Eventually Tom, tired of just watching, broke in, "Hey, guys, let us play too!"
Casey and Rick, who were dribbling the ball at the 3-point line, grinning at Damion and Steve, and planning their next basket, glanced at each other and smirked.
"Sorry, man..." said Casey.
"...but this game is for two-headed dudes only!" finished Rick, as they bounced the ball between their legs, dodged around Damion and Steve before they could react, and banked a nice shot off the backboard.
"Yeah!" Cayrick chorused as they high-fived, while Damion and Steve laughed and chased down the ball.
"Well, then toss me the chain!" said Tom, impatiently.
Cayrick shrugged, stripped the chain of their necks, and toss it to Tom before leaping into the air to block Damion and Steve's attempt at a shot.
"All right!" said Tom, catching the chain. As he grabbed the second loop with his other hand, the eagle glowed and separated. "C'mon, Charley," he said, holding the separated piece out to his friend.
Charley looked at it skeptically. "I dunno..."
"Oh, come on," said Tom, growing more impatient by the moment. "We already have all the same classes at school, and after school we're always hanging out or staying over, we might as well share a body. Besides, it's pretty cool."
Charley glanced over at their two-headed friends on the court. "Well, okay..." He took the chain and slid it over his neck just as Tom put on his half.
For a second, nothing happened. Then the eagle halves glowed brightly and Tom and Charley's bodies were slammed together, joining instantly.
"Whoa," said Tom, as they struggled to catch their breath.
Charley looked down at their new shared body. Their unmatched sneakers were a bit odd, and their half-green/half-orange T-shirt was a little strange, but their shorts had been so similar you couldn't even tell a difference between the halves, and their body felt better than ever.
"Sweet," said Charley, turning to grin at Tom. They shared a fist-bump.
"Tomley!" cried Damion, excitedly. "Get over here!"
"Yeah, help us out," said Steve. "It feels like Cayrick're just practicing layup drills around us."
"Pfft", scoffed Rick.
"It'll take more than two of you two-headed doofuses to slow us down," agreed Casey.
Steve and Damion grinned at each other. They couldn't have cared less. Not only had they gotten to become two-headed, permanently, now two (four?) of their friends were two-headed as well!
Tom and Charley slipped the chain off their necks as they stepped onto the court. Tom looked back over their shoulder, held out the chain, and asked, "Who's next?"