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This story is copyright (c) 2003-2005.  All rights are
reserved by the author, including that of publication.
Posting on-line is only allowed when permission is explicitly
granted by the author, and then only for the complete story,
including this disclaimer.  Contact the author at
<jimc-author at excite dot com> for more information,
referring to this story ("Lucky Tickets 2: Lucky Stiff").

I explicitly grant permission to post this story to
StoriesOnline.net and asstr-mirror.org.

The following is a work of fiction and is just a fantasy.
Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely
coincidental and entirely unintentional.  There may be
references to people in a historical context, but they are
not really characters in this story.

This is a story that describes sexually explicit situations
in a fictional universe that only vaguely seems similar to
the one we live in.  Most of the characters in this story are
under aged.  However, the target audience is adults (people
over the age of eighteen) with broad minds.

* * *

This is a sequel to the story "Lucky Tickets," and as such,
you may want to read that story first to get a better
introduction to the characters present in both stories.  Like
a lot of sequels, it's not really meant to be read out of
order.

* * *

Chapter 5--A Trip and the Halloween Party

        So come to me darlin' hold me tight.
        Let your honey keep you warm.
        It's been so long since anyone touched me,
        That I almost forgot what love is for.
                -- Trouble (Lindsey Buckingham)


    On Monday, Sherry made it a point to be with me before
History class.

    "I had a great time at Vaughn's.  Your girlfriend is a
really nice person."

    I smiled at Sherry's noticeable change in attitude about
Kristen, since it wasn't that long ago that she had hated
Kristen with a passion.

    "Yeah.  There's a lot to love about her," I agreed.

    "The cheerleaders posted the winners today.  I was on
top, just as they told me.  There was also a junior and two
seniors."

    I smiled at Sherry.  "I guess it's an honor to be picked."

    "I didn't think so a few weeks ago," Sherry admitted,
"Cammy and Lynette aren't your typical dumb blondes, though.
They're both deadly serious about cheering, and I've heard
people say that they are both A students."

    "I know for a fact that Camille makes herself look a lot
less serious than she really is."

    Sherry agreed, "Yeah.  I got that feeling, too."

    The class bell rang and we got into our seats.

    At lunchtime, I was looking forward to spending the
period once again with my lovely blonde Goddess.  However,
when I looked at our usual table, she wasn't there.  Patty
was, though.

    I put my tray on the table and asked Patty, "You see
Kristen?"

    Patty nodded, and indicated toward the back of the
cafeteria.  "She's over there."

    I looked for a moment, and finally saw Kristen's lovely
blonde tresses.  "Oh, yeah."

    She was talking to some other student--nobody that I
knew--so I went on the lunch line to get my daily ration of
swill.

    When I returned from the lunch line, I was a bit
surprised to see Sherry as well as Kristen sitting at our
table.  Sherry was talking animatedly with both of my friends.

    "Hi, Sherry!" I said, as I put my tray at my place.

    "Hey, Jim!" Sherry answered.  "Kris just introduced me to
Patty."

    "Price of fame," I said, grinning.  "You're a
cheerleader.  Now all the best people want to know you!"

    Most people around the table laughed at my comment.

    "Better not let Camille hear you say something like
that," Patty said.

    "Oh, I think Camille has a sense of humor.  She looks at
me as a friend, doesn't she?"

    Kristen was one person that didn't like hearing my
self-deprecating sense of humor.  She responded by simply
kissing me on the lips.  It wasn't a sensual kiss; she just
wanted me to shut up.

    I watched Sherry interact with all my friends.  She was
truly a nice girl and it was difficult not to like her.  I
wondered why I hadn't noticed her interest in me a year or so
earlier.

* * *

    The week passed swiftly, and Amy showed up for jazz band
rehearsal on Thursday.  When Kristen entered the room that
afternoon, she greeted me with "Hi, Oogie!"

    I could feel the entire band heave a sigh of relief--I
think they considered Kristen to be my muse, and the fact
that we weren't fighting anymore seemed to make the entire
band feel better.

    After rehearsal, I asked Amy and Kristen to stay a few
extra minutes.  Both girls looked surprised, and Amy looked
at Kristen for support.

    Kristen just shrugged at Amy, and looked at me.  I saw
her eyes grow wide as I opened up my attachÈ case--I think
she thought I was going to pull out my roll of tickets.

    Instead of my tickets, I pulled out a present for Amy.
"Here, Amy.  You'll probably recognize the tune."

    Amy took the sheet music that I had taken a few days to
copy by long hand and she looked at it curiously.  "Linus and
Lucy?" I saw her squint, and she added, "From the comic
strip?"

    I nodded.  "Yes.  Try to play it."

    The student opened the sheet music and put it on the
stand on the piano.  The first few bars were just bass notes,
and she fumbled with the first bar until she recognized the
tune.  She looked up at me.

    "It's from the Peanuts Christmas special," I said.  "It's
a good number to practice for getting the feel of the genre."

    Amy was silent, and simply looked down at her hands.
Finally, she asked, "By myself?"

    "No," I promised.  "The original score is a trio.  I
believe it was a string bass, piano, and drums.  Let me have
Sam and Derek work with you.  The song is more closely
associated with Peanuts than Christmas, so it might not be a
good number for the Christmas concert.  We could add other
instruments, though, but the song really focuses on the
piano."

    There was another long pause.  "Can I practice it over
the weekend?"

    I smiled.  This was the most that Amy had said to me at
one time, ever.  "Take until next Thursday.  You may be able
to find the song at the record store if you need to hear the
original.  If you need help, please let me know--or Kristen."

    Amy looked from me to Kristen and then back down at her
hands.  After yet another pause, she said, "Thank you."

    Kristen offered Amy a ride home, but Amy lived close
enough to the school that her walk was only a couple of
minutes.

    "That was very thoughtful of you, Jim," Kristen said.

    "Thank you, Kristen," I said.  "I've been meaning to ask
you how you manage to get Amy to speak to you when she very
rarely says anything to anybody."

    "You've found the secret, Jim," Kristen answered.  "You
just need to talk to her."

    I nodded.  It sounded so simple and obvious hearing
Kristen's explanation.  Seeing Amy's face light up in
recognition of the tune reminded of the reason that I loved
performing myself.  I loved seeing how I was able to make
people happy just by playing instruments or leading a band.

* * *

    The next weekend, Kristen and I decided to spend two days
in Madison.  Although Madison was an hour further away from
where we lived than Chicago was, it was smaller and seemed a
bit more friendly to us.  It was also much more scenic.  I
had gone there a couple of times with my parents, but after
last weekend's overnight trip, Kristen and I were starting to
think of Madison as our own special spot.

    Kristen and I arrived quite late Friday night, and we had
McDonald's on the road for dinner.  We found a cute little
lodge just outside the city where we crashed for the night.

    We didn't have much time the previous week to really
check out the city, and we had never gotten around to
visiting the Madison Art Center, which is where Kristen
really wanted to go, so that was our destination on Saturday.
I wasn't as fascinated by the exhibits as Kristen was, but
the two of us still had a great time together, and I found
Kristen to be quite knowledgeable about certain of the
artists currently featured at the museum.  I actually managed
to learn a few things about Kristen's favorite artistic
style, called impressionism.

    After the Art Center, the two of us had wine, ginger ale,
and cheese at a little pub that had a fire burning in its
fireplace.  Later on, we had some excellent schnitzel and
potato pancakes at a place called Wein und K0/00se that,
unfortunately, is no longer in business today.

    Saturday night, we made love like infatuated bunnies back
at that lodge outside of town.  We spent Sunday morning at a
park near one of the lakes, and drove home Sunday afternoon.

* * *

    Our lives proceeded quite nicely into October.

    Neither I nor Merry wanted to go trick or treating this
year, since we figured it was for younger kids.  Kristen
solved our problem by deciding to have a costume party at her
house and invited all of our friends, including Merry.
Kristen also decided that costumes had to be of famous people
throughout history, so the Incredible Hulk and Frankenstein
would not be included.

    On the Monday before the party, Camille approached me.

    "Hey, Jim!  I haven't seen you around for weeks!  What
have you been doing with yourself?"

    "I've been doing fine.  You are coming to the party on
Friday, right?"

    "Of course!  I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

    "Cool!" I exclaimed.  "By the way, have you heard from
Wendy lately?"

    Camille nodded.  "Yeah.  We have a couple of classes
together.  I guess you haven't seen her much, have you?"

    "No. Kristen takes up most of my free time."

    "Don't I know it?" Camille pointed out.  "I'm glad the
two of you got over your bump in the road."

    I wasn't going to pass over this opportunity to thank
Camille once more.  "Cammy, if it wasn't for you, Kris and I
would probably have been past history.  I didn't realize how
I was acting, until you put an ugly mirror to my face."

    Camille smiled, and said, "I'm glad you guys were smart
enough to be able to deal with it.  You two are so much in
love, and I know that you're a good person, Jim.  You may not
be perfect, but then I don't think anybody would be able to
stand somebody who was."

    I nodded.  "So, what's up?"

    "The football team has a bye the day after Halloween.
We're going to initiate the rookie cheerleaders that
afternoon."

    I had no idea what happened during those initiations.  My
mind started thinking about the reports of fraternity hazing
that happens at colleges.  "Sherry won't get hurt, will she?"

    Camille laughed.  "No pain involved, Jim.  I promise!
The juniors and sophs will have a separate initiation from
the seniors, which is a bit more rowdy."

    My mind reeled with thoughts of a rowdy initiation for
the seniors.

    "It's easy to read your mind, Jim," Camille laughed.
"It's not that bad!"

    I laughed.  "So, isn't the initiation supposed to be
secret?"

    "It usually is, but I think I can trust you."

    Those words touched me for some reason.  "Thank you.
Would you mind if I told Kristen?  We don't have too many
secrets from each other."

    "Sure," Camille smiled.  "I trust her as well.  Besides,
Sherry will probably tell her all about it on Monday."

    I sighed.  "I'm glad you'll be at the party.  Kristen and
I both owe you big time."

    Camille moved over and kissed me.  It wasn't an innocent
kiss, nor was it quite a romantic kiss.  I found myself
enjoying every second of it.  In my mind, I flashed back to
an image of Camille completely nude at my birthday party.  I
found myself getting excited, but managed to hide my reaction.

    After Camille pulled away, she smiled and said, "I'll see
you on Friday night."

    I watched Camille walk away afterward, and thought about
Wendy.  I realized that I might want to start paying more
attention to my friends, rather than spending all my free
time exclusively with Kristen.

* * *

    A few days later, a dark haired and dark complexioned
girl approached me.

    "Jim Crittenhouse?"

    "Yes?" I answered.  The girl looked a bit familiar, but I
couldn't place her name at all.  I only knew that she was a
junior.

    "I'm Jackie Lombardi," the girl said.

    Lombardi.  Isn't that Camille's last name?  It was!  "Are
you Camille's cousin?"

    "That's me!" Jackie answered, flashing me a radiant smile
that made me stare at her face a few seconds.

    "So, what's up, Jackie?" I finally asked.

    "I just wanted to thank you and Kristen for inviting us
to the party on Friday."

    I was confused.  "Us?  Do you mean you and Camille?"

    "Yeah.  As well as the rest of the cheerleaders.  It
sounds like a killer party."

    Were all the cheerleaders going to be attending the
party?  This was news to me.

    "Um, you're welcome.  I think you want to thank Kristen.
I didn't know that you were a cheerleader."

    "I just got in during the last tryouts."

    "Oh.  Sherry told me that a junior made it."

    Jackie shook her head.  "Yeah.  I got a nine.  Did you
know that Sherry got a perfect score?"

    I nodded.  "Yeah.  Sherry was so proud she was bursting
when she found out."

    Jackie giggled.  "She is, like, fantastic.  She does
those running aerials perfectly.  She's a gymnast."

    "I know," I said, smiling, not knowing exactly what an
"aerial" was, but thinking it must be something great.
"Camille figured that she'd be perfect for the team."

    There was a bit of an awkward silence.  "Jim, the reason
I'm here is that I wanted you to thank Kristen for me."

    "Kristen?  She'll be around any minute.  I'm getting a
ride home with her."

    "I figured that.  However, she may not want to talk with
me.  She hasn't since the beginning of the school year."

    I suddenly remembered that Jackie was a former member of
Kristen's old circle of friends.  I shrugged my shoulders and
said, "You should try to talk to her at the party on Friday.
She has changed, but she's a wonderful person."

    Jackie cast her eyes downward.  "Yeah.  We all were a bit
stuck up."

    "You know that Patrice is coming, right?"

    Jackie looked surprised.  "She is?  I didn't know she was
invited."

    "Well, Patrice is a friend of mine from way back, and
she's still friends with Kristen.  Her brother Jack is also
going to be there.  I don't think Kristen is avoiding her old
friends, Jackie; she's just avoiding her old attitudes.  Try
talking to her at the party."

    Jackie thought this over and said, "Maybe.  I guess it
can't hurt."

    I watched the cheerleader walk away.  She was a cute
girl, a bit smaller in stature than Camille was.  Jackie's
face looked a lot like Camille's; I imagine she's what
Camille would look like with darker hair.

* * *

    On Friday, the day of the party, I noticed that Sherry
seemed a bit nervous about something.

    "Hi, Sherry," I said, smiling at her.  "What's up?"

    "Um... can we talk in private during lunch?"

    "Sure," I said.  "What's up?"

    "I'll tell you then."

    The class bell rang and History class started.  I found
my seat and forgot about Sherry as I concentrated on the Holy
Roman Empire.

    At lunch, I saw Kristen and after we kissed, she said,
"Sherry wants to talk to you, alone.  I know what it's about,
and I have no problem with it."

    "You have no problem with what?" I asked.

    "I'll let Sherry tell you.  But just remember what I
said."

    I was confused.  Kristen hadn't said much of anything.  I
spied Sherry as she entered the lunchroom, and Kristen told
me to go over to her.

    "Hi, Sherry.  What's up?"

    "Can we go, like, to the music room?" Sherry asked,
nervously.

    "I guess so," I said.  I was a little apprehensive, since
I usually associated lunchtime music sessions with other
people to have a more romantic theme, but since Kristen told
me she had no problem with whatever Sherry wanted, I decided
it would probably be safe.  If not, I had a good explanation
if I had guessed wrong.

    Neither one of us said anything as we walked to the music
room.  A hall monitor spotted us, and I pulled out my Music
Room pass, and told the monitor that Sherry and I were going
to the room to practice.  I figured that the monitor wouldn't
know whether or not Sherry was in the band.

    The monitor gave a quick glance at my pass and let us
continue.

    After we got out of earshot of the monitor, I giggled to
Sherry.  "Probably anything typewritten on something that
looks like a pass would be accepted, but I never had the
nerve to try that."

    Sherry gave a nervous giggle in response.

    I wondered why Sherry was so nervous.  Was there
something happening with Dale?

    We got to the music room, and I let Sherry in.

    I was somewhat anxious to find out why she was so
nervous.  "So, what's up?  You've been acting very jittery
today."

    "I found Kristen yesterday before your band practice, and
talked with her while my bus left.  She then offered to drive
me home, and we finished talking."

    I nodded, getting a bit impatient.  "What were the two of
you talking about?"

    Sherry hemmed and hawed, and then finally said, "I need
to invite a boyfriend to a thing with the cheerleaders
tomorrow."

    It suddenly dawned on me that tomorrow was Saturday; the
day that Camille had told me was the cheerleaders'
initiation.  "Um, I'm not really your boyfriend, Sherry."

    "I know.  Camille suggested that you were pretty
trustworthy."

    So, both Camille and Kristen knew about this.  "What do
you need a boyfriend for?"

    "They won't tell us, not even Camille.  She said it's a
tradition.  Jim, can you keep a secret?"

    "I try to."

    Sherry sighed and said, "It's an initiation for the
rookie cheerleaders.  The juniors and the sophomores have
theirs in the morning here at the school.  I'm not supposed
to tell you any more than that, but I couldn't even if I
wanted since I haven't been told anything more, either."

    This sort of fit in with what Camille told me, and pretty
much explained why Camille had told me about the initiation.
She was preparing me for Sherry asking me to be there with
her.  I wondered what Camille and the other cheerleaders were
planning.

    I also now understood why Kristen had said that she had
no problem with it.  If she hadn't told me that, I would have
declined Sherry's invitation, since I knew that Kristen had a
terrible jealous streak.

    I mulled these things in my mind for a few moments, and
came to a decision.  "I'll go with you."

    Sherry looked relieved.  "Camille is giving me a ride,
tomorrow.  She said she could pick you up as well."

    This confirmed to me that Camille definitely had
something in mind.  I figured that I'd have a talk with her
at the party tonight.

    I nodded to Sherry, and she looked at me uncertainly.  I
moved over to her and kissed her lightly on the cheek.
"Thanks for thinking of me," I quietly said.

    Sherry reddened just a bit and nodded.

    I said, "Let's go back to the lunchroom.  I'll let
Kristen know about it later."

    "Before we leave, could you do me a favor?" Sherry asked.

    "What, Sherry?"

    "I love hearing you play.  The practice rooms are empty.
Could you play me a song?"

    "Which one?" I asked.

    "Can you play _Harmony_ from _Goodbye Yellow Brick Road_?"

    I actually knew that song.  Thinking about it, I realized
it was a wonderful song for a single piano.  "Sure."

    I sat down at the piano and played the first C-major
seventh chord.

        Hello, baby hello.
        Haven't seen your face for a while.
        Have you quit doing time for me?
        Or are you still the same spoiled child?


    Sherry watched me play the song, and I saw an expression
of amazement on her face.

    The only place where the song seemed lacking to me was
near the end, where I couldn't duplicate the vocal harmonies
from the record.

    "I've always loved that song," Sherry said.  "I've never
heard you play that song before.  I had hoped you knew the
song."

    "Actually, I know the song, but I never played it
before," I admitted.

    "That was your first time playing it?" Sherry asked me,
now shocked.  "It sounded like you've been playing it for
years!"

    I shrugged.  "I picked out the first chord, and it
sounded right.  The other chords just followed.  There are
only two verses to the song and the chorus, and I have sung
along with the record a few times."

    I got up from the piano and started to walk back to the
lunchroom.

    "Wow," was all Sherry could manage.  She followed me to
the lunchroom.  About halfway there, Sherry remarked, "I'm
glad the song was in your range."

    I laughed.  "As I said, I sometimes sing along with the
album.  The words to that entire album are on the cover of
the record, so it's easy to sing along.  Two years ago, Roy
Fennel, the guy from the chorus, taught me how to add
falsetto to my range without making it sound like I'm trying
to sound like a cartoon.  I notice that a lot of British
singers like Paul McCartney and Elton John use that technique
all the time."

    "How did you know the first chord?" Sherry asked.

    I shrugged.  "Beats the hell out of me," I finally
admitted.  "The start of that song was just a chord.  I just
knew instinctively that it was a C-major seventh.  I know
that sort of the same way you can tell that the color of your
shirt is pink."

    Sherry corrected me.  "It's mauve."

    I stopped in the hallway and stared at Sherry.  She
looked at me confused, and then she suddenly understood what
I was talking about.  We both laughed for about a minute.
Luckily, we were just outside the lunchroom.

    There wasn't anybody in the food service line, so we
managed to get our food.  I just got a juice and a small bag
of chips.  Sherry got a slice of pizza.

    Kristen looked at the two of us and smiled.  "I take it
everything went all right."

    Sherry blushed and said, "Yes."

    "So, what gossip did I miss?" I asked, changing the
subject.

* * *

    Kristen picked Merry and me up for the party at five.  We
were going to be part of Kristen's party set-up crew.

    Merry had a curfew of ten o'clock, but I told my mother
that Patty had to be home by eleven and, since I had to stay
at Kristen's until the party officially ended at midnight,
Patty had offered to drop Merry off.

    "There won't be any alcohol, will there?" Mom asked.

    "I told you before.  No. Just cider and soda," I assured
my mother yet again.

    "You didn't mention cider before!"

    "Kristen got a few gallons at a farm stand.  I don't
think it's going to be anything harder than you get at the
grocery."

    My mother considered this and finally relented.  "All
right.  Just make sure that you watch out for your little
sister."

    "All the boys there will have dates.  Merry will be fine."

    "All right."

    The doorbell rang, and the conversation ended.  It was
Kristen.  She had a lovely "Horn o' Plenty" filled with
fruits and nuts, which was wrapped in yellow cellophane.

    "Hello, Mrs. Cummings," Kristen said.  "This is for you.
Happy Halloween!"

    "Oh, Kristen!  That looks huge!" my mother gushed.

    I took the present from Kristen and moved it onto our
dining room table.  It matched my mother's fall pattern
tablecloth, which was apparently Kristen's intention.

    My mother looked at it, and complained, "We didn't get
you anything!"

    "Oh, don't worry about it.  I just wanted to thank you
for allowing Jim and Merry to come to my party!"

    "It's lovely!"

    Merry had come downstairs when she heard the doorbell,
and she gushed over Kristen's present.  "Wow!"

    Neither Merry nor I had our costumes.  Kristen has
promised us that she'd have costumes ready for us when we got
there--they were going to be a surprise.  Kristen kept on
kidding me for weeks about what my costume would be.  At one
point, she said I'd be going as Adam and wearing only a fig
leaf.

    One time when she had said that, I answered, "If I'm
Adam, will you be Eve?  If so, what size fig leaves do they
have in those naughty catalogs that you have?" That remark
earned me a playful smack from Kristen.

    Kristen drove us to her house, and at the gate, I noticed
a large pail hanging nearby underneath a miniature street
lamp.  Kristen looked in it and smiled.  She noticed Merry
and I looking at it as well and she explained, "We fill this
with Hershey bars and Snickers candy.  There are instructions
on the bottom of the pail explaining how to contact the house
when it's empty.  We did this last year.  A couple of kids
got greedy, but not as many as you'd think."

    "Neat," said Merry, who ran out of the car and snagged a
Snickers for herself.

    We drove past the gate and Kristen parked her car in the
garage.

    When Merry and I got to the playroom, we both whistled at
the transformation.

    The entire apartment now sported a Halloween theme with
cobwebs along the ceiling.  The overstuffed chairs were gone,
replaced by some beanbag chairs.  A stereo and some large
speakers were on the side of the room, and there was a stack
of LP records on a record changer.  In the center of the
living room was an open area where people could stand or
dance.

    The redesign of the apartment extended into the bedroom
as well; the bed was completely gone, as was the door that
led to it.  Where the bed had been were some beanbags, a
stereo, and a twenty-one inch television that would be set to
the local station that had promised twelve hours of scary
movies through the night.

    We had told our friends that there would be dancing and
scary movies, and I was quite happy with the alterations,
although I privately wondered where Kristen and I would sleep
that night, after the party.  I didn't worry too much about
it; Kristen seemed to have everything planned perfectly.

    One of the things I realized was that Kristen's redesign
gave people few places to spend alone in private (actually,
only the bathroom).  Kristen had told me that she had hired
some off-duty police officers to work as security guards and
to ensure when people left the apartment, they went home and
didn't wander around the property.

    Kristen's parents had their own party to attend, and were
already gone.  However, they seemed to approve of the
arrangements that Kristen made.

    The three of us had a meal of turkey sandwiches that were
conveniently stored in the refrigerator among cases of soft
drinks like Coke, Pepsi, Tab, Seven-Up, and Dr Pepper.

    In the kitchen was a fountain that had the dark brown
cider bubbling inside it.  There were paper cups around the
fountain, and garbage bins conveniently placed all throughout
the apartment.

    There wasn't much for Merry and I to do; Kristen seemed
to have done a great job in the two days since I had last
been at the apartment.

    Our guests would start arriving between six and seven
o'clock.  Kristen went into the bedroom, fetched out a box,
and handed it to me.  "Merry and I will change in the
bedroom.  You can change in the living room.  Your outfit is
in the box."

    When I opened the box, I smiled.  I knew from my History
class that this was a Roman tunic.  It was brown with sequins
and rhinestones.  There was also a cape that matched the
tunic, and instructions that identified the rest of costume
as being arm guards and leg guards.  There was also a
surprisingly heavy sword (it was very dull--I tested it!),
and a very fancy helmet with a red plume on top.  Inside the
box was also a pair of sandals and a paper bag.

    I put on the outfit and then looked in the paper bag.
There was something hairy that I finally figured out was a
beard and something called "spirit gum" and "spirit gum
remover." There were enough instructions on the spirit gum to
indicate that I used this to fasten the beard to my face.
Since I didn't have a mirror, I didn't put on the beard.

    I look at myself.  The toga fit nicely; it was apparent
that Kristen had the outfit tailored for me, since she knew
all my sizes.

    I put my street clothes into the costume box, closed it,
and then waited for the other two girls to arrive from the
bedroom.

    After a few minutes, I got restless.  It took a lot of
willpower for me to avoid going toward the bedroom, mostly
out of respect for Merry's privacy.  I instead turned to the
stereo and put it on.  I didn't know which record was on the
bottom of the stack, so I switched it to the receiver and
quickly found a station playing "_Monster Mash_."

    I found the beanbag chair relaxing, and was startled when
I heard Kristen's voice.

    "I see Antony has made it."

    I turned and found my beautiful Goddess dressed as
Cleopatra.  Her hair was black (a wig, I later found out),
and she was wearing an opulent headdress made of gold mesh.

    "Is that who I am?" I asked.  "I thought it might be
Julius Caesar."

    "Caesar was Cleopatra's first lover.  Mark Antony was her
favorite."

    "I'll take your word for that.  You look divine!"

    Kristen smiled.  "Thank you!  Didn't you find the beard?"

    I nodded, and pointed to the bag.  "I didn't have a
mirror."

    "Oh, poor baby!" Kristen cooed.  She found the spirit gum
and soon had the beard on my face.  The mustache caused my
nose to itch a bit.

    Kristen admired her work.  "It matches your hair
perfectly!"

    "Great," I said.  I was dying to see myself in the
mirror.  I was very curious about what I would look like in a
beard.

    "I've been dying to try that out," Kristen declared.

    "Try what out?" I asked.

    Without answering, Kristen pulled me into a kiss.  It was
one of her patented erection specials.  We must have kissed
for a couple of minutes before we broke it off.

    Kristen giggled.  "It tickles!"

    I swooned a bit; Kristen always has that effect on me.
"Me, too," I agreed.  "Where is Merry?"

    "She's still getting ready.  The shoes were a bit loose,
but everything else was perfect."

    I smiled.  "I figured that we would have gone as Romeo
and Juliet."

    Kristen shook her head.  "I told people that Romeo and
Juliet were allowed, although they were fictional characters.
I allowed the Greek and Roman gods and goddesses as well,
since they were very real to the people that believed in
them.  I didn't want us to be Romeo and Juliet because their
love is doomed; I don't want to tempt fortune."

    "Oh.  I didn't think of that."

    "You'll probably see a couple of Juliets coming tonight.
A lot of the girls asked."

    "I'll only have eyes for Cleopatra," I promised.

    This earned me another kiss, albeit a brief one as Merry
made her entrance.

    "Ta-da!" Merry announced, doing a little curtsy.  "You
look funny in that beard!"

    Merry was wearing a wig and a blue and white gingham
dress.  She looked like the spitting image of Judy Garland in
the _Wizard of Oz_.  The costume fit Merry very well.

    "I guess we're ready for our guests," I noted.

    "Yup," Kristen agreed.  "Wally?"

    A voice came over the intercom.  "Yes, Miss Swift."

    "Let me know when our guests start to arrive."

    "Will do, Miss."

    "Wally?" I asked.  "What happened to Billy?"

    "We give him a day off every once in a while," Kristen
laughed.

    "Oh." I had been so used to Billy that I had just thought
he was wherever he was twenty-four hours a day.  Of course,
that was absurd.

    All of a sudden, a chant came over the stereo.  "Ouga
Chaka!" Oh, no!  Not that!

    "Ooh," Kristen said.  "They're playing our song!"

    I rolled my eyes.  Most of the band members already were
calling me "Oogie," thanks to Kristen.  The name was starting
to stick, much to my dismay.  I forced a smile and listened
to the song.

    Merry giggled at my discomfort.  Apparently, Kristen had
told Merry about my new nickname and she had used it a couple
of times, always when my parents weren't around.

    The intercom clicked on.  "Miss Swift.  The first of your
guests are starting to arrive."

    Kristen answered, "Thank you, Wally.  Have the security
guys help our guests find places to park."

    "Will do, Miss Swift." The intercom clicked off.

    A minute or so later, Patty arrived, dressed as a cowgirl
with a brown hat and a yellow bandanna.  "Say howdy to
Calamity Jane!"

    I laughed.  "You look more like Wrangler Jane!"

    Patty nodded.  "You're half-right, but F-Troop is
fictional.  Therefore, I'm Calamity Jane.  I knew that Kris
was going to be Cleopatra, and I must say you make a handsome
and hirsute Antony."

    "Hirsute?" I asked, not understanding the word.

    "Hairy," Kristen said, laughing.

    I laughed along with them.  "I think 'hirsute' sounds a
bit nicer.  Thanks, Patty!"

    "And Dorothy looks divine!" Patty added.

    "Thank you, Miss Jane," Merry answered, doing another
curtsy.  "I need a Toto!"

    Camille arrived with a boyfriend, who she introduced as
Joe.  She was dressed as Charlie Chaplin, and Joe was in a
dark outfit.  Camille had to tell us that he was Jack the
Ripper, which I thought was a great idea for a non-fictional
character.

    Camille also brought Sherry with her, who was dressed as
a vampire.  "I'm Vampira, the actress from the movies,"
Sherry explained.  "My mom already bought this outfit for me
and Kristen said that Vampira would be allowed, since she's a
real person."

    I sized up Joe.  He was a tall person and didn't look
like a football player or any other kind of jock for that
matter.  "Hi, Joe.  I'm Jim."

    "I was told to call you Oogie," said Joe, smiling.

    I must have looked very distressed because Camille said,
"Oh, come on, Oogie!  I told Joe the story of your present
for Kristen and he thought it was cute."

    Joe nodded.  "I really wish I had the talent you have
with music.  I just strum a guitar myself."

    "The guitar and the violin family are instruments I never
got the hang of, myself," I explained.

    I told our guests where the soda and cider were located,
and Kristen added that we had chips, candy, and other things
in the kitchen as well.

    More of our guests started arriving.  Wendy arrived
wearing a blonde wig.  I didn't need any guesses to know her
character: Marilyn Monroe!

    Kristen had started the record player, and people were
helping themselves to sodas.  Merry had the television in the
bedroom turned to the scary movie marathon, and a few of our
guests were watching with her.

    I found myself absorbed by the synthesizers on Elton
John's "_Funeral for a Friend_," which I knew to be the first
track on the "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" LP.

    Jackie Lombardi knocked me from my reverie.

    "Hello, Oogie!" Jackie said.

    Damn!  Now the cheerleaders were calling me that!

    "Hi, Jackie," I said, suppressing a groan.

    Jackie and her date were dressed as Romeo and Juliet.

    A few more cheerleaders arrived as well, some with dates.
Kristen had been correct: Romeo and Juliet proved to be a
popular theme.

    Patrice and Jack arrived, and I greeted them both.
Patrice was dressed as Pocahontas, and Jack was dressed as
Charlie Chaplin.  I recognized the girl that he was with as
Doreen, the friend of Marla's that the two of us had met at
the park.  I was amazed and happy that Doreen and Jack were
still together.  Doreen was dressed as a flapper from the
1920s, and told me that she was Paulette Goddard, Chaplin's
co-star from Modern Times.  She looked very nice, actually.

    A few minutes later, I was listening to "_Benny and the
Jets_," one of my favorites from that Elton John album when
Sherry accosted me.

    "I knew Elton John was your favorite.  Can you play this
song?"

    "I never really tried," I admitted.  "I don't have the
vocal range that he has.  '_Goodbye Yellow Brick Road_' is
quite easy, though.  And you know that I can play
'_Harmony_.'"

    The two of us listened to the song as I sipped a Coke
that Kristen had thoughtfully provided from the kitchen.

    "I can imagine a guy on stage dressed in a mohair suit,"
Sherry giggled.

    "Don't forget the electric boots!" I laughed.  "It would
have been a great costume... me going as Elton John!"

    Camille overheard me and laughed as well.

    "I see there's another Chaplin at the party," I informed
Camille.

    Camille shrugged.  "I'm the only girl doing him, though."

    Later on in the party, I met Camille alone in the
kitchen.  There were many other cheerleaders milling about,
and there wasn't any place for the two of us to be alone;
Kristen had seen to it that the party at her house wasn't
going to become an excuse for a high school orgy.
Unfortunately, that meant that I wouldn't be able to find out
what Camille and the cheerleaders had in mind for Sherry and
Jackie the next day.

    Despite this, Camille looked at me and said, quietly,
"Don't be worried, Jim.  Tomorrow's initiation may not be as
tame as this party, but we won't get out of hand."

    I smiled at Camille.  "Thank you," I said, still wishing
I could know more about that initiation.

    I managed to find Jack and Doreen, and got to spend some
time with them.  The two of them had gone on a single date,
and mostly just met at the park, which was getting chillier
as winter was approaching.

    Doreen left for the bathroom, and Jack finally said,
"What did you do to my sister?"

    "What do you mean?"

    Jack wasn't buying it.  "She used to call me a dork--you,
too!  Now she's changed, and you had something to do with it."

    "I just spoke to her," I said, trying to avoid a conflict.

    "Listen," Jack said.  "I'm not pissed off or anything,
but she's really changed.  Even my mother noticed it.
Kristen's changed, too.  I saw her a couple of times at my
house, and she'd have nothing to do with me.  Now she's
dating you."

    "Kristen fell in love with me before I fell in love with
her," I pointed out to Jack.

    Jack shrugged.  "And they call you Oogie?"

    I cringed.  That name was really starting to get around.
"From something I did for Kristen the first day of school."

    Jack nodded.  "I heard about the band and the chorus.  I
thought you were nuts when I heard about it.  But since I've
been with Doreen..."

    I smiled at Jack knowingly.  "See, people change.  I did,
your sister did, and Kristen did.  Even you changed."

    "I guess," Jack said, not entirely convinced.  "This
place is really neat.  Does Kristen live here?"

    "She lives in the main house," I answered.  "This is just
like an apartment that she calls her playroom."

    "Wow.  I'd love to see it, sometime."

    "Just let me know," Kristen answered, having arrived and
overhearing Jack.  "Any friend of Jim's is welcome here."

    "Cool."

    "But it's not always set up for parties," I pointed out
to Jack.  "This is usually just a real apartment.  This room,
for example, usually has a bed in it."

    "Wow!  A playroom with a bedroom?" Jack said.

    "You've got to see it," Kristen said.  "This will be back
to normal on Sunday.  Do you think you and your sister can
make it over?"

    "Shit, yes!" Jack said.  He then realized his mistake and
said, "Sorry, I mean, of course."

    Kristen laughed.  "No offense was taken, Jack."

    Doreen came back and I introduced her to Kristen.

    "Jim tells me you have a cousin named Marla," Kristen
said.

    "Yes," Doreen said.  "She visited from California a
couple of months ago.  We met Jim and Jack back then."

    Kristen nodded.  "Jim told me about her."

    Doreen looked at me.  "Marla thought that she had a thing
for Jim.  I mean--no offense--she thought he was cute."

    "I think he's cute, too," Kristen said, no trace of
jealousy in her voice.

    There was a bit of an awkward moment, which I relieved by
saying, "We've invited Jack and his sister over on Sunday.
Do you think your mother would allow you to come as well?"

    Doreen looked at Jack, and then at Kristen.  "I'd have to
ask her.  I'll let Jack know tomorrow.  He can call you."

    "No need for an appointment, Doreen," Kristen said.  "If
you can make it, just have Patrice pick you up on her way."

    Patrice wandered over.  "Me pick who up?"

    I said, "Kristen invited you and Jack over on Sunday.
She also invited Doreen, if her mother lets her come."

    "Oh, I can pick her up," Patrice said with a grin.  "I
know where she lives and it's not out of the way."

    Doreen looked at Patrice.  "If it's no trouble..."

    "No trouble whatever," Patrice said.

    Jack gave me a "this is what I meant" look, referring to
Patrice's newly found hospitality.  I just smiled in return.

    Patty, Sherry, and Merry left just before eleven o'clock,
followed soon afterward by Patrice, Jack, and Doreen.  The
party started to wind down a half hour later.  Most of the
people had already left, leaving Camille, her boyfriend Joe,
Kristen and myself.

    "Do you need help cleaning up?" asked Camille.

    "No. I'll do it in the morning."

    Joe excused himself to use the bathroom.

    "I guess you want more information on the initiation,"
Camille said.

    "Not really," Kristen said.  "I trust you."

    "I was talking to Jim.  I assured him that we don't do
any kind of hazing or torturing.  Mostly, we embarrass the
girls; their boyfriends, too."

    "Embarrass?" I asked.

    "There's nudity, but no sex.  It'll be good clean fun,
like Kristen's pool parties."

    "I just don't want Sherry to get hurt," I said.

    "Neither do I," said Camille.  "My cousin will be there,
also."

    I nodded, and then I thought of something.  "If you
consider nudity to be tame, what are you doing to the senior
rookies?"

    Camille grinned.  "I can't tell you that.  However, I can
tell you that it's a bit more risquÈ!"

    I turned to Kristen.  "You have no problem with me doing
this?"

    "None whatsoever," Kristen said, turning to our friend.
"I think we owe Camille big time, and if she assures me that
it's just harmless fun, then I'm willing to trust her."

    I couldn't argue with Kristen's words.

    Joe came out of the bathroom.

    "Well, it looks like it's time for me to leave," Camille
said.  "Thanks for having us."

    "Yeah," added Joe.  "You have one sharp place here."

    Camille grinned.  "I heard that Donny had a keg of
Budweiser in the trunk of his car.  Alice told me that he
turned white as a ghost when he saw policemen showing him
where to park."

    "Donny?  Alice?" I asked, not being good with names.

    Camille frowned.  "Alice is the ditsy blonde--she gives
cheerleaders a bad name.  I'm still not sure how she got
through the tryouts.  Donny is the linebacker she was with."

    I nodded, remembering the burly guy and the girl that was
with him.  I saw him whispering around to others around
eleven o'clock.

    Joe added, "Yeah, Donny was inviting everybody for a
kegger at Lake Shore Point after they left here."

    Camille shrugged.  "Good.  At least we kept this party
legal."

    Kristen said, "That was the one thing my parents insisted
on.  I suggested hiring the off-duty policemen and they
thought it was a wonderful idea."

    Camille smiled.  "Well, we have to go.  I guess Lake
Shore Point is not the place for us, Joe."

    Kristen smiled.  "How about Kneely Park?"

    Camille brightened considerably.  "Yeah.  That's an idea.
Thanks, Kris!"

    The two of them started to leave.  I could hear Joe ask,
"Kneely Park?  Isn't that closed this time of year?"

    We shut off the television in the bedroom and the stereo
in the living room.  There were a few cans of sodas and some
paper plates with chips and candy on them around as well,
which we pitched into the garbage bins.

    Kristen got a tiny purse from the closet in the bedroom
and the two of us left the playroom.

    At the driveway, there was an off-duty police officer.
He whistled as he saw Kristen.  "Cleopatra.  I know I didn't
see you before." He whistled appreciatively.

    "I'm Kristen Swift," Kristen said.  "I live here."

    "Oh, my!  I didn't recognize you in your outfit!  I'm
sorry!"

    "No need to apologize," Kristen smiled.  "Where's your
partner?"

    "He left a minute ago to the main house.  Call of nature."

    Kristen pulled out an envelope and handed it to the
officer.  "I've added a hundred dollar bonus."

    The man took the envelope and didn't look inside.  "Thank
you very much, Miss Swift."

    "Kristen," my girlfriend corrected.

    "Thank you, Kristen."

    The police officer's partner joined us a moment later.
Kristen introduced herself and handed him another envelope.
They waved good-bye as they left to go home.

--
jimc_author@hotmail.com

JiMC is only a pseudonym.  Respect my privacy and I'll respect yours.

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