Larry was online for a while before Andy and spent that time hanging out and chatting with others. Viktor appeared and the two of them gathered some other people to participate in challenging quests. When Andy finally logged on, everyone was biting at the bit to get going.

As he entered the house Tuesday afternoon, there was a large package inside the front door. His mother called out, “Andy, a package arrived for you. Come in the kitchen and tell me why you are getting large packages I had nothing to do with ordering.”

“Mom, the package is a reward for achieving a high level goal in the new Unreal Earth game Larry and I have been playing.” Andy explained.

“That game cost around a hundred dollars. How can they afford to give you all some big package? The shipping on the one in the hall was almost thirty dollars. Larry must have been really excited.”

By way of explanation, Andy said, “Mom, Larry didn’t earn it. In fact, he doesn’t know I won it. Very few people have passed this level and since I was an early achiever, I got the special reward. I’ve been afraid to tell Larry because he’ll be disappointed.”

“Well, I’m disappointed in you,” his mother stated. “We don’t lie to our friends. You figure out how you are going to tell Larry. In the meantime, take it up to your room and open it up. I want to see what the big reward is.”

In his bedroom, Andy opened the box. Inside were several different items. There was a package of socks which seemed thin almost like stockings and were barely ankle high. Similarly, there were gloves which covered the fingers and closed at the wrist. Slipping one on, they were an exact fit to his hand and he could feel things through them. It was like they were almost not there. A small black plastic piece was part of the glove resting at the back of the wrist and had a small port to be plugged in and charged. There was a set of eye covers with ear supports that had integrated earbuds which slipped into the ear. He would no longer need the speakers and wondered if the glasses would eliminate the need for the game TV screen.

In another box he found what appeared to be a pair of underwear fashioned like bike shorts with a 5 inch inseam. A separate shirt was styled like a tank top and contained a port at the hem with small cable to plug into the shorts as well as a charging port.

Andy had to read the directions. All of the supplied items were made of material integrating micro-transistors and sensors. Working together, the clothing items could determine the body position and what an individual was doing. The eye-glasses, had a camera to integrate the real world when needed so that users did not hurt themselves. This was leading edge technology. Once the user practiced with the eyeglasses and built-in headphones, there would be no need for the TV, microphone or speakers. Everything was in the new HUD [heads up display].

There was a controller, he could hold in his hand to do motion in the game when he was not actually walking around. With an app on his phone, he would be able to play the game almost anywhere. It was one of the coolest things he had ever seen. After fifteen minutes of explanation, his mother still didn’t get it, but it sounded technical and game related. She congratulated him and assumed she did not need to know details.

Andy put his schoolwork aside and started putting the gear on. He pulled on shorts and a t-shirt after he had the clothes on. There was a long set of instructions and procedures to calibrate the new items. It started with the HUD. It was very disorienting and he had to sit firmly in a chair while calibrating the sound and visual for the system. The next step was to calibrate the gloves and footies. The instructions had him calibrate the footies with nothing on his feet except the footies, then with socks only and finally with trainers. It wanted him to calibrate them with a shoe that had a heel, but not having any heels, he was allowed to skip that option. Finally, he calibrated the clothing with only the top and bottom on and later with shorts and a t-shirt which he put back on.

With the entire system on his body, the final calibration had him extend his arms overhead, out to the sides, straight in front of him and then several activities where he moved his hands around. He then had to walk around his room. Finally, he was instructed to sit and stand several times followed by lying on the bed and then standing up. On the bed, he had to roll to one side or the other and then onto his stomach. It seemed like a lot of craziness, but finally, the system notified him that the basic configuration was complete.

The only remaining thing was to configure the hand controller. The unit was wireless and smaller than the traditional unit. The controller was in two pieces one for each hand. They could be joined together in battle if the user preferred the older style controller.

Andy felt like he had won the lottery. The instructions said that the clothing items and footies could be rinsed off and hung to dry but not put in the washer. If they were overly sweaty, a very mild soap could be used and on their list he recognized one his mother used. The charge lasted for up to 20 hours and it took only an hour to fast charge the items.

When his mother called for dinner, Andy left the headset and controller in his room and went to dinner. No one could see what he had on underneath and he was thrilled. He might be able to play the game at places outside the house and other people might not even realize what he was doing.

The instructions told him that he should wear the underwear and footies for a typical day and spend as much time as possible wearing the gloves over several days so that the system would do final calibrations of movements and activities. Any activity from going to class, walking, or even exercise was fine.

The items were classified as the phase one advanced gaming system. Andy wondered what phase two would involve.

Andy wore the gear to school on Wednesday. When getting dressed, he loaded the game app on his phone and sync’d it with the game gear. This process allowed the application to track his activity and log it on the game application.

During the day, Andy checked his phone several times and it indicated data was being gathered successfully. That evening, in his room, he wore the gloves and headgear while working on homework and browsing the internet. Late on Wednesday evening, he finally had time to log into the game. He set his account to private and Portia was alive. While his TV still showed the environment, the HUD made it feel like he was in the middle of a room. It was incredible. He used the separate hand controllers to move around the room and do certain things. A button on the controller indicated he was picking things up with his hand or releasing them. It was like relearning how to move around and experience the game and it was much better than the old way.

When Portia was doing lessons on sewing, Andy was prompted to put down the controllers while seated in a chair. He picked up a shirt and held it in his hands to have some tactile response. Supposedly working on the hem, he had to pretend to pick up and hold a needle in his left hand. He then fed it into the edge of the fabric and pulled it through. In the HUD, it actually looked like he was sewing. Because he did not have a needle or an actual hem to redo, there were a lot of mistakes, but he got better with time.

The system wanted him to learn to stand and sit like a lady. Again, the controller was not needed as the system sensed his game gear and could tell when he was standing, moving or sitting. There was a sort of 3-D cloud around him and the gear all sensed where it was at any time. As he made to sit down, he had to back towards a chair while sweeping his hands under himself slightly to smooth his skirts. Ladies always wore skirts. The system knew where his hands were and if they were in the correct position for the task at hand. After several frustrating moments of going through the motions, Andy realized he had to mimic the systems expectations exactly. Knees were held together and the feet were either next to one another or crossed at the ankles. Legs might be tilted under the chair slightly, but always together.

After sitting down, Portia had to sweep her hair back off her shoulders to prevent having hair flying in her face. Other times the system prompted him to sweep a finger across an ear to push the hair back.

Once seated, hands were to be clasped or one on top of the other in the lady’s lap. If a table was in front of them, they could be placed on the table.

The head was supposed to be held in a certain way and the system kept telling him to stop leaning forward or looking around.

Andy would have to get up, walk around the room, shoulders back, in small steps with the feet near one another before repeating the practice of sitting down and then standing up. Further training introduced curtseying. Ladies always curtseyed to ladies or men of higher rank and for low level ladies, there was a lot of curtseying going on. It took Andy quite a while to get his curtseying to a beginner’s level which was way below what was required to move to the next level.

The system suggested they suspend training for the day. Andy was stunned to realize that he was worn out and it was almost eleven o’clock. He had been at the practice for hours. Physically drained, he cleansed the game gear and fell into bed.

Thursday, Larry gave him all kinds of trouble for not being on the previous night. “Where were you? Viktor and I quested for a while before he had to go. He asked where the Red Knight was.”

“I got caught up doing some things at home,” Andy explained.

“Can we do something tonight?” Larry asked.

“Sure, I’ll call as soon as I’m done with my homework.” Andy assured him.

Andy completed his homework and called Larry. Twenty minutes later, they were questing. Viktor logged on and messaged Andy. Moments later, he joined their efforts.

During the calibration phase, the computer or his phone periodically prompted Andy to know what he was doing unless he had been instructed to do a specific act. The system maintained a 3-D representation of the area around Andy and knew where all its sensors were in relation to one another. After calibration, it would know that when sensors were in specific positions Andy was either sitting, walking or standing. It knew where his feet were in relation to one another or his hands. When Andy practiced sweeping his skirts below himself when sitting, the system tracked his hands, legs, torso and bottom to know whether he performed the actions correctly. When it prompted him to sweep his hair or clasp his hands in his lap, the system knew if he was performing the tasks as expected.

When at school, Andy let the system know when he was in classrooms, walking in the hall, eating in the cafeteria, using any other areas of the school, or visiting the restroom. Tying in GPS, the system knew exactly where Andy was and could track him and his behavior throughout the day.

The system was designed to track and train Portia, a female character, and had no reason to ask any gender related questions.

Now that the system was calibrated, Portia’s training kicked into a physical phase.

“Portia,” the system said, “we have found that many intense users such as yourself, do not get enough outside physical activity. To that end, we will incorporate more physical training instead of just memorization of rules.” Andy was surprised but unconcerned.

Andy would don the system gear and use the phone based game system. Commands would be issued via the headphones in the heads-up display. Portia was reminded of the rules for sitting and standing and told to place a chair in the middle of the room.

Andy cleared space and put the chair in the open area. On Andy’s HUD, it showed Portia sitting in a straight back chair. As Portia was told to stand, Andy tried to reach for the phone sitting on the desk.

“Portia,” the system prompted, “this training incorporates the real world around you into the game. In your world, you are actually sitting in a chair. Simply stand up. They system will show your present area on the display.”

Andy was having trouble with the idea that the real world and the game were the same. He stood from the chair and on his HUD, Portia stood in almost the exact same way. Her arms were positioned as Andy’s were when he used his left hand to push off of the chair. In the display, Andy could see his room in a blocky fashion showing the bed and other pieces of furniture. The appearance of his arms looked like Portia in the game although he could see his own arms through the screen image.

“Portia, walk around the chair in a circle until you are back in front of the chair, facing the chair.” The system instructed.

On the screen, Portia walked around the chair, her soft skirts flowing with her movements and her hair bouncing on her shoulders. It was surreal as Andy was doing these things but felt like he was Portia even though he knew he was not wearing the skirts in the HUD display. He believed he felt hair brushing his shoulders.

“Turn with your back to the chair and sit down.” The system commanded.

Andy turned and sat down. On the HUD, Portia turned and sat down. The display showed Portia’s skirts bunched under her legs on the chair and her knees were separated by the same 11 inches that Andy’s legs were separated.

“Portia, have you learned nothing in your previous training?” the system admonished. An avatar showed up on the screen and performed the actions Portia had been told to do. “Watch closely,” the system commanded. “Portia, you did not sweep your skirt from under your legs as you have been taught and you are sitting with your knees separated like some peasant farmer’s daughter. You are to be a lady and you must learn these lessons or you will be demoted back to a beginner phase. Should that happen, you will lose experience and many of the rewards you have already earned. Now, watch the training example and let’s try again.”

Andy was stunned, he had never played a game which penalized users and pushed them back down the accomplishment ladder. He was so far ahead of all his friends, he couldn’t let that happen. He had to figure things out and get past these exercises.

For the next hour and a half, Portia stood from the chair and walked clockwise or counter clockwise around the chair. Turning slowly, like a lady, Portia would sit down, delicately sweeping her skirts under her, her back held straight, knees together and hands clasped carefully in her lap. Because of the gloves, the system knew exactly what position his hands were in and offered direction on placement and how to hold his hands. Utilizing sensors in the shirt, the system prompted him to sit straight with shoulders back. Portia would be asked questions on lessons learned previously and Portia had to answer these questions out loud using the soft voice Andy had adopted for Portia. Moments later, segments of the exercise would be repeated followed by more interrogation. Andy noticed that as he moved further into the training, less time was provided for responding to questions and Portia’s voice had to be perfect the first time. Portia had to answer questions by rote without thinking or she would not do it in the time required and the system would force her to redo portions of the training until she got them correct immediately.

The system told Portia there would be further lessons in sewing, crochet and knitting and Andy was provided with a list of things to buy. After school, Andy went to a huge craft store where he bought two rolls of yarn, needles, as well as starter sets for crochet, needlepoint, and basic sewing along with a couple of pieces of scrap material the store had on sale. Back home, Andy hid his purchases.

Each day, the system required Portia to participate in at least an hour of training prior to allowing the Red Knight to go questing with Lars. If Portia made mistakes, the training took longer. Beginning on the second day of the sitting training, every time the training avatar showed up, Andy was instructed to curtsey. When given an instruction or when greeting the avatar, he had to curtsey. When the avatar left, Portia had to again curtsey. Portia’s curtseys were deemed poor and the exercises were changed to require a practice curtsey every time Portia stood or returned to the front of the chair.

Frustrated, Andy concentrated to ensure he used the correct voice and performed any physical activities as instructed. Answers to prompts had to be instant as it seemed that the response time kept getting shorter. Andy was incentivized to perform so he could get to the questing portion of the game.

Portia knew every recipe by heart as well as the steps involved and the timing. Table setting and preparation, names and purposes for utensils and different pieces of china or kitchen pots and pans were ingrained. The system would remind him that if he could not be a lady, he could always be demoted to a maid. This provided even more incentive for him to perform.

A new avatar joined the game. Portia stood from the chair and curtseyed as Miss Simpson introduced herself. “I am Miss Simpson and I am here to instruct you in sewing. We will practice certain methods and stitches. Gather your scrap material needle and thread. Thread color for these practice sessions is not important.”

Andy, as Portia, went to his dresser and removed the required items from a bag in the back of the bottom drawer.

An imaginary chair appeared next to Portia’s chair and Miss Simpson sat down carefully smoothing her skirts. Portia attempted to sit perfectly and held the sewing items in her hands.

“The most common situation where sewing assistance is needed is when hemming a garment.” Miss Simpson explained. “To simulate the hem, we will fold over the edge of our scrap material and use straight pins to ensure the material does not move. When doing this on a real garment, you must ensure the hem is straight all around or at least between the points you are hemming. Some dresses must be worn to know how the hem will hang on a specific individual. You will use pins to identify where to hem the garment. We use a stitch like I am showing you. It is almost invisible from the outside. Depending on how durable the garment must be, you use more stitches. Now, you try.” The avatar stared at Portia’s lap and Andy, as Portia, picked up a scrap of material and tried to imitate Miss Simpson’s actions. Andy was forced to thread a needle, fold over a piece of material, and then imitate the stitches the avatar had used. Given the HUD and tying it into the real world, he had to concentrate very hard. In previous exercises, he did not have actual material or needles and that had made this exercise slightly easier.

The avatar stated, “You will have to practice to become good at this. After completing the hem, you always iron the fold of the hem to have a finished bottom. Depending on the material, you may use a hot or cold iron and sometimes, you do not want a totally flat ironed finish. It is garment dependent. You will learn more about this in your lessons.”

The sewing while using the HUD was mentally exhausting and Andy was relieved when the training session ended. He quested for a while with Lars, but went to bed early.

Each night thereafter, Portia was forced to endure at least thirty minutes of sewing lessons and an additional thirty minutes of sitting, curtseying, and other exercises. Each day of the week, Portia was using the faux female voice for anywhere from two to five hours and sometimes as long as eight or ten hours on a weekend. Andy was operating in two modes and learning a lot of new behavior and habits by rote repetition.

Kids concentrate on learning to tie their shoes, but as adults, few people even think about it as their hands simply move to accomplish the task.

Andy was consistently using the conditioner. Each morning and evening, he ran a brush through his hair counting the strokes. He had decided that forty was a minimum number of strokes, but if he was deep in thought, he would often keep brushing his hair to over one hundred strokes. Andy’s hair had a luster and body unlike any of the other boys. Even when he wore it in a ponytail, it still looked beautiful and well-kept. At school, the girls all noticed and wondered why the other boys didn’t take better care of their hair.

If his hair slipped near an eye, he would use a single finger to guide the hair behind his ear or back over his shoulder. While a common move for anyone with long hair, the move was more feminine than say roughly grabbing all the hair and pulling it into a tight, low ponytail.

Historically, Andy wandered into each classroom and plopped into his desk chair. Some rooms had desks with built-in surfaces while others had a chair and a separate small desk table for each student.

After a week of his afternoon practices, he was unaware that when he approached a fixed desk, he would turn his back to the chair, slide carefully into the chair and then turn to face forward before clasping his hands on the desk awaiting class to begin.

In rooms with a separate chair and table, he would reach down and slide the chair back before placing his books on the desktop. After edging in front of the chair, his hands would drop to his sides sweeping imaginary skirts below him as he sat down and scooted the chair forward.

In class, he subconsciously kept his knees together and often tilted his feet under his chair or off to one side. The actions were subtle and no one noticed. Unknown to Andy, the game application was tracking his behavior and he received positive credit for ongoing behavior consistent with the training. Noticing the rewards for behavior during school while wearing the game gear, he made it a regular part of his daily wardrobe. As a reward for this behavior, the lessons on sitting would be shortened allowing him to get to questing sooner.

Lars, Viktor and the Red Knight had become constant questing partners. They chatted about the game and national news. None of them revealed where they were actually from to online friends, only identifying the area of the country where they lived as east, west or central. Viktor revealed that he was a junior in high school and involved in sports. They chatted about subjects, but at a high level.

As a lady in training, Portia met several other real players who were also working their way through the lady training. Since the game was new, there were no older players already at the highest levels which could always be frustrating.

Martina seemed to be at a similar level in the training. Sara was a bit behind Portia and Martina but shared some of the same training.

As Portia began the second week of her higher level lady training, Martina was in some of the sessions. In these sessions, the two of them would work on recipes or their chairs would be transported to a room in the castle where they worked on sewing side by side.

“I have to admit,” Portia said in her breathy voice, “this sewing is driving me nuts. It just eats up time until we can get back to the fun parts of the game.”

Giggling, Martina responded, “My mom and grandmother tried to teach me to sew for years. Now, I’m being forced to do it for some game. I feel like a fool. I’d rather be out questing.”

“I agree,” Portia said.

Realizing they had similar schedules, Portia and Martina arranged to get on the system at the same times to work together. Sara sometimes joined them, but often used the system at different times of the day. As they started joining material like a seam or to add decoration like lace, Portia and Martina worked together with Miss Simpson and helped each other. It took away some of the tedium and Portia began to look forward to chatting with Martina.

Andy found that during the day he thought of himself as Andy, but when playing the game, he thought of himself as Portia. It was easier to adopt the persona than to try to think of actions or roles in the third person.

At night, Andy’s dreams were often filled by adventures with Portia chatting with Martina or Portia pretending to be a man questing as the Red Knight.

Portia and Martina were practicing adding lace to the hem of a dress. “Portia, what kind of boys do you like?”

Caught off guard, Portia wondered, how should she answer this question? “I think I’d like a minor Duke, but I might be happy with a successful knight. I haven’t figured out where to set my sights. As I reach more goals, I think my choices will probably change.”

They talked to one another using the audio interface while performing their sewing tasks.

Martina began giggling, “I meant in the real world.”

“Oh,” Portia said as Andy’s mind wondered how to answer the question.

“Well,” Martina prompted.

Fumbling, “Ah, uh, I guess I’m embarrassed to say. What kind of boys do you like?”

Martina snickered, “Embarrassed talking about boys. You must be short on experience. Let’s see. At first, I wanted a jock with lots of muscles, but it was like talking to my dolls when I was little. Or, maybe my dog. I decided a brain was more important, otherwise I would be bored. Don’t get me wrong, I like a guy who is in shape, but brains and the ability to talk without stumbling and embarrassing themselves or me are now a top requirement.” She was laughing after that last statement.

Andy smiled. Martina seemed like the kind of girl Andy wished he knew in the real world. He asked, “Are you dating someone right now?”

Martina said, “No. I haven’t found anyone that warrants more than two dates in a long time. I tried dating older boys, but they just want to get a notch in their headboard. I’m re-evaluating the boys at school. Now, tell me about your boyfriend.”

Andy decided to describe the kind of person he would like and ignore the gender. Portia answered, “I want someone who is authentic, not pandering to other people, someone focused on me and us. Talking and sharing are really important. A partner should make me laugh. Communication should come easy. A kiss should not be an action to declare ownership, a habit with no meaning, or like kissing a relative. True kisses, should be felt from the tingle in your toes to a fast beating heart and a mind lost in absorbing and remembering the entire interaction.”

“Holy shit,” Martina said, absorbing a penalty for cursing in the game. After the beep alert, she continued, “I want all that too. Are you worried you’re setting your sights too high?” she giggled.

Portia responded, “Love should be found when your partner and relationship exceed your expectations. Starting out with less than what you want seems unlikely to evolve to something greater.”

“Wow,” Martina said, “I couldn’t agree more. Some lucky guy is out there waiting for you.”

The two of them laughed.

Martina tried to get Portia to talk about makeup and what brands she liked. Not being a user of makeup in the real world, Portia, or Andy, was unprepared to answer such questions and Portia changed the subject or would soon leave the game.

Realizing Portia’s reluctance, Martina simply talked about what she liked and why certain brands were better. When portraying Portia, Andy had learned to listen and absorb. He tried to remember everything Martina said in case it was important later on.

Portia and Martina bonded, agreeing on times to work together on the basic tasks and achievements to advance on the female side of the spectrum. This sometimes conflicted with what Larry wanted, but with a schedule, Andy could tell Larry when the Red Knight would be available to quest and along with Viktor, the trio were a well-known team on the system.

Andy truly enjoyed the time he spent online with Martina and wished he could find a real girl to have such a relationship with. Other than Larry, Martina quickly became a true confidant. He was embarrassed that he did not have more dates, but Martina constantly reported on boys she knew at school and what she thought of them. Andy began describing girls he knew to Martina, but he portrayed them as boys. They both referred to their interests using a single letter or code. It was kind of fun. Andy would try to guess the boys names and compare them to boys at his own school.

“I dated a boy, I’ll call E3, one time,” Martina said. “A football and basketball player, he’s popular and pretty good looking. Six foot two, 170 according to the football programs, and he kept his brown hair in almost a buzz cut. We went to dinner and a party on our first date. I’m a cheerleader, but I barely knew him other than to say hello and joke around. At dinner, all he talked about was football and his next game. I hardly got to speak at all and even though he talked the whole time, I didn’t learn anything about him other than his entire life revolved around football. At the party, it was like he thought I would get lost. He pulled me around by my arm like I was his little sister. He got himself a drink and ignored me. My girlfriends had to follow me around to talk to me. To get away, I finally had to tell him I was going to the bathroom. I was talking to the girls in another room and he came and retrieved me to have me sit next to him on a couch. He never talked to me and surprise, he talked to his buddies about the next football game. I admit, I gave him a good night kiss, but there was no emotion in it and I rushed inside.”

“That sounds horrible,” Portia said. “Did you go out again?”

“No way. He called, but I told him I wasn’t interested.” Martina stated, her distaste clear in the tone of her voice.

“I’m sorry,” Portia said and Andy meant it.

Martina grumbled, “All the football players want to go out with the cheerleaders. After four other players ended the same way, I swore off on football players unless they have some other clearly redeeming factor. I still like athletes, but it could just be a fit guy. He doesn’t have to be some popular jock.”

Portia wasn’t sure what to say.

Martina asked, “Tell me about someone you are interested in.”

Andy thought about Sandy but cast her as a male for the conversation. “This one person, S1, a year ahead of me. We’d never even talked until a recent party. There I was and suddenly we’re talking like old friends. I didn’t know S1 knew my name. It was a conversation about drinks, but I was totally caught off-guard. Then, S1 was gone.”

“He didn’t ask you out?” Martina asked.

“That’s the thing, I’m pretty sure S1’s in a relationship,” Portia explained.

Laughing conspiratorially, Martina suggested, “Maybe, the relationship is nearing the end.”

“Maybe,” Portia said.

Portia told similar stories about Toni, T1, and Tori, T2, from the party. He mentioned a girl named Megan, M1, who he used to like but decided was too into politics. Ellen, E1, had been cute but gained a lot of weight and he wasn’t as interested in her now. In all these conversations, Portia talked about these people using the nicknames and as if they were men. He kept a cheat-cheat of the codes and names on his desk.

Portia asked Martina, “Tell me about someone you liked and went out with for a while.”

Martina told her about Ian, N1. “N1 was a hunk and a nice boy. Early sophomore year, N1 asked me to go to a movie. He runs cross country and we shared a few classes. It was fun and we dated for half of the fall semester. I liked talking to him and he was very nice to me. We never did much more than kissing. After a while I realized, we were good as friends, but there was no spark. I wanted more and it turned out he felt the same way. We drifted apart.”

Martina said, “Your turn.”

Portia hemmed and hawed. “I haven’t really dated anyone. My mom set me up with a kid from up the block. We knew each other, but neither one of us wanted to be there. I’m waiting.”

“You’re so outgoing and fun to talk to,” Martina observed, “how can no one have asked you out? Maybe, you have to take the bull by the horns and ask some boy out.”

“In the game, I can be who I am. In the real world,” Portia observed, “I have a lot of baggage. People don’t see the real me.”

“Maybe, we need to give you a clothing makeover,” Martina suggested. “We’d have to find a way to chat in the real world so I could offer advice. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“Like what?” Portia asked.

Martina paused trying to be careful how she asked her next question, “We’re friends, right? I mean we’ve sort of told each other some personal things.”

“I consider you a good friend. I can talk to you about almost anything.” Portia admitted.

Martina said, “I think most people think I’m cute. My shoulder length brown hair has a body perm so it is always a bit curly. I told you I was a cheerleader for football and I wear a size seven dress. I try to keep myself fit. I don’t overeat or worry about splurging on a nice meal. My chest is smaller than I would like, but my mom only has C cup breasts. My B’s are cute but sometimes, I wish there was a little more. That’s more personal information than I have shared with anyone in a long time. Now, it’s your turn. Tell me about yourself.”

Andy was stunned that this girl had told him all these personal details and was struggling with how to respond. He took a deep breath and Portia began speaking, “I like to swim and was on the swim team in grade school. I like to bike and skateboard. School sports have not been comfortable for me. I was never the best even though I tried really hard. As we got older, the good athletes made it more and more uncomfortable for people like me and I was more comfortable walking away. I have a couple of close friends who I do things with and we go to school events. My shoulder length blonde hair tops a lanky five foot seven frame. I’ve been trying to take better care of my hair and my mom told me I should run a brush through it at least fifty times each morning. It makes a big difference.”

“What size dress do you wear?” Martina asked.

Andy had looked at the top to his gear and wondered what the 11/12 had meant. He took a chance. Portia responded, “11 or twelve?” she said it in almost a questioning tone before adding, “I don’t wear much in the dress department. I’m mostly a pants and top kind of girl.” Andy had learned that girls referred to shirts as tops and if he said shirts, it would certainly raise questions.

Martina was quiet for a moment before asking, “You sound like a normal girl. You’re clearly not anorexic or carrying too many cookies. How’s your face? Do you think you are cute? Do you have any body issues which would turn the boys off? I don’t understand why you’re not getting some interest. Your personality is wonderful and any boy would be lucky to have you on his arm.”

Andy smiled as Portia laughed. “No body issues and I have never worried about my weight. I think my face is normal. I got past acne issues freshman year without any scarring. I think I just need more opportunities to interact with the opposite sex. I figured if I talk to them, eventually I’ll figure out whose best for me.”

“Well, you have to be out there for people to notice you.” Martina stated and followed it up with a cute laugh.

Andy yearned to meet a girl like Martina.

Martina suggested, “You need to grab one of your girlfriends and get a makeover at the mall. It could change your whole perspective. Try some new clothes. Get the guys to notice your figure.”

Portia chuckled. This was not helpful advice. Andy didn’t want guys to notice his figure. Hell, he didn’t have a figure for guys or girls to notice.

“I’ll think about it,” Portia responded with little enthusiasm.

Martina stated in a slightly snotty tone, “Look, you have to put yourself out there and make sure everyone sees you or you’ll end up alone with a cat. If you hide at home or only live in the gaming world, you’re not going to get a chance to have a real relationship. While I’m upset by many of the relationships I’ve had, I know more of what I want and I’m going to get there.”

It was clear to Martina that Portia was burned out on the conversation.

“Let’s talk about the game,” Martina suggested. “Do you know any of the really successful players?”

Andy wanted to be careful not to expose his secret identity. “I met a knight named Lars who has a group that has been pretty successful.”

“I heard about them,” Martina said. “The Red Knight and Viktor the Dark. I think there’s more to the Red Knight than people think.”

“Why do you say that?” Portia asked.

Martina explained, “I heard that the Red Knight seems to have really high protection and takes much less damage than other players he quests with. I’d like to get to know him better. If we want to get to the higher levels, we need to know the secrets that the more experienced players protect.”

Andy felt a sense of pride as he listened to Martina. “I think they often go out on quests a little later in the evening. You could go to the meeting zone and try to talk to them there.”

“Maybe I will,” Martina said in a syrupy tone. “We should go together. Let’s do it tonight.”

“I can’t. I have to run some errands with my mom. You go and tell me everything tomorrow.” Portia said conspiratorially.

“You know it,” Martina said.

Andy figured, Portia needed to be offline for a while before the Red Knight appeared. Portia said, “I have to run. Talk to you tomorrow.”

Setting his profile to hidden, Andy went to Portia’s hideaway where he could convert to the Red Knight. He logged off and went to grab a snack.

Martina approached Lars. “I wondered if I might quest with you and your friends.”

Since names were displayed over the character, Lars checked Martina’s profile noting a female character with high experience levels. It was unusual for a female to have such a high experience level. “How did you get such a high experience level?”

Martina answered, “I’m online a lot and I try to remain focused on the tasks at hand. You’ll find me an asset.”

They were always looking for other players to help out. “Sure, I’m waiting for a couple of friends and then we’ll be off. Do you have armor and weapons equivalent to your experience?”

“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have achieved the level I presently hold.”

“Red Knight, I invited Martina to quest with us.” Lars stated.

Andy reminded himself that in this character, he had never met Martina. “Fine,” The Red Knight said before asking, “What mission have you selected for tonight?”

“I was hoping to convince you to help me with the mountain so we can finally overcome the huge challenge." Lars answered.

Surprisingly, it was Martina who balked. “Bad Idea. We don’t have enough time and I can’t commit to that.”

Red Knight said, “I agree.”

“In that case, how about the Red Caves of Death?” Martina and the Red Knight agreed and after collecting a couple of other characters who would be used as fodder, the quest was on.

Andy was impressed. In combat, Martina was clearly on a similar level to Lars and the Red Knight. In tactics and strategy, Andy’s character was clearly the best. Andy saw the entire battlefield at each stage and his strategies were sound, consistently leading to faster victory. When Martina tried to stray, something Lars tended to do often, it typically ended in them having to be saved by the Red Knight, forcing them to step back and regroup before moving forward.

Interestingly, Martina got in line with his directions pretty quickly, while Lars continued to stray from the plan. Each character had to do a lot of improvising, but Andy tried to give them guidance on where to be and what to expect. Keeping the group together assured them another member of the team could respawn them in the event of a kill.

Martina’s character was quick and both Lars and the Red Knight immediately realized that she had high levels of hidden protection, much like Andy. Larry had never understood how Andy survived certain situations where his own character seemed to die, but he was presented with Martina who was demonstrating similar characteristics.

Thinking about the situation, Larry recognized that Viktor had high levels of protection. Larry wondered what he was doing wrong and felt a certain amount of frustration.

Martina wouldn’t stop telling Portia about the quests she went on with Lars and the Red Knight. “Lars,” she said, “is a great fighter, but the Red Knight,” she paused dreamily, “the Red Knight is such a great leader. He uses few words, but he’s like a movie hero.”

Martina seemed to join them in questing every couple of days. Viktor had a lot of things going on at school so it was convenient to find another capable team member.

Over the next days, Martina kept trying to get Portia to join her in the quests. “Why won’t you come questing with us? With your rank and other things, you’ve clearly done some questing. Why won’t you go out with us?”

Portia explained, “I quest in the middle of the night with some guys from the far east. We have a thing.” Hearing the grumbling disappointment from Martina, Portia added, I’d be happy to go out with just you and me sometime.”

It wouldn’t be the same, but Martina agreed to do something with Portia the next night.

All these conversations and questing took place while Martina and Portia continued their training in becoming ladies. Their friend Sarah sometimes joined them, but was clearly not as dedicated to the game as reflected by her level.

The pair of aspiring ladies, learned various sewing tasks, mastered curtseying, sitting and sweeping skirts aside in a ladylike manner. Portia stood and walked in a ladylike manner without long bounding steps and kept her feet one in front of the other which led to a bit of a hip sway that Andy was unaware of.

With daily practice, and actually moving ahead by successfully accomplishing these tasks on an ongoing basis, the lessons began to instill themselves as rote behavior instead of a game in a dark room.

Students seldom look at a boy’s bottom to see if it sways as he walks down the hall. Andy’s method of sitting in the school desks had evolved till he now slid backwards into the seat and then swiveled to sit facing forward. His slight hand movements to protect the invisible skirt were missed. Like a person with ACD he would arrange his notepad, pens and pencils before clasping his hands on the desk awaiting the beginning of class. His back was straight and he faced forward. If people like Larry talked to him, he either answered without looking away or he would swivel his body in his seat slightly to look at them when speaking while maintaining correct posture.

Some of the kids noticed small elements of odd behavior, but Andy and Larry had always been back of the room kind of guys unless seats were assigned. Andy seldom needed to turn around and most people were in front of him not looking at him. People further back were seldom interested in the class material or people in the room.

At home, showers occurred daily with hair washed and conditioned using a lavender scented combination his mother provided. As the intensive training and fact memorization began, Andy learned that ladies are always worried about their appearance. Certain things were occasion based while others were destined to become expected behavior. Ladies eliminated errant hair on their legs and underarms. A hair on the chest or neck was an emergency that needed to be dealt with immediately.

Andy wasn’t even sure when it happened. He finished with his head hair and was waiting for the conditioner to do its job when he noticed the hair on his legs. It seemed silly, but why hadn’t he realized before how unsightly it looked especially when matted down and wet. Fifteen minutes later, he was cleaning out the drain but marveling at the feel of his hairless legs. It was so much easier to shave his legs regularly than to wait for the hair to get longer and look horrible while blocking the drain.

Exiting the shower, Andy found a skin lotion designed for post shave application and liberally applied it. His skin felt alive. Several days later, his underarms joined the hair cleansing routine.

After a shower, Andy had developed a routine for brushing his hair after it was dried using the new hair dryer. He seemed unaware of the mantras he repeated to himself as he brushed his hair for close to a hundred strokes each day. When he felt out of sorts, he sometimes sat in his chair and picked up the brush to feel the calm serenity which encompassed him. Again, he was unaware of the mantras he mumbled to himself sometimes out loud while at other times, only in his mind. When uttered audibly, it was always in Portia’s voice.

The truth was that while he was aware he had been shaving and using skin oils, his mind had never entered into the controversial discussion about why he was doing these things or why he changed behavior. It just seemed like the natural normal things he should be doing. Something in his training was changing his subconscious definition of normal.

Part of the training involved nail care. Andy had never been a nail biter and his mother had always encouraged him to keep his finger and toenails under control. Nail care was part of hand presentation and he had found an old emery board in the bathroom which he used to keep his nails smooth and rub away rough edges.

Portia was having trouble with the tests on nail care and Martina was constantly kidding Portia about her failures. “How can you fail questions about nail polish and nail care?”

After five minutes of harassment, Portia admitted, “I’ve never worn nail polish. My mom thought it was inappropriate and I just never got into it.”

Martina began laughing and couldn’t stop. “You can’t describe how polish looks on the nails or how it feels when it is applied if you have never done it. How would you know how long it takes? The smells? Even if you aren’t going to keep it on, you have to put it on and go through the entire process or you’ll never understand the feelings. The slick feeling of the hardened polish is like nothing else. Just get some clear polish and use that.”

Martina gloated and harassed Portia for the rest of the afternoon. “Are you just some tween pretending to be in high school? That would explain your lack of dating experience.” Many younger kids got into role-playing games and tried to pretend they were older than they were in reality. However, when audio interaction was involved, you could usually tell by the tone and timbre of the voice or by the vocabulary and terminology. “Are you afraid of mommy? It can’t be money or you couldn’t afford the game and the internet connection required.”

In the back of his mind, Andy knew it was ridiculous, but he figured everyone in the crowded big box store was staring at him knowingly as he entered. Everyone knew he was there for some strange, sick purpose. He had taken a basket because no one walked around the store without a basket. He cruised along with other shoppers, all of whom were staring at him, up and down the aisles. As he moved, Andy took note of the food and drug store sections. Personal body and hair care were right next to the pharmacy. Soda and alcohol were in the back corner in front of the dairy sections. He stopped and got two bottles of soda and a bag of pretzel rods.

Traveling the main aisle across the back of the store, electronics was on the right with sales on big screen TVs and phone accessories. On the left, the baby section preceded toddler clothing and an aisle to the front. Furniture, Auto, home repair and toys were on the far wall all the way to the front. Andy turned up the aisle to the front passing boys clothing and women’s nightgowns. Turning again to the left the cash registers were on his right and most of the front of the store was women’s clothing. Towards the door where he had entered was a walled off section of women’s cosmetics. He had never taken the time to notice the section in the past. The special section had its own cash register and a person making people pay as they left the area much like the electronics people in the back of the store. They must get a lot of theft.

Andy took a deep breath and turned his cart into the cosmetics section. Sweat running down his spine and across his forehead. Everyone waiting to checkout was asking themselves why a high school boy was entering this female only sanctuary. Andy’s eyes darted right and left. Four short aisles and a lot of the product was further protected behind glass cases. This was a nightmare. His grip on the basket handle threatened to bend the steel basket. He felt like he was having trouble breathing.

Andy literally jumped and emitted an, “Eek” when a perky salesgirl asked, “Can I help you find something? You look lost. What are you looking for?” She was five inches shorter than Andy with a cute figure hidden in her blue and yellow store vest with Cassandra on the nameplate. She was probably in her twenties. Maybe she went to college. Whatever. When was she going to stop talking and let him answer?

Wide-eyed, he had trouble finding words. The girl laughed. “Relax. Take a deep breath.” He took the breath. “Smile,” she said. He smiled.

Almost giggling, she asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Nail polish?” he answered almost as a question.

“You’re not sure or is nail polish what you are here for?” she asked still with that cute smile.

He took another breath and said more firmly, “Nail polish.”

Suddenly, the inner saleswoman in her took over. “We have so many choices. Here follow me.” She was trotting down the second aisle pulling Andy’s basket with his hands attached as if they were glued to the handles.

Cassandra knew her nail polish and they had expensive and cheap alternatives. She went into a rant on using the correct base coat and a top coat to seal the polish. The cheap products didn’t last and actually got bumpy with the top coat additions. “This product is kind of middle of the line price wise but it looks great. If you take care when putting it on and use a good top coat, it will look as good as or better than the really expensive polish.”

Her smile was charming and sucked him in. Andy tried to breath but it was like drinking from a firehose.

“What color were you looking for?” she asked as if it was the most normal question in the world. He asked himself, do boys buy nail polish? It had never even occurred to him.

“Hon,” she said to get his attention out of his mind analysis. “Color?”

“Does it come in clear?” Andy asked.

“Of course. They all do.” She was pulling a little bottle with a long black top out of the display case. Then she reached back in and pulled out two more that were also clear. “You need the base coat and the top coat to seal the polish. That gives you better life and less damage doing everyday things.

“But, they are all clear.” Andy said.

“Yes, but only one is the polish. You need all three. Now what other color do you want?” Cassandra asked.

“Clear is fine.”

“It’s a sale. Buy one and the second one is free. You have to get another color.” Cassandra explained.

Andy looked at the rainbow of colors. The majority were based on some form of pink or red with a few purples and some other base colors. What color would Portia wear? He asked himself. What color would Portia, the Red Knight wear? He looked up and stared at the Reds.

“Red,” he stated firmly.

Cassandra was giggling, “I have twenty different reds.”

“Dark red?” Andy asked.

Cassandra looked at the rack and pulled out a deep darker red, “Cabernet Nights,” she said with a smile.

It was red and he needed to get out of the store. “Great,” he answered adding the bottle to his collection.

Cassandra couldn’t help herself as she pushed him to buy a couple of special emery boards, cuticle trimmers and a high quality pair of nail trimmers. “You have to have quality tools,” she kept saying.

Cassandra explained that he had to pay for his things in her section, but she could also check out his soda and other items. It was a relief he wouldn’t have to go through another checkout line.

He spent way more than he expected, but he had what he needed.

Back home, he felt the need to google nail polish application. It seemed hundreds of YouTube videos were available to explain the correct preparation and application of the products. Andy watched one from the manufacturer on his nail polish bottles and then several from different women, young and old on how to get the best manicure or pedicure. It was clearly a popular topic and he dismissed several videos which were all fluff.

Having isolated three videos which seemed to provide the needed detail without a lot of useless information, Andy watched the videos carefully. After weeks of in-game training, he paid close attention and absorbed the directions. It was now time to test his lessons.

Having pushed back his cuticles, and trimmed the dead skin, Andy opened the base coat. He immediately worried that his mother would notice the pungent smell. Trying to focus, Andy began with his pinkie finger on the left hand. It was slow and painstaking work as he tried to ensure he covered the entire nail, not the skin, and applied an even coat. He continued on to the next finger.

After the base coat had dried, he decided to try his toes. The problems were similar. Opening the clear nail polish, Andy listened for his mother, praying she was involved in something elsewhere in the house. As he applied the first coat to his left pinkie, he had no idea where the polish started and the base coat remained. Huffing to himself in frustration, he tried the next nail and was still unsure of his success or failure.

Staring at his bag of nail maintenance products, the red jar stood out. If he applied the red polish, he would know if he had full coverage of the nail and any errors would be obvious. Unwilling to chance his mother interrupting him and seeing the polish on his fingernails, his toenails became the targets of choice.

The smell of the polish was strong, but after a few minutes, it was nice for some reason. Andy was totally focused on his task. The littlest toe on his left foot barely required two swipes of the brush. It seemed that there were some brush bumps in the trail, but he moved to the next toe. On the toe next to his big toe, he got some of the polish on the skin to the side, but it was quickly removed by one of the little wood cuticle tools. The big toe was where he could really see his work. Slow even brush strokes covered the toenail. Looking back at the first small toe, Andy was pleased to see that the brush trails seemed to have flattened out. His toes gleamed in the light and Andy did not even realize he was smiling.

The right foot had a few more mistakes with polish on the cuticles, but he quickly cleaned them up. Ten minutes later, Andy was staring at ten gleaming red toes. It was almost mesmerizing and he felt a true level of accomplishment at successfully completing the first coat.

After waiting several minutes, Andy repeated the steps to apply the second coat to his toenails. Again, while they dried, he stared, mesmerized by how different his feet looked.

When the third coat was dry, it was time for the topcoat. With much more confidence, Andy’s brush strokes applied the topcoat on all ten toes. Capping the bottle, he took in the ten gleaming nails. They were like the finish of a newly waxed car. Shining and reflecting the light, he was captivated by the ten perfect little red jewels. While silly, he felt a sense of accomplishment.

Using his short experience, he decided to try the clear polish on his other eight fingers. Raised confidence from his toes allowed him to watch for signs he was outside the toe or missing a spot. In just a few minutes, he had finished the first coat. Twenty minutes later, he had two more coats of clear polish and the top coat drying.

Even the clear coat looked nice, but his eyes were drawn back to his red toes. His hands looked finished in a way they never had. It wasn’t that they looked like girls’ hands as much as they looked ready for a night out.

With that thought in mind, Andy jumped out of his chair when his phone rang. Why had his phone scared him like that?

“Hello,” Andy answered tentatively. He was suddenly worried that people on the phone knew he was using nail polish alone in his bedroom.

“Hey, are we going to the party at Tanya’s house?” Larry asked him.

“When is it?” Andy asked.

“Tonight. It starts early. Her parents are barbecuing brats and burgers for dinner.”

Andy was excited to go to another party. “When will you pick me up?”

“30 minutes. See you then.”

Ending the call, Andy began looking through his closet. He called down to his mother to let her know he was going out with Larry. A barbecue called for shorts and he pulled out a nice pair of khaki shorts, not cargo shorts with all those pockets. Button down seemed too formal, but t-shirt seemed too casual. Polo shirt seemed perfect. There was an almost new purple colored shirt he had only worn one time. His mom loved the color, but he had balked at it. Now, as he reconsidered it, the color seemed perfect. Before dressing, he pulled on the silky tank top his mother gave him when he went to Mark Barker’s house. It made the polo look perfect. He quickly changed and pulled out his leather sandals.

Seated at his desk which now had several hair products off to the side, he began brushing his hair. It was relaxing and he absorbed the moments. Looking in the mirror, he wondered, should he put it in a ponytail? No, loose was better. Was there something else he could do to make his hair look better? Maybe, curls or some kind of clip or comb to hold it in place. In his game, he learned of the many tools of the trade even though he never used them.

His hair looked great. Standing in front of the full length mirror on his closet door, he thought, the red of my toes looks great with this purple shirt.

Suddenly, he gasped and his eyes shot wide open. He couldn’t breathe as he felt something gripping his chest. He had red toes. He had to get that off before Larry arrived. Sandals off, he ran to the bathroom and grabbed some soap. On the side of his tub, the soap seemed to be shining his toes, not removing the polish. He ran to the shopping bag. Polish, tools, top and base coat. No nail polish remover. How could he have been so stupid?

“Andy, Larry is here,” his mother called.

“I’ll be there in a minute.” Andy called.

Yanking open a dresser drawer, Andy grabbed a pair of shorty socks and slipped them on his feet. Seeing a second pair with a purple stripe, he took off the first pair and replaced them because they would match his top and it was always important to ensure your outfit matched. Not sure why matching was important, he tied his trainers and headed for the door. His toes were covered and that was what was important.

In the back of his mind, it occurred to him that whether on display or not, it was always important to look your best, if only for yourself. Unconsciously, he knew ladies often wear pretty underclothes, not expecting anyone else to see them. Andy knew his toes looked great, his clothes matched, and he was happy.

“Well, you look ready to impress the ladies,” Larry said as he slid into the passenger seat.

“What do you mean?” Andy asked in a concerned voice.

Larry paused and looked at Andy again, “I don’t know. You are wearing casual but nice clothes and your hair and everything looks clean. I can’t put my finger on it, but you look like you are ready to find a woman.”

Andy wasn’t sure how to take that as Larry took off for the party.

Things were hopping when they arrived. Walking around the side of the house seemed correct as they saw everyone in the side and back yard. Tanya was talking to an older man, probably her father, near a smoking barbecue.

Larry took the lead, “Tanya, great party. Thanks for inviting us. You know Andy.”

Tanya was smiling, “Food is on the table near the sliding glass window. Drinks are in the coolers off the side of the patio.” After glancing at Larry, Tanya had scanned Andy from head to toe. “Andy, you look very nice. I don’t know if I mentioned it, but your hair looks really nice lately.”

Slightly embarrassed by the statement, Andy patted the back of his hair saying, “Thanks. I’ve been trying to keep it looking nice. I love your pedicure, your nails look fantastic.”

With a huge smile, Tanya said, “Why thank you. You’re doing a great job on the hair and put most of the other boys to shame.” She was looking at her toes in the white sandals she wore when someone called her name and she said, “Gotta run. Have fun.”

Larry asked, “What was that about her nails?”

Andy explained, “Girls like it when you compliment them. She said something nice about me and I’m supposed to identify something nice to say about her. It’s polite and expected.”

“I never heard that,” Larry said.

Andy wasn’t sure where he learned it, but he was confident he was right. It was like setting a table, you just knew how to do it.

Larry headed for the food while Andy headed for the drinks.

“Look at those shiny red gems. They’re perfect,” a girlish voice declared from his side.

Aghast, Andy’s head and eyes immediately darted to his trainers. Nothing was visible. What was she talking about? His eyes looked for the source of the voice.

Sandy was staring at him with a happy smile, “We meet at the drinks again. I need to suck on one of those red gems. Do you mind?”

In horror, Andy looked back at his feet.

“Andy, do you have sodas under your feet?” she asked.

“N…no.” he looked at her quizzically.

“Could you hand me a coke please? I’m simply parched.”

Andy leaned back over the cooler and handed her a coke.

She popped the top and took a quick drink. “Ah. There is nothing like an ice cold coke.” Then she started giggling.

Andy had opened his own can and was taking a drink.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“With the cold water on your hands, it looks like you had a manicure. Your hands look perfect. Thank you for the coke,” she said as she waved good bye.

Breathless, Andy’s eyes stared at his well-manicured fingers. His left hand slipped into his pocket while the other held his drink. He tried to keep the nails around the can and towards his body.

“Andy,” Larry called, “Come get some food. Bring me a 7-Up or Sprite.”

Andy retrieved a Sprite and headed for the food.

Seated at a picnic table across from Larry, Andy was worried everyone would notice his fingernails. How could he have been so stupid? The girls were all going to notice. He had his fingers wrapped under the paper plate and aimed his thumbnails toward himself.

Ignoring their food, Andy and Larry observe the party attendees around them. “There’s a good crowd here,” Larry concluded.

“They all came to see you, Larry,” Andy kidded him before popping the top on his Coke.

Andy was concentrating on his food as Larry ate a sandwich and continued to scan the room, waving to people that locked eyes. As he looked at his phone, ignoring Larry, his thoughts were interrupted. “What is with your nails?” The shrill question declaring someone had a problem and Andy wanted to crawl under the table.

Someone else said, “Look at his hands.”

Two figures appeared behind Larry and Andy knew everyone was staring at him, the freak. Not having cried in a couple of years, Andy was stunned to feel his vision blurred by tears waiting to roll down his cheeks. Frozen in fear, he balled his hands into fists and slowly moved them towards the edge of the table. He felt like a freshman again, getting picked on by people he thought were at least casual friends. Could he crawl under the table?

Susan, a classmate, said, “Larry, did you work on the engine of your car before running over her or maybe you were playing in the garden. The encrusted dirt under your nails and streaks in the creases of your hands makes me wonder when the last time you washed your hands. You’re eating food at a party.”

Someone sat down next to Andy. “You don’t see Andy running around with grease and mud in the crevices of his hand or under his finger nails. He takes care of his hair and always looks nice. Girls wouldn’t be afraid to bring him home to meet their parents.”

Susan added, “My God, you’re a senior in high school Larry. Try to pretend your mother taught you how to take care of yourself.”

A woman’s hand snatched Andy’s left hand and he looked up to see Sandy sitting in the chair. His face scrunched up trying to figure out why Sandy was sitting next to him holding his hand. As he stared at her face confused, she was looking between Larry and Andy’s left hand. Distracted by Sandy holding his hand, Andy didn’t realize as she tucked her hand into his palm and bent his fingers outstretched.

“See, perfectly clean fingers and hand. His nails couldn’t look better.” Andy’s eyes bugged out as she spoke and he looked to Larry, which was where everyone else seemed to be staring. Then he looked down at his gleaming nails, feeling like he should die. Sandy was using two hands to roll Andy’s fingers back under as she covered his hand with both of hers. Sandy said, “Larry, eating with disgusting hands was alright when you were in fifth grade, but this is a party for high school students. Go to the bathroom and clean your hands. I’m sure Andy would be happy to show you how to wash your hands if your mother overlooked those lessons.” Sandy’s head turned and she was smiling at Andy as she held his hand hiding his nails.

Mouth open after the attack from multiple women, Larry remained silent. He stared at Andy for a second, and his friend saw the fury behind the eyes. Standing slowly, Andy wondered what Larry would do. Larry simply turned and walked away. Andy started to stand up to follow, but Sandy pulled back on his hand. “Let him go. Larry’s a nice guy and he likes to put on a brave face with the ladies, but he hasn’t figured out that he needs to clean up his act and show he cares. You did. Last year you started putting more thought into the clothes you wore. All the girls noticed your beautiful hair and hygiene improvements. Larry needs to get with the program. Frankly, he’s a little boisterous and knocking him down a notch will help him build a little character.” Smiling she added, “I’ll bet we never see him with grease covered hands again.”

Andy was worried about Larry, but couldn’t figure out why Sandy was sitting there holding his hands and talking to him like an old friend.

Sandy asked, “Can I have one of your miniature carrots?”

Still confused, Andy just nodded.

She removed one hand from his, carefully selected a three inch carrot about an inch in diameter and raised it to her mouth. She looked from the carrot to Andy’s eyes. Staring at him, she slipped the carrot between her soft pink lips which engulfed it. She slid the carrot into her mouth over half way and then slid it out coated in her saliva. Her tongue lingered on the end of the carrot before she slid it in and her bright white perfect teeth snipped about a quarter inch off the end.

Holding his breath, Andy couldn’t move and standing up was not an option.

Still locked on his eyes, Sandy smiled, “I like these little carrots too. Would you like a taste?” Sandy’s hand turned and she slid the carrot between Andy’s lips, similarly to how she had done her own.

Andy’s eyes were still locked on Sandy’s but he suddenly noted the taste in his mouth which was not carrot. It was Sandy’s saliva, which was sweet. She pulled the carrot out until only a small portion was still in his mouth. “Go ahead and take a bite.”

Slowly biting into the carrot, Andy lopped off a half an inch. He sucked it into his mouth and savored Sandy’s saliva mixed with the carrot taste. Like a hard candy, he just sucked on it. Standing up was absolutely out of the question as he wondered what it would be like to kiss her.

Smiling broader, Sandy took another slow bite from the carrot. “I’m going to catch up with the girls. If Larry abandons you, one of us will give you a ride home. Your hair and hands really do look wonderful. I’m going to have to pay attention to my own manicure or you’ll start showing me up.” She laughed as she stood. Still holding the carrot, she finger waved with her other hand and strolled off to find ‘the girls.’

Andy recovered slightly as she left the room and realized he was alone at the table. The girls who had shown up to harass Larry were gone, as was Larry. He probably went to wash his hands.

After finishing his food and soda, Larry had not returned.

Standing and gathering his trash, Andy found a trash can in the kitchen and went looking for Larry. Not locating him inside or in the backyard, he concluded Larry left. Now he had to figure out how to get home.

Andy talked to a few guys about the football team, but he hadn’t been to a lot of games. Gary got Andy to commit to the next night’s game. Andy extracted himself and walked around a bit more. Couples were everywhere. Dark corners were occupied by the couples unconcerned with an audience.

There were groups of boys and girls but they seemed to be topic oriented. Three groups had multiple cheerleaders and two of them had several football players with them. Andy chuckled hearing several of the players predicting the next day’s game and how it would impact their season. Martina was right, they were single topic focused. The third group had several of the t-girls along with other athletes and some of the in-crowd. Different boys seemed focused on each of the girls. Guys were marking their territory and discouraging others from joining the group.

“Andy, come over here,” Toni called to Andy and he approached a circle of lawn chairs selecting an empty chair.

As he was sitting down, Toni continued, “Andy, you’re big into video games, right?”

Cautiously, Andy nodded, looking around to see who was in the group.

“Roger and Carl say that video games are for druggies and nerds hiding from reality. Susan suggested that heavy gamers lose brain power. What are your thoughts?”

Andy took a deep breath as he considered the insulting ideas. Susan had driven Larry to leave the party. “The premise and the questions are at best uninformed and worse insulting. Larry and I are in several classes with both Roger and Carl. Neither of us do any drugs. However, I believe several of you can attest to the fact that Larry is a good student who always has his homework done and is certainly in the top half, if not top quarter of most of his classes. My grades are a bit better and in the last couple of years, my gpa has been climbing not deteriorating. Roger is often called out by the math and science teachers for not completing his work on time and I don’t remember Carl standing out with his test grades. Based on that, maybe Roger and Carl should spend more time playing video games and less time smoking weed during activity period.”

Carl came flying out of his chair.

After avoiding conflict for several years and seldom participating in class social events, Andy was seen as a kind of wallflower. None of his classmates expected a verbal on point attack and takedown.

Toni popped out of her chair, planted her feet and slammed her two palms into Carl’s chest. She was an all muscle fireplug and Carl was stunned when his attack came to an abrupt halt.

Up and standing next to his chair, Andy was considering his options when Tanya’s voice could be heard, “Knock it off Carl. My dad is in the kitchen and if you start something, you’ll regret it.” She stormed up to the group.

As she approached, Tanya unexpectedly put an arm around Andy’s shoulders. With an icy stare at Carl who was trading looks between Andy, Toni and Tanya, Carl seemed on the verge of a decision.

“Young man, come on over here for a minute,” Tanya’s dad demanded.

Now, Carl’s eyes were darting to four people. They heard a deep, “Now!”

Carl moved towards the side of the yard, joining Tanya’s father near the side fence.

Toni laughed as she said, “Good lord Andy. You didn’t waste time soft-pedaling your position.”

Andy blurted out, “Neither did anyone when Susan and several friends attacked Roger earlier. It was uncalled for. Tanya, I’m sorry if I caused a disruption in the party. I should probably leave.”

Tanya started laughing. “Andy, you’re going nowhere. I was unhappy with what happened earlier and I looked for Larry to apologize. We need you here as an example of how some of these guys can better themselves. You cleaned up your act; shave, take care of basic hygiene, and dress better than a slob. Heck, with your beautiful hair, you’ve got half the girls re-evaluating own.”

Andy wasn’t sure if challenging the girls’ hair was a good or bad thing.

“Roger, we’re leaving,” Carl called, “Thanks for the party Tanya. I’m sorry if we caused any problems.” Carl started to walk towards the side of the house to leave. Tanya’s father stood guard near the fence, clearly ensuring the two boys left. Roger ran to catch up.

Tanya pushed Andy back into his chair and Toni sat on the next chair. The group chatted and Andy relaxed.

As people started leaving, Toni and Tori each took one of Andy’s hands. Toni explained, “We’ll drop you off. Sorry about Larry. Please let him know that most of us are sorry.”

“I will,” Andy assured her.

Andy lay in bed reviewing the evening. While people noticed his hands looked nice, no one seemed to notice the nail polish. He had been petrified of what would happen had that come out. It sounded like some of the girls were envious of his hair which was strange and he wasn’t too comfortable with that. On the other hand, he liked his hair and with the new cleaning and brushing routines, he was actually enjoying his hair and how nice he could make it look.

Andy drifted off to sleep knowing that he would find time to quest the next day.