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Part 2

I sat in my sunflower yellow VW Beetle and stared at the sunrise as I waited for Chloe's arrival. One thing I had noticed about girl's clothes was that they were thin as hell, providing almost nothing in terms of protection against the elements. Additionally, with the new hairstyle my exposed neck was freezing, and the light, jade green sweater was doing nothing for me.

No wonder girls are always cold.

A sharp rap on the passenger side window made me jump and let out a rather girlish squeak. Chloe was standing there waving a small bag and grinning like a crazy girl. I flipped the automatic door locks and she hopped in the car, shivering violently.

A quick scan of the area produced no known means of transportation.

"Tell me you didn't walk to school." Her face gave that away, easy. "You could have called me." And then I cringed. "That is if I was smart enough to actually give you my cell number."

She didn't bother to say anything. Instead she turned the fan up to high and let warm air blast over the floorboard. Chloe released a contented sigh and opened the bag she had.

"Okay, where's your backpack?"

I reached in the back seat and grabbed the lavender menace that contributed to starting this whole mess in the first place. Chloe took it from me and unzipped one of the small pockets in the front.

"Right, well I've got a few essentials that every girl has to have in their possession at all times." She shrugged. "Or at least things that I have to have."

One at a time she produced something from the bag and dropped it inside. "Powder, mascara, lipstick, eyeliner, right? The basics. You use them to touch up throughout the day. Whenever you go to the restroom check your makeup."

I nodded.

With a return nod she continued. "Two tampons."

At the look on my face she giggled. "I'm not saying, use them, Cas. You just need to have them." With a dramatic flourish she said, "It's all illuuusion." Shrugging again, "Besides, you can have backup if I forget mine."

"I have some perfume for you." She took the cap off the top. "Hold out your wrist."

I did as instructed. And she spritzed, once. "Now rub your wrists together and again on the side of your neck under your ears. One spray is all it takes. You don't want to smell like a stripper."

A floral musk scent filled the inside of the car and Chloe waggled her eyebrows at me. "Nice, huh?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

After applying a light layer of make up, she shoved everything back in the bag and/or my backpack.

"Oh, crap. We never did your nails." She looked a little frustrated. "Well, we'll have something to do this afternoon."

I checked myself out in the mirror. It was much the same as the girl I saw the day before.

"Okay, remember, you are Casidhe O'Connor, the girl. You use the girl's restroom. Whatever you do, make sure you sit down when you pee."

I blinked. "Uh yeah. I guess that would be a sure give away."

Changing the subject in a direct 180 Chloe asked, "Did you chose a community service project yet?"

My eyes bugged. "That's due today? Damn!"

I dug into my backpack for the hand out that Mr. Walsh gave us yesterday.

"Cas, you're a redhead not a blonde. You don't have an excuse for being ditzy. And no matter how cute you look, Walsh isn't going to be happy if you haven't picked anything yet."

With a frustrated grimace glared at my best friend I scanned the choices. "What are you choosing?"

"S.P.C.A.," she said with satisfaction. "They always need help washing and grooming the incoming strays. I like animals."

Nothing on the list was even somewhat appealing until I reached something that I wouldn't need much help with at all. "Oh, I'm picking tutor."

With a raised eyebrow she had to ask. "Exactly how smart are you?"

Stuffing the papers in my backpack I shrugged. "I feel pretty confident on acing my S.A.T.'s right now."

Her eyes widened. "Okay, you've got your first student. I suck in History." After a second's thought she added, "Make sure you put down your email address and not your phone number, unless you want all the pervs in school breathing heavy at you at three o'clock in the morning."

I laughed. "Uh, no thanks. Pervs need not apply."

We both set back in a comfortable silence. I was rather enjoying the scent of the perfume Chloe had chosen when she knocked me out with a question.

"Hey, Cas?"

"Hmm?"

"I know it's a personal question, and you don't have to answer or anything…"

"What's a personal question? You haven't asked anything yet."

She stuck her tongue out at me, and I gave her a toothy grin in reply.

"Do you like guys?"

How exactly does someone defend their masculinity when they are wearing green cotton panties? Hmm?

Chloe saw my discomfort and treaded right on in. "The reason I'm asking is that you seem really okay with what we did yesterday, and right now you look really happy… well not right now. You did before I asked. Now you look like you're going to hurl."

I tossed my head back and groaned.

"Cas, you aren't going to hurl are you?"

Closing my eyes I shook my head. "No." Screwing up my courage I plowed on. "What gets said here never leaves this car, alright?"

She gave me a whatever look. "I think, by this time, that you can trust me. I could have had you pounded yesterday after you told me you were a boy."

Very true.

"Do you know what a crossdresser is?"

Her eyes shifted to my clothes and back up. "It's where a boy dresses up like a girl."

I nodded. "Well I'm kind of a crossdresser, well, ex-crossdresser." I blew out in frustration. "I was, before Gramps died. I threw everything out because I found out he knew all about it. I promised myself I would just be a boy all the time."

Chloe gave me a dull look. "So, you used to look like this all the time?"

Shaking my head, I tried to explain. "I've never gone this far before. I had some undies, and a nightgown, but that was it. I've never even tried make up or real clothes before."

"So you're gay?"

"Ugh."

She leaned back in her seat. "It's not my fault that you aren't explaining yourself good enough."

"Chloe, I don't have a sex drive. I have no balls." I almost snapped. "I mean I'm attracted to girls as much as I can be, but certain guys…"

"Girlie guys?"

I shrugged. "Not exactly. It's more of a look that I like. I mean I'm not all into the he-man, rough, beard wearing, lumberjack type."

"Blech."

"Exactly." I paused. "All's I know is that I know what I like."

"So, you're bisexual."

"Ugh."

~O~

Mr. Walsh approved my project. I was to print out an invitation letter with the subjects that I wanted to tutor along with little tear-off tabs including my email address and post a few on the bulletin board. I was restricted to no more than ten hours a week. Chloe already took two of those with her History problem.

I was allowed to use the classroom computer to do that, so by lunch I was already receiving email inquiries. Thumbing through my Blackberry I made a disgusted noise.

"What?" asked Chloe.

"My email's made the perv rounds, apparently." With a thumb push I announced, "Perv one, blocked."

She laughed with a little snort at the end.

"Perv two, blocked."

"You're kidding."

At the third one I almost dropped the Blackberry. "Oh my god."

"What!" Chloe grabbed at the phone and I let go.

Yes, someone had sent me a picture of their dick.

"Oh… Ewwww!" She covered her mouth in shock. "It's like the rainforest! Look at all of that hair."

I fake-heaved. "Please, I just ate."

She waved the picture in front of me. "Note the sly, one-eyed leer of the South American Pygmy Python in its natural habitat."

At that moment I hated Chloe. I had just finished off the last of my Coke and snorted it out.

"Oh crap!" I grabbed a napkin and wiped. "It burns!"

Chloe literally fell out of her chair.

"Girls, I hope you haven't been drinking on campus."

I jumped at the sound of Mr. Walsh hovering over our lunch table. I made a grab for my Blackberry and shook my head as Chloe calmed herself after regaining her seat.

"Someone sent me some porn mail, sir," I responded.

He held out his hand and I passed the phone over. "I've received a few since I posted my email address as you instructed, sir."

He rolled his eyes after he looked at what was on the display then he handed it back to me. "Do me a favor, Miss O'Connor, and send a copy of that to 'abuse at desmond.net'. We’ve been getting a few over the last year and we want to put a stop to it."

I nodded as I typed the address and hit Send.

"I would highly suggest that this sexting thing not go any further. Delete and block that address. If you send it to any of your friends you could be arrested for distribution of child pornography."

"Oh," I replied. "I never thought of that. You're right."

He grinned impishly. "Teachers are right on occasion, Miss O'Connor."

The warning bell sounded at that moment. Chloe and I grabbed our backpacks and stopped by the girl's room to fix our make up before the next class.

Yes, I sat down to pee.

~O~

A moment of note occurred on my way to Study Hall amidst a bottleneck of students at a door juncture. I got felt up. Yes, someone planted their hand on my butt and gave it a firm, but not uncomfortable squeeze. I whipped around and narrowed my eyes at a bare minimum of four possible suspects. Of course, they were all looking down the hallway, innocent as you please. With a huff I turned back around and made my way to class.

I guess that was the first test passed with flying colors. I was attractive enough to make a sexual advance toward. I'm not counting the email pervs. They don't need an excuse to send nude pics of their Pygmy Anacondas. I'm sure they have online sex, all the time, with other guys acting like girls.

~O~

Once I got to class I pulled out a fresh binder and my Blackberry again. Thumbing through more pervs and deleting them, I found another nasty pic which I forwarded to the address Mr. Walsh gave me.

What is it with testosterone laden guys and pictures of their limp penis'?

The next email was from someone with the screen name of dragoonboy271

I saw your note on the board and I really need help with Algebra II. I have a C-. I need to bring it up to a B average by year end. Think you can help?

I sent him a reply:

After school: Flagpole: Don't be late

Two more promising emails: sk8trrgrrrl893 aka Joanne asking for help in World History (a Junior level course), and the other was steveopete aka Steve wanting aide in English IV (a Senior level course).

I wrote down their information and sent them the same flagpole meet spot for later in the day. Looking satisfied at my folder I closed it and said to myself. "Just one more person and that'll be ten hours for the week."

~O~

Chloe arrived at her locker right when I closed mine.

"Hey girl!"

"Hey Chloe. I've got some applicants to meet at the flagpole then we can take off, okay?"

She nodded as she opened up her locker. "Cool. I have to meet up with Susan and order some Girl Scout cookies. I'll head over when I'm done."

"Oh, cool. Hey, order me two packs of Snickerdoodles."

"Only two?"

I laughed. "I have to watch my figure."

"Whatever!"

With a wave I left her there and met up with the applicants. Yeah, you should have seen the looks I was given when I showed.

"Hey guys, I'm Casidhe."

The tallest and I assumed oldest was Steve. He looked very put out that I was as young as I was. "You can tutor English IV?"

I gave him a smirk. "What are you working on right now in class?"

"Macbeth."

I closed my eyes and pulled up what I remembered from Gramps' teachings.

"William Shakespeare. Macbeth was written sometime between 1603 and 1607 depending on who you talk to. The earliest performance was noted by Simon… um, Simon Foreman at the Globe Theatre. Among the unusual features of the time were the fast-paced first act, which was later adapted by the majority of today's writers in order to 'introduce' character and excitement into a story before the actual plot.

"I always thought the character's, with the exception of Macbeth, himself, rather flat."

Steve looked down at me with the blankest look imaginable. "Whoa."

That brought an eye-roll from me. "Yes, Steve. Whoa."

Joanne held her hand over her mouth, but I could see the wide grin escape from behind. Dragoonboy, a pimply-faced, gangly young teen, looked at me in adoration.

Setting my backpack on the bricks I pulled out my notebook. "I have two hours a week for each of you. When are you available, Steve?"

Shaking himself out of whatever fog he was in, he thought about his afternoons. "I have baseball practice… uh, how about Tuesdays and Thursdays after 4:30."

I nodded. "Make it 5:00 and I can have dinner after."

Flipping a page I wrote down my address and cell phone number then passed it to him.

"If you can't make it then call me. That number is for study purposes only. Don't let it get out, alright?"

He nodded and stuffed it in his jeans. "Cool. Uh, do we do it today or start on Tuesday?"

I shrugged. "We can start studying tonight if you want."

Look at the rest of them I added. "I don't get paid for this. It's for community service. So please don't screw me over."

Steve hitched his backpack and nodded. "Cool. I gotta go."

He trotted off back into the school and I looked over my shoulder to see him doing the same while staring at my butt.

Great, I thought with a resigned sigh.

Joanne openly laughed, for she saw his look as well. "Watch it with him. He prides himself on plucking the underclassmen."

I raised an eyebrow at that. "Plucking? Somehow, I don't think I'm his type."

"Redheads are his type. All shapes and sizes."

"Maybe I should consider a color change?"

I handed Joanne my address and phone number. We set up for a two hour session on Monday's, once a week.

"Dragoonboy?"

The shy teen stood and came over. "Sorry… I'm… my name is… uh, Theodore."

My eyebrows raised at that.

His eyes widened and he seemed like he was about to bust a seam or something, he was twitching so much. "Uh, you can call me Ted."

I scribbled out my address and number then handed it to him. Oh gheeze. Is every boy in this school in dire need of a few hours of masturbation or what? He took the number and stared at it like he was putting it to memory for the rest of his life. I can only guess that it was the first time that it had ever happened.

"So, Ted, when do you want to do it?"

He dropped his backpack and then with a quick look at me and back down at the pack he dropped himself down to pick it up. Unluckily for him, a stitching popped and his pack almost exploded, dropping a number of textbook and folders out.

I almost laughed at his awkwardness, but immediately felt sorry for him. I knelt down and helped him gather up the mess when I saw a sketchbook opened with a really detailed dragon, straight out of fantasy on the first page.

I picked it up and stared at it. The pencil work was outstanding.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Ted freeze and stare to the sketchbook. Looking up I gave him my best impressed look. "Ted, this is fantastic work. Did you do this?"

He gulped and nodded.

"Free hand?"

He nodded again, this time much more quickly.

"How long did this take you?"

His eyes rolled up in nervous contemplation, his head lolling to the side. "Uhhh… about an hour or so."

"No way!"

A wide grin expanded over his face exposing a perfect set of gleaming silver braces. I would have flinched at the sun reflected in my eyes, but thought better of it. Poor bastard.

Looking down, I flipped a couple of more pages. Castle, knight, horse, more dragons. This guy was seriously good. Feeling that I had intruded on his hobby I closed the sketchbook up and handed it to him.

"You've got some real talent, Ted."

"Th-thanks."

He stuffed the rest of his books in the pack and stood up, dangling the mess in front of his midsection.

"Right, well, what days are you available?"

He did the eye-roll, bobblehead thing again then stammered out. "Do… do you have timeonweekends?"

Huh?

"Sorry, what?"

"Weekends. I have band practice… I mean practice with my band. I'm not in the band here at school… I mean…"

I held up my hands in surrender. "I get it. You're in a band. The weekend is fine." After thinking about it I added, "Um, this Saturday is bad, but I'm free on Sunday."

At his nod I asked, "Any particular time?"

He was almost shaking and I was starting to get worried that he was about to collapse right there in front of me, so I reached out a hand and clasped him on the upper arm.

"Ted?"

All of the sudden everything stopped for him. He let out almost a cleansing breath and gave me a slight smile. "Is two o'clock okay with you?"

I nodded. "That's cool. We can do a two hour session and then change the time for next weekend if you want?"

"Perfect." He said with a much more relaxed tone.

"Great." I gave him a reassuring squeeze, let go of his arm and went back to my folder to jot down the time.

"Cas!"

Chloe exited the front doors and waved. "I got you four boxes of Snickerdoodles. You'll thank me later."

I gave her a bright grin. "Thanks, Chloe."

She came up and stood next to me looking from Ted to me and then back to Ted.

"Oh, sorry, Chloe, this is Ted. I'm going to be tutoring him this Sunday. Ted, this is my best friend, Chloe."

She bumped me with a hip shot. "I'm your only friend. You're brand new to this school."

Chloe held out her hand and Ted shifted his backpack to the left to shake her hand.

"Uh, I gotta go, my mom's waiting."

"Bye, Ted. See you Sunday."

He gave me his shining silver smile in return. "Bye Casidhe!"

Without running he moved as fast as he could to the parking lot holding his backpack in front of him the entire way.

"You are soooo bad."

"What?"

"I was watching you from the door the whole time. I can't believe you were flirting with him." She broke up into giggles after.

My jaw unhinged. "I… I…"

Her eyes filled with laughing tears as she tried her best to control herself.

"Cas, didn't you notice where he was holding his backpack?"

After a couple seconds of agonizing reflection my face went from pale white to bright red. "Oh — my — God."

"That's why I shook his hand. Just a little conformation of his salute to your flirting."

I turned around and shoved my folder into my backpack. "His pack ripped. I was just helping him."

Chloe cleared her throat. "And you touched him on the arm, becasuuuuse?"

I turned back around. "He was stammering. I thought he was going to pass out!"

"Damn, girl. Look at all the trouble you're getting into!"

My face shut down and I gave her my death glare. "Do you want to walk home?"

A big guffaw shot out of her mouth then she grabbed my arm and pulled me to the parking lot. A blue sedan slowed before we crossed into the parking lot and I could see Ted sitting in the passenger seat pointing at me, but not in a sexual, hormonal, rage or anything. His mom waved at me and rolled down her window.

I stopped and walked over to their car.

"Hi, Casidhe. I'm Mrs. Head, Ted's mom."

Ted Head? Oh, you poor bastard. No wonder he called himself Theodore.

"Hi, Mrs. Head. It's good to meet you."

She smiled back pleasantly, apparently amazed at good manners from a teenager.

"I just wanted to confirm Ted's tutoring session with you. Two o'clock on Sunday?"

I nodded. "That's right."

She nodded. "Ted told me that you aren't being compensated. Is that right?"

"Yeah, it's part of a community service project that the class is working on. I picked tutoring."

Mrs. Head's eyes brightened ever so slightly. "Well that hardly seems fair. How about if Ted takes you out for pizza afterwards. It'll kind of make up for it."

"Mooom."

My former best friend, Chloe decided to butt her head into the conversation. "Cas, that's a great idea."

I froze. How in the hell could I get out of this one without embarrassing the hell out of Ted and looking like an ungrateful person at the same time.

I got nothing.

"Sure." I backed away before she could ask me to the prom for Ted as well. "See you Sunday, Ted."

He was holding his hand over his face in equal embarrassment to my own, I'm sure. The other hand came up and waved.

When I turned around I stage-whispered to Chloe. "You are sooooo dead."

By the time we got to the Beetle, Chloe couldn't breathe, she was laughing so hard. I tossed my backpack in the rear seat and started up the car.

"It's not funny."

She paused in mid laugh to look at me, then broke out again.

Remembering we were supposed to go necessity shopping, I pulled out and navigated through the insane teenage drivers to the street. "Where are we going?'

She had slowed down to a light giggle. "Target."

~O~

"Why do I need pantyhose?"

"Just in case. What are you going to do if you need them and you don't have them?"

"Uhhh, buy some?"

"You are such a boy sometimes."

"And why do I need like fifty pairs of panties?"

Chloe looked down in the cart. "It's only about fifteen, and you need different types for different outfits." She shook her head. "We have a lot of work ahead of us."

Apparently Target is the place to go if you are looking for somewhat decent underwear, because Wal-Mart uses bad quality material that doesn't last for more than a couple of months. Victoria's Secret is the high end I want sex, and I want it now type of place if you have far too much money and a fetish for satin thongs.

We browsed the Juniors section and picked out a couple of blouses that didn't suck, according to Chloe.

Then we spent the rest of the time in cosmetics in a pursuit to see exactly how much it would take before the cart busted a wheel with undue stress. Did you know that they actually make a tool to curl your eyelashes? It's called an eyelash curler. Fancy that.

~O~

"Why do I have a box of tampons?"

Chloe grabbed the box opened it and swiped a few before setting it on the kitchen island. "Set it by your personal toilet. That way if you have visitors, they'll see it. It's all an illuuuusion."

Ah.

We put almost everything away in a different room that we were designating Girl-Casidhe's room. Boy-Casidhe's room would be dismantled soon from the way Chloe was talking. She made herself at home and found Gram's make up table. I helped drag it in the room and we went about filling it with what I would need.

"Set the make up mirror here, and your nail dryer over there."

Yes, I have a nail dryer. I really have no idea what to think about that.

A glance at the grandfather clock at the base of the stairs told me I had about fifteen minutes before Steve was to arrive for his first tutoring session.

"Hey, Chloe. Steve's gonna be here at five for tutoring. So if you want a ride home we gotta bolt."

"Oh, crap. I didn't think it was so late. Thanks Cas… hold on. Steve who?"

I shrugged. "I didn't get his last name. I know he's on the baseball team if that helps."

She cringed. "Uh… just a sec." Grabbing her backpack she dug around in the bottom for a minute then passed me a small tube of something. "Just in case."

"Mace?"

"Pepper spray, actually."

Chloe looked down at my jeans and declared them too tight. "Put it in your bra. If he makes a move then douse him in the face."

I handed it back. "Thanks anyway. I think I'll be fine."

She gave me a really disappointed look that said, you naíve, naíve girl. Then set it on the island counter.

~O~

I made it back to the house with a couple of minutes to spare. Opening the fridge I took out some beef tips I set to thaw the day previous and put them in the crock along with some mushroom soup and a few spices.

Measuring out a decent amount of water I set it aside for my rice. That was when the doorbell sounded. A quick rinse of my hands and I made my way to the front door. The pepper spray caught my eye, and I remembered Steve ogling my butt earlier. Well maybe Chloe didn't have a bad idea. I stuffed it in my bra… just in case.

Steve was standing there facing the street when I opened the front door. He turned around and I blinked at his appearance. His hair was wet, obviously fresh from the shower, his button down shirt was wide open displaying an impressive set of very firm muscles and the button to his jeans was undone.

"Hey, babe."

Oh, hell no!

Before he even moved an inch I started in.

"Steve, I'm going to close this door and let you get dressed. You've got one minute. If I open it and you are still trying to be all sexy Senior then you can just go home. I've got better things to do."

With that, I shut the door in his face.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

His time was up and I opened the door. There stood Steve, with a buttoned up shirt neatly tucked into his buttoned up jeans. His hair was still wet, but he looked properly scolded.

"Sorry. I just got out of practice and I was running behind."

He saw that I wasn't buying it. "Want to try that one again?"

Hitching his backpack I watched as his ears grew slightly red.

"Uh, you're really hot and I acted stupid?"

Okay, that was funny. I turned my head slightly and couldn't keep the grin off of my face. "Okay. Ground rules. This is tutoring. If you want to flirt then please save it for school or something."

He nodded and I stepped back to let him in. "Kitchen's in the back. We'll do it in there."

I saw a quick smirk on his face and then I realized what I just said. "Let me rephrase. We'll study in there."

That brought a genuine laugh from him.

Entering the kitchen I pointed out the table to him and he pulled out a small book, which I assumed was Macbeth.

"So, how can I help you with Shakespeare?" I lifted the lid of the crock to make sure it was cooking properly and then set it back down.

"Uh, all of it."

I chuckled, just a little. "Okay. Let me try that one again. What is it you aren't getting?"

He sat down at one of the chairs that fell perpendicular to the body of the kitchen. "It's just so… old. I can't understand half of what they're talking about much less figure out what the plot is about."

I nodded. I had much the same problem when I read it the first time when I was twelve.

"Alright, put the book down. We'll do this a different way."

I thought about it for a second and then decided on a course of action.

"Who's the most important person on your baseball team?"

He looked to the side in confusion. "Mark, he's the team Captain."

I nodded. "Excellent. Now, would you like to be team Captain?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah. But he's the best player on the team. I would have gotten it but he has a better batting average than I do, barely."

I clapped my hands together once. "Excellent… well not really, but for our purposes here tonight it will serve as a great example."

He was still really confused.

"Okay. You are Macbeth, and for the purposes of demonstration only," I gave him a stern face, "I will be Lady Macbeth."

Now I had his interest. Oh brother.

"At the beginning of the play you are informed that you were the second best player on the team. It's a great honor, only the best is King or in your case team Captain. Now out of the blue come three psychics, they are the Stygian Witches. They tell you that you will soon be team Captain."

Steve smiled at that.

"So you call me and tell me about what they said. Now being the socially snooty and vain person that I am I tell you I have a plan to make you team captain tomorrow."

Steve leaned forward to listen.

"All you have to do is kill Mark."

His eyes widened. "What?"

I shifted my body language to be a little more nonchalant. "You deserve team Captain, Steve. You've earned it. All you have to do is kill him."

I walked around the table behind him. "What do you think? Will you do it? Team Captain, Steve. It's in your power."

He shook his head. "Whatever," he tossed out.

I set my hands on his shoulders and leaned in close to his ear. "Steve. I want a real man to be my boyfriend. Someone that I can count on to do what must be done." Moving to the other side of his head I breathed into his ear. "You are a real man, aren't you Steve?"

He jumped up out of the chair and spun around. "What the hell, are you serious?"

I couldn't keep a straight face, and giggled a little. "Lady Macbeth was very serious, Steve." Ignoring his body posture I moved back to the kitchen and took a couple of Cokes out of the fridge.

"She wanted to be queen so bad that she challenged her husband's manhood and made him kill the king."

He took the proffered Coke and flipped the tab. Staring at me all he could say was, "Holy shit."

~O~

An hour passed like five minutes. I found I really enjoyed tutoring. I felt a real deep down satisfaction when Steve finally got it. We went through the first act like it was nothing. He was pointing out my examples as we went along, and I translated the words into actual modern English for him.

Hearing the six o'clock bonging of the Grandfather clock, Steve looked up and then at his watch. I could almost see a reluctance to stop where we were. But teenage boy took over and he tossed his book in his backpack.

"Wow, that went quick."

I nodded. "Learning is actually fun if you make it fun."

He stood and shifted his backpack on his shoulder. "Thanks, Casidhe. You're a life saver."

We walked out to the front door when I unlocked and opened it for him. "Thursday, same time?"

He leaned forward and then stopped himself. "Sorry." Instead he held out his hand and I returned the shake.

"You're welcome, Steve. See you Thursday."

Stepping out into the porch. "Nah, see you at school."

I nodded and returned his smile. Maybe he wasn't a total idiot after all.

~O~

After dinner I went upstairs, logged on to my email account and found another dozen or so pervs that had to be blocked and deleted. Luckily enough only one more picture got sent to Mr. Walsh's abuse address. I did, however, receive another email from Ted.

Cassidy, I'm really sorry about my mom. I didn't know she was going to make a date out of this. I only wanted to show her who was tutoring me in Algebra. If you just want to study and then skip the date, I will completely understand. You don't need to be seen with me out in public. It would ruin your reputation, and since you are new, that wouldn't be a good thing.

Ted

Oh gheeze. After a good ten minutes of internal debate I pulled up a reply window.

Ted, a single date is not the end of the world. Yes, it was weird being asked out by your mom, but moms are weird. Don't take yours for granted. She loves you and wants to see you go out and have fun. Regarding my reputation: I think I am a strong-willed enough person to be able to choose who I want to be friends with. If other people have a problem with that then I don't want them as friends. I will expect you here at two o'clock on Sunday for our tutoring session and then you will take me out for pizza afterward. Tell your mom I will provide transportation, so we won't have to be under her spying eye. LOL. :D

See you at school tomorrow.

Casidhe

Photo Credit: Olga http://mgpg.wordpress.com/2006/09/25/olga-super-red/

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To Be Continued...