When he got home, the first thing Xander did was mow the lawn. He cut the grass, used the weed whacker to clean things up and edged, and then got out the leaf blower and cleaned up all the hard surfaces. He made sure to be finished before his dad got home.

By the time he wrapped up and put the equipment away, Xander was a worn-out, sweaty mess, and a little worried about being in such poor shape. He showered, changed, and headed downstairs for dinner.

His parents asked him and his sister about their first day at school. Izzy excitedly spent three-quarters of the meal regaling them with everything that had happened to her. Finally, his mom put a stop to the stories.

"Let's give your brother a chance. What about your day?"

She'd caught Xander with his mouth full, so he quickly finished chewing before filling them in.

"Fine."

"Nothing out of the ordinary?" Mom prodded.

"Nope, just your typical first day. I got my books, and we sat around and did a bunch of nothing," Xander said, vastly expanding on his day's details.

"What about the girl you sat with on the bus?" Izzy asked, sticking her nose in and stirring things up.

"I sat next to Karen. I think I surprised her with that."

'She might be an actual Karen,' he thought, but left unsaid.

"Not her, your new girlfriend."

Xander realized the error of his ways. He should've offed his little sister much sooner because her questions piqued his parents' interest.

"Do we need to have the talk?" his dad asked.

"Anything but that," Xander mumbled.

"What was that?" his dad asked, suddenly getting pissed.

"Izzy misspoke; I'm not dating anyone. I'm much too young and unsure how a talk would help me. For that matter, I'm not even sure why I would want a girlfriend," Xander rambled.

His dad looked at his mom, who shrugged in response.

"Who was your new friend on the bus?" Xander asked Izzy to distract his little sister.

"Oh, that was..." Izzy said and took off on another tangent.

His dad glared at Xander. Xander suspected that wasn't the last he would hear about 'the talk.'

Safely in his room, Xander set about getting organized. In his previous life, he'd run large projects, and that mode kicked in. He needed to take stock of what he had to work with, but before that, he had to clean his room.

In his younger years, Xander had thrived on chaos, but now he realized he'd let it go too far. The question was whether, if asked, he could find anything in this mess. Was it fair to call it organized chaos? Maybe not.

They'd only lived there for a few weeks, and he already had piles of clothes on the floor and stuff strewn everywhere. Xander's old self was embarrassed by the mess he faced. For once, Xander thought his older self was completely correct: he couldn't live in a pigsty of a room.

Their mom kept a laundry basket in the bathroom, and if Izzy or Xander wanted her to do their laundry, it had to go there. As he filled it, he'd put the clothes he'd worn to mow the lawn on top, and they stank. He couldn't stand the stench, so he hauled the basket downstairs and put a load in the washing machine.

Then he ran back upstairs and refilled the basket. When he came down, he found his mom in the laundry room with the washer lid open, looking confused.

"What's wrong?" Xander asked.

"Did your father put his load in?"

That made Xander realize that the first time around, he'd never done a load of laundry until he went to college. He'd learned a valuable lesson when all his whites turned pink.

"No, I did it," Xander said.

She quickly shut off the washing machine.

"Did you sort the clothes?" Mom asked.

"I read the instructions on the bottle," Xander said, pointing at the detergent.

She grabbed it, and thankfully, it gave basic instructions. He'd told a little white lie, hoping it would get him off the hook because he was supposed to have no idea how to do his laundry.

His mom didn't believe he knew what he was doing, so she pulled out his first load and dumped it into the laundry sink. She made about a buck and a quarter by emptying his pockets, something he automatically did as an adult. She also found candy wrappers and a pack of gum.

It made him realize that was how his mom had figured out he'd had sex his junior year: it must have been the condom wrapper he'd stuffed into his jeans. He'd been a complete dumbass his first time through.

"Sorry, Mom. I should have come and got you, but I didn't want to burden you with doing all this," Xander said.

His mom gave him a curious look but didn't say anything.

"Just bring it all down, and I'll do it," Mom said.

"If you show me, I can help," Xander said.

His mom showed him the basics but made him promise to come get her when he started the next load so she could supervise.

Once he'd picked up all the junk from his bedroom floor, Xander swept and mopped. He was a bit grossed out when he found a bunch of crusty tissues stuffed between the wall and his bed. Mother Nature had worked her magic, and Xander had learned the joys of self-pleasure.

Seeing that made him strip his bed because he was sure it needed it.

After he remade his bed with fresh sheets, Xander wiped down all the surfaces. Once he finished, he gazed around his bedroom; Xander doubted the room had ever been that clean from the time they moved in until he left for college.

He then pulled out a pad of paper to start a list. First, he had no money to speak of that he could call his own, except for the change in his piggy bank. That limited his possibilities. A good project manager always secures the funds needed before almost anything else. He wrote on his list: 'Earn Money.'

Then Xander stripped down and stood naked in front of his bedroom mirror so he could make an honest assessment of his body. He saw a scrawny, thirteen-year-old boy, five feet four inches tall and 108 pounds.

Xander remembered he'd grown six inches during the last year of middle school, making him five-ten when he started his freshman year of high school. But he was disappointed that he still weighed only about 110 pounds then. He'd been the definition of a string bean.

Xander looked down and observed a couple of stray wisps of hair coming in; apparently, he hadn't yet fully developed down there. He realized his equipment would mature along with his growth spurt, so he didn't worry about its current state. Besides, based on the tissues, everything seemed to be in working order.

During high school, Xander played football and started on the varsity squad in his junior year-one of only four juniors to do that. So he expected he would quickly add muscle to his frame during his freshman and sophomore years.

He'd enjoyed working out in high school. Still, if his performance mowing the lawn was any indication, Xander should start some kind of exercise program. If for no other reason than not to be a skinny freshman who might get blown over in a strong wind. He added 'Work Out' to his list.

Xander dressed, pulled out all his textbooks, and skimmed through them, confirming the old saying that you'd never use most of the stuff. His old self had to scratch his head at the majority of it. He'd obviously learned it well enough to pass, but sixty years into the future, much of it made no sense. At least now, Xander recognized what it would take to survive in college. He needed to establish good habits before he wasted all those years, as he'd done in his past life. He added 'Study' to his list.

The last item on the list was the most obvious. It was why Xander wished to relive his life, to be more confident, and not to be his own worst enemy. He wrote 'Face My Fears' on his list.

For now, that seemed like enough to keep him busy. Xander realized his list was only a starting point, and he would add to it over time.

He trotted downstairs to put the next load in and saw his mom had already done it. Xander made another pile consisting of his sheets and stray towels he'd found. He then strolled into the den to watch TV with his parents. Xander wanted to be sure he would be the one to put the sheets into the washing machine. His mom probably recognized the mystery stains, but no one else should have to deal with that.

Once his laundry was done, his mom helped him bring it all upstairs. When she walked into his room, she stopped.

"What happened in here?"

Xander expected she was probably shocked to see the floor.

"Like I said, I'm making changes. I hope it's okay."

"Yes, it's okay. I had just stopped fighting with you about cleaning your room. I never imagined I'd see the day it looked like this."

"It won't always be this clean, but I'm tired of living in a mess," Xander said.

"I'm not going to make a big deal out of this," Mom said, sounding more like she was talking to herself than to Xander. "I'll only say I approve."

"Thanks. And thanks for your help with my laundry. Next, I might even make dinner."

His mom was funny. She clutched her chest like someone having a heart attack.

"When I see it, I'll believe it," she said with a wink.

He knew she'd never allow him to cook without her supervision. Something he admired about his mom was that she was a hard worker. Her father was also a contractor, and she came from a family of four kids, including an older sister, a younger one, and a brother, the youngest. As a girl, Mom was the family's tomboy and her daddy's little helper.

His mom had actually painted the inside of their house, another example of his dad being cheap.

The only problem was that Mom didn't respect boundaries. During high school, a rumor started that the girl Xander had recently broken up with was pregnant. She'd dumped Xander to date her ex, who was a couple of years older. Ultimately, she had the baby, and the two of them got married.

Xander's mother showed up at the girl's family's front door and wanted to discuss Xander's responsibilities in the matter. Thankfully, he hadn't been part of the conversation. However, he still shuddered at the audacity of his mother doing that.

They said their good-nights.

Xander put away his laundry. It took longer than expected because his teen self had simply shoved stuff into the dresser. He pulled everything out and put it back into drawers that made sense: e.g., socks together and t-shirts in their own drawer.

While he was at it, he sorted out all the stuff he would never wear, had outgrown, or had worn out. Xander would give it all to his mom to donate. He imagined his poor sister would be a recipient of some of his castoffs. His mom had to be careful about what she spent money on because she didn't want to face his father's wrath.

The next day, on the school bus, Brian, the perv, made a little leer and patted the empty seat next to him when Izzy got on. Xander nudged her past him and took the seat.

"Why'd you do that?" Brian complained.

"I know you get hard for little girls, but she's my sister. If you do anything, and I mean anything to her, I'll chop your dick off and feed it to you," Xander said calmly.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I was just trying to be friendly," Brian whined.

"Can it. Everyone has warned me about what a weird fuck you are. Just remember what I said," Xander said, then got up and walked back to sit next to Karen.

Yep, it was a total fabrication, but Brian had no idea whether people talked about him. Xander knew most high school boys had confidence issues, and hearing that others thought you were a 'weird fuck' would be a tad unsettling.

Xander figured one of two things would happen soon. One was that Brian would cave and leave Izzy alone, which Xander suspected would be the case. If Brian really was a pedophile, there were plenty of innocent girls who didn't have a threatening older brother.

The second scenario would involve a confrontation. Brian assumed that because he was older and bigger, he could kick the shit out of Xander. While that might be true of his old self, Xander had 'old man' knowledge. Not that he claimed to be some kind of secret ninja; far from it. It was just that old men didn't fight fair, and they fought for keeps.

Most school fights between boys like Brian and Xander devolved into posturing, shoving, and the like. An old man knew he had zero stamina and, in a real fight, would get annihilated. An old man's only option was to strike first and end it as soon as possible. Brian would learn his lesson, even if he outweighed Xander by at least fifty pounds and was two years older.

Brian must have glared at Xander as he walked back because Karen asked, "What's Brian's problem?"

Xander sighed. It looked like there would be a fight, so he decided to head that off.

"He was perving on my little sister, so I set him straight," Xander said.

"He's in high school, and your sister's in grade school! You're joking, right?!" Karen asked, getting indignant.

Xander was evil. A characteristic of 'Karens' is their hatred of injustice, to the point that they act irrationally. If they perceived something as being wrong, even if they were batshit crazy and totally off base, they would launch into a fight for justice.

Karen all but pushed Xander out of his seat so she could waddle up to where Brian sat and give him a piece of her mind. And she did it in front of the entire bus, loud enough that no one had to strain to hear her rant about what a filthy scumbag Brian Miller was.

Xander innocently took his seat and bit his tongue to keep from laughing. When he saw the look of horror on Brian's face, Xander almost felt bad for him. Almost. The entire bus sat in wide-eyed silence as Karen tore into his ass.

Her rant lasted until they reached the middle/high school drop-off point. The schools were next to each other, so the few high schoolers who rode the bus had to walk half a block to their school.

Brian bolted from his seat to get off first. Karen followed him off the bus, screaming at him the whole time. Once they were off, it took a beat for everybody to realize what had happened. Pandemonium erupted as everyone rushed off to spread the gossip.

Xander just sat and watched it happen. He was surprised when Izzy sat down next to him.

"Thank you. Now you need to get off, or you'll have to walk back from the grade school."

It was only ten blocks away, but he'd be late for homeroom if he didn't get off.

"I have your back," Xander said, then got up and rushed off before the bus left for its last stop.

Tim, Brian's younger brother, found Xander at his locker.

"What was that all about?"

Xander's grandfather had decided to build several houses around the lake that the cold spring had created, and the first one in the planned subdivision would be the Millers'. Tim and his family would move in around the first of the year, and Tim would become a friend. So Xander didn't want to alienate Tim just because he didn't trust his brother.

"I just told Karen what Brian did with my sister. I think she read more into it than necessary," Xander said.

"That's Karen, but I can't say she was wrong. My dad put parental controls on our home PC. I heard my parents talking, and Brian's browser history was a bit disturbing. Those were my mom's words, not mine-I never got a chance to see what he was watching," Tim said.

That made Xander feel a bit better, knowing his instincts about Brian were correct. If he'd not experienced Brian exposing himself in the first go-around, Xander might not have thought anything of Brian offering Izzy a seat. But the little leer and patting of the seat felt wrong.

"I might have put a bug in her ear," Xander said to come clean.

He did feel guilty about provoking Karen because he knew exactly what she would do. It might have been cleaner to have had the fight. That way, it stayed between the two of them. Now everyone would be talking about Brian.

Before he died, teenagers had been committing suicide at an alarming rate. He'd read somewhere that sixty percent of teen girls had suicidal thoughts at some point.

While Xander's goal was to stop Brian from abusing his sister-and avoid getting his ass kicked-if Brian hurt himself, Xander would never get over it.

"You might want to talk to your parents and let them know. If Brian gets too upset, who knows what he might do? It might be best to get him someone to talk to," Xander said.

"Fuck him," Tim said with more venom than Xander expected.

Xander wanted to dig into that, but the bell rang. He and Tim gave each other a bro nod and headed off to class.

Xander was one of the first to arrive at lunch, so he chose a prime table. Pam spotted him when she entered the lunchroom and got in line. Once she had her food, she joined him.

"I finally have you all to myself," Xander said, waggling his eyebrows.

Kelly heard him as she sat down.

"Sorry to rain on your parade."

Xander gave a dramatic sigh.

"What am I ever going to do with two women?"

"The same you would do with one ... nothing," Pam said haughtily.

"It's okay, Xander," Kelly said. "If you're a good boy, I'll let you carry my books to class as a reward."

"At least it won't be as bad as the poor guys who carry their girl's purses at the mall," Pam said to pile on.

It didn't take long before the best-looking girls in their middle school came to take the remaining empty seats. They weren't aware that Xander had invited Pam to lunch, so they all looked at him curiously. Pam and Kelly were a bit taken aback when Xander didn't squirm in his seat like an ordinary boy.

"Ladies," Xander said with a smile. "Your joining me for lunch is the new guy's dream come true. Now every girl at our school will wonder what I've got that made you all join me."

Barb Grimes, a lanky brunette, looked him over.

"You're not unfortunate-looking. I guess I can be seen in your company."

Peggy Wallace, who looked like a tomboy, rolled her eyes.

"No one is ever good enough for you," she told Barb. "I think he's cute. What's your name, cutie?"

"Xander Thornwood."

Stacy Vale, who had big brown eyes, smiled.

"Tell us all about yourself."

Pam gave Stacy a predatory look.

"Back off. He asked me to lunch."

"When did this happen?" Kelly asked.

"You skipped the bus, so I sat with him."

All the girls looked back and forth at the two of them.

"Say what?" Kelly asked.

"I'll speak slowly. I ... asked ... Pam ... to ... lunch," Xander said. "Did you understand all the words?"

Barb burst out laughing, causing Kelly's face to turn an interesting shade of pink.

"I leave you alone for one bus ride, and this happens. We even talked on the phone last night, and you didn't mention this little development," Kelly ranted.

"It was worth seeing your face right now," Pam said. "It's not like we're dating or anything. We're just getting to know each other."

"I say we adopt him into our group. We need someone who can tell us what guys are really thinking," Stacy said.

"Slow your roll," Xander said. "I'm not your innocent gay guy who you can take shopping."

"I'd hope not. We want a real guy to talk to," Peggy said.

All the girls turned to look at Peggy. Finally, Kelly asked, "Since when have you liked boys?"

"I've always liked boys; I just never met one who wasn't intimidated by all of you. We've only had dumb jocks brave enough to try to sit with us. They all ran away with their tails between their legs. This one has some backbone."

"Speaking of bones," Barb said with an evil smirk.

"Back off, Barb. I get first shot," Pam said.

"What are you doing after school? Is either of your parents home? I could get off at your stop," Xander said with a big smile as he acted overexcited.

"You walked into that one, Pam," Kelly said as the girls laughed.

When he'd come back, Xander hadn't expected he would become the center of attention. People he hadn't even met yet said hello and smiled. Sitting with the 'Princesses,' as Xander learned they were called, had suddenly pushed him into the limelight. He wasn't sure that was a positive.

When he got to the bus stop, Brian was waiting for him. As Xander slowly walked toward him, Karen appeared and became a 'Karen' again, beginning to berate Brian.

"Shut your mouth, you fat bitch!" Brian said and backhanded her.

Xander was sure every person there secretly cheered Brian on because who hadn't wanted to exact a similar form of justice on the 'Karens' of the world? But not on his watch!

In his previous go-around, Xander had doubled as a punter. Like riding a bike, the mechanics of punting a ball came back to him. He took two quick steps and figuratively kicked two balls forty yards down the field. Brian's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed on the sidewalk. The two bus monitors-aka teachers who drew the short straw that day-rushed to check on Karen and Brian.

In the ensuing chaos, Xander's bus pulled up, and he got on. Everyone was out of their seats with their faces plastered against the window to see what had happened.

Karen was in full meltdown mode, pointing to her red cheek as the bus pulled away from the curb.

'Yep. You don't mess with an old man,' Xander thought as he settled into his seat.

When he got home, Xander changed into gym shorts and an old t-shirt. After his hospital stay in his first time around, he'd regained his strength by doing isometric exercises. His doctor had suggested that type of rehab because he wasn't in good enough shape to do isotonic exercises. Those involve pushing, pulling, or lifting, such as bicep curls, squats, and pull-ups.

The isometrics had helped him rehab. He did five exercises: planks, dead hangs, isometric bicep curls, glute bridges, and wall squats.

When you're old, those could be challenging. Xander was just starting to get into shape, and he thought this would be a good way to begin.

Xander got down on his hands and knees on the floor for the plank. He extended both legs straight out behind him so his body was straight. The goal was to hold that position for 30 seconds or more. When he felt the strain, Xander would rest for a moment and then do it again.

Next, he did the dead hang. He didn't have a pull-up bar, so he reached up, grasped the top of his bedroom door, and hung there.

The isometric bicep curls required dumbbells. Instead, Xander grabbed his two largest books and curled them toward his shoulders. The goal was to stop halfway with his elbows bent at a 90-degree angle and hold there.

The glute bridge had him lie on his back with his feet on the floor. He then lifted his pelvis off the ground and held it in place.

The wall squats required him to lean against the wall for support. He slid down until he was in what looked like a seated position with his knees bent at a 90-degree angle, then held that position.

None of that sounded too challenging, but Xander could feel it when he finished. Once he could easily do those, he would be ready to do 'real' exercises.

After dinner, Xander helped his mom put the dishes in the dishwasher. He glanced around to make sure his dad was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Mom, I need to make money."

His mom looked around, too. Knowing his dad, if he found out Xander had any extra cash, Wayne would confiscate it.

What confused Xander was that, though his dad was an absolute miser, if he decided to buy something, he would do it without consulting Xander's mom. His most recent acquisition was a pop-up camper.

Xander cringed when he saw it because he knew what came next: they would be spending their weekends out in the great wild. Xander loved the outdoors, but camping with his dad was always stressful. Once he went to college, Xander firmly believed that the Holiday Inn Express was the closest thing to camping he ever planned to do again. He dreaded what was to come.

"What do you need money for?" Mom asked.

"I haven't decided yet. I would start by just saving some money. Maybe you can open a savings account for me where I can deposit it."

"Give me some examples," Mom pressed.

"Someday, I'll want to buy a car. I might also want to take a young lady out on a date. Another example is I'll need cash if I plan to buy drugs."

His mom was used to his quips and ignored that last one. She knew his dad would never pay for a car, even though, after his parents divorced, his dad promised to buy him a car when Xander graduated from college.

The kicker was that at his graduation party, a new pickup truck with a bow on it was parked in the drive. It was for his cousin, and there wasn't one for him. He had to smile and act like he was having a good time, while vowing never to believe his dad again.

"Girls, huh?"

"I know. It's supposed to be that everything is equal, but I've read some blogs, and it seems that girls believe the guy should pay for a date."

"Someday, you'll understand why they have that power," Mom said.

Xander understood full well why a guy would pay.

"Let me talk to my dad," she continued. "He might have some stuff you can do for him. He can also open the account for you. That way, your dad won't be able to get his hands on it."

His mom was a genius. His grandfather had broken ground on three houses, so there might be something Xander could do after school and on weekends at the job sites. Having them within walking distance was a bonus.

First thing in the morning, Xander got up and did his exercises. It gave him time to think. The previous day had a lot packed into it. The Brian situation could become a problem, and Xander needed to get out in front of it. At the very least, he should tell his mom what happened. No way would he share that with his dad because his dad would fly off the handle and probably blame Xander for the mess.

Yes, he had initiated the confrontation because if Xander hadn't, the creeper might have done untold damage not only to his sister but also to other kids. Xander didn't regret any of that. Sending Karen after Brian might not have been the best option, but it brought the issue out in the open.

He did feel a bit bad that Karen had gotten hit, but she needed to learn that running her mouth had consequences-something too many people ignored. With the Internet, they could drop their 'truth bombs' with little or no repercussions because they didn't have to say them to someone's face.

In many places, even if you were facing someone who broke into your home, you might end up in jail if they got hurt. That, and the fear of getting canceled, meant people were afraid to stand up for themselves, which only emboldened the bullies.

Xander had a strong suspicion he'd get called onto the carpet for kicking Brian in the nuts. So it was better for him to tell his mom ASAP instead of letting her be blindsided by a call from the school.

He next thought about Pam and her friends. Xander had used his past life's experience to ease himself into that group. But he worried he might be trying to run before he could walk, so to speak. After all, he was only thirteen, and even he had to admit he was too young to be in a physical relationship. Not that thirteen-year-olds weren't capable, but they weren't emotionally equipped to deal with everything that entailed.

While he wanted to get to know the girls better, it was probably best for them to just be friends. That would all change when they went to high school.

With that in mind, Xander decided to limit eating lunch with their group. He wanted to make other friends-maybe even guy friends, even though he considered the majority of them immature dumbasses; most twelve- and thirteen-year-old boys were.

He'd begun to remember some of the people he'd been friends with. There were some he wanted to avoid-primarily Donnie Wilson, who'd be transferring in soon. They'd first bonded because they were the 'new' kids.

At first, Xander really liked Donnie because he was outgoing and helped Xander make new friends. Later, in high school, Donnie became his source of condoms. Donnie's parents owned a mom-and-pop pharmacy, and the two of them would go in and shoplift whatever they needed. That was a bonus for a high schooler who didn't have a lot of cash on hand.

They'd later decided to be roommates when they went to the University of Arkansas, and their time at U of A opened Xander's eyes to what Donnie really was. Quite simply, Donnie only cared about Donnie and what he could use you for.

One night in college, Donnie brought a girl back to their room, shocking Xander because he'd told Donnie he planned to ask her out. She and Xander seemed to have a genuine connection, and Xander thought she might be the girlfriend he was looking for. Donnie had even given him advice on how to win her over, so Donnie was well aware of what the girl meant to his roommate.

In Xander's opinion, this completely violated the bro code. When Donnie saw Xander's eyes cloud over, he pulled his supposed 'best friend' out into the hall.

"I know you like her, and I told her you were going to ask her out. After we talked briefly, I decided I had to have a piece, too. She says she's up to doing both of us, so I'll get her warmed up, and then you can have a turn. It's a win-win, man," Donnie said.

Xander took a moment to take that in. Donnie made it sound like no big deal, but Xander crumbled inside.

"I don't know," Xander said as he tried to get his mind around what he'd just heard.

Xander was stunned that Donnie would do this to him.

"Your loss, then. She's a hot piece of ass, and you'll regret not tapping it," Donnie said.

When he saw Xander was going to bail, Donnie said, "Just come in and watch. If you don't want to when I'm done, I'll do her again."

Xander regretted letting Donnie talk him into going back into the room. College was all about hookups, and Donnie could sweet-talk almost any girl into coming home with him. Donnie fancied himself a cocksman, so of course, after he bedded them, he was off to the next conquest; rarely did Donnie bring back a girl more than once.

Xander watched as Donnie undressed the girl and made her blow him.

As he got ready to fuck her, Donnie said, "Get your dick out, and she can suck it while I do her from behind."

Donnie tried to give Xander a fist bump, but the girl looked at Xander and didn't look happy, so he bailed, leaving Donnie hanging.

When he returned a couple of hours later, Donnie grinned as if proud of what he'd done.

"She couldn't get enough. You should have stayed because she did me three times and got pissed off when I couldn't get it back up. She would've done you for sure."

"Are you two going out now?" Xander asked.

"Hell, no. I might hook up with her, but she's too much of a skank for me to date. If you want a quick fuck, you should call her."

Xander did see the girl the next day. She tried to talk to him, but he walked past her as though he didn't see her. Thankfully, she got the message that he wasn't up for sloppy seconds.

Donnie was perplexed when Xander backed out of getting an apartment with him the following year. But that incident had been the last straw. Xander was the one with money, and he would've had to put down the deposit. Without his help, Donnie was stuck in the dorms the next year while Xander got a place off campus.

After that, Xander and Donnie drifted apart until thirty years later. Donnie called him out of the blue because he needed money. Xander had a momentary weakness and lent it to him. At the time, Xander was doing a big consulting gig and raking it in, so it wasn't a big deal. He figured he'd probably never see the cash again.

As it happened, Xander found himself in a jam a couple of years later and needed a few grand. He had the funds, but it would mean withdrawing them from an investment, which would incur penalties. To see what Donnie would do, Xander called him to see if he would pay back a small portion of what Xander had lent. Donnie said he'd see what he could do and then blocked Xander's number.

As a side note, at their ten-year high school reunion, which Donnie didn't attend, Xander overheard some of the girls talking about Donnie and how much they loathed the guy. It seemed Donnie was all hands, and it sounded like he forced himself on more than one of them. Afterward, he would dump them, which would've been fine if he hadn't told them they were terrible in bed, so he had moved on.

Then the knife slid into Xander's back when Kelly asked Pam, "Why didn't you ever go out with Xander?"

"Because he was friends with Donnie. I just assumed he was the same way."

This time around, Xander would avoid getting sucked into Donnie's vortex. He might even take the time to warn a few people to help them avoid Donnie's charm.

Once he finished exercising, Xander took a shower and headed downstairs to find his dad had gone to work, but his sister hadn't come down yet.

"I need to tell you something," Xander told his mom.

He shared what had happened with Brian.

"I fully expect to be called into the principal's office today."

"While I'm glad you looked out for your sister, I'm not too happy with the way you did it."

"Looking back, I agree, but it is what it is," Xander said.

"We'll have to deal with that later. I'm going to go to your grandpa's this morning. I'm considering getting a job with him."

Last time around, his mom started working in the office and eventually took over her dad's company when he retired. That almost made Xander's dad lose his mind-especially when he consistently lost jobs to her after their divorce. His mom never said anything, but Xander knew she loved it.

His dad wouldn't be happy that she didn't want to work for him. Xander was sure his dad wouldn't have paid her. Or if he had, she would've had to put her paycheck into their joint account, where he would control the money. She'd been smart enough to open her own account, but his dad made her pay all the bills until their divorce.

"Good for you."

"You do realize your father will get involved if the school calls, don't you?"

Xander sighed.

"I figured as much."

Whenever something like this happened, it meant Xander was in for a beating. His dad lived by the 'spare the rod, spoil the child' philosophy. Xander might not allow that to continue in this timeline.

When he got onto the bus, Karen and Brian were both missing. The rumor mill said they'd both been suspended for three days.

When he arrived at school ... nothing. Somehow, his part in what happened hadn't reached the powers that be.

'Yay, Xander,' he thought.

That didn't mean Brian wouldn't look for revenge when he returned. For the time being, Xander could relax.

During PE, Xander waited until Coach Carlton divided the class into teams to play softball. Coach Carlton was one of the assistant football coaches at the high school.

"Coach, I want to get ready for freshman football this year," Xander said between innings.

"You need to put on some muscle and get into shape if you don't want to get hurt."

Xander explained what he was doing to get started down that path.

"Easing into it is a good plan. On top of what you're already doing, I recommend you either start running or biking. The hills around here can be challenging. When you start, go uphill and work your way back down. That way, you don't get stuck at the bottom," Coach Carlton said.

"When I start lifting weights, what should I do?"

"For a beginner, I suggest lifting heavy weights at high speeds for low reps. That will add a manageable but not extreme amount of muscle. It'll help with athleticism far more than any other method. The goal is to explosively handle eighty to ninety percent of your max," Coach Carlton said.

"Why not do a traditional workout where I do more reps?" Xander asked.

"Because at the lower volume of reps, your body doesn't get as sore, but it quickly improves your strength. This way, you can run without being in pain from lifting. I call this 'lifting with intention.'

"Once you can handle the low rep/high weight approach, we can add higher rep work. This is needed for overall muscular balance and joint/tendon health. High rep is excellent for building muscle. It's been my experience that once you can handle the high reps, you should split your workouts 80/20. If you do a Monday through Friday workout schedule, do high reps on Wednesday and low reps on the other days.

"When you feel you're ready, I'll help you get started," Coach Carlton said.

"Thanks," Xander said.

"Oh, and something else: if you want to start lifting, you'll need a partner. It might be best to find a few guys to work out with because you'll need a spotter for safety."

"I'll ask around. I'm sure some other guys want to play football, too," Xander said.

"Your team is back on the field. We can talk later," Coach Carlton said, attempting to draw Xander's attention back to the game.

Xander trotted out to the outfield.

Xander managed to talk to Tim about his brother. Tim's mom and dad had to come to school to pick up Brian. When they learned what Karen had accused Brian of, everything blew up. Tim's older brother would no longer be allowed to ride the bus. His mom would take him to and from school until he got his driver's license in the spring.

"He's also been told that if he gets into any more trouble, there will be dire consequences," Tim said.

Xander winced.

"It's the unspoken punishments that are the worst. I would almost rather take a beating; at least then, it would be over."

"The good news is Karen also got suspended. She's been told that if she keeps up her verbal attacks, she might get expelled," Tim shared.

When he got home, Xander told his mother.

"I'm glad he won't be anywhere near Izzy," his mom said.

Xander's knowledge of the future told him Brian's family would be among the first to buy one of the three houses his grandfather was building. While he didn't remember Brian doing anything to Izzy, his mom wouldn't be happy about that.

"Did you talk to Grandpa about a job?"

"I didn't get a chance. Grab your sister, and we'll pay him a visit," his mom said.

"Izzy!" Xander yelled.

"Don't yell; go get your sister."

Xander couldn't help it ... he rolled his eyes. It seemed that particular teen response was ingrained in him. He shrugged, grinned at his mom, and ran upstairs to find Izzy.

Grandpa Davidson had a work trailer that served as an on-site office. He was a Vietnam War veteran who'd hung pictures of his old unit on the walls and had an American flag behind his desk. Izzy rushed in and yelled, "Grandpa!" as she leaped onto his lap.

"This is a pleasant surprise. What brings you all here?"

"Xander and I are looking for work," Xander's mom said.

"Wouldn't you rather be with Wayne?" Grandpa Davidson asked.

"Being around your significant other 24/7 isn't the best idea," his mom said.

Grandpa Davidson just nodded.

"What about you?" he asked Xander.

"You're building in our backyard. This would make it easier than trying to get to one of Dad's job sites," Xander said.

"What are your skills?" he asked Xander, acting like this was a serious interview.

"I can do basic stuff like being a gofer or cleaning up. I've also helped my mom paint."

"Is he any good at painting?" Grandpa Davidson asked Xander's mom.

"He's not an expert at cutting in yet, but he can handle a spray gun and roller for the big surfaces," his mom said.

"How about we do this? We're nowhere near ready to paint these homes, and your grandmother has been after me to paint the exterior of our house. Why don't you two do that after school and on Saturdays?"

"When can we start?" Xander asked.

His grandfather smiled at his eagerness.

"How about Saturday? That way, I can help. Plus, it'll give you an excuse to come over for dinner."

He figured his grandfather wanted to verify that Xander wasn't a menace before he let him loose painting one of his spec homes. It would also allow his grandfather to discuss with his mom what she wanted to do.

The dinner comment made Xander cringe because his grandmother was a terrible cook. Her go-to meal was meatloaf. She ground up all her leftover vegetables and added them to the loaf, then topped it with crushed stewed tomatoes that had almost no seasoning. It was never good, in his opinion.

After the first week of school, Xander settled into a routine. He would get up, do his exercises, and run, something he'd just started. He found it humbling to learn how out of shape he was, likely because he spent too much time playing video games and not enough time outdoors and being active.

After a shower and breakfast, he caught the bus to school, where he was making friends. The Princesses were even friendly, leaving most other guys in awe because the girls thought most boys their age were useless. To be honest, most of them were, but that was just middle-school boy stuff. They were all halfway between thinking girls were icky and hormones kicking in. The changes had most of them confused.

Then, he would come home and help his mom paint his grandparents' house. His grandfather taught him some tricks with the spray gun, so he became good at using it. His mom still didn't trust him with cutting in, so he had someone to talk to while they painted.

While his mom returned home to cook dinner, Xander cleaned up and walked over to the new home job sites. His grandfather had him go around and pick up after the workers left. If he had time, he would tackle the giant pile of trees that had been removed from the building sites. Xander turned the limbs into wood chips, which his grandfather planned to use for landscaping. The big stuff was turned into firewood.

Then he would go home and take a shower before dinner.

Something new this time was that he did his homework and read ahead to be prepared for the next day's classes. His mom had him study in the dining room with his sister. Xander would spend some time helping her, but his sister consumed most of that time telling him about her day.

He cherished the time with Izzy more than he had during his first time around. Before, he hadn't appreciated having a sister, especially one who always had his back when he was older. When she died, Xander had felt the loss. This time, he planned to be more involved and maybe steer her away from some of her poor choices, in particular taking up smoking. He wanted to keep her in his life for a long time.

After his first week, Grandpa Davidson tried to hand Xander cash. But Xander convinced his grandfather to open a savings account so his dad couldn't get his hands on the money. Thankfully, his dad thought Xander worked for his grandfather out of the goodness of his heart. Not wanting to pass up an opportunity, his dad left him a task list for the week.

Instead of being irritated at his dad, Xander thought of it as additional exercise, which would fulfill his goal of not turning into a pudge.

A few weeks later, his mom started working in his grandfather's office. If Xander hadn't been prepared, what he found when he got home later that week would have shocked him. Sitting in their driveway was an old Dodge Caravan parked next to the pop-up camper. His dad had traded in his mom's car and used the money to buy his new acquisition.

Dinner that night was tense because his mother wasn't on board with his dad's vision of family camping trips. She also loved her old car, and being forced to drive a minivan gave her a soccer mom vibe that wasn't her. Not to mention, his dad had failed to discuss these purchases with her beforehand.

Xander kept his opinion to himself because the van would be his when he turned sixteen. It gave his mom an excuse to get something different for herself.

Knowing this, Xander planned to talk his dad into improvements that would benefit him. He went to his room to draw out what he had in mind.

On Sunday, after church, his dad lounged in a lawn chair with a cold beer while Xander did the yard work. Once he had put all the equipment away in the shed, Xander sat beside his dad.

"I think your idea of camping is great," Xander said to ease into his plan.

"Well, I'm glad someone does. I thought having some family time would be good."

Or, as Xander remembered it, hell. It always ended in a near-death experience or tears-sometimes both.

"I was thinking. You should make some improvements to the van."

His dad's eyes narrowed, which was never a good sign.

"What do you mean?"

"What if you took the third row out and converted it to a foldout bed? That way, you could invite some friends to join us," Xander said.

"What are you talking about?" his dad asked.

"Hang on. I drew up something that might work," Xander said, and ran into the house and grabbed the plans he'd sketched out.

He knew his dad's need to be right would kick in if he said anything, and Xander would regret even bringing the subject up. That was why he handed the plans to his dad and said he needed a shower. As Xander left, his dad had his head down, looking at the sketches.

Xander's dad had a couple of other characteristics Xander could exploit: he was a perfectionist, and it would be his idea if something ever came of it. That was why Xander hadn't put a lot of work into his design. His dad would take it and make it his own, which would end up being kick-ass. He just needed a nudge to come up with the idea.

Xander was having lunch with his friends: John Tyler, Steve Callahan, Mike Hendricks, Kevin Moore, Jake Dolton, and Kannon 'KJ' Johnston. From his past experience, he knew this was the group he should've hung out with his first time around.

John and Steve lived in the same subdivision as Pam and Kelly, so they rode his bus. That meant their parents were well off, and both were popular. Mike was the best athlete in the group, while Kevin was the biggest guy and the smartest. Jake lived on a farm, while KJ lived in town.

"There's a dance next week. Are any of you guys going to ask anyone?" John asked.

"It's a matter of logistics," Kevin said.

KJ scowled at smarty-pants. "Explain that in English."

"A proper date requires you to pick up and drop off your date. Who wants to be the guy that has their mommy drive them?" Kevin asked.

"Boys, let your Uncle Xander edumacate you," Xander said in his best Texas drawl.

Kevin flipped him off, which made Xander's day because his friend hated it when he launched into his good ol' Southern boy routine. The others knew it, too, and egged Xander on.

"Lay down your wisdom," Mike said solemnly.

"Until we gain some form of transportation, traditional dating is probably out of the question," Xander said.

"I wouldn't even know what to say to get a date," Steve said.

The funny part of that comment wasn't that Steve looked clueless about girls; it was that he claimed he'd scored with a girl at church camp the previous summer. Of course, Steve wouldn't reveal the girl's name because that was something you shouldn't do. Xander thought that if you believed Steve, he had a bridge to sell you.

Xander ignored the interruption, more for Steve's sake, because a couple of the guys were about to make smart comments that would embarrass the boy. He probably deserved it, but Xander was on a roll and didn't want the conversation sidelined by bickering.

"That means you ask the girl to meet you there. It solves the entire issue of having your mommy drive you," Xander said.

They all stared at him like a pack of puppies you told to sit and stay for the first time, with a lot of head tilting and vacant looks.

"First of all, Steve had a good point," Kevin said. "How would we go about asking a girl out? Then the big question is, what would we do with them at the dance?"

Xander looked around the table and saw a lot of nodding. Somehow, Kevin got away with asking questions that made it clear he was clueless about girls. Even with his experience, Xander wasn't the smoothest operator in that regard.

"I'll answer the second question first: you dance with them."

"Say ... say what?" KJ asked.

"Just what I said. Instead of you guys hanging out in a group playing grab-ass all night, you wander over to the girls and ask them to dance," Xander said.

"Is it me, or is he talking nonsense?" Jake asked.

Xander knew what they meant because every middle school dance he'd attended involved zero dancing. And if someone saw a guy dancing with a girl, that became everyone's primary topic for the next month. It earned the guy in question rock star status until everyone figured out the kid was full of it or that his mother had made him ask the girl to dance. It was a small town, so forget about trying to keep anything a secret.

"I'm not too sure about that," Kevin agreed.

"Okay," Xander said with a shrug. "I guess it's up to me to show you boys how this is done."

He stood up.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked.

"Watch and learn, boys," Xander said as he approached the Princesses' table.

Peggy spotted him coming and recognized something was up because everyone at his table was staring at Xander. She said something, and all the girls turned to look at him.

That caused all of Xander's thirteen-year-old insecurities to come to the forefront. He was suddenly the center of attention, still a scrawny kid who was about to ask the best-looking girl in their school to the dance. It took all of Xander's old self to calm himself down and remind him he didn't give a fuck if he got turned down or not. Just asking would make him a legend, so Xander took a deep breath and smiled.

"Pam? Would you do me the honor of meeting me at the dance next Friday?"

He held his breath for a beat until all the girls squealed, and Pam jumped up and gave him a bear hug followed by a kiss ... on the lips.

"Yes! I would love to be your date to the dance!" Pam announced to the entire lunchroom.

"We'll talk next week to hammer out the arrangements," Xander said.

He wandered back to his table, where the guys sat stunned. Then KJ broke the tension.

"Someone popped a boner."

Xander shrugged.

"First of all ... dude! People will start talking if they hear you're checking out guys' dicks," Xander said, causing a round of snickers. "Second, I just had the best set of tits at West Fork Middle School pressed against my chest. You can bet I'll be dancing with Pam if there's even the slightest chance of a repeat performance."

That shut them up because they had nothing to come back with. Xander's friends had thoughtful looks when the bell rang for their next class. 

Saturday morning, he came down to breakfast and heard his mom mumbling about the 'goddamned van.' That was funny because his mother never cursed.

"What's going on?" Xander asked innocently.

"Your father wants to redo the van. I have to make cushions for the back row."

One of his mother's talents was sewing. She'd made most of the drapes for their new home. Creating cushions wouldn't be much of a challenge.

"Did Dad show you his plans?" Xander asked.

"They're on the counter," his mom said, pointing.

Xander quickly checked over the design. He was fine with most of it, but wanted one addition: a lockable drawer under the seat. That way, Xander would have a place to store stuff he didn't want anyone else to see. His little sister knew no boundaries, and the last time around, she made it her mission to find his condoms, which would suddenly be in his mother's possession. That was fun ... NOT!

"Go get your sister. Your grandparents are taking us to breakfast."

He turned to yell for Izzy, which earned him the death glower. Xander actually felt the heat on the back of his neck.

"Be right back," he said as he darted upstairs to get his sister.

He found her at the head of the stairs, all decked out in Western wear, right down to the cowboy hat.

"That's an interesting look for Arkansas."

"Go change," Izzy ordered.

This might not be his day for interacting with the women in his household.

"Yes, ma'am," Xander said solemnly.

He stepped into his bedroom and changed into his 'cowboy' clothes. Xander wasn't proud of it, but he actually owned three cowboy hats. His favorite of them-a black leather one that had seen better days-he'd gotten for free at a garage sale. The older lady saw him looking at it and encouraged him to try it. When he put it on, it was too big, so she gave it to him.

"That was my husband's first hat. I have some oil I can give you to make it look good as new," she'd said.

It was still a touch too big, but he put it on anyway. If he tilted it back slightly, it wouldn't fall down and cover his eyes.

He came downstairs to find his grandparents drinking coffee with his mom.

"Aren't they both adorable?" Grandma Davidson asked.

"Looks like they're already set for Halloween," Grandpa Davidson quipped.

"Mister, am I going to have to draw down on you?" Xander drawled.

Izzy giggled, which was his and his grandpa's goal.

"Before this gets out of hand, let's go eat," his mom said.

They drove to the Three Birds Café, which was packed and had a line to get in. He spotted Pam there with her family. She saw him and came over, and they decided it would be best to take a stroll so his sister wouldn't eavesdrop.

"What's the big occasion?" Pam asked, giving him the once-over.

"My sister decided she wanted to dress up in our cowboy gear."

"What a good big brother," Pam said and moved a half step closer to him.

Jill Flint, Kelly's mother, had been talked into taking her daughter to town to buy a new dress for the upcoming middle school dance. Until now, Kelly hadn't shown any interest in boys, so dances weren't a big deal. It seemed their neighbor, John Tyler, had asked Kelly to meet him at the dance, so her daughter now wanted to look her best. Before shopping, they stopped at the Three Birds Café because it offered vegan options.

As they walked to the front door, Kelly suddenly stopped with her mouth agape.

"Mom! Look at Pam! She's kissing a cowboy!" exclaimed Kelly.

Jill looked at where Kelly was staring to see what caused such astonishment in her daughter. Pam was kissing an incredibly handsome, rugged young man who looked like a cowboy. As far as Jill knew, Pam had never even been on an actual date. Pam was like her daughter in that neither of them had shown any interest in boys. Jill had to admit to being almost as shocked as Kelly.

Jill thought it might be time for 'the talk.' And she needed to give Brenda, Pam's mom, a heads-up. Their little girls were growing up, and way too soon.

Kelly recovered from her initial surprise and started toward her best friend, with Jill following closely. Jill felt it was her duty to figure out who this hunk was kissing Pam, and whether she would report it to Brenda.

The couple must have heard the crunch of their shoes on the gravel as they approached because they parted. For a boy his age, he had a nice, slim figure and an incredible smile. What caught her full attention was the intensity of his steel-blue eyes.

As they walked up, he smiled and said, "You must be Kelly's mom. Pam never told me how beautiful you are. I'm Xander Thornwood."

She was taken aback because he hadn't acted like a typical teen boy who would've been mortified at being seen kissing a girl in public-especially by a mom.

Pam's phone buzzed with a new message.

"We're being seated. Do you want to join us?" Pam asked.

"You bet we do," Kelly announced.

Xander just smiled as he walked Pam back to her parents. On the way, he introduced his mom, sister, and grandparents to Jill and Kelly. Then he announced that Pam had agreed to be his date for the dance, which perked up his little sister.

"We need to go," Pam said to get everyone moving.

As they walked to the table, Jill asked, "Are any of your other friends meeting guys at the dance?"

"All of them," Kelly proudly announced.

'Oh, shit,' Jill thought. It seemed like a 'girls' night out' was needed to discuss what was going on. She also planned to invite Xander's mother and figure out who the other boys were, then invite their moms as well.

After breakfast, Xander did the chores his dad had left him, then walked to the job site and continued to deal with the giant pile of cut-down trees. He was feeding limbs through the chipper when a hand touched his back. It was his mom.

"Why has Jill Flint insisted I attend a 'girls' night out'?"

Xander was afraid that something like that might happen. After all, this was a small town, and parents insisted they needed to be in your business.

"That might be because of me."

"I figured as much. Why have I been summoned?" his mom asked.

If this had been his dad, the conversation would've started with the accusation, 'What have you done!?' That would be followed up with him being yelled at because he'd embarrassed the family or some other nonsense.

"I asked Pam Wilder to meet me at the dance as my date," Xander began.

He then told his mom how he'd been talking to the guys and showed them how to ask a girl out.

"Why are you meeting them at the dance instead of picking them up?" his mom asked.

"I don't have a car, and someone mentioned it was uncool for their mommy to drive them. I figured this was the best solution."

"Were you really kissing Pam in the parking lot?" his mom asked.

"I was."

"It's time for 'the talk,'" his mom decided, talking to herself.

Picking up on the cue, Xander replied, "I don't know why. I mean, Pam and I are too young to do anything more than a quick kiss and dancing. There'll be chaperones at the dance to keep an eye on things. You and the other mothers have nothing to worry about."

His mom chuckled.

"I see what you mean. When I was thirteen, I started to have crushes, but I had no idea what to do with them. I wish someone had asked me to go to a dance at that age. It would've been so much better than standing around all night, worried none of the guys liked me."

"Trust me, the guys liked you," Xander said, making his mom blush.

"It still might be time for the talk."

"We had a class for that," Xander said, letting his mom off the hook.

"Okay, but if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

"I have lots of questions," Xander said eagerly.

His mom gave him her death glower, which caused them to laugh.

"I need to finish this," Xander said, ending the conversation ... for the moment.

Thankfully, his dad had gone to Dallas to empty his tool shed. He'd rented storage space in West Fork to use until he had time to build a shed at the house. That meant Xander's dad wasn't around when his mom came home after the girls' night.

Apparently, drinking too much wine was part of the festivities. Thankfully, Izzy was already in bed when his mother returned and found him watching a movie in the den. She plopped down on the couch right next to him.

"It's official: you're a bad influence."

"How so?"

"By putting impure thoughts into the little preciouses of West Fork."

That made him laugh.

"Please. Those women are delusional if they think their children are as innocent as they seem to believe," Xander said.

"I pointed that out. I think the moms all realize it, but the party line is your big-city ways are infecting this town. It won't be long before we have a rash of pregnancies," his mom said and giggled. "The best part was when Jill admitted that at least they'd be pretty babies if you were the father."

Even his older self was taken aback by that comment. Xander had never thought of himself as good-looking. It had never crossed his mind at any time.

"Maybe Mrs. Flint would be willing to teach me what I need to know to make that happen."

His mom just giggled.

"I got the feeling she just might."

That floored him. His mom must really be drunk.

"I think we should get you to bed," Xander announced.

"Help me up."

Xander did and walked his mom to her room.

"Drink some water and take an aspirin," Xander suggested.

His mom stopped and looked at him.

"How do you know what to do to prevent a hangover?"

'Oops.'

"Well, it's what they show people doing in movies."

"Good advice," his mom said as he closed her bedroom door.

Xander went to bed, wondering if being the town's bad boy was that bad a rep.

Xander got up Sunday morning and stripped off. Each Sunday, he took pictures of his body to track his development. As yet, the transformation hadn't been pronounced; he'd grown an inch taller and looked to be firming up. And Xander was no longer just a stick: he'd gained ten pounds of what appeared to be muscle.

Hair had started to come in under his arms and down below. He realized it would be years before he gained any chest hair. Combine that with being blond, and it never really amounted to much, anyway.

He'd talked to the guys, and they agreed to lift weights with him in the mornings. They worked out a rotation of whose mother would take them each day. Coach Carlton said he'd come in early to help them get started.

Xander had also found that learning better study habits made a difference in school. Not that middle school was hard because anyone who paid even half attention could pass without studying. He'd been a prime example of that last time. Now, he was easily handling the quizzes and tests.

Xander was also beginning to grow his savings account and planned to increase it even more. His grandfather let it slip that he played poker at a rotating game. The following weekend, it would be at his house. Xander was working on his grandfather to let him play. Xander had no doubt he could clean out all the old codgers. Once he'd built a big enough stake, he would use some of the knowledge from his past life to make even more.

The goal was never to ask his dad for anything in the future. Whatever he got had serious strings attached that Xander would not submit to this time around.

It was almost time for Donnie to transfer in. While Xander didn't want him as an enemy, he didn't plan on them being best friends, either. This time, Xander made good friends before Donnie showed up. He was sure Donnie had recognized Xander's lack of a social network, making him an easy target. Xander was sure his nemesis would find someone else to pick on this time.

Xander got dressed and walked downstairs. Izzy sat at the kitchen table, looking out the window.

"Mom's sleeping in. Do you want me to make you breakfast?"

She looked up and smiled.

"Pancakes, please."

He opened the fridge and looked over his shoulder.

"Mom bought fresh blueberries. You want those or chocolate chips in your pancakes?"

"Could you make blueberry syrup over chocolate chip pancakes?" Izzy asked hopefully.

His mom stumbled in.

"And coffee," she said as she lay her head on the table. She glanced up at Izzy and said, "Never mix alcohol, or you end up like this."

Xander bit his tongue to keep himself from making a smart comment. That was something he'd learned the hard way ... more than once.

He put the coffee on first, then stepped into the pantry and grabbed the corn syrup. The ratio was 2 to 1, blueberries to corn syrup. He put that in a pot to bring to a simmer to break down the fresh berries, then started the pancakes.

His mom requested dry toast instead of pancakes. She commented that Izzy would bounce off the walls from all the sugar she'd just consumed. Xander talked his sister into a bike ride to help burn off her energy and allow his mom to go back to bed.

On Monday morning, Xander found his nemesis in his homeroom. Donnie even had to give a brief introduction to the class, something Xander avoided because he'd started at the beginning of the semester.

"Hi, everyone. I'm Donnie Wilson, and I'm from Little Rock. My parents and I just moved here because they're opening a pharmacy over on Van Buren. I'm hoping to make a lot of new friends."

It was so heartwarming and original that it almost brought a tear to Xander's eye ... not!

Xander's next unpleasant surprise was finding his mother walking the halls before lunch.

"Is there something I need to know?" Xander asked.

"Lucky me, I've been volunteered to be a chaperone for your dance on Friday."

From her tone, his mom had her sarcasm dial set at eleven.

"I'm sorry," was the only response that came to his mind.

"The moms decided that since you're the ringleader on the dating front, I should be there to make sure you don't do anything 'out of bounds.'"

"Who said I might do something out of bounds?" Xander asked.

"I probably shouldn't say."

"Fair enough. Just promise me that you won't act like you know me at the dance," Xander tried.

"That's not happening."

He'd given it a shot.

"Fine. I'm late for lunch."

"Maybe you can take your mommy to lunch as a reward," his mom said, twisting the knife.

"I'd love to have you accompany me," Xander chirped.

His mom gave him the death glower.

"Monday is mystery meat day. Last week's winner was armadillo. The brown liquid on top almost makes it edible."

"I'll pass," his mom decided.

She couldn't leave without pulling him in for a big hug and goodbye. That was when Donnie showed up.

"You must be Xander's mom. I'm new here. Donnie Wilson," he said with an extended hand.

"Careful, Mom. He's a teen boy, and you have no idea where that hand has been," Xander warned.

"Nice to meet you, Donnie."

Xander noted she didn't shake his hand.

"I'll leave you to the mystery meat. I have leftover chocolate chip pancakes waiting for me at home."

Xander mentally flipped his mom off and then turned and walked to the cafeteria. He noted Donnie had fallen into step beside him.

"What's your deal?" Xander asked.

"I figured you have friends, so I was hoping you'd introduce them to me. I understand you're new here, too."

Xander used his mom's witty line: "I'll pass."

Donnie stopped as Xander continued to walk. It was all he could do not to turn back to see the confusion on the boy's face. He hoped that nipped things in the bud.

He went through the line, and it was bacon cheeseburger casserole day, just a step below pizza day in the lunch pecking order. Donnie was right behind him when he reached his table, and he tried to sit next to Xander.

"Sorry, that seat's taken," Xander said.

The guys all gave him a funny look, but Kevin backed him up.

"Yeah, sorry, man. We have one more coming."

"Uh ... okay," Donnie said, got up, and left.

"What was all that about?" Jake asked.

"Let's just say I've heard rumors about that guy. All I'll say is if they are true, you'll want to keep him away from your dates Friday night."

"Speaking of Friday night, what did you do to have all of our moms get together on Saturday?" Mike asked.

"Kelly and her mom caught Pam kissing me."

Questions started flying.

Xander held up his hand to slow the guys down.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you sound like a bunch of girls."

"Fuck you, too. Now, spill the tea," KJ said.

Hearing KJ say that made Xander smile because he was the smallest guy in the group. KJ had to be five feet nothing and might weigh ninety pounds. The only thing that gave him street cred was being Black. Even so, Xander was not shaking in his boots.

He assumed Kelly was telling the girls, so it wouldn't be long until everyone at school knew. Xander folded like he held a poker hand of seven, two, to a board of king, queen, jack, and a big bet. He even told them his mommy would chaperone the dance. He predicted he'd be hearing about all this for years to come, but everyone found it funny ... so it could've been worse.

The dance was held in the cafeteria. The lunch tables had all been folded up and put against the wall. There was a table with some weak-ass punch. It tasted like a premix that had been mixed with too much water-basically, colored water with a weird, bitter aftertaste.

The DJ was Coach Carlton, who had a playlist on his phone. Even in Dallas, a middle school dance wouldn't have that many country songs, and it was like the coach hadn't listened to anything released in the last ten years.

That being said, they tried to make the best of it.

Since the guys had never been to a dance where actual dancing took place, it created an uncomfortable atmosphere that was almost comical. The guys danced from foot to foot, trying their best to maintain some semblance of dignity. Their herky-jerky gyrations caused them to glance around and realize how ridiculous they looked. It made Xander aware he needed to show them how not to make fools of themselves.

"Time out and gather around!" Xander called out.

All the Princesses and his guys formed a circle around Xander and Pam.

"Keep it simple. Elbows are at the side, and you rock from foot to foot. Let your girl be the star," Xander said as he demonstrated.

He saw looks of relief in the guys' eyes. They could do that. From there, everyone started having a good time.

He and Pam decided to take a break when Coach put on a tractor song that made no sense, driving everyone off the dance floor. Pam pulled Xander into a corner and kissed him.

"We should slow down. People are watching," Xander said.

He felt the death glower from across the room.

"I don't care. I want to learn everything," Pam said.

While he liked the thought of that, he did something his old self would've never done.

"The first part of a new relationship has to be patience. The most significant problem people have when it comes to ... erm ... sex ... is that they rush things. We guys usually have a one-track mind in that regard, but girls are just as guilty. So be patient; take your time. Enjoy getting to know me.

"When you're ready, I'll be there to help you every step of the way. But I bet if you asked just about anyone who's done stuff, they would almost all tell you that they wished they'd waited," Xander said.

"Does that mean I can't kiss you anymore?" Pam asked.

"Hell, no," Xander said, slipping his hand around Pam's waist and pulling her to him.

He leaned down and gave her a tender kiss.

"Young man," his mom warned.

"Yes, Mother," Xander said as he gazed into Pam's eyes.

"Perhaps you can find somewhere more private. People are watching, and I don't want to be fired from my chaperone job."

Pam giggled because it sounded like his mom had given them permission to go make out, but to find a better place to do it-preferably one without people watching.

"Since you asked so nicely..." Xander said to his mom as he grabbed Pam's hand and led her out of the cafeteria.

Pam led him into an empty classroom. Xander decided he would show her some stuff, and the first thing he taught her was how to French kiss. She proved to be a quick learner, and his jeans tightened in the front.

He let her push him up against a wall as Pam pressed her crotch against his left thigh while his hands roamed up and down her sides and her back. He'd not been bold enough to grab her butt yet, though that didn't mean he was done with his lessons.

Xander turned his head and kissed Pam's neck. She liked that, so he kissed his way to her earlobe and sucked it into his mouth and nipped it.

"Hey!" Pam complained.

She then mimicked what he'd just done.

"I wondered where you'd gotten off to," Donnie said from the door with a smirk. "I call next."

"Excuse me a moment," Xander said to Pam, then strode over to Donnie and punched him in the mouth.

A girl screamed in the hall as the two boys fought. Luckily, they were two scrawny kids, so they hadn't done much damage when Coach Carlton rushed over to break it up.

Donnie looked sneaky, like he'd gotten the better of Xander, until Pam approached him and slapped his vile words out of his mouth. Everyone stood in stunned silence as Donnie's eyes bugged out.

"You ever say something like that again, and it won't just be Xander kicking your ass: every guy in this school will be there. Do you understand me?" Pam hissed.

Donnie nodded.

"Come on, Xander. Let's see if your mom will give us a ride home," Pam said.

Everyone erupted. Donnie had pissed off the wrong girl. Pam Wilder was the queen bee of West Fork Middle School. If she had a say, he'd be lucky to get a date before he left for college.

Pam stopped to share with the Princesses what Donnie said. They, in turn, told their dates, who now looked ready to kick Donnie's ass. Xander had to gather the guys around and tell them he had this, or that wouldn't have been Donnie's last fight of the night.

That was how his mommy came to drive them home. His mom left them on the front porch while she stepped inside and talked to Pam's parents. Xander gave Pam a goodnight kiss.

"Would it be okay if we became boyfriend and girlfriend?" Xander asked.

He had no idea how that would work, but he could tell it was what Pam wanted to hear. He was sure it was because it gave Pam status in her group as the first to get asked to a dance and now the first to have a boyfriend.

She left him on the doorstep and rushed in to tell her mom. Five minutes later, his mom came out to the car, shaking her head.

"Yep, you're getting the talk when we get home."

Xander just smiled.