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Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 01

By: MarquisdeBad



Reema Ahmed and her boyfriend's fates were set when the acceptance letters started rolling in. It was a stressful time, and understandably so. The school they chose now would set the course for the rest of their lives. 

"I got early acceptance into Montgomery!" she said to him as she waved the letter at him in the hallway of their highschool. 

The truth was she, like her boyfriend, Miguel Lopez, had the luxury of getting into all the schools she applied to. She was going to receive entrance scholarships on top of it as well (and that was on top of the other scholarships Reema applied to and received). Montgomery University was her first choice for their great print journalism program. 

"Congratulations! I got into Western!" he exclaimed, waving his own acceptance letter. Miguel's preference was a university that specialized in engineering. Western University was renowned for its science and applied science programs, and was the perfect fit for him too. 

"That's amazing," she said heartily, hugging him. Reema was genuinely excited for the both of them. They were pursuing dreams, going places. "That's what you wanted too!" 

"Yeah," he agreed, letting go. "I guess that means it's official then..." 

Reema stood by him and processed their reality. "Yes, I guess it is..." 

The caveat to choosing differing academic paths was that they would be at different schools for the first time in a long time. Reema and Miguel met as middle school students. They were as awkward and geeky then as they were now. They then dated throughout high school. They maintained the same circle of 'Star Trek' friends, watched the same Marvel movies, and listened to the same music. Their relationship, while undoubtedly amorous, was built on mutual respect and understanding. They were social outsiders and confided in each other through that reality. 

Reema loved Miguel because he was an honest, kind, driven individual who carried a work ethic passed on to him by his Mexican parents. Like her, he didn't do drugs or party excessively. His idea of a good time was a movie or video game night, usually with Reema by his side. Engineering was ultra-competitive and hard. Reema heard him say that at least 20% of entrants dropped out the first year. It was the school's way of 'weeding out' prospective applicants. He was determined to not only make it through the program but come out if it with a secure career. 

"Well, we can call and Skype like we talked about. And I know you will be busy so I can come visit you every weekend," Reema proposed. 

"Yes, of course," he willfully agreed. 

Reema was in a very good place in her life. She was off to university. She had Miguel in her life. Although it might have been premature to say, they were definitely going to be together for a very long time. 

She got several more letters from the university that summer. The last of these was an orientation package welcoming her to Montgomery University, her first choice. Her college was putting together an intro week for first year students to get them familiar and comfortable with the campus and the university. They arranged for fun events like day trips, boat cruises, and toga parties. Reema thought it was a great idea at least in principle. New campus, new surroundings, new people - that was scary! 

But before all the festivities began, there was move-in day. To add to Reema's natural feelings of anxiety, she was accompanied by her parents. Her father marched around in his brash yet socially aloof style, completely making a show of himself while asking everyone what everything was, where they needed to be etc. 

"Where is 'E122'?" he'd rudely ask another student who had as much clue as the inner workings and geography of his new campus as her father - and Reena - did. "My daughter needs 'E122'." When he didn't get the answer he wanted, he would somehow blame them for not knowing. 

When Reema chimed in with the correct way to go, he would shoot her down, "You have not been here. You don't know." It was a regular thing in their relationship. 

Reema's dad was very traditional. What was one to expect from an Indian immigrant? Despite willingly moving here, he seemed to have an untrusting chip on his shoulder, especially when it came to Reema. He demanded more and better of her all the time. Reema was not even convinced he fully approved of her program choice. 'Why did you choose that? There was no money in that work,' she remembered him shaking his head after she proudly showed him the acceptance letter. 

Reema just looked at her mother as she carried a box of toiletries and other things beside her - and behind her husband. As she always did, she stood by and said nothing beside her louder husband. She was also Indian, albeit from a different part of the subcontinent, and grew up in a strict family where girls, especially sole children, were kept under a protective watch. Somehow Reema knew she was scared of him. 

Her living quarters for the year was a mini-suite of sorts. Straight ahead from the doorway was a shabby brown couch in front of a TV and a coffee table between them. Off to the side was a modern-enough kitchenette with a stove, fridge, microwave (sadly no dishwasher, though). 

"This is what ten thousand a year gets you?" her dad started. 

Reema found the bright three-piece washroom. "I think it's nice." He ignored her, though. Her mom said nothing. 

Her bedroom was a sizable one for what she expected. Single bed only, but there was a desk with plenty of workspace, a night table, and a nicely sized closet. Once inside it, Reema's mom and dad went about lecturing her about where she should put things to giving her advice about getting involved with the wrong people...and especially boys. 

"When have I ever hung around smokers?" she fired back. "And I have a boyfriend. Miguel. Remember? I don't think you need to worry about me having people over. This is all-girls, remember? You wanted that." 

"Do not remind me of my words. I know what I said, Daughter," her dad countered. He then went about trying to install a calling schedule and curfew. Reema didn't bother to let him know how that was going to work out. 

Reema manoeuvred them back into the living room. "OK, Mom, Dad...I think I can take it from here," she said. 

"Do you have everything?" her mom asked. 

Reema didn't ponder the answer for even a second. "Yes," she said as she inched toward the door. 

"You will be responsible and study every day," her dad told her. 

Reema would've made a joke about how he needed to work on his parting advice, but instead she bowed to his order. "I will. Don't worry, Dad." Finally she got them in the hallway. They lingered on with more warnings, which Reema nodded along to without complaint. 

Across the hall, there was another trio loitering in front of a dorm room, although they were all her age. There was a slender barefoot blonde girl in jean shorts standing against the door and two taller guys in front of them. She wondered how they got in. Maybe it was a weird visitor policy that they could only be here during the day. Reema briefly met eyes with the girl. She curiously grinned at Reema and then returned her attention to her male counterparts. 

When her father finished whatever point he was making, Reema touched his forearm. "I'll be fine, trust me. You go. It's a long drive." She then hugged him. "I'll miss you." She followed that by embracing her mom, joking not to let Dad drive her too insane. 

She watched as they made their way down the hall and disappeared into a staircase. The group across the hall also went into the girl's dorm 

'Well, that was that,' she thought, moving into her own room and shutting the door. She stared at the empty space. Her head was feeling just as much vacuous. Sighing, she went into her bedroom and unzipped her suitcase. 

Much to her surprise, the rest of the week ended up being more than her orientation package advertised. People were getting or acting drunk or high or both, and she realized Frosh Week was an unofficial excuse for people to party before school officially started. It wasn't just 'fun fun', but 'stupid fun'. Reema's school technically preached a 'dry' week, but people still found ways to indulge. 

Reema didn't get it, nor did she want any part of it. She didn't party. She didn't drink. She certainly didn't smoke. During the sober bits of Frosh Week in the day, she managed to cultivate a few dialogues with like-minded people who reminded her of the kinds of people from high school. But who was to say that these would turn into relationships? She wasn't betting on it. While others were drinking, she was working on her creative writing or organizing her big binder with coloured tabs for each subject. She even went to the bookstore to get a jump on the long lines that would undoubtedly occur on the first and second day of classes. At the end of each night, she would go to bed just as the fun was starting. 

Dating back to elementary school, Reema was the outcast. She was the obvious immigrant kid - or at least, the daughter of immigrants. She wasn't gifted with obviously good physical traits. She had a tanned complexion, although her arms were covered with a decent amount of her brown hair. The hair on her head was long and also brown all her life, although she never really did anything with it stylistically. She was a chubby kid. Her genetics allotted her a flat nose and fat lips - facial features that weren't helped by the usually terrible thick framed glasses over her eyes which she needed to help with her terrible vision. 

Entering high school, though, her body matured considerably. Her chest filled out and her hips rounded out. Her ass too rounded out - not fat, but shapely. Despite these 'improvements', they went unnoticed by other people if only because her body shape didn't really match what most people might have considered 'hot'. It also didn't help that fashion was never her thing, so she often hid her body under very loose clothes. Her idea of an outfit was loose jeans and maybe a superhero and comic t-shirt, or sweatpants and big highschool sweater. Looks never became a priority to her or the people she was with and Miguel, and he wasn't the kind of guy who ever say anything about it. 

It wasn't a surprise then that she never thought of herself as really attractive or sexy (and sexual). She just didn't care for it. She snickered to herself at all the vain girls in her class that gabbed to each other in the washroom before homeroom as they applied yet another layer of blush. She and Miguel had sex in their final year after both turning of age (her parents still didn't know), but they weren't really events that she would have called 'raw' or 'steamy'. She thought of it as another form of emotional connection that was no more the basis of their relationship than holding hands in the halls. 

During the second week of classes, Reema was packing up to leave the library when her phone played the Star Trek theme song. She smiled every time she heard it. Her face only became more elated when she saw Miguel's picture on the call screen. He was giving a thumbs up and wore wide, anime-like smile with his teeth showing and his eyes. It was so goofy, but that was the kind of person he was - lighthearted, cute, and funny. 

"Hey!" she answered as she slipped a thick course reader into her bag. 

"Hey! What's up?" he eagerly asked in the other line. She was so happy to hear from him. 

She slung her backpack and walked away from her desk as she spoke, "Oh, nothing...just leaving the library. It's like a dead zone in here," she laughed looking around at the near empty second floor study area. 

Miguel started laughing, "Why?" 

"There's no one here. It's quiet." 

"Too quiet? Something going to pop out at you?" 

Reema giggled, stepping onto the escalator. "Maybe! But at least I got a bunch done before I got abducted or something." She moved past the main foyer and exited the building. Mid-September was still quite nice. At least, it was good enough for her favourite light pink coat and a loose pair of jeans. 

"What did you do?" he asked. 

The sky was coloured with some pretty reds and purples. When she got to the library after her class, the sun was at its highest. Now, there were people ahead of her carrying dinner back to their room. 

"I was just doing reading for my News class. Part of our work for next week is to read articles from different news sources about the same event and draw conclusions on how they are covered," she said." 

"Sounds like real work!" 

With all the warnings of how much tougher university was going to be, classes seemed manageable and easy for now, although maybe it was too early to tell. Out of everything that came at her in university life, academia was least troubling. Reema never really stressed about school; in highschool, no matter how crazy final exams and essays got, she managed to pull things out. She was in the most control of her life while in school. 

The campus was an expansive network of buildings a lot of built in the sixties when Montgomery was founded. It took up a full city block of expropriated century and a half-old farmland. The original farmhouse is supposed to be somewhere on the campus too. The main building that housed the library and all the giant lecture halls was a Brutalist affair of lots and lots of concrete. It was really cold. 

As she neared her residence building, which was a newer and more welcoming glass structure, she pulled her keys out of her pocket. "Yeah, it's great! Our program has its own newspaper too. I think I'll try to go for editor-in-chief." Someone, an athletic looking guy, was coming out at the same time she was going in, so keys weren't needed. "Thanks!" she said, although he didn't acknowledge it or her. 

"You'd be perfect. You did amazing with our paper." 

"Well, it's higher standards now, but I can handle it. How's everything with you? Buried yet?" As her runners climbed the staircase, chatter travelled down it. 

Miguel laughed. "Not yet, but it's getting there. I'm maybe waist deep. By the end of the month I'll be up to my chest." Reema giggled. 

The talking got louder and then she encountered the authors. They were three girls and an older guy - possibly fourth year - urging one another to hurry up because the liquor store was going to close soon. Among them was the girl from the other day who lived across the hall. They looked right at each other and the other girl seemed to be scanning Reema, which led the brown girl to expect her to say 'hi' this time. Reema was pretty sure they were in journalism together because she had a tutorial with her. In fact, that tutorial ran tomorrow. But without a word to Reema, the blonde only pacified her friends that they had an hour. 

"Aw, you'll manage," she said into the phone, reaching her floor. 

"Yeah," Miguel concurred right as Reema got to her door. "I might have to go now, actually and get started on some stuff. Are you still coming on the weekend?" 

"Yup, wouldn't miss it!" Ree cheered. "Bye!" 

She liked when Miguel called. Or when she called him. They tried to talk every day. The visit was going to be exciting. It would also allow her to get away from her sometimes rowdy floor mates who loved their weekends and their weekdays. 

She pushed herself into her place and clapped, "Ok, dinnertime," and then headed off to boil some water. She would eat at her desk while she looked over a book. By 10:30, she was clad in her cotton pyjamas and crashing for the night. 

Reema had to start the following day with a three-hour lecture at 9 in the morning. With nine hours of sleep under her belt, she was considerably more alert than all the groggy souls in the soulless, window-less lecture hall. She was one of three students who occupied the second row. She would have been in the first row, but the teaching assistants sat there. She typed out every single word the professor said, raised her hand, and even went down to the podium during the break. 

When it was done, she still had a one-hour tutorial to go. As she took a spot, she looked around the room. The tables were set up in a square fashion, allowing everyone to see everyone. The blonde girl from across the hall was sitting across the room from her. That cemented it - they were in the same program. She finally learned her name too. The teaching assistant, Miles, did a roll call to familiarize himself with his class. Right after Reema was 'Cassandra Blom'. 

Because she had done the readings (and was possibly the only one that did), Reema's arm was constantly shooting up. The teaching assistant, Miles, probably loved her keenness and preparation. So did the other students who would have had nothing to contribute if called on. Occasionally, Reema lifted her head from her page and noticed Cassie. She was wearing some tight skinny jeans and stripped top. Her denim clad legs, crossed under the table, shifted periodically. Her platform shoes made Reema question their necessity. As she heard another question, Reema turned her attention back to Miles and raised her hand. 

The class ended with the TA handing out the year's first assignment, a paper about value systems in journalistic writing to be done in pairs and to be handed in in two weeks. Partners were up to them. Miles told them the act of finding another person would help them get acquainted with the other people in their class and program by actively forging relationships themselves. With that, he dismissed the class. 

Reema figured that she would find a partner while she could, but to her shock, everyone was more concerned about trying to leave than getting that out of the way. Nobody hung around to either talk to each other or talk to the TA. It confused her. She just resigned to writing the assignment and next week's reading into her agenda and then began to pack away her things. 

As she bent over to slide in her notebook, she saw a pair of pumps and the toned denim covered calves that accompanied them. Straightening her body, she saw Cassie with her perfect white smile and her hair hanging to one side of her shoulder and chest. 

"Hey, you live across the hall from me, right?" she said to her. 

Reema was admittedly a bit caught off guard that her rich, feminine voiced actually (and finally) was saying something to her. She collected herself and told her, "Yeah..." 

Cassie nodded and officially introduced herself. "Reema, right? I'm Cassie. Do you want to maybe team up on this thing? I really don't know anyone in the class just yet." She finished with a laugh. 

She honestly seemed friendly enough. If she thought of Cassie as aloof before this, she was now considering that perhaps her judgement was premature. Maybe the coldness wasn't deliberate. Sometimes people weren't conscious in their actions. And from a practical matter, she wanted to join up with some sooner instead of later. 

"Sure...Yeah, that would be great," she finally obliged. 

"Great! Tonight? My room?" Cassie asked. Reema concurred again. "Cool, see you then. Come over whenever you want. I gotta run and meet someone for lunch!" 

Cassie walked away, leaving Reema to finish packing up. She also had a post-class meetup with someone - an agent at financial services. That took several hours of her time because of the long wait. While she waited for her number to blink on the screen she read her book, so it wasn't a total loss of time. She met with the person, sorted out her student loan payment, and then headed out. She made a quick stop to the library (it was as empty as yesterday) to check out a book and then headed home. 

She first called her parents, who were, as expected, on her toes about not being stupid and careless. Reema sarcastically thanked her dad for the words of encouragement. That didn't go well with him, although she expected it wouldn't. After pushing him off the phone, she went about fixing something to eat and then did some work. 


Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 01



At about 7:30, she grabbed the books and binders she needed and walked across the hall. Cassie's door was half-open. From what she saw, the suite looked exactly like hers in size and layout, but there was definitely a different vibe. Reema normally kept her room quiet; Cassie, as Reema noted every time she walked by, had some music going - loud indistinguishable hip hop, to be exact. 

She considered whether to knock, or walk in, or just call inside. She tapped the door and meekly said, "Hey, Cassie? It's Reema..." 

Moments later, she saw the socialite walk toward to invite her in. She changed her clothes. She was now in her familiar tiny denim shorts and a tight white tee that rounded over her modest chest. Her hair swung back into a ponytail. Her makeup still remained, though. It was a more casual look, but Reema knew enough that casual for Cassie was probably dressy for herself. Reema was still in her baggy grey sweatshirt from earlier the day. Why would she need to change? 

"Hey, didn't expect you so early," Cassie smiled, leading her classmate into her abode. "I warn you now that I haven't really tidied the place." 

"Oh, that's alright," Reema assured her. For a moment, it flashed in her head that perhaps she wasn't as high maintenance as she expected her to be. 

Entering Cassie's room, Reema figured out more about this girl. She first noted the music blaring from Cassie's computer. She didn't recognize it, but it sounded good. Perhaps too loud though. Reema would never be able to work with that going in her ear. 

Her bedroom smelled really nice actually. Her own didn't have this much character yet. It was scattered with clothes, but in no means a mark of a slob. If anything, it was of a shop-a-holic. All name brands, bold colours, and fancy styles...Reema did not understand how anyone could make shopping a recreational and chronic thing. A look on the dresser produced various makeup items and nail polish bottles. 

"Let me just turn this down," Cassie said, pressing and holding a button on her laptop. "You like Macklemore?" 

Now with the ability to hear and talk to each other comfortably, Reema frankly responded, "I...haven't really heard him, actually. I kind of like more poppy stuff." 

"Can I get you something to drink? Beer or something?" 

"Actually, I don't drink," Reema declared. 

"At all?" 

Reema thought it was odd and a bit unprofessional that Cassie was offering alcohol when they had some serious work to do, but she said nothing. "Do you have water?" 

"Coming up," Cassie obliged, offering her an Aquafina from the mini-fridge beside her desk. Reema set up her things and then Cassie positioned herself beside her, setting her own tall glass down on the desk. "OK, like, how should we do this?" 

She couldn't tell for sure, but there was a good chance it wasn't just Coke. She took the lead, informing Cassie of her initial thoughts of how to approach it. Going over the assignment sheet, she grabbed a highlighter and singled out the important bits they needed to address. Cassie's phone blew up with alerts that broke her concentration. She was a popular woman, Reema supposed. After the third time, Cassie picked it up and turned off the sound. "Sorry, people wanting stuff," she said. 

"That's OK," Reema replied. 

Reema was so focused on the page and making an outline that she couldn't see Cassie studying her instead of the assignment. She couldn't take her eyes off those fat lips as she spoke. They were big, dry, and lacked any colour. There was also a tiny mole above the right corner of her mouth. Her cheeks were just blah...no colour, no definition. 

"...What do you think about that, Cassie?" Reema asked, looking up and over to her. 

Cassie shook herself from her half-attentive state and smiled, "Yeah, that sounds really great. I think a critical analysis would be great, too. Professors are going to want that now in university." 

"Hmm, yeah, that's a good idea," Reema seemed to agree, getting to work. She then opened up her laptop and started formulating thoughts into sentences and arguments. Again, she didn't see Cassie watching her as she worked. She wasn't eyeing the new words on the screen as much Reema's fingers and her unstyled nails hitting the keyboard. 

Drinking from her glass, Cassie then asked her, "So, where'd you go to highschool?" 

"Applegrove Secondary. It's just outside the city." 

"Oh cool, I went to Pine Crescent High School. It was in a tiny town. You seem on your game about school stuff, though. You must've loved it there, huh?" 

"Yeah, it was a really great school," Reema said with genuine belief. "I kind of miss it already. My friends, the teachers, the classes..." Cassie somewhat expected Reema to stop there, but she sort of went on and on about not the social side of highschool, but the academic stuff! She mentioned a boyfriend and some friends, but she really focused on her classes and her extra-curricular science and technology clubs. How could someone be into school that much? 

"Yeah, I miss my friends too. They used to call me the 'Blomshell'. Imagine that, eh?" That got Reema laughing too. Genuinely curious about this relationship she was in, she asked Reema, "Where's your boyfriend go?" 

There was some pride in her voice as she told her, "Miguel? Western." 

"Western, eh? Cool! I hear that's a really good party school," Cassie playfully winked. Reema tensed up at hearing that. She was about to mention that Miguel wasn't really into that stuff when Cassie touched her arm. "I'm kidding! Gosh, Reema! Seriously though...it's a really good school. How long have you been together? What's he study? I'm sorry...I'm annoying with the questions, aren't I?" 

"No, no, it's fine," Reema assured her. She was a bit overwhelmed by the questions, but she liked that someone was taking interested in her. "6 years...He's in engineering. I'm actually going to visit him this weekend." 

"Engineering, eh? Wow, I guess that's kind of cool. Totally smart people stuff," Cassie joked. Then she pointed at a half-finished sentence on the screen. "So, what were you going for here?" 

As Reema explained her thought process and completed the idea, Cassie wondered about this girl. Sheltered upbringing, shy, bookish, hopeless social life, nerd boyfriend, vanilla all around, not so gifted in the facial features, the same old baggy and uninspired 'outfits' each week. She certainly didn't drink. What did she do for fun - Lord of the Rings marathons? There wasn't all that much going for this girl. She was at one end of the spectrum - the bad one. 

"Hey, can you look at this passage and tell me if it makes sense?" Reema announced sitting back to offer Cassie a look at a muddled paragraph she had written. 

Cassie scanned the screen alongside with her. While Reema focused on specific sentences on the screen while rationalizing her thoughts to Cassie, the blonde's eyes trailed down to her classmate's body. That sweatshirt really was bad, but it was concealing too. It made her wonder. She looked down at her hips and saw that through the fabric they, while not without some flab, had some shape to them. 

"I feel like it's missing something..." Reema added. 

"Hmm, yeah..." Cassie pondered aloud too. She turned around to look at the clock on her dresser - but not before briefly gauging the clothing on her bed. "8:50. Just leave it for now and let's take a ten minute breather. It'll come to us." 

Reema concurred. 

Cassie enthusiastically pointed her thumb back toward her bed. "Hey, I just bought a top on sale that I realized isn't quite right for me. I think with your skin and body it would look great." 

It was a first for Reema - another woman offering her clothes and complimenting her body. She didn't have too many girl friends, let alone any girly ones. She didn't have sisters, and her mom certainly wasn't that person for her either. She certainly never had anything - good or bad - said about her skin tone. "I don't know, it's yours...you should return it." 

Cassie looked at her sweetly. "I will. I just want to exhaust all my options before I make another trip to the mall." 

Reema looked divided. "No, I can't. I don't think it will fit, anyways..." 

"Just try it and see." When Reema didn't bite, she seemingly resigned. "Well, OK then, I guess I can't force you. Friends try each other's clothes, though. Excuse me, just gotta check something." She pulled out her phone and began to scroll through her missed messages and calls from the past hour. 

Reema sat weighing her options. Something told her she offended Cassie, who was adamant they were friends. She did like Cassie, too. She looked back at the bed. The top was nice. It was a purple-ish spaghetti strapped, sleeveless top. It was nothing she had worn before, but when she thought about it, she wasn't totally against wearing it either. "Ok, I'll try it on." 

"Awesomeness!" Cassie exclaimed, resisting a sly smile. She rolled back in her chair and swiped the clothing off her bed and put it in Reema's hands. "You know where the bathroom is, right? Same layout as your place." 

Reema nodded as she stood. "Yeah. I'll be back," she announced, clutching the foreign top like it were infectious. 

As Reema walked away, Cassie's intrigue about her grew. Her hips were wide, like she already noticed, and her thighs and ass cheeks were thick. There was genuine promise there. 

In her bathroom, still armed with mixed thoughts about it all, Reema switched her sweater for Cassie's top. She didn't expect the neckline to go as far down as it did, but a part of her liked how the thin fabric itself felt. 

She came back to Cassie's room with her arms at her side and her palms out, looking down at herself. "I don't think it's for me..." 

Now on the bed, Cassie looked her up and down. A nerdy girl with a set of tits...who would have expected it? Cassie was struck by their size and shape...C cups easily, possibly Ds. Reema generally had a curvy and voluptuous form, including her legs and butt. While she didn't want to get too ahead of herself because Reema likely had never been by a gym in her life, she was officially titillated. 

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll take it back on the weekend." 

Reema went back into the washroom and changed out of the sexy top into her casual and familiar sweater. When she came back into the room, she dropped it on the bed. "Sorry it didn't work out. I guess clothes don't like me." 

Cassie laughed. "Don't sweat it. We all have our interests." She tapped the bed and got Reema to sit down beside her. "What are yours, anyways? Do you have like a secret car hobby or something?" 

"Um, no?" she confusedly laughed. "I don't know, I like to hang out, movies, read...you know, normal stuff." 

Cassie nodded along, but deep inside, she was licking her lips. Her project for the year "I figured out that part you were struggling with, by the way..." Cassie said, rushing back to the computer. 

Reema came in beside and examined the screen from a slightly hunched over position. Once again Cassie got a look at her breasts - or, at least, the faint outlines of what she now knew for sure were Ds. She couldn't help but think about the plans she'd have for them. 

"I think that looks great, Cassie," Reema commented. 

Cassie smiled. "No probs, Reema. Want to work at this for a little while longer and then pick it up next time we both have time? We do have a few weeks." 

Reema looked at the time, and agreed it was good stopping point. "Sure. We gotta a lot done." 

"A bunch," Cassie repeated. "We definitely make a great team! An 'A' for sure!" 

Reema laughed at her enthusiasm. "I hope so!" She went over what they needed to do the next time they got together. 

While Reema got ready to leave, Cassie let her know they needed to connect. "Oh! I'm going to add you to Facebook, K?" 

"Sure. I will accept when I get back," Reema smiled. 

"Awesomeness!" She looked at the clock in the corner of the screen. "Ooo, 9:45. You're going to like probably go to sleep or something now, right?" 

"Yeah, early morning tomorrow," Reema confirmed as they began to walk out of the room and the dorm. 

Lingering in the hall, Cassie sang, "Byeeeee..." and then watched as Reema went back to her place. She waved to Cassie a final time and then went inside. 

She sat down at her computer again and looked over their work. It was a good night's work! As unlikely as they were, she and Cassie seemed to make a good team together. She made a few changes, editing grammar, and adding sentences here and there, but soon that turned into doing more of the assignment itself. She hoped Cassie didn't mind. She was just so eager with these kinds of things. Once she got going, she couldn't stop. She was always fine tuning - changing a word to avoid redundancy, expanding thoughts. It was the curious perfectionist in her. 

After a while, she gave it a rest. Logging onto Facebook, she saw Cassie's friend request. Even though it had not been too long ago, she almost forgot about it. She accepted it and then viewed a few of the pretty girl's photos. There was a recently published image set of her having fun on a beach with a bunch of friends, wearing a bold white bikini that showed off her great abs and long legs. They all had their tall cans of beer and were quite open and rowdy with their consumption. Her friends were exactly the crowd Reema expected out of Cassie - the girls were obviously pretty like her, the guys were obviously cute. They were the mostly white clique-y crowd that very well could have been at her highschool. 

Reema shook her head. She didn't get the kind of wild, drunk fun that was happening in the pictures. It reminded her of a time she and her own friends went to a beach one evening, though. No one was in their swim gear. There wasn't a drop of alcohol around either. They had a bonfire! They brought over a bunch of wood and tried making the biggest fire they could. A few of her friends in their diverse group kind of got carried away. Reema laughed to herself as she remembered thinking they were going to set the whole beach on fire! 

And then her mind wandered to Miguel himself and what he was doing right at that moment. He was probably hovered over his desk and hard at work like she was. That's what made them so compatible. They were both so studious. They laughed about it too - how they were big nerds. It was still going to get some getting used to not seeing him every day, but it would be fine in the end. They were both realizing their dreams. That's what mattered. 

Yawning, she went back to the assignment. She touched it up even more before her yawns got the best of her. Taking their cue, she decided to pack it in. She changed into her cotton flannel pyjamas, set her glasses onto the night stand beside her bed, and then climbed in herself. As her clock barely flashed 11:00, she drifted off. 

Cassie returned to her bedroom. Turning up the music again, she browsed the internet for a little bit before a little red notification icon lit up on her Facebook page. 

Reema Ahmed has accepted your friendship 

She got right to work at stalking her photos. She saved a few and made mental notes about what she could do with the chubby nerd. It was like having a doll to play with. Or better yet, she was playing god - moulding her in her own image. Reema had many things going for her: despite her nerdy persona, Cassie knew she was also ambitious and set in her life. She was also naïve and inexperienced. And that would be enough to take advantage of the situation. When she was done, Reema would think differently, dress differently, walk differently, act differently... 

Finally, Cassie stumbled on a few more pics of huge intrigue. It was of a scrawny looking Hispanic teen with bushy eyebrows and giant nostrils. This had to be Miguel. In one photo he wore the stupidest smile He held a big remote control to a robot he designed, which was posed in front of him. Cassie smirked. Reema genuinely loved him.



Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 02



When Monday hit again, Reema was ready to tackle another week of university. She had a few classes to attend with some breaks in between, which she used to scout out some student associations and clubs. Her parents would be happy to hear that. In fact, she called them on the way to one. She wished she hadn't, though, because her dad kept reminding her how they looked good on CVs (although Reema wasn't sure he knew what CV actually stood for) and in applying for jobs and internships. It was all stuff she knew, of course. 

After the day was done, she returned back to her residence where she ran into Cassie, coming out of her expectedly lively room just as she passed by. "Hey!" the blonde called out, making the Indian girl jump. 

Reema laughed off the ambush. "Cassie. Scared me." 

"My bad," she replied. As Cassie checked her out, she saw a mousy girl that was so easy to pass over. Her hair was lacking any shine and her big rectangular glasses still did her a disservice. She wore a pair of murky brown jeans that didn't belong anywhere but the back of closet or in a garbage bag. Over top, she had a purple tee that wasn't worth much either. Cassie didn't completely dismiss it, however, if only for the wrinkles in the middle of the shirt created by Reema's great chest. Reema was hunched over, weighted down by her bulging Jan Sport bag. Cassie would probably have to fix her posture too. 

Cassie pointed to the backpack. "All done for the day?" 

"I know, right? Finally," Reema said, showing a fairly large, white smile. Cassie noted some potential. 

"I wouldn't know, I've been here since this morning," Cassie said in her own kind of humour. "How was your weekend? You went away, right?" 

"Um, yeah, I did. I went up to see Miguel," she said, then laughingly added, "...Western's huge." 

"There's bigger than here?" 

"Apparently," Reema played back. "Then we kind of hung around in his room. It was nice." 

"Cool. You going to visit him next weekend too?" 

Reema wavered. "Yeah, I don't know...I think we may have rethought our original plan. We kind of decided it might be better if we made it a monthly thing - semi-monthly, if possible." 

"That's smart. You don't want to kill yourself too much, right?" 

"Yeah," she said, and then asked with a hint of a grin, "How was your weekend? Any crazy parties while I was gone?" It might have been a judg-y dig at Cassie and her 'lifestyle', but with everything she had seen out of Cassie so far, it was a legitimate question. 

"Aha, no parties. Just a bit of dancing downtown," Cassie said understatedly. 

Downtown. That was a half hour ride out of campus. Reema flashed to the mental image of a loud, stuffy night club. Even after people started to turn eighteen at her high school and started to go out, Reema didn't partake in that scene. It was way out of her comfort zone. 

"That sounds like fun," Reema politely said. 

"Yeah, it was. It's always cool to get out and meet new people, you know?" she said, adding that she was at karaoke last week. "Anyways, you wanna come in and chill for a bit?" Cassie pointed back to her room. 

Reema shook her head. "Thanks, but I got a lot of work to do. Sorry." 

"Ahh...priorities...I get it..." Cassie nodded along. "They're a bitch. I guess I'll leave you to it." Then, she went in for a hug, pushing right into Reema's cushy chest, again relishing the opportunity to take advantage of them. "See ya, alright?" 

The embrace surprised her. Reema figured that meant they were officially friends now, even if she didn't quite understand why yet. Cassie was nice enough, but as Reema thought about it when she went back to her room, it was odd to have a girl as a friend. It was even odder to have a pretty blonde girlfriend. Reema's friend group in school was mostly guys. While they weren't the entire female population of her high school, there were these clique-ish type girls that Reema might have originally associated Cassie with. Perhaps she misjudged her. Perhaps it was like Cassie was saying: university was about meeting people you normally wouldn't associate with. 

She had another casual hall encounter again with the Blomshell again the next day, but they really hung out together the day after that. This was the day where they had a lecture and tutorial together. Cassie stopped by her door in the morning and suggested they walk over together. Reema was ready, save for putting on a sweater. She returned with a university branded hoodie she got at the student store. Cassie offered her a closed mouth smile and then told her they should get going. 

At the lecture hall, Reema started down to the front when Cassie's voice beckoned her. 

"Up here, Reem," Cassie told her. 

The Indian girl stopped. Cassie stood several steps above her. "Oh. I kind of like being up close..." she meekly said. 

Cassie shrugged. "I mean, it's up to you, but you hear and see the same at the top as the bottom. Trust me." The blonde teen saw Reema's wavered expression. It was killing her not to be teacher's pet. There probably wasn't a class in her high school that she didn't claim a front row seat. "If you really wanted, you can still talk to the prof during the break." 

Reema was still a bit divided when she said, "OK." 

They sat next to each other again in tutorial. Reema saw that Cassie, with her 'extrovertedness' outside of the classroom, she wasn't really chatty inside of it. On occasion she tried to get her attention with something else, but Reema snickered and told her to focus. Even in lecture Cassie wasn't as rigorous with her note taking as Reema was. She could glance over and see that Cassie was 'just checking one thing' on Facebook. It was peculiar, but it didn't set off too many alarm bells. Perhaps that was just her style. 

That night, they repeated their jointed essay venture from the previous week. Even if she didn't overtly show off her brain in class, Reema saw that Cassie did have the savviness to get through the school year. She had good ideas and Reema assumed her natural role of coordinating and organizing things into something concise and presentable. They had good time talking and they finally finished the paper, which was a big plus. 

When the end of the week hit, Reema was quietly nestled in her room. It was Friday night and there were rumblings on her floor about people going to the local campus watering hole or downtown for a 'good night'. Reema figured she could entertain herself with some World of Warcraft or a movie later on, but that was if she finished her work. Her dad would've made her skip the movie altogether, but with him not here, she was free to have some fun. 

It was a quiet and productive evening, so when Reema heard someone call out from her main room, it was a bit startling. "Hey, hey, knock, knock! Anyone home?" chimed the cheery voice. 

Reema stopped highlighting mid-sentence and called back, "In here!" Cassie appeared in her tiny white shorts, telling her that her door was unlocked and that she let herself in, if that was OK with Reema. 

She told her it was. The truth was that Cassie was so liberal about leaving her door unlocked and, more often than not, wide open, so Reema took her suggestion on being less uptight about shutting her door. She didn't bow to what other people normally did, but Cassie's suggestion that she was the only person that locked was odd. It was up to her, but maybe it would be better than she didn't isolate herself. Night time was a different issue. She locked it then. 

Cassie casually sauntered into the room, surveying her computer screen, although not without glancing down at her body again. "Whatchoo doin'?" 

She didn't have to really ask, however. Reema was always typing up an assignment or reviewing her lecture notes from earlier in the day. Again, she was dressed in drab, colourless sweats. Still though, she did like how those wide hips filled out the computer chair. 

"Just reading up on the Lawrence article Professor Trevor was referring to in lecture," Reema responded. 

"Oh wow, Reema...so studious to look that up! That's amazing of you!" 

Reema lit up at the commendation. "Yeah! It's quite good...I can Facebook you a link, if you'd like?" 

"Yeah, sure that'd be great," Cassie politely accepted. Reema really was a hopeless keener. That wasn't even on the required reading list. She was giving herself more work to help her 'better understand the material'. "Actually, I came in here to tell you that a bunch of us are going to go to karaoke for pub night tonight. You should come!" 

Reema remembered Cassie mentioning her rave reviews about the week before, but she politely shook her head. "I can't," she meekly smiled. "I've got that Anderson reading to do for our class." 

"Oh," Cassie said, dropping her enticing, animated smile. "That's kind of cool. You're so good with being ahead with stuff. That's due, like what, next week...?" 

"I know, I just wanted to a jump on it so I don't have cram it in the night before," the girl explained. 

Cassie laughed. "You're Reema Ahmed, university all-star. I'm pretty sure that won't ever happen." 

Reema had never been called an 'all-star' in any regard. She had set herself well in her school work that it wouldn't really be falling behind. Perhaps she could spare a night out. Plus, she liked karaoke and Korean culture. She had been a couple of times in high school with Miguel. He probably would have liked to come tonight too. He was probably going to studying, though. 

"C'mon, I'm sure it won't be the end of the world if you don't do it tonight," Cassie said, echoing her friend's thoughts. "It's Friday after all. That's fun night!" She flashed her perfectly white and straight teeth again, playfully singing her enticement, "It'll be a lot of funnnn..." As if that wasn't enough, she pointed out that friends tended to spend time in fun social environments - places that weren't their dorms, class, and if lucky, the laundry room. Tonight would be the first opportunity for such a hang out. 

In her own sly and playful way, Cassie was pushing hard because getting Reema out tonight was vital to her plan with this girl. The first step was to introduce her into more social situations. She had to be careful, though. If she started big, she'd scare her off and that was a waste. First she'd get her out to an innocent, fun event - a gateway outing of sorts - to break the ice. Karaoke was so silly and fun that a 'vanilla' girl like Reema shouldn't have had a problem with it. There would be alcohol, and Cassie would make sure Reema indulged, but she would deemphasize that part - despite it being very important. 

Truthfully, Cassie spent those initial few days getting a sense of who exactly Reema Ahmed was to decide how to best handle her. Sitting beside her and feigning praise to her big brain was a big part of that. She had to look like she was on her side. 

It was like gaining the trust of a deer. Cassie wanted to be the person Reema trusted most on campus, a person whose opinion she valued, and a person she believed would never steer her wrong. Above all, she wanted to be something Reema Ahmed had never had in her life - a BFF. Yes, Reema would be eating the feed from her hand, and soon would be the hottest fawn in the forest. 

"I guess I do need a night away from all these books," Reema finally admitted. 

"That's right! I'm not trying to take you away from it, because I know it's important to you...but fun is fun, right?" Reema conceded that too, much to Cassie's delight. "Great! We'll probably leave in an hour." 

When Cassie left, Reema took the extra time to cram as much as she could. She didn't mind that Cassie actually came to fetch her twenty minutes later than she initially said. She lost track of time, so when the hour mark hit and Cassie wasn't there yet, at that point she quickly changed and waited. 

Cassie finally arrived, having changed into a pair of tight black jeans, a light pink-coloured blouse, and bright red coloured bands around her wrists and in her hair. She took a look at Reema who also opted for a pair of jeans, albeit ill fitting, and a plain T-shirt that showed off nothing but her hairy arms. Her hair was minimally brushed, and those nerd glasses still couldn't even make her pass as a hipster. Even though her body wasn't fit or sexy at all yet, she still somewhat thought of Reema as a wasted talent. She had so much unrealized potential. Tonight, she'd say nothing. Grabbing their bags, they made their way out of the residence building. 

The bar was loud and lively. Groups of friends gabbed at tables and people floating around the floor carrying amber pitchers, bottles, and variously coloured drinks. On stage, there was a pair of girls doing an energetic yet vocally questionable rendition of a Backstreet Boys song. Cassie pointed to a bunch of seated people far off across the room. They would be their 'hangout crowd' for tonight. 

"But first, let's go get some beverages," she informed as they figured themselves into the bar line. When they reached the front, Cassie asked, "What are you drinking tonight, Reema? 

Reema looked between Cassie, the student bartender, and the liquor bottles on the wall. Shrugging, she answered, "I don't know...a Coke?" 

Cassie laughed. "You're funny. Seriously though, it's tradition to have a little drink of alcohol before you get up there. Helps with the nerves." 

"I guess so...but I'm not..." 

Cassie turned to the bartender. "One G&T for me and one vodka cranberry for my awesome friend." 

Her skin tried to flee her body. Her brown eyes widened. "Vodka?!" 

"Relax, it's not like I'm giving you a bottle. It'll be just a little bit," Cassie assured her. 

"You sure?" 

"Yes! Trust me on this one..." Cassie found a concerned but not overly disapproving look. She gave the bartender a nod and soon the young man handed her a couple of drinks. She placed a ten dollar bill on the bar and scooped up the drinks, giving one to Reema. 

She then clinked her glass against her friend's. "To a fun, wacky night!" She lifted her tall glass to her glossy lips while she watched as Reema positioned the tiny straw in her shorter drink into her mouth - with her hand. She grimaced initially but that went away as the realization came that it wasn't as horrible as expected. 

"See...not so bad, right? Let's go meet some people, OK?" She led them over to a group of tables pushed together where she pointed out various faces and introduced them to her new extremely smart friend. 

Reema was greeted by a chorus of 'Hey' and 'What's up?' by the group. It struck her that Cassie seemed to know a lot of people - people that weren't in their classes. After room was made for her, Reema sat down. The tables were littered with glasses and pitchers of drinks - some empty, some half-empty - and a plate of nachos that already had its top layer devoured. 

One of the guys - Mike, she believed - gripped the handle of the plastic pitcher of ale while looking at her. "Reema, want a beer?" 

Before Reema could inform him that she was well covered, he backtracked, noticing the glass in front of her. "Oh, nevermind. Seems you're already ahead of us." He smiled. She did too. She did appreciate the offer in principle, even if she was going to turn it down. 

"Reema is a superstar in class. She's only going to have one drink tonight, OK guys?" Cassie said. Reema turned to her and caught her new friend's wink. She appreciated that Cassie had her back. She liked that she respected that academics were important to her. "She's like an encyclopedia with books. She knows so much and is like reading all the time." 

"I am a kind of book nut," she laughingly admitted. "Today I made myself a list of stuff I wanna read for fun this year." She truly hoped she would have time for leisure reading within her busy school schedule. 

Eventually, she was ready to admit to herself - and Cassie - that she was happy she came out tonight. Cassie joked - at least, Reema thought it was a joke - that she can thank her by enjoying her drink some more...but Reema took another drink anyways. The fun environment and the people she met allowed her to relax and laugh. 

Reema's previous experience with drinking only involved finishing a few beers and feeling buzzed. She'd never been wasted before. Taking a moment to reflect on the situation, she had to admit it wasn't that bad. As she went along with Cassie's prompting, Reema found there was actually something thrilling about being in the zone between inhibition and total 'drunkness'. 

"I got this big book of the complete works of Oscar Wilde and I'm trying to work my way through it," she said, continuing to say that rereading The Importance of Being Earnest made her greatly appreciate her first time reading it. She raised her glass to her lips and drank before continuing, "You miss sooo much in his words!" 

"Soooo much," she heard repeated back to her. She didn't know the joke, but she joined in laughing. 

Only a few moments after the binder of song selections made its way in front of Reema. She leafed through the pages, searching for a tune that, one, she liked and, two, she didn't mind performing. Her hazy mind roughly recalled the expression that sometimes too much choice was a sin. That was the case here. Her head was not cooperating with her either. 

In the middle of looking through the 'G' lettered artists, her pocket started to vibrate. Picking her phone out, the screen showed Miguel's silly picture. She smiled and directed her finger toward the little green receiver icon. 

Then, she felt a nudge. She looked up to see Cassie looking back at her. 

"We're having a lot of fun...you can answer that later, can't you?" she told her. "I mean, it would look really bad on me and you if everyone was enjoying themselves and being social and you were on the phone, don't you think?" 

Reema fumbled for an answer. "Yeah, but it's Miguel and we haven't spoken today..." 

Reema watched as Cassie watched her. She wasn't going to be persuaded by her and Miguel's ritual of talking every day. "I mean - yeah, you're right. I can call him back later." With some guilt and shame washing over her, she rejected the call. 

She moved to put it in her pocket, but Cassie pointed to Reema's purse on the floor instead. "It'll be less distracting," she said. Again, still with her reservation, Reema still complied. 

When Reema was upright again, Cassie pointed to the page. "Decided yet??" she said, in a more cheery voice. 

"I'm not sure...I think I might choose Lady Gaga." 

Cassie raised an eyebrow as curiously noted the selection. She remembered Reema said she listened to pop, but she didn't figure her a fan of the eccentric pop singer. This was interesting. 

"I just love her individuality and just the way she does things," Reema explained. She filled out the little sheet of paper with the song code, title, artist, and her name. Then she pushed herself out from the table and got to her feet, giggling as she nearly lost her balance in the process. She found the DJ booth and handed it to the student who was running the song machine. 

A short while later her name was announced, much to her visible excitement. "A drink before you go up there, eh?" Cassie quickly told her. 

"Oh yeah," she hastily reacted, effectively finishing the fruity beverage. Then she hit the stage as the short opening of 'Paparazzi' blared through the sound system. 

In those three and half minutes, Cassie discovered more about her than many of her conversations with the Indian girl. Although Reema was only a decent singer at best and had awkward stage presence that probably not even her drunkenness accounted for, Cassie looked beyond that and saw a girl that, for the first time since meeting her, was really putting herself out there. Her blue eyes ogled the curious and interesting sight before her. 




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 02



And then a light bulb came on. 

Reema identified with how Lady Gaga went against the grain to differentiate herself with all the other female solo songstresses in her genre. They were both 'outsiders' - even though Reema might have overlooked that the pop star was the most 'in' thing in popular culture. Reema didn't, however, mention anything about her sex symbol status or attractiveness... 

By the time her evil ponderings ceased, Reema was yelling passionately in her face. "Oh my gooddd! I can't believe I did that!!" 

Cassie stood and hugged her. "Reem, that was ah-mazing, you hit those notes better than Gaga!" 

Reema laughed, "Not sure about that, but that was A LOT of fun..." 

"C'mon we need to drink to that," Cassie said, lifting her orange glass from the table. Then she looked around for Reema's. "Where's your drink?" 

"I...uh, drank it?" 

Cassie thrusted the near full glass she was gripping in her manicured fingers into Reema's hand. "It's yours now." 

She then scooped up a half-pint of beer off the table for herself. She knocked her glass against her friend's and offered a toast to her great performance. Immediately after that, Cassie held up a glass of water, advising her not to get dehydrated. That went over well with Reema who, in her slight haze, appreciated Cassie's tips. 

As the night progressed, more laughs were had and stories were shared. Cassie had the fun idea of doing an all-girl tribute to the Spice Girls. She, Reema, and the other girls in their party went on stage for a hearty rendition of 'Wannabe', which got an excited response from the nostalgic girls in the audience and even the males (although quite possibly not for the song choice as much as the performers themselves). 

At the end of it, Reema still had an eighth of her orange vodka left, which prompted Cassie to playfully inform her that wasting drinks of any kind was 'a sin'. With Reema's normally rational mind compromised, Cassie smiled while the girl didn't seem to hesitate gulping the rest of the drink. The second glass of liquor, even if not full, was a victory and actually quite easy to coax her to drink. 

Reema's state made for a giddy and entertaining walk across campus. As she helped the girl keep her balance, Cassie could only wonder how Reema might adapt to walking in a taller, more dramatic pair of heels. 

She helped her into her dorm, patiently and amusingly waiting as Reema fumbled around at her door for keys. Aiming the shiny jagged object into the slot ended up being a greater feat than normal for the straight-A student. 

"Here we are, get lots of sleep, OK? I'll be back in the morning. You were magical tonight, Reema," Cassie smiled. 

Reema looked back at her sweetly, wished her a good night and slipped into her suite. She staggered past a few pieces of furniture and into her room, summoning the concentration and coordination to change out of her clothes. She succumbed to sleep as soon as she hit the mattress, putting an end to the fun evening. 

The beginning of her morning - if it was indeed still early enough to be called morning - by contrast came less easily. For one thing, Reema's introduction into Saturday was the thunderous knocking at her door. As she lifted the covers and swung her brown feet off the bed, she immediately put a hand to her head. The ache wasn't just an ache. There was something different. Through half opened eyes, she gradually guided herself to the door while fighting off some nausea. 

As she waited on Reema, Cassie made bets with herself about what she'd see. "Morning, Sunshine!" 

Although even she wasn't prepared for it, the yellow PJ'd, messy haired, brown jumble in front of her was probably the best thing she could have seen. The alcohol had done its job. Now Cassie had to do her job. Hangovers were to be made to seem like just a normal part of life. 

"Doesn't feel like sunshine," Reema lamented, attempting to show some good nature. As much as it pleased Cassie, the coarseness in her vocal delivery was not appreciated either. 

The Blomshell touched her arm sympathetically. "Go back to your room, wash up, but don't change. Meet me back here," she cheerily proposed. "We're going to have a Reema and Cassie relaxation day. Just us girls, pyjamas, Netflix, and junk food." 

With a plan set, Reema did just that. She bent over her sink and splashed water in her eyes. Gazing up, her feelings about how she felt matched how she looked. She couldn't even remember the entire night in all its loudness and craziness. She recalled singing and she recalled telling people about her love of the classics. Ignoring the alerts on the screen, she retrieved her phone and pocketed it, but not before shockingly noting that it was after 11 am. Reema never woke any later than nine, even on weekends. 

Cassie was ready with a tall glass of water and a couple of Advil when she saw her again. "Here, the key to a hangover is lots of water," she advised. 

That's what this was: a hangover. It was like a swear word to her. All the 'cool' kids in high school talked about how they drank and they were proud that they couldn't move the next morning. She didn't get how anyone could treat it like a badge of honour. She felt awful. 

"I can't believe I got drunk," Reema said, returning the cup. 

"Like, whatever Reema, it's no big deal. You had fun, didn't you?" 

"You don't need alcohol to have fun," the girl defended. 

"But it didn't stop it either, did it?" Cassie countered. Reema was silent. The logic was good, as much as it pained her to admit it. "It's like I said, it's natural to have a drink before you go up to sing. It's also natural to have one when you're out with other people. Doesn't make you a bad person or an addict or anything. It's a social glue - that's all." 

Even if she wasn't completely comfortable, she at least understood her argument. "Yeah." 

"Great! What do you want to watch first?" 

For the next few hours the girls sat on the couch and watched marathons of stupid and normally mind-numbing reality TV while eating meals of chips and cookies. Cassie was great in filling her glass of water. Her sickness and headache went away pretty quickly because of Cassie's experience. Above all, she was enjoying her time with her. Relaxation day was nice. Poor decision making was soon forgotten. 

"Hey, what do you think about going to the gym?" Cassie nonchalantly mentioned to her, turning to face her. 

Reema looked to her with a lost gaze. "To work out? I...don't know," she truthfully answered. And really, she never considered it once in her life. She told Cassie that she had never been inside one and wouldn't know the first thing. 

As always, Cassie radiated confidence and assurance. "I'll teach you everything you need to know. We'll go tomorrow. It'll be fun!" 

So they were going to the gym. With the junk food today and the working out tomorrow, this was turning into an interesting weekend. Certainly a different weekend than with Miguel. 

Reema abruptly sat up. "Oh, shoot!" she panicked, pulling her phone out. "I forgot to call back Miguel last night!!" 

Reema checked her alerts to find multiple missed calls - all with voicemail messages attached to them - and several texts - each one elevating in concern. "I'm going to call now, excuse me." 

Before she could dial, Cassie stopped her. "Wait, before you do it," she said and then told her not to say anything that'll make him worry, especially about her 'state' this morning. "Boyfriends - they don't need to know everything. Tell him where you were - no super exact details or anything - that you're fine, and that you had a good time. Ultimately, that's what matters and what they care about in the end. Just keep it short." 

In her haste, Reema nodded to the advice. She attempted to compose herself and hit dial. Cassie repeated to her to keep it short. 

"Hey! It's me...Yeah, really sorry about last, I'm fine...No, I'm fine. I was out at karaoke last night..." 

Reema's voice then became smoother as her understanding boyfriend accepted her explanation. Cassie pretended to watch the 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' episode as she kept a peripheral eye and ear on the conversation. 

"Yeah! It was A LOT of fun...Now? Oh, nothing...I'm relaxing at the moment and then going to start on some work later...Yeah, you must have a bit to do too...Well, I'll leave you to it...We'll talk again...Good luck!...Love you, bye." 

With a sigh, Reema dropped her arm and the phone on the couch. Her fat lips nearly formed a smile. "Yup, it's definitely a good thing we nixed the weekly visits." 

Cassie was impressed. Reema had followed her instructions and promptly ditched the nerd. The sadist in her believed it was a bit more polite than she would have liked, but such gentleness was still to be expected from Reema, at this early stage in the girls' 'friendship.' 

She entertained her comment with a laugh, but not wanting to spend any more time on Miguel, she directed Reema back to the show. "So apparently Kyle..."



Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 03



"The gym is, like, super cheap. Twenty bucks for a years' membership. Campus gym or not, that's AMAZING as far as fitness centers go," Cassie said, waiting for the automatic doors to open. That was Cassie's 457,321st reason why Reema should come along on her next trip to the gym. The previous 457,320 reasons related to how 'kickass' Reema would feel, what an amazing 'stress buster' it was, and how the girls could "push each other" to achieve better results - just like in class! 

Although she sometimes indulged in social situations that were unkind to her body, Cassie seemed to live and eat quite sensibly. She started giving Reema advice about diets and healthy places to eat on campus (which were limited!). Reema thought that the blonde's familiarity with food theory and nutrition was actually very impressive - it was certainly nothing Reema knew about, and she considered herself knowledgeable in a lot of areas. Cassie told her about the usefulness of little things like purging soda from her diet. She also stressed that good eating habits were useless without a proper exercise regimen. 

"No kidding," Reema said as they stepped through sliding glass doors, entering the pristine foyer of the gym. A university staffer greeted them from behind a desk, helping Reema fill out some forms and pay the requisite fee. 

"Voilà! You're a member now!" Cassie said, as the redhead behind the desk completed the rest of the paperwork. Joining a gym would have been unthinkable to Reema even a month beforehand. It was never a priority for her. She wondered what Miguel would think when she told him about it. Like herself, Miguel was the antithesis of a gym person. 

To be sure, Reema was cautious about taking this step. Just looking at Cassie helped convince her this was the right move, though. Cassie's amazing, svelte figure was proof that she knew what she was talking about! Behind her clothes, the stylish blonde had a perfectly flat stomach, toned arms, perky breasts, and lacked any fat anywhere on her body. Cassie's skin was also tanned and glowing, especially on her legs, despite the increasingly overcast October weather. 

"Let's hit the change rooms," Cassie directed, re-adjusting the pink shoulder strap on her bag. 

The hallway was lined with people going to and from their workouts. They were students of varying genders and body types. Reema noted some particularly healthy looking people, as well as others who must have been in the 'works-in-progress' category. She thought about her own body shape and how it was mostly a non-issue in high school. It was hardly a secret that she had a chubby, curvy physique. As long as she surrounded herself with people who didn't care about appearances, though, she could walk around with a blanket over herself and it wouldn't matter. 

These days, Cassie did make good, logical points about the value of working out. Although Reema felt instinctively uncomfortable going to the gym, she realized that there were better reasons for giving it a try than for chickening out. 

For Cassie, the process of convincing Reema to step out of her comfort zone followed a pretty basic structure. She would invite the girl to tag along on some outings, Reema would decline with an excuse, Cassie would insist by citing the pros and cons, and Reema would inevitably accept. Logic - twisted or not - could be a great manipulator. 

Working out did have its benefits, so Cassie wasn't being entirely dishonest, either. Exercise just meant building a fitter body, which would lead to becoming more desirable as a woman. The key would be for Reema to embrace this increased self-worth and attention from other people. 

Once they started changing into their workout gear, Cassie was reminded how glacial the process of educating Reema was probably going to be. Lifting her sporty tank top over her head, the blonde observed Reema slouching way more than necessary to tie her shoe. Correcting Reema's posture was definitely on the list of things that needed a makeover, but it wasn't even the most pressing issue. 

"I'm ready," Reema asserted as she stood up. Cassie was internally horrified. A loose, grey shirt draped over her like a tent. It was long, oversized, and not nearly snug enough to flatter her body shape. Below it, she donned some baggy, cringe-worthy skateboarding shorts. 

Cassie casually fixed her hair into a ponytail and closed her locker. "Let's get to it then." The girls turned a corner and left the change room behind. "This is the main floor," Cassie cheerily announced. 

Reema did a panorama as they explored the area at a rather quick pace. She saw a variety of guys and girls at different levels of fitness and experience. She saw their stressed, sweaty faces and muscles as they tested their limits. Some of them checked their phones between sets, others strode from station to station with their towels around their shoulders. Still others - typically men and women - chatted rather socially in pairs of two. 

"This is cardio central," Cassie said as they breezed past a row of treadmills and exercise bikes. Reema watched a blonde girl with a ponytail and tight workout pants impressively sprint away on a machine. "You'll wanna do at least ten minutes of cardio as a warm-up and cool-down, before and after your workout." 

Cassie's revealing top and matching pink shorts and sneakers were enough to garner the usual interest from other patrons. But she was rushing around today because she'd rather not have them pay attention to her, or to Reema, on account of Reema's dreadful outfit. 

"This is the circuit for working arms, shoulders, back muscles and legs. If you want a quick, full body workout, go through this routine. I personally don't even bother. I just use some of the individual machines over there." 

As quickly as Cassie could explain the different muscles groups that Reema needed to target, they were off to another area. They passed the group exercise room and the spinning room before arriving at the final section of the gym. 

"And here are the free weights." 

Next to a long rack of dumbbells, various tall, sleeveless men curled weights and watched themselves in the mirrors. Cassie noted that the mirror was her best friend at the gym. "Always check your form," she advised. Reema wondered if Cassie, although nice to a fault, was also vain enough to consider the mirror her best friend outside of the gym, too. 

Cassie briefly introduced a few stationary machines, which Reema seemed befuddled by. Shaking her head and smiling, Cassie told her a little more about workout theory and gym etiquette. "Generally, if you complete a set and it's too easy, you increase the weight. If you can barely get through to the twelfth rep, then lower it. Oh, and always wipe down your machine. Never be a hog either, especially in peak hours... unless you can get away with it," she winked. 

Cassie's ironic humour didn't always register with Reema. This was one of those times. Reema told herself to disregard the confusion and focus on the rest of what Cassie was saying. She got the basic gist of what the gym was about. It seemed like a straightforward - although challenging - experience. Reema increasingly just wanted to get started and face the challenge head-on. 

"And that's everything! We'll pick up from here next week," Cassie announced. 

Reema blinked. "That's it?" She hadn't lifted a single weight, pulled on a single cable, or run a single metre. 

"Consider this learning the ropes," Cassie explained, smiling in a way that had become familiar to her Indian friend. "Plus, we have somewhere else to go this morning." 

"Really? Where? I have some work to do tonight..." Reema nervously pointed out. 

"Trust me," Cassie smiled. The brown girl continued to look at her with annoying reluctance. "Okay, okay. If you really want, we can try some cardio." She then led them over to the treadmills again. "Just choose your cardio setting and the incline and you'll be ready to go," Cassie explained. 

The Indian girl looked over the control panel and decided how to navigate it. "How does this...hmm..." The machine starting beeping with every button she pressed. "How do I..." she asked anxiously, looking over to Cassie. 

"You've got it," Cassie answered. "Just pick your speed now." 

Having absolutely no reference point, Reema chose a button at random and hit 'start'. With a jolt, the machine started vibrating and whirring. Then it just kept speeding up! Reema moved her legs to keep up with the frantic pace! She felt like she was going to get swept off the belt! 

"Cassie! It's too fast!!" 

The truth was that Cassie liked watching Reema struggle to cope with the treadmill. She looked so ridiculous in her goofy shorts and glasses. Her face also bore an expression of complete peril - it was great! 

"Hit the little 'down' arrow!!" Cassie instructed, after delaying a few seconds. "Actually no...hold it!" 

Reema pushed the button and finally got back to a manageable pace. Nervously laughing as she caught her breath, she stated the obvious, "Uh, wow...I was not expecting that!" 

Cassie smiled. "Yup...that treadmill...it really gets you." She watched as Reema kept rambling about not knowing how to work out. The savvy blonde couldn't help noticing the sweat stains forming under Reema's shirt. 

"I'm really feeling it, you know," Reema said. 

"Yeah, eh?" Cassie said, holding back a snicker. Her friend's face was now glistening with sweat. It was kind of gross but funny at the same time. Reema had very little coordination or physical aptitude. Adding insult to injury, the treadmill was set at a beginner's jogging pace. "That's great. 30 more seconds, Reem!" 

Cassie had her finish the session and cool down. They returned to the change room and ended Reema's first visit to the gym with a quick shower. 

"Good job. We've got lots of progress to look forward to," Cassie optimistically declared. "And now your reward for being so brave today... the mall!" The girls stopped at the dorm to put away their bags and change. Or at least, Cassie did. Reema just threw on another sweater. 

Reema got the impression that shopping was a sort of spiritual experience for Cassie. Accordingly, the multi-level shopping center must be her cathedral. Even getting ready to go shopping was a big deal for Cassie. Reema waited a good half hour for her to finish dressing. Cassie ultimately settled on dark ankle boots, a black miniskirt with tights, and a cream-colored blouse. 

Reema didn't understand why so much planning was necessary. It all seemed so vain - like Cassie was putting on a show. To be sure, the brown girl wasn't a stranger to malls. She and Miguel attended movies and hung out with their friends at the mall pretty often. But she just dressed like herself. She never cared what her 'outfit' was supposed to be. 

When they finally arrived at the spacious, high-roofed Fairmont Center, Cassie paraded around the different shops as Reema trailed half a step behind. The blonde selected various items from the shelves and exclaimed how "cute" Reema would look in them. Most of the time, Reema wavered in her response. Shopping was a stressful experience for her. She would rather take a lengthy exam than forage for clothes. Reema couldn't figure out why so much effort had to go into it. Occasionally, she agreed with some of the items Cassie picked out, though. At the end, Cassie paid for everything - much to Reema's discomfort. She didn't like having favors done for her, nor was she used to it. 

A few hours later, the girls barged into Reema's room clutching several shopping bags. "Wow," Cassie exclaimed, setting them on the bed, "What a haul! It's amazing what you can find when you look for deals!" 

Various bags from Lululemon, Abercrombie and Fitch, Forever 21 and H&M were scattered around. "I have to pay you back," Reema pleaded, nervously looking at their merchandise. "I didn't think we were going shopping today, and I hadn't really budgeted it as an expense this year." 

Cassie saw the discomfort on her nerdy friend's face. It was the same anxiety she wore whenever Cassie plucked something from a rack. "Don't mention it! We're friends, Reema. We share clothes, make suggestions for one another - and yes - we pick up clothing when the other person would look good in it!" 

Reema nodded, even if she wasn't completely OK with receiving handouts, or defining a friendship that way. 

"See, this..." Cassie pulled out a denim skirt, "this is really cute!" 

Reema laughed in response, if only out of shame. "I've never worn anything that really showed off my legs." 

"Never? Hmm..." Cassie intrigued, looking at the ripped style of the denim. Reema shrugged shyly. "Oh well, it doesn't matter anyway. Come here, Reem... let's make a combo creation!" 

The girl instructed her Indian friend to stand up. Reema then watched as Cassie knelt on the bed and rummaged through the bags. She spread out the lucre from their shopping trip: tights, hose, stretchy pants, stretchy tops, even stretchy hoodies (notably tighter and more form-fitting than the sweatshirts Reema ordinarily wore), slim-fit jeans, shoes with heels, a couple of jackets, and sleeveless tops that were a lot more sheer than anything she currently owned. 

While Cassie sorted through the piles of clothes, Reema spoke about an assignment that was coming due. "Hey, did you finish the Dennison reading for next week???" 

"Don't even know who that is, Reema," Cassie called back. "Hey! I think this will work..." 

"It's the one about newspaper headlines and their ability to mislead," Reema clarified. She swivelled her neck to look at the ensemble her friend was putting together. 

"Couldn't tell you for sure," Cassie held up a skirt in front of Reema's waist, while pressing a short-sleeved white top against her chest. The thin fabric molded around Reema's natural D cups, giving Cassie a sense of what the outfit would look like. "Yup, really cute. Just like I thought." 

Reema's brow twitched as she evaluated herself. "Uh, you think so?" 

"Of course! You really need to have more self-confidence! You will look amazing!" 

"Er... yeah. I guess I can get behind this," Reema tentatively said. 

"See! New year, new threads. New Reema!" 

Without realizing the full significance of Cassie's statement, Reema giggled. Despite feeling anxious, she learned to trust Cassie's judgement, especially since shopping and fashion appeared to be her strong suits. The trendy blonde knew exactly what she was doing, and also how to make it a fun experience for Reema. 

When Cassie suggested they "overhaul" the wardrobe Reema brought to university, the brown girl acquiesced. It was slightly shocking to watch the process, though. Cassie purged the most "disgusting" items she had seen Reema wear over the last month. By the end of the exercise, only one black garbage bag remained, full of clothes that were never again to see the light of day. Reema was left with a reorganized closet, containing new items from the mall, as well as borrowed items from Cassie's personal collection. She was allowed a few of her "old" wardrobe. 

As they entered another week of school, Reema was getting used to the grind of university. She and Miguel would talk each day, and her assignments were under control. She attended club meetings without fail, and diligently worked as an assistant editor on the student newspaper. The real challenge came when she had to figure out how to dress herself in her new clothes. Putting together outfits and making decisions about fashion was alien to Reema. She never understood it. 

Taking advantage of unseasonably warm weather that week, her first attempt at putting an outfit together consisted of high-waisted black jeans and a sporty black Tee shirt. The jeans were tight around her thighs and hips, but she believed they looked good - at least, she hoped they looked good. The crewneck top was a little less snug and featured a gold Nike logo on the back. Reema slipped on some flats to round out the outfit. 

She admittedly felt self-conscious stepping out of her room. Reema didn't usually have to worry about how she looked in public. Clothes were never a big deal for her. Sitting in class later that day, she found herself noticing how the waistband of her jeans pressed into her hip, rather than listening to whatever passage the professor was reading out loud. Reema shifted in her seat several times, enough to cause some students beside her to look over. "They must wonder what the heck I'm doing," she thought. 

When Cassie treated her to a 'meal card' dinner later that night, Reema mentioned the anecdote. "It felt weird," she said, finishing a bite of chicken salad. 

"Eh, don't worry about it," Cassie opined, casually looking up from her iPhone. "They were probably just admiring how great those pants looked," she said with a wink. 

Reema smiled, noticing that Cassie's thumb was still working the screen on her phone. It didn't look like she was texting, though. "What are you doing, by the way? You're always on that thing." 

Cassie turned the phone around. "Instagram," she answered. She demonstrated by scrolling up and down the screen, showing a string of pictures of men and women, celebrities and everyday people, fashion, nail polish, makeup, memes and photos with captions. "You should get it," Cassie endorsed. 

"OK, you think so?" 

"Totally. Give me your phone," Cassie said, already removing the phone from the table. She set up an account in Reema's name - 'reeree' - and began following other people's accounts right away. 

"Oh, by the way, karaoke this Friday," Cassie casually remembered. Reema was pushing buttons and investigating the world of Instagram. 

"Again? Yeah, of course!" Reema answered without looking up. She was actually surprised that they were going again. She didn't mind, though. All things considered, the last outing went pretty well. 

Cassie sipped on her mineral water. "Yeah, I figured an all-star like you needed to get back on stage and tear it up again." 

If not for her darker skin tone, Reema might have blushed. "Oh stop," she laughed. 

"No, it's true," Cassie continued. "You ROCKED." Reema didn't necessarily disagree. "We gotta make things more fun this time, though..." Cassie continued. 

Reema looked at her quizzically. Cassie went on eating and didn't say anything else about it. 

After class on Friday, the two girls ventured to a local dollar store to pick up some crazy accessories. Reema did such a good job of interpreting Lady Gaga's music the last time that Cassie wanted to channel more of the megastar's fearless attitude. Sadly, they couldn't afford a show-stealing meat dress for Reema. They could deck her out in bright colors, however, with plastic jewellery and other playfully mish-mashed items. 

When they got back to the dorm, the girls hilariously started coordinating their random dollar store items. They spent half an hour crafting a whacky Gaga-style outfit out of the accessories strewn over Reema's bed. It was fun, stupid, and gave them both a laugh. 

"How do I look?" Reema asked at the end. 

From the bottom up, she wore a bold combination of sneakers, fluorescent yellow leggings (with swirls and stars painted on them), and a violet tube-top sweater that was stretchy and tight. Reema incorporated her normal oversized glasses and curly, unstyled hair as part of the outfit. 

"I think this is definitely worth popping your Instagram cherry," Cassie smirked. 

Reema was enthusiastic, overall. The getup was nothing like she'd worn before, and looking at herself made her laugh out loud. Cassie grabbed a studded psychedelic jacket and held it open for Reema. The journalism student slid in one of her arms at a time, noticing that the denim fabric both completed the outfit and also elevated her confidence. "Now we've got it!" Cassie affirmed. 




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 03



"We're definitely going to need a selfie," she said, leading them into the bathroom. Standing to the side, Cassie let Reema use her iPhone to take a picture in the mirror. Liking the result, Reema asked what she should write as a caption. Cassie took over, tapping out a quick message: 

Bathroom #selfie before #karaoke! How does I look? #LadyGaga 

Reema chuckled, and was actually excited to have it published! 

They arrived late to the bar, meaning there was a substantial line up waiting for them. It was twice as long as the last time. 

"We're going to be here a while," Reema worried, noting that the queue extended around the corner. "Maybe we should..." 

Before she could suggest coming back another night, Cassie was off talking to a couple of guys near the front. While Cassie worked her social magic, Reema stayed behind and looked at her phone. She sent a message to Miguel, who had been texting her about his first big exam. She told about the gym earlier in the week. He joked that she would be 'buff' the next time he saw her. Reema typed in 'LOL' and reassured him that it would only be a casual thing. She didn't think she could balance a rigorous workout schedule with her other school activities. 

Sweet-talking the guys further ahead in line, Cassie glanced back at Reema. The brown girl wore a genuine smile as she studied her iPhone. A few minutes later, Cassie swooped in to gently link elbows and escort Reema up to where her other friends were standing. A few minutes after that, they were surprisingly at the door. 

The doorman took Reema's ID first. His vision travelled between the photo and the eclectically dressed girl, then back again, offering her no expression. His face lit up when he noticed her friend. "Oh, hey Cassie!" he enthused, returning Reema's ID and picking up Cassie's. He barely gave it a glance before handing it back. "You girls have a fun night, OK?" 

Once inside, Cassie led the way while checking her phone. "Are those guys coming with us?" Reema asked of the now lost pair of boys Cassie was talking to before. 

"Oh, them? I don't really know them, to be honest," Cassie nonchalantly said. She looked up after having the location of the party that they would be joining. "They have a table at the back." she said. 

Before they reached them, Reema pulled her aside to speak to her candidly. "Only one drink tonight, OK? Two - max," she said, both as a reminder that she didn't drink and as a delegation of the partial responsibility of keeping her in check. 

Cassie nodded. "Tonight's about fun - that's all we're here for, Reem." She offered a sympathetic smile - or, at least, one Reema interpreted as such. "Crazy, good-natured crazy fun," she energetically explained. 

The pair of classmates was greeted with a chorus of salutations from their party. It was a group of a half dozen people - some of which Reema recognized from their last outing - scattered around three adjoined rounded tables. 

They shifted around in order to free up two adjacent spaces on the bench. Cassie and Reema found themselves squeezing through and around bodies to make it to their place. "Looks like we're getting intimate and interactive already," Cassie gleefully commented. Reema laughed while parking her tights-clad butt in the crowded booth. 

The Indian girl immediately drew comments about her appearance. "Awesome outfit, Reema," one of them complemented. 

"Is it 80s night?" another humourously added. 

"Nooooo..." the future journalist playfully whined, "I'm Lady Gagaaa!!" 

Cassie interjected to promote Reema's big moment later on. "Is everyone excited for Reema's big return to the stage?!" 

Reema was peppered with cheers and questions about what she was going to do. The girl was overwhelmed and even flattered, but not enough to allow her to shy away. She was peppered with questions and jokes, making her to be the centre of attention - at least for a bit. 

"Alright, lady," Cassie announced when the conversation entered full swing. She slapped Reema's round florescent thigh, "Gonna go get us some fruity goodness, OK?" 

"Oh, do you want me to come with?" Reema asked, although her attentions were more on the group. 

"No, no, stay," the blonde girl insisted. Cassie saw how social she was becoming so early in the night. That was a good thing. She was getting a taste of what it was it was like to be the centre of attention - one she would eventually crave. "You should totally tell everyone about that girl's cell going off in class Wednesday." 

"Oh, gosh, that was funny..." Reema began as Cassie rose from her seat. 

At the bar, Cassie swiped a couple of readymade pink cocktails. She offered the bartender a wink and dropped her money on the rail. The socialite swung her slender body around and strutted back through the establishment, hearing but not addressing the drunken comments towards her about double-fisting it. 

Cassie returned to a scene where all eyes and ears were fixed on Reema, laughing at her story. "So, that girl thought because it was a text and not a call that she was OK," one of them inquired. 

"What an idiot!" said another. 

"Total idiot," Cassie agreed as she squeezed past everybody and sat down, placing a drink in front of Reema. "Hey! Did everyone know that Reema was picked to be the editor-in-chief for our program's newspaper?!" 

Reema ducked her head, but maintained a sheepish smile. "It's not that big a deal...and it's assistant editor..." 

"Are you kidding?? That's still a huge deal!" Cassie maintained. She raised her glass and led the group in a toast. "To Reema, everyone!" A chorus of clinking drinks and impassioned voices sounded over the table. Cassie and her friends seemed to toast to everything. They were a fun group and Reema liked being around them... but how many times did they seriously have to cheers to things? In any case, Reema drank some of her cocktail - accidentally consuming a bit more than she intended. It went straight to her head, making her lightheaded and woozy in the moments to follow. 

If she concentrated enough, Reema could feel her face redden and warm up. The heat affecting her whole body, Reema removed her jacket and hung it on her chair. 

"Hey Reema!" she then heard. 

"Huh?" Still disoriented, she had to take a moment to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. 

"Reema!" the guy beside her called again, tapping her arm. "You're smart, right?" 

Reema looked at him with intrigue, not know where he was going with this. "Wanna try a brain teaser?" She loved those. 

"Tell me: why doesn't tickling work when you do it on yourself?" 

Reema thought about the question. After genuine pensive consideration, she didn't have an answer. "Hmm. I guess I never thought about it. I don't really know," she conceded. 

He pointed to her arm. "Try it out." 

Reema looked down at her forearm and began to dance her fingers over the elastic purple material. Aside from it feeling nice, she didn't feel ticklish in the least. "Try all over - your legs," he instructed. 

The brown girl attempted that too, but it didn't work any better. "I don't feel anythinggg!" she whined. 

"Wanna hear my theory?" he said as she continued to tickle herself, this time facing him. "I think you can only get tickled by someone else because you're used to your own touch. Wanna see?" 

He reached his hands out and Reema backed away in her chair. "Oh no, please, I'm totally tick-LISH!" 

His fingers were dancing on her stomach before she could finish her protest. "Even better!" 

Reema emitted a high-pitched shriek and began laughing. His touch wandered from her midsection, up the side of her body, and then under her arms. Her body attempted to cower defensively, but he continued his playful attack. "Please...Ah! Stop!!" she laughed. 

The table laughed along with the antics, too. Unknown to the laughing girl, they were also noting how Reema's chest jiggled in its spandex-y confines. Her breasts bounced up and down as she laughed hysterically and wiggled her body around to escape the tickling. 

"See - it's working!" 

Reema shook her head adamantly and begged for mercy. "OK, OK, stop...stop...I..c-can't..." Her voluminous breasts continued to shake, much to delight of a few male eyes. 

She then let out a snort. A loud, unavoidable snort. 

Reema followed that by twisting out of his playful advances, swinging her arm slightly and knocking over her glass in the process. 

"Oh crap!!" The guy stopped teasing her and tugged his chair away to avoid the overflowing liquid. The laughter at the table subsided as a few people rushed to put paper towels over the mess. 

Staring blankly at the disarray, Reema didn't know what happened. A second ago, she was laughing her butt off. Now, she wasn't. Without attaching any meaning to it, she watched the paper towels go from a clean white to a damp pink. 

Cassie leaned in and directed her attention away. "Isn't this fun?" 

Reema shook her head and snapped out of it. "Umm, Yeah!" With the mess under control, she looked around to see everyone having a good time. Despite not being her normal crowd, Cassie's friends were good people. They were loud, yes, and seemed to like alcohol - well, really like alcohol - but they were good-natured and fun, as this experience just proved. 

"Oh," Reema felt her purse rumble between her feet. She discreetly reached down and pulled out her phone. Setting it on her lap and grinning widely, she began a text to Miguel. In all her excitement, she had forgotten to respond to him. 

Only a few characters into her response, she felt a nudge and heard a voice - Cassie's. "Is that Miguel?" Reema looked up and nodded. She appeared at bit thrown off. "You can text him when we get back, no?" Cassie said. 

Reema knew about Cassie's rule. She panned across their table and saw that no one had their phone in front of them. Or, if they did, they weren't using it. "Oh, it's just...he had this thing today and he was telling me how it went." Reema thought - possibly naively - that she was justified in sending one little message. Cassie would understand that, wouldn't she? 

Cassie smiled, "Trust me, you can leave it alone...it's no fun burying yourself in a screen when you're out with good people. Aren't you having fun?" 

"I...ugh..." Before Reema came up with an answer, the girls' attention was forced to the stage, where some poor soul was screeching out the musical climax of an Adam Lambert song. "Yeah, not sure about him, though," Reema laughed, holding her fingers to her ears. 

"Hey, you just got go for it sometimes," Cassie offered. 

Reema supposed she agreed. "I'll try not to be as bad, alright?" she laughed. That was something they could both clink their glasses to. And they did. Again. 

After Reema hid her phone, the book of karaoke songs made its way around to her. Reema picked out her selection and wrote it on a piece of paper. When she finished, she wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. "Man, I'm a mess right now," she laughed. 

Cassie only smiled back. She amusingly watched as Reema attempted to cool herself with the suddenly-refilled vodka cocktail before her. Cassie smiled to herself that Reema probably didn't even notice how it got there after she spilled her first drink. "You are not a mess, girl. You're looking as awesome and quirky as ever," she championed. "C'mon, let's go hand that in!" 

As they brushed past bodies and navigated the bar, looks shot in their direction. Reema may not have noticed them, but Cassie sensed the attention. The Blomshell couldn't claim all the admirers for herself tonight, though. No longer shielded by a jean jacket, Reema's bright tube top hugged her breasts tightly enough to garner more than a few double takes. 

Mounting the stairs that led up to the DJ (or at least the ball cap-wearing student that ran the karaoke player), Cassie noted the jiggle in Reema's bright, stretchy pants. She also saw how her hand hugged the rail to steady her slightly off-balance strides. 

As he watched Reema approach with Cassie following behind, the DJ removed a headphone from one of his ears to hear her words. "Hey, I've got a song for you," Reema smiled, passing her selection to him. 

He took a look at the paper and then at Reema's colorful and, most importantly, voluminous chest. Nodding coolly, he said, "I'll put you on after the next song, Gaga." 

Reema curiously watched as he stuck her slip under the top sheet of a considerably tall pile. "Oh...that's great," she commented. "That's so nice of you!" Before she could make any more observations about the guy's kindness, Cassie guided her back down the stairs. 

"Wow, looks like you have another fan, huh? What'd he say, next song?" Cassie inquired. 

"YEAH!! People are so nice!!" 

The bar was buzzing now. People were on their feet, others at their tables - everyone having a lively, exuberant time! Reema thought this must be what university 'fun' truly looked like - even though she just began to formulate that definition a few hours ago. She wore the biggest smile. In all the excitement and chatter surrounding her, she accidentally missed the announcement of her name. 

"Reem! That's you! Go!" Cassie beckoned. 

"Oh shit!" the panicked girl exclaimed, unfocused on what she was saying. Ordinarily, Reema was hyper-vigilant about swearing in public. She never did it unless the profanity was so ironic or obviously quoted from a movie that no one could take offense. Cassie had to smile at the notion of Reema loudly cursing around other people, without even stopping to think whether it was appropriate. 

Reema rushed through the bar towards the stage, making everyone in her path take note - especially the guys nearest the stage. There were four of them, rowdily going through pitchers of beer and watching all the performances. They tracked Reema's brightly coloured legs moving up the stage. In their minds, they were each taking stock of Reema, trying to decide if she was hot. 

The next three minutes and thirty-six seconds were a blur to her. She let the music take over and guide her movements - much to the delight of the boys up front. A subtle twist of her hips became unintentionally provocative. She turned her body, revealing her clothed but still heavy and jiggling breasts. Although Reema didn't know it, she was probably inspiring certain members of the audience with masturbatory thoughts for later that night. The singing itself was mediocre. All the guys in the front, however, as well as anyone else paying attention, were focused on watching an uncoordinated drunk girl parade around in a tight, brightly coloured getup. They cheered and hollered - sounds that Reema interpreted as moral support. 

Reema hadn't experienced so much positive attention since her public speaking days in grade school. Back then, she would get loud rounds of applause for her witty speeches on topics like camping, the history of science, and growing up with traditional ethnic parents. Tonight, she was getting the same amount of cheers for randomly belting out her favorite Gaga song, pacing around in a disoriented manner, and just trying to be as passionate and spontaneous as possible. The surge of confidence it gave her felt familiar, but also surreal and puzzling at the same time. 

The song ended, and Reema rushed off the stage at some point into Cassie's arms. "OH MY GOD!! THAT WAS SO AMAZING!!" she gushed as they excitedly swayed from side to side in their embrace. "WHY AM I TALKING SO LOUD?!?!" 

Cassie joined in the laughter and encouraged Reema to be even more energized. In her periphery, she detected somebody standing nearby. Cassie turned her head to examine the dude, before returning to their conversation. "You absolutely killed it, Reema!" 

A taller, fit member of the front row athletes was holding two drinks. As he approached, Reema noticed him too. "Hey, just wanted to say that you were awesome up there," he said. 

"Thanks!!" Reema said, smiling widely and deeply appreciating his words. 

The guy extended the shot glass toward her. "Got this for you." 

As if seeking advice, Reema looked over to Cassie, who gave her the wordless go ahead. Cassie saw how the jock delayed a moment before taking his shot, opting to study Reema as her chest jutted out while she swallowed the whiskey. Before Reema could notice, he downed his and then watched as she coughed and grimaced, awkwardly extending her arm to hand him back the glass. 

"Let's hit the little girls' room, kay Reem?" Cassie led her friend away, glancing behind them to acknowledge the guy with a smile. She held Reema's arm as they walked out of the bar, passing the huge line that prevailed outside. Cassie enjoyed how her friend's unbalanced strides and bold appearance attracted more than a few looks. 

Noting the way Reema's appearance was being so well received, Cassie couldn't help thinking about the future. She would have so much fun with this girl. The outfits would just keep getting bolder, shorter, and more revealing. But that would have to come with time. Although Cassie was ambitious, she was also patient. 

"Here, wash your face," the Blomshell instructed, conveniently positioning Reema in front of a sink where some rowdy patrons had removed the mirror. Cassie couldn't have her friend notice that she was on the verge of looking like a tramp - that would derail the plan significantly! As the brown girl leaned forward to splash water on herself, Cassie could only picture Reema's breasts hovering above the sink in a low-cut top, struggling to contain her natural, mocha colored assets. 

"OK baby, you're good now," Cassie said, tapping Reema's back. "Let's get back in there, K? There's gotta be some poor sucker trying to follow your act!" 

Reema giggled. "They can try," she drunkenly boasted. 

Cassie grinned and put her arm around her approvingly. Beneath Reema's increasingly drunk lack of coordination, she detected the beginnings of a confident swagger. It was sweet music for Cassie to watch. Reema was unconsciously straightening her posture and swaying her hips wider and more loosely. Some kind of instinct must have been kicking in, telling her how a luscious, desirable body actually needed to move. Together, the girls marched down the hallway for another round of libations and fun. 

The next Reema saw of Cassie - while not intoxicated and in goofy 80s clothing - was back at the dorm, standing on the other side of her room. It was the next day and the blonde proudly held up a party-sized bag of Cheetos. "How's chips for breakfast sound?" 

Reema groaned and tried to muster out something, but it came out hoarse and incoherent, much to Cassie's internal amusement and pride. Instead, she just held the door open for her BFF to pass. Reema yanked a blanket over her pyjama-clad body as she settled onto the couch. 

"Ugh, what did I do to deserve this?" Reema whined. Her voice was muffled by the couch as she slunk onto it. 

"Nothing," Casey emerged beside her. She clenched one fist and held a glass of water in the other. "Last night was fun. That's all," she assured, then prompted Reema up to a sitting position. She gave her the glass and then dropped two tablets of Aspirin into her palm. 

Reema downed them, setting them onto the table. It hurt even to reach forward. "Ugh, thanks." In her ill state, she liked having Cassie by her side. She was grateful that she had a friend to help her through this less than desirable moment. 

They didn't discuss the previous night in detail, but Reema did admit that she liked karaoke. Actually, she really liked it. If she could figure out how to manage the hangovers and the circumstances that led to acquiring one, she would be all set. Reema wanted to ask Cassie how she could remain so smiley and bubbly after so much drinking, but decided against it, not wanting to talk about her hangover any more. Instead, she just let Cassie guide her through her recovery and take care of her, which was very generous. 




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 03



"So, what's first?" Cassie asked. With an open laptop in front of them, Reema smiled for the first time. Netflix played on the TV as the two friends sat beside each other, Reema encased in wool, gossiping about the Real Housewives. 

"This is so mind numbing," Reema laughingly acknowledged. 

"Yeah, but isn't Relaxation Day great?!" Cassie popped a Cheeto into her mouth. A short time later there was a knock at the door. Reema didn't know they were expecting any visitors. "I'll get it." 

Reema looked to see Cassie open the door for a random guy. Exchanging very few words, she took the bag he was holding and then he left. Reema asked what was going on, although she could already smell the aroma of savory snack food and grease. 

"That waaas...lunch!" Cassie announced, removing two vitamin waters and two cartons of poutine from the bag. Reema paused to think, watching Cassie sample the gravy-soaked chips. An unknown guy had just showed up and delivered them food. That was... somehow impressive. Reema couldn't resist digging into the fries as they continued to gab. 

If 'Relaxation Day' meant wearing pyjamas, listening to funny stories about other people in the dorm, watching stupid reality shows, and eating French fries soaked in gravy and cheese curds... maybe things weren't so bad after all. Reema's headache gradually dissipated. It helped when she didn't consciously think about it. 

Realizing that her iPhone was still in her bedroom, Reema got up and searched for it, definitely feeling steadier on her feet. "I've probably got a couple of messages from Miguel," she said, returning to the couch. She entered her voicemail code and lifted the phone to her ear. 

Before she heard anything, Cassie clutched her forearm, forcing her to lower it. Reema looked at her quizzically. "What?" 

"Just - not now, you know?" Cassie simply requested. It wasn't forceful, but was also the most serious Reema had seen Cassie be in their short friendship. Come to think of it, the only time Cassie spoke in a serious tone seemed to come when she was advising Reema about speaking to her boyfriend. 

Reema deferentially returned the phone to the table. "Okay." 

Cassie nodded. She told Reema that she could talk to him again in a little while, when things were less hangover-y. "Trust me, guys get really weird about their girlfriends going to bars and social places like that without them. Believe me, I would know," she finished with a laugh. 

Reema wasn't entirely sure she believed that, but it did sound reasonable, especially if Cassie had learned it from personal experience. 

"Plus, who wants their guy worrying about them every time they go out? That's no fun!" 

Actually, that didn't sound fun, Reema thought to herself. She chewed on a French fry with long string of cheese attached to it, savouring the salty treat as Cassie began another funny story.



Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 04



Cassie tapped her knuckles on the door. "Are you ready in there?" 

"Almoosttt...I just can't..." and then the voice -- Reema's -- trailed off. Moments later, the change room lock snapped open and Reema stepped out. 

Cassie clapped her hands. "Ah! You look awesome-tastic." 

Reema looked down at her barefoot form. She wore a very snug pair of Marcelo Burlon skinny jeans with slashes exposing her knees and a somewhat looser, ruby red T-shirt with a plunging -- although not too plunging -- neckline. 

She wiggled her hips to get her range of motion back. It was an amusing display. If Cassie had her way, there was would be a lot more gyrating in Reema's future. "It's really tight, though, isn't it?" 

As a 'bridge outfit', Cassie thought this was a good one. It was sexy, but not as blatant as some of the other combinations she could have put together. The sexiness hinged on how the material fitted over Reema's natural curves, mainly her chest. While she waited outside the change room, Cassie had pictured Reema struggling to pull the tight denim over her ample thighs and hips -- and then button it. Those jeans were literally painted onto her body. The T-shirt itself was casual and fun. It bore a colorful print of red cherries, but mostly benefitted the shape of Reema's bosom. Looking down at the brown girl's exposed foot, Cassie pictured a tattoo stretching across its surface. That would have to wait. 

"Once you throw it in the wash and wear it a few times, the shirt will stretch out, Reem. Don't worry about it." 

Reema shook her head uneasily. "I don't know..." 

"Listen, you just need confidence. If you've got confidence, you're all set. I know it will work. You need to think positive, too." 

"And the... underwear?" Reema dropped her voice. Cassie had surprised her by recommending a thong, which was much different than her usual style. She shifted her legs uncomfortably as the sheer elastic fabric -- or rather, the lack of it -- wrapped around her waist. 

Cassie grinned at the woman's embarrassment. "Trust me, those panties are essential. Totally needed to bring the outfit together." 

A pensive Reema turned to look at herself in the multi-angle mirrors. She held onto her long black hair, hair which hung to one side of her body, and twisted around to get a look at her butt. She still had reservations about the skimpy underwear, but guessed they did complement the rest of the outfit. 

"OK, let's do it," she conceded. 

Her friend smiled. "Great! Take that off and we'll get out of here. I'm craving some fro-yo." 

While Cassie went to the cashier, Reema returned to the change room for a final time. With great relief, she undid the skinny jeans and slid them over her body -- a task that seemed much easier than putting them on in the first place! She then lifted the shirt over her head. Reema didn't really have complaints about the top; it was cute and fun. 

For a moment, she stood in just her glasses and the thong underwear that Cassie had told her to 'try out'. The undergarment tapered as it reached her inner thighs and ass, framing and exposing nearly their whole surface area. Reema looked at her reflection with uncertainty. It would definitely take some getting used to. Dressing in her original clothes, she returned to the main store area. 

Cassie was already at the checkout when Reema put her articles of clothing on the counter. The cashier rang everything up, and Cassie slipped out her credit card. Reema momentarily insisted that she wanted to pay, but her friend overpowered her and finished the transaction. With several new bags in tow, they were off. 

The food court was bustling that evening. Nearly every table was packed with groups of young couples, friends, families, and senior citizens' coffee clutches. Their combined chatter made it a noisy environment. 

With two frozen yogurts in hand, Cassie and Reema walked between the rows of tables, looking for somewhere to sit. As they passed by a possible space, a group of guys stopped talking and rose up, unexpectedly offering their seats. Smiles were exchanged as the guys glanced towards the bag-toting women. Then Reema and Cassie sat down. 

With their shopping loot sprawling onto the seats beside them, as well as the floor, Reema sampled her Key lime yogurt. "This is so good... I could really get used to this." 

"Oh, don't worry," Cassie licked her spoon as she grinned, "We're going to the gym tomorrow, so we can work off the extra calories." 

"Nooooo..." Reema whined, her short-lived bubble broken. "Do we have tooo?! I suck at the gym." 

She and Cassie were already a week into their exercise schedule and the results had not been good. Reema's body was sore, beaten up, and -- worst of all -- she just wasn't getting the hang of it. She had no coordination! When Cassie asked her to do simple knee dips on a bench, Reema couldn't seem to keep her balance. Even when Cassie helped by holding her hand, Reema still tilted her body around unsteadily. She started out with an optimistic attitude, but was ready to abandon the whole gym experiment now. 

"Well, if you don't go, how are you supposed to get better? Did you know everything about history before you started studying?" Cassie her asked in a Socratic tone. 

"Um, no..." 

Cassie lapped more frozen yogurt into her mouth. "The new shorts will help you look and feel a lot better. Plus, everybody sucks when they start," she winked. 

Reema grinned as she finally found a chance to expose the otherwise perfect Cassie Blom. "Even you?" 

Cassie quipped back. "Well almost everyone." Then she let out a sudden, disgusted groan. "Ugh." 

"What?" 

Cassie shivered. "See that, Reem..." she gestured with her spoon, "...that is what you do not want to do." 

Reema turned to see what Cassie was pointing at. "What?" 

"Look at her." 

There was a middle aged woman walking through the food court. She was a large lady whose wide and flabby butt looked rather unsightly in her jeans. As she took her tray to the garbage bin, she faced away from the gossiping young women. 

Reema shook her head in confusion. "I don't get it." 

"Can't you see her panty lines, like through her pants?" 

"I...no?" Reema said, genuinely confused. 

"That's a big no-no, Reem. It looks really embarrassing and gross." 

The brown girl watched as the frumpy lady put away her garbage and exited the food court. 

Cassie continued. "With most kinds of jeans, you just have to... well, it's the respectable thing to wear a thong and avoid that kind of disaster. A good pair of pants shouldn't be ruined by old granny panties." Reema sat contemplating. She didn't know that underwear lines were a such a big problem in the fashion world. 

"But anyways..." Cassie shifted, breaking Reema's attention away from the importance of 'proper' undergarments. "What are we doing tonight? I think we have...something...due soon..." she laughed. 

Reema laughed with her. "Umm, yeah, we have that draft editorial to write..." She scooped another bite of yogurt onto her tongue. 

The next day, Cassie and Reema, with their gym bags slung on their shoulders, walked past the front desk of the fitness centre. The attendant manning the station greeted them with an approving smile as he watched them scan their tags. 

The duo trekked down a long corridor, passing other gym members who were at various stages of their workouts, before turning into the locker room. 

Cassie smiled to herself as she watched Reema slide the tight black workout pants up her thighs and wide hips. She liked how the slightly ill-fitting (at least for now) pink tank top tightly encased her upper body. She was more amused at the idea of Reema wearing these clothes than the way she actually looked. She didn't look bad, but Cassie knew there was still a long way to go. Reema's flab couldn't be hidden completely, but the magical Lululemon fabric came quite close. Cassie ushered her out of the change room without the validation of a mirror. 

Early evening was peak time at the campus gym, so many students were toning their bodies. Reema listened intently while Cassie shared her tricks of the trade, rarely noticing the wandering stares toward her jiggling breasts or bouncing ass cheeks as they worked out. She did notice the smiles from gym staff members, though, and the even more surprising greetings from other students. 

Reema laughed. "I can't even smile and nod at people on the bus without getting a weird look, and people here are so friendly!" 

"People are nice here, Reem," Cassie began. "When you get people in one place who have a similar goal, there's going to be mutual respect." 

If Cassie didn't know her words were total bullshit, she might have even bought was she was selling. It helped her cause that the guy using the leg curl machine handed it over to them when they approached, despite Cassie knowing he couldn't possibly be finished all his sets. 

"It's all yours," he said, glancing at Cassie and then at Reema, who gave him an appreciative wave. 

"See," Cassie emphasized, getting Reema to hop on the machine. "Remember, for this machine, and for any exercise really, you want to squeeze the muscle you're working. So kick those legs out, and squeeze and hold those thighs, before slowly coming back down. That's it." 

Cassie advised that maintaining proper form while exercising allowed one to be viewed in the best possible light. As Reema sat there working her legs and listening to Cassie's instructions, her D cup breasts protruded out as far as they could. This was also true when she Cassie showed her the 'proper' way to do lat pulldowns. 

"Stick your chest out as you bring the bar down toward your body," Cassie instructed. Reema was still not proficient at any of the exercises they attempted. She knew it, and often felt uncomfortable as she fumbled around. She tried to pull down the bar as Cassie recommended, but didn't have the strength. 

"I think I'm broken," Reema joked. 

"You're not broken," Cassie laughed as she lowered the weight setting to something more viable. "Try that." 

Reema could move the apparatus now, but it still felt unnatural. Cassie continued to give non-judgemental pointers on how to improve her form. "Widen your grip, straighten your back. Bring it down it a more fluid motion, Reema. Exactly, just like that. Good job." 

When Reema did it get it right, it was a very hot sight. Near the end of her set, a guy waited around for his turn on the machine. As Reema finished her last pull, he immediately grabbed a towel. Here, I'll wipe that down for you. Don't worry, I'll be using it next, anyway." 

"Thanks!" Reema said, noting in awe that he wasn't the first guy to make that offer today. She was out of her element and she knew it. She expected all the muscly jock guys and pretty college girls to give her flack for it. But no one did anything mean. The guys were more accommodating than the girls, who Reema sometimes found aloof, but the overall vibe was very nonthreatening. 

One fellow with huge arms actually came up to her as she struggled with a simple dumbbell curl. He joked that he could barely pick up one of those when he first started. 

Reema laughed back, challenging him. "Nooo, really?!" 

At the same time, Cassie was an excellent coach. Her knowledge of workout theory and nutritional tips were very helpful. Above all, Cassie did a great job bringing Reema out of her comfort zone. 

During a break to get water between exercises, Reema noticed something alarming. "Oh my god, Cassie! Don't look now..." she whispered, shying her body away, "there's a mega-jerk over therrre." 

Cassie scanned the gym and followed Reema's line of vision. She saw a rather fit, tall guy with no one else beside him. "What? The guy in the blue? He looks nice." 

"He's not - trust me. We went to high school together," Reema said with a serious tone. 

Cassie raised a curious eyebrow. Reema filled her in on the details. "His name is Joshua Cameron. Volleyball, basketball...you name it, he did it. He hung out with the popular crew in our school. If you weren't part of that group, he didn't like you, or associate with you. I don't think I ever spoke to him once." 

She continued, "For whatever reason he started to pick on Miguel. I never got it. Miguel never did anything to him. He was just trying to piss him off or something. He'd make all these stupid comments about his 'little cyborg club' or try to block his way when they crossed paths in the hall. Miguel never played his game, though. He was too diplomatic and cool." 

Her eyes stared blankly ahead, focusing on nothing. 

"Then one day we were sitting in the cafeteria during lunch and Josh came up behind and spilled an entire tray of food on Miguel. He just stood over him, laughing and proud. He didn't care. He high fived his stupid friends and left. The school didn't do anything about it." 

Reema shook her head, snapping herself out of an unhappy trance. She looked at Cassie, the pain from that day was evident in her eyes. "I mean, he dumped an entire tray on him, in front of the whole school. What kind of person does that?" 

Cassie listened intently. Without presenting too much sympathy, she played the voice of reason. "I know you hate him -- and that was pretty bad -- but it was like a whole year ago? Maybe two?" she said. "People grow and change, especially when they get to college. It's a different environment here. The stupidity of high school doesn't matter anymore." 

Reema shook her head adamantly. "He made him cry, Cass -- CRY." 

Shrugging, Cassie told her, "Look, Reem, you can't hold people's past against them forever. We all did dumb things in high school -- some dumber than others. People change. If Josh didn't get the chance to be the person he would like to be going forward, then nobody would get that chance -- not even you." 

"Fine," Reema grumpily acknowledged. "Can we just work out at the next station, please?" 

Cassie obliged, showing Reema how to do some lunges with free weights. Reema struggled to keep balance as usual, but she wasn't as determined or nervously chatty as during their prior exercises. She was uncoordinated, sure, but the Blomshell noticed something else -- a girl shaken by her highschool memories. "That's OK, you're doing good, Reem," she encouraged, looking around to see if her boyfriend's abuser was still there. He was. Cassie led Reema through several more exercises. The distracted Indian girl purposely tried to rush through them. 

Reema's body stiffened when Josh suddenly walked by. He was just as Reema remembered. Standing around 6'2, he had short blonde hair, and was admittedly in good physical condition. His thick arms and legs bulged out of his blue sleeveless shirt and black Nike shorts. His confident body language, the cocky way he walked around and even stood still, reminded her very much of high school. 

"Hi," Josh greeted her, lifting two fifty pound dumbbells off a rack. 

"Hey," Reema flatly replied, looking down at the white and pink design of her runners. Holding the weights effortlessly at his side, Josh continued on his way, acknowledging Cassie with a nod and wink. 

Cassie nudged her. "You could have at least said 'hi'," she admonished when Josh was out of earshot. 

"I did..." Reema vainly defended, without facing her either. Cassie would not say any more about it, but she did get her point, though. 

Josh never even gave her a 'what's up?' or a 'hey' or even a smile in her direction before that moment. And now, even though she couldn't bring herself to even look at his face, he did just that. Maybe people did change in university? 

"C'mon, let's do some step ups. Work those legs some more..." 

Reema went through the motions as she finished out their workout. The jerk was still on her mind. Why was she so fixed on him saying 'hi'? It caught her off guard. He had that same pompous expression he always did in high school. Cassie frequently interrupted her to get her to focus, so Reema couldn't dwell on her memories too long. As the girls returned to the changing room, they received a few more gracious 'hellos' and wishes from other patrons that their session was a 'good one'. 

"OK, now for the best part of working out!" Cassie announced, draping her towel around her neck. 

"Oh...what's that?" 

"Frozen yogurt and a warm bath," she enthused. 

Cassie and Reema went to the student food court and had their frozen treats, but after returning to their residences, they went their separate ways. Reema followed her words and drew herself a bath, sprinkling in all the salts and soaps Cassie gave her, and eased her aching body in. Closing her eyes and sighing, she let the water do its job. Her mind wandered to everything she had to do that night -- an essay and no fewer than three readings -- and her itinerary for tomorrow. 

Then, she thought about her day at the gym. And Josh. Out of all the schools, why did he have to go to Montgomery? And how did he get in anyways? Things would be so much better with him not around. He was such a jerk, and no matter what Cassie said, what he did to Miguel was unforgiveable. As her body sunk a bit lower, she hoped she would never have to see him again. With that, Reema resolved not to think about him the rest of the night -- not even when she called Miguel. She did her readings, wrote her paper, and then went to sleep. 

When Reema woke the next morning, she realized that the bath -- while feeling good at the time -- did nothing to alleviate her aches and pains from the gym. She groaned, rolled out of bed, and readied herself. She freshened up and went to choose her attire for the day. 

Without giving it any deep thought, Reema picked out the ripped denim jeans she tried on the day before at H&M. She then matched it with something from her bag of 'old' clothes, a black and grey striped sweater. She liked that sweater. It was comfortable and would serve her well for the day's windy, drizzly weather. Those were her usual goals: function and comfort. As Reema studied herself in the mirror, she determined that she also happened to look good. She gave her hair a few brushes, took a pass on applying makeup -- she didn't feel like it -- gathered her things and left. 

After a laborious walk through campus, Reema limped into the lecture hall and stood beside an already-seated Cassie, who appeared to have gotten ready for class with a lot less effort. It was their marathon day of back-to-back classes. Reema really didn't want to face it. She exhaled and gave Cassie a look of unmitigated exhaustion. 

Supressing an amused smile, the Blomshell bid her a good morning. "You alright there, Sunshine?" 

Reema threw off her heavy backpack and emphatically plopped into her seat. "Everything hurts." 

"Your body will get used to it... eventually," Cassie explained, sliding a coffee in front of her friend. 

"You sure?" Reema moaned. 

"Oh yeah, positive. Once you get into a routine, the results show. Then you'll have less soreness and stuff." 

Reema groaned again and removed her jacket. Cassie was right... she always was. If sticking to the gym was the answer, then who was Reema to disagree? Aside from their karaoke outings, Cassie also had Reema eating better. Although she disliked feeling intense pain with every twist of her body, she also knew it was a sign of getting stronger. 

"Oh man. What are you wearing?" 

Reema looked at herself. "Um, I dunno...what am I wearing?" 

Cassie shook her head. Reema saw the near-horrified expression on her face. "Where did you get that thing? That's not what we bought yesterday..." 

Reema looked down at her jeans. "Uh, yeah we did. We were at H&M and I tried them on, remember?" 




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 04



"Not your pants," Cassie shook her head in disbelief. "Why are you wearing that -- thing?" She pointed to Reema's striped sweater. 

Reema followed her gaze. "Oh, I dunno? It was cold today..." 

"Just because the weather is dreary, doesn't mean you have to be! You look like a morbid zebra." 

Cassie couldn't help chuckling as she issued such a harsh verdict, but it didn't make Reema feel any better. "But I like it. I thought it looked good," the erstwhile brown girl protested. Reema looked around. She felt more self-conscious by the second, and wondered if anyone else had noticed. 

Cassie shook her head. "Trust me." 

The conversation didn't go any further. Just then, the professor addressed himself into the microphone, asking everyone to be seated so they could begin. Reema had been so busy talking to Cassie that she didn't have her books out! Flustered in more ways than one, she scrambled to prepare herself. After thumping all her materials onto the table, she tried to hear the professor's words mid-sentence as she furiously took notes. 

Cassie didn't bring up the sweater again, but Reema sensed she was still being judged. She felt she failed her attempt at putting an outfit together. She would have thought Cassie would be more understanding. This 'dressing up' thing was hard. 

Reema's failure didn't change the dynamic between them, though. Cassie remained her fun, humorous self -- cracking jokes in the middle of lecture or at break. Reema had to tell her to be careful, because her sides and chest literally ached every time she laughed! Finally, the marathon of classes ended. Reema didn't think about her sweater again. 

On the way back to residence, the girls passed a poster advertising a night of Dirty Bingo later that evening. Reema took a quick look, noting the curious title. "That sounds so stupid...why does bingo have to be dirty?" she laughed. 

Cassie shrugged and told her that these things were pretty big on university campuses. "I wouldn't mind getting away from the books for a night." Reema frowned, looking at the poster again. It had phallic shaped designs and promises of fun 'adult' prizes. "It could be totally crazy," Cassie said. "Crazy, dirty fuuuuun," she beamed, pressing the Indian girl with her winning smile. 

Reema shook her head, trying to weasel out of the event. "I dunno, Cass. I have a lot to do..." 

"C'mon, I mean you don't have to go. But I wanna, and I wouldn't mind some company," Cassie pressed on, while Reema did her best to shy away. "Come on, it's just a fun, silly night. All kinds of people will show up." 

"Umm..." Reema hesitated before giving in. "Alright, OK. But I wanna at least accomplish some work before we go," she warned. 

Cassie nodded. "Deal. So we can go back to our rooms, you can do some homework or whatever, and then we will change," Cassie gave Reema an eye. She smirked, "and then we meet back here in an hour and head out. Cool?" 

"Cool," Reema concurred. 

Heading back to her room, Reema first called her parents. They were planning to visit campus on the weekend and check up on her. She told them that she was seeing Miguel, so it wasn't the best time. When her mother asked what time was better, she explained that they could work out a day soon enough, but that she really had to go study. That would buy her some time, but it was only delaying the inevitable. After escaping her parents, Reema sat down with a heavy book, an orange highlighter, and a spiral-bound notepad. 

Reema was still not stoked on attending the explicitly-themed bingo event. It did give her a chance to redeem herself in Cassie's eyes, though. She resolved to be much more careful when selecting her wardrobe. She didn't want to suffer another faux pas or more of Cassie's teasing. The blonde fashion pro could be very merciless. 

Determined to do a better job -- yet not knowing where to start -- Reema browsed through her closet. These decisions were difficult under pressure! 

Remembering Cassie's words, she guessed she would have to start with less noticeable underwear. The image of the woman displaying visible, unflattering 'panty lines' in the food court was fresh in her mind. Going to her drawer, Reema tentatively selected a thong she tried on the day before. Still apprehensive about the idea, she briefly examined the garment before grudgingly wiggling it up her body. 

Reema then found a pair of jeans. Reema was going to go with them because they looked really good, but then changed her mind because they looked like the ones she currently wore, and thought Cassie might tell her to change up her style a bit more. So she grabbed a denim skirt. That would work... she hoped. Reema slid it over her curvy legs, added a crimson belt, and synched everything around her waist. 

For a top...well, Reema didn't know about that, either. She wavered between a long-sleeve blouse and something more 'airy'. It was chilly outside, but the buildings on campus were notoriously well heated, sometimes too well heated. She settled for a sleeveless black top. It was kind of plain, but had a tiny heart design in the center, made up of bright, bedazzled studs. The top was understated, but Reema loved that about it. She slid it on and let the fabric snugly settle over her chest. 

Unlike the morning, she chose to accent her face with makeup this time, too. Cassie had shown her a few basic techniques with mascara and skin cream, and she thought the impromptu bingo outing was a good chance to practice them. 

For footwear, Reema replaced her sneakers with shoes that had a bit of a heel. Taking a final look in the mirror, she sighed, addressing the nervous girl in the looking glass. "Man, I hope this works -- for both of us!" 

She met Cassie in the hallway. While Reema held her breath, Cassie looked her up and down. After a moment, she nodded. "Wow, looking good, Reem! J'approve." 

Cassie observed that Reema had put on mascara and that her skin looked a lot healthier. The makeup covered most of the zits on her cheeks. The outfit she chose was good, too. Her top fit pretty tightly around her body, while the skirt -- although modest in length -- began to show a bit of her shapely thighs. Reema had done well. 

"Thanks!!" Reema said as they started walking. She felt relieved that her redemption had worked. No judgment from Cassie tonight. "I'm still nervous, though, about the whole thing..." 

"What -- how to use a mascara brush? It's easy, you just have to..." 

"No. I mean...about 'dirty bingo'." 

Cassie smiled and shook her head. "Why be nervous? It's just a bit crazy and different. That shouldn't stop you from experiencing something new. God, I hope not," she laughed. 

"But that's exactly the reason why people don't do new things -- because they're weird," Reema countered. 

Cassie smiled with a sigh. "Reema, I mean this is in the best possible way...the people who say that are boring. You have to be a more exciting person and grow." 

The evening's bingo event was held in a school assembly hall. The outside was decorated with balloons of all sizes and colors. Reema was amused because the rainbow colours kind of matched her shirt! The inside was just as brightly decorated. Funky music was also playing. Round tables with blue, green, red and yellow mats, bingo cards, and markers filled the room. A stage at the front of the hall featured a vintage bingo cage and a flamboyant trans-gendered person wearing a sparkly red dress. 

Reema's eyes widened at the scene. The hostess (or host?) was enthusiastically clapping and singing along with the music. Other people were singing and dancing, too. It was nothing like she expected. 

"Awesome, huh?" Cassie said. "She's supposed to be a famous LGBT activist who gives speeches at schools and stuff." Reema said nothing, but privately admitted to herself that it was impressive. Although she was raised by old school parents, Reema herself was pretty liberal. She preferred to be open minded about people's struggles with gender identity and social issues. Her parents would definitely freak out if they knew she was attending this event, though. "C'mon, let's go find a table," Cassie prompted. 

When the music died down, the hostess, Shirley, addressed the room of about thirty people. "Alright everyone, assume your positions..." she began. There were a few giggles and whistles from the crowd. "Positions at the table, you pervs! We're off to a great start, I see!" 

Cassie nudged Reema. "She's fun! I like her." 

"For those of you who've never been to one of these," Shirley began. "Actually, who are the first-timers tonight?" Reema threw up her hand along with about a third of the room. "Oooh, so many virgins! Well, we're going to pop that dirty bingo cherry tonight." 

Shirley stepped down and walked amongst the tables. She made direct eye contact with Reema, smiling brightly. Reema politely reciprocated. "Things might get a bit raunchy, but I remind everyone that this is a totally judgement-free environment. Oh, I like that necklace! Where'd you get it?" she asked a girl sitting at another table. "Note to self: Go shopping." 

"Anyway," Shirley continued, circling back to the stage, "We're going to keep things fun, fast-paced and hopefully not too offensive. Sound good?" A cheer went up as the game commenced. 

She mixed the bingo balls together, "Not my first time doing this, I have to say... in more ways than one." She picked the first number. "O-64!" 

Reema scoured her card. "Oh, I got it!" She gave her card a stamp -- it was a big picture of a pair of ruby red lips. 

"I got it too!" Cassie repeated. 

"The next number is...I should really get a drum roll for these announcements, eh ... G-52!" 

Reema punched her card. "Yesss!!" 

The first round was a lot of fun. Reema got into the spirit of things. Sadly, her initial success didn't last. Eventually, someone else jumped up and yelled, "BINGO!" 

Reema pouted, "Oh, damn it!" 

"It's fine, we'll win next time," Cassie counselled, noting Reema's increasingly foul mouth. "This is fun though, right?" 

Reema coyly smiled. "It would be even funner if we won..." 

Shirley awarded the prize to a guy wearing an ironic trucker hat. "I'm sure you and a special lady will have lots of fun with those...watch out for the sugar rush, though!" 

Reema didn't actually win the next round. Or the round after that. Or even the one after THAT! She was getting antsy. She wanted to win something already! Normally, she wouldn't care about the last prize that was awarded -- a paperback copy of 50 Shades of Grey -- but competition was competition... and it was fun. She wouldn't have time to read a book like that, but wanted to at least say she won something tonight. Eventually, she was playing while standing up, hunched over the table and watching her card like a hawk. 

"Will you sit down?" Cassie advised. 

"I can't," Reema said, staring intently at the stage in anticipation of the next number. "I'm so close!" 

"B..." Shirley paused, licking her lips and circling her eyes around the room for dramatic effect. Reema held her breath and wished for double ones. "...11." 

Reema stabbed the marker down as if to put an exclamation point on her card. "BINGO!!" she yelled, completing a diagonal line. "BINGO, BINGO BINGO!!" Cassie called out along with her, hugging each other like two high school teenagers. 

With her breasts moving quite visibly in her top. Reema hurried toward the stage. Shirley held out the prize for the round, a vibrating dildo. "For you, honey, the most dangerous of weapons," she winked. 

Reema laughed on the way back to Cassie, holding it up for her to see. "What am I supposed to do with this thing?!" The sarcastic blonde took the package and played along, reading out some corny descriptions from the box. She was going to make a joke about Reema getting frustrated now that her boyfriend wasn't around, but Miguel's name didn't need to be mentioned. 

"It will go in the very back of my closet, for sure..." Reema said with a laugh. "My parents are visiting soon. They would flip out if they saw this." 

"You could always tell them not to come, you know? It is possible to 'get sick'," Cassie made quotation marks with her fingers. "...You know, like every week they want to visit!" 

Reema laughed. "No, that would be all the more reason for them to come. They'd want to take me to a doctor -- and lecture me about how I can't take care myself." 

"How'd you talk them into letting you go away for college in the first place?" Cassie asked, genuinely wanting to know. 

It was a valid question. Despite making a bullet-proof argument about Montgomery's reputation, job prospects, and the potential to jumpstart her journalism career, Reema expected her father to say no, just because he could. "Honestly, I don't even know why they let me," she shrugged. 

"Just tell them you're studying a lot right now and having visitors would interrupt your precious, precious study time..." 

Reema considered it. As overbearing as her parents were, she never thought about asking them not to come. She thought they were going to show up whether she liked it or not. But having a lot of schoolwork to do...maybe that could be a logical reason to put them off? "Hmm. Yeah..." 

The girls dropped the topic as soon as the next round of bingo began. Reema didn't win any other prizes, but she was satisfied that she could least go home with one souvenir. 

As October rolled on, Reema's schedule became increasingly busy. There were midterms to contend with, as well as the usual course readings. Cassie also dragged her to one or two social events per week. On top of that, Reema regularly exercised at the gym...two-hour sessions, four times a week! 

With so many commitments, Reema had to reluctantly scale back her extra-curriculars. She had to bow out of a couple of clubs. Saddest of all, though, she was considering stepping away from the newspaper. She would miss that, particularly because she was so good at it. To comfort herself, Reema decided that she could go back to the newspaper if and when the rest of her life settled down. 

The day after mid-terms, Reema and Cassie were back at the gym -- bouncing out of the change room in their tight sportswear -- white runners, black workout pants, and teal and pink tank tops, respectively. Cassie took a sip of water and said, "So, today is..." 

"Cardio day," Reema confidently interjected. "I know." 

With three weeks of gym trips under her belt, Reema was starting to get a handle on things. She understood the strategy of building different muscle groups each day, and the importance of cardio for burning fat, so that all the other work could show. It's like what Cassie told her: "You could do all the sit-ups in the world, but without cardio, that six pack will be no good under all that flab." 

Best of all, Reema was starting to see results. A vigorous exercise regimen had been tough on her body and seriously reduced her free time, but at least she was reaping some rewards. Cassie asked her to hop on the scale before they worked out, revealing that she had lost ten whole pounds. Cassie did caution her that rapid weight loss was to be expected at first, and to beware the dreaded 'plateau', but this was huge news! 

Reema focused on trying to impress Cassie with how much they could achieve in their hour of heart-pumping exercise. She stopped dead in her tracks, though, when she spotted a tall, tanned student -- Josh - using a treadmill nearby. She hadn't seen him since their last encounter, and was beginning to think they might never cross paths at university again. 

Reema quickly grabbed Cassie and circled back. "You know what? How 'bout we try those high-octane spinning classes you were telling me about?" 

Cassie raised an eyebrow. "OK? Those are pretty intense, Reem. You sure?" 

Reema was undeterred. "It couldn't hurt, could it?" She looked back at the fitness floor. 

Forty-five minutes later, it did hurt... a lot, but Reema took it in stride. "Woo, that kicked my butt," she sighed as she swung her legs off the exercise bike. Her chest and legs felt tight as she limped along with Cassie to go get water. She was winded as she spoke. "But that was fun. We should...try again next week...like the instructor said." 

"For sure," Cassie agreed, hiding her amusement and letting Reema take the first sip at the fountain. "After you, missy..." 

Reema bent forward, her Lycra-clad ass inadvertently sticking out. She directed the stream of water between her lips for several seconds as she took an extra long drink. Backing away from the fountain, she wiped a droplet from her mouth and caught her breath. 

"I think we should..." she began, but was quickly interrupted. 

"Hey Reema." 

That wasn't Cassie's voice. It wasn't even a female voice. Reema lifted her head and found herself standing in front of the towering, chiseled body of Josh Cameron. "Uh, hey," she uttered, trying to suppress her instinctive look of horror. 

"So you did that spin class, huh? Pretty hard stuff." 

"Oh, yeah. Thanks. I guess," she looked over at Cassie, whose eyes told her to keep talking and try to be more open. "Have you ever done it... like, spinning?" 

"No, but I run about ten clicks on off-days, so that's enough cardio for me," he smiled. 

"Oh yeah? Cool," Reema said calmly, although she couldn't help noticing he was trying to show off. "I never knew you planned on going to Montgomery, by the way?" She looked to Cassie, who nodded in approval. 

"Yeah, well, a basketball scholarship didn't exactly hurt with that kind of decision." 

"Yeah," Reema said, forcing a smile. So that's how he got in. She tried to think of a way to politely continue, but she couldn't fake this small talk anymore. Josh was a jerk, and she didn't want to kiss his ring or be nice to him. 

As an awkward silence loomed, the high school basketball star terminated the conversation. "Anyway, I just needed a drink," he said, sidestepping Reema to take a drink from the fountain. "See you around, K?" 

After Josh left, Cassie chimed in, "Holy shit! A scholarship? Those things are like really hard to get!" 

"Yeah..." Reema flatly acknowledged. Scholarship or no scholarship, she didn't feel like it negated Josh's cocky, holier-than-thou attitude. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't stand him. She remembered Miguel's humiliation in the cafeteria again. Reema dropped her arms and candidly sounded off, "I'm sorry, I just can't get past what a douche he was to everyone." 

Cassie patted her friend's arm, which was on its way to developing some muscle tone. "Reema, you're going to exhaust yourself with negativity. It's like I said. People change. People grow..." 

Reema was still shaken while listening to Cassie's words. She desperately wanted to dislike Josh and be done with it, but Cassie was making good points. Maybe he wasn't actually boasting. Maybe she was just projecting what she wanted to see, so that she could properly hate her boyfriend's tormenter. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy now. He did say 'hello' after all - twice. Reema's head hurt; she didn't know what to think. 

"And you really have to give everybody a shot, Reema. At least one chance... or you'll end up like the anti-social snob who everyone hates." 

Reema blinked, offering a half-smile. She was still undecided about Josh Cameron, and Cassie could sense it. She rubbed her arm again. "Listen, I know it's hard to take the high road right now. C'mon, let's hit the sauna..." 

Still lost in self-doubt, Reema managed to smile for all the welcoming faces she passed on their way. As they entered the steamy room, Cassie said, "I can't believe how nice his arms were, though..." 




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 04



Reema said nothing, instead remembering her upcoming plans. "Oh, by the way. I won't be around this weekend. I'm visiting Miguel." 

"I am sure I'll manage," Cassie said, nonplussed. "Do what you have to do." With that frank acknowledgement, the girls sat quietly in the sauna for a while, then hit the showers. 

When the weekend hit, Reema was anxious to get away and visit Miguel. At noon, she boarded a bus that was bound for his university. She dressed for comfort on the three-hour ride -- baggy sweatpants, a cozy grey sweater, and white sneakers. All items from her old wardrobe. Just what Miguel expected to see. 

The long trek also gave Reema a chance to catch up on some homework and read her novel. She started an English essay, but couldn't get into it. Leisure reading didn't do the trick, either. She ended up connecting to the bus's Wi-Fi, surfing the internet, and making a playlist on Spotify. 

After several minutes, Reema's thoughts began to drift. Miguel hardly knew about any of the activities she had done over the last month. She was working out hard at the gym. She was going to campus pub nights. She'd been socializing -- a lot. She'd had her first experience drinking, and actually got drunk more than once. 

Worst of all, Reema had run into Miguel's high school tormenter and even talked to him on a couple occasions! She and Miguel never discussed Josh or the cafeteria incident at all. It wasn't worth reliving. She decided not to mention Josh in any of her recent texts or Skype calls with Miguel because it would only be a burden. He had a heart of gold and didn't need the extra anxiety. 

Reema basically resolved not to tell him anything. It was better not to taint their weekend with potentially awkward news. She just wanted to spend time with her boyfriend -- a normal weekend together. She closed her laptop, put it away, and retrieved her jacket. Draping it over herself, she fell asleep. 

When Reema woke, she was in a different town, at a different university. Stepping off the bus, she saw Miguel dressed in a light blue windbreaker. He wore that thing all throughout high school, never replacing it. His hair was damp from the light showers that morning. Brown wisps of hair were matted to his tanned forehead, and droplets of rain dotted his glasses. His brown eyes lit up as he stepped towards Reema. 

"Hey!" he enthused. They shared brief but meaningful hug. "Here, let me get that for you." He lifted Reema's bag off her shoulder. She noticed him labouring and asked if he was OK. Miguel laughed and made a joke about her having bricks in there. Maybe she packed a little heavier than the last time she visited, but she didn't think that would make it hard for Miguel to carry. 

"How are you?!" she excitedly asked. 

"Good!" Miguel confirmed. "Have you eaten? Are you hungry?" 

"Very," Reema smiled as they began walking to his room. 

Miguel couldn't be mistaken for anyone with natural athletic ability -- or even learned athletic ability. His torso was thin, his arms were thin, and his legs were especially thin. Regardless of his actual physical capability, he also didn't look like a powerful guy. The most active thing that Miguel did outside of gym class (which he quit as soon as it wasn't mandatory) was occasionally playing paintball. He had awkward posture and leaned forward when he walked. If not for the orthotics that reduced his flat-footedness, his strides would be even more off balance than they already were. 

Miguel's dorm room was a lot more minimalistic than Reema's. Literally, it was just a bed and a desk. He lived neatly enough, although it felt like crammed quarters. He set down her bag and explained that this environment fuelled his 'laborious monk' mentality. 

"Yeah, there aren't many distractions," he commented as Reema looked around the room. His desk was littered with stacks of textbooks, half-finished bottles of soda, and open boxes of Ritz crackers. His laptop was running some kind of software she didn't recognize. 

"Hmm, still? Do you talk to your floor mates here?" 

"Well, the guy next door said 'hi' one day when we were stepping out of our rooms." She knew it was Miguel's attempt at sarcastic humour, but it seemed sadly realistic to her. He quizzed her about her own classmates. "Have you seen anyone we know at Montgomery? I know Winston goes there." 

Reema's skin jumped. There it was. She saw the oblivious look on his face. She had to spare him the distress. They were supposed to have a normal, relaxing weekend. Parting her dry, unglossed lips, she lied, "Oh, uh, no. I haven't actually. There are a lot of people on campus, though..." 

"Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense. Big school," he shrugged. "I can give you Winston's number and maybe you can hang?" 

"Uh yeah, maybe. That might be cool... Hey, what's this?" 

She asked him about what she saw on his computer screen. Miguel was happy to say that he was learning to apply design principles to real-life projects, and this was just practice for their end-of-term project. He and few other classmates would design a real product for an engineering firm. He leaned over Reema's chair and clicked through the pictures on screen, showing her all of the product's features. Miguel was such an eager guy when it came to this stuff. It made him so happy. Reema really didn't have to bring up Josh. She was washing her hands of that completely. 

Miguel's stomach started grumbling -- loudly. They both stopped and laughed. "I was going to ask if you wanted to eat, but I guess I'm hungry too," he chuckled. He proposed that they order a pizza and hunker down with a movie. 

"Sounds like a plan," Reema concurred. That was about as normal as it got. "Oh! I brought something!" 

"You did?" Miguel keenly inquired, watching her reach for her bag. He kept an eye on her hands to see what she would fish out. Then he saw her hoodie ride up, revealing her sweatpants were also hanging low. 

The dark fabric of Reema's underwear peeked above her sweats. She shifted again, rummaging through her bag. Miguel saw how the underwear fabric narrowed as it plunged into her pants. As he examined the satiny black whale tail, his skin jumped. That was a thong! Undoubtedly, it was a thong. Miguel went from excitement to confusion. He wondered if he was missing something? Did Reema intend to tell him about that later -- as another surprise? Was there a special occasion he forgot? 

"I'm pretty sure I put it in my bag anyways..." Reema said, oblivious to Miguel's thoughts. "Maybe I forgot. I was in a rush today..." 

To be sure, Miguel liked what he saw. The panties were attractive. But that wasn't really the issue. They were nothing like he'd seen Reema wear before. It wasn't her style -- and he would know. Reema was an amazing girl, but not an adventurous one. She didn't wear skimpy underwear. 

Reama straightened herself. "Uh, sorry. Guess I forgot it. I was going to bring you a book on -- hey, what's wrong?" 

"That's...new," Miguel commented, his eyes focused on her waist. It took Reema a moment to notice what he was talking about. She looked down and saw the waistband of her underwear rising above her pants. In that moment, Reema couldn't believe her own stupidity! She had purposely dressed in baggy clothes to be comfortable on the bus, but also because she knew Miguel expected to see her in sweats. That was normal for them. She deliberately left her 'new' wardrobe at home. Meaning to keep her fashion experiments a secret, she was done in by a thong. It had completely evaded her! In retrospect, she remembered only seeing thongs and sheer panties when she went to get dressed in the morning. Ever since Cassie's lecture on "panty lines" she'd opted to wear tinier underwear without even thinking about it. 

"Ah yeah, I forgot about that," she nervously laughed it off. "It was just something I picked up or something. Hey, do you want to order the pizza, or what...?" 

"Oh, right. Let's do it!" 

Miguel sat in front of the computer and brought up an online order form. "Pepperoni, green peppers, and mushrooms for the first one?" he proposed. 

Reema shook her head, her hand resting on top of his chair as she leaned over him. "Chicken instead of pepperoni. And olives instead of mushrooms," she said. "...And onions instead of green peppers." 

"You changed the whole pizza, Reema." 

She giggled. "I know." 

"OK," he laughed back. "Next one... All meat?" 

"Sure! Who needs clean arteries?" she teased him. Reema wasn't going to tell Miguel about her healthy eating habits, either. This would be a 'cheat' weekend for her. It would kind of balance things out... like having a Relaxation Day after a night of karaoke and drinking. Well, sort of like that. 

"Clean arteries are overrated!" Miguel quipped back, finally submitting their order. The pizza tracker graphic informed them that someone at Dominos was already preparing their pizza. 

Twenty five minutes later -- just as the tracker predicted -- their two pies and Cokes arrived. Miguel insisted that Reema stay in his room while he went down and paid for it. While he was gone, Reema cursed herself again. How could she have been so careless? She'd made a point of leaving her makeup at home, too. Was it too late to change clothes now? No, that would just make things worse...she was already in deep trouble. The best plan was just not to draw any further attention to the underwear issue. She felt guilty about the secrecy -- as well as not being able to tell Miguel about Josh or pretty much anything else in her social life right now -- but, as Cassie would say, this was the best course of action. 

Boxes in hand, Miguel walked upstairs still bewildered. He wanted to get the pizza alone because he needed to think. Should he say something about the sexy underwear his super-smart girlfriend was wearing? Maybe she was experimenting? Maybe it wasn't a big deal after all. Reema certainly acted like it wasn't. 

Who was he kidding -- it was definitely a big deal! 

As he backed into the dorm room, he decided he would let her speak first. If she wanted to talk about it, then it must mean something. "I've got pie!" 

Reema, now sitting on his bed, savoured the great aroma. "Ooooo, can't wait!" Miguel set the boxes and drinks on a side table and cracked them open. Reema gazed at the pie intently, "Mmmmmm...that pizza look so good..." It also looked greasy, but she was committed to maintaining her traditions with Miguel, and at least the 'cheat' calories would be enjoyable. 

"How's the newspaper going?" he asked. 

Reema swallowed a bite. "Good. I've got a few articles to edit when I get back tomorrow night." That part was true, but she didn't mention her plans to pass over the reins to someone else. She also didn't let on how jam-packed her life was with other courses, being out of Cassie, and being at the gym. "So what are we watching tonight?" 

"I was thinking we brush up on The Walking Dead to get ready for the new season," he eagerly opined, happy with his suggestion and thinking she would be appreciative of it. 

"Oh yeahhh...that starts soon, doesn't it? I haven't been paying attention." 

Miguel thought it was odd that she wasn't keeping up, but attributed that to Reema being distracted by her studies. "Oh well, next week!" he allowed, reaching for another pizza slice. 

Reema nodded along. Internally, she wasn't sure if she would be able to tune in at all. If she did watch TV next week, it would likely be with Cassie, and they would probably choose something pointless like Sophie and Shannon. Or, maybe pointless wasn't the right word. Those shows did serve some purpose to them. Reema took a second slice and accepted another can of Coke from Miguel. 

After eating, the couple sat in bed in front of Miguel's laptop as Season 4 of The Walking Dead played on screen. Each oblivious to the other, they were both thinking about the same topic. Neither was going to say anything, though, even if their thoughts were both centered on Reema's thong -- the proverbial elephant in the room. 

"You OK?" Miguel asked at a random moment, breaking the silence. 

Reema turned to him. "Hmm? Yeah. Why?" 

Miguel shook his head, "Just checking. It's just quiet." 

"The show is kind of intense," she sweetly reminded him. 

They went through three episodes, then four, then five. With each passing installment, Reema's energy levels depleted. A three-hour bus ride (even after a nap) and a huge feast of junk food added to her drowsiness. She reclined further and rested her head on Miguel's shoulder. When she yawned and nestled into his neck, he swung his arm around her. She responded by resting a hand on his chest. He was staying passive and not asking any weird questions. That was good. 

It was already clear that Reema's 'status quo' with Miguel couldn't always complement the new frontiers she was exploring with Cassie. His excited reaction to seeing her in a thong felt especially problematic, even if she couldn't fully articulate why. She just knew she didn't want Miguel asking questions that could lead in weird or uncomfortable directions. 

Reema's eye alternated between open and shut. She hit the point where the images and words on the screen were just a meaningless blur. She became alert during a scary moment, but even a raid of zombies wasn't enough to hold her attention. She ended up dozing off again. 

Holding Reema and feeling close to her again, Miguel wondered if he was overthinking things. Perhaps there was nothing going on after all. The Reema in his arms felt like the girl he used to hold during lunch breaks and at school dances. He thought about the thong he knew she was wearing under her sweatpants. It didn't make sense, but perhaps he shouldn't attach too much importance to it, either. 

Miguel looked down and noticed the air faintly passing through Reema's nostrils. Disappointed, but understanding she was only human, he paused the video and gingerly moved out from under her. Gently laying her head on the pillow and removing her glasses, he nimbly lifted himself and the computer off the bed. 

It was just after 10 PM and Miguel wasn't ready to call it a night. He eventually found himself toiling away at some homework while occasionally delving into World of Warcraft. Despite Reema coming to visit, this Saturday felt very familiar in terms of its solitariness. He nibbled on a remaining pizza crust and fulfilled a WoW mission. He had to admit, the bedroom seemed pretty lonely right now. His wonderful girlfriend was lying on the bed in a thong, and he was playing fantasy computer games. 

Sometime later, Reema stirred. Slowly opening her eyes, she took a moment to figure out where she was. She saw a blurry form was sitting at a desk -- Miguel. "Hey, you stopped watching the show..." she said. 

He swirled around in his chair. "So did you," he smiled. 

"What time is it?" she asked with a sleepy grin. 

"Almost midnight." 

"Oh, OK," Reema said, rolling over and resuming her sleep. Miguel swivelled back, focusing on his Paladin character again. 

The next time Reema awoke, it was morning. She rolled over in what she found to be an empty bed. After sitting up and wiping her eyes, she reached to the nightstand for her glasses. With her vision restored, she saw an empty room. A few moments later, the door opened and Miguel popped in. 

"Where'd you go?" she asked. 

He held up two coffees. "Breakfast!" 

"You're so sweet," she thanked him, accepting a Styrofoam cup as he passed it to her. Miguel took a bag from his coat pocket and handed that to her, too. 

"It's just butter on a plain bagel. There's oddly not much selection on Sundays," he explained, smiling. 

"That's alright," she said. Part of her just wanted to come clean about everything -- Josh, Cassie, the socializing, the new wardrobe, the thong under her sweats. But that thought was fleeting. It wasn't realistic, and departed almost as soon as it came. Reema did feel guilty for sleeping through much of their weekend, however. "Sorry about last night. I was super tired." 

Miguel shrugged it off. "It's OK. That happens." 

Reema took a conservative bite from her bagel. "What are the showers like around here?" 

"Well, they fixed some of the grime in the stalls before you came," he said with a sly smile. 

Reema grimaced. "That doesn't give me a lot of confidence." 

"Hey, we can't all have personalized Montgomery bathrooms, OK?" Miguel teased. Reema maintained her unimpressed stare -- half playing along, but also seriously desiring some sanitary conditions. He finally admitted, "I'm sure you'll be fine." 

Reema finished the rest of her bagel and grabbed her bag. "Great. I'll be back in a bit!" She left the room and padded down the hall. 

Miguel was alone again, which was fine, because Reema had every right to take a shower. Unfortunately, she had been very liberal in her definition of 'a bit'. As far as Miguel remembered, Reema didn't take particularly long showers. Fifteen minutes became twenty minutes, which then became half an hour. 

In about 45 minutes, Reema came back wearing a fresh set of clothes -- a university sweater and a loose pair of jeans. She had replaced the thong with less adventurous underwear, too -- a regular pair of blue panties. 

"You smell great," Miguel commented, noticing the lilac body spray. 

Reema giggled. "Thanks." 

For their last afternoon, the plan was to watch a movie at a nearby multiplex. Reema didn't think that would be Miguel's preferred activity, given their limited time together. But if he wanted to sit silently for a couple hours, she wasn't going to protest. She remembered her primary goal: keeping things as ordinary and normal as possible between her and Miguel. At least watching a movie wouldn't create a situation where they had to, well, talk a lot. 

Miguel put his arm around her and she moved closer. Other than that, they didn't interact much. Reema knew Miguel wasn't the type of guy who saw this as chance to make out with his girlfriend. He actually wanted to watch a film. Guardians of the Galaxy was a big, special effects-driven superhero movie that he was particularly eager to see. She knew she couldn't divert his attention from that. 

At the end of the picture, Miguel kept exclaiming how 'awesome' it was. Reema sheepishly agreed. She liked Marvel movies, but didn't feel totally invested in this one. They ate Thai food at the mall, then rode the bus back to Miguel's campus. They hung out a little while longer, but soon it was time for Reema to get on another bus home. 

"Well, thanks for visiting," Miguel told her as they stood at the platform. The humming coach was about to depart. "I don't know when I'll see you again... but hopefully soon!" 

"We'll figure it out. Hope I'm not too busy," she chuckled. 

Miguel concurred. "Or me!" They paused after sharing a short laugh. "Well, guess I should let you get going." 

"Yeah, that would be good. I shouldn't miss my ride," Reema said, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. She insisted on carrying it herself this time, unlike when Miguel originally picked her up. "I do have all those articles to read, after all." 

Miguel delayed before answering, "Uh... yeah. That's true." He looked up at the driver behind the windshield. "I think he wants you to get on." 

Reema pushed herself into his arms. "We'll talk soon." They kissed and then she started climbing the steps, without lingering or looking back. 

Reema settled for a row near the back. She exhaled while taking her seat. Miguel was now standing underneath her window, waving and smiling eagerly. She waved as the bus pulled out of the bay. When he was out of eyesight, she leaned back and emitted another sigh. She would definitely have some stories for Cassie next week.



Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 05



Chapter V

"Eh, like, I wouldn't worry about it too much. Man, I really need to get myself to a salon."

"Really? It was pretty embarrassing. I never wore anything like that around him."

Cassie sighed, briefly looking up from her nails. "Look, if that freaks him out, I can tell he's got issues."

Reema pursed her lips as she chose her words. "It's not so much that it freaked him out... It kinda freaked me out."

"Did he say anything?"

"Um. No..."

"Then you're good!" Reema wore an antsy expression that told Cassie she still wasn't pacified. The blonde reluctantly continued. "Listen, you're not doing yourself any favours obsessing over it. It happened. It's done. Move on, forget about it. Don't even think about him."

Reema considered these adamant words. Her fashion mishap with Miguel and the thong continued to weigh on her. She'd failed in her mission to keep things totally 'status quo' between them. But Cassie was right: other than Miguel noticing her underwear that day, he hadn't broached the topic again. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she acquiesced, "why kill myself over-analyzing?"

"I know I'm right," Cassie narcissistically agreed, flashing a cute smile that put Reema at ease. "Now, do we wanna get started on this stupid assignment?"

"Yeah, sure." While Reema retrieved the appropriate textbook, Cassie informed her that she hadn't completed the required reading yet. Reema placed her book in front of them. Cassie still hadn't located hers.

"Can I borrow? I think I forgot mine," she explained. Reema shook her head and smiled. "You never have your book when you come over!" Then she paused and thought it, "...or in class either, either."

"Tell you a secret?" Cassie leaned in and dropped her voice. "I stopped bringing my books a long time ago. I figured it was better just to share." She finished with a wink.

"Oh. That's more, economic?" Reema guessed.

"Yeah. Something like that."

As the girls set to work, Reema still had Cassie's study habits in mind. She was always sharing someone else's book -- usually a member of the opposite sex. Reflecting on her own experiences lately, Reema considered that boys in class were also joking around and making more small talk with her. She had become a lot more social. That seemed like the mature thing to do. They said 'hello' to her now, made comments about the professors, and referred to her by name -- which hadn't always been the case in high school.

A few minutes later, Cassie punctuated the silence in the room. "Break time!"

Reema looked up from her textbook and gauged the time. It had barely been fifteen minutes.

"So, know what you're wearing on Friday?!" the blonde inquired.

A 90s themed pub night was coming up. Reema had Googled some costume ideas, but to no avail. She still didn't know what to do! The lack of ideas almost made her not want to go. "Um, yeah, I was looking at some stuff... I'm not sure. Honestly, I'm not good at dressing up."

"Yes you are. The tights you've been wearing to class, the little makeup touches today... I see what you're doing. You're a star, Reem," Cassie said. Reema soaked up the praise. She actually had made an effort to dress well that day. She was wearing a snug pair of shorts and crazy purple tights. Cassie went on, a fresh idea occurring to her. "I knowww, why don't you be Kelly Kapowski? It's pretty much all denim...or florals...or denim and florals!"

Reema giggled, "I loved Saved by the Bell!"

"There you go!"

After high-fiving in a way that left Cassie secretly mortified, they planned an outfit, guided mainly by Cassie's suggestions. Once again, the plan would require a shopping trip to buy more clothing and accessories. Reema still wasn't comfortable roaming around shopping malls looking for clothes, but with such a fun reason to go, she couldn't object.

"By the way..." Cassie interjected, "...have you ever thought about switching to contact lenses?"

"Well, not really. Maybe... kind of?" Reema shakily asserted. "I... Think I should?"

Cassie removed the glasses from Reema's face. She held her phone up to the anxious journalism student. "Smile!"

It wasn't like Reema had never seen herself without glasses. Because she was wearing eyeliner and other makeup to accentuate her features, however, she looked better than usual at the moment. Cassie turned the phone around and gushed over the picture she took. "See, this would totally bring out your eyes."

"Hmm," Ree pondered aloud. With her blurry vision, she still couldn't see the photo too clearly. Squinting, she considered whether to make contacts a permanent thing? It would be a major departure from her usual style. She had always worn glasses -- always. But change could sometimes be a positive thing, she reasoned.

"Are you going to admire yourself all night, or get back to studying here?" Cassie playfully interrupted.

Reema shook her head and apologized. "Sorry. What page are we on?"

A few days later, the girls followed through with their shopping trip, raiding the aisles of various thrift stores to find retro items to complete their outfits. Afterward, they stopped by the optometrist's office, conveniently located on campus. They learned that basic eye care was covered under the university health plan. Waiting to see a doctor, Reema confided, "My parents are going to explode when they find out."

Cassie laughed, refraining from making further comments. Behind her Cheshire grin, she mused that they would be freaking out about a whole lot of things... once she was done with Reema.

Although somewhat nervous, Reema also felt giddy. It had all come together so fast. With little premeditation, she was shedding the bifocals that had been such a defining part of her image and her life.

A young female doctor inspected her eyesight. Reema conversed with her throughout the appointment. She was a former Montgomery graduate, which gave Reema optimism about her own future success. And she was super nice. The woman talked about the first time she personally switched to contacts. In the doctor's words, it was the 'best decision' she ever made.

Reema left the office with a prescription for contact lenses and a heightened sense of confidence. Unfortunately, the lenses wouldn't be ready for another week, so she couldn't test them out at 90s Night.

Reema powered through the rest of her classes and coursework for the week. She liked going out with Cassie, but tried not to think about socializing while fulfilling her academic commitments. She realized that meeting new people and putting herself out there was an important part of university, but didn't want to jeopardize the main goal: getting an education. Thus, she made efforts to keep her social routine separate from her academic priorities. This was harder, of course, when she had to study with Cassie -- whose comments frequently centered on their next weekend outing.

90s Night felt different for Reema. Maybe it was the theme itself, or the prospect of dressing up. Either way, her weekend plans kept popping into her thoughts. She was quietly excited.

After capping their week with a strenuous workout at the gym, the girls regrouped in Cassie's dorm room to prepare for the big Friday night event. Although they were both born at the tail end of the decade -- and didn't experience many 90s fads first-hand -- they still cranked some 90s music, shared nostalgic stories, and reminisced about what the decade must have been like.

"There were no cellphones back then," Reema pointed out. Feeling the need to correct herself, she added, "No wait. There were... because they were invented in the 80s. But they were like, super rare... and a big deal!"

"Hellooo...?? Zack Morris!" Cassie comically blurted out.

Reema laughed. "I know, right? Can you imagine? All those shows and movies... 'Friends', 'Seinfeld'... they didn't have cell phones. Now, today, everything has cell phones!"

"That's so interesting!" Cassie cheered, trying hard to sound excited. Even when she talked about pop culture, Reema could drone on like such a know-it-all. "Hey, anyways... Wardrobe?"

"Yeah!" Reema concurred, eager to model her vintage attire.

Cassie picked out a pink and blue floral top, some acid wash jeans, and a modest pair of white heels. With pants like those, Reema knew a thong would also be involved. She didn't think twice about it -- small, discrete underwear was just part of wardrobe now.

Reema put on the intentionally dated garments, earning instant praise from Cassie. "O. M. G... you look soooo good!!"

Reema giggled. "Really??"

"Yeah! Those jeans look wicked!"

The brown girl agreed. The style was pretty familiar to her -- a bit tight, but still comfortable. Reema enjoyed the funky vintage aesthetic. She did have reservations, however, about the top half of the outfit.

Reema approved the way the colorful top looked on her chest, but didn't like how the shirt stopped short of meeting her pants. There was an inch of exposed skin around her stomach. It helped that weeks of exercise at the gym left her with much less 'muffin top' than would usually be spilling out of a skimpier style of top, but the midriff look still made her uncomfortable.

Cassie had oddly discouraged her from trying on this shirt at the mall. Instead, she opted to drape it over Reema's body for a 'quick test'. Thus, Reema never noticed how it actually fit. "I think it's a little short," she weakly laughed as Cassie adjusted the top.

The blonde fashion expert immediately noticed how tight it hugged Reema's bust, but kept the observation to herself. "What? It's perfect." She anticipated the objections that would be coming next, "I already know what you're going to say. It's not a big deal if a bit of your tummy is showing. It's barely noticeable."

"I know, but there were girls in high school who were always trying to look cool and show their stomachs and everything, even though it was against the dress code," Reema defended. She never saw the point in trying to dress above one's age.

Cassie shook her head. "You talk like you're a high schooler who just happens to be at a university. Adjust your thinking, Reem. You're in university now. Be a university girl."

Having no retort, Reema said nothing. She watched her blonde friend return to the closet. "Plus, if you still wanna be reserved, I've got this sweet jacket," Cassie beamed. She flipped the jacket around to show it had an embossed pink flower on the back.

"Ah!" Reema awed, feeling the flower. "When did we get that?"

"We didn't... I already own it," Cassie said. "But it's yours now!" She held it open for Reema to slide her arms in. The jacket was long enough to squash her midriff concerns -- her navel could barely be seen!

For her own costume, Cassie paid tribute to the Alicia Silverstone character from Clueless. As Cher Horowitz, she wore a preppy blue blouse and a grey plaid skirt, along with tall white socks. After applying more makeup and restyling their hair, the two campy 90s characters slipped on some footwear, grabbed their purses, and departed the student residence. Cassie snapped a cute picture en-route to publish on Instagram.

Walking inside a local campus watering hole (after sneakily bypassing the line-up outside), Reema was struck by the liveliness of the event. Everyone's retro outfits looked so creative! She saw a lot of ripped denim, flannel in all permutations of color and plaid, and even some parachute pants. The latter were Reema's favourite -- they were so wacky!

Reema was getting used to a particular vibe that set in whenever she hung out with Cassie. Whatever they did, it seemed to turn out fun, never lead to disappointments, and always give Reema a feeling of being valuable and interesting to other people.

"Wow, check out her hair?" Reema nudged Cassie, pointing at a girl who'd styled her tresses into the perfect Rachel Green hairdo from Friends.

 "Awesome! Let's grab our drinks and sit down," the Blomshell instructed, heading over to a crowd of people surrounding the bartender.

Along the way, Cassie noticed a guy dressed like Vanilla Ice eyeing the wide backside of her friend. She turned to Reema and raised her voice, "Wow, Reem! I can't believe you pulled off that outfit so well!!"

Reema chuckled. "Right?"

"I mean, who's more classic than Kelly Kapowski?" Cassie added. The guy turned to face them now.

"Nooobody," Reema humoured her with a laugh.

He interjected. "I have to agree. Although Rachel does come close, as far as 90s babes go!"

Reema looked him up and down. He had a blonde, flattop hairstyle, with lines shaved into the sides. He wore a bold star spangled jacket and some baggy, American flag-pattern pants. Reema loved the effort he put into his costume. She also understood his comment about Kelly and Rachel. "I think they were both cool... in their own ways!"

He hungrily studied the front of her outfit. The neckline on her floral top was round and wide. Peeking out the top was a touch of cleavage. His eyes trailed down to Reema's waist and hips, which protruded attractively in the vintage jeans Cassie had picked out.

"I really like your costume!!" Reema said, making eye contact with the poor man's Rob Van Winkle.

"Thanks! I got most of my clothes from the theater department! But it's nothing compared to yours," he conceded. "You really went all out."

"Huh, me? No! You did!"

"I like yours better. I mean look at that jacket. Oh shit, I didn't even see the earrings!"

Reema grinned, feeling her pink, circular accessories. They were the biggest hoop earrings she could find, trying to match Kelly Kapowski's light blue ones. She was glad somebody noticed the resemblance!

"Hehe. Let's compromise and say we both did a good job?" Reema asked, touching her silky black hair.

"Deal," he agreed, giving a firm, ironic nod.

They both saw Cassie sashaying back with a couple of drinks in hand. She sized up the imitation rapper and said nothing to him -- but didn't object to his presence, either. "Let's go find some place to hang, 'kay Reem?"

Before Reema knew it, their conversation was over. Cassie brushed her elbow, escorting her away. "Nice to meet you!" she called over shoulder. As they walked to another group of tables, she confided in her friend, "Wow, he was really nice!!"

"Think so?" Cassie chuckled, pointing to some empty seats. "Here?"

Reema eyed the table in front of them. There was a half-full pitcher of beer and a couple of glasses around it. "Uh, aren't people sitting here already?"

Cassie dismissed the idea, already sliding into a chair. "I don't see any placeholders, do you? You snooze you lose! Coming?"

Surrendering the point, Reema took the next closest seat. As they resumed drinking, she told Cassie more about her conversation with Vanilla Ice. "We had a whole 'it's not me, it's you' thing going on... about who looked better," she giggled.

"Oh yeah?" Cassie tried to match her friend's enthusiasm over the essentially meaningless anecdote.

Reema craned her head to scan the bar. "I wonder where he went..."

"I'm sure he's around," Cassie promised. In truth, her own scan of the premises located him standing beside the dartboards. "Don't worry about it. I want you to tell me how many days until we finish our freakin' classes!"

"I know, right?" Reema groaned. "I think it's six, or seven weeks, or something like that. And then exams, of course."

"Ugh. Help."

Reema smiled. "We're in this together, Cher."

Cassie held up her glass, "Cheers to that..."

Before they could drink, two young men appeared in front of them. They were both on the shorter side, and seemed visibly impressed by the girls they were approaching. One of them grabbed the half-full pitcher on the table. "I'll just get this out of your way," he said, meekly shifting his eyes to Reema's chest.

"Oh, were you sitting here?" Reema asked, lifting her ample bum and pointing to her chair.

"Yeah, but don't worry about it," he confirmed, backing away with the unfinished container of ale. "You're here now."

"Are you sure?" Reema asked again.

He was adamant as he looked square at her body. "Yeah, no worries." His friend collected their pint glasses, taking an uncomfortable final look at the curves beneath Reema's floral top. With a gracious 'good night', he followed his buddy, presumably in search of another table.

"I told you someone was sitting here," Reema chided Cassie as the two boys scuttled away.

"And I told you it wasn't a big deal!" her blonde friend laughed back.

"It was nice of them to let us have their table, though," Reema admitted, starting to release her guilt. "Really nice, actually."

"And selfless!" Cassie nodded, stifling a laugh. She was enjoying a lot of comedy lately, seeing the world through Reema's still majorly confused eyes.

Cassie switched topics, announcing that she was close to winning a big discount from one of her Rewards cards at an upscale store in the mall. She went on to tell Reema what kinds of purchases would be necessary -- and how many -- to fulfill her 'shopping destiny'. It was just filler talk, and Cassie knew it. Reema was sipping on her drink and giving the occasional nod, but it was clear she was distracted, just as Cassie intended.

The Blomshell kept the conversation going, enabling Reema's curiosity to intensify. The nervous energy building up in Reema caused her to drink her cocktail at a faster pace. Cassie watched as she rapped her fingers on the glass, frequently tilting it to her painted red lips. She replied to the small talk with a few 'oh yeahs' and 'I knows', but Cassie knew Reema was too preoccupied to fully understand the gist of her words... especially with several lime daiquiris clouding her thoughts.

When the brown girl turned around to look the other way again, Cassie finally announced, "Damn it, Reema, do you wanna go look for him?"

Reema was surprised, but immediately lit up. She clasped her hands together. "Can we, please??"

"Only if we pick up more drinks first!"

That was an acceptable compromise. As Reema looked at her cocktail, she saw it was empty. On the way to the bar, she removed her tight jean jacket and hung it over the chair. The venue was getting humid with all the bodies inside. She felt more refreshed minus the additional layer of denim.

Reema faltered as she stood up, experiencing a rush of blood to the head. As soon as she regained her balance, her phone started vibrating. It was Miguel. Although Cassie was too far away to notice, Reema decided not to take the call. She discreetly stuffed the device back into her coat pocket, letting it go to voicemail. Rushing to catch up with her friend, Cassie was soon handing her another daiquiri filled to the brim.

"I think I saw him over there," Cassie observed. That comment sent them winding through the crowd, drinks in hand, tracking down the elusive Vanilla Ice. A strange thought occurred to Reema. For the first time in years, she was having a positive - even thrilling - experience, and she didn't immediately want to tell Miguel. In fact, she wasn't sure she would ever want to share it with him. That was a surreal concept. Yet she still didn't feel guilty or depressed... just slightly confused. Seeing Cassie wave her finger and point, Reema quickly shrugged off her internal revelry.

They found Vanilla Ice standing by the dartboards again, having a one-on one-contest with a guy in a David Hasselhoff costume. The white rapper took a swig of beer, put it on the table, and prepared for his turn.

"Going for double score right here!" he boasted.

"Whatever, Bro," his lifeguard friend taunted him.

The Ice Man shrugged and said he was about to take him to 'school'. He twirled a dart between his fingers and stepped behind a line of tape on the floor. Spreading his baggy pants, he squared his shoulders and lifted his hand.




Deconstructing the Nerd Ch. 05



"No pressure," mocked the lifeguard.

The faux music star closed one eye. "Of course. I got this." As she sipped on her citrus cocktail, Reema internally rooted for him. In one motion, he pumped his forearm and propelled the dart into the second-smallest ring on the board.

"BAM!!!" He went right for his beer. "Lucky we didn't bet on that one, Swimsuit Boy!" Reema watched him take a drink and laugh at his friend. She did an internal cheer of her own.

The lifeguard shooed him aside. Reema thought he was cute, too. His short, wavy blonde hair pretty much qualified him to be on the TV show. "Less talk... more action." He executed a respectable throw. The game went on as they continued trading rapid-fire shots at the board, and at each other.

"So...?" Cassie commented on the proceedings.

Reema shook her head as she watched. "So? I'm watching them play."

"Yeah, like that's why you desperately wanted to come over." Cassie clasped her hands, pretending to beg. "'Can we, pleeaaase?'"

"Huh? I didn't even want to talk to them," Reema turned to her friend. "They have to finish playing."

The girls watched for a while. Vanilla Ice was really good. Reema eyed him carefully, noticing more information. He had very becoming features, a significant level of confidence, and an obvious proficiency with bar games. Most of all, he didn't take things too seriously.

As she watched him strut over to take another drink, she decided that his confidence was actually closer to cockiness. Curiously, that quality had historically been a pet peeve to her -- in men especially. He lifted the beer glass to his mouth, pausing to look around. His gaze passed by Reema and Cassie, then circled back to their vicinity. He looked directly at Reema. The girl's skin jumped.

"Hey, it's Kelly Kapowski!" he hollered at her. He walked over and Reema felt her nervous energies double. She maintained a pleasant expression, though. "So we meet again." He nodded at Cassie, as well.

Reema smiled back, her confidence returning. "Seems like it! You're really good at this!"

"It's easy when you're playing against this guy," he pointed to his competitor. He made a gesture opening and closing his fingers, imitating a talking mouth, "...Especially when he does lots of this." Reema laughed.

"Hey! I beat you last round, pal!!" his swimsuit-clad adversary pointed out, much to the pretty girls' amusement.

Sensing an opportunity, Cassie jumped in, "Sounds like you need some help there, Hoff..."

"Oh, he does," Vanilla Ice concurred. The lifeguard accepted this suggestion, then offered one of his own. "How about me and Kapowski versus you and Clueless over there?"

"Works for us," Cassie agreed, making eye contact with the musical Caucasian. Just like that, the one-on-one contest became a team affair. Each girl was handed a dart.

Cassie threw hers first. She drew her hand back and launched the projectile at the board. It landed on the outer rim, scoring a few points for her team. Her partner applauded with an energetic fist-pump. "Your turn," she gamely smiled at Reema.

Reema stood behind the line on the floor and studied her target. The dart wobbled in her hand. She lifted it, and loosely threw it toward the wall. It hit the wooden frame on the edge of the board, then fell to the ground.

"Mm, Reema. Maybe you could... try hitting the board next time?" Cassie teased.

"I did hit it..." she sheepishly answered, uttering the first words that came to mind.

The boys prompted each girl to try again. Cassie confidently took her place, giving an even better throw than the first time. Her dart actually landed near the centre ring.

Baywatch boy approved. "BAM!!! That's how it's done!" He high-fived Cassie and beckoned his white rapper friend. "Your turn, Boy-o!"

Even in her hazy state of mind, Reema felt the pressure. She wanted to make this shot. Cassie was amazing and knowledgeable about everything, so obviously she could throw darts! But Reema didn't want to be shown up here.

"Don't worry about that ass clown. Just do your thing," the star spangled 90s icon told her. "Just concentrate."

Concentrate? That would be a task! Reema steadied herself in front of the board. The dart rolled between her fingers. She fixed her gaze on the target, even as the stripes and circles of the bull's-eye danced uneasily against the wall. She had to focus. On top of her visual struggles, she was also vaguely aware of a hand grazing her hip and wrapping around her thigh. In a clearer state of mind, this might have felt inappropriate, but she was too preoccupied to give it any critical thought.

"Just concentrate," the voice -- Vanilla's voice -- repeated behind her. His large frame was pressing against her. He trailed his fingers down her thigh, resting on her backside. He whispered again, "C'mon." The voice came like an echo. "Just pull your arm back, and throw it... quick and straight."

She nearly managed to do what he said! The dart arced on its way to the wall, then it stuck!

Reema shrieked. "I hit it!!" She turned around and pushed her body into his, hugging him enthusiastically. He felt her heavy chest rub against him as she hopped up and down.

To everyone watching, it seemed like an odd reaction. The dart had only reached the far edge of the board, not even at a straight angle. This excited brown girl -- drunk and wearing a seemingly random assortment of vintage clothing -- was acting like she'd hit the bull's-eye. The Ice Man had no objections, however. He continued to rub her hip and lower waist encouragingly.

As his arm trailed down her and he moved away from the gaming area, he noted in her ear, "It's getting stuffy in here. Wanna get some air?"

Without considering whether the game was technically over, Reema went along with him. She felt his hand directing her body, and felt comforted by it. "Yeah. It did get hot."

Cassie and Baywatch boy were left alone. He eyed the blonde girl intently. "Guess it's just down to us.... for some one-on-one. Right?"

Cassie knew what he had in mind, and it didn't match her plans. Peripherally, she saw Reema walk through an exit with the rapper. "Yeah. No, I'm gonna sit this one out. Have to use the bathroom." She didn't even hear the dejected 'OK' he uttered as she sidestepped the conversation.

Outside the bar, Reema's dark hair fluttered in the air. She leaned against a wall, an excellent facsimile of Vanilla Ice standing before her. Only a few inches separated them.

"A bit of oxygen feels better, yeah?" he asked.

"Much better." Reema was overheating, and found the chill in the air refreshing. Her eyes twinkled as she shifted her legs and looked up at him.

"You look gorgeous, but I don't even know your name," he said.

"It's Reema," she demurely told him.

He took a strand of her hair and played with it. "Well, Reema, I'm glad we met tonight."

"Me too," she said, feeling warmed by his comment. "What's yours?"

"Dirk," he grinned.

Reema giggled to herself. Dirk. That was a funny name. She repeated it in her mind. Dirk. It didn't even sound real.

"What's so funny?"

"Your name..."

"Like Reema is better!"

"Hey, mine means, like... gazelle. What does yours mean, Dirk?" she slurred.

He stepped toward her. There was a flutter in Reema's chest as she took a sharp breath. Dirk didn't look like he was going to give her an answer. They were so close. Her brown pupils widened as she looked at him. She locked onto his cocky expression. Dirk brushed her cheek with his hand. Instinctively, Reema tilted her head up. He wet his lips and slightly parted them. He smelled like beer. Then, he dipped forward.

As he kissed her, he rubbed his hand along her neck and through her silky hair. Reema's eyes closed. She felt him caress the side of her body, then move up her back. She returned the kiss, breathing intensely. Reema's arms weren't very active; she didn't really know what to do with them. She also felt him graze her bifocals, and for a moment wished she could be wearing her new contact lenses. Bumping into her glasses didn't seem to faze Dirk, who just moved away from the wall and pulled Reema toward him. He cradled her lower back with one hand and her shoulder blade with the other.

Reema wasn't so lost in the moment that at least part of her didn't wonder if she was doing anything wrong. Her brain struggled to figure it out. Hampered from drinking, she slowly came up with an answer. If she experienced any guilty feelings or strong negative vibes, that would be a sign she was in a bad situation. As soon as she felt a real pang of conscience, Reema resolved to quit whatever activity she was doing. As it turned out, though, no bad emotions ever surfaced. Periodically, she focused her mind and waited for them. But they never came. So she carried on, guided mainly by her instincts and the carefree momentum of the evening.

After a reflective pause, Reema looked up fondly at the tall, unfamiliar boy she was standing outside with. She felt protected in his arms. He went in for another kiss. When his tongue entered her, Reema felt surprised, but not scared. It spun around hers. She joined in.

Although it was happening on a level she couldn't fully admit, the physical pressure against Reema's breasts -- combined with all the flattery to her ego -- was generating a tremendous excitement inside her. Breaking away for a moment, Dirk suddenly said, "It means dagger, by the way."

Before she could process anything -- either his words, or his kiss -- a blonde figure caught their attention. Cassie rounded the corner, heels clattering as she waved them down.

"There you guys are," Cassie called out, feigning relief. She'd taken note of everything they were up to. She wryly thought that Reema was now engaging in activities the real 'Kelly' would be too conservative for. "What are you doing out here?"

"Just... talking," Dirk replied. He lifted his arm off Reema's back.

"It was hot inside," Reema smiled, her mouth still reliving the sensations of their kiss.

Cassie rubbed her friend's arm. "Jeez, it's cold. If I knew you were outside, I woulda brought your jacket."

"She was okay," Vanilla Ice reassured her. Cassie didn't worry about this guy posing a threat.

She looked at him, then at Reema, who seemed mesmerized by her make out session. "C'mon, let's go in." Dirk was rummaging through his pocket for a cigarette, so he wouldn't be joining them.

As they took leave of Dirk and headed indoors, Reema absentmindedly commented to herself -- loud enough for Cassie to hear, "He was nice..."

"Hey, the night's not over yet! Let's get our 90s back on, OK?"

Reema agreed. They entered the bar and found half of the patrons belting out the chorus to an Ace of Base song. Reema didn't need any prompting to join in. The girls immediately threw up their hands and began chanting the infectious, old school lyrics. It provided a fittingly drunk and clueless end to their night.

As Reema could have predicted, the 'Relaxation Day' that followed started off a bit rough. Fortunately, it wasn't as painful as her last few experiences with hangovers. Another male friend of Cassie's generously dropped off some burgers and chocolate shakes.

"Mmm, junk food. Cures what ails ya," Cassie opined as she took a bite from her Angus beef patty. "No more than twice a week, though. Moderation is your friend."

"I know," Reema agreed, adding a poetic touch of her own, "...as are you."

Cassie indulged a sly smile. "Mm," she agreed, taking another sip of milkshake. "Speaking offf... I found a GroupOn for a day at the spa. It's two-for-one. If I use it for my birthday next weekend, will you come?!!!"

"Really? Me...?"

"Who else, Reem? Getting pampered is funnn... Are you in?" she sang.

"Yeah, but I've never been," Reema admitted.

"All the more reason!" Cassie said. "It's a whole day of getting spoiled rotten -- for free! Who can say no to that... especially on my birthday!"

"Umm, fine," Reema conceded, accepting it was probably the right thing to do.

"Great!" Cassie continued, honestly not expecting any other result. "Here's how the day will go..."