I stood at the side of the football field and looked around confused with the rest of the cheer squad. The stands were full and it was time to start the football game, but the scoreboard was still shut off and nothing other than the large lights behind the grandstands were on.
“What the fuck is the problem?” Coach Mills screamed at one of his assistants, “We’re supposed to be playing right now!”
“We can’t turn anything on other than the bleacher lights. The AV club always did it, and none of them are here or will answer their phones. They also took all the controls out of the booth and spray painted Team Kevin on the wall. Whatever that means.” The man said back to him as he shrugged.
Brittney, Hannah, and I all looked at each other and covered our mouths with our pompoms as we giggled, then spread out and started a cheer.
++++++++++++++++++++
“So they decided to call the game anyway because nothing would work!” I said at the dinner table as I looked at my parents and giggled while I took some meatloaf and dropped it on my plate.
“Team Kevin?” My father asked with his eyebrows raised, “It sounds like the Boy is trying to start a rebellion. I don’t like the sounds of it.”
“Daddy, Kevin wasn’t even there.” I said as I rolled my eyes.
“Yeah, that’s how it always works. The ringleader gets other people to take the fall,” my dad said as he shook his fork.
“Daddy, Kevin was the one getting beat up by the entire football team,” I told him as I continued to try to explain it to him.
“And why would the entire team be beating up on one guy? I’ve seen him. He’s got tooth-pick arms.”
“Daddy! He doesn’t have toothpick arms!” I called out, “And they were beating him up because he liked me!”
My dad looked up at me with raised eyebrows as I added, “And I like him! I asked him out too!”
“I thought he was chasing after Brittney?” My Dad said to my Mom and then looked back at me, “Is that what this fight was about? Did you and Brittney get in a fight over a boy?”
“No, dear, they aren’t fighting over a boy,” Mom told him as she patted his hand and then looked at me, “But either way, you are not going out with him this weekend. You’re grounded.”
“What? Why?” I screamed.
“Because where there is smoke there is fire and you are surrounded by smoke lately young lady,” My father said as he again pointed his fork at me, “Did you or did you not break someone’s nose today?”
“This is so unfair!” I said, “I got hit in the face and punched in the boob and I’m the one that gets grounded?”
“Keep talking back and you’ll be coughing up your phone too!” My mother warned me with a parental look.
I huffed down into my chair and glared at both of them but knew better than to continue the fight and lose my electronic life line.
++++++++++++++++++++
As I walked to my locker the next day I saw someone going the other way down the hall in a Team Kevin t-shirt and did a double take. I shook my head and continued on and then saw another one. I stopped and rubbed my eyes and looked again. I turned, quickly spun the combination to my locker in, opened the door and suddenly Brittney bounced up next to me.
“Hey slut! Put this on,” She said in an excited tone as she held out a pink tank top with bold black letters that said Team Kevin on it. The small pink tank top exactly matched the one she was wearing.
I laughed as I took it from her and asked, “Did you do this?”
“Nope. Some nerd in my economics class came up with it, but I had him make a bunch, and grabbed some for the cheerleading team. Now go put it on!” She demanded as she cocked her leg and glared at me.
“Okay, okay!” I said as I took the shirt.
“And if one of the football players even glances in your general direction you let me know, understand?” She said as she crossed her arms across her chest.
“Yes ma’am,” I said as I rolled my eyes.
++++++++++++++++++++
I sat in my free period and Kevin pointed at my notebook, “You take the derivative of the position equation to get the equation for velocity.”
“What?” I asked him as my eyebrows went up.
“You have to find the derivative of the equation to get the velocity.” He said again as he looked at me.
“I have no clue what you’re talking about. We’re not that far yet,” I said as I pushed the notebook back.
“Well, better to be ahead of the curve, right?”
“You’re killing me!” I said as I buried my face in my hands, “I hate math!”
“It’s not that hard, let’s just go through it step by step,” He replied calmly.
“I don’t want to do math. I want to talk about the t-shirts and the craziness going on,” I said as I looked around at half the kids in the class wearing a shirt like mine that proudly declared us part of Team Kevin.
“I want to do math so I can ignore the fact that like half the school is wearing my name on their shirt,” he said as his eyes quickly scanned the room before coming back to mine.
“I want to go out on a date with you,” I said sourly, “Sorry I’m the worst girlfriend ever. I can’t believe I got grounded.”
“You’re not the worst girlfriend ever. Even if you weren’t grounded my Dad has me moving cement bags every night,” he said as he rubbed at his arms.
“I saw you last night from my bedroom window,” I grimaced, “It looks like it sucks.”
“You were watching me from your bedroom? Now who is stalking who?”
“Oh, bite me,” I said as I stuck my tongue out at him.
“I promise I will once we’re both out of the dog house.”
++++++++++++++++++++
I climbed out of Kevin’s car in front of Brittney’s house and walked in with him. It was the first time I was allowed out of the house with him and I wondered how Mr. Beldamore had coaxed my parents into letting me out of my grounding for a night. It had been two days since what was quickly being referred to as The Cheerleader Beat Down by the rest of the school. There was even a short animated meme of Brittney’s hair blowing upward and turning blonde and then her doing all sorts of crazy karate chops and stuff to level a bunch of football players in full padding going around on the internet. Kevin told me it had to do with some Japanese cartoon but I’d never seen it.
We walked up to the door and Janice opened it for us as Brittney came trotting down the stairs, “Hey guys! Dad’s office is over here. Do you know what he wants?”
Both of us shook our heads in unison as we followed her through several large rooms and finally into an office that was trimmed with dark wood and had almost an entire wall taken up by television screens. In the center of the room was a large and slightly imposing desk that had neatly organized folders and papers on it. Brittney’s dad sat in a plush brown leather office chair looking at a folder on his desk as we entered. He glanced up at us and then said, “Janice, shut the doors please. We’re not to be disturbed.”
“Of course, Mr. Beldamore,” she nodded politely as she pulled the doors shut behind us.
I reached down and clutched Kevin’s hand tightly as my eyes darted around. I felt like I was about to be interrogated.
“Why don’t you have a seat right here, Mr. Carter.” Mr. Beldamore motioned to the seat in front of his desk, “I’ll be with you ladies in a minute.”
“Dad, what’s this…” Brittney started to say until her dad looked at her and then motioned to the small couch on the side of the room.
“You can call me Kevin if you want, sir,” Kevin replied back as he let go of my hand and dropped easily into the chair in front of Mr. Beldamore’s desk.
“Okay Kevin,” Mr. Beldamore said as he pushed the papers he had been looking at to the side, “I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I’m just going to come right out and ask. What are you intentions with my daughter?”
“Huh?” Kevin asked as Brittney sat forward and started to speak, “Dad! He’s dating Amy not…”
Brittney’s father held his hand up in our direction and Brittney’s mouth snapped shut and she leaned back against the couch. The only other time I’d seen Brittney respond so quickly to something was when Kevin was inside me and my dominatrix side was out.
“I know about your… special abilities,” Brittney’s father said as he leaned back and eyed Kevin while bringing his hands to his desktop, “I’m pretty certain the girls know about them too.” He paused to see Kevin’s reaction and when there was none he looked over to us as we stared back wide eyed, peeking glances at each other. Brittney’s dad nodded and then continued, “So I want to know what your motives are. If it’s just access to her funds I can provide you with a large sum of money upfront and a monthly stipend but then I expect you to steer clear of my daughter… and perhaps also Miss Summers as well. I feel slightly responsible for her as well seeing as she’s my daughter’s best friend.”
Kevin remained still as Mr. Beldamore held up a check and then put it down in front of Kevin. I couldn’t see the amount but Kevin stared at the check for a long time and from my angle I could see his eyebrows crease. He looked up at Mr. Beldamore and pushed the check back at him, “I think if you look at Brittney’s spending since I’ve been in town you’ll see there is nothing abnormal there.”
“What about the eight thousand dollars that she just spent on t-shirts, hats, and other trinkets that say Team Kevin?” Mr. Beldamore asked with raised eyebrows.
Kevin’s mask seemed to crack and he looked back at Brittney with a shocked look on his face, then turned back to Mr. Beldamore and said, “I… um… didn’t know anything about that. It wasn’t my idea and to be honest it doesn’t really help me fly under the radar.”
“Well I can’t really trust Brittney’s recollection of events if you can slip inside of her, now can I? So all I have to go off from is your word and I don’t really know you that well.”
“Dad I…” Brittney started to talk, but again was silenced by her father holding up his hand and saying, “You’ll have a chance to speak Princess, but you _will _let me have my talk with Mr. Carter first.”
“Now then Kevin. You don’t seem to want money, is that right? Perhaps something else I can offer you?” Mr. Beldamore asked him as his steeled gaze returned to Kevin.
“Why are you trying to buy me off?” Kevin asked as he stared back at the man with equal intensity.
“Because I know your kind to be notoriously flighty. If you’re just looking for some quick fun before you head off to your next destination I’d prefer it wasn’t with my daughter. I’m willing to give you more than enough compensation to go out and have fun with whoever you want whenever you want. No questions asked, and no strings attached other than you leave the girls out of it.” He replied as he leaned forward in the chair and while keeping his eyes locked on Kevin, “I can even get you other bodies to play with. You just let me know what your type is.”
Kevin took a breath and leaned forward as he looked back at Mr. Beldamore, “No thank you. I appreciate your generous offer, but I have to decline.”
Mr. Beldamore’s brows furrowed as he looked at Kevin, “I can whisk her away at a moment’s notice to somewhere halfway around the world to a place with security so tight that you won’t even get close enough to see her face with a telescope.”
“Dad!” Brittney called out and was about to stand up until her father held out a hand and she obediently sat back down and glared at him.
“That’s honestly more of a threat against her than it is against me, sir,” Kevin replied as he held his hands out, “And I wouldn’t dream of telling you what to do with your own daughter, but I know you want to make her happy, so if I were in your shoes I’d have to ask myself why I would do that.”
“Because you are sitting in front of me and I have no idea what your intentions are young man,” Brittney’s father retorted without hesitation.
Kevin leaned in closer to Mr. Beldamore and asked, “If you want complete honesty can I get your assurance of discretion?”
“Young man, I assure you discretion is one of my most valued commodities.”
“Sir, I’m also pretty straightforward. I don’t want to lie to anyone, but as you know my abilities demand a certain level of… secrecy.” Kevin said and then paused while Brittney’s father nodded slowly before he continued, “I’ve never done something like this before. Normally, when I’m inside someone, I have a bit of fun, try not to cause any damage, and leave without anyone any the wiser. But that changed when I met Amy and Brittney.”
Mr. Beldamore’s eyebrow went up as he listened and Kevin continued, “Laying it out for you, Brittney is in love with Amy. Amy is Brittney’s best friend but doesn’t really share those feelings. However, Amy has a bit of quirk. She has a fantasy that I fulfill when I’m inside her… and Brittney also gets to benefit from that. So, it’s a bit of a tangled relationship, but it makes your daughter, Amy, and I happy. I’ll be honest when I say I don’t know how it will end, but can anyone say that when they start a new relationship? Even a more… run of the mill relationship?”
I felt my cheeks flush the brightest crimson they had ever been and I tried to shrink into the couch.
“So you want me to take your word that your intentions aren’t… ignoble?” Mr. Beldamore asked as he stared at Kevin.
“I want you to let us be young and figure it all out together. And if you are worried about something, you should have an open dialogue with your daughter so you know what she wants. I’ll be around too, and you can talk to me and bring up any concerns you have… and if Amy isn’t petrified by your show of power here, I’m certain she’ll be more than happy to discuss some of this with you,” Kevin replied as he leaned back and shrugged, “I’ve only been here a short time, but both of those girls mean the world to me. I won’t knowingly hurt them.”
Brittney’s father sat there for several minutes as he stared at Kevin. The room was silent as a crypt while all I could hear was my own breathing and heartbeat pounding in my ears. I was a few moments from losing it until I felt Brittney’s hand slip over mine and squeeze tightly. I finally couldn’t stand it anymore and blurted out, “Um, excuse me. How did you know?”
Mr. Beldamore’s gaze flipped from Kevin to me and suddenly I regretted saying anything and pulling his attention to me. I gulped and slunk into the couch as Brittney again squeezed my hand once more.
Her dad opened a drawer on his desk and pulled out a remote and pointed it at one of the televisions. It flickered to a picture of Brittney and I walking in through the front door, only where my face should have been Kevin’s face was there instead. The image was plain as day. The resolution was amazing as he zoomed in and it became even more obvious that Kevin’s face was on my body. I realized it was from the first night we had brought Brittney into our little secret. Mr. Beldamore then spoke, “Now, this could be blamed on some glitch in my ridiculously high-tech security system, but I also know of a few others with Kevin’s unique abilities. I know of one other person in our city who doesn’t follow the typical nomadic tendencies most of them do, and I’ve also hired a few of his kind over the years. So, I have a bit of knowledge that most laymen don’t.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you,” I tried to say in a pleasant voice hoping that was the right thing to do in this type of situation. I wondered how Kevin could be so calm with all of this. He seemed completely relaxed while I was ready to dive under the couch and hide.
Mr. Beldamore’s steely gaze finally went to Brittney and his face softened as he looked at her, “So this is what you want Princess? This boy… he makes you happy? Because this is a lot for me.”
Brittney nodded solemnly and then replied, “We actually had a bit of a fight already Dad. Mostly about the… you called them nomadic tendencies, and we worked it out. So yeah, I really like him. And Amy.”
“And you Miss Summers?” Mr. Beldamore’s eyes came back to me as I shrunk down once more.
“We’re being completely honest here?” I asked as I looked around at everyone and when they all nodded at me I blurted out, “I have to pee. I’m so scared right that I have to pee. Brittney your dad scares the bladder control out of me. Kevin was right, I’m freak’n petrified right now.”
Suddenly everyone was laughing at me and I felt my cheeks flush crimson again.
“Miss Summers my intentions were never to scare anything out of you,” Mr. Beldamore said as a smile broke on his face, “I just needed to make certain that…” He motioned to all three of us, “all of this was mutual feelings and not the two of you being used.”
“No sir,” I replied as I pressed my legs together and shook my head at him.
Brittney’s dad looked at Kevin and said, “I expect you to take good care of these girls,” and then looked to Brittney, “My daughter only gets the best. If you don’t live up to that we’ll be having words again, Mr. Carter.”
Kevin nodded as it was Brittney’s turn to blush red and then whine, “Dad!”
She got up and stood next to Kevin and crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at him defiantly and said, “Besides, I obviously have to take care of these two. They’d be lost kittens without me.”
I watched as Mr. Beldamore smiled at his daughter and I think it was pride I saw on his face. He then looked back at Kevin and said, “So young man, how much do you think you need for a proper vehicle?”
Kevin closed his eyes and sighed, “She’s a good runner. Why does everyone hate my car?”
“Because it looks like you pulled it out of a junkyard, Chess club,” Brittney said and then added, “And after that it got in a few accidents.”
“So! Is there anything else you want to know while we are all being so honest?” Kevin said as he shot Brittney a look and obviously wanted to change the subject.
“How do you…” Now it was Mr. Beldamore’s turn to get flustered, “You know… get inside? Would a demonstration be possible?”
Kevin suddenly turned beet red. Even his ears were burning as he blinked and adjusted himself in his chair, “Um… well… I’ve got to be honest sir, uh…”
“He melts. He melts and turns into this clear goo,” Brittney said as she laughed at his sudden shyness.
“Then he sort of goes in us. Through our skin, or our mouth, or our…” I let my voice sort of trail off as suddenly I started to blush again.
“It’s kind of a personal thing, sir. I’d rather not do it right in front of you if you don’t mind. It’s just…” Kevin added in until Mr. Beldamore held up his hands and cut him off, “Of course, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
“Thanks. I mean, if the girls are okay talking about it, that I don’t mind,” he said with a sigh of relief.
“It tingles. Inside of me… When he’s going in,” I said as I looked around, “It feels nice I guess.”
“It feels creepy to me,” Brittney said as she stuck her tongue out at Kevin.
“And you remember what he does?” Mr. Beldamore asked as he leaned forward and looked first at Brittney and then at me with interest on his face.
“Oh, I’m awake when he’s in me. Sometimes I can sort of push my way back into control if I try hard,” I said with a shrug.
“That’s something that I do. I wake them up when I’m in them. That’s not normal, though. Normally the people I’m in just sort of go to sleep and wake up when I’m out and don’t remember anything.” Kevin told him, “I can poke through their minds while they’re sleeping, which is how I found out both of their interests, and how it all kinda turned into what it is now.”
Mr. Beldamore nodded and then rubbed his temples, “This is just… a lot.”
“The first time I saw it, I freaked out,” Brittney said with a nod and I chimed in, “I was carrying around a knife when I first found out about it. Which seems silly now… how do you stab slime?”
Kevin chuckled and said, “Hey, I’ve got an idea, how about we don’t try it?”
“You might like it, Chess club!” Brittney said with an evil smile as she poked on his shoulder and he looked up at her with a worried expression on his face. Suddenly, he pulled out his phone and looked at it.
“Oh. That’s my mom. I’ve got to get going, my time limit is up. Back to moving concrete bags,” he said with a sigh.
“Of course. Thank you for the meeting, and explaining everything openly. I appreciate your honesty.” Mr. Beldamore said as he stood up and reached across the desk to shake Kevin’s hand as he too stood up.
“Any time, sir,” Kevin replied as he let go of Mr. Beldamore’s hand and then flexed his hand. I wondered how hard Brittney’s father had squeezed.
Kevin started to walk to the door and Brittney and I went with him until Mr. Beldamore cleared his throat and we all looked back at him.
“Brittney, your mother will not understand this. Keep it on the down low with her. I’ll tell her that you, Amy and Kevin have some sort of triangle going that works for you, but do not tell her about Kevin’s… ability. When I’ve had the chance to slowly break it to her I’ll let all of you know, okay?” He said as he picked up the folder he had been looking at when we came in and opened it again.
Brittney had a shocked look on her face, “Dad… Did you and mom know that I wasn’t interested in boys?”
“Of course, Princess,” he said without looking up.
“Seriously? I was trying so hard to hide it! I thought you would be upset with me!”
“We just want you to be happy, Princess. We figured you’d tell us when you were ready. We didn’t want to push you.”
“O…okay. Thanks dad,” Brittney said in a stunned tone. She followed us out of the office and closed the doors tightly after we left.