by Melanie Brown

Any other time, Mike would have killed for a chance to go to the most advanced amusement park in the world. Unfortunately, this one was just for girls.

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“So, what are we doing?” asked Theresa, one of my sister’s friends.

“Just waiting, I guess,” said my sister Victoria. “Janie said she was on her way with some announcement. She said not to make any plans for today and tomorrow. I don’t have any plans anyway. Our parents are out of town and I was told to babysit my little brother.”

Sitting in front of the TV playing a video game, I said, “I’m sixteen. I really don’t need a babysitter.”

Victoria shrugged and said, “I’m sorry, Mike. That’s what Mom and Dad said. You know how they are.”

I frowned and said, “Yeah. How did they get to be so old-school anyway?” With modern communications and the high-speed maglev monorail system, you could literally be anywhere in the country in just hours or less.

There was a knock on front door. My sister got up from the couch she was sharing with Theresa and said, “I bet that’s Janie now.”

As soon as Victoria opened the door, a grinning Janie burst through it.

“Guess what, guys? This is so cool!” announced Janie from the middle of our living room. “I just won a free weekend pass for four at Girl Park in Houston. We can be there in an hour.”

Victoria said, “Oh wow. That is cool. I’ve heard that park is wonderful. It’s the most advanced yet. Maybe we can go next weekend after Sarah gets back from her trip.”

Janie shook her head. She said, “No. We have to use it this weekend. We don’t have to have four people. Just the three of us could go.”

Victoria frowned and said, “I can’t this weekend. I have to babysit.”

Her eyes pleading, Janie said, “Oh come on! Today and tomorrow free! I’ve been wanting to go there since it opened, but the cost is sky-high.”

I turned from my video game and said, “Sis. I don’t need a baby sitter. Please go. I’ll be fine.”

Victoria bit her lower lip as she looked from me to her friend Janie. “I don’t know. My parents would kill me if I left Mike here alone.”

Theresa said, “Isn’t he sixteen? He’s old enough to be by himself for a weekend. I was thirteen when I was left alone for a weekend.”

With a tinge of anger in her voice, my sister said, “You weren’t likely to burn the house down. Mike can get wild.”

“Oh horse shit!” I yelled. “I promise to sit right here with my games and not invite any friends over. And besides, that fire last year was an accident.”

Janie waved her free pass in the air and said, “Well, bring your little brother along. That way you’re still watching him and your house is safe.”

Theresa said, “They don’t allow boys at Girl Park do they? It’s called Girl Park for a reason.”

Janie said, “Legally they can’t turn boys away, but they have some restrictions and warnings about boys using the park. There’s nothing of interest for a boy there. It’s the only holo-park of its kind in the world.” Ever since Dream Park opened twenty years ago, holographic parks have been popping up, each one raising the level of immersion and technology.

I said, “I definitely don’t want to go if that’s the case. I’ve read it has the highest immersion level of any holographic park, but it doesn’t sound like it’d have anything interesting for me.”

Victoria said, “Well, you and Theresa go. Looks like I’m stuck with my little brat brother.”

“You’re going to miss out?” cried Janie. “This is literally a once in a lifetime deal. That park is too damned expensive for mere mortals like us. I did mention this pass is free, right? The whole weekend. The weekend we’re standing here wasting!” She handed my sister a brochure. “Just look at all the fantasies they provide. Over five hundred pre-programmed fantasies to experience. And they allow custom ones as well! You can’t pass this up!”

Victoria walked over to the TV and shut it off. She said, “Come on, brat. You’re going to Girl Park, like it or not.”

I reached up and turned the TV back on. “I’m not going!”

*          *          *

The maglev ride to Houston was quick. Less than an hour. Faster and safer than flying used to be. The domestic airline industry was almost non-existent anymore. We hopped onto the elevated shuttle train to the park from the maglev terminal.

“Look!” shouted Janie. “There it is!” She was pointing out of the window at a large castle looking building.

“It’s a fairy castle,” said Theresa flatly. “Is this just going to be some girly-girl magic fantasy place?”

Janie shook her head and said, “Oh no. Everything’s based on your age so it will only provide age appropriate fantasies.” She looked over at me and said, “Sorry Mike. No wild night of sex with a dozen gorgeous men for you.”

I frowned and said, “Ah crap. I was all ready to scratch that off my bucket list.”

Janie continued, “So yeah. There are adult themed fantasies as well as groups. It should be a blast.”

A few minutes later, we were descending a long staircase down to the gaping maw of the castle. There were lines forming in front of the ticket booths in the middle of the castle entrance. The lines moved fairly quickly.

The woman in the ticket booth smiled at us when the four of us arrived in front of her. She said, “Welcome to Girl Park, ladies. The park where your deepest, most secret fantasies can come true. Well, at least virtually.” Her smile faded a bit when she noticed me. “Oh, you’re a boy, aren’t you? Are you sure you want to enter this park?”

Victoria piped up and said, “Oh course he’s sure. He needs to be added to our group.”

The woman in the booth nodded her head and said, “Not a problem. He’ll need to sign an additional waver. You all have to sign a waiver to get inside. I also suggest getting an insurance policy on him. It’s only ten dollars extra.”

Janie said, “Why do we need to sign waivers?”

The ticket girl said, “A formality. It’s to indemnify the park against guests who decide they were injured at the park. It’s all virtual, but there are real things that happen. For him, it’s to indemnify us against any psychological damage.”

“Sounds like a fun place,” I said.

Looking at me, the ticket woman said, “We do get a few boys here. Some want to, some are brought by their sisters or mothers for various reasons. We have additional rules for boys. If you disrupt the simulations by trying to act like a boy, you will be sent to a virtual holding room where you have to wait until the rest of your party is done. We used to put disruptive guys in a special simulation where they were little baby girls and all they could do was crawl around and poop in their frilly little diapers and get changed by the virtual mommy. Then we started having some men being deliberately disruptive just so they could get that simulation.”

Victoria laughed and the other two girls snickered.

The ticket woman continued, “There are individual changing rooms after you pass the entrance. You each will be assigned your own changing room. The door will be biometrically keyed to your thumbprint. You can safely leave your stuff there. You must be wearing these special bra and panty sets. There’s a skull cap as well. Just tuck your hair up inside it. Don’t worry. We throw these away after each guest uses them. You put your clothes in the lockers provided. Once you have changed, you follow the arrows to the group chamber you’ll be using.” She looked at me with a grin and said, “Don’t worry. Nobody will see you in your bra and panties.”

Janie said, “Sounds great. We want individual as well as a group for all four of us.”

Victoria said, “And can get a sub group with just me and my brother included?”

“Not a problem,” said the ticket girl. “You’re not planning something weird with your brother, are you?” She smiled when she said that.

My sister laughed and said, “Maybe.”

The ticket girl then handed us each a package containing a bra and panty set and said, “You’re all set. Enjoy your visit to Girl Park!”

I said, “Do I have to wear a bra and panties?”

The ticket girl nodded and said, “The simulations won’t work without it. Those items have special circuitry in them. In the park, you’re a girl, so it doesn’t really matter, does it? And don’t worry. When you eventually have to pee through them, you won’t get electrocuted, or damage them or anything like that.”

As we walked towards the changing room area, Janie said, “This is going to be great. Victoria, why don’t you and Mike do something together at first so y’all can get used to using the controls. Theresa and I will pair up for the first simulation. Before we leave there’re some group simulations I want to try with all of us.”

Victoria said, “Sounds good. Come on Mike. I already know what I want to do first.” My sister and I moved over to a corner of the holo-chamber. There are large and small areas of the park for various simulations where there are physical sets built. Other simulations just appear before your eyes. I have no idea how the technology works.

Janie held up her hand as she was reading a set of rules the ticket girl had given her and shouted, “Oh wait. We all have to have girl names. We can use our own or make up a name. Mike needs a name. Every time he uses a non-girl name in a simulation, he gets points knocked off. Eventually he’ll get kicked out.”

Victoria looked at me and said, “Before they knew you were a boy, Mom had decided on Mallory if you were a girl. So for this weekend, you’re now Mallory.”

“This just keeps getting better and better,” I groaned.

As Victoria said, “Simulation number one hundred seventeen. Activate.” I watched a gray mass surround Janie and Theresa as their simulation started.

My vision blurred for a moment and I felt disoriented. Suddenly, Victoria and I were standing on the field of a football stadium. I looked over at her and she looked a few years younger than her actual nineteen. She was wearing a black, short cheerleader uniform, her long hair tied with a large white ribbon. I looked down, and ah crap. I was dressed the same way. I could feel my long pony-tail swishing against the back of my neck and below my shoulders. I touched my hair and also felt large hoop pierced earrings. I had breasts. I could feel them. They were real…virtually real anyway. I didn’t bother to check what else might be different about me as there were tons of other people around me. I knew they weren’t real, but you couldn’t tell. Sometimes real people could share your simulation if you were both doing the same thing. But I think these were all virtual. But there was no way to tell this was anything but reality.

“Cheerleaders?” I said. “Really, sis?”

The other cheerleaders were forming up to do a cheer.

Victoria laughed and said, “Yes! I always wanted to be one and I wanted to see what it was like! Sub-title on!” Suddenly the words to the cheer they were chanting appeared in the air in front of me.

“I can’t cheer!” I squealed. “They’ll laugh at me.”

“Come on, Mike. Have fun. Loosen up. Those simulated girls and everyone here won’t care if you mess up. We’re here for fun,” said Victoria as she picked up her pom-poms from the ground and started waving them in sync with the other cheerleaders. She was laughing as she stumbled through the words of the cheer.

I picked up my pom-poms and looked around. It seemed so weird to be down on the field, looking up into the stands and the stadium lights glaring. The band was playing to back up the cheer. I hesitantly started to say the words hanging in front of me. The chill Friday night air swirling around my legs. The feel of my breasts and the bounce of my pony-tail as I started trying to follow the moves all contributed to an odd sense of euphoria. I think it was being fed into me by the simulation, but I was really starting to get into it. Yelling these cheers with the other girls and my sister, jumping around in these short dresses was fun.

When we were through with the first round of cheers, Victoria, out of breath and grinning broadly said, “You should see yourself, Mallory. You’re really cute. A real heart breaker.”

I rolled my eyes and said, “Just what I’ve always wanted to hear. But you, you look like a younger you. And your hair is longer.” I’d never admit this, but my sister was quite pretty. She never had problems getting dates when she was in high school. But since she’s trying to take college seriously, time for dates has dwindled for her. The way she was smiling and laughing, I’d say she probably hasn’t had much fun in a while.

As the evening went on, I had to admit that I was having fun. I was giggling right along with Victoria. The other cheerleaders were telling me what a great job I was doing. I was trying to live the fantasy because I could see how much it meant to my sister.

During the halftime while the band performed on the field, we were mingling at the table where we could grab a water bottle.

Victoria said, “Thanks, Mallory for being such a good sport with this. I so wanted to be a cheerleader in high school and I was so disappointed when I didn’t pass the try-outs.” She looked around the stadium, grinning. “I love this. It’s exactly how I imagined it.”

She surprised me with a hug and I said, “I’m glad you’re happy, sis. I can tell you’re having a great time.”

With a laugh, Victoria said, “You make a great sister. I want to try another feature before this simulation ends. For some reason it’s not the default.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, and then said, “Full Immersion, on!”

The view in front of me flickered for a moment and suddenly, I was only vaguely aware that I was in a simulation. The girl standing next to me was Stephanie, my best friend through school. We were both juniors and had been through school together since kindergarten. Another girl next to me was Victoria, a really nice girl who’d become one of my best buds. I looked around at all the sights and sounds and just grinned. I so loved being a cheerleader!

The halftime ended and we ran out onto the field to hold up the banner for our team to run through at the start of next half. It was a bit cold on the field, but none of us minded. I got to hold one of the poles that held the banner while the rest made a line on either side of banner to form a path for the team to run though.

We quickly moved the torn banner and the poles off the field and then ran down our side of the stadium chanting our cheers. I looked up into the stands. Some people were watching us; some were talking to the person next to them and not watching anything while most were watching the game. I only felt a passing tinge of disappointment that most in the stand weren’t cheering with us.

The game went into overtime and we were all getting worn out. Finally our team managed to squeak by to victory. All of us started yelling and screaming in a frenzy. This victory would send our team to the finals. I hugged Stephanie as we jumped up and down. As the team came off the field, I watched Victoria run out to meet the team captain. They didn’t kiss, though I could tell she wanted to. The school had rules about stuff like that. They walked over towards us, holding hands as the team and we cheerleaders lined up in front of the band to sing the school’s fight song. I was on Cloud Nine.

We finally started to disperse to head to our homes. I watched Victoria walk hand in hand with the team captain, she resting her head on his arm. They made an odd pair as he was so much taller than her.

I came off the field and into the concession area of the stadium. The crowd was really thinning out. I looked around quickly. Finally I saw him. He was walking towards me, smiling. It was Paul. My Paul. He was my ride home. My heart just melted as I watched him approach me.

“You were great out there, Mallory!” said Paul with a grin. “I bet they make you squad captain next year!” As he stepped up in front of me, he took my hands and then leaned in to kiss me. A tingle flowed through me as his lips touched mine. Paul had been my boyfriend since before the summer break. I’d never been with a boy so long before. He was incredibly cute and so nice! He was perfect. He always knew the right words to say, and would somehow know when I was sad and give me a call.

I laughed and said, “Thanks. I think coach was thinking of making Victoria squad captain. That’s okay. Did you watch any of the game?”

Paul grinned and said, “Was there a game? I only saw you.”

“I love you, Paul,” I said sincerely. And we kissed again.

He smiled that killer smile of his. He said, “Want to go to Rosa’s before I take you home? We have time before your curfew.”

I giggled and said, “I’d love to!”

We started walking, hand in hand towards Paul’s car. I was in heaven.

There was a blur and suddenly, Victoria and I were standing in a blank, gray room together. We were both covered in sweat as we stood there in our Girl Park bra and panties.

Victoria let out a whoop and said, “Holy shit! What a ride! That was incredible!”

I just stood there stunned. I know it was virtual, but I’d kissed a guy. And I liked it. Well, as far as being immersed in the simulation forced me to like it. I knew I don’t dare tell Victoria about that. I said, “It was incredible alright. It seemed very real. Especially after you turned full immersion on.”

Giggling like a school girl, Victoria said, “Oh yeah. That was wonderful. I’m using full immersion for the next six simulations. I’m putting us both on random sims. You’re on your own for the next six simulations, sis.”

“Hey, don’t call me sis! I’m not a girl, you know,” I protested.

Victoria’s face reddened a bit. She said, “Sorry. But I have to admit, I like you better as a girl. Hang on, here we go!” She read from the sheet she was holding and said, “Six random simulations, full immersion, single experience. Activate!”

My vision blurred again and I found myself standing in an obvious girl’s bedroom. Boy band posters cluttered the walls. There was a table, I guess what they call a vanity with a big mirror and cosmetics scattered across its surface. The closet was open, displaying lots of girl clothes and shoes. I had breasts again. I assumed other parts as well that I really didn’t want to think about.

I turned my head and felt something wobbling back and forth from my ears. Stands of hair tickled the back of my neck and the sides of my face. I was wearing a short dress with a rather poofy skirt. I walked over to the mirror and take a look. I was stunned by what I saw.

I was gorgeous. I was wearing a very pretty and very pink prom dress. My hair was swept up in an elegant style. Matching strappy three inch high heel sandals, sparkling dangling earrings, perfect makeup and nails completed the look. I just stood there and ogled at myself. If I liked girls, I’d be totally in love with myself. Aloud, I said, “Did I just think ‘IF I liked girls?’”

In front of me in a large red font the words “1 point deducted. 99 Remain” appeared.

A woman’s voice from downstairs…my mom…called, “Mallory, honey! Paul is here to take you to Prom!”

I have to admit I felt a thrill when I heard Paul’s name. He’s been my boyfriend for almost a year now. I couldn’t believe we’d been together for so long. Tonight he was my date for the Junior/Senior Prom.

“I’m coming!” I shouted as I picked up my clutch bag lying on my bed. I opened it and saw that the condom was still there. Just in case.

I started towards the door to my room when I forced myself to stop. I thought to myself, I have no desire to go on a prom date with a boy! And why the same boy and context from the last simulation. I thought it was supposed to be random.

The words “1 point deducted. 98 Remain” glowed in front of me.

I didn’t say anything out loud. And then I remembered the skull cap. Wow…they can scan thoughts, at least to some degree. I need to be more careful.

I started towards the door again when I remembered the condom in my purse. I stopped again and thought there was no way in hell was I having sex with a guy!

“1 point deducted. 97 Remain” floated in front of me. I wanted to scream.

It was then I remembered that I’m under eighteen. The simulation won’t allow me to have sex with anyone. The condom just makes it seem more real. I was safe. Safe from sex at least. I checked my appearance in the mirror one last time before going out the door. I suddenly thought as I passed through the door was how can I walk so easily in these shoes? Oddly, I got no point deductions for that.

As I descended the stairs, I heard my mom gasp. She had her video camera and was recording me coming down the stairs. I saw Paul standing beside my dad. Paul looked absolutely gorgeous in his tux.

“You’re so beautiful!” said Mom as she began to cry.

Dad grinned and said, “You look very lovely, Mallory.” He was holding up a video camera.

Paul spread his arms and said, “What can I say? You’re gorgeous, Mallory.” In one hand he held a small box with a wrist corsage inside. Dad frowned. He didn’t like Paul much.

As I stood in front of Paul, drinking him in, I said, “Thank you. You’re looking very handsome!” I wanted to kiss him so bad. But not in front of Dad and I’d just mess up my make-up anyway.

Paul grinned and held out the box he was holding. “This is for you,” he said as he opened it. He slid the wrist corsage onto my hand. It was beautiful. Pink carnations that matched my dress. I smiled at him as I sniffed at the real flowers.

Paul took my hand and said, “Shall we go?”

Dad said, “Have her back by midnight, son.”

Paul smiled nervously and said, “Yes sir. I’ll take good care of her.”

I waved to Mom and Dad as Paul led me to the door.

Mom said, “Have a good time, honey!” Dad just scowled at Paul.

Paul helped me into his car and made sure my dress was all inside before he closed the door. He then ran around to the driver’s side and climbed in.

As he started the engine, Paul said, “Your dad doesn’t like me much, does he?”

I laughed and said, “It’s not you. He doesn’t trust any boy with me.”

Paul looked me up and down for a moment and said, “Well, I can really say I blame him for that.” He put the car in gear and off we went to the prom.

I’ve literally been waiting all year for this night. I had my dress picked out before Christmas. My Dad hated paying for it. I have to admit it was kind of expensive, but to me it was so worth it. Even though we were dating, it was still a thrill to have Paul ask me to the prom. Of course, there was no one else I wanted to go to prom with.

We parked at the school and joined the other over-dressed kids heading into the gymnasium. Before we even got to the gym’s door, we could hear the DJ and his music blaring. The gym was all decorated in black and white (our school colors, the same as my cheerleader uniform) paper cut outs and balloons. It was full of people, some dancing, others milling around in groups.

Holding my hand, Paul led me into the gym. We headed straight to the snack table. “I’m starved,” said Paul.

“Hey Mallory!” shouted Stephanie, my best friend as her boyfriend led her to the dance floor. I smiled and waved at her. She was wearing a shimmering and very short red dress. She looked beautiful.

Paul let go of my hand so he could pick up a plate and start piling little blocks of cheese and various small cuts of meat. I just stood there next to him and just picked at some of the cheese blocks. I was just too excited to be hungry.

A boy and his date, who I didn’t recognize stepped up to Paul and said, “Hey dude! Glad you could make it. Wow, that’s one hot date you’ve got there.”

The guy’s date wrinkled up her face and punched him in the shoulder.

Paul grinned at him and said, “Thanks, dude.”

The guy rubbed his shoulder and said, “Well, I think we’re going to dance.” He then dragged his date towards the dance floor. She was still frowning at him.

Paul laughed and said, “Even though Aaron isn’t very smart, I have to agree with him on my date.” He flashed me a smile while he stuffed his mouth with the snack food.

After a few minutes of mingling and greeting friends and some complete strangers, I said, “Can we dance now?”

Paul grinned as he set his now empty plate on a nearby table. He said, “Sure, babe! Let’s dance.”

As soon as we got onto the floor, the song being played ended. I looked at Paul with a frustrated expression. He laughed. But then, the DJ started playing a slow song that you could more easily slow dance to.

Paul took my hand and slid his arm around my waist as I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. He said, “Now this is more like it!”

This was perfect. Paul and I slow dancing beneath the sparkling disco ball suspended from the ceiling, laser lights painting patterns on the ceiling and walls. Paul was oddly quiet as we danced. He just kept looking deeply into my eyes. He pulled me close to him and it became very apparent just how excited Paul was.

“I love you, baby,” said Paul with a rather serious expression.

I smiled at him and said, “I love you too, Paul.” I rested my head on his shoulder as we danced, oblivious to the others around us. I relished every second dancing with Paul. I’ve never felt so happy. So serene. This was the most perfect night.

I looked up at Paul and he smiled at me. He then bent down and kissed me as we danced. It was a long, smoldering kiss. We’ve kissed many times before, but there was something really hot about this kiss. I’m surprised I didn’t melt into a gooey puddle on the dance floor.

After a few more dances, Paul took my hand again and led me back outside the gym. He said, “It’s getting a bit stuffy in there. I need some fresh air.” We walked several yards from the gym’s entrance.

I slid both arms around Paul’s neck and just stared at him for a moment, smiling. He bent his head down and kissed me. This time even longer and with more passion than inside the gym. Breathing became difficult as we continued to kiss. Paul wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. My panties felt damp.

Paul kissed down my neck as he squeezed a breast through my dress. It was obvious what Paul wanted. The tingle I felt as he kissed my neck made me realize that I was ready to let him take my virginity. I wanted him.

Paul then pulled away, shaking his head. He said, “I wish we had more time. But I promised your Dad I’d have you back home by midnight. And I think he wanted you in one piece.”

I smiled weakly at him and nodded and looked down at the grass. After such an intense build up of emotions, I suddenly felt so deflated. My nipples were hard. My panties were wet. I was so ready to move our relationship to that next level. And now Paul was leading me back to his car.

I checked my make-up when we got into his car. My lipstick was a total mess. I took a tissue from my purse and just finished wiping it off. Dad would kill me…and Paul if he saw it smeared like that. We rode in silence back to my house. He walked me to my door.

Taking both my hands, Paul said, “I had a great time tonight, Mallory.”

I smiled and looked down at my feet for a moment. I said, “Me too.” I looked up into his eyes. I couldn’t help but think God, he’s gorgeous!

Paul suddenly put his arms around me and drew me close. He kissed me hard and passionately. The kiss just went on and on. When he pulled away, he left me breathless.

I touched his face and said, “I love you, Paul.”

He smiled and said, “I love you too, Mallory.” He kissed me.

My vision blurred again.

“Marry me, Princess Mallory!”

“What?” I said, blinking in the subdued light. I was in a room made of stone and lit with torches as well as daylight streaming through tall windows in the stone. Ornate wall hangings decorated the room. A man held my arm. He was a rather handsome man with rugged good looks. But I sensed evilness about him. He was dressed in black armor.

Long strands of blonde hair cascaded around my shoulders and down my back. I looked down and I was dressed in an ornate and very pretty princess dress.

“With you at my side, our houses combined, there will be nothing to stop me from ascending the throne!” the man holding my arm said. “If you want your father to live, marry me now, Mallory!”

In a panic, I looked around the room. There was a priest standing next to the table the man and I were standing in front of. Several soldiers guarded the entryways.

I shouted, “I will never marry you! I love Sir John!”

The man tightened his grip on my arm as he sneered, “Sir John is dead! Consent to marry me or your father joins him in hell!” I tugged uselessly at his grip.

There was a cry from behind the man and one of the soldiers fell. The other soldiers suddenly stood alert. Framed in the entryway, his armor gleaming stood all of Sir John’s six foot form.

Laughing, Sir John said, “News of my death have been greatly exaggerated Prince Farnsworth!” One of the soldiers attacked and Sir John cut him down in mere moments. The last two soldiers hesitated.

Prince Farnsworth shouted to the two remaining soldiers, “Kill him!”

After a few seconds of clanging swords and shouts, the last two soldiers lay on floor, their blood staining the stone flagging.

“Let the girl go,” said Sir John as he leveled his sword towards Prince Farnsworth.

Prince Farnsworth spun around and drew a knife and quickly brought it up to my neck. He shouted, “Drop your weapon, John. I swear I will slit her throat. If I can’t marry her, then no one will!”

I was terrified. I looked at the sharp knife the evil prince held against my neck. I knew he was serious. I watched Sir John hesitate and start to lower his sword. I saw the sneer crawl across Prince Farnsworth’s face. I’d rather die than marry him, but I didn’t want to die either. He started to move us towards an exit. I knew I had to act.

His hand bobbled up and down as we walked. I saw my opportunity and I took it. I bit Prince Farnsworth’s hand. I bit it hard enough to draw blood and caused him to let go of me and drop the knife. As soon as I was free of his grip, I ran quickly to one side of the room.

Sir John shouted, “Good girl!” as he raised his sword.

Stunned momentarily, Prince Farnsworth hesitated only a second before drawing his own weapon from its scabbard. To me he shouted, “You stupid girl! You’ll pay for this! You could have been my queen!”

Sir John stepped closer to the prince and said, “Defend yourself!”

Prince Farnsworth lunged towards Sir John in a rage. John parried the prince’s thrust and swung his sword towards the prince’s head. Farnsworth blocked the blow and back up as he brought his sword back up.

I watched in horror as the two men battled. They were fighting over me. I was going to be the spoils that went to the victor. Sir John already held my heart. He just had to defeat the evil prince!

Finally, one last blow with his sword sent Farnsworth’s sword flying leaving him defenseless.

“Surrender, Prince!” said John as he pointed his sword at Farnsworth’s chest.

Farnsworth shouted, “Never!” and lunged for the knife lying on the floor.

With one, final mighty swing, Prince Farnsworth’s evil life came to an end.

With tears streaming from my eyes, I ran up to Sir John. He took me in his arms and I looked up into his eyes. I said, “I love you!”

He grinned that hero’s grin of his and said, “I love you too, Princess Mallory. Will you marry me?”

I laughed and shouted, “Yes!”

He bent down and kissed me passionately.

My vision blurred. Okay, I get it. All these simulations end with a kiss.

I was in a meadow, sitting on the ground picking yellow wildflowers. I seemed to be around twelve years old and wearing a pretty red and white dress. Down the hill from me was our farm house, nestled in the trees at the edge of the clearing. Next to that was the barn and then some storage buildings. It was a small farm where we grew just a few crops and raised pigs and chickens. We had one farm hand to help Dad out.

It was a gorgeous day. A few puffy white clouds floating in the deep blue sky. A gentle cool breeze fluttered my hair and rustled the flowers. Around me was the sound of birds, insects and the wind through the surrounding pine trees.

“Mallory!” called my Mom from the farm house. “Mallory! Time for lunch, honey!” I looked down the hillside and saw Mom standing on the backyard porch, hands cupped over her mouth.

I stood up and smiled at her and waved. “Coming!” I shouted as I began to run down the gentle sloping hillside.

When I reached her, Mom brushed the back of my dress. She said, “You got your dress dirty! And you wore your good shoes!”

I lifted the handful of yellow wildflowers and said, “These are for you, Mommy.”

Mom took the flowers and smelled them. She said, “Thank you, honey! Now come inside. Lunch is ready.”

There was a ham sandwich and tall glass of cold milk waiting on the table for me. As I sat down, I saw Mom take a glass from the cabinet, fill it with water and place the stems of the flowers in the glass.

Mom busied herself with something in the kitchen. Over her shoulder she said, “When you’re done, go change into some jeans and go help your father.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said as I took a drink of milk.

It didn’t take long to finish with lunch and I ran upstairs to change. On the dresser in my room was a large mirror. I stopped a moment to look at myself. Again I saw a very pretty young girl, probably around twelve or so. My hair was long, but in pigtails.

The window was open, allowing a cool breeze to blow in. I went to the window and looked out. I loved what I saw! The edge of a forest behind our farmhouse, a few trees dotting the land before the house and around the barn stretching out before me was a stark contrast with the urban, close in apartments where I lived in the real world. I wished I could stay here. Even if it meant being a dumb girl.

“1 Point deducted. 96 Remain,” floated in front of me. It sure was picky.

I looked in the closet and there were many more dresses and other clothes, I pulled out a pair of jeans and a plaid button shirt. I glanced in the mirror before putting the shirt on. I saw budding breasts pushing into my training bra. I should probably ask Mom about getting a bigger bra.

I paused looking at myself in the mirror. For the first time, I had a chance to really examine myself as a girl. I just stared at myself in nothing but a bra and panties. I had to look. There was nothing boyish about being curious about my body.

I unsnapped the bra and laid it on my bed. I stepped closer to the mirror and looked at the two small mounds on my chest. I touched them. Felt my finger brush around them. I looked down at my panties, fitting tightly around my crotch. I started to tug on them. I closed my eyes. Dare I look?

In a sudden decision, I quickly pulled the panties down to my ankles. I then looked and stared in disbelief. How was it possible? I had a vagina. It had to be just an illusion. I hesitantly reached down to it. Oh my God. It was really a vagina.

I wasn’t trying to do anything other than explore. I found a hole and then I found…oh my God! Oh…oh…that must be the clitoris! I was shocked by the thought that floated through my mind…I could get used to having a vagina!

I shook my head and said aloud, “Are you crazy?”

“1 Point deducted. 95 Remain” appeared in front of me.

Aloud I said, “Give me a break! Even girls play with themselves!”

“1 Point deducted. 94 Remain”

Frowning, I pulled my panties up. It took a moment or two, but I figured out how to put the bra back on. I then quickly dressed and hurried downstairs.

Dad was in the barn, working on something. I said, “Hey Dad. Do you want me to help with something?”

Dad turned and smiled at me. He said, “Sure sweet pea. If you’d just feed the chickens for now, that’d be a big help.”

I smiled back at Dad and said, “Sure!”

There was a large bag of feed near the barn door. Inside was a large red bowl. I picked up the bowl and then scooped up the chicken feed and then hurried over to the large fenced area where we kept the chickens.

We had a lot of chickens and I was going to need to get more than one bowl full. But I sprinkled the feed on the ground and watched the chickens start to peck at it. I said, “Here chickie-chicks! Come get your lunch!”

When I was done with that chore, I went back into the barn. Dad said, “Hey, sweet pea. You need to take your horse out for a run. I saddled her for you while you were busy with the chickens.”

“Thanks Daddy!” I said with a grin. I ran out to the stable to get Petunia. I opened the gate to her stall and led her outside. I mounted her and gently kicked her flanks to get her started. I led her back up to the meadow with the wildflowers. The meadow stretched a long way beyond our farm. I tapped my heels into her flanks and made a kissing sound to get Petunia up into a cantor. The last time I let her gallop, I fell off and broke my leg.

I knew where I wanted to go. There was a stream down aways from the farm that fed into the meadow. Following the stream led back up into mountains. Dad didn’t really like me going back there, but it was remote. Only I was ever there and it was just too beautiful to stay away for long.

The stream ended at some rocky cliffs cutting into the mountain side. A small waterfall, less than a hundred feet high fell straight down into a small pond at the head of the stream. The water was always ice cold as it came from the snow that stayed on the mountain top year round.

I tied Petunia’s reins to a tree, took off my boots and rolled up my pants legs. I then sat on a rock and dipped my feet into the cold water. It felt great! I just sat there, listening to the water crash into the pond and watched the dragonflies skim over the pond. I could just barely see big white clouds through the break in the trees over the pond and stream. I loved to come here when I needed to be alone to just think or daydream. This was my favorite place on Earth.

It was getting on towards evening when I entered the house after putting Petunia back in her stall and removing her saddle and giving her a good brushing. Mom looked over at me as I entered through the back door.

“Mallory, honey,” said Mom. “Go change into some clean clothes and wash up. You can help me get dinner ready.”

“Yes ma’am,” I said as I hurried up the stairs. My clothes were a bit sweaty so I quickly changed into one of the many dresses in my closet. And then I hurried back down.

Mom said, “Go ahead and peel those potatoes, honey. We’re going to have mashed potatoes with dinner tonight.”

I hummed a little tune as I peeled and then cut the potatoes. I carefully dropped them into boiling water. While waiting for the potatoes to cook, I set the table.

Dinner was great, of course. Brisket, green beans, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob and ice tea to wash it all down. I got to say grace. I listened to Dad talk to Mom about things that needed to be done around the farm. I smiled as I ate my dinner and listened to Dad talk. I looked back and forth between Mom and Dad. I really don’t think I could ask for a better life.

Wearing my nightie, I climbed into bed after saying my prayers. Mom had brushed my hair and it was all silky around my shoulders.

“Good night, Mom,” I said as I snuggled into the sheets.

Mom bent over me and kissed my forehead. “Good night, honey. Sweet dreams.”

My vision blurred.

I was staring at a huge, packed audience in a theater of some kind. Not a movie theater, but one with a stage and curtains and props and an orchestra pit. With an orchestra playing in it. I was wearing some kind of strange, white dress where the arms were made to look like wings. I ran off the stage.

A guy with headphones on, holding a clipboard with what looked like a script looked shocked. He said, “What are you doing, Mallory? This is your big scene! Get back out there!”

I shook my head and said, “I don’t know what to do! There must be a thousand people out there!”

Frowning, the man said, “Two thousand. And they all paid to see you dance. Now get out there, girl. Just remember how we rehearsed it the past few weeks!”

There was a mirror back stage. I took a quick look at myself. I couldn’t tell my age. Still a teen a think. But my hair was pulled up into a stupid little knob on the top of my head and I was wearing some pretty intense blue eye shadow and overly long false eyelashes, too much blush and dark pink lipstick. My earrings were just diamond looking studs. I looked down at my feet and saw ballet shoes. I’m a ballet dancer? I know nothing about ballet!

The man looked sternly at me and said, “Go! Don’t blow your big chance!”

I took a deep breath. I remembered what Victoria said in the cheerleader simulation. It doesn’t matter what I do. They’re not really going to notice me doing it wrong. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. Then I ran back out onto the stage and received a thunderous applause.

I smiled nervously and noticed the other dancers on the stage for the first time. I finally recognized the orchestra was playing “Swan Lake.” Come on, girl, I thought to myself. Nobody here is real and they’re programmed to like you. Prove it to yourself.

So I started bunny hopping around the stage. I got applause. None of the other dancers gave me a funny look. I started moon-walking like that weird guy in those last century music videos. Nobody noticed or cared. I grabbed my crotch and struck a pose…

“2 Points deducted. 92 Remain.”

I guessed that was going a bit too far.

I tried following the movements of the other dancers. I ran around the stage, flapping my arms like the wings of a bird. A male dancer appeared to dance with me. I really tried to dance with him. He picked me up and turned me a few times while holding me over his head as if I only weighed five pounds.

From up close, I could see, under the light fabric of his shirt that he was wonderfully muscled. His very tight pants did nothing to hide the massive bulge in his crotch. I had no idea such hot guys performed ballet. Maybe I should start going to ballets! Why am I thinking these things?

The music built to a crescendo. I pranced about the stage like an idiot on stupid pills. The gorgeous hunk picked me up a few more times. The music stopped along with all the dancers, except for me. I then stopped feeling a big embarrassed. The audience rose to their feet in thunderous applause and cheers. The other dancers bowed so I did too. A curtain came down in front of me. The audience was still cheering. I heard them chanting my name.

The male dancer came up from behind me. I turned and smiled at him when he said, “Mallory.”

He caressed my shoulders with his strong hands. He said, “That was perfect, Mallory. You danced wonderfully. A beautiful and talented girl like you is going to go far! Just listen to that crowd!”

I wanted to laugh because he was so serious and my dancing ability was so non-existent. I said, “Thank you. You were great too.” I let my hand slide down his muscled chest, the shimmering fabric of his tunic so smooth.

He lifted my chin and gave me a long slow kiss.

My vision blurred. Something’s wrong. I don’t mind these kisses anymore.

I stood in the large, ballroom. It wasn’t crowded, but there were quite a few people here. All of them were wearing beautiful gowns or tuxes. The ballroom was gorgeous, with flowers, plants and even a central fountain and waterfall. There was an orchestra playing slow dancing music. Tables with people dining were off to one side. Everything was so elegant.

The walls were mirrored which made the place seem even larger. I looked at myself. Holy shit was I awesomely beautiful! I was stunned at how I looked. I was wearing a long, beautiful black evening dress and black high heeled strappy sandals. The gown had a slit up the skirt revealing black stockings. Without seeing them, I knew I was wearing black, silky, and lacy panties. Diamond earrings dangled from my ears. Around my neck was a beautiful diamond necklace and on my wrists were diamond bracelets. My make-up was perfect with smoky-alluring eyes, the eyeliner perfectly framing my eyes. My lips pouted with a lovely shade of red lipstick that matched my nail color.

I was drop dead gorgeous and even if I say so myself, easily the most beautiful woman in the room.

“May I have this dance?” I turned to face a voice from my side. I couldn’t believe it. It was that Paul character again. And again he was totally gorgeous.

I smiled at him and said, “I’d love to!”

He smiled at me and took my hand and led me to the dance floor. He wasted no time in sliding his arm around my waist. I put my hand on his shoulder and we began to dance. After that prom simulation, I had this slow dancing down.

“Thank you for the dance. My name is Paul, by the way,” said Paul.

I said, “Oh, you’re very welcome, Paul. My name is Mallory.”

“So nice to meet you, Mallory. Such a lovely name,” Paul said. “You were absolutely stunning when you entered the room. I said to myself, I have to dance with that beautiful woman.”

I smiled at him and said, “I’m glad you did.” I looked deeply into his intense blue eyes. I didn’t even try to fight my attraction to him. He was gorgeous. He was perfect. He was mine…

He held me close and occasionally spinning me around. He even lifted me over his head a few times, depending on the music being played. He was a wonderful dancer. He was unbelievably charming. I know I’m gushing, but mere words can’t describe how beautiful he is.

I was falling madly in love with him and it didn’t even bother me to admit that.

A tingle went down my spine when he softly kissed my neck. And kissed my neck again.

He stopped dancing, held my hand and said, “Oh, you must simply see this!” Taking a firm hold of my hand, Paul led me through tall glass doors to a small veranda. Vines and flowers covered the ornate stone railing. In the brilliant night sky hung a bright full moon, illuminating us and shimmering off the pond that stretched below us. The sight took my breath away.

“Oh, Paul! This is so beautiful!” I said, feeling faint.

“This evening is yours, Mallory,” smiled Paul. “All this is for you.” He kissed me and then we started dancing again, my head on his shoulder.

We danced for what seemed forever. He finally stopped and looked down into my eyes. I never wanted to be with a man so bad in my life. I just looked up at him, trying to drink in every detail of his gorgeous face.

He kissed me. Not just a kiss. A long, smoldering kiss that stoked the fire of desire in my heart. He held me close and kissed me deeply. I put my arms around his neck and kissed him with all my heart. I was in love. I wanted to stay here in his arms forever.

My vision blurred. I wanted to cry.

I stood there in my park bra and panties and the silly skull cap. My sister and her two friends were also standing in the gray room, of course wearing the same thing. Everyone was covered in sweat.

Janie said, “Well, we only have time for one more simulation since SOMEBODY seems to have over extended theirs.” She frowned in my direction.

“What?” I said. “I thought we’re supposed to have fun?”

Victoria said, “Don’t worry about her, Mallory. I think we all over extended one or two simulations. To be honest, I’m just totally blown away by all this. It’s just fantastic!”

Janie looked at me and said, “I’m surprised you didn’t use up all your points already. So, did you have a favorite simulation?”

“No,” I lied. “I was a girl in each one.” I knew I shouldn’t have asked this, but it fell out of my mouth anyway. “But, I thought these sims were completely random. The same guy appeared in three of mine.”

Victoria smiled and said, “Yeah. The same guy appeared in four of mine. He was dreamy.”

Janie looked at me again and grinned. She said, “For reals? That means you liked him. It says right here in the guidebook, that the system detects your reaction to the generated characters. It repeats characters that you have strong feelings about. That’s funny. You’re in love with a computer generated guy!”

“I am not!” I lied again. “Don’t be ridiculous!”

Theresa said, “It’s no big deal, Mallory. We all fell in love. It’s part of it.”

“Well, I didn’t,” I said feeling indignant. “And why are you guys calling me Mallory here?”

Theresa said, “Sorry. I thought we were all girls here. You are wearing a bra and panties after all.”

I frowned and said, “I have to.”

Janie said, “Okay girls. Enough of that. The group simulation I picked for us is rather long. That’s why we’ll be out of sim time after this. It’ll be fun. It’s a zombie apocalypse simulation. We’ll each get a male companion to tag along with us. For every zombie we kill, we each get a point. We lose a point if one of us gets killed or our companion gets killed or if we shoot a non-zombie. You do respawn if killed. Five minute penalty. A highest point wins. Oh, be careful girls. Companions do not respawn.”

Victoria laughed and said, “Let’s do it!”

“I might be good at this!” I exclaimed.

Janie said, “Simulation number four hundred seventy-five. Group twenty-three. Activate!”

My vision blurred.

We were standing on the rubble of a once great city. Abandoned cars dotted the streets in front of us. Tall, burned out buildings stood all around us. Looking at the other girls, it looked like we were at some Steam Punk convention.

I was wearing a short, tight, black leather miniskirt, a leather biker jacket that was very scuffed up, torn fishnet stockings, knee high lace up high heeled boots with four inch heels. My hair was tied back in a loose pony-tail. I could tell I was wearing enormous hoop pierced earrings. On my nails was black polish. I had goggles on top of my head. I had no idea what my make-up looked like, but it was probably like the other, heavy black eye make-up and just lip gloss. We were all carrying assault rifles.

It took a second to get myself stable on the uneven ground while wearing these boots. I’m glad I’d gotten used to walking in heels in the other sims.

The male companions stood next to each one of us. They were dressed similar in lots of leather, more practical boots and helmets. Victoria was holding hands with her companion, who wielded a shotgun. I turned to look at my companion and my heart leaped into my throat.

“Paul!” I exclaimed.

“Hey, Mallory,” he said. “I think we’re in for a rough day.”

Janie turned around and said, “You’re boyfriend’s name is Paul? Wow, he’s a cutie all right. No wonder you love him.” She studied me for a moment and then frowned. She said, “Look at Mallory, guys. It’s not fair. She’s beautiful. More so than the rest of us! It’s not fair some dumb guy is prettier than us!”

“1 point deducted. 99 Remain.” The words in red floated around us.

“What’s that?” asked Janie. “Is that yours, Mallory?”

I laughed and said, “No. That’s for you!” Victoria and Theresa both laughed. Janie looked annoyed.

Pointing at her companion, Victoria said, “Everyone, this is Allen.”

Theresa said, “Oh yeah. Guys meet Larry.”

Janie said, “And my man’s name is Matt.”

Looking apprehensive, Paul said, “We better get moving, Mallory. We want to reach Sanctuary before nightfall.”

Victoria’s companion Allen, who was also gorgeous said, “Yeah. We don’t want to be out here after dark.”

Janie said, “Lock and load, girls!”

About ten zombies suddenly came moaning and snarling around a corner and headed quickly towards us. My sister and Janie both panicked with Victoria slipping on the rubble and falling on her backside. Paul and the other males raised their weapons. Theresa just stood there.

I grinned and ran towards the zombies. I set my assault rifle on single fire and at almost point blank range lifted the rifle and quickly shot each zombie in the head.

Paul said, “That’s some shooting, honey.”

Janie said, “Wow. We have a regular Rambo with us.”

Laughing, I said, “You have no idea how many zombie apocalypse games I’ve played.”

Victoria was helped up by Allen and as she dusted herself off she said, “Does it get harder as we go along?”

Looking worried, Janie said, “Yes.”

“Shit,” said my sister.

“Cool,” I said. “Let’s go!”

We moved cautiously forward. We found that certain streets were blocked off, forcing us to follow a pre-set path. Sometimes we were offered a choice between various streets or going through buildings. Zombies would pop up from any direction.

I stuck close to Paul and not just because he was a crack shot.

We crested a hill of rubble and suddenly there were fifty or more zombies flooding the area around us. We stood on the top of the hill, our backs to each other and unloaded on the zombies. Even with all that, some zombies got frightenly close to us. Zombie blood and brains were flying everywhere.

Victoria screamed as a zombie grabbed her foot. She fell trying to back up. Just as the zombie was about to take a bite of her ankle, Allen popped a round into the zombie’s skull.

Zombies lay twitching right at our feet. I slid a fresh magazine to my rifle when Paul turned to me and put his arm around me and kissed me hard. He said, “You were wonderful, honey!”

Still holding my weapon, I slid my arm around his neck and kissed him back, just as hard. I said, “Thank you, baby.”

Victoria just stared at me and blinked.

Janie said, “Do you guys need a room?”

Grinning, Paul kissed me again and said, “No. We’re fine.”

Allen kissed Victoria and said, “I think we’re all grateful to still be alive after that.”

Theresa looked expectantly at Larry. But he just stood there, looking at the carnage. She shrugged and said, “Let’s go.”

To Victoria, Janie said, “It’s not fair that your stupid little brother got such a hot boyfriend!”

“1 Point deducted. 98 Remain.”

Janie looked up at the sky, threw her arms in the air and shouted, “Oh, knock it off!”

Victoria and I laughed.

Paul said, “Brother?”

I kissed him and said, “Don’t worry about it. It’s a joke.”

Victoria grinned at me and said, “Janie, are you sure we don’t have time for a wedding simulation after this?”

Frowning I said, “Now that’s crazy! I’m not getting married!”

Victoria laughed hard and said, “Funny. I didn’t mention anyone’s name! Guilty conscience!”

I must have turned several shades of red.

Paul said, “Maybe there’s a priest at Sanctuary.”

The other three girls stopped in their tracks and laughed.

Needless to say, darkness fell early. We were only halfway through the city when the sun went down.

Floating in front of us, words formed, “Point values double. Death penalty doubles.”

Theresa said, “Looks like it gets harder.”

“Bring it on!” I said.

We crept silently through the wrecked city’s streets. For ten minutes and a block and a half there were no encounters. This only made us worry more.

Larry turned around and shouted, “Oh my God! Behind us!”

We all spun around and a group of almost twenty zombies were almost within arm’s reach of us!

Allen shouted, “Run! Get some distance!”

A zombie grabbed Paul’s arm as the others started to run ahead. I popped a round into the zombie’s head. Paul spun around and punched a zombie that was about to bite my shoulder. As the zombie fell, Paul grabbed my arm and pulled me away. We both broke out into a run. I noticed the rest of our group hadn’t run very far before stopping.

As we caught up with the others, we saw that another large group of zombies were blocking the path. In the dark, I couldn’t tell how many. Zombie faces were being lit up by the constant gun fire.

Victoria cried out, “We’re about to be surrounded!”

Allen said, “Into that building! We can use the stairwell to choke their advance and they can’t get behind us.”

We all continued to shoot as we ran to the indicated building. It was once a multi-story department store. It now had a gaping hole in the side opening up the second and third floors. There were glass doors in the middle of the glassed in front of the store. Fortunately, the door was unlocked. We rushed inside.

Paul found a metal rod from a display and slid it though the door handles just as the zombies arrived and started pushing on the door and the large glass windows.

Janie said, “Now what do we do? We can’t just stay here!”

The storefront windows began to crack under the pressure of now almost a hundred zombies pushing against it. I could hear their moans and growls through the glass.

Paul said, “That won’t hold them long. And there’s no good defensive position here. Maybe there’s a back door?”

Allen came huffing up to us. He said, “I just checked. The back doors are chained shut. We have no way to cut through that heavy chain.”

Theresa said, “Shit! We’re all going to die here!”

The windows started to break. A zombie stumbled through.

Allen shouted, “Up the stairwell!”

We all ran to the stairwell door. It hung on one hinge. There was no way to lock it. We all ran up the stairs to the second floor. Down below we heard the shattering of glass. Moments later we saw the first zombie coming up the stairwell.

Janie shouted, “Theresa, you and Larry look for a fire escape or something while we hold them off!”

Theresa said, “Let’s go, Larry. There has to be another way out of here!”

I stood on the first landing of the stairwell, my rifle set on full auto, bringing down wave after wave of zombies. There was always a new magazine clipped on my belt. Paul joined me at my side and started firing. The doorway soon became choked with dead zombies that it became next to impossible for any more to get in.

Paul and I both looked up the stairwell when we heard shouts above us. We ran up the stairs.

The rest were standing there as Theresa and Larry ran back to them.

Theresa shouted, “This floor is full of zombies! They’re on their way here!”

Janie cried, “You mean there’s no way out of here?”

Theresa said, “There is a fire escape. But there are several dozen zombies between us and it.”

The zombies in the stair well were starting to push the dead zombies out of the way. Victoria and Allen started picking off the random zombie that made it through.

Paul said, “We have to make a stand. They have to come down this hallway. We’ll just pick them off as they do.”

Seconds later, the first wave of growling zombies started pouring through the hall. Victoria and Allen were having to shoot more and more.

I shouted, “Look! I saw this in an old movie once. It’ll work. Theresa, Janie and I will kneel in a row across the hall. Paul, Larry and Matt will stand behind us. We’ll just keep shooting until they stop.”

We arranged ourselves just as the wave of zombies closed in. We opened fire and the volley of bullets just cut the ranks of zombies in two.

I shouted, “Keep firing! Only stop to reload!”

Victoria shouted, “There’s getting to be too many in the stairwell.”

For ten of the most horrorific minutes of my life we blazed away at the never ending waves of zombies. Finally, no more came down the hall and we stopped firing. Victoria and Allen were still shooting in the stairwell. The pile of dead zombies came all the way up to our feet.

Paul said, “Get out of the stairwell. This door will close. It’s a steel fire door so it should hold them. At least for a while.”

We shut the stairwell door and heard a satisfying click as soon as my sister and her man emerged.

Larry was in the room next to us. The room had part of the wall missing and he was looking down. He shouted, “Holy shit! Look at this!”

A pounding started on the stairwell door.

We went into the room with Larry to look out of the gaping hole in the building and gasped. Stretched below us was an army of zombies. Hundreds. Maybe thousands all gathering at the base of the building. All trying to get through the front doors.

Janie started crying. “We’re all going to die here!”

Allen came running up from behind us. He said, “There’s not a zombie in sight below the fire escape. If we’re quiet, we can get down to the street without that mob out there noticing.”

Theresa said, “Let’s get the hell out of here!”

We all turned to head down the hall. I saw Larry slip on some rubble. He screamed as he fell from the gaping hole to the ground below.

Theresa shouted, “No!” and rushed to the edge of the flooring. I ran beside her and looked down.

Larry had survived the fall, but dozens of zombies were now tearing his flesh off and eating him alive.

Theresa turned away with disgust. Shaking her head, she said, “Stupid Larry!”

Victoria looked at us curiously as we rejoined the group in the hall. She said, “What happened? Where’s Larry? We heard a scream.”

I said, “He slipped and fell out the hole.”

Theresa said, “He’s dead.”

The stairwell door began to creak from the pressure behind it. It wasn’t going to hold long.

Janie said, “I’m sorry, honey. But we need to go.”

We all sprinted down the hall to the fire escape. The window that opened onto it slid open quietly. It was hard to be silent stepping onto the old and rusting fire escape, but we all managed to hurry down it with attracting the attention of more zombies.

When we got to the alley below the fire escape, I said, “Guys listen. Knives only for a few blocks. No shooting. We can’t afford to have that zombie army come after us.”

Nodding, everyone slung their rifles over their shoulders and pulled their knives. We cautiously ran to the street and looked up and down. Breathing a sigh of relief, we hurried down the street.

After a few minutes of running, we stopped at an intersection where we could view any approaching zombies, to take a rest. Janie and Matt sat on the trunk of an abandoned car. Paul and I just sat on the curb.

Matt looked back at the car he was sitting on and said, “I wonder if these cars work? That’d make getting out of here faster.”

Janie playfully whacked him in the back of his head and said, “Now you suggest that!”

Shrugging, Matt said, “Sorry. I just thought of it. I’m going to see if this car still runs.” He walked around to the driver’s side of the car and opened the door.

As soon as the door opened, a zombie lunged from the car and took a bite of Matt’s neck. His blood splattered everywhere. He fell, making a gurgling noise with the zombie on top of him.

Janie jumped up and said, “Oh my God! No! No!” She ran up to the zombie before any of us could react and thrust her knife into the skull of the zombie. She shouted, “Fuck you, asshole!” She then collapsed next to Matt and began crying uncontrollably.

I knelt next to her and put a comforting arm around her. I said, “I’m really sorry, Janie. But there’s no reason to be this upset. He’s not real, after all.”

Her eyes flashing, she spun to face me. She snarled, “Not real? He’s real to me! He was in every one of my fantasies. He was the perfect man. And now he’s laying there broken! How would you feel if your boyfriend just died in front of you? He’s real enough to you! You love him! Well, I loved Matt.” She began sobbing.

In a soothing voice, Victoria said, “Janie, I know this is upsetting, but he’s not gone forever. Just for this simulation. You’ll see him again if you ever come back to the park.”

At that moment, Matt’s eyes popped open and with speed you just don’t associate with zombies, he grabbed Janie’s arm and pulled her towards him. Janie screamed.

Just was he was about to bite her hand, I thrust my knife into his brain and he went limp.

Victoria and I gently pulled Janie away from what was left of Matt. She was crying and shaking.

In front of us the words floated, “No respawn from this point. Ammo no longer unlimited.”

“We must be getting close to the end,” I said. “I bet it’s going to get harder.”

Theresa fell to her knees. With a cry, she said, “Harder? Oh my God!”

Janie stood up and leaned against the car, looking exhausted. She said, “That’s it. I’m ending this simulation.”

I jumped up and shouted, “No! I want to finish it!”

Scowling, Janie said, “This isn’t fun anymore. This is a nightmare! I’m so done!”

I said, “Please don’t!”

Janie looked coldly at me. She said, “Simul…”

A second zombie popped from the car and bit into Janie’s juggler vein. Her eyes went wild as her blood spurted from her neck and she collapsed on the ground. Victoria ran up and with her knife, and killed the zombie. Looking sad for a moment, she stood over Janie’s body, knife raised. She hesitated quite a while. Allen walked up and ran his knife in Janie’s skull.

Allen said, “We probably should go. And somebody close that car door!”

Paul helped me up and said, “Are you okay, honey?”

I looked down at Janie and Matt and said, “I’m fine. Let’s just go. I don’t think the end is that far away.”

I noticed we now each had six magazines attached to our belts. That’s all we were going to get unless we find some scattered around.

I looked at all of us standing there. We were all dirty and scratched up. We looked like we’d been through hell. I couldn’t believe this was a simulation for girls! Apparently Janie wasn’t expecting something as dark and sinister as this sim when she picked it.

We walked along the middle of the street. We didn’t want to get caught by a zombie jumping from a door way or broken window. A few zombies came at us, but we quickly took them out with knives. The city buildings got smaller as we went along until finally, the street we were on led into a forest.

Victoria said, “Oh great. It’s night and we have to enter a forest.”

Theresa said, “We just stay on the road, right?”

Paul said, “It’d be crazy to enter the forest in the dark.”

The road was choked with abandoned cars. Inside a few were zombies clawing at the windows trying to get out. Thankfully, the sun was starting to come up.

As we continued on, we heard a growing sound of moaning and growls. We slowed our approach. In the dim light we could see a large group of zombies mingling around the cars. They were moving as a group towards the city. There had to be over fifty of them.

I said, “We have to go into the woods. With our limited ammo, we’d never get past that group.”

Allen said, “You’re probably right. Okay, just don’t get separated.”

We quietly changed our direction to enter the forest. Talk about creepy. There were strange sounds from all directions as we stirred up various animals. I really hoped we wouldn’t have to fight off bears or wolves as well as zombies.

Encountering only a few zombies, we reached a clearing around a farm house. There was also a barn and a few other small structures. And then beyond that, was a wall of zombies heading for us!

Victoria shouted, “Oh my God, they’re coming up behind us too!”

I turned and sure enough, zombies were closing in from all sides.

Theresa said, “Let’s try to make it to the farm house!” She broke into a run. We all started to run to the farm house.

Paul and I would stop and turn to take out a few of the closest zombies. There were just too many. The farm house was a trap, but I couldn’t see anywhere else to go. Theresa was the first to reach the front door of the house. She turned the door knob.

“It’s not locked! Thank God!” she said as she opened the door. Several zombies spilled through the open door and attacked her. We were still too far away to take a shot and not risk hitting her. Screaming, she went down with a pile of zombies on top of her. She was gone.

Victoria shouted, “You fucking bastards!” She fired her weapon on full auto into the mob of zombies. Allen joined her as they both emptied a magazine into them.

The four of us rushed to the house. Paul pushed me back and said, “Stay here. Let me check the house before we enter.”

“We don’t have time!” I shouted, pointing at the approaching zombies. “We have to chance it.”

Paul nodded and we all ran into the house. There was a zombie in the living room and another in the kitchen. We took care of those quickly.

Paul said, “Barricade the front and back doors!”

Victoria said, “Those things were bending a steel door! These are wood!”

Allen said, “Honey, we have to try. If we can thin their numbers a bit, we can make a run for it.”

We broke the windows and started shooting at the zombies approaching. We used careful shots, not just spray and pray. Our ammo was running out quickly.

After about fifteen minutes of constant shooting, Victoria began to cry. “It’s hopeless! They won’t stop coming! Janie was right. We should just end this nightmare!”

Taking a few more shots, I said, “I want to finish this!”

Victoria looked at me curiously. She said, “How are you so calm, sis? You’re actually enjoying this!”

I smiled at my sister and said, “You’re in my world now, Victoria. It’s like the best first person shooter I’ve ever played!”

Allen came up from behind us and said, “It’s clear out the back. It’s only a few yards to the forest. Maybe we can make it without being seen.”

Paul took a few more shots and said, “Let’s go for it.”

Checking again to see that it was clear, we quietly opened the back door just as we heard the front door smash open. We then sprinted towards the forest. We made it undetected.

We ran like fools through the forest, which is not a good idea. Victoria was in front and suddenly I saw her disappear from view as she screamed.

“Victoria!” I shouted as I ran to where I last saw her. I came up to the edge of a small ravine. Below me was Victoria. Her leg was at an unnatural position. We all quickly climbed to the bottom of the ravine.

“I think my leg is broken,” she said through sobs.

“We can’t stay here,” I said. “Those zombies will follow us. Especially if they heard that scream.”

Victoria scowled at me. “Well, I’m sorry. I’ll try to break my leg more quietly next time.”

“That’d be great,” I said.

Allen said to Paul, “Can you help me lift her up? There’s an easier climb out of here a few yards up.” Paul took one of Victoria’s shoulders as Allen took the other and carefully lifted her to one good foot.

I said, “This is going to slow us down. Why don’t you just stay here sis and distract the zombies?”

“Fuck you,” said my sweet sister. I laughed.

As we climbed out of the ravine, dragging my sister, a row of zombies had gathered at the edge. They started stupidly falling into the ravine and landing in broken, twisted heaps. They were still alive, but they couldn’t follow us.

I said, “The zombies aren’t any smarter than you, sis.”

Victoria said, “Will you stop? Please?”

We reached the edge of the forest after a few more minutes of walking. There was a wide clearing stretching before us.

I shouted, “Look! It’s a wall! That’s the goal!”

Allen said, “But look at all those zombies in between! We’ll never make it.”

I looked at the distance between us and he wall. I could see people on the wall. When we got close enough, I’m sure they’d start shooting to help us.

I said, “Yes we will. The zombies aren’t in large groups. They’ll be easy pickings. The people on the wall will mostly likely start giving us support fire when we’re close enough.”

Victoria said with a cry, “Leave me here. You can’t run carrying me.”

“I’ll stay here with you, love,” said Allen sounding all heroic.

“Nobody’s staying behind,” I said. “We’re all going to make it. Everyone give me what ammo you have left. Paul, you and Allen carry my sister. I’ll take care of the zombies.”

Paul left Allen supporting Victoria for a moment. He placed both hands on my shoulders and said, “You’re the bravest girl I’ve ever known.” He then kissed me, long and hard.

A little breathless after Paul’s kiss, I said, “Let’s do this.”

Victoria started hobbling along, supported by Allen and Paul. I ran ahead and cleared the path. This was fun! I had enjoyed my other experiences at the park, especially the ballroom with Paul, which I’ll never admit to. But this was like actually getting to live one of my video games.

I didn’t get too far ahead of the others. Zombies were coming up from behind us as well as all around. Carefully aimed shots took them out, one by one. As we neared the wall, the people on it started firing at the zombies around us.

As we got closer, the gate in the wall opened up and several men ran out to help carry Victoria into the compound beyond.

As soon as the gate closed behind us, the words “VICTORY!” appeared in red letters before our eyes. Victoria and I grinned at each other. Allen kissed her with a deep passion.

Paul walked up to me and said, “You did it, Mallory. You got us here.” He then bent his head towards me and kissed me hard.

My vision didn’t blur. Instead there was a fade out, a second of darkness and then a fade in, indicating passing of time.

When I could see again, I saw my sister all clean and pretty, her hair longer than it was. She was wearing a simple white shift dress and sitting in a canvass chair. She also was holding a baby which was sucking on her breast that was exposed by a flap in her dress. There was a whole row of women nursing babies under a large canvass awning providing shade.

“What’s with the baby?” I asked.

Victoria grinned and said, “I’m a mommy. We’re helping to re-populate the world! You too it seems.” She then giggled.

That’s when I became aware that I was wearing a similar dress and sitting in a canvass chair. A baby was nursing on my breast.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed. “I…I’m a mommy! This is insane!”

My sister laughed and said, “Bet you never dreamed you’d have a baby! He’s cute. He looks like his father.”

I said, “This means Paul and I had to a…”

Victoria nodded. She just said, “MmmHmm!” She grinned at me.

Grinning back at my sister, I said, “Wow. I can’t believe I have a baby!”

Victoria studied me for a moment and said, “It suits you. I think you’d be a good mother.”

Watching my baby nurse, I said, “Thanks.”

“Can I ask you a sort of personal question?” asked Victoria.

“You can ask…” I said.

“Where does Paul come from? I mean, I know he’s not real, but I do love Allen. He’s basically a combination of everything I want in a man. He’s basically my ideal. I can tell you really do love Paul whether you admit it or not. Until now, I didn’t think you had a notion of an ideal man.”

I laughed and watched my baby nurse some more. Finally I said, “Don’t ever tell anyone this.”

Victoria said, “Hey, we’re sisters now. Your secrets are safe with me.”

I smiled nervously and said, “Back in the seventh grade, there was a boy I had a crush on. Don’t look at me that way. No, it’s not a gay thing. I didn’t want to date him. But I was desperate for him to be my best friend for some reason. I looked it up later and found it’s actually common to have same sex crushes. Most out grow them. Paul reminds me so much of that boy.”

Victoria smiled knowingly. “So you do have an idea of what your perfect man is! It’s easy to see how the girl Mallory would fall in love with someone you already had a crush on. Don’t worry, I won’t repeat it.”

“Thanks,” I said. “I haven’t even thought of him after that year.”

I saw Victoria look up at someone and I turned to see Paul and Allen standing behind me.

Paul said, “Mallory, we’re going to do a perimeter check. We’ll be gone for a few hours.”

I said, “Just be careful, my love.” He bent down and kissed me briefly. Allen kissed Victoria and they both walked away.

“My love?” asked Victoria with a grin.

“So? He’s the father of my baby!” I said.

We both laughed.

My vision blurred…

We were all standing in our Park underwear, all looking tired and numb. Victoria and I were dripping with sweat. Both Janie and Theresa looked at us with annoyance.

Janie said, “Took you long enough. Did you finish the sim?”

“I won!” I said beaming.

Janie said, “That was such a shitty idea. If I ever come back, I’m never doing that again. I’ll spend my whole time on that beach sim.”

Victoria said, “I liked that first sim I tried the best. The one where I got to be a high school cheerleader.”

Theresa took on a faraway look and said, “Oh, I just loved the back-packing sim. Larry and I had some really good times.”

They all looked at me as I stood there in silence.

Janie said, “Well? What was your favorite?”

“The zombie one, of course!” I lied.

Janie frowned and said, “That figures.”

Victoria said, “Anyway, it was a totally wonderful experience! I’m just completely blown away.”

Pointing at her neck, Janie said, “Did you know I actually felt that zombie sinking his teeth into my neck? That hurt.”

“That’s so cool!” I said.

Sounding tired, Janie said, “Let’s go. Maybe we can catch the eight o’clock train.”

On the way out, we were each handed a video disc of each of our adventures. I declared that nobody was ever going to see mine!

*          *          *

“Are you sure you want to enter Girl Park?” asked the woman in the ticket booth.

Before I could answer, Victoria said, “He’s sure. It’s what he wanted for his birthday. We were here two years ago.”

Nodding the woman said, “Oh. Well then, you know what these are for.” She handed me the package with the bra, panties and skull cap. “You know what you’re getting into then. We actually get a good percentage of boys returning. And here’s your three hour pass.”

Victoria had managed to raise enough money for one three hour pass to Girl Park. Mom and Dad contributed, a few aunts and uncles and even some of her friends contributed over the last two years. Dad didn’t really like the idea but he relented since this was what I really wanted for my eighteenth birthday.

Victoria and I had grown a lot closer after our experience at Girl Park. In spirit at least, we became sisters. Every now and then I’d get an urge to dress up as a girl and she’d indulge me. After Dad found my make-up and some panties in my room, we had to start storing everything in Victoria’s room. I don’t know what we’ll do next month when she finally moves out for an out of state college.

“Are you sure you don’t want to go too?” I asked. “I don’t mind taking a ninety minute pass so you can get one too.”

Victoria smiled and gave me a hug. “Thanks for offering, sis. I appreciate it. But after I met Julian, I have a real life man of my dreams.”

“You don’t have to have a fantasy with the man of your dreams,” I said with a pout. “They have hundreds of fantasies. In fact, they’ve added three hundred more since we were last here.”

She laughed and said, “This is your birthday present, Mallory. Not mine.” When we were alone, Victoria would call me by my girl name. I never questioned it.

I gave her a hug and smiled. I said, “Thank you so much. It means a lot!”

Victoria made a shooing motion and said, “Get! Go have some fun, girl!”

I waved and walked off towards the designated room.

I stood in the middle of the ballroom. I was wearing a beautiful dark blue floor length sequined gown with matching four inch heeled strappy sandals. My hair was long and flowing and danced about my shoulders. Dangly diamond earrings bounced playfully against my neck. Around my neck I wore a dazzling diamond necklace. My eye shadow was dark and smoky. My lips and nails were a dark pink.

I stood there a moment, looking expectantly around the room. Suddenly, from behind me, I heard a familiar voice. My heart leapt into my throat.

“Mallory?”, asked Paul. “Is that you?”

I turned to face him. I couldn’t help but smile. I don’t care what others may think. He was the most gorgeous sight I’ve ever seen. He was older and his features had matured a bit. He looked around nineteen. I just drank him in. I said, “Yes, Paul. It’s me. It’s been a long time.”

He took my hand and kissed my fingers. He said, “It has been a long time, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.” He pulled me close to him.

“I’ve missed you too, my darling. I think of you every day,” I said sincerely.

Placing his hand on my waist, we began to dance. His blue eyes drilled into my very soul. He said, “I never would have believed it possible if you weren’t standing here in front of me. But you are even more beautiful than before.” I felt a thrill shoot down my spine.

I said, “Thank you.” I looked shyly away.

He lifted my chin back up and looked at me and smiled. He then bent down and kissed me softly. I just melted.

We danced for what seemed forever. I lost all track of time. In fact, it was almost as if time was standing still.

Suddenly, Paul stopped and just looked deeply into my eyes. He ran his fingers gently through my hair. He said, “Maybe we should go somewhere a bit more…private.”

I smiled up at him and said, “I think so too…”

He took my hand and led me from the ballroom.

Maybe I really should get one of those vaginas…

*          *          *

The End

 

A Girl Park Christmas
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2017 Melanie Brown

An old man finds his dream at Girl Park.
 

December 2017 Christmas Dreams Story Contest Entry

You don't need to have read Girl Park, but it helps -- Ed
 

 

---

 

I rolled my wheelchair out the front door of the Sunset Rehab Center and Nursing Home to the large covered area to wait for Beth, a fellow inmate… I mean resident at the center, to join me for our morning outing to the park and back. For mid-December it was a fairly nice day. Overcast and the temperature hovering around the high sixties. A light jacket was all I needed against the weather. A definite benefit from living in south Texas.

I frowned looking down at what was left of my right leg which I lost last summer due to diabetes. I wasn’t a candidate for a prosthetic so I was wheelchair bound most of the time.

“There you are!” exclaimed a pleasant woman’s voice. “I figured you were out here when you weren’t in your room.”

I looked up and smiled at Beth as she came around the wheelchair to greet me. “Good morning, Beth. It was just too nice out to wait inside.”

Beth laughed. “I hear ya, Sonny. Are you ready for our morning constitutional?”

I pointed down the sidewalk. “Make it so!”

It wasn’t far to the park. But it still made for a nice outing. The park contained numerous concrete walkways that meandered around with most bringing you to the large pond in the center. Beth pushed me along in silence until we were almost to the park.

“Well you’re being quiet this morning,” observed Beth. “Usually we’ve tackled several of the world’s problems by now.”

I shrugged. “Just a lot on my mind today.”

Beth continued to push. “Have you heard from the kids? Are they coming down to visit you this Christmas?”

I shook my head. “Nah. I wish they were though. I love seeing those grandkids. But Kent’s agreed with Steph to go to her family this year. I can understand why. Her folks still live at their home, they have a big Christmas tree every year, and make a big turkey dinner. Even her father can still go out and play catch with the grandkids.”

“Does that make you angry?” asked Beth as we neared the park.

“No. Not really. Not that,” I said with a catch in my throat. “I just wanted to spend one more Christmas with family.”

Beth stopped pushing the wheelchair. “What do you mean, Sonny?”

I paused for a long time. I didn’t want to say the words as if there’s no truth to them if I don’t say them. I took a deep breath. “Beth, I’ve been diagnosed with inoperable cancer.”

Beth rushed around from behind the wheelchair. “Oh my God! Sonny! I’m so very sorry.” She knelt next to the wheelchair and took my hand and kissed it. “Oh God, Sonny!”

I patted her hand with my free one. “It’s not like I’m going to keel over tomorrow. But I have at most six months. Probably less. Definitely won’t make it to my next birthday, much less next Christmas”

Beth continued to kneel next to me and looked earnestly into my face. “I am very sorry about this. It’s just awful. I lost my brother to cancer. I hate it. Have you told Kent?”

I shook my head. “I didn’t want to put a downer on their Christmas. Like I said. I have some time.”

Beth composed herself and stood up and started to push the wheelchair again, but not as briskly as before. “So, what are you going to do?”

I shrugged again. “I have no idea. I gave my doc a DNR order. No heroics. And as far as what I’m going to do with the time I have left, I have no idea. So many dreams lost. So many regrets.”

Beth stopped under a large tree to shield us from a sudden light rain. There was a bench, so she sat down next to me. “Regrets? What kind of regrets? Seems to me you really have had a full life. A wife and kids, a job you loved, then your own business for a while. Two tours in the war. Rock climber, white river rafting just to name a few!”

I shook my head. “Do you have any idea why I signed up for two tours in that war? Or why I took up dangerous hobbies?”

“Excitement?” suggested Beth.

I sighed. “I kept hoping I’d die.”

Beth leaned back from and gave me a long stare. “Die? What do you mean?”

I waved my arms for emphasis. “Die. You know. As in dead.”

Beth gave me an incredulous look. “But why?”

I turned from her and studied my hands. “It’s because of my biggest regret.” I looked over at Beth. “I don’t know if I could ever bring myself to tell you.”

Beth smirked at me. “Sonny. After that bombshell you just landed on me, I doubt there’s anything else you could say that would shock me.”

I took a deep breath and sighed heavily. I looked Beth straight in her eyes and stripped my soul raw. “I wish I had been a woman. No seriously. As far back as I can remember, back to at least four or five, I’ve felt I should be a girl. It’s my greatest wish. You’re the first person I’ve ever told that to.”

Beth leaned back and pressed her fingers against her lips. “My God. Sonny. This is going to take a moment to digest. Although, it does explain some things.”

“Oh?”

She nodded. “Small things. Like how you always seem to hang with the women at the center instead of sitting with the guys watching football. Some of your mannerisms. Just small things that individually you don’t really notice.”

Staring at my hands, I said, “Now you know my most closely guarded secret. My biggest regret.” I grunted a laugh. “You know, when I was a kid they were just starting programs for transgendered kids. But I was too afraid. I didn’t want to disappoint my dad. After high school, I didn’t care if I lived or died.”

Beth looked at me earnestly. “If you hadn’t lived, you wouldn’t have had those beautiful children.”

I frowned. “If I had become a girl, they wouldn’t be here either. That’s sad to think now, but they just wouldn’t have been born.”

Beth stood up, rubbing her hands together. “We should get back. The wind has kicked up and it’s cold.”

We passed a guy dressed as Santa Claus who had set up on a corner and was ringing a bell.

I pointed at him and said, “I have a request for Santa.”

I couldn’t see her face, but I could tell Beth smiled. “What would that be?”

“I think it’s outside his ability, but I what I want for Christmas is to have been born a girl. I always wished I could have gotten a Barbie doll.”

*          *          *

The staff had gotten me up at Oh-dark-thirty. On Christmas morning of all things. They got me dressed and fed me a quick breakfast. I was told I’d have to wait whenever I ask what the hell was going on. I griped I was going to miss the turkey and pumpkin pie they serve at the center on Christmas.

And that included Beth when she came to get me and push me outside to the curb where there was a waiting Uber. I was taken to the mag-lev station and Beth pushed my wheelchair into the small train. She told me to go back to sleep when I kept pestering her about where we were going. A short time later, our small train connected to a larger train and our speed kicked up to max…which was actually faster than a commercial airliner could fly.

After a half an hour of watching scenery race by, we finally pulled into a debarking station in Houston. The pink fairy castle station that is the entrance to Girl Park.

As Beth pushed my wheelchair towards the entrance, I said, “You’re shitting me.”

Beth laughed. “I shit you not, Sonny. This is your Christmas present.”

I tried to look back at her. “What are you talking about?”

Beth sighed. “I took up a collection at the center; residents and staff alike to pay for a visit here. After what you told me a couple of weeks ago, I thought you enjoy it.”

I shook my head. “This is crazy. And look at that line. And it’s still dark out!”

A woman, smartly dressed in the park’s uniform walked up to us. She bent down towards me and asked, “Mr. Morris? Please follow me to the VIP entrance.”

Surprised, I said, “VIP? This is a place for girls. Young girls. Not old men like me.”

The woman leading us smiled and turned back towards me. “Girl Park is for everyone; young, old, male, or female. To live out your fondest dreams.”

Beth leaned in close to my ear and whispered, “I got you the super package. I’ll share a few experiences with you, but it’s your Christmas.”

We rolled past the long lines of girls, women and a few boys all waiting in the long line. A door opened and Beth pushed me inside. The light was dim and there were only a few people in the room with us.

Beth stopped pushing me forward when the woman stopped walking. She turned to face us and with a pleasant smile said, “This is where your dreams start, Mr. Morris. Cindy will take care of you from here on. Have a great day at Girl Park and Merry Christmas!” She walked out of the room.

“Good morning Mr. Morris!” said Cindy cheerfully. “We’ll take you from here. We have a staff trained especially to help handicapped individuals get prepared for their Girl Park adventure.” Three men in lab coats approached and started to wheel me off to another room.

I heard Cindy as she addressed Beth. “Ma’am, if you will please follow me? We’ll get you prepared as well.”

I was pushed into a small, brightly lit room with a single bed in the center. The three men helped me onto the bed and proceeded to undress me. I was surprised when they then put a bra and panty set on along with a skull cap.

One of the men said, “Sorry sir. But the simulations won’t run unless you’re wearing these items.” I nodded.

A single restraint was run across my waist and the light dimmed. The man who spoke said again as the three men left the room, “Enjoy your Girl Park adventure!”

*          *          *

I sat on the carpeted floor in my pink footie jammies amid shreds of Christmas wrapping paper. I looked around. My sister Beth who was two years older than me also sat on the floor near the tree. She was being “Santa” this time around. Dad was in his recliner with his ever present video camera to his eye and Mom already looking tired on her second cup of coffee. The TV was playing Christmas music.

It was all just so exciting!

Beth thrust a brightly colored package with a reindeer print at me. “Open it! Open it!” she squealed. “It’s from me!” Mom or Dad probably bought it, but I was much too young to be cynical yet.

I giggled as I took the package and shook it.

“It’s not a bomb!” exclaimed Beth.

“Beth! Be nice!” admonished Mom.

“Hurry up and open it,” said Dad holding the camera to his eye.

The neatly wrapped paper was quickly reduced to shreds. I squealed as I held up the box for all to see. “It’s a Barbie! Just what I wanted!”

“Now you can leave mine alone,” said Beth with a look of relief.

I leaned over and gave Beth a bear hug. “You’re the bestest sister ever!”

Laughing, Beth reached under the tree. “Let’s see what else is under here!”

After breakfast, Beth smiled at me and waved as the concept of having a sister faded from my mind.

*          *          *

“Hold still Melody!” said Beth as she slid the eyeliner brush along my lash line. “I’m afraid I got this a little wiggly as it is.” Beth was giving me a make-over at Suzie’s pajama party. I’m sure the ten of us were driving Suzie’s mother crazy.

This was my first pajama party and I was pretty excited. I wasn’t close friends with Suzie, but Beth was. We were all in the eighth grade and I knew all of the girls here. It was difficult to walk through Suzie’s living room with all the bed rolls scattered about. There were girls lying on the floor in front of the TV watching a movie, some were sitting on the couch texting on their phones, others were paired off either getting or giving a make-over or trying out hair styles or doing their nails. And it was noisy with laughing, talking, squealing, and giggling.

Suzie rolled over on her bedroll and with her head upside down, looked at me. “Hey Melody. I heard you have a crush on Brad!”

I looked over at her. “Everyone has a crush on Brad.”

“I heard you asked Shane to swap lab partners in Science class so you could be with Brad,” grinned Suzie.

“That’s not what happened at all!” I protested. “Shane wanted to swap with me so he could have Stephanie as a lab partner.” I don’t have to admit to suggesting that swap to Shane though.

“I swear to God I’m going to stab you in the eye with this mascara brush if you don’t hold still,” complained Beth.

Suzie grinned, “Brad is a hottie. He’s gorgeous with a capital G. If you don’t want him, I’ll take him.”

“I didn’t say I didn’t want him!” I exclaimed.

Suzie tossed a pillow at me. “I want him!”

I tossed the pillow back shouting, “He’s mine!”

Beth sighed. “I give up.”

Suzie and I both laughed as we started hitting each other with pillows.

After things settled down and it got late, we turned the lights off and watched a very scary horror movie. I was hugging my pillow through the whole movie and screaming at the jump scares. I’m sure Suzie’s parents didn’t get any sleep.

The next morning as I pulled my frozen bra from the freezer I learned why you shouldn’t ever be the first one to fall asleep at a slumber party.

*          *          *

“Hey girl!” I felt a finger poke my shoulder from behind. I turned to see Beth grinning at me.

I grinned back. “Hey Beth.”

We started walking through the crowded hall together at Partridge High School. I had to get all the way to the other side of the school. It was so noisy I almost couldn’t hear the bells on my shoes.

“Just real quick,” said Beth. “How did you like your first pep rally?”

Today was my first pep rally as a cheerleader. We get to wear our uniforms all day and of course there’s the game later tonight.

I laughed. “I was so scared at first, running out there in front of the whole school. But as we did our cheers I started to really get into it. By the time we did our skit, all my nervousness was gone.”

Beth smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. You’ve been wanting this for so long. I was worried last night when you freaked out about having to be in front of so many people. Hey, I gotta jet. See you at lunch.” And she peeled off at the next intersection and disappeared into the crowd.

Last night I had called her, all freaked out about having everyone in the school watching me. I feel ashamed now about being scared the night before the pep rally. But Beth talked me through it and helped me calm down. I’m so lucky to have her as my BFF.

I sat down at the lunch table with my salad and milk on the tray. Beth, Suzie and few of our other friends were already there. Suzie was also a cheerleader. It was her second year doing it.

“Hey guys,” I said as I sat down next to Beth.

Suzie leaned across Beth with her hand up for a high five. “Good job this morning, Melody. You seemed nervous at first, but it didn’t seem to last long.”

I nodded. “I was totally nervous at first. But oh man! I wish I had tried out last year.”

Suzie laughed. “I told you!”

I suddenly felt a pair of hands on my shoulders and everyone at the table looked in my direction. “Hey guys,” said Brad from behind me.

I reached up and felt Brad’s hand. Brad continued, “I just wanted to check with you guys to see if anyone wanted to meet up at Taco Bell after the game tonight?”

“I’ll be there,” I said.

Brad laughed, “You better be!”

Beth pointed to herself and Suzie. “We’ll be there for sure.”

Brad squeezed my shoulders. “Great. See you at the game.” He let go of my shoulders and walked away.

Suzie shook her head as Brad walked away. “God, he’s a hottie.”

I took a bite of my salad. “He’s my hottie.”

Suzie laughed. “So I’ve heard.”

Much later in the day, it was still hot out being only the first week of September. It would still be a couple of hours before the sun set. Still, it was a gorgeous afternoon. The sky was filled with white puffy clouds that threatened shade rather than rain.

I jumped from the bus; the last cheerleader off. Everyone was making sure they had their pom-poms and adjusting their hair bows. The football players were already heading down to the locker room, so I missed my chance to see Brad before the game started. Then the band buses pulled up next to us.

“Okay girls. Let’s get down to the field!” shouted Coach McAllister. “We don’t have all day.”

We gathered up and followed the coach down the steps to the field. When we got to the field, I looked up at the stands that were just starting to fill. I pivoted in a circle looking up. I’ve always wondered what it was like to be here instead of up in the stands. I was finally here. It felt amazing.

Coach McAlister said in a loud voice to be heard over the general ruckus, “Okay girls. Let’s get in some last minute practice.”

An hour later and I was bubbling over with excitement. The stands were filled and the band had finished playing the national anthem and the school song and had gathered at the end of the field. I was on the field holding one of the poles where a paper was stretched with our team name written on it so the players could run through. Cheerleaders, the dance team and the rest of the cheer squad created a path for the players to run through.

As the players first broke through the paper, the pole was almost pulled from my hands. We held the poles up until all the players had passed between them. We then quickly lowered the poles and gathered any strips of paper. We left the field as fast as possible.

As the game started, we walked down in front of the stands on our side of the stadium. Looking up at all those people on the stands as we jumped and yelled for our team, I wasn’t nervous at all. I love it. I absolutely loved it.

I have to admit that I never really paid much attention to our games. I’ve only been to a few, and then when Beth talked me into it. And now, even if I wasn’t a cheerleader, I’d probably start coming to the games since I’m dating Brad. He’s not the team captain, but he’s quickly gaining that MVP title.

But now I yell and scream every time our team does something good. I enjoy it when we cheer and wave our pom-poms in sync with the short pieces the band plays to rally our team. And I was just full of pride when Brad made the final score, breaking the tie and leading our team to victory! That is one moment I will never forget.

After the game and while we were riding the buses back to school, Suzie, who was sitting next to me asked, “Well, rookie. What did you think?”

I grinned wide. “That was totally massive! It was so much fun! I’m so very glad I tried out for the squad.”

Suzie gave me a thumbs up. “Me too. I figured you’d love it.”

After we got back to school, I waited around for Brad to pick me up. We drove over to Taco Bell and sat at the corner table where we’d have more room. Not long after we got there, others drifted in.

After bringing our burritos, Brad sat down with his arm around my shoulder. Suzie was sitting next to her boyfriend as were a couple of other cheerleaders. I looked around but didn’t see Beth anywhere. We all laughed and chatted. Brad would kiss my neck and cheek and play with my hair.

I looked up and saw the door open. Beth walked slowly into the restaurant. She walked up to the table and stopped. I patted the seat next to me. “I saved you a spot, Beth! Sit down.”

Beth just stood there and shook her head. “Sorry, girlfriend. I can’t stay. Can I get a hug?”

Puzzled, I eased past Brad and stepped up to Beth. I gave her a girly hug, but she pulled me close to her. She then held me at arm’s length. She had a tear in her eye.

“Just look at you,” Beth said seriously. “You’re beautiful. You’re so happy. You have a cute little hottie for a boyfriend. This is you, girl. This is all you. Never stop being girly. Take care.” She turned and walked back towards the door.

Feeling odd, I said, “You too, Beth. See you in school.” I never saw her again.

As I scooted past Brad, he looked up at me. “What was that about?”

I shrugged. “Beats me.”

Brad leaned over and kissed me.

Brad walked me to my front door. He ran his fingers down the side of my face. “You’re so beautiful. I feel so lucky to have you.” He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me towards him. I looked up into those dreamy blue eyes of his. He bent his head down and kissed me. It was a long, smoldering, deliciously hot kiss. Our tongues met. I put my arms around his neck and closed my eyes as we pulled each other closer.

I’m not sure how long we kissed on my porch. It seemed both forever and just for an instant. I lay my head on his shoulder and tried to catch my breath. I fell in love with Brad at that moment. Truly in love.

Into Brad’s ear, I said in a breathy whisper, “I love you, Brad.”

*          *          *

“Hey baby.”

“Hey babe,” said Brad’s voice over the phone. “Is everything okay? It’s kinda late.”

I sighed. “I just miss you, baby. You’re so far away.” Brad was away at University trying to earn his degree in aerospace engineering. I was still living at home, going to the local college to get a degree in Art.

“I miss you too, honey,” said Brad sincerely. “God, I miss you so much. I’ll be home for Thanksgiving.”

Even though he couldn’t see it, I smiled. “I’m happy to hear that. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms.”

Brad said, “Same here. But hey, I have to study for a big test tomorrow. I’ll call you tomorrow night, okay?”

“Sure, Brad. I love you.”

“Love you too, babe.”

*          *          *

“Don’t be so nervous, Melody!”

“That’s easy for you to say, Mom. You’re not getting married,” I said, feeling terrified.

Mom kept making small adjustments to my wedding dress. “I believe I had a wedding day myself.” She grinned at me.

“Hold still,” said Suzie as she tried to touch up my make-up.

Frustrating Suzie, I turned to look at Mom. “Am I making the right decision?”

“Only you can answer that, Honey,” Mom said seriously. “You’ve asked this before. Look into your heart.”

“I love him, Mom. More than anything. He’s so wonderful to me,” I started to babble.

“Hold still,” frowned Suzie.

Mom folded her arms. “You love him. He loves you. That’s pretty much all that matters.”

Suzie finished checking my make-up. “And that sweet job he just landed designing hyper-sonic aircraft doesn’t hurt either.”

My aunt stuck her head in the door. “Is the bride ready? Everything is set.”

Mom said, “I better go sit down. You’re a beautiful bride, my dear. Absolutely beautiful.”

Suzie patted my back. “You’ll be fine, girl.” She left to get seated.

I stood alone by the door watching the usher. A zillion thoughts ran through my head. How Brad and I met. Cheerleading in high school. How I almost set the college on fire when I caused a kiln to explode. Where was Beth? I hadn’t seen her since that night at Taco Bell. She should be here! I never would have met Brad without her.

The usher motioned for me to come forward. My dad was standing next to the usher. This is it, girl. The moment of truth. The moment you have dreamed about ever since you were a little… a little girl. Talk about a Maalox moment…

I stepped out and smiled nervously at Dad. He smiled back and winked at me. He put his arm out and I took it. I was so scared. Not of Brad. It was the finality of getting married. I’m giving myself to one man. How can I be sure? You can’t, I told myself. Nobody can. You take your best option. And quite frankly, I was so damned lucky to have Brad. So loving. So kind. And so hunky. I smiled. The organist began playing the wedding march.

Dad and I stepped through the flowered arch on our long trek down the aisle. It didn’t look this long when we rehearsed. Brad was standing on the dais next to the preacher. His little brother standing next to him with the ring resting on a pillow. His friend Jack standing next to him as the Best Man. And so many people sitting in the pews, watching me walk down the aisle. Do I even know some of these people?

Suzie, my Maid of Honor, stood there trying not to cry. Her little sister standing in front of her as the ring girl. Suzie became my BFF after Beth walked out of my life. And she was the best friend ever. I never would have become a cheerleader without her. She had stayed with me to comfort me when I had thought Brad had cheated on me. She has one of my paintings I did in college hanging in her living room. I keep telling her she should hang a cover over it.

Dad and I stopped just before the dais. The preacher turned to face us and smiled.

The preacher raised his arms. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and the presence of family and friends to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony…”

I was too nervous. I hoped I wasn’t shaking. Dad patted my hand as I held his arm. I looked up at Brad, looking absolutely gorgeous in his rented tux.

The preacher continued, “Who gives this woman to this man in marriage?”

Dad, fighting back tears said, “Her mother and I do.” We stepped up onto the dais and Dad placed my hand in Brad’s. He turned to sit down next to Mom. Both were on the verge of becoming blubbering fools. Me too.

I was too nervous to listen to the preacher. I was worried about fainting or tripping or throwing up. It took a moment to realize everyone was staring at me. Brad looked at me worriedly.

With an embarrassed smile, I whispered, “Sorry.” I let Brad take my hand.

As he slid the ring onto my finger, Brad repeated the vows from the preacher, “I Bradley Slovensky take you, Melody for my wedded wife, to love and cherish, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer and in sickness and in health from this day forward.”

Suzie’s little sister lifted the pillow holding the ring and I plucked it from the pillow, smiling at the little girl. I turned to Brad and took his hand. I repeated the vows.

The preacher clasped both our hands and said for both of us to repeat his words. I looked deeply into Brad’s eyes as he looked into mine as we both said, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

The preacher said, “By the power invested in me by God and the state of Texas, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He looked over at Brad. “You may kiss the bride.”

Brad smiled at me as he lifted my veil. “I love you baby” I closed my eyes as he placed his lips caressingly against mine. This was the happiest moment of my life.

*          *          *

“Brad. Why do all these envelops have dates on them,” I asked as I sat down at the computer to pay the bills.

Brad looked up from the TV. “I’m just trying to help since you wanted to be the one to pay the bills. I prioritized them for you.”

I turned to look over at him. “You don’t think I’m capable of paying the bills?”

“It’s not that, honey,” said Brad as he started to look a little pissed. “It’s just that if we have four hundred and one dollar in our bank account and four hundred dollars in bills, you’re like, ‘oh! we can pay all the bills!’ and then we have no money until payday. Not all the bills have to be paid at once.”

I folded my arms. “Do you want to pay the bills? I thought I was helping. Although making you dinner and doing your laundry and cleaning up after you should be helping enough.”

Brad stood up. “I’m not saying you can’t pay the bills. I just want them paid correctly.”

I stood up, almost knocking my chair over. “Fine! You do the bills from now on. Heaven forbid they’re not done *correctly*. Oh, and if you want dinner, there’s some frozen mystery meat in the freezer.” I ran to our bedroom crying and slammed the door.

*          *          *

“Push. Push, mom. And don’t forget to breathe.”

“Push, honey,” said Brad who was standing next to me.

I turned to him and through gritted teeth I hissed, “You shut up. You did this to me! Don’t talk to me!”

The nurse looked over at Brad and gave him a knowing look.

The doc took a look between my legs. Five centimeters. We’re getting there. Keep pushing.”

Breathing hard, I asked to no one in particular, “How do people do this without an epidural?” I moaned.

The nurse said, “You’re doing fine, mom. Keep pushing.” I wanted to push her.

Finally I felt relief as the doctor pulled the baby out of me. He held it up for Brad. “Congratulations, dad. You have a fine, healthy boy.”

Excitedly, Brad said to me, “Did you hear that Melody? We have a boy!”

“Let me see him!” I said feeling dog tired.

“They’re cleaning him up. I can’t wait to have another one!” Brad said cheerfully.

I scowled at Brad. “Unless you’re planning on getting pregnant, that’s the only one.”

*          *          *

I couldn’t believe our first one was already old enough for school. Brad was helping little Michael get dressed. I picked up baby Jon to put him into his swing.

Brad stood up. “Let me help you with that.”

I laughed. “I’m pregnant, not helpless.”

Brad took Jon from me and settled him into the swing. “Remember the doc said to avoid any extra strain.”

I just shook my head. Unlike the other two, I let them tell me what I was having after they did the ultrasound. This one was going to be a girl. This was definitely going to be the last one. After she’s born, I’m getting my tubes tied.

*          *          *

“Don’t cry, Mom.” Michael put his arm around me as I gave him a hug.

Not holding back the tears, I cried, “I can’t believe my baby is all grown up! Look at you! A high school graduate!”

Brad laughed. “Yes. Congratulations son for completing the easiest part of your life.”

Looking bored, Jon said, “Can we go home now?”

Michael laughed at Brad. “Dad. Your jokes are always so lame. Anyway, I’m going with Scott to the after graduation party.”

Brad said, “Be careful, buddy.”

Michael nodded. “They lock the doors so we don’t get stupid out on the streets tonight. See you in the morning, Mom, Dad.

As Michael ran off to join his friend, I turned to Brad. “I feel old, Dad.”

Brad nodded with a frown as he watched our son walk away. “You and me both, honey. You and me both.”

“Can we go home now?”

*          *          *

I dropped the phone onto the bed, the voice on the other end still talking. Brad sat up, a look of alarm on this face as he looked at me.

“Honey. What’s wrong?”

I picked up the receiver to hand it to Brad. I was starting to shake. “That’s the police. Jon’s been in a terrible accident. He’s dead! He was hit by a fucking drunk! Brad! Our Jon is dead…” My voice trailed away into heaving sobs. I wanted to scream. My cries locked in my throat.

I heard Brad cry as he picked up the receiver and talked to the police. “Oh my God. Oh my God…”

*          *          *

Brad and I were holding hands as we walked slowly back to our car from the air terminal.

“She’s gone, Dad. We have an empty nest now.”

Brad chuckled. “She’s just going off to college. If not for Thanksgiving, she’ll be back for Christmas for sure.”

I had named our daughter Beth, after my old best friend who disappeared. It’s an old fashioned name these days, but I liked it.

I sighed. “I wish Michael could make it home for Christmas this year.”

Brad nodded. “It’s tough. Newly married and a baby on the way.”

“I know,” I said looking down at my feet. We reached our car. I leaned over and kissed Brad. “I love you, Mr. Slovensky.”

Brad grinned and pulled me closer to him. He gave me a long, passionate kiss, right there in the parking lot. “I love you too, Mrs. Slovensky.”

*          *          *

“It’s a Barbie!” squealed Nichole. She was all of five now and Michael’s oldest child.

Michael had his camera to his face, recording every second of Christmas morning.

Brad was sitting on the floor next to Jamie, Michael’s toddler son. Brad was playing Santa this year. Most of the presents under the tree were for Nikki or Jamie. Brad dug around for a bit until he pulled out one package. He handed it to me.

“For me?” I said with a grin. “I thought you were done with me.” I remember getting excited to receive a Barbie doll. Or later when Brad surprised me with that gorgeous earring and necklace set. I tore the wrapping paper off and extracted a maroon sweater. I held it up and said, “I’ve been needing one of these.” I looked at the tag which I should have looked at before pulling the wrapper off. “Thanks Mike. I need to stay warm on these cold nights.”

Brad feigned anger. “Hey! What about me? Don’t I keep you warm?”

I laughed. “Like I said. I needed this sweater!”

We’ve had a tradition on Christmas morning for breakfast going all the way back to when I was a little girl. Mike’s wife helped me make breakfast that morning. She seems like a nice girl. But I still can’t help but think Michael could have done better. But I’m not going to tell him that.

As Michael took a bite of scrambled eggs, he said, “I wish Beth could have made it home this year. Just not Christmas without her.”

I said, “She said maybe next year.”

Brad said, “I know it’s Christmas. I saw Hans Gruber fall from the Nakatomi Tower!”

Michael just rolled his eyes.

*          *          *

Brad and I sat quietly on the couch. The dark room lit only by the blinking Christmas lights. Mike and Beth had both been here for Christmas. It may have been the last time we are all together for the holidays. Michael’s and Beth’s kids have gotten so big. Nikki’s in high school now.

Brad was holding my hand as he just sat there, staring at the tree and lost in his own thoughts. I looked at our hands and shook my head. So old and wrinkly now. Skin so thin now that it gets cut easily. Where has all the time gone? The kids grown with their own lives to live. A pang of sadness hit my heart as I wondered how Jon would have grown up? Who would he have married. What would his kids have been like? I torture myself every Christmas with these thoughts.

I looked over at Brad. The love of my life. That first kiss of his seems so long ago and yet my lips still feel it. My eyes teared up.

“I love you, Brad,” I said, my heart still filled with love.

“Ehh?!” coughed Brad as he turned to look at me.

I raised my voice a bit. “I love you!”

Brad smiled, a twinkle in his eye. “I love you too, honeybunch.” He leaned over and kissed me.

*          *          *

I was curled up balling when the Girl Park medical staff came in to check me out and get me ready to return to the center. Beth was waiting for me in the lobby as they wheeled me out.

I took Beth’s hand and kissed it. “Thank you. Thank you so much. I lived a whole life as a woman in there. A whole life! That’s the most wonderful Christmas present I’ve ever received.”

Beth said, “I have one more. I was going to give it to you later, but…” her voice trailed away as she handed me a wrapped present. She smiled at me.

I slowly tore the wrapping paper. I pulled out a Barbie doll. I cried again.

Beth said, “Let’s go home.”

*          *          *

The End

 

Girl Park - Kidnapped!
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2016 Melanie Brown

A stand alone Girl Park story.

 

---

 

Something didn’t feel quite right when I woke up. I felt disoriented as I opened my eyes and at first nothing looked quite familiar. But this had to be my bed and my room, right? Oddly I heard the shower running.

I rolled over and discovered the bed was much larger than I remembered it. What an odd feeling. It seemed I was in the wrong place. As I shifted my position, I felt my body slide against a smooth, satin material. I slid my hand down my side to my hips. It was just my regular satin nightgown. Nothing strange about that. Although…

I sat up and my long, dark brown hair fell across my eyes and over my shoulders. Why does a nagging feeling in the back of my mind say this is wrong? As I get out of bed, I feel my boobs shift. I stumbled into the bathroom and looked at the mirror. Yep, there I was. An attractive, if I say so myself, woman in her late twenties. I look tired.

The water in the shower turned off and the door swung open and out stepped my husband. Husband? Of course, right? We got married right after college. Didn’t we?

He had a towel wrapped around his waist and he grinned at me. He said, “Good morning beautiful. I was wondering if I was going to have to wake you up.” He leaned and gave me a quick kiss. “Wow. Look at the time. You’re going to be late for work if you don’t hurry.”

I didn’t remember his name. I couldn’t remember my own husband’s name. Was it John? I said, “Honey, why didn’t you wake me up?”

From the bed room, he said with a laugh, “You looked so beautiful sleeping, I didn’t want to disturb you.”

“You silly!” I said as I stuck my head back out from the bathroom. “I can’t afford to be late.” I can’t? Late for what? I think I had too much to dream last night.

I slipped off my nightie and got into the shower for a quick wash. I didn’t have time to wash my hair. I didn’t linger under the warm water. I just got wet and turned it off and soaped up. Navy shower I thought. Why would I think that? I rinsed off and dried myself and hurried back into the bed room.

John was already dressed. Jeans and t-shirt. I wish I had chosen being a programmer as a career path. Although I seem to remember taking a few comp-sci classes. I went to my dresser and removed a bra and blue nylon panties and slipped them on.

John said, “I gotta run, babe. See you this evening.” He gave me a quick hug and kissed me.

I said as he left the room, “Bye honey! Be careful!”

Wearing my underwear, I stepped back into the bathroom. On the counter were a bunch of bottles, jars and what-not. Make-up? Have I worn it before? I shook my head to clear the cobwebs. I wear make-up almost every day. What am I thinking?

As I was slipping on my heels, all those strange haunting thoughts had all but disappeared. I was glad. I didn’t like feeling like I didn’t know who I was. Better get moving Kristen. You’re going to be late for work again.

*          *          *

Gerri looked over the cubicle wall and said in a low voice, “Kristen, are you okay? We could hear him yelling from here! And his door was closed!”

I sighed and said, “Yeah. I’m fine. He was pretty upset with me, that’s for sure.” I lied when I said I was fine. I wanted to cry. Mr. Crumby was in rare form this morning.

I turned on my computer and glanced over some documents while I waited for it to boot up. I had a feeling today was going to be a long day. I hated my job anyway. A boring office job in a cubicle where it was practically required to wear a skirt, hose and heels.

I put Mr. Crumby’s tirade behind me and just got involved with my work. The morning was passing fairly quickly. I looked at the clock on my PC screen. It was ten forty-five. I smiled. At eleven-thirty, my husband was picking me up for lunch. I always looked forward to those days when John would pick me up and we’d go to our favorite downtown restaurant.

I was doing more day-dreaming than working when my phone rang a few minutes before eleven. When I answered the call, on the other end John said in a desperate voice, “Kristen! I’m …mrbph...”

A gruff man’s voice suddenly came on the phone. He said, “If you want your husband to live, you must do as I say!”

Suddenly scared out of my mind, I said, “Who is this? Let me talk to John!”

“Shut up, bitch!” shouted the man. “Do exactly as I say or he dies!” He paused a moment. In the background I could hear John’s muffled voice. The man said, “Give me the password to the Munich account! Now or your husband dies!”

That’s an odd name for John’s and my account. It’s just a checking account and not much in it either. What good would access to our account do them? I said, “Why do you want that?”

Over the phone, John pleaded, “Tell them, honey! They mean it!”

The man shouted, “Tell me! Or your husband dies!”

Starting to cry I said, “Okay, okay. The password is…”

Two men wearing black ski masks and black tactical gear rushed into my cubicle and pulled me up from my chair. Into a walkie-talkie one of them with a thick accent said, “We have the girl.” They pulled me roughly from my cubicle. Two more men dressed the same way waited outside. People’s heads were bobbing up from their cubicles.

Tears streaming down my cheeks, I cried, “No! They’ll kill my husband!”

As they practically dragged me towards the elevator, one of the men said into his walkie-talkie, “Make the switch! Make the switch!” That was a really strange thing for someone to say.

There was a ripple effect before my eyes and I suddenly felt nauseated.

I opened my eyes and inexplicably, I saw that I was naked and tied to a chair and dripping with sweat. My vagina was so sore. I’d been ganged raped. What the hell? I was in a darkened room in what appeared to be an abandoned house. How did I get here? Was I drugged? And where was John?

My face stung from the hard slap from one of the men still dressed in black tactical. The man shouted, “The password, bitch! Give it to me now!”

Seeing stars from being hit so hard, I said, “What password? What the fuck are you talking about?”

Another skull jarring slap and the man shouted, “Quit fucking with me, bitch! The password, now!”

Crying, I said through sobs, “Okay. Stop hitting me! The password is…”

Suddenly the door burst open and several men dressed in dark blue tactical, automatic weapons raised poured through the open door. The men in blue fired several bursts and the men in the black tactical went down, blood splattering across the walls.

One of the men in blue shouted, “Clear!”

Another one lifted a mic attached to his uniform and said, “Sever the communications! End the simulation!” His accent was odd.

My vision blurred and I felt disoriented.

I found myself sitting in a chair; drenched with sweat. I was in a small gray room and I was wearing these odd pieces of gray underwear with wires hanging from them. A thing that looked like a sports bra said, “Girl Park” on it across my breasts. I had some kind of soft headgear on.

In the small room with me were two men wearing suits and two uniformed police officers. One of the men in suits was kneeling next to a smashed box. A large cable ran from the box to a panel on the wall. The other man walked up to me. He handed me a blanket to cover myself.

In a slightly Middle Eastern accent he said, “Are you okay, Mrs. Munich?” He held out a hand to help me out of the chair. With his assistance, I stood up. “I’m Detective Manning of the Houston Police department.”

Shaking my head, I said, “What the hell is going on, Detective? I’m very confused. Where am I?”

The detective smiled and said, “You’ve fallen victim to, in your case, multiple scams to get access to your account. One group of international terrorists high-jacked your Girl Park session and tried to trick you out of your password. And then a different group, with the help of a disgruntled Girl Park employee used that tap there to high-jack the high-jacked session.”

Rubbing my eyes I said, “What? You mean everything I just went through was fake? A session inside a session? Is my husband safe? And how did you know to come in here and bust that box thing?”

The detective smiled again and said, “Your husband is not in danger. In fact, he’s waiting in the lobby to ride with you on the maglev back to your home. Apparently you checked in at Girl Park this morning for a cheerleader fantasy. However, your session was high-jacked and you went to a simulation of the terrorist’s design. Girl Park notified us after they detected unusual network traffic and they detected use of this trouble-shooting interface the techies use to test rooms. We’ve arrested the employee and the men he was assisting. The terrorists somehow managed to tap into Girl Park’s network and seize control of your session.”

I sighed and said, “Oh my God. It all seemed so real. My head hurts now.”

The detective nodded at one of the uniformed police officers who approached carrying what appeared to be a bundle of clothes. The detective said, “Here are your clothes, Mrs. Munich. After we get your statement and contact information, you can get dressed and you’ll be free to go.”

I took the clothes and said, “Thank you Detective Manning. That was a very unpleasant experience.”

*          *          *

“How could they break into your simulation?” asked John on the maglev ride back to our town. “From what I understand, the Girl Park’s computer network is one of the most secure in the world.”

I shook my head and said, “It was all too technical for me. The Girl Park management tried to explain it during their apology to me. Bottom line is that I got a full refund and I get a free deluxe fantasy vacation for two and my partner doesn’t have to turn into a girl.” I grinned at John. He smiled and leaned over and kissed me.

On the way to our apartment, we stopped and got some Chinese take-out. I was in no mood to cook dinner. After dinner, I snuggled with John on the couch as we watched some TV. The snuggling turned to necking and then to fondling. The fake threat to John really scared me. What if I had really faced losing him? That thought drove my sudden passion for him. We hadn’t made out like this for months.

Just as the show we were watching ended, I caught my breath and slapped my forehead and said, “I have nothing to wear for work tomorrow. Crap.” Touching his crotch, I said, “Hold that thought.” I got up and went back to our bedroom and with a grunt picked up our dirty clothes basket and carried to our laundry room.

John raised his arms up in frustration and said, “Just like that? You think of laundry?” He had unzipped his pants.

“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to do some laundry too you know,” I said as I started to load the washer.

John laughed from the living room and said, “You told me you didn’t like me touching your ‘intimates’, especially if you weren’t in them. And remember how I ruined your new skirt that one time?”

I said, “Okay, okay. At least you could wash your things.”

As I started the washing machine, John got up from the couch and said, “I should probably pay some bills.”

My blouse was partially unbuttoned. I looked at him quizzically and pointed toward the bed room. I said, “I thought we were going to continue?”

As he sat at the computer in the living room, John shrugged and said, “Now I’m out of the mood.”

Folding my arms and frowning, I said, “You remember that we decided we were ready for kids, right? You still have to have sex to have kids.”

John laughed and said, “Technically, that’s not true anymore. But it’s certainly the most fun way.”

I plopped back down on the couch and started skimming through the channels on the TV. Usually it’s him who wants sex and I’m not in the mood.

“Honey?” called John from the computer. “Do you know what happened to the computer? It’s forgotten all our saved log ins and passwords.”

I frowned at the TV and shook my head. I said, “It was fine last night.”

John said, “Well, I just failed my second attempt to get into our account. The system will lock it if I put in the wrong password again. Do you remember what the password is?”

I gave John a smirk and wondered what the deal was about passwords today. I said, “I think the password is…”

There was a sudden bright flash and an extremely brief message flashed before my eyes. It read, “Simulation aborting…” I felt prickly all over my body and I couldn’t move. My brain seemed to have disconnected from my body. I could see that I had electrodes attached to my head and around my body.

As my eyes started to focus, I saw that I was in a dingy apartment room. To my shock, there was a dead body next to me. I still couldn’t make out details, but I saw at least two guys being handcuffed at gunpoint by what appeared to be military or police.

A very bright light was suddenly flashed into each eye. A man wearing glasses and a mustache kept looking intently at me. He said, “We need to get this man to a hospital as quickly as possible. His brain is in a stimulus loop. I’m going to knock him out before his brain fries.” He pulled a syringe and a bottle of something from a case he had next to him.

An officer with the words “FBI” on his back came into the room and looked at me. He said, “What happened?”

Frowning, the man who was about to jab me with a needled said, “What I was afraid would happen. He was highly engaged with the simulation when we just broke connection to the server.” I felt a pin prick and almost immediately I lost consciousness.

*          *          *

My eyes fluttered open. At first all I could see were fuzzy shapes and light. I was lying in a bed and I heard the faint sounds of medical monitors. A woman’s voice said, “He’s waking up, captain.”

A calm, man’s voice came from a blob standing over me, said, “Son? Can you hear me? Mr. Carlson?”

I tried to lift an arm, but I felt that it was restrained. I said in a raspy voice, “Yes. I can. Who are you and where am I?”

The blob started to come into focus. I saw an army captain standing next to me. He smiled and said, “Good questions. I am Captain Barton, U.S. Military Intelligence. And you’re a guest at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. You’ve been here for several days.”

I tried to sit up, but didn’t have the strength. I plopped back down on my back and with some effort said, “Why am I here? And why is the army here? And just what the fuck did I go through?”

Captain Barton said, “You were a victim of a terrorist attack. Mr. Carlson, as a key employee at a defense contractor, you were one of the few people who knew the password to the encrypted files on a thumb drive that contained the design specs for an advanced weapons system code named ‘Munich’. Three marines were killed in the theft of that thumb drive. The drive was useless without the password. So they kidnapped you.”

“But why Girl Park?” I asked. “I’m glad they didn’t, but why not just torture me?”

Captain Barton said, “You’re personnel profile suggests that you’d be resistant to divulge information under duress. They thought by tricking you by fully immersing you into an alternate reality, and making you a more compliant female, they could easily get the information. They didn’t know that North Korea had learned of their plan and devised a method to high-jack it. Obviously, none of this was set up over-night. We caught and killed some of the terrorists involved. The team from North Korea was poised to attack this very apartment when we arrived. My guess it was their contingency plan after their high-jack of the session failed. It was a small team and we were forced to take them all out. Of course the NoKo’s are denying everything.”

“So the only part that was real, was the apartment where you found me?” I asked, my head spinning with overload.

Captain Barton said, “Yes. They had set up a somewhat less sophisticated human/machine interface than what’s used at Girl Park. And then they managed to physically tap into Girl Park’s network to use their engine. The IT team at Girl Park detected the unauthorized tap and additional computer activity and called the FBI. It was only after arriving at the apartment that we learned of the international nature of the crime.”

I just laid there for a few moments and looked the captain with one eye. Frowning, I said, “How do I know this isn’t another simulation? I could be trapped forever in an endless cascade of simulations!”

Captain Barton laughed. He said, “You can tell because I’m not going to ask you for the password. We recovered the thumb drive and have already changed the encoding on it. And we’re not telling you what it is.”

*          *          *

A few days after being debriefed by Captain Barton, I was released from the hospital and after spending a couple of days at home recovering from my stay in the hospital I returned to work. I expected to get a hard time.

“I’ve lost my password,” said the gorgeous receptionist as I entered the secured offices of the company I worked for.

I grinned at her and said, “I’ll help you over dinner.”

She laughed and said, “In your dreams!”

“I forgot my password!”

“What’s your password, Bobby? I need in your computer.”

“Is it safe?”

“I lost my password! It was here a minute ago!”

“What’s the frequency, Kenneth?”

“What? That’s stupid.”

I finally got to my desk and stood on my chair so I was above all the cubicle walls. I said in a loud voice, “What a bunch of comedians. Ha ha, y’all are hilarious. Can we knock it off now?” There was a flow of giggles and laughs around the room.

“Hey, really. I forgot my password.”

I sat down at my desk and wiggled the mouse to wake up my PC. Tom and Chuck stood in my cube’s entrance. Tom said, “So Bobby, you were a chick? That must have been awful!” Tom suddenly squealed, “Ow!” as Sandra punched him in the shoulder as she walked past.

Chuck said, “You had a husband? You didn’t…” He formed a circle with the index finger and thumb on one hand and poked his index finger from his other hand through the hole a few times. “…did you? Oh God. And you didn’t throw up?”

I laughed nervously and said, “I was in full immersion. I wasn’t aware that I wasn’t a woman. And it wasn’t like anything was real, you know. But hey. I got a year’s free pass at Girl Park as their way of apologizing for what I went through.”

Tom laughed and said, “Well, that’s real useful! Not!”

With a laugh, Joel forced his way between Tom and Chuck and said, “How about dinner and a movie this Friday night?” Tom and Chuck both laughed. I heard Sandra from the other side of the cube wall laugh.

I shook my head and grinning said, “Will you guys shut the fuck up? I’ve got work to do.”

As they walked away, I heard Chuck ask Tom, “Who’s Kenneth?”

It was a long day. I had to put up with even more jokesters. Even a couple of vendors we sub-contract out to felt the need to rib me. It’s okay. I’m usually invisible.

I picked up something from the drive-thru at Whataburger on the way home and sat on my recliner in front of my big screen TV and ate. I wasn’t really watching the TV though. Turning over in my mind was how easily I was abducted. I don’t even remember it. I could have been killed or something.

I looked around my apartment. The only furniture was the recliner, my TV, and a desk with my Alienware gaming system. My bed was up against the back wall. Aside from the small kitchen, I just had one room.

I sat alone in my apartment lit only by the flickering light of my TV.

*          *          *

I woke up, snuggling gently into my pillow. One eye opened and I saw the soft morning light filtering through the blinds on the window. I’ve always loved Saturday mornings. As I rolled over, my hand touched through the sheet my husband’s stiff erection.

As I gently massaged his hard-on, I said, “I see you’re up.”

John rolled halfway to his side to look at me and said, “About time you got up.” Smiling, I bent over him and gave him a kiss. He kissed me back.

My hand still on his morning wood, I said, “It’d be a shame to waste this.”

Grinning, John said, “I agree.” He kissed me as he pulled me over his naked body. I moaned as I lowered myself onto his cock.

I kissed John deeply as I rocked my hips back and forth.

I think next time, I’ll try the South Pacific Beach Island of Passion simulation…

*          *          *

The End

 

Girl Park Adventure
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2016 Melanie Brown

Kevin wasn't sure what he was getting into when he volunteered to help his school with a cross-town challenge.

 

---

 

“Are you girls excited about the competition tomorrow?” asked Coach Clarkson. “I think I have everyone’s travel permission form.” A group of girls who had been selected to represent our school in an unusual contest were holding a quick meeting in the girls’ gym after school. I pretended to not listen as I put away the mats from the girls’ gymnastics practice that had just ended.

Grinning, Jessica said, “Oh, I sure am! I just can’t wait to go there!”

Candy, a cheerleader, said, “Me too! I’ve been dying to go since it opened.

The other two girls, Tasheka and Diane just smiled and nodded.

No one knew what exactly the contest would consist of. We just knew that Girl Park would randomly select an adventure challenge suitable for high school students and wouldn’t normally contain any life-threatening events. So the Zombie Apocalypse, Mad Max, Louisiana Brothel, Lollipop Chainsaw and Call of Duty for Girls simulators were out. The challenge was started by the cheerleaders at Ehrich Weiss High. They challenged the other two high schools in town to a contest at Girl Park; something that didn’t require physical skills or strength. And apparently, Girl Park, as part of its “good corporate citizen” policy will set a three, real-time hour simulation at no charge for school challenges, although sponsor ads will appear during the simulation. Of course Howard O’Brian High and our school, Chaim Witz High readily accepted. Our school was the only one that didn’t pick the team from a pool of cheerleaders. Everyone on our team was a gamer.

The winning team just gets a trophy. But they hope to make this an annual event so it will be a traveling trophy. Individual members of the winning team get trophies along with a dinner for two pass at Vanderbeek’s, the fancy hoity-toity restaurant in town all donated by the EWHS cheerleader booster club.

And of course, everyone knows about Girl Park; the latest and most sophisticated virtual reality theme park in the world. It mostly caters to the tastes and interests of girls and women and is accessible within hours via maglev from almost every corner of the country.

Coach glanced around the gym and frowned. She said, “Where’s Fiona? I really wanted to talk to you all before we leave in the morning.”

I looked around as I heard one of the gym’s doors slam open and the assistant coach, Coach Murray, hurried into the room with a worried expression. Out of breath, she said after reaching the small group, “Coach. I’m glad I caught you before you left for the day. I’m afraid I have some bad news.” She looked at the four girls assembled and said, as if she only just then noticed them, “Oh. Hello girls.”

Appearing concerned, Coach said, “Bad news? What kind of bad news?”

Pushing her glasses back up her nose, Coach Murray said, “It’s Fiona. She’s out of the competition tomorrow. Apparently she fell from a ladder while at her part-time job and broke her leg.”

Coach said, “The challenge isn’t physical.”

Coach Murray looked confused for a moment and then said, “ You know the school rules. That takes her out of the competition.”

Frowning, Coach Clarkson said, “Sorry girls. Unless we come up with another girl for our team, we’re all out of the competition. The rules state that each team must have five members. We leave at seven a.m. tomorrow. That doesn’t give us enough time to recruit.”

“Well crap!” said Jessica loudly as she plopped down on the gym’s floor. “What a crock! I was so looking forward to this!”

Tasheka said, “I don’t think Fiona broke her leg on purpose.”

Folding her arms across her chest, Diane said, “What her purpose was doesn’t matter. The results are the same. We’re not going.”

I walked over to the group, unconsciously keeping my eye on Candy who I’ve been crushing on since middle school. I folded my arms and said, “Man. That sucks.”

Coach looked annoyed and said, “Thank you Kevin.” I just smiled back.

Candy looked at me for a moment and then to Coach. She said, “Do the rules specifically say only girls can be on the team?”

Wrinkling her forehead, Coach said, “I don’t know if it says so specifically, but it is a challenge to the girls at all three schools and it’s at Girl Park. What are you getting at?”

Candy pointed at me and said, “What about him? Kevin and I play World of Warcraft together pretty often and the character he plays the most is a female elf. He’s actually a pretty good player.”

Diane said, “But he’s a boy. Duh.”

Coach unfolded a piece of paper she’d been holding. She said, “Let me take a look at the rules again.”

I said, “Hey. Forget this noise. While I’d love to go to a virtual reality park, Girl Park isn’t on my list. And as Diane has so keenly observed, I’m not a girl.” Diane stuck her tongue out at me.

The coach studied the rules for a minute. Raising her eyebrows she said, “The rules do not specifically exclude boys.” She looked over at me and said, “How about it, Kevin? Want to join the team?”

Appalled, I said, “I don’t want to be a girl, even for three hours!”

Tasheka said, “First time I saw you, I thought you were a girl. I mean, just look at your hair. While it isn’t long compared to Diane or Jessica, the way it’s constantly messed up, you resemble one of those anime girls.” Candy and Jessica laughed.

Through a giggle, Candy said, “She’s right. And it’s not like you don’t do girly stuff. You help out the cheerleaders with their choreography, right?”

“Hey, that’s not fair,” I protested.

Coach said, “Girls, if he doesn’t want to, I’m not going to force him. He’s had some boys bully him over being with the cheerleading squad.”

Folding my arms tight against my chest, I said, “I’m not with the cheerleaders. I just help out. And the bullying stopped after I told them that I got to get up close and personal with the cheerleaders in their short gym shorts and sports bras. Then they started asking if I needed any help!” I laughed.

Jessica said, “So you’ll do it then?”

I said, “I didn’t say that.”

Candy said, “Where’s your school spirit?”

Diane said, “You don’t want our school to forfeit do you?”

I said, “I’m not a girl. I’ll feel silly.”

Jessica said, “How many boys would use the word ‘silly’?”

I frowned and said, “It’s an everyday word! Give me a break.”

Tasheka said, “It’ll be fun. I don’t know what the challenge will be, but you’ll get to spend the day with us, your favorite gaming girls as well as those ten other girls.” She had a point.

Coach looked at me squarely in the eye and said, “Kevin, I can’t make you do this and I fully understand why you wouldn’t. And if we weren’t in a bind, I’d never think to ask you. But we really could use your help. And in a way, you do fit in. You know all these girls. You’re all gamers. I think Tasheka even participated at Quakecon last year.”

Tasheka mumbled, “Yeah, for about ten minutes.”

Candy said, “Sorry if I’m jumping on your masculinity, Kevin, but you do look kinda girly and the rules don’t forbid boys and dammit, we’re desperate! Please join the team. Please?”

Having Candy actually begging me for help was very hard to resist. I suddenly felt like Stimpy trying to resist pressing the red candy-like button that would eliminate my very existence.

Candy suddenly resembled in my mind that starving kitten pleading for something to eat. How could I say no to the girl I’ve had such a crush on? I looked at the other three girls. All were staring at me earnestly. I’ve never had one girl look so intensely at me before, much less four. My own ego, what there was of it, was about to get the best of me.

I sighed heavily and said, “Okay. I’ll do it.” All the girls squealed at once and gave me a group hug. I just soaked it all in.

Coach said, “Thank you so much, Kevin. You need to have your parents sign this travel permission form today. Right now, actually. I’ll be in my office until six thirty tonight. Get it signed and bring it back up to the school. And we’ll see everyone at the maglev station at six a.m.”

Feeling suddenly deflated, I said, “What if my parents refuse to let me go?”

A concerned look flashed across the coach’s face. She said, “If they won’t sign, have them call me. “ She wrote her cell number on the form.

I took the form and slowly walked from the gym. What the hell did I just get myself into?

*          *          *

“So what do you think the challenge will be?” Diane asked Coach.

Coach looked up from the book she was reading, shrugged and said, “I have no idea. It will be selected randomly from their adventure challenge series when we all get there.”

Jessica stood up slightly so she could talk to Coach over the back of her seat. She said, “Have you looked at the other teams? They’re all like cheerleaders and girly girls. I don’t think they have a chance!”

Candy stayed in her seat but folded her arms. She said, “Gee thanks. You know cheerleaders have to maintain a passing grade, right? And the most girly girl I know is a math whiz. You can’t tell anything by just looking at someone.”

Jessica waved her hand and said, “Yeah, yeah. But what I mean is, none of them are gamers. Everyone of us have played MMO’s together. And what is Girl Park? Essentially one huge MMO.”

I got up to get close to the conversation. Once the maglev was in motion, there was no sense of movement. If you didn’t look out the window, you’d never know we were flying down the track at four hundred miles per hour.

Pointing a few rows back, I said, “The team from Howard O’Brian has a boy on it. I don’t feel quite so weird now.”

Jessica glanced over her shoulder and said, “Yeah. I noticed that. And he’s an obvious boy too. He’s not at all feminine like you, Kevin.”

A little pissed, I said, “Gee thanks. I volunteer to help and I get insulted.”

Jessica said as she pointed to the rest of our team, “I wasn’t trying to insult you. Are you suggesting being female is inferior?”

Feeling suddenly trapped, I said, “No, of course not! But there aren’t many guys who want to be considered feminine.”

Jessica narrowed her brows and said with an edge to her voice, “Because that would be inferior?”

Before I could answer, Coach said, “That’s enough. We’re all on the same team.”

Candy giggled and said, “You guys should have heard what Coach said one day after cheerleader practice after Kevin had left the gym!” Her eyes went wide and she clasped her hand over her mouth. “Forget I said that.”

Coach said, “Candy, why did you mention that?”

I said, “Yeah, Coach. What did you say?”

Coach said with a sigh, “All I said was that I wished you could be our sixth cheerleader. With your thin arms and legs and your gymnastic agility, you’d be a natural.”

Shocked, I said, “Serious? You think I should be a cheerleader? A girl cheerleader? Now I’m pissed.” How could Coach even consider such a thing?

Candy smiled nervously and said, “I think you’d be an asset to the squad. I’m serious.”

Shaking my head, I said, “I don’t think I’ve ever been slammed so hard before. Wake me up when we get there. I’m done with this conversation.” I went back to my seat and closed my eyes. I wanted to cry because of what they said about me, but that would only make things worse.

*          *          *

Fifteen of us stood in a small room. A long table with what looked to be clothing in plastic bags lying on top. A woman dressed in a Girl Park uniform, stood behind the table. None of the coaches were allowed in the room.

“Welcome, girls!” said the woman. “Welcome to the Girl Park Adventure Challenges. I’m going to quickly run through the basic rules and instructions on the wearable Girl Park interface.” She paused to look at each of us to make sure we were paying attention.

Holding up a finger, she said, “First. Per school system rules, each participant will appear in the sim as a seventeen year old, straight girl. I see that there is at least one boy here.” She didn’t look in my direction. Continuing she said, “Nothing wrong with a boy being on the teams. Just be aware that if you display boyish behavior, you lose points, which are also deducted from your team’s over-all points. And be advised that you will be one hundred percent immersed in the sim as female. Any male physical strengths and prowess you may possess will be of no use here.

“Most challenges are timed to run three real time hours. Your perception of time while in the sim can actually seem up to a week in length. Once the challenge begins, it will inform you on win conditions.

“Secondly, we do not tolerate cheating. If you lock up your opponent’s team so they can’t participate, for example will cause forfeiture of all points and expulsion from the game.”

Smiling, the woman picked up one of the plastic bags. She said, “Third thing is, you must wear these items at all times in the sim. This bag contains a skull cap, a bra and panties. These are all wired and will read and provide sensations as you interact with the sim’s environment. The sim will not work without them. If you remove any of the garments, you are automatically removed from the game. Please place your clothes and personal items in the lockers provided.”

Smiling more broadly, the woman said, “And finally, have fun! Don’t take the sim too seriously. Win or lose, be sure to have some fun with this unique experience that only Girl Park can provide.

“Each team has a room to change in. You will be given a perceived fifteen minutes to strategize and discuss your options for the challenge. All the teams will be in the same sim. May the best team win.”

A door opened in the wall and we all filed out, carrying our plastic bags, to go to three separate rooms. The room was empty except for five small chairs. Nobody spoke as we entered the room.

A pleasant female voice seemed to come through the walls. The voice said, “Please hurry and change into you Girl Park bra and panty set. Please say ‘Ready’ when you are ready to enter the sim.

“After you say you’re ready, you will be inserted into the game immediately. Not only do you need to complete the goal, you all will get extra points along the way. There will be plenty of opportunities for extra points. Enjoy and again, welcome to Girl Park.”

“Don’t look,” I said as I turned around to drop my pants and slide into the panties. Candy and Jessica laughed.

After getting into Girl Park outfits and stowing our gear, we all lined up in front of the chairs and down the line we each said, “Ready.”

My vision blurred for a moment and I felt disoriented. We were in a gray swirl. A counter suddenly appeared before each of us, frozen at the number fifteen.

The pleasant female voice from the other room said, “Contestants, stand by for your adventure challenge. Your challenge will be…Girl Park Prom Adventure. The goal is to become the Prom Queen. The simulated school you’ll be in will not be like a real school. There won’t be classes, although there will be a lunch period. NPC’s will have a small color bar over their heads. Green means they are neutral towards you. They may or may not vote for you. Gold means they are solid on your side. Orange means they are in danger of not liking you. Red means they don’t like you. Half of the sim time will be trying to promote yourselves to be Prom Queen.

“Sorry we can’t give you a month and treat it more like a real world school. Time and resource constraints prevent it. And then the final half of sim time will be the actual prom. That way, more detail and depth can be added to the simulation. Good luck.” The counter started running down.

With disgust, I said, “Prom? What the hell kind of adventure is prom? This sucks!”

Tasheka said, “Oh my God. We are so screwed. We’re all geeks! What do we know about being popular?”

We were standing in a solid gray room. I guess this is where we plan our game play. I looked at Candy and said, “How ironic…the sim made you a cheerleader!”

Grinning, Candy said, “Don’t laugh, Kevin. You’re a cheerleader too!”

Diane said, “Don’t use Kevin’s boy name. Remember we decided his…um, her name would be Amanda.”

Candy shrugged and said, “Sorry.”

Jessica said, “Who cares about cheerleaders? At least cheerleaders are popular, right. But the rest of us don’t hang out in cliques and make fun of other people clothes and crap.”

Frowning, I said, “You guys are girls, right? You spend your whole year living for prom night. It shouldn’t be hard for you.”

Jessica said, “Becoming Prom Queen is essentially a popularity contest. We’ll all have to make posters and chat with people and try to convince everyone to vote for us! Tasheka’s right. We’re totally screwed.”

Candy said, “I have an idea. Let’s just pick one or two of us to run for Prom Queen. That way, the rest of us can pool our resources to get one of them elected.”

Diane said, “That would work. That way we all don’t have to make fools of ourselves.”

Jessica said, “Way to be positive there, Diane. Anyway, how do we pick? Draw straws? What?”

Candy said, “Let’s just choose the best looking of us. I say one choice should be Amanda. I mean look at her! She’s totally gorgeous!”

I waved my hand and said, “Oh no. Not me.”

Jessica said, “You’re right, Candy. She’s beautiful. Amanda, you should wear make-up more often!” Everyone laughed.

Candy said, “We need one more.”

Diane pointed at Tasheka and said, “Tasheka is stunning. And she’s the most outgoing of any of us.”

Candy grinned. She said, “Alright team. We have our candidates. Now we have to figure out how to run a Prom Queen campaign.”

I raised my hands and said, “I never said I’d run for Prom Queen! I think the whole thing is stupid! I was expecting, oh I don’t know. Maybe an *adventure*?”

Candy said, “Be a team player, Amanda. You have two things going for you. You’re a cheerleader, which automatically makes you if not popular, then at least known. And you’re the most beautiful girl on the team.”

I folded my arms. It felt weird to have to fold them below my breasts. Oh my God, I have breasts! I poked one and actually felt my finger pushing on my breast. The sensation I felt was wonderful. I poked myself again.

Jessica slapped my hand and said, “Will you stop playing with yourself!”

I folded my arms again and said, “Candy, you’re a cheerleader. Why not you?” If I have breasts, that means I also have…oh my God.

Candy said, “But you’re far more beautiful than I am.”

Smirking, Diane said, “She’s right. Candy is downright pathetic.”

Pushing Diane’s shoulder, Candy said, “Hey now!”

Jessica said, “Girls, knock it off. It’s settled. Now we just have to figure out what to do.”

Candy said, “I know we need to make some posters. And Amanda and Tasheka will need to start going out and talking to the other kids. Remember the other two teams will be doing this. And I’d bet they have the advantage over us in the popularity department.”

As the counter approached zero, Diane said, “Hey guys, don’t forget to get a date for prom. We can use those extra points.”

“Screw that!” I said, folding my arms again.

Candy pointed at me and said, “You’re getting a date and that’s fi…”

My vision blurred again and I again felt disoriented. Suddenly we were all standing in a crowded hallway of a fictitious high school with simulated kids walking around.

*          *          *

Jessica said, “Alright ladies. We all have a job to do. If we can figure it out.”

The other girls all went in different directions, leaving me alone in the crowded hallway. I leaned up against a row of lockers and looked around to get my bearings. Most of the kids walking the halls had green bars over their heads. One or two had red.

And that’s when I noticed the campaign signs stuck to the walls. Holy crap, the other teams are already putting up posters. How are they getting the materials?

One of the posters was pretty bland though. It just read, “Vote for Barbie for Prom Queen” and stuck on the wall right next to it was one done with large, garish letters that read, “No. Vote for Lynn!” I watched as the NPC kids walked past them and a few had their colors change from green to orange. I sighed and decided I need to start with my campaign.

Just as I was about to walk away, a boy came up to me, and leaned on one hand against the locker and got into my personal space. He said, “Hey Amanda! I heard you’re running for Prom Queen.”

I smiled sweetly at him and said, “That’s right. Can I count on your vote?”

The boy smiled at me and said, “Yep. You’re not only the prettiest girl running, but you took the time to tutor me on English class. This way I can pay you back.” The line over his head turned gold.

I said happily, “Thank you! I appreciate it. Let your friends know who you’re voting for!”

The boy waved and walked away. This is going to be easy, I thought. All I have to do is smile at boys. I giggled to myself.

I spotted a group of girls hanging out near a hallway intersection. I headed towards them. As I got closer, I saw one girl had a red line, two girls orange and two green.

As I approached, the girl who was red turned and said to the other girls with obvious contempt in her voice, “Well, if it isn’t the little goody two-shoes, snobby cheerleader. Save your breath, snob. Nobody here is interested in anything you have to say.” One of the girls who was orange turned red.

More amused than anything, I said, “I’m not a snob! I like everyone!” I smiled to the other girls. “And what’s wrong with being a cheerleader? We boost school spirit at games and events.”

The girl said, “Cheerleaders are stuck up bitches who won’t give the time of day to girls like me! There’s no way someone like me would allowed to be a cheerleader!”

Now I was getting annoyed. I said, “Did you try out?”

The girl frowned at me and said, “Why bother? It’s an elitist club.”

I just smiled and said, “I can personally guarantee that every girl is given a fair shake at the tryouts. Besides the obvious physical stuff, you just need to have a positive attitude and lots of spirit.” Looking at the other girls before I walked away, I said, “Please think of me when you go to vote for Prom Queen!”

One of the orange girls went green, a green girl went gold and the other green girl went red. As I walked away, I thought that was way too much effort to expend to just get one confirmed vote. Two boys approached me and I smiled brightly at them. Their green lines turned gold as they smiled back. Okay. Boys are going to be easy. Girls not so much.

As I rounded the corner, I saw Jessica taping a poster above a water fountain. When I got closer, I saw that it said, “Free water! Vote Amanda for Prom Queen”.

Jessica turned when she saw me and said, “Hey Amanda. What do you think?” She pointed at the poster.

Smiling, I said, “It’s funny. Think it’ll get any attention?”

Jessica just shrugged. She said, “I hope so. Have you checked the stats? We’re running behind on team points. Of the girls running for Prom Queen, you’re in fourth place. Not too bad. EWH did what we did, sorta. Instead of splitting the vote, only one of them is going for Prom Queen. HOH has every girl running. That’s just going to dilute the vote in my opinion. But, right now they’re leading in points.”

I said, “HOH is the team with the other boy in it, right?”

Jessica nodded and said, “Yep. Funny. The sim made him a cheerleader too.”

“So. Where did you get the materials to make the poster?” I asked genuinely curious.

Jessica pulled her hair back and slid on a band to make a pony tail. She said, “Right down that hall and to the left are classrooms with the names of our schools over them. You can only enter our school’s room. Inside are paints, poster boards, markers, you name it.”

“Cool,” I said. “Maybe I’ll go make a poster or two.”

Jessica shook her head and said, “No. You need to go scare up some votes. Oh yeah. You don’t have to say yes to the first boy who asks you, but you do need a date for the prom. Diane just accepted an invitation and she got five hundred bonus points.”

I waved a good-bye and started haunting the hallways again. It was very strange in this school building. There were outside windows letting light in, but everything outside looked, well, fake. None of the doors going outside would open. And of course, a real school wouldn’t have a constant stream of kids walking around.

As I was standing in the middle of the hall, trying to decide which direction to go next, a somewhat dweebish looking boy, pasty skin, glasses, unkempt hair and most likely a gamer, approached me. He acted very nervous and kept looking down at the floor. He said, “I just want to say, Amanda, that you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. Y…you…you’re a goddess. You’re the closest thing to perfection. I…I…I…I j…just wanted to ask…um, ask if…you know…if you’d go to prom with me? If you don’t, I understand.”

Oh my God. I’m being asked out by a nerd. By me! Is this what I look and sound like to girls? No wonder I’m deathmatching on Saturday nights instead of taking a girl to a movie or something. Looking at his earnest expression, it was obvious that he worshipped me. I’m not sure if I can deal with that.

I smiled broadly at him and said, “Thank you so much for asking me to the prom! I haven’t decided who to go with yet, but I’ll keep you on my short list, okay?”

He grinned a toothy grin and the bar over his head went instantly to gold. Just the fact that I spoke to him and didn’t tell him to get lost obviously gave him a boost. No way was I going to tell him he was the first to ask me.

He said, “Whether you go with me or not, Amanda, you have my vote for Prom Queen. In fact, you have the votes of everyone in my clan. We all have your picture on our PC’s as the wallpaper and we jer…um…and uh it’s a very nice picture.” His face suddenly turned beet red and he turned and ran away. Oh my God. He and his nerd friends jerk off to my picture. I suddenly wanted to throw up.

“Yo, Amanda!” said a deep male voice from behind. I turned and saw a guy with longish hair, black jeans, clunky boots and a biker jacket. The bad boy. Wow. The sim is tossing all the stereotypes at me. Intellectually I knew the sim was doing a great job forcing me to be girly. So I didn’t let it bother me that I thought this guy was totally hot.

Slightly breathless I said, “Hi. I hope I can count on your vote for Prom Queen?”

He got right up into my personal space and said, “Did that dweeb just ask you to the prom? Want me to beat him up for you?”

Alarmed, I said, “Of course not! He has a right to ask.”

Nodding the biker dude said, “I’ll grant you that. But I think I have a better offer. I wasn’t going to go to prom, but if you’d go with me, I’d definitely go. I’d even wash my bike.”

As much as I liked bikes and I do have a dirt bike, this just didn’t seem like a good idea. I said, “I don’t think I could straddle your bike with a gown on. Thanks for asking me though. I’ll let you know.”

“Sure thing, babe,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with me. Hey, I’ll even clean the grease out from under my finger nails.”

I smiled at him and said, “Be still my heart!” The biker dude’s bar turned to gold. I thought again how easy boys were. Can all girls manipulate boys this easily?

A bell rang. A bell? It was the first school bell I’d heard since entering the sim. It dawned on me that it must be lunch period. I followed the crowd to the cafeteria. Posters were all over the walls. Jessica and crew have been really busy making posters and signs, and making cards to hand out.

I stopped for a moment and said aloud, “Status”

Words appeared in front of my eyes. I had somehow managed to move to third place overall as well as third in the running for Prom Queen. All around me, I saw a lot of gold, but also a lot of red as well. Winning back a red would be almost impossible. I was happy to see my team was solidly in second place, trailing the leading team pretty closely.

As I walked through the doors of the cafeteria, I found myself suddenly holding a tray with a plate of salad and juice. A quick look around and I saw where my teammates where all sitting. Diane looked up and needlessly waved me over. The lunch room was practically wallpapered with Tasheka posters.

At one end of the cafeteria sat the HOH team and about in the middle sat the EWH team. They all looked like they were staring off into space, but they were actually looking at the score boards in front of their eyes. The HOH team seemed to be in a panic. I noticed there were only four girls at the table.

As I sat down at our table, the CWH team, I said, “What’s up with Howard O’Brian High? There’re only four members at their table.” As I said that, I thought that maybe one just hadn’t come to lunch.

Candy laughed and said, “Check out the scores. Tasheka is in second place and you’re a close third. HOH was leading, but they screwed up big time!”

“What happened?” I asked.

Grinning, Candy said, “The boy on their team? I think her name is Lynn. Anyway apparently Lynn’s not as girly as you. Their team score was high. They were in first place. But since they all ran for Prom Queen, I don’t think any of them will win. Lynn was getting the most votes, but she started destroying the team score by hitting on girls. That violates the sim’s rules, right? So she kept getting docked points. Then just before lunch, a boy asks Lynn to be his prom date. I was right there. I saw it happen. Lynn gets pissed that a boy wants to date him. He says ‘I’m not a faggot!’ and actually punches the poor boy in the nose! Obviously he’s missing the whole point. The HOH team immediately lost ten thousand points and he’s ejected from the game.”

Diane shook her head and said, “I don’t think they can recover from that.”

While we were discussing the game and actually trying to eat our virtual lunch, someone walked up next to me and said, “Amanda?”

I looked up and actually did a double-take. I’ll swear it’s the simulation that’s messing with my mind, but when I looked up at the person who spoke to me, I actually gasped. No kidding. He was the most gorgeous boy I’ve ever seen. Seriously.

I looked up at him and said, “Can I help you with something?”

He started to move away and said, “Can you come over here? I want a private conversation.”

I shrugged and said, “Okay.”

I got up and followed him over a few feet away from the table.

Looking a bit embarrassed and nervous, the boy said, “I really hope you haven’t said yes to anyone for Prom yet.” He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He continued, “Amanda, I’d be honored to take you to the Prom Saturday night.”

I just stared at him for a moment. I didn’t know what to say. I was stunned that the cutest boy in school would ask me to the Prom! I thought to myself, sorry nerd-boy and biker-dude. You’ve just been outclassed.

Feeling my cheeks blush, I looked up into his eyes and a little breathless said, “I’d love to go to Prom with you!” He smiled at me and I just melted. What’s wrong with me?

He said, “Great, Amanda. I’ll pick you up at around seven. I need to go, but hey, I’ll call you later.”

I walked back to our table with stars in my eyes and a dopey grin on my face.

As I sat down, Jessica asked, “Who was that? And what was that about?”

I said, “He just asked to take me to Prom.”

Jessica said, “Wow. Congrats. I think you scored the most handsome guy here.”

Candy said, “Holy crap! Speaking of scores. Check out the stats now. Amanda just got fifteen thousand points for accepting an invitation from the schools most eligible bachelor and has moved our team to first place! Woo hoo! His name is Renny, but the way. He’s the school’s star football player. For the vote, Renny just brought the whole varsity team to vote for Amanda. You go girl.”

Diane said, “I think we have this in the bag!”

Jessica looked over at me. I was still staring blankly into space with a grin. She said, “Snap out of it, girl. Don’t forget, he’s not real. You won’t be able to take him home with you.”

I blinked and shook my head. I said, “Well duh. And why would I want to?”

Jessica just grinned and said, “It couldn’t be because you’ve fallen for him?”

I stood up and said, “Don’t be silly. I’m a guy and he doesn’t exist anyway. I mean, exist, exist, if you know what I mean.”

Jessica started to chant and the other girls joined in, “Amanda’s got a boyfriend!”

“Ack!” I said in frustration and hurried from the cafeteria.

*          *          *

We had gathered into our team classroom. I just plopped down into the nearest chair. I was exhausted. Everyone else looked haggard as well. We’d done everything we could to influence the voting of the simulated student body. Walking down the halls, there was still a lot of green and red bars. Some of the kids just wouldn’t commit their vote no matter how hard we tried to convince them.

One group of boys, I got so frustrated that I promised them all blowjobs if they voted for me. That only moved a couple of them to gold. I’m so glad the sim will end before I have to fulfill that promise.

We all suddenly heard a woman’s voice. It said, “In five minutes, Round One of the Prom Queen Adventure Challenge will end. At that time, each of you will be placed alone in a very pleasant sim selected just for you, for fifteen minutes to give you a chance to recharge before Round Two starts. During that fifteen minutes, all the NPCs will cast their votes and the result will be announced during Prom. The Prom portion is an open world. You can make of Prom night anything you wish. It’s your Prom. Enjoy!”

Candy said, “Looking at the standings so far, we’re virtually in a dead heat with EWH for total points. Ha. HOH further hurt themselves by two of them fighting over a boy for their Prom date! They each lost five thousand points.”

Diane wrinkled her brow and said, “That’s stupid, but why would it take away points for that?”

Candy said, “This is supposed to be non-violent. These girls were pulling hair and kicking pretty hard.”

Tasheka said, “Well, anyway. It’s all out of our hands now.”

My vision blurred and I felt disoriented.

*          *          *

I suddenly found myself standing in very green meadow grass. The sky was a rich blue broken by big puffy white clouds. Surrounding the meadow were tall pine trees. I could hear the breeze rustling through their branches. Snow capped mountains were beyond the trees. The air was cool, clean and fresh. I was wearing a white, soft linen dress. I was barefoot and my hair was long and flowing down my back and tossed about by the gentle breeze.

I thought this was surely the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. It was so quiet; so serene. There was a small stream tumbling down through the middle of the meadow. I knelt down on the soft, green grass at the edge of the stream and dangled my feet into the ice cold water.

Butterflies flitted around. I plucked a dandelion from a group of them near the edge of the stream and tickled my nose and chin with it before blowing the white fuzzy part away.

I closed my eyes and lay back on the grass, the sun warming my face. I had no idea if this was based on a real place or if it was completely computer generated. If real, I’d love to come here and spend a week. Or a year. I loved being here. And oddly, I loved being a girl here.

My vision blurred and again I felt disoriented.

*          *          *

I was in what appeared to be a girl’s bedroom. A strange woman stood in front of me, with her hands clasped together and she was grinning broadly. The woman said, “I can’t believe my little girl is finally going to prom!”

I looked down and saw I was wearing a pink, strapless, floor length gown with white accents. The skirt flared but it wasn’t all poofy. I felt dangly earrings rocking back and forth from my earlobes. My hair wasn’t put up, but flowed like mane about my shoulders and down my back. On my feet were silver, strappy sandals with three inch heels. On one wrist was what appeared to be a diamond bracelet. I hoped those weren’t real diamonds. And then I thought, wait, this is a sim. Those better be real diamonds! I also had a matching necklace. Without being able to see them, I knew I was wearing a strapless bra, satin panties and a slip. It all felt amazing.

I’ve never been so decked out in my life. I looked at the NPC that I assumed was my sim mother and said, “How do I look?”

Mom’s smile got wider if that was at all possible. She said, “You’re gorgeous, sweetie! Just beautiful. Your make-up is perfect. Your dress is fitting perfectly. I need to take a picture.”

As Mom looked for her phone to take a picture, I turned towards the floor length mirror next to what I took to be my dresser. What I saw took my breath away. I stepped closer to the mirror with my mouth hanging stupidly open. Is that really me? The face was definitely mine, but oh my God! If I’d been physically able to, my refection would be giving me a hardon. Make-up is nothing short of magic. The dangly diamond earrings flashed sparkles through my hair. How is it possible that I made such a beautiful girl? I smiled at myself. Computer graphics, of course.

Mom said, “Okay. I’m ready. Turn around so I can get this picture.”

I struck several different poses as she snapped a few pictures.

Slightly muffled through the door, I heard who had to be my dad shout, “Amanda! Renny is here!”

My heart jumped to my throat. I was suddenly so nervous. This was insane! I was beside myself in excitement about being taken to prom by a very cute boy.

I turned to face Mom and before I could say anything, she grinned and said, “You’re gorgeous. Don’t worry.”

I nodded. I picked up the matching clutch purse and started to open the door. Mom touched my arm and with a serious expression she said, “Remember what I’ve told you about boys, Amanda. Boys just have one thing on their tiny little perverted minds. Have a great time, but don’t let him talk you into doing something you know is wrong, okay? Be careful.”

I smiled and said, “I’ll be careful, Mom.”

As Mom and I exited the hall from my room to the living room, I saw Renny standing by the door, dressed in his tux; a corsage in his hand. Holy crap was he gorgeous! I tried to fight the thoughts, but couldn’t. This would be a stupid thing to say if I was a real girl in real life, but I was completely in love with Renny. Or maybe lust. I was so happy I didn’t say yes to the first guy to ask me out.

Renny smiled at me and said, “You’re very beautiful, Amanda. Here. This is for you.” He slipped a pretty wrist corsage onto my wrist.

“Thank you,” I said. “It’s beautiful. And you’re so handsome tonight!” Oh my God! I felt myself getting wet.

Dad said, “Let me get some pictures.” I posed with Renny while Dad took more pictures of us. I not only felt embarrassed in front of Renny, but couldn’t figure out why the sim would bother with this.

“Dad, we need to go!” I said, trying to hurry things along.

Dad said, “Okay, pumpkin. You two have a good time. And I want her home by eleven.”

Just to see how well the sim’s software would respond, I was sorely tempted to say, “Yeah, I’m beat. I think I’ll turn in early.” Instead, I played along and said, “Dad! It’s prom!”

Dad frowned and said, “Eleven-thirty and not a minute later, got it?”

Renny smiled at my dad and said, “Yes sir. I’ll get her back on time.” To me, he said, “Let’s go, babe.” He took my hand and tugged me towards the door.

As we stepped out the door, I sighed, “Finally!” Renny pulled me close to him as we walked to his car.

*          *          *

Renny and I walked into the ballroom of the Elliot Hotel and our senses were immediately accosted by music, laughter, talking, and people dancing. I quickly scanned the room to see if I could spot anyone I knew. I saw three girls from the HOH team sitting at a table by themselves with no apparent date with them. That will cost them points.

“Let’s dance!” I said to Renny. I have no idea how to dance, but most of the people filling the ballroom couldn’t care less about my bad dancing. As we got onto the dance floor, I spotted Candy dancing with her date. I laughed when I saw she got stuck with the dweeb.

I rested my head on Renny’s shoulder as we slow danced. While this whole contest was hardly an adventure as far as I was concerned, I have to admit that it’s been a somewhat guilty pleasure. I should be rejecting everything I’m doing; wearing a prom dress, heels and make-up. Not to mention dancing with my boyfriend. I should hate every second. But I didn’t.

Truth be told, I was having a blast living a life so far outside my normal boundaries. Call me crazy, but I really loved it

After a few dances, the DJ started playing faster music. My feet were already starting to hurt, so I said, “Let’s go find my friends and sit down. And that buffet smells wonderful.”

Renny smiled and said, “Sure, no problem. After we find your friends, I’ll get you a plate.”

It didn’t take much searching to find the table where my teammates and their dates were sitting. Renny pulled an empty chair out for me so I could sit. He then left to get us food. Everyone except Candy was at the table. She was still out dancing with her nerd date.

Jessica said, “You hit the jackpot with Renny, Amanda. We raised our total score too by getting dates as well. Except for Candy, we all got five thousand points. Candy got ten thousand points for accepting the nerd’s invitation. And you’re gorgeous by the way. You seem to have really embraced being a girl.”

Diane said, “It’s all pretty much over now. We just eat, dance and enjoy our dates until they announce the prom queen and king. From what I understand, there’s a brief after party for the winning team that’s set about six months from today.”

I watched my friends dance and Renny and I sat and ate. It was a really nice evening of conversation and friends.

I could barely hear him over the general ruckus in the ballroom when Renny leaned towards me and said into my ear, “Come with me for a minute. I want to show you something.”

I looked at him curiously and said, “Okay.”

Taking my hand, Renny led me to the elevators and we rode one floor up. He led me to a room, pulled out the keycard and opened the door.

I said, “Renny. What are we doing?”

Not containing a grin, Renny said, “Making this evening memorable.” He took off his jacket and started to loosen his tie.

I said, “Renny, let’s go back. I’m not comfortable with this.”

Renny pulled off his shirt revealing the trim, well muscled chest of an athlete. He said, “Hey. It’s my first time too. I want do it with you.” Shirtless, he sat next to me. He leaned in and nuzzled my neck. Part of me wanted to run. And part of me, and I felt no shame in it, part of me really wanted to be with him. I felt a tingle run through me as he nuzzled my neck.

He smiled at me as he placed his hand behind my head and drew me slowly to him. He kissed me. A short kiss at first, then he pressed in for a long, smoldering kiss. I put my arms around his shoulders and just melted in his embrace. A little voice in the back of my mind jumped up and down and shouted, “You’re a boy! You’re a boy!” The voice faded away as we continued to kiss and Renny slid his hand along my waist and ass.

He reached behind me and unzipped my dress. I helped to wriggle from the dress as my passion for Renny grew to a crescendo. I was down to my bra, slip and panties in only a moment. He started to fumble with his pants and I helped pull them down. We lay on the bed in only our underwear as we writhed passionately with him squeezing and fondling my breasts. He lay on his back and I across him. Short of breath, I kissed him on the lips, his chin, his neck, his chest. I couldn’t get enough of him.

Breathless, Renny said, “Oh, Amanda! I want you so bad!” I slid my hand down his muscled chest as I kissed him. My hand fell across the bulge in his underwear. My passion turned to raging lust as I found my hand sliding inside his underwear to fondle his ever hardening member. Any other time that my hand would have come in contact with a penis that wasn’t mine, I would have yelped in disgust and quickly jerk my hand away. Instead, I was overcome with an intense desire to have him inside me.

I pulled his underwear down and then pulled my panties down. Just as his raging cock touched my pussy, the sim faded to black. This was a sim for teens and sex was not allowed.

I found myself laying naked on a bed with a sheet placed over me. A stupid grin was plastered on my face. The sim wouldn’t let me experience directly having sex with Renny, but it allowed me the memory of it! My vagina felt sore, but I didn’t care. I just lay there engulfed in a warm glow.

The door suddenly burst open and a frantic Jessica and Candy rushed into the room. Jessica shouted, “Oh my God! Here she is! Amanda! What the hell? Did you have sex with Renny?”

I looked over at Jessica and said in a dreamy voice, “Yes. And it was *wonderful!*”

Frowning, Candy said, “I can’t even get to first base with my date.”

Jessica pulled on my arm and got me to sit up. She said, “We need to get you dressed and downstairs. They’re about to announce the winners for prom king and queen. There’s a good chance you might win.”

I sat up holding my dress. Candy said, “Repeat after me, Amanda. Say this. Fix hair. Fix dress. Fix make-up. Say ‘command’ before you say ‘fix’.”

I repeated what Candy told me to say. I was back in my gown and my make-up was no longer smeared.

Jessica laughed and said, “Not fair we can’t do this in real life!”

Candy said, “Come on you guys. Let’s go.”

We entered the ballroom just as the MC took the stage. Everyone was gathered around. The DJ had stopped the music.

The MC cleared his throat and said, “Welcome everyone! I know everyone is waiting with bated breath to find out who tonight’s big winners are, so let’s get right to it, shall we?”

Candy had a blank look on her face for a moment and then she gasped. She said, “Holy crap! Amanda’s score has increased by twenty thousand ‘got lucky’ points!” A NPC standing next to us told Candy to be quiet.

The MC held up a card and said, “There were a lot of votes to tally, but we have a winner. Our new Prom Queen is Tasheka and our new Prom King is Renny! Congrats to both of you! Come and get your crowns and scepter!”

Tasheka squealed and the rest of us from our team screamed in delight. Before she could make it to the stage, we all kissed her on her cheeks leaving lip prints on both sides of her face. As she finally started to get up on the stage, Renny bounded up. He pointed at me, grinned and gave a thumbs up sign.

While I felt happy for Tasheka and for our team, I also felt deflated. Why had Renny left me alone on the bed? Where was he just before the winners were announced?

Tasheka took the stage with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on her and she was presented with a bouquet of flowers and a tiara was placed on her head. Renny was given a crown and a scepter.

The final score rolled before our eyes. We completely trounced our competition. It wasn’t even close.

My vision blurred…

*          *          *

It was a beautiful mid-September morning. All of us were seated at a nice little outdoor bistro for lunch. It was the winner’s after party.

Jessica said as she raised her tea glass, “Congratulations, girls! We dominated! Woo! Woo! Woo!”

Tasheka said, “I couldn’t believe it when they announced me as the winner. I thought for sure it’d be Amanda. She was so popular.”

Diane laughed and said, “Looks like you weren’t the only one with a souvenir of the prom, Tasheka. You got a tiara, but Amanda got…well, take a look!”

“Hey, be nice!” I said as I gently rubbed the large bump on my belly. “I guess I should have listened to my mom. Renny and I are getting married before the baby’s born.”

Candy’s eyes were huge as she looked at me. She shouted, “Oh my God, girl! You’re pregnant!?” I nodded.

Furrowing my brow, I said, “When the sim ends, what happens to my baby?”

Diane said, “Amanda, you’re not really pregnant. You’re not even a girl. Remember we’re in a simulator?”

I laughed with a grin as I placed my palm over my belly. I said, “It kicked!”

Candy reached out towards me. She said, “Can I feel?” I nodded and she put her palm on my belly. The baby kicked again. Candy grinned and said, “That’s so cool! I think you have a dancer there.”

Everyone laughed. The words “Simulation terminated” appeared before us.

*          *          *

“How did you like your first time down here on the field?” asked Candy as the football players ran off the field at the end of the game.

“I loved it!” I said with a big smile. “I wish I’d become a cheerleader sooner.”

Candy grinned and said, “I knew you’d like it. You’re a natural. You look great. Who did your make-up?”

I said, “I did. I’ve been practicing. I just wish I could spend the whole day as a cheerleader with you guys and not just at the pep rally or the game.”

Candy frowned and said, “Yeah. Well, it took a lot of convincing for Coach to get the principal to approve of you being on the girls cheerleading squad. So spending the whole day of the pep rally might be tough to get. You could just switch teams.”

I laughed and said, “No thanks. Being a girl is fun in small doses. But thanks for getting the other girls to accept me.”

Candy waved dismissively and said, “With all the help you’ve given the cheerleaders, that wasn’t going to be a problem.”

There was a sudden sound of running coming up from behind. Candy and I both turned to see one of the football players running up to us. As he got close, he said, “Hey, Amanda! Wait up.”

We stopped walking and I looked curiously at the football player since he called me by my girl name. I just smiled and said, “Hey, great game tonight!” I couldn’t help but notice he was cute. An aftermath of an intense Girl Park session.

He grinned and said, “Yep. Hey. A bunch of us are going to Taco Bueno for our after game get-together. I was wondering if you’d like to go with me?”

Candy held up her hand to cover a giggle. I felt my face flush. I said, “I’m sorry but I already have plans this evening. But thank you so much for asking. Sorry.” I hoped this didn’t become a problem.

Looking disappointed, the football player said, “No problem. I should have asked sooner. See ya.”

Candy gave me a look as we walked on towards the stadium exit. She said, “Who do you have plans with?”

I smiled at her and said, “You.”

Candy laughed and said, “Did I say I’d go with you anywhere?”

“Hey, you don’t want to make me a liar, do you?” I asked.

Candy smiled at me. As we started to pass the women’s restroom, she said, “I need to step in here for a second.”

I said, “I’ll wait here.”

Candy laughed and said, “Come on. No one is going to notice and anyone in there that knows you won’t mind.”

Hesitantly I followed her into the restroom. There were two cheerleaders and one other girl inside. One of the cheerleaders smiled at me and said, “Hey, Amanda! Great job tonight! We’re all happy you’re on the squad.” They both left the restroom.

I started to go into a stall, but saw the seat spattered with pee, so I decided to just wait.

About the time Candy had finished her business, the one other girl left the restroom. Candy washed her hands and we were about to exit the restroom when I touched her shoulder. I said, “I never really got to thank you properly for your help.”

Candy looked at me quizzically and was about to ask a question when I leaned in and kissed her. It felt weird kissing someone who, like you was also wearing lipstick. When I pulled away, she smiled at me.

She looked at me and said, “Now we both have to fix our make-up.” She laughed.

*          *          *

“Push!...Push!”

“Gaahhh!” I snarled through gritted teeth. Tell me why I’m doing this?

“Don’t forget to breathe, honey!” said Renny earnestly. I glared at him.

Still gritting my teeth and straining, I said, “You did this to me!”

“Keep pushing,” said the nurse.

Renny said, “I think you’re about to draw blood from my hand, sweetheart!” I was holding his hand and without thinking I was digging my nails into his palm.

Looking between my raised legs, I could see the doctor staring into my crotch. He said, “Alright. Here he comes. Almost got the shoulders clear.”

The nurse said, “Keep pushing.” I wanted to hit her with a brick.

The doctor said, “Almost…almost. Shoulders clear. Here he comes.”

To my utter amazement and relief, I saw the doctor pull the baby from inside me. It was totally amazing to watch. The doctor handed my newborn son to a nurse who wiped him down and checked him over.

The nurse brought my baby over to me. I said, “Let me see him!” The nurse carefully handed the baby to me and I held him close. “He’s beautiful!”

Renny said, “He sure is. Just like his mother.” It took a second for that to completely sink in. I was this little guy’s mother.

The doctor said, “Congratulations. You have a healthy baby boy.”

I kissed his head through the little cloth cap the nurse had put on his head. I cried. I looked up at Renny who was next to me grinning. I said, “I love you, honey.”

“I know,” said Renny with a laugh.

The world suddenly faded to black and I felt a very slight disorientation. When it faded back, I was in a regular hospital bed, my baby nestled in my arms. I just kept staring at him. I couldn’t believe I had just given birth.

“He’s beautiful!” said a familiar voice from the foot of the bed.

I looked up and gasped. “Mom?!” It was my real mother. She moved over to me as Renny stepped aside. “How?”

Mom smiled at me and held out her arms in an obvious gesture of wanting to hold her grandson. She said, “Your friends brought me here. We were going to pay, but Girl Park said they’d just send me in.” She gently held my baby boy and made cooing noises at him. “No way could I miss this moment. No way I couldn’t be with my ‘daughter’ as she had her baby.”

I smiled up at her. I said, “Thanks, Mom. Thanks for being here. And thanks for understanding. After feeling myself pregnant with him when the sim ended, I just had to let him be born, even though he really doesn’t exist.” My former teammates and the cheerleaders managed to pool enough money to purchase a special one hour session at Girl Park since I’d been obsessing about being pregnant. I never felt anything like it and outside of Girl Park, I never will again.

Mom kissed his head and handed my baby back to me. She said, “He’s very real to me.”

“Us too!” said Jessica as she, Diane, Candy and Tasheka all came into focus.

Grinning at them, I said, “Where did you guys come from? Candy came with me, but how did you get here?”

“We rode on the same maglev as you, just in a different car so you wouldn’t see us,” said Jessica.

Diane said, “Yeah, we wouldn’t want to miss our BFF having a baby! Looks like being a mom suits you.”

Candy said, “When’s the shower?” They all laughed.

I knew the timer was running out. I know he isn’t real and doesn’t feel. I kissed him one last time. I’ll never get to do this in real life and I was so happy to take this one great adventure.

“Simulation Terminated”

*          *          *

The End

 

Girl Park Birthday Party
by Melanie Brown
Copyright  © 2020 Melanie Brown

A dad wanted to give his daughter the experience of a lifetime and got one for himself

 

---

 

Hailey rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. “Sheesh Dad. Why are we up at oh-dark-thirty on a Saturday for crying out loud?”

I grinned at my daughter. “It’s a surprise.” I studied her a moment as she folded her arms, pissed at having to be up early. I couldn’t believe what a beautiful young woman she was becoming. Of course, every father’s daughter is beautiful, but I think she’d be regardless. She’s already having to beat boys off with a stick. It’s been a tough five years since the divorce, but I think I’ve managed to raise her fairly well. They didn’t get along very well, but still, I could never completely replace her mother in her life.

I was giving Hailey a special birthday present. One that I hope she’ll enjoy and remember. Technically her birthday is Tuesday, but that’s a school and work day. I can’t believe she’ll be fourteen! I’m really starting to feel old. Especially since she’s already started that phase of being constantly embarrassed to be around her dad.

I’m taking her to Girl Park this year for a three hour objective time birthday special. The package includes entry to the park for me, Hailey and four of her friends along with twenty virtual adventures of her choosing. I asked her to pick which friends she wanted for her party. She grumbled at first about being too old for stupid things like birthday parties, but I talked her into doing it just one more time. I couldn’t pay for her friend’s trip to Houston, but they were all willing to make their own arrangements for the chance to go to Girl Park, the most immersive virtual reality park in the world and it caters to females. Guys can go too, but everyone has to be female inside the park with very few exceptions.

Even though I’m paid to enter, I’ve already decided to just wait in the lobby while Hailey has fun with her friends. I’m guessing most parents are going to do the same.

We got out of the train and began walking to the next station. At this hour, there weren’t very many people here. In a few hours, I’m sure it will be a zoo.

Hailey looked and blinked in the bright lights. “Even though it’s way too early to be up, I did like the train ride, Dad. We hardly ever take the train. But where are we going?”

I shook my head. “I told you. It’s a secret.”

Smirking, Hailey said, “Looks like we’re about to run out of train stations. The only one left is the mag-lev to Houston.”

She stopped walking and her eyes got large. She looked up at me. “Houston? A mag-lev to Houston… Are we going to Girl Park?”

I chuckled. “You guessed it. It’s your birthday party. Several of your friends will be meeting you there.”

She hugged me tight. “Oh, Daddy! I take back all those names I called you this morning.” She took my hand and practically pulled me to the mag-lev station.

The mag-lev already had quite a few passengers onboard. It’s the fastest way to surface travel in the world. We’ll be in Houston in about an hour.

The mag-lev ride is eerily quiet and smooth. There’s just a low level hum that’s barely noticeable. The landscape goes by so fast, you can’t really keep up with where you are.

A little over an hour later, the mag-lev shuttle that connected to the main train, glided into the Girl Park station. There was already a crowd forming at the entrance of the pink, fairytale castle.

Hailey started to run as soon as she saw her four friends waiting by the entrance. Since I pre-paid, for me, Hailey and the four girls, we were going to take the VIP entrance. Only one parent in her group of friends was a guy besides me. The other parents were apparently the moms. I didn’t pay for them. If they wanted to join their daughters, it was going to be on their dime. Dime. I had to get a loan to pay for this venture.

I shook hands all around with the parents. One mom grinned at me. “Thank you so much for doing this. I’ve heard so much about this park.”

Another mom nodded. “I agree. I’m trying to save up to just bring my daughter here for her eighteenth birthday. I wish I could afford to go with her now.”

I said, “Y’all are very welcome. Look. I got a pass since I bought the birthday package. If you want to go with your daughter, I can…”

Hailey turned to me, her eyes flashing. “Dad! You’re going with me!”

I laughed. “Honey, I’m hardly a girl. And you don’t want me along.”

Hailey took my hand. “You’re going.”

I looked at the other parents and shrugged. “I guess I’m going with her.” The other parents laughed as well.

I bought twenty adventures. Hailey could choose how she wanted to divvy them up. She chose six individual random adventures at full immersion for herself. Those six would include me as well. She then picked four individual random adventures in full immersion for each of her friends. She also picked eight random adventures for her and one friend each. All of these would be somewhat short duration, no more than a day subjective time. The last two were extended adventures for all five kids. They were able to extend their subjective time by excluding my participation in the final sim. Girl Park labels every simulation, from going on a date to being a girl Indiana Jones an adventure. Fortunately for the parents, all are age appropriate.

I looked at the group of girls. “Okay, everyone. Have your tickets out. We take the VIP entrance on the right. Follow me.”

The girls all lined up behind me and we got into the much shorter line. In less than ten minutes, we were through the gates. A woman in a Girl Park uniform pointed and instructed us to wait at that location for our “tour guide”.

The girls were giddy with excitement. I was already beginning to regret my decision to have let Hailey talk me into going in the simulator with her. The rules of the park strictly stated that anyone entering the simulator has to either be female or cast as female. I saw boys standing in line and also saw other fathers in line with their daughters. So I guessed what I was doing isn’t all that unusual.

After a few minutes wait, an attractive young woman in a Girl Park uniform approached us. “Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Girl Park. I hope you are all ready for an experience you’ll never forget. And to help you not forget, Blu-Ray discs will be available for purchase of your adventures.”

Oh just wonderful. That’s all I need is a permanent record of me looking female. Sadly, from what I understand, the simulator picks your role at random when a simulation starts.

The woman walked up to me with a bemused expression. “Are you sure you want to enter the simulation, sir? We have to check.”

I nodded. I pointed at Hailey. “She insists.”

The woman smiled knowingly. “That happens more than you think. Don’t worry sir. I’m sure you’ll enjoy sharing these experiences with your daughter and most parents discover a deeper understanding of their daughters.’

The woman raised her arms and addressed the group of girls. And me. “I need your attention, please. I’m going to lay out the ground rules and they must be followed exactly for your own safety and enjoyment of the park.

“I’ll be taking you to a prep room. You each get a private prep room keyed to your thumbprint. You can safely leave any personal items there. In the changing room you will find packages with your simulator suits. These include a skull cap, and a bra and panties. These are special clothes required by the simulator. No one will see you in your bra and panties. You must remove all your clothes before you put on the Girl Park undies. These clothes contain circuitry that allows you to interact with the simulator. If you need to relieve yourself, don’t worry. Just pee through the panties. You won’t get shocked or damage the panties. Please change your clothes as quickly as you can. When you’ve changed, take the exit door and follow the arrows on the floor to your simulation room.”

I looked worriedly at the woman. “Do I have to wear a bra and panties?”

The woman just smiled. “Yes sir. The simulation won’t work without them.”

I sighed heavily.

Grinning at me, the tour guide said, “Okay, ladies. Please follow me.”

We were all led to a block of individual rooms. I entered my room and there on a chair was a plastic wrapped set of clothes. I was afraid to open it. The package was labeled “Adult”. Finally I opened the package. There was a definite “new electronics” smell to the clothes. The material was very soft and I was amazed that it contained electronics. There will millions of tiny electrodes to stimulate your skin to make you think you’re feeling things. I couldn’t begin to image just how they were able to do that on such a large scale. I remember reading Girl Park had the largest server farm on the planet.

I looked around the room nervously, seeing if I could spot any cameras. I then stripped down naked. I fastened the skull cap to my head. I was expecting it to buzz or something. But nothing happened. I picked up the panties and grimaced. I couldn’t believe that I was about to put on women’s panties. They appeared to be women’s panties with some wiring. They were amazingly comfortable though. Lastly I picked up the bra. It looked for all the world like one of my ex-wife’s sports bras. I sighed heavily and slid the bra over my head. It fit me perfectly, though snug. It was also amazingly comfortable.

I stood in front of the exit door. I felt totally ridiculous in my bra and panties. I took a deep breath and opened the door. There was no one else in the hall. Just arrows on the floor. I followed them to another door. I wondered why I didn’t see any of the girls in the hallway. Was I the last one? Then it dawned on me. The guide said no one will see you in your bra and panties. This hallway must be simulated. It’s probably a system check of sorts before the real simulations start.

I pushed the bar to open the door…

“Mackenzie! Come on!” shouted Hailey. I looked over at her and was shocked to see her looking just like she always does. Except she was dressed in a cheerleader uniform. Being a cheerleader was a dream that had been taken from her when she suffered a severe leg injury in a car accident. And here she was, living that dream. Jumping and running. She was so damned happy I wanted to cry.

“Mackenzie!” Hailey shouted again. “Come on. The pep rally is about to start!”

I looked down at myself. I was also wearing a cheerleader uniform. Long, dark brown hair fell across my shoulders. Oh my God. I’m a teenage girl! And apparently I’m Mackenzie.

I ran out to the middle of the field house floor to join Hailey and the other girls. I looked around and was horrified to see hundreds of kids up in the stands. They all started yelling when the cheerleaders ran out. Holy crap. I was terrified to be in front of all these people while wearing a short skimpy dress! What was I going to do?

And then the total immersion kicked in. Suddenly I was a confident, teen girl with my BFF Hailey. We’ve been friends since the fourth grade. The band started to play and we all lined up to wave and cheer.

I looked up in the stands and saw a boy staring right at me. Even from this distance I could tell he was just looking at me. It dawned on me that the boy looked a lot like the father that came to the park with us. I didn’t pay his way in, so this must be the park generating characters from my own memories. He was the most recent male I’d met, so it put him in the sim. I hope the sim isn’t making him my boyfriend or something stupid like that.

I have to admit though, joining in with the other girls to cheer and do a skit and a few stunts, I found that I really enjoyed being a girl. I felt so full of energy and that I could do anything. Intellectually I understood it was the sim making me happy to be a girl. What else could I be? I sure didn’t want to be a boy.

It was an absolute joy to watch Hailey. Her grin was infectious. Jumping high, doing the splits, and all the things her real body won’t allow.

After Hailey jumped down to the ground, she looked over at me, grinning. “I think Carey likes you.”

I looked up into the stands to see that boy staring at me. “Really think so?” I asked. Since this sim was for Hailey, I was surprised it would spend any time on me other than in a supporting role.

Hailey giggled. “Yeah, I think so. You know I’ve been trying like forever to get Tony to ask me out? He said he’d go out with me, if you go out with Carey.”

As the band began to play again, I asked above all the shouting, “Why doesn’t he just ask me himself?”

Hailey smirked. “He’s too shy.”

Before I could reply, we were led into another cheer. Well, that explains that, I thought. That boy’s interest in me is purely so Hailey could have a date with that boy she’s been crazy about, even if it’s just virtually. I wondered when this sim would end. I thought it was just for the pep rally. Does it end with Hailey getting a date with Tony? Am I going to be stuck dating Carey? At least he’s really cute.

After a few more yells and stunts, we all lined up solemnly behind a microphone stand. The school’s principal walked onto the stage to talk about how our team was going to kick our rival’s ass that night at the game.

Hailey leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Will you do it?”

I nodded. “Yep.” I’ll throw myself on the altar of romance so Hailey can have her dream date. And Carey is really cute. It’s just he always walks down the hall with his head down. I hope he’s not like that on a date.

My vision suddenly blurred and I felt a momentary queasiness. We were running across the stadium’s football field. I was with the other cheerleaders. We were going to hold up a large paper banner with our team’s name and our mascot drawn on it. The team was going to run through it. Last time I got knocked down when they ran through.

Hailey was helping me hold the banner up. Her eyes were bright and her grin was a mile wide. I’ve never seen her this happy in a long time. Say what you want, but she’s finally living her dream, being down on the field as a cheerleader, that fate had denied her if only for a moment.

And I have to say I was very glad Hailey had insisted I join her. Being able to share this with her, as her equal was incredible.

The other cheerleaders as well as the dance team lined up to form a gauntlet of girls for the team to run through. To cheers and yells, they came running down the line. I braced myself and managed to stay on my feet as they burst through the banner.

Tony was on the football team and this is probably the first time Hailey ever really paid attention to a game. Neither of us were big on sports so it didn’t bother me that all the running and jumping around and shouting cheers didn’t give me much chance to watch the game.

I never realized how much work and how much fun being a cheerleader was. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love the energy I felt from being in a teen girl’s body. I really didn’t have time to dwell on the fact that I was female. Inside the sim, you are what you appear to be. You don’t just look like a teen girl. You are a teen girl, plumbing and all. And with full immersion that went even deeper.

I have to say I was getting tired of this simulation. I’m not a football fan and the game has been tied since the first quarter. Hailey was having a blast and that was the important part. Not surprisingly, with only five seconds left, Tony got the final score and won the game for our side. Yes our side. It’s my school too.

Hailey started jumping and shouting and she grabbed my arm. “We did it! Did you see that? Tony won the game!” The crowds in the stands were shouting and yelling too.

Grinning, I shouted, “I saw! That’s awesome!”

Things settled down. Us cheerleaders lined up along the side line as the football team lined up behind us. The band started to play the alma mater. Tony put his arms around Hailey’s shoulders as everyone swayed back and forth. I expected the sim to terminate any second now.

My vision blurred. Why is it shifting?

My vision was still clearing as over the cell phone I had to my ear, I heard Hailey say, “We’ll be there in thirty minutes. I hope you’re ready!”

I was staring at my reflection in my dresser mirror. And Oh-my-God. Was I ever ready. “Yeah, I’m ready.” And then she hung up.

I stepped up to the mirror. I couldn’t believe what I saw. It was still basically my face, but as a teen girl. I was very pretty. I leaned in to get a better look. My make-up was flawless. How could I do that? Well, I didn’t. The sim did. But still.

I looked down. I was wearing a floral print cotton dress and strappy sandals. I felt pretty sure that compared to my date, I’m going to be way over dressed. Girls would always do that to me on dates back in school.

I wondered where the sim was getting the images for what I guess was my bedroom. It looked pretty generic. It was probably some basic textures. I opened a few drawers on the dresser. They were empty. All for show. This sim wasn’t for my benefit after all.

I looked around the room. Nobody else was around. I felt guilty for even thinking it, but I stood in front of the dresser mirror an lifted my dress. I felt disappointed when I saw my pixilated crotch. Well, I did buy PG tickets.

I heard a woman’s voice call out from the other room. “Mackenzie! Hailey’s here!”

“Coming, Mom!” I shouted, taking a wild guess the woman would be my character’s mother. I checked my make-up one last time in the mirror and then hurried out to the living room.

When I entered the living room, I saw an attractive woman in her early forties, dressed in jeans and white blouse. “Grab your purse, honey. I think your friends are in a hurry.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said as I gave her a quick hug and grabbed my purse from its resting spot on the couch. Hailey was standing in the doorway, waving for me to hurry.”

Mom called out, “Be back by midnight!”

Hailey almost shouted, “Let’s go, girl!”

I looked over at her, feeling annoyed. “Are we late or something?”

Hailey sighed. “No. I just don’t want anything to go wrong.”

As we ran up to the car, Hailey’s boyfriend Tony opened the car doors for both of us. Hailey was going to sit in the front, and I’d take the back seat with Carey. He was grinning as I climbed into the back seat.

Smiling, Carey said, “Hey, Mac.” His face suddenly dropped. “Can I call you that?”

I grinned and nodded. “Sure, Carey.” Despite the bucket seats, Hailey was sitting way too close to that Tony guy.

Returning to his grin, Carey said, “Anyway, it’s great to see you. You look very nice tonight.”

I smiled back at him. “Thank you. You look nice too.” Carey surprised me. It looked as if he’d taken a shower and put on a clean, button down shirt.

He adjusted himself to where he was sitting very close. “I’m really looking forward to seeing this movie. I think you and Hailey will enjoy it.”

I looked at Carey curiously. “What movie is it?”

Carey grinned. “A Girl Park Romance, available in the park store on digital, DVD, and Blu-Ray for just $19.98.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the blatant commercial.

After arriving at the mall, we got out of Tony’s car and started walking to the mall entrance. Tony took Hailey’s hand. She sure looked happy. I’m glad she was enjoying this.

Carey reached over and took my hand. I was surprised by the tingle I felt when our hands touched. I looked over at him. I smiled. He’s really cute. How had I not noticed him before?

We got in line at the theater. No dinner first, I guess. Tony bought Hailey her movie ticket. And then Carey paid my way into the movie. I’ve never had a boy buy my ticket before. He then bought me a soft drink and he got a tub of popcorn for us to share. Did I mention he was cute?”

About a minute after Tony put his arm around Hailey’s shoulder, here came Carey’s arm. I let him do it. I’m not going to tell anyone, but I kind of enjoying being a girl on a date with a boy. I snuggled against Carey’s shoulder and felt all warm inside. I was heartened to see Hailey move Tony’s hand when he tried to cup her breast.

Through the whole movie, Carey held my hand and would say little things like, “Your hair smells nice.”

I wasn’t sure if I liked it when Tony leaned over and gave Hailey a kiss.

I looked up expectantly at Carey. I felt a wave of disappointment when he didn’t kiss me.

The movie was as forgettable as I thought it would be. It was just a recorded session of a Girl Park adventure.

When the credits began to roll, Carey turned to me and asked, “Did you like it?”

I grinned at him. “I liked it a lot. Thanks for bringing me.” What else was I going to say?

Walking back out to the car, Tony has his arm around Hailey’s waist and Carey’s arm was around mine. I could get used to this…

As we left the parking lot, Tony announced, “I’ll drop you guys off first, First Mackenzie and then you, Carey. And then I’ll take Hailey home.

Tony pulled his car up to my house. Carey said, “I’ll walk you to the door.” He then jumped out of the car, ran around to my door and helped me out. I couldn’t help but notice that Hailey and Tony had started kissing as soon as Carey and I were out of the car.

Holding my hand, Carey led me to my front door. We stopped on the porch and I turned to face him. Have I mentioned how cute he is?

Holding both my hands, Carey said, “I really enjoyed being with you tonight, Mackenzie.”

I smiled shyly. “Oh, I did too, Carey.”

Carey looked at the ground for a second. “Do you… ah… would you like to go out again, sometime?”

I smiled at him. “I’d love to, Carey.”

Looking a bit surprised, Carey asked, “You would?”

I nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

Still holding my hands, Carey drew me close to him. There was a hesitation and then his lips touched mine. Oh my God! A bolt of excitement shot down to my toes. I slid my arms around his neck and pressed my lips into his. I just melted. I was in heaven. We parted for a breath, and then kissed deeply once more. I didn’t want this moment to end.

End Simulation My vision blurred.

I held up a skirt to show Hailey. “What do you think of this one?”

Hailey nodded. “It looks nice, Mom. You should get it.”

I looked at my reflection in the mall’s dress store’s window. I saw an attractive woman in her late thirties dressed in a loose t-shirt and jeans. I smiled at Hailey. “I think I will. Those cute shoes, the suit dress and this skirt should get me off to a start at my new job.”

Hailey, looking to be about twelve looked at the floor. “I sure hope so Mom. You hated your last job and you said it didn’t pay well.”

I sighed. “No it didn’t, honey. I’m really sorry about your last birthday. I’ll make it up to you. Since the divorce, it’s just been so hard to make ends meet.”

Hailey gave me a weak smile. “I know it’s been hard, Mom. You don’t have to make anything up to me. I understand.”

I placed the folded clothes on the checkout counter. I ruffled Hailey’s hair. “I just know this new job is going to work out great. It’ll be a banner year for the Anderson girls.” Hailey grinned at me.

After paying, we stepped out into the mall hallway. After walking a bit, Hailey took on a serious expression. “Do you think you’ll ever get married again?”

I took Hailey’s hand as we walked, “Oh, I don’t know, honey. I don’t think I’m ready to get back into that.”

She looked wistful down the hall. “That Mr. Adams at your new job seems nice.”

I smiled. “Yes he does. He’s very handsome. But you know, office romances seldom work out.”

Hailey looked up at me. “You met Dad at the office.”

I grunted a laugh. “I rest my case.”

Hailey shrugged and looked back down the hallway. “I think he’d make a nice dad.”

I laughed. “Now don’t get me married off to a co-worker before even my first day at the job!”

Hailey looked up at me and giggled.

*          *          *

Deep in the back of my mind, I understood that this was all part of a simulation. Hailey was about to begin her new school related adventure and apparently I was about to start mine since I did pay for a ticket. I didn’t pick anything, so I had to assume the simulation was trying merge both of us into the same simulation. And then my thoughts clouded over and my only concern was to make sure we were both ready to go; me for work and Hailey ready for school.

At the mirror, I smoothed the front of my skirt and checked my make-up for the fortieth time. “Honey? Are you ready? We need to get going.”

Hailey walked into my room as she was sliding her book bag on. “I’m ready, Mom. Oh! You look beautiful!”

I smiled at my daughter. “Thank you, sweetheart. You’re not so bad yourself!” She giggled.

I took one last look into the mirror. This was my first day at my new job and I needed everything to be perfect. My nails and lips matched, dark blue skirt and white blouse looked great on me. I was a bit annoyed at the pantyhose we’re required to wear. At least my pumps were only one inch heels.

I picked up my purse. “Okay, honey. I’m finally ready. Let’s go.”

Fortunately, we didn’t live very far from Hailey’s school. That was one of the reasons that helped me decide on the apartment. I got the house in the divorce, but I had to sell it since I couldn’t afford it.

I pulled up in front of Hailey’s school and she gave me a hug. “Have a great day at school, honey. Got your key? I’ll see you this evening when I get home.”

“Bye, Mom!” Hailey bounced out of the car and hurried towards her school. I sat there for a minute and watched her catch up with a few friends. I shook my head and smiled. To myself, I thought, “She’s going to be such a handful when she becomes a teen.”

I then took a deep breath and gripped the steering wheel with both hands. I put the car in Drive and headed for my new job. I hope I don’t screw this up…

After parking the car, I just sat there and stared at the building for a couple of minutes. It’s show-time, girl. Better get going. I took a deep breath and exited my car. I heard my heels click on the concrete as I made my way to the entrance. Several others, men and women, we walking to the same door.

I walked past the receptionist though I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to go. The door on the other side of the lobby wouldn’t open.

The receptionist turned to smile at me. She tapped the badge she wore on her blouse. “Can I help you, ma’am? You need one of these to enter the building.”

I felt my face flush. “Oh! I’m sorry. This is my first day. I’m Mackenzie Anderson, Mr. Nakatomi’s new assistant.” A secretary? At the back of my mind I thought that was a bit stereotypical.

The receptionist was writing something on a badge-looking thing. “Here is a temporary badge for you. Go straight down this hall to HR and then to security to pick up your permanent badge. Let me know if you need anything else.”

I nodded to her. “Thank you.”

*          *          *

Fortunately, it didn’t take all that long to visit HR and then have security process my badge access. Standing on the elevator waiting for the door to open on my floor was about to make me a nervous wreck. The doors opened, I squared my shoulders and stepped into the eighth floor lobby.

There was a receptionist desk right outside the elevators. The woman at the desk smiled at me and asked pleasantly, “Good morning ma’am. Who do you need to see?”

Trying not to sound nervous, I said, “Hi. I’m Mackenzie Anderson. Mr. Nakatomi’s new assistant.”

The receptionist’s smile broadened. “Oh yes, Ms. Anderson. We’ve been expecting you. Just go through these doors and straight back to the big office next to the windows and the copier. You can’t miss it.”

I nodded my thanks and walked through the door. I looked around the floor as I proceeded to my destination. The floor was dotted with smaller manager’s offices, cube farms and a few meeting rooms. My new fellow co-workers, if they noticed me at all would smile or nod at me. I had to smile to myself when I heard a few whispered “Who’s that new chick?”

I saw an older man working at his desk inside the modular office. His door was open, but I knocked anyway.

He turned to look at me. “May I help you, miss?”

For a moment I forgot who I was. I smiled and said, “I’m Mackenzie Anderson. Your new assistant.”

The man who I took to me Mr. Nakatomi smiled as he stood. “Ah yes! Ms. Anderson. So good to see you again. I trust you’ve been well since the interview?”

I smiled and nodded. “Oh yes. Been doing great. I’ve been looking forward to getting started.”

Mr. Nakatomi said, “Good. Good. Mr. Adams was very impressed at your interview.”

“I’m glad,” I said, not sure what to say. “I’m happy to be working here.” I’m happy to be working anywhere.

Mr. Nakatomi pointed at a desk with a PC and monitor on it. “This will be your desk, right outside my office. Feel free to spend the next day or so getting to know your co-workers and other managers. You’ll probably be working with all of them. We try to keep a casual, light atmosphere here. We always have a big Christmas party at the end of the year. It’s great.”

“I’ll look forward to it. I guess I better get settled in.” I set my purse down on the desk top and pulled the chair back. I set my butt down in the chair and then turned towards my desk. Wow. They computer looked brand new. It looked expensive. Right on the front in blazing pink letters was the label telling me this was a Girl Park PC. I had to laugh at that.

Several women walked up to my desk. One of them, smiling brightly, said, “You must be the new girl.” She pointed to herself, “I’m Carla. That’s Susie. Behind her is Deedee. And then there’s Rhonda. We heard that Mr. Adams was very impressed by you. Anyway, welcome to Nakatomi Enterprises.”

I stood up. “Thank you for the welcome. I’m Mackenzie. You can call me Mac for short. Nice to meet you all.”

Carla said, “We all head out for lunch right at eleven thirty. You’re welcome to join us. In case you weren’t sure, we’re all assistants too. Well, we need to get back. Nice to finally meet you.” They all turned and walked away in different directions. At least everyone is friendly here.

I sat down at my desk and turned the computer on. I looked at the pile of paper Mr. Nakatomi left for me to do whatever with. What does an assistant do, anyway?

*          *          *

I smiled weakly at Hailey as she jumped into the car. “Hey, Mom. Geez. You look beat.”

I nodded and a few loose strands of hair fell across my face. “You can say that again. It was a rough day. I hope tomorrow is not as rough.”

As she settled into her seat, Hailey asked, “Did Mr. Adams ask you out yet?”

I grinned at Hailey as I ruffled her hair. “It doesn’t work that way, sweetheart. For one thing, I didn’t even see him today. And he isn’t likely to ask out someone he really hasn’t met yet.”

Looking out her door window, Hailey asked, “Since you’re tired and all, can we go to Taco Bell for dinner?”

I laughed. “Sure. Why not?”

Hailey’s face lit up as she turned towards me. “Oh! Hey Mom! This Friday, Sandra is having a slumber party. Can I go? Please?” She pressed her palms together.

I thought for a moment. For whatever reason that I was never really clear on, Hailey’s mother had never let her go to a slumber party. It hasn’t come up since the divorce. So again, this is something Hailey has never experienced in real life.”

I smiled at her. “Of course you can go, honey. Sounds like fun!”

Hailey grinned at me. “Thanks! You’re the best mom ever!”

My vision blurred…

*          *          *

I looked out the car window as we came to a stop. Mom said, “There’s Sandra’s house, honey.”

I looked at the house catching the fading rays of the late afternoon sun. I had been invited, along with several other girls, to the slumber party at Sandra’s place. Of course I said I’d go. This might be the last slumber party any of us will go to as we’re all getting older. I looked over at Mom and smiled. I felt some confusion. Just a moment ago, I was Hailey’s mother. And now I’m one of her friends. If we ever do this again, I’ll have to have the sim lock down my role. I love hearing Hailey call me “Mom”, but I think I’ve enjoyed being one of her friends more.

I gathered up my sleeping bag and a soft overnight bag, grinned at Mom and said, “Bye Mom! See you tomorrow!”

Mom smiled at me. “Bye honey. Have fun!”

With a wave, I jumped out of the car and started walking towards Sandra’s house. I was both excited to be going to a slumber party and at the same time very worried. What the hell do you do at a slumber party? Guys don’t have slumber parties. My Ex would never let Hailey go to one, so I’m sure Hailey’s excited. I was already dressed in pajamas.

I stood for several moments staring at the doorbell. I had to ring it. Mom had already driven off. I took a deep breath and pressed the button.

It took longer than I expected, but after a few moments, the door opened. It was Sandra herself greeting me.

“Mackenzie!” Sandra grinned. “I’m glad you came. Come on in. At first I thought you were the pizza guy.”

I giggled and crossed through the doorway. I scanned the room to see who all was here. I was surprised. I knew everyone. I spotted Hailey and waved. She motioned me over.

“Mac!” Hailey giggled as she hugged me. “Finally! You’re here! Can you braid my hair?” Before I could answer, she turned her back to me. I’ve never braided hair in my life. I had no clue. And suddenly, I knew. I tried to commit the technique to memory. I need to be able to do this when we’re back at home.

I smiled as I worked. I never would have believed that something as simple as braiding hair, would bring pleasure.

One of the other girls watched me braiding Hailey’s hair. She giggled, “Do me next!”

I grinned and said, “Sure!” I quickly, but carefully braided Hailey’s hair. I’ll be doing this in real life for Hailey.

When I’d finished, the other girl turned her back towards me and I started on her hair. Her hair was a bit longer so it took a little longer to braid. It was fun, but I hope I don’t get asked to braid hair all night.

I turned my attention back to Hailey who was watching a movie on TV. “I was afraid you weren’t going to be able to come tonight.”

Hailey looked at me and nodded. “I think Mom must have hit her head or something. She’s become a much better mom lately.” She looked at me, pointed at her face and grinned broadly. “See? She even lets me wear make-up now.” She gave me a wry grin. “And, the big reason she let me come to this slumber party… she has a date tonight and this way she doesn’t have to hire a baby-sitter.”

I laughed. “You’re too old for a baby sitter!” I had to think for a minute. Where would I rather be? Here with Hailey at a slumber party with her or on a date with some cute guy? Well, obviously, I’d rather spend time with Hailey. I had to wonder who I was missing being on a date with.

Hailey shook her head. “Not according to Mom!”

“Still, I’m not really surprised your mom has a date tonight,” I said sincerely. “She’s very pretty.”

Hailey nodded. “Yes she is. I hope I look just like her when I grow up.” I hope she meant the Girl Park me and not the real world me. Most likely since I’m not Mom in the real world.

I had to admit. The slumber party was a blast. I used to make fun of my sister when she’d have one. All the giggling and noise. I don’t know how many times during the night Dad would have to tell her and her friends to pipe down. This party was no exception. Except that this time I actually found it to be fun.

During the course of the night, I got a make-over several times with both hair and make-up. We giggled and watched several of the fake Girl Park movies. Couldn’t they pop for just one license of a real movie?

We had pizza and fried chicken to eat. Sandra’s little brother kept trying to crash the party. We finally managed to grab his pants leg and squealed “Make-over!” He wriggled away and we didn’t see him again that night.

As everyone was getting tired and closer to, heaven forbid! falling asleep, we all took our bras off to be more comfortable. In the wee hours of the morning, Sandra poked me in the arm and pointed at Hailey, fast asleep.

Grinning, she grabbed Hailey’s bra and whispered me, “Come on!”

Giggling, Sandra stuck Hailey’s bra under the water faucet in the kitchen and got it soaked. She then tossed it unceremoniously into the freezer. She looked at me and grinned. “That’s the price you pay to be the first girl to fall asleep!” We walked back into the living room. A minute later I was out like a light.

The next morning, as I was starting to wake up, I heard Hailey shout, “Why is my bra in the freezer!?”

End SimulationMy vision blurred.

I was staring at blackness for a moment. Then these words appeared to float before my eyes.

Redirecting to a holding simulation while other parties are placed into their private simulations…Restrictions lifted

When my vision cleared, I was standing on some downtown sidewalk in front of a bar and grill sandwiched in between other buildings. The street was deserted. The sign above the bar and grill read “Perky’s” and seemed to be the only place I could go.

I had to guess that Hailey and her friends were now in their “private” simulation that didn’t include me. I didn’t remember what adventure they had picked. That meant this whole simulation business was drawing to a close. I thought the simulator would just drop me back out to the real world, but I guessed that Hailey had elected to bring me back in for one of the final sims, so I was just placed in a holding pattern until that time.

I looked at myself in the reflection of Perky’s windows. Not to brag, but damn I was hot. My long, dark brown hair fell across my shoulders and down my back. I was wearing a black, short, tight cocktail dress, what looked to be three inch heels, hoop earrings, make-up with a smoky eye shadow and long polished nails. I grinned at the reflection. I’d definitely do myself.

I entered Perky’s to find myself alone. Not even a bartender. Some bar this is! I walked up to the bar and sat down at one of the stools. The only things in the place were a few scattered chairs around some tables, a pool table, and me. I sighed. This seemed like a good time to do some reflecting. I stared at my reflection in the mirror on the wall. This experience has been quite an eye opener for me.

Here in Girl Park, inside the immersive simulation, you don’t just resemble a woman. You become a woman. In every respect. As both Hailey’s mother and as her teen friend, I’ve noticed my whole thought processes have changed. Everything is different in some way. I’ll never admit this to anyone, but I’ve decided I love being a woman.

Not just in the way I look or the way I’m able to dress. But I love the way I feel. The way I move. And of course, how I look. I love the simple things, that while not exclusive to women, they’re mostly done by women. I love the clothes. So much variety. I love the ways that I can wear my hair. I love my polished nails. And I’ve discovered I love wearing make-up. And I absolutely love being Hailey’s mother. Granted, the simulation has only presented the positive sides of being a woman. I mean, unless you pay for that sim, there’s no danger of sexual assault in Girl Park. And the park isn’t just for play. In their brochure, it’s mentioned that many women use Girl Park simulations for example, to learn what they can expect going through childbirth.

But so far, I’ve loved every second.

“Buy you a drink?” I jumped. The voice startled me. I looked in the mirror and saw a man standing behind me. Not just any man, but Carey as an adult. According to the brochure, it also mentions the sim taps your memory for your ideal man for romantic interests if you choose “straight” as your orientation. And here I would be a straight female. But I’ve never considered an ideal man before. And why this same guy? He’s the only other male parent to come along on this Girl Park party. I guess he’s just the last male I saw before entering the sim and when they create a male simulation, that’s all the sim has to go by.

I turned around to face him and I actually gasped slightly. What an incredibly handsome man. He appeared to be just a couple of years older than the woman me. The sim duplicated every feature of his face that I remember seeing. The sims are so perfect, it’s just like being next to a real person. He was holding two wine glasses.

I took one of the proffered glasses. “Thank you.”

He smiled and I melted. “You are very welcome. May I sit down?”

I pointed at the stood next to mine. “Please.” I watched as he sat down. He oozed masculinity. If I had to guess, I was probably oozing femininity.

He took a sip of his wine. “I couldn’t help but notice you were all alone. I hope you don’t mind my forwardness.”

I shook my head, feeling my hair slide on my shoulders and my earrings bounce against my neck. “Oh not at all!” I looked quickly around. “This place is a bit empty.” I couldn’t take my eyes off him. I’ve never been so fascinated by a man before. But then, I’ve never been a woman before.

Looking slightly embarrassed, he held out his hand. “Forgive me. My name is Carey.”

I laughed slightly and took his hand in a rather weak handshake. “And I’m Mackenzie. It’s very nice to meet you.”

He studied me for a moment. “Pardon me for saying so, but I find it very hard to believe that a woman as beautiful as you would be sitting here all alone.”

I shrugged as I took a sip of wine. “It happens, I guess.” It amused me to see my lipstick print on the glass.

He looked genuinely surprised. “No husband? Boyfriend?”

I laughed. “You don’t waste any time, do you? But if you must know, I’m divorced.”

He shook his head. “I’m just amazed that any man could walk away from such a gorgeous creature. I’m serious. But I understand. I’m divorced too.”

“Sorry to hear that. It’s not much fun, is it?” I tried to give him a comforting smile.

He shook his head. “Sadly it’s not easy at all.” He placed his hand on my knee.

Oh my God! He’s coming on to me. A man is actually flirting with me. A man! What do I do? I thought for a moment.

I’m in basically an amusement park. And I’m here as a woman. A woman as real as if I’d been born female. When am I ever going to get a chance to experience life as a woman again? Flirting might be fun. And as a woman, I do find him attractive. Oh brother do I! I haven’t had a date or two in the time I’ve been divorced. I found that I welcomed his attention.

That’s when I felt the wet spot on my panties.

Oh my God! He’s actually turning me on! I could feel a growing desire. What do I do? Should I run away? Slap him? Cry out for an emergency simulation halt? The only option to bubble up in my mind, was to go for broke. Do it. Have some crazy fun.

I smiled at him. “I could say the same thing. How could any woman leave such a handsome man? You didn’t cheat on her, did you?”

He shook his head. “Quite the contrary. She cheated on me. But in the divorce, she still wound up with everything.”

I felt sheepish. I looked at his hand on my knee. “Well, I took everything from him as well. But I couldn’t keep the house.” In real life of course, the court ruled against my wife because of her excessive drinking. It was felt she wouldn’t be able to take care of Hailey. And of course, I kept the house. And all the bills.

He forced a humorless smile. “Since we’re baring our souls here, this is the first weekend in many weeks I got to take my daughter on a trip. You saw her. She’s a beautiful little girl about the same age as your daughter. After this park, I get to spend the rest of the weekend with her. You have no idea how happy that makes me.”

I nodded. “I understand completely.”

He suddenly bent over and kissed me. Holy shit. I never got things to move this fast with a girl in a bar before. Am I that easy? But I can’t deny I enjoyed it. Even if it was a man that kissed me.

I felt my cheeks flush. “Well, that was sudden.”

He smiled at me and leaned forward to slide his arm behind my back. “You seemed like you could use a kiss.” He slid his hand a little further up my leg.

I stood up and pulled down on the skirt of my dress. He stood up with me and stepped closer to me. Even in heels, he was taller than me. “Now Carey, don’t think I just go around kissing strange men.”

He grinned. “I’m not strange. You know my name.” He bent his head down towards me.

I put my palms on his chest, but I didn’t push back. In fact, insanely, I closed my eyes and parted my lips. A moment later our lips touched. A tingle shot down my spine. God help me, I wanted this. I slid my arms around his neck as his arms went around my waist and pulled me to him. The stubble on his face actually excited me. It was a totally new experience for me.

I ran my fingers through his hair as we kissed. I couldn’t help but moan softly. He pushed his crotch into me and I felt his raging hard-on. Holy shit. I’m turning him on. I’m giving a man a hard-on. Admittedly, it’s not really all that difficult to give a man a hard-on…

Another crazy idea seeped into my head. Something I would never do in a zillion years. It doesn’t matter who I was when I entered Girl Park. I’m a woman now. All the rules have changed. I shouldn’t even be thinking this. I realized this wasn’t exclusively in a woman’s domain, but from personal experience, I know men love a woman giving them a blowjob. It’s crazy. I’ve never in my life considered putting a penis in my mouth. It still sounds gross, but amazingly sexy at the same time. I’m kissing this man and we’re both turning each other on. Chances are, I’ll never experience being a woman again.

I reached down and felt his growing hard-on through his pants. His moan suggested for me to not stop. I gave him a long kiss and then crouched down on my heels. I took a deep breath, both excited and appalled at what I was doing. I unzipped his pants and reached in. I pushed his underwear aside and pulled his cock out. It was bigger than I expected and so stiff it just thrust itself towards my face. I couldn’t believe the detail of the simulation. Every vein and skin texture made my experience seem super real.

I just stared at his hard cock waving in front of me. This is it, girl. The moment of truth. Can I actually do this? I reached up with my hands to hold Carey’s manhood steady. I kissed the swollen head. I didn’t die. I slid my tongue along the shaft and tasted sweat and what I hoped to God wasn’t urine. I then closed my eyes and bit the bullet, so to speak and slid him inside my mouth. He moaned.

While I can’t truthfully say I didn’t enjoy sucking on him, I have to admit that I think being pleasured by a woman as a man was more intense. I could taste his pre-cum and I was expecting to get something nasty in my mouth at any moment. Suddenly, he pulled out.

Lifting me up, he pulled me over to the pool table where he gently bent me over. He pulled the skirt of my dress up. Oh my God, he’s going to fuck me! I didn’t resist. I tingled with excitement that a man was going to fuck me.

He tugged on my panties and I got further turned on feeling them slide down my legs to my ankles. They were very wet by this time anyway. He stood behind me and I felt him slide the tip of his cock against my waiting pussy. He probed my opening a couple of times and then with a gentle push, he was inside me.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. I wasn’t expecting pain, but there it was. Even though I had a daughter, I was somehow a virgin in the sim. He pushed balls deep inside me. I moaned loudly and gasped. I couldn’t believe what I was feeling. I had a man inside me! Something I never would have thought I’d do.

He started to pull out some, and then pushed back in. Breathless I couldn’t believe I said, “Fuck me!” I wanted Carey so bad. I squeezed my pussy against his hard cock. I actually started squealing. Oh my God, this was like nothing I could have imagined. Hands down, sex is better as a woman.

One deep, hard final thrust and I felt Carey’s seed shooting into me. I’ve just been completely fucked. He lingered inside me for a few moments as I felt his cock pulsing. A sudden thought flashed through me. Can I get pregnant here?

He finally pulled out. I just laid there a few moments bent over on the pool table. I was breathing hard trying to catch my breath. On shaky legs I stood up, feeling something sliding down my inner thigh. I smiled nervously at him.

Carey grinned. “You were great, Mackenzie. Absolutely amazing!” He stepped up and put his arms around me and kissed me deeply. I love this man. Is that even really possible?

I love him and returned his kiss with all my passion.

End Simulation My vision blurred.

The transition was jarring. I went from kissing my love, the man who I just had sex with, to being next to a football field surrounded by cheerleaders. I looked down and saw I was also a cheerleader. Personally, I’d rather stayed at Peaky’s for another round…

I looked around. I was standing next to Hailey. She had the biggest grin. She was so happy. Her other friends were there as cheerleaders as well. I guess they’d picked all being cheerleaders as their final adventure. Seemed strange to me as I’d be willing to bet that like Hailey, they had all picked being cheerleaders for one of their solo adventures.

I looked up into the stands and spotted Carey, the boy I just started dating. He waved. A sudden though that I couldn’t wait until the night after prom crossed my mind. I grinned.

All other thoughts were suddenly suppressed as the total immersion of the sim took over and I was filled with all things cheerleader and teen girl. And my boyfriend.

*          *          *

Dropping out of the simulator was very disorienting. At first, I didn’t know where I was. My Girl Park bra and panties were thoroughly soaked with sweat. There were a couple of water bottles on a table next to the chair I was in. I greedily grabbed on and gulped down its contents. My guy clothes were also on the table. I looked at them with annoyance. Do I have to wear those?

From ceiling mounted speakers a pleasant female voice said, “We hope you enjoyed your Girl Park adventure! You can purchase a Blu-Ray disc of your experiences while in Girl Park for only $75.00 plus tax. Please shower before getting dressed and returning to the real world. Thank you for experiencing Girl Park. The theme park made especially for girls like you.”

When I entered the lobby area, Hailey was already there with her friends, all chatting excitedly about what they did during their adventures. The parents were there as well. Carey, if that’s his real name was also in the lobby. He gave me a knowing grin.

As I got close to the group, he leaned over to me and whispered, “Thanks for the great time.”

I suddenly felt like a bucket of ice water was poured over me. I stuttered, “That was you? You weren’t a sim?”

He nodded. “I paid for a limited experience sim. I was getting bored waiting. I just wanted to see what being in a sim was like.”

I was totally mortified. “Oh my God! I’m so sorry. I just threw caution to the winds because I didn’t think you were real.”

He laughed. “Oh, please don’t apologize. That was the best head I’ve ever had in long time.

Feeling embarrassed and ashamed, I said, “Thanks. I guess.”

He grinned. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I had a great time.”

As we walked back to the mag-lev, Hailey looked at me curiously. “What was Linda’s dad talking to you about.”

I shook my head. “It was nothing. But hey, did you have good time?”

Hailey’s face lit up. “It was a blast. I really had the best time, Mom.” She stopped and looked embarrassed. “Sorry.”

I smiled and ruffled her hair. “It’s okay.”

She was quiet for a moment while we walked. Finally she looked seriously at me. “Can you be my mom?”

I stopped walking and looked at her. “I… I can try.” I hope she just means attitude-wise. Or else I’ll have to buy all new clothes…

*          *          *

“Absolutely gorgeous!” I said, looking out at the Mediterranean from the balcony of the hotel.

“Yes you are.”

I turned to see Carey, handsome as ever approaching me with two wine glasses. He handed me one and I took a sip. It amused me to see my lipstick print on the glass.

We stood there for a moment enjoying the incredible view of the Mediterranean sea. A gentle breeze tousled my long, dark brown hair and swirled around my beautiful, long satin gown. As I held the glass, I looked at my long, shaped nails.

Carey, whose name actually is Carey, had brought his daughter and invited Hailey for a one hour objective time adventure at Girl Park. They get a full subjective day for their adventure. Carey paid for a more limited adventure for two subjective nights. Just for us.

We both set our glasses down on the stone rail and turned to face each other.

“Mackenzie, you are really the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met,” Carey said as he took my hands and drew me closer to him.

My name isn’t Mackenzie, but I seem to be stuck with it. I smiled at him and in a breathy whisper said, “I love you.”

He drew me closer and then kissed me. I put my arms around him and enjoyed his wonderful kiss here in this exotic setting. He unzipped the back of my dress and I felt the silky gown slide down to the balcony floor. He pulled back and took my hand. I was wearing only my heels and panties at this point.

He turned and led me to the balcony doors that lead to the bedroom. This was going to be my best weekend ever…

*          *          *

The End

 

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