Help! Chapter 3 (Patreon)

Just as he got to the spot under the stairs, the bell rang. Jeremy watched all the kids leaving their classrooms, talking loudly and smiling. It sounded like school was over, not lunch period.

“Hey, big boy,” Bethany said scooting under the stairs to be with him. “Where were you for lunch?”

“What?” Jeremy said. “I thought it was lunch right now.

She jumped up into his arms, cracking her ever-present gum and giving him a bubble-gum kiss.

“No, doh-doh brain!”

He chuckled and kissed her deeply, between the bubble blowing.

“So are you ready?” she said, extricating herself and smoothing her skirt.

“For what?”

She tsked. “The big game, of course! Where is your head, Jeremy?”

“Oh right,” he’d almost forgotten about that. “Hey, do I look any different to you?”

She looked up at him, her gorgeous green eyes peering up to look into his face. “No? Other than the hoodie, of course. Why are you wearing this?”

Jeremy sighed. “What if I do this?” He pulled the hood off his head, exposing his new hairdo.

“How about now?” Jeremy tried not to blush.

Bethany looked up at him critically. “No? What am I looking for, babe?”

“Ah, nothing, nothing...” he pulled the hoodie back on. “Let’s head over to your house.”

She grinned, knowing exactly what he wanted. “Let’s go!”

At Bethany’s house, the quickly ran up the stairs, and Bethany led him to the bed. “Mmmm, I’ve been thinking about this all day.”

“Yeah?” Jeremy said, grinning as she sat on him and started kissing.

He loved kissing Bethany. Her mouth tasted like bubblegum and she darted her tongue in between his teeth to dance with his tongue.

He liked the taste of her lipstick. It was strawberry flavored. Briefly, he wondered what Mrs. Manchester’s lipstick tasted like, and tingles flooded him again and he felt weights on each of his earlobes and something coated his lips.

Reaching up he felt something in his ears, something that wouldn’t come off.

“Awww, hell!” he said, extricating himself from her arms to look into the mirror.

He could see he now had very red lips, pearl earrings, and a heavy pearl necklace on. He tried to wipe off the lipstick, but nothing happened, it was fastened to him somehow, just like the necklace and earrings.

“You really can’t see it?”

Bethany looked up at him, confused. “See what, babe?”

“I have Manchester’s hair, makeup, and jewelry on!”

As he peered into the mirror his lashes extended and became heavily shadowed. “Dammit!”

“Babe, it’s all in your mind! Come back down here and let me kiss—”

“No, I can’t do this right now. I have to find out what’s going on!” He turned and started heading down the stairs.

“You’ll be at the game, though, right?” Bethany chased after him, worry on her face. He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

“Yeah, I’ll be there.” He left her house and accidentally closed the door harder than he wanted to.

***

“Hello, Love!” Jeremy’s mother said when he entered the house.

“Hi Mom,” Jeremy could feel his face flushing red.

“How was school today?”

Cynthia Fuller was thirty-five and many of Jeremy’s friends considered her a ‘MILF.’ She had abundant curves and long brown hair. Jeremy never really noticed, she’d always just been ‘Mom’ but some of his friends wanted more pictures of her than was normal.

“Terrible,” Jeremy said.

“What’s wrong honey? Aren’t they starting you at quarterback tonight?”

“No, it’s not that...”

“Then what?”

Jeremy held out his hands. “This! This is what!”

She looked confused. “I don’t understand what you mean, this what?”

“You can’t see it either?” he said. “Manchester did something to me and now I have her hair, makeup and jewelry!”

Cynthia frowned. “Manchester as in Sylvia Manchester? Your English Teacher?”

“Yes!” Jeremy pulled at the items trying to get them off or wipe off the makeup. “And it won’t come off!”

“Honey, listen carefully.” Cynthia took his hands in hers. “Tell me, exactly what she did?”

So he told her. Everything. From the way she knelt to get his pencil, up to having him take his shirt off and the strange glow.

Cynthia frowned. “And that was her exact words? That only you and she would be able to see the spell she had created?”

Jeremy nodded, disconsolately and sat down on the couch. Jeremy knew his Mom was in touch with different healers and spiritualists. She had a million crystals, potions, and other items.

“Well, we can go see the guru Venkman,” she paused. “But I doubt we’ll be able to get in to see him tonight before your game.”

“What am I going to do, Mom?” Jeremy held out his hands. “How can I play football like this?”

“She hasn’t changed you, Jeremy. Aside from the hair, makeup and jewelry has anything else changed?”

“No.”

“Well, maybe you should go take a nap, and I’ll fix you something light for dinner. Do you think you’ll be going out after the game?”

Jeremy always went out with the team. If they won it was to party, if they lost it was to build themselves back up after a heartbreak. Unless there was a dance...”

“There’s a dance tonight.”

“Are you taking Bethany?”

“I’m supposed to,” Jeremy said.

“Well, try to stop thinking about Sylvia Manchester. Think about your girlfriend, the game, the dance, and your friends.”

“I will...”

“Tomorrow, we’ll go see guru Venkman, and maybe he’ll know how to stop this illusion.”

“Alright.”

As he passed by the nightstand in the hallway, Jeremy was seized by a sudden need. He grabbed his Mom’s pack of Virginia Slims. He lit one and sat back on the bed, relaxing and smoking.

Whatever was happening to him, it wasn’t fair. Whatever she was doing to him, he didn’t like it and he hoped whoever this guru guy was could make it go away, could make it stop.

After stubbing out the cigarette, he slipped under the covers and went to sleep.