Girl Park Prom

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Girl Park Prom
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2020 Melanie Brown

Steve thought he was going to play a war game, but fell in love instead..

 


 

“Hey, Steve. Can you see what might be wrong with this module I got for my birthday?” asked my sixteen year old sister. She was holding the new module for the BrainBox 4000, from Girl Park. It gives the user an infinite variety of prom date experiences using Girl Park code with the BrainBox hardware.

I took the pink plastic module from her hand. “What’s wrong with, Short stuff?” Okay, her name was Sarah, but I called her Short stuff. Because… well because she’s short.

She frowned. “The main problem is that it won’t let you break out of the game until it ends. It’s not supposed to do that.”

She’s right. Only bootleg games have the issue of not letting you exit early, forcing the user to play until the clock runs out. The BrainBox has a built-in safety feature that forces the game down after thirty minutes of real world runtime. Commercial games, especially ones aimed at kids let you exit at any time.

I rolled the module over in my hand. “That’s weird. It must be glitched somehow. You didn’t drop this one in the toilet did you?”

She shook her head. “Don’t be stupid. Of course not. Besides, I only did that once and then Dad took the module away.” She had a module that let you dress up virtual dolls that she dropped in the toilet. That glitched the module unlocking a developer feature where the dolls became prostitutes.

I handed the module back to her. “Well, I don’t know. The contacts look okay. You must have had some static electricity and it blew a circuit. They’re supposed to have protection against that. You should have Mom take you to return it.

Sulking, she said, “I bet she won’t. She didn’t like Aunt Donna getting it for me.”

I put the module in an empty space on the bookshelf near the entertainment system. “Well, if this thing is corrupted, I don’t want you putting in my system. Ask Mom anyway. You don’t want to wait until the warranty expires.”

Shortstuff frowned again. “Why don’t you do it? The store is still open.”

I shook my head at her. “Two reasons, Short stuff. One, we don’t have the receipt. Mom will have to get it from Aunt Donna. And two, I’m about to join an America at War marathon. Several of my buds and I are going in as a team.” My best friend Tim and I really rip this game up. Several times we’ve been undefeated.

Short stuff grunted. “You and your stupid war games.” She sat on the carpet in front of the TV.

I popped the game module into the slot for brick one and flipped the setting switches to the parameters I needed to play and hit the power button. The game powered up with a hum and several status lights came on.

“Oh shit!” I said as I stood up. “I need a bottle of water.” I didn’t say it to anyone in particular. You tend to perspire a lot during game play and it’s best to have some water handy when you come out of the game environment.

Short stuff looked at me funny, then over to the book shelf as I stood up to go to the kitchen for a water bottle. We always kept several in the fridge. A sport drink with a lot of electrolytes is preferred, but water is always good.

When I came back, I didn’t think anything about Short stuff having her back to my chair as she was watching some goofy TV show. I plopped down in my chair and put the headset on. I immediately synced to it and the blackest black you can imagine filled my view. And then, in bright, neon pink, the words Girl Park Prom formed before my eyes. What the hell?

The screen status showed:
Game Type: Single Player – Complete immersion –Locked
Rating: PG-13 - Locked
Mission: Get a prom date! – Locked
Duration: Until prom ends or 30 minutes objective time
Gender: Female – Locked
Character Age: 17 - Locked
Early Exit: Disabled – Locked
Menu: Disabled – Locked

Just what the fucking hell? That stinking little brat Short stuff changed modules on me while I was in the kitchen! She’d better be running to the next county when this game ends.

I tried, but the glitch in the game prevented me from early exit. At least it’s not a network game.

In pink letters, the game greeted me with Welcome Stephanie. Great. My BrainBox is set to recognize my face and it decided to feminize my name.

Stephanie… You are a cheerleader at Nicolas Coppola High School. Prom is a week away and you don’t have a date! Will the hunky football captain Tim ask you? He’s had his eye on you! Or will it be Stu, your lab partner? Or someone else?! Let’s find out!

The BrainBox can sniff out data from your brain to use in-game. Tim is my best friend, but hardly the captain of the football team. Stu actually is my lab partner in science class. He’s smart, but he’s told me he has trouble with girls.

My vision went suddenly black. There was a pause and then I was holding a lunch tray in the school cafeteria. A girl sitting with a few others waved towards me. “Steph! Over here!”

I smiled at her and started to walk over to her. She was my best friend Sandy. She was sitting with Nichole, Mindy and Kat. I felt my long, blonde hair against my neck and the bounce of my hoop earrings. I set my tray down.

“Hey guys!” I grinned. “What’s going on today? Haven’t seen any of you today.” I sat down next to Sandy. None of these four girls were created. They were all girls I remembered from high school. Except for Sandy, who works at the game store, I haven’t seen any of these other girls since graduation.

Mindy giggled. “Nichole has some big news. Tell her Nikki.”

I took a bite of my salad. “Big news?”

Nikki giggled. “Carter Wilson just asked me to the prom! I was shocked. I didn’t even think he knew who I was.”

“That’s the track star? Oh wow. He’s a hunk and a half!” I giggled. He was smart, athletic, and really cute. “You’re so lucky, Nikki!”

Sandy grinned. “You already know about Mindy and Kat. What about you, Steph? Your boyfriend Tim hasn’t asked you yet? What’s he waiting for?”

I sighed. “I wish I knew. Maybe he’ll ask on our date tonight. I’ve already turned down four other guys. One was Clarke Greenwood. Tim better ask me soon, or I might go with who asks me next.”

Kat looked wide-eyed at me. “You turned down Clarke? He’s gorgeous. You should have just accepted.”

I pouted. “I have to give Tim a chance. I mean, we’re dating!”

Mindy just shook her head. “Maybe that’s it. He’s assuming he doesn’t have to ask.”

I sighed. “Well, he’d better ask. We ordered my dress two weeks ago. Dad was not happy about what he had to pay. So I have to go, whether Tim asks me or not.”

Nikki took a bite of her lunch. “Well, there’s always Stu if Tim is dumb enough not to ask you. You dated him, didn’t you?”

I nodded. “Stu’s cute. And he’s nice. I just had my heart set on Tim. And Stu hasn’t asked me either.”

“You might have to ask a boy to take you to prom!” laughed Sandy.

“No!” I exclaimed. “They have to ask me!”

Sandy wrinkled her brow at me. “You got something caught in your teeth, girl.”

I frowned and pulled my compact from my purse and opened it to use the mirror. Holy shit! I was jarred momentarily from the reality of the game. I was smokin’ hot. I’d date me in a heartbeat. What the hell’s wrong with Tim? I took my eyes off my face long enough to remove the piece of salad stuck in my teeth. I have to say, I was more than annoyed with Tim. He’s my best friend… well Sandy is my best friend now, but in reality Tim is. Funny how I never realized just how cute he was.

Sandy started to get up. “I guess we better get to class. I’ll talk to y’all later.”

As I stood up, I felt my legs and panties stick to the hard plastic seat as my skirt didn’t cover my bottom. Well, that’s an issue I’ve never had before. I grabbed my bag and hurried off to my next class.

As I hurried down the crowded hallway, I saw Stu kneeling down at his locker, exchanging his morning books for his afternoon books. He’s cute, but he’s such a dork. I walked up to him.

“Hey, Stu. How’s it going?” I asked.

I must have surprised him. He looked up at me and closed his locker on his fingers. He wiggled them in the air a moment before giving me a nervous grin. “Oh, hey Stephanie. What class do you have next?”

I sighed. “Algebra.” I hate algebra in real life.

Stu stood up. “Watson’s class?” I nodded. “I’ve got Pre-Calc just down the hall. Mind if I walk with you?”

I smiled at him. “No. Not at all.” I’m not surprised Stu is taking Pre-Calc. He’s always been a brain. I guess that goes with being a geek.

Stu grinned wryly at me. “Yeah, Watson’s tough. But you learn a lot in his class.”

I looked over at Stu and frowned. “I don’t want to learn a lot about algebra. I just want to get through it.”

Stu shrugged. “I could help you if you want. I could come over and tutor.”

I shook my head. “I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

Stu laughed. “Sure you could. I just volunteered. Math really isn’t all that hard.”

I laughed. “Yeah, for you!”

Stu waved his hand dismissively. “You just have to know the ticks. The nice thing about math, unlike other classes is that it always works out and you can just reverse it to check your answer. Are you busy Monday?”

I looked shyly at the floor. “No. I guess not.”

Stu’s face lit up. “Is it okay if I come over Monday night to tutor you? Around seven?”

I nodded. “That’d be great. I have to admit I could use the help.”

We stopped in front of Mr. Watson’s class. “Cool! I’ll see you then.”

He turned and headed off to his class, leaving me standing in front of Mr. Watson’s door. I sighed and walked inside.

As I sat in each class, I marveled at how immersive this game was. And frustrated there was no way to fast forward. I had to sit through every class. The only one I really didn’t mind was interestingly the last class. English. The teacher was Lawrence Bradley. I had him for English when I was in high school. At the time, I didn’t realize just how gorgeous he was. He was young. He was hot and like I said, just gorgeous. I couldn’t believe how gooey inside I got listening to him talk. I felt that he could read the phone book and I’d still hang on his every word. I looked around the class and apparently I wasn’t the only girl who had these feelings.

School was finally over. As I walked out the main doors towards the parking lot, I heard someone shout my name.

“Hey Stephanie! Wait up a second.”

I looked up. It was Clarke Greenwood. He is so hot! There are so many hot boys at this school.

I smiled shyly at him. “Hi Clarke.”

Clarke came up and put his arm around my waist. “Hey babe. I was curious if I could give you a ride home.”

That would be sweet, I thought. Clarke’s dad just bought him a new Shelby Mustang Cobra. But then, I’d ride in anything with Clarke. If I wasn’t already dating Tim, I’d try to date Clarke.

I sighed. “I’d love to, Clarke. But look over there. My mom is here to pick me up.”

He frowned slightly then gave me a quick hug. “Maybe next time.” He turned and waved at someone. “Hey Jenny!”

I sighed again and started walking towards my mom’s car. After a couple of minutes of walking, I opened the door to her car and climbed inside.

Mom smiled at me. “Hey honey! How was your day?”

I shrugged. “It was okay. I hate algebra.”

Mom laughed. “Yeah. I know. Did Tim ask you to prom?”

I folded my arm across my chest and frowned. “No. I don’t get it. He’s my boyfriend. He should have asked already!”

Mom drove her car out of the parking lot. “Maybe he’s waiting for tonight. You two have a date, right?”

I nodded. “He picks me up at seven. I should probably start getting ready as soon as we get home.” I stuck in my earbuds, leaned back and closed my eyes as I listened to my tunes.

As soon as he arrived at our house, I ran to my room. I tossed my book bag on top of my bed. I felt so relieved that the weekend was finally here! Prom was next Saturday! Now if I can only get Tim to ask me!

I walked over to my dresser and looked at myself in the mirror. I leaned in close to check my make-up. I tilted my head from side to side to let my hair fall in different ways across my shoulders. I then just shook my head in amazement. This might sound narcissistic, but oh my God! I’m so pretty!

On an impulse, I pulled my shirt over my head and stared at my tits nestled in my bra. I grinned as I wiggled to watch my boobs bounce around. I reached behind me and struggled for about a minute trying to unhook my bra. I finally got it off. I just hope I can figure out how to put it back on again. I tossed the bra onto my bed.

I was in awe looking at my tits. It took me a moment before I dared to touch them. Oh! The sensation when I ran my hand over my own breasts. I poked and squeezed and cupped them. Give me a break! You’d do the same thing in my place! Tits are amazing. I don’t want to ever give them up now. I started running my fingers in circles around my nipples. I felt the nipple start to grow hard and stand erect. I groaned from the pleasure I felt. Holy shit! This is fucking awesome!

I couldn’t wait for Tim to fondle my breasts. To maybe lick them. Does that fall under PG-13? I almost felt faint at the thought of Tim having one of my breasts in his mouth.

I had another thought. Do I dare? Should I? I looked at the very pretty girl staring at me in the mirror. Well damnation, it’s my body! Who as a better right?

I pulled my panties down and they fell to my ankles. I looked in the mirror. I couldn’t see crap! I could only see down to my waist in the mirror. I dragged a chair in front of the mirror and stepped up. It was now almost too high. But I could now see between my legs. And there it was. The golden chalice, the pinnacle of female existence, the cradle of all mankind… my pussy in all its glory.

I gazed in awe at my furry mound. I had always felt that my penis was the ultimate symbol of strength and power. But my pussy could command cocks big and small.

Okay, I’m getting overly melodramatic.

Let’s just face it. I’m a girl and I love it.

Didn’t I used to be a boy? Crazy talk. I can’t even imagine having a penis and itchy balls. The thought disgusted me.

I reached down to feel my vagina. What the hell? When my fingers got close, it became obvious that my vagina was pixilated. I ran my finger across it and not only could not feel my clitoris, but there was no slit at all. I threw up my arms in frustration. PG-13. Well one thing’s for sure. Tim won’t be stealing my virginity on prom night.

My cell phone ringing surprised me and I almost fell off the chair. I quickly stepped down from the chair to rush to my phone. The caller ID said “Timmy”. I call Tim Timmy. I think it’s cute.

I answered the call. “Timmy! Hey babe! What’s up?”

He hesitated for a second. “Not much. I was calling about tonight.”

I lay back on my bed. Naked. It felt glorious. “I was just getting ready for our date.”

Tim’s voice sounded a bit strained. “That’s what I’m calling about. I’m going to have to cancel. Something’s come up.”

I sat up on my bed. “What could be more important than our date?”

Tim hesitated a second. “It’s my aunt. My mother’s sister. She’s in town.”

I frowned at the phone. “So?”

Tim sighed. “So my mom wants me to come with them. They’re going to dinner at Gladstone’s.” That’s the big fancy restaurant in town. Tim has promised to take me there for a date, but he has yet to do so. “You understand, right?”

I slapped my fist onto my bed. “Yeah. I guess so.”

Sounding relieved, Tim said, “Thanks, babe. I need to go. I’ll see you Monday at school.”

Fighting back some tears which was stupid. It’s just a date, right? I asked, “Hey. What about Saturday night?”

“Sorry, babe. I’m tied up tomorrow night as well. Listen, I gotta run. See ya.” He dropped connection.

“Well that certainly sucks!” I shouted to nobody in particular. I was so looking forward to our date. I loved being kissed by my Timmy.

Still sitting naked on my bed, I punched the button to call Sandy, my best friend.

“Hey girlfriend!” came the cheerful voice of Sandy over the phone. “What’s up? Did Tim finally ask you to prom?”

I cried into the phone, “No. No he didn’t. Not only that, but he canceled our date tonight. He had a pretty lame excuse too. Something about his aunt being in town.”

Sandy sounded incredulous. “Seriously? He’d rather be with his aunt than you?”

I frowned into the phone. “That’s what I thought too. That’s ridiculous.”

Sandy said, “Hey. In a way, this is great. The girls and I are headed to the mall to find Nikki a prom dress. There’re still some cute ones left at Mary’s Bridal.”

I narrowed my eyebrows. “Prom is exactly a week away. Kinda late to be looking for a dress, don’t you think?”

Sandy laughed. “Well, until today, Nikki didn’t have a date. She wasn’t going to go if she didn’t have a date. Her dad gave her his credit card along with a spending limit.”

I grunted a laugh. “I don’t have a date either, but I have my dress.”

“Tim will come around soon, I’m sure,” said Sandy apologetically. “I mean, you’re his girlfriend and everything.”

I nodded uselessly at the phone. “Sounds like fun. What time are you guys going?”

“I can pick you up in half an hour,” Sandy said.

I looked down t my naked body on the bed. “Okay. See you then.” We disconnected.

I found my bra lying on the floor next to my bed. I hope it doesn’t take me half an hour to figure out how wear that damned thing.

*          *          *

“That’s really not cool,” said Nikki from the back seat. “You know he knew before this afternoon. That’s really bad to wait to cancel just an hour or so before you expect him to pick you up.”

Kat turned from looking out the window to ask, “He’s never broken off a date before, has he?”

I turned around to look into the back seat. “No. Never. In fact, he’s always a bit early.”

Mindy said, “Well, sometimes things happen. I’m sure he’d rather be with you than his aunt.”

Sandy parked her car in the mall parking lot. She looked around at us with a grin. “Let’s go get Nikki a dress!”

We all exited Sandy’s car and headed for the mall’s entrance. Five girls on a mission.

As we entered the mall, I just found it amazing the game would spend the time and the detail on a side mission shopping trip to buy a dress. I guess buying a prom dress is a big deal for girls. For my prom, which I went to by myself, I just remember getting fitted for a tux and then picking up the rental the day of the prom. I really didn’t enjoy any part of that. Oh, and yes. I finally found a girl that would dance with me, so the night wasn’t a total loss.

Again I was amazed at the details as we walked into the mall. There were a lot of people and a lot of faces. I’m sure the BrainBox was probing my memories for just the same random people you see at the mall. It’s still incredible how fast the BrainBox can render these images in your brain. Since the Girlpark prom date game is mostly a kid’s game, well older kid’s game, the immersion level isn’t taxing the limits of the BrainBox. I’m trying to save up to buy The Gor Chronicles, which is based on the Gor books, but not one in particular. It seemed like it would be a blast to own all those beautiful, half-naked girls.

Weird. As a girl, that game’s appeal suddenly diminished. I know I wouldn’t want to be exploited like that. To be treated like some piece of meat. I wondered what other games with total immersion were available for a girl like me? Several game titles popped up in my vision when I asked about other games. I laughed to myself. No. I’m really not interested in Girl Park Farm Veterinarian. They really need to outlaw in game advertising.

“What’s so funny?” asked Sandy as she noticed me chuckle as we were walking past the mall’s arcade.

I just shook my head. “Nothing.” Actually, I thought it was hilarious when I looked into the arcade. I guess Girl Park didn’t want to pop for licensing fees for real world games. All the games in the arcade were Girl Park themed. Or it could just be more advertising.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to walk very far into the mall before we came to Mary’s Bridal. I think Nikki just wanted a night out with friends rather than helping her find a dress. She went directly to that she’s had her eye on for a while.

Grinning, Nikki pulled the dress from the rack and held it up for us to see. “So guys, what do think?”

Kat’s eyes got big. “That’s so red. That’s kinda daring for you, isn’t it?”

Continuing to grin, Nikki said, “I know! I love it.”

As Kat had pointed out, the dress was a very red, short dress with a flared skirt, strapless and backless. It was certainly very pretty. Not as pretty as my prom dress, but pretty none-the-less. And, it was within Nikki’s budget.

Sandy smiled at Nikki. “That’s a great dress. You’re going to look just beautiful in it!”

Nikki stared at her choice for a prom dress. “Thanks guys. I found this dress two weeks ago and was so afraid it wouldn’t still be here.”

Laughing, Sandy said, “Well, let’s go buy it before it runs away.”

Nikki took the dress t the cashier. The cashier carefully put the dress in a box and we all exited the dress store victorious in our quest. Nikki was grinning from ear-to-ear carrying her dress box.

Sandy looked around at us, “Anybody hungry? I’m starved. There’s a Taco Bueno in the food court.”

Mindy nodded. “Yeah, let’s go there. I haven’t been to Taco Bueno since yesterday.”

Sandy grinned. “Well, let’s go then.”

As we approached the food court, some movement caught my eye. It was a boy and a girl leaving the court and heading towards the movie theater. They were holding hands. My eyes went wide when I saw the boy was Tim. MY Tim!

I ran to get in front of them. With acid dripping in my voice, I said, “Well hey, Timmy. I thought you’d be at Gladstone’s with your aunt. Is she your aunt?” I recognized the girl as a cheerleader from the rival school across town.

The girl looked down her nose at me. “Who’s this bitch?”

Tim looked horrified. He stammered, “Stephanie… babe… This isn’t what it looks like.”

Looking pissed, the girl growled at Tim, “You didn’t tell me you had a girlfriend!”

I don’t remember it being there a second ago, but I pulled Tim’s class ring from my finger and tossed it down the hallway. “Not anymore! He’s all yours, bitch.” I quickly turned so neither the girl or Tim could see the torrent of tears that was about to come pouring from my eyes.

How could he do this to me? We’ve been dating for a year! He told me he loved me. He gave me his ring! I ran back to where the others were standing looking confused.

Nikki watched the now uncomfortable looking Tim head down the hallway with that other girl. “What’s going on, Steph? Isn’t that Tim?”

Between cries I said, “Yeah. That’s his date for tonight. We’re done. We’re over. I’m not forgiving that.”

I was crying my eyes out. I was really hurt emotionally. I thought this game was supposed to be fun!

I shouted, “MENU!” Everything around me froze for a moment.

Disabled.

“Exit program!”

Disabled.

“Terminate!”

Disabled

“XYZZY”

HaHaHaHaHa

Short stuff was right. There was no way to quit this game early. I was going to be forced to be pissed at Tim until the timer ran out. I certainly couldn’t enjoy going to prom without my Timmy! And I had such a beautiful dress!

What the hell is with Tim anyway? He threw away his chance to take me to prom. He turned me down for a date so he could go out with some floozy from the school across town? How could he do this to me? I loved him! And I have titties and everything!

Sandy looked to Tim and frowned. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” Sandy looked over at me as we started to leave the mall. “I’m really sorry, Steph. I’m just shocked by Tim.”

“Me too.” I swiped a finger under my eye to wipe the tear. I saw the black smear on my finger. I must look a mess now.

Nikki looked over at me with a worried expression. “You’re still going to prom, right? I mean, we all need to show up. This is our senior year!”

I snorted. “I don’t have a date. I don’t want to be a wallflower.”

Mindy laughed. “Sorry, but girl. Seriously. You’re a popular girl and a cheerleader. Without a date, you’ll be asked to dance by so many guys you won’t even get a chance to sit down!”

I shrugged. “Maybe.”

Nikki poked my shoulder. “So don’t even think of not coming to prom!”

*          *          *

“Hey babe! Give me a second, please?” pleaded Tim as I walked past him in the hall on my way to my first class. “I can explain Friday night. Just give me a chance.”

I didn’t even look over at him. I just walked on past. I’d spent most of Sunday afternoon tossing pictures of Tim into the trash. Or rather just deleting them from my computer. Weird. In this game, I didn’t have my screamin’ game machine. I had a Girl Park branded pink Girls Rule PC.

I went through my classes in a fog. I really didn’t want to talk to anyone. Everyone asked me about Timmy. I always answered saying “Who?” I was hoping Clarke might ask me again to the prom, but I learned he’d asked Horny Bitch, I mean Holly Birch to the prom. I’m not bitter or anything.

After lunch, I ran into Stu again at his locker. He looked up. “Hey Stephanie. Are we still on for tutoring tonight?”

I slapped my palm to my forehead. “Crap. I forgot.”

Stu shrugged as he stood up. “Hey, if you can’t, that’s okay.”

I shook my head. “Oh no. I just had a really crappy weekend. I have a test coming up, so I could use the tutoring. You said seven, right?”

Looking worried, Stu asked, “You sure it’s okay?”

I laughed. “Of course it’s okay, silly. I’ll see you tonight at seven.”

Stu grinned. “I’ll be there with bells on.”

I frowned as I walked down the hall. I thought to myself, I hope Stu doesn’t bail on me now. It’d be about par for the course.

*          *          *

“I’ll get it Mom,” I called out when the doorbell rang. “It’s probably Stu.” I was wearing a short denim skirt and a tank top. I thought of going bra-less so Stu could see my titties. But I’m sure Mom would have told me to put on a bra.

Mom poked her head out of the kitchen where she was washing dishes. “Oh. That nice boy who’s helping you with your math?”

I smiled at Mom as I reached for the door knob. “That’s the one.” I opened the door. There stood Stu with his back pack and a dorky expression. “Hey Stu.”

Stu looked down at his shoes a moment, then back up to me. “Hey Stephanie. Are you ready to do some math?”

I nodded with a grin. “Yep. Follow me to my room.”

Stu looked nervously at me. “We’re going to your room?”

I shrugged. “That’s where my computer is. I’m guessing you’ll want to use one. Don’t worry. Mom insists I leave the door opened so I won’t pounce on you.”

Stu actually looked relived. “Oh, okay.” I just shook my head and grinned.

Stu sat at my desk and looked curiously at my computer. “Nice machine. I wish I had one.” Well, what was he going to say about a Girl Park branded PC in a Girl Park branded video game?

Stu put his bag on my bed and started to unzip it. He pulled a couple pencils along with several sheets of paper. And then he pulled out a couple Text books. “What part are you having trouble with?”

I told him what chapter and section I was specifically have a problem with. “Okay. I’ll work a few and show you what I’m doing. These are actually easy once you get the hang of it.”

“Thanks. Oh. Do you want some cookies? Or chips? Or a soda?” Soda? Who says soda?

Stu smiled. “Sure. Some chips and a Dr. Pepper would be great.”

“I’ll be right back.” I hurried to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of chips and two cans of Dr. Pepper and hurried back. Stu nodded thanks.

As he munched on a chip and wrote down one of the problems, I casually asked, “Mind if I ask who you’re taking to prom?”

Stu frowned and shook his head. “I’m not going.”

I furrowed my brow. “Not going? Why not? We’re all seniors this year. It’s our last hoorah. You should at least ask some girls.”

Stu chuckled without humor. “I did. They all turned me down. So I just said screw it.”

Aww. Stu’s a cute guy. He’s a dork, but he’s nice. We even used to date a few times. Until I met Timmy.” I suddenly felt ashamed. I did to Stu what Tim did to me.

“You didn’t ask me.” I said flatly.

Stu laughed. “Sorry. I don’t mean to laugh, but let’s face it. You’re popular and a cheerleader. Socially, compared to me, you’re like up in the stratosphere.”

I looked at Stu directly in the eyes. “Ask me.”

Stu frowned. “Look. If you’re going to mock me, I might as well just leave now.”

Softly, I said, “Ask me.”

Frowning and looking frustrated, Stu looked at me. “Stephanie, would you go to the prom with me?”

“Yes.”

Stu sighed. “See? I knew what your answer would be. You’re just having fun with me.”

I shook my head. “I said yes. I’d love to be your date for prom.”

He stopped putting his stuff away. “Y… you would? For reals? You’re not funning me?”

I laughed. “Yes, I’m serious.” I leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for asking me.”

Stu sat up straighter. “Thank you for accepting, Stephanie. Looks like now I have to get a tux.” He grinned.

An hour later, when Stu left, I ran into the kitchen and shouted, “Mom! Guess what!?”

*          *          *

I thought Saturday night was never going to get here! Prom night! Mom helped me get into my beautiful long, strapless blue satin gown along with matching blue strappy high heeled sandals and a matching clutch.

I had gone to the salon in the afternoon and had my hair done in an updo. And they did my make-up. Mom let me borrow her dangly earrings and necklace. I never felt so feminine in my life! Even though I knew the game wouldn’t let me go there, I did wear lacy, silky panties that matched my dress.

But that’s what I want, right? For the game to limit things Stu might try to talk me into doing? Would I want Stu to talk me into what I talked my girlfriend at the time to do on prom night? Would I?

I found myself smiling.

I looked at my reflection in my dresser mirror. My make-up was perfect. My hair looked perfect. My dress looked perfect. My nails looked perfect. I don’t think I could have become any more feminine. I actually felt sorry for Tim. I’m trying to not sound like I’m bragging or being stuck up. I honestly have never felt so beautiful before. I wished I could stay this way always.

I heard the doorbell ring. A minute later, Mom called out, “Steph! Stu is here!”

I started swishing down the hall from my room to the living room. I loved the sound of satin rustle as I walked. Stu stood by the door, grinning. He still looked like a dork even in his tux. I didn’t care.

He almost gasped as he said, “You look gorgeous, Stephanie. Just beautiful!”

I smiled. “You look very handsome, Stu. You should wear a tux every day.” I giggled.

Stu smiled broadly. “I even took a bath!”

I gave him a weird look.

He laughed. “I’m joking!”

I laughed too. “That’s good to know.”

Stu said, “Yeah. I didn’t take a bath.”

I sighed. “Will you stop now?”

He nodded. “Okay.” He then brought a box in front of him. “This is for you! I’ll help you put it on.”

It was a beautiful pink rose wrist corsage. I extended my hand and he slid it past my hand and onto my wrist. “It’s just gorgeous, Stu!” I almost couldn’t contain my excitement.

Mom pulled her phone out from somewhere. “Let me get some pictures of you two. You’re an adorable couple!”

We went through several poses while Mom clicked away. A menu popped up. “Discard pictures, Print pictures, Store on device.”

Well, I do want to see the pictures but I sure as hell didn’t want them printed. So I selected to store them on the BrainBox. They should stay secure from prying eyes.

Stu looked at his phone. “We probably should get going.”

Mom looked at Stu. “You need to have her back by midnight.”

“But Mommmm! It’s prom!” I whined.

Mom frowned. “Okay. Twelve thirty.”

I pouted. “I was thinking more along the lines of three.”

Stu said, “I’ll have her back by twelve thirty, ma’am.”

Mom grinned. “You two kids have fun!”

I sighed. Might as well have stuck with midnight. It’s not like I’ll be losing my virginity tonight anyway with the PG-13 rating. Again I asked myself if that’s something I’d actually want. We’re talking penises here. Probably not.

Making sure the skirt of my dress wasn’t getting caught on anything, Stu helped pack me into his car. And this wasn’t even one of the poofy dresses.

We drove without much conversation to the hotel where the prom was being held. It was in the ballroom of the Gatsby Hotel. Mom said her prom was held in the gym of her high school. On the ride to the hotel, my head was full of feminine, romantic delights. I’d never been on a fancy dress date with a boy before. I was beside myself in excitement.

We arrived shortly at the hotel. Like a gentleman, Stu came around and opened my door for me. He then helped unpack me from the passenger seat. The parking lot was a sea of beautiful girls in beautiful dresses and sharp dressed boys.

When we entered the ballroom, with Stu holding my hand, I was very impressed with the decorations. There was a big, mirrored disco ball of course, with lots of colored streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling. There was a big punch bowl and finger food laid out on a table by the back wall. There was a large area set apart from the tables for dancing. There were already several people dancing to a DJ’s tunes.

Stu let go of my hand. “I’ll get us some punch.” I nodded to him.

I looked around the room. It was pretty crowded already. Nikki was easy to spot in her very red short dress. She waved me over to her.

“Steph! I’m glad you’re here. You’ve met Carter, right?” Grinning, she pointed to her date. She really wanted to make sure everyone knew she was here with Carter Wilson.

Carter grinned at me as he put his arm around my waist for a hug. He kissed me on the cheek. Nikki’s face clouded with a frown for a moment. “Of course I know Stephanie! The hottest cheerleader at school!”

At that moment, Sandy walked up. “Hey guys. Where’s Stu?” Carter let go of my waist so he could grab Sandy. Nikki suddenly didn’t look so happy.

I smiled, relieved to be released by Carter. He’s really hot, but I didn’t want Nikki to kill me. “Stu’s getting us some punch.”

Carter laughed. “That punch is lame! No booze!”

Nikki looked embarrassed. “Well, it is a high school dance.”

I looked around. “Is Mindy here?”

Sandy shrugged. “I haven’t seen her yet.”

Stu walked up with two cups of punch. He handed one to me. “Ladies… Hey Carter. Excuse us. We’re going to go sit and drink our punch.”

Stu took my arm and led me away from the group. “I have to say I don’t like Carter.”

We found a table and sat down. I sipped my punch. Stu looked around. “Lot of people here.”

I nodded. “A lot of boys here. So many boys won’t go to prom even though there’re girls here to dance with.”

Stu laughed. “A lot of boys don’t know how to dance.”

I giggled. “True.”

Stu picked up his cup and knocked back the rest of his punch. “Speaking of dancing… would you like to dance?”

I giggled. “I thought you’d never ask!”

Stu took my hand as I stood up. We found an empty space on the dance floor. They were currently playing a slow song, so I took Stu’s hand and put my arm around his shoulder as he put his arm on my waist. We started to move in a slow circle.

I have to say, I enjoyed feeling his hand on my waist. He pulled me closer to him. I looked shyly away.

He smiled at me. “I like your perfume.” I smiled shyly at him. He pulled me closer and our cheeks touched. Being in Stu’s arms and dancing was pure heaven. I turned to say something and our lips brushed together.

As we danced, the music seemed to swell around us and everyone seemed to recede away from us to where it seemed it was just us on the dance floor. The music never stopped and we never got tired though I was wearing high heel strappy sandals.

I was feeling more and more dreamy. Now, I’ve never had any interest at all for guys. Until this game, I’ve only dated girls. But the longer I danced with Stu, the more I felt like I was falling in love with him. Not just falling… I was in love with him. In what was now a tiny corner of my mind, I thought holy crap. If this game can have this effect on me, what would it do to an actual girl? Just as I thought this game is dangerous, Stu’s lips touched mine and that was it. I was consumed by my love for Stu. I only wanted to be with him. We kissed for what seemed like forever.

We were the only ones in the world and only Stu mattered. Oh my God! I was so in love! All I wanted was to be with Stu and kiss and dance forever. Pink hearts started spinning around our heads. Oh my God what an incredible feeling. I only wanted Stu. No other man could interest me. If it wasn’t for the PG-13 rating, I’d be trying to have Stu’s babies. No denying that I was the happiest girl in the world right now!

Then all of a sudden there were fireworks going off all around us. In big red letters the word “Congratulations!” appeared before my eyes. In blue text the words scrolled across my vision, “You have found true love at the prom! Congratulations on your future marriage, Stephanie and Stu!

Then Stu and the whole ballroom faded away. Red letters appeared before m eyes. “Game over. Congrats! You got the high score! 11,500! Thank you for playing Girl Park Prom. Simulation terminated.”

I found myself back in reality. I was sweating profusely. Brick 1 on the BrainBox was too hot to touch. I took a swig of my water bottle and sighed heavily. “Holy shit, what a rush!”

Short stuff turned to look at me. “Are you okay, Steve? You’re all red in the face.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay.” I felt dizzy. I had a headache. My clothes were drenched in sweat.

The doorbell rang. Short stuff made no attempt to see who was at the door. Sarcastically, I said, “Oh don’t bother to get up even though you’re right by the door. I’ll get it.”

Short stuff didn’t look away from the TV. “I kinda figured you would.”

I frowned at her as I reached for the door knob. I opened the door and was suddenly taken aback. Framed in the doorway was Tim! My Timmy…

Tim looked at me. ”Hey bro. I thought you might want to…”

Slap!

I slapped Tim across the face.

Tim held his hand against his stinging cheek. “What the hell was that for?”

Feeling furious with my eyes wide, I shouted, “That’s for not inviting me to prom and for cheating on me!” I slammed the door closed.

Short stuff suddenly started laughing her ass off.

I turned around and looked at the door. “What the hell did I just do?” It took me a moment to mentally adjust. Tim in the game and Tim in real life aren’t the same Tim.

I opened the door and ran outside. “Dude! Wait up! I can explain. I just experienced some weird shit.” For a minute he wouldn’t let me get less than arm’s length from him. I spent the next half hour explaining my weird experience with the Girl Park game module.

Later that night, I had a very interesting experience explaining the game to Stu…

*          *          *

The End

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Comments

Thank you ...

Speaker's picture

... for the slap line. I needed a good laugh. Little sisters are evil :)

Speaker

wow what a simulation

I think he's gonna remember the experience for a long time.

DogSig.png

cool story

I'm not sure I'd want to play a VR brain game that puts literally thoughts into my head, but it was a neat premise!

Girl Park pulled me in...

Very good story. I saw it coming, thought it might be lame, but the more I read the more I was swept into the story. Where can one find this faulty game?

Hugs, Jessie C

Jessica E. Connors

Jessica Connors

If I were a cis male I'd

KateElizabethSuhr13's picture

If I were a cis male I'd probably hate the idea of it changing me but as a transgirl who feels so far from where I want to be and knowing I will never be female biologically, I'd love to get my hands on that game and see if it were possible to unlock the rating and a chance to stay in as long as you want and like just keep rejoining the game at different times to sort of live a double life.

Pretty immersive

Iolanthe Portmanteaux's picture

Honestly, I couldn't stop until the end -- it was a great premise and a cute, natural ending. It made me smile.

I did wonder when he was naked what his actual body was up to, but I've seen people on VR headsets -- they mainly jerk their heads around.

- io

VR system

Melanie Brown's picture

There’re no goggles. The brain is directly stimulated. I explored this technology in Kajira’s Dance and Literally Virtually if you want to check them out.

Interesting experience

Daphne Xu's picture

I wonder what Steve's interesting experience with Stu was.

Poor Tim. Poor poor Tim. That must have been a painful surprise of his life, being bitch-slapped by his best friend behaving like a betrayed girlfriend. Good thing he let Steve explain, even though the explanation took as long as the game.

-- Daphne Xu

More realistic than dreams

I keep hearing about wives brooding because of something that their husband did in a dream, though it has never happened to me. At least, I think it has never happened. My wife has been known to be quite disdainful at times.

Tim caught him at exactly the wrong time. He was still disoriented after leaving the game.

omygosh omygosh omygosh

It's a cute and light hearted story that opens a huge can of worms. Huge, huge can of worms.

I have discussed the concept of a direct brain interface with a number of people. Almost all of them, even the biggest technophiles, say something to the effect of "not only 'no,' but 'hell no!'"

But, but that will never happen! And how would it actually read our brain?

Well, we have all heard of Elon Musk's Neuralink. That system uses wires implanted in the brain. Surely, there is no way to do it without brain surgery!

My son has a game that reads your brain waves. It's really primitive. You try to project the 'calm' brain waves and it lights some indicator. No biggie.

I mean, something as complicated as moving a robot arm or cursor? Researchers did that -- they trained a monkey to move a cursor by thinking about it in order to get a reward. But again, it was directly wired to the computer.

Later, I saw a TED talk that allowed a user to wear a bunch of electrodes and train the machine to do some rather complicated movements. No brain surgery.

But reading your mind?

After some training, a computer, using a similar mass of electrodes, managed to make really crude recreations of pictures flashed in front of a human test subject. They were really crude, but recognizable.

Musk plans on implanting Neuralink electrodes in a handicapped person within a year or two. The 'hell no' might go away if you are a quadriplegic, or maybe blind. This is just the beginning. There is so much more that it will be able to do -- in the right hands.

But imagine if the Chinese communist party, Russian oligarchs, ruthless theocratic would-be rulers, or advertisers managed to make cartridges for the game.

Regulation might seem like a good solution, but who regulates the regulators? Every regulatory committee that I have seen has been used to the detriment of We The People in ways big and small. Any organization that wields power will attract those who wish to use that power for their own purposes.

Besides, regulating what is essentially information is against the first amendment. Let the buyer beware.

So, if you should ever want to try such a device, make sure that the software that is closest to your brain is open source (to avoid having traps,) and can be disconnected whenever you wish.

Brainbox

Melanie Brown's picture

Well, it is called fiction...

This is like the third or forth story where I use the BrainBox as a plot device. The nice thing about the BrainBox is that it provides an infinite number of story lines because it creates a reality inside the gamer's head. It's a small scale simulator much like what is used in Girl Park. I just think it's a fun plot device to put the protagonist into situations that would be impossible otherwise.

Melanie

Plot Device

The point is that your plot device may become reality -- and likely sooner than we think. Something like our internet was used as a plot device in some earlier science fiction.

Disconnected

Daphne Xu's picture

"...and can be disconnected whenever you wish."

I don't think that would work. By the time you reach the point where you might want to be disconnected, your mind is theirs. (Recall the epilogue to "Naughty Outdoor Games".)

-- Daphne Xu

Disconnected

He wanted to be disconnected as soon as he entered the game, and several times throughout.

True

Daphne Xu's picture

... and the box wouldn't let him. This meant that his mind was still to some extent his own, at least. There may be some critical interval, where one knows what is going to happen, and wants to escape it. Some critical interval where his mind is still partially his own, but soon to be assimilated (borghed)?.

-- Daphne Xu

Game problem

Melanie Brown's picture

That's the glitch. Normally, if it was a game that existed, you could exit any time. And at the immersion level he was playing, he becomes the character he's playing and no control over the game in much the same way as real life. Your choices control the game.

Anime

It's been used in anime before, so I had no problem accepting that premise.
I mean, it's pretty much the whole plot of the first season of Sword Art Online.
I also remember reading a scanlation of the manhwa Yureka (I started reading it for a TG plotline) that had a similar situation where a character was stuck in the system.

Why?

Daphne Xu's picture

Why didn't I remember reading this until Steve bitch-slapped Tim? Not even a sense of déjà vu! It was a lovely story, and I can't wait to see how I commented before. How soon is he going to be able to get back into his ordinary routine with Tim and Stu? I can imagine Steve viewing Stu in a new and different light.

This was a lovely story. Oh, about that "interesting experience"?

-- Daphne Xu