Chapter 5
Hottie Kevin, walking down the street
Hottie Kevin, the one I'd like to meet
Hottie Kevin
I don't believe you, you're not the truth
No one could look as good as you
Jan was mesmerized. It was as simple as that. Her mouth gaped in silent
astonishment, and her eyes were peeled open as far as they could go. The image
of that boy standing next to Ghoul Girl would forever be etched in her memory.
She would forever remember the way he looked at this moment. How his hair,
instead of being filled with gel, was now allowed to fall freely and softly
around his face. How his eyes shone with a shy radiance that had up to now been
blocked by those damned black glasses. How his hands fidgeted nervously around
his side and habitually pushed the now-absent glasses from his nose. He wasn't
the handsomest man in the world, there was no doubt about it. But that didn't
matter to Jan. What mattered was that this man was Kevin Lambert.
Philip smiled satisfactorily to himself. Jan was experiencing what he himself
had gone through last year. When Chloe had stepped out of her black cape last
year at the Last Blast, Philip had been literally speechless. He had heard some
of the guys in the crowd, his very own peers, find the strength and energy to
give out wolf whistles. But, he hadn't been able to croak a single word. Well,
that was, until Belle had started a round of applause that had awaken him from
his stupor, mesmerization, fascination, of the creature called Chloe Lane
standing before him.
Ah, the memories of the beginning of a relationship. Of course, to some degree,
he had always liked Chloe before her decloaking. She had always fascinated him
by her unusual ways, her unusual beliefs. The red dress she had on was, as he
liked to believe, the catalyst of their relationship. Her courage to wear a
little red dress had given him the courage to admit to the world what he truly
thought of Chloe Lane.
But those were memories of his life, his relationship. Jan, and her wish, should
be first and foremost on his mind. Wouldn't it be funny if Jan did a one-eighty
like he had and accept Kevin into her life as he had allowed Chloe passage into
his? Who would have thought that the day would come when he was comparable to
Jan, and Chloe was comparable to Kevin?
Philip's gaze left Jan's face and headed towards his girlfriend and Kevin. Chloe
had done a wonderful job with Kevin. He really did look like a new person.
Despite Kevin's new stellar looks, Philip's focus on his male classmate lasted
for a second before went it over to the object of his affections.
*****
Mimi looked at Jason incredulously. "Are you crazy? Have you lost your
mind? Or maybe you've gone blind and deaf?"
Jason nervously ran his hand through his hair. Although Jason personally thought
Philip was being a shoddy friend to Mimi, Philip's words of advice echoed
through his head. If he wanted a better reputation with the female species, then
the way to go was to seduce someone who would rave about him and all his great
attributes. And, according to Philip, Mimi was the way to go. If Jason thought
about it hard enough, maybe, just maybe, that was how Philip had earned his
reputation, too. It was rather disappointing if he thought of his friend like
that, so the thought didn't linger too long within his mind. "Seriously,
Mimi, is there something wrong with me? Do I stink? Is there something on my
face that I can't see or get off my face? What? I'm completely lost as to why
Jan's been avoiding me, Mimi."
Mimi shook her head, her adorable curly Shirly Temple-esque tresses bobbing
slightly in the air. "There's nothing wrong with you, Jason. In fact, the
last time I checked, you had a line of women waiting for you. You had a mob of
women hanging around you, like you were a Backstreet Boy or something. And if
Jan can't see that, then it's her lost."
"But those girls aren't in love with me," Jason complained. "I
think at least half of them see me as a stepping stone to Shawn or Philip."
"Oh no," Mimi said sarcastically. "The girls following you around
don't like you for you. Well, news flash, Jason- at least you have people
following you around. You don't see me complaining about a mob of men following
me around, Jason, because I don't have anyone following me around." Mimi
leaned back against the bench and crossed her arms. What right did Jason have to
complain to her about his lack of a love life? Or, the lack of a genuine love
life?
"I'd rather be left alone than with a bunch of superficial, manipulative
chicks using me to get to the real guys they like," Jason retorted.
"Well, that's the difference between us," Mimi snapped back.
"We've been on different sides of the track. I know what it's like to be
all by yourself and you know what it's like to be by people who don't give a
rat's ass about you. I know how much it sucks to be alone, while you know how
much it sucks to be used. You'll never know what it's like to be like me and be
all alone and I'll never know what it's like to be wanted by a group of people
because of your popularity status and your friendship with two other guys."
Jason studied Mimi's face carefully. A plan was quickly taking form in his mind,
and, if all worked well, both he and Mimi would benefit greatly from it.
"I'll never sacrifice my popularity and play the outcast lone wolf. And,
honestly, Mimi, unless you get some extra help, you're never going to get a gang
of men worshipping you and following your every move."
"Gee, thanks," Mimi said wryly.
"Just listen to me, okay," Jason told her. "You've been living in
Belle's and Jan's shadows all your life. You need someone to help you come out
of the shadow, like your own transformation from the ugly duckling to the
beautiful swan. Like how Philip and Belle were to Ghoul Girl, the fairy
godmother to Cinderella."
"And you're the person to help me?" Mimi asked, her voice dripping
with sarcasm.
"Exactly," Jason affirmed.
Mimi stared at Jason in disbelief. "And pray tell, Mr. Welles, how do you
plan on this… evolution? How am I, little old Mimi Lockhart, supposed to
become the desire of every man?"
"By becoming my girlfriend," Jason said with a sly smile. "I'll
tell all the guys how fantastic you are. I'll tell all the members of the
football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball team. Hell, I can even talk
to those swimmer guys. We do, after all, use the same locker room."
Mimi chewed on her lower lip gently. Her upper row of front teeth gently
massaged and kneaded her lip as she considered Jason's proposal. Finally, Mimi
asked, "What's in it for you? As far as I've known you Jason, you've never
done anything in your life unless you had something to benefit from it."
"But of course," Jason admitted. "As my girlfriend, you will tell
all the popular girls in the school, whether it be the athletes or the
cheerleaders or such, how great I am and how I'm every girl's dream. You'll rave
about me to all of them as much as you can, and I'll be doing the same for you.
And then, at the end, we'll have a peaceful split-up and we'll each have a mob
of people waiting to date us for us and not for the connections we have. Sound
good?"
Mimi closed her eyes and licked her upper lip. "Let me get this
straight," she said slowly. "We'll pretend to date each other. You'll
tell all the popular guys how great I am and how I'm dreamy in every way
possible. I, on the other hand, will be spreading stories of the great wonder
that is Jason to all the females-"
"The pretty and popular ones," Jason interjected. "I'll be
picking out the right guys for you too, you know."
"Yeah, whatever," Mimi shook her head. "And then we'll just split
up, say, sometime around the Last Blast, but we'll both stay as friends. And,
because of the stories we've both been spreading, each one of us should have a
new group of admirers who love us for us, right?"
"Perfect," Jason grinned. He extended his right hand. "We have a
deal then?"
Mimi stared at his hand in disgust. "No, I don't think so, Jason. Because,
unlike you, I value my health and my life, thank you very much. There's no way
in the world I'm going to put myself at risk for the chance of gaining
groupies."
"What are you talking about now?" Jason asked, exasperated.
Mimi rolled her eyes. Jason was so stupid! Wasn't it obvious what her problem
was? "Jan!" Mimi yelled. "That's what I'm talking about. If you
think she won't have a problem that you're my boyfriend all of a sudden, you had
better think again."
"I'll protect you," Jason promised. "Our split might be nasty,
but it'll work." Besides, if he played his cards perfectly, he could play
the two girls off of each other. "I'll tell her that since she's chosen to
hang out with you and Kevin so much, I've decided to give you a try and we
decided to start dating. I'll tell her that since she started on that secret
project with you and Kevin, I've decided to have a secret project of my
own." Of course, he'd secretly tell Jan that he was only milking Mimi for
information about her secret project with Jan and Kevin. Jan would never be the
wiser that his dating Mimi was in order for his status as a real Casanova to
spread. "So what do you say? You want to be my girlfriend until the Last
Blast?"
Mimi racked her brains for a reason as to why she should say no to him. It's not
like she owed any loyalty to Jan. And, like Jan had said many times before, Mimi
was going to stay boyfriend-less for her high school career. Well, unless she
took matters in her own hands… Mimi took Jason's offered hand and shook it
heartily with her own hand. "Agreed. As of this moment, we are an official
couple."
Jason grinned. "Let's seal it with a kiss."
*****
Brady pushed the Playstation remote control to the edge of the couch and glanced
at the television screen briefly. He had just started playing the game, Final
Fantasy 8, on the recommendation of his best friend back in college. So far, he
was enraptured by the story, and having his game time interrupted by this
overweight high school teenybopper simply wasn't welcome. Still, she had said
that she had news about Belle, and anything regarding his little sister was
always given priority over everything else.
Susan sat down on the other end of the couch and looked around nervously. So
this was the home of the most popular girl at school. It seemed happy enough,
and it wasn't much of a surprise that Belle was the way she was.
"So?" Brady asked impatiently. "What are you going to tell me
about Belle?"
Susan was the quiet sort. Well, she was quiet when she was with her peers at
school. She never wanted to make a scene and attract more attention than needed.
But that was with the cruel people at school. With adults, well, anyone that
isn't a teen, Susan was less shy and more open. "It's about this project we
had to do in school," Susan started. "In class, we're doing this
project called the Goodwill Project. My partner and I were assigned to treat
Belle and her partner, Shawn Brady, with goodwill, so to speak. Our job is to
grant Belle her three wishes, and to grant Shawn with his three wishes."
"And one of her wishes dealt with me," Brady pieced together.
Susan smiled shyly. Brady wasn't as bad as the rumors had said. "Yeah, one
of them was about you. She wished that you'd," Susan paused slightly as she
looked for the least offensive way to describe the wish, "forgive everyone
for the past and lived for the future. To forget everything wrong that had ever
happened to you and live like a new man."
"And you're here to help me let go of all my anger and pain, right? You're
here to hear, help, and heal," Brady mocked. "Sorry, but I've been
there and done that."
"You love her and want her to be happy, right?" Susan insisted.
"This will make her happy, Brady, so why don't you just give it a
try?"
"Because it's goes against my morals of justice," Brady snapped.
"Something that you, as an outsider who knows absolutely nothing, can never
understand."
"Well why don't you enlighten me then?" Susan retorted. "I've got
the time."
"But I don't, " Brady growled. He leaned back in his seat and eyed her
curiously. What was her name again? "Tell me what Belle's other wishes
were."
"No," Susan answered, silently amazed at her boldness. "You're
not being of any help to me, so why should I tell you anything?" Susan's
eyes widened as an idea came to her suddenly. "I'll tell you on the
condition you agree to try to change. Not for my sake and my grade for the
project, but for your little sister's. Agreed?"
Brady cocked his head to the side and looked wonderingly at the girl. As Yoda
had said before, there was a difference between trying and doing. And what this
girl had just asked was the easier of the two. "Sure," Brady promised.
"I'll try to change for Belle's sake."
Susan grinned. That was easier than she thought. The rumors about Brady had been
really off. "Well, another one of her wishes was that all the high school
kids were nicer, but, you know, that's practically impossible to grant. And then
her third wish was that her crush-"
"Shawn Brady," Brady filled in. His eyes sparkled. "I know
exactly who she likes."
Susan nodded. "Belle wished her crush liked her. And, my partner and I both
knew she was referring to Shawn, as you did. So, right before I came here to
talk to you, I locked the two of them up in a supply closet at the mall."
The glow in Brady's eyes vanished and the smile on his face disappeared along
with it. "You what?"
"We figured that if the two of them were locked together, the two would be
forced to talk and admit their feelings for each other," Susan said
nervously. "It's worked in soap operas, you know."
"My baby sister's life is NOT a soap opera!" Brady grabbed his
crutches and quickly hobbled his way to the front door. "Show me where you
locked them in," Brady commanded.
"What in the world is wrong with locking them in together?" Susan
asked, bewildered. "It's not like Shawn's going to jump her and attack her.
He's a gentleman, Brady, and if I know that then you ought to know it too cause
you're closer to him than I am."
"I don't give a damn about Shawn," Brady snarled through gritted
teeth. "But my sister is my life. She's the only person I care for in this
twisted world, and you had better pray to God that my sister's alright."
"Shawn won't hurt her," Susan insisted strongly. "You don't have
anything to worry about."
"Get it through your head- I'm not worried about Shawn. I'm worried about
Belle. My sweet little innocent sister's claustrophobic," Brady said,
anxiety creeping into his voice. "If we don't get her out soon…"
Susan paled. She hadn't known that Belle was claustrophobic. "You drive.
I'll call the mall security and tell them what happened. They'll be able to
reach her before we do."
*****
Jan stared jealously at the small group of girls surrounding the new and
improved Kevin. "They don't even know him," Jan growled. "They're
only talking to him because under that dorky exterior he turned out to be a
major hottie."
Philip and Chloe turned to face each other and shared a knowing smile. "You
don't say," Philip chuckled aloud.
"Don't worry, Jan," Chloe told Jan. "Kevin knows that his new
look was because of one girl's wish for him to be cooler. He's not going to fall
for these women who obviously like him for one reason only." Chloe squeezed
Philip's hand. He may have started publicly expressing his interest in her after
the red dress, but Chloe knew that their relationship started long before.
Jan's face froze. A look of horror and shock slowly came over it. "You told
him his transformation was wished for?"
"Don't worry," Chloe replied. "I didn't tell him it was you. All
I told him was that a girl wished it so and I was merely granting it. I didn't
tell him you wished it, Jan."
"Are you stupid?" Jan growled. "Are your braids too tight? Are
they cutting the oxygen out of your brain? What the Hell is wrong with you,
Ghoul Girl?"
Instantly, Philip was on his feet. "Apologize to Chloe right this minute,
Jan. You can't talk to her that way- I won't stand for it."
"Oh, please. Don't you understand what Ghoul Girl's done? She told Kevin I
wished he were cooler. Do you know what this means to my reputation?!"
"I said I didn't say your name," Chloe said hotly, her temper rising.
"Hello!" Jan's voice was on the verge of screaming. "On Monday
we're going to meet with the granters and grantees! We would have done it last
week except for that damned fire drill. Kevin's going to see you two meet with
me and Jason and he's going to put two and two together and he's going to know
who wished it. He's going to blab it to the world and my life will be
ruined!"
The color in Chloe's cheeks faded to nothingness. She felt Philip's grip around
her hand loosen as he too realized the error Chloe had committed in telling
Kevin that his makeover was due to a girl's wish.
"Tell me, Chloe, what possessed you to do this to me? Was it really
stupidity or was it some innate desire to see me publicly humiliated? Did you
forget what our project's goals were?" Jan growled.
Chloe's hands covered her face in shame. What had it been- stupidity?
Forgetfulness? A desire to see Jan made a fool of as Jan had made Chloe look
before?
"Chloe," Philip whispered gently, comfortingly.
Jan glared at Chloe and Philip. Now she had even more reason to get back at
Ghoul Girl with the operagirl.net website. Ghoul Girl was going to rue the day
she ever crossed paths with Jan Spears.
to be continued...
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