Talking with his new friend Brad about picking out cheerleaders

Kevin strutted through the open door to his History class with more confidence than he'd ever had in his life. "Hey, Mr. Durham," he greeted his teacher casually, with a relaxed wave.

The older man looked up from the thick book he was reading and returned, "Ah, good morning Kevin, take a seat wherever you like. We're starting a unit on the conquest of South America today. I just put in The Mission; it's a movie about the Jesuit missionaries during that time. It's got Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro in it, so it's not too educational." With that, he turned back down to his book and resumed reading.

Kevin scanned the class and spotted Brad sitting in his usual spot in the back. Sliding into the empty seat next to the football player, Kevin said, "Hey, man."

"Hey," Brad replied, eyes glued to the surprisingly high quality monitor attached to his desk. It was another result of Kevin's wish for a more relaxed school; they tended to spend money on things that would make class more entertaining, rather than boring things like textbooks and teaching supplies.

"I'm surprised to see you in class," Kevin commented. His new memories of the more lax school had Brad missing more days than he came.

Brad shrugged. "What can I say, it's De Niro."

"Fair enough," Kevin replied, learning something new about Brad. "So, you were talking about picking out cheerleaders earlier."

Brad pried his eyes from the screen and turned to face Kevin. "Yeah, I know it's fun to screw around, but I think we both need to nail one down before they start straying. I mean, this is the home stretch; Valentine's day to prom. We need to have one locked in."

"Fair point," Kevin agreed. Valentine's was coming up next week, and he would look like a loser without a girlfriend. "So, who are you looking at?"

"Well, you've got dibs if you want her, obviously, but I was thinking about Jess," Brad shared, actually deferring to Kevin, who found he greatly enjoyed the feeling of his former tormentor asking him for permission to date someone he pretty much owned. It would be a great way to screw with both of them too.

"Like I've said a thousand times, there's nothing between me and Jess. You have my blessing, good luck," Kevin said, theatrically.

Brad chuckled. "Thanks, man. So who are you looking at?"

It was a good question. Kevin certainly had options, and he didn't have to settle down right away, or even pick just one. Maybe he would go through the cheer team roster one a day, give them all a test ride, then make a decision. Where to start though?

There was Jessica's close friend, Tiffany; she was something out of a noir movie, with long dark hair and legs that went on for miles. Then there was Cassie, a tiny little bundle of energy with blonde-streaked brunette hair and a cute smile. There were also the exotic half-asian Emily, the spicy Latina Nina, the busty chocolate-skinned Zara, and the auburn-haired Lauren with her adorable freckles. Finally, there was the redheaded bombshell Samantha; technically she was dating Chris, but that didn't mean anything to someone who could bend minds with a sentence.