Ham and Cheese be Damned

Joey shifted his weight from one foot to the other, the cracked sidewalk beneath his sneakers baking in the late afternoon sun. The elm tree he stood under offered only a patchy reprieve from the heat, its leaves casting fractured shadows that danced across his arms. School had let out an hour ago, but he hadn’t gone straight home. Instead, he’d walked three blocks away, heart pounding with every step, to wait for Miss Matthews.

His stomach grumbled, sharp and insistent. At the time, Joey hadn't even thought of it as skipping lunch. The meal had never approached his conscious mind. Madison’s lips against his, the warmth of her hands on his skin, the heat of her groin against his own, it had been the best experience of his life so far. Ham and cheese be damned; no sandwich could compare. Even now, thinking about it, his chest tightened with something between pride and disbelief. He’d made out with Madison Ashford. Full-on, no-holding-back, hands-in-hair, breathless kissing.

Worth it.

Definitely worth it.

He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over the screen. No new messages. Earlier, he’d texted his parents, telling them that he was having supper with a friend, a much more palatable tale than the truth of what he had planned. His dad, true to form, had replied with a simple “K,” as expected. But his mom...

“Oh, sweetie, I’ll miss you so much tonight. I’ll be thinking about you. When you get home, let me know if you need anything. Anything at all.”

Joey had locked his phone without responding, a shiver sliding down his spine despite the heat. Things with his mother had gotten way out of hand. So many changes, he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to regain the relationship he'd had with her prior to discovering his new power. Not that the relationship he'd had with her had been so great in the past, but it was the relationship he knew. This new thing between him and his mother was more than a little overwhelming. When he thought of going home and seeing her, confronting his clumsy execution of his power, his heart began to race.

And if Joey were honest with himself, not entirely from anxiety.

There was something about having an incredibly gorgeous older woman infatuated with you that could make a person's pulse quicken. And the idea that she had to obey his commands? Well, commands that didn't contradict the changes he'd made, at least. It was like something out of one of those erotic stories Joey had read on the internet.

But, he constantly reminded himself, no matter how hot she was, no matter how much she wanted him, she was his mother.

Glancing down the street, Joey could still see no trace of Miss Matthews’ car. He wasn't sure how long a teacher had to stay at the school after students left, but it couldn't be that much longer, could it? The street was mostly abandoned where he stood, trying to make the most of the sparse shade being cast. Earlier, the occasional student had ed by, heading home from their day at South Point. Joey recognized their faces as people he'd seen in school hallways, people he'd seen grow up for years, but had never had any meaningful interaction with. The weird part was, for the first time, they noticed him.

Guys he barely knew had been high-fiving him all afternoon, and the parade of students that made their way past him continued true to form. Even the jocks. A slap on the back here, a grin there.

“Granger! My man!” someone had shouted earlier, laughing like they were old friends as they ed him on the street.

And the girls… they’d been looking at him differently. Not dismissively, not like he was invisible, but like they were actually seeing him. Appraising him. Some with curiosity, others with something close to… appreciation? It was like he’d stepped into an alternate reality where he was suddenly interesting. Joey knew very well that if anything was interesting about him it was coming to him second-hand from the girl he'd been kissing, from Madison Ashford.

Madison was, by all standards, a stunning young woman. Most people only knew her from afar, as Joey had, since she had held herself to such a high standard, held herself apart. But that didn't stop people from iring her. She had a beauty that could make a person forget what they were saying mid-sentence, stumble over words well rehearsed, lose track of time and place. Joey had no business being with a girl like that.

And yet, thanks to his new magical power, Madison treated him like he was the only man in the world. She’d hung on him whenever they crossed paths, her fingers brushing against his arm, her smile soft and full of something sweet and aching. When they’d said goodbye after last period, she’d looked downright heartbroken, her eyes shining like she might cry. But then she’d kissed him, long, slow, like she was trying to memorize the feel of him, and whispered, “I wish you weren’t busy tonight.”

Joey felt almost dizzy at the memory. He’d almost canceled on Miss Matthews right then. But he didn’t. He was going to keep his word to his teacher, despite feeling like he was Daniel about to be thrown into the lions' den.

What was he even doing? Going to his teacher’s house? This wasn't a thing a person did. Maybe he should back out. It wasn't too late to text Madison, or to go home and try to deal with his mom. Or if he was feeling adventurous, he could try texting that Bianca girl from the night before.

Just as he started to build the courage to break his word, to turn around and head home, a blue sedan appeared at the corner, gliding toward him like it had been summoned by his racing thoughts. It slowed as it neared, the enger window rolling down with a soft mechanical whir.

Eliza Matthews leaned over from the driver’s seat, her sunglasses low on her nose, lips curved into a sly smile.

“Let’s go, babe,” she said, her voice smooth, effortless. “I think it’s time you took me home.”

Joey swallowed hard, his heart thudding like a drum, and stepped off the curb.