Randall takes things slowly so you don't speak with him for a few more days.

You were a little surprised not to hear from Randall the next day. You saw him around school a couple times but didn't feel comfortable approaching him. At first you didn't think he even noticed you - he was surrounded by Teresa's friends, all asking 'her' if 'she' was okay, and catching up on what he had missed while in the hospital. Watching him and listening to the gossip, you would have thought he was just another one of the teen girls.

Finally, though, Randall caught your gaze at one point and gave you a sly wink. Before you could react, he returned to his conversation with Teresa's friends and admirers. "Okay..." you thought to yourself. "I guess he's just planning to take things slowly. I makes sense not to rush things - we don't want to raise any questions."

So you went about your day, still missing your best friend but happy to see him seemingly adapting so well.

The rest of the week is the same. You don't get to speak to Randall at school - and even more disappointing, he doesn't call you. You log back into the game each evening in hopes of meeting Randall online, but he doesn't show up there either. You are tempted to reach out but aren't sure how to get past Teresa's parents. "Doesn't she have a cell phone?" you ask yourself, resolving to check with Randall when you finally talk to him.

Toward the end of the week you eventually get around to checking your facebook. You had been too distracted to do it earlier. You see that you have a new friend request from Teresa Willis - it was sent on Monday! You immediately approved the request. A little later a chat request popped up.

Teresa Willis: uok? been waiting for you to HMU!

You: Sorry. Just logged into fb. sup? thought you'd call.

Teresa Willis: soz. IM2BZ2P

You: uh, what?

Teresa Willis: sorry. got used to the new lingo. I'll try to type everything out for you OM :)

Teresa Willis: been swamped. 'catch up' work at school. extra practice for dance class & cheerleading.

Teresa Willis: hard, no free time to call. and always PLOS - new folks are REAL protective.

You: do you have a cell?

Teresa Willis: only for emergencies & calling the parents.

You: when can we talk?

Teresa Willis: hmm. have football game tomorrow, dance class Sat morning, cheer practice Sat afternoon. Maybe Sat night? meet at mall?

You: sounds good.

Teresa Willis: brought up idea of math tutor. said i need the extra help, esp since i missed a couple weeks. parents are onboard. just need to suggest you.

You: k. I'm game.

Teresa Willis: CD9 MUSL B4N

And with that Randall dropped off. You were happy he made contact but you felt a little concerned. The way he was behaving at school was one thing - you could put that off as just an act. But even when talking or texting with you, he seemed quite different. You wondered just how much he was being changed by this.

The next day you try to follow him around some to monitor his behavior. You are subtle enough that you aren't noticed. But you are dismayed to see nothing that would indicate that the girl you were watching wasn't Teresa Willis. He moved and talked like the other girls, seeming completely at ease with them. He even responded good-naturedly to some casual flirting from the football players. You began to worry that you were losing your friend to his new life.

You went to the game that night more to watch Randall than anything else. He seemed a little awkward at a few places but for the most part performed the routines very well - like he'd been doing them all year. Randall himself had never cared much for football, mocking you for even your mild interest. But the new Teresa seemed to be wholly into the game, shouting encouragement for the players and working hard to generate support from the fans.