Time for School

Sarah stared at me in disbelief for a moment. I grinned and raised my eyebrows, waiting for her to reply. She gave her response in the form of an amused chortle.

"That's cute," she said. "Is that like a metaphor or somethin'? Like, you can ... run real fast, right?"

"I'll show you," I replied.

I looked around for another show-and-tell opportunity. Like clockwork, a staff member walked out of the same door that we'd just come out from. He was a deus ex machina for sure.

"How you kids doing?" he casually asked as he walked by.

"Good, thanks," Sarah replied with a smile. I simply watched him as he passed on by us.

Just as he was about to round the corner down to the long sidewalk, I blinked and stopped time. Sarah sensed the gentle breeze come to a silent halt.

"Jeez, what happened to the wind?" she asked as she curiously looked around. I folded my hands across my chest, a playful smirk on my face.

"So, remember how I said I could freeze time?"

"Yeah?" she replied with confusion in her voice.

"I wasn't joking," I replied, casually pointing a thumb to the staff member who was - surprise, surprise - immobile. Sarah stared at him for a long moment before cautiously approaching him with a confused scoff.

"You're totally pullin' a prank on me right now," she remarked before her voice got quieter, "... right?" I shook my head.

"I know that you and Jordan and I have played little pranks on each other before ... but I'm not lying about this, Sarah. I really do have the power to stop and start time at will."



My words played out in her head while she inspected the man with big, curious eyes. I smiled gently as I walked up to her. She was affixed to this guy, waving her hand in front of his face. She then touched his shirt and gasped.

"He's like ... a stone statue or something!"

I shrugged nonchalantly. "That's what happens when someone is bound in time and we're not. It's impossible to move him, even the tiniest bit."

"But ... but-but you're so calm! And he ... and he's ... he ..." she trailed off before losing her balance.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed with a laugh as I quickly caught her in my arms. "You okay?"

"I'm totally gonna ... I'm gonna faint ..."

Blinking time back on at that point was probably not the best idea. So, I carried her over to the grass - which I'd remembered to make mobile so as not to spear me - and gently laid her down on it. I calmly plopped down beside her while she stared up at the motionless sky, calming her breathing.



"I can wait for you to relax for a few minutes," I said, "then I can just ... turn time back on."

"I'll be fine. ... I think," she replied, looking at me with a slightly worried expression. "So, ... how long have you been able to do this ... thing?"

"Not that long," I said, glancing over at the school. "It's been about a month now."

"Why'd you wait to ... tell me?"

"I had to build up the nerve," I replied, gazing down at the grass. "You know me, I haven't really opened up too much. I've only just now been able to tell you ... how I felt about you. I kinda just wanted to throw everything out there at once, but I see now that I overloaded you," I said with a slight chuckle.

"It's all right," she quietly said. I looked up at her to see her gentle smile. I always loved the way the sun shone across her golden hair and her delicate face. It brought a smile to my face as well. She gazed to the sky once again. "Ya' know, it's kind of peaceful ... in a way. Nothin' to bother you, no one to tell you what you can and can't do."

"No one to interact with," I added. She curiously looked at me. "It's really lonely to just freeze time on a whim ... when you don't have anyone to share it with."

She surprised me when she reached over and took my hand. She just smiled happily.

"You have me," she replied. It did my heart all sorts of good to hear her say that.



After a moment, she calmly sat up. I hopped to my feet, helping her to get to hers.

"Thanks," she sweetly said, flashing me a smile.

"So," I said as we stepped back onto the walkway, "I guess you want me to turn time back on, huh?"

"Yeah," she replied before quickly adding, "wait."

She had an oddly nervous look on her face as she stared at me.

"What's wro–" was all I was able to get out before she suddenly shoved her lips over my own.

Needless to say, I was surprised. Surprised enough that I didn't even put much effort into kissing her back. I just stared at her in disbelief like a stunned carp. She gently pulled away, smiling warmly, seeing my shock as nothing more than adorable.

"Sorry," she softly said. "Didn't mean to surprise ya' like that."

"That's okay," I casually replied, surprising her as I put my arms around her and pulled her in close. "I just had to get in my zone."



I leaned in close, taking her lips into my own for a gentle kiss. At first I kept things simple and slow as she had done earlier. When she got into it, that's when I really started to ramp up the passion - all while trying my best to avoid her glasses. She uttered a surprised moan, but still kept up with me. Our heads tilted in and out, lips mashing together in harmony. She reached up, grabbing my shirt tightly in both hands, moaning softly onto my lips as we'd engaged into a deeply amorous kiss.

I pulled away for just a second, both of us panting softly as we gazed hungrily at one another. I gently removed her glasses, holding them behind her back. With my other hand, I gently stroked her soft cheek. She sighed quietly in content, a gentle smile forming across her lips. I let my fingertips explore her face, admiring her soft, pale features. My hand fell away just before the two of us went right back to passionately assaulting each others' lips.

Both of us softly moaned and sighed. She hooked an arm around my neck, eagerly pulling herself closer to me. To think I was kissing the girl of my school day dreams. I'd imagined this moment and fantasized about it for the longest time. I'd always figured if we ever had a first kiss between us, it would be calm and delicate. I was more than happy with how magnetized we were toward each other, unable to get enough of the taste of each others' lips. Elated by the intimacy of our kiss, I reached up and gently squeezed her breast. I'd just taken a huge risk of completely ruining the mood and it was an awfully presumptuous move, but I had to know ... if there was chance she would let it go further.

The way she looked at me when she suddenly broke away from our kiss made me feel like I just committed a horrible transgression. I let my hand fall away, unsure of what to say to her. However, she didn't chastise me or run away or even slap me. Instead, she took my hand and placed it back on her breast.

"Jordan ... told me ...," she breathily said, "about the ... other thing you said ... you thought about me."

"And you're ... not mad or ... weirded out by it?" I asked.

She shook her head. "No. ... I want to know ... just how you fantasize about me." Then, she leaned in and whispered, "Show me," before melding her lips back into mine.



I casually slipped her glasses into her back pocket, freeing up my hand to amorously rub her back. At the same time, I happily squeezed and massaged her breasts with my other hand. Our lips popped and sucked one another, panting with increasing desire. Both of us were getting very excited. I wanted to stroke while the iron was hot.

I kept an arm behind her back, my other hand protecting the back of her head before pressing her firmly against the wall behind her. Her lips broke away momentarily as she uttered a soft grunt. I immediately shoved my lips back over hers, our kiss becoming much heavier and lustful.

Once I pulled away from the kiss, my lips darted into her neck. She moaned quietly in response, her head easing back for me. Both of us panted with eagerness. In the back of my mind, I was in complete and utter shock that this was really happening. All I could think about was how I just wanted her so badly – more than anything in the whole world. She was so spectacular, radiant and flawless in my eyes. I couldn't possibly have hid my intense desire for her at that point.

The sweet scent of her perfume overtook my senses. I hungrily licked and sucked on her neck like it was made out of candy. She moaned in content while I practically coated her neck with my saliva. As I kissed downward - a blockade. Her shirt. My mind was racing, dazed with desire. I became obsessed with a single goal at a time. I had to get her shirt off as quickly as possible.

I immediately reached down, grabbing the hem and whipping it upwards. She held her arms up as I quickly slid it up and threw it aside. That's when I found another blockade. I threw my hands behind her back, fiddling with the clasp of her bra until it came loose. I practically ripped it off her body, unable to get it off quickly enough.

Then, I grabbed her wrists, hearing her gasp as I pinned them to the wall. I was possessed; primal. I didn't know if I was scaring her or exciting her at that point, until she spoke to me.

"Show me," she panted. "Show me what it's like for me to be in your fantasies ..."

Hearing that made me come to my senses for a moment. My eyes had lit up with excitement as I gazed into the sparkling eyes of the most beautiful girl I knew.

"You're so amazing," I whispered. "I want you so badly."

"I want you even more ..." she whispered back.



That's when I planted my lips back over hers, sharing a deeply passionate kiss with her. We moaned onto each others' lips, sucking and clamping upon one another's face. I then pulled away, taking my sucking and clamping down to her beautiful breasts. She moaned with a quickly increasing intensity, watching me as I licked all around her nipple and areola. I sucked hard on her breast and pulled my head back, practically trying to pull it off, before shoving my face deep into the soft mound of porcelain flesh. I swear the raging boner that I had for her was going to rip right through my jeans.

I needed to have her, even just this one time, to finally quench the aching desire I've always had for her. She knew how intensely I wanted to take her – and she was completely receptive to it all.

"Ohh, Anthony ...," she moaned.

Hearing her voice call out to me like that was enough to push me onward.

I let go of her wrists, immediately bringing my hands down. I continued sucking and licking her breasts for just a moment while I quickly undid her tight jeans. I pulled them and her panties down to her knees, where she took over and stepped out of them along with her shoes. Then, I stood up, greeting her with another intimate kiss.

"You're so beautiful, Sarah," I whispered to her after our lips parted.

"So are you," she whispered back. She gazed into my eyes with need.



We kissed again for just a brief moment. At the same time, my fingertips stroked her inner thighs in circles, giving her an idea of where I was headed next. I quickly slid my hands behind her, taking firm hold of her soft, round butt. I kneaded and grasped it tightly, hearing her moan softly while I kissed and licked into her neck again. My hands stayed there as I kissed my way down the soft skin of her body. I knelt down, lifting one of her legs before eagerly taking my first lick of the perfect, beautiful slit between her thighs.

I moaned as I hungrily, rapidly circled my tongue inside the folds of Sarah's most private body part. She held the back of my head, moaning back to me while gently rolling her body. The incomparable smell and the taste of her sex were doing everything they could to entice me back into a sexual frenzy. I sucked and slurped at her pristine, pale folds. I pulled back on them, hearing her gasp and feeling her jerk as I let them suddenly snap back. They gradually became more and more pink, especially after I began focusing solely on her protruding clit.

Her head tilted back, moaning loudly as I rapidly flicked it with the tip of my tongue before sucking hard on it. She grabbed fistfuls of my hair, her body continuously jerking and trembling, overwhelmed by my fervent intensity.

"Oh, Anthony!! Oh, god!!"

Hearing Sarah cry out my name like that was so gratifying, but so was making her know that it was me doing all these incredible things to her lovely body. It was enough to get me to up the intensity even further. I quietly moaned and panted while lustfully attacking her clit without reprieve. Her body tensed, exhaling in quick, vocal pants. She gasped sharply, her body starting to snake and roll back and forth hard before I brought her to a dry orgasm. I stood up, putting an arm around her. She stared blankly to the sky, lost in her orgasm. She moaned and sighed deeply, her body jerking and trembling against me.

I quickly took off my shirt with my free hand and undid my pants, pulling them down just enough to free my raging manhood. At the same time, I kissed and licked her neck, enhancing her climax while also helping bring her back to reality. I greeted her back on earth by lifting up her body by her butt, holding her against me. She put her arms around my neck and held me tight, hesitating not a second before wrapping her legs around my back. Even as she was still coming down off her climax she knew exactly where my mind was, and she welcomed it. She merely stared at me with the most intimate, sultry gaze I've ever seen. It hypnotized me, causing me to mindlessly shift my hips to point my very hard penis directly at her very wet folds.



Sarah's pale skin was visibly flushed up and down her body. Both of us were so ready to take this leap together. I brought my hips in toward hers, feeling her legs gently twitch and tense at points as I slowly pushed myself inside her. I was so awe-struck by the sensation, groaning softly as her splendrous walls collapsed around me, casually breaking her virginity on my way in. She groaned as I gave a gentle thrust, firmly situating the rest of me deep inside her.

"Oh god ...," she breathily whispered. "That really does not hurt like everyone says it will...."

My legs shifted eagerly as I gave us both a moment to get accustomed to each other. I watched her panting and looking into my eyes with that same seductive gaze, resisting my instinctual urge to just tear through her right then and there.

I leaned in to share a deep, amorous kiss with her. As we kissed, I got to work quickly driving my hips into her, exploring the glorious beauty beyond the gateway between her legs - the gateway that led directly into heaven itself. Sarah broke away from our kiss, panting and moaning in excitement. I panted heavily, joining her in the vocal splendor over the satisfaction of our bodies in harmonious union. Her lusty eyes stared adoringly into mine as her body rocked endlessly from my deep, impactful rhythm. I couldn't stop moving my hips, overwhelmed by her blissful, radiant heat that consumed not just my throbbing manhood - but my entire body.

I pressed her firmly against the wall, suddenly driving my hips much harder and faster. Both of our voices intensified from the rapidly amplifying pleasure we shared. My gaze burned with lust as I stared intensely into her eyes. I was moved by her in a way that I never imagined I would be in the heat of sex. I wanted our moment of dreamy paradise together to be close and personal. I pulled her in, holding her as close as I could to my body. We moaned together in lust, panting heavily as our hearts raced in the midst of splendid love-making.

Our bodies slapped together loudly, perspiring more and more with each passing second. I listened to the music of her sweet voice undulating from my deep, relentless thrusting. My head mindlessly drifted into her neck, where I felt safe with her. I was so entranced by Sarah's beauty and the ecstasy we shared. Everything about that short time we spent joined together in this blazing passion was so gratifying, like having my first time all over again.

Maybe somewhere in my mind, this was my real first time.



I held her tighter, panting and groaning into her neck in helpless lust - practically bathing myself in the sweet scent of her perfume. I felt so much intense emotion, holding this girl, sharing our bodies in an incredibly beautiful, incredibly personal moment of rapture. This girl that captured my heart and enriched my spirit from simply being in her presence. This girl that, dare I say it, I loved.

I don't know what happened to me in that very moment, but I suddenly began to shove my hips into her like a fervid animal in heat. She cried out at the top of her lungs as she threw her head back. Our passions ignited like a burning wildfire, holding each other in the safety of our loving embrace.

"Yeah ...!" she moaned. "Oh, yeah ...!"

I wanted Sarah to feel me, to feel the months of pent-up emotion and the attachment I'd built up toward her. My body was dripping with sweat, mixing with the sweat of her hot, beautiful frame. My mind actually wanted to slow down for a brief moment - but my body wouldn't. I had to keep going. I had to drill every last ounce of affection and devotion I had for her into her body. I had to carve this memory into her mind so that I could be a part of her forever. Every thrust into her inconceivably hot, tight belly was for every moment of happiness she gave me — and there were a lot of moments.

Sarah's body tensed around me, holding me even tighter. Her head fell back, baring her teeth as she shouted in ecstasy at the top of her lungs. She expelled every last bit of air into her blissful cries. Then, she reached her climax for a second time — and I just kept on going. I kept on going like I was running a marathon, holding out for just those last few moments to cross the finish line. I rammed my hips mercilessly into her trembling, climaxing body like a man possessed as I gave her the finale of all of my intense feelings for her. I couldn't hold back any longer at that point, forced to pull out of her as I reached my breaking point.

I didn't even need to touch my penis, my body simply quaked in bliss as I ejaculated onto the wall behind her. Through the open slits between my eyelids, I made out her face watching me as I was lost the midst of heavenly ecstasy. She stared at me with such intrigue, holding her hand against my cheek, staring at me while I reached a plane of existence with her I never thought would've been possible. She allowed me this glorious opportunity and for that I was eternally grateful to her.

The way Sarah held me against her made me feel completely safe. She rested her cheek against my own, affectionately stroking the back of my head as we rested, happy and very satisfied.

My god ... did that really just happen?

My only hope was that I'd given her a moment in time that she would never, ever forget for the rest of her life. A memory that she could come back to in her mind and still feel it physically, emotionally, spiritually - even many years and decades later. I was so very gratified for just those few minutes we shared in complete rapture. It bonded us so much deeper as close friends – and as lovers.



I let her down onto her feet, neither of us quite ready to let go yet. I held her against the wall, continuing to rest in her neck. We must've stood there for several minutes. The whole time all I could really think about was how amazing she had been to me and how deeply I appreciated her. She was someone who legitimately cared about how I was doing, and she was fun to be around. She most certainly knew how to make me smile and, for that, I was thankful. It was the combination of all of that which had caused me to develop a crush on her. Of course, I could keep telling myself that it was miniscule and such, but it still stung to know I couldn't be with her. So, it'd lived up to its name as a 'crush' and I'd gotten crushed. Knowing that she was happy, however, was uplifting.

Once I finally pulled away from her, she greeted me with a warm smile.

"Thank you for everything," she whispered. "That was so wonderful. I'll never forget this, ever."

"Same here, definitely," I softly replied.



Afterward, Sarah and I put our clothes back on. She took out her glasses from her pocket, which had stayed perfectly intact, fitting them back to the bridge of her nose. She surprised me with another tight embrace when I turned to her. I was more than happy to accept those any time. When her arms fell away from me, she took a deep breath through her nose. I looked to her with a smile upon my face.

"You good?" I asked.

"Yeah," she said with a content sigh, "I'm great, actually." The two of us shared a laugh. She then took a brief look around. "It's so strange. ... How everything looks normal, but ... it's so quiet and so ... still. It really is peaceful, but after the way you explained it, it feels kind of like an eerie peaceful."

"I know what you mean," I replied as I rested against the nearby wall. "The day I figured out I even had this power, I stopped time and walked around the city I lived in. For a little while, it was so cool knowing that I could just run around anywhere I wanted and there was nothing around to stop me from going anywhere. It kind of felt like ... being in a video game, I guess." She chuckled. "But after that, it was really stale. Not having any interaction with anyone or anything was boring. I had this amazing power to stop time and I was disappointed with it. That's why it feels a million times better to be able to share it with someone else."

"I can understand that," she said as she touched my arm. "Why have a one-player game when you can have a two-player game?"

"That's true," I replied, grinning. Then my grin faded as I thought about how I'd come clean about my power to so many different people. "You know, I feel like ... you're the last one I can share this secret with." She looked at me inquisitively. "I've told – and showed – some people before you. ... After this, I don't feel like there's anyone else to tell."

"Will you keep usin' your power to share with your friends or ... will you give it up?"

"Give it up?" I asked, taken aback by the very idea. "Wow, ... I never even considered that. ... Like I said, it's just not as great when there's nobody to share it with. ... Maybe I will do that. Maybe I'll just ... I dunno, keep it on a 'shelf' or something until I need to really use it."

"But you wouldn't abuse it, right? I mean, you haven't used it to ... do anythin' bad?"

I couldn't help but chuckle and smirk. I felt like she knew me so well.

"I haven't," I replied with a reassuring nod. "Sure, I pulled an innocent prank on my teacher with it the day I'd gotten in, but, ..." I trailed off, furring my eyebrow. I found myself deep in thought for a brief moment. She stared at me, eagerly awaiting what I had to say next. "You know, there was a moment when I thought to myself about how much trouble I could've caused. I could've just ... stopped time for one car in the middle of the street and caused all the cars behind it to crash. I could've stopped the weather completely. I could've halted the tides – heck, I probably could've stopped the moon from orbiting around earth." Then, I sighed heavily and shook my head. "But I don't want to do that. What's the point of causing harm to people with my power? Really, all I've wanted this whole time was to lay low about it as much as possible and just be careful with who I let know about it."

"Wow," she softly spoke. "I'm so proud of how responsible and ... reserved you are. I dunno that I wouldn't've just freaked out and told everyone at some point."

"It crossed my mind once or twice," I said with a laugh. She smiled at me.

"Well, I'm happy you decided reason over craziness. It's just another reason for me to be happy to call you my friend."

"Thanks," I replied, feeling so very fulfilled by her words. Maybe it was just the kind of closure I needed on using my time-stopping power.



Her eyes then lit up as terror came across her face. "Oh, shoot! What about Jordan? We left her there this whole time."

I laughed, waving my hand to calm her down. "It's been a while for us, but for her it's still only been those few minutes since we left her and came out here."

"Oh, that's right," she said with a relieved sigh. "Ya' know, with how calm you've been about all this, I completely forgot time's been stopped."

"Ready to go back?" I asked with a grin. She nodded and smiled.

"Whenever you are."

I gave her a nod back and then casually blinked to restore time. I turned my head to the staff member who continued on his stride, having not noticed a thing. Sarah and I chuckled to each other knowingly and went back into the building together.

"By the way," she said as we walked back through the halls, "you don't have to worry about me tellin' Jordan. I mean, yeah, we tell each other everything, but ... some things are better off kept personal."

"Thank you, Sarah," I said with gratitude in my voice. She chuckled.

"Anytime."

Then, we headed out into the courtyard, bustling with students chatting and walking every which way. We approached the picnic bench Jordan was waiting for us at. She spotted us while sipping from her soda can with a straw. There were two plates with pizza slices waiting for us on the table. I was pretty hungry after all of that, so it was a very welcome sight.

"Sorry we took so long," Sarah said as we sat across from her.

"That was pretty quick, actually," she remarked in surprise. "Guess you guys just wanted to say your peace and get it over with, huh?"

"Something like that," I replied, prompting Sarah to quietly laugh. Jordan was a bit confused, but shrugged it off.

"So," Jordan said, suggestively, "I can probably guess what it was you guys talked abo~ut."

"Of course you do, big mouth," I replied with a smirk, causing the two girls to giggle. "But it's fine – I'm not mad. I'm just happier to finally get everything off my chest."

"Same here," Sarah added.

"Well, that's good! I think the two of you make really great friends."

"Yeah, I agree," Sarah said, smiling to me while I had a whole mouthful of pizza. I looked at her and nodded.

"Uh-huh," I replied with my mouth full, both of them laughing again.

After we ate, the three of us hung around to chat about anything. I could never have imagined that a lunch break would've felt so fulfilling. It was good for me. I felt ... accomplished. But - as it always went - before long, it was time to go back to class.



I spent the rest of the day reflecting on how much better I'd felt as a whole; as a person. Things were going better for me now than they ever had my entire life – and I say that knowing I'd been to Disney World. Nothing beats going to Disney World. But as the bell rang to finish up school for the day, I was about to learn a bit more about the negative aspects to associating myself with so many new girls. As I roamed through the hallways on my trek to leave school, a boy with short brown hair rushed up to me from behind.

Sure enough, I had attracted the freaks.

"Hey, man," he said as I turned to him.

"Hey! Johnathan!" I greeted him as we kept walking.

I was so surprised, as well as uneasy, to see him again. We hadn't really seen each other since we were kids. Back then, the guy was a pretty strange dude as far I knew from hanging out with him. He was into some really strange things – sexual things, and liked talking freely about it a lot. This was well before he'd hit puberty, too. It got to the point where I started to distance myself from him enough until he just disappeared for a while. Upon seeing his face again, all those weird memories came flooding back. I would never be able to forget all that stuff.

"Been a while, huh?" he asked, a strange excitement in his eyes.

"Yeah, what's it been—like, four years? Five?"

"Something like that, yeah."

The way he looked at me was ... eager. He definitely wanted something from me, like I was about to spot him a hundred bucks. Something in my mind was telling me it was time to go.

"Well, I'll catch you later, okay?" I said, attempting to walk away, only for him to grab my shoulder.

"Er, wait, hold on Anthony," he said as he brought me to a stop. "I heard ... ya' know, some stuff about you." I looked at him suspiciously. "Good stuff! Good stuff, I swear. Like, really good stuff, you know what I mean?"

"I ... don't know what you mean," I replied, shaking my head in confusion. "Look, I really should get going–"

"Wait-wait-wait-wait," he quickly said as he stopped me again. "Okay, okay. I'll cut to the chase. I want you to, you know, hook me up, dude."

I was baffled. "Hook you up?" I asked.

"You know, put in a good word for me so I can get a little action with some of the pretty faces you roll with; a little nookie—just like you got. Come on, you know what I'm sayin', right?"



I had no idea where he got that information, but I wasn't admitting to anything. I certainly wasn't running a dating service, either.

"Sorry. Can't help you," I replied with a shrug.

"Oh come o~n, man. I know you can spare one of your ho's for me. Come on, for old times' sake."

I didn't even respond to that. I just looked at him with an annoyed expression. The fact that he even referred to any of the girls I knew as 'ho's' was not something I appreciated.

"Okay, okay. How about I ... pay you? How's fifty bucks a girl sound?"

I couldn't help but boisterously laugh at the notion of him paying me for sex.

"So what, I'm a pimp now?" I asked with an amused grin.

"Yeah, you a pimp!" he exclaimed with a laugh. "You made it, man. You're at the top of the mountain! So come on, just hook me up. I'm seriously desperate."

"I can tell," I replied, shaking my head in disbelief. "Look, I don't know what you heard but obviously you were misinformed. I don't have any ho's, or pretty faces—definitely none to 'spare.' I'm not at the top of any mountain, I'm just another dude in the masses trying to survive high school. Okay? Sorry to let you down."

He looked like he was about to crumble to pieces before he quickly spoke up again.



"But, ... I-I heard this girl with gigantic tits say that you were like this amazing 'sex god' or something. She was definitely talking about you!"

I had the sneaking suspicion he overheard Natalie talking to someone. Why Natalie felt the need to talk about me or bring up our tryst – especially considering the whole 'time stopping' thing was involved – was beyond me. I just sighed. Best to go with the old 'deny everything' route and move on.

"I don't even know any girls with 'gigantic tits,' man," I calmly said, much to his surprise. "Sorry, I have no idea what's going on, but, I really need to catch my bus. See ya."

"Okay! Um, ... I'll see you later, man!"

I shook my head and rolled my eyes as I quickly walked away from him. I really hoped I wouldn't see him later.

I didn't think my escapades were going to bring trouble my way, or that I'd feel as annoyed as I did at that moment. If more people were going to act like Johnathan—try to suck up to me in the hopes I'd help them get laid—then I figured it was time to cool down for a while. The best idea was to probably let this 'buzz' about me blow over and let everyone forget about it. The longer people stop obsessing over me, the less they'll care about me. That's all I could hope for.



That night, I was beginning to settle into bed. I'd already finished my homework and shut off my computer. I turned off the light and then slipped under the covers with a happy sigh. As I laid staring at the ceiling, I recalled Sarah's suggestion for me to simply ... stop using my time-stopping power. I had to admit, there really was never any practical use for it and I really didn't have any compulsion to abuse it for evil. But before I could do that, stop using it forever, I recalled for a moment one final loose end. It was the one that unnerved me, but it's been there in the back of my mind since it had occurred: The odd men in black robes. I furred my eyebrows, recalling the first glimpse of them down the hallway in school. After that, there was the more up close and personal meeting on the beach. I was never going to get any sleep until I knew...

I paused for a moment before I slowly peeled away the covers from my body with a sigh. I quickly got to my feet in the darkness. I must've looked pretty stupid just standing there in the dark with nothing but my boxers on, but I didn't care. I took into consideration the fact that those guys never seemed to bother me until I was by myself – like they had to make it personal for some reason. But why? What did they want from me?

I figured if there was any more a personal setting for them to appear again, this would definitely be it. I nodded to myself, blinking once to stop time and stood dauntless in the silence.

"All right," I spoke up. "You know who I'm talking to. Let's have one more meeting, all right? Show yourselves – I know you know that I'm here."

I waited patiently. A few tense moments passed by in the unnatural silence.

"Come on," I spoke up again. "I'm not just going to be on your time. There has to be some give and take."

And with that, I felt my head buzz just before they showed themselves. The air escaped my lungs as I watched them slowly emerge from the pitch blackness of my closet. My eyes widened and my heart began to race from the terrifying sight. My breathing quickened, but I tried my best not to show my fear to the three tall figures that showed themselves to me one by one. I swallowed, feeling sweat begin to break out on my forehead. They stood calmly, stoically, near the far end of the room. I took a deep breath and sighed.

I remained as calm as I could as I spoke to them. My head kept buzzing, as though I was in great danger. But I wasn't going to end this conversation until they gave me the answers I wanted.



"I'm not going to take my eyes off you this time – I don't want any disappearing acts like before."

The one in the center raised its bony hand and pointed to me.

"Time ...," it whispered in its raspy, ethereal voice. I straightened my posture, smiling confidently.

"Yes, I know that one. You already said that before. Now you're going to tell me something that actually makes sense."

"What do you wish to know ...?" it asked, surprising me. Its voice seemed to change a bit, not speaking as otherworldly and perhaps, a bit quicker.

"Oka~y ... so you do know more than one word ...," I replied in intrigue. "I'll skip the formalities this time. What I really want to know is ... what brought you to me? Are you ... are you the ones that gave me these powers?"

Amidst the darkness, I saw all three of them slowly shake their robed heads back and forth.

"You did this. This is your power ..."

I was stunned. How could that be possible? I didn't just wake up one morning and bless myself with superpowers with a flick of my magic wand. However, they weren't quite done yet.

"Now, ... you will turn it off ..."

"Turn it off?" I wondered aloud. "You want me to turn off ... the time-stopping?"

Its voice suddenly became much louder and menacing.

"Turn it off."

That's when the three of them began to advance on me, their arms stretched out as if to grab me. The buzzing sensation in my head was practically vibrating my entire skull.

"Turn it off! Turn it off!!"

I screamed in terror, covering my face, shutting my eyes tight.



After a brief moment of silence, my ears caught the gentle sounds of crickets chirping and the quiet honk of a car in the distance. I shot my eyes open – everything was back to normal. Well, everything except for the fact that I was trembling harder than I ever had in my life. My eyes were wide, terror gripping my entire body like an icy hand that refused to let up. I couldn't move – totally paralyzed by fear. I panted sharply with terrified gasps, a cold sweat rolling over every inch of me.

I just stood there – shocked, horrified, incredulous – for several minutes. I was still too scared to move, fearful that they would return if I moved so much as an inch. Were they still there? Were they invisible? Were they waiting to grab me and tear me limb from limb? I had no idea what to think anymore. If there was ever a really noticeable downside I could've ever thought of upon acquiring the power to stop time ... this was definitely it. Honestly, I would take getting pestered by other guys to help them get laid over this any day.

Finally, my legs gave out from under me and I fell to my hands and knees. I continued trembling. My eyes stayed wide open. I didn't want to blink – I couldn't. If I blinked ... I might stop time and they might return. I cared not for the tensing pain around my eyes as they dried. I'd sooner lose my vision than feel the wrath of those ... things screaming at me.

It took me a little while, but I eventually managed to pull myself back into bed. I pressed myself firmly against the wall. It gave me one less angle to have to watch for them. I couldn't take the pain in my dry eyes anymore and squeezed them shut with a terrified shout. When I quickly opened them again, there were no robed things in black to be found. Time was still flowing nicely. I think, at that moment, my mind was far too frightened to stop time and so it wouldn't allow me to. I slowly laid my head down on the pillow, keeping watch over the room. My eyes were as alert and focused as they'd ever been.

I swallowed a few times. My mouth felt as dry as cotton. I couldn't find the willingness in myself to get up and go to the kitchen for water, that would've brought me past the closet. I wasn't going anywhere near that area. I kept myself under the covers, trembling and as frightened as any kid could be when faced against the bogeyman or things under the bed. These monsters, however, were as real as it gets...