A Change Of Perspective Part 8 of 11

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A Change of Perspective

by Optimizer

Part 8

Erica stood in Cora's room, helping her choose an outfit for the day. She wasn't about to let her nervousness show in her mien. But Cora would probably notice that it was unusually cloudy outside for southern California.

Cora had been looking herself over in the mirror on her closet door. Then she turned to Erica. "I'm gonna need your help."

"You know I'll..."

Cora interrupted. "About Danielle."

Erica paused. "Well, sure, but..."

Again, Cora interrupted. "Your Mom's useless. But you know how to make that potion. The one you used on Carrie. We gotta give it to Brandon."

Erica bit her lip. "That won't work."

Cora's lip curled up in a snarl. "Why the fuck not? Look at Carrie!"

Erica put up her hands. "Love potions aren't, like, totally generic. I only know the one potion, and it only works one way."

Cora's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"If we give that one to Brandon, he'll get the hots for another guy."

Cora's eyes widened, staring off into the distance. Then she broke out a very evil smile at whatever internal vision she was contemplating. "Whoa. Can you imagine how that'll make Danielle feel?"

Erica took a moment to compose herself. "I guess, but imagine how Brandon'd feel. Even before it wore off!" She could hear her voice rising involuntarily. "I mean, how would Cory have handled it if he was suddenly crushing on, I dunno, Lucas?"

All of a sudden, Erica was profoundly grateful that Cora wasn't really looking at her. She couldn't keep the guilt and embarassment off her face. After being with David, she was positive now that Cora would have to eventually find guys attractive in order to Transition. Maybe even crush on one or two. Which she'd just portrayed as unacceptable to Cory...

Fortunately, Cora didn't seem to make that connection as she paused for a few seconds. "Huh." She slumped. "All right, fine, I'm not that mad at him. He's a fucking moron for being with her. But that's not a crime, I guess."

Erica was privately relieved to see that Cora would countenance at least a few limits on collateral damage. On the other hand, Erica totally agreed that revenge was called for. "Why don't we give it to Danielle?"

Cora didn't merely look upset. She appeared almost insulted. "Fuck that! I don't want her happy with someone else!"

"It wears off in, like, two weeks max. Carrie actually fell in love with Harry all on her own. Kinda grew in under the spell. Even Mom was surprised, I guess it hardly ever happens unless you pick the people involved really carefully."

Cora looked thoughtful, gaming it out in her head. "So... she suddenly starts panting after some other guy, and dumps Brandon... and then a couple weeks later 'she's lost that lovin' feeling' but Brandon's pissed at her?"

"Yup. That's about it."

Cora mulled it over for a minute. "Maybe."

"What's wrong? It's perfect!" Erica cried indignantly.

Cora held up a finger. "One, it might not work. You said yourself that Carrie could have chosen not to go after Harry."

Another finger came up, and Erica would have sworn it got darker in the room. Cora spoke quietly but with infinite malevolence. "And two - when I get her, I want her to know it. Know exactly who got her."

~~~~~

David walked up to Erica at her locker. The girl looked tired and drawn. She didn't give him the big smile he'd come to expect when she saw him, but she did stand up a little straighter.

He was doing some rapid risk estimation. His job was to be a very good boyfriend. Being an implausibly perfect boyfriend would be dangerous in its own way. So he started off with, "How's Cora doing? After that picture, I mean?"

"You saw it?" Erica asked frostily.

David shaded his expression carefully, with just the right amount of guilt and embarassment and apology. "It was, y'know, going around."

Erica glared at him for a moment, then rolled her eyes and shrugged with such a what-can-I-expect-you're-just-a-boy expression that David would have been sure she'd been born a girl if he hadn't known better.

"I deleted it," he said meekly. And truthfully. Though he left out the part about forwarding it, with a report, to his handler. "Where is she, anyway? I figured she'd be with you. If she came at all."

Erica waved down the hall distractedly. "She's talking to Gabriela and Jacinta. We'll see her in homeroom."

"Hey, y'know, anything I can do, just let me know. Was it really Danielle?"

He'd never seen Erica with an expression quite like that. Pure hatred. "Yes. But we can't prove it. Yet."

"Well, okay. Like, any support Cora needs..."

"You're fucking right we're gonna support her!" Erica snapped. Then she immediately looked apologetic. "Sorry. Just tired, and pissed."

"It's all right. I figured." He pulled her in for a quiet hug. She looked like she needed it. Plus, boyfriend points, right?

She looked up gratefully when they broke apart a second later. And she held his hand as they hurried to homeroom. Definitely boyfriend points.

~~~~~

Sitting with Linda, Kristina, David, and Paul at lunch, Erica was relieved that Danielle had a different lunch period than her and Cora. At least they'd be saved that particular drama.

Jacinta and Gabriela came over and sat with them. They usually sat just with Cora - not out of any enmity, rather because they were just mutual friends of Cora. But today Cora would need extra support.

"Is she coming?" Paul asked softly, looking around.

"Yeah," Jacinta said. "She's gotta come all the way from Mrs. Teller's class is all." That was on the far side of the school from the cafeteria. "Oh, there she is..."

Erica couldn't believe it. The sound of the cafeteria changed when Cora walked in. The whole tone of the conversations shifted. More whispers, more laughing, faster talking.

Cora stared straight ahead, rigid, ignoring everything as she went through the line. As she sat with her friends, Erica was reminder of the night of her Transformation, how her face had looked like porcelain. If Cora looked like a doll now, it was a darkly angry doll, like out of a horror movie.

They all looked at each other as Cora started eating her food. Nobody said anything for a few seconds, unsure how to deal with the elephant in the room.

Jacinta spoke up. "Did you all see that meatloaf? I swear it's the same..."

Cora interrupted. "Don't fucking bother. Pretending isn't gonna make it go away. Ain't gonna make me feel any better, either."

After a beat, Erica asked, "How you holding up?"

Cora said, "Hmph. Okay."

"Anybody giving you shit?" Gabriela asked, aggressively.

Unexpectedly, Cora smiled thinly. "Kyle and Louis, for one. Dumbfucks. I just pointed out that I knew they sent that picture out, and did they want me to press charges?"

Nobody laughed, but that got a few smiles.

Cora was shaking her head. "The guys I expected. But the girls are all looking at me, too. If they aren't totes ignoring me."

Kristina put a hand on Cora's. "Bet a lot are jealous." At Cora's start, she said quickly, "Not the picture! But you're one of the hottest girls at Hillman. And now their boyfriends know it for sure."

Erica wondered for a moment if Cora would take offense, but by her shrug she seemed to appreciate Kristina's honesty.

"It'll all blow over," Linda said. "Nobody even remembers Erica getting peppered."

Cora inhaled... but then let it out slowly. Comparing naked pictures to messing up a cheer wasn't going to go over well. Linda realized that, judging from her expression. Jacinta leapt in to help move the conversation along.

"The gym teacher was walking back and forth in the locker room, before and after. Just watching, making sure there weren't any phones." She had morning gym.

Cora sighed. "Woulda been nice a couple days ago." She shrugged. "Oh well."

"I guess there's gonna be an assembly later," David said.

Cora's eyes rolled. "Oh, that's gonna be a treat," she griped.

~~~~~

Mrs. Schimke stood at the podium in the gym, addressing the hastily-scheduled afternoon assembly. "Several recent incidents have shown that we need to go over the school policy on electronics." She paused, looking over the crowd. "Phones are permitted for emergencies only. They are to be switched off when not in use. Photos may be taken only with school equipment under supervision of faculty personnel."

Brandon kept his eyes firmly on the principal. He certainly didn't look Cora's way, where she was sitting with her friends. From the corners of his eyes he could see about half the crowd was looking at her.

The other half was looking at him, and Danielle.

The rumors about her being responsible, because of him, were everywhere. Last night, Danielle swore to him - up, down, and sideways - that she had nothing to do with the picture.

It sure didn't seem likely she'd done it. It didn't make sense that she'd do something so harsh, just to 'protect her turf'. Danielle was kinda jealous, and he knew she didn't like Cora, but that would be... fucked up.

Besides, Cora'd been kinda friendlier to him since that lock-in, but she sure as shit wasn't into him. He didn't have the secret girl codebook, but she never acted like... well, like Danielle.

Not that Danielle was acting much like Danielle today. She'd been pissy and grumbling when she met him before the assembly.

"Mrs. Schimke 'requested' that I switch my gym and calc classes." Danielle had said. "To 'defuse tension.' I told her, 'Why should I move? I didn't do anything!' But she said 'Cora'd had a shock and it wasn't fair to make her move!'"

To be honest, Brandon had to agree with Mrs. Schimke, though he couldn't tell Danielle that. He was seriously impressed Cora was there at all, really. Coming right back to school like that must have taken shitloads of guts. Whoever had taken that shot, he hoped they got what was coming to them.

He felt guilty thinking it, but if Danielle had done it to attack Cora, it had maybe backfired some. He'd deleted the picture when it came his way, and tried to get his friends to as well. But he had to admit, Cora was hot. Slim, yeah, but not skinny. Just... tight. He couldn't wipe his memories like a phone.

Calc was coming up next. It was gonna be a lot harder to ignore her when she was sitting right next to him. He hoped she didn't blame him for the whole mess. Best he just ignore her, not toss any more grief on her plate.

~~~~~

Cora hadn't backed down from going to school. But she'd asked to take a car instead of the bus. Miranda had, of course, agreed to let them borrow hers, and Erica rode with her. Cora didn't make even a token protest about Erica doing the driving home. She was too worked up to worry about incidentals.

She practically growled when she spoke. "Brandon didn't say a fucking thing. Kept ignoring me, like he was scared of me."

Erica waited to make sure she wasn't going to say anything further, then said, "I think maybe he is."

"But he didn't do anything! He doesn't even think Danielle did anything!" Cora scowled. "Fucking moron."

"Us Sisters know that, but he doesn't know that we know. You know?"

"Whatever." Cora didn't sound mollified. But Erica was pleased to note she followed the logic. Girls tended to grasp motivations, and the consequences of differential information, better than boys, and Cora was showing more awareness of such things.

Cora kept growling anyway. "He still could grow a pair and say something. 'Sorry that happened.' 'Are you okay?' Something."

"What if you thought he was acting guilty?"

"But I... He..." Cora apparently gamed it out in her head, for she finally said, "Fine. Whatever." As was her wont, it didn't take long for her to switch to another problem. "I still haven't come up with anything to destroy Danielle."

Erica wished, a little, that Cora wouldn't hold on to her hate like that. It wasn't Sisterly. On the other hand, she herself had a less-than-Sisterly attitude toward Danielle. "Karma's coming. The Goddess will provide." Somehow, she added to herself, hoping. "She looked pretty pissed to be in the same class as me."

Cora grunted contemptuously. "The Goddess got me into this fucking mess."

"Well, trust your Sisters, then. None of us are gonna give up."

Cora's eyes narrowed, but she didn't say anything for a moment. Then she shook her head and changed the subject. "A lot of girls were acting weird today. I know I heard Maya say 'slut' when I went by."

"Yeah, I figured there'd be some of that," Erica said sadly.

Confusion and anger warred for control of Cora's expression. "Hold the fuck up. Some bitch takes a picture of me and sends it all over... and that makes me a slut?"

Erica chewed her lip for a few seconds, searching for a way to explain. "You... well, you got noticed by a lot of people. In, y'know, like, a sexual context."

Cora obviously didn't follow. "What? They think I wanted this shit to happen?"

"They're not thinking at all. It's just... 'girl' plus 'sex' equals 'slut'. For a lot of people. Even girls."

"But I didn't..."

Erica waved her hand to slow Cora down. "A lot of people, they think that kind of shit doesn't happen to 'nice' girls. So if it does, it, like, automatically means she wasn't a 'nice' girl."

The dark-haired girl's hands had balled into fists. But she was paying close attention.

Erica went on. "I think some of it's... I dunno. Sort of wishful thinking. Almost like a defense mechanism." Cora just stood fuming, but didn't say anything. "If shit like that can happen even if you're careful and follow all the rules... it's scary. That would mean it could happen to them."

Understanding some new concept usually calmed Cora down, or at least distracted her. Not this time. She was icily furious as she hissed, "And that's too upsetting to think about. So if some girl gets fucked over, she must have been asking for it."

"Not everybody's that stupid," Erica hastened to say.

"Just enough to screw me over even more," Cora growled.

~~~~~

Cora said nothing at all during dinner. She'd looked at enough social media to see that Erica's words about reputation and blame were true. Cora had defenders, but they were not a clear majority.

It evolved into a very low-key evening after that. A quiet cleanup, homework, a little zoning in front of the TV. Cora seemed understandably preoccupied; no less angry, but deep in thought. Everyone gave her space but stayed close enough to let her know they were there for her.

It was while the two were getting ready for bed that Cora dropped her bombshell.

"So what does a girl do to get a boy to ask her out?"

Erica looked up, nearly in shock. After a second, she managed to speak. "Why... I mean, boys are still hitting on you, right?"

Cora sighed. "Not today. But yeah, in general. A girl just needs to exist for that." She paused. "I meant, if a girl wants a particular boy to ask her out. Like, let him know she's available."

Erica was in shock, now. She just stared, mouth open slightly.

"Goddammit, it's not like that!" Cora snarled.

Erica finally managed to speak. "What the fuck is going on?"

Cora stared at the wall for a while. "I've been trying to come up with a way to get Danielle. Really get her."

Erica had a sudden horrible suspicion.

Cora confirmed it. "I got the idea after the assembly. Danielle looked so totally pissed when Brandon went to my calc class and she had to go to gym." She glowered even more intensely. "The whole reason she went off on me was 'cause she thought I was trying to steal Brandon. Well, the absolute best way to hurt her is to make that come true."

Erica floundered. "But... but..."

"I am going to fucking get Danielle. I can't kill her, I can't even kick her ass. And the goddam Sisters won't give me any Magical help."

"Not like that. But they're..."

Cora shut her down brusquely. "If it doesn't cut Danielle's fucking heart out, I don't give a shit what help they want to give. So I'll just take Brandon away myself if that's what it takes."

Erica mulled it over for a moment. "Kinda hard on Brandon. Just using him to get back at Danielle."

"I sorta want to get back at him, too, some. Didn't take him long to hook up with her after... after Cory was gone. And he could have fucking said something yesterday."

Erica didn't know what to say. Finally, she just said, "Congratulations. That's a very girlish way to think about it."

With clenched teeth, Cora bit out, "I don't have any boyish options anymore. And besides, you said I shouldn't seem all lesbo."

"I didn't mean that!" To herself, though, Erica had to admit that going after a boy would combat those rumors pretty effectively...

But this was a bad idea every other way. "Y'know, he might not go for it."

Cora shrugged. "And if he doesn't, maybe that'll get Danielle to back the fuck off."

"Maybe," Erica said. "It might make her go all scorched earth, take no prisoners, though."

"She'd do something worse than take naked pictures of me and spread them all over school?"

Erica didn't know what to say to that either.

~~~~~

The three witches hung up their phones. They sat in silence for a time, digesting Miranda's latest report about Cora. Erica had telepathically alerted her Mother that something was up, and let her mind be read.

Then, Jacqui scowled. "What do you think?"

Bronwyn shrugged. "I don't see why you're even asking. Of course we allow it."

"Hold it. It's not that cut and dried! They were good friends before Cora's Transformation. Close enough for him to do some digging on Cory. And..."

Only Laurie could manage to interrupt so politely. "That's been true for Sisters all through history. For thousands of years, Sisters knew everyone in their village their whole lives. Everyone did." She smiled a little. "It wouldn't be the first time a Sister found herself feeling differently about a friend, after."

"That's not what's going on here." Jacqui was shaking her head. "Cora's not a typical Sister. To say the least. This isn't about feelings for him anyway. It's about how much she hates Danielle."

"Okay," Bronwyn conceded, "it's not the purest motivation in the world." Now she had her own scowl. "But any motivation at all is an improvement. What happened to Cora was horrible, but maybe the Goddess can bring some good out of it."

Jacqui was not mollified. "In the past, everyone in the village had their memories changed. What's-his-name, Brandon, still remembers Cory."

Bronwyn's lips were pursed. "It's a little risky, true..."

Jacqui got up to pace. "A little risky?! Goddess, we've cut so many corners here. Cory figured it out - and Erica was much further along than Cora is now, and Cory didn't even know her that well, and..."

Bronwyn put her hand on Jacqui's shoulder, holding her in place. "The Sisterhood has always taken refuge in audacity in this respect. It's just too unlikely. Even Cory wouldn't have noticed anything amiss if he hadn't been able to partially guard his memories."

Laurie, seeing Jacqui's obvious doubt, moved close and spoke up again. "Truly, luv, it's worked for many thousands of years. I know some things are different today, with technology. We're all grateful you understand that realm." She stood to touch Jacqui's other shoulder now. "But people haven't changed all that much. I think you know that, too."

Her daughter was silent, but the opposition was still clear. Laurie sighed. "Yes, we'd be taking a chance. But Cora's miserable. This might help her adjust, too." She tightened her grip on Jacqui's shoulder. "Consider, dear heart, that this is the first time she's shown any, any real agency since the Transformation. She's been doing what we told her, following directions. And that's all. She needs to start making choices and plans for herself."

Bronwyn spoke up. "And even if the plan itself is... questionable, you have to admit it has some useful aspects."

Jacqui nibbled her lower lip for a time, pondering. Then she looked back and forth at both witches. "I know, get her to act like a girl and her instincts should kick in. But..." She trailed off, shaking her head. The two senior Sisters waited, letting her mull it over some more.

Jacqui's frown deepened. "Okay, let's say I buy that this Brandon boy won't make any dangerous connections. So... do we help her? And in what ways?"

"Oh, there are things we can do." Bronwyn was grinning mischievously.

Jacqui pulled gently away to pace again. "You're not suggesting we encourage the boy's interest?"

"No, that is not what we mean." Laurie said sharply. "Danielle deserves every bit of this, and more. But Brandon hasn't done anything." She shook her head. "Ordinarily, I'd never consider breaking up a couple, but even I find it hard to feel much of the Goddess' Love for Danielle."

Jacqui spread her hands in placation. "I'm not thrilled about any of it! But if we go along with this at all, I have to admit I can't imagine anything else that'd get Cora on a date with a boy so soon. And apparently the reason Danielle's got it in for Cora is because Brandon's already thinking about her." Her frown came back. "At least, she thinks so. That's the first thing to check."

"No." Bronwyn was firm. "We don't use any kind of mental Magic - yet. Not just for moral reasons, either. Think! If Cora has to seduce him all on her own - read his feelings, plan out her strategy..."

Jacqui's smile suddenly matched Bronwyn's for mischief. "She'll have to develop her feminine wiles!"

"Then, if she succeeds, we might plant a few dreams and Suggestions to help guide Brandon in the most useful directions." Bronwyn said, her grin now positively dangerous.

"Ah," Jacqui breathed, enlightened. All three witches were smiling, now.

Jacqui even managed to be a little philosophical. "If this were some new boy she was actually into, I'd have to do some probing, vet him a little. But Brandon's been a 'person of interest' all along. I've seen enough of him to be pretty sure he won't assault her or anything, at least. If she succeeds." She shrugged. "It won't last, anyway."

"You're right, it probably won't last," Bronwyn agreed. "But how many high-school romances do?" An eyebrow rose. "And who knows? Sometimes lies become truth. I had to shove you at Marcus, remember?"

Laurie smiled in remembrance. "This Brandon sounds like a nice-enough specimen. I can commend his loyalty to his friend, even if it's been inconvenient for us."

"Well, I guess we'll have to pray this gives him something else to focus on."

~~~~~

"Whaddaya think?" Cora asked, as soon as Erica stepped back with her makeup brush.

Erica studied the girl's outfit carefully, from bottom to top, by the morning light leaking through Cora's bedroom window.

Pointed tan boots with a bit of heel; 'skinny jeans', tight all the way down to the calf, were tucked into them. The combination showed off her legs well.

The boots and jeans weren't unusual for Cora, though. She'd worn the tight knit shirt before, too. But she'd always worn it under something else, if only a vest. Not today.

The brown top clung to her closely, outlining her upper body. In some of the outfits Cora wore, it was hard to even gauge the shape and size of her breasts. That wouldn't be a problem today.

She'd borrowed a pair of attractive earrings from Erica - not just studs today, these dangled - which were visible because her hair was pulled back somewhat. And she had on a couple bracelets. Her cosmetics were just a shade more pronounced than usual; the tube of Mary Kay lipstick had finally been opened. Cora had even broken out the tweezers and shaped her eyebrows a bit, something she'd refused to do ever since her makeup breakdown.

It was all pretty typical, really. It wouldn't be anything special for at least half of the girls at school. For Cora, though, it was a marked step up. And she had the face and body to make such an ensemble really pop.

"If you're positive this is what you wanna do..." Erica paused and sighed. "Then I gotta admit, that totally oughta get his attention."

Cora inspected herself in the mirror, a pensive look on her face. "And all the other boys, too."

Erica shrugged. "Kinda the problem with sending out signals like that. Can't really, y'know, 'collimate the beam' much." More seriously, she continued. "I guess everybody's looking at you already."

Cora pondered for a few moments more, then squared her shoulders. "Ah, fuck it. I can pretend it's because of the clothes, and not... you know." Her lip curled up in a slight snarl. "And maybe it'll at least make Danielle sweat a little."

All the boys'll be sweating, too, for different reasons, Erica thought to herself. But there was more. "You realize a lot of girls ain't gonna be down with this. There's that whole 'slut' thing."

"They can blow me," Cora said, with more enthusiasm than strict anatomical accuracy.

They went downstairs, and Miranda looked convincingly surprised. Indeed, not all of her surprise was feigned. Cora had never done herself up so throughly outside of femininity lessons. Haylie stopped eating breakfast and just stared, openmouthed.

Erica spoke first, just as if she hadn't warned her Mother last night. "Cora's going to try to steal Brandon from Danielle."

Miranda appeared to think that over. "We'll need to run that idea past the senior Sisterhood. That might have, ah... security implications."

"Let 'em try to stop me," Cora said curtly.

Miranda's eyebrows raised, but she said, "In any case, you look beautiful, Cora."

Cora just scoffed, mouth quirked to one side.

~~~~~

Cora: check it <selfie.jpg>

Jacinta: whoa muy caliente!!!

Gabriela: hottt!

Cora: war now. makin play 4 brandon

[Jacinta private to Gabriela: bak me up]

Jacinta: omg thanks 4 telling us on way 2 school! :-( u shoulda called!

Cora: uh sorry. really

Gabriela: yeah seriously!!

Jacinta: gotta warn us. how we bak u up?

Cora: I dont no?

Jacinta: omg u can be so clueless!!! :p
Jacinta: u think just lookin fine will do it?!

Gabriela: yeah he's not a dick!!!

Cora: what could u do?

[Gabriela private to Jacinta: omg luv her but sumtimes aaaahhhhh!]

Jacinta: he aint gonna dump Dani just cuz some chica flirts w/him!

Cora: so... what?

[Jacinta private to Gabriela: ikr? grrr]

Gabriela: make Dani piss him off

Jacinta: yeah push&pull

Cora: how do i do that?

Jacinta: duh!!! u dont!! WE do!!!!!
Jacinta: start rumors B wants u say he called u last night

Cora: O.o?
Cora: but he didn't

Gabriela: will piss D off
Gabriela: she'll smother him

Cora: bitch already thinks he wants me

Jacinta: but now u dress up
Jacinta: shell wonder

Gabriela: every1 will
Gabriela: omg! we cn say Derek likes u too

Jacinta: perfect!! <3

Cora: i dont get it

Gabriela: mindys bae u ditz
Gabriela: every1 will WANT to buy it

Jacinta: right and m and d will wonder bout each other

Gabriela: u don't say shit tho
Gabriela: has to come from us

Cora: thx u guys!!
Cora: <3 u c u soon

~~~~~

Jacinta blinked when she caught sight of Cora at her locker. The girl was gorgeous.

With almost anybody else, she'd be at least a little jealous. Especially 'cause Cora knew she was gorgeous. But somehow she never acted like it made her better than anybody else. Like her beauty was something that had happened to her, a thing she had to deal with. Not a part of her.

But now she was using it. Weaponizing it. And it was some heavy artillery.

She hurried up and gave Cora a hug. "Daayum, girl!" she gushed, looking her up and down."You look amazing!"

Gabriela was right behind. "Ohmigod, you look awesome! Brandon's toast!"

Cora blushed just a little. "Thanks." Earnestly, she asked, "I was thinking. He'll know he wasn't going after me. He'll tell her."

"Doesn't matter." Gabriela's hands mimed waving away an irrelevancy. "Dani'll be worried, no matter what he says. She already is."

Cora had that million-miles-away look. She was in 'processing mode', where she was thinking about some new idea. Finally, Jacinta thought.

It was enough for now. "Shit, we gotta get to class. See you at lunch, okay? Hugs!"

"Stay strong, sister," Gabriela said, hugging her too.

~~~~~

Brandon was coming to regret his mistake. Massively.

Sitting next to Cora in math class, after the assembly yesterday, had been excruciating. He'd tried to pretend she wasn't even there, but he'd sensed how angry she was anyway. By the time the bell rang her face was all squinched and he had a good start on a headache just from being near all that tension. Like her anger was actually beaming at him.

He'd made the mistake then: rushing out of class. Only on the drive home did he realize what he should have done - gone and talked to Mr. Stratton, asked him to swap his seat somewhere away from Cora. Anywhere away from her. The hall would be fine.

There hadn't been time today before class. So here he was, right next to her again. And she was even harder to ignore.

He'd actually stared for just a second when she came in. She never wore shirts that tight. He didn't know much about clothes, but he was positive anyway... because he would have remembered seeing her shoulders, and waist, and most especially her breasts outlined like that.

And she wasn't acting mad at him! When she'd sat down, she'd casually said "Hey," and smiled that unsettling little Mona Lisa smile of hers. As if she did it every day.

He'd looked away and mumbled, feeling like a tool.

It was extremely confusing. It just confirmed his unofficial motto - 'bitches be crazy'. The reason people avoided lunatics was because you couldn't predict what they might do.

~~~~~

Erica and Cora got a ride home with David. They didn't talk much in the car - Erica was pleased he seemed to sense they needed space - so she pounced on Cora when they got up to her room.

Cora didn't have many specifics to report. "The locker room was pretty fucking quiet today, " she noted. After a beat, she said, "I think he noticed. I mean, he was even more quiet than yesterday."

Erica shrugged, in no doubt who 'he' was. "Look, I guarantee he noticed. He just doesn't know what to do about it."

Cora glowered at her mirror while she pulled out some hair clips. "How about asking me out?"

Erica managed not to sigh. "Hel-lo? You think it'd be that easy? He'd just dump his girlfriend because someone prettier started making eyes at him? I never heard he was a douchebag."

"That's what 'Cinta and Gabriela said," Cora grumbled, removing her earrings.

Erica's ears perked up. "Yeah? What else did she say?"

"They're spreading stories Brandon and Derek are hitting on me."

"Ooohh, Danielle and Mindy won't like that." Her lips pursed. "I better call her, keep our stories straight."

A knock came at the door. Miranda leaned in. "Cora, dear, the Sisters are on that Skype thing. They want to talk about your plan," she said, half-apologetically.

Cora took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Tell 'em five minutes. I gotta get this gunk off my face."

~~~~~

Cora laid out her case for Bronwyn and the others firmly. She was stating what was going to happen, not asking permission. And it was clear from her demeanor that she would not be dissuaded easily - if at all.

The Sisters were silent for a few moments. Jacqui cocked her head and said, "This is risky, you know. Brandon knew you as Cory, as well as anybody. He's already on our watch list because he's been making inquiries about what happened."

Cora was unfazed. "I can handle him."

"Perhaps," Bronwyn said, "but the potential problems are... substantial. As you know."

Laurie said, gently, "The safest thing is to have as little contact with him as possible."

"Tried that already. Didn't protect me from Danielle," Cora said, staring levelly at the screen.

The Sisters looked at each other for a few moments. Cora's gaze never wavered.

"We won't forbid it," Bronwyn finally pronounced, "but we can't provide any assistance."

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Cora muttered, perhaps a bit unfairly to Erica's mind. "So how's the Dream Police bit going?" she said with ill-concealed derision.

Bronwyn was unperturbed. "All three had a very unrestful night."

"Goody. Are we done?"

Bronwyn's eyebrows rose but her tone was level when she replied, "Yes, for now."

On her way out the door, Cora said, "Good. I gotta pick an outfit for tomorrow."

The other witches said more polite goodbyes, but everyone was definitely subdued.

~~~~~

Erica didn't precisely sneak away from Cora while they were studying that night. But she didn't announce her intentions either as she left the table. She was pretty sure Cora would need some sex to relax later and she had a call to make in private.

Jacinta got right to the point. "You gotta be in on what Cora's doing, right?"

"Yeah," Erica said, a shade cautiously.

"I gotta know. Is she at all in to him? Or is it just about Danielle?"

Erica paused. Jacqui had informed her about Jacinta's feelings about Cora, though, so she decided to trust her with as much truth as possible. "I... think it's mostly Danielle. She likes Brandon, but not, like, that way."

Jacinta processed that for a few moments. "Thought so," she said sadly. "D'ya think maybe she might get to like him, for real?"

Erica reflected on Silas, and Lucas, and Jacob. "Maybe. I kinda hope so."

There was another pause, then Jacinta asked, carefully, "Do you know why Cora's so... like... closed up all the time?"

Erica tried to decide how to answer that. "She's, um, had... tough experiences." Apologetically, "It's not my call, to tell you, I mean."

Long pauses were all over the conversation. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Erica sighed. "I dunno for sure. But Brandon's pretty cute, and he sounds like a decent guy. I think if Cora spends some time with him, she might notice that. Eventually."

Jacinta sighed herself. "So basically we try to get them together, and hope her hormones kick in?"

Thank the Goddess for Jacinta, Erica thought. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, okay. But if he hurts her, I'm gonna totally shred him."

Erica smiled. "If there's anything left after I'm done." She shifted to business. "So, what exactly are you saying about Brandon and Derek? I don't wanna mess that up."

Jacinta gave a summary of the salient points. Erica was glad she hadn't said anything to undermine the rumors. Both agreed that most wouldn't believe the claims, yet the story would be too juicy not to spread.

A last pause. "I'm really glad she has you and Gabriela for friends," Erica said.

"No biggie," Jacinta replied. They exchanged farewells and Erica went back to her homework with more to think about.

~~~~~

Cora had worn tights to school before. Plenty of times. But never without a skirt.

Many girls did, naturally. Hillman High's dress code classified "tight-fitting or spandex clothing" as "subject to correction", but sending students home was a headache and this was southern California, after all. Only really egregious instances were acted upon.

Cora was fairly deep into 'egregious' territory. The sheer, dark purple cloth so closely clung to her lower body that it might as well have been painted on. Every curve was on display, and no panty lines were visible. The thong betrayed its presence only by the lack of camel-toe.

The girls had calculated that she'd probably skate by. The teachers wouldn't want to single Cora out any further if they could help it. She couldn't get away with fashion murder - exposing forbidden skin like midriff or cleavage - but manslaughter should be fine if she didn't do it every day.

Below the tights were black ankle-boots with a two-inch heel. Above, she wore a bright, thin blouse under a short, black vest. There was a trick to that; the vest ended above the waist while the blouse made it to the top of the hips. The just-off-white bar of the shirt between the darker tights and vest emphasized the waistline; Cora's was quite slim and benefitted from the showcasing.

Her eyeshadow had hints of violet, as did her bracelets, complementing and accenting the color of the tights.

Erica smiled as she snapped a picture. "You look fantastic!"

Cora smiled absently, intently checking everything in the mirror on her closet door. "Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."

Erica smiled. Seeing Cora really work at appearances had pushed her to step up her own game a bit. They'd both gotten up a half hour early again to work on their hair and makeup, and Erica had on her shortest school-legal skirt and highest school-legal heels. A light top speckled with tiny silvery studs completed the look.

~~~~~

Brandon swallowed when Cora came in the door. As she approached her desk - and thus, his desk - he tried to keep his eyes down.

It didn't matter. The image from this morning was too fresh, too easy to summon up. He'd noticed and admired the ass of the girl up ahead in the hall, for a few seconds. Then his guts had dropped as he'd realized he'd seen that ass before. Maybe not as clearly outlined, but much closer. He'd been impressed with Cora's behind since the lock-in.

When she'd turned up ahead, it had been anticlimactic to see the outline of her face confirming the ID. He'd been dreading this class ever since, and now here she was.

"Hey, Brandon, how's it going?" Her voice was warm and friendly, and she wore an inviting smile. It made it a little easier to keep from looking at what she was wearing below the waist.

He kept himself to a simple "Hey." That should be safe enough.

She was pulling out a sheet of homework. "What'd ya get for the last one?" she asked.

He kept himself from swallowing nervously again. "Um. Lemme check. X cubed plus x plus c, I think." Stick to business.

"Good," Cora said brightly, "me too." She cocked her head in curiosity. "Whatcha doing this weekend?"

This is gonna be a long class.

~~~~~

David was warming up, swinging a bat with some weights on it. He saw Brandon, changed into shorts and his running shoes, hurry out of the gym and jog toward the baseball diamond. When he got close, David set the bat on his shoulder. "Hey, man, what's up?"

Brandon looked harried. "Not much. Gotta be quick, gotta get back." His head jerked toward the rest of the track team warming up for sprints, over by the lanes. He paused, then said, quietly, "You ever see Cora?"

David squinted, but answered in similar low tones. "Not a hell of a lot."

"Does Erica ever talk about her?"

David gave him a long, skeptical glance. "Dude. She oughta be the last chick on Earth you pay any attention to."

"Hey," Brandon said, seriously. "It's not like that, okay? But I have to see her every day, and she hates my girlfriend's guts. But she doesn't..." He threw up his hands. "Does she hate me, or like me, or not give two shits one way or the other?"

David shrugged unhelpfully. "How the fuck would I know?"

"Like I said - Erica. Does she tell you anything?"

David shook his head. "Brah, do you think I'm fucking retarded? I do not talk about other girls with her! Even her cousin!"

Brandon looked so sad that David felt the need to further justify himself. "Half the time I dunno what Erica's thinking, and she actually talks to me."

Brandon sighed. "Fuck."

"Sorry, brah. Just be, like, polite, I guess."

Brandon snorted, and turned away to start loping toward the track. "Thanks anyway. See you later, brah!" he called over his shoulder.

David felt uneasy. Naturally he'd noticed the way Cora had dressed the last couple days, but as he'd said, he wasn't clueless enough to mention it to Erica. It probably didn't have any relevance to his mission, but he didn't like surprises when it came to Sisters. This would bear investigation.

~~~~~

The weekend brought a welcome respite from unwanted attention.

Mostly. Cora complained about the group of three boys she'd caught sniggering and pointing at her while she was working at the Fun Warehouse.

Scheming proceeded apace, however. Erica was at work when she got a surprise text from Jacinta. Later, on break, she called as asked.

Jacinta got right to business. "David hangs out with Brandon sometimes, right?"

"Um, yeah..." Erica said, noncommittal.

"Does he say anything about how Brandon's taking all this?"

"Not really. We kinda don't talk about it. I don't wanna put him in the middle if I can help it."

"Shit," Jacinta said, but she didn't sound surprised, or even upset. "Okay. Anyway. I was thinking you could say the police have some evidence on Danielle that they haven't talked about yet. That they told Cora that."

"Huh. That'd keep her jumping, yeah. Might even scare Becca or Mindy."

"At least it might keep them from trying anything else for a while."

"Yeah, good point. Okay, I'll say something at Sunday practice.

"Awesome! Catch ya later!"

"Bye!" Erica went back to work, happier than ever at Cora's luck with friends.

~~~~~

"Cora! We gotta get going! We're gonna miss the bus!" Erica sounded like any frantic teenage girl.

"Just getting my backpack," Cora called. Monday morning had come and Cora had gone right to the wire getting her hair ready. The girls shouted their goodbyes to Miranda and bolted out the door.

She watched the young ladies as they raced away to the bus stop, talking and laughing, dressed up and made up... and felt a stab of jealousy. It was petty, she knew it, but they were so young, so beautiful. She herself didn't look like that anymore.

Part of being a woman was accepting a different relationship with aging than men. Men had to come to terms with getting older, but it was a much gentler slope for them. And the field of competition changed over time, too. A middle-aged man could have more money than the young bucks, or more education, or more experience.

For women, looks were a bigger slice of the pie. The biggest, all too often, as far as men noticed. She wasn't an old crone by any means, but gravity and California sunshine were taking their toll.

It wasn't something she dwelled on, normally. And really, she wouldn't want to be a pretty young thing again if it meant she had to give up being a Mother. It was just, when Cora really tried, the girl looked amazing. She found herself hoping that Cora would learn to appreciate her beauty before it was gone, and not just as a tool.

~~~~~

"You gotta stop hanging out with David," Danielle said.

Brandon felt his jaw tighten, and made it relax. They didn't have a lot of time between lunch and afternoon classes as it was. He didn't want to spend it arguing. "Look, I know he's Erica's boyfriend. But we don't talk about you or her," he lied.

It was only a little lie; it had just been that once. And he'd only been doing research, not scoping a potential girlfriend. But Danielle wouldn't understand that, wouldn't believe him.

Shit, I wouldn't believe me, he thought. Cora's a dime.

Danielle wasn't mollified, and cried, "But it looks bad!"

"Hey, I can hang with him 'cause you didn't take that shot. Maybe if he sees we're cool he can get Erica and Cora off your back."

"Oh, like that's ever gonna happen," Danielle growled. "And now Cora's hitting on you!"

"She's not!" he said, almost trying to convince himself too. "It's just, she's not mad at me, that's all."

"Oh, right, and you haven't noticed how she dresses like a slut for you, and smiles at you, and..."

"I don't think she's doing it for me," he protested. He wanted to object to the 'slut' thing too, but that probably wouldn't be productive. "It's a miracle she doesn't hate my guts because she's all mad at you."

"So you have been looking at her!"

"What? That's not what I said!" Frantically, he backpedaled. "She sits next to me. But I don't talk to her any more than I have to."

"And that's another thing! You should tell Mr. Stratton to move her. Or you. Or something."

"I almost did, that first day. Now it's too late, it'd look like I was running away or something."

"I don't care! She's trying to get you!"

"How do you even know?" he said, a little more irritated than he should have.

"Girls know," Danielle said darkly.

"Well, you're my girl. I'm not gonna run off just 'cause people think you're, uh..."

"A bitch?" Danielle was suddenly almost crying. "That's what they say, right?"

"Not around me," he said. He left the other part unsaid: Not when they know I'm around, anyway. He'd overheard some unpleasant exchanges.

"Well, they say it to me."

He shrugged. "Don't let it get to you. Soon as they figure out who really took that pic everybody'll be on their knees apologizing." He took her in a gentle hug.

Danielle didn't seem comforted by the image, or his arms. "I know, just... I haven't been sleeping too good. I'm sorry."

He'd been pretty sure of that - she usually looked sick or hung over these days - but this was the first time she'd said something, given him an excuse to ask. "What's wrong, babe?"

"I keep dreaming that..." She swallowed. "I don't want to talk about it," she said, very quietly. "Could you just keep hugging me, please?"

"Sure, babe," he said, and gave her a squeeze. "Want a ride home?"

Danielle made a little moue of irritation. "Not on your stupid bike. I told you, helmets mess up my hair."

"Just trying to help," he murmured, concealing his own irritation.

~~~~~

Brandon relaxed into the couch. David passed him a controller. "Zombie mode?"

Brandon nodded. "Fuckin' a." He needed a break from worrying about Danielle and Cora and all that shit. Danielle might not like him hanging with David, but the guy was all right. He was one of those rare types who got along with almost all the various high-school cliques and tribes, sort of floating above the games and sparring. He could hang with the popular crowd or the goths or the nerds and nobody minded.

So it was pretty annoying when, between rounds, he asked, "So how's Danielle doing?"

Brandon glared at him. "Fuck, man, just yesterday she wanted me to stop hanging with you." He bristled. "I told her it was cool 'cause we don't talk about this bullshit."

David looked a little annoyed himself. "Brah, I'm not, like, spying on you. Or her. I just know it's kinda rough right now."

And there was one reason why David was so popular. He could make jokes - good ones - but you knew when he was being serious, too. He actually seemed to want to listen to people. Not quite sure how or when he'd decided, Brandon talked. "She said she's having bad dreams."

David mused. "Feeling guilty, maybe?"

"Or maybe everyone's accusing her for something she didn't do!" he replied hotly.

David looked alarmed, clearly realizing he'd overstepped. "Hey, my bad. Erica's, uh, 'highly agitated'. I guess it kinda leaked. Sorry." He spread his hands. "I know Danielle's under a lot of stress."

Brandon accepted the apology, but then his face crunched up. "Doesn't help she thinks Cora's hitting on me."

David tilted his head to the side. "Is she?"

He exploded. "I don't fucking know!" He took a deep breath. "She was fucking near psycho, the day after that picture. Now she smiles at me. And she's doing herself up more, but that might just be 'cause of the picture. Not letting them shut her down."

David's eyebrows were raised, but he just said, "Maybe." Then: "So how are you doing?"

Brandon threw up his hands. "Danielle's pissed all the time, and everybody looks at me at school. I never wanted to be a big deal. Not like this!" He sighed. "And if I'm tired of it, can you even imagine what Cora's thinking?" He looked up at David. "I swear, I found out who did it, I'm gonna kick their ass."

David shrugged. "Pretty much had to be a girl."

"I don't think I care anymore." He knew David would understand he was just venting. He wouldn't really beat up a chick. But he'd totally love to hand 'em over to the cops. "Look, can we talk about something else, please?"

"Okay, fine." David gave in easily. "Maybe we can find your chill on Bus Depot?" He was already firing up the map.

~~~~~

Jacinta spotted Cora coming backstage. The choir girls were supposed to wear a red blouse, along with either a black skirt and leggings or black trousers. A month ago, Cora would have been in pants, no question. Today, she was in a knee-length pencil skirt. It looked just as good on her as everything else did - although she seemed to have a little trouble walking in it. "Hey, girlfriend! How's it goin'?"

Cora smiled. "Hey! You look great!" They hugged quickly, both careful not to smear their makeup. She said, under her breath, "Gettin' tired of waiting for him to make a move."

Jacinta had no doubt who 'him' was. "Just chill. It'll happen. I seen the way he looks at you," she said with confidence. "You're getting to him."

She changed to a happier subject. "You hear about Mindy and Michaela? Got in a big fight at lunch. Michaela said something about her purse and Mindy just went off."

"I thought they were friends again," Cora said.

"Yeah, not so much now." She grinned vindictively. "Her and Becca and Danielle have a lot less people to hang with anymore."

Cora's grin was sharp, too.

~~~~~

Naturally the Jardins were attending the concert for support. They didn't go to all of Erica's outings as a cheerleader, but those were rather more frequent than concerts.

As they moved with the crowd toward the auditorium doors, she caught Aaron's dad checking out her boobs. He turned his head quickly, embarrassed. She kept her contemptuous sniff sub-audible. It was ridonkulous how many old men couldn't control their eyes around high school girls.

They found some good seats together and sat down. Haylie chattered a bit about her school. It seemed more and more of her classmates were getting to wear makeup to school. Miranda steadfastly declined to rise to the bait.

The choir filed in and took their places on the stage risers. As they did, Erica heard two ladies behind her whispering.

"That's the one. The little dark-haired one in front."

"She's no bigger than my niece! Did she skip grades?"

"No, Piper says she's her age. She's old enough to be in high school, that's for sure. I saw the picture."

Out of the corners of her eyes, Erica could see that Haylie and her Mom were sitting up stiffly, too. None of the Jardins said anything.

"What did she do to get someone so mad at her?"

"Apparently she was making eyes at Ellen Oprisko's daughter's boyfriend."

"Huh. Well, she had to expect some kind of reaction."

"If she dresses like that, I can't think she minds the attention that much. Look at that skirt."

Erica realized she was grinding her teeth in fury. She was right on the edge of turning and blurting something when the lights dimmed. The two women stopped talking. Erica took a long, slow, calming breath and tried to just focus on the concert.

~~~~~

"It's all backwards," Cora lamented, staring at herself in the mirror.

"What do you mean?" Erica said. She was quietly relieved that Cora wasn't quite so prickly about makeup lessons anymore.

"Before, when..." She stopped. "Cory always went after a girl he wanted. You know, asked her, made the approach."

Erica reflected Eric had seldom had that kind of courage.

"A girl has to, I dunno, entice. Attract." She shrugged. "It's like... I dunno... like fishing instead of hunting. Putting out the bait and waiting." Cora's tone made 'waiting' almost an epithet.

"Hey, lots of girls ask guys out!"

Cora shook her head. "Yeah, but... I know him. Enough for that. He just, like... wouldn't take that well. A girl going right after him."

"Danielle did," Erica noted.

"And how's that working out for her?" Cora shook her head. "Anyway, that's only part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"It... it doesn't work right if I take him. I mean, like, Danielle'd be pissed, sure, but..." She trailed off, obviously struggling to put her thoughts into words. "It's better if he leaves her. If he chooses, like, all by himself." Her grin was so full of female malice that Erica was taken aback.

"He's still got a choice, like, if you ask him," Erica pointed out.

Cora frowned. "Yeah, but... then it's me making an offer, and him taking it. It works better if he comes after me." That grin was back. "That way it really sticks it to her."

Erica was silent for a few moments. Cora's grasp of the psychology of the situation was surprisingly astute.

"All right. Nothing to do but keep on, then."

Cora scoffed, clearly judging her permitted tools insufficient to the task.

~~~~~

"She keeps looking back," Cora whispered happily, leaning in. "This is so tight!"

"I think Brandon's trying real hard not to look at you," Jacinta whispered back.

Even as she said it, Danielle stole a quick, murderous glance at them. Her grip tightened on Brandon's arm.

Lincoln High was the perennial rival of Hillman's. The football game drew almost as many alumni as homecoming, and a big chunk of the students. Cory and Brandon had made it every year; Cora had known Brandon would be there. So she'd maneuvered to go with Jacinta and Gabriela. The girls had chosen seats as close as possible to him and Danielle.

As a tactic to annoy Danielle, it had obviously been successful. Even David, who was sitting with them because he couldn't be down with Erica and the cheerleaders, seemed to pick up on it. "You guys wanna move?" he asked quietly, the angle of his head indicating Danielle and her small crew.

"Let her move," Cora spat.

"OK, no worries," David said equitably.

The rest of the game passed relatively uneventfully. Hillman even won. Danielle almost dragged Brandon away once it was over, Mindy and Becca in tow.

~~~~~

"Fuck!" Cora shouted. "This seducing shit sucks!"

Cora might very well have spent more time in front of her mirror this last week testing out different looks than in all the months since the Transformation. As soon as she'd gotten back from choir practice she'd bounded up to her room to evaluate combinations.

Right now she was borrowing and testing one of Erica's belts. It was long and thin, but she'd knotted up the excess artistically. It added some style to an outfit - and emphasized how thin her waist was. Of course, it mostly sent that latter message to other girls; boys wouldn't consciously pick it up.

It secretly pleased Erica that Cora kept up a conversation while she explored fashion. Although the topic was too familiar. "Got hit on two more times today. Even fucking Lucas again, can you believe it?"

"Boys can be pretty frickin' dense." Erica sat on the bed, idly texting Kristina.

Cora absently nodded in agreement. Turning her head and holding her hair up in a ponytail, she watched herself and said, "I was hoping it wasn't gonna take this long."

It was all Erica could do not to stare in exasperation. "It's only been two weeks! Not even! You're trying to get him to dump his girlfriend, and you only get to see him in one class a day."

Cora nodded again. "I know. I got an idea, about that. But I need your help."

Erica squinted, cautious. "Whatcha thinking?"

Cora took a deep breath, then plunged on. "The girls soccer team has an away game Friday night. So Danielle'll be gone. But Brandon's got track practice right after school, and he'll still be here." She looked at Erica. "David knows Brandon, right?"

"Um... yeah, sorta. Why?" Erica said, suddenly experiencing more foreboding.

"I know you two were gonna check out that new superhero movie. Could you have David invite him along?"

Erica just stared. Her phone dinged a new text, but she didn't look down.

Cora pressed on. "You gotta help me! I need to, like, interact with him some, y'know? He won't go to a movie with just me and no Danielle. So he goes with David, and you're there, and then I just happen to come along. Like, at the last minute and all."

Erica sat there, dithering.

Cora kept pleading. "Look, even if it doesn't work with Brandon, it'll totes make Danielle lose her shit. I know, karma and good feelings and stuff..." - Cora's tone conveyed how much she cared about the Sisterhood's solicitude - "...but come the fuck on! This is Danielle!" She stared in Erica's eyes. "Are you gonna try to tell me she doesn't deserve it?"

Erica looked at her friend. She remembered telling Jacinta she didn't want to bring David into the drama. She also remembered Cora raging... and then, that night, bawling in her arms.

She squared her shoulders. "Fuck Danielle."

Cora's triumphant smile warmed Erica's heart. "Fuck yeah!"

~~~~~

"Is Cora coming?" David asked, as Erica slid into the seat next to him. She frequently rode with them to school, but she hadn't come out with Erica this morning. He was a little surprised; he'd have bet on her avoiding the bus for a while.

"No," Erica said quietly. She seemed pensive.

"Is there something going on?" David asked. He wouldn't dare do any mental probing, but he didn't need to use Dark Power to see she was troubled.

"I need to ask you something," Erica said. And then shut up.

He carefully damped his irritation. Girls. Instead he calmly asked, "What's up? Is it something with Cora?"

"You know the movie this weekend? Would it be okay if some other people came along?"

He blinked. "I guess." He blinked again. "You mean Cora?"

Erica fidgeted for a moment. "She's... there's somebody she, um, likes, but... anyway, she wants us to bring him along."

"Who?" he asked, almost certain of the answer.

Erica squared her shoulders. "Brandon."

Now he had to stay quiet for a while. It was hardly a surprise, after the football game, and the way Cora had been dressing. But it was like solving a complicated integral in his head, balancing the Brotherhood's interests against everything he knew of Erica, and Cora, and Brandon, and Danielle... He picked an approach and committed.

He spoke cautiously. "Look, I mean... fuck Danielle, y'know?" He wasn't just going on Erica's word. The Brotherhood's forensics had confirmed the identity of Cora's tormentor. But even if he'd known it had been someone else, he'd never have disputed it with Erica. He was pretty sure he wouldn't be her boyfriend anymore if he did.

He went on. "But, well, it doesn't sound like Cora's really into him. She just wants to get Danielle." Erica opened her mouth, but he held up his hand. "Like I said, fuck Danielle. But Brandon's not, y'know, just a way to get back at her. I'm positive he didn't have anything to do with that picture."

From the look in Erica's eyes, he suspected he wasn't saying anything she hadn't already thought about. He wrapped up. "I just... let's, y'know, minimize the civilian casualties?"

It was a calculated risk. He couldn't just be pussy-whipped, blindly doing anything Erica asked. It might raise suspicion, and besides, David had the feeling she didn't want a doormat. Anyway, he actually liked Brandon. He wouldn't toss him under the bus without need.

Erica bit her lower lip for a moment, not meeting his eyes. "Okay, fine. I think that's probably a lot of it." He was practiced in reading her cues, though, and he could tell she was damn sure that was a lot of it. "But... look, there's two things. One, Brandon's a big boy. He can make his own decisions. And don't you think he'd be better off without Danielle? However it happens?"

David shrugged and nodded, conceding the point but not the argument. He was pleased to see that she picked up on the nuances. She went on, "And two, I think... look, this might not make sense to you, but I think Cora kinda needs a boyfriend. And you're right, Brandon's a good guy. I think..."

She paused and looked down. "Well, okay, I hope they might make a good couple. I hope she might change her mind if they actually get together."

David stared out the windshield for a while, at the Jardins garage door, mulling it over. Then he turned back to Erica. "He doesn't... I think she scares him," he said carefully.

Again, she understood him. He was on board, but pointing out potential problems. "Maybe." She sighed. "Look, it's gonna be a little complicated," she said in warning.

He shrugged. "Hey, it's all good. I'll do what I can. That was a seriously heinous move. A little competition is the fucking least Danielle's got coming."

Erica's pleased smile showed he'd just done his cover a good turn. But somehow he was gratified more than he should be as he finally backed the car out and took her to school.

Only that night, as he lay in bed, did it occur to him that her ability to read him so clearly was at least as much a risk as an advantage.

~~~~~

"Thanks for picking me up, man," Brandon said. He would've taken his chopper to the movie but it had looked like it might rain. Which was weird, since the forecast had been clear.

"No problemo," David said, handing the two tickets over.

"Theater 5, on the left," said the ticket-taker. Brandon followed David toward the concessions.

"She texted me that she was here already," David said. "Oh, there she... um."

The 'um' sounded ominous. He saw where David was staring, followed his gaze, and found Erica... with another girl.

Cora.

He turned to David, who gave the tiniest shake of his head. I didn't know.

The girls were looking a little surprised and dismayed, too. After a ghastly pause, David started walking again. Brandon hesitated another moment, then, unable to think of anything else to do yet, followed.

"Yo," Cora said carefully to Brandon as he came up. "Didn't know you'd be here."

He didn't know what to say to that. "I thought there was gonna be more people." In faint hope, he said, "Who else is coming?"

David shrugged. "Jose and Lupe were gonna, but he got called in."

"Kristina and Linda were supposed to come, but they backed out," Erica offered.

"Yeah," Cora said, "'Cinta and Gabriela were gonna come, too. But they had to work too."

The silence grew long and uncomfortable. Especially when Brandon saw some guys from Hillman in the crowd, looking their way.

"Oh, screw it. I wanna see the movie," Cora said. "Let's just go." She and Erica started moving.

David gave him a helpless shrug, and went to follow. Brandon hesitated, praying for some miracle to deliver him. None appeared, so he started walking too.

The theater was hella full, but they managed to track down four seats in a row. He never quite figured out how it happened, but the two girls wound up in the middle, so he was sitting right next to Cora.

Well, shit, was all he could think. Of course.

The movie wasn't bad, but he couldn't really enjoy it. Her shoulder was rubbing up against his most of the time.

~~~~~

"I'm hungry," Erica said when they got to the car.

"I could go for a burger," David said thoughtfully.

"I gotta get home," Brandon said, hinting with all his might. At least he got shotgun, with the girls in the back.

David didn't pick up on it. "C'mon, we'll hit In-N-Out. It's on the way. You don't have a meet tomorrow or anything, do you?"

"No, but..." He couldn't say, but I can't be seen with Cora.

"I'm hungry, too," Cora piped up from behind him.

"There we go," David said, closing the subject. Somehow he was firm without being rude or arrogant about it. Brandon wondered how he did that.

Oh, well, I'm fucked anyway, he thought in morose resignation.

The conversation after they sat down was at least interesting. David's dad had been in the Army, and he had a lot of military stories. Brandon was surprised at the interest Cora showed in that kind of stuff. And even more by how much she already knew.

"The Barrett's sick, yeah. But the Tac-50's right up there, been deployed just as long. Anything less than tank armor, it'll ruin your day too." She took a sip of her drink with a smile.

How the fuck does she know about sniper rifles? Brandon, recalling how good a shot she was at laser tag, was obscurely relieved she didn't seem to blame him for the picture. Then again, I wouldn't want to be Danielle...

"My dad never went on the front lines or anything. He was a REMF." David raised an eyebrow, but Cora and Erica seemed familiar with that term too, so he went on. "But he talked to the snipers. They said that most of the time you don't need to shoot somebody from a mile away. Fifty-cal sniper rifles are really for taking out buildings and vehicles, not people."

From there, the topic moved to shooter games, and David put Brandon on the spot, making him tell a story about a particularly epic kill he'd pulled off a couple weeks back. Cora seemed impressed, and Brandon was impressed by the knowledgeable questions she asked about yet another surprising topic. For all that Cora had said she was hungry, she didn't seem to be eating much. She was talking... and looking at him.

And then she caught Erica's eye and stood up. "Be right back," she said. Erica gave David a quick peck on the cheek and the girls went off to the bathroom, smiling and talking too low to be overheard.

He looked at David, chagrined. "Man, what do girls do in there, anyway?"

"Make fun of us, I bet," David said glumly.

~~~~~

"I hope they don't know what we're doing in here," Cora said worriedly as she wrapped up a bloody pad in some toilet paper.

"No way," Erica said with confidence, standing outside the stall. "Guys never even think about periods and stuff. You know that."

"Tru dat," Cora acknowledged, sounding a little philosophical. "Cory must've gone on at least a couple dates where the girl had her period. He never noticed." She stood and held the 'package' over the stall door. "Pitch this for me?" You weren't supposed to flush that stuff down the toilet. Even a lot of girls didn't seem to know that, judging by how often you found clogged ones in public ladies rooms.

Once she'd readied a new necessity and they'd washed their hands, they spent a few moments checklisting their clothes and hair and makeup in the mirrors. While they fine-tuned, Cora said, "Thank the Goddess for your Mom. If she hadn't helped out, I don't think I coulda even stood up." It had taken a little pleading and bargaining, but Miranda's Healing and potions had managed to insulate Cora from the bulk of her usual first-day symptoms.

"I don't think you ever did that before," Erica noted. "Thanked the Goddess, I mean."

Cora was quiet for a moment, brushing imaginary tangles from her hair. "I don't know if I, like, really believe in Her. But I'm trying to be a Sister."

Erica was quiet in turn. Now was not the time for somberness, though. "I think it's going pretty well. With Brandon, y'know. He woulda fought more if this were, like, super against his will or whatever."

"Man, David should be in fucking Drama. He was perfect. I almost thought you really hadn't told him." Cora was smiling.

"Yeah, he was great," Erica said smugly. Then she almost frowned. Something about David being good at fooling people nagged at her. But Cora was talking.

"We better get back."

~~~~~

It was another half hour before David finally agreed to drive him home. Brandon tried not to look like he was jumping out of the car as fast as he possibly could. He waved as David and the girls rode off. "Well, that was fucked-up," he muttered to himself. Danielle was going to be apocalyptic when she found out. Thankfully, that was a problem for tomorrow.

His phone buzzed.

Danielle: Mindy sez u went on d8 w/Cora?? WTF!!!!!

Well, of course, he thought numbly.

~~~~~

The girls had already washed off their makeup and were changing into pajamas. Cora was understandably preoccupied, processing the night in her head.

Erica gave her a minute, then couldn't wait anymore. "So, whadjya think?"

"I think it went okay." A pause. "He was just so... big."

Several 'that's what she said' jokes came to mind, but Erica ruthlessly repressed them. "It's just, you're smaller, that's all. You gotta be used to that by now! You sit right next to him in math!"

"I know, but that's not, like, touching shoulders!" Cora shook her head. "I used to be the same size as him. Now he could pick me up and throw me." She looked a bit puzzled. "And I could smell him."

Erica squinted.

"Maybe girls do have more sensitive noses or something," Cora said, a touch defensive. "He didn't, like, stink. But Cory never noticed it."

Erica spread her hands. "Well, I think you did a decent job of flirting with him."

Cora made a noncommittal 'hmph'. "I thought it would be harder. Y'know, to, like, pretend."

Erica felt her head tilt. "Pretend to be into him?"

"Yeah," Cora said. Erica's hopes raised; maybe Cora was starting to get actual feelings for Brandon.

But the girl's next words dashed those hopes. "I realized I could just act the way, uh, Cory did. Girls hafta be more, like... reserved with boys, y'know? Even a smile might give the wrong idea."

Erica nodded ruefully. She hadn't thought of it quite that way.

"I just had to, like, drop the filter a little. Smile and laugh at his jokes, look him in the eye more." She paused. "I tried to mirror his moves a little, too."

"There's other flirty stuff, though. Touching his hand, or playing with your hair."

Cora shrugged, a little nonplussed. "Maybe next time." She nodded to herself, though. "He went along with it, at least. Didn't make David take him home or anything. All by itself that's gonna drive Danielle psycho."

Erica couldn't help but agree.

~~~~~

"I always used to think it was, like, cute when girls would lay on their stomachs like this. It's easier when you don't have a unit to get pressed down." Cora and Erica were side-by-side on Cora's bed, heads together as they studied one of Miranda's spellbooks.

Erica smiled a little. "But there's boobs."

Cora shrugged. "Yeah, but if you're up on an elbow they don't really rub much."

"Easy for you to say." Erica had two cup sizes on Cora.

Cora turned back to the spell they were planning to cast. "Anyway, this looks pretty straightforward."

"You sure?" Erica said, nervous. Her Mom hadn't forbidden them from reading her spellbooks. They had been moved out to the home office shortly after Erica had been Transformed, secrecy no longer being a factor. Still, the girls were supposed to be careful about Magic. The rules were: (1) they couldn't draw attention to themselves, or (2) attempt any spell they weren't utterly certain they could handle.

"Yeah." Cora sounded completely confident. "Straight Sympathy with a couple elements of Similarity and Healing. I could almost have worked it out on my own."

Erica nodded, half to herself. She was a little embarrassed, but despite having a head start she and Cora were now at least even in Magical skill. Cora was smart and had motivation Erica couldn't match.

"Fuck it. Let's do this." Cora rolled off the bed and walked around to the area of the floor they'd cleared. "I love you for this. You know that, right?" she said with deep emotion, as Erica joined her.

That made Erica feel a lot better. She still wasn't sure this was the best idea ever. But it was pretty much irresistible anyway.

The key ingredient of the yeast infection curse was menstrual blood from the target. A thousand years ago - maybe even a hundred - it had probably been easier to come by. Modern sanitation worked against it nowadays.

It had just happened anyway. She'd walked in to the girl's room right when Danielle was coming out of her stall with a bundle of toilet paper and tossing it into the trash. They'd glared and sniffed and pointedly ignored each other as Danielle washed her hands and huffed out. But then Erica had realized what Danielle must have disposed of...

She'd gotten a funny look from Michaela while rooting through the trash, but oh well. She had taken the opportunity as a sign from the Goddess.

Well, mostly. She'd told Cora, but hadn't quite had the courage to involve her Mother.

Cora wrapped up the preparations. The girls sat on the floor at the foot of Cora's bed, a lit candle and the relic of Danielle between them.

Cora frowned. "What I'd like to do is shapeshift into Danielle and hit on Derek. Brandon'd drop her, and Mindy'd kill her." Her frown had turned into a scowl. "I can still barely change my hair color, though."

Erica nodded. Illusion spells were a bitch. Cora was selling herself short, though; hair color was more than Erica could manage yet.

Cora sighed, then brightened up. "Whatevs, this'll do for now." One more look around, checking their preparations, then she said, "You ready?"

Erica nodded again, gathering her resolution. "Uh huh."

"Okay, here we go." To most observers, it would have looked like Cora wasn't doing anything, but Erica could sense the power gathering. After a few seconds, Cora reached down, picked up the relic, and held it over the candle. "Ajuna canoa rethingu gnon..." Fire to the loins, I send... Erica silently lent her energy to the spell.

Not even a minute and a half later, it was all over. The two girls sat in silence for a moment, looking doubtfully in each other's eyes.

"Felt like it did something," Cora finally muttered. Another pause, then she shook herself and blew out the candle. "Whatever. I'm gonna get rid of this," she picked up the bundle and stood, "and then we'd better get started on dinner."

~~~~~

"I told you, it wasn't a fucking date, okay? Can you let it the fuck go?"

Jacinta's eyes widened. That was Brandon's voice, coming from around the corner. She stopped short, letting other students pass around her on their way between classes.

"You know everyone's saying I took that picture. You gotta stay away from her!" Danielle sounded pissed.

Now so did Brandon. "Shit, I didn't know she was gonna be there. And I didn't have my bike. What was I supposed to do? Tell David to miss the flick and drive me home?"

"Yes! Something! You gotta stay away from that bitch!"

Jacinta heard Brandon take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I figured if we hung out it might take some heat off you. I mean, no grudges, no hard feelings, right?"

Danielle wasn't mollified. "That doesn't mean you go have dinner with her after!"

Brandon suddenly sounded a little cautious. "David had to drive them home, too. He's the one who stopped..."

Danielle interrupted. "I'll bet they set it up that way! Erica too, they're all in on it..."

She heard Brandon's snort. "Oh, sure, it's all a big conspiracy. Look, I gotta get to class."

Angry footsteps, heading away. Not exactly a loving goodbye. Jacinta couldn't help but smile.

Then Danielle marched around the corner, tears starting to smear her makeup. She was wearing a lot of makeup lately. It didn't quite hide the dark circles under her eyes. Mindy and Becca looked hung over most of the time now, too. And all three of them were falling asleep in class these days.

Danielle had it together enough to recognize Jacinta, however - and her smile. She stopped and stood there, frustration temporarily shifting towards pure fury.

Jacinta maintained her smile and walked away. She heard Danielle shriek in rage behind her, and flee down the hall.

She could not wait to tell Cora.

~~~~~

Erica sat on the side of the field, keeping her poms on her bare legs. It was exceptionally cool tonight and her uniform - girl's clothes in general, really - didn't make insulation a priority.

"Becca didn't sit with Mindy and Danielle today. Just sat in the corner, had lunch all by herself." Trahn was smiling.

"What'd she look like? I need deets!" Erica asked.

"I ain't got deets," Trahn said. "Heard it from Ayesha." Erica's cheerleader friends didn't have a stake in the whole Danielle-Cora Thing - girls had lots of overlapping loyalties like that - but gossip was gossip.

"Oh well." Erica let it drop. "Glad this's a home game." Football had a lot of downtime between plays. It was easier to notice when you had to hang by the field, in skimpy clothes, without actually playing.

"Shit, I kinda wish it was an away game. Tyrone's gonna be all over me tonight," Shianti said. "All he wants is my ass anymore."

Trahn sighed. "We win, Aaron's gonna ask for a victory beej."

"Well... they're cute," Erica noted doubtfully.

Shianti scoffed. "Cute ain't enough. Does David actually text you back? Even when it ain't a booty call?"

"Well, yeah," Erica admitted, surprised. "Tyrone doesn't?"

Melanie laughed. "You got no clue what boys are really like. Your first-ever boyfriend's a fucking dream come true." She sighed. "He'll even hold your hand or kiss you in front of his friends."

"Tru dat," Trahn said flatly. "Don't fuck it up with him. Half the girls in the school'd be on him by the end of the day." She chuckled. "Including me."

It was mostly a joke, Erica could tell. But not entirely, to her mixed disquiet and guilty pleasure.

The game finally wrapped up - not a victory for Hillman, to Aaron's probable sorrow - and she was able to text Cora to come pick her up. She had to wait by the edge of the lot in the chilly breeze. But Cora pulled up soon through the traffic and she hopped into the car, not quite shivering.

She passed on the intel about Becca right away. "Cracks in the alliance, you think?"

Cora looked thoughtful. "I dunno. But I gotta feeling something's gonna break soon."

"Your psychic powers kicking in?" said Erica, joking.

Cora gave Erica a meaningful look. "I wonder, yeah. I had a bad feeling the day Danielle took that picture, remember."

Erica chewed her lip quietly, examining the idea.

Cora shrugged. "It sure as fuck wouldn't be the weirdest thing we had to deal with."

Erica couldn't think of anything to say.

~~~~~

Danielle wanted to cry, but couldn't yet - not until she made it home from school and got up to her room.

Still, she whimpered a little as she scratched furiously at her vag. She'd only ever had a couple yeast infections before but this one was horrendous. And the fucking cream didn't seem to be doing anything! Like she needed more trouble sleeping.

She was one of the last girls out of the locker room. She'd sucked ass at soccer practice and drifted through the post-scrimmage shower, laboring to keep her eyes open. Fatigue was another symptom of yeast infections. It just wasn't fair.

Danielle plodded out the front door of school and made her way to the benches to wait for Brandon. All she wanted was for him to drive her home so she could cry and try to take a nap. If she could ignore the itching and burning.

And the dreams.

She was so out of it she almost sat down on a bench before she realized who was already perched at the other end. Her eyes flew wide and she gasped, only a second later kicking herself for reacting so visibly.

But she couldn't help it. "What the fuck are you doing here, whore?" Danielle shrieked.

Cora scoffed and tossed her hair. "None of your business. Bitch."

Danielle could feel everyone starting to look their way. She knew she was too frazzled to safely handle this situation. But it was all too much, Cora sneering at her like that... "You're waiting for Brandon! You knew he was gonna meet me here!"

Cora scoffed. "I'm getting a ride with Erica and her boyfriend."

"Quit lying!" She was freaking out, she knew she was, she could hear it in her own voice. But she was so tired; she hadn't gotten a full night's sleep in weeks. "And quit sniffing after my boyfriend, you fucking cunt!"

Danielle wished Brandon could have seen the malicious smile that appeared on Cora's face then as she stood up. So different from that I'm-so-sweet-and-shy-and-innocent-yet-just-enough-of-a-tomboy-to-be-cute disguise she always wore. It took her a second to process Cora's words, she was so flushed with anger at the smile: "He getting sick of kissing a raccoon?"

Danielle froze, hissing in rage. The bags under her eyes had gone well beyond anything that makeup could conceal. "Fuck you, you bitch!"

Everyone was staring at her, it was just like all the dreams where she was naked at school and everyone was staring at her, and judging her, and she knew they all knew everything bad she'd done to anyone ever, and they knew she knew, and if she didn't confess, all those things were going to happen to her, only worse, and...

Cora's grin gathered even more venom. "Oooh, that one hurt! How long's he gonna..."

In dreams, she couldn't fight back. But this wasn't a dream. Cora got no further, because Danielle screamed in rage and punched her right in her bitch whore face.

Danielle had never experienced such soul-deep satisfaction as she did seeing Cora fall back, face twisted in an expression of shock and pain. It still wasn't enough. She pounced down and started whaling on her. Cora curled up and held her arms to block the rain of blows.

And then she felt strong arms pulling her off Cora, a grown-up voice shouting things like 'get off her' and 'stop this instant'. Someone was holding her, yelling at her. It was Mrs. Escuela, the Language Arts teacher.

Danielle suddenly didn't feel quite as good. This was going to be tricky.

Some other girls were helping Cora up. "I'm okay, I'm okay," she was saying. But she looked shaky, and she was holding her left eye, where that first punch had landed.

"She hit me first!" Danielle blurted.

Mrs. Escuela hadn't let go of her arm. She looked Danielle right in the eye and said, "No she didn't. I saw the whole thing."

The righteous high she'd just been enjoying was completely gone now.

~~~~~

"Danielle, honey? Brandon's here." Mrs. Oprisko led him into the den. Danielle sat on the couch watching TV, clutching a pillow to her chest. She looked up with too-red eyes and gave a weak, relieved smile.

"I'll leave you two alone for a bit," Mrs. Oprisko said gently, and stepped back into the kitchen. Brandon sat down on the couch beside Danielle. She sagged into him and he put an arm around her shoulders.

"What the hell, babe? I thought we were gonna stay away from all of them." He tried to say it in a joking tone, but it came out a little harsher than he'd planned.

"I wasn't looking for her! She just showed up and started talking shit."

That wasn't the way he'd heard it. And it wasn't Cora who'd been held in the principal's office until her parents came to pick her up.

He held her for a few seconds, one hand stroking her back. Then, knowing it was inviting trouble but compelled by a need to understand, he leaned back so he could see her face and asked, "Why'd you hit her, though? No matter what she said..."

"She deserved it," Danielle hissed. "She deserved all of it."

His hand stopped moving. She didn't just look pissed, and spiteful. She looked crazy, like the killer in a slasher movie. The tone and content of her words was almost redundant.

She felt him tense up, and looked in his face. Her expression instantly became tense and guarded and apprehensive. The kind of face a person had when they were trying to figure out how badly they'd screwed up, if they'd let out a secret or not.

He pulled back, let go of her, just staring in her eyes. "Oh my fucking God. You really did it, didn't you? You took that picture!"

"I didn't," she said quickly. "I didn't, I wouldn't do that, come on baby, you know I wouldn't..." She was talking frantically, panicked.

He jumped to his feet, backing away. "Oh, fuck, I don't fucking believe this! How could you... what the fuck?!"

She pleaded, begged. "Please, baby! Please!" She grabbed at his hand, but he jerked it away. "I can't lose you, too!"

He glared for a moment, then moved for the door. "You just did."

Danielle stood, took a step after him. "Wait! Brandon, please!" He turned and didn't look back again.

Mrs. Oprisko had come from the kitchen, alarmed at the shouting. Brandon brushed past her without a word.

Before he slammed the front door, though, he heard Danielle burst into tears.

~~~~~

"Cora, honey? Brandon's here." Brandon had a flash of déjà vu at the words as Mrs. Jardin led him into their den. Cora was sitting on a couch watching TV too. She looked up in surprise, mouth opened in a little 'o' for a second.

He couldn't help wincing when he saw the bruise on her cheek. "Oh, Jesus..."

Cora self-consciously touched her face. "It's okay," she said. "Just a little sore. I've had worse." Suddenly she looked nervous, like she'd said too much, the way Danielle had. It should have been another little bit of déjà vu. Somehow, though, he didn't think she looked guilty, like Danielle. More like it was something Cora'd wanted to keep private.

But he didn't get much chance to wonder how many fights she'd been in; she wasn't stopped for more than a split second. She stood up and said, "Why are you here?" She immediately softened her tone. "I mean, it's okay, I just don't..."

He held up a hand. She stopped talking. He forced himself to speak. "I'm sorry. I was just... I went to Danielle's house. To talk to her. And she... She did take that picture. I could tell. I'm sorry, I swear I didn't know."

Cora suddenly looked cold and calculating, startlingly predatory. "Did she say that? Could you testify?"

He shook his head apologetically. "No, she didn't admit it. Not in, y'know, words." His lips thinned in anger. "She wouldn't. Her mom and stepdad are both lawyers. But I knew. I could see it."

Then he felt ashamed, and spread his hands, shoulders slumped. "Finally." He forced himself to meet her eyes. "I'm really sorry. I just didn't..."

Cora was shaking her head. "It's okay. I didn't figure out she was that much of a bitch either, until... um, until that picture."

They stood there for a second, awkwardly. Then Brandon said, "Look, um, all I wanted was to apologize in person. To your face. I'll stop bothering you."

Cora grinned impishly. "Bothering me? This is the best thing that's happened all day."

"Oh. Um." Brandon said. "Well, I'll let everyone know what she did. You can count on that."

Cora was frowning thoughtfully, a distractingly cute expression. Slowly, thinking out loud, she said, "Maybe you should be a little careful. Y'know, lawyers and all. They might sue you for, like, libel or slander or something."

"Oh. Um." For fuck's sake. Say something smarter than 'um', huh? "That... uh... that might make sense." He shook his head. "But she can't get away with this shit! Uh, sorry."

Cora's mouth was halfway between a grin and a grimace, like she couldn't decide whether to be amused or annoyed. "No worries. It is bullshit." She sighed. "I gotta look some stuff up. But I bet you could say you think she did it. That's, like, your opinion."

"Oh. Okay, I'll do that."

Again, the conversation stalled for a spell. Cora broke the silence. "Well, at least she can't give you any shit about hanging with David anymore, right?" She paused for a second, then added, "Maybe now we can all hang together sometime."

He shrugged carefully. "Maybe." Apologetically, he said, "I really gotta go. Sorry for... for believing her. I was an idiot." Hoping it didn't look as much like fleeing as it felt, he started for the door.

But Cora followed him down the hall. "Yeah, you were." She hesitated briefly, then blurted, "Better pick a better girlfriend next time, huh?" But she was smiling.

"Right," he said, opening the front door. "Um, later. Sorry again."

She still had that smile. "See you tomorrow."

On the way to his car, he shook his head. Why did girls always keep you on your toes? Although, with Danielle, it was about watching his mouth, not saying something to annoy her. Cora - she was smart. He didn't want her to think he was stupid.

Didn't help that she was fucking hot. By reflex, he started to suppress that thought... and then realized he didn't have to. He didn't have a girlfriend anymore, he didn't owe anyone any loyalty.

~~~~~

"Fuck yes!" Cora crowed, pacing - almost dancing - in circles in her room. "Not gonna look good for Danielle, Brandon dumping her. And everyone's gonna know why. He promised."

"And you don't have to keep dressing up all the time anymore," Erica pointed out. "She sure lost Brandon."

Cora was shaking her head. "No way. I ain't done yet. She doesn't just lose him. She gets to see him with me."

"So he's just, like, a means to an end?"

Cora stopped pacing and looked at Erica. "He really feels like shit about it. Name a better way to show I'm not pissed at him?"

Erica's head tipped down as her eyebrows went up. Skepticism personified. "I thought you were pissed at him. For trusting Danielle."

That took Cora aback for a moment or two. "Yeah, but... he apologized. For that. Just now." She waved a hand, dismissing all confusion. "I'll be nice enough to him. We can break up later. Either way, name something that'll piss Danielle off more?"

Erica put up a hand herself, granting the point. "So, whatcha gonna wear tomorrow?"

Cora's smile was positively wicked. "It's time for those tights again, I'm thinking."

A little modeling and clothing experimentation segued into some playful lovemaking in due course. After, as they lay curled in each other's arms, however, Cora became somber.

"It's a good thing Mrs. Escuela was there."

"Yeah. Hard to beat a teacher backing up your story."

"That's not it." Cora's fingers brushed the bruise on her face. "That first punch took me by surprise. And then she was on top of me, and I kinda curled up, got my arms up."

Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I was just starting to think about, y'know, a counterattack." She paused. "But I couldn't think what would work. Fat cow outweighs me by twenty pounds."

Danielle certainly wasn't 'fat', and couldn't be more than fifteen pounds more than Cora. Not for worlds would Erica correct her, though. Now was hardly the time, and she agreed with the sentiment in any case.

"I couldn't push her off, not with these arms. And I couldn't get my legs up between us." She wasn't looking into Erica's eyes. Her gaze was distant, focused on that moment. "If Mrs. Escuela hadn't been there, Danielle might've really fucked me up."

"Well, thank the Goddess she was there."

Cora didn't say anything for a while. Then, still whispering: "I hate feeling helpless." She shifted, and her words melted into sobs. "Cory's disgusted at me..."

Erica just held her, for a long time.

~~~~~

In the end, Danielle wasn't expelled. Even her lawyer parents couldn't prevent a week's suspension, however; not when a teacher was one of the eyewitnesses. They did file for a restraining order against Cora, however.

That was ultimately a mistake. The whole school had heard the story already, and Danielle didn't have many defenders left. Even the people who didn't like Cora - girls put off by her beauty, or her sometimes abrasive personality, or boys she'd rejected - couldn't picture her as a physical aggressor. It just cemented the judgement of Danielle as 'bully' and 'bitch' in most people's minds.

Especially since Brandon was true to his word. No one was in the slightest doubt that he'd broken off with Danielle... or the reason why.

The Sisterhood produced a lawyer for Cora - nobody said so, but both Cora and Erica were sure she was a Sister herself - and the order was quashed anyway. Cora didn't even have to go to court.

~~~~~

Crack!

"Whooooooooo!" Erica yelled, joined by the other girls. Brandon's "Aw yeah!" got pretty much drowned out.

David bolted around first, then second... he stopped at third, well ahead of the ball thrown in from the outfield.

"Thought that was gonna be a homer," said Cora.

"Only one out, he'll get there," Brandon replied confidently.

Erica was still beaming. David was better for the team than she - well, Eric - had been. He'd been as good a shortstop, but David could really hit, too.

She peered sideways. The sight had a measure of humor. David had invited Brandon to meet him after tonight's baseball game, knowing he'd catch at least the last few innings. So Cora had come, naturally.

And thus, so had Gabriela, Jacinta, Linda, and even Kristina. Hoping to watch a different game.

Their hopes were being rewarded, of course. For Cora, it was 'game on'. Of course he'd wound up sitting next to her, and they'd been deep in conversation ever since. "Shoulda put him on clean-up."

"He runs fast, though. Duane's too big to book like that, but he hits even harder."

"Okay, point," Cora granted with a smile. "You'd know running. When you guys got your next meet?"

"Week from Sunday."

Brandon hadn't noticed, but Erica was fighting laughter. None of the other girls were talking, all listening intently to the byplay while striving to look casual.

"Wish I had your stride. I can go a long ways, but not as fast as you guys."

"Yeah, I think I've seen you out running."

Cora looked almost sly. "I'm sick of running roads. Could you show me some trails or something?"

Brandon spread one hand, palm up. "There's the path at the park..."

"That's, like, half a mile tops. I mean some distance, y'know?"

Brandon's head tilted a bit to the side. "What kind of distance?"

"Four, five miles. Y'know, some real cardio."

"Well, up past Spicer road - y'know, off Josephson - there's a path in the woods. Some good hills, but you gotta watch for the mountain-bikers sometimes." He shrugged. "We go there to practice once in a while. Two laps and you'll get five miles easy."

"Can you show me sometime?"

Brandon paused. Erica suspected half the girls held their breath. "How about Saturday?"

"I'm in. What time?"

The details were sorted out in short order. Erica reflected that it was hardly a traditional seduction ploy. On the other hand, Cora wasn't a typical girl. And Brandon seemed a cut above the typical boy. Maybe it'd work.

~~~~~

Hillman won, and Brandon went over to the dugout to join David as the coach did some post-game analysis with the team. Erica gave David a goodbye kiss, and the girls went to the food court at the mall for their own extensive after-action breakdown. But it was Cora's game that got dissected.

Kristina was blunt. "You really think you're gonna turn him on when you're dripping sweat?"

"Well, sometimes guys like to see girls all panting and wet..." Jacinta had a sly smile.

Cora rolled her eyes at the general sniggering. "I ain't gonna be a wreck. I can handle a five mile run, no prob. I won't be a noodle at the end."

"You can't wear too much makeup. Maybe some eyeliner and lip gloss, anything else'd melt off," Gabriela warned.

Cora looked offended. "I'm a for-realz runner, guys. Five miles is no bigs, even with hills."

"Don't be too good," Linda warned. "He prob'ly won't be too happy getting beat by a girl."

Now Cora was rueful. "No chance. He's, like, a foot and a half taller'n me. Can't match a stride like that with these legs."

Erica was glad none of the girls seemed to notice how Cora had worded that. But it was time to shift to less fraught ground. "What are you gonna wear?"

That triggered a lengthy and in-depth treatment of Cora's options, but Erica was pleased to note that Cora participated fully.

~~~~~

"I've been wanting to do this trail again," Cora remarked, stretching, one leg stuck out. She was wearing athletic shorts - tight shorts - and a spaghetti-strapped cami over a sports bra. Naturally the cami ended several inches above the shorts. Her hair was pulled back into her traditional running ponytail. Her shoes had some kind of rainbow on the side, but to Brandon's mild surprise looked to be decent for running.

"Again?" Brandon said, standing up from a stretch of his own. "When did you run it before? I thought you didn't know about it."

Cora bent over, folding nearly in half. He couldn't see her face, but that meant she couldn't see his. So he stole a peek at her ass as she said, "Um, I did it once when I first got here. I didn't know it went so far from the roads." She came back up and looked him in the eye, a bit of a challenge. "A girl can't just run anywhere by herself."

He'd never thought of it like that. "Well, you ready?"

"Let's rock," Cora said, grinning. Without warning, she started down the trail.

Brandon didn't have any trouble catching up, or keeping up, not with the stride difference. She set a faster pace than he'd expected, though. While it wasn't a major workout, it definitely turned out to be a real run, not just a stroll in the park.

He let her take the lead whenever the trail narrowed. It seemed gentlemanly anyway, but he got away with some more un-gentlemanly ass-ogling, too.

They wound up doing two full laps, unquestionably hitting the five mile target. And she totally sprinted at the end!

After, they walked slowly for a minute or so, panting, cooling off and checking their heart rates. He had the feeling she was a bit more winded than she let on. He was impressed anyway.

"You should totally be on the girls track team," he said.

Cora looked away, apparently shy. "Nah, I run for fun." After a beat, she added, "I tried out for soccer, but they didn't want me."

"That was a mistake."

"Whatevs. I can still run on my own." Her eyebrows quirked up. "Know any other good spots?"

He ventured a few more suggestions and they made tentative plans. She said her thanks and goodbyes, and drove off while he was getting his helmet and jacket on. He revved the engine once and peeled out.

A solid run always made him feel good. Doing one with a girl was even more fun. And a motorcycle ride after was another bonus.

He and Cory had run that trail a few times, with the track team. At that thought, he felt guilty again. It had been close to a month since he'd done anything at all about looking for Cory. The whole picture thing with Danielle had overshadowed everything.

Weird the way things went sometimes. Cory had gone away, and a few weeks later there appeared a girl who looked like she could be his sister. She was into computers and running, too. And now that he really thought about it, they had kind of the same sense of humor. Even their names - though 'Cora' was actually her middle name...

Fuck, I'm a fucking idiot. It should have been obvious from the start! No way was it all just coincidence - Cory and Cora were too much alike. It was crazy, it was something out of a bad movie, but there was only one explanation that made any sense.

She had to be an actual blood relative. He knew Cory had been adopted. So she was at least a cousin, maybe even a half sister. He'd have guessed she was his twin sister, but they had different birthdays - hers in December, Cory's in September. Couldn't be from the same mother.

Cory had never said anything about his birth family, or shown any interest in looking them up. He'd loved his adoptive parents. It was one reason why Brandon knew he hadn't run away.

In fact, Cora just happening to show up so soon after Cory ran off was a stretch. She had kind of encouraged him to give up looking, too. Maybe Cory's birth family was Mafia or something?

He mulled that over as he buzzed down the road. Perhaps he wasn't exactly objective, but he just couldn't see Cora involved in some sinister conspiracy. She was sort of... standoffish, yeah. But it wasn't like she was hiding something from everyone. More like she was just hiding from everyone, period. He thought maybe she'd been hurt sometime. Before that fucking picture, even.

Maybe I can ask Cora about her family... he thought to himself. At least he should eliminate her having anything to do with Cory disappearing. It wasn't like he had any other leads.

And finding out more about Cora was almost its own reward.

~~~~~

Cora wrapped up her report on the not-exactly-date with a summary. "Went pretty good. I showed him I'm no wannabe, and he wants to do it again." She paused then, but before Erica could ask anything she said, half to herself, "Cory's a little pissed. I said he likes to think on a run. He sure didn't want to think about seducing Brandon."

Erica almost put her immediate concern on hold. She was supposed to report to the Sisters any mentions of Cory, but she was curious anyway. Cora's Transition was so different from her own. To her, Eric was just a memory, not a presence.

The thing was, she couldn't avoid it any longer. When it had all been just potential, certain implications could be put off. But now it looked like Cora might actually succeed. And that could be a disaster unless things went just right.

She'd thought a lot about how to bring it up. She hadn't come up with a better way to put it: "Scotty once told me about his dog," she said.

Cora squinted at her change of subject but waited to see where she was going.

"She'd always bark at the mail guy. Every day, like a psycho. She'd growl and bark at the front window, and then she'd run to the door and go nuts as the mail came through the slot. Sounded like a killer beast."

Cora was frowning. After a second, she said, "So?"

"One day she came around the corner and the front door was open." Erica gave a very wry smile. "And she was looking right at the mailman."

Erica gave Cora a Look. "She stopped barking. She just stared for a couple seconds, then ran away whining."

Cora spread her hands and shrugged. "And you're telling me this because...."

"Whatcha gonna do if you really do catch Brandon?"

Cora looked down, mouth open just slightly. Erica didn't pause. "Boyfriends like to do things with girlfriends. You remember, right?" Cora started to turn away but Erica moved over into her line of sight again. She locked her eyes on Cora. "Boy-girl things. Holding hands... hugging.... making out..."

Cora didn't say anything.

"You better decide if you wanna be his girl friend" - separating the words with an unmistakable pause - "or his girlfriend." She shook her head. "You better know what you're gonna do if he tries to kiss you. 'Cause, like, screaming and jumping back might bother him a little." She shook her head. "Have you thought about that stuff at all?"

Cora still wouldn't meet her eyes. But her voice, while quiet, didn't waver. "I've thought about it. I'm not a total dipshit."

Erica cocked her head, but didn't reply.

Cora sighed. "I can fake it for a while, okay? I mean, below the waist is gonna be a no-go zone, but I'm pretty sure I can kiss him without gagging or anything."

"Oh, he'll be so happy! 'My girlfriend didn't actually hurl when I gave her the tongue!'" Erica was more comfortable giving Cora tough love these days.

"Wouldn't be the first time a girl's faked it, y'know," Cora muttered.

Erica didn't dignify that with a reply.

~~~~~

Cora: AWWW FUCK 2 THE YEAH!
Cora: FLAWLESS MOTHERFUCKIN VICTORY!!

Erica: what up?!?

Cora: brandon officially askd me out!!
Cora: goin 2 flea market Sat!

Erica: flea market?

Cora: yup! :-)

Erica: u sure thats date?

Cora: no its for realz
Cora: he always takes girls there on 1st date

Erica: y???

Cora: cuz its cheap! ;-)
Cora: diffrent too i guess

Erica: u wud kno...

Cora: trust me. Ds gonna shit herself u watch

Erica: GTG practice starting luv u
Erica: congrats

Cora: luv u 2 thanks!

~~~~~

"So what made you pick the flea market?" Cora was wearing some sort of shorts/skirt combo, flats, and a loose red long-sleeved blouse. It was just warm enough for a motorcycle ride in an outfit like that. Especially since Brandon could see some cleavage.

"What? Not having fun?" He said with a smile.

Cora smirked. "Didn't say that. It's not exactly standard, though."

"That's the deal. It's different. You get to look at all this weird stuff, and once in a while, you find something awesome you never knew you needed." He smiled. "And we can talk. I mean, a movie's all right, but you're both just sitting there, y'know? And we're not eating. This way we can talk, without food in our mouths." Plus, it's cheaper, he thought to himself.

Cora had a funny little grin. Somehow he got the idea that she knew about the 'cheaper' part.

So they talked as they walked. He didn't get much of a handle on her family, beyond her parents. They sounded a little distant. Of course, they had left her and gone to the other side of the world.

She actually wound up learning more about his family. "My dad's in construction. I always got to go into building sites, even when I was a kid. I got to see how they made buildings and bridges and even a stadium once." He smiled. "I always wanted to know more. That's why I'm going for civil engineering."

Cora seemed honestly interested. "I never knew that."

"Well, you never asked."

She got flustered. Cora was amazingly cute when she was flustered, but he didn't want to upset her. "Hey, I didn't mean it like that! We haven't known each other too long."

Somehow that didn't help. She almost looked guilty.

A little desperately, he rushed on. "So, any big story for you? Why you're into computers and stuff?"

Cora pondered for a few moments, taking the question seriously. "It's like... you can almost make thoughts real, with programs. If you can plan it out, get it right, if you're clever enough... It's almost like magic. A whole world that does what you told it."

That reminded him a bit of Cory. "Good thing magic isn't real. I don't want the world to crash when there's a bug."

She gave him a Look, and he remembered with dismay that she was Wiccan. It was easy to forget, most of them were granola types who didn't go for computers or math. She let it slide, however.

It helped that they found the electronics section shortly after. "Oh my God! Look!"

She went up to a table with a bunch of ancient junk, so far as he could tell. But she seemed pretty excited.

"It's a Commodore 64! With floppies! And an accelerator cartridge!" Her head tilted. "And is that an ethernet hookup?" She looked at the dealer behind the table. "Why so cheap? Does it work?"

"No, a couple caps failed in the power supply. No monitor, and only one of the floppy drives spins."

Cora mulled it over. "I can solder some new capacitors, that's no prob. And I know Erica's monitor has composite..."

"Do you really want it?" Brandon asked, curious.

"Kinda," she said, sounding just a little embarrassed.

"Why?" he asked in honest confusion.

She gave him a sharp glance; it looked like it took her a second to decide he wasn't mocking her. "It's old and slow, yeah. But you could understand every part of these things. The whole system would fit in your head, y'know?" She was getting more excited. "And it was, like, incredible what some guys got it to do. I've seen demos on YouTube, music and sound and graphics. A 3D card can do it better, but it's kind of a black box. You aren't allowed to know exactly what's going on inside. But this," she touched the manual, "even has the circuit diagrams!"

Seeing her excited, not angry - passionate - was kind of a turn on.

The guy behind the table sensed a potential sale. "I got an old modem here somewhere...."

But Cora was faltering. "I don't really need it," she said, shaking her head. "I can get an emulator."

Brandon hesitated for a moment, then went with his impulse. "I'll buy it. I kinda cheaped out on you anyway, not taking you to dinner and all."

He couldn't figure out what her expression meant. She seemed surprised, pleased, and annoyed all at the same time. "You don't have to buy me stuff. I can pay for it."

"Okay, halfsies?" he offered.

She smiled her high-power smile for a second - even the vendor blinked - but then her happiness fell away. "We can't fit it on the bike!"

Both Brandon and the vendor frowned. Perhaps under the lingering influence of her disarming smile, the guy offered, "I can ship it, if you gimme an address." Recovering a little business sense, he added, "Weighs a bit, though. I gotta charge extra."

And here I wanted a cheap date. "How much?" Brandon asked.

The sale concluded, they explored and talked more, and he reconciled himself to the unanticipated expense. He was having fun, anyway.

And when they rode home, he was glad she hadn't worn jeans. He liked having her bare legs next to him. He still didn't know what to call what she was wearing, but she could spread her legs without showing anything critical.

He caught himself wondering what the critical bits looked like. They couldn't talk much while riding so he had plenty of time.

~~~~~

When they pulled into her driveway, Cora slid off the bike as soon as he'd parked. "Thanks," she said, sounding nervous. "That was really fun."

"Yeah," he said, wishing he could come up with something cooler. He decided to just go ahead. "Wanna do something next week?" He smirked. "We can go all traditional if you want. Dinner, movie..."

Even her shy, eyes-lowered smile was cute. "Sounds chill. I get off work at six." She was leading him toward the porch.

"So does this mean we set our Facebook statuses to 'in a relationship'?" he quipped. They were at the door. She was acting kinda... unsettled.

"Guess so." She darted in and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "See ya later." Almost before he realized it, she slipped away through the door. It was far from the best 'end of date' experience he'd ever had.

What, you were expecting a rimjob? a sarcastic inner voice asked. It wasn't like she owed him something, just 'cause he'd taken her out. He was courting her, not paying a hooker. How she responded was up to her. And yet... if a girl went on a date, not as just friends, it was a sign she was willing to get at least a little physical with a guy.

Well, fuck it. Danielle threw herself at me, and look how that turned out. Cora wasn't like any girl he'd been with before. Maybe she was worth cultivating a little patience.

So he told himself as he walked back and got on his bike.

~~~~~

"Fuck that was trippy," Cora breathed as soon as the door closed. She stepped over near the window and peeked out as Brandon got on his bike and rode off.

Erica waited as long as she could, but she was almost vibrating with eagerness. "So how'd it go? Did you kiss him? How'd he act? Did he..."

"Dial it back, chica," Cora broke in. Once Erica shut her mouth, she went on. "I think it went pretty good. Yeah, I kissed him, just now."

"That's good, I guess," Erica said judiciously.

Cora's eye-roll was almost audible. "You wanna watch next time?" More seriously, she gave Erica a reasonably complete account of their excursion as the girls went upstairs to Cora's room. She finished about when she was done removing her makeup.

"Sometimes I almost forgot it was a date. Like, it was just him and me, hangin' like before. It was chill." She shook her head. "And that's sayin' something 'cause I was wearing mascara and earrings and a frickin' skort. When did I get so used to all that?"

Her lips pursed. "Anyway, then he'd smile all weird or his eyes would be all over my tits and I'd remember."

"You been trying to get him to look at your tits for the last month," Erica noted.

Cora gave her a sour look. "Yeah, I know, but it's different when it's an actual, like, boyfriend." She spread her hands, searching for words. "He's kinda, y'know, allowed. Not to be an asshole about it, but, like..." She trailed off.

Erica thought about her and David. "But the line between 'whatever' and 'asshole' gets moved."

"Yeah! He gets... some kinda default permissions, I guess."

"It's not the same for every girl, though. You get to, I dunno, negotiate," Erica pointed out.

Cora shook her head slowly. "That's the thing. I don't know where the fuck to draw the line with him."

Erica pondered that for a moment. "Then I guess you got some thinking to do."

~~~~~

He was in armor, and Cora was in an old-timey dress, all the way to the floor. But it was thin and... and gauzy, almost like a nightgown or something, he could see the outlines of her body. She had a crown or something on. Not big and heavy. He thought maybe it was called a tiara. It was thin and elegant. Like her.

He had to be... honorable. Worthy of her. She was a princess, a real one. Royalty. And he was just a regular guy. She liked him, for whatever crazy reason - but what she deserved was a prince. A hero. A guy who would treat her like the amazing, beautiful, precious... everything she was.

Somehow, by some massive stroke of luck, she liked him. He sensed a chance for... something amazing with her, something he only dimly understood. Some awesome... destiny was possible; but he knew he could hurt her if he screwed up, hurt her badly. He had to play it just right, bring his "A" game, the very best he had in himself.

She drove him crazy at times, playing with him. It wasn't her fault, she didn't really understand how sexy she was. There was a fundamental innocence about her, something he felt duty-bound to protect.

If he hurt her, he'd never forgive himself.

The armor was gone, and they were holding each other, kissing. He was so careful, he'd die before he pushed her further than she was willing to go... she was so incredible, those eyes, those lips, those hips pressed against him, even through their clothes... he felt her hand brush his hardon, and...

"Uh! Uh!" Brandon woke up in the middle of an intense orgasm. He was gasping, his hips jerking, it seemed like every muscle in his body was tensing and relaxing in waves. Finally it passed, and he sat panting in bed for a minute or two, recovering.

"Well, that was fucked up," he whispered to himself. Then he got out of bed to go find a new pair of shorts, feeling very strange.

~~~~~

"Brandon's a really sweet boy." Laurie said, sipping her coffee and stifling a yawn.

"Young man," Bronwyn corrected. "More a man than a lot of 'adults' I've dated." She smiled with Motherly approval. "I'm half convinced we won't have to do anything but visit him with dreams."

It was possible to send dreams 'on a delay'; a Sister wasn't required to actively guide them at the moment their subject received them. A good thing, too, or the Sisters would have been just as exhausted as Danielle and Becca and Mindy had become over the past weeks. By now they'd worked out a schedule. One or another of the witches would cast the spells before they went to bed, leaving the nightmares to wake the girls deep in the dark.

But especially the first time, it was best to make direct contact, get a feel for the recipient and evaluate how they were responding. So they'd arranged for Lani to sleep over with Alice again, and Bronwyn had come along. The alarm had woken the two Sisters in the middle of the night and they'd set about encouraging some useful attitudes in Cora's new boyfriend.

They probably should have gone back to sleep then, but they'd spent some time in gentle lovemaking first. A little more than they'd intended, in fact. Hence the strong coffees both were nursing, and neither were on their first cup of the morning.

Their girls were at school, so the two senior Sisters were in Laurie's kitchen, going over Sisterhood business. Jacqui was at the gym and would join them later.

The Cora Situation was never far down the agenda at such times. They were both grateful there was promising news to go over.

"Jacqui's not going to be thrilled about his theories on Cora's resemblance to Cory," Laurie noted.

"Now that we know about it, we can warn Cora. We'll let Jacqui decide whether to encourage or disprove it." Bronwyn smiled. "But either way, it'll keep him from even suspecting the truth."

Laurie took another big sip of coffee, nodding. "While we're at it, what about Erica's boyfriend? David something?" she asked.

Bronwyn swallowed her own gulp and answered, "Miranda's handling him. Apparently, he's another budding Marcus! Gallant and devoted."

Both women exchanged bittersweet smiles at that. They had schemed, using all of their considerable matchmaking prowess to find a boy who'd help Jacqui through her traumatic Transition. Even they had been surprised at the depth of the romance that had blossomed between the two. Jacqui wasn't the only one who still grieved for him.

Bronwyn took a deep breath. "So. Bella's boys. Any fresh ideas?" Transformations tended to be meticulously planned affairs, and for twins it would be more than doubly so.

"Well, only in the broad outlines. It's good that they have separate bedrooms." Laurie took a breath. "How's this? They change separately, and only see each other when they're both fully female. Then we somehow get them in different rooms again before the final question."

"It'll be tough if only one of them accepts..."

~~~~~

Jacinta watched Cora as she walked into the cafeteria. Actually, 'strutted' might have been a more accurate term. She was looking pretty confident today.

As Cora got into line, the three girls in front of her sniffed and pointedly turned their heads away. The news that Brandon and Cora were officially together was all over the school. A sizeable portion of the student body took that to mean that Cora had been pursuing Brandon all along. Which somehow justified what Danielle had done, to some.

Most people seemed to remember Danielle beating her up, though.

Cora wasn't even slightly fazed. The only sign she'd even noticed them was a brief eye roll. She sauntered through the line and joined Jacinta and Gabriela at their table.

Of course, there was only one reasonable topic of conversation. "Piper says Becca's still not sitting with Mindy and Danielle at lunch. And none of 'em were smiling." Danielle's suspension was over, though of course she was under orders to stay away from Cora.

"I just wish Brandon had the same lunch period as me. He'd be sittin' here, for sure." Cora was beaming. "Can you imagine how much that'd piss 'em all off?"

"How is Brandon, anyway? Seen him since yesterday?" Jacinta still had hopes for the actual relationship.

"Yeah, we said hi right before school." Cora frowned; not unhappily, just thoughtfully. "He was acting kinda weird."

"Weird how?" Gabriela asked. She and Jacinta exchanged a quick nervous glance.

"I dunno. He was all... I dunno. He was looking at me like I was a princess or something." Cora seemed confused.

"Doesn't sound so bad," Gabriela said.

"It wasn't bad. I just... I guess I ain't used to it."

Jacinta sighed. "I'd like the chance to get used to it."

Cora snorted and smiled ruefully.

~~~~~

David was keeping a low profile. Danielle was still in his and Erica's calc class, of course.

Erica and Danielle didn't say anything to each other. But the little sniffs and glares said it all anyway. He simply tried not to attract any attention.

Class ended without major incident. But Erica didn't get up at the sound of the bell, waiting so that Danielle would have to pass. And when she did, Erica held up something for Danielle to see.

Danielle tensed and aimed a look of fury at Erica's smirking face. He looked down at what Erica had drawn in thick marker on the back of her folder.

"Brandon + Cora" it said, surrounded by a large, elaborately-bordered heart. He didn't quite manage to keep the laugh down; a guffaw escaped. Danielle's snarl at him was scarcely less venomous. She rushed out into the hall as David gave Erica a golf clap.

~~~~~

Even when Trahn was dropping Erica off after practice, Cora was a topic. More precisely, the gossip about her.

Trahn was bemused. "Can't believe Carrie was actually human about it."

"Yeah, that was pretty funny."

A clique of girls had been digging at Erica a little right after practice, as they were all heading for the lockers. Nobody could accuse Erica of being a lesbian anymore, not when she was dating one of the hottest boys in the whole school. Even Cora was no longer vulnerable to such accusations now that she was with Brandon.

So, naturally, she was now the direct opposite - a cockhound, a slut. The climax came when the clique's alpha, Monet, said, "She probably framed Danielle. Took that pic herself and sent it to him."

Erica didn't quite have time to lose her cool. Carrie had broken in. "You'd know. Dashawn told me about all those shots of your twat you kept sending him."

That got a big reaction - squeals and giggles and catcalls. Cut off at the metaphorical knees, Monet and her friends had sullenly kept to themselves as everyone changed.

Erica had quietly acknowledged Carrie with a brief nod. Friends they'd never be, but thanks to the Goddess' ways they didn't have to be enemies.

Trahn pulled in to Erica's driveway. She gave Trahn a quick hug and popped out of the car, waving at the other girls. "See ya tomorrow!"

She came in and put down her purse. Cora sat at the kitchen table, tackling her homework, looking pensive. Erica put her hand on Cora's, and said, "Something wrong? What'cha working on, French?"

"Nah, it's not the homework. Something else." She sat up and stretched. "Today, coming back from the bus stop? There was this guy, maybe thirty or something, coming up the sidewalk toward me." At the sudden alarm in Erica's expression, she held up a reassuring hand. "No, no, it wasn't a problem. Kinda the opposite. He just saw me, like five houses away, and he crossed the street."

Erica nodded. Guys - at least, the ones who had any awareness that women had minds, too - did that. Gave strange women extra space, so as not to needlessly alarm them. But Cora was speaking. "I - well, Cory, anyway - did that before. Especially at night." Then she fell silent.

"So... no problem?"

The girl sighed. "It's just... I was, like, glad that he did it. I wasn't really worried or anything, y'know. But it was nice to see. I was almost grateful."

Erica thought she understood. "But you wouldn't have been, before."

"Cory... he'd be mad. Like it was, I dunno, condescending or something. Implying he couldn't take care of himself."

Erica nodded judiciously. She could see Eric feeling that way.

Cora sighed. "Thing is, I really can't take care of myself like that. I'm so small. I mean, there are ten-year-old boys who could probably take me."

Then she gave a little smile. "Good thing I have a boyfriend to run with now, I guess."

Erica smiled too. "Does kinda work out."

~~~~~

"I gotta get some new clothes," Cora said, rustling through her closet. She and Brandon were going on a more traditional dinner-and-a-movie date tomorrow night and the girls were planning her look.

Erica lay on Cora's bed, texting. She had a sense of déjà vu, remembering Cora saying nearly the same thing two months ago. The tone was totally different now, though.

Cora actually sighed. "We can't even trade pants or shoes or anything." She shook her head, looking herself over in the mirror as she draped a dress across her front. "Like, this would look totally sweet with those buckle-boots you've got, but they won't fit me. I've only got some ankle-boots, and they're fur."

A part of Erica was wondering if Cora was putting her on. The words - and the motivation behind them - were so feminine it was hard to believe they came from Cora. She'd come a long way in three months.

"We'll just have to hit the mall again this weekend," Erica said.

"Maybe we can go tonight. Maybe get a couple new skirts or something. It's getting embarrassing."

Erica marveled in her head. A long way. She even knew what those little hooks on some hangers were for.

"Plus, girls stuff is so thin! I ripped that gray sweater yesterday on my locker."

Okay, that sounded more like Cora.

~~~~~

Brandon thought the night had gone pretty well. Cora had enjoyed dinner - she ate more than any girlfriend he'd ever had, even though she was smaller than any of them. More than she had that night with David and Erica, come to think of it.

The conversation had been chill, too. She was smart and funny, and had an almost tomboyish knowledge of sports and video games and movies. And she'd seemed just as happy as him to take in an action movie instead of some romantic comedy.

He'd tried to find out more about her family, just with general questions. Nothing she said sounded like organized crime or anything. Pretty ordinary, really. Well, he'd keep his eyes open. He wasn't stupid enough to bring up Cory, not on their second date.

So he was pretty satisfied as he pulled into the Jardin's driveway. Now it was time to test her level of satisfaction.

They got out of the car together; she never waited for him to open the door or stuff like that. But he could still walk her to the door.

"That was chill," he said as they got to her porch.

"I had a good time, too," she said a touch formally. But she waited at the door, looking up at him.

He sensed a little hesitation as he leaned in. Or maybe it was shyness. Either way, a kiss on the second date shouldn't be a big deal, so he still went for it. Just carefully. She didn't seem surprised or shy away.

Their lips met. After a moment, he darted his tongue to press against her lips, just a quick probe.

She didn't break off immediately; but after a second she pulled her head back off a bit, swallowed, and looked at him with very wide eyes.

He smiled with a little more confidence than he actually felt. Her answering smile was small and less confident. But she leaned in and gave him another quick peck.

She stayed close, but said softly, "Just... take it easy with me. For a while. I... I'm not used to this."

"S' cool. We're still, like, getting to know each other." He had to front some; it was annoying, a little. Or at least confusing. She'd been sending messages like she was interested in him, before. He couldn't quite figure her out.

She squeezed close for a full-body hug, and said, "See you tomorrow." Then she slipped away into the house.

He strolled back to his dad's car, walking normally just in case anybody was watching. He shifted his pants after he got in the car. Maybe she hadn't meant it that way, who the fuck knew. But that hug, her whole body up against his, had been dead sexy.

~~~~~

Cora was simultaneously debriefed by both Erica and Jacinta - the former in person, the latter by text.

Erica noted to herself that Cora seemed to have developed some proficiency in maintaining two conversations at once. She wasn't unduly distracted by typing. Nor did Erica worry about finding out what Cora might be sending; she felt sure Jacqui would have that line tapped.

"What'd you guys talk about, anyway?"

"Just stuff. Movies and class and games and stuff," Cora said. "I like talking with him. It's nice to talk like a boy again, mostly."

Erica squinted. "What do you mean?"

"Talking with girls is, like, work. A lot of the time, anyway."

Erica sat down at the table while Cora sent something to Jacinta. Her frown invited elaboration, which Cora provided.

"It's not what they talk about. Well, okay, most of the time." That was said with a rueful half-grin. Cora could talk confidently about things like clothes and makeup now, but seldom chose to. "More like... girls are never just talking about what they're talking about, y'know?"

Erica thought she did understand, but she tilted her head in an invitation for Cora to clarify. Silence seemed to work best on Cora; it didn't feed energy into her verbal judo. She couldn't twist words if you didn't say them.

"I mean, if Brandon tells me 'bout what some guy did at his last meet, I don't have to worry that he's trying to send me a hidden message or shit."

Erica half-shrugged. "Okay, but you gotta talk about feelings sometimes too, right?"

"I bet I can wait another couple dates for that. He's a boy." Cora's smile let on that she was mostly joking. "Don't worry, I'm, like, 'tending the relationship' and shit."

She spread her hands. "And I'm getting better at the girl stuff. Sometimes it's actually kinda cool. Saying one thing and sending three different messages to two different people, or, like, decrypting a message like that." She sighed. "I'm mostly up to the challenge now. I think. But sometimes it's nice not to have to handle a challenge, y'know?"

Erica made a brushing motion with her hand, dismissing that topic. "Didja kiss him?"

Cora looked to the heavens. "Yeah, just now outside. And a hug, too."

"Wow, a hug, too! Did he jizz right there?" Erica said, laying the sarcasm on with a trowel.

"Fuck you," Cora said, without much heat. "I'm getting there. He seemed cool enough, he wasn't pushy." She frowned. "Besides, the way some girls talk I already sucked him off with a finger up my ass."

Erica covered Cora's hand with her own. "Don't worry about the haters. Just make sure you know how Brandon feels."

~~~~~

David pulled up to where Erica was standing. Giving her rides home from school was a regular thing now. Boyfriend points, of course; but frequently Cora would come along, too, and gathering data on her was a sub-priority of his mission. Not that she talked a lot.

Today, though, Erica was alone. She slid gracefully into the passenger seat and gave him a quick smooch. "Should I wait for Cora?" he asked.

Erica beamed. "Nope! Check it, Brandon gave her a ride home on his bike!"

Eyebrows raised, he pulled forward, toward the lot exit. "Gotta admit, I wasn't sure if getting them together was all that good an idea, but it seems to be working out."

"Yeah," Erica said, almost in a sigh. After a second, she gave him a Look. "What's Brandon say about her?"

David took a few beats to answer her. "He likes her. But he, um, finds her a maybe a little confusing." He held up a hand as Erica opened her mouth to say something. "Don't even. She doesn't act like other girls. You know it."

Erica paused herself. "Yeah, okay, she's a little... quirky. But she likes him. Honest."

You are so easy to read, David thought with amusement. She hoped Cora liked him. Or would like him. Erica's guilelessness made his mission a lot simpler at times, and it was actually kind of charming.

But he didn't want her to know just how transparent she could be. "Okay, if you say so." He paused, then, as if the idea had just occurred to him, said, "How 'bout we all get together sometime? Maybe some COD or Halo or something at my place?" He put on a sly grin. "I never have seen the mistress at work..."

Erica hit his shoulder playfully. "Sounds tight. We'll show you some girl power. I'll bring my controllers."

~~~~~

The gaming session took place Saturday around lunchtime - Cora had to work in the evening, and Erica would be with the squad at a game that night.

The girls didn't want to play online, and the boys had silently agreed they didn't want to go up against the girls directly, at least not at first. So the foursome wound up spending some quality time with GOW's Horde mode.

Eventually they all took a break. The girls went to the kitchen to assemble some snacks, and David took the chance to talk to Brandon. "They're pretty good, huh?"

"Hell yeah," Brandon said quietly. "They ain't pros, but neither are we. They sure as shit ain't posers!" He shook his head. "Cora, I've seen her at laser tag. Shooters ain't a stretch." Then he looked at David. "But Erica... she's so, y'know, girly. When did she put in the hours?"

"I dunno," he lied.

When the girls came back the group moved on to more casual games. They settled on Geometry Wars, and took turns playing co-op mode and competing for score. The boys made sure they got teamed up with their girlfriends. Brandon and Cora got the highest score; she proved to be an adept shooter, while Brandon piloted the ship to evade the waves of enemies.

Brandon left for work - Cora gave him a reasonably enthusiastic goodbye kiss, in David's estimation - and the girls went home shortly thereafter. David reflected on what he'd observed, mentally composing a report. Cora was definitely more tomboyish than Erica, but still made a surprisingly convincing girl. It was hard to tell how much of her affection for Brandon was residual friendship, or actual romantic feeling.

~~~~~

"Hey, girlfriend, bet your cousin's happy, right?" Melanie's voice rose above the hubbub of the locker room.

Erica, just pulling off her shirt for gym, turned to look at her friend. "Huh?" she managed, perplexed.

Trahn appeared behind Melanie. "You didn't hear?" Trahn said. "Rebecca cracked! She went in and confessed!"

Erica's eyes widened. "Wait, what? It was Danielle that..."

Trahn interrupted. "She shopped Danielle out! And Mindy! Word is they're all gonna get expelled!"

Erica wished she could send actual thoughts to Cora. She'd have to wait until Programming to tell her.

~~~~~

Brandon had never been so nervous about math class, not even for a final. His buddy Savion had passed on the dirt about Rebecca just a couple minutes ago. And now he had to face Cora.

No one was talking to her, though it was pretty clear almost everyone was whispering about her. She looked... triumphant, so happy she was almost glowing. When she saw him coming, her smile became dazzling.

She'd heard, obviously. He couldn't look her in the eye. "I still can't believe I didn't... I just never realized she..."

Cora cut him off. "Sure, you were a complete tool." Incredibly, she was still smiling. "You need me to keep you out of trouble."

He shrugged, not disputing her. "I checked my phone in my locker. There was a voicemail from her." He licked his lips. "She was crying, and she wanted me to call her back."

Cora's smile transformed into something unsettlingly malevolent. "Save it. I wanna hear it."

Class started up, so they couldn't talk more then, but Brandon found himself dwelling on both smiles. Remember not to piss her off. On the other hand, he wouldn't mind seeing her more pleasant smile again.

By the time the bell rang, though, she didn't look quite so happy. When they got up, she seemed to have trouble meeting his eyes. "Call me later?"

"Sure. Can I give you a ride home with me again?"

She sure had a lot of different smiles. This one was strained. "No, I...I'm just gonna take the bus."

Then, nervous, he said, "Everything chill? You okay?"

Her smile got a little more genuine, but only for a second. "Yeah, I just... gotta think about stuff."

She gave him a quick hug before walking out the door, at least.

Continued in Part 9

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Comments

thank you - I am enjoying this a lot.

The characters and their troubles are really captivating, and they all face such difficult challenges. I guess that Cora's problem is realizing that she can now blow off Brandon, but is pained by the thought of hurting him.

What goes around comes around

Jamie Lee's picture

Talk about pushing buttons. With the nightmares and how Cora was dressing, Danielle had a major melt down when she hit Cora. It was excellent a teacher saw the whole thing; Danielle even acted the nimrod she is by trying to blame someone else for her reaction. Danielle is one of those teens who think because their parents are lawyers, that they can get away with anything. Even the restraining order against Cora was bogus.

But so far, things have come back full circle to where Danielle and her crew are getting what they deserve. Maybe her crew will learn a lesson and stop being pawns for another creep.

There's still the unnoticed Brotherhood lurking about, and closer than the sisters realize. When will they discover their cover I'd blown?

Others have feelings too.

Persectives

This is quickly becoming one of my favorites..Thanks!
And please continue this adventure!

alissa