hey!" Jill said, suddenly excited, "Guess what?"  Before I could
even realize that I was supposed to guess something, she hopped up and
down and told us, "I got switched to working Saturdays and having
Sundays off!  That means I can play with you guys and stuff!"
     "That is cool!" I said, impressed.  Even Kim's eyes got wide and
she smiled and nodded like it was a good thing.

***
07:27 19 Aug

     I found it hard to believe that I was actually sitting in here,
taking real honest study-for-a-test-with-them notes, on FINGERnails.
But, we all were, even the guys.
     I really hoped I'd be able to stick with Kim and/or Jill as lab
partners, though.

***
07:52 19 Aug

     There was a general rush out the door, which surprised me,
especially when Kim went the same way.
     "Bathroom," she said over her shoulder at me.
     "Gee, Jill," I smirked as I turned to her, "don't'cha wanna go fix
your makeup too?  OW!"

***
08:03 19 Aug

     "Cowards," Kim sighed at us.
     I looked at Jill, she looked at me, and I said, "Yep!  Yellow-
bellied coward, that's me."
     "Mine's not actually yellow," Jill said as she looked down at hers.
     "It's a simile or something," I told her.
     "That's a metaphor," Kim interrupted, "you're both cowards, and
Jill I am going to fry your undead ass when I catch you," she promised
as she tried to shake us loose from her arms.
     We were grouping up for permanent lab partners today, and neither
Jill nor I wanted to take a chance on being stuck with someone else.
     "Oh, the game," Jill said as she caught on, way too late I thought.

***
08:40 19 Aug

     Luckily, today looked to be mostly film or videos, or at least I
hoped it would keep going the way it had gone so far.  We hadn't even
done anything yet, just sat around and taken notes and stuff.
     "Did you bring any popcorn?" I whispered to Jill.
     "Shut up," she whispered back before poking me for emphasis.

***
09:47 19 Aug

     "This is gonna be a weird year," I said to Kim and Jill just before
we split up to get to our lockers before going to our other classes.
Luckily, we got out five minutes earlier than usual or scheduled so we
COULD get to our lockers before our other classes.
     "No kidding," Kim sighed.
     "I can't believe I have HOMEWORK in this shit," Jill complained.
"What was I thinking?!"
     I answered, "You were in love with me and-"
     "No, that was you, remember?" she grinned at me, and we slapped
hands before we took off in opposite directions.

***
10:44 19 Aug

     "It's gonna be a weird year," I told Mike and Sabrina as I sat
down and waved at Amanda, who waved back.
     "No kidding," Sabrina nodded.
     "What," Mike asked, "in insert your favorite deity's name here, did
you do for a two hour lab-"
     "It's gonna be more like three," I sighed.  "Today, films and
stuff, but-"  The bells rang, cutting me off.
     "Next time, I guess Thursday," I continued, "we're gonna be doing
stuff, and I don't even know how that's gonna turn out."

***
11:37 19 Aug

     I was going to go to my locker, to get my lunch, but there was a
large crowd of people I didn't like there, including one I'd jumped
eight feet to attack recently, so I decided I wasn't hungry and left for
the usual spot instead.
     "Tuck?  Food?" Mike said.  I just pointed.  "Oh.  Where's your
lunch?"  I pointed again.  "You were dieting anyway, though, weren't
you?"
     "Shut up, Mike.  I think I avoid my locker at lunchtime this year,"
I sighed.

***
11:41 19 Aug

     "On second thought," Mike said, "I think it would be better to
split you up into two groups, play you guys alternate days-"
     That got a lot of complaints, including from me, but he seemed
certain on the point, and we finally gave up.
     "And," he said, "character preludes are gonna be the next few days,
one on one or teaming up, but anyone who acts as an extra gets freebie
points to add in, and we're gonna have to do 'em after school and stuff,
because it's not gonna work if we try and do it in forty-five minute
chunks; we'll be running them until Christmas."
     "Aw, man!  I gotta work!" I whined before I could stop myself.
     "It'll go until this weekend sometime, and if you or Jill don't
have yours done by then," he told us, "we'll do 'em over the weekend."
     "Hey, I got off Sundays!" Jill told all of us excitedly.
     "That's even better," Mike grinned, "We'll set up a table off the
main one and game over Sunday dinner at Tuck's."
     "Uh, this is my house," I mentioned, "and MY mom is gonna be there,
and did you forget-"
     "You can talk her into it, can't you?" Mike smiled nastily at me.
"Get Jill to help.  Jill, can you cry on command, like?"  Jill's face
screwed up in terrible anguish and I thought she was going to start
sobbing miserably right there.  "Damn," Mike said admiringly, "that'll
help a LOT."
     "Not against MOM," I sighed.

***
11:44 19 Aug

     Mike dinged the play bell and we all got quiet, except for the
munching noises.  I put down the briefing sheet so I could listen.
     "Amanda," Mike said.  "You're excited, because your little crappy
job at the 7-Eleven has gotten you enough money so you could finally get
a new piece of hardware, which'll make the games you play on your
computer a lot better.  Video card, if you care," he said offhandedly
and I nodded as Amanda shrugged.  "Okay, so, it's clutched in your hand
as you get off the bus and practically run home..."  Everyone, including
the assorted Little Brothers, were inching closer, I vaguely noticed,
and I smiled a bit at the knowledge before letting go and falling back
into the story.

***
11:53 19 Aug

     "I grab the Bane and try to rip it in two, if it's materialized I
should be able to," George said.
     "Uhh," Mike said, and flipped through cardboard GM's screens
frantically.  "Roll Strength plus Brawling, and-"
     "I've got that martial art, Kailindo," George interrupted.
     "Ripping a spirit in half is not a Jackie Chan kinda move, George,"
Mike said.  "And you don't have any brawling, do you, just-"
     "Aw man!" George complained.
     "Roll anyway, you've got the extra dice for Crinos strength,"
Amanda pointed out, and George got much happier as he rolled.
     "Difficulty seven," Mike said, a bit late, but George had rolled
three successes anyway.  "Not quite in two, but you rip an arm off and
break the other one-"
     "Yes!"
     "Tuck?" Mike asked.  "Your action."
     "We have to go," I said to Amanda, in character.  "There's more
where this one came from, and we have to leave."
     "But I don't wan-  I mean, my parents!" she said back.
     "Now!" I yelled, then turned to Mike.  "I pick her up and carry her
out, we don't have time for this!"
     Amanda protested, "He does NOT grab me, I dodge!"  She rolled some
dice before Mike even said anything, so I rolled some of my own,
guessing Dex plus Brawling.
     "Uhmmm okay no problem Tuck, she hits you and starts screaming but
not enough to stop you," Mike said.
     "Put me DOWN!" Amanda screamed.  "You can't just-"  I put a hand
over her mouth and she bit me.
     Then Mike rolled some dice, and smiled.

***
12:14 19 Aug

     Mike dinged the play bell, just when we were about to hit the Black
Spirals with the stolen truck, and there were screams.
     "Guys!" Mike yelled back at us, and we all quieted down.  "This is
going really awesome, but you need to take a couple of minutes to calm
down and stuff, before classes.  You guys are really getting into it."
     "No kidding," Amanda nodded, looking a little confused, as well as
flushed with emotion.  "I want to bite something."
     I would have laughed, except I wanted to bite something.

***
12:16 19 Aug

     "I don't know if I should talk to you," I grinned at Kelly, who had
been playing one of the Black Spirals and doing far too well at it for
my tastes.  I mean, he was being EVIL and all, which he was supposed to
be, but he shouldn't be making it so hard for the rest of us, I sort of
thought.
     And, sort of, I thought exactly the opposite too.
     "You're really good at this," I said as Kelly's face fell, "and we
should be stomping you except you're doing too good at it.  Stop playing
so good so we can slaughter you!"
     "For real?" he said, and I nodded.  "You wish," he snarled.
     "Yeah, no shit," Dan nodded, "we're gonna kill you allllll," he
hissed.
     "Hah!  Corrupted scum of-"
     "Knock it off," Mike called at us.  "You guys keep that up and
you'll be going frenzy in class, and you PLAYERS are not nearly awesome
enough to take on the rest of the school at one time.  And you don't
induce Delirium either.  Just chill, and save it for tomorrow."
     I took some deep breaths for a while.
     "Man, this is soooo cool!" Kelly said enthusiastically, sounding
much less infested with rotting evil than he had been.  "Um, hey,
where's the nearest bathroom?"
     "Bathroom?" Amanda repeated, and started packing quickly.
     "Uh.  Now that you mention it," I sighed, and stuffed books into my
pack because now I had to go too.
     "Do you have to go to the bathroom with someone else?" Bob, looking
and sounding far too much like George had brought him home from the
farm.  "What're you scared of?" he sneered at me.
     I didn't have to answer; Dan grabbed him from behind and sliced a
finger across Bob's throat, then Mike said, "Something like that."
     "Never leave your wingman," I added, "and that's why."

***
12:18 19 Aug

     "So what are you going to do when that truck eats your face
tomorrow?" I asked as we walked towards the bathrooms, having collected
some of the non-playing Pack girls too, who were chatting ahead of us.
     "I'm gonna-  Hey!" he complained, catching on JUST too soon.  "I-
you'll figure something out to counter it tonight if I tell you that!"
     "Well, yeah," I grinned, "that was sort of the plan..."  We laughed
for a bit.  "So, I mean, I guess you're liking it so far?" I confirmed.
     "Yeah, man, this is so much cooler than it was back in Alaska, I
mean," he continued explaining as we got to the bathrooms, finally, "it
was like, even if I could find..."
     If I hadn't been paying attention to the signs because I knew I'd
have to watch it, I would have just followed half the Pack and sauntered
into the girl's restroom without even realizing it.
     I had turned away and just pushed the door open when I realized
that Kelly wasn't there any more.
     He was-
     "Kelly!" I tried to strike a balance between screaming a warning
and not attracting attention.  "Not that one!"
     He went into reverse immediately as he looked up at the door, and
then stopped, and said, "But this is the girls..."

***
12:19 19 Aug

     There was this sort of stunned, respectful silence, as Kelly looked
between me and my driver's license, and everyone else passed around
Kelly's school ID card.  The rest of the gamers had detected something
was wrong and come over too, which I desperately needed at that point.
     Not.
     "Eugene WALLACE?" Kelly asked.
     Apparently, that was the crack in the dam.
     "I thought YOU were a girl!" Paul the freshthing accused me as the
rest of them collapsed in hysterics, apparently in an attempt - five
successes worth - to spread the embarrassment as far as possible.

***
12:20 19 Aug

     I didn't think it was nearly as funny as everyone else around me,
but apparently to them it was, and enough to cause them to lose motor
control.
     The only ones who hadn't had a complete seizure, besides me and
Kelly, were Mike and Jill.  They had both kind of grabbed us and moved
us away, and Mike was explaining, "Look, the deal is, Tuck's been having
problems being mistaken for a girl on occasion, and the fact that you
two were paired-"
     "And isn't it absolutely, I mean the Big/Little Brother/Sister
things, supposed to ALWAYS be the same sex?" Jill mentioned.
     "Yeah, and I think someone had something to do with that," I said,
being paranoid but also remembering that those cheerleaders had seemed
AWFUL happy to see me Friday... like they were AMUSED at something.
     "The point is, though," Jill said, "it's not like we're laughing so
much AT you, as we are at the symmetry of it, because YOU thought TUCK
was a girl-"
     "But, but," Kelly protested, "When I saw you Sunday you were
wearmph-"
     "Sunday?" Mike asked quietly, his hand now over Kelly's mouth.
     Kelly nodded.
     *I knew he caught- SHE, damnit!* I thought.  "I," I said, "was
having some cosmetology practice with Kim and Jill, and I guess I didn't
get it all off."  I shrugged, like I didn't care that much.  "On the
other hand, I have enough social problems I don't want you screaming
about it inside school, okay?"
     Mike and I looked at each other, and he slowly took his hand off
Kelly's mouth.
     "But, but, I thought you were a girl because they told me I'd be
paired with another girl!" Kelly protested.  "And, I mean, all the other
girls got Big Sisters too!"
     "Uh, well," I said.
     "Maybe they made a mistake with one or the other of you?" Jill
suggested.
     "No, it's all a computerized list," I said, having investigated the
file a bit when I was here that night.  "I dunno what happened, but they
know I've been a guy since I started going to high sch-"  I hoped Kelly
wouldn't notice the subtle kick Mike delivered.  "-Ool," I finished.
"That wasn't a mistake, that was deliberate on someone's part."
     Kelly insisted, "But, I mean... you kinda, I mean, your face and
everything, it looks..."
     "Not any more than you do, the other way," I said.  "And, my
friends know I'm a guy," *Oh please don't let them laugh,* "and so
that's why they thought you were like ME.  And the other fish, they th-"
     "Fish?"
     "Freshmen!" Mike, Jill, and I all said at the same time.  "Shut
up," I added, then continued, "They all thought I was like YOU.  So..."
     "It's actually kind of humorous if you look at it the right way,"
Mike said casually, and then started to smile a bit as we all looked
back at the pile of people still rolling around on the floor as the
bell rang.
     "Look," Mike said and took our attention back, "I'm not gonna make
fun of you, neither are the guys, and neither are the girls there, and I
think the rest of us can keep the other fish in line; just don't let 'em
torment you with it for the next couple of days while we work on 'em."
That sounded painful; I wondered if he'd let me help.
     Jill was nodding sagely.  "After all, Tuck doesn't look like a
typical guy, and we don't make fun of him, we hang out with him.  So we
won't make fun of you either."
     "Let's, just, though, sort of not mention this to the world at
large?" I asked, and Mike and Jill both immediately started making
gestures that said this was the absolute last thing on their minds.

***
12:26 19 Aug

     Calculus seemed like an odd place to feel like you could catch your
breath and relax, but that's how I felt, especially when I'd done the
homework already and not everyone else had.  Luckily for me, the
homework was really going to be graded, like he'd said on the first day,
so I was already a step up from some.

***
14:03 19 Aug

     Babysitting seemed like an ocean of sanity at this point, even if I
had all of them plus a hypothetical surprise party to deal with.  *Plus,*
I thought as I retrieved my un-eaten lunch, *I don't have to worry about
people hanging out around their place doing the intimidation thing.*

***
15:45 19 Aug

     I sighed happily.  Life was so much simpler when all you had to
deal with was two other kids, both of whom were smaller than you.
     Maybe I was making the wrong career choice, I thought idly as I
fixed various snacks; maybe I should just get employment in a lighthouse
or fire watchtower, and just have things dropped off on the porch for me
to pick up later.
     On the other hand, engineer paid better, I was certain.

***
16:02 19 Aug

     On the gripping hand, if I brought my bathing suit from Rachel's
house like I had today, I could go swimming, which would be hard to do
while working if I was an engineer, and only really feasible if I was in
a lighthouse, and even then I'd have to worry about being swept away in
the current.
     "So it's pretty good, isn't it?" I asked Stella, who was dining on
the waterfront, as it were, as I stood in the pool and fed her while
Ricky practiced his epileptic diving.  Stella screamed agreement.

***
16:45 19 Aug

     *Roast chicken,* I thought, *and, uh... let's see what we've got
for fresh veggies...*  I looked, and accidentally said out loud, "Oooh,
snow peas!"

***
17:09 19 Aug

     I was settling in to do my homework, keeping an eye on Ricky out
the back window, when my pager went off.  I looked, and it was Trav-
     "Oh shit, we were going on a date tonight!" I realized in horror,
then realized in further horror that I'd just said that out loud while
babysitting.
     Luckily, Stella did not seem to have noticed.  "Ag-ag-ag-ag-ag,"
she said, which sounded nothing like 'shit', so perhaps I was safe.
     Now all I had to worry about, was that I was in shorts and a T
shirt again, which did not seem very enticing if I looked at me as a
potential date.

***
17:11 19 Aug

     "Hey!" I said, happy to talk to Travis again, even if it was only
over the phone at the moment.
     "Hey, what's up?" he asked.

***
17:14 19 Aug

     "Spawn, or Air Force One?" I asked
     "What about Event Horizon?"
     I looked for it, and finally found it in the paper.  "Um... nah, it
just opened, it'll be more crowded.  How about Spawn?"
     "You don't want to see Harrison Ford?" he asked with a smile in his
voice.
     "Uh..."  I had no idea why he was asking me this, so I wasn't quite
sure how to answer.  "Not really, no.  He's okay, I mean, but I'd sort
of rather see Spawn, if you wanted?"

***
19:38 19 Aug

     "Okay, see you guys tomorrow," I smiled, and went out to go get
Travis.
     As I exited, I saw Mike's car parked next to Travis' Suburban, and
standing around them talking were Travis, Mike, and-
     "Erk!"
     "Oh Valerie!" Susan called when she saw me.  "C'mere!"
     I looked at Mike, who shrugged and then signed <Not bad,> which
made me wonder either what had she bribed him with, or what had she
threatened him with, or what drugs had she given him...

***
19:40 19 Aug

     "Because I told you, I wanted to meet him, and this gives me a
chance to," she said quietly from behind Mike's car.  "You're going on a
date like that?"
     "Susan!"
     "What?" she snapped.  "No, don't even start," she ordered.  "Just
shut the hell up, because there's nothing you can do about it at this
point, because I caught him after his school, we went out for coffee and
some food, with Mike there as your advocate and to chaperone, and I
already know what he's like.  He's pretty shy but nice," she said as her
head bobbed once.  "Okay, I guess.  Why are you dating someone normal
like that?"
     "Fuck OFF!" I screamed and slashed at her, but she blocked it,
warning, "Ahhht!  Children!"

***
19:43 19 Aug

     "Okay!" I finally agreed, and Mike got off me, allowing me to
remove myself from the lawn.  If I hadn't needed to change before, I did
now, unless Travis really enjoyed the dryadic bits-of-greenery look.
     "She keeps thinking she can do that," Susan was saying to Travis,
"and she forgets I'm the oldest and meanest."
     "You're old," Mike agreed, "but not that mean."
     "Hah!"

***
19:47 19 Aug

     "Okay!" Susan surrendered, and I let her out of the scissors lock.
     "Are you ALWAYS like this?" Travis asked.
     "Only when my family provokes me into it," I lied as I got up.
"I'm really nice if they're not around."
     "Comes from fighting over the toilet in the morning for years and
years," Susan agreed, which stunned me.  "Buried resentment combined
with some anal complex interactions-"
     "Don't get all froid on us," Mike said, which confused the hell out
of me until I guessed what he'd said and it made more sense, a little.

***
19:48 19 Aug

     "So I just wanted to see who my little sister," and she poked me to
remind me that there was a lot to discuss on that topic, "was dating,
okay?  Since you never mentioned him at home or anything."
     "Suze, I-"
     "Remember what happens when you do that?" she asked, looking
serious.
     I sighed.  "Yeah, I know but this was diff-"
     "That's what I said," she said.
     "What are you talking about?" Travis asked.
     "Nothing!" we said.  "Don't ask," I added, "it's classified and you
don't want to know anyway."  Travis might have said something, but Mike
was shaking his head at Travis, which apparently locked Travis up enough
that he didn't talk.
     "So, go have fun on your date," Susan said, "and be back by, uh,
ten thirty, okay?  You do still have school tomorrow."
     "Yes mother darling," I snapped.  "Any-"
     "Don't be bitchy, it gives you wrinkles," she grinned at me.

***
19:49 19 Aug

     I was more stunned by the cooperation between Susan and Mike than I
was anything else, and so I wasn't fighting hard enough to start with,
and then they were handing me to Travis and I didn't want to flail
around and hit him by mistake, so I stopped before I got started.
     "I want her back by ten thirty, mister," Susan said sternly at
Travis, "in good condition!"
     "And with all the original parts," Mike added as Travis grabbed me
around the waist and lifted me out of their clutches.
     "I hate you both," I sighed at them, but Travis was too close for
me to worry too much.

***
19:54 19 Aug

     Travis' Suburban had the virtue of good solid lockable doors, which
I felt it desirable to hide behind for a while.
     "Your sister's kind of nice," he said, "but I didn't think she was
that weird."
     "Hah!" I said bitterly.  "Oh, Travis," I sighed, because I didn't
want to be all bitter and angry when I was with him, and shifted in my
seat so I could look at him better, because looking at him often made me
feel better.  "What was she doing?"
     "With-  The same thing your other girl friends did, when you got
your hair cut," he said.  "I guess she doesn't talk to them?"
     "Apparently not," I replied, though Susan had had to get some
information from somewhere, to catch me here and convince Mike to
connive.  "Just, I mean-"
     "It was okay, Valerie," he said reassuringly as he squeezed my
hand.  "I, I mean, it seems like everyone's worried about you, though,
'cause they all seem really protective."
     "I guess," I sighed.  "I wish they'd be a little less protective
and a little more concerned with their own business," I added, but even
then I knew I was lying, slightly.  If Susan had had a real problem, I
don't think she would have left with Mike, and if Mike hadn't thought it
was a good thing for her to be here, she wouldn't have been here.  And
if Mike stopped watching over me, I was going to be dead real soon, but
he wouldn't.

***
19:56 19 Aug

     "Can we just go Thursday instead?" I asked Travis.  "I... I didn't
think I'd be this tired, and I wasn't," I insisted, "until THEY showed
up.  Did you eat already?" I asked him.

***
20:18 19 Aug

     He had, and I had, both my leftovers from last night and dinner
with the Parkers', which sort of led to us going to his place since we
couldn't really think of any place else to go.  He didn't seem to be in
the mood for sex, either, which was good because I definitely wasn't.
     I was, however, definitely in the mood for some cuddling, and it
seemed he was too, so that was okay.
     Well, more than okay.
     And he didn't seem to mind the dryadic look either.

***
20:34 19 Aug

     "So, but-"
     "Travis, if they didn't like you, or they thought you were taking
advantage of me or something, they wouldn't have just said 'Well you two
have fun and be back in three hours', would they?"
     "Yeah, but..."  He sighed, and continued stroking my hair, which
was making me mildly dizzy because it felt so nice.  "I don't know what
to say around them."
     "HOPEfully, you won't be seeing Susan again for a while, I think
she's leaving tomorrow for college.  And, you know... just talk to 'em,
I mean, they're not, I mean..."  They were indeed that weird, in all
sorts of different directions, but I didn't want to say that.  "If they
had a problem with you," I started over, "you'd know it, and I'd know
it, and the last thing they'd let happen is me going off alone with you.
So, I'm completely sure it's okay."  Susan was probably going to want to
lecture me for a while on something or another when I got home, but
Travis didn't need to know that, so I smiled at him and rubbed his
shoulder a little.

***
22:00 19 Aug

     A self-conscious change of topic, to what classes we were taking,
had led to a great discussion of history and things, which I was
extremely irritated to realize was going to have to stop because I had
to go to Rachel's and change so I could go home so I could go to school
tomorrow, et cetera.  "Oh, shit," I sighed, "I don't want to leave you!"

***
22:04 19 Aug

     "Thursday, right?" Travis confirmed after the last kiss of the
night.
     "Right!  And this time, I'll wear something nicer, and my sister
should be waaaaay outta town and stuff, so maybe we can actually GO this
time," I said, and he chuckled and nodded.
     Then, we shared another last kiss.

***
23:19 19 Aug

     "I really like him a lot," I sighed, glancing at the door to make
sure it was shut, and noticing a crate filled with a MacinClock which I
had forgotten about this morning.
     "Yeah, I bet-"
     "What's that supposed to mean?" I snapped at Susan.
     "Because, he's a big guy, handsome, not really stupid, old enough
to drive, seems like a decent person, and he's infatuated with you and
likes you like you were tonight," she listed.
     Pause.
     Susan said pointedly, "Duh!"
     "Ye- okay, yeah," I agreed faintly.
     She chuckled.  "So, if you two break up, let-"
     "Fuck YOU," I said emphatically, which made her laugh.
     "Go to sleep," she chuckled, then she got into my bed.  "And you
still need to talk to Debbie."
     "Oh, GODS," I sighed.

***
06:09 20 Aug

     "Suze?" I asked.
     "Mmmm?"
     "Drop out of college, stay here," I suggested.
     She woke up the rest of the way and looked at me, then smiled and
sat up and hugged me.  "I know," she said.  "On the other hand, if I
stay here too long, I think it's gonna get bad again, and I don't think
you need me butting heads with you."

***
06:25 20 Aug

     "Go on, you'll be late," Susan said as she pushed me out of the
hug.  "I'll write, I promise."
     "'Kay, I'll write back," I promised after I sniffed.
     "Why weren't you two like this last year?" Mom asked.
     "The drugs in the water here hadn't worn off yet," Susan snapped
back, and grinned.  "Have a good day, Tuck."
     "Have a good day, sweetie," Mom told me, and so I got another hug
from her before telling them to have a good day too, then sadly picking
up my crate and turning away and leaving.

***
06:59 20 Aug

     "So we just went to, uh, her place," I explained further as we sat
down, "and spent the night, I mean the evening, talking about stuff, and
cuddling, and stuff.  I was just too tired..."
     "Dude," Jill said.  "That sucks.  So, uh, how did 'Tracy' feel
about meeting your sister?"  We'd had to temporarily modify Travis in
order to talk about him here, which I had to do because they were about
to explode once they heard something about it from Mike when Kim called
him last night for some phone support on math.
     "People have got to stop chasing her," I said, "because it's
starting to freak h-h-her out.  I mean, I'm getting to the point, about,
where I might as well just get everyone I know into a big room and let
them talk about it and talk to h-her and stuff, just to get it all over
with at once."
     "Well, I mean," Jill said, sounding between apologetic and
argumentative, "we HAD to meet, uh, Tracy, just-"
     "That's the same thing Susan thought," I interrupted.  "Man, she's
leaving this morning, I wish she was still here...  Amy's gone, Susan's
going..."
     "She is okay," Kim said, sort of off the conversational path.
     "Which?" Jill asked.
     "Tracy?  Isn't that who," Kim pointed at me.  "Hmm?"

***
07:51 20 Aug

     Jill hugged me, so of course I hugged back, and then Kim hugged me
too, but then we had to go to class.

***
07:53 20 Aug

     As I was digging things out of my locker, and estimating how big a
backpack I was going to need to carry everything if I wanted to avoid
having to visit my locker at lunch, which it seemed as though I wanted
to, someone said, "Uh, hey?"  Well, sort of squeaked.
     I looked around, and it was a couple of freshboys.  Sort of smiling
at me.
     I looked around quickly to find the other one, with the thing of
water or the stick to hit me with or whatever their accomplice was
holding, but there wasn't anyone.  *Then again, maybe they just want to
know where a class is, or something,* I realized.  "Hey," I said back
neutrally.
     "Uh," said a different voice than the first one, "are you, like, in
our pre-algebra class?"
     I snorted.  "Uh, no."  *Not unless you guys are time travelers,* I
thought as I went back to getting my books rearranged.
     "Which class are you in?" asked the first one, sounding a bit
nervous for some reason.
     "AP Calc- calculus," I said, correcting myself when I realized they
probably wouldn't even know what 'calc' meant.  One immensely retarded
jock had thought 'pre-calc' meant 'pre-calculator' last year, I guess
because that's about the level of mathematics he'd been at.
     "What year are you anyway?" the second one asked in surprise.  "I
thought girls hated math!"
     "This one doesn't," I said before I caught on, and then there was
nothing to do but slam my locker shut and leave before my ears caught
fire.  And, hopefully, before anyone but me figured out what was going
on.  Not that I wanted to know either, but it was too late.

***
07:59 20 Aug

     "What're you all pissed about?" George asked.
     "Shut the fuck up, George," I snarled, ears still burning.
     "And you gotta talk to Debbie today," Mike said.  "That's the other
thing Susan said last night."
     "What?  You talked to Tuck's SISTER last night?" George almost
gasped.  "YOU?!  Why?!"
     "You didn't want to know what that other part concerns, okay?  So
don't ask now," Mike said.  That didn't please them.
     "Why does Tuck need to talk to Debbie?" Dan asked.
     "She left a voicemail for him Saturday night and he hasn't talked
to her like he needs to yet," Mike said.
     "Did you listen to the voicemail yet?" George accused me.
     "Yes!"
     "When?"
     "Shut up, G-"
     "This morning?"
     "Monday night, okay?  Susan made me listen-"
     "Your sister made you listen?"
     "Kiss my BUTT George!" I insisted, but he didn't, which was
probably a good thing overall.
     "Two days after?" Dan commented.  "What did she say?"
     "Nothing," I sighed.

***
08:04 20 Aug

     "So does anyone think Tuck DOESN'T need to talk to her?" Mike
asked.
     "Mike, this is-"
     "Shut up, Tuck.  Anyone?"  There wasn't anyone except me.

***
08:11 20 Aug

     "When, though?" I asked as we got out of homeroom.  "We're playing
today, right?"
     "Oh, shit," Mike sighed.  "Tomorrow; we take a short break before
playing, that'll give us time to set it up with Kim and the others."
     "We could just skip it until the weekend?" I suggested.
     "Shut up, Tuck," George grinned.  "GOD I missed saying that over
the summer."
     "Shut up, George."  He flicked me a finger.  "Hah!  NOT!"

***
08:14 20 Aug

     And there was still a seat open right up front, next to the wall.
I chortled and took that one, and nobody disputed it so it was mine.

***
08:42 20 Aug

     The nice thing about study hall early in the day, is that one, a
lot of people still weren't awake enough to throw things at me, and two,
I had a chance to finish any homework I hadn't the night before.  Which
was good, because I hadn't finished my calculus, being too busy swimming
and then dating to worry about it.
     But now it was done, and I didn't have anything else to think
about besides what to do in the game today.
     And talking to Debbie.
     *I'd rather run over someone with a truck.*

***
10:44 20 Aug

     "How was your date?" Sabrina grinned as I sat down next to her.
     "Oooh, great," I sighed.  "Does everyone know this?"
     "Weren't you listening to morning announcements?" Mike asked.
"They mentioned it then."
     I would have instantly dismissed it except Sabrina was solemnly
nodding, and I had to stare at her for quite a while before she started
chuckling and shaking her head.
     I made a face to indicate my displeasure, and admitted, "It went
okay, but Susan came out to meet, uh, my date, she kidnapped Mike and
tortured him for information, and so after she did that we were both too
tired to do more than cuddle and talk until I had to go home."
     The bells rang, but when they finished Sabrina said, "That's sweet
anyway.  Did you two really," she shifted to a conspiratorial whisper,
"over the weekend did you-"
     Mike hurriedly plugged his ears which attracted enough attention
that we had to stop talking.

***
11:32 20 Aug

     "I, uh... no, I forgot to bring a lunch today," I shrugged.
     "Tuuuuuuuck," Mike groaned.
     "What?!  Jeezus, I ate yesterday, twice, so it's not like I'm
starving-"
     "You have to watch him," Mike said to Sabrina and Amanda while
ignoring me, "or he forgets to eat.  Especially if he's in front of a
computer."  Amanda started giggling immediately.
     "Weren't we going to PLAY?" I suggested.
     "Which reminds me," Mike said to Sabrina, "Tuck needs to talk to
Debbie, and Susan's idea-"
     "Susan?" Sabrina asked.
     "Tuck's-"
     "Mike!" I complained.
     "-sister," he continued, "she said it'd work best if we had a few
of Tuck's friends on one side, had a few of Debbie's friends on the
other, like you, and then kept it really short and then we left her when
they got done talking so you could be supportive to Debbie."
     "I hate you, Mike."
     "Shut up Tuck," Mike replied offhandedly.  "Sound good?" he asked
Sabrina.
     "Not bad," Sabrina nodded at Mike.  "Tomorrow lunch?"
     "Before we play," Mike nodded back.
     And Amanda hadn't stopped giggling yet.

***
11:35 20 Aug

     "Do I have any free will at all?!"
     Mike acted like he was thinking about it for a minute, then shook
his head.  "Nope, not a bit."
     "Play!" George insisted.  I looked around, hoping Kelly would hurry
up and get here; I was looking forward to nailing his furry-  *HER!* I
told myself.
     This was confusing as hell, but I'd have to adjust, because it was
only fair.

***
11:37 20 Aug

     Mike dinged the play bell and immediately started, "You're all in a
van heading toward some Black Spirals, possibly the same ones that were
trying to get Amanda.  George, Kim, and Amanda are in the back of the
van, with the door open, and Tuck is driving and Book is riding shotgun.
George?"
     "Um, I'm keeping watch out the back door."
     "Amanda?  You're in back with George," Mike reminded her.
     "Uh, can I get up front?  And stop these lunatics?"
     "Not easily - it's a delivery truck, like a U-Haul?  There's no
direct connection between the front and back."
     "Can I climb out?"
     "Not easily... and there's no way to hold on."
     "Damn," she said.
     "You stand there contemplating... Tucker?"
     "Run 'em down!"
     "Roll Dex and Driving, difficulty eight."  I did, and got two
successes out of four dice.  "Stop cheating so blatantly," Mike said
offhandedly, which we both knew wasn't true because I'd rolled them in
the dice pit in front of him. "Book?"
     "Can I open the window and fire at them?"
     "You'd have to..."  Mike thought.  "You'd have to get your upper
body through the window to be able to aim, are-"
     "I squeeze through the window-"
     Mike interrupted, "Not in Crinos form you don't, you're too big.
Spend a rage point to transform instantly, or try it the hard way."
     "I spend a rage point, can I shoot at them?"
     "Jeez, bloodthirsty doggie," Mike said.  "Yeah."
     "Yeah, and those silver five-fifty-sixes oughta chew 'em up, I
think," Book grinned.  "Burst of fire at the furthest one, the one on my
leftmost."
     Mike said, "Difficulty eight, Dex plus Firearms."  Book pulled two
dice out of his hand and rolled the rest, coming up with a nine and a
zero, which counted as ten, plus four failures which didn't count as
anything.  "You guys really ought to stop cheating like this," Mike said
as he rolled his own dice, "it's embarrassing.  Dan, number two got hit,
and bad, so mark that one down to Wounded, and it's aggravated so he
can't regenerate.  He's lost his action as he howls in agony."
     "Man!" Dan complained, shaking his head as he scribbled.

***
11:41 20 Aug

     George told Mike, "Man, strip the bodies.  I go over and start
seeing if there's anything left that's worth anything, like magic
items-"
     "Fetishes, George," Mike grinned, "they're fetishes in this
system."
     "Yeah, fetishes, or notes in their clothes, or anything."
     "Okay..."  Mike rolled some dice a few times.  "Okay, the first one
doesn't have anything that isn't mangled beyond repair.  Maybe a couple
of things had been fetishes, but they're broken up now, obviously lost
their magic."
     "Maybe," George says.  "These guys are twisted, right?  Maybe the
fetishes are supposed to look like that.  I'll pick 'em up and put them
in a bag.  Oh, and using that towel to touch them, so they don't touch
my bare skin."
     "Okay... Tuck?"
     "I'm making sure that Amanda and Kim are okay," I said.
     "Stop touching me you freak!" Amanda snapped.
     "Don't call ME a freak," I shot back, "you're the same as us.
Don't you get that yet?"
     "Then, what's the difference between ME and THEM?" she asked,
pointing at Mike's screen.
     "They are Black SPIRALS," I said, "remember, we told you-"
     "You told me the same thing THEY said, so what's the fucking
difference?"
     Mike interrupted, "As you two are arguing, George, you notice that
the other 'dead' Spiral has now gotten you from behind with a klaive
strike."  Amidst screams of protest, and evil laughter coming from Dan,
Mike rolled more dice.  "You were already surprised, I rolled for your
heightened senses, and your Sense Unnatural was swamped because they're
all tainted even in death, you couldn't tell this one was still alive.
You're wounded, as in mark down to 'Wounded' level, and roll
Self-Control to keep from screaming."
     "Fuck that," George said, "I want to scream."
     Mike raised one eyebrow at him.
     George screamed, getting a lot of people to look at us.  "GET THIS
THING OFF ME!" he explained further.
     "I shoot the thing on George with the assault rifle as I run
forward to get closer!" Book said.
     "Kim?" Mike asked.
     "I, uh, I'm going to grab the girl and hide behind something?"
     "There's nothing to hide behind, you just grabbed Amanda, though."
     "Can I pull her down?"
     "Yeah, you pull her over and fall on top of her, to protect her?"
Mike asked, and Kim nodded.  "Amanda?"
     "Can I tell who grabbed me?"
     "It, uh... no," Mike smiled after looking at his dice.
     "Shit!" exclaimed Kim, who had just grabbed a frightened werewolf.

***


"Game over, man!  Game over!" - Hudson


Distribution:
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the entirety of the work (from the BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE header to
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+ ==[--------   Ellen Hayes   @>--,--'---      ellen@barkingduck.net +
PGP DH/DSS keyfing: 33D4 156A AE39 53E2 0313  6714 2878 56A8 61B0 9CDC
+ http://www.barkingduck.net/ehayes -=[1990]=- vicki .sig virus 11.4 +


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