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. 

When Xander entered his granddad's house to play poker, he hadn't expected to find so many people there. Three tables sat nine players each, and all the seats were full, forcing Xander to sit out until someone quit or lost all their money.

Watching poker without knowing who held what cards was boring, which was why the players' hands were shown on TV. But Xander had played enough in his last go-around that he was able to pick up some of the players' tells as he watched.

Most were businesspeople from the area, with a few cops and government types mixed in. It reminded him of some of the home games he'd played in his first time around.

As he watched, most players folded before the river. So many hands were just guesswork. Most players seemed tight, meaning they didn't risk their money unless they had a good hand. That was why the handful of more aggressive players took down most of the pots.

Xander knew that didn't mean the aggressive players would win because they tended to have more chips in each hand. All it took was for them to run into some of the tight players' winning hands to clean them out.

Finally, after nearly an hour, one of the aggressive guys lost three consecutive big pots and had to go home.

Xander took his seat and pulled out a couple hundred dollars to buy in.

"That's a lot of money, son. Do you really want to risk it?" a woman in an Arkansas Razorbacks sweatshirt asked.

She'd been taking advantage of the men because they assumed she didn't know what she was doing. He found her quite skilled and would keep an eye on her.

"My grandfather told me that if I wasn't willing to risk the buy-in, I shouldn't play. While I won't be happy if I lose it all, I want to try this," Xander said as he pulled out a sheet of paper.

"What's that?" the woman asked.

"It tells me what beats what."

That produced general chuckles around the table. This was the clear sign of a 'fish'-a player who consistently makes rookie mistakes that lead to them steadily losing. That was the type of player any seasoned poker player loved to have at the table. They all eyed his stack with dreams of taking it home.

"Is this the first time you've played a game like this?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am. My grandfather said you'd all go easy on me, so I figured I would take a risk."

Grandpa Davidson called out across the room, "Remember what I told you. A flush beats a straight."

"That's when they're all the same color, right?" Xander asked.

"Suit," Grandpa Davidson reminded him.

"I keep forgetting that," Xander said.

Over the next thirty minutes, Xander misplayed a few hands to encourage his opponents. For these poker sharks, it was confirmation there was blood in the water. It didn't take long before they would all be in any hand he stayed in, to take his chips.

Xander finally had a hand when he woke up with pocket sevens, one a heart and the other a spade. In his previous go-around, he'd used a trick at the World Series of Poker called 'set mining.' It was when a small pocket pair would catch a third card on the board to give him trips. Since it was well hidden, he usually won bigger pots.

When it was Xander's turn to bet, he just called. That way, if he missed the flop-meaning cards came out higher than his sevens-and someone bet, he could fold.

When it came out, the flop was good to him: seven, king, seven. He held a nearly unbeatable hand. The best part was that two diamonds came out with it, increasing the chances that someone would get a diamond flush and consequently raise the pot.

He wasn't surprised when one of the more aggressive players raised to twenty dollars, but it did surprise him when three other players called in front of him.

Xander looked around the table with a confused expression. After glancing at his cards, he took on a stubborn visage and threw in twenty dollars. The two players behind him quickly called. There was close to a hundred and fifty dollars in the pot.

The next card was the ace of diamonds. Now, anyone with an ace or king would have two pairs (aces and sevens or kings and sevens), a hand that usually won. If someone held two diamonds, they would have a flush, beating the two-pair hands.

The aggressive player threw in fifty dollars, which meant he had something. The following two folded. Xander swallowed hard and called. The next guy called, but the last one to act went all in. His was the big stack, at nearly three hundred dollars.

The aggressive player smiled and shoved all his chips in.

Xander wanted the guy who would act after him to call, so he said, "I'm not sure what to do."

"If you're not sure, you should fold," the woman said, coaching him.

"But I have a pair," Xander said.

He hesitated and then pushed all his chips into the center. The guy behind him decided he didn't want to get involved, so he folded.

The aggressive player proudly turned over the queen and ten of diamonds for a flush. Next, the guy who went all in showed he had pocket kings, giving him a full house to take the lead. Everyone turned to Xander, who turned over quad sevens.

The dealer put out the last card, a meaningless three of clubs. He looked at the dealer as if to ask who'd won.

"Fuck me," the aggressive player groaned.

The woman who'd been looking out for Xander looked him in the eye. "You little sandbagger. I won't fall for your clueless act moving forward. But I plan to take all your chips as a lesson."

By the night's end, she'd given all her chips to Xander, but she wore a smile.

"Next month is at my house. I expect you to bring all that money with you so I get a chance to win it back."

"Yes, ma'am. That only seems fair," Xander said.

When she lost, it broke his table, the last one playing. His grandfather came over to see how he'd done. When he saw all the chips, he just shook his head. Xander had turned his two hundred dollars into nearly thirteen hundred.

He was a little irritated when his grandfather took all his money.

"This is going into the bank first thing Monday morning."

Xander bit his tongue to keep from objecting. Then he remembered his dad. His grandfather was right; it needed to go into the bank for safekeeping.

Xander had just finished his run when his phone made an irritating noise. He'd ignored it yesterday because it usually was some spam message. People loved enticing old people into forking over their life savings, so he ignored it.

Then, a chirp sounded.

"Fuck it," he mumbled and checked his messages.

There were ninety-eight, all from kids in his class. Somehow, he'd been included in a group chat, and they were discussing the dance.

John had spotted Donnie at his parents' pharmacy; he resembled a raccoon with his two black eyes. Xander chuckled because it looked like he'd broken the boy's nose.

Then the conversation turned when Pam announced Xander was her boyfriend.

Kevin used a term he expected all the kids to know, but Xander was clueless, so he ran inside to track down his little sister. He found her in her room, doing something with her tablet.

"I hate to admit this, but I have no idea what this means," Xander said as he handed her his phone.

Her eyes got big, and she burst into gales of giggles. At least she found him entertaining.

"Rizz means you've got style, charm, or allure," Izzy said with a smirk. "Rizz comes from the word charisma. Guys are said to have rizz if they can smoothly pick up women."

"Okay, so what's a Rizzmaster?"

"It means you're the best at talking to girls and getting them to ... uhm ... like you," Izzy said. "It's a big compliment."

Xander absorbed that factoid. He'd never been a ladies' man, so this was unfamiliar territory to him, but he understood how he might seem like that when his peers were thirteen and clueless. Still, if you asked any of the guys, they would tell you they'd scored already.

The funny part was that every story described some out-of-town girl who'd begged them to fuck her. It didn't take a genius to figure out they were all full of it.

"How should I respond?" Xander asked.

Izzy stared at him like he'd lost his mind.

"When did you become so clueless?"

"Pam's on this chat and just agreed to be my girlfriend. I don't want to make her mad at me."

He again got the 'my brother's crazy' look from his sister, but then she blinked and considered it for a moment.

She picked up his phone, typed a response, and hit send.

"Wait! Let me read it first!" Xander said, trying to snatch the phone out of her hand.

"Too late now. You can thank me later," Izzy said.

He read the message: 'Not sure about having rizz. I'm just lucky Pam even agreed to go out with me'

A flood of messages instantly came in.

Kelly: 'I'll be your rebound when Pam wakes up.'

Mike: 'Uncle Xander needs to give more lessons'

Jake: 'A little how-to would go a long way.'

Barb: 'You losers wouldn't know what to do with a woman.'

It devolved from there as insults ricocheted back and forth. Some of them made him laugh.

He did get a private message from Pam: 'I'll save you a seat on the bus, BOYFRIEND' with a bunch of emojis.

He showed Izzy, who squealed and covered her mouth.

She quickly sent one back with a bunch of hearts.

"I take it she sent something good?" Xander asked.

"Yep. I guess you really are the Rizzmaster, big brother. I can't wait to tell the girls at school."

Xander closed his eyes momentarily as he imagined Izzy's friends all staring at him the next time they came over.

He decided to head to the shower before his little sister got any more ideas.

On Monday morning, Xander skipped working out with the guys to ride the bus. The guys were fine with his reason: a new girlfriend. Kelly and Pam had saved Izzy and Xander's seats. Izzy was excited about sitting with the older kids. She would have a lot to tell her friends when she got to school.

"Miss me?" Pam asked as Xander sat down.

He leaned over and gave her a quick kiss as a response. That put a big smile on Pam's face.

Pam prattled on about how excited she was to be the only girl with a boyfriend for the rest of the trip to school. Xander predicted that distinction wouldn't last long.

When they arrived at school, Xander got up and stepped back to allow Pam and Kelly to go ahead of him. Pam gave him a wink when she caught him checking out her butt. The old man in him did a mental shrug. Even at his age, it was okay to look.

When they got off the bus, the Princesses awaited them. Pam and Kelly stopped to tell them how Xander had kissed Pam. He entered the school to drop off his backpack and get his first class's textbook and notebook, and mentally cringed at the latter. Xander now had enough money to buy himself a decent tablet, which he was more familiar with.

He reached to close his locker just as Donnie appeared. The boy held up his hands to show he didn't want to start anything.

"I want to apologize for my remark Friday night. Looking back, I would've punched me, too."

Xander didn't recognize this version of Donnie.

That momentary pause made him realize he'd been drawing completely off the last timeline to color his opinion of his ex-best friend. While he disapproved of the way Donnie treated women and was still pissed that he'd borrowed money and not paid it back, that was a future Xander intended to change.

Xander knew he didn't want to hang out with Donnie, but he didn't need them to be arch-enemies, either. Besides, Donnie would play football, too, and their fighting would cause problems.

"I wasn't too happy with what you said, but I admit I should have found a better way to handle that. Just remember that if you do something like that again, I'll probably pop you in the mouth again," Xander said.

Donnie chuckled.

"You can try, but I'll be ready next time."

"Big talk. I think we're done here," Xander said.

"Hang on. I didn't mean that," Donnie said. "I just want to fit in, and starting a fight with you would be the quickest way for me not to make any friends."

Donnie had never been stupid. Xander sighed.

"Tell you what: I won't stop you from making friends, but I don't see us being close."

"You could introduce me to some of Pam's friends."

Xander shook his head 'no' and left it at that. If anything, he planned to warn Pam and let her spread the word about not trusting Donnie. She'd not been happy with the guy's comment Friday night. This would allow Xander to stay out of it.

"I have to get to homeroom," Xander said.

"Okay. Maybe I'll see you at lunch."

"It's a big room. I'm sure you will."

"I meant-" Donnie started to say, but his thought died on his lips.

Xander turned and headed off to class. He bit the inside of his mouth not to laugh because he couldn't remember Donnie ever being at a loss for words.

When Donnie followed him, it confused Xander for a moment. Then he remembered they shared the same homeroom.

He would have to play this carefully and not let Donnie worm his way into his life.

By the time lunch came around, rumors were swirling. Xander's friends had manned up and asked their dates to the dance to go out with them. He had to think hard to remember what dating in middle school entailed. They couldn't do too much because none of them had cars, and their parents kept too close tabs on where they went and with whom.

He did find it disturbing that he wasn't bothered by dating a thirteen-year-old. He would have to be careful not to use his foreknowledge to move their relationship along too quickly. Frankly, he was simply amazed that his high school crush considered him her boyfriend.

It made him wonder if his physical age controlled his maturity level, even though he possessed much older knowledge. For example, he busted out laughing when Karen let loose a loud fart before lunch. Yes, farts were funny, but he found himself really laughing. It was nice to discover he still had the joys only the young experienced.

He also found that something-perhaps his physical age-suppressed his urge to 'fix' things. He'd spent years being a problem solver, which spilled over into his personal life. Most women would tell you they found that one of the most irritating things a guy did. Older Xander did that in spades.

Now, he saw the kids around him making mistakes left and right, but he didn't feel the need to 'save' them. A good example was John, who claimed he'd gotten more than a kiss from Barb at the dance. Anyone with half a brain knew that even getting a kiss would've been a major feat.

Xander continued to be surprised his mom hadn't taken his head off for kissing Pam in front of her. He figured it stemmed from that 'girls' night out.' Despite being outwardly concerned, the moms secretly rooted for Xander and Pam.

But this was a lesson most guys had to learn the hard way. John's bragging soon got back to Barb. At lunch, she marched up, gave him a piece of her mind, and explained she would never date him.

You might expect that the public takedown would have been an object lesson for the rest of the guys, but KJ couldn't help but try to embellish his dance experience. Word soon spread, and his date turned and glared at KJ.

"Looks like you and John will be dating each other," Kevin quipped.

Lesson learned? Xander doubted it. Teenagers were stupid at times.

Xander left their dating life up to Pam. She seemed fine with the occasional stolen kiss in the hall or with holding hands on the bus ride home. While it had been years since he was last with a woman, he'd read enough romance and watched an ungodly amount of porn to have pushed things along. But even though he'd resolved to keep his behavior age-appropriate for this timeline, his hidden knowledge felt unfair for some reason.

Unlike when he was thirteen the first time around, he knew the mechanics of how to please a woman. He imagined that if he broke out those skills, word would quickly spread. Just as people said, girls matured faster than boys. It wouldn't take long for some of them to realize they'd rather spend time with someone who knew what they were doing than the fumbling messes guys his age were.

Granted, they had access to the Internet and had more of a clue about what to do than previous generations did. But unfortunately, porn set certain expectations that real-life teens would never measure up to. Guys that age were just starting to mature, and when they compared body parts, it wasn't really fair. Porn stars received their jobs in part because of their equipment.

Something else teenagers didn't have was staying power. The first time a guy ever has someone else even touch him, he can't believe how much better it is than his own hand. And anything more than mere touching, well ... The end result is that they are typically on a hair trigger.

If the guy in question is lucky, the girl understands and gives him more chances to improve his staying power. But the girls also watch porn and see the supposedly incredible orgasms the women have, then wonder why their boyfriends don't give them the same pleasure. That the porn star was acting never crossed their minds.

But Xander worried he was getting ahead of himself. He needed to train his new body to last long enough so that when the time came, he wouldn't have the same insecurities he'd had before.

Xander reasoned that part of the problem was that teens used the act of masturbation to relieve the pressure that built up. He did it at least twice a day, if not more. At a minimum, he did it once first thing in the morning, and then in the evening because he couldn't sleep if he didn't jerk off. The objective was to reach a climax quickly. Xander needed to train his body to slow down the process.

To achieve that, he'd made a few changes. The first didn't make sense at first glance: he'd started to build up money in his savings account. Since it didn't earn that much interest, he talked his grandfather into opening a checking account with a debit card. Grandpa Davidson agreed because, with a debit card, Xander couldn't spend more than he had in his account.

Grandpa Davidson also agreed with the wisdom of having the card for emergencies.

But Xander really got it to buy something online: a sex toy called a 'pocket pussy.'

Xander fell into his old habit of researching different products when buying his endurance trainer. He first worked to identify criteria that fit his needs. They included the device's appearance, durability, ease of cleaning, and customer reviews.

He picked appearance first because, like most guys, Xander was the visual sort. Some models had a more modern design, but that didn't work for him. He wanted it to look like a porn star.

Durability was an obvious criterion; as a thirteen-year-old boy, he had no doubt it would get frequent and vigorous use. That being the case, he didn't want to buy something that couldn't handle a pounding, pun intended.

His teen self would probably not have thought of cleanability as a criterion, but his older self didn't want to buy something hard to clean up afterward. Xander searched for one that would use simple household products like soap and warm water. Again, that had more to do with the expected frequency with which he would use it.

Customer reviews also played a major role in his purchase; he wanted to read what others thought. This was still an excellent measuring barometer, unlike in the future, when AIs would be used to give false reviews to help increase sales.

When he finished conducting his research, he'd narrowed it down to three models. Two were very similar, but the third had a suction cup, making it usable for hands-free fun. Xander thought about it, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had actual sex where Xander held his dick while doing the deed. So he ordered the one with the suction cup.

Xander had it delivered to his grandparents' house since he didn't need his little sister to get the mail and open it. She assumed anything that came was for everyone, which explained why no one ordered her birthday and Christmas presents online. Everyone had to go to an actual store to buy gifts for Izzy.

The following month, Xander stood in front of his bedroom mirror. He hadn't remembered his growth spurt feeling painful the first time around. Frankly, it had just happened, and he'd gone from five-four at the beginning of eighth grade to five-ten when he started high school.

Over the past month, Xander had felt like an old man again, with a deep ache in his bones and joints. He'd assumed it was because he and the guys were working out. But when he looked closely in the mirror, Xander saw visible changes compared to the previous month's pictures. He'd put on muscle and no longer resembled the string bean he'd been. The results boded well for his goal of being in better shape later in life.

Xander stepped on the scale, which showed he weighed 119 pounds, a full nine pounds more than when he entered freshman year his first time, and it was only November. He was already five-eight, which meant he'd grown four inches in three months. That explained why Xander's mom needed to let out the seam in his jeans almost weekly, or he would have been walking around in high-waters.

She was unhappy because it had reached the point where she needed to buy him new clothes again. He'd given most of his t-shirts to Izzy because they'd become too tight or short for him.

Xander saw that he now had hair growing in nicely down there. He also looked bigger in that department. He'd never measured his package the last time through, but Xander thought it seemed as big as his old adult self. Part of that might be due to him being overweight then, and now he was fit with a flat stomach, which exposed more of his junk.

All of this made him wonder if it meant that not everything was the same in this timeline. Had his body taken to the increased activity? Xander was working out his junk with his new pocket pussy; he was on his way to testing its durability limits. Did that make a difference in his size?

He knew he'd impressed Coach Carlton with his workouts. Xander also set a good example for his future teammates. He used a trick to get them involved, telling them girls preferred fit guys. The walking hormones desperately wanted girls to notice them with the hope of more. Though their bragging hadn't slowed down, proving that some things never changed.

His and Pam's romance cooled down. Now that she felt she had him hooked, she no longer needed to kiss him as often. He remembered that, come freshman year, she would end up with an older guy who she would allow to take her virginity.

Xander had to ask himself if he wanted to beat the guy to it.

The rumor mill in Xander's previous life said her parents had caught her and the guy in the act, and there was a pregnancy scare. Her parents wouldn't allow her to see the boy any longer. In fact, Xander couldn't remember Pam ever dating anyone in high school after that. It made him wonder if the scare might not have been real and she'd gotten pregnant.

He knew Pam had never given birth, so the pregnancy was purely conjecture. But it would explain why she never dated anyone after that.

It wasn't as if he was in love with Pam, either. Their dating had made him almost popular, something he'd never achieved before. In the past, he'd been a guy in the crowd that no one thought much about, so this was better-maybe he wouldn't spend his life alone this time around.

In the past, what happened to Pam was of only passing interest. This time, he found that she'd become a friend, a friend he didn't want to see hurt. He would let things play out for now, but he vowed to talk with Pam before she dated the older guy.

Xander's mom had started working for his grandfather. His grandfather and dad were utterly different builders. His dad built cookie-cutter homes because he could build two or three at a time right next to each other. Using the same floor plans made it easy to put all of them together, which saved him money.

Grandpa Davidson built spec homes designed specifically for his clients. They may cost more to construct, but Grandpa got a higher margin on his houses than his dad did on his. His grandpa charged enough to make up for the difference his dad saved since they tended to be higher-end homes.

His grandpa had given Xander more responsibility. When it came time to paint the interiors, his granddad's usual painter was tied up full-time, working for Xander's dad, so Grandpa Davidson gave Xander and his mom the job. After they finished, his grandfather insisted he pay them the professional rate he'd budgeted.

All this got Xander thinking. In his past life, he'd managed computer systems, and the use of AI had slowly taken over that work. He'd been lucky enough to work for a firm that embraced AI early on, so he'd become well-versed in its capabilities.

With his mom working in the office now, Xander casually mentioned something while painting.

"Have you ever considered using an AI to help design a home?"

"No. Your grandfather usually meets with the clients, collects their needs, and then sends those off to the architect to develop plans."

"I'm no expert, but I think even I could do a better job than his architect is doing," Xander said.

He knew his mom agreed because even she'd commented that the architect was a man and had no idea how to design a kitchen. It was completely functional, and his grandfather had built a quality house, but little things made a difference.

"I'm not sure your grandfather would embrace something like that. He's been doing it one way for years, and it works."

This was one of Xander's greatest peeves: the 'This is how we've always done it' justification for not making a change for the better.

"How about this: give me one of the floor plans, and I'll scan it into an AI architect software package and ask it to optimize the living space. Show it to Grandpa and see what he thinks. If nothing else, he'll appreciate you thinking outside the box," Xander said.

"But I won't know what to tell him if he has questions," his mom said.

"Okay, so how about this: I'll show you what I do so you understand each step."

"That should work."

"Also, I think the paint colors on this house suck," Xander said.

"I didn't want to say anything..."

"What say I take pictures of the other homes and feed them into a decorator AI to render what a room can look like before Grandpa buys paint? He can show it to the new homeowners and see what they want."

"That, I completely agree with," his mom said.