Chapter 18

Cindy caught Toby during practice. "Okay, so what do we have to do?"

"About what?" Toby asked.

"To get back in the team's good graces," Beverly elaborated.

"I doubt there is anything you CAN do," Toby said in all honesty.

"Gina did something," Cindy pointed out. "So something must exist -- some kind of initiation or something."

"If there was such a thing, I'm sure Gina had to do something special," Toby noted.

"Yeah, probably," Beverly agreed. "We could do something special, too."

"You could, I guess," Toby replied, "If anyone was interested." He appeared to think about it. "I don't know if there is anything or anybody you could handle this with, but I'll ask around."

"We would appreciate it," Beverly turned on the charm. "Thanks!"

"I haven't done anything..." Toby replied.

"You will..." The cheerleaders moved off.

"Yeah, I will," Toby said under his breath, "but you'll never be able to prove it."

Gina placed the note in Cindy's locker. It said, 'Fleur13 on IM.' That was it. Everybody knew what service Cindy and Beverly used, so it wasn't even mentioned. Cindy found it when she went back to shower after practice.

"We're in!" she crowed, showing the note to Beverly.

"We'll see..." Beverly replied.

Toby didn't mess with them until he was in his new 'command center' at the club house -- and he had Damian with him -- because FIRST he had to ring in the Tyrone and Otis connection and he wanted Damian's help in dealing with them. That wasn't too difficult, either -- there were people around who knew their IM handles and what chat rooms they used to hook up the two black girls they were running as hookers. Toby made the connection on IM in group chat:

Rooter93: Hey, T

Tyrone came back with:

Rondo06: Do I know you?

Rooter93: Yeah.

Otis jumped in with:

O_First06: So?

Rooter93: Not really important. I'm just the dude out front. There's a bunch of us.

Rondo06: What do you want?

Rooter93: Got a problem you can help us with. A bitch problem.

O_First06: What kind of bitch problem?

Rooter93: Got two. Pains in the ass. Think they're privileged. We know you two keep bitches and know how to turn their heads around and get them going in the right direction.

O_First06: Yeah, we do that.

Rooter93: These two think their shit don't stink. Mommy and Daddy always buying them out of shit. Did I mention they're white?

Rondo06: No, you didn't.

Rooter93: Well, they are.

O_First06: What you want done with these white bitches?

Rooter93: We figured that if you and six of your closest homeys turned them every which way but loose and you ran your game on them so their heads were pointed right, they'd no longer be a problem, you know? Mommy and Daddy can't erase dick-tracks in their pussies.

Rondo06: What do we get for it besides arrested?

Rooter93: Come on, you know how to make a bitch understand how she's supposed to be and what she's supposed to do. We've seen the results. Nobody is gonna get arrested. That's why we come to you.

O_First06: You still ain't said what we get.

Rooter93: Simple. You get the bitches. We don't want 'em. You fuck 'em, you train 'em, you keep 'em. They'll make big bucks on the street. Or make 'em clean your crib -- or whatever. Sell 'em back to mommy and daddy. We don't care -- shit, take 'em to Homecoming and have 'em blow guys in the restroom!

Rondo06: How would this work?

Rooter93: Like I said, they think their shit don't stink -- but they know they're in trouble with us. So they think they're going to an initiation -- and we're gonna make 'em get naked and try to scare 'em a little bit, and it's all gonna be cool and they're gonna be all forgiven and can go back to being bitches again. They think they know how it's going down, so they figure they'll just pretend to be scared and skate past shit, like always. So we blindfold 'em and we get 'em naked and we give them to you...

O_First06: I LIKE IT!

Rooter93: Get Rudy to take some pics like he did of Bernice and put 'em on the net. Mommy and daddy will shit a brick!

Rondo06: Don't have a place.

Rooter93: We do. Location, transport, everything. You show up. We drop the bitches. You hook 'em up. You go home. Bitches go wherever. Lead 'em out on leashes, if you want.

Rondo06: If you got all that shit, why don't you do it yourself?

Rooter93: We don't have your magic touch. We'd get the cops. You'll have 'em telling mommy and daddy that they really wanted to fuck all those black dudes, won't you?

O_First06: Maybe.

Rooter93: If you have a problem, we can back it out. They'll be blindfolded, anyway. You won't, though. It'll be cool.

Rondo06: How do we know you ain't jerking our shit?

Rooter93: We'll hook you up with something tomorrow after school -- prove we're serious.

O_First06: Awright. We're in that far.

Rooter93: We'll hit you up tomorrow. Text message.

Toby ended the group chat.

"What are you gonna give them?" Damian asked.

"Suck booths. We'll get a couple of volunteers. It won't be a problem," Toby assured him. He already had the volunteers in mind...

Cindy and Beverly didn't get a conversation. 'Fleur13' came on IM and said, 'Friday night, after the game. You will be contacted. Do what you're told. Plan to be out all night.' That was it.

When Janice got home from school, her mother was out front in the car with a load of clothing and accessories, boxes of knickknacks and an armload of file folders. "There was more than I thought there would be," Abigail confessed. "We'll take this load and come back and finish, then wait for your father. I want you with me in case he feels compelled to do something stupid."

Janice wasn't thrilled, but she helped her mother cart their things to some shiny new rooms in a big old house. She would have preferred to stay there, but she went back with her mother and helped her prepare a second, smaller load of personal effects. And then her father arrived home...

"What is this?" Tom Fremd erupted, getting out of his car.

"It's over, Tom. We're leaving," Abigail announced.

"You're what?"

"Leaving."

"That's it?" Tom started to look thunderous. "Suddenly, you don't need me anymore?"

"Yes. We can't stay. Janice can't stay, in particular. She can't go any further down this road. It shouldn't have gone on this long, but neither of us is exactly brave..." Abigail explained.

"So now, after all this time..." Tom rasped.

"Yes," Abigail replied, "Finally."

"What made today the day?" Tom asked, perplexity eclipsing anger.

Abigail pursed her lips. "Everything came together. Tom, we all need to do better. The only way we can is to be apart."

"Are you ready?" Tom asked.

"Yes."

Tom pursed his lips. "Goodbye, then." He turned and headed inside the house, not looking behind him, clearly dismissing them. Abigail nodded Janice into the car, got in, and drove off.

"That went well..." Abigail muttered, and began to shake in reaction. Janice didn't say anything -- things were moving too fast and she was lost, bewildered.

Meanwhile, Terence was doing something uncharacteristic -- setting someone up for a fall. After a preparatory conversation with Gabriel, the pair of them waited for Julio to get nosy and...

"So we figure we'll hook you up so you get some experience..." Terence drawled.

"What?" Julio stuck his head in his brother's bedroom. "You don't do that. You CAN'T do that -- you've got no women!"

Terence cocked an eyebrow. "How do you figure THAT, Mister Great Womanizer?"

"You're dating my sister," Julio sneered. "You can't have hot and cold running women..."

Terence growled dangerously. "Keep talking, Shithead -- I'll bust your ass again!"

"I'm just saying you have nothing." Julio waved it off, but Gabriel realized that he had backed off because he knew Terence could do it.

"I don't make promises I can't keep," Terence rumbled, "unlike a certain Romeo I could name."

"I don't believe you," Julio sneered.

"I don't think you can fuck for more than thirty seconds, either!" Terence retorted. "Tell you what -- we'll do a performance test. I'll get someone in the club stable to lower herself to open her legs for your sorry ass, and you can show us what a fantastic lover you are!"

"Where would this happen?" Julio cocked an eyebrow.

"We have a place. It'll be pitch dark -- she won't know you and you won't know her -- totally anonymous. Of course, you have to keep your big mouth shut or she'll know she's fucking the great Julio Vasquez..." Terence dangled the bait.

"Eh, I dunno..."

"If you are so superior, Elder Brother, you can show us all what a great lover you are without hypnotizing the woman with your greasy compliments," a voice sounded behind him, "Or are you incapable?"

"Bonita!" Julio spun to regard his sister.

"You are ALL talk, Julio! Just like a politician! What makes THAT superior to Terence, who delivers on his promises?" Bonita snarled.

"Did he promise to make you pregnant?" Julio reposted. "I hear he does that."

"No, he hasn't, Brother. But if he does, I know what he will do about it. I know what YOU would do about it, too -- and they are two different things!"

"So what am I proving, here?"

"That you can satisfy a woman, Brother. All of the evidence I have acquired says you can't -- your syrupy tongue merely allows you to escape after you have failed!" Bonita replied.

In reality, Julio had never really tried. Sex for Julio was about putting another notch in his gunbelt and acquiring his own pleasure -- he masturbated momentarily with the woman's pussy and went on his way. But there WAS an unspoken up-side to this deal -- pickings had been thin lately. Julio's reputation was draining his pool of prospects. His sister and her idiot boyfriend were offering him a fuck, if nothing else -- without all that tiresome warm-up he usually had to engage in... "When?"

"Friday night, after the game," Terence replied. "We'll sneak you into a place we have. The guys will be having a party -- and you aren't invited, but you'll be able to use the facilities. We'll get one of the girls drunk enough or whatever to volunteer and all you have to do is fuck her -- with your mouth shut. Then she can tell everyone how hot you are -- without knowing who you really are."

Julio shrugged. "If she's too drunk to fuck..."

"Then we'll put it off until we can find one that isn't. We'll START with sober volunteers," Terence rumbled.

"Fine!" Julio sneered. "I accept this ... challenge." 'What do I care what they think, anyway?' Julio thought. 'It's free pussy.'

"Bonita will give you the details when they're set up," Terence rumbled. "I'm outta here -- I can't stand being in the same room with you!" He led Bonita out of the room and Julio followed, fuming a bit but pleased that he would once again fool Bonita's big black blowhard boyfriend. Julio didn't give a second's thought to the fact that no one threw Gabriel a bone...

Terence hung out on the porch for a while with little Bonita and then headed home. He called Toby on arrival. "That ignorant asshole took the bait!" he reported.

"Good!" Toby replied. "We'll let Wanda's sister talk about him like a dog and get it all on video..." But that was only Phase One...

Abigail and Janice unloaded their car and while Janice set about arranging her new room, Abigail went next door to see Toby in what she had already dubbed in her mind as 'the Geek Room'.

Toby was on the phone to Amy. "We need to seal the deal with Tyrone and Otis. Kelly was talking about trying out the blowjob booths -- why don't you call Wanda and see if she can come in tomorrow? She can learn on Tyrone and Otis and be ahead of the game. It would be nice for her to have an instructor..."

"I can do that," Abigail volunteered.

Toby pretended surprise. He hadn't manipulated Abigail at all, but he knew she was looking to do something. "Are you sure?"

"I've had my throat abused by experts."

"Have you ever enjoyed it?"

"Well, a couple of days ago..." Abigail blushed.

"I think it's a good idea, if you don't mind," Toby said. "There will be two boys, so we might want a second girl to suck, but I'm sure I can get one. This girl is big and unhappy, but looking forward to her first fuck." Toby went on to explain the 'dark room' plan, leaving out the recording and the hidden agenda for Julio.

"If she does well, I could suck the other boy," Abigail offered.

"If she doesn't, she'll need help," Toby replied. "Her sister is pretty good and probably wouldn't mind being in the other booth. Amy? What do you think?"

"You're right -- Wanda will probably buy off. If not, we can pull in a couple of other girls," Amy replied.

"If they don't want to do it, I will replace one of them," Abigail offered.

"Okay. Thank you!" Toby smiled.

"No, thank YOU! I owe you all -- and besides, I'm kind of looking forward to being challenged..." Abigail smiled -- an unaccustomed expression -- and swept out.

"I'll call Wanda," Amy said, and hung up.

"Wanda?"

"Yes."

"It's Amy."

"Oh, hi!"

"Look, we've pretty much got Kelly locked in for Friday -- but she said something about trying out the booths, and we came up with an emergency requirement to make a couple of guys happy..."

"Yeah?"

"Um, look, they're black guys. I don't have to tell you that we don't care a lot about color, but I don't know how Kelly feels about it..." Amy said carefully.

"Well, let me find out..." Wanda went and knocked on Kelly's bedroom door.

"Yeah?" Kelly opened up.

"Amy's on the phone. Friday is all set. But they have a couple of guys who need blowjobs tomorrow..."

"Wow! No shit?" Kelly was surprised -- and pleased -- to have been called.

"Yeah. Hey, look -- they're black guys. The club doesn't get all wrapped up in color." Wanda honestly didn't know how this was going to go...

Kelly thought about it for about three seconds. "Well, they can't see me. Yeah, fine, no problem."

"Did you get that?" Wanda asked Amy.

"Uh huh. We'll be putting an older woman in the booth with her to coach and to help out if she gets into trouble," Amy explained, "but since there are two, we were wondering..."

"Yeah, no problem. I can take one," Wanda agreed. "Pete won't freak, will he?"

"He'd better not!" Amy replied. "He got SEVERAL from girls who belong to other people! Frankly, you don't have to tell him, either, if you don't want to -- and if you do, just tell him that it was a request from the club..."