The Subject

Even before she opened her eyes, Bess felt the pain. Her forehead pulsed with a sharp ache, and she gasped from it. Her muscles ached as well, and her mind reeled from her recent memories.

I was so mad. Why? What was I...

Oh, God. Lance. Tim. I got so mad at them.

Why?

Because they were nice to me.

Well, they were trying to trick me.

What? No.

They had to...why would they want to be with me? I'm a...a...

Don't say it.

I'm a...fr...

DO NOT SAY IT.

In her mind, she began to cry.

-----

It was very bright in here. Bess blinked multiple times as her eyes fluttered open. She looked around, not moving her head. There was an overhead fluorescent light hanging from the ceiling. She tried to move her head but there was something around her neck holding it still.

Wait...I fell. Am I...paralyzed?!

She then lifted her right arm and wiggled her fingers in front of her face. Breathing a sigh of relief, she felt the brace attached to her neck. Then she reached up and felt the bandaging on her forehead.

"H-Hello?"

She then saw Mrs. Mathis, the school nurse, come into view. The older woman had such a kind smile, it made Bess more comfortable almost immediately.

"Hi, dear. How do you feel?"

"Um...a bit woozy. My head hurts a lot."

The nurse nodded. "You fainted and your head hit on a desk as you collapsed."

"My neck...is it...?" She put one hand lightly on the brace.

Mrs. Mathis smiled and shook her head. "Just a precaution, dear. I don't think there's any other damage. There was a LOT of blood though. Head wounds like that can look so much scarier than they actually are."

The nurse then ran Bess through a concussion protocol, usually reserved for the football players. After checking Bess extensively, Mrs. Mathis smiled. "No concussion, dear. Probably just a little scar."

"Wh...who brought me here?"

As if on cue, Mr. Bentley leaned in. "Hi, Bess."

"Hello, sir. I'm sorry."

The teacher smiled. "No need to apologize, Bess. Just rest. Your mom will be here soon."

"Oh...the session! Can Lance find another...?"

Mr. Bentley shook his head. "Class is suspended today. We'll pick up Day 2 tomorrow."

"Good...I don't want Lance..."

Bess froze.

Lance.

"Oh, sir." Bess started to cry. "Oh...sir."

"Shhhh...it's okay."

"But sir...I was so mean. Why was I so mean?"

"Don't worry about that right now. Just relax." Mr. Bentley looked up and smiled.

Suddenly her mom was there, her face etched with concern.

"Elizabeth! Oh God..." She looked up. "Can she move?"

Bess heard Mrs. Mathis. "Yes, she can. She'll probably be unsteady, but she won't need the brace. Let's get her upright."

The nurse and Janet gently lifted Bess to a sitting position on the bed. Her neck brace was removed and Bess unconsciously rolled her neck, which triggered some pain from her head. She winced, then looked around. The only people here apart from her and her mom were Mrs. Mathis and Mr. Bentley.

"Mom? Can we go home?"

Janet frowned and nodded. "Of course we can, baby. Let's go."

Mrs. Mathis gave Janet a few forms and had the mom sign Bess out. Mr. Bentley helped Janet walk Bess to her car and made sure she was secured.

"Let me know if you need any more days off. I'll do my best to accommodate."

"Thank you, sir." Janet started to drive.

Silence for a couple of minutes. Then...

"Mom, I think I might have screwed everything up. Or maybe just saw through the joke."

Janet frowned and looked over. "What do you mean?"

Bess shrugged. "All of these people. Marcia. Katy. Carrie. Leroy. Tim. Lance. They're all so nice to me. Why?"

"Well, because you're a good person?"

"Okay, but I've always been a good person, right? Part of me thinks this is just some elaborate prank."

"What?! Bess, no. You think Carrie is dating you...as a prank? And Marcia...and KATY? No. I don't believe that."

"Well, then where were they? I expected someone to see me at the nurse's office. The only one there was Mr. Bentley." There were tears falling from Bess's eyes.

"Bess, I..."

"No, Mom...it's the way it's always been. I thought maybe it was different, but now I see it's just the same. I was stupid to think it would be anything other than what it's always been."

She looked right at her mom. "I think I'm going to drop 7

th

."

"Bess!"

Bess nodded. "Yeah, I don't think I can really be in the same room with them anymore. I just have to forget about all of this and move on."

Janet sighed heavily. "Bess, please. Don't do anything rash. Just take a minute and think about all of this."

"I don't think there's anything to think about."

The car pulled into the driveway and Janet got out first. She came around and helped Bess out. Janet could see that Bess was already physically better, but she still hung onto her mom like a small child, on the verge of crying. Janet looked around and saw the multiple recognizable cars and hoped that Bess could be brought back to where she was just this morning.

-----

The two women entered the house and walked to the living room.

Bess was about to head to her room when she looked up.

Katy Jenkins was standing there.

"Hi, Bess."

"Katy? What...?"

Katy had tears in her eyes. Bess could tell that she had been crying quite a bit. The thought of Katy crying made Bess's heart break.

"Bess...are...are...you okay?"

Bess nodded silently, the anger and harshness still in the back of her brain. Janet let her go and stood off to the side.

Bess shook her head. "Where were you?"

"Here. We were all here."

"We?" Then she looked and saw Marcia, Lily, and Kaia emerge from the kitchen. All of them had concern on their faces. Katy walked up to her and took her hands, drawing her forward. The two of them sat on their knees on the carpeted floor, and the other three joined them, circling Bess.

Bess looked at all four then shook her head.

"No. No, it's not right. None of this is right. The four of you, Carrie, Leroy, Tim...I don't deserve ANY of you."

Katy put her hand on Bess's face, stopping it from shaking and forcing her to make eye contact.

"It IS right. It's not a joke. This is you, here, with us."

"All of us." Katy shifted to the left, and Carrie sat in her place, in front of Bess.

Bess loved how beautiful she was, and her heart soared as she looked at her. Suddenly, that sliver of doubt jabbed at her, and she frowned, looking down. Carrie took her chin and brought it back up.

"Bess. Look at me. I love you."

Bess responded, a harsh edge to her voice. "Do you?"

That flash of anger that Bess had seen before appeared. "Yes, I do! Don't you DARE tell me I don't or think it's some fucking joke! I've never loved someone like I love you, Elizabeth. I love Leroy, but it's different. The love I have for you is unique and special and will NOT be denied!"

Bess actually recoiled a bit from the force of Carrie's emotion. "But...why?"

Carrie's anger rose sharply. "Stop. STOP! STOP ASKING WHY! None of this is made up! This is not just your story where you're being conned. This is my story too, where I've found this wonderful girl that I want to love and be loved by! How DARE you ask that!"

Bess's mouth opened and closed without sound. Her eyes teared up.

A male voice. "Yeah, it gets tiring to tell you how awesome you are, over and over." Bess looked up and Tim was there, leaning on the wall. He had a half-smile on his face, but his tone was serious.

"Tim, I...when Lance said what he said..."

"Bess, what DID I say?" She looked back toward the door and Lance Kirkland was standing there.

"That...that you would ask me out."

They're here. Why are they all here?

Isn't this just a joke?

"And I meant that. I meant every word. No bullshit." He looked over at Janet. "Sorry, ma'am."

Janet smiled at this very polite boy.

Carrie pulled Bess's face back to her. "This is an intervention, Bess. We're all here to tell you that you're loved, that you are part of our lives, and that we are NOT going to allow you to just chalk us up as a JOKE. Do you understand?"

Bess looked around to all the faces. She also noticed Leroy and Dara standing off to one side as well.

She bowed her head and the only sound in the room was soft weeping. A couple of tears hit her knees. She then looked up at Carrie, tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I'm...

"a...

"lucky girl."

She reached out and embraced Carrie. Then she addressed the group.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I've never had anyone, apart from family, who cared about me...at all. And now, to have so many WONDERFUL people that are here...now...that won't leave. It's just not something that I'm used to."

Janet had her hands up to her face, trying not to cry.

She looked back at her girlfriend. "But you're right. It's not just about me. I was selfish, thinking it was. You all CHOSE to be here. You all CHOSE to care, and I will be eternally grateful for that."

She drew in a long breath. "I...I will stop doubting all of this. I will accept this love and caring from each of you for what it is...love and caring. I love you all...so much. Thank you for being here."

She hugged Carrie again, and they kissed. "I love you."

"I love you too. Do you believe me?"

Bess nodded quietly. They hugged again.

Then she got up and did the same to everyone else in the room, including Lance.

"I'm sorry, Lance. I was exceptionally mean to you."

Lance waved it off. "It's okay. How do you feel?"

"Sore. That must have been scary, huh?"

"Like you had been shot! There was SO much blood! Speaking of which...'pig blood'? What?"

Dara laughed. "It's from the movie 'Carrie'. Carrie gets set up as Homecoming Queen, then the mean kids dump a pail of pig's blood on her."

Tim said, "Oh, man...that's awful."

"Then Carrie kills them all with psychic powers."

There was an awkward silence. Tim cleared his throat and said, "We're cool, right Bess? I mean...you don't have psychic powers, so...though you just hit your head...um, we're cool, yeah?"

Bess walked over and hugged Tim, kissing him as well. She then pulled back.

"If I had psychic powers, I wouldn't do what Carrie did."

Tim nodded.

"At least not to you guys."

Another awkward silence. Then Bess laughed, and so did everyone else.

-----

Carrie and Katy walked over to Janet and the three of them watched Bess with the others.

Carrie said, "This was a good idea, Mrs. Ulrich."

Katy nodded in agreement. She also sidled close to Janet, and Katy's hands began to explore the older woman.

Janet lightly admonished her. "Now Katy, control yourself. Especially with Carrie right here."

Katy continued to rub herself against Janet. "Oh, Mommy. I miss you so much. I need you and Daddy inside me. Ooh! And Bess too!" She looked at Carrie. "Carrie, is it okay that Bess fucks me with her Mommy and Daddy? Mommy would use a strap-on and I would be airtight!"

Carrie was starting to breathe heavy, and she could feel her nipples harden as she thought about Katy in the middle of Bess and her parents. Carrie loved being DP'ed with Bess involved, and Janet really reminded her a lot of Bess. She started to salivate.

"What's going on over here?"

Bess walked up next to Carrie, putting her arm around her girlfriend. "Mom? What are you guys doing?"

"Dear, we're just having a nice chat with Carrie. Right, Katy?"

Katy licked her lips and stared at Carrie. "Yeah...just a chat."

Carrie looked a little unfocused as she looked at Bess. "Yes...just chatting."

"Mmhmm...I know where chatting leads when Katy Jenkins is involved."

Katy tried to look indignant. "Where's that?"

"With my girlfriend naked on my bed, with one or BOTH of you sliding strap-ons in and out of her!"

Both Katy and Janet looked down, then to each other, both with that secret smile.

"Aha! I know that smile! Mom! You're getting to be as bad as she is!"

Then Bess looked at Carrie. Carrie was breathing very heavy and she was subtly shifting back and forth, looking at both Katy and Janet.

Katy said, "I'll bet nobody'll mind if we go do that now. Carrie, can Bess's mom and I take you in the bedroom and double-fuck you with strap-ons?"

Bess stepped in front of her girlfriend. "HEY!"

"Bess, you can help us...your girlfriend has three holes after all."

"Come on, Carrie. Let's go and sit down." She slowly moved Carrie away from the two women. Carrie never took her eyes off them, and they watched her leave.

After a moment, Janet said, "I made Carrie cum this morning."

Katy's eyes got big. "What?!"

Janet smiled. "Yeah...Bess had just finished making love to her and needed my help. So I...made her cum...with my mouth."

Katy gasped. "So lucky! I love Carrie's body. We should definitely try to get her in bed."

"It has to be okay with Bess though...right?"

Katy nodded. "Of course! Like I said...Carrie has THREE holes."

"Katy! Such a bad girl!"

"No, Mommy! I'm a GOOD girl...the BEST girl."

"That's true." Janet kissed Katy, then looked over and saw Tim, who was watching with his mouth open. She winked at Tim, then walked past with Katy, hand-in-hand.

-----

Mark Ulrich pulled into his driveway and frowned as he got out. There were a number of cars parked outside of his house...it looked like there was a party going on.

At 4:45 in the afternoon?

He walked into the house and could immediately hear cross-conversations. As he started toward the living room, he was immediately jumped by a wonderful surprise.

"Daddy!" Katy wrapped her arms around Mark and squeezed him tight.

Katy's hug was such a comforting while also sexy act that Mark didn't want it to end. "My little Katy! What's going on?"

Katy pulled herself back and suddenly had a very sad face that felt like a gut punch to Mark.

"It's Bess...she...fell."

That gut punch was followed by Mark's stomach dropping out. "What? Where is she?!" He took Katy's hand and moved into the living room. He saw Kaia and Marcia and Tim and...

"Elizabeth!"

Bess turned and Mark saw the bandage and his blood froze. Just as he reached her, Janet was there as well, and all conversation stopped.

"Hi, Dad."

"Baby, what happened?!" He gingerly looked at her head.

"I kind of...fainted. When I did, I hit my head." Mark looked at Janet who nodded.

"She's fine, dear. The nurse gave us some paperwork to help us. Overall, she's okay. And..." She looked around and her voice cracked a bit. "...her friends all came to support her."

Mark looked past Bess at the assembled group, all smiling. He reached out his hand to Lance. "Hey Lance, good to see you!"

Lance took the hand and shook it. "You too, sir." Looking at Bess, Mark said, "Lance works at K&K Meats."

Lance nodded. "Only part-time during the school year."

"Yeah, but he's usually there when I'm out shopping. I like that you guys are friends."

"Bess, he's been talking you up for a LONG time."

Bess gasped. "DAD!"

"What? A guy can't talk about how beautiful his daughter is to a nice guy?"

Bess went beet red. Mark smiled. "Sorry, Bess. One of my roles as your father is to embarrass you. How am I doing?"

Bess continued to blush and swiped at her dad. Mark laughed, then got serious.

"Elizabeth, are you sure you're okay?"

Bess nodded. "I'm okay." She looked at Carrie, then to Katy and the others. "I'm actually pretty great."

"Good. Okay, I count ten kids and two adults. How about pizza for everyone?"

A collective cheer went up.

-----

Carrie and Bess were eating pizza at the kitchen table when Tim came up and sat on the other side of Bess. He took a bite of his own slice and spoke to Carrie.

"So Carrie...you're the girlfriend, right?"

Carrie stopped chewing and nodded, a slight smirk on her face. "Yes. I am indeed 'the girlfriend'". Bess also stopped chewing and frowned at Tim.

"So my plan is to maybe become 'the boyfriend'. We may need to talk scheduling."

Bess's eyes went wide and she stopped mid-chew. Carrie's smirk morphed into a full-fledged smile. "Scheduling?"

"Yeah, like who gets to have Bess. How about you get her Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and I get her on the other days?"

"No way! That means you get her for four days, and I only get her for three...AND you get her for both days of the weekend! No deal!"

"Hmmm...well, how about..."

Bess exploded. "What is this? 'Gets to have'?!"

Tim nodded his head, and Carrie could see that he was in prime comedic mode. She wanted to see how much Bess would take before punching him in the face.

"Bess, it's important to realize that as your boyfriend, I need to know that I can take you out on, let's say Thursday, without worrying about hurting Carrie's feelings. Let's say for example, Carrie comes to you and says "Bess, please let me take you out on Thursday for...mmm...let's say...milkshakes and kissing."

Carrie stifled a laugh. Bess looked back at her, still trying to understand what was happening. Carrie looked at her. "I do like those things."

Tim continued. "Of course you do...who doesn't? Anyway, Bess...you'd have to tell Carrie that you can't go out for milkshakes and kissing because you already have a date with your boyfriend. That would be so sad for Carrie!"

Bess looked back at Carrie, who (almost) immediately became very sad. Carrie then spoke up. "And conversely...what if Tim, say, wanted to get together for milkshakes and kissing on Wednesday, and Bess had to say that she couldn't, because she, accompanied by her girlfriend, was going to the Sanderson household to have crazy sex with Marcia Sanderson's mom? How would you feel, Tim?"

Tim blinked, then blinked again. "Ummmm..."

Bess swallowed a smile and looked on with interest at Tim, who continued to struggle with the question.

"Wait...Bess, you're going to see...Marcia's...mom?"

"Yes."

"Tomorrow?"

"4pm."

"To have...crazy sex?"

"I think so."

Tim looked at Carrie. "You too?"

Carrie shook her head. "I'm just there to watch."

"Did I hear my name?" Marcia walked over and sat down.

Bess nodded. "We're talking about tomorrow's visit with your mom."

Marcia smiled. "Oh, yeah...that should be fun!"

Tim boggled. "So your mom is gonna have sex with Bess?"

"Oh, without a doubt. We had sex this morning and she would not stop talking about Bess. The best part is that she doesn't know about how...unique...Bess is."

Tim wiped his brow. "Hang on...you had...?"

"Sex. With my mom. Yeah. I have sex with her all the time. So does my dad and my brother and his best friend and more than a few other people."

"So those rumors I had heard...about her and the basketball team last year?"

"Oh yeah...that happened. Mr. Bentley got in on that one too. She had six guys at once then. She came home on top of the world."

The whole table was quiet for a minute after that.

Tim spoke first. "Umm...I think we've drifted away from the original topic. So I'm gonna try to not picture Mrs. Sanderson with six guys, and get back on track." He then suddenly looked at Marcia and snapped his fingers.

"Oh! Did you talk to Victor?"

"Yes! He's good...Thursday night!"

Tim smiled and looked at Bess. "So, would you like to go on a double-date on Thursday?"

Bess blinked and smiled. "Really?" Then she looked at Marcia. "With you and Victor Ortega?"

Marcia nodded. Bess's smile got bigger. "Oh, that sounds like fun! Yes!"

Tim smiled broadly. "Great! I gotta work out the rest of the details."

Marcia said, "I have a friend that works at Bailey's in Alhambra, and it's a great place to eat."

"Sound good, Bess?"

Bess nodded. "It sounds wonderful." She leaned over and kissed him. Marcia and Carrie smiled at each other at that. Carrie got up. "Come on, Marcia...let's leave these two alone." The two girls left the kitchen.