Fallout - 2016 - Matchmaker Chronicles Vol 1 CG3 11/15
Previously
After the game the sportscasters and commentators all voted to decide who the MVP would be. The vote was surprising, in view of his performance in protecting the quarterback, enabling him to connect on so many passes and his performance on the last defensive play from scrimmage where he sacked the opponent’s quarterback in the end zone, JJ was voted MVP!
As soon as the decision was made the coach made a call to the Olsen home to give JJ the news.
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When JJ got the news, he was elated, for a second and then it suddenly dawned on his exactly what that would mean.
“Oh no! I’ve been voted MVP!”
Lucy and Jimmy were standing there as he had taken the call and when he announced this, Jimmy clapped him on the back and said, “Congratulations! This is quite a feather in your cap! Not many linemen get selected as MVP!”
Lucy said, “That’s nice, honey. Quite an honor. What goes along with it?”
“That’s the problem; I get to be the King for the Homecoming Dance. Morgana was voted in as the Queen. That means that I’ll be with Morgana when I was supposed to be with Hattie. Jon was supposed to be with Morgana! I guess he’ll have to go with Hattie.”
Lucy suggested, “Do you have to be with her the entire night? Perhaps you could switch off.”
As what Lucy said sank in, JJ brightened and said, “Yeah, thanks, Mom. That should work! Well, I guess I should go and get ready.”
Jimmy said, “Don’t you think you should call Jon and let him know? And what about Hattie? I think you guys need to get this straightened out before you get there, don’t you?”
“Yeah, you’re right, Pop. I guess I have some calls to make.”
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When Jon answered the phone, he said, “Hi, JJ! What’s up?”
“Jon, everything is messed up.”
“What? What’s messed up?”
“Jon, they picked me to be MVP!”
“That’s great, JJ!”
“No, Jon. No it’s not! It means that I’ll be with Morgana!”
It finally hit him and Jon said, “Oh, wow! That’s right!”
“Look, my mom suggested that we could switch after we start the dance.”
“Yeah, that’ll work. Okay, I’ll pick up Hattie and you pick up Morgana. We’ll meet at the dance.”
“Okay, Jon. You’re a pal.
And now
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Chapter 11 –
November 2016* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
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Universal Locator designation
Alpha 023 x Gamma 004 x Tau -120 – Prime%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Because he had been named the MVP of the Homecoming Game, JJ and Morgana were to be the Homecoming King and Queen at the Homecoming Dance.
After the game everyone had gone home to prepare, but the election of JJ as the MVP had put a serious crimp in everyone’s plans.
As a result of this Hattie was less than disappointed by the fact that she was to be Jon’s date. She had been looking forward to dating JJ, but she had always liked Jon, even more than JJ. Since she had been going with JJ, and they had planned to coordinate their outfits, but now she wouldn’t match Jon.
Jon and JJ each had their driver’s licenses now so Jon rather than use his own, smaller car, borrowed his mom’s car and with Lara and Mike riding in the back seat set off to pick up Hattie.
Lara was wearing a turquoise gown with a hem that fell just below the knee. It had a fitted bodice with a scoop neck and little cap sleeves. Her shoes matched the dress color. Her wrap was a white shawl. Mike was wearing a rented tux with a turquoise vest and bow tie.
Lara gushed, “This’ll be just like a double date, won’t it?”
Jon smiled and replied, “I guess so, Sis, only there will be a lot of other people there. Once we get there, we may not see each other the entire night.”
Lara and Jon, as the oldest of the children had been working on improving their ability to use the Kryptonian telepathic ability. Jon thought to Lara, /”Sis, remember, if you need me at any time, just think at me and I’ll do the same.”/
Lara replied in the same manner, /”Right. I just hope nothing happens to ruin our evening.”/
/”What could happen? Let’s just relax and have a good time.”/
Jon pulled up in front of the Kaplin house, parked and said, “Okay, here we are. I’ll go get Hattie and be right back.” He stepped from the car and went to the door. Mel Kaplin answered the door and said, “My, Jon, don’t you look nice? Hattie will be here in just a second. Come on in.”
Jon stood just inside of the door to wait and his first glimpse of Hattie as she stepped to the head of the stairs took his breath away. She was a vision of loveliness and for the first time, Jon looked at her as more than a sisterly tomboy friend. She was a beautiful woman. She was wearing a royal blue, knee length, off the shoulder gown. The only jewelry she wore was a black velvet choker with a large blue sapphire stone. Her hair was done in an up-do which emphasized her peaches and cream complexion and her long neck. Her makeup was understated to allow her natural beauty to show through.
Jon was speechless and released a slow whistle as Hattie descended the stairs.
Hattie could see the stunned expression on Jon’s face and smiled at his reaction. She was finally getting the reaction from him that she had always wanted. She had always been open with her mother and she had discussed her disappointment that her relationship with Jon never seemed to move beyond simple friendship. Her mother understood and knowing how much of a gentleman Jon Kent was, she had no objections and actually would have been happy for her daughter if he had expressed more interest.
Jon had planned on being with Morgana and had coordinated his outfit with hers, thus there was something of a miss-match with Hattie’s outfit. Looking down, he said, “Sorry. We sort of … clash. I was planning on being with Morgana.”
Hattie dismissed it and said, “No problem. You look nice.”
Blushing at being remiss, Jon replied, in a hushed tone, “You look more than nice … you’re … beautiful.”
Smiling and blushing slightly at the compliment, Hattie replied, “Thank you, kind sir.”
Crooking his arm at her, he asked, “Shall we go? Your chariot awaits, fair maiden.”
Hattie reached for and took his offered arm, but before they had a chance to move further, Mel interrupted, “Hold it. Let me take a picture.” They posed while Mel took a couple of shots and then they moved to the car.
As Jon handed Hattie into the car, Lara said, from the back, “Hi Hattie! You look really, really nice.”
Twisting around, Hattie said, “So do you, girlfriend. Who’s that?”
“Oh, that’s right; you’ve never met my boyfriend, Mike. Hattie this is Mike Lee. Mike, this is Hattie.”
Hattie and Mike tied as they both said, “Oh, you’re the one I’ve heard so much about.”
They all laughed and Lara said, “Yeah, you’re both right.”
Mike said, “Pleased to finally meet you.”
Hattie replied, “Same. You flew all the way from California for the Homecoming Dance?”
Mike replied, “Yeah, I couldn’t take a chance on my girl finding someone else to replace me.”
Lara smiled and said, “No chance of that.”
The conversational banter continued until Jon parked in the school’s parking lot.
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Jon had been looking forward to dating Morgana. He had heard all about the Kryptonian love at first sight thing, and he hadn’t experienced it with Hattie. He knew that Hattie liked JJ and he was happy for her and his cousin. He had wanted to give Morgana a chance by dating her, but that wouldn’t be happening this night. He would just have to make the best of it. There was the possibility that they could exchange partners after the initial ceremony.
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Lucy let JJ use her car and he went to pick up Morgana. He parked in front of the house and went to the door. After he knocked, the door was opened by Morgana’s mother and she invited him inside. After closing the door, she said, “Cynthia will be down shortly. I think I’ve seen you before. You’re JJ aren’t you?”
”Yes, ma’am, JJ. It stands for Jimmy Junior. My dad is James Olsen of the Daily Planet.”
“Ah, I believe I’ve seen some of his pictures.” Just then, Morgana appeared at the head of the stairs and her mother nodded in that direction.
JJ looked in the indicated direction. When he first saw her, he started to smile and thought, <This won’t be so bad!>
The reason that Morgana had been voted the Homecoming Queen was very apparent. She was a vision of loveliness as she descended the stairs. Morgana looked like the Empress Josephine. She was wearing a long coral gown with white lace capped sleeves. Her dark brown hair was curled with streaks of blonde. Her make-up was light. Her jewelry consisted of pearl earrings, a pearl choker and pearl bracelet.
JJ had been planning to be with Hattie so his tux and cummerbund were both in royal blue. Looking down at himself, he said, “I’m afraid that we clash somewhat. I hadn’t planned on being the MVP, that honor should have been Jon’s. I was planning on dating Hattie.”
Morgana smiled at his discomfort and said, “Don’t worry about it. If you want, as soon as we start the festivities, we can switch off.”
“You wouldn’t mind?”
“No, it’ll be okay. Everything will work out.” She looked at her mom and then back at JJ and said, “Shall we go?”
“Huh, oh, yeah, sure,” he crooked his arm at her and taking it, she turned to her mom and said, “See you later.”
She smiled and said, “Have fun, dear.”
Morgana smiled and said, “I will, I’m sure.”
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Tables and chairs had been brought into the gym and it had been decorated. The tables were ranged around the perimeter of the floor leaving the center clear for dancing. At the front of the gym, under the scoreboard, a platform had been set up as a dais with two chairs that had been decorated to look like gilt thrones. On one side, between the doors was what looked like a moon launch electronic control center where the DJ would ply his trade. He could be seen, wearing headphones, behind an electronic console in between two speakers that were taller than him. He had various record players, CD players and tape decks with records, CDs and tapes scattered in what looked like discord however; was sorted by his system so that he could grab what he needed to keep the entertainment flowing.
On the opposite side of the room there was a long table set up with punchbowls and finger foods laid out.
Jon and Hattie were among the first to arrive. They made a striking couple and when they walked in heads turned. Hattie was hanging on Jon’s arm and enjoying the attention that they were receiving. Looking around, Jon nodded to the other members of the team while Hattie waved to the other cheerleaders that were there.
Since it was early, Jon took Hattie over to the drink table and got her a cup of punch which she sipped at while they strolled around greeting other couples.
.
As they strolled around, punch cups in hand, they joined a number of couples that had already arrived and were standing around in small groups chatting. They were slightly ahead of the bulk of the crowd and capitalized on the opportunity that presented to talk in a tone below a shout. Both of them were popular and as soon as they entered they had been hailed by a group on the far side of the room. When they finally made it to that group, it turned out to be a couple of the other players and a couple of the other cheerleaders. The guys started doing a post mortem of the game while the girls started their own conversation. The girl’s conversation included a lot of spinning to show off their gowns and accessories and then they started talking about school assignments, their dates and what they had planned for after the dance. Joy, who was dating one of the running backs, said, “Frank and I have fake IDs and we plan to go out for drinks after the dance and, who knows, I may let him score another touchdown.”
One of the other cheerleaders, Carol Lombard, pulled Hattie aside and asked, “Hattie, how’d you get so lucky?”
“Lucky? Wha’d’you mean?”
“Dating the quarterback, that hunk, Jon Kent. Is he as good as he looks?”
“What are you talking about, Carol? You’re with Jed. He’s the fullback! He’s a hunk too.”
Carol asked, “I know. He might be a big guy, but … well, he isn’t that big all over, if you know what I mean. How about Kent? Is he big … all over? Want to trade?”
Finally getting just what Carol was talking about, Hattie looked at Jed and then at Jon. Hattie had had feelings for Jon ever since that first day that they had met, way back in middle school. She had actually had fantasies about Jon and even, at times, wished that their relationship was different and that they were having asexual relationship. Hattie started to blush at that thought. She wasn’t sure if it was just her or not and was she wondered if she was denying him an opportunity by not allowing him to date Carol who appeared to be more than willing. Thinking about Jon and remembering how he looked in his spandex workout gear, her blush deepened and she replied, “Come to think of it, yeah … Jon is that big … all over.”
Seeing Hattie’s blush, Carol licked her lips and smiled a cat got the cream smile. She couldn’t wait to see if what Hattie was telling her was true or not.
Hattie knew that this was only temporary, but she was enjoying being Jon’s date and shaking her head, replied, “Jon and I are friends … just friends.” To Carol, Hattie’s color belied her words. She was convinced that she was having a sexual relationship with Jon and didn’t believe her as she said, “No, we haven’t had sex. Jon has never asked. I don’t know what I’d say if he did. I might be willing.” She thought about the situation for a second and then replied, “No, I don’t think I’ll trade. Jon and I have never really dated and I want to enjoy it while it lasts.”
Carol’s face fell. She had gotten her hopes up while Hattie had been talking and now the rug had been pulled right out from under her feet. Carol thought, <Liar, liar, pants on fire! How would you know just how big he is if you didn’t have first-‘hand’ experience?> Aloud she said, “All right then. You want to keep him all to yourself, I get it.” She spotted Jed and turning away from Hattie stalked over to him and grabbed his hand. As she was dragging him away, Hattie heard her say, “Come on, Jed. Let’s go out to the car. The air is stuffy in here.”
More couples arrived each minute and it wasn’t too long until the gym was crowded. JJ and Morgana’s entrance was supposed to be delayed until most of the attendees were already in the gym so that they could make a grand entrance. When they arrived the cheerleaders and their dates formed a corridor from the doors to the platform.
Once everyone was in place, Morgana and JJ were each given crowns and passed through the corridor to the platform that had been set up. On the platform were two thrones and as they were announced, they stepped up and moving to the thrones sat down. Standing again, Morgana announced, “Let the festivities begin.”
That was the signal for the music to start.
When it did, Morgana and JJ both stood and took the floor. It was traditional that the King and Queen take the floor together for the first dance. The music was an intermediate hip-hop piece by Michael Jackson.
JJ, even for all of his size, was fairly light on his feet and they danced without incident. JJ was even able to do a moon-walk which entertained Morgana immensely.
After the first few bars other couples started dancing and soon the dance floor was filled with couples.
After the first song was finished, Carol and Jed returned to the gym. Carol was flushed and Jed’s clothes were somewhat askew, but neither cared.
After the first song, JJ and Morgana headed for one of the tables to get some of the finger foods provided.
When they got there, Hattie and Jon joined them. Hattie wanted to spend some more time with Jon, so she said to Morgana, “Maybe we should not change partners yet. I want to be with JJ, but how would it look if we changed after only one song?”
Morgana was actually enjoying JJ’s company and was eager for the chance to get to know him better so she agreed. “I’m okay with it. Let’s not change for a few more songs.”
Smiling at how easy this had been, Hattie replied, “That’s what I was thinking.” Turning to Jon, she grabbed his hand and started dragging him back to the dance floor as she said, “Come on, Jon. You’re mine for a few more songs.”
Jon looked over his shoulder at Morgana and shrugged.
Morgana smiled at him and nodded her head. She wanted to be with Jon, but she knew how much Hattie cared for him and had decided to not stand in her way. It was a small sacrifice to make for her friend. Turning to JJ she said, “Looks like you’re stuck with me for a few more songs.”
JJ took her hand and as he led her back to the dance floor replied, “I wouldn’t put it that way. I like dancing with you.”
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Bud and his gang could hear the music from the gym and knew that the dance was in full swing. To enter the school building, they were using the same basement window that Jack had used when he broke into the school to steal the algebra test answers. After he slipped in, Bud passed the gas canister in to him and then they all passed in their firearms. Once they were all inside they reclaimed their guns.
Bud pulled out some additional things from the bag. Holding up two bottles, he said, “I brought these along. Let’s drink them before we start.” He opened one bottle and took a long swig as he handed the other bottle to Jack.
Once Bud had swallowed some of the fiery liquid he handed the bottle to Ben. As he accepted the bottle, Ben pulled his hand out of his pocket and popped something into his mouth and then took a drink.
Seeing what he did, Bud challenged, “What’d you take?”
Reluctantly, Ben put his hand back into his pocket and pulled out a handful of pills. “These are some uppers my old man had. He uses them to lose weight. I’ve been taking them a couple at a time and saving them. They’re great!”
Sticking out his hand, Bud said, “Don’t hog them all to yourself. Hand some over.”
Ben handed Bud four pills and the bottle of liquor.
Grabbing both, Bud tossed the pills in his mouth and washed them down with the liquor. He wiped his mouth and asked, “What kind of pills did you say these were?”
“Common name? Christmas Trees or Uppers. They’re a form of meth that you can get with a prescription. My dad got them to help him lose weight.”
They tarried in the basement until they had finished the liquor and negligently left the bottles sitting on top of a box. Picking up their burdens, they headed for the cafeteria.
The pills were starting to take effect, and their judgment was being impaired by both them and the liquor that they had consumed. The effects of the alcohol were manifested by slurring of their speech and a slight unsteadiness in their gait. The effect of the pills was to make them jumpy and fidgety.
Paranoia started to set in and Bud called a halt. “I think we need to get out the guns. We should have them in case someone tries to stop us.”
Bill echoed the sentiment, “Yeah, Jack, open the bag so that we can get them out.”
Jack set the bag down and they all delved in to grab their own weapons. Once they were in hand, Bud said, “Yeah, now I feel better. Now we have the power, not the teachers or the Principal. I wish I had him here now. I’d show him a thing or two. Kick me off the team, will he? I’d fix him.” Bringing up his gun, he pointed it at the door that they were standing next to, which happened to be the Principal’s office. He mimed pulling the trigger and said, “Pow.”
Jack asked, “Do you think that Spargo will be one of the chaperones for the dance? If she is, we can get even with her tonight too.”
“I don’t know. It’d be nice, but I think that Kaplin and Kent put her up to trappin’ us. They’re the ones I want to get even with. Kent especially. I had to do that cockamamie counseling because of him and his stupid pumpkin. And Kaplin, she tripped me and made me fall into that locker.” The more he talked the angrier he got. Finally he stopped talking, picked up the tank, said, “Let’s do this,” and they started their ‘mission’.
Moving stealthily they headed for their first objective, the cafeteria. Moving in the dark since they didn’t dare use flashlights they could almost feel the darkness pressing in on them. Hugging the walls they traversed several corridors. Hopped up as they were on drugs and alcohol, each time one of them or the propane cylinder banged into one of the lockers which lined the walls, the sound echoed down the corridor and seemed much louder than it actually was, they all froze in place. After what seemed like an eternity they reached their objective. Unlike the classrooms, many of which were locked when not in use because of the valuable equipment contained in them, the cafeteria was unlocked. Once in the cafeteria they moved between the rows of tables and chairs and into the kitchen area. Once they were in there, Bud hefted the propane tank onto the range. In the dark, not being familiar with commercial equipment, it took several seconds to find the right control. When the flame sprang into existence, Bud smiled in satisfaction and said, “There. Now all we have to do is put the cylinder on that like a pan.” Suiting his actions to his words, he hefted the tank into place.
Ben asked, “How big should the flame be?”
Bud bent to look at the flame under the tank and replied, “I don’t know.” His thinking processes were fuddled from the alcohol and drugs and the answer eluded him for a time. Finally he said, “I guess we don’t want it too high because then it might go off too soon.” He reached for the knob and turned the flame down somewhat. “There, that should be a slow boil and give us plenty of time to do what we have to do. Let’s go crash the party.”
There was a chorus of “Yeahs” and they headed out.
Before they had climbed the stairs from the basement, they had each donned their ski masks and as a result they almost completely blended into the shadows.
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As time went on, more and more couples had been arriving. Being a major metropolitan school the total attendance was measured not in the hundreds, but not quite thousands either. It wasn’t too long until the gym was pretty well packed. The bleachers had been pushed back to make room for the tables and chairs. The bleachers formed a solid wall around the perimeter of the room.
Seeing the need for more room on the dance floor a majority of the tables were pushed back making an almost impregnable barrier around the gym floor Because of this the emergency exits and even the access to the rest rooms was blocked. Anyone needing to use the rest room had to leave the gym and go down a hall.
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