Chapter 83

The ball flew through the air cleanly from way out there in three point land.

“Holy shit.” Faye said.

“Damn. Big Daddy Kane in the house or what?” A nameless skin player gave Faye a hi five. “That’s like what. Twelve points… somethin’ ridiculous? What is it, Brickhaus?”

Brickhaus, a large barrel-chested dude with shiny hair and an Ed Hardy shirt looked at the game as a whole.

“Yeah. He’s at twelve. Score’s 68-61 skins. That’s game. Dude, where the fuck did you come from? Wait… you’re the bakery guy, right?”

“Well, now you've had the Uncle Kevin experience” I laughed to Dennis as we walked back to our hotel.

“Did it live up to your expectations?” Mikey asked playfully.

Dennis just shook his head. “If I didn't experience it for myself, I'd swear you two were exaggerating” he laughed.

“Trust me. No one could make up uncle Kevin.” I chuckled

“Only God!” Mikey said.

“...or maybe the other guy?” Dennis raised one eyebrow. All three of us broke into guffaws.

As much as I was becoming obsessed with the woman whose life I was living, I became immersed in the nearly fulltime job of being the public face of Katherine Keller.

One of the highlights of our European tour was a hastily improvised performance after a chance meeting with a principal of the Vienna Light Orchestra, a group of serious classical musicians who do 'popular music' in an orchestral tradition to introduce general audiences to the experience of classical music.

Virtual Reality, the dream of all gamers, is now a reality with the land of Ilos.

However, it's creators are unknown, and no one knows how the devices they have access it, only that they do.

Tasalin and Corvid, the final two 'main' characters, are introduced in this chapter as they deal with the start of Ilos.

It didn't take a private detective to find Matt Cutler. Want to find a guy on the UCLA track team? ….Hang out at the UCLA track.

I was dressed down in sweats and a hoodie with logo and school colors, courtesy of the campus shop. I looked like any other student ...maybe a little too student like with all the branded apparel. Still, no one seemed to notice.

This gave me a wicked, wicked idea. I mentioned it to Eoin and he was all for it. But getting it by Dez was a trickier manouver.

“Well, since you're here, let's get a look at you” I smiled and playfully shook the skin around Kesey's neck. He cocked his head and leaned into my hands and his stubby tail began to wag.

Colin regarded me while I gave Kesey the once over.

“He's usually extremely shy, I'd even say ...skittish... around strangers. I've never seen him take to anyone the way he's taken to you....”

I smiled and regarded him for a moment. “What about you?”

He shrugged sheepishly.

It seemed I had the rest of the day free. I wandered into Katherine's 'office'. I guess it was a tax thing or somesuch, but this was the room with all the Katherine Keller memorabilia.... her framed first Vogue cover.... a number of other framed glossy magazines and photos, including one with a very perplexed looking Dalai Lama which made me smile. There was her Golden Globe, her people's choice award, a number of teen spirit awards going back to the time she first started modeling. I hadn't realized how long she had been doing this. How long since she had been a part of the 'real world'.

Curiosity Killed The Boy

My older sister always had more clothes than I. Her closet and dresser were full. The closet in the spare bedroom was packed with outfits that didn’t fit her or were deemed out of style. There were boxes of her old clothes on the floor of the closet. Since Monica took care of her clothes, Mom had a habit of saving her stuff. “You never know when they may come into use,” she would say.

I was accompanying my cousin on his contest winning trip to a lavish Hollywood premiere. I was merely his 'plus one' and chaperone. The last thing I had intended was to become the center of attention - as the stand-in for the reclusive, troubled starlet.

I simply joined my cousin as his plus one on a contest winning trip to Hollywood.
I had hoped for a break from my rather miserable home life, but never imagined I'd get swept into the center of a scheme that belonged IN a Hollywood movie.

Virtual Reality, the dream of all gamers, is now a reality with the land of Ilos.

However, it's creators are unknown, and no one knows how the devices they have access it, only that they do.

Some things are revealed, and Nick gives his theory on what has happened.

Virtual Reality, the dream of all gamers, is now a reality with the land of Ilos.

However, it's creators are unknown, and no one knows how the devices they have access it, only that they do.

Nick and Jess venture back into Ilos to see if they can find David, but end up running into a new friend instead.

Call me Elsie. Everyone else does. Actually, it used to be L.C. And that was only because I never let anyone call me by my proper name.... never let anyone even know it if I could help it. What kind of parent names their kid Lorenzo Carlton? I used to half joke that I should be able to bring them up on charges, for naming your child something guaranteed to get them picked on at school surely counts as child cruelty.

Virtual Reality, the dream of all gamers, is now a reality with the land of Ilos.

However, it's creators are unknown, and no one knows how the devices they have access it, only that they do.

Virtual Reality, the dream of all gamers, is now a reality with the land of Ilos.

However, it's creators are unknown, and no one knows how the devices they have access it, only that they do.

Chapter 78

Bobbie was still trying to figure out the plans for the school cake; it was just such a daunting project. There’s got to be something like 20 sheet cakes here. The amount of limes that would give their lives to form the tasty grass of Slacker’s cove would number in the dozens.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I promise this is not going to be just another forced fem story, although there is this aspect to the story—my hope is that it will be a journey of discovery for Joey and that I can portray that journey adequately in the manner that I envision it. There will be some happy times and some sad times ahead—if you want, watch that journey with me as it unfolds.

Hopscotch…A Jump in Life 6

*Before…

I hug her back. “I’m different now aren’t I?”

I feel her nod in the hug. “Yeah, kind of a lot different but not…but I love you anyways.”

There’s something there…something kind of shining through. “Always?”

She sniffle nods.

“Good, cause I think I’m going to need that.”

“Shawn?”

I’m right there on the edge of saying…something, I don’t know what…but something and then the nurses are back in and with a wheelchair. “Alright Shawn you ready for your tests?”

Sigh.

*And Now…

Hopscotch…A Jump in Life 4

*Before…

And there’s people that are there like me on my friends list and that are trans too and stuff and they call me Whisper or Wisp or Song but several of them…

They call me Sarah.

And even reading it, reading it with that inner voice inside…you know the one that goes on while you’re reading something and there’s that inside narrative thing?

It doesn’t feel wrong.

It doesn’t feel like Shawn.

And there’s tears starting to run down my face.

I think I’m really Sarah.

*And Now…

Hopscotch…A Jump in Life 2

Chapter 2

*Before…

I swallow. “Am I okay?”

“We don’t know, we’ll see what the doctors say Shawn.”

I nod.

That still just doesn’t sit right with me but what can I do?

*And Now…