Out of the frying pan, into the fire...

Chapter 4
What's the Interest on Borrowed Time?

By Jesse Rabbit

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Thank you all for your comments, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Its slightly stronger than those before, but only a little teasing.

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You know... In retrospect, running from Missus Andrews was probably not the best idea I ever had, but in my own defense, I wasn't really thinking. If I had taken the time to think things through I would have remembered that I had a pass and let her scold me for not getting to class post-haste. But NOOOO! I had to run. So I did.

Have you ever tried to figure out who is in control of your feet when you are running in a dead panic? 'Cause I certainly isn't your brain, 'cause if it was, my brain would never have steered me to the gym block. I mean, two huge wide open rooms - one of which is half full of water - four tennis courts, one aerobics room full of girls in leotards, one weight room full of sweaty grunting boys, and two locker rooms... what was I thinking!

As I skidded round the corner towards the locker rooms I thought for a few fleeting seconds about using my five minutes, but threw that idea out 'cause the boy me didn't have a pass and Missus Andrews would most likely drag me off to the office to give me detention and lecture me for a while. That would certainly take more than five minutes and while I was shocked when it happened to me, I think Missus Andrews would probably mega-freak.

I was running flat out, my heart doing the cha-cha in my chest, my breath too damn loud, trying to figure out if I dared run into one of the locker-rooms, and - if I did dare - which one. If I ran into the girls' room she could follow me and would think that's where I'd gone anyway, and I'd never been in the girls' locker room. If I went into the boys' room I'd know the layout, she'd think I'd never run in there cause I'm a girl, but on the other hand, I'd be a girl in the boys' locker room.

I was just about to run into the boys' room when a pair of strong arms - one black and one freckled - shot out of a door I hadn't noticed and grabbed me. The next thing I knew I was lifted into the air and hustled into the room. I heard the down click behind me, ominously or so it seemed, me having just been kidnapped by forces unknown. When I had caught my breath, eased the throbbing pain in my chest, and had a chance to look around, I realized where I was.

The posters of sports stars past and present, the soft couches and chairs, the small fridge for drinks and lunches and snakes, the condom dispenser, and the wall of awards kinda gave it away. The fact that I recognized my captors / rescuers helped clinch it in my mind. I was in Sports Heaven, the unofficial name for the Athlete's lounge. Since they played sports for the school they were exempted from gym class and so they had a free period to do whatever, either study or just relax. And all without teachers to bother them. I'd heard of this room - off limts to all but the athletes themselves - , but had never seen it. In fact, I hadn't even known where it was. My rescuers were of course the Primo Trio: Jim Golwar, Davis Hastings, and Tyrone Bigs-Major.

They were smiling at me, giving me that smug, self-satisfied "I just rescued the princess" look. Davis spoke first, "Ah, fair maiden! We meet once more!" I'm not kidding! He must doing Ivanhoe in lit class or something. He continued, "Did these louts harm or give thee a fright when they didst... owww!"

The oww was cause Jim had just smacked him on the back of the head, saying as he did so, "Hey Butt-munch, knock off the book talk."

He, Jim, turned to me and said, "Sorry bout Davis, Missy, it's only that he's stupid and a butt-munch. I'm Jim, Jim Golwar. These are my mates, Davis 'the butt-munch' Hastings... owww!" - the oww being for much the same reason as before - "and Tyrone Big-Mouth... Ha Missed me! Owww!"

I'll leave it to your imagination who hit, missed, and whatever. Once the scuffling subsided they turned back towards me, looking remarkably like those three hyenas in The Lion King. (Oh damn! I just remembered that we - my family and Karen - are going to New York tonight to see Terminator, the Musical. I already have the Original cast recording, its soo great! I mean, when the Terminator sings Metal Man Mayhem, its so funny. Damn! I gotta get home quick and find out how to reverse this, cause my parents will definitely notice that I'm a girl on the trip to NYC.)

While these thoughts were racing through my mind I missed whatever the boys were saying, and had to go "Huh?" like an airhead. They cracked up, and Tyrone gave me a squeeze.

"She's great! We gotta keep'er. What do you say, boys?" The other two nodded and Tyrone looked down at me. "What'dya say, Missy? Wanna be our mascot?"

I, proving that I was, in point of fact, a certified super-genius, went "huh?" again, which of course caused the boys to crack up once more. I think they must have been too loud cause the faculty buzzer went buzz and they all went dead silent.

Jim went over to the door and pressed the I-com swtich. "Yes?"

The I-com replied "This is VP Andrews, please open the door" She must have had a key, but I learned latter that the faculty always respected the students' privacy and asked for permission, unless it was an emergency.

When I heard her voice I must have cringed and really obviously, 'cause Tyrone, who was already looking down on me, tucked in between his arm and his side as I was, whispered "Is she who you was runnin' from, little missy?" I nodded and he grinned. "No worries kiddo." And with that he rolled with me over the back of the chair and into what clearly was a semi-hidden make out area / nap spot.

And just in time too, cause Jim was opening the door, and saying "Yes, Missus Andrews? Sorry if we were too loud."

"Sorry to disturb you boys, and no, it's okay. There aren't any classrooms on this hall. No, I'm looking for a girl, she ran this way, but she's not in the gym, the pool, or the girls' locker room. I was hoping I could get one of you to check the boys' room for me, just in case."

Jim said something that I couldn't quite hear as he was most likely facing away from me and there was a couch in the way and Tyrone was lying on top of me, my face tucked into his neck. He whispered into my ear "Just stay calm, Jim and Davy won't give you up. They aren't narcs."

Missus Andrews replied "No, Coach McMillian is out on the track and Coach Nichols is in the pool and there's no other lifeguard." After a second of Jim saying something else I couldn't hear, Missus Andrews said "Thank you, Jim." Then there was silence for about a minute until she spoke again.

In that time though I got familiar with Tyrone's neck and chest, cause I couldn't move and was getting really stiff and he was heavy and warm on top of me. He's really... um... hard... you know his arms and chest are really firm cause he's so athletic. He also smelled of irish spring soap and - very faintly - pizza.

Missus Andrews said, "So Davis, is it just you and Jim in here?"

Davis was sitting just on the other side of the couch so I could here what he said "No Ma'am. Ty is sleeping in the back."

Missus Andrews laughed "Sleeping? Or does he have a girl back there with him?"

I must have twitched violently at that cause Tyrone held me closer to him and whispered "Chill, chill, little lady. It's okay, we're allowed to, so she's just teasing."

Davis replied in a mock offended manner "Why, Missus Andrews! Are you prying into a student's private life? You naughty wicked thing, you."

And they both laughed. I just shuddered realizing that Tyrone had probably had more than one... adventure... in this very room. I think I blushed, but for whatever reason it began to get really warm there, underneath Tyrone. I wished Jim would hurry up and not find me in the boys' locker room, but it seemed like he was taking forever. For the longest time the only sound I could hear was Tyrone breathing hotly in my ear.

Finally Jim came back, "Sorry, Ma'am, no girl in the boys' room. What did she do?"

"I don't know. I think it was one of the sixth graders. She was skipping class in the arboretum and just took off running when I came in. I just wanted to know what was wrong, I hope she's okay. She looked really scared."

"Aww, you know fish, ma'am. She probably heard from one of the older kids that you dip kids that skip in hot chocolate and eat them whole." Everyone laughed, even Tyrone, but he did so very quietly, right in my ear.

"Well, thank you, Jim, sorry to interrupt your 'studying'."

"Bye, Missus Andrews," Jim and Davis chorused, wildly off key and out of sync, and with that the door closed.

There was a rustling and Jim and Davis peered over the back of the couch. "Aww man! Ty already snogged her!" Jim said in mock disappointment and outrage.

I know I blushed at that and started to squirm, trying to get out from under Tyrone who was now pretending to snore and being totally limp. "He did what?!" I squeaked.

All three started laughing and the other two leaned down and grabbed one leg and one arm as Tyrone rolled off of me. They hoisted me back over the back of the couch and I landed, upside down with my legs over Jim's shoulders and my head facing the door. "Well, then, Missy? Gonna take us up on our offer?" asked Davy from somewhere off to my right.

"Huh?" I whined, terribly disorriented and confused. I squirmed, trying to get upright and accidentally kneed Jim in the head. He grunted and laughing softly, began to tickle me. I squealed and thrashed, eventually landing on the carpet and panting. "Wh-what are you guys talking about?" I finally managed to gasp out.

"We want you to be our mascot. You're cute, and we bet you'd look great in a cheerleader outfit," Tyrone said, popping up from behind the couch. "We always pick the cutest 6th grader for it, and Mandy just moved away."

Jim nodded and took over. "Mandy was our old mascot for the first part of the year, but if we'd seen you before we would have asked you, not her. You're cuter, and..."

Davis continued "And you are more athletic. You can really run, kiddo."

"So what do you say?" finished Tyrone, "Will you do it?"

I was floored, I'm sure that this was a real honor--in theory, but I wasn't a girl, well, I was but not really; I didn't go to this school, or any other for that matter, as a girl, and I wasn't even in 6th grade. That was the answer! "Ummm... I can't. I'm not a 6th grader, I'm an 8th grader, like you guys."

They blinked and Jim laughed as if I had made a joke, Davis went "Whoa!" while Tyrone peered closer at me and tilted his head a little to the left.

"No! Really!" I protested.

They shrugged. "It's okay, no rule that says the mascot has to be a sixer. We took a vote and we picked you. So?"

I started to shake my head, but they looked so disappointed that for no reason I could figure out, I nodded. They cheered and high-fived each other. "Umm....?" I started, but cut off as they group hugged me, squeezing so tight that I was afraid that my head would pop off and my eyes fire out of my head and into the wall. When they let me go I gasped for air for a second and then managed to get out "What exactly does a mascot do?"

They smiled and told me. It turns out that a mascot is a personal cheerleader, one who bounces and yells and cheers and gives her athletes kisses and hugs when they do well and acts as a watch dog for their stuff and brings them drinks. They said that it's a really important position and that Mascots got to use the lounge and got excused from gym class. They asked if I would mind doing all that, which I would, but I figured that since I was never coming back to school as a girl it really didn't matter, so I just shook my head and said that was okay. They smiled back and told me that they would arrange for my fitting for my outfit tomorrow or Wednesday and that they would get the forms I would need to fill out from Miss Vasquez, the cheerleader sponsor.

I said, "Don't I need to try out for a spot on the cheerleading squad?" but they shook their heads and Jim said "Nope, Mascots are picked by the athletes, and only Stars like us."

"Oh, okay." I said.

"Just one thing," said Tyrone, coming over and lifting me up and placing me on the couch. He sat down right next to me and wrapped his arm back around me.

"Umm? Yah?" I asked intelligently.

"What's your name, cutie-pie?"

Cutie-pie? Oh god...he called me cutie-pie--I could just curl up and die. I blushed furiously as I replied "E...Elayne Grace." Thank Dog I remembered the name I had used before. If I had to have two identities I was going to need to keep them straight.

"Hello, Elayne!" the boys chorused together, sounding even worse now that all three were involved.

So that was that. We spent the last five minutes of the period sitting on the couch with me tucked right up against Tyrone, and Jim and Davis smiling at me. When the bell rang they got up, Jim handing me my bag, and Davis patted me on the butt "See you tomorrow Elayne?"

I nodded and walked toward the door, already trying to figure out where I could hide for the last two periods, when Tyrone swept me up into his arms and kissed me, soundly, on the lips. I was sooooo stunned that I just hung there. But it got worse, cause when he set me down Jim kissed me and then Davis kissed me. And then they were guiding me out of the lounge, locking the door and sauntering off as the hall filled with students. AAAAAAAAAH!!!! They kissed ME! EEEEEEEEWWWWW! I dashed for the locker-room, without thinking. The boys' locker room as it turned out.

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To be continued in part 5 - A Chicken in the Fox House.

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Elan, his family, friends, and Story are copyright 2002 Jesse Rabbit. Feel free to distribute as long as you do it for free. Anyone who wants to adapt this into any other medium (Like a movie, hint hint) should leave me a comment with an email addy. :P Thanks and enjoy.