• CHAPTER ONE...
    "I've got the gift of ONE LINERS."


    So let’s set the game board up shall we? We’re located in the hallway closest to the cafeteria; class rooms line the long corridor. Students fill this space like a giant mass of flesh that just seems move in the same way. There are a select few of us who stand and watch these slack-jawed morons as they make their way to the next class. All of them just an audience to the show that I’m about to put on. Now I know what you’re thinking, “Man is this guy cocky or what?” What you call cocky, I call confident, and I have every reason to be.



    But before I explain why, let’s throw our pieces onto the board. But wait? Didn’t I say before that there were students wandering the halls? Well to be fair, I wouldn’t count them as our pieces. They are more of decoration to the board, mainly because I feel that they lack the mental ability to be anything else. Of these students though, there are a select few that I will be using, First piece on the board would be Simon, to the untrained eye he would appear the nice guy popular guy. From his blonde shag to his deep blue eyes, Simon is the generic heartthrob at our school. He has many suitors, but none he has chosen yet.


    This is where the next two players come into play. First is April, the popular scene queen with a style all her own. (Along with 200 other girls who think that they’re being original.) Don’t get me wrong she’s very attractive; she has those eyes that just draw boys to her. And along with her hour glass curves and c-cup breasts, she could probably get most boys to do whatever she wants. The only problem being, she wants Simon, who doesn’t want a girlfriend. Our second player is Adam, the cute awkward boy. I say awkward because he is in fact socially retarded, he isn’t mentally challenged, but he doesn’t really know how to act around people. Adam is extremely shy and rarely speaks, except when spoken to. He has short ear length straight hair messy with his bangs covering his eyes. Adam is abnormally skinny, more so than most the girls in our grade. It’s not unusual to see him in a tight shirt and skinny jeans that make his legs look like twigs. This social reject also wants Simon.



    So what do these two smitten lovebirds do? They come to me, the matchmaker to solve their problem. They call me the matchmaker because I can pretty much influence whoever I want. It’s a skill that I’ve come to use very loosely around people, to get whatever I want. Everyone thinks that I’m just really charismatic, but if they knew the real reason people bent to my will. They’d s**t a freaking brick.

    Out of the corner of my eye I see Adam walking towards room 116. If recall correctly that room belongs to Mr. Williams, an English teacher. He looks back at me to make sure that I’m doing my job. His brunette hair flipping as he glances toward me. I smile and nod, assuring him that I know what I’m doing. Adam smiles and waits by the door, I’m not going to lie; Adam was very attractive, his only flaw being awkward.



    Adam turns away; I explained to him that he needed to act as though we’d never met. I do this with all my clients that way the person I’m influencing doesn’t realize what is going on. Now that he’s not looking at me I turn to see April. She is standing by the doors leading to the parking lot. April has her hands resting on her hips as she speaks to her little groupies. I see her eyes shift to me and she too smiles, but doesn’t break attention from the girls surrounding her. I too flash the same smile I did to Adam. I nod and her full attention turns back to the girls.



    Neither of them knows that they have both come to me, that they both want Simon. If they did bribery might come into play, and as much as I like free swag it tends to get a little hectic when you’ve got all these gifts flying at you. So now here comes the point where I decide on what I should do. Which participant I should help out? The game plan, it would help if I actually had a game plan. I could help April, and that would mean that I could brownie points. Miss Popular might help me in the social hierarchy. That wouldn’t be such a bad idea. But then I think about Adam, and I wouldn’t have anything to gain from the boy. To be honest, I just feel sorry for him.



    I take a quarter out of my pocket and begin to fiddle with it between my fingers. What if I left it to Lady Luck? I’ve never really had much to do with her, but if I could probably get her to do whatever the hell I want. I place the quarter on my thumb and flip it into the air, heads for Adam, and tails for April. I watch as the quarter dances in the air, people’s love life hangs in the balance. All determined by this small object. It slightly amuses me, it makes me feel powerful. And to be honest I love it.



    Heads



    So Adam it is, being a complete third party outsider with no personal gain on the matter, I’m unaffected. But it will be nice for the little dude to get laid, maybe then he won’t be so socially distant. I pause as I pick the quarter up off the floor. Now where is the prey? I have to have him; otherwise there will be no game. So I search through the crowded mass of people; my eyes maneuvering through bodies I don’t know. After searching for several seconds I see him; he’s leaning against the lockers talking to some of his friends. His friends being the stupid boys who think that they’re hot s**t, when in all reality most of them are still virgins who will probably never touch a girl till their mid-thirties.



    So I stroll over to Simon, all the boys c**k a brow at me. Wondering what I would be doing talking to Simon. I pay them no attention though and go about my business, they continue to stare though. I pause and look at each of them, giving them the “I’m about speak, what the hell are you still standing here for?” Look and they all scatter. Now it’s just me and Simon, we don’t really know each other all that well, so it is a bit awkward at first…



    I pause watching him uneasily adjust his tee shirt as he looks over at me with his deep blue eyes. “Umm… Did you need something?” He asks me, it wasn’t in a sarcastic tone. It sounded though he was more nervous than anything. The boy then realizes though how I might have taken it and quickly tries to save himself, “I mean, it’s just I don’t think I’ve ever talked to you before.” He awkwardly raises his hand and scratches the back of his head with a light smile. I stand there and look up at him, trying to make eye contact with the boy (Which might I add he kept avoiding). I did find it find it funny though, how when you didn’t speak the other person just seemed to squirm. The boy finally looks back at me and his eyes meet mine.


    Suddenly his expression began to change; he was now more soothed, and his uneasiness just seemed to disappear. Hints of pink cover his cheeks and the bridge of his nose as he looks into my eyes. I could see myself in the glass like surfaces. The iris of my eyes was changing from amber, to gold, to yellow, to green, to blue and then a deep azure. The boy leaned in closer like he was waiting to hang on my every word.



    “You know Adam?” I asked, turning my head slightly as he leaned closer. His lips nearly touching my neck; I could feel his warm breath against my skin. The boy was taller than I was so he had to lean a bit to get to me. Simon waited before replying to me softly, “No I don’t think…” I pulled my hand up and placed it underneath his jaw. I tug softly and bring his eyes to the boy standing by the English class. “That’s Adam.” I explained, all that the other could say was “Uh huh.” This was just even more proof that I had wrapped around my finger. I could get him to do whatever I want, whenever I wanted, wherever I wanted it to happen. I was in full control.



    I wonder if April could see this little stunt I was pulling. I know that Simon’s friends all could, because their eyes were on me from the moment I stepped into their conversation. As a matter of fact I knew that people were watching, but my reputation was nothing that should be worried with. If I needed to could easily make them forget what they had heard or seen. After all these people surrounding me were no more than decorations. So I could easily mold them into whatever form I wanted, make them think what I think. It was just that easy.



    After I release his chin, Simon was right at my neck again. I could feel his breath against me, and if I was weaker I would definitely give into him. I though, was not weak, and I know how to play the game. “Adam is really a cute boy.” I speak softly into Simon’s ear. Simon hesitated and then nodded. “He’d make a really cute boyfriend. You two would make a cute couple.” I continue still whispering in his ear.



    He paused, and then spoke. “But I like girls.” He explains this but fails to realize he was basically grinding on me. I found it funny, but I’m sure everyone else around was in shock. Simon had never mentioned anything about being gay, or even hinted. As far as everyone else knew he was straight, and had multiple girlfriends before he went on this I’m sick of dating stand. So to see him fondling me would be a shock to the masses. It meant nothing to me though; it was just part of job.



    “Are you sure?” I murmur, “He is really cute, I think you should ask him out.”


    Simon stood there for a moment. Still holding close, you may be wondering what he’s thinking, but I already know. And when he suddenly breaks away from me I just stand crossing my arms. I watched as the teen heart throb walk over gingerly and strike up a conversation with Adam. I watched examining my handiwork in action, and I couldn’t help but smile. I could see the blush come over Adam’s cheeks as the two spoke. Then after some fumbling in the awkward boy’s pants a cell phone was seen; the two were exchanging numbers. My work was done.



    I turned and started to walk towards my next period class, passing April and her groupies. She began staring at me; I headed down the hall ignoring her. She was not going to stand for this. April quickly walked in front of me crossing her arms. “What the hell was that about? I thought you were going to hook us up?” Her tone was angered, and frankly I didn’t care that some little high strung b***h was giving me the third degree. I didn’t care if she was popular; no one talks to me like that.


    I stepped in closer to her forcing my body close to hers. Staring deep into her eyes I could see my own changing colors again. They faded from the deep purple, to a fierce crimson shade. The girl leaned back, but didn’t move from the spot. I narrowed my eyes at her with a scowl. “Don’t you think your dressed a little skimpy?” I ask. The scene girl looked down her v-neck fitted shirt. Her eyes then fell to the clinging skinny jeans that barely left enough imagination. “I don’t think…”



    I interrupt her before she can finish. “Well do you think your mother would be accepting of your outfit?” I continue with a second question. The girl squirms under my gaze; I can see her getting uncomfortable. “If I were you I’d dress a little more modest. You don’t want boys to get the wrong idea.” April smiles to me nods gently.



    “I guess you’re right. I’ll have to go find something better to wear tomorrow. Thanks.” She then turns and walks away from me; paying no mind to the fact that I just sent her crush to the arms of another man. Without giving the situation a second thought I walk to my next class, and head towards the end of the day.



    The events I have relayed to you are all true. My name is Cameron Reynolds, and I can Bewitch people.