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In an instant, she considered her options. One was already gone. She could have simply picked it up and put it away nonchalantly. Maybe a little apology, and it would be over. Unfortunately that option was out the window as she felt the blush on her cheeks with each heartbeat. And that blush would belie any attempt at nonchalant dismissal. She was embarrassed as hell, and he would know it.

"Nice!" Casey said. "This yours?"

He reached to pick it up.

Her reaction was instantaneous and feral. She grabbed the dildo with one hand, and grabbed Casey's hoodie with the other, pulling him to his feet with a strength she shouldn't actually have. But she could have sworn she held him bodily a couple inches above the floor, though he was no small cat. She'd later attribute it to adrenaline.

"Casey Hartley," she said as cool-ly as she could, though she could hear her own voice breaking. "I want you to understand that if you even so much as think about this again, I will personally shove this fake plastic penis so far up your ass you'll feel it tickling your palatine uvula. Do you understand?"

"Jeeze Bea, lighten up!"

Bea grimaced and held him close to her teeth as she snarled in a whisper.

"Do... you... understand?"

"I... don't know what a uvula is..."

She dropped him back onto the bed.

"Holy shit Bea!"

She put the dildo back in her drawer and pulled her little tape recorder out from the closet, then fished around in her laptop bag and pulled out the tape Angus had given her earlier.

"Now, how many songs are on this tape?"

She turned back to Casey and was pleased to find him staring at her with a blank look. She wasn't sure how seriously a guy like Casey would take her threat, but at least she'd gotten through to him. Even more pleasant, she no longer felt her own blush. It felt good getting that out of her system through violence.

"Um... Bea."

"Ah-ah-ah!" she said, smiling and holding the tape up warningly. "Don't even think about that again. How many songs?"

"Oh... Um... 10 songs I think. Well, some of them are just us noodling around really, but about 10 I guess."

"Okay, we're not going to get to them all before tonight. But we can get a fair chunk of them basically programmed. We can tweak them after tonight too. You let me know which ones you think are most important. Here, you control the tape player. You know how to work it?"

Casey took it from her and set it on the bed, laying down and pressed the Eject button.

"Sure! About the same as the one I use to record us with."

"Okay. And I'll program the bass line into the laptop. Do you know notes?"

"Not really, but I can kinda hum what the bass should be doing."

"That'll do. I'll figure out the key signatures and stuff like that," Bea said, laying beside him on the single bed. She saw him eye the drawer and sighed.

"Look, Casey. Yeah. It's mine. Sorry you had to see that. But let's get over it, okay? It doesn't mean anything."

"Means you're not lesbian," Casey said under his breath.

"Means I like vibrating plastic. Nothing more. Unless you're packing vibrating plastic in your pants, you'd better not read anything more into it. Okay, so let's get to work, right? Just play the first song through so I can get a feel for it..."

The rest of the afternoon passed surprisingly well. Casey said nothing more about the incident, and they actually had gotten six songs programmed and loaded when Bea's father let them know he was about to make dinner.

Bea stretched and stood up.

"I think that's it for tonight. We can work on the rest another time."

"Yeah. I should be getting home for dinner myself."

"Think it'll be okay?"

Casey leaned in close. "To be honest Bea, it's better than Mae ever played."

Bea snorted, then covered her mouth. "Well, we'll see tonight. What time does everyone get together?"

"About 8. You know where, right?"

"Party Barn?"

"Yup. See you tonight Bea."

"Casey... I don't know you very well, but I know how guys are. Please. Seriously. Can you not tell anyone? Can you do that for me?"

"It would make for a good joke in the band, Bea, but if it bothers you that much, I won't tell a soul. You're doing us a favor here, I know. It never happened."

"Thanks, Casey. And... sorry about that meth head bit."

He shrugged and she walked him to the front door.

"See you later Casey," she said.

"Later Bea."

She closed the door and sighed. Her dad was boiling something on the stove. "How long dad?"

"About a half hour yet Beebee."

"Okay, thanks."

She went back to her room and turned the laptop on, immediately opening Angus' icon.

"You there?" she typed.

"Yeah. Holding down the Outpost. You get the bass parts done?"

"About 6 of em. Listen, Angus - you know you're the best friend I have, right?"

"Um... yeeeeeah?"

"And you came to me to tell me about your feelings for Gregg back then. You trusted me with that. I've never forgotten it. Angus, I need to trust you with something... intimate."

"Absolutely Bea. Anything."

"Look, I know how you guys can be. Today Casey saw something he shouldn't have. He promised me he wouldn't say anything..."

"?"

"Angus, I need to know what I've gotten myself into here. I don't know Casey. If this story is going to get around Possum Springs... well, I don't know what I'll do. But at least I can be prepared for it."

The cursor blinked for a long time before Angus replied.

"What did he see? Porn on your laptop or something?"

"Dildo."

"You have a dildo?"

"Angus, I don't need humor right now. If he says something about it, don't tell him to stop or anything - I'm not asking that. I'm just asking you to tell me if he does, so I'll know what to expect."

"You have a dildo?"

"Dammit Angus. Yes. I have a dildo. Alright? Big fat honking dildo."

"Gator dildo?"

"Bear dildo."

"Can I borrow it?"

"Fuck you Angus."

"Just kidding. Yeah, I understand. No sweat."

"And you'll tell me if he says anything?"

"I will. But Bea... he won't say anything."

"You don't think so?"

"He can be a little wild for sure, Bea. But he has his own morality compass. I don't think he'd say anything to anyone. Not when you're joining our band. You're one of us now."

"Oh joy."

"Seriously, I don't think he will. But if he does, I promise I'll tell you."

"Okay, thanks Angus."

"NP"

She waited to see if he was going to make another snarky comment. It would have been too much to expect him to avoid a joke altogether, but he didn't send anything else. He understood her seriousness. Considering his - and Gregg's - relationship in a small town, he would probably understand better than anyone else she knew. But still, she needed to know for sure. Otherwise she would hear paranoid hidden dildo jokes in every casual conversation.

Gators weren't that common in Possum Springs, and the other mammals would probably believe any bizarre tales of their reptilian sexual escapades that could be dreamed up. She sincerely hoped Angus was right.

She pulled the source of all her current consternation out of the drawer and smiled. She'd told the truth earlier, though in such a way he'd never catch on. It was modelled after a bear person's penis. Angus didn't need to know that detail though. That little heartbreak was over a long time ago. She very much doubted Casey would have noticed that detail, so that was one other thing she didn't have to consider.

She took it to the bathroom to wash it while her dad was in the kitchen, then she slipped it back into her drawer and lay on the bed. For some reason, she was smiling. She even started giggling.

"Jeeze, what the hell is wrong with you, girl?" she said to herself. But for some reason she felt better than she had for a long time.

"Dinner's ready!"