You're ready to volunteer and do it yourself but something holds you back. That's not you volunteering, that's Connor. At least, it's Connor's own instincts trying to nudge you in the direction that he would move were he in your situation. But to do it yourself? That just seems crazy. So you don't speak and neither does anyone else for a long while.
"So you up for it, Prescott," Tim asks after what feels like an eternity.
"Up for what," you ask.
Tim reaches to smack you in the back of the head, you duck however. "Getting those pictures of Kelsey, you doofus," he says.
"Who, me? Nah," you shake your head.
"You're the one who suggested it," Tackett states.
"Yeah, and it was just that," you shoot back. "I mean do we really need to go throw some hijinks just to get some pictures of Kelsey and Karl?"
"I mean, it would be pretty funny," Spencer adds with a smirk. "But no, you're right, it's too much bullshit."
"Shit, Kelsey would probably break it off with him anyway instead of doing the right thing," says Andy.
"And that sucks for him but, I mean, what can ya do," you shrug. "Kelsey's a cunt, he knew what he was getting into."
The conversation continues for a few minutes longer until the bell rings and you're forced to disperse. You're glad to feel that it seems like if they don't like you then they seem to have a little more respect and appreciation for you.
Having confidence and social skill like this definitely makes things easier and you don't feel quite as stressed as you usually do. Of course that goes away later in the day, at least temporarily, once you see David Kirkham somewhere across the sea of students and you duck around a corner as quickly as possible. Even Connor wouldn't be that suicidally overconfident.
Once the danger's passed however you go back to how you've been all day and get to thinking about the bands, the masks and what all they can do. Wanting to hash things out more, you decide to shoot a text to Caleb asking him if he wants to meet at the elementary school once school lets out. He responds positively and plans are thus made.
* * * * *
"I really don't like how you guys did that," Caleb moans after you fill him in on the day's events.
"Yeah? Well maybe I don't like that you and Justin decided to go and start shit on your own," you retort. Since you've removed the band it comes out more whiny and less confident than it would have if you still had Connor's brain helping to run things. You motion over to the pile of dirt where a ghostly purple flame blazes on top of it.
"Well, we were interested in seeing what it does," Justin states. "So, I don't know, consider us even now. Pax?"
He holds out his hand and you hesitate before grabbing it and shaking, "You, alright, fine. Sorry for going behind your back like that."
"So now that we're on the same page," Caleb says, "we agree that we don't advance in the book without all of us being present or at least without all of us being informed and giving the okay, right?" You and Justin acquiesce to that and Justin text's Connor who texts back an affirmative back. "Good, so then tell me what the fuck these things do again because you didn't really say shit; just came in here and were all 'Hey, check this out' and took the thing out or off or whatever."
You flip him the bird but decide to indulge him, "So those masks copy the body, right? You put on a mask of Mansfield and you're Mansfield, physically at least," you explain. "The bands are kind of the opposite side of the coin. You put this on someone and it copies their mind. You put the band to your head and you get it all, their memories and everything, we already know that. But not just that, you get anything associated with the mind. So like today I didn't have any problems fitting in with Tackett and those guys if I let Connor's instincts guide me."
"You'd have been running that group within minutes if it was my brain," Justin laughs. "But you're saying, what, you get the brain of a musician and you can play guitar?"
"Or copy, say, Gordon and you'd know how to beast on the court."
"Only problem with that is that Gordon is a beast," Caleb states. "I don't think you're going to be 'beasting' on anybody looking like a scarecrow."
You flip him off again.
"Still, that's pretty cool though," Justin states. "We could get some use out of something like that and we should probably think of just what that use could be." His stomach growls quite loudly, "Shit, I'm hungry as fuck though. I'm gonna go grab something to eat. I'll bring back some sandwiches or something and we can work on getting some new masks started up."
* * * * *
When Justin takes his leave and Caleb and yourself stare at each other, neither really sure of what to say. "Look, I'm sorry Caleb," you finally say.
Caleb cocks an eyebrow, "Whazzat?"
"I said I'm sorry for dicking around with that thing before consulting either of you guys."
He leans in and cups his ear, "One more time? It sounded like you said... you're sorry?"
"Oh fuck off," you say, giving him the bird for a third time.
"I'm just fucking with you," he replies. "Maybe you should put on Connor's band again, you'd probably lighten up."
"That's the thing, though, we need to figure out what to do with these," you say.
"Well isn't it obvious," Caleb asks. "We copy our brains, put them in masks, bingo bango bongo."
You snort, "Where's the fun in that? I mean who'd want to be you?"
"Who'd want to be you," he shoots back. "But that's the thing, we make masks of our brains and ourselves and that's really about all it's good for." He suddenly looks thoughtful and after a moment looks at you with a grin, "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
"Well, you have that mask of Mansfield," he states. "So what if we get Mansfield's mind? You get that, combine it with his mask and suddenly you'll be a perfect copy of a douchebag."
"That's great and all but what would that do," you ask.
"Christ you're dense," he groans. "Look, you have Mansfield's body and you have his brain. You're Mansfield inside and out. I'm only saying this because it'll get you on board but you get Lisa alone while you're looking and thinking like him..."
It takes you a second to realize what he's proposing, "Oh fuck, I could couldn't I?" You practically shake from that. You'd rather it'd be you with Lisa but... "But that's not going to work," you grumble.
"And why wouldn't it?"
"Because she's practically joined at the hip with him," you moan. "Remember how she just had to bring him to the party? Anywhere she goes, he'll be there with his hand so far up her ass it'll be like a ventriloquist act."
"Well so what if you can't get with Lisa," Caleb states. "Mansfield has plenty of girls going after him. Find out who they are and you could get with them."
"Is that what you want to use these for, then? Score some poon?"
"What the fuck else could we do," he asks. "Fuck, I don't know, maybe you get Lisa alone long enough and you can get a mask on her. Then you can snoop around inside her head and rub her tits with your hands." He mimes squeezing an invisible pair of breasts.
"So we get some guys, get some girls, and just fool around in here," you ask. "Well, what if fooling around isn't enough?"
"Not enough?" Caleb gets a thoughtful look on his face, "Well then I guess we could, you know, fuck. I mean, if one of us was a chick it's not like it'd be gay right? Or how about we get a couple chicks, have ourselves a little slumber party, fool around like that. Fuck, we should run this by Justin and Connor." He notices you eying him oddly. "What? The point I'm trying to make is that we have the opportunity right in front of us to get some high quality ass whether it's the real girls or the copies in these masks. You get Mansfield and you've got Lisa. You get Seth and you've got Cindy. You get Gordon..." He pauses at that and shudders, "Goddamn but wouldn't that be fucking amazing? So what do you say?"  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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