The Broadmoor School for the Gifted

by ThreePointOneFour

[DISCLAIMER: If you are under legal age in your area of residence (under 18 in the United States), are offended by adult-oriented material, or live in a country or region in which such material is frowned upon, do not read any further. Text � 2003 ThreePointOneFour. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute this material in either electronic or printed form, provided all of the text in this document remains unchanged, and such redistribution is performed free of charge to the recipient.]

�Hmm��

Daniel Peterson nervously checked his watch for the umpteenth time. He had been sitting in this office for the past half hour, waiting silently, trying not to fidget too much in his seat, while the imposing-looking woman behind the desk looked down over a small stack of papers, only occasionally emitting a �hmm� or �mm-hmm� or �Okay�. He had considered asking her if she was looking for anything important, or if she had any questions for him�something to break the silence. But his nerves were already on edge as it was; he didn�t want to seem like he was trying to rush her, so he maintained his silence.

He wasn�t exactly sure what he was doing here, anyway. He had been planning to go hang out at the library, or possibly visit the museum again�his little way of celebrating the end of summer vacation before going back for his last year of high school. Instead, the school board had directed him to come to this office for a special meeting, four days before school started.

He didn�t even know where he was�he was on the campus of some private school he had never even seen before, at least from the grounds. To make matters worse, supposedly this was a girls� school; what business could he possibly have here?

�Well,� the lady behind the desk said finally, looking up at him and folding her hands on the desk. �Everything would appear to be in order.  You come very highly recommended, Mr. Peterson. Excellent grades so far, glowing comments from your teachers�even Principal Skinner says how much he�ll miss you.�

Daniel�s brow furrowed in utter confusion. What did she mean, Principal Skinner would miss him?

�I can tell you�re somewhat confused about all of this,� the woman added, trying to sound reassuring. �I assure you, there�s nothing you need to be concerned about. I�m here to answer all of your questions.� She readjusted her glasses and said, �So, where would you like to begin?�

Daniel swallowed hard, then began, �Well�excuse me for asking, Ms. Atkins, but�well, where am I?�

Ms. Atkins smiled demurely. �I had a feeling you might ask that. This�� she made a sweeping gesture with her forearms, as if to indicate the whole campus��is the Broadmoor School for the Gifted.�

�I�ve never heard of it before,� was all Daniel could think to reply.

�Of course not,� she said, again folding her hands on the desk. �This is primarily a school for young women with�exceptional qualities. However, we do admit a certain number of male students here. We have to, you see, and not just because it�s illegal to operate a girls-only school on public funds.�

�This is a public high school?�

�Yes, Mr. Peterson. The reason you�ve never heard of it before is because�well, actually, let me get back to that. I want to talk about you a little bit first.� She again pushed her glasses back against her face. �How has you school life been at Southwest High?�

Daniel paused to consider his answer. �OK, I guess,� he answered.

�Do you have a girlfriend at Southwest?�

Daniel�s jaw bobbed up and down several times as he struggled to regain control. �Uh�n�no,� he finally managed to stammer out.

�Outside of Southwest?�

This is getting personal, Daniel thought. �No��

�Have you ever had a girlfriend?�

�Well, no, but I really don�t understand why you�re asking me about that,� Daniel replied, now feeling defensive.

�There�s no need to get upset, Mr. Peterson, I assure you,� Ms. Atkins said reassuringly. �I merely ask because�well, that�s part of what will be different for you when you start here at Broadmoor.�

Daniel was now completely lost. �I don�t understand, Ms. Atkins.�

�Well, then, permit me to explain it to you,� she began. �You�ve heard of the Phoenix virus, of course?�

It took a moment for Daniel to realize what she was talking about. �You mean the �smart girl� virus?� At Ms. Atkins� nod, he added, �Yes, I�ve heard of it. My mom talks about it a lot, like it�s a bad thing or something��

At this, Ms. Atkins� eyebrows furrowed. �Oh?�

�Yeah,� Daniel began, allowing his manners to lapse slightly, �she keeps talking about what a bunch of�� He caught himself, then began again, �I mean, she says some really nasty things about how people wouldn�t be so smart if it wasn�t for the��

�Yes, I get the idea,� Ms. Atkins said, cutting him off with a distinct trace of sulk in her voice.

There was a brief silence while Daniel tried to think of something to say to repair the situation. �Well, that�s my mom, of course. I don�t know what she�s talking about�I mean, who ever heard of a virus that made someone smarter, anyway?�

To his surprise, Ms. Atkins looked at him with raised eyebrows, then burst into a bright, toothy smile. Daniel had to admit, she was quite pretty when she smiled like that. �Obviously, you haven�t really heard about the Phoenix virus,� she chuckled.

Daniel paused nervously. Now that she was smiling at him, why was he twice as nervous as he had been when she had been looking over his papers? �Uh�I guess not,� he said. Why hadn�t he just said that before?

Ms. Atkins took a deep breath�there was something odd about that, Daniel thought�and said, �Well, the Phoenix virus was created by a genetics expert about ten years ago�I forget his name off the top of my head. He was something of a madman, actually, even if he was absolutely brilliant. He designed the virus as something to satisfy his two main vices, at least when it came to women. The virus only has any effect on about 1% of the female population between the ages of fifteen and forty-five.�

�What effect is that?� Daniel asked.

�Well, actually, the effect is three-fold,� Ms. Atkins began. �First, it does significantly enhance the intelligence of any woman who winds up susceptible to it. That�s part of what the Broadmoor School is for�to give those young ladies who become infected a place to put their enhanced minds to good use. You�ll probably find yourself significantly challenged by our girls, Mr. Peterson.�

�Well�� Daniel paused again to consider his situation. �I admit it would be nice to date an intellectual�but I still don�t see why I have to come here.�

�Well,� Ms. Atkins replied, �the nature of the virus and of our�students�is such that we�have to have the occasional male student here.�

Daniel fell into confused silence again. �I don�t get it. And about the virus�you said it had three effects. What are the other two?�

Ms. Atkins paused, as if to consider her answer. �Well, you�ll find out about one of the other two effects of the virus eventually, I�m sure, so you�ll understand if I don�t mention that one just yet. Let�s just say that one of the effects is�psychological. The third effect is more physical.�

�How so?�

Ms. Atkins answered by handing him a picture of herself. �I�d like you to examine that picture. That was me before I was infected with the virus.�

The picture showed a so-so-looking woman, with average hair, a nothing-remarkable figure, and slightly acne-damaged skin, Daniel noticed. He compared the picture with the Ms. Atkins sitting in front of him. Her unremarkable brown hair was now sleek and shiny; her acne marks were gone. �Okay, so you got nice hair and skin because of the virus�� he said cautiously.

�That�s not all,� she said. �Look carefully��

She had been leaning forward all this time, her elbows on the desk; she now straightened up and sat back in the chair, moving her arms to her sides.

Daniel�s eyes almost popped out in shock.

As she sat back, her unbuttoned suit jacket spread out to either side. Her blouse began to bulge dramatically, the fabric pulling taut to the point where it looked like it might tear. The spaces between the buttons were forced open; only luck, it seemed, held the buttons themselves in place. At the top of her blouse, Daniel noticed, something suddenly popped open; a white button somehow landed in his lap.

Beneath that blouse, Daniel realized, were two absolutely massive breasts, each about the size of a casaba melon, if not larger. They jutted out from her chest in a manner that the word �disproportionately� did not begin to adequately describe. He had never seen anything even remotely like it in his life�

�Somehow, I think this is why your mother disapproves of Phoenix victims like myself,� Ms. Atkins said, this time without the note of rancor in her voice. Indeed, she was looking at him as if she were actually enjoying the stunned expression on his face.

�Do�do all of the girls who come here look like you?� Daniel asked, before he could stop himself.

�You mean, are they all as significantly developed as I am?� she answered. �More or less�the physical effects of the virus begin at about puberty and progress from there. For someone who has already hit puberty and is then infected, the virus plays a very rapid game of catch-up.� She took another deep breath. The stress lines formed by the fabric of her blouse pulled even more taut for a fraction of a second before she began speaking again. �With maybe one or two exceptions, all of the girls here at Broadmoor are necessarily already into puberty. The freshman girls will not be as significantly developed, I�m certain, although that will change for just about all of them by the end of the year.�

Daniel did his level best to recover his wits, finally forcing himself to look away from her. �Well, Ms. Atkins�I�um�well�� He tried desperately to think of something intelligent to say. �Well, anyway, I assure you, I won�t be anything less than a gentleman to the other girls�I mean, I won�t�I mean�� This was not what he�d wanted to say. �Well, you know what I mean,� he finished desperately.

�Yes, I think I do,� Ms. Atkins replied. She leaned forward on the desk again, making it easier for Daniel to look at her and still think clearly. �As I was saying, the freshman girls will be early in their development, so they won�t be quite so well-endowed. The seniors, on the other hand��

Daniel tried not to think how uncomfortable he would feel surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar, exceptionally large-breasted classmates. He managed to get back to his original train of thought: �Well, even considering all you just said�I mean, why me?�

Ms. Atkins smiled at him again, displaying those pearly white teeth. He found it most disconcerting that he still thought she had such a lovely smile, after the mind-boggling display she had just put on for him. �Well, as I said, our school has some rather�special needs, which is why we have a deal with the school board. They are obligated to send a certain number of the district�s brightest students�brightest male students, I should say�from their current schools to Broadmoor every year. You happen to be one of the very highest-ranked students in the city, even including the Broadmoor girls. That�s why you�re being directed here.�

�How many other males will be in my class?� Daniel managed to ask without stammering.

�Well, I believe you�ll be one of about three or four seniors,� Ms. Atkins said thoughtfully, �and around 20 males overall.�

�Are any of the teachers male?�

�No, they�re all females, and all Phoenix victims,� she answered. �The entire staff, in fact�right down to our bus drivers. Speaking of which�� She pulled out a manila folder and handed it to him. �Here�s a few things you�ll want to look over, including your class schedule, plus your special pass so the bus driver will let you aboard.�

�I need a special pass for the bus?� Daniel asked, puzzled.

�Well, yes, you see, we have all of our students brought to Broadmoor by bus, even those who could take public transportation. It seems to make their trip less stressful. And some of our students live on the grounds as well�apparently there are a lot of people like your mother, who are more than a little�resentful.�

Daniel considered asking if there was any way he could simply go back to Southwest. Ms. Atkins seemed to recognize the expression on his face, and added in a reassuring but firm tone, �I realize that this will be a rather difficult transition for you, Mr. Peterson, but I�m afraid that your transfer to Broadmoor has already been decided. I want to assure you that you are needed here at Broadmoor, rather badly, in fact. And I�m quite certain that you�ll be able to adapt nicely to your new school.�

Feeling somewhat nervous about how his mother would react to this news, Daniel stood up. He politely shook Ms. Atkins� hand (getting another look at her bounteous bosom), then turned and quickly left.

Ms. Atkins looked at the door, smiling, then sat back and began unbuttoning her blouse. She pulled out the left member of her cannonball-sized chest, licked her finger and thumb, and began gently teasing her nipple. As it grew to the thickness of a grape, she thought of Daniel�s flummoxed comment about how he had promised that he wouldn�t do anything with any of the Broadmoor girls.

�So you think you�re not going to end up doing anything with them, eh, Mr. Peterson?� she said softly to herself. The sensation of mounting pleasure began to well up within her as she continued playing with her nipple. �Don�t count on it��

The following Monday, Daniel packed his bookbag with the few items he would need for his first day in school. He had just boxed up his lunch, grabbed a banana from the fridge, and picked up his bus pass when he heard a horn sound from the street. He looked outside. It was a regular yellow school bus, or at least it appeared at first blush�but on second thought, it didn�t quite resemble the sort of school buses Daniel was used to seeing. Taking his bookbag, breakfast and pass, he left the house and walked up to the door of the bus.

The doors opened, and there, behind the wheel, sat the single most stunning-looking bus driver Daniel had ever seen. She looked to be no older than thirty, with shiny blonde hair and fair skin. Her utilitarian green driver�s uniform, however, could not conceal her tremendous bosom. She was easily a match for Ms. Atkins in the chest department.

�Hi there!� she smiled brightly (showing off a dazzling smile that was reminiscent of Ms. Atkins as well). �Daniel Peterson?�

Only the mention of his name prompted Daniel to redirect his attention to the matter at hand. �Uh�yes, that�s me.� Trying very hard not to become star-struck again, he stepped aboard and produced his pass for the driver to inspect.

�Yep, that�s in order,� she said cheerfully, handing him his pass again. �Take a seat back there, and we�ll get underway.�

Daniel took his pass, forced himself not to gawk at the driver, turned and�promptly found himself powerless to do anything except stare, slack-jawed.

Staring back at him were about twenty or so girls, all about his age or slightly younger, all with marvelously pretty faces topped with that fantastically beautiful hair. All of them were endowed with breasts ranging in size from softballs (on the younger ones) to volleyballs (on the older ones). And all of them�ALL of them�were looking directly at him, flashing those stunning smiles at him.

Nervous beyond belief, Daniel hastily ducked into the first empty seat he came to and hunkered down, trying his level best to ignore them for as long as he possibly could. He looked out of the window as he felt the bus�s engine start up, and watched his house pull away, with the worst case of butterflies in his stomach.

As the bus drove through the city streets, he could hear faint whispers over the engine, but he did not dare look over his shoulder. He suspected, with no small amount of dread, that the majority of the whispering was about him. How was he supposed to deal with this? He was on his way to a school where he would be surrounded by female geniuses�supremely sexy female geniuses�and he was supposed to finish his last year in high school? He found himself silently wishing he was back at Southwest High, where he knew his surroundings. True, the girls there seldom gave him the time of day, but he had found that it didn�t exactly bother him that much.

He was so wrapped up in his own discomfort that he didn�t even notice that the bus had already stopped twice to pick up additional passengers, and he failed to now notice that it had stopped again. He was only shaken from his fit of worry when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

�Excuse me, can I sit here?�

Daniel looked up.

Standing over him was a fairly tall, slender girl, with shining black hair, done up into two ponytails. Her eyes were a captivating shade of brown, her face was a golden honey color with a light dusting of freckles across her nose, and her smile was brilliant enough to light up Times Square.

Daniel�s eyes inevitably drifted down to her midsection, and his voice cut out completely.

Ms. Atkins had said that the freshman girls would likely be moderately buxom, but that the seniors would be grossly top-heavy. Judging by this girl�s chest, projecting out from beneath her oversized T-shirt, she should have graduated at least two years ago. She was easily the bustiest woman Daniel had ever met, counting Ms. Atkins and everyone else on the bus. The twin whatever-they-were�s she sported contrasted only so much with the rest of her�she had a very curvy frame, Daniel noticed, with round hips and slender, nicely muscled legs emerging from her shorts.

�Do you mind if I sit here?� she asked again, quite patiently.

Daniel tried to force some form of sound out, but was still stuck on mute, so he simply slid a hair closer to the wall of the bus and gestured for her to sit down.

�Thanks,� she said as she sat, seemingly ignoring Daniel�s inability to communicate. She stationed her bookbag at her feet�her enormous bust made sitting her bag in her lap impossible�and extended a hand to Daniel. �Nice to meet you�I�m Tammy. Tammy Parker.�

�Daniel,� he managed to gasp out, accepting her handshake in stunned surprise. �Daniel Peterson.�

�You must be new to Broadmoor,� she said, still smiling warmly at him. �Are you a redirected student?�

Daniel nodded in reply. Good grief, he thought, her eyes are so pretty�

She looked at him quizzically, as though she should be familiar with him for some reason. �Which school are you from?�

�Uhh�Southeast High�I mean Southwest,� Daniel fumbled. He was still mesmerized by her beauty�

�Ohh!  I thought I recognized the name,� Tammy said, beaming brightly at him. �We kind of keep track of the smarties at the other schools, you know, just so we have some idea in case someone transfers to Broadmoor. I heard you were a pretty sharp student��

Daniel�s face felt like it was on fire. This prodigiously top-heavy Venus was complimenting him, and he didn�t even know her! �Uh�um, thank you,� was all he could manage to get out.

�No problem,� Tammy replied. �There�s no need to be worried or anything, I�m sure you�ll fit in great at Broadmoor. So�what classes do you have?�

They compared schedules and discovered that they had every class in common except for the one after lunch: Tammy was taking Film Studies, while Daniel had been advised to go to speak with the head of the Mathematics Department as soon as that period started. Tammy told Daniel as much as she knew about their common teachers, while Daniel merely sat and listened, held completely spellbound by her face and body. Only their arrival at campus snapped Daniel back to normal.

On their way to homeroom (where students� daily attendance was noted), Daniel, walking alongside Tammy, found himself utterly awestruck by the number of improbably buxom females surrounding him. Despite his discombobulation, he was beginning to get a feel for who was likely in the lower classes and who was in the upper, largely by the appearance and conduct of the young ladies surrounding him. The ninth graders were actually quite easy to identify, both from their (relatively) small size and their somewhat wide-eyed expressions, as much in awe of the occasional boy as of their more senior schoolmates. Those seniors, by contrast, seemed to stand head and shoulders�and bust�above the others. More than once, he caught sight of a group of two or three majestically endowed girls staring after him and whispering excitedly, and he was sure one particularly bold (and busty) young lady had tried to pat him on the backside.

As they drew near their homeroom, Tammy suddenly seemed to spot a friend. �Melissa!� she shouted, waving excitedly.

Daniel watched as, from out of nowhere, a gorgeous Asian with flawless skin and a chest almost to rival Tammy�s raced up to greet her. They hugged�leaning forward to some degree, Daniel noticed�and then Tammy said, �How are you? How was summer?�

�Oh, OK, for the most part,� the super-buxom Asian answered. �Aunt Mizumi flew in for a visit�she was as bitchy as ever about me. But Uncle Kenji kept her from getting too nasty.�

Tammy frowned. �Tell me about it�I get the same thing from my cousin Cindy all the time. It�s not like we did this to ourselves deliberately, you know�� Seeing Melissa suddenly gawking at Daniel, she then said, �Oh, but let me introduce you to the new guy! Melissa, this is Daniel Peterson, the new transfer from Southwest. Daniel, this is Melissa Ozuni, my best friend.�

Daniel somehow managed to avoid gaping as he traded handshakes with yet another jut-jugged classmate. �Um, hello. You�re Japanese, I assume?�

Melissa nodded, sending waves cascading down her waist-length black hair. �I was actually born in Hawaii. My mom and dad moved here when I was little. They used to live with my grandparents�you know, during the war. Anyway, my aunt and uncle still live in Japan, but they come over for a visit every few months or so, when they can make it.� She gave him an appraising look and asked, �So you�re coming here for your senior year, eh?�

Daniel nodded.

�You better keep an eye on him, Tammy,� Melissa said. �Didn�t you hear? Paula Ferris broke up with Steve over the summer, so she�ll be on the prowl. When she hears there�s a new senior��

Tammy seemed to blanch slightly. �Uh, Melissa, let�s not worry Daniel too much on his first day. He has enough things to worry about without that.�

Daniel paled slightly. �Without what?�

At those words, Tammy and Melissa exchanged wide-eyed looks, as though there was something highly important that Daniel needed to know that he didn�t. �Ohhh boy, looks like somebody needs to do a little explaining,� Melissa said in a singsong voice, her eyes darting from Tammy to Daniel to Tammy again.

�Explaining about what?� a now slightly panicky Daniel begged.

But Tammy had decided that whatever the subject was that had just been broached, it could wait until later. �We�ll�we�ll talk about the way things are at Broadmoor later, okay, Daniel?� She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. �Melissa, we�ll see you at homeroom, all right? We�ll, uh�compare notes later.�

�Right,� said Melissa, still regarding Daniel with an expression of disbelief on her face. Tammy tugged at his arm to prompt him to follow.

�What was she talking about?� he asked.

�Later,� was all she said in reply.

For first period, Daniel and Tammy had Calculus, which Daniel had been looking forward to with great anticipation over the summer. He had always liked math, and had a special talent for it, so he snapped up a front-row seat as soon as he arrived. Doing so had another advantage, in that it kept him from being distracted by the majority of the ample-bosomed classmates surrounding him. However, he found that his front-row position did have one drawback: His teacher, Mrs. Hardwick, had an unobstructed view of him. Mrs. Hardwick was about thirty or so�not particularly old, Daniel thought�with medium-brown hair and a bust that matched Ms. Atkins�. Whenever she spoke to Daniel, she would lower her glasses halfway down her nose, as if to give herself a better look at him.

Second period was English, a subject which Daniel didn�t particularly care for, although he didn�t outright hate it. He elected to station himself in the rear of the class, which didn�t last long; Miss O�Sullivan, a redhead who was pushing forty years (and seventy inches), promptly had Daniel change seats with one of the front-row occupants, the only change she made to the seating arrangement. It didn�t make Daniel feel any more comfortable to learn that the class�s first reading assignment was D. H. Lawrence�s Lady Chatterley�s Lover.

His third-period class, Physics, was where he got his first look at the Paula girl whom Melissa had mentioned in their morning run-in. He was by now sort of becoming accustomed to being surrounded by chesty women, but when Miss Phelps, a curly-haired blonde in her mid-thirties, personally escorted him to his (front-row) seat, it still seemed to jangle his nerves. It didn�t help when she and her cantilevered sundress loomed over him as he sat, saying, �Now if you need anything at all, anything, just let me know, all right?� He�d had to crane his neck slightly as he looked up at her, and couldn�t quite see her lips move, as her massive cleavage obscured the view somewhat.

He pulled out his loose-leaf notebook and had just marked a fresh section when she entered.

There wasn�t anything particularly distinctive about the way her high heels clack-clacked against the tile floor, except for the fact that they passed right by him. Only they didn�t pass right by�they paused, then approached, then stopped dead right next to him. He was still looking over his notebook when�

�Excuse me, is anyone sitting behind you?�

Daniel looked at the newcomer�and was almost overwhelmed.

She was wearing a pair of shorts that revealed almost the full length of her long, sleek legs. Her hips seemed to be almost circular, they were so well curved. Her waist was quite slim for her size. Her chest was full enough to rival Tammy�s in size. Her face was no less amazing, her brown eyes almost seeming to sparkle. Her medium-blonde hair fell in a glimmering cascade of curls around her face.

�Is anyone sitting here?� she repeated, smiling, pointing at the empty seat behind him.

�Uh, no,� Daniel answered, trying to sound calm.

The newcomer took the seat behind him. Daniel resumed marking off the section in his book, but a moment later he heard a faint clatter behind him. He looked down to his right. Someone behind him had dropped a pencil on the floor.

He started to get up to retrieve it, but the girl now sitting behind him said quickly, �No, no, that�s okay, I�ve got it.� She got up, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Daniel saw her reach down to pick up her pencil�but at the same time, he felt two warm, soft, pillow-like objects suddenly press into his back. They rubbed up to his shoulders before moving off, and the voice behind him said, �Oh�pardon me.�

As she sat back down, Daniel turned to Tammy, sitting next to him, his wide-eyed expression asking for confirmation of what he suspected had just happened. Tammy was looking at the girl behind Daniel, with an expression of annoyance on her face. On her other side, Melissa, who had seen everything, said in a very low voice, �I told you she was on the prowl.�

Tammy whipped around to look at Melissa, obviously as if to say �shut up�, but Daniel now fully realized what had just happened. Obviously, the girl sitting behind him was that Paula person Melissa had warned him about. Just as obviously, she had laid out a major come-on for him.

At lunch the next period, Daniel had pondered seeking out a quiet corner of the library in which to eat (so long as the students were careful, food was allowed in the Broadmoor library). Tammy, however, insisted on dragging Daniel to the cafeteria. He looked around nervously, slightly unnerved by the sheer number of faces staring back at him, but was at least able to calm down somewhat when Tammy chose to eat with him.

�So what was that girl Paula up to with that thing she pulled?� Daniel asked. �You know, where she��

Tammy hastily cut him off. �You shouldn�t worry about things like that, Daniel. You�you�ll learn how things are around here soon enough.�

At fifth period, Tammy and Daniel parted company, she to go to Film Studies, he to report to the Math Department head as instructed. Making his way alone through the Broadmoor halls, feeling only marginally uncomfortable with all of the staring as he passed, he finally arrived and knocked on the office door.

The door opened, and out stepped a familiar face: Ms. Atkins, the woman whom he had spoken to on that unforgettable day before the school year began. His throat constricted at the memory of Ms. Atkins� stupefying display of the Phoenix virus�s influence.

She didn�t seem to take much notice. �Ah, Daniel Peterson. You�re here�good.�

Daniel gasped out, �I�was�told�� He fought down the massive frog in his throat, then resumed nervously, �I was told to come here at the beginning of fifth period. I have to see the department head.�

�And here I am,� she replied with a smile. Daniel still remembered vividly how her teeth seemed to sparkle when she smiled. �I�m afraid the mathematics department is understaffed at the moment�Miss Clark left us at the end of last year and retired to Alaska.�

Daniel was about to ask why this Miss Clark had gone all the way to Alaska when he remembered hearing somewhere that there were supposedly a bunch of eligible men in Alaska. He hastily decided not to broach the subject. Instead, he simply entered the office at her invitation and shut the door. �So what did you want to see me about?�

�Well, Daniel,� she began, �frankly, you seem to be well ahead of the regular high school curriculum. In fact, you are so far ahead that the district couldn�t find a suitable extension of any of your academic tracks. They had considered starting you in a new language course, but you�d be in a class full of freshmen if they did.  Therefore, they decided that maybe you�d be interested in playing the role of teacher for this year�s Algebra 1 course.�

Daniel was floored (for the umpteenth time that day). �Me? A teacher?�

�Yes, Daniel,� Ms. Atkins assured him. �Although you haven�t yet graduated, you do meet all of the academic requirements necessary to at least serve as a teaching assistant. I would act as your immediate superior� (Daniel felt his heart leap into his throat again) ��and would have the final say as far as grades for the students are concerned. But you would be more or less in charge of the class. The assignment would only be temporary, until such time as we find a suitable degreed candidate�but it would be a most impressive item on your college application.�

Daniel took a moment to collect himself. �Uh, Ms. Atkins, I don�t want to sound like I don�t appreciate the chance, because I do�but�well, I mean�it shouldn�t be that hard to find a teacher, should it? I mean, you can always find a substitute teacher or something, can�t you?�

Ms. Atkins smiled that dazzling smile again. �The problem, Daniel, is that�well, you remember what I said about the staff here at Broadmoor, don�t you?�

Daniel wondered what she was talking about for a moment�but then she arched her back slightly, placing her hand at the back of her neck as if massaging the stiffness out of it. Her beige button-down shirt, already bulging dramatically as it was, began forming those epic stress lines once more. The sight jolted Daniel into remembering�how could he have forgotten already?

�I see you do recall,� she said amusedly. Daniel tore his eyes away from her chest and redirected his attention to her eyes (those soft brown eyes that Daniel found himself quickly fixated upon). �Well, actually, that�s no accident. You see, we have a requirement here at Broadmoor��

�I�get the idea,� Daniel said, now tearing himself away from her and trying not to look like she�d seduced him without trying. Obviously, Broadmoor only hired female staff members, and Phoenix victims to boot�and none of the available substitute teachers were Phoenix victims, or if there were, they hadn�t found any.

They spent the rest of the period going over Daniel�s responsibilities, as well as laying out a plan for his first class the next day, and then Daniel left for gym class.

Gym class was rather an unusual affair. For one thing, he found that there was a separate, smaller locker room, for the use of the few boys who took gym. Since he had been used to two locker rooms of what he had figured were the same size at Southwest, being relegated to the smaller locker room was a rather unique experience. For another, he found that he was essentially alone. The only two other boys taking gym that period were a pair of freshmen, who actually appeared greatly relieved to be away from all those girls. Daniel couldn�t blame them. He didn�t want to think about what irresponsible acts a couple of 14-year-olds might decide to commit on the sly. He changed into his customary T-shirt and shorts and left for the gymnasium.

There was the usual array of gym-class sounds as he approached�basketballs bouncing around, the odd squeak of a sneaker�but when he arrived, he found that at least half of the girls, instead of running or playing at all, were standing around, looking toward the door, as if waiting for him. As soon as he stepped into view, they launched into low-voiced but animated conversations amongst themselves. Daniel made a mental note not to wear shorts to gym class anymore, and began searching among the oversized, overstuffed T-shirts for a familiar face.

He finally spotted Tammy, along with Melissa, who was checking him out as openly as many of the other girls were. �Hiya, Tammy,� he said, feeling a little more safe now that he was in familiar company. �So where are the gym teachers?�

�Not here yet,� Melissa replied. �We were just checking out what everyone�s wearing. Oops�look. Definite freshman.� She tapped Tammy on the shoulder, pointing to a young blonde girl in an overfull, tight-fitting halter-top and shorts.

�How do you know she�s a freshman?� Daniel asked.

�Because nobody at this school wears halter-tops to gym more than once,� Melissa answered. �Keep an eye on her and you�ll see what I mean.�

At that moment, a whistle sounded. �Okay, seniors line up over here, please!�

The gym teachers had arrived, and once again it was time for Daniel to be astounded. The four gym teachers who entered�one with black hair, one blonde, and two brown�were all not only as heavily busty as practically everyone else he�d met that day, but they were all gorgeous to behold in other areas. Slim waists, well-curved hips, long, lean legs�even clad in outsized tees, shorts, knee-high socks and sneakers, they were all just plain astoundingly beautiful. It took a gentle prod from Tammy to shake Daniel back to the matter at hand.

The two brunettes, Daniel realized, once his attention was back to normal, appeared to be twins of one another. Indeed, when Daniel lined up with the rest of his classmates (including Paula, he noticed with dread), his teacher confirmed this hypothesis. �Greetings, class, I�m Coach Stacy Bergman,� she said. �You may have had class previously with my twin sister Stephanie, so you might not know which of us is which.� She smiled. �If you ever get confused, just ask for the one with the thicker black book. That�ll be me.�

Most of the girls laughed openly at this. Tammy shot a quick �don�t ask� look at Daniel, forestalling his question.

Coach Stacy Bergman�the coach of one of the school�s two basketball teams, Daniel would later learn�then began running through the names of the students. ��Kathy McGregor�Tina Nelson�Melissa Ozuni�Tammy Parks�� She stopped at the next name, looked directly at Daniel, and gave him a sort of appraising look. �Daniel Peterson�� she said slowly, affording him a very broad smile, and moving to stand closer to him. Daniel made an intensive study of his shoes, but he could see the teacher�s very-well-formed legs in front of him, and could feel the heat from two substantial heat sources at his shoulders.

After the roll was called (Bergman took twice as long to run from Elizabeth Quinn to Rose Yates as from Beth Aldridge to Tammy Parks, even though there were fewer names in the later group), the class had a brief warm-up stretch. Daniel, who elected to face slightly away from the others during the warm-ups, thought he had done a good enough job until Coach Bergman called him over.

�Daniel,� she said, sounding slightly stern, �although you�re in a predominantly girls� school, the school board will still expect slightly higher standards from you as far as gym class is concerned. I was observing your warm-up stretch, and frankly, I believe that yours needs some work. Now step over here and face me.�

Daniel looked over longingly at Tammy and Melissa, doing a little light basketball-shooting over by one of the hoops. He wanted desperately to be with them, but instead had to stand over in another corner of the gym.

�Now let�s see some serious stretching this time,� she said. �Stand up straight��

Daniel stood as straight as possible, trying to avoid looking directly at Coach Bergman.

�Now�arms straight up��

Daniel now shut his eyes and raised his arms over his head.

�And down�and straight up�Daniel, look at me, now��

�I can see you fine, Coach Bergman,� Daniel lied, his eyes still shut.

He heard her snort in annoyance. �Down�now back up��

Daniel kept his eyes closed as he followed her instructions.

�Daniel, you are not doing this properly. Open your eyes and look at me.�

Knowing what was about to happen, Daniel dropped his arms to his sides, then opened his eyes and tried to fix on Coach Bergman�s face.

�That�s better. Now, stretch your arms up,� she said, doing so herself. As she did, she arched her back, projecting her formidable bust forward and putting a lot of stress on her T-shirt.

Daniel noticed this, and tried focusing on the ceiling as he raised his arms over his head.

�Down�up�look at me, Mr. Peterson�� She had stretched her arms overhead again, and was arching her back further. The stress lines in her T-shirt were even more prominent; Daniel could plainly make out the outlines of her massive brassiere. He determinedly looked skyward again.

�Now down again��

Daniel bent over and touched the floor.

�And again back��

That was as far as she got before a sudden sound, as though someone had ripped a piece of cloth in two, cut her off. Daniel looked up.

Coach Stacy had gone for one dramatic back-arching stretch too many; she was now standing normally, wearing an expression of pure mortification, her right hand across her chest. Her T-shirt had torn open horizontally, exposing a substantial amount of bare skin and pastel-blue satin. She looked around face reddening, and said quickly, �Uh, Stephanie�would you take over for a bit? I have to change�� She fled, though not particularly quickly.

Relieved to be away from that spectacle, Daniel hastily joined Tammy and Melissa, the only two girls not laughing at Daniel and Coach Stacy�s embarrassment�though they were both suppressing chuckles, it seemed. �Thank God that�s over with,� he said.

�It�s official�you�re now a made Broadmoor male,� Melissa said.

�Melissa�� Tammy interrupted in a condescending voice.

�Oh, come on, Tammy, you know perfectly well how the Bergman twins are always doing that. I wondered why she only had on a size 2X shirt.�

�Is there a reason why�� Daniel began, but he was cut off by a sudden gale of laughter from elsewhere in the gym. He turned in the direction of the laughing.

Several girls were pointing at the supposed freshman in the halter-top Melissa had pointed out earlier. She was facing the wall, wrestling with her top suddenly. She hastily covered her chest with her arms and sped out of the gym.

�I wondered when she was going to pop out,� Melissa said, glancing at her watch. �Six minutes, Tammy�you owe me ten bucks.� She then spied the two freshman males Daniel had run into in the locker room. �And now, if you�ll excuse me, I think I�m going to indoctrinate the other new guys. I�ll see you later, Tam.�

As Melissa broke away to harass the two wild-eyed freshman boys, Daniel turned back to Tammy. �Is there something about what just happened to me over there that I should know about?�

�No, not really,� Tammy replied, firing off a shot at the basket that just missed. Daniel was sure she was avoiding his eyes as she spoke. �She was probably just testing you or something, that�s all.�

�Then what was Melissa talking about?� Daniel said. He took the basketball and put up a jump shot that bounced high off the rim.

�Well�� Tammy seemed to pause. �You�ve noticed how good-looking all the girls are here, right?�

�Yeah,� Daniel answered as Tammy�s shot sailed wide of the rim and rebounded off the backboard. �So?�

�Well, that�s actually part of what the Phoenix virus does,� she said as Daniel lined up a shot. �It gives whoever it infects a perfect complexion, a nice head of hair, and some good-looking curves�not even counting the boobs, I mean.�

Daniel never heard his shot swish through the hoop. �Huh?�

�Look around you,� Tammy said, going after the loose ball.

Daniel did so, surveying the girls in the gym. Despite the occasional return stare, he looked over everyone carefully, and he had to admit that Tammy was right. The freshman girls were all already what he would have classed as �cute� in his freshman year; their burgeoning busts and already developing curves sort of pushed them all past �cute�. The older ones were already what he would have labeled �gorgeous�, even had they been flat-chested�which, of course, they weren�t.

�Okay,� he admitted, �I believe you about everyone being good-looking�but that still doesn�t exactly explain what Coach Bergman was up to�� He retrieved Tammy�s missed shot and again put up a jumper that went through.

�Well,� Tammy said, sounding slightly desperate, �being surrounded by pretty girls, she obviously wants to make sure you don�t do anything stupid, doesn�t she?� She hastily let loose a shot that missed the backboard completely.

Daniel didn�t quite believe her, but he decided that whatever she was concealing could wait for him to pry it from her later, so he let the matter drop.

The rest of the class passed without incident, although Paula pretended to �accidentally� wander into the boys� locker rooms afterward. Fortunately, Coach Stephanie Bergman came by and pulled her out.

After gym came the last class of the day, Business and Government. Once again, Daniel (who never did find such things that exciting) tried taking a seat in the rearmost row, and once again he was foiled: Ms. Kingston, a rather tall blonde who looked rather less than her forty-plus years, pulled a spare chair from the rear of the class to the front and insisted that Daniel sit in it. He looked at his neighbor Tammy with a pained expression, then got up to change seats. It didn�t help when, while he walked up the aisle, someone chose to pat him on his buttocks. He whirled around, and saw Paula hastily fold her hands on the desk and stare off into space, idly whistling.

�Come on, Daniel, so we can start the class,� Ms. Kingston said in a polite-yet-impatient voice.

Daniel took his seat, all alone in front of the class, and was immediately subjected to an imposing sight: Ms. Kingston�s substantial bosom, practically hovering over his head for the first ten minutes of class.

The final bell eventually rang, marking the end of Daniel�s first day at Broadmoor. After collecting his things from his locker, he met up with Tammy on the bus. He noticed that it was not as full as it had been when he had come in. Tammy explained: �Some of the girls here at Broadmoor actually live on campus. The dormitories are on the east side of the grounds. They�re off limits to new male students until the first week of October.�

Not bothering to ask why the dormitories would only be off limits to new males for only a month, Daniel replied, �I remember Miss Atkins saying something about that. How come some girls live on campus?�

�Well�� Tammy frowned slightly. �We Phoenix victims aren�t exactly universally accepted, if you know what I mean.� Daniel nodded, thinking of his mother. �Some of the girls have some rather uncomfortable home situations�family members, neighbors, who think we�re all bad just because we�� She paused, as if to stop herself from saying something, then continued, �Anyway, that�s what Broadmoor is all about�giving the girls a secure place to be�who we are.�

�What about you?� Daniel asked.

�Well, my parents are OK about it,� she replied, �but my grandmother�she thinks I�m possessed by the devil or something.  You know how some people can get kinda�� She made a circling motion at her temple with one finger. �She always wants me to go to the doctor, or to the local priest for an exorcism, or something crazy like that.�

�So you live at home with your folks.�

�No, I live in a rented house not far from them. They know where it is�they pay the rent and everything. My grandmother doesn�t know where I live, though, so she can�t just do something crazy without my folks knowing about it.�

�Bit of a stretch just to deal with a bad family situation, isn�t it?� Daniel asked, perplexed.

�Oh, it has its rewards,� Tammy said. �I sort of like having my own place.�

Daniel wondered idly if Tammy was concealing something again, but decided not to press the matter.

Daniel�s second day at Broadmoor was a bit less nerve-wracking than the first, at least for most of the day. The bus driver didn�t seem to take much interest in inspecting his pass a second time, although she did seem to make a slightly more intense inspection of him when he got on. When he boarded, he was able to recognize a couple of faces from his classes, although the odd leer he seemed to draw did discomfort him. Tammy�s arrival, however, put him at ease.

His first two classes were actually pretty much enjoyable, even if Mrs. Hardwick and Miss O�Sullivan did pay an unusual amount of attention to him.  Miss Phelps, however, met him at the end of the corridor leading to the classroom where Physics was taught and insisted on taking him by the arm as she escorted him to class and directly to his seat. He did his level best to avoid looking at the vast expanse of red dress in front of her as they walked. Paula managed to worsen his discomfort by pulling the dropped-pencil trick again. Wearing a button-down shirt that wasn�t particularly buttoned down, she this time picked up her pencil off the floor all right, but then pretended to fall forward, pressing her ponderous cleavage around the back of his head as she said �Excuse me,� in a voice that fooled no one. Daniel had the brief impression as if he were lying on his pillow at home, except that his pillow wasn�t quite so plush or so warm. Melissa snickered at the sight; Tammy stared daggers at Paula for the rest of the period.

At lunch, the fist thing Daniel did was ask Tammy why Paula had put on that particular display. �What�s with her, anyway?� he asked.

�Oh, she always was a bit of a flirt,� Tammy said, trying to sound as casual about it as possible.

�Is that kind of flirting legal?� Daniel asked, bewildered.

Tammy suddenly had a look on her face as if she were struggling mightily not to laugh. �Uhh�let�s not talk about her, okay?� she asked in a faintly cracking voice. �How about your next class? You never told me what you�re taking.�

At this, Daniel remembered with a jolt what was next for him. �Oh�Ms. Atkins wants me to teach Algebra 1.�

Tammy�s eyes widened. �Really? Wow, that�s a really big deal! I knew Miss Clark leaving was going to cause problems, but I had no idea�� She suddenly looked perplexed. �But�there aren�t any male staff members at Broadmoor�why did she pick you?�

�School board said I was too far ahead of the game to fill out my schedule,� he answered. �Plus, they can�t find a new teacher�no Phoenix victims in the substitutes� pool.�

They chatted some more as they ate, but Daniel was obliged to cut his lunch short; Ms. Atkins had asked to meet him five minutes before the start of the period, to make sure he had everything he needed and had his first day�s lesson planned out. Keeping his mind on his duties enabled him to communicate with the Mathematics department head without her stunning looks frying his brain. When the bell rang, he left for his class with a small cart full of textbooks along with his own belongings.

The class was already half full when he arrived, and he couldn�t help but feel another pang of discomfort. The fifteen or so girls who were now in front of him had already achieved significant development. Though they were all relatively thin, they were already starting to show womanly curves, with noticeably narrow waists and widening hips. Their chests were already at least DD-cups, and in most cases they were larger than that. They all had completely blemish-free complexions, attractive hair, and bright smiles, although some of them wore expressions closer to looks of surprise. Several of the girls took one long look at him and instantly paired off into low-voiced, animated conversations, likely about him.

When the class appeared to be all assembled, Daniel shut the door. �Okay, everyone�can I have your attention, please?� he called. �Will everyone please take a seat and give me your undivided attention?�

Normally, in Daniel�s experience, it would have taken two or three repetitions before a class followed this instruction. Much to his surprise, he received full compliance almost immediately: Every student at once found a seat, every conversation abruptly ended, and every pair of eyes locked on to him.

�Thank you very much,� Daniel said after a moment. Several radiant smiles appeared in reply. �My name is Daniel Peterson, and I�d like to welcome you all to Broadmoor School, even though I�m sure several other people have done that already.� The girls� faces lit up with chuckles, which made him feel a little better. �Normally, you would have a regular teacher, one who was also infected with the Phoenix virus, running this class. However, the school is apparently having difficulties finding a suitable teacher, so I have been asked to take on this responsibility for the time being.� This generated a number of appreciative smiles. �I have been advised by Ms. Atkins to ask that all of you please keep your hands in plain sight at all times. If you aren�t flipping through your books or writing, your hands should be sitting in front of you where I can see them. So if you would all please fold your hands and place them on the desks�actually, since you�re doing that already,� he continued, noticing that every pair of hands had appeared folded on the desk before he had finished his previous sentence, �let�s move on. Everybody take a textbook��

Once the textbooks were handed out�yet another perfectly orderly operation�Daniel took the roll. �Now let�s see�everyone raise your hand as I call your name�Kimberly Atherton�Monica Bell�Lisa Cappelletti�� As each girl raised her hand, Daniel noticed, they in many cases arched their backs rather subtly, trying to bring their breasts into prominence. Daniel made an effort to memorize their names when he realized this, hoping to dispense with the roll call as soon as possible.

The rest of class went off without a hitch. Getting the girls to participate in class was easier than breathing. When Daniel spoke, everyone gave him his or her complete attention. When he wrote something on the board, every student seemed to take diligent notes. And when he asked a question, every hand shot into the air, waving frantically and accompanied by a small chorus of �Pick-me�s�, making Daniel wonder just how long this good fortune would last. Moreover, the students seemed to comprehend everything unusually well. By the end of his first day, he was actually a little ahead of where he had expected to end up. Pleased overall with the progress, he reminded the class of the evening�s homework assignment. �Odd-numbered problems at the end of section 1.1, up to number 35,� he said. �Have them ready to turn in by tomorrow. See you then.�

As the class filed out, Daniel noticed that several of them began launching into low-voiced, yet clearly excited conversations. Daniel wondered what that was all about as he quickly packed up his things, before heading off to change for gym. Before he could get out, however, Ms. Atkins and her substantial bosom entered the room. �Well, Daniel, how did it go?� she asked pleasantly.

�Better than I had expected,� he replied. �I�m actually a little ahead of the plan for today.�

�Good, good,� she said, grinning broadly. �By the way, I overheard your homework assignment for the class. It�s all right for now, I�m sure, but I suggest that you begin cutting back on the homework somewhat as the school year progresses, maybe beginning around November or so. Between what you give them and what the other teachers give them, we don�t want to sandbag the students�especially since they will have other, more pressing issues to attend to as the year rolls on.�

�What sort of issues?� Daniel asked, confused.

�Er�Phoenix-related issues,� was the limit of Ms. Atkins� reply.

A perplexed Daniel mused, Again with the stonewalling�

(Late September, 3 weeks later)

�Hmm�I think I messed up on number seven�what did you get?�

Daniel was over at Tammy�s house on a fine Saturday afternoon, going over their common homework assignments. The two of them had quickly established themselves as the two sharpest minds in several of their classes, particularly calculus. As Ms. Atkins had said, the Broadmoor girls were certifiable geniuses, but Daniel somehow managed to prove himself worthy to sit in class alongside them. Tammy, meanwhile, had always been one of the best students in Broadmoor, and to Daniel�s delight, she made a great �study buddy� for him. He quickly got over the distraction her cartoonish figure had first caused, and found himself enchanted by her agile mind. They conversed frequently, over lunch or on weekends while they were together, on subjects ranging from their schoolwork, to their families, current events, or Broadmoor life in general. Occasionally during their conversations there would be indications that there was something about herself, and Phoenix victims in general, that she was keeping secret, but he rationalized that she probably had good reason not to tell him everything, and opted to trust her on that count.

Tammy was poring over her calculus assignment for the weekend. �Um, which one was that? I think I mis-numbered the problems��

�Four-x minus 3 over x-squared minus two.�

�Okay, let me see�that would be�� She shut her eyes and began quietly whispering to herself. After a brief moment, she gave him the answer.

�You do that in your head?� Daniel asked, surprised.

�Sure,� she responded, �it isn�t that hard.�

Daniel looked at his own work and quickly realized that Tammy was right. �What did I do wrong�oh, nuts, I added instead of subtracting,� he chided himself. He began erasing the problem in his book.

Tammy looked at her work and said, �Wait�that was number seven? Why do I have that as number four?�

�We only had to do the odd-numbered ones,� Daniel reminded her.

Tammy hissed at herself in annoyance and began renumbering her homework problems. �I hate it when I do that! Thank goodness you�re here�God knows what Mrs. Hardwick would have done if she�d seen that. Probably make that old �can�t count to two� joke.�

��Count to two� joke?� Daniel asked, still redoing the problem.

�Yeah, it�s something she says when someone makes a stupid mistake in her class,� Tammy answered. �She says they can�t count to two without stripping to the waist.�

Daniel�s pencil point broke.

�Oops�sorry,� Tammy said, smiling sheepishly.

Daniel advanced the lead in his mechanical pencil, then resumed writing. He reminded himself to stay calm. �I just hope she doesn�t say that to me,� he said, glancing briefly at Tammy.

Tammy looked at him as if she were about to say something, then thought better of it. �I don�t think she�d do that to you,� she replied.

They reviewed the rest of their calculus assignment, then Daniel said, �Well, I guess that�s everything.� He stuffed his books back into his bag.

�Yep, that�s it,� Tammy agreed, closing her own notebook.

Daniel glanced at his watch. �Hey, it�s only three o�clock�uh, I don�t really have anything else to do today, so�I dunno�you wanna like, take in a movie or something?�

Tammy was caught off-guard. �Oh�Daniel�� She seemed to sputter for a moment before answering. �I�m sorry, I�d like to, but I can�t. I have something I have to take care of later this evening. Besides�I sort of have my reasons for not being out when it�s dark.�

Daniel looked disappointed. �Oh�okay, then.�

Tammy, however, saw his crestfallen expression and hastily added, �But�we could go out to the mall or something�how about next Saturday?�

Daniel perked up at this offer. �Uh�sure�if you�d like, I could do the mall thing.�

Tammy smiled. �Okay then. I hope you don�t mind the mall�my attention sometimes kinda wanders in the movies, and it can get embarrassing for me.�

Daniel thought that to be rather odd, but accepted this explanation. �Okay, then, next week it is. I�ll come over a little earlier, say ten, and we can finish up our homework and be out of here around noon or so.�

�Great,� Tammy grinned.

By now, Daniel had managed to settle into something of a routine at his new school. Sharing five classes with Tammy, plus his (abbreviated) lunch period, made things relatively easy for him, and he was gradually finding it easier to deal with Tammy�s gorgeous frame and globular torso. He found himself attracting as much attention from his evident intelligence as from the fact that he was one of the very few males in the school. The attention given to him by his teachers wasn�t so bad anymore, either�with the exception of Miss Phelps. The curly-haired Physics teacher had gone from meeting him at the end of her classroom�s corridor to picking him up directly from English class and walking him all the way to Physics. When, on one occasion, he had told her that he had left his Physics textbook in his locker�which had been a flat-out lie�she actually accompanied him to his locker. He�d shamefacedly tried to pretend that he�d been mistaken, but far from being angry with him, Miss Phelps merely said, �Oh, well, no harm done. Besides, I get to spend a little more time with one of my brightest students.� And she walked with him, holding him by the arm, back to her class.

The one other major activity that he faced that wasn�t quite related to his education was dealing with Paula, who had begun expanding her repertoire of come-ons towards him. On one occasion, they were in the Physics laboratory readying for an experiment, one that required a stopwatch along with the rest of their apparatus. Miss Phelps had grouped everyone into pairs, unfortunately sticking Daniel with Paula. Everything was going well until Daniel realized that their stopwatch, which had a cord that was meant to go around the user�s neck, was missing. �Paula, where�s the stopwatch?� he asked, searching the lab bench in confusion.

�Oh, it�s around here somewhere,� was Paula�s falsely innocent reply. �I�m sure if you look hard enough, you�ll find it.�

Daniel thought her attitude strange, but did not think to check on Paula�s person. Tammy, however, who had seen Paula hide it, cleared her throat in an annoyed fashion, reached out and pulled hard on a black string around Paula�s neck that Daniel had not noticed. The missing stopwatch popped out from within her cavernous cleavage; Tammy removed it from her neck and gave it to Daniel, shooting Paula a disapproving look.

As Daniel and Tammy resumed their places, Paula sneered at Tammy, �Frigid.� Tammy shot back a look that could have killed, but made no reply. When Daniel, who overheard this, asked about it at lunch, Tammy said that it was merely Paula�s standard insult when she failed to get her way.

�But why �frigid�?� Daniel pressed.

�Probably something she thinks is funny,� Tammy answered him�not quite meeting his eyes as she said it.

The following Saturday, Daniel went over to Tammy�s house as they had arranged. After attending to reviewing their homework assignments, they left for the local shopping mall. Daniel was surprised when Tammy offered to drive.

�I didn�t think you drove, actually,� he said. �Well�really, I didn�t think you could drive, what with your�figure and all,� he finished quietly.

�Well, they do sometimes get in the way,� Tammy said as they came to her car. She graciously opened the door for Daniel before climbing into the driver�s side.

Daniel noticed that the front seemed peculiarly proportioned. Noticing Daniel�s expression, Tammy explained, �This car is actually a bit of a custom make, specially designed more for heavily obese people. The front seat is set a little further back, so a heavy person�or just a top-heavy person�can drive comfortably.�

�I wouldn�t have thought it was so uncomfortable, having the steering wheel brush up against you all the time,� Daniel said cautiously.

�You have no idea,� Tammy answered. �Pretty damned distracting��

She fastened the safety belt, pulling out a somewhat generous amount of strap for the part running across her shoulder.  Daniel buckled himself in as she started the engine. �My shoulder strap feels a little loose,� he observed.

�Don�t worry about that, it�ll hold,� Tammy reassured him. �That�s the thing with these cars�you either get all shoulder belts for big people or all shoulder belts for regular-sized people.�

They sat at a table together in the food court, Daniel happily eating his burger and fries, pleased just to be spending time with Tammy. Their time at the mall had been quite pleasant overall�he had had enough pocket money on him for the DVD he wanted as well as for lunch, while Tammy had contented herself with a new pair of jeans and shoes. He had become accustomed to the stares Tammy drew wherever they went, although some of the catcalls he heard did sort of annoy him. One particularly noteworthy idiot of a passerby held up both hands, thumbs and little fingers out, and shouted, �Yo, duude! Whassup! That�s a nice piece o� ass, man, know what I�m talkin� about?� Daniel had wanted to disappear on the spot, but Tammy had remained unfazed.

As he sat across from Tammy and sipped his Pepsi, Daniel found himself wanting to know something. �Tammy�can I ask you a personal question?�

Tammy smiled at him. �Shoot,� she said.

He hesitated before speaking. �How do you deal with it?� he asked.

�Deal with what?�

�You know�being�I mean, looking�the way you do��

�You mean being so big-busted?� she asked for him.

Daniel instantly turned several shades of red. �Well, I didn�t mean it like that, but�well, yeah, I guess��

�What about it in particular?� she asked him. �You mean all the people staring at me all the time?�

�Well, yeah,� Daniel managed to reply. �I mean, all the dirty looks and stuff�the rude comments and so on�� Daniel took another sip of soda. �I mean, it just seems like people stop and stare all the time. And that one guy earlier�� He held up his hand, imitating the �nice piece o� ass� patron from earlier and said in a mocking tone, ��Yo, dude, know what I�m talkin� about?�� As Tammy chuckled, flashing a bright white smile at him, he went on, �I mean, you�re such a nice person, friendly, fun to be with, smart as I don�t know who�you don�t deserve to be treated like a�uhh�like a��

�Slut,� she finished for him.

Daniel blanched. �That�s not the word I was looking for��

�I know,� she reassured him. �But it�s not like I haven�t heard it before.�

�Someone called you a slut?� Daniel gaped in surprise.

�Several people,� she said. ��Slut�, �tramp�, �hooker�, �street ho�, �scarlet woman�, �douche bag�, �floozy�, �wonder boobs�, �super chest��you name it, I�ve been called it. I�ve had girls spit at me, I�ve had little old ladies call me a whore, I�ve had guys from here to the other end of town try to grab my chest. After a while, you just let it roll off your back, that�s all.�

�Well, if you say so, but�that one guy, I�d have slapped him if it had been me,� Daniel said, amazed at how composed Tammy was over this. �Calling you a �nice piece of ass��of all the�� He suddenly stopped, not sure how his words were sounding to Tammy. �I mean, not that you�re not pretty and all��

Tammy smiled brightly at him and reassuringly patted his hand. �It�s OK, Daniel, I know exactly what you mean. And I appreciate how you feel, really�your sense of indignation on my behalf means more to me than you know. But you shouldn�t worry about it, it�s OK.� She retracted her hand. �Believe me, there are a lot worse things about being this big on top.�

�Like what?� Daniel asked, curious.

�You know the jeans I bought?� she answered. �There was this shirt I saw that would have gone perfectly with them and the shoes�but there�s no way I�ll find that shirt in my size.�

They laughed.

�By the way, how�s the teaching thing going?� Tammy asked.

�Oh, great,� Daniel replied. �They all seem to like my class�heck, they all seem to love it, really.� Daniel took another sip of soda. �They never act up or talk out of turn, they always have their homework done, they almost fight to get picked to answer questions�I�m still waiting for things to go sour on me, although I don�t know why.�

Tammy grinned. �I guess they have a really good teacher.�

�Yeah�I guess so.�

There was something about Tammy�s expression that hinted that she hadn�t exactly meant what she�d said about him being a good teacher, but Daniel let it slide.

�So how about next Saturday? You up for another round of mall-hopping, or are you all spent?� he asked.

�Oh, I�m sorry, Daniel, I already have plans for next week. It�s the first all-Broadmoor basketball game of the season, and I promised Melissa I�d come and see her play.�

�All-Broadmoor?�

�Yeah, it�s another school tradition,� she replied. �Most of the girls are way too busty to play basketball normally, and in any case they don�t like to play in the district leagues�the Broadmoor girls constantly get laughed at and stuff. So we have our own internal two-team league that plays every weekend from October to May.�

�Oh, OK then.�

Tammy then asked, �Why don�t you buy a ticket? It�s only $3.00 a game, or $12.50 for a five-game ticket. The proceeds go to the Kellerman Fund.�

�And the Kellerman fund is�?� Daniel prompted.

�A fund to help poorer Broadmoor students with the specialty clothing they need.� She lowered her voice and added, �Not everyone remembers that the fund was set up by the woman who helped found the Broadmoor School. Everybody calls it the O.S.B.H. Fund.�

Daniel again looked at Tammy as if to ask what she had just said.

�Come on, you know�O.S.B.H.?� Tammy said, evidently trying not to say whatever the abbreviation stood for out loud.

�What�s that supposed to stand for?�

Tammy sighed in annoyance. �Over-the-Shoulder Boulder Holder, silly! Don�t tell me you never heard that nickname for a bra!�

�No�� Daniel was quite certain the phrase was new to him.

Tammy pursed he lips at him, but soon smiled, seemingly amused (if faintly annoyed) at Daniel�s na�vet�.

(October)

�Hey, Michelle? It�s me, Tammy.�

�Hiya, Tammy, how�s it going?�

�Fine. And you?�

�Okay. So what have you been doing�and who were you doing it with?�

Tammy chuckled. �Very funny. As a matter of fact, I was hanging out with Daniel at the mall today.�

Melissa reacted with surprise. �You and Daniel again? Are you two going steady or something?�

�Well�not really. At least I don�t think so. We just, I dunno, just like being in each other�s company, that�s all.�

�Is it?� Melissa asked, her voice hinting broadly.

�Is what?�

�Is that all there is to it? Or is there something else going on, hmm?�

�No, Melissa, there�s nothing going on between us��

�Nothing? Two months you�ve known him, and nothing�s going on?�

Tammy grew faintly annoyed. �No, Melissa, nothing�s going on. Why is that so hard to believe?�

�Come on, Tammy, this is you we�re talking about here. You know perfectly well something should be going on by now.�

�Oh yeah? Says who?� Tammy asked defensively.

�Says that little bug inside of you, that�s who,� Melissa answered suggestively. �You know what I mean��

Tammy sighed. Melissa seemed to have a one-track mind about some things, guys in particular. �It isn�t like that with him, Melissa�we�re just study buddies, that�s all. Seriously.�

�Study buddies, huh? And how much of him have you been studying, hmm? I mean, a good-looking guy like that��

Tammy felt her mouth begin to dry slightly. �Look, Melissa,� she said, cutting her off, �he�s not like that, OK? He likes hanging out with me. We like each other�s company. That�s all.�

�And you mean to tell me you haven�t dreamed of him?�

�No�� Tammy hoped Melissa would believe her.

�Liar,� came the reply. �You have too.�

�No, I haven�t�� Tammy answered, even as she felt her heart beginning to thump harder in her chest.

�You�ve never once dreamed of making him your guy of the evening?�

Tammy�s pulse began to quicken. �Melissa, stop��

�Uh-huh, I hear that you-know-what in your voice. You want him as badly as you would any good-looking guy�probably more so, I bet��

An all-too-familiar sensation was stirring inside her now. She struggled mightily against it. �Melissa��

�Oh, I know exactly what you�ve been dreaming of, missy�you and him, all alone, in your room, on the bed��

Tammy pulled her legs together. �Melissa, shut up��

��He takes off your clothes�starts caressing you in all those magic places�starts feeling up your��

Tammy�s hand was starting to tremble. She firmly gripped the handset to stop the urge swelling within her, and half-shouted, �Melissa, SHUT UP RIGHT NOW, or I�m hanging up this phone!�

�Oh�hit a nerve, did I?�

Tammy bit her lip furiously, but stayed silent.

�Come on, girl, why don�t you just admit to yourself the truth and give it up? You�ve been trying to pretend it hasn�t happened to you, even as you went from once a week to twice a week to once every two days�it�s now once a day, just like all the rest of us, and you know your body can�t say no any more than any other Phoenix girl can. Why not just give up and go with it?�

�No.�

�Why not? You think you�re special or something? You think if you can simply say no enough times, you can quit, like giving up candy or something? You think if you can somehow play the high and mighty one, the Phoenix will just decide to leave you alone? You�re not some princess or something, you know�you�re a Phoenix victim, just as hooked as the rest of us. Forever.�

�I never said I was a princess�I just��

�You�re not any stronger than any of us against that thing, you know�we all thought we could beat it, but the bug just overwhelmed us. All of us.�

�And I have to just accept that? I have to just accept what that damn virus has done to me?�

�Why not? You know how much easier it would be��

�I�m not some big-titted bimbo, dammit! I�m not some cheap floozy who needs a guy every twenty-four hours! I want a normal relationship, just like everybody else�is that so impossible? Is that so much to want? Just to have a regular life with just one guy?�

There was a pause from the other end of the phone connection.

�And who do you have coming over tonight?�

Tammy shut her eyes and sighed in resignation. �Darryl.�

�Mm-hmm. Face it, Tammy, you�re as helpless as the rest of us against that thing.�

And she was forced to admit�a sizable part of her was actually looking forward to Darryl�s arrival. �I know I am�I just want Daniel to be different.�

�And what does he think about it?�

�I don�t know�I don�t think he knows. I haven�t told him yet.�

�What?� Melissa sounded stunned.

�I said I haven�t told him.�

�TWO MONTHS and he hasn�t figured it out? And you haven�t even TOLD HIM?�

�Of course I haven�t told him�how do you think he�ll react if he finds out? He�ll probably run for the hills or something��

�Tammy�you have to tell him.�

�No.�

�He�s going to find out sooner or later�you know that.�

�Melissa, I don�t want to tell him�not now. Maybe later, when things are more�secure between us, then I�ll try to explain it to him. But for now, it�s better that he doesn�t know.�

�And do you think he won�t freak out when you finally do tell him? Tammy, tell him now.�

�No, Melissa.�

�Okay then, I�ll tell him��

�NO! Don�t you dare tell him!�

�He deserves to know the truth, Melissa�the whole truth. You owe him that much, if he means that much to you.�

�Melissa, I forbid you to tell him!�

�He might not be so freaked out by it��

Tammy grew frightened and angry. �Melissa, if you so much as breathe a word about it to him, I swear to God I�ll wring your neck!�

�Then tell him yourself.�

�Absolutely not! Dammit, Melissa, I�m not telling him, and you�re not, either!�

�Tammy, you know full well what having that virus means as far as you�re concerned, and you also know that you can�t keep it a secret forever. I�ll break it to him gently; you know how subtle I can be with guys sometimes��

�Melissa, for God�s sake, NO!� Why couldn�t she understand? �He can�t find out about it, I don�t know what�ll happen��

�But he deserves to know, Tammy. You know he deserves to know��

Tammy began to panic. �Melissa, please�please, I�m begging you, I�ll do anything you ask�just don�t� tell�him. Please?�

�You really do like him, don�t you?�

�Very much�I don�t want to lose this guy, and I don�t want him to become just another name in the book. Please�promise me you won�t tell him.�

�Okay, if that�s how you want it�I won�t tell him.�

�You promise?�

�Yes, I solemnly swear, cross my heart and hope to never get laid again, I won�t breathe a syllable to him. Okay?�

�Thank you, Melissa.�

�On one condition.�

Tammy gulped. �What?�

�I get Darryl all next week.�

Tammy�s throat became unstuck. �Okay, then. You keep your mouth shut, and I�ll tell Darryl you want him all next week. Deal?�

�Deal.�

Tammy sighed in relief.

�By the way�I thought it was �cross my heart and hope to die�.�

�Same thing, isn�t it?�

Tammy chuckled.

�Uh-oh�Tammy, I gotta go, hon�Steve�s here.�

�Okay. Tell him to give you a good, hard hammering from me.�

�I will. �Bye.�

��Bye.�

Melissa hung up, followed by Tammy.

Tammy sat back on the bed and silently pondered the issues that always seemed to arise after talking to Melissa. Was it so much to hope for? Was a normal relationship with a guy so out of the question, with what she had to live with? Or had that damnable Phoenix bug set her life on a path without choices, without relief�without comfort?

In the middle of her musings, the doorbell rang�and the old sensation surged again.

That Saturday, Daniel and Tammy met up once more, as had now become their custom, to review homework together. Afterward, they went to the Broadmoor campus. Daniel had decided to take Tammy�s advice, and had bought a ticket to that weekend�s basketball game.

When he arrived at the gym, now configured to host a full-court game of hoops, he found a fair-sized crowd already assembled�and, as he had more or less figured, a great deal of the class now turned its attention towards him. Several of the girls�including a few who had managed to bring a male to the game with them�suddenly made spaces next to themselves, obviously hoping that Daniel would sit next to them.

�You�d think I was the only guy in the whole country, the way some of these girls react,� he said, managing to wave at a relatively modest-busted Hispanic girl whom he recognized as one of his students.

�Well, you are the only senior guy left,� Tammy told him as they made their way up to one of the higher rows. �Didn�t you hear? Mitchell Jacobs transferred back to Van Buren High last week. I tried to warn Kyla Platt that she was being too demanding on him�she and Mitch had been going steady, or at least she was monopolizing him too much, anyway. Poor guy lost his nerves and begged to be transferred.�

�What was it about this Kyla girl that made him want to transfer to another school?� Daniel asked, as they filed along the row to a fair-sized empty space.

�Oh�sometimes it can be hard when you�re going with a Broadmoor girl. I�m not sure why, really,� Tammy answered. Daniel sensed that she was once again hiding something, but was a little too worried about himself to care.

The two of them took their seats, Tammy sitting on Daniel�s right. Daniel noticed that the bleachers looked somewhat different from what he�d been used to at Southwest High. �Special bleachers,� Tammy told him, noticing his expression. �The seats are wider front to back, so nobody leans back and bumps their head against somebody�s chest.�

�I see,� Daniel answered. The seats were still filling up, although it was getting near game time. �I notice there�s a lot of things that are unique around here. Staff that are only Phoenix victims, boys specially invited here, special dorms, special bleachers��

�Special needs for special students�oh, shit,� Tammy added, annoyed, as she stared past Daniel�s opposite shoulder.

Daniel barely had time to turn around before a pair of pink high-heeled shoes was standing in the space next to him. �Well, hello, Daniel,� came an all-too-familiar voice.

Daniel winced, but responded politely enough. �Hello, Paula.�

Wearing a miniskirt that stopped most abruptly just past her buttocks, Paula loomed over him with a most lascivious smile, before plopping down next to him. Her jean-jacket was unbuttoned�not that she would have been able to button it, anyway�allowing her pink shirt, and a considerable amount of her expansive cleavage, to show through. She was holding a pastel-blue pennant in one hand, which sort of stood out against her cotton candy-pink outfit. �I see you�ve brought a date with you�how nice. Um, tell me, Daniel,� she added, looking briefly at Tammy as she spoke, �how would you like a date for this evening, hmm?�

�Reel in your hormones, Paula,� Tammy answered in a frosty tone. �Daniel is my date, and he�s not going anywhere with you.�

Paula half-sneered at Tammy. �You know, Daniel, you really ought to go out with someone who actually puts out every once in a��

�Paula!� Tammy said angrily, making the blonde bombshell fall mute. �I said, cool off! Go take a cold shower with the rest of the team.�

Paula�s expression turned acidic.

�Oh, that�s right, I forgot�you can�t shower with the team, can you?� Tammy said in a half-singsong voice. Paula sulked and turned to face the court. At Daniel�s expression Tammy leaned in close and added in a low voice, �Paula was kicked off the team last year. She got a B-minus in Algebra 2.�

�Just one B-minus?� Daniel asked. �That�s it?�

�You have to have straight B-pluses or better,� Tammy explained.

About ten minutes later, with the stands just about full (in several senses of the word), there came an initially unfamiliar voice over the P.A. system: �Hello, everyone, and welcome to game five of our internal All-Broadmoor Basketball Series!� A cacophony of cheers went up, accompanied by a number of pennants waving, some pastel-pink, some blue. �The series is tied at two wins apiece, so today�s contest will decide the lead in this year�s really tight contest for the Kellerman Trophy.�

Daniel recognized the announcer�s voice: it was Ms. Atkins.

�And now, let�s welcome first, Coach Stephanie Bergman and the Blue Bombshells!� The blue pennants dominated the stands as Stephanie Bergman trotted out onto the court, followed by a dozen girls wearing pastel-blue, rather odd-looking basketball uniforms�at least, their outfits seemed odd to Daniel. The shorts were regular enough, looking somewhat loose-fitting (and displaying more of those oh-so-perfect figures again, even clad in knee-highs and sneakers). The tops, however, appeared to be rather tight-fitting spandex, which accentuated the players� bulging busts to a considerable degree. Each player wore the letters �BB� on her right breast, her number on her left breast as well as on her back. Some of the girls had enough room on their chests to wear their telephone numbers. The Blue Bombshells waved to the crowd gallantly and took their seats on the far side of the court.

�Now, please welcome Coach Stacy Bergman and the Pink Ladies!� Ms. Atkins announced. Daniel squirmed slightly in his seat as his gym teacher emerged, leading a line of twelve girls dressed similarly to the Bombshells, except that they wore pink, with the initials �PL� over the right breast. As the Pink Ladies turned and waved, Daniel suddenly recognized #15. It was Melissa Ozuni, who had also spotted him and waved eagerly at him. Daniel returned the wave�then noticed Paula sitting to his right, who was looking distinctly miffed.

Next were the officials, Coach Landry�the blonde-haired lady who headed ninth-grade gym class�and an African-American woman whom Daniel had never seen before. Both wore the traditional referees� uniform, except that their tops were also tight spandex; the black-and-white vertical stripes were stretched wide over the fullest part of their very full busts.

Play began shortly thereafter, and it was actually a rather hotly contested match. The Blue Bombshells raced down the court at a good clip on every possession, hoping to catch the Pink Ladies out of position. More often than not, however, the Pinks were as fast, if not faster, at getting back on defense, and they contested every shot the Bombshells put up. Moreover, the Pinks were no less speedy at sweeping down the court when they had the ball, and the Bombshells were apparently not quite as quick at picking up their defense. Both teams did one thing in common that was slightly confusing to Daniel at first: Every time someone scored, that person would turn and point in what seemed to be his general direction as they headed back up-court. Only Melissa seemed to not do this, and even then only so often.

�They�re awfully animated this week,� Tammy said.

�They do seem to be giving 110%,� Daniel agreed, although he had a sneaking suspicion as to why.

�They�re trying to impress you, you know,� Paula chimed in from Daniel�s opposite side. �Maybe you should wave back or something.�

Daniel blanched. �I don�t think so,� he said.

�What�s the matter?� Paula asked him, looking at him sideways in a most suggestive manner. �Don�t you go for jocks?�

Having been relieved of his lunch money enough times in the past by the �jocks� at Southwest, Daniel tended to avoid them like the plague. However, he saw no reason to tell Paula this, so he remained mute.

The game went on, and by the end of the first quarter the Pink Ladies were holding on to a three-point lead, 24 to 21. In the second quarter, their lead slowly increased, however, largely thanks to the efforts of #15. Melissa managed to get herself open for a shot with considerable regularity, or else find someone already in the clear. She and the Bombshells were shooting better than the Pink Ladies, who occasionally tossed up a shot from a good distance away for no apparent reason. By the end of the half, the Bombshells were leading 50 to 41.

During halftime, a couple of the teachers began circulating amongst the students, collecting additional donations for the Kellerman Fund. Feeling fairly magnanimous, Daniel fished out a $5 bill and prepared to drop it into the collection basket being wielded by the teacher approaching him. He didn�t see whom she was immediately, although he did see a mop of blonde curls whose owner he did not immediately place. Said teacher at the moment had her back to him, collecting from a couple of students farther right along the row.

He had unfolded his fiver and was just about to look up when, suddenly, he found himself sitting in shadow. A familiar voice said, �You wish to make a donation, Daniel?�

Daniel�s view was abruptly dominated by three things: a wicker basket with assorted change and bills inside it, and two large, pinkish objects partially covered in loose-fitting white cloth. He could make out the beginnings of a plainly vast expanse of white satin in the gap between flesh and loose fabric. He scarcely needed to look up to realize what he was looking at: He was getting a faceful of Miss Phelps� canyon-like cleavage.

�Hi, Miss Phelps,� Daniel said, trying not to sound unnerved at the sight of his Physics teacher�s ponderous protuberances. He craned his neck and managed to crack a smile, which was returned in kind. It seriously unnerved him to realize just how attractive she was, with her blue eyes and her glimmering curls and her bright, sparkling teeth. Trembling slightly, he dropped his money into the basket.

�Thank you very much, Daniel, I hope you enjoy the rest of the game,� she said, giving him a pat on the shoulder before standing upright again. He looked at Tammy with a �what was that about?� expression, but she merely shrugged and closed her purse. Daniel turned away and shook his head as if to clear it. To his left, Paula let out a low growl before dropping in a handful of coins.

The third quarter began, and the Pink Ladies� lead continued to widen, while Paula�s expression became increasingly sullen. Melissa was doing a marvelous job on the court, and the Pinks were evidently inspired by her performance. The Blue Bombshells, meanwhile, gave their best, but were beginning to show signs that they were falling into disarray. They were taking more wild shots that often sailed out of bounds or into the hands of the opposing team. At one point, one of the Bombshells was dribbling up the court when the Black referee blew her whistle, made a sweeping motion just under her bosom with one arm, then signaled that the ball should go to the Pinks. Daniel noticed the call: �What�s that? Illegal motion? That�s a football infraction, not basketball��

�Close dribbling,� Paula said.

Despite himself, he looked to his right, curious. �What�s that?� he hesitantly asked.

�Well, you know how in regular basketball, if someone reaches inside the ball-handler�s grasp, they get called for reaching in?� Paula asked. Daniel nodded curtly. �But you sort of have to do that in order to steal the ball sometimes. Right?�

�Yeah�� Daniel wondered where she was going with this.

Paula was grinning lewdly at him, and�unnoticed by Daniel�sliding the shaft of her pennant up and down in his hand. �Well,� she said slowly, �with us, if we dribble the ball close all the time, you can�t avoid reaching in. So the rule for Phoenix-victim basketball is, you have to dribble the ball out from your body. If you don�t, you lose the ball.�

She arched her back slightly in a self-satisfied manner, straining her blouse as she did so. Daniel, his curiosity satisfied, managed to avoid rolling his eyes as he turned his attention back to the court. Tammy glared at Paula with a look of pure venom.

The Blue Bombshells began to mount a rally late in the third quarter, cutting into what had been a 12-point margin and ending the third period down 73 points to 66. Paula showed some signs of interest when the Blues mounted their charge. But then Melissa and the Pink Ladies began to put together a rally of their own, and Paula began to sink into despair while Tammy and Daniel cheered on their friend�s efforts. When the final buzzer sounded, the Pink Ladies had earned their third win of the season, 99-84.

The game�s end brought about a scene the likes of which Daniel had never experienced in his life: The Pink Ladies abruptly huddled in a corner of the gym as the two coaches shook hands. They were attempting to shield themselves from view; as a result, Daniel wasn�t able to see what they were up to. When they broke, they suddenly tore up the stands and along Daniel�s row. Before Daniel knew what happened, he found himself covered in large pieces of heavy cloth, with some form of metal hooks or something attached to them.

He managed to get himself out from under the pile, with a little assistance from Tammy, and�amid cheers and catcalls from the rest of the audience�examined one of the devices. It appeared to be a bra of some sort, only it was quite heavily reinforced at the seams, and had a strip of hooks and eyelets at the rear clasp. There also seemed to be a fine wire mesh inside the padded fabric.

�Congratulations, Daniel,� Tammy said, a partly amused, partly bemused expression crossing her face. �Looks like you�ve been Restricted.�

�Restricted?� Daniel asked, completely at a loss as to why he was sitting under a pile of elephantine bras. �Restricted to what?�

�No, no�� Tammy quickly stifled a laugh. �These are Super-Restrictor Containment Bras. They�re meant to hold a girl�s boobs down really tight, so they�re not bouncing around at all. It�s sort of a tradition at the end of a game�I should have told you; sorry. The winning team grabs their spare Super-Restrictors and tosses them onto someone in the crowd.�

�You mean some guy, right?� Daniel asked, trying furiously to stop blushing.

�That pretty much is the tradition,� Tammy replied.

Daniel considered for a moment. �How are they supposed to get them back?�

�They�re all marked with their owners� names. The idea is for you to give them back when�uhh, maybe you�d better give them back before we go,� Tammy said.

Not caring that she was again concealing something from him, Daniel quickly scooped up the rest of the bras and left the stands, hiding out near the entrance to the changing rooms. He would personally return each one to its owner.

(December)

The holiday season was in full swing, and the atmosphere at Broadmoor was one of looking forward to Christmas vacation, a mere three weeks away. Daniel had managed to settle down quite nicely by now, becoming accustomed to being the center of attention. Indeed, he and Tammy were, to his vast surprise, in a close match for being the top student in the school. When Daniel wasn�t number one and Tammy number two, the reverse was always true. Daniel saw no need to view it as a competition; he didn�t care whether he or she was #1. To him, it was just a matter of having someone he could relate to�even if there were still things she was keeping from him.

His Algebra 1 class was also going most smoothly, with but one minor hiccup of late. His students had begun complaining slightly about the amount of homework they were being saddled with, saying that it was interfering with the other things that they needed to take care of. Remembering Ms. Atkins� advice, Daniel had begun trimming back the class�s assignments.

During lunch on Friday, Daniel was quietly perusing the library for something of interest to read over the weekend when, searching the bookstacks, he suddenly came across the heavily stacked Miss Phelps. She popped up so abruptly that he felt like she�d cornered him intentionally for some odd reason. �Hello,� he said, in as friendly a manner as he could manage.

�Well, hello, Daniel,� Miss Phelps replied. �Just the person I was looking for. I�d like some help setting up an experiment�there�s some equipment in the storage room that needs moving. Would you be willing to help?�

�Uh, sure,� he said. Picking up his bookbag, he followed her.

She led him to a small room between both her classroom and the physics laboratory, and invited Daniel to hand her his bookbag. As he stepped deeper into the array of equipment, he asked, �Okay, what do you want me to grab first?� He took a moment to survey all of the interesting-looking items on display�he had always been a bit of a science nut, too. It didn�t take long, however, for him to register that Miss Phelps had not answered his question.

He turned around. �Miss��

He was just in time to see the door close behind him. Miss Phelps flipped on a light switch and turned around to face him. There was an odd glint in her eye.

�Actually, Daniel,� she said softly, �the first two things I�d like you to grab are right here.� She undid the button fastening the front panel of her dress, pulled it aside and slipped out of the top half. Her mighty mammaries were now contained in only an enormous lacy white brassiere.

She then reached behind herself, pulled the closure open with an audible Velcro rip, and swiftly drew the outsized boulder-holder off of her chest.

Daniel, his jaw practically on the floor, found himself staring at two massive, round, pinkish globes of bare flesh. They stood up and out, proud and firm from her chest, the nipples (each as thick as a nickel was wide) pointing directly at the trapped senior. Each of the two nubs was centered within a light brown circle the size of a tangerine.

She stepped toward him slowly, the distance between him and her breasts shrinking. The distance between him and the rest of her was about twelve inches longer.

�Daniel,� she said, in a serious tone that he did not recall her ever having used with him, �I really don�t want to have to wait for this. Let�s get started, shall we?�

She stopped a tantalizing three inches away from him (discounting her bosom, fifteen) and said, �Shall I help you get a hold on my equipment?�

Without waiting for a reply, she took his hand and lifted it to within a fraction of an inch of her bare areola. That spurred Daniel into reaction: He hastily jerked his hand out of her grip, shocked, and dove past her for the door, doing his best to avoid brushing up against her. He opened the door, grabbed his books, and fled.

�Look, Tammy, I don�t know why you�re being so secretive about this. I mean, I wish somebody would explain about this virus�is that why everyone around here acts the way they do?�

Still hopelessly confused about Miss Phelps baring herself for him, Daniel had turned to the only person he felt comfortable with enough to confide in�Tammy. He had gone home just long enough to dump his books, then shot over to Tammy�s rented house, hoping she would explain things to him. Instead, Tammy was stonewalling him again, and he was becoming increasingly annoyed with her.

Tammy tried desperately to throw Daniel off the scent. �Look, Miss Phelps goes a little crazy sometimes, that�s all! Trust me, it�s happened before!�

�A little crazy? She was a LOT crazy�she grabbed my hand and almost made me feel her�her bare chest!�

�Daniel, trust me, it�s nothing to worry about, honest! You�re blowing this thing way out of proportion��

But Daniel had decided that he wasn�t buying this. �Out of proportion? Come on, Tammy�nothing makes a teacher invite a student into the storage closet and then strip to the waist!�

�The Phoenix virus does!� Tammy blurted�then clapped a hand over her mouth in shock.

Daniel stared. �What?�

Tammy looked furious with herself. What have I done? She stood motionless for a moment, furiously trying to think of a way to avoid telling him the full truth. Daniel, sensing an opening, pounced: �What haven�t you been telling me?�

Realizing that the jig was up, she took a deep breath�straining the overlarge T-shirt she was wearing�then finally decided to spill the beans. �Well�I guess you should know, you�ve been at Broadmoor long enough. I think you�ll want to sit down when I tell you.�

�I think I�d better stand up for this one. Now will you just explain what you�re talking about?�

Tammy groped momentarily for a starting point. �You know that the Phoenix virus has made us all super-intelligent, of course�� she began.

�Yes, I know that part. And I know about how you suddenly become all gorgeous and sexy, and how you all develop�� He stumbled for the right words.

�Big tits,� she said.

�Big�breasts,� Daniel added. �So what else does it do? What�s this third effect no one�s told me about?�

�Well,� Tammy said slowly, silently saying every prayer she�d ever heard in the hope that Daniel would understand, �in addition to making us super-brainy and super-busty, it�amplifies a woman�s sex drive.�

Daniel paused, not sure he�d heard correctly. �Come again?�

�It makes us all super-horny,� Tammy said pointedly.

Daniel felt his throat go suddenly bone-dry. �You�re kidding��

�Nope,� Tammy replied. �Every one of the Broadmoor girls has a super-accelerated sex drive. If they don�t have one already when they start out here as freshmen, they will by the end of the tenth grade. Every woman affected by the Phoenix virus eventually develops an insatiable desire to have sex�on a daily basis. That�s the third part of the Phoenix whammy�the third part of that crazy doctor�s fucked-up dream. He wanted to make a girl with the intelligence of an Einstein, with tits out to here and curves popping out all over the place. And he wanted her to screw like a jackrabbit. So that�s what he created with that damn virus. Girls with brains that don�t quit, curves that don�t quit, and libidos that don�t quit.� She actually sounded bitter about what had been done to her.

Daniel gulped. �I�I don�t get it.�

�I know you don�t,� Tammy said sadly. �You can�t understand what that�s like�it�s like we�re constantly starving, like we can�t fill our bellies fast enough. Only we don�t need food�we need to have sex. We need it at least once every day, sometimes more.�

Daniel felt like he was going to faint. He sat down, his knees only too happy to assist in that effort.

�Now you know why Miss Phelps has been coming on to you like she has,� Tammy said. �She�s desperate�she can�t always land a guy for the night, and since she�s not married, well��

Daniel could scarcely believe what she was saying. �Is�is that why the school board transferred me to Broadmoor?�

�Mm-hmm,� Tammy confessed. She stood closer to him and tried to sound reassuring. �That�s part of the deal between Broadmoor and the school board. The school has very high academic standards�always did�but the students need guys to do it with. Lots of guys. That�s why you�re with us�you�re smart enough to qualify as a student, and at the same time, they�re hoping you�ll�serve us, if you know what I mean.�

Suddenly, a most discomforting thought occurred to him. He fought against the lump in his throat and asked, �Tammy, are you saying that�you�have�this amplified�?�

Tammy nodded.

�When I was thirteen, I used to dream about being with boys, only it was never like I wanted to sleep with them or anything. Maybe steal a kiss or two, you know�. Then I got infected and started developing. I sort of realized that I was getting smarter and smarter all the time, but I was also growing bigger and bigger�and I started to feel this�this burning sensation inside me, like I needed something, but I didn�t know what. And that need just grew�and grew�and grew�� She took a deep breath and sat down beside him. �When I was fifteen, I ended up doing it with one of the boys in my old school, the summer before I started at Broadmoor. Do you remember your first time, Daniel?�

�No�I�ve�never had my first time.�

Tammy�s eyes widened. �Really?�

Daniel nodded.

A small smile crossed Tammy�s face for a moment as she digested the fact of Daniel�s virginity. She looked away briefly, then looked directly into his eyes and began again. �Well, I remember my first time.� Her smile faded, her eyes became downcast. �I remember every sensation, every movement, every feeling, every�every orgasm I had that night like I�d had them all five minutes ago. It�s like sex was burned into my brain that night. The only other thing I remember about that night besides is feeling a deep sense of disappointment, like it was all over too soon. And within a week, I was so desperate for sex again, I ended up doing it with another boy. Then it was another�and another�and another�� She turned away from him, her voice suddenly breaking. �Before I knew it, I was doing it once every week. Then it became once or twice a week. Then every four days�every three days�every two days� Now it�s every single night, literally every night I�m with a guy�and even though I try so hard to control it, sometimes even that�s not enough.�

Daniel wasn�t sure, but he thought he heard Tammy actually begin to cry.

�That�s why I was so good in biology in 10th grade�I decided I want to become a biochemist, or maybe a virologist�I want to find a cure for the Phoenix virus, or at least something to ease this�constant craving I have�we all have�� She paused again, wiped her eyes and drew a deep breath; when she resumed, she was looking at him once again, and her voice was a little steadier.

�There are things we have to deal with that you wouldn�t believe. When your sex drive is as enormous as ours, it affects your life in ways you wouldn�t even think of. I told you about my car�how it was built so I�m not brushing up against the steering wheel. I have to drive like that�my boobs are so sensitive, if I bump up against stuff too much, my libido lights up like a Christmas tree. Did you ever notice how the Broadmoor school bus doesn�t look like a normal school bus? That�s because the school district bought a handful of regular mass transit buses and repainted them yellow. Regular school buses bounce too easily and too much, which drives us crazy�if you know what I mean.

�Do you remember me saying my attention sometimes wanders when I go to the movies?�

Daniel nodded.

Tammy shook her head bitterly. �What really happens is, if I�m not really getting into the movie, that urge just kicks in and before I know it, I�m playing with myself. Once I actually climaxed out loud before I remembered where I was�it was so embarrassing. I ran out of the theater into the ladies� room�and all I could do when I got there was play with myself some more. Then security showed up and�God, it was awful��

She suddenly sounded angry. �I�m not a dirty person�really, I�m not. I just can�t help this�this�God, I can�t even find the right word for it; it�s like lust, only bigger, stronger�this unstoppable urge that I can�t fight, it�s so strong.� She snorted. �It�s ridiculous�I can�t go to the movies, or watch TV, or listen to the radio, or even read a damn book without putting a lot of effort into it. If I�m not into the movie or TV enough, or if a dull song comes on or something, my mind just drifts into sex mode. And once I get into sex mode, it gets so�difficult�to get out�� She was struggling slightly against another pang of desire, clenching her fists in an effort to regain her composure. After a moment, she stopped herself.

�Most of the girls my age just give in to it, just jump in bed and spread their legs for whatever guy they can get hold of in the next ten minutes. I try to be bigger than that, but my body�it�s like my body betrays me, every night, when I�m lost in those�� She shut her eyes; her bitter expression briefly morphed into one of dreamy uncaring, as though reliving a moment of supreme ecstasy. �Those wonderful, massive, mind-blowing orgasms I have�even when I wish I didn�t.� She suddenly pounded the bed with a fist in anger�then looked at Daniel. �I�m sorry, Daniel, I thought I�d be over my anger and frustration by now. I guess I�m not. And I�m sorry I didn�t tell you the truth from the beginning. Every boy who comes to Broadmoor has the right to know. Hell, I thought they all already knew. But you obviously didn�t�until now.�

Daniel didn�t quite know how to approach the next subject. �Have you�ever�� He finished asking the question by pointing slowly to her, then himself.

Tammy almost smiled. �I�ve wanted you practically from the moment I met you.�

Daniel suddenly found it very hard to breathe. �Then�why haven�t you�?�

At this, she did smile, a soft, warm caring smile, betraying none of whatever desire lay underneath. �Daniel�this may be hard for you to accept, but I�ve done it with more guys than you know.  I have about thirty guys� names and phone numbers in a little book around here somewhere. And I�m not the only one, either.� (Daniel abruptly recalled the running gag between the twin Coaches Bergman: Stacy�s �black book� was supposedly thicker, but Stephanie�s had more names in it.) �And believe me, they all know about Broadmoor girls. They know that when I or one of the others calls them on the phone, it�s for only one reason: because I want to get laid. They view doing a Broadmoor girl as like free sex. Which is all it is,� she added, seeing Daniel starting to turn angry. �Trust me, not one of those guys is anything like boyfriend material.�

Daniel wasn�t sure how to take this news. He looked hard at Tammy as though he were about to ask a question, but he couldn�t decide what to ask, so he looked away.

Tammy had a guess as to what might be troubling him. �Daniel,� she said sweetly, placing a hand on his arm, �I know you�re different. I know you�re not like any of those guys in my black book. I�ve known that from the moment I met you. I still remember how shocked you looked when you first saw me�you have no idea how cute that was. I guess that�s why I�m so attracted to you�you could have jumped on Miss Phelps, or Paula, or Melissa, or me, or any of us�but you didn�t. Miss Phelps has done every male student in this school at least twice, and gotten away with it without so much as a reprimand. You would have become one of her conquests, too, believe me�but you said no. You�re the type of guy who wants someone for more than just her body�someone who appreciates a good mind and a kind nature. Am I right?�

Daniel nodded, unable to think of anything else to say.

�That�s what I figured,� she said. �I don�t want to wreck our relationship by giving in to what my body is screaming at me to do. I want to get to know you, too, Daniel. I can�t help needing a guy now and then�but I can help needing you.�

Daniel sat and calmly digested everything Tammy had confessed to him. �If what you say is true�then�even though you�ve been sleeping with all these guys you talk about�you�re saying I shouldn�t feel jealous.�

�There really isn�t anything for you to feel jealous about,� she said firmly. �These guys are�well, really, they�re no better than cheap pieces of meat to me. They have one purpose, and that�s all.�

�And you�re nothing more than a cheap piece of meat to them,� Daniel countered, suddenly realizing what was so detestable about the situation to him. �But you�re not a piece of meat to me.�

Tammy looked at him, wide-eyed with surprise. �Daniel! You really do care about me, don�t you?�

Daniel�s anger suddenly dissolved into embarrassment. �Yeah, I care,� he admitted sheepishly. �You�re someone I could get crazy about. You�re smart, you�re fun to be with, you�re nice�it�s like you�re my best friend. More than that, really�you�re�very special to me.�

Tammy gently took his hand in hers. �Daniel, dear, sweet Daniel�listen to me. This is as hard on me as it is on you�harder, even. You wouldn�t believe the number of times I�ve dreamed of you and me, all alone, just�� She abruptly stopped herself, took a moment to regain her composure, then continued. �I don�t want you to become just another entry in my black book, and I can tell that you don�t, either. That�s why I always force myself not to try and do anything with you. I have plenty of guys to do me as I require�but I don�t have an actual boyfriend�or at least I didn�t, until you came along. Our�relationship�will just have to be the way it is, at least for now. If I can accept that you�re off-limits to me, you can accept that I�m not off-limits to the guys in my black book�can�t you?�

Daniel�s expression turned slightly sad, as if he were resigning himself to something distasteful, but he nodded.

Tammy leaned in and came to within a hair�s breadth of kissing him on the lips, but then she stopped, as though firmly telling herself to back off. She pulled away, drew in a deep breath, then simply kissed the back of his hand.

After a few moments, he asked, �So�do you have somebody in your black book you intend to call tonight?� He looked at her, his expression indicating only a mild, almost amused curiosity.

Tammy�s smile brightened. �Daniel�you do understand.�

Daniel nodded meekly.

Tammy stood up. �Actually, this guy named Phil will be here in about 20 minutes.� She added, in a dismissive tone, �I figure his pecker is big enough to serve the purpose.� She laughed. So did Daniel.

They did not hug each other�Daniel had also decided that it was best to avoid close contact rather than take any chances. Instead, he simply clasped his hand in hers and looked into her warm brown eyes for a moment, for once not distracted by her capacious cleavage. Then he left.

He headed down the street from her house a short ways, then decided to stop and wait in the chill air for her man of the night to arrive. He crossed the street, found a convenient bench to sit on, and waited. Ten minutes later, an unfamiliar car parked in front of her house. He saw someone get out and walk up to her door, watched her distinctive silhouette answer and let him in. As soon as the stranger passed out of sight, however, she appeared to look down the street, then suddenly waved in his direction.

He waved back.

Uncertain as to precisely what else to do concerning Miss Phelps, Daniel decided to try and buy her a present�something that he hoped would fix things between himself and her. He confided to Melissa about precisely what had happened, fairly sure he could trust her to keep quiet about it. Melissa not only understood perfectly, but even suggested the perfect present.

The next Monday morning, Miss Phelps arrived in her classroom to find a neatly wrapped gift box on her desk. Attached was a card reading:

I hope this makes up for last week.

�Daniel Peterson

Inside, Miss Phelps found a fifteen-inch-long, two-inch-thick vibrator and a 12-pack of �D� batteries.

Later that day, when Daniel arrived for class, Miss Phelps passed him a note:

Daniel�

I don�t know if I�ve ever received a more thoughtful, useful, or immensely satisfying gift.

Thank you so much.

�Miss Christina Phelps

P.S. By the way, where did you get the batteries?

I�m afraid I drained the first two this morning.

(January)

�Before we begin today�s class, ladies, I have an announcement to make,� Daniel said, looking over the group of young Algebra 1 students that had made him so proud over the past few months. Despite the reservations he had had when his assignment started, he wasn�t happy about the news he now had to deliver to them. �As you know, I was asked to take this class because the school district could not find a suitable teacher who was also infected with the Phoenix, as is the policy for all Broadmoor staff members.� (He had learned to refer to the virus simply as �the Phoenix�, as everyone around him typically did.) �Ms. Atkins has informed me that the district has found a suitable candidate.� To Daniel�s surprise, every face fell. �My replacement�s credentials have not yet been verified, but Ms. Atkins says that this is merely a matter of about half a day�s work. It is likely, therefore, that as of Monday you will have a new teacher.�

For the first time, the class broke into moderate disorder, as groans and expressions of disappointment were exchanged between the students. Daniel had to snap his fingers and say, �Excuse me�your attention, please�� before order was restored. �Obviously, none of you are happy about this. Well, you should know that I�m not very happy either, but I knew that this was going to be a limited appointment�and, obviously, that time has come to an end. So let�s make the most of our last class day together, OK?�

Class went as normally as ever, but Daniel could tell that the students� hearts just didn�t seem to be in it after hearing of his impending departure. He concluded the class by giving them their weekend homework assignment, wishing them the best for the remainder of the year, and allowing them to rather sullenly file out. He gathered up his belongings and glanced wistfully about the room before leaving for gym, never noticing how his students were clustered about, talking animatedly with one another.

The following Monday, Daniel�after playing yet another annoying round of hide-the-lab-apparatus with the indefatigable Paula�sat and took lunch with Tammy, who noticed that he seemed less than his usual cheery self. Daniel confessed that he was less than happy about losing his teaching post.

�Aw, don�t feel bad, Daniel,� Tammy said reassuringly, patting his hand. �I heard about you from Ms. Atkins�she says you were a great teacher. You should be proud of yourself.�

�Yeah, I know,� Daniel said sadly. �Still�I wish it wasn�t over quite so soon, I felt like I was hitting my stride��

A faint throat-clearing sound made Daniel look up from his half-eaten turkey sandwich. To his surprise, it was Ms. Atkins, looming over him in her usual miniskirt and overflowing blazer. �Oh�Ms. Atkins�I didn�t see you up there, I�m sorry. Were you looking for me?�

�Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I was,� Ms. Atkins smiled. �It�s about the Algebra 1 class�I need to speak to you��

The thirty freshman girls who took fifth-period Algebra 1 were nervously milling about in the classroom, wondering just what sort of teacher they were likely to receive. Several of them were already expressing their disdain for the new person, even though none of them had met their new teacher yet.

Then came a voice from the doorway: �Excuse me��

The girls quickly lapsed into silence when they saw who had arrived.

�Would you all please take your seats?�

At once, everyone scrambled quickly to their seats and folded their hands upon the desks, all eyes directed at the front of the room.

Daniel Peterson set his books down upon the table and looked around the room, now remembering every face as clearly as his own. He smiled.

�I informed you all last Friday that I would have to step down as your teacher, due to the arrival of a new appointment recently located by the school district.� He paused, noticing the girls� mixed expressions, ranging from modest hope to outright despair. Then he continued.

�However�� At this word, suddenly every face brightened remarkably, hoping for what they regarded as good news. �It seems that approximately thirty of you decided to petition the Vice Principal and request that I be permitted to stay.� He could barely repress a broad smile at this point. �After due consideration, it has been decided�that I will remain as your teacher for the rest of the school year.�

The class responded openly once again�only this time with a burst of enthusiastic applause, as his protuberant pupils beamed most happily at him and one another. Daniel indulged them for a moment before raising his hand for quiet. �I hope none of you get the impression that I�m going to make this class any easier just because you all seem to like me so much.� The class burst into laughter�and Daniel noted that several of the more full-busted girls were quick to hold down their grapefruit-sized breasts with one arm while covering their mouths with the free hand. I wonder how many of them are up to once every three days, Daniel mused silently.

He waited for the laughter to die down somewhat before continuing, trying to forget what these thirty girls would be like when they became seniors. Managing to put aside the image of thirty massive-busted, black book-toting, once-a-night girls his age sitting in Calculus, he said, �Okay, then, let�s pick up where we left off.� The students at once fished out their textbooks. �Chapter 9, page 212��

(February)

Daniel was sitting on the couch beside Tammy at her house, sharing another Saturday afternoon going over the weekend�s homework assignments. The two of them had actually become quite close since Tammy had revealed the full truth about the Phoenix virus and its effects�this despite the fact that she still had to confront her amped-up sex drive, and was thus as careful as ever not to become carried away with Daniel and spoil their relationship. Daniel had never broached the subject again since, partly because it still pained him to think of all those other guys who used Tammy as a sex object (the same way she used them, a fact which didn�t bother Daniel so much when he considered it from her perspective). Mainly, however, he had never mentioned it because he wanted to preserve the special relationship they shared, and was just as concerned as she about what might happen if they went too far too soon. It had made things between them awkward for the couple of weeks following Tammy�s confession, but they had slowly and silently come to a mutual understanding.

The revelation that Tammy�s life was partly driven by her libido�she had once described it to him by saying that it felt like she was drowning in her own hormones�had explained much of what Daniel now saw around him at school. His super-attentive Algebra 1 students�all of them with a 91 average or above, Daniel was proud to admit�were likely paying so much attention in class in an effort to win his attention, a contest that seemed to expand along with the bustlines of his students. Paula, of course, was as eager to show him her sexual wares as ever, and even Miss Phelps seemed to have taken an extra shine to him, although he was sure that came more from the oversized vibrator he�d bought for her.

At the moment, Daniel was looking over Tammy�s essay on Shakespeare�s Romeo and Juliet. Tammy�who was only marginally more interested in English than he was, though for different reasons�had complained more than once about how one of the Bard�s signature romances was so boring. (True to form, Melissa had loaned Tammy a copy of an adult-film version of the play that she had found somewhere, which had only served to totally distract Tammy from the substance of the play when she saw it.)

�Well, I can�t find a whole lot wrong here,� said Daniel at length, handing her back the essay. �You seem to have covered all the bases, like you usually do.�

�Thanks,� she said, taking her essay and putting it in her notebook. She seemed to fidget slightly as she did so. �It helps to have someone look over my English stuff. I�m always struggling to remember what I read�especially when all I can remember is that I suddenly stopped reading and�� She abruptly broke off, but Daniel already knew what she was talking about.

�Yeah, I get the picture,� Daniel answered, trying not to sound smug. �I guess Huckleberry Finn would be a problem for you,� he added.

Tammy�s expression soured, as though remembering a particularly unpleasant experience. �Don�t remind me,� she begged. �I had to read that last year�what a disaster! I got a damn B-plus on that essay, and I still don�t know how I pulled that miracle off.� She shook her head. �I wouldn�t have aced that test on Fahrenheit 451 if it hadn�t been for you.� She smiled affectionately at him; Daniel half-blushed and looked away, grinning.

Tammy abruptly squirmed slightly in her seat, arching her back in discomfort. Daniel noticed that (1) she seemed to be even bigger on top than he remembered, and (2) that was the fourth or fifth time she�d done that since he�d gotten there. �Uh, Tam, I notice you�ve been sort of fidgety all day�are you�y�know, all right? Or should I��

�No, no, you don�t have to go,� Tammy said, holding up a hand to encourage him to stay. �It�s all right, it�s just�I�ve outgrown this damn bra, and I haven�t ordered any new ones yet.�

�Oh, OK.� Daniel might have suggested that she dispense with wearing her bra if it made her so uncomfortable, but he knew better; without a bra, her overly sensitive breasts would bounce too much, igniting her libido�then it really would be time for him to go. �I didn�t realize you were�still growing.�

Tammy looked at him with a rueful expression. �Yep, Goodyear One and Two are still swelling,� she said sardonically.

�Goodyear One and Two?� Daniel asked, unable to restrain a chuckle.

�Well, they�ve blown up like blimps since I got hit with that damn virus!� Tammy said in annoyance, though she herself was also giggling. �What else should I call them?�

They laughed about it for a moment, Tammy shaking her head at her double predicament. After a few moments, Daniel asked, �If they�re that much of a problem, why not get them reduced or something?�

Tammy cast her eyes heavenward. �Boy, wouldn�t that be a grand idea,� she replied, her voice taking on an acidic tone that Daniel rapidly realized wasn�t directed at him. �Unfortunately, the jackass who designed the virus thought of that. The alterations the virus makes also make the victim respond very quickly to injury�or surgery,� she added. �I�ve known girls who�ve had full double mastectomies in order to try and lose the things. They grow back to full size inside of a month, like they were never gone. It�s like those lizards that lose a foot and then grow a new one, only we grow new boobs instead. Plus, there�s always the �Seven-Second Itch�, as Miss Clifton calls it. You can�t cut that away with a scalpel.�

Daniel�s eyebrows rose in surprise. �Oh.� He scarcely needed her to tell him what her old Chemistry teacher meant by �the Seven-Second Itch�. He lapsed into silence.

�Well,� she said finally, �what can�t be cured must be endured, as my dad likes to say.� She opened a drawer on the side table and took out a magazine of some sort. �Back to Aphrodite, I guess��

�Aphrodite?� Daniel asked curiously.

�Yeah, take a look,� she answered, holding out the magazine for Daniel to look at.

It wasn�t a magazine at all, Daniel soon realized, but a catalog. ��Aphrodite Apparel Incorporated�,� he read from the cover. ��Specialty Manufacturer of Apparel and Lingerie for PGMV-Infected Women.�� He looked up at Tammy. �What�s PGMV?�

�That�s the abbreviation for the full name of you-know-what,� Tammy said. �PGMV�the Phoenix Geneto-morphic Virus.�

�I�ve never heard of a geneto-morphic virus,� Daniel said.

�That�s because there never was one�not before the Phoenix,� Tammy said, taking back the catalog. �I�ve learned a little bit about how viruses work from some of the things I�ve read elsewhere. Viruses basically attack cells and replace their original DNA with that of the virus��

�Yeah, I remember that from biology,� Daniel said. �The fact that it replaces the DNA is what makes them so dangerous. When the foreign DNA tries reproducing itself, it�s actually trying to convert the host into whatever it was that infected it, which is what causes all those nasty things to happen.�

�Well, Phoenix actually goes one better,� Tammy said. �It doesn�t replace the whole DNA. It only replaces certain parts�just enough that the immune system doesn�t go after the virus. Then the virus makes a fresh copy of itself and leaves the cell, undamaged.�

�Leaving a permanently altered cell in its place,� Daniel said. �And then that cell reproduces normally, only with its altered genes. And once a cell�s genes are altered by the virus��

�The process is irreversible,� Tammy finished. �Eventually the virus completes its work and burns out, leaving a new set of instructions behind�instructions to change the infected woman into�� She spread her hands and looked down at her super-busty, super-curvy self, a slight look of despair on her face, then opened the catalog and began flipping pages.

�Whatever happened to the guy who created the virus?� Daniel asked.

�Him? I don�t know,� Tammy said. �I think the Surgeon General�s Office got him convicted of assault or something. Assault�� she sneered. �That was the best word they could come up with. Anyway, since he�s been convicted on about a million assault charges, he�s in some jail for life, I think. I try not to think of the son-of-a-bitch, unless I want to stop feeling�you know��

Daniel knew.

A wistful expression then crossed her face. �It makes you wonder, though�I mean, this guy is an absolute genius, you have to admit. He designed a microbe the likes of which had never even existed. I mean, that�s maybe a few steps down from being God�if you believe in God and everything, that is. Imagine the real good he could have done if he�d set his mind to it�all the genetic diseases he could have wiped out if he�d gone that route. He could have done so much good for humanity�hell, I�d gladly take having the extra brainpower if it didn�t have the other damn strings attached! But instead, all he does with his super intelligence is find a way to fulfill his blow-up-doll fantasies,� she added bitterly.

A thought occurred to Daniel. �But if he was able to create the Phoenix virus, he must have found the key to creating other viruses that would solve all of those problems, right? What about all of his lab notes and such�where are they?�

�Nobody knows,� Tammy replied hollowly. �The authorities only nabbed him when a shipping invoice for some lab part turned up in the wrong place�he�d ordered a bunch of parts through other companies, companies that weren�t very keen on their accounting. When one company found an invoice for a part they never wanted or got, they called in the cops. Then they called in the FBI, who tracked him down and raided his lab. They found a whole bunch of illegally obtained lab equipment there, plus a handful of test tubes containing specimens of his previous work. They said that those tubes contained �biological agents� that were early versions of the Phoenix. One empty one contained traces of the Phoenix itself.�

�So by the time they�d found him��

�He�d released it.� Rancor dripped from Tammy�s voice. �And condemned all of us.�

�And his notes?�

�Nobody knows where they are, and he isn�t telling. Any number of medical institutions wanted to get hold of the precursors, everyone from Johns Hopkins to the World Health Organization�but the FBI turned them over to the Centers for Disease Control, who then turned them over to the Army.�

�The Army?� Daniel asked, mystified.

�Yep. Apparently there�s some high-tech Army medical lab out in the boonies in Maryland��you-sam-something�, I forget off the top of my head. They got hold of the precursors and they�re keeping them�so if they ever do find a cure, I�d bet we�ll never see it.�

Tammy drew a deep breath (which must have hurt, Daniel thought) and began leafing through the pages, looking for something in particular.

�It must be difficult trying to tell them what you want,� Daniel said after a moment. �I mean, size-wise.�

At this, Tammy looked up at him, a smile brightening her face. �I didn�t know you were interested in such things, Daniel��

�Well,� Daniel began sheepishly, �I was sort of curious about it a couple of weeks ago�so I took a look at my mom�s Penney�s catalog. I know a little bit about bra sizes�normal sizes, anyway,� he added.

�I�ve seen that system,� Tammy replied. �Actually, Aphrodite uses more or less the same system, only extended past the, uh, �normal sizes� range.� She flipped the catalog to one of its center pages. �Here, let�s see how good you are. Take a look at this chart.�

Daniel took the catalog from her and examined the bra-sizing chart. His eyebrows rose when he realized how large some of the sizes were.

�Now, you tell me,� Tammy half-teased. �What size bra do you think I�m up to?�

Daniel blanched slightly, realizing just how difficult this was likely to be. He looked carefully at her, trying first to guess what band size she might wear. �Uh, let�s see�uh�band size�� He thought about it for a few moments. �Thirty-six?�

�Very good,� Tammy answered, sounding impressed. �Now�cup size.�

Daniel looked at her midsection, trying to think just how large she actually was�trying to judge mentally what had completely flustered him to look at only last September. �Uh�I�ll say you�re size thirty-six�thirty-six�� His brow furrowed. �36-I.�

There was a brief silence, then Tammy spoke up quietly, still sounding amused.

�I haven�t worn an I-cup since tenth grade,� she informed him. �I�m a 36-O.�

�O?� Daniel looked stunned.

�O.�

�You�re kidding, right?�

Tammy reached behind herself and appeared to pull on her bra closure. Daniel heard a faint ripping sound, then Tammy produced a small piece of cloth. �Here.�

Daniel took it. It was the label from Tammy�s current bra. The label read:

Aphrodite Lingerie Inc.

Silver Satin Comfort Bra

100% Cotton Strap Padding

36-N

MADE IN U.S.A.

�That�s a size N?� Daniel asked in disbelief.

�Yup,� Tammy replied. �Actually, if you look at the chart, I should be wearing a double-N by now, only I never ordered any because the single-N�s were doing a good job holding them still.�

�I�don�t know what to say,� Daniel said softly.

�Actually, you�re the only guy who�s even been that close, even if you did miss by a mile,� she grinned. �You have no idea how many idiot guys try to get on my good side by buying me bras that are way too small. One dope actually went and bought a C-cup. A damn C-cup!�

�Well�� Daniel struggled to find the right words. �Considering how big you are, are you so surprised?�

Tammy gaped at Daniel�then covered her hand with her mouth and began laughing almost hysterically. Daniel found himself laughing along with her.

After a few moments, the laughter died away, though they were still grinning at one another. �You know what, Daniel? You�re the first guy I�ve ever talked with so openly about my chest.�

Daniel looked at her with a mildly curious expression.

�I mean, I�ve never talked with a guy before about my breasts like this before�like it was just, I dunno, like the weather or something. I mean, I talk with the girls about them like this all the time, you know, like, �what size are you up to�, �where do you buy bras from��that sort of thing. Guys are all�well, I won�t tell you what the guys always ask, you probably already know��

He didn�t, but he opted not to say so.

�It really is nice to have a guy talk about my body, especially these�things�like it was just shop talk or something.�

Daniel hesitated, again fumbling for words. �Can I ask you something?� At her assent, he said, �It almost sounds like you hate them. Do you?�

Now it was Tammy�s turn to grope for words. �Jeez, no one�s ever asked me that before�� She thought about for a moment. �I can�t really say. Yes and no, I guess. I mean, obviously, breasts are a sign of womanhood, and if I had to choose between being flat-chested and having�these�� she unnecessarily spread her hands apart in front of her massive chest��I�d take these, I suppose. On the other hand��

�On the other hand, the fact that they�re that size is also testimony to the fact that you�re a Phoenix victim,� Daniel guessed. �Which you hate being, more or less�but like you said, it�s irreversible. So you endure, not liking what�s happened to you, but determined not to be ashamed of what you can�t help being.�

Tammy gaped at Daniel in astonishment.

�Did I say something wrong?� he asked.

�No,� Tammy answered, a note of mystified delight entering her voice. �You just�it�s like you read my mind. That�s exactly how I feel.�

Daniel smiled in delight.

�Let me show you something,� Tammy said gently. She got up and crossed over to a small table with a drawer beneath. She opened the drawer and took out a fairly thick book�a photo album of some sort, Daniel realized. She then plopped down on the floor next to Daniel and opened it. �You�re the first guy I�ve shown this to in a long time,� she told him. �I used to show this to guys I invited over�well, you know what I mean�but they were always just interested in it for prurient reasons,� she added, a hint of bitterness entering her voice. She afforded him a smile as she continued, �I decided to make a sort of scrapbook when I learned I had the Phoenix. I started this book about five years ago.�

She opened the book to the first page, which held a picture of herself and her parents standing under a tree outside their home. Above it was a very small piece of cloth, a bra label similar to the one she had ripped off earlier. �This is the label from my first training bra, when I was thirteen or so. I remember that day so well�Mom and I had the birds-and-bees talk, Dad cried about how his little girl was growing up�� Her smile faded. �If only I�d known then what I was in for. I got tested for the virus two months later, and I came up positive. Mom and Dad hoped I�d only be a carrier, that I wouldn�t get it full-blown��

She continued to flip through the scrapbook. �Here�s me that Christmas, in front of the tree. I was already up to a B-cup by then. Mom was still hoping that I was just developing fast, but I think I already knew�and here I am at graduation from grade school,� she added, smiling faintly at the memory. �See the bra label? Somewhere during the ceremony, I felt my bra cup start to split open under my arm. I�d told Mom I was outgrowing a C-cup.�

She flipped to the next page. �Here I am that July, the summer before I started at Broadmoor. I think it was a month before my first time.� She was standing outside the downtown shopping mall, holding a Macy�s bag. Daniel noticed that she was already quite busty at that point.

�What�s in the shopping bag?� he asked.

Tammy pointed to the torn-out bra label above the photo. �The last bras I would ever buy off the rack,� she said.

Indeed, above the next photo�with Melissa, outside of school that fall�was a label from an Aphrodite Silver Satin Midrange Trainer bra, size 35-E. �That�s a label from a training bra?� Daniel asked, curious.

�Sort of�it�s actually supposed to help train the wearer to deal with increasingly huge boobs�not to mention increasingly sensitive,� she said. �They�re meant to fasten your breasts down, so they don�t jiggle around like they would in a regular bra. The point is to get the wearer used to the idea of having to restrain them from bouncing around and waking up that urge. It�s not pleasant in the beginning�it feels like having your upper body bandaged up like you were just hit by a truck, only maybe not so tightly.�

She advanced to the next page. �Christmas of my ninth-grade year. I�m already up to an F�me moving in here the next spring; you can�t really see it from the picture, but I�m in my last Midrange Trainer, a double-F, and it�s already starting to get kinda small on me�� She changed pages again. �Me and my folks at Sea World, that was a fun trip�even though I don�t think my dad was all that happy about me wanting to bring James along�here I am with Melissa inside one of those little photo booths; I�m surprised there was room for both of us in there, we were both up to double-G�s by then��

She continued through the scrapbook, each successive picture showing a larger and larger Tammy, and accompanied by a label from one of her specialty bras. The sizes continued to progress forward through the alphabet, finally ending with her current 36-N�s. �And this is me at my folks� house last Christmas,� she said. �My cousin Brenda is standing next to me there�she�s only thirteen, we�ll have to wait and see if she gets hit�and my mom, my dad�my Aunt Clara and Uncle Charlie�my dad�s parents�my other cousin Cindy and her father, Uncle Victor�and my mother�s father.� The seemingly normal family assembly was arrayed around Tammy, whose then NN-cups naturally dominated the scene, even obscured beneath her stretched-out yellow sweater.

�Where are your mother�s mom and Cindy�s mom?� he asked.

�My mother�s mom is the crazy one I told you about, the one who thinks I need to find religion all the time,� she said simply. �And Cindy�s mom, my Aunt Christine, got hit. I don�t think she exactly trusted herself to leave my dad or Uncle Charlie alone. Aunt Chris and Uncle Vic are having problems because of the Phoenix.� She closed the scrapbook. �It could be worse, I guess. Danielle Fox�s mom got hit, too, and her parents ended up getting a divorce. And there�s a restraining order against Julie Kendall�s father�he once went completely psycho and tried to torch the campus. He�s not allowed within a hundred yards of the campus perimeter; he has to pick up and drop off his daughter two blocks away.�

Daniel mused over everything Tammy had shown and told him. �Who�d have thought that one little microbe could cause so many problems?� he said at length.

Tammy agreed silently. Then, after a brief glance at the clock, she said, �Hey, Daniel�why don�t we go to the mall or something?�

Daniel�s pensive expression was soon replaced by a smile. They left.

The following Monday, Daniel discreetly asked Melissa if she had an Aphrodite catalog he could borrow. She loaned him hers; he photocopied the order form, explaining to Melissa his intent to place an order and to request that it be shipped to Tammy�s house, gift-wrapped.

As he gave Melissa back the catalog, she asked him, �So what�s going on between you two, anyway? You two seem to get along like old friends or something.�

�Well, we are friends,� Daniel answered carefully. �We like and respect one another, we enjoy each other�s company� Why do you ask, anyway? Were you expecting something else?�

�Yes,� Melissa said in an �isn�t it obvious� voice, �I expected that the two of you would have done it by now.�

�Done what?� Daniel asked suspiciously.

�Oh, come on, don�t play coy with me,� Melissa chided. �I know Tammy finally told you the truth about Broadmoor girls.�

�Oh, that,� was Daniel�s reply. �You always seem rather interested in what Tammy and I are up to in bed�why is that?�

�Well, isn�t it obvious?� Melissa asked, a hint of a leer on her face. �Everyone wants to know about how good the few Broadmoor guys are in bed. You never know�you might find new �black book� material, if you get my meaning.� She grinned lasciviously.

�Well, what about those two freshmen you like to embarrass in gym class?� Daniel replied, hoping to get out of this conversation soon. �Aren�t they in your black book yet?�

�Nah, they�re too interested in their schoolwork,� Melissa said. �Honestly, I don�t know why the school board sends guys like that to Broadmoor��

�Well, if they don�t want to party, that�s their business, isn�t it?�

�They should make every guy who comes to Broadmoor �party�, as you so boringly put it,� Melissa huffed. �Instead, they find these freshmen who haven�t even had a wet dream in their lives and send them here�and they make us wait for a whole month before we can get them in the bed.�

�What?�

�It�s that stupid school policy,� Melissa complained, �the one about how we�re supposed to refrain from boffing the new guys until the second month of the school year. The school board suggested it, so that guys who came here would have some time to adjust and not get overwhelmed and all that crap. They don�t even allow new Broadmoor guys into the dorms until October.� She snorted. �I say the school board should only send us guys who can dish out some serious lovin��just send us the horndogs and we�ll be OK.�

�And where is the school board supposed to find �horndogs� smart enough to be here? How would it look if Broadmoor�s girl students were all straight A�s and the guys were all straight D�s?�

�Oh for God�s sake, I don�t care what�s in a guy�s head!� Melissa said in exasperation. �Just so long as he�s got enough in his shorts to satisfy me, I�ll be happy!�

�That might be enough for you,� Daniel said finally, �but Tammy wants something more from a relationship. I�m only sorry you don�t seem to understand or accept that.� And with that, he left her and went on to lunch. Melissa stared after him, shook her head in disbelief, then followed.

That Friday, when Tammy arrived home, she found the present Daniel had bought for her birthday: six Silver Satin Comfort Bras, two beige, two pink, two powder-blue, all with cotton padding�size 36-O. The card inside read simply: �Happy Birthday Tammy, from your friend Daniel.�

Elated, Tammy shucked her current 36-N and tried one of the pink ones on. It was a perfect fit.

Tammy and Daniel drove to the mall again the next weekend. Daniel�s savings were now a little thin, thanks to the expense involved in buying Tammy her present, but he didn�t care at all. He had hoped that she would enjoy her new undergarments, and the beaming smile she showed him almost from the moment of his arrival confirmed that she did.

�Thank you so much for the new bras,� she told him sweetly as they sped down the highway. �It was really nice of you to get me stocked up. How did you get the order placed, anyway?�

�I borrowed Melissa�s Aphrodite catalog,� Daniel replied. �I�m glad she kept it to herself.�

�Lucky you�Melissa can be a real gossip sometimes,� Tammy chuckled.

�I hope they fit right�� Daniel said, slightly anxious.

�Oh, they�re perfect,� Tammy answered. �They keep �em good and pinned down, nice and quiet. Plus I can finally stop peeling off my bra every night. I was starting to get these red welt marks from my N-cups�not the most attractive thing in the world, not to mention how my shoulders stung.�

�I started to get you a set of Super�uh, Super-whaddyacallems, since I didn�t know how bad it was for you��

�Super-Retractor Containment Bras?� Tammy asked, surprised. �I�m glad you didn�t�they�re too expensive, plus they pinch me on the sides.�

�So they work out all right,� Daniel said, hoping for confirmation.

�I�m wearing one of the blue ones now,� she said. �I�m OK so far. Why don�t we drive over a pothole or go find a couple of speed bumps, just to be sure?� She laughed; Daniel promptly joined in.

(May)

Daniel stood nervously, tugging at his bow tie for the umpteenth time, shifting his weight from foot to foot, hoping that the corsage he�d bought for her didn�t suddenly wilt on him. When he finally couldn�t stand fidgeting any longer, he called out, �Tammy? Are you ready yet?� He looked down at the boxed corsage in his hand one more time, then called out again, a little louder, �Tammy? Are you��

The bathroom door opened, the light clicked off, and Tammy stepped into view.

She had put her hair up into an elegant array of gleaming black curls, accented by a small ornamental butterfly in the front. Her face was lightly dusted with red blusher, her lips colored a lovely deep pink.

Her dress, however, was a marvel to behold. All black velvet, the top was done in an elegant backless design, the two panels crossing at (more properly, in front of) her breastbone and meeting at the back of her neck. They supported her now Gargantuan globes perfectly, at the same time presenting a dramatic display of expansive breast flesh at either side. The skirt portion wrapped around and ended gracefully at her ankles. She had finished out the ensemble with a pair of silver high-heeled shoes.

Daniel gaped at his prom date, lost for words.

�What�s wrong?� she asked suddenly, troubled by his silence.

He shook his head, trying to find the right words. Finally, he said simply, �You�you look absolutely beautiful.�

Tammy blushed. �Thank you,� she replied sweetly. �You look very handsome yourself.�

Daniel smiled. �Thank you.� He hesitated briefly, then opened the box. He presented the corsage, saying, �This is for you.�

She looked at him with loving gratitude as he attached it to her wrist, then leaned in close (just barely brushing up against him with her massive chest) and planted a kiss on his cheek. Taking and discarding the box from a slightly embarrassed Daniel, she said, �Well, shall we go?�

They walked arm-in-arm, both careful not to allow any further contact with her chest, out to the waiting limousine. Daniel opened the door for his prom date, feeling increasingly gallant, and held her hand as she stepped inside. The limo left to pick up Melissa and her date.

�So how much did that dress cost you?� Daniel asked curiously, noting how well it managed to handle Tammy�s overwhelming d�colletage.

�Only a couple hundred,� Tammy replied. �I get them from a company that specializes in formal wear for Phoenix victims. They actually buy the dresses from the manufacturer, along with additional material. Then they take them and let them out. Way out,� she added with a chuckle.

�I figured about the letting-out,� Daniel said with quiet amusement. �I was thinking�that must be a lot of letting-out. I guess that�s where you do a lot of your shopping?�

Tammy nodded.

The limousine pulled to a stop in front of another house, in a neighborhood Daniel recognized as having a heavy Asian population. Sure enough, the door opened and in stepped Melissa, followed by a guy Daniel didn�t recognize.

�Hello, Tammy, Daniel,� Melissa said cheerfully. She was wearing a silver-gray spaghetti-strap dress that looked as if, with one overly forceful bounce, the straps would break under the weight they had to support. �Daniel, this is Paul�you remember, Tammy��

Tammy put on a strained smile. �Hello, Paul.�

�Hey, Tammy!� Paul exclaimed. �It�s been a couple of weeks, hasn�t it? Beth and Stephanie say you�ve been cutting back�they�re not right, are they?�

Tammy�s smile became more strained. �No, not really�it�s just that things are sort of changing for me.� She looked at Daniel, who kept his face neutral. Daniel, of course, had figured it out already�Paul was one of the guys in Tammy�s black book, and apparently in that of several others as well. He glanced at Tammy, whose expression changed abruptly to a �please don�t be mad� look. He smiled gently and patted her hand.

Eventually, they arrived at the hotel where the prom was being held. When Daniel entered the ballroom, He was greeted by the sight of at least a hundred girls, all of them wearing dresses comprising several styles, and all of those dresses revealing breasts ranging in size from cantaloupes almost up to bowling balls. Tammy�s dress was one of the more conservative�many of the dresses on display ended at mid-thigh, and some were shorter than that. Several of the girls, Daniel also noticed, were wearing fairly wide white or pastel-colored scarves around their chests, fastened high at the back.

Before Daniel could comment on this, however, he was greeted by Miss Phelps, who was wearing a rather revealing backless number in bright red. �Hello there, Tammy, Daniel,� she smiled. �Always good to see my top students, particularly tonight.�

�Thank you, Miss Phelps,� Tammy replied. Daniel nodded.

�I see you managed to find a suitable dress, Tammy. Good�the staff won�t be coming after you.�

Daniel looked at her curiously. �Why would the staff be worried about her dress?�

Miss Phelps pointed to a group of scarf-wearing girls in one corner. �Notice all the scarves?� Daniel nodded. �Well, some of the girls decided to wear dresses that were a little too see-through for the hotel operators� tastes,� she explained. �It�s happened before, so we�ve got it covered. The Broadmoor prom is always held here, so everyone knows what to expect. As your friend Miss Parks does�and quite unlike Miss Ferris,� she added, an icy undertone entering her voice.

Daniel looked in the direction Miss Phelps was pointing. There was Paula Ferris, wearing a pale pink scarf across her honeydew-esque breasts, looking somewhat sullenly at them. Daniel noticed that he could make out her rather small panties quite clearly through her dress, even from some distance. Hovering over her were two guys he didn�t recognize, but he quickly determined, from the look on Tammy�s face, that they were two more black-book entries. It appeared that she had actually landed two dates for the prom, but she still looked distinctly unhappy.

�What�s with her?� Daniel asked. �She�s not mad because of the scarf, is she?�

�I believe she�s unhappy because of your lady friend Tammy here,� Miss Phelps said, a slight smirk crossing her face.

Daniel turned to Tammy, silently requesting an explanation. �I told Tammy in no uncertain terms that she was to leave you alone,� Tammy said. �I told her if she tried any of her usual stunts with you tonight, I�d tell all the guys in her black book that I know of that she had syphilis or something. Not that she does or anything�that�s one good thing about the Phoenix virus�but I�m sure several of the guys would be dumb enough to believe it.� She sneered slightly. �Those two dum-dums certainly would.�

�Gee�uh�thanks, I guess,� Daniel replied, stunned.

�It�s okay, really,� she said, smiling amusedly. �I just told her that you were a virgin, and that you had chosen to stay that way�at least until I decided it was time.�

Daniel did a double-take. �Until you decided?�

Tammy gave him a warm smile that said that she was kidding�at least, he hoped that it meant she was kidding.

�Oh, by the way, I have something for you, Daniel. Could you wait right here for a moment?� Miss Phelps left them for a minute, returning with a book in her hand, which she presented to Daniel. �I found this at the local bookstore. It�s a little more advanced than high-school calculus�the sort of thing you might come across in one of your early college courses, if you decide to pursue mathematics as a major.�

Daniel looked over the book. �Thank you, Miss Phelps�I�m sure I�ll enjoy reading it.�

�I never did thank you properly for the gift you gave me last December,� she responded.

Daniel glanced nervously at Tammy, who giggled at him. She, of course, already knew from Melissa about Daniel�s gift. �I�uh�hope you�re still enjoying that,� Daniel said uncertainly.

�Actually, I�ve taken it to a machine shop. I�m hoping they can�put a little more power into it, if you follow my meaning.�

�Maybe�I�can�find some�better batteries?� Daniel said carefully.

�Umm, not that kind of power,� Miss Phelps said delicately. Daniel noted the slight gleam in her eye.

Although the dance was scheduled to last until midnight, Daniel noticed that the hall was already beginning to thin out within an hour and a half. By 10 o�clock, much of the crowd was gone, including Melissa, Paula (and both of her dates), and several of the school staff members. By 10:30, everyone except for Tammy, Daniel, Miss Phelps and about twelve other couples were left.

Throughout the evening, Tammy and Daniel had danced only intermittently, and mostly to faster songs. Eventually, however, they had chosen to risk dancing close to one another to a slower tune. They were standing about two feet apart, his right hand holding her outstretched left, their other hands on one another�s shoulders. They seemed to agree that this was the closest safe distance they could stand with respect to each other�the better not to inflame Tammy�s already-taxed libido.

�We seem to be nearly the only ones left,� Daniel said, noting the near-emptiness of the room.

�Yup, looks that way,� Tammy agreed. �I�m surprised Miss Phelps hasn�t asked the DJ to stop playing.�

Daniel stifled a chuckle. He knew as well as she did why Miss Phelps would do so, if she chose. He looked at her for a long moment, then asked, �Are you all right?�

�I�m�� Tammy paused. �I can afford to stay here with you for�a little while longer.�

Daniel smiled, albeit uneasily. �Well, if you�you know, if you feel that it�s time to��

Tammy gently touched a finger to his lips to silence him. �Shh,� she said softly. �I want to enjoy this time with you.�

Daniel looked confused. �You�ve been with guys all the time��

�Yes, but never�like this.�

They danced together, dangerously close to one another, Daniel quite aware of what might happen if they dared move any closer. Despite his concern, he found himself smiling when he looked in Tammy�s eyes. It was hard to know if she felt for him what he felt for her�was it still possible for her to�love him? It seemed so, maybe, unless he was simply imagining what he wanted their relationship to be like�unless the virus had made such attachments impossible.

What did the future hold for him and Tammy? Would they simply end up going their separate ways�Tammy, perhaps, driven to it by that unstoppable urge foisted upon her by the Phoenix microbe? He didn�t want what they had to end because of the handiwork of some madman he�d never met before. Yet, he knew he had to accept that possibility�no matter how much it pained him to do so.

Finally, two tunes later, Miss Phelps called a premature halt to the senior prom. Judging from the way she was hanging around near the DJ, the same urge that governed Tammy�s life was making its presence known within the curly-haired calculus teacher. Tammy and Daniel were the last of the six remaining couples to exit the hotel ballroom.

They climbed into the waiting limousine (Melissa, unbeknownst to Daniel, had rented a room in the hotel for the night) and were driven in comfort back through the streets. The driver, knowing he still had some time to kill, had offered to show them some of the city, but Tammy had declined the invitation�it was time for her to answer the call of that thing inside her, too.

As they rode back to Tammy�s house, Daniel finally asked, �Tammy?�

Tammy, actually looking slightly flushed, nonetheless turned to him. �Yes?�

�Was tonight as special for you as it was for me?� he asked hopefully.

Tammy gave a small but reassuring smile. �Daniel�I wouldn�t trade tonight for anything in the world.�

Daniel couldn�t quite bring himself to ask the one question he so wanted to ask, half-scared of what the answer might be. Resisting a temptation of his own, he gently kissed the back of Tammy�s hand. She wrapped her fingers tightly around his in response, and did not let go until the limousine arrived at her house.

Daniel got out, rounded to the opposite side, and looked at Tammy in her voluminous black dress one last time. When she climbed out, he saw that her face was still flushed, slightly more so in fact. He decided not to extend his goodbye overlong.

�I just want you to know�I will never forget tonight,� he said, keeping what he meant to say to himself.

�Neither will I,� she replied softly.

A car horn sounded briefly in front of Tammy�s house, momentarily distracting her attention. She looked angrily at the car, and her expression was still most bitter when she looked back at Daniel. �Arrogant jerk,� she spat.

�Which one is that?� Daniel dared to ask.

�Steven,� she said simply. �I never did like him, anyway�wannabe playboy�� She shut her eyes suddenly, drew in a deep breath to steady herself, and said, �I have to go.�

Daniel nodded in understanding. Then he took her hand in his and said softly, �If it helps�think of me.�

Tammy�s expression broke into a wide, bright smile. �I always do.�

He let her go and watched as she walked back to her house, Steven swiftly climbing out of his car and moving to meet her. He didn�t quite hear what he said to her, but he was sure she replied by hissing angrily, �Shut up.� Somehow, he felt a sense of gratification at this.

She once again waved goodbye before closing the door. Shortly thereafter, the limo sped on its way.

�About time you ditched that guy you were with earlier and got yourself some real lovin�, girl.�

�Shut up!�

Tammy was already in a poor mood with Steven over his unwarranted sense of entitlement, and the fact that he was now insulting her while she was trying to relieve the urge within her was not helping. As Steven lay on his back and held Tammy by the waist, Tammy again tried to build up a head of steam as she resumed screwing him. Just let me fire off a few good orgasms, she thought, then I can get rid of this guy�

�What�s the matter, girl? You know you�ve gotta have it��

�Shut UP!� Her mounting anger was interfering with her ability to get off on Steven�more correctly, Steven�s dick, since she didn�t find him remotely attractive otherwise. She had to get in at least a couple of good climaxes tonight, otherwise she�d be climbing the walls by the morning wanting some action, and she needed time to study for finals. Trying to block out Steven�s irritating comments, she directed her energy back into pumping away on his engorged rod once more.

�That�s it, baby, you know you�ve always gotta have someone up there�can�t live without it, can you?� Steven said, again not taking the hint.

�Goddammit, stop talking!!� Tammy said, her pace slowing drastically as she once again found herself distracted by her mounting fury. �If you open your mouth one more time, so help me, I�ll throw you out on your ass! Just shut the fuck up and let me get this done!�

Tammy took a couple of calming gasps of air, shut her eyes as tightly as she could, and tried to summon up her memories of her first time. Seeking to immerse herself completely in the most erotically stimulating moments of her life, Tammy braced herself and began accelerating her pace once again. Steven�s not here, she told herself. I�m screwing someone else�someone nice, like Daniel�I�m screwing Daniel�I�m screwing Daniel�

�Jeez, what�s your problem?� Steven�s slightly sullen voice cut into her fantasy. �Why don�t you quit acting like that and just get me off? You know fucking is all you�re good for��

The words shattered Tammy�s last attempt to salvage the encounter. She stopped completely and glared down at Steven, her temper now at the boiling point.

Then, furious beyond measure, she rolled completely off of him and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheet over to cover her tremendous mammaries. �Get out,� she commanded.

�What�s the matter with you? Don�t you want it or��

Tammy snatched up Steven�s pants and threw them at him, not caring about the belt buckle hitting him squarely on the arm. �GET OUT!� she bellowed at him. �GET YOUR FUCKING PANTS ON AND GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE! I DON�T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR SORRY-ASS FACE EVER AGAIN! GET OUT!!!�

An angry Steven got his pants on, along with the rest of his clothes, and got the hell out.

The moment the door slammed shut, Tammy began pummeling the pillows in rage and pain, letting out a primal scream, then broke down completely. What had been a perfect evening had now been ruined by the world�s most insensitive jerk�and what was more, she knew exactly what she would be feeling come the morning. There was no way she could find relief this late at night; everyone else in her black book was likely boning away at another Broadmoor girl, probably after the prom.

Tammy cried herself to sleep that night.

The next morning, a knock at the front door brought Tammy to the living room at a run. She didn�t care if it was the mailman, the meter man, or even a Jehovah�s Witness on his Saturday rounds�if there was a male on the other side of the door, she was ready to give him the ride of his, and her, life. She quickly stood close and peeped through the hole in the door to see who it was.

Oh, no�

It was Daniel. He had said he�d wanted to study for the finals today.

Tammy turned away from the door and struggled mightily to get control of herself. No, God, please, not now, not him, anybody but him, she thought furiously. I want him so, so, so badly right now, I need him, but I can�t do it like this, I don�t want to do him like this. Please, someone, anyone, help me, make him go away�

Daniel knocked again.

Knees trembling, Tammy turned and tried to summon up every ounce of strength she had. She would need it to resist that voice inside her head, that groaning between her legs, that burning within her nether regions� She wrapped her bed robe around herself as completely as possible, gritted her teeth, and opened the door, just a tiny bit.

�Tammy?� Daniel asked. �Are you OK?�

�Daniel�� Tammy gulped hard. �Um, I don�t quite know how to tell you this, but��

�What�s the matter?� Daniel asked, concerned. �Are you sick?�

�Oh�no, it�s not that,� she replied. Oh, Daniel, I need you so much, but I need you to go away even more� �I�m just�well, it�s just that��

�Is everything all right?� Daniel said, noting how Tammy was suddenly beginning to sweat noticeably.

�Well�uh�well, no, not really, I mean�� It was getting hard to think straight. �Daniel, honey, I�I know we were supposed to study together, but I�m not up to it just now�could you�could you�� She had to force herself not to say �could you come in and fuck me�, and managed to instead force out the words, �Could you come back again tomorrow? I�m afraid I really can�t explain it, but�you can understand�can�t you?�

Daniel looked at her carefully for a moment, trying to figure out why she wanted him to leave so suddenly. He sensed that something wasn�t right, but he decided to trust her. �Okay, then, tomorrow morning at, say, 11?�

�Yes, perfect,� Tammy replied in a breathy voice. She almost shut the door in his face, then paused and reopened it to peer outside. �Daniel�thank you.� She smiled briefly, then shut the door. Daniel frowned slightly, wondering what might be wrong, but left.

Tammy fell to the floor against the door, spread her knees and at once began fingering her sopping glory hole.  Thank you, Daniel�thank you�thank you�

Darryl knocked on the door twenty minutes later. Tammy opened it, grabbed his shirt collar, yanked him in and slammed the door shut, all in less than a second.

Her libido having cooled to the point where she could think clearly again, Tammy was most pleased to see Daniel on Sunday morning. After spending four-and-a half hours going over as much as they could for their common finals, Tammy told him about the disastrous tryst-that-wasn�t after the prom on Friday night, adding that she had been far too horny the next morning to risk anything with him. Daniel at once understood, although he was quite angry to hear what Steven had said to her.

�You should have given Steven a serious chewing-out when you were more in a mind to do so,� Daniel said. �I hope I never run into that jackass, because I just might slug him for what he said.�

Tammy came close to smiling at her beau. �Forget about him, honey. Believe me, I�m doing my damnedest to. That sorry son-of-a-bitch will never see my bedroom again, I can promise you that.�

But they weren�t as finished with Steven as they suspected.

Finals week began well enough, with Daniel and Tammy passing Miss Kingston�s Business and Government final without either of them breaking a sweat. Daniel in particular found that his study sessions with Tammy had helped him a lot, but he was sure his main benefit stemmed from his teacher�s decision to have him take the final in a separate room, away from the rest of the class. (Daniel also suspected that this move was intended to help the other students too.)

As the two of them were collecting their books for their next set of finals, Daniel discovered something stuffed in his locker that had not previously been there. It was a length of pink fabric that he recognized as being scarf material from the prom. On one end was a bright red lip print, along with the words:

Steve�

I�m so glad I�ve found a REAL man to please me, instead of that loser Daniel.

�Tammy

Daniel presented the cloth to Tammy just as she was about to leave.

�I think,� Daniel said slowly, as Tammy examined the scarf with a look of disbelief on her face, �that dear Paula was hoping that I�d forget you weren�t wearing a scarf that night. And that I�d forget your lipstick was pink, not this shade of red. Not to mention not knowing your handwriting.�

Tammy glared furiously at the scarf in her hands. �That little snake��

That Wednesday, Daniel and Tammy were on their way to Physics class for the final when they bumped into Paula, whom Daniel did not recall seeing at all the day before. Although her hair was its usual shiny blonde color, the perfect array of curls she typically had it done in seemed to have turned into a royal mess. Her lipstick was smudged, three of her fingernails looked as though they had been chewed through, and her eyes were baggy and faintly red. She was trembling like she�d drunk a cup of pure caffeine, and when she spoke, her voice seemed on the edge of panic.

�Tammy�I have to talk to you�� she half-whispered. She kept darting glances at Daniel�longing, desperate glances.

�About what?� Tammy asked politely.

�You�ve got to help me�please�� Paula was visibly shaking now.

�Oh, you mean after the little stunt with the scarf that you tried to pull?� Tammy asked, again politely, but now with a distinctly icy edge to her voice.

Paula sounded as if she were on the edge of hysterics. �Okay, I admit it, it was my idea,� she said quickly, �I�m really sorry, it was a mean and dirty and underhanded trick and I swear it will never ever ever happen again. Okay?� Her posture seemed to suggest that she needed to go to the bathroom rather badly, but Daniel suspected that she needed something else.

�It damn well better not happen again,� Tammy said. �Clear?�

�Uh-huh,� Paula said, running her hand through her hair as if she were about to pull it out. Her eyes were begging, as if she was about to go to the gallows and was desperately trying to win a reprieve. �Now will you PLEASE tell SOMEBODY that I have NOT got the CRABS?!?�

Tammy looked at her for a long moment.

�Give me your cell.�

Paula opened her purse, took out her cellphone, opened it and gave it to Tammy. Tammy dialed a number, then spoke. �Hi, Jason? Tammy Parks here. Paula Ferris needs it badly. No, no, she doesn�t have the crabs�that was a mix-up of some sort. How soon can you get here? Okay, I�ll tell her. �Bye.� She gave Paula the phone. �Jason will be at the dorms in 20 minutes.�

Paula paused for a fraction of the second, then raced off in the direction of the nearest exit.

�How were you able to get Jason to skip out of class so easily?� Daniel asked, mystified.

�What?� Tammy asked, trying to ignore Miss Phelps, who had seen and heard the exchange and was shaking madly, holding her mammoth spheroids with one arm and keeping her other hand clapped over her mouth.

�How did you get Jason to skip class?� Daniel repeated.

�I didn�t call Jason,� Tammy said innocently.

Not noticing the muffled wheezing behind him, Daniel stared at Tammy, looking totally lost. �Then�who did you call just now?�

�Well�� Tammy�s expression suddenly turned faintly playful. �There�s probably a very confused person behind the counter at Giuseppe�s Pizza right now, wondering if he�s missing something. Uh, remind me to actually call Jason at the end of class, would you?�

�Won�t Paula get a demerit for missing the final?�

�If she does, it�ll be the fourth one she�s gotten in two days.�

Daniel looked at her disapprovingly. �You�re mean,� he said in a nasty voice, before his face turned into a smile.

Tammy then entered the classroom, while Miss Phelps, quivering hysterically, escorted him to an empty room nearby to take his final.

(June)

Daniel rechecked his cap in the mirror in the boys� bathroom once more, making sure that it was on correctly and that the tassel was correctly in place. He gave the tassel a slight tug to make sure it was properly fastened, then stationed it over the right side of his face. Satisfied, he exited the bathroom and made his way out into the hall. Several of his fellow white-clad graduates were milling about, waiting for the ceremony to start, being congratulated or fussed over by family members. A few, he noticed, had relatives who had plainly also been hit by the Phoenix�including one whose younger sister, he realized with a mild shock, had been a member of his Algebra 1 class! There were also a few older people, aunts and mothers and such, he figured, who bore the distinctive figure of a Phoenix victim. He tried to maintain a low profile, hoping to avoid the stares of women significantly older than him.

Avoiding women who might have the hots for him wasn�t going to be nearly so easy next fall. He had applied to several colleges, and his academic record was solid enough that many of them came back with scholarship offers�but one in particular had made him a deal that was too good to pass up: a full, four-year, all-expenses-paid scholarship to Butterfield College. Butterfield College was, as it turned out, a university that catered to Phoenix victims, and was thus blessed with a reputation for academic excellence (among other things). The odd thing was that he had never even heard of Butterfield College, let alone applied to go there. Only when he presented his information packet to Vice Principal Clearfield did he learn (as the thirtysomething administrator sat next to him in her office, unbuttoning the top three buttons on her blouse and running her hand repeatedly down his arm) that it was school policy to send the records of all of its students to Butterfield. He considered instead attending Princeton, but changed his mind when he learned that Tammy had been accepted at Butterfield too, and that she intended to go there.

Waiting just outside on the front steps of the main building were Tammy and a number of members of her family, most of whom he remembered from the picture in Tammy�s scrapbook. Tammy�s graduation gown, hanging off of her bosom as it did, gave the illusion of someone particularly overweight underneath; only the odd breeze disclosed the truth of her amazing figure. When he approached them, Tammy gave him a warm if cautious hug, then introduced him to her family. Aunt Christine was present, as was Tammy�s cousin Brenda. Christine Tisdale Parks was almost as top-heavy as her niece, and 14-year-old Brenda was showing signs of marked development.

�Brenda�s going to start here next year,� Tammy�s father said, looking unsure as to whether this was such a good thing or not. �At least she�ll be able to turn to her older cousin for advice when she needs it�� He turned away, seemingly intent on hiding his face.

�Dad, it�ll be all right,� Tammy said reassuringly, giving her father a gentle pat on the arm. �Brenda can always call me if she has any�issues that she needs to discuss.�

�It�s not that,� Mr. Parks said, looking at his daughter with tears welling up in his eyes. �It�s just�I didn�t know how you were going to turn out, what with�everything you had to deal with ever since you got infected,� he said, almost choking on the words. �But my little girl grew up to be�someone I could be so proud of�� He began to cry.

�Aww, Dad�� Tammy gave him a loving, if again cautious, hug.

Aunt Christine, meanwhile, looked at Daniel appraisingly. �So, you�re the young man my niece has told me so much about,� she said, folding her arms beneath her monstrous bosom.

�Chris, you watch yourself�� Uncle Victor said warningly.

�Oh, don�t be so jealous, honey, I was just being nice to the man,� Christine said, somewhat dismissively. As she spoke, however, she lifted her folded arms up slightly, bringing her breasts into greater prominence.

By now used to this sort of display, Daniel took it in stride. �Nice to meet you, ma�am,� he said, extending his hand. Christine accepted his handshake, flashing him a bright, faintly lustful smile.

A moment later, Melissa Ozuni came over and grabbed Tammy and Daniel for a quick confab. �Hey, you two! Where are you going to college?�

�Butterfield,� Tammy said. Daniel nodded in agreement.

�Wow! Both of you?� Melissa asked. At Daniel�s nod, she beamed. �Great! We can all hang out together! Ooh, I hope the Butterfield guys are good-looking, I�m going to have so much fun��

�Nice to see you placing such a high value on your education,� Tammy said, faintly sarcastically.

�Yeah, no Princeton or Dartmouth for you,� Daniel added.

Melissa pursed her lips in reply�then suddenly perked up again. �Oh, did you hear? Paula Ferris got rejected by Butterfield and half the Ivy League! She had to settle for Columbia.�

Tammy and Daniel exchanged looks.

�She�ll be an unholy terror at Columbia!� Daniel exclaimed.

�She�ll turn into a wreck at Columbia,� Tammy said, thinking of something else.

�Yeah, well, she�ll be a terror until she turns into a wreck!� Daniel countered.

As Tammy and Daniel broke into laughter, Melissa interjected, �Oh, I wish I was going to Columbia too, just so I could see her coming apart at the seams�� She began to laugh, too.

�How many others do you know who are going to Butterfield?� Tammy asked.

�Oh, quite a few people�Kyla, Julie Kendall, Marcie, Wanda Woods�ooh, I almost forgot! Tessa Adams got a scholarship too!�

�Yeah, but I bet it�s not as good as what Daniel got,� Tammy grinned, giving him a pat on the shoulder. �All expenses paid! How about that?�

�Well, I expect they�ll want me to pay them back by going to bed with half the student body,� Daniel replied, half-blushing.

�Hey, don�t sell yourself short,� Tammy said, again patting him on the shoulder. �You earned the right to be here after all, didn�t you?�

Daniel nodded in agreement, grinning modestly. He looked up�and his face fell. �Uh-oh��

Walking towards the three of them was Paula Ferris, who seemed more than a little humiliated about her academic fate. Although she had seemed as capable as any other Phoenix victim, her grades had suffered as a result of missing four finals, and she had fallen straight to the bottom of the class ranking. She walked up to the three of them, her face carrying a look of defeat. Tammy felt not the least bit apologetic about her hand in Paula�s downfall.

�Goodbye, Tammy�Melissa�� Paula said curtly. Then she locked her gaze on Daniel.

�Paula,� Daniel said cautiously, barely nodding.

Paula looked at him, half-angry, half-sad. After a long moment, she said, �Well, Daniel, congratulations.�

�You heard about the scholarship. Thank you.�

�Actually, that�s not what I meant,� she said. �I managed to get every guy I went after into bed in the time I was here, did you know that? Every single guy�� She looked down, then up. �Except you.�

Daniel remained silent.

�Pity, Daniel�you�ll never know what you could have had.�

�Thanks, but I was never interested,� Daniel said, his voice a little cooler than he�d intended. �I�m still not.�

Paula looked at him wistfully for a moment, gave a little snort of resignation, and walked away.

A moment later, over came Miss Phelps, wearing a bright smile and a blue-trimmed gown. �Well, here you two are,� she said, addressing Tammy and Daniel. �I expected I�d find our two valedictorians in the same place. You�ll be sitting up in the front row along with the rest of the top ten graduates, so you�ll be leading the procession. Melissa, you know you�re right behind Daniel, right?�

The third-ranked student gave a nod.

�They�ll be ready for you in about five minutes, then, OK?� she said. �See you then.�

Upon learning that they were the class co-valedictorians (to Daniel�s surprise and Tammy�s delight), Daniel and Tammy had teamed up to write their graduation speech, entitled simply �Finding A Way�. They told their individual stories to the assembled guests and graduates: Tammy spoke of her tribulations with dealing with the Phoenix, then Daniel told of the many adjustments he�d had to make upon being transferred to Broadmoor. Their presentation�each of them speaking in turn, with occasional insertions from the other that were meant to generate laughs�held everyone�s interest quite well. Only Paula seemed to display any indifference to their speech.

�All of us,� Tammy read, approaching the end of their address, �have had to deal with situations that have disrupted our lives, whether it be the physical and mental effects of the Phoenix��

�Or an unexpected transition into a situation that was more than what it seemed at first,� Daniel continued.

��But by using what we�ve been given, by birth or by design, we were all able to find a way to make it through to graduation.�

�And that is what we urge all of you, graduates and guests alike to remember��

�That the same ability resides within us all: to confront whatever obstacles may fall before us�� Tammy concluded.

�To surmount those obstacles, to continue down the path we choose for ourselves�to find a way,� Daniel ended.

The class applauded wildly as the two of them closed their presentation folders, exchanged handshakes with each other and Principal Martina Van Decker, and resumed their seats.

The rest of the ceremony went smoothly, with the presentation of the awards for the ten highest-ranking students, plus the dual valedictory medals for Tammy and Daniel. Principal Van Decker embraced Tammy in the usual leaning-forward manner that Phoenix victims hugged each other, but was a bit more forward with Daniel, pressing firmly against him and giving him a thorough pat on the back before breaking. Van Decker wasn�t that bad-looking for someone in her late forties, Daniel thought.

Afterward came the traditional transfer of tassels to the left side, marking them all as graduates of the Broadmoor School for the Gifted. The principal gave a final farewell, and then Daniel, Tammy, and nearly four hundred other ex-Broadmoor students flung their caps in the air.

After making a last few farewells to some of the students whom he knew he�d likely not see again for years, he met up with Tammy and her family. Melissa and Miss Phelps were there, too. When she saw him, Miss Phelps took him by the arm and�before he could react�embraced him most tightly, compressing her stupendously large breasts into his chest. He could feel their warmth even through what he guessed was at least six layers of fabric between the two of them. �Ohh, I have to say goodbye to the brightest student I ever had!� she said as she squeezed him.

�What�s Tammy, chopped liver?� he gasped out, struggling for breath.

Miss Phelps laughed�Daniel could feel the reverberations through her chest and into his�and pulled back slightly, still holding him and looking him in the eyes. She really is very pretty, Daniel couldn�t help thinking as he looked at those twinkling blue eyes. He didn�t see that she was holding him while standing on one leg, as if she were embracing a lover.

�I do hope you�ll come back and visit us in the future, Daniel,� Christina Phelps said with a smile. �It really would be nice to know how you�re doing��

�I�ll be back, Miss Phelps, I assure you,� he said.

She gave him a kiss on the cheek before releasing him, then left them, waving goodbye.

�I really hope she gets married between now and September,� Daniel said. �Otherwise, she�ll be too much to handle for the junior boys.�

�She�s already done the junior boys,� Melissa reminded him.

Daniel glanced at Melissa. �Oh yeah, I forgot.�

As he recovered from the crushing hug his former Physics teacher had given him, Paula walked up to him to say a final farewell.

�I hope you�re not going to stand there and tell me how angry you are about finals week,� Daniel said. �I wasn�t the one who��

Paula raised a hand to stop him. �No�I understand,� she said simply. She had a fairly cold expression on her face. �At least I managed to get good enough grades, anyway.�

They looked at each other silently for a moment.

�Good luck at Columbia, Paula,� Daniel said, putting on a moderately courteous smile and extending his hand.

�Thank you. Good luck at Butterfield.� Paula accepted the handshake, although her expression was still fairly cold.

They turned away from one another. Daniel began to leave with Melissa and the Parks family.

�Oh, and Daniel��

Daniel turned around.

Paula unzipped her gown and stripped it off. She was completely naked, her tanned globes and hairless nether regions now on full display.

�Like I said, Daniel�you�ll never know what you could have had.� And with that, she turned her back and haughtily sashayed off, still naked, oblivious to the stares of virtually everyone else.

�Classy to the end,� Tammy quipped.

�Columbia, get ready�� Daniel said, shaking his head.

Six days after graduation, Daniel was back within the halls of the Broadmoor School for the Gifted, to complete his duties as Algebra 1 teacher. Every student, he was most happy to learn, had passed the final exam in grand style, in many cases with perfect scores. Ms. Atkins� final had been harder than usual, by her own admission; she was happy to see how well the students had done under Daniel�s care.

�I�d like to take this opportunity to thank you all for being such amazing students,� Daniel said, looking with pride at the thirty of them. �You�ve all grown quite remarkably in the time I�ve known you�in more ways than one,� he couldn�t resist adding, which brought a round of hearty chuckles from the class. �I have every confidence that you will continue to shine next year, when Miss DiBenedetto�the new teacher you were all so less than eager to meet last winter�exposes you to the mysteries of Geometry. I, of course, will be asking about you all, and I expect to hear great things about each and every one of you.� He paused, �I will be hearing great things, won�t I?�

The girls nodded enthusiastically.

�Very well, then�you all have your final exams back along with your final grade for the class�although, since the lowest class grade here is a 93, no one here need worry about repeating Algebra. So�is there anything anyone would like to say?�

One dark-haired girl in the first row�an H-cup, Daniel estimated, based on what Tammy had taught him about bra sizes�raised her hand. �Yes, Penelope?�

Penelope Martin lowered her hand and smiled, somewhat shyly. �Can we give you a goodbye hug?� she asked.

Moderately surprised, Daniel looked around at them. �Which of you?�

Penelope stood up. �All of us.�

One by one, the girls of fifth-period Algebra stood, approached their teacher and traded with him a grand hug, all tightly squeezing their generous breasts against him, before filing out. Katrina McDonald�a particularly petite brunette who looked fuller than the others, because of her overall size�actually jumped up onto his neck and wrapped her legs around him as she hugged him, making him lift her four-foot-seven frame a foot off the ground.

When the last of the girls had left, Daniel gathered up what few items he had left, plus the cart full of textbooks, and wheeled them to the department office. He dropped off his grade book, having photocopied its pages as a souvenir, and closed the office before leaving. Halfway down the corridor, however, he was met by Ms. Atkins, who had evidently been hoping to see him before he left.

�Ah, Daniel, there you are. I�d been told that you were here. It really is good of you to come back and finish out the school year after graduating. Most kids, when they get out of high school, never seem to want to see the building again until the reunion, if ever.�

�I wanted to finish what I�d begun,� Daniel replied. �I�m only sorry it�s over.�

�Well, as far as having a male teacher here is concerned, it may not be,� Ms. Atkins responded. �Based on the unusually high performance of your students, I�m considering having a male teacher or two as part of the permanent staff. Tell you what�if, in four years, you happen to have a teaching degree, give me a call, won�t you?�

�I�ll definitely bear that in mind.� Daniel grinned broadly.

After exchanging a few more words, they parted company. Daniel headed out to the campus driveway, where, much to his surprise, he was met by Tammy in her car. �Tammy! What brings you out this way?� Daniel asked.

�I figured you might be here to wrap up class, so I swung by,� she replied. �Hop in.�

Daniel did so. �I�m sorry you missed my farewell. They all gave me a hug goodbye.�

Tammy�s eyebrows rose. �Oh�that explains a lot. I think I bumped into about two-thirds of your class in the second floor bathroom.�

�What were they all doing there?� Daniel asked.

�Playing with themselves,� Tammy responded. �Hard.�

(August)

�We�ve been seeing each other for nearly a year now,� Tammy said, looking at him as he lay on the bed. �You seem to have just about completely accepted the way things are between us.�

�I�ve learned to live with it,� Daniel replied. �Sometimes, when you�re with someone you love, you have to make sacrifices.�

�True.�

Tammy sat in silence for a moment�then suddenly realized something. �Daniel�did you just say you love me?�

Even Daniel was taken aback by the realization. �Why�well�� All of a sudden, he couldn�t keep it to himself any longer. �Yes, I�guess I did.�

Tammy looked at the young man she had fallen in love with, and smiled.

Daniel produced Tammy�s familiar, somewhat worn black book of nightly conquests. �So who were you going to call tonight? Phil? Jason? Darryl hasn�t been here in a while��

At that moment, Tammy came to a realization, one that she was sure would make a dramatic difference in her life. She took the book, idly thumbed through the pages as she had done on countless nights before. She silently recalled all those heated nights, all those thunderous orgasms. She counted the number of times each of the guys in her black book had come over, to relieve the burning urge inside her in the only way possible. She came across the one name that was crossed out in her book, that of Steven, and remembered that awful night after the prom. Him, Darryl, Jason, all of the others�so many nights, so many trysts, so many climaxes, and yet so many disappointments.

Then she closed the book, held it over the trashcan between forefinger and thumb, and dropped it.

�I don�t need that book anymore,� she said decisively. �I already have someone to call.� She turned around slightly to face him. �You.�

Daniel hesitated. He wanted it, too, though with not nearly the fervor with which she�d wanted it for so long�but he had to ask: �Are you sure?�

Tammy smiled, a soft, warm, loving smile. �Daniel, do you love me?�

Daniel felt a lump in his throat. He knew as well as she did that there could only be one answer to that question. �Yes�I do love you, Tammy.�

Tammy�s smile broadened. �Then,� she said softly, �I only need one more thing from you.� She moved to sit on top of him as he lay down on the bed.

�Do you remember,� she asked, looking down at him, �that little project we had when we were in school? Where we kept trying to find synonyms for �big�?�

�Yes,� Daniel answered. �You kind of lost interest when we argued over �Brobdingnagian�. You said I�d made it up.�

�I did,� she admitted. �Well, I checked, and you were right, of course.� She slipped her thumbs under the spaghetti straps of her silk teddy. �So now that we know what the word means�why don�t we look at what it looks like?�

And with that, she lowered the straps, pulled down the teddy, and finally exposed her bare breasts to Daniel.

She had recently consulted with her gynecologist, who had confirmed that the Phoenix virus had played itself out within her body, at least for now�meaning that her breasts had finally reached their final, truly Brobdingnagian size. They were an even, golden honey color, with a light spray of freckles at about her sternum, round almost to the point where they were like somewhat stretched-out spheres�and wider across than her head by at least a third. Stunningly firm, they projected out from her chest at near right angles, although their individual width forced the nipples to point slightly away from each other. The areolae were a slightly darker, seemingly shimmering shade of tan. She gently brushed each hand against those tan circles, and two thimble-sized mounds began to project outward, the tan circles surrounding them beginning to darken slightly.

She leaned forward, pressing her bounteous bosom into his chest, and�finally�planted a warm, wet kiss directly on his lips. That kiss lasted about three seconds.

Their second full-on kiss went on for about three minutes, as Daniel and Tammy eagerly caressed each other�s bodies, slowly losing their clothes as they went. Their lips parted long enough to shed their last undergarments, then Tammy pressed her lips against his and forced his lips apart with her tongue. Daniel responded in kind.

Once they were fully undressed, Daniel moved behind Tammy and began lightly caressing her skin, not fully aware of the effect he was having on her. He ran his hands down her back, around her sides, and up to her bulbous boobs, lightly breathing on her ear as he did so. Tammy, shuddering, suddenly took Daniel�s hands and placed them squarely atop her cigar-thick nipples. She placed his fingers against the tips, and Daniel, taking the hint, began lightly rubbing them between his fingertips. Tammy�s breath caught.

She pressed Danny�s hands firmly against her chest, urging him to sink his palms into her fleshy love pillows. Daniel did so, noticing how plush yet resilient her chest was. He felt the warmth of her incredible bosom increase, and noticed how tightly she was now holding him. He caressed and massaged her chest some more. Tammy abruptly let out a faint whimper.

Tammy then reversed herself to face him. She now pressed him back down upon the bed. �Don�t move,� she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She repositioned himself astride him once more, took his stiffened organ gently in her hand, and guided it against her slick love canal. She shut her eyes tightly and drew in a deep, shuddering breath. �I�ve waited almost a whole year for this�� Slowly, she plunged herself down upon the entire shaft. She shut her eyes tightly and seemed to shiver. Then, for a full minute, she sat perfectly still upon his johnson, not moving at all, seemingly enjoying the sensation of just having him inside her.

Then, after a full minute had passed, she braced her arms against his chest, looked down at him, and said four words.

�I love you, Daniel.�

Daniel reached up and held Tammy by her upper arms. �I love you too, Tammy.�

She began a slow, steady rocking on his member, gently stimulating the pair of them. She drew in a couple of deep sighs, then opened her eyes and looked down at him. She let out an anticipatory giggle. He replied in kind.

Then her breathing began to deepen, and her pace began to quicken. She began moving more and more vigorously, her pace slowly accelerating as her tremendous sexual appetite took over. Her zeppelin-like appendages began to bounce and sway as her need for him increased. She gripped his shoulders tightly, making Daniel glad she kept her fingernails trimmed. She took a moment to glance down and smile broadly at him, even as sweat began to form on her forehead.  She then closed her eyes tight and began moving faster and faster upon him�then suddenly went ramrod-straight and briefly froze as the first orgasm hit.

Daniel held onto her arms tightly, part of him enjoying the moment, but another part of him worried that something might be wrong. He hadn�t expected the look on her face, a mask of what almost appeared to be pain written upon it. But his concerns proved unwarranted: Tammy�s spine unclenched, and she released her grip on his shoulders. She interlocked her hands in his and slowly bobbed up and down, taking in a gulp of air, then stared down at him. Her eyes were wide with shock, as if somehow she had been caught off guard by the power of the moment, but she soon resumed her pistoning, going at it faster now. Then the second orgasm hit, and she threw her head back, eyes tightly shut, but this time only slowing down to about half her previous speed.

After that, she became a dynamo of sexual energy, determination and desire. Pure love and purer need had fused themselves into something else, a driving passion that just seemed to burn hotter and hotter. Her grunts became moans, her moans became cries, her cries became screams, and then her screams became shrieks as successive orgasms washed over her. She worked herself up into an unstoppable frenzy, riding him faster, harder, more vigorously as the session progressed. Soon her only articulate sounds were a breathy whisper of her earlier command, �Don�t move��more of an entreaty now, as if begging him not to do anything to break whatever spell she was under. She was sweating openly, breathing hard, but not stopping for a moment, not wanting to break the chain of climaxes slamming into her.

Daniel looked up at the woman he loved, now in thrall to the impulses created by the Phoenix virus, and the rational part of his mind arrived at a conclusion: Tammy might, just might, actually be able to stay with him after all�if he could be as good a lover as she seemed to need him to be. He could only hope, as Tammy�s pace quickened further, that he could meet the demands of her body�the demands of her Phoenix-inspired libido. What he did not know was that a permanent relationship between them was now a certainty in Tammy�s mind�that it was not merely possible, but beyond any doubt, that he would be able to fulfill her needs.

Because Tammy was engaging him with a passion the likes of which she had never felt before. All of the guys who had passed into her bedroom before�and there had been many�had, for sure, brought her any number of colossal, intense, mind-shattering orgasms�but that had been their only function, after all, a fact that dampened the intensity of the moment. She had needed them, but she had never truly wanted them.

But Daniel�sweet Daniel, kind Daniel, her friend, her confidante, now her lover�what had initially been the common desire for a male had become a desire for him in totality, a desire to have him in mind and soul as well as in body. And now, finally, after all those nights and weeks and months of self-denial, after refusing what she had so badly come to want and need, finally having him�finally holding him�finally having him in her was carrying her sexual response to a new level. Every movement, every sensation, every orgasm was now burned into her memory, more deeply than any experience she had had before. No man had been able to satisfy her as thoroughly as Daniel was now�no man could have, really�and this simple fact drove Tammy�s passion higher, her heart faster, her very blood hotter than ever before.

Tammy was now bucking furiously, beginning to crest to another climax. �Daniel�honey��

�Yes?� Daniel replied, smiling as he held her hands in his.

�Do me a favor�ohh, God�do me�NNNGH�a favor�� Her voice was rising as she closed on another thunderous jolt of ecstasy.

�Anything, what is it?�

�Remind me�oooohh�remind me to�to�toooooOOOHHHH�� Just as she orgasmed again, she screamed out: �Remind me to BURN MY BLACK BOOK!!!�

Eventually, the end came for Daniel, and he finally released into Tammy. This seemed to send Tammy into another series of almost spastic orgasms, one right behind the other, as the effects of the Phoenix virus were put on full display for him. Her vaginal muscles clamped down vigorously upon his rod, seemingly to ensure that every drop that could be extracted from him was drawn out.

Finally, after almost an hour of uninterrupted intercourse, her face and bust dripping with sweat, panting like she�d run a marathon, Tammy collapsed on top of Daniel and disengaged herself from him. Rolling side by side, they curled up against one another, separated only by Tammy�s prodigious chest. Still climaxing intermittently as she came slowly down, she wrapped her arms tightly around her lover and laid kiss after wet, sloppy kiss upon his lips, her body shivering with the intensity of the moment.

As the last vestiges of Tammy�s sexual excitement burned away, she suddenly looked at Daniel with a shocked, wide-eyed expression. �Daniel�� she gasped. �Do you know what I�m feeling right now?�

Daniel looked at her with the utmost concern. �No, what?�

Tammy�s expression slowly shifted from surprise to delight. �Satisfaction�this enormous feeling of�satisfaction.� She clutched him closer. �Finally, to feel such tremendous relief�Oh, Daniel, honey, you�ve done it�you�ve finally put out the fire.� She planted another intense kiss upon his lips. �Oh, God, I�ve been so stupid, thinking I should have waited when you were the one I needed all this time.�

Daniel smiled�then considered the matter a moment. �No, Tammy�maybe you were right to wait.� At her perplexed expression he added, �Think about it�you always told me how much you hated having to give yourself over to those other guys, right?�

She nodded.

�If we hadn�t taken the time�to fall in love with one another�maybe you wouldn�t have�you know�wanted it so much��

Tammy thought about it too, and slowly her face lit up at him. �You�re right,� she agreed. �Maybe it is better, to want and have someone you love. Maybe�maybe that�s the secret to beating that bitch�time�love�and patience��

Daniel stroked her cheek gently. �Especially patience.�

Tammy agreed. �Lots of patience.�

Daniel continued to caress her cheek gently, even as he suddenly remembered a question he�d meant to ask. �By the way, Tam�remember that day last February, when we got to talking about your breasts? About what size you wore and stuff?�

�Mmm-hmm,� Tammy said, smiling sweetly at him.

�Well, I remember when you said you were glad you could talk to me freely, because other guys always asked the same questions.�

�Yeah��

�You didn�t say what they always asked about your breasts, since you figured I could guess.�

�Go on��

�Well, what I didn�t tell you that night was, I didn�t know what you were talking about.�

�Really?�

�Nope. So I figure maybe I can ask you now�what do guys always ask?�

Tammy paused. �Umm�why don�t you wait until the next time we make love? Then I�ll tell you.�

(10 years later)

�So you see, it is possible to have a relatively normal life, even though all of you will have to deal with that constant hankering for sex,� Dr. Tammy Parks Peterson told the assembled students. �There may as yet be no cure for the Phoenix virus, no relief for those overwhelming pangs of desire that you all feel�but that does not mean you have to give up whatever ambitions you may have for your lives. You are all Broadmoor girls, after all�you�re all smart enough to be able to work around the needs of your bodies.� Her lecture to the current Broadmoor class ended, she found she still had a few minutes left. �Are there any questions?�

A girl in the front row�a senior, by the looks of her, or so Tammy judged�raised her hand, then stood to speak. �Dr. Peterson�you�re a first-generation Phoenix victim, right?�

Tammy nodded.

�So you probably know a trick or two. I�ve had sex with a lot of guys, and it�s always really good, but I was wondering�is there any way to make it better?�

Tammy smiled. �As a matter of fact, there is one way you can make the sex in your life absolutely out of this world.� Everyone in the audience was paying full attention now. �Would you like to know what that is?�

Everyone nodded.

�Having sex with someone you love,� she said simply. �When you have it with someone you really, truly love, it�s the most thrilling, most satisfying experience in the world.� She smiled more broadly. �It will require discipline on your part�lots of it. You will have to want to get to know the person, more than you want to get in bed with him. It will mean resisting the urge to take him to bed even when your body is begging you to do so. It will test your patience, and your self-control, to the very limit�but I promise you, the results are worth it.�

�Are you sure?� someone piped up.

Tammy smiled fondly at the memory. �I met a very wonderful young man here when I was a student. His name was Daniel Peterson. I knew right away he wasn�t about getting laid, so I just bided my time with him. We didn�t make love until nearly a year after we met. Believe me, I was tempted�I was well and truly tempted. Almost from the moment we met, I wanted him. I had to keep saying no to myself, time after time, until I fell in love with him. He was very understanding about it too, and that helped a lot. We finally did it for the first time about eleven months after we met�and trust me, my memory of that night is even sharper than my memory of my first time. And when it was over, I felt what I�m sure many of you have never experienced since your infection began�a deep, blissful sense of sexual satisfaction. Every time since, he has put out the fire inside of me, absolutely without fail. He and I ended up getting married, and now we have two kids�and I couldn�t ask for a better life, or a better husband.�

�And what about the sex?� the first girl asked again.

�The only thing more wonderful than the last time,� Tammy said confidently, �is the next time. Trust me�sex with someone you love, someone who loves you, is absolutely the most satisfying sex you could have. And when I say satisfying, I mean satisfying.�

The lecture ended with a round of enthusiastic applause from the assembled students. Tammy Peterson waved cheerfully at the girls, wishing that there had been someone to tell her what she had just told all of them when she had been a student.

As the assembly hall emptied out, she met her husband Daniel outside and wrapped her arms around him. Hugging him as tightly as her chest�now size 36-Q, fuller than ever before�would allow, she planted a big wet kiss right on his lips. He responded in kind.

�Hey, honey. Did the lecture go well?�

�Perfectly,� Tammy answered.

�Good, I�m glad,� Daniel replied. �Hopefully, you�ll be inspiring a whole new generation of Phoenix victims not to give up their dreams.�

�I hope so, too,� she confessed. �So�what�s on for tonight?�

�Well�� Daniel began. �I thought we might go to dinner tonight, then take in a movie.�

�Hmm�� Tammy pretended to ponder the idea. �I have a better idea: Why don�t we go to dinner, then go home and�do a little movie-making of our own?�

�Oh? What kind of movie? You have a script written out?�

�Sort of. It�s a romantic picture, and the script calls for me to scream a lot��