SRU: The Lovers (K)not
        By Morpheus and Raven
        
         Classes at Zenith Heights High School were finished for the day.  Jake 
        Preston, the senior class president, most popular student, and general
        BMOC (Big Man on Campus) was strolling casually toward his car, when
        he spotted a familiar face moving hurriedly to intercept him.  He was a tall,
        athletic-looking black guy, wearing a school letterman jacket. 
        
        "Hey Ty?" Jake cried out to his best friend, and, coincidently, the star
        player on the football team. "How's it going?"
        
        Jake waved a quirky little half wave, while he beamed widely and warmly
        at his oncoming counterpart.
        
        "Not bad," Tyrone Collins called back, a cocky grin on his own face.  
        
        Ty recognized Jake's distinctively familiar hand gesture straightaway.  Why 
        wouldn't he? He and the slightly smaller Caucasian teenager had been fast 
        friends since kindergarten.
        
        The black teenager ran the palm of his hand over the smoothly shaven scalp 
        of his head, before asking Jake a question.  It was the current fashion of 
        nearly all young African- American males (and some white ones as well) to 
        sport a completely bald pate.  
        
        It looked good on Ty.  The small hoop earrings in each of Ty's lobes only 
        added to the aura of "hipness."
        
        "Are we still on for tomorrow night?" the athlete inquired in his booming 
        bass voice.
        
        From the sheer size and musculature of the black student, the burgeoning 
        facial hair that was sculpted into a goatee, and the timbre of his voice, it
        was easy to tell that he was further along the maturity into an adult.  In a
        word, Ty was the most virile man on campus.
        
        These two friends, plus two others, made quite the elite clique.  There were 
        many the teenage girls dreaming of a way to become part of that clique.  To 
        make matters worse, Ty's skin tone was a little lighter than most black
        guys, which made him equally attractive to white girls as well as black! 
        Jake was simply THE best looking guy in school, if not the city.  He was
        generally thought to be the catch of the county.
        
        Jake slapped his friend on the back, replying, "Definitely. . . ."  
        
        The smaller guy winced in minor stinging pain at the contact with the
        bigger guy's knotted muscles.  He almost regretted the gesture of male
        bonding friendship
        
        A moment later Jake added as an afterthought,  " . . . . after you kick 
        Chesterfields' ass all over the field tommorrow." 
        
        It was a none too subtle reference to the big Thursday night football game 
        against their arch-rival school.
        
        Tyrone strongly suspected that Jake had some kind of money riding on the 
        game.  That was one of the benefits of being the only son of the richest 
        family in town.  His buddy had lots of disposable cash to blow on gambling 
        of high school football games.  Despite Jake's ultra-conservative, preppy 
        image he was drawn to dangerous things.
        
        It was one of the qualities that Ty liked most about Jake.  The boy was a 
        bundle of contradictions.
        
        "Of course," Ty quipped emphatically.   The cocky, knowing grin remained 
        fixed on his face. 
        
        There wasn't much of a gamble to Jake's gambling on Zenith Heights.  The 
        outcome was all but a forgone conclusion with Ty in the game.  He was all-
        conference, all-region and all- state, rushing for just over 200 yards a game. 
        
        Hell, Tyrone was an unstoppable engine of destruction with a football in his 
        hands.  Several colleges that were national powers in football were
        recruiting him heavily.
        
        Ty still had to make his standard admonition, "If your father knew what
        you were doing with his money, he'd be even more pissed off than when he
        sees you with me!"
        
        Jake's smile contorted into a perfectly wicked little smirk. "Yeah?  Well,
        what father doesn't know won't hurt him.  Besides, its about the only thing
        in my life that isn't scripted by his damned expectations for my life and
        future.  A little adventure won't hurt anybody.  It's not like I'm going to lose
        am I?"
        
        The student body president cocked one eyebrow inquisitively at his 
        companion.  He looked him straight in the eye.  Although Ty was about
        6'3" and 250 lbs. of chisled ebony granite, Jake, at 6'1" and 185 lbs., was
        able to see "eye-to-eye" with his pal.
        
        Ty knew better to pursue a well known sore point with Jake.  He decided to 
        comment on the security of his friend's wager.
        
        "Just wait till I . . . ." the running back began.  
        
        He never got a chance to finish.
        
        Moreover, Jake intentionally tuned out what Ty was saying when he
        noticed two extremely pretty girls out of the corner of his eye.  Ty followed
        his friend's roving eyes to drink in the approaching vision of loveliness,
        dressed as cheerleaders.  
        
        Jake grinned in lusty recognition of the taller blonde . . . his girlfriend
        Kristi. 
        
        "Hi," he uttered excitedly.  Very few sights made Jake's blood boil like the 
        radiant image of THE most popular girl in school. She had a reputation to 
        prove it, but the class president didn't really mind.  It was an other
        indication of his magnetic attraction to dangerous things.  The fact that his
        father wouldn't think Kristi "appropriate" for his son only tied the package
        with a pretty little bow.
        
        Jake ran his hand through his medium length brown tresses.  He kissed 
        Kristi passionately.
        
        She  responded quite eagerly.
        
        "Somebody get the riot hose," quipped Ty.  "That's how my dad separates 
        dogs when he finds 'em screwing on our lawn."
        
        "Oh you . . . ." giggled Kristi, as she ineffectively slugged him on the arm.
        
        If it weren't for their VERY public display of sexual heat, you would have 
        sworn the two teenage lovers were Ken and Barbie dolls come to life.
        
        Kristi was approximately 5'8" of golden blonde hair, curvy figure, generous 
        breasts and heart-shaped face.  Every boy in school wanted her.  Quite a
        few had "gotten" her!  This girl was an explosive mix of beauty and
        promiscuity.
        
        As pretty as she was, the Head Cheerleader could not hold a candle to the 
        extremely well built black girl next to her. She smiled shyly at Jake, as was 
        her nature, but gave Ty a quick peck on the lips. She was Cricket Allen,
        Ty's girlfriend and Kristi's best friend.
        
        Jake often joked that she was more Kristi's sidekick, protegee maybe, than a 
        true friend. Cricket was the only junior in the clique of senior "movers and 
        shakers."  Kristi had, to her credit, "sort of" taken the petite African-
        American girl under her wing.  Jake really suspected that it was Kristi way
        to control the only other girl in school who challenged her control over the 
        guys.
        
        Kristi had instinctively brought her only rival to heel under the guise of 
        friendship.  She had to do something!  The white guys at school even ogled 
        her when she moved to Zenith a month into the school year.
        
        Cricket didn't seem to mind either way.  However, she did seem a little
        quiet or retiring  most of the time.  It was evidence of an insecurity that
        Kristi latched onto right away!  The blonde had Cricket on the cheerleading
        team, and by her side within a week.
        
        It was a new land speed record.  Admission to the clique, as well the
        attention of Ty followed closely on the heels.
        
        Shortly thereafter, it was Kristi who discovered the source of Cricket's 
        insecurity.  It wasn't grades, for her transcript showed a solid "B" student.  
        (Those grades were much better than Kristi's own low "C" or high "D" 
        average.  Hey!  She had social activities to attend to!).  It wasn't Cricket's 
        figure or good looks either.  Cricket's family was poor.
        
         No matter what Cricket did, or how much she achieved, without a 
        scholarship for college, she was going nowhere fast.  Her grades were good 
        enough to get into college, but not good enough for a scholarship.  The
        small black girl was looking at a working career after high school just to
        help out her family.
        
        Membership in such an elite clique was a godsend for Cricket.  It was also a 
        constant reminder of what she could never have, and a perfect method for 
        Kristi to control her potential rival.
        
        "Are we still on for tomorrow?" Kristi questioned Jake with a bubbly-sexy 
        little smile.  It was a promise of things yet to come.
        
        Her beau nodded, assuring them all, "Yeah. My parents are still going on
        that business trip 'til Saturday night.  We'll have the house all to ourselves. 
        Even the maid will be gone."
        
        "Awesome" exclaimed Ty enthusiastically.  He just couldn't hide his glee at 
        having Jake's huge house to use . . . . make that a chance for some time 
        alone with the reluctant Cricket.
        
        "I think I can score some booze from a friend of mine," he proffered,
        adding, "although Coach will kill me if he finds out!"
        
        "Don't bother, my brother.  I've got the 'sitch' handled." Jake told them 
        confidently.  He couldn't resist using slang around Ty and Kristi. 
        
        "I lifted the keys to my dad's liquor cabinet before he left. I don't think he'd 
        miss one bottle."
        
        There was further evidence of Jake's rebellion against his father.  The others 
        seemed to be satisfied with that arrangement, as they continued to plan their 
        night of fun.
        
        "You''re okay with all of this aren't you Cricket?" inquired Kristi 
        rhetorically, with almost a maternal smile.  Was there any doubt how the 
        small, yet well endowed black girl would answer?
        
        They all looked . . . down . . . way down . . . at the junior cheerleader.  Ty 
        stared at Cricket's large firm breasts in particular, visions of fondling them 
        dancing in his head.  At only 5'1", EVERYBODY towered over her.  
        
        Ty was like unto a giant when standing next to the reticent little beauty. 
        The color of her skin, the shape of her face, and the cut of her longer,
        relaxed black hair marked her as a dead ringer for Toni Braxon.  Make that
        a MUCH prettier Toni Braxton.   There was the hint of auburn highlights in
        Cricket's hair.
        
        THAT was Krist's delicate touch at improving her sidekick.  It worked . . . . 
        outrageously well.
        
        "Yeah . . . ." Cricket almost whispered, her high, little girl's voice trailing 
        off.
        
        "It's settled then," nodded Ty.  "I'll pick Sweetness up, and then head over 
        to Jake's house."
        
        "Sweetness" was Ty's name for his girlfriend.  The nickname fit like a
        glove, for she truly was as sweet as candy!
        
        "Sounds like a plan," agreed Jake.
        
        Kristi didn't bother to comment, choosing instead to hug Jake's arm in such
        a 
        way as to press her luscious boobs into his chest.   They talked for several 
        more minutes, until Cricket interrupted reluctantly.
        
        "Kristi?  If we don't hurry, we'll be late for practice."
        
        Kristi glanced lazily down at her watch, "What's the prob?  They can't start 
        without ME!"
        
        Unfortunately, when she saw the lateness of the hour her smug expression 
        dropped like a curtain.  Even she had to answer to a faculty advisor/coach.
        She grabbed Cricket's hand, pulled the black girl along with her, and
        blurted over her shoulder,  "Sorry guys . . .  we've gotta run."
        
        The beautiful blonde turned and sauntered off, with Cricket following
        closely behind her.
        
        The guys admired the sight of well rounded bottoms wiggling away from 
        them.
        
        "Damn!" Ty exclaimed, breaking their trance-like reverie.  His eyes were
        still glued to Cricket's ass. 
        
        "Now that's a sight."  
        
        Jake whistled lowly in agreement.  He had to admit, for a black girl,
        Cricket was one helluva babe.  He idly wondered what is father would do if
        her brought Cricket home as his girlfriend.  Jake laughed inside.  His
        "holier than thou" dad would probably shit himself.
        
        Ty shook his head, as if to say "Absloutely!" then apologized to his 
        childhood friend, "I'd better be going too.  I'm late for practice, and Coach is 
        gonna skin me alive. He's gonna have me running extra laps as it is."
        
        Jake merely chuckled,  "See ya', Ty."  
        
        Jake sighed once his friend was gone.  No.  He couldn't do that to Ty.  He 
        couldn't steal his best friend's girlfriend.  Even though he made friends with 
        a small black boy, many years ago in kindergarten just to piss off his dad, 
        Jake genuinely liked Ty.  Over the years, despite the disapproval of his 
        Jake's father, the two had grown very close.  There was something about 
        Jake's dad that just couldn't accept a professional black family into their 
        exclusive suburban neighborhood.
        
        That's what made Jake's friendship to Ty so . . . delicious.  Jake lived to be
        a constant thorn in his controlling father's side!
        
        The young man continued on towards his car in the parking lot, pausing
        only occasionally to wave at one of the members of his high school
        kingdom.  Even this wasn't entirely his own.  It was simply one more step in
        his dad's carefully constructed game plan for Jake's future. Class President
        was just the means to an end.
        
        Jake put that out of his mind.  He still had some things to take care of
        before their little party tomorrow night.
        
        **********
        
        Strangely enough, Ty's thoughts also turned to that first fateful meeting
        with Jake, as he quickly dressed for practice.  All of his other team mates
        were already out on the practice field.  That gave him the full privacy of the
        locker room in which to reminisce.
        
        Being the only black kid in suburbia and kindergarten was hard.  All of the 
        other kids treated him like trash.  Oh, Ty knew it wasn't their fault, but the 
        careful conditioning of their social class.  Ty was an outsider and treated as 
        such.
        
        The exception was Jake.  The preppy little boy, the richest kid in town, 
        befriended him on that very first day.  Ty remembered the look on the face
        of Jake's father when he found out, but still Jake insisted they remain
        friends.
        
        Over time, Ty grew to understand that it was he was part of Jake's rebellion 
        of his dad's tight fisted control.  The first clue was when they had to sneak 
        around to play together. It wasn't as if Ty didn't understand either.
        
        He understood far to well.  His father, despite the color of his skin, had
        more in common than one would think with Jake's father.  Ty's dad also
        wanted him to follow in his footsteps . . . to become a professional.  His dad 
        envisioned that educational means as the correct way to elevate the status of 
        the black man.
        
        Ty sought refuge in his athletics, even though HIS father disapproved.  He 
        considered athletics, particularly football, was one of the primary ways that 
        black men were stereotyped.  Ty didn't see it that way.
        
        Ty loved his sports, and in fact, was what he wanted to do with his life. 
        The only difference between Ty and Jake was that Ty was strong enough to
        stand up for what he wanted.  Jake wasn't that strong . . . yet.
        
        Ty was working with him, and one day, one day soon, he was sure that his 
        friend would make a stand for what HE truly wanted.
        
        There were many a time that Ty wondered if Jake really considered him to
        be a friend.  Those were fleeting thoughts at best.  Jake had proven himself
        to be a true blue friend over the years . . . above reproach.  There really
        wasn't any doubt in Ty's mind, despite the reckless things that Jake did, that
        the living contradiction in terms really liked him.
        
        There were time . . . oh yes, there were times . . . when Ty was just another 
        little danger for Jake's amusement.
        
        Ty shook his head, a wide grin adorning hid chiseled mug.
        
        Now, if you wanted a true contradiction in terms, there was Cricket!  She 
        was sooooo sexy and beautiful, yet so afraid to share what she had with Ty. 
        
        Ty truly liked her . . . a lot.
        
        Ty tried to imagine what her gorgeous body would look like with clothes.  
        His manhood sprung to attention at the mental image.
        
        The running back gazed over to the bathroom stalls curiously.  Maybe
        Coach wouldn't be too irate if he was a few more minutes late!
        
        **********
        
        A short drive placed Jake at the local mall, Zenith Heights Mall.  He
        jumped inside to look around . . . for something.  The host of the party
        wasn't exactly sure of what it was that he wanted, but thought "Spencer's"
        was just as good a place to begin the search.
        
        The only thing that he knew for certain was that it had to be something that 
        would liven  their little get together. Ideally, under Jake's definition of 
        "liven," it had to be . . . an item which their respective parents wouldn't 
        approve of.  
        
        Jake hoped that it was something . . . er . . . sexual, that wouldn't offend the 
        girls TOO much.  If he pissed Kristi off he wouldn't get "lucky."  Then 
        again, on second thought, Jake mused, nothing much seems to derail
        Kristi's sex drive! Nothing would bother her THAT much!
        
        The youth took his time to leisurely stroll through the mall in the general 
        direction of Spencer's.  There was no need to hurry home to the regimented 
        discipline of his father's academic dungeon.  Only he could make getting 
        straight "A's" seem anti-climatic.  Jake decided to enjoy this all too brief 
        liberty as much as possible. 
        
        Jake stopped a several stores, even though Spencer's was his ultimate 
        destination.  Nothing really caught his eye.  However, in one those stores,
        he nearly bought a game of "Twister."  Jake imagined that it would be a
        blast to play the traditional game naked, but quickly reconsidered when he 
        remembered that Ty would be in the game.  
        
        Ty was his best friend, but there was no WAY he'd be that close to Ty
        while naked!  Friendship, even best friendship only goes so far.
        
        Jake walked right past the place where Spencer's "should" be, when he 
        realized that something wasn't quite right.  He couldn't really place what it 
        was.  The teen dream stopped in his tracks, scrutinized his surroundings,
        and then scratched his noggin.  Jake counted off the stores all around him
        one by one.
        
        Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. Spencer's wasn't there anymore!
        
        A new shop sat in its place.  The confused teenager immediately noticed
        that exterior of the shop was unlike all of the other homogenous storefronts
        in the mall, which really made Jake curious.  In short, the new store looked
        like a very old store!
        
        "That's odd," Jake muttered aloud, to nobody in particular.  
        
        He stared at the window display of crystal balls, small statues and other 
        "odds and ends."  The quaint, weathered wooden door was outrageously out 
        of place in a modern mall.  It looked more like a General Store that you'd
        see out in the country.
        
        Jack decided instantly that it had to be some type of marketing gimmick.  
        Nothing else made sense.  The sign above the door announcing "Spells R' 
        Us," only corroborated his brilliant observation.   He'd never heard of it 
        before.  
        
        "It must be a fly-by-night operation," Jake snorted.  
        
        There was no way that it would be here in another month. If the mall traffic 
        couldn't support a popular store like Spencer's, there was no way a magic 
        store could survive. How could such a small store could replace a major 
        establishment like Spencer's?  It happened so quickly.
        
        Jake clearly remembered seeing Spencer's only last week when he was in
        the mall.  
        
        Inside the store, the old man snickered to himself.  There was one born ever 
        minute, and business was about to pick up.
        
        There was not a doubt in Jake's mind as to what type of merchandise the 
        new/old store sold.  It could only be a magic shop.  However, the exact 
        nature of the magic tricks located therein was still a mystery . . . a mystery 
        that intrigued Jake.  A magic trick could be fun . . . just what the doctor 
        ordered.
        
        He'd never heard of any magic trick with the requisite sexual content he 
        needed, but at least it was worth checking out the little boutique.
        
        Inside the store, the old man stirred from his place in the back room, and 
        began to make his way to the front of the store.  It always took longer than 
        expected to traverse the length of a space with amorphous dimensions.
        
        Jake opened the door, stepping through the threshold of the place.  A little 
        bell "tinkled" overhead when the door closed behind him.  The boy took the 
        time to visually inspect the interior of the store, and, to that end, allowed his 
        eyes to freely roam about.  Jake was sincerely surprised of the amount of 
        junk littering the displays.
        
        Many things, ranging from yard sale quality crap to genuine antiques were 
        strewn all around.  There was no discernible order to the items. They were 
        simply piled up on various shelves, one on top of the other.  The clutter 
        looked more like a garage sale than  something that you'd find in a mall.  
        
        The sheer level of disorganization was mind numbing.  Almost every type
        of item that the mind could imagine, could be seen in the mess.   In one
        corner Jake saw  costumes hanging from a rack. In another he saw a
        grandfather clock.  A statue of a naked woman decorated a spot on a wall,
        with piles of high tech children's toys shelved next to it.  The incongruous
        variety wasn't even the most amazing aspect of the establishment.
        
        Most of the items were covered by a layer of dust!  How could a store, only 
        one week old, generate this much dust?  These things appeared as if the 
        hadn't been moved for years!
        
        Jake's cursory examination was suddenly interrupted by a loud, yet ancient 
        voice nearby.
        
        "Ahem."  
        
        Jake was so startled that nearly jumped right out of his skin.  Nevertheless, 
        he managed to steady himself, and turned to address the voice.  
        
        "May I help you,  young man?" asked a strangely dressed old man.  He, 
        appeared, for all of the world, to be wearing an old ratty bathrobe.
        
        "Were you looking for something in particular Jake?  Perhaps something a 
        little . . . dangerous?" the proprietor followed up before his customer even 
        had a chance to answer. 
        
        "Wha . . . ." Jake gasped, blinking his eyes. "H-how did you know my 
        name?"
        
         The Old Man smiled faintly.  How many times had he been asked the 
        identical question over the years?  He always had to employ such duplicity
        in his responses.  Didn't mortals know that magicians can read minds?
        
        The shop attendant answered,  "It's my business to know those things.  Of 
        course, it doesn't hurt that you're the President of the senior class over at 
        Zenith Heights High School." 
        The Old Man grinned at Jake.  It prompted Jake to smile back.  The
        wizard's explanation was . . . satisfactory.
        
        "By the way, good luck with Chesterfield tomorrow night," offered the 
        wizard.
        
        Jake initially assumed that the old man was talking about the actual
        football game.  He couldn't be talking about anything else . . . could he? 
        There was no way he could know about the bet.   Jake decided that the old
        man probably had a grand-kid, or something, that went to his school.   He
        must have seen Jake at one of the assemblies or various other school
        functions. 
        
        It wasn't the first time that a stranger recognized him.  
        
        Jake shrugged it off.  The old man had to be talking about the football
        game, and it was just his own paranoia talking to him.  The Class President
        scanned his surroundings once more.
        
        He sincerely told the old man, "You know?  I'm not really sure what I'm 
        looking for."         The Old Man nodded like he'd fully expected that 
        response. He peered into his customer's face as if he were looking all of the 
        way into his soul.
        
        "What are you looking for?  Maybe you would like something for a party?"
        
        That took Jake aback.  How could this old man know that?
        
        "Yeah.  I'm searching for something unique and exciting for a party with
        my friends.  It's tomorrow night.  H-how did you know that?"
        
        The old man tossed off, almost as an aside, "Oh you young people are 
        always having some kind of party.  This isn't rocket science you know?"
        
        He had a point there.  The explanation was again satisfactory.
        
        "Something different, you say?  I assume there will be couples at this party, 
        Jake?"
        
        "Uh . . . . sure," responded Jake slowly and warily.  This was getting 
        downright eerie.
        
        "Ahhhh!" eased Old Man, with a smile. "Different is the specialty of the 
        house."
        
        There was no way that Jake was going to touch that one.
        
        The wizard continued, "Come right this way young man. I think I have just 
        the thing."  
        
        Jake followed the old man to the back of the store, despite his serious 
        misgivings.  The hairs were standing up on the back of his neck.
        
        "Just a moment,"  the Old Man apologized, pulling several things from a 
        shelf. 
        
        Finally, he retrieved a wooden box, simultaneously exclaiming, "Here it is." 
        
        
        Jake stared at the box in the old man's outstretched hands for a moment.  It 
        was the approximate  size of a checkerboard, except for its thickness which 
        was about 3 inches.  The object was carved of a very dark wood.
        
        The item presented was otherwise completely unremarkable.
        
        "What is it?" Jake inquired.  He tried hard not to sneeze from the copious 
        amount of dust the  Old Man blew from the surface of the box.
        
        "This," began the Old Man, slowly, "is something completely different than 
        anything you have known.  This is a game unlike any other. It's a one of a 
        kind, and very, very old."
        
        "Sounds . . . . interesting," Jake commented.  His curiosity was definitely 
        piqued, but he sincerely suspected that the old guy in the bathrobe was 
        exaggerating.
        
        "Oh, it is.  Of that I can guarantee!" the proprietor chuckled under his
        breath. "Very interesting indeed.  This is a game that will test the
        boundaries of friendships and relationships.  It will stretch some ties, maybe
        even breaking them, while it pulls others still closer.  There is salvation,
        there is redemption, there is treachery, and ultimately there is betrayal. 
        This game contains all of the elements of a great game.  It is very, very
        dangerous."  
        
        The Old Man walked back to the front of the store, carrying the wooden
        box with him.  Jake followed behind him.  
        
        The elusive element of danger was all that Jake needed to hear.
        
        "Tell me more," he begged the owner of the magical store.
        
        The Old Man gently laid the game upon the counter, before stating, "Think
        of it as . . . . the ultimate game of truth or dare." 
        
        "Is sex involved?" a wide-eyed Jake needed to know.
        
        "Oh yes," nodded the wizard.  "Most definitely.  That is why it should be 
        played by two couples who are also friends."
        
        The Old Man  wiped the remainder of the dust from the wooden box with a 
        rag.  Jake hadn't even noticed the rag in his hand until this very instant. 
        The elderly gentleman removed his hands, which afforded the younger man
        the chance to inspect the game.
        
        The box was carefully carved with slight images around the outside edge.  
        Jake thought they were rope, and several people seemed to be entangled 
        within it at  various points.  The hinges on the sides were ornate . . . they 
        were golden in color.  The clasp on top matched the hinges.
        
        The Old Man undid the clasp, without even speaking a word, and then 
        unfolded the top. The game opened on both sides, revealing the contents 
        within.  The unfolded box doubled the size of the playing field, for the body 
        of the box was the actual board.  The playing area was carved from the
        same wood as the exterior, but had a lighter wood running around the
        inside in several tangled paths. Obviously, it was a board game that looked
        a lot like other board games.
        
        Jake thought there was something vaguely familiar about the game.  It
        looked a LOT like the board game that was featured in the movie
        "Jumanji."  
        
        There were four circles, one on each corner of the board, that were carved
        of the lighter wood.  Each circle had a path that led towards another circle
        in the middle of the board where they all intersected.  The circles were all
        connected by an arc that created the overall picture of a wheel with spokes. 
        That wasn't all.
        
        Separate paths branched out from the each main path at random.  The
        crossed over and under like some impossible knot of rope.  The  center
        circle had a slightly raised area, a shallow  mound really, whose purpose
        Jake couldn't guess.
        
        Jake eyes wandered to the top half of the box, where the split folded to form 
        the sides of the board.  One side was also light wood, bearing writing for
        half of its overall length.  He suspected they were the rules of the game.  
        Jake wondered why they wasted the remaining space by leaving it blank?  
        Curiouser and curiouser!  The other lid was lined in dark red velvet, with 
        several carved slots.  Four game pieces fit therein, so perfectly, in fact, that 
        nothing was required to hold them in place.
        
        Each piece was a human figure, that stood near four inches tall.  Two of the 
        figures were women, the other two were men.  There was a couple made of
        a golden metal, one of silver.  
        
        "Wow," was all Jake could think to say.  
        
        Within a fold of red velvet, secured by a leather strap, resided a stack of 
        white cards.  There were several bulges in the small pocket in the cloth.  
        Jake's guessed they were probably the dice.
        
        The Old Man permitted Jake to study the merchandise a few minutes more.
        
        "Interesting, isn't it, Jake?" posed the wizard.
        
        "Um . . . yeah," Jake admitted.  
        
        The game definitely looked old, meaning that it was likely worth a bit of 
        money.  It appeared simplistic, and required no degree of skill to play.  Jake 
        wondered what could be so dangerous about this game?   Players roll the 
        dice, move their pieces toward the center circle, and occasionally had to
        draw ards.  The objects was to get to the center circle.  
        
        Easy!
        
        "What is it called?" questioned Jake in an effort to determine exactly what 
        was so difficult with the game.
        
        "The Lovers (K)not," informed the Old Man, simply.  It did take him a few 
        moments to explain the double entendre. "That's what it's called.  It is a 
        game, as I said before, that was designed for two couples, of lovers and 
        friends.  You take turns, rolling the die, then drawing a card.  Each card
        asks rather . . . personal . . .questions." 
        
        The Old Man winked at Jake.
        
        "Questions about . . . sex?"
        
        "Yes, my young man, and if you answer the question truthfully, you move 
        forward as many spaces as your die indicates."
        
        "Yeah," Jake snorted, "and whoever gets to the center first, wins."
        
        The Old Man's smile deepened when he said, "Sort of.  Not exactly. That's 
        when part two of the game begins."
        
        "Part two?" 
        
        Jake stared at the game once more, wondering what more there could be?
        The Old Man replied cryptically, "Oh yes.  There's much, much more, but 
        that would be telling.  That, along with the rules of the second part is for the 
        players to discover on their own.  That is what makes the game perilous!  I 
        have told you too much already, but I give you one clue further.  Once the 
        last card is turned, and the winner's spin is spun, the true game has only just 
        begun!"
        
        "Why is it called the Lover's (K)not? I don't understand that part."
        
        "Okay.  Okay.  One further clue.  The game is based upon the infamous 
        Gordian Knot of mythology."
        
        "The Gordian Knot?"  Jake was truly confused.
        
        Kids these days, thought the wizard to himself.  No appreciation for history!
        
        Still, what he said was, "It is a strange little knot.  The more that you try to 
        untie it, the tighter it becomes.  That is all I will tell you."
        
        Jake was intrigued, in spite of  himself.  
        
        "How much?" he asked, simultaneously running a light hand over the 
        wooden case. He didn't notice the slightly odd smile on the Old Man's 
        elderly lips.
        
        "As I said.   The game is a one of a kind, and very old.  The least that I
        could accept for it is four hundred dollars."
        
        Jake groaned slightly.  That was a lot . . . far too expensive for a board 
        game.  It WAS an antique, which would justify it's price.  The youth tried
        to think of it in terms of an investment.
        
        "Do you take credit cards?" he asked hopefully.  He didn't want to fill out a 
        check.
        
        "Of course."
        
        Several minutes later, Jake finished the transaction, and genuinely thanked 
        the Old Man. 
        
        "No.  Thank you," he told Jake.  "I just know that you and your friends will 
        get 'caught up' in the game."  
        
        The Old Man chuckled to himself, at the private joke.  Jake just shrugged, 
        picked up the bag containing the game, and departed for home.  
        
        He couldn't wait to play the odd game, with the funny name, with his 
        friends.
        
        **********
        
         Meanwhile, Kristi and Cricket were busy rehearsing their routines with the 
        rest of the cheerleading squad over on one of the practice fields of Zenith 
        Heights High School.  Kristi grinned, although she wanted to scowl, at the 
        petite black girl's tumbling routine.
        
        Cricket, as the smallest girl on the squad, was the one they tossed around in 
        the various acrobatic cheers.  She was fortunately blessed with
        extraordinary gymnastic ability.
        
        THAT was what made the Head Cheerleader grumble inwardly.  You
        would never be able to tell what she was REALLY thinking from her
        congenial exterior.  She smiled expansively, warmly, and friendly when she 
        complimented her sidekick on the routine.
        
        "Great job, Cricket.  You are SUCH a great gymnast."
        
        Kristi was spitting like a cobra on the inside.  It just wasn't fair.  This girl 
        was prettier than she was, had bigger boobs then she did, had a better figure 
        then she did, was smarter than she was, and could now tumble on top of it 
        all.  Shit!  The only thing that Kristi had on Cricket was about 7 inches of 
        height, and the knowledge of how to best use feminine assets to get ahead!
        
        That was exactly why Kristi knew, deep down inside, that she had to keep 
        Cricket close.  What was that famous saying?  "Hold your friends close, but 
        your enemies closer?"
        
        Cricket was exactly the type of dangerous commodity that was likely to
        attract Jake.  Jake, with his rebellious streak, was likely to go for a black
        girl like Cricket just to aggravate his controlling father.  Isn't that why Jake
        was best friends with Ty, Kristi mused?
        
        Manipulating the circumstances to get Cricket and Ty together was the best 
        course of action here!  Jake would NEVER betray his friend for the sake of
        a woman.  So, for the time being, Kristi felt fairly secure.  She had the one 
        commodity in abundance . . . nobody, but nobody was better in bed than 
        she.  As long as Jake was "getting it" he wouldn't stray.
        
        Still, Cricket was a threat.  Kristi had to make absolutely sure that the black 
        girl didn't get her hooks into Jake.  Kristi was going to marry Jake after all!  
        That was her only ticket out  her insufferable middle class existence.  No. 
        College was not in her future.  You couldn't call Kristi smart in any 
        conventional sense, but she was clever in a manipulative sort of way!
        
        The tall blonde was the embodiment of feminine wiles.  She would scheme 
        her way all the way to the penthouse if she had to.  In this case, it would be 
        Jake's bed at some Ivy League  school.
        
        Jake's father had no idea how strong an ally that he had in Kristi.  However, 
        instead of pushing him relentlessly, she lured him with sexual favors.  
        Pavlov would have been very proud of her.
        
        Nature was taking its course between Cricket and Ty.  It wasn't fast enough 
        by a longshot, and THAT was something that Kristi intended to remedy as 
        soon as she could.
        
        Cricket caught her breath following the last series of flips and tumbles.  She 
        thanked her best friend for the compliment.
        
        "Thanks, Kristi.  You're the best."
        
        She had no reason to doubt the sincerity of her best friend . . . at least 
        nothing obvious.  Cricket just had that . . . vague feeling . . . that if she 
        crossed Kristi, her high school life was over.  So, she had to play along.
        
        Cricket's thought turned to Ty.  He was handsome, from a good family, and 
        had the prospect of a great pro football career.  He was perfect for her . . . 
        wasn't he?
        
        It was just that . . . well . . . Cricket could tell in her heart of hearts that he 
        wasn't the one.  He was a nice guy and all, but he wasn't the ONE.  Cricket 
        promised herself a long time ago that she wasn't going to give her virtue 
        away to just anyone.  He had to be THE one . . . her one true love.
        
        The problem was threefold.  Her beautiful face and sexy body screamed out 
        that she wasn't a "good girl."  Everybody assumed she was screwing 
        somebody!  Secondly, everybody in her clique was trying a bit TOO hard
        to 
        get her together with Ty.  Last, but not least, Ty was growing increasingly 
        frustrated with simple hand-holding and kissing.  He wanted more, much 
        more.  Cricket could see the lust for her in his deep brown eyes.
        
        It was harder and harder for her to ignore the profound effect of Ty's 
        masculinity upon her volatile teenage hormones! 
        
        Things were moving much too fast.  There were times that Cricket felt that 
        she was on a speeding train, with no brakes.  How could she resolve this 
        without stepping on the toes of the clique which was her high school life's 
        blood?
        
        How would this all end?
        **********
        
        The Zenith Heights Wizards recorded a smashing victory over Chesterfield 
        Wildcats . . .  to nobody's particular surprise.  It was a fitting revenge for
        last year's defeat at Ty rushed for 240 yards during the ball game, rushed
        for two touchdowns, and caught another.  Needless to say, Ty was pumped
        up on adrenaline, and more than ready for Jake's little get together.   
        
        He even had to turn down a couple of offers to party with his teammates.  
        Jake's party had one thing their parties did not.  Cricket.
        
        "Sorry, Man," he made his excuse to Chet Stevens, the team's fullback, Ty's 
        blocking back. "I've got other plans, if you know what I mean."  
        
        Ty gave his bulky white friend a wink.
        
        "That would be the bodacious Cricket, I assume.  Good luck with that,
        Bull." Chet chuckled. 
        
        "Bull" was Ty's nickname on the team, as he was almost like a Brahma
        Bull out on the field.   Ty finished shedding his football uniform, showered,
        and changed back into his street clothes.
        
        "I'll see you guys later . . . much later," he called out to his remaining 
        teammates.  Ty grabbed his gym bag, and dashed out the door of the locker 
        room.
        
        Ty drove home home, dropped off his game gear, exchanged a few 
        pleasantries with his parents, and derparted to pick up Cricket.  It didn't
        take him very long to get to her home because she only lived a  couple of
        miles away.  
        
        Her neighborhood appeared as though it were actually world's away from
        the one in which Ty resided.  Ty pulled his vehicle to a stop along the curb
        of a run-down apartment building. He sighed at the very sight of it.  The
        sigh wasn't for himself, as Cricket's financial or social status mattered very
        little.  No.  It was for Cricket.
        
        Ty knew that it had to be hard on her to live in this type of neighborhood.
        
        The big, black teenager hopped out of his car. He strode the broken
        sidewalk to the stairs, and bounded up, two steps at a time.   He almost
        tripped over the drunk who was sleeping there.  Ty finally made it to
        Cricket's door, despite the obstacle, but he consciously slowed to a more
        respectable pace. He didn't want his date to think he was in any kind of a
        hurry! 
        
        That just wouldn't be cool
        
        He rapped rather loudly on the door, and waited impatiently. 
        
        "Just like a chick to be late," he muttered, ignoring the fact that he was 
        actually several minutes early.
        
        Eventually, the door opened to reveal Cricket's somewhat overweight mom.
        
        "She'll be out in a minute," the woman said, gesturing for Ty to enter .
        
         Ty did as requested.  He looked the small place, in spite of the fact he'd
        been there plenty of times.  Ty glanced at Cricket's Mom, wondering how
        such a "fat-assed" broad could have so fine a daughter?
        
        Cricket's mother attempted to make small talk.  "I heard your game on the 
        radio, Ty.  You done good.  What college are you thinkin' on goin' to?  
        Maybe you can go straight to the pros?"
        
        She didn't even disguise her desire to hook her daughter up with the
        potential star.  There was no doubt in Ty's mind that she saw it as a way out
        of their circumstances.  Fortunately, Ty's response was obviated by the
        sudden entrance of her daughter into the room.
        
        "Hello Ty" Cricket said softy.
        
        Ty gasped.  He had to close his mouth to keep from drooling.  
        
        "Damn.  Ooops!  Sorry Mrs. Allen.  You look fine, Girl," he complimented 
        her.  
        
        Cricket was slightly embarrassed, and her mom gave him a disapproving 
        look for his language.  The Allens were a god-fearing, church-going family, 
        and the mild profanity was inappropriate.  Ty knew that as soon as it left
        his 
        mouth, thus, his apology.
        
        "Ready to go?" he tried to reverse course.
        
        "Actually, I've still got to change my clothes." she said sweetly. "I hope you 
        don't mind waiting a little longer."  
        
        Cricket saw the disappointed look on her boyfriend's face.  He liked her 
        outfit.  However, she didn't want him to like it enough to remove it from her 
        body!  That was not the effect she was striving for.  She'd failed miserably.
        
        Nevertheless Cricket laughed, and told him "Just kidding.  I'm ready."  
        Ty just let out a sigh of relief, took her hand into his, and then spirited her 
        away to Jake's little party.
        
        **********
        
        The sweethearts arrived at Jake's house a short time later.  Ty prayed, as he 
        and Cricket walked hand in hand to the front door, that Jake was right.  He 
        hoped that Jake's parents weren't at home. 
        
        He'd been over to the house a couple times in the last few months. Ty still 
        got the impression, after all of this time, and after all of his athletic glory,
        that Jake's parents didn't of him as Jake's friend.   They never actually said 
        anything.  It was the way they looked at him as a criminal. 
        
        Ty wondered again, offhandely, if their reaction was one of the reasons
        Jake remained his friend.  Jake's friendship to a black jock, and his poor
        black girlfriend, clearly irritated his parents.  
        
        Nah, Ty decided. Jake probably just considered it to be one of the fringe 
        benefits of their friendship.
        
        The mountain of a man noticed that Cricket looked a little nervous, as they 
        stood outside the front door.  He grinned to reassure her that everything was 
        okay.  He knew that the petite girl had only been to Jake's place once
        before.  It was shortly after Kristi introduced her to the clique.
        
        Ty recalled Cricket telling him that she wasn't comfortable going to Jake's 
        house. She seemed to feel that a poor black girl just didn't belong in a rich 
        white boy's house.   She felt SO out of place there.
        
        That was a couple of weeks ago.  Ty had hoped that she'd gotten over her 
        discomfort, but now that clearly wasn't so.  All of those feelings were 
        rushing back, despite the close friendship of the clique.
        
        "Common. Enjoy yourself," he told her. "Lighten up.  I promise that
        nothing bad will happen in there.  We all want you to be here." 
        
        The thoughtful and considerate youth gave his date a kiss, which seemed to 
        lighten her mood.
        
        "I'll be fine" she said a moment later. "Besides, Kristi will be here." Then,
        as if to show how confident she was, Cricket depressed the doorbell with
        her sculpted fingernail.
        
        The door swung open, and Jake stood there, a wide grin on his handsome 
        face.  Kristi stood right behind him, with a can of diet Coke in her hand.  
        
        "C'mon in," he invited, gesturing with a simple hand motion.  "We can use 
        the living room." 
        
        Jake led the way, as the other three followed close behind.  They all settled 
        comfortably into the living room, and Jake, the perfect host asked the
        ultimate question.
        
        "Anybody want a beer?"  
        
        Cricket hesitated for just a moment.  The others were all going to have one, 
        so she relented with a fetching nod of her head.
        
        Jake smirked evilly once everybody had a drink in hand,"I've bought 
        something new I thought we could all try out."
        
        "What is it THIS time?" Ty sighed. "Another video game?"         "Nah.  It's 
        something a little less high tech, but a lot more exciting,"  Jake promised.
        
        He got up from his chair, went into a corner, picked up the wooden box,
        and returned to the coffee table.  He sat the game down in the center of the
        table, and then undid a latch on top.
        
        The host paused dramatically before he continued, "The guy who sold it to 
        me told me that it was a one of a kind.  It's an antique . . . a pornographic 
        antique game!"
        
        Kristi blushed, while Ty chuckled.  
        
        "You're kidding?  Right?" Kristi giggled, looking down at the game.
        
        "Well . . . ." Jake paused, ". . . . he never really said the word "porn."..  He 
        kind of suggested it." 
        
        Ty groaned.  Everybody else remained silent, awaiting some type of 
        explanation.  
        
        Jake finally took the hint, "I hadn't really looked at it myself. I was waiting 
        for all of you before I checked it out."
        
        "Let's get going then," Ty remarked, while inwardly wondering what kind
        of stupid thing Jake had got them into. 
        
        He hoped it wasn't as lame as it sounded.  Then again, if it really was some 
        sort of porn game . . . it would have . . . possibilities.  Ty changed his mind 
        as soon as Jake spread open the lid, and he got a good look at the board. 
        The game appeared sort of boring, although it was rather well made.
        
        Jake pulled out one of the little figurine playing pieces, cradling  it in his 
        hand. It was the little silver metal man.  He carefully placed into  the closest 
        light colored circle.
        
        "I've got my piece," he told the other players.  "This is a game for couples
        so we should stay with the correct color scheme." 
        
        Kristi immediately snapped up the silver metal woman, setting it in the
        circle on her corner of the board.  That left the gold figures for Ty and
        Cricket.  Ty had no intention of using a female playing piece, so he grabbed
        the tiny golden man.  Cricket, cautiously placed the remaining figurine in
        the closest circle.
        
        Jake repeated all of the "clues" that were given to him by the old man about 
        the nature of the game.  He pulled out a small stack of cards, and shuffled 
        them without looking at their contents. 
        
        "What kind of questions are on those cards," asked Cricket nervously.  She 
        REALLy didn't want any questions of a sexual nature.  She was REALLY 
        trying to avoid that subject around Ty.
        
        "I don't know . . . only that they are personal.  Let's keep it a surprise." Jake 
        replied.
        
        He place the cards in a small wooden tray on the edge of the board, which 
        was their obvious intended place. 
        
        "What's in here?" Kristi questioned further, while opening the red velvet 
        pouch.   She removed the contents with one graceful motion, and held them 
        out for all to see.
        
        There was a single hand-carved dice, that was made of ivory or marble.  
        There were also four gold rings resting neatly in her palm. The rings were 
        designed to look like knotted ropes. 
        
        "These are kinda cute!" she remarked, handing one to each of her fellow 
        players.
        
        The rings were a new, unexpected, element to the game, so the host checked 
        the printed rules on the lid. 
        
        "It says that we each have to put on a ring. " He held his ring up to
        emphasize before continuing with hie dissertation, " We roll the dice, and
        then pick a card after each roll.  Only by answering the question on the
        card, can we move our piece forward. The first to the center wins the first
        round.  Then we start the next part."  
        
        Jake frowned, then wondered aloud, "First round?  Next part?"  He shook 
        his head, and chuckled, "Well . . . the guy that sold it to me said that there 
        was more to it. I have no idea what it is!"
        
        Jake looked closely at his ring.  He noticed that Kristi wore hers around her 
        finger, and it fit her just right.  He shrugged casually, slipping his own ring 
        into place.  It fit TOO perfectly, almost as if made just for him. 
        
        Ty and Cricket followed suit.  
        
        Jake, the gamesmaster, announced, once everybody had their rings on, 
        "Alright.  Let's roll to see who goes first."  
        
        The order of play was established a minute later. Ty went first, followed by 
        Kristi, Jake and finally Cricket.
        
        "Momma needs a new pair a shoes," Ty joked as he rolled the die onto the 
        board. 
        
        It bounced twice, then came to a rest on the 2.  
        
        "Oh man," Ty groaned, "I shoulda' got a six!"  Everybody was starting to
        get into the spirit of the game.
        
        Kristi excitedly blurted, "Draw a card already. I want to  see what kind of 
        dumb questions they ask?"     
        
        "Yeah.  Hurry up, Mr. Star Running Back. You move a lot faster on the
        field." Jake urged him.
        
        "All right, already," Ty grimaced, feigning actual hurt. 
        
        Ty picked up the top card from the stack, turned it over, and read aloud, 
        "Describe in detail, the first time that you ever . . . ."  He paled as much as 
        his dark skin would allow.
        
        The true nature of the type of questions they would be asked was apparent
        to all.  Ty was but the first victim.  He looked embarrassed enough to prove
        it.
        
        Kristi urged him to finish.  
        
        ". . . . first time you ever had sex" he finally managed.  It drew some laughs 
        from his friends, but none from Cricket.   Ty looked over at the distraught 
        Cricket, who asked in barely a whisper, "Do the rules say what happens if 
        we refuse to answer?"
        
        "No" Jake stated firmly after checking the rules.  "There is no mention.  I 
        guess that isn't an option."
        
         "Well then," Ty asserted confidently. "I ain't talking!"  
        
        Unfortunately, less than a second later, and to the surprise of everyone, Ty 
        did exactly that. He started talking. It was like he wouldn't shut.  Nobody 
        was more shocked than the man himself!
        
        "It was with Denise Jackson from my history class.  She'd just broken up 
        with Malcolm Lawrence 'cause he was cheatin' on her.  She was pretty 
        pissed off.   Well,  I asked her for a date, figuring to catch her on the 
        rebound.  She grabbed me and practically dragged me to the broom closet
        in the school hallway."  
        
        Ty wanted to stop talking, since this was far too embarrassing. He tried to 
        stop, but couldn't.  Try as he might, his mouth kept right on talking as if he 
        were compelled to do so. He told them all about how he'd shot his load 
        instantly, before Denise even got her clothes off. Ty told them about how 
        Denise was so pissed.  She was so angry that she took a wad of his cum,
        and smeared it across his face with her fingers.  She left the closet, but not
        before calling him an immature "Little Boy."  She won't talk to him to this
        day.
        
        It was THE most humiliating experience of his young life.  Now they all 
        knew!
        
        Ty saw that his friends just staring at him when the compulsion to talk 
        released him.  Cricket, in particular, looked embarrassed.  
        
        "Jeez man . . . . " Jake gasped, obviously startled by Ty's embarrassing 
        story.  He was stunned by Ty apparent eagerness to admit after saying that
        he wouldn't talk.
        
        That wasn't the only odd thing.
        
        Ty's eyes noticed that his golden figurine was moving of its own volition.  
        
        "Holy shit," he exclaimed, while everybody watching the little figurine slide 
        two spaces then stop.  "How'd it do that?"  
        
        Ty tried to pick the piece up, to check for magnets or something.  He 
        figured that Jake had lied about the game being an antique.  All he found
        was figurine stubbornly stuck to the board.  The game piece refused to
        budge, and it was as if it were carved from the same piece of wood as the
        board itself. 
        
        "Fuck!" he swore.  
        
        The others tried moving their pieces from their respective starting circles, to 
        no avail.  They all met with the same results as Ty.  The figurines refused
        to budge.
        
        "I don't think I like this game" Cricket said, eyeing it nervously. "It's too 
        damned weird."
        
         Jake agreed, but he refused to admit it. 
        
        "It's just a game," he told them, then he reminded Kristi, "It's your turn." 
        
        The host now understood the danger of the game.  He like this.  Jake 
        imagined what kind of thing his girlfriend would be asked to tell.
        
        She glared at him, but picked up the die from the board anyway.  
        
        "Here goes nothing." 
        
        It came up with a 5, causing Ty to groan a little more.  Kristi grinned
        smugly at him.  
        
        "Ha!" she triumphed, then drew a card.
        
        Kristi read, "What is your most erotic sexual fantasy?" 
        
        She looked slightly embarrassed, but Jake was nearly drooling.  
        
        "Men!" she whispered under her breath. She's tell him something that would 
        horrify him!
        
        Kristi found herself saying against her will: "Lying in a pile of silk
        cushions, dressed in wispy silks.  I'm with three naked, big, muscular men. 
        They are kissing each of my breasts, licking and playing with my nipples,
        while the third one eats me out.  Oh, God!  They are bringing me to orgasm
        after orgasm.  They are sticking their huge cocks into me over and over. 
        The men are filling me completely . . . like never before."  
        
        Kristi was breathless by the time she finished.  You could have sworn that 
        she was having an orgasm just by indulging in the fantasy.  She blushed 
        deeply when it dawned upon her what she'd just confessed.
        
        It was her most secret fantasy.  That WASN"T what she intended to say.  
        Kristi no idea what came over her to make her admit it.  She'd never even 
        told Jake about that one. 
        
        "Wow," Jake commented finally.  
        
        Ty smirked.  He had to say something as well, but Cricket elbowed him in 
        the ribs.  That was enough to keep him mute.  The smirk stayed.
        
        The players watched Kristi's piece, like Ty's, was moving on it's own.  
        None of them uttered  a single word.  
        
        After a minute, Jake vocalized what the were all thinking.  It was his
        thought back in the store where he bought the game.
        
        "This is just like the game in the movie, 'Jumanji.'  The only thing missing
        is the animals."
        
        "Yeah," quipped the other guy, "Unless you have a fantasy about sex with 
        animals."
        
        THAT was a sobering thought!
        
        "Anyway, it looks harmless enough.  It's just like truth ot dare, like the old 
        man said.  Let's keep playing."
        
        "Harmless?" shrieked Kristi.  "How can you say that?  You didn't have to 
        answer a question yet.  That wasn't what I wanted to say at all.  Something 
        forced me to say what was really on my mind.  It was freaky!"
        
        "You too?" added Ty.  "I thought I was just imagining it.  There's
        something wrong with this game.  I don't know if we should go any further.
        I don't like this."
        
        Cricket nodded in the affirmative.  She wanted this thing to end before it
        got to them.
        
        Jake was the dissenting voice. "Let's at least complete one round.  We can 
        always stop after that if we want to.  Besides, it wouldn't be fair to you two 
        if Cricket and I didn't admit something embarrassing.  All we have to do is 
        make a pact that whatever is said here doesn't go beyond these walls."
        
        Both Ty and Kristi liked the idea of equality in this embarrassing game. 
        They quickly agrred to the promise in order to hear what Jake and Cricket
        had to answer.
        
        Cricket slowly relented, "I promise too."
        
        Everybody could tell that she REALLY didn't want to do this.  However, 
        they were all in this together.
        
        "I promise too," muttered Jake. "I guess it's my turn now."  
        
        Jake rolled a four. He quietly drew a card, but bravely read it aloud.  
        
        "Who is the person that you most greatly desire to have sex with?"  
        
        Kristi looked smug, and blew on her fingernails, expecting the obvious 
        answer.  Jake HAD to name her.  
        
        In fact, Jake tried to name Kristi.  The name "Michelle Phillips" slipped
        from his lips instead., 
        
        "WHAT?!" Kristi demanded, shocked and insulted.  "That stuck up bitch?"
        
        Jake just gaped, and tried to protest, "But . . . ." 
        
        It had no effect.  Michelle Phillips was the last person he should have said, 
        but they now knew the rule of the compulsion.  Now that it was said, Jake 
        realized it was true. He did want her . . . bad.  Unfortunately, she and Kristi 
        were bitter rivals in school.  They hated enemies.
        
        The expression on Kristi's face spoke volumes.  Jake sighed in defeat, 
        knowing that he wouldn't get laid from his admission.  Now he knew the 
        consequences of this infernal game. 
        
        Again, his piece moved forward four spaces of it's own violation.  A sulking 
        Jake paid it little attention this time.
        
        "Your turn, Sweetness," Ty told Cricket, in a futile effort to change the 
        subject.
        
        She her familiar shy smile, then rolled the die.  Cricket's roll came a two.  
        The petite black girl drew her card ever so slowly.
        
        Cricket blushed, but read anyway. "Who was the first person you ever had 
        sex with?"  
        
        Ty's eyes were riveted to her, while Jake just grinned.  He already guessed 
        that Ty would be named.  After all, Ty had told him all about how good she 
        was in bed. Ty was eager to find out something . . . anything . . . about his 
        girlfriend's sexual past.  She'd been so secretive up until now.
        
        Cricket said, to everyone's astonishment, "No one. I've never had sex 
        before." 
        
        She looked down in humiliation, for NOBODY likes to admit they are a 
        virgin, even as her piece moved forward on it's own.
        "But . . . ." Jake attempted to ask about Ty's story, only to have Kristi kick 
        him in the shin.
        
        It prompted a painful "Ow" from her boyfriend, yet otherwise produced  the 
        silence that she desired.  It turned out that the blonde had some compassion 
        for her sidekick after all.  She'd effectively quelled a painful admission
        about her boyfriend's stories.
        
        A quick discussion ensued, and the foursome decided to go on for another 
        round.
        
        "Um . . . your turn Ty," Cricket spoke up.
        
        Ty nodded,  rolled the die, and drew his card.  He read it aloud as before, 
        only to find himself describing one of HIS fantasies.  He described in lurid 
        detail, his fantasy of having Cricket give him a slow blow job, and 
        swallowing it.  He felt that he was going to die.  
        
        Though he tried to stop, he just couldn't.    Cricket gasped and paled during 
        the entire description.  She refused to look at him when he'd finished. 
        
        "Sorry," he apologized, then looked away.  He'd greatly embarrassed 
        himself once again.
        
        That was enough for one of the players, albeit the player everybody
        assumed would be the least offended.
        
        "Well.  I'm not playing this anymore," Kristi announced firmly.   She
        started to get up, adding "I'm not going to answer any more of those
        questions."  
        
        Cricket and Jake both nodded faintly in agreement.  
        
        However, as Kristi tried to move away from the board, she found herself 
        completely unable to do so.  Her muscles betrayed her, forcing her to sit
        back down once more.  
        
        "Wha . . . ?" she exclaimed in confusion. She stared at the die. "I can't get 
        up!?!"
        
        "I can't either," Cricket confirmed.  
        
        Ty and Jake tried as well, yet the both ended up admitting they too couldn't 
        move. None of the players could move more than several feet from the
        board.
        
        "We're stuck," Ty confessed dumbly.  It simply echoed what the others
        were thinking.
        
        They all tried again in vain. 
        
        It was Cricket who logically suggested "This game is obviously doing it.  
        Maybe we just have to finish the game.  Maybe that's what it wants."
        
        Kristi snorted. "That's stupid"
        
        "No," Jake considered the reasoning slowly, "I don't think it is.  I think that 
        Cricket has a point.  We have to finish the game."  
        
        They stared blankly at each other, then at the game board.  The players
        finally agreed that it was worth a shot.  They'd finish the game, but their
        promises would still hold.  Nobody could tell an outsider what was revealed
        inside the room.  They agreed to keep an open mind, and to not hold any
        answer against the player who says it.  They promised to openly discuss
        ANY shocking admission . . . after the game was over.
        
        Kristi sighed, their pact complete.  She wordlessly picked up the die for her 
        roll.
        
        Kristi took her turn, then Jake went.  Slowly, the turns mounted, as did the 
        escalating questions (and answers) about sex.  The figurines went around
        the board, moving ever closer to the center.  The feeling of dread began to
        lift as the gold and silver game pieces neared the raised middle circle.  The
        end of the game was close at hand!
        
        The blonde cheerleader was in the lead, needing merely 2 more spaces
        reach the goal. Cricket and Ty followed closely behind with four spaces to
        go.  Jake was last, at six spaces to go.
        
        Kristi's turn came around again, and with it a chance to end the game from 
        Hell once and for all.  Many secrets were revealed this night.  Each players 
        secretly wondered if their clique as well as the individual relationships 
        between its members, could survive this trial?  Only Jake and Ty's
        friendship seemed to have come through this intact.
        
        Still, the Head Cheerleader was about as competitive as they come, so she 
        glanced at the others smugly.
        
        "This should do it," she crowed. "All I need is a two to win"
        
        "Get on with it already," Jake snapped, annoyed at being in last place. 
        "Let's get this thing over with!"
        
        His girlfriend just stuck out her tongue at him, in humorous defiance, and 
        rolled the dice.  She eagerly anticipated her win, although dreaded the card 
        she'd have to draw.  
        
        Kristi exclaimed, "SHIT!!" rather vocally when the die stopped  on the 
        number one.
        
        "Such language from a lady," Ty teased her.  If anything, Kristi's responses 
        to the explicit question proved that she was NOT a lady.  Jake learned
        much more about her sexual past than he ever cared to know.
        
        Cricket smiled as well.  She'd come through this ordeal lightly.  Kristi had 
        gotten the worst of the questions by a wide margin, and she was thankful
        that the game would probably end before her turn came up again.
        
        "Well go on. Draw a card," urged last place Jake.
        
        "Easy for you to say, " Kristi snapped.  "You probably won't have to do it 
        again."  
        
        She quickly grabbed a card from the top of the pile, then glared at everyone 
        before she read it.  
        
        "Have you ever faked an orgasm during sex, and if so, describe the last time 
        that you did so."
        
        Cricket giggled, in spite of herself, and,  in a quiet voice whispered, "I guess 
        that one's for girls only"
        
        Kristi sighed, "Yes I have."  
        
        She didn't want to say what come next, but knew by this point in the game 
        she didn't have a choice.
        
        "The night before last, when Jake and I were making out on my living room 
        couch."
        
        "Oooh" Ty teased Jake, especially after seeing the pained expression on his 
        best friend's face, That's gonna' leave a mark!  I guess you aren't the red hot 
        Cassanova you thought."
        
        Kristi couldn't bring herself to look Jake in the eyes. She settled for
        watching her figurine move one space forward.  
        
        "Shut up pre-mature ejaculation boy," Jake returned the volley.
        
        They all broke out laughing . . . even Kristi. The worst was over, and the 
        clique was back together again.
        Your turn buddy," snickered Ty.  
        
        Jake, just grunted and rolled.
        
        To everyone's surprise, the die landed on a six, prompting Jake to grin 
        widely.
        
        "All right!" he exclaimed excitedly.  "And the game is over.  The winnah
        and NEW champion!"  
        
        Unfortunately, he found that he still couldn't leave.  
        
        "I guess I've still got to do the card thing."  
        
        A quick draw and a moment later, Jake read, "What was your most 
        embarrassing sexual moment?"  
        
        Jake groaned achingly, then told the story of the gorgeous Laurie
        McPhellan. He'd finally managed to talk her into having sex with him.  He
        creamed in his pants before they could even do anything.  To add injury to
        insult, he couldn't get it back up again.      
        
         "Shit" Ty offered sympathetically.  He would know.
        
        The girls both giggled, so Jake knew his face was bright red.  He suspected 
        that he'd been blushing non-stop since the game had begun.  For once, he 
        actually envied Ty his dark skin.
        
        Speaking of Ty, he couldn't resist taking the final shot, "Now who's pre-
        mature ejaculation boy?"
        
        They all watched Jake's figurine slowly slide down the board, until it
        entered the raised light colored circle in the middle.  It stopped.  
        
        "I win!" Jake bragged proudly.  Everyone sighed in relief that the game was 
        finally over.
        
        Kristi tried to put the pieces away, only to discover that the figurines were 
        still stuck in place.  Something else seemed wrong, although none of them 
        could put a finger on exactly what it was.  
        
        "I-I don't like this," Cricket stammered. "N-not at all"
        
        Ty suddenly pointed to the center of the board, where there was an ethereal 
        green glow.  It emanated directly underneath Jake's piece.  
        
        "Um . . . guys?" he breathed, drawing their attentions.  
        The green glow in the center of the board intensified, filling up the entire 
        circle.  The glow was gone as rapidly as it came.  So was Jake's figurine.  
        The light colored circle in the center of the board was now replaced by a
        dark metal arrow, sitting on a spinner.  
        
        "Fuck me!" Ty managed, while staring in surprise.
        
        They all stared at it for a moment.  Jake's game piece had actually 
        transformed into the arrow, and fused with the center mound to form a 
        spinner.  Such things just weren't possible. Jake  touched it nervously, 
        feeling a tingle along his fingertip.  
        
        "I wonder what it's for," he asked, not paying attention as Cricket repeated 
        the old man's clue about the spinner.    That refreshed Jake's memory.  He 
        spun it, since the arrow was obviously meant for spinning.  Around and 
        around the arrow went, before it began to slow down.  Finally, the arrow 
        came to a in such a position that it was stop, pointing directly at Cricket.
        
        Kristi joked, "What?  Is this spin the bottle now?"  
        
        The intense green glow returned, ten times brighter than before, before 
        anybody could proffer a reply to Kristi's question.   It seemed as if a pillar
        of green light was pouring from the center of the board, until it lanced
        outward to Jake He leapt backwards in surprise, when the green light
        pierced his body.
        
        Ty stared at the board in confusion.  A second green light arced from the 
        center circle to Cricket.  It was the completion of some macabre circuit, that 
        left them both lying on the ground.  He and Kristi hadn't been touched by
        the strange green light.  
        
        "Too fuckin' weird!" Ty told the blonde cheerleader.  Furthermore, the
        arrow in the middle of the board was gone.  All four of the figurines were
        knocked over on their sides.   Ty rushed to the side of the small black girl,
        Kristi to the side of her fallen boyfriend.
        
        "Are you okay, Sweetness?" Ty asked his girlfriend.  He leaned over her to 
        checking that she was all right.  He breathed a sigh of relief  when he saw 
        that she breathing normally.
        
        "Jake?" he called over to his friend, who was likewise motionless on the 
        floor.  He was being tended by the beautiful Kristi.
        
        Ty was stunned, to say the least, when Cricket replied, "What?" to his 
        standing question!
        
        **********
        Jake was confused for a moment.  The last thing that he remember was
        being slammed by the green light.  It hit him so hard . . . almost like it was
        solid.   His world got really dizzy for a moment.    Now Ty was hovering
        over him with an expression of grave concern.  Jake wondered what was
        going on?  Was he injured, because he didn't FEEL hurt.  However, he did
        feel . . . diferrent somehow.
        
        "I'm not THAT bad," Jake attempted. "Am I?"  
        
        Jake didn't feel any pain, but something wasn't right.  His voice sounded . . 
        . weird.  He tried to clear the frog in his throat whilst moving raising
        himself into a sitting position.
        
        THAT was a genuine mistake.   Jake knew that something was seriously 
        wrong, the instant he sat up.  The host couldn't quite put his finger on just 
        what it was, but his whole body felt wrong. There was an unfamiliar
        shifting weight upon his chest and hair brushing against his neck and
        shoulders .  They were sure signs of . .  .  What?
        
        "Are you all right, Sweetness?" Ty asked Jake.  It made him even more 
        confused.
        
        Why the hell was his best friend calling him "Sweetness?"  That was the 
        name he called . . . . !
        
        "What are you talking about?" Jake snapped, then froze at the familiar
        voice coming from his throat.
        
        It dawned on him in one fell swoop.
        
        "What the fuck . . . ?" Jake shrieked hysterically in Cricket's voice, as he 
        jumped to his feet. 
        
        The "jiggling" and swaying on his chest threatened to unhinge his fragile 
        mind.  He looked down to see a pair of breasts pushing out from his chest.  
        There was a large, firm set of BLACK tits showing through low "V" on the 
        shirt he was now wearing! Jake immediately recognized the shirt he was 
        wearing as Cricket's.
        
        The displaced boy's jaw dropped, and his eyes widened in shock at this 
        bizarre turn of events.
        
        "NO WAY," Jake cried out, although his soft, high voice was decidedly
        less forceful than he was used to.
        
        Dark ebony skin that covered his slender, hairless arms.  The similarly 
        colored hands attached to "his" boobs, had long curved finger nails that
        were painted a glossy red.  Sparkles decorated the tips of those fingernail,
        while rings, including thumb rings, adorned each fine finger.  Jake always
        liked Cricket's hands . . . now they were his! Jake had  good idea what had 
        happened. Somehow . . . impossibly . . . he'd swapped bodies with his 
        black friend.  The infernal game switched their bodies!
        
        "Shit," shrieked hysterically in a most un-Cricket-like way. 
        
        "Cricket?" Ty  asked hesitantly. He was confused . . . and for good reason.  
        Here was his shy, virtuous girlfriend swearing like a sailor and playing with 
        her boobs.  Anybody would wonder what was wrong with sweetheart!
        
        "What's wrong?" the big black teenager asked before the person who 
        "appeared" to be Cricket could answer the first question.  He should have 
        waited for that reply.
        
        Kristi piped up, "Jake seems confused too."  
        
        Jake looked over to saw his own body just standing and looking down at 
        "itself." The confusion and shock probably mirrored his own.
        
        It . . . he . . . she babbled over and over again, "Oh no, oh no, oh no."
        
        That was more like the REAL Cricket.  It fact, it WAS the real Cricket.
        
        The whole thing was very surreal to Jake.  It was like the worst nightmare, 
        multiplied by a factor of hundreds.  That, coupled with the perception that 
        everything in the familiar room seemed so much larger triggered a wave of 
        overpowering disorientation.  Jake wavered.          Ty put an arm around 
        Jake's shoulders to steady him, but that only succeeded in making Jake 
        cringe. Ty was like a giant to him now.  He pushed himself away from his 
        best friend as best he could with his dark, muscularly-challenged arms.
        
        It was all that he could do to keep from freaking out.  It was all that he
        could do to keep from fainting.
        
        In the end, Jake just snapped, "I'm not Cricket!"  
        
        He stared at his real body, that had to be inhabited by the real Cricket.  
        
        He pointed at himself with that long fingernail, "I'm Jake.  JAKE!  That's 
        Cricket."
        
        He pointed to his real body with the other petite hand.
        
        Jake stared up at Ty, feeling suddenly so ver small and tiny.   In point of
        fact, he now was.  He and Ty were about the same  size, but now . . . God! 
        Ty was huge!   The black athlete towered over him by 13 to 14 inches.  
        
        "I'm Jake," the host reiterated, a little softer this time.  He sounded almost 
        exactly like the girl he appeared to be.
        
        THAT sent a shiver up his new spine.
        
        This couldn't be real . . . but he knew that it was. It was too damned vivid 
        and realistic to be a mere dream.  For a second Jake thought that maybe he 
        really was Cricket, who belive that she was Jake.  That only made the boy-
        become-girl more confused.  
        
        Jake looked down at his dark skinned hands, with the long feminine nails, 
        once more.  He turned them over and over in his field of vision.  The deep 
        black cleavage, seen from above, demonstrated this was no dream.  Jake's 
        hands shot to his face to feel smooth, unblemished skin, wide, yet upturned 
        nose, and full, plump lips.  They were the features of the African-American 
        girl he knew as Cricket.
        
        It was so . . . strange to be feeling them with his new hands.  It was even 
        weirder to feel the touch of those hands upon those features.  Jake's blood 
        ran cold.
        
        He was now a drop dead gorgeous, sexy, teenage black girl.  The reality 
        shook him to his very soul.
        
        "I'm Cricket," the barely-hanging-on Jake heard his real voice say from 
        across the room. "H- how'd Jake and I trade bodies?" 
        
        She sounded scared.  She was on the verge of losing it herself, but the tone 
        of her said that she was handling it a little better than Jake. Perhaps it was 
        something in the different chemical/hormonal make up males and females.
        
        Jake took a deep breath in order force himself to calm down.  He was NOT 
        going to look any worse than he already did.  He was NOT going to start 
        acting like a REAL girl!
        
        "The game," he vocalized in mock serenity.   THATwas stating the
        obvious.
        
        They all nodded dumbly.  The truth hit as hard as the green glow that
        struck Cricket and him . . . uh . . . her.  This was all so terribly confusing,
        and it was getting difficult to remember who was who.
        
        "Fuck me!" Ty exclaimed, as he took one step away from Jake in disbelief.  
        All he could do was stare at his best friend inside his girlfriend.  "That
        really you in there Jake?" 
         Jake could only nod.  He didn't want to hear HER voice coming from his 
        lips.
        
        "Christ.  You're a GIRL!"
        
        "REALLY!?" Jake retorted back anyway, albeit sarcastically. "How did
        you guess, Einstein?"   
        
        Jake shook his head again, feeling the slight weight of hoop earrings, and
        the swish Cricket's long relaxed hair.  
        
        "Jeez . . . . I feel weird."
        
        "Me too," Cricket echoed his sentiment exactly.  
        
        All Ty and Kristi could do was to watch this insane drama play out.
        
        A moment later, she asked the question that everybody was afraid to ask, 
        "How do we get back to normal?"   
        
        Jake stared at her fearfully, then down to his feet.  Even they, in their high 
        heels. were a stark reminder of the situation.  Long, sleek, dark legs were 
        affixed to those feet.  Jake realized, with a start, that he was now wearing a 
        short, make that VERY short skirt.  
        
        He didn't know the answer to his counterpart's legitimate inquiry.  For a 
        moment, Jake was terrified that it this was permanent. What the hell would
        he do if he was stuck as Cricket   . . . as a girl?
        
        Kristi finally giggled at the humor of the impossible situation,  "You look
        so cute as a girl. Now you won't grumble when I ask you to go shopping
        with me. "
        
        Jake scowled.  He couldn't know that it looked more like a precious pout 
        upon Cricket's face.  He did feel rather unbalanced in the high heels, so he 
        moved to sit down on the couch.  The former boy just glowered at the game 
        that'd stolen his body from him. 
        
        Actually, he felt stupid.  He'd bought the game, and he forced the others to 
        play.  No . . . he forced the other to continue to play.  All of this was his
        own fault.
        
         Kristi suddenly mentioned, "You said something about the rules, just
        before that light . . . ." 
        
        Unfortunately she was looking at Jake as she spoke.  She was no longer at 
        home in that body.  It finally occurred to Kristi that she was talking to the 
        wrong person, and she turned to address the Jake body instead.
        
        "Uh . . . yeah," remembered Cricket, as she struggled to gather her
        thoughts.  
        
        She moved over to the lit of the board game from hell, then exclaimed, 
        "When that arrow popped up, some more rules popped up on the lid."  
        
        Everyone crowded around the new boy to read the new additions to the
        rules. Jake, who was no shorter and littler (in some places) than everybody
        else tried to find an opening so he could see.  Cricket read them aloud. 
        
        "It says here that if anyone leaves the game, they leave the game for good.  
        You can't come back into it again.  Ever."  
        
        The players looked at one another to divine the meaning of this rule.  How 
        were they supposed to leave the game it was already over?
        
        Cricket read further in Jake's voice when no insight was forthcoming. "It 
        says that when the spinner appears, part 2 of the game really begins . . . ."
        
        Jake interrupted her, "I remember now.  That's what the old man said too.  
        The game must not be over yet."
        
        "Unless you want to be stuck in my girlfriend's body, I let her read the rest 
        of the rules.  Maybe they'll tell us how to reverse this thing."
        
        Jake as Cricket shut up.
        
        " . . . . The winner of part one trades bodies with whomever the spinner 
        points."  
        
        She stopped to gaze at Jake . . . who gulped.   He shouldn't have been in 
        such a hurry to spin that damned arrow.
        
        "Just fucking great," Jake moaned to himself, trying to cross his arms. 
        They  wouldn't cross very well with a set of generous  boobs in the way.  He 
        scowled again, and had to settle for folding his hands across his lap.
        
        Cricket continued, "The rules state that anyone can leave the game just by 
        pulling off  their rings. " 
        
        She paled, and pulled her hand away from the ring, with the very next rule.  
        Cricket was as white as a ghost.
        
        "Whomever removes a ring stays in whatever body they're in at the time.  
        Permanently.  If any person outside the game guesses that a player isn't who 
        they appear to be . . .  everyone loses the game.  Evrybody gets stuck in the 
        bodies they're in."
        
        "Shit" Jake swore again.
        
        Cricket finally had to say something.
        
        "Will you PLEASE stop swearing in my body.  It hurts me to see . . .
        myself . . . talking that way.  Nobody will ever think you are me."
        
        "Sorry," the former man apologized softly before completing his thought.  
        "You mean we have to pretend to be each other until we change back?"   
        Cricket nodded.  
        
        "Sh . . . ." started to tumble from his feminized mouth.  Jake changed course 
        in mid stream when he espied the real Cricket's veil glare, " . . . ucks!"
        
        He barely dodged a bullet that time.
        
        Now the entire quartet was wondering how they were supposed to change 
        back.  Again, it was strangely silent Kristi who spoke the group mind.
        
        "Does it say how we're get back to normal?"
        
        Cricket shook her head in the negative. 
        
        "It only tells us how we can lose the game.  There is nothing about
        changing back or how to win the game.  I bet they're one in the same."
        
        'That makes sense," Ty added.  The all agreed on that one.
        
        The only pending question was how to win the game.
        
        "Is there ANYTHING else?" was Kristi's contribution.
        
        Cricket read one more time,"Yes. It says something about being adapted to 
        our new lives when we leave the game. Whatever that means.  I've read this
        a couple of times, and there is not even a clue about how we win the game."
        
        "Great," Jake snorted, although it sounded more like a feminine breathless 
        sigh in Cricket's body, "Just great."
        
        Then he remembered something important.
        
        "Wait a second.  The old man said that we have to figure out how to win
        the game together.  That was one of the goals of the game.  I bet he gave us
        a clue in the things he told me."          "I can't believe that you two traded 
        bodies," Ty blurted, apparently distracted from the main conversation.  He 
        was still stuck in the improbability of the body swap. "That kind of stuff 
        don't happen in the real word.  That's like Star Trek shit or something"
        
        "Well, I hope you get back to normal soon," Kristi observed.  "I mean, what 
        can I do with my boyfriend in a another girls body?"  
        
        Jake sighed. That was REAL sympathetic of her, he thought to himself 
        sarcastically.
        
        For the next ten minutes, they all stared at each other, as they tried to figure 
        out how to win the game.  Nothing, but nothing came to mind.
        
        Jake and Cricket glared evilly at the board game, to no avail.
        
        Cricket jumped up in Jake's body,  "What time is it?"
        
        "It's only eleven," Kristi told her impatiently.
        
        "Oh no," Cricket moaned, "I'm late"
        
        "What are you talking about?" Kristi snapped.
        
        Cricket looked down at herself, then at Jake. "I told my Momma that I'd be 
        home by eleven.  She's gonna kill me." 
        
        Cricket looked about ready to cry, which REALLY looked ridiculous in 
        Jake's body. Ty was caught in indecision of comfort her as normal, and 
        disgust at even touching Jake's body in an intimate way.
        
        The displaced girl sobbed, "Sniff. I-I can't go home like this."
        
        "And the rules said no one outside the game can know?" Ty intoned. 
        Maybe he was paying attention after all.
        
        They all looked at Jake at the same time.
        
        He thought . . . oh no.
        
        "Please," Cricket begged him.  "You have to go home for me. I don't wanna 
        be grounded for a month.  That's exactly what Momma will do to me . . . or 
        worse."
        
        Jake's stomach turned.  He didn't like that idea at all . . . not one little bit.   
        This was his house after all, and his parents weren't home.  Why couldn't he 
        stay right where he was? 
        
        However, he surrendered when he noticed the pleading look on Cricket's 
        face.   The new girl sighed. 
        
        "All right," he agreed reluctantly.  "I guess we will have to pretend to be
        each other until we get back to normal.  Or . . .  it could become
        permanent."
        
        That thought made Jake shudder.
        
        "Then I guess we're done for the night.  Right?" Kristi stretched, looking 
        decidedly disappointed. She'd obviously had other plans for her and Jake. 
        That wasn't going to happen now . . . unless she was interested in a little 
        lesbian sex with a small, busty black  girl.
        
        "Oh thank you, thank you, " Cricket gushed giving Jake a BIG hug. 
        
        He felt so tiny compared to even his old body.  The strange new breasts 
        pushed into Cricket for a moment.  Jake's bodily reaction to being so close
        to a male body was . . . disturbing.
        
        "You'll need this, " Cricket instructed, saving him (for the moment).
        
        She handed Jake her purse.  Then she quickly told Jake everything he
        would need to know to deal with her parents and brother, while, at the same
        time, urged him out the door.
        
        Everyone said their good-byes, and vows to sleep on the problem.  They 
        promised to get together at some point to figure this dilemma out.  The
        clique left Cricket all alone in the big Preston household.
        
        Ty and Jake (as Cricket) gave Kristi a ride back to her house.  Kristi was
        no sooner out the door when Jake said something extremely funny.
        
        "Her mom is gonna' be shocked.  This is the first night she's been home 
        before midnight in a long time."
        
        The two best friends looked at each other, and burst out laughing.  Jake's 
        laugh was more like the girlish giggle that SHOULD be coming from the 
        body he wore.
        
        "It's amazing man," Ty was able to say.
        
        "What is?" responded Jake, drying the tears of laughter theat leak from his 
        eyes during the outburst.
        
        Ty said sincerely, "You sound exactly like the real Cricket.  If I hadn't seen
        it 
        with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it.  It still don't.  It's just so hard to 
        think that . . . my best friend is inside THAT package."
        
        "YOU can't!?!  How do you think I feel being inside this package.  It's the 
        strangest thing I've ever experienced."
        
        "Can I as you a question . . . straight up?"  Ty sounded serious, in a curious 
        kind of way.
        
        "Sure."
        
        "How does it . . . you know . . . feel.  What does a girl's body actually feel 
        like?"
        
        Jake thought for a long second.  That allowed Ty to pull away from the
        curb 
        to begin the sojourn to Cricket's place.  A long period of silence ensued.
        
        "It's not all that different.  I still have to arms and two legs like I used to.  
        This body works almost like my real body does, but there are slight 
        differences that just drive you nuts. . .  And not just the obvious ones. 
        Every time I move, all of her body parts move in different directions at
        once.  These tits bounce up and down at the slightest movement.  My ass
        goes back and forth instead of up and down.  This long hair against my
        neck tickles, and even these damned earrings hitting my neck are
        distracting.  I'm always aware of something missing between my legs.  I'm
        consciously aware of these huge boobs all of the time."
        
        That answered Ty's question, but he still asked something else, "What's it 
        like being so short."
        
        "Fucking weird!  Everything seems so big now."
        
        Jake was right.  His feet had a hard time reaching the floorboard of Ty's 
        SUV.
        
        There was silence for a little while longer, as Ty made the final steer to 
        Cricket's home.  It was . . . awkward to say the least.
        
        "Are you gonna . . . explore Cricket's body further tonight?  You know . . . 
        see what it feels like?" Ty asked slowly.
        
        Jake answered sternly, "We are NOT having this conversation."
        
        He fell deathly silent the rest of the way to his temporary (hopefully) home.
        
        Jake got out of Ty's vehicle when they got to the apartment building.  The 
        boy made girl didn't like the looks of the neighborhood and run-down 
        building.  He'd avoided this section of town like the plague in the past.  
        
        Now he was living here as a black girl . . . Cricket Allen. 
        
        Ty joined his friend on the sidewalk, looking down, way down, at him, "I'll 
        show you which one it is.
        
        Jake was uncomfortable in his friend's presence from his last question.  
        Nevertheless, he allowed Ty to lead him upstairs to the front door.  
        Something needed to be said, but what?  Jake knew he couldn't leave things 
        like this.
        
        They'd been friends too long to let something like a body switch come 
        between them.
        
        Jake was caught by surprise when Ty bent over, without warning, and
        kissed him on those  plump lips.
        
        "What the . . . " Jake gasped, to see Ty had pull away in confusion.
        
        "God.  I'm sorry, " Ty apologized.  He seemed genuinely embarrassed.
        
        "I forgot that . . . "
        
        "Just forget about it" Jake dismissed it.  He was tired and emotionally 
        drained.
        
        The brand new black girl was in no mood to argue just outside his adopted 
        home.  It was bad enough that he even had to be here.
        
        Ty still looked embarrassed.
        
        "Tomorrow we can try figuring this out . . . and hopefully get me back to 
        normal," Jake reassured the big man.
        
        Ty nodded, then they said their good-nights.  It wasn't until Ty turned to 
        walk away that Jake noticed a huge bulge in his pants. Jake was horrified.  
        Ty was turned on by all of this?
        
        For some reason, Ty's fantasy about Cricket ran through the confused 
        youth's head.
        
        Jake used a key he found in the purse, held his breath, bit his fat lower lip, 
        unlocked the door, and went inside his new home.
        
        Jake was now Cricket Allen!
        **********
        
        Jake was stunned by small size of Cricket's Apartment, as compared to his 
        house.  How could her family of four live comfortably in this shoebox?  He 
        thought his mom . . . er . . . his REAL mom had walk-in closets that were 
        bigger than this entire place.
        
        It was different from his sterile home, and looked . . . lived in.  Yeah.  That 
        was it.  It was homey, and not the show piece that his own house was.  It 
        needed to be kept in just the right condition so his rich parents could show it 
        off to their rich friends.  Sometimes it was like living in a museum where
        you were just a visitor.
        
        Not so with Cricket's place, for, if it were possible, it actually radiated . . . 
        love and warmth.  The place made him feel like he was at home, even
        though he wasn't at home?  Strange?
        
        Jake tried to be quiet so as to not wake anybody up.  He slipped off the high 
        heels that he was wearing, and started to tip toe through the apartment.  It 
        was so wild that his new slight weight, probably at or near 100 lbs. wasn't 
        even making the floorboards in this place creak.  Jake only hoped that he 
        could find Cricket's bedroom without waking anybody
        
        He didn't really know where anything really was because Ty, himself hadn't 
        even gotten this far. knowing where anything really was.  
        
        Jake suddenly heard an older female voice say, "And where have you been 
        young lady?" 
        
        Jake wheeled around to see a somewhat overweight black woman standing 
        there, hands on hips.  She appeared rather angry.
        
        Damned mothers, thought the out-of-place boy.  They can hear their own
        kid come in late from out of dead sleep, no matter how quiet they're trying
        to be . . . or if it really isn't their kid!
        
        "Well?" she asked again, expectantly.
        
        "I'm sorry,"  Jake apologized in his best imitation of the real Cricket. 
        Unless he missed his guess, this was Cricket's momma, as she called her.  
        
        It was the first real test.
        
        Jake swallowed hard, then spoke his excuse softly, "We were just a little
        late finishing up. We were just playing a board game and . . . ."
        
        The matronly-looking woman just sighed, "I told you eleven o-clock, Girl.  
        It's way past that. You know I oughta ground you right here and now . . . ."
        
        Momma Allen tried to scowl for effect, but ultimately relented, shaking her 
        head oh so slightly, "Just go to bed, Girl. I'm too tired to yell at you right 
        now."  
        
        That was Jake's cue.  He'd passed the first trial by fire, but the worst was yet 
        to come.  He sighed in relief, and then started walking in the direction of 
        Cricket's room.
        
        Momma Allen also conveniently pointed to the real Cricket's room to 
        emphasize her directions to her daughter.  Jake had no problem finding 
        Cricket's bedroom with the fortuitous and timely assist.  That certainly beat 
        the old "hit or miss" strategy.
        
        Jake slumped against the closed door in relief once he safely was in
        Cricket's bedroom. Even THAT innocuous action produced distracting
        jiggles and sways.  How could he EVER get used to this alien body. 
        
        Don't think about it, he told himself mentally.  Just turn the lights on and
        get used to this place until . . . .
        
        He didn't want to go there either!
        
        Jake looked around after he turned the lights on.  It, like the rest of the 
        apartment,  was so much smaller than his own room.  It was so . . . so . . . 
        so . . .  girly.  There were pictures of boys decorating the walls, that 
        consisted mostly of black sports stars or musicians.  He didn't recognize any 
        of them.  
        
        There was an old full length mirror hanging on the far wall. Jake held his 
        breath, worked up  his courage, and padded silently over to a position in 
        front of the reflecting glass. It was best to get the worst of it over right
        away.
        
        Jake lifted his eyes to look at himself . . . herself.  The black woman-child 
        did not have a trace of masculinity in her petite form!
        
        Cricket stared right back.
        
        It made him feel uncomfortable and unclean somehow.  Jake knew that he 
        shouldn't be staring at his best friend's girl like this, yet here he stood 
        transfixed by her image.  Soon, much too soon, he'd looking at and
        touching her most private parts. Soon he know her . . . secret places.
        
        That was more than Ty had ever gotten.
        
        Still, every journey begins with the first step.  Jake was handling this all 
        pretty well when you consider that he saw a stranger's face in the mirror.  
        How many times does that happen in a lifetime?
        
        "Shit," he whispered, gently running a finger over his dark skinned face. 
        
        The finger traveled curiously over the full lips, and across the rest of his 
        acquired ethnic features.  He pulled his hand away.  Jake just stared at it for
        a moment before returning back to the mirror.  The image was still
        Cricket's.  
        
        It was the same dark beautiful face and the figure that had made her one of
        the most popular cheerleaders at school.  
        
        Jake yawned, understandably drained by the evening's bizarre turn(about)
        of events.  He thought he'd better get to bed, as tomorrow promised to be a 
        loooooong day impersonating Cricket at school.  He'd need as much rest as 
        he could muster.
        
        That meant that Jake would have to disrobe Cricket's drastically unfamiliar 
        body.  Strangely enough, he was not looking familiar to, abd looking 
        forward to the experience at the same time.  Jake always wondered (as did 
        most guys at school) what Cricket looked like without any clothes.  First 
        things first.
        
        Jake felt an urgent-familiar yet slightly different biological need.  He left 
        Cricket's room, and made his way to the bathroom.  The rest of Cricket's 
        family was behind closed doors in bed.  He heard what had to be Cricket's 
        dad snoring like a runaway chainsaw.  That was good . . . the coast was 
        clear.
        
        The bathroom was only one door down.
        
        Jake nervously undid her short skirt, with his long, long nails.  It was 
        extremely awkward at first, but he found if went very slow it was 
        manageable.  Still, it made him wonder why women grew their nails this 
        long.  It was so impractical.  Next came the panties and panty hose.
        
        Jake put a nasty run in the hose with his talon-like finger nails.  He was 
        tempted to swear again, as IF it should matter that he'd ruin the stockings! 
        
        Jake was left with a naked lower half, so he sat down on the toilet seat.  He 
        was so small now that he almost fell through.  It was demeaning and 
        humiliating, but Jake had to remind himself that this was the way it was
        until he could get back to normal.  He looked at the dark  feminine pubic
        mound between his sleek, soft ebony legs.   Jake ran a finger through the
        silky-curly black pubic hair and to the folds of his new vagina.    The
        former teenage boy shuddered at the sensitivity. This was so WILD!  God,
        he was teenage black girl now.
        
        The totality of the erotic sensations released the pent up pressure of his
        female bladder. Jake thought that relieving himself felt about the same,
        although it sort of . . . sprayed out.  It just wasn't the tight stream that he
        was used to.  Jake had to remind himself to wipe with toilet paper like girls
        do.
        
        Several minutes later, he was back in Cricket's room with the disrobed 
        portion of her clothes in hand.
        
        Jake stood in front of the mirror to see the image of the small black girl
        once again.  This time she had no clothes on except for her bra and top.  She
        was utterly shapely and gorgeous.  The new black girl experience and odd 
        warming sensation in gthe area she'd just wiped.  It still felt kind of wet 
        down there.  There was an odd tension . . . almost a tightening on his chest.
        
        It was time.  Jake went to remove Cricket's "v" neck top just like he did
        with his real body.  It got temporarily caught on some rather large bulges in
        front.  They were bulges that he set to jiggling once again. 
        
        The bra was a LOT harder to get off.  Jake decided that women had to be a 
        mixture of Houdini and a contortionist to get dressed and undressed!  The 
        damned boobs jiggled and swayed even more than they did before.
        
        Cricket wasn't the type of woman that he liked.  Jake had always believed 
        she had a nice figure, but he just preferred white women.  He especially 
        craved blue-eyed blondes like Kristi.  Still, her naked body staring back at 
        him made him feel a little horny.    
        
        Jake's even darker nipples, sitting in the center of wide saucer-like areolae 
        were beginning to get hard. It dawned upon him that the moistness from his 
        crotch was not a sloppy job of wiping, but the natural reaction of arousal.
        
        Jake almost jumped right out of his newly adopted skin.  He was turning 
        himself on, despite the odd circumstances.  He . . . he . . . couldn't resist 
        touching himself.
        
        Jake thought that he did have a duty to Ty, after all.  Shouldn't a best friend 
        locate his girlfriends erogenous zones and report back?  Hell yes!  Ty
        would do the same for him!  Actually, this was all an elaborate
        rationalization because Jake's true motivation was the oldest in the book . . .
        selfish curiosity.
        
        He gently touched his vagina in order to verify, in his own mind, that he
        was getting wet. The touch of his own new hand was amazing. Though he
        hadn't wanted to admit it, He'd experienced a little of this . . . arousal . . .
        when Ty kissed him earlier, but this was infinitely stronger.
        
        Jake's reeling mind formulated the natural question: how much better can I 
        make this body feel?  What would it be like to fuck a guy in this body?
        
        Jake's hands started rubbing his nipples, almost of their own will.  It felt so 
        great to do so. The dusky nipples at the end of his quivering breasts stood a 
        full attention.  The former guy had to bite his luscious lower lip to keep
        from screaming.   One of his hands slipped  between his legs.
        
        That hand moved with definite purpose, as he vigorously rubbed the most 
        sensitive area he could find.  It felt incredible.  His fingers effortlessly
        located Cricket's throbbing clitoris. Jake couldn't believe how strangely
        familiar the sensations, and just how strong they were. 
        
        He felt disgusted at his the lack of control.  The thing was . . . he wanted 
        more. How could Cricket act so chaste when her body was so lusty?
        
        Cricket's body had to be doing terrible things to her mind because it was 
        enough to throw Jake's very male mind into turmoil.  The body won . . . 
        hands down!
        
        Jake climbed onto Cricket's bed, a thin sheen of perspiration glistening
        upon his dark African body.  He continued to play with himself, so that he
        could bring the sexual tension to higher and higher levels.  Mr. Preston's
        only son slowly slipped a finger into Cricket's hot, wet pussy.  
        
        The unique sensation of penetration was all the stimulus that Jake needed.  
        His body shook in a sudden orgasm.  The boy didn't have any idea how
        long it lasted, but Jake gasped desperately for air when it was done. 
        
        "Wow," he whispered in Cricket's breathless voice. ""She doesn't know 
        what she's missing.  Maybe she does!"
        
        Jake was tempted to do it all over again, but started to feel guilty.  He
        would have to settle for the undescribable warmth of the afterglow.  His
        real body NEVER felt this good after masturbation or sex.  There was a
        genuine smile on the new black girl's full lips.
        
        Was Jake starting to like this?
        
        He silently reached over and turned off the light.   He hoped that he could
        get to sleep.
        
        **********
        
        Cricket couldn't believe it.  There she was, all alone in the house of the 
        richest boy in school.   She was stuck in his body as well.  
        
        It felt so freaky to suddenly be turned into a guy, but even freakier to look
        at Jake in her own body. She never imagined that she was so small!  God,
        she was practically tiny.
        
        Cricket remembered that she had to look way down to see Jake in her real 
        body.  She now could even look Ty straight in the eyes. She even had to
        look down to see Kristi.
        
        THAT was almost fun.
        
        She'd been too shocked to look down at her new body with the rest of the 
        clique present. It was a mixture of shame and terror, for she was half afraid 
        of what she'd see. Natural curiosity started to get the best of her, now that 
        she was all alone.
        
        The very thought of being in a guy's body was so embarrassing to Cricket.  
        It was impossible. She wanted to look at Jake's body closely, but, at the 
        same time, was reluctant. Cricket had never seen a naked guy before, let 
        alone a white guy.
        
        She decided to divert herself by exploring other mysteries nagging at her 
        curiosity.  Namely, Jake's house.
        
        The former black girl scrutinized every room of the large house.  That only 
        lasted so long.  Cricket was forced the confront the reality of her new 
        physical being once that portion of her curiosity was satisfied.
        
        Not that she had much of a choice.  She realized, with a start, that she had
        to go to the bathroom!
        
        "Oh, that Jake!  Why did he have to drink so much beer?" Cricket cursed 
        under her breath. 
        
        The experience was strange for her, to say the least.  Cricket had to stand
        up, handle the urgent tube of flesh between her legs, and aim it at the toilet.  
        Hitting the target wasn't as easy as she imagined it to be.  The small puddle 
        on the floor was a testament to that fact.
        
        Cricket had to shake the albino one-eyed trouser snake to get the few 
        remaining droplets removed.
        
        "I can't believe that  I'm touching a white boy's penis," she said aloud 
        choosing the proper anatomical phrase.  Cricket hadn't even touched Ty's 
        manhood yet.  "This is too weird."  
        The girl inspected looking the strange piece of flesh between her legs.  It 
        looked so pale and unhealthy, in stark contrast to her normally dark skin.
        The things was also beginning to grow and harden in response to Cricket's 
        thoughts and shaking.
        
        She hadn't stopped shaking it, even though the droplets of urine were long 
        gone. A sensation of a . . . forbidden need . . . started to grow too. 
        
        Cricket snapped back to herself (as much as possible).   She was a little 
        disgusted at her actions, so she pulled her pants up, and hurried out of the 
        bathroom.
        
        Cricket made her way into Jake's bedroom.  She was truly amazed at the 
        sheer size of it as compared to her own room.    The room was so nice.  
        
        "This boy is loaded,"  she observed.   
        
        Cricket stripped out of Jake's clothes, all but his shorts.  She then looked at 
        herself in a small mirror in the corner of the very male bedroom.  The one 
        time small black girl winced at the tall, fairly athletic, but teenage that
        looked back. The image just wasn't just a boy, but a rich white boy at that.  
        
        It felt so strange.  Perhaps if she'd switched bodies with another black
        person . . . like Ty . . . ?
        
        Cricket swallowed the thought.  What was she thinking?
        
        She inspected her new bodily shell for only a moment longer.  Cricket
        turned off the light, and climbed into a much larger bed than she was used
        to.  
        
        It was going to be a long night!
        
        **********
        
        Jake awoke in the very next morning, musing, "What a strange dream." 
        
        That was until he heard THAT voice coming from his lips.  Jake Preston 
        opened a stranger's eyes to the sight of Cricket's, small as a shoebox, 
        bedroom.  
        
        "Shit," he muttered, in a most unladylike manner.  However, it was 
        extremely Jake-like.
        
        THAT was a behavior he'd have to consciously work on before someone 
        guessed the impossible truth.
        
        Jake realized that it hadn't been a dream. 
        
        "Shit," he said again, in defiance of the shy proper black girl that he would 
        have to imitate.  At least in the relative privacy of "his" own bedroom he 
        could act like his real self.  Otherwise, he might start thinking that he really 
        was Cricket. This damnable, infernal game was getting more complicated 
        with each passing moment.
        
        Jake experienced the odd feeling of his breasts jiggling uncomfortably as he 
        climbed out of bed.  
        
        "I can't believe this," he tried to convince himself, knowing, all of the while 
        that he did.  
        
        The dream, or in this case nightmare, theory wasn't working.  The evidence 
        was irrefutable, as the omnipresent weight on his chest and void between
        his legs would attest.  There literally was no choice but to believe.
        
        What was the alternative?  Was he really Cricket fantasizing that he . . . she
        . 
        . . was once Jake?  Jake shuddered uncontrollably.  That was too terrible a 
        thing to even contemplate: that he'd been a delusional poor black girl all of
        his life.
        
        He forced the maddening questions from his reeling mind.
        
        Jake started for the closet to look for something to wear, dreading what he 
        was going to find, when he caught sight of Cricket's worn bathrobe.  It was 
        so unlike his own household.  When a bathrobe got the least bit worn, it
        was thrown away to make way for a new one. This pink terry cloth rag
        would have been thrown way ages ago in his home.  In Cricket's house it
        was . . . acceptable wear.  
        
        Jake threw the around Cricket's darkly petite body rather than explore the 
        closet any further. He fastened it tightly at the waist and finding it oddly 
        comfortable.  Comfortable but for the prominent tenting at the chest area. 
        He looked down at the wildly improbable view of deep ebony cleavage
        from above.
        
        As soon as Jake left the safety of Cricket's bedroom, determined to find a 
        shower, he was confronted with, "Well. Good morning sleepy."
        
        The strong female voice startled the displaced white boy for a second. 
        Jake's head whipped around to take in the sight of looked and Cricket's
        mother.  Long, relaxed hair flew into his mouth, eyes, and face.
        
        As Jake pulled the tresses from his face, tucking them behind his ears, he 
        blurted, "Mrs. . . Momma!" 
        
        THAT was almost a tragic mistake. He caught himself. 
        
        "Um . . . good morning. Momma."
        
        Cricket's momma just sighed.
        
        "Shanice and Mo'nique called for you this mornin' already," she advised 
        Jake.
        
        "Thanks," Jake replied evenly, in his best Cricket imitation.  It was . . .
        eerie . . . how he could match her exact pitch and timbre.  Well, maybe not
        so strange since he was currently dwelling within her body.  Still, he felt 
        embarrassed. 
        
        He was so distracted by the enormity of his plight that it hadn't occurred to 
        him that he was now confronted with the names of two people he didn't 
        know.
        
        God, how could he face Kristi again in this condition. He knew, beyond a 
        shadow of a doubt, that if he was going to pretend to be Cricket, he'd 
        especially need his girlfriend's help.  She knew a lot more about Cricket's
        life than he did, and he had to trying to keep that in mind. 
        
        Jake started to the bathroom to take a shower, but was halted by the large 
        countenance of Mrs. Allen.
        
        "Where do ya'll think yer goin', girl?"
        
        "Huh?" muttered Jake.
        
        "If y'all plan to do somethin'  with yer friend Kristi, you better get on the 
        phone to tell Mo'nique and Shanice that you won't be meetin' them at the 
        courts."
        
        "Huh?" the former boy reiterated, this time sincerely.  It finally registere
        that he didn't know any Mo'nique or Shanice, and Cricket certainly didn't
        warn him of anyone by that name.  There names indicated their race.
        
        Cricket's mom reacted to the expression of utter confusion on her apparent 
        daughter's beautiful face.
        
        "I swears, girl.  Just 'cause you moved to the opposite side of town, an' yer 
        runnin' with rich white folk, don't mean that you just dis' yer best friends 
        from the old hood.  I 'member when y'all couldn't wait to get up on
        Saturday 
        an' watch the boys play basketball on the courts.  My how times are a 
        changin'."
        
        Mrs. Allen had NO idea!
        
        Still, she'd given the enlightened white boy all of the information that he 
        needed.  Jake would have to deal with two of Cricket' black girl friends on 
        top of everything else!
        
        "I'll call 'em when I gets outta the shower, Momma." Jake placated her, 
        wisely using her manner of speech.
        
        It appeared to work, for Momma nodded in assent.
        
        "Make sure ya do.  I'm still close wit' their momma, an' I don' want them 
        axing me 'bout you."
        
        "Yes, Momma." agreed Jake, humbly, before stepping toward the tiny 
        bathroom again.
        
        He never made it.  Momma spoke up again.
        
        "What about your job?  You know yer scheduled to work the afternoon
        shift at the Burger King.  I swear how you can do anything wit' either
        Kristi, or Shanice and Mo'nique."
        
        The transformed boy gulped, almost audibly, even as he thought, a job?  
        Work for Jake Preston was a truly foreign concept.
        
        "B-Burger King?" Jake asked.
        
        "Don' act all confused 'round me, girl.  You know we all work in this here 
        family, an' every little bit helps."
        
        "What about Poppa?" inquired the former boy, utilizing Cricket's name for 
        her father.  They were now coloring outside of the lines, if you will: 
        exploring areas which the real Cricket couldn't have possibly prepared him 
        for in the short time last night.  He'd have to "wing" it without raising any 
        suspicions.
        
        "He's down at the construction site waitin' ta see if they needs any day 
        workers.  If he don' find a regular job soon, I don' know what we's gonna 
        do.  My old bones ache from cleanin' so many houses.  Good thing they's a 
        lot of rich folk nearby who need their big ole' houses cleaned by black 
        woman!"
        
        Jake realized, for the first time since encountering his makeshift mother,
        that she was dressed for house cleaning on a Saturday.  He's seen enough
        house cleaners at his real home!  That made his little heart sink: his REAL
        home.  Now his temporary Momma was a mere house cleaner in one of
        those big homes.
        
        The confused boy new one thing for certain: on top of everything else, he 
        didn't want to wear a polyester uniform and work in a fast food restaurant.  
        THAT was just a little bit too much for this infernal game!
        
        Jake resisted the very real urge to swear again.  One curse word and his
        cover would be blown.  He decided to try another tact instead, and steeled
        himself to plead to Momma in Cricket's soft spoken, understated kind of
        way.  He had to risk a couple of guesses in order to make it work . . .
        educated guesses.
        
        "But . . . Momma?  I've been workin' real hard lately, with school, an' 
        cheerleadin', work, and Ty an' all.  Can' I just have one day off ta be wit' 
        my friends?"
        
        Momma's countenance softened.  She hugged the black girl that she 
        genuinely believed to be her only daughter.  The she whispered.
        
        "Baby . . . I know it be hard on you.  If we could I'd not wan' you to be 
        workin' at all. We jus' need the money right now an' . . . ."
        
         The bigger, older black woman paused in mid-sentence, possibly in direct 
        response to Jake's teary eyes and look of profound sadness.  Those weren't 
        being faked!
        
        "You know, Baby?  I can jus' clean a couple a' extra houses today.  Them 
        rich white folk like seein' a nigger woman cleanin' their home.  Some things 
        jus' don' change.  You go on, an' have yerself a good day.  Say hello ta Ty 
        fer me."
        
        It was plainly obvious that Cricket's mom really liked Jake's best friend.
        
        For a second, Jake forgot all about time and space.  Here this woman, with 
        her aching bones, was going to get down on her hands, and knees and scrub 
        floors, just so her daughter can have a day of fun. He'd never experienced 
        such a selfless act of love and affection . . . certainly not in his real home.  
        Jake's heart melted just a little for this veritable stranger.
        
        "Can you call in for me, Momma?"
        
        Momma's normal expression came roaring back.
        
        "I swears, Felicia?  Does I have ta do everything for ya?"
        Jake's new mouth broke into an appreciative grin.  He actually leaned 
        forward to kiss his temporary momma on the cheek.
        
        "Thanks, Momma," the former boy stated softly, even as he thought, who's 
        Felicia?  It had to be Cricket's real name, which meant that Cricket was
        only a nickname.  Why hadn't she told everybody else that fact?
        
        Jake had a LOT of things to talk to the genuine article about!
        
        Momma "shooed" Jake away into the waiting bathroom, "Now you go on, 
        Baby, before ya make an old woman cry.  I'll see ya tonight."
        
        A genuine moment of affection passed between the two black females.
        
        **********
        
        Jake sighed once more, once inside the safe confines of the bathroom.  He'd 
        just passed the sternest test, to date, in his imitation of Cricket.  He was 
        relieved that he didn't have to deal with an awkward shift at Burger King.  
        Shanice and Mo'nique were another matter that he would have to deal with 
        later.
        
        The bathroom looked a lot smaller in the light of day, and there was pealing 
        paint chips on the walls.  Cricket's family tried to decorate the small room 
        was well as possible to hide the threadbare sections of wall.  Instead of a 
        walk-in shower, with glass doors and brass fittings, there was only a 
        discolored porcelain tub, complete with an encircling old shower curtain.
        
        The displaced teenager was just starting to appreciate just how destitute the 
        Allens were.  Ordinarily, Jake wouldn't be caught dead in a bathroom, let 
        alone a shower, like this.  He fought off the urge to shudder in revulsion.  
        Yet, strangely enough, it seemed more "homey" than his own sterile, 
        immaculate mausoleum. 
        
        Unfortunately, what choice did he currently have? 
        
        The shower felt incredibly good to Jake.  He struggled to keep his hands 
        from exploring too much, although his nipples felt sooooo sensitive under
        the unrelenting spray of warm water. They quickly became quite erect, and,
        soon enough, Jake was wet in more ways than one!