No sweat. Change that, nothing but sweat. And tears, lots of tears.

Jessica looked down at her brother's new trait and wasn't sure it was the pure gold she wanted, but it was close.

HORSE BREED: ARABIAN

A breed of horse prized for being both amongst the intelligent and enduring of it's species, and is one of the most frequently bred. Target will find their intelligence and endurance, particularly in relation to sexual matters, significantly increased. Target's confidence and sexual desire will increase while sexual inhibitions will be lowered.

Part of her hoped that it would have been something that made him directly attracting girls easier like some sort of love pheromones or something. On the other hand, this Random Remote thing was becoming rather fun as she looked at all the possibilities with the girls that had been zapped so far. If Gerald could just wave his wang around and kick up a storm of fuck fumes it might take some of the challenge and fun away. She didn't actually know anything about horse breeds but if what it says is true, the changes made sense. Increasing confidence, now with that amazing body of his probably was going to make attracting girls pretty easy to begin with. Maybe it's better that he got something a little more low-key.

It was about a minute later that Jade returned to the classroom and after an encouraging thumbs up and smile from Jessica, the shy girl slowly walked up to Gerald and offered him the Dr. Pepper she was holding before he even looked up from his phone. "H-here. Your sister asked m-me to give this to you."

Gerald looked up at the young woman before glancing over at his sister who was now giving him an encouraging thumbs up. Looking back to Jade he smiled warmly and blushed a little before taking the soda from her, "Thank you, that was very nice." He began reaching into his pocket, "She didn't make you pay did she? Jade just nervously shook her head and mentioned the two dollars Jessica gave her. Not needing to pay her back, Gerald offered a hand to shake but pulled it back when she seemed a bit hesitant. She seemed incredibly shy and if she didn't want to shake his hand, he didn't want to push it. "Well, my name is Gerald. I believe I remember Professor Brown calling on you a couple times in the past. Your name is, ummm, Jade correct?"

The girl just slightly nodded her head and it was obvious to him that she had some really bad anxiety that was making talking to him difficult. With that in mind he told Jade to go thank his sister on his behalf but mainly hoping that she would just leave and not feel so stressed out around him." With that she walked away and Gerald shook his head. Sending that poor, shy girl over here like that? Gerald wanted to ask Jessica what she was thinking but he was pretty sure he knew it had something to do with the Random Remote's wingperson change.

Jade blushed deep red and looked down as she approached Jessica who was all smiles. "See? He doesn't bite. Here, sit down next to me."

Jessica scooted over a couple of chairs so now she was sitting next to where Jade's stuff was. Jade still seemed a bit put off by meeting Gerald as she was looking at the ground while talking to Jessica. "He was, big."

"Yeah, don't let that scare you though. He's just like a big ol' teddy bear." Deciding that if they were going to be friends it might be worth getting to know a little bit about her, Jessica spent the next couple minutes trying to get Jade to open up a little bit about herself. They didn't have much time left before the break ended but Jessica was able to learn at least that Jade enjoyed and considered herself a bit of an animal lover. Doing her best to avoid smiling too much she asked how Jade felt about horses. Jade responded by reaching into her book bag and opening up a sketch pad to some drawings she had made of them. Jessica didn't know enough about art to discuss the techniques or styles or whatever but at the very least she could say that she thought the drawings were very good. There were several horses with the occasional unicorn or pegasus mixed in. After she got through them there were several empty pages before she found a section of her notebook that was all cats. Jessica was generous with the compliments and she quickly leafed through the pages to see what other sections. One with a bunch of dogs. Another one with a variety of African animals like giraffes and zebras. After finishing she complimented Jade again but decided to begin seeding some thoughts into her head, "No cows?"

It wasn't really a criticism that Jade expected but it was one she felt she could deal with, "No, I guess I've always preferred to draw animals that were cute or majestic or cool. I don't think they really count."

Jessica just shrugged as she replied, "I don't think cows get the credit they deserve. I actually think they're kind of cute actually."

Jade was about to reply but Professor Brown indicated that the break was over and it was time to get back to work. The rest of the class passed uneventfully as Gerald and Jessica both paid attention to the rest of the lecture that was today's lesson while taking notes and answering questions as necessary. As they were packing up Jessica was going to bring up the artwork again with Jade but she was interrupted as the redheaded victim of the Random Remote, the jock named Megan, stepped up to Jessica. "Hey, I hate to bug you but can I have a sec?"

Jessica noticed it appeared that Jade wanted to walk away but in an attempt to be friendly and assuring, she grabbed Jade's hand and held her in place. "Possibly, what can I do for you?"

The girl brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eye and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sorry but this is going to seem really weird. Since yesterday I have had this weird, sudden desire to get more exercise. I kind of want to play some sports and to be honest, doing it alone just feels kind of lame. Most of my friends are gamer nerds so I don't want to bother them. Do you think you'd be willing to join me for something?"

This would definitely be something Jessica was interested in. Not so much because she wanted to play any sports but because she wanted another chance to try the Random Remote on her in a couple of days and maybe get the chance to hook her brother up. "Do you know where Wind Chaser Park is?"

The girl just responded by taking out her cell phone and after a few seconds, "Looks like it's a few miles from here, between some apartment complex and a golf course?"

Jessica smiled, "That's the one. That complex is where me and my brother are staying. They got some nice tennis courts, some basketball hoops, a pair of baseball fields. It's a nice place. Think you can make it around 1 on Sunday?"

the other girl just smiled and nodded her head slightly, sounds like a plan." Jessica asked her to hold on real quick, wrote her phone number down on a piece of scratch paper and handed it to her. "In case anything comes up and you need to let me know that you can't make it or something." Megan took the paper, waved, and left Jessica and Jade. With her pen in hand Jessica decided to do the same for Jade. Writing down her number she gave it to Jade, "In case you need to call for anything." Jade hesitated to take it but with her shyness, Jessica guessed why, "It's okay if you don't want to give me yours. We're friends right? Just in case you need to call me for anything. We never really got to finish our discussion about cows so we should definitely do that." Jade actually smiled a bit at that and Jade and Jessica began walking to the door as Gerald had already left. Jessica assumed he was probably headed for the vending machines in the commons to grab a bag of chips or something so she planned to follow. As they got close to the doors though Jessica heard her name being called by Professor Brown.

"Ms. Thompson, if I could have a word with you before you go?"

Jessica quietly asked Jade to wait outside the door and approached the teacher as she was still at her desk packing up to leave. Before saying anything she stepped over and closed the door so she wouldn't be overheard, "You and Ms. Cheng?" the teacher asked with a confused look on her face.

It took Jessica a second to remember that was Jade's last name and then Jessica just shrugged, "I don't know really. The girl came up to me today and said she wanted to try being friends. I just met her and she seemed so shy and scared I didn't have the heart to say no. She seemed nice so I figured it was worth at least giving it a try."

The teacher then smiled, "Fair enough, that girl could use a friend or two to help her come out of her shell from the little bit I've seen of her. If you can help, I'm all for it. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk to you about. To be honest your performance in class today and this past Wednesday is what I wanted to discuss. Your work has been as fine as ever but I can't help but notice you have seemed a bit distracted," when she said this Jessica couldn't help but not a sound of hurt in her voice, "I was just wanted to make sure there were no problems at home or anything. You're usually such a good student that I felt concerned that there could be something wrong. There's nothing wrong at home is there? Or with my lessons?"

Jessica smiled at that, apparently the mama part of sugar mama was making itself present a little bit. Bringing up the Random Remote or dragging her brother to some restaurant for a hookup didn't seem like a good idea. So just like before Jessica decided when she was covering her ass with a lie, throw in as much of the truth as possible. "It's my brother. You may not believe it with that physique of his, but honestly as far as confidence goes at home, and around girls especially, he isn't much better than Jade. So I've been trying to convince him to go on a date or two, even if it's just a little one night thing to build up his confidence. I worry about him and I guess I let it bug me a little too much. I'm sorry."

Professor Brown just laughed and smiled at Jessica, seeming to believe her. From what she remembered of the way he acted in the past, he had seemed a bit on the timid side so it made sense. "Well aren't you ever the thoughtful girl. Maybe you can get your brother and Ms. Cheng into a relationship, it could solve both their problems." It was clear that she wasn't really serious about that and meant more as a 'that will never happen' statement.

Jessica on the other hand found her pussy beginning to heat up at the idea. The teacher didn't know the reason why but she did take notice of the fact that Jessica didn't dismiss the notion herself. Maybe she was going to try it? Two people that shy getting together was a longshot but if it were to happen, it'd probably through the intervention of a third party helping them out. She considered it a long shot bud didn't want to rain on Jessica's parade and decided giving her advice might be the best option. Reaching into her purse she pulled out a five dollar bill and held it in Jessica's direction. Jessica just looked at it unsure so Ms. Brown shook it and held it out further, "I know it isn't proper for a teacher to give a student money but it's only five dollars and if you don't tell anyone, I won't either. And if you want to break the ice between Ms. Cheng and your brother, you'd be amazed at the progress that can be made by just sitting down and sharing a drink with someone."

The Random Remote did say that she would try to win Jessica's favor with small gifts. It felt like a bad idea to decline the first one so she grabbed it with a smile, "What a brilliant idea. In fact my brother is probably waiting in the commons. Maybe I can try a little tonight."

The teacher gave her student a warm smile, "You can try but don't push too hard. As shy as Ms. Cheng is you don't want to run the risk of chasing her off."

"Of course. Thank you for your advice Miss Br---"

"Please, class is over. You can call me Cassandra."

Jessica was a little surprised but pleased as it seemed the professor was slowly becoming willing to see her as something other than a student. It was a start. "Cassandra it is then, thank you. But I think Jade is still waiting for me and I don't want to be rude so,-" Jessica pointed towards the door while taking one tentative step in that direction.

"Of course dear, thank you for your time."

Jessica walked away and met back up with Jade who was waiting for her. They walked together for a little while in silence while Jessica led the way. When they approached the commons Jade began to slow as they headed towards the table Gerald was sitting at. Every step seemed harder for the girl until Jessica reached out and held her hand. Somehow after a couple of hours together it made Jade feel comfortable enough to at least join Gerald if Jessica was with her. Jade decided so long as they didn't expect her to talk, she'd be fine. Jessica got a bit of a smile as she noticed her brother's back was to them and he hadn't noticed the girls approaching yet. As they got close Jessica asked Jade to hide behind a stone pillar that was close to where he was sitting. Hiding in public places was something that Jade was very accustomed to and did it without a second thought. "So did you enjoy your Dr. Pepper?"

Hearing his sister's voice made Gerald turn around with a mildly serious expression, "What were you doing to that poor girl?"

In an over-the-top manner of fake acting Jessica gasped in shock, "Whatever do you mean? I merely thought my brother could use a beverage and asked my new friend to run and grab him one."

"Yeah, and your new friend just so happens to be the prettiest girl in the whole school? Poor thing was so scared and nervous I just felt so bad for her. Please don't try to **** her to hang around with me if she isn't ready."

Jessica smiled as she looked away from her brother and reached out her arm to pull Jade next to her. She gave her brother a cheeky smile before addressing Jade, "See? I told you he was a big teddy bear. The first thing he says and it's just him worrying about how you feel. And he thinks you're the prettiest girl in the whole school apparently."

Gerald blushed a little bit at the realization that Jade had heard him. The old Gerald may have stuttered and tried to walk it back but in the process say something really dumb and accidentally mean. Instead he just looked at Jade then to Jessica before smiling, "Can you honestly say she isn't," he asked before she shook her head. Walking around she pulled out a chair across the table from her Gerald and indicated she wanted Jade to sit there. Only if you feel comfortable of course."

It took Jade a second but she did sit down feeling that it'd be alright so long as Jessica was here. As soon as Jade was sitting down though Jessica began walking away saying she would get all three of them a drink. "Show him your drawings, I'm sure he'll like them."

Jessica did actually feel a bit bad about leaving the girl alone with her brother but Jessica was confident enough in her brother's ability to be warm and friendly that she felt sure he could avoid scaring her off at the very least. She did keep an eye on them just to be careful, glancing over at the table as she waited in line. The line wasn't terribly long but but the cash register was old and took a little while so ringing up each customer took a little while. Jessica almost ran over at one point as Jade began to stand up from her chair but her fear turned into joy as Jade actually just moved to a different chair, sitting a little closer to Gerald as they went over her sketch book.

When Jessica got back she decided to try to be quiet, approaching slowly and trying to spy on their conversation. Jade's shyness was still there but she definitely seemed to be gaining confidence talking to her brother. Having a conversation about things that interest her was probably helping. "Well, I have tried a little impressionist painting in the past but, I don't know, and I kind of liked doing it it but my paintings didn't really look like the thing I was trying to paint."

"I get that but that's kind of the point with impressionism isn't it? I mean I'm no expert, kind of an idiot when it comes to art honestly but it seems like," Gerald took a moment trying to figure out his point. After a couple of moments he took out his cell phone and began typing, "What's probably the most famous impressionist work ever? Starry Night right? The Van Gogh one? It's just a peaceful, lonely castle looking over a peaceful town at night right? When I first saw the painting I didn't even realize that there was a town there. To me, seeing it from a distance it looked kind of like a rough ocean on the bottom here. At that point the sky above stops looking so peaceful and begins to seem more violent, stormy and intimidating. So with the right perspective the painting goes from a sleepy little hamlet enjoying a calm night, to a lonely lighthouse beset by a raging, violent storm."

Gerald handed his cell phone to Jade who looked at it, slowly moved it away from her face, "Wait, I think I see it. And now that you say it some of the brush strokes over here begin to look like rain. How did I never notice this before?"

"Then you look at what is said about Van Gogh's state of mind. Crazy, violent, lonely just like the painting. Or at least that's the way I look at it. But that's kind of the problem with impressionism isn't it? I mean with realism you can kind of measure how good it is. You can actually compare how the rose in the painting looks compared to a normal rose. Impressionism is so much about emotion it's all down to the interpretation of the viewer and the painter. The same image can look totally different from different angles. It isn't my favorite art style in all honestly but it is one of the things I love about it. The fact that it is so much more about about well, impression and interpretation, has its charms."

Jessica took this moment to step forward and place the bottle of apple juice in front of Jade and a Sprite in front of her brother. "Sorry, I forgot to ask what you wanted but I figure everyone likes apple juice right? But you seem to be doing a bit better."

Jade thanked Jessica and smiled warmly as she opened it up to take a drink. "Thank you. My problems with people do go away a little bit sometimes if I can get distracted by talking about something interesting. Your brother seemed to know a surprising amount of art theory, not many people bother."

"Honestly I don't know that much, just what I remember from High School art classes and I'm a little surprised by how much I am able to recall. Most of what I know about Van Gogh comes from that episode of Dr. Who," Gerald smirked a little as he mocked his own ignorance.

"Sorry, I've never seen it. Never really gave the show a chance." Jade responded with her head down.

"Honestly I haven't either, just saw that one episode. A friend of mine back in high school sat me down and insisted I watch it. It made me tempted to actually watch the rest of the show but I wasn't sure where to begin. Forty years and a dozen different doctors and all that." He sighed as he thought back, "but the scene at the end just got me so bad. They drag Van Gogh into the time machine thing, Tardes, bring him to the present where a museum was running a Van Gogh exhibit. The man himself then gets to hear the curator going on about Van Gogh not just being the greatest artist of all time but one of the greatest people to ever live. And as the man begins to finally feel some semblance of validity and respect in his life he begins to break down in tears. Gives him a big hug and it's just such a beautiful little moment," Gerald actually had to reach up and wipe a tear from his own eye as he talked about it. For a couple of seconds afterward there was an awkward silence until Jade stood up and said she had to go. She quickly and haphazardly tossed her artwork into her bag and ran off before either sibling could do anything. Jessica was pretty sure she was crying as she ran away.

She asked her brother to stay there for a moment and ran after the girl who stopped running after getting out of the building and finding someplace outside that was somewhat isolated which was a stone overhang a few yards from the door. Jessica slowly approached her trying her best to be careful. "I'm sorry, did we do something wrong? If me or Gerald said something..."

Jade didn't move away but just leaned up against the wall which allowed Jessica to move closer and lean up against the wall beside her. They just stood there together for a couple of minutes while Jade got out what ever was upsetting her. Jessica did step away at one point to go back into the building before returning with a good sized stack of napkins that she handed to Jade and got a stuttered thanks in reply as the girl blew her nose a couple of times. When her crying began to slow down Jessica reached over her shoulder and pulled the girl into a light hug and held her there as it continued to go down. When finally able to speak, Jade just shook her head remembering the question Jessica had asked her when they got out here. "No, no, you guys didn't do anything wrong, the problem is all me."

Jessica could tell there was more coming so she just kept holding Jade and let her speak at her own pace. "It's just, we just met today. A couple of hours ago. So much of my life has been me alone and I've never been able to stay around people. It's sad to say it but you've been so nice and even though we've only known each other for a couple hours, you might just be my only friend." A couple more seconds of renewed crying followed, "And talking to Gerald was so great too. He was so nice and smart and we were able to actually talk about my art for a little bit. Then when he started to cry I saw he had a sensitive side. And he is so cute that I...I..." She trailed off and Jessica knew where this was going. The horny, pervy side of her Random Remoted personality that lived to help her brother find pussy was taking a slow and somber victory lap inside Jessica's head. But on the other hand Jessica was still her old self in a lot of ways and she felt the need to console the girl.

"Oh." She moved her hand around so it was placed on Jade's forehead and pulled the girl so her head was lying on Jessica's shoulder. She leaned up and gave Jade a comforting kiss on the forehead. "It's okay, I think I understand. You beginning to get a little bit of a crush aren't you?"

Jessica felt the girl nod her head, "but my stupid brain makes me to scared to say anything. And I want to be your friend too, and I want to trust you. But I don't know why. We just spoke for the first time today and I don't know why. It's just so confusing. And scary. Everything seems great on one hand but on the other, I keep doubting myself and thinking that it'll never work out. That I'm not good enough. Sometimes I could wish I could change my whole self. Your brother said I was pretty which made me think I might have a chance with him but then I kept thinking that he wouldn't want me. Who would want a timid, weak little scaredy-cat with these ugly things sticking out front?"

Saying that Jade pointed at her chest and Jessica laughed out loud. When Jade complained about the "ugly things," she thought the girl would be talking about the horns or floppy ears sprouting from her head. The idea that it was her tits that concerned Jade threw Jessica completely off guard. The laugh was totally involuntary and it was just one short burst, but it was a very strong and loud laugh. At that Jade pulled away and looked up at Jessica looking a bit hurt and insulted. Jessica just shook her head at the girl and smiled. "I don't know who told you those are ugly but I promise you, if you said that to my brother, he would disagree. Vehemently. I do too for that matter. At least half the guys in this school and a few of the girls would probably be right on board with us too. Your breasts are nothing to be upset about."

Jade wiped an eye and stepped away a little further with some confidence building in her voice, "You think?"

"I know. We grew up together and I didn't exactly go through his porn history with a fine-toothed comb but I did catch a few things in my years living with him. He may be sweet and nice, and smart, and all of that but he's also got a bit of a kinky side to him. Hell, he might even like them a little bigger. With the way he is he might even be okay if they started dripping a little milk from time to time." Jessica said that last part knowing what was coming for her and hoping she could plant the ideas into the girl's head that it could be a turn on for Gerald.

"Do you really think your brother might like me some day? Like in 'that' way?"

Jessica shook her head, "Not some day. Now. If you went in there and asked him on a date, I'd bet everything I own, that he'd begin trying to find ways to ditch me for the night so he could spend it with you. But it would pretty easy because I would want you two to go off and have some fun together. If you do want to date my brother, I promise you there is none of us that would be opposed to the idea. If you wanted to hang out and get to know us better first, I would love to invite you back to our place for dinner. Or video games. Maybe you could teach my brother some more about painting. He seemed to enjoy talking about it with you."

The girl laughed a little there and dried her eyes again, "that might actually be kind of fun. I always had kind of a hobby, or an interest really. Not a hobby because I never got to do it but never had the chance to since it requires other people. But without any real friends I never got the chance to try." Her slight confidence that had just grown began to waver again as her head slumped downward though, "but you will probably think it's lame. It's just a bunch of board games I've collected over the years."

Jessica stepped away from Jade, leaving the girl confused as Jessica went back inside the hall and asked her brother to gather all their stuff and come outside. When he did Jessica led Gerald over to where Jade was standing with a mix of confusion and fear. "Well, it seems Jade has a bit of an interest in board games. She has a big collection but since she's never had any friends, she's never gotten the chance to actually play any of them. So we're going to drive to her place, pick up a couple, then go back to our apartment and spend the night getting to know each other. Maybe order some pizza or something too."

Jessica said that in such a simple and matter-of-fact way that Gerald thought it had already been decided between the two of them and didn't think twice as he responded. Jade expected eye rolls or groans or something like that as the best possible outcome to Jessica's declaration. Realistically Jade expected both siblings to laugh at her and walk away, mocking her for being such a sad and pathetic loser. Instead Gerald just gave a grunt that actually sounded like it was a good idea before turning around and saying it sounded like a good time before walking toward the car. After a step or two he turned towards Jade and was smiling, "Do you have Settlers of Catan by the way?"

Jessica grabbed Jade's hand again and led her along, trying to let her know everything was fine. Jade just looked at him and hoped she didn't come off as sounding too sad or nerdy, "Yes. A-actually I have the original version plus the Starfarers version. And a couple of the expansions."

Gerald just smiled, "Sweet. You know I see the game around on TV or the internet once in a while and always wanted to give it a shot but didn't know anyone that actually had it. Think we can grab that one?"

Jade just smiled at the surprisingly warm response she got, "Y-yeah. O-of course."

As Gerald turned back around and led the way to the car Jessica just gave her a light elbow in the side while laughing barely loud enough for even her to hear. "Board games give him a chance to sit around drinking soda while showing off how smart he is in front of other people. Those are two things that he'll never turn down, and he'll never stop enjoying. Board games are actually a good way to to get in with that one."

As they got to the car Jessica knew what she had to do and told Gerald that it was he would be driving while climbing into the backseat, leaving the passenger seat open for Jade. Jessica looked forward to the day where she could be behind the wheel so that her brother and Jade could make use of the backseat together but she knew they weren't anywhere that yet. For now just letting Jade sit by her brother and get comfortable being around him was the smart move so that's what she was going to do.