Just a Little Magic Ch. 02

- "Really?" Now, that sounded interesting. Very interesting. But I had to face facts: I was a geeky 18 year-old virgin.

"How am I going to do that?"

- "I'll teach you." said Janine.

Yowza.

***

Lillian taught me magic. She was demanding, but patient. I began to think of her as a combination of Yoda and Mr. Miyagi. But much better-looking, of course.

Janine didn't really take after her all that much; Lillian was taller, with red hair. I didn't mind spending time with her at all.

I made progress - just not very quickly.

- "You started late, Pete. That's nothing to be ashamed of. And most of what you did early on were simple parlour tricks. It just means that you have to work hard if you're going to catch up to Janine. Be patient. You have talent - it will come."

It soon became apparent that mentalism was my strongest discipline.

Lillian put 4 cards on the table in front of me, face down.

- "Which one is the Queen of Diamonds?" she asked. "Don't look at the cards! Look at me!"

It didn't happen right away. We had several fruitless, frustrating lessons. But I gradually became aware that when I looked at Lillian - when I concentrated on her - I could hear a voice. Her voice. She wasn't speaking to me, exactly. It was more like she was just around the corner, talking out loud to herself. Or to someone else that I couldn't see.

- "I still feel ... awkward, listening to your private thoughts."

- "Don't be shy. If I wanted to shield my thoughts, you wouldn't hear a thing. Listen closely to what I'm telling you about the cards - just by thinking about them."

It took concentration, but I found that I could sift through the stream of consciousness (for lack of a better expression), and pluck out the references I was looking for.

I flipped over the Queen.

- "Now the six of hearts."

I got the first three cards, one after the other. The fourth card was still face down.

"Alright." said Lillian. "Now tell me: which card is that?"

I eavesdropped on her thoughts again.

- "Nine of spades." I said. It wasn't even a guess. I knew it.

Lillian flipped it over.

- "Well done! See how easy that was?"

- "Wow." Even I was impressed with myself.

- "You should be pleased." said Lillian. "You're making tremendous progress."

- "Thanks." I didn't feel that way. "I wish I could do as well with the other disciplines."

- "You probably didn't know this, Pete, but mentalism is fairly rare. You should be proud of your skill."

- "But you and Janine -"

- "Not so much. Not the way you can."

- "Really?"

- "Really. Now let's try six at a time." she said.

***

Meanwhile, Janine took charge of other aspects of my education. First, though, she wanted to see my wardrobe.

- "You mean my clothes?"

- "That's what a wardrobe is." she said, with a sigh.

Where Lillian was patient, and often encouraged me, Janine was harder to please. She shook her head quite often, so that I began to wonder if I was ever going to be able to rise to whatever standard she was expecting.

When she came over to see my closet (while my parents were at work), Janine couldn't hide her ... revulsion? Disgust? Whatever it was, it was well past disappointment.

- "We have to buy you some clothes." she declared. "How much money do you have?"

I ended up contributing about $600 - half of the money I had to my name. Janine took me shopping.

Casual shirts and pants. Dress pants and more shirts - with buttons.

- "Aren't those expensive?" I asked.

- "Never mind the prices. Quality first." she said.

A couple of pullover sweaters. Belts. Socks. Shoes - lots of shoes. Underwear.

- "I have underwear." I protested.

- "Burn every last one of those things." said Janine.

- "What?"

- "Imagine yourself with a woman - a woman who wants to have sex with you. What is she going to think when you drop your pants for the first time, and she catches her first glimpse of those tighty whities with the frayed edges?"

- "Umm ..."

- "That's correct. It's called 'Coitus Preventus'. In other words - you ain't gettin' any."

Harsh. Janine was often harsh. But she was probably right (who was I kidding? She was right. I was getting priceless advice here).

I got more than advice. I got three suits, and a couple of ties (which I didn't know to tie). When I saw the bill, my heart stopped.

$2300.

- "Janine ..."

- "Relax, Pete. I've got this." She pulled out a credit card.

- "Janine -"

- "Look: don't worry about it. We're investing in your future, alright. When you start pulling in serious money, you can pay me back, okay?"

I was encouraged by her confidence - that I would be making money some day. But I was also so completely under her spell that I would have done anything she suggested.

Janine took me for a haircut, too. Then she dressed me in my new blue suit, and took me to an upscale restaurant, where she proceeded to teach me how to order drinks (what? you think any waiter in his right mind was going to ask me for I.D., when I was with Janine?)

- "You look fantastic." I said.

- "Thanks. Read the menu." Then she sighed. "Thank you, Pete. That was nice of you to say - and at the right time, too. Just remember that your date may not know what to order. If you haven't been to this restaurant before, you'd better get familiar with what they offer, so that you can suggest something she'll like."

"But that's advanced class stuff. We'll get there, eventually. For now, let's work on the basics. Leave the bread alone. Don't you have bread at home?"

- "Thish ish really good, though."

- "Don't talk with your mouth full, Pete. Do that again, and I swear I'll kick you in the nuts."

- "Sorry."

Janine proceeded to teach me how to order, how to eat and drink (not simultaneously), and generally how to behave like a civilized person in a fancy restaurant.

Then she drove me home.

- "Thanks, J." I said.

- "Don't call me that. Don't ever guess at a girl's pet name, or diminutive. If you get it right, she might be impressed - for all of 2 seconds. Get it wrong - she may never forgive you. Got it?"

- "Got it. Thank you, Janine."

Then she surprised me by leaning over, and brushing her lips against my cheek.

- "Good work today, Pete." she said.

Yowza.

***

My Mom found all of the new clothes in my room.

- "Peter? Is there anything ... you need to tell me?"

- "About what, Mom?"

- "About where all these clothes came from?"

Damn. I understood immediately. The mentalism kicked in, full force. Just by concentrating on my Mom, I could hear her thoughts and fears, loud and clear.

It was like listening to Lillian - except that my mother was (metaphorically speaking) running up and down the hallway, tearing out her hair while shouting that her son was selling drugs, or that he had robbed a men's clothing store - and that Ralph Lauren or Yves St-Laurent had helped me do it, because there was no way I could have picked out the good stuff by myself.

- "Sorry, Mom." I said. Then inspiration kicked in, and I lied my ass off.

Internet. Sign-in contest. Unblock ads for a chance at a prize. By some miracle, I'd won. $2000 gift-certificate at a clothing store.

- "Really? That's ... incredible. But ... Pete - who helped you pick out the clothes? The suits?"

She knew damn well that I hadn't done it myself.

- "Well ... I've been ... seeing this girl ..."

- "You have a girlfriend?" Mom's eyes lit up. She couldn't quite believe it, though.

Wait a minute, I thought. It wasn't that unbelievable. Was it?

"I'm so pleased for you." said my Mom, as she wrapped me in a hug. "She has really good taste."

My mother was referring to my supposed girlfriend's taste in clothing not her taste in men. Thanks, Mom.

- "When do we get to meet her?"

***

Sammy was seriously ticked off at me.

- "A girlfriend?"

- "Who told you that?"

- "Your mother! Just now, as I walked in the door. 'Hello, Sammy. You must have met Peter's girlfriend ... tell me: what's she like?'"

"Dude! Seriously? Since when am I the last one to find out something this big?"

I tried to calm him down, and to explain the situation.

- "Sammy - it's Janine!"

- "Janine is your girlfriend?"

- "No! Not exactly ... she's teaching me magic. She and her Mom."

- "Is her Mom hot?"

- "Sam."

- "Well, is she? Can they teach me, too?"

I couldn't tell my best friend - my only friend - about the plan. But was it okay to let him know that Janine and Lillian were going to help me become a professional magician? How else could I explain all the new clothes?

And surely it was alright for me to let Sammy know about bloodlines. Not only was it true, but it would explain why they weren't going to teach him magic.

So I spilled some of the beans.

Sammy was pretty cool with what I told him. He accepted that magic was going to be my gig, and not his - and I have to say, he was very supportive. I think he was genuinely happy for me.

But he was still a bit ticked off.

- "Okay - I get it. But are you totally ditching high school? Or have you completely forgotten? Final exams are in two weeks, man."

***

- "It's not that important." said Janine.

I had just confessed to Janine and her mother that I hadn't been paying attention in class for the past two months. I wasn't much of a student, to tell the truth. I'd usually put in just enough effort to stay off the teachers' shit lists, without breaking a sweat.

But I'd been concentrating on magic (and Janine) far too much. And now I was afraid that I was about to crash and burn on my finals.

- "It would be better if he got his diploma." said Lillian. She was speaking to her daughter.

- "Alright." said Janine. "I'll show you how to do this, Pete. It's not that much different from finding cards for Mom."

- "Wait!" I said. "Are you talking about mind-reading?"

- "Yep."

- "But ... isn't that cheating? What if I get caught?"

- "You won't."

- "But -"

- "Look, Pete." said Janine. "If you do this my way - and pass your finals ... I'll go to your Prom with you. I'll be your date."

There was that smile, that inimitable curl of lips and cheeks, that little flash of teeth, which could reduce me to jelly. Unless I was completely mistaken, Janine was offering me more than a couple of slow dances.

Holy yowzas, Batman!

***

Lillian instructed me to practice on people that I knew: family, Sammy, schoolmates.

- "Isn't that ... like an invasion of privacy?" I'd already done it, but it still kind of freaked me out.

- "Think of surface thoughts as almost public domain." said Lillian. "Look, some people can read body language, or facial expressions - isn't that the same?"

- "You mean, like reading tells in poker?"

- "That's exactly what I mean."

- "Speaking of which," called Janine, from the kitchen, "I'll be teaching you poker this summer. Watch some videos online, when you have time."

- "After your exams." said Lillian.

- "Okay. Umm ... I kind of already read someone's mind once before. It was ... my Mom. I don't know how it happened, to tell you the truth. All of a sudden, it was like I could just ... hear her."

Lillian smiled. "It's much easier with blood relatives." she said. "In fact, I would caution you not to try it with complete strangers. On the bus, for instance. You never know when you'll come across another Talent - and they won't appreciate it."

***

I didn't have to read Sammy's mind; when I told him that Janine was going to be my Prom date, he hit the roof.

- "What? You and Janine? Whoa!" At first, he was thrilled for me. Then he remembered his own predicament. "What the fuck, though, Pete? We were supposed to go stag. Batman and Robin! How could you just dump me like that?"

- "You're right." I said. "Sorry. I wasn't thinking. Let me fix this."

Believe it or not, I actually found the intestinal fortitude to tell Janine that I wouldn't be taking her to the Prom.

It was the first time I'd ever seen her even a little flustered.

- "You're kidding, right?" she said.

- "I'm sorry. I was ... really looking forward to going with you." I said. (Really really really ...) "But I sort of promised Sammy that we'd go together. You know, like Batman and Robin."

Janine didn't get it. She had on her mildly annoyed face. But Lillian seemed to understand.

- "You don't want to come between friends, dear." she said. Then she turned to me. "Would it make a difference if Sammy had a date, too?"

- "I beg your pardon?"

- "It just so happens that Janine has a friend that would probably love to be Sammy's date to the Prom."

- "I do?" said Janine.

- "Of course you do. Penny Marks."

- "Ohh ... right. Penny. That's true. She'd love it."

I felt that I had to stand up for Sammy's interests. Besides, if I got him a blind date to the Prom, he was going to hold me responsible.

- "Is she ... pretty?"

- "Oh, Penny is cute." said Lillian. "And she has a wonderful personality ..."

***

Sammy thought about it for all of 1/8 of a second.

- "Dude - you got me a date? That's awesome! I'm in! I'm in! Is she hot?"

***

My exams were a simple matter of paying attention. In Calculus, all I had to do was listen to Doug Macmillan's thoughts. I had trouble keeping up, but that was okay, too. If my answers matched his exactly, I was going to finish with a 95% - which would have attracted way more attention than I wanted.

Accounting was a breeze. One hundred multiple choice questions. Honestly, how can a teacher get away with that sort of shit? Mr. Baldwin was just too lazy to mark longer answers. I just read Evie Longo's mind, and then changed 7 or 8 of my answers so that they'd be wrong.

On the one hand, I wished that I'd known how to do this years ago. I would never have had to study at all. Then again, I was graduating without knowing my ass from my elbow. My magic career had to work out - because I had zero other skills to fall back on.

But I was learning other, perhaps more valuable skills.

Janine called me up the day of my last exam.

- "Can you come over this evening?" she asked.

- "More training?"

- "Exactly."

Lillian wasn't there. Janine was wearing a dress - something she didn't do very often. It had thin shoulder straps, which left most of her shoulders and all of her arms bare. She'd also done her hair up differently: it was tied up behind her head, in a very loose ponytail, which resulted in a corkscrew of thick, dark brown hair.

I was struck speechless.

- "Hello, Pete." she said. Then she waited. She was expecting ... something.

- "You look ... fantastic." I managed to say.

- "Attaboy." she said. "Always tell your girl if you like the way she looks. Why don't you come over here and sit down?"

Janine was sitting on the couch - almost dead center. I almost went to the armchair on the other side of their coffee table, but she patted the cushion next to her, and smiled.

I sat down - carefully - closer to her than I'd ever been before. Janine leaned forward to pour us both a glass of effervescent, bubbly wine.

- "Champagne?" I asked.

- "Sparkling wine. To celebrate the end of your exams. Successful, I hope?"

- "I think they went well." Then I caught her scent. I couldn't tell if it was shampoo, conditioner, or perfume. "Wow ... Janine, you smell great, too."

- "No, Pete." she said. "You can take a deep breath. Then you should look me in the eye, and just smile. Let me know that your sense of smell is fully engaged. That's plenty - don't say anything. It's so much hotter if you just appreciate it - and if I know that you do."

- "Is this ... another lesson?"

- "You never stop learning." she said. "But tonight, I thought that we should thoroughly explore some of the basics. Why don't you put your arm around me, Pete? And lean just a little closer ... that's it ..."

Janine took hold of her bunched-up ponytail, and tossed it over her opposite shoulder, exposing her lovely neck and almost bare shoulder to me. Then she tilted her head towards me.

"Kiss me, Pete."

My experience with girls was so limited ... I almost fainted when Janine said that. But I found my little reserve of courage, and leaned forward to press my lips against hers.

She was warm, and soft. I couldn't help it; my arm tightened around her shoulders. Janine reached around to take hold of my shoulder - her arm was pressed against my chest.

It felt to me as if she was purring. I could feel the pressure of her hand on my shoulder - that had to be encouragement. And then I felt the tip of her tongue slip between my lips. I nearly melted. I'm sure that I moaned into her mouth.

- "Mmm ..." she moaned back, softly.

Janine was kissing me. She was french kissing me. Patience, young Jedi, I told myself. But it was still the most intense sexual experience of my life, and Janine could feel my passion as I gently stretched out my tongue to meet hers.

I almost forgot to breathe. Janine broke our kiss, and leaned back a bit.

- "Is there ... anywhere else you'd like to kiss me?" she asked.

I'm not completely clueless. She hadn't changed her hairstyle for no reason.

I kissed Janine's ear, hesitantly tracing the contour of her ear with the tip of my tongue. Then I took her earlobe into my mouth, and gently sucked on it.

- "Mmm ... nice ..." she hummed.

I kissed the proud column of her neck, and ran my lips down the edge of her jaw line.

- "Have you been studying?" she whispered.

- "Uh - no. I'm just ... trying to make you feel good."

- "Attaboy. That's a very good approach. Keep going."

She seemed to enjoy my efforts, but that didn't stop her from offering feedback.

"Not too wet; you don't want to leave a slug trail down the side of my neck. No wet willies, either."

She drew me back up, and pressed her lips to mine again. I was sitting on a couch, necking with Janine - the most incredibly beautiful girl I'd ever been close to, let alone talked to. And she was kissing me!

Janine really seemed to be into it, too. Her eyes were closed, some of the time, and her hand was gripping my shoulder fairly tightly. I felt emboldened - without really thinking about it, I reached out with my free hand, and placed it on her waist, just below her breast.

She broke our kiss.

- "Easy, Cowboy. Initiative is good - but let's stick to kissing, tonight. Okay?"

- "Oh - sure. Sorry."

- "You're doing fine, Pete. There's no need to jam your whole tongue into my mouth. You have just the right amount of pressure - it's very nice. You can vary the tempo, though; a little more urgent, or a little less, makes for a pleasant change of pace."

"Don't be afraid to take the lead, too. Change the angle, or change your approach, if you want. It's not a test: we're exploring, here. Together. Finding things we like."

She tilted her head to the side, and opened her mouth a little.

- "You're so beautiful." I said.

She smiled. "Thank you. Will you kiss me again?"

We necked for the better part of an hour. Janine called a halt to the French lesson.

- "Any more and our lips will get chapped. But you did well, Pete. You're a good kisser."

I'm sure that I blushed. I could feel the heat rising to my face. "Thanks."

- "Would you like to practice some more tomorrow night?"

***

I was half an hour early for our ... date? Lesson? I was sure that she wouldn't appreciate me knocking on her door too early, so I walked around the block - twice. I briefly considered getting a coffee at the shop on the corner, but that wouldn't have been good for my breath.

Then I began to worry about said breath, so I went to the convenience store and bought a package of breath mints. I ate half of them while I waited. That's right: I didn't have the patience to suck 'em slowly. I was crunching them between my teeth.