The following morning, Brianna found her crush leaning against her locker. His black fitted shirt and blue jeans accentuated his outstanding physique. Brianna was surprised that some talent agent hadn't discovered him and made him into a teen heartthrob or the spokesperson for the newest muscle-enhancing supplement.
"Hello, beautiful." Chad's big brown eyes sparkled. Brianna's heart fluttered in her chest.
"Um, hi," she responded.
Her dream boy stepped closer and ran his fingers through her hair. "I love your black hair."
Her eyes glowed with happiness. "Thank you. But aren't you dating my sister?"
He shook his head. "We broke up."
"For real?" Brianna felt like a middle-schooler again, lost in the chestnut eyes of her longtime crush.
"Yes," he said. Brianna couldn't take her eyes off his lips.
The bell rang. "Gotta go." As she spoke, Brianna ran out of breath. She was so excited that he had spoken to her, but too nervous and tongue-tied to respond. She was anxious to get away, tell all her friends, and then jump up and down squealing.
Except she didn't have any friends…
****
After school, Brianna met Valerie in the far corner of the parking lot. She opened the passenger door of the gold sedan. "Hey, Val, what's wrong?"
"Um, nothing's wrong. Why?"
"What do you mean, why? You texted me about thirteen times today to confirm I was meeting you. I canceled a date for this."
"Oh well, dates are a dime a dozen, aren't they? I just miss you. I wanted to spend some girl time together."
"Right."
Ten minutes later, Valerie pulled into her driveway. Brianna followed her through the heavy mahogany door and up the cherry stairs.
"So what's new? How are the roses working out for you?" Brianna asked.
"I'm having a great time. But there's a problem. According to the spell book, the roses are effective only for a week." Valerie lounged on her bed. Brianna sat beside her.
"We can do it again."
"I'm thinking bigger now. I want to be the Spring Queen."
"Is there a spell for that?"
"No. I want to try a power transfer. I want you to transfer some of your power into me. Just a little bit at first. Would you be willing?"
Tentative at first, Brianna nodded. She did owe Valerie, after all, and she had more than enough power to share. "Sure. I guess so."
Valerie explained the procedure for transference. The girls sat facing each other, arms outstretched, palms touching.
"Okay. Read the words on the page." Valerie nodded toward the open paperback next to Brianna's outer thigh. "Then concentrate on pushing the energy out of you and into me."
"Okay. Let me know if it's hurting you and when to stop, okay?"
"I will."
Brianna closed her eyes for a moment. As usual, the power rushed like mad throughout her body. She opened her eyes to read.
As the energy flowed into her hands, they became scorching hot. Almost all of her power accumulated in her palms, vibrating rapidly but contained within her own body. She prepared for the release.
Brianna channeled in on the energy, imagining it was contained in a tall, clear pitcher. The superfluous power bubbled at the brim, threatening to overflow. In her mind's eye, she tilted the pitcher ever so slightly. She was pleased to find that she had impeccable control of the release. The power trickled down the imaginary spout. Their hands were bathed in a soft, golden light.
After a few moments Brianna pulled away, concerned for Valerie's health and safety.
"I didn't stay stop! Keep going!"
"That's enough for now. We can always do it again."