-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Things Are Really Tucked Up
Copyright 1997 by Ellen Hayes.
No part of this work may be distributed as an original work by another person or group. Permission is given to redistribute this by electronic means, as long as the entirety of the work is distributed, and credit is given to the original author, me. Any resemblance between the writings in this work, and any actual persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental, except when used for satirical purposes.
All rights reserved.
Furthermore, This work contains adult situations, adult language, adult concepts, and possibly sex. If you are legally not allowed to read materials containing such things, then you will be breaking the law by reading this. I am not responsible. Continuing to read this document, or storing it or reproducing it in any format means that you explicitly affirm that you are legally allowed to possess and read such materials in your city, county/parish, state, and country.
Things Are Really Tucked Up
*** 10:21 22 Feb
"Uhhnnnn," I told myself as I urinated. I did not feel well. Must be a hangover, I thought slowly as I wiped my crotch. Water, aspirin. This would be my first one. I hoped I could do it right.
Standing up again took some effort. Water, aspirin, and more water made it down. They weren't even serious about making it back up.
*** 10:27 22 Feb
"Well, did you have fun last night?" Mom asked.
"Yup." My head hurt.
She looked at me kind of funny. "Brian said a whole bunch of girls showed up to pick you up?"
"Yeah. Um, some of Debbie's friends. They wanted to take me out. To celebrate, kind of. Me getting ungrounded."
Mom made a very weird face. I shrugged at her. "Did you get your hair cut yesterday?" she finally asked.
*** 12:35 22 Feb
"You didn't really go out with all those girls last night," Brian told me, like he knew.
"Well, yeah, I did. All, uh..." I counted. Debbie, Lisa, Kathy, Pam, Jill, Kim, Sabrina, Amanda. "Eight." Not counting me.
"And you. And they didn't have their boyfriends with them. Bull."
"Brian, as weird as it may seem, I DON'T CARE if you believe me. We went out, we..." I'd forgotten to ask my folks about tonight. "We might be going out again tonight. Some of us, anyway."
"You're dumber than Beavis if you expect me to believe that."
I thought about it for a minute as I washed a couple of glasses. "Maybe, but you get to hang here with your little buddies, and I'm going out with more girls than I have computers." I smirked at him.
*** 14:21 22 Feb
"Hello?"
"Kim! It's, uh, me." Who was I, anyway?
"Valerie?" Oh, that's who. "Hey," she continued, "what's up?"
"Well, I was calling about tonight. Did you hear anything from Debbie or anything? I can't get her on the phone, she must be out doing consults or something."
"Well, I talked to Pam already, and she wants to go, and so does Jill, but she might be bringing that guy, uh, Russ or whatever. You haven't met him before. Can you come?"
"I was gonna ask, but I wanted to make sure that it was going on before I asked."
"Oh, okay." I heard her shift position. "So, how's your head this morning?"
"Ugh, but it's better than it was, anyway."
"Did you drink lots of water?"
*** 15:13 22 Feb
My ear hurt as I went to go ask Mom if I could go out again. God, it was just like being with them, they could talk forever. Especially with conference calling.
*** 15:16 22 Feb
"Again?" She looked at me skeptically.
"Mom, they missed me while I was grounded," I explained. "So they want to take me out a lot."
"Well, what will you be doing?"
"Going to see a band." I didn't mention the lead guitarist had a crush on me. Or something. It would just confuse things.
*** 15:40 22 Feb
"Hello?"
"Hey, Pam, it's me..."
"Oh, Val, hey, let me call you back, okay? We're conf called." Again? I wondered. Or still?
*** 15:48 22 Feb
"Yeah, I talked to Debbie," Sabrina said, "and she wants to come tonight, and she said you could too, Val." Most of them giggled. "She said you'd better be careful around Jack, though."
"What? Why does everyone blame me? I mean, he kissed her too, and I was just doing what ALL of you said to do, and it's not like I wanted to, so..."
*** 17:08 22 Feb
"Oh, God, my ear," I moaned as I stumbled downstairs. I hoped Mom would believe that I needed to eat light tonight. And I was going to have to patch my headset into the phone. It was the only way.
*** 17:16 22 Feb
"Well, I'm goin' out too," Brian told me at the table.
"Good for you!" I said. "It's about time. What's her name?"
"Bite me, dorkwad!"
"Boys," Dad warned.
As we both knew that he was going out with some of his guy friends, and not a girl, it was a particularly cruel question. But he deserved it for doubting me. Dork.
*** 17:56 22 Feb
I debated even putting clothes on at all. I mean, I wasn't going to wear them more than about ten minutes, no matter how long I was out. But then I realized that my folks would ask nasty questions if I went out naked, so I looked for something that would fold up small.
*** 18:32 22 Feb
I was watching the tape of X Files when the doorbell rang. Brian jumped up and ran for it. "I GOTTTT ITTTTT!" he screamed as I ran behind him. I knew he'd try something if I wasn't right there.
He flung the door open, narrowly missing my face, and it was Debbie and Lisa and Jill and Pam and Amanda. "Hey," Debbie said, waving at me.
Brian stood there. Finally, he gasped, "No way!"
"Get OUT of the way," commanded Jill, advancing on him.
*** 18:35 22 Feb
"Nice to meet all of you," said my mom. She looked kind of like Brian had.
"Thanks for letting huh-him go out with us again," Debbie said, stumbling over the pronoun. I hoped Mom hadn't noticed. "We really missed him."
Kim slipped an arm around my waist, like Debbie already had. And grinned.
*** 18:38 22 Feb
I was about to open the door, when the doorbell rang.
"Nice timing," teased Jill.
I looked through the peephole. "Hmmm..." I mumbled, staring. Whatta revoltin' development...
"IGOTIT IGOTIT IGOTIT!!" shrieked Brian as he sprinted from the family room.
"No, we got it!" Debbie yelled back, and I opened the door. Everyone else pushed up against me to see who it was.
Standing on the doorstep was a young, like younger than any of us, girl, who looked like she needed one of Debbie's lessons on makeup. When she saw all of us, her eyes bugged almost completely out of her head. I guess she wasn't expecting the Pack.
Behind us, I heard Brian run into somebody's temper.
"Hi!" I said.
"Hello," said Debbie in her sales voice. "Can we help you?"
"Uh...." The girl almost choked. "Does Brian live here? Brian Tucker?"
"This one?" asked Jill, and we made way for her as she dragged him in a half nelson to the door. She had him gagged with her hand, too.
The girl's eyes were so big she looked like a lemur. I thought she was going to make a run for it.
"Would you like to come in for a minute?" Jill asked. "I think he wants to go brush his hair or something?" Brian mumbled something, and tried to pry her fingers backwards and off his mouth. She kicked him in the leg. "Naughty," she warned him.
"Uhhh," the girl choked. "My mom's waiting out in the car!"
*** 18:40 22 Feb
"Well, it's nice to meet you," said Mom to Mrs. Wiley. Brian and Jenny both looked like they wanted to die. The Pack, and me, just stood around, smiling. That didn't help Brian any. But it wasn't meant to.
"So where are you going tonight?" Debbie asked Mrs. Wiley.
*** 18:43 22 Feb
"You think we should follow 'em?" Kim asked as she peered through the back window. We could just see the two of them hiding behind Jenny's mom, like they were afraid of us or something. Heh.
"Nah," said Jill. "Leave 'em alone. We put the fear into Brian anyway, that's good enough."
*** 18:49 22 Feb
"Could I have a little privacy, please?" I begged. I hated changing in front of them. Especially when they kept peeking.
*** 19:24 22 Feb
"Feel better?" Jill asked as she got out of the shotgun seat.
"I dunno." I climbed in. "I really hate changing in cars." And there was the whole girl's clothing issue, too, which I didn't want to bring up.
"Your hair looks good like that," she told me.
"Thanks." I squinted at her. "I think you look good as a blonde, by the way. It's just kind of a radical change, you know? That's what I was saying yesterday. But it looks real good, now that I'm used to it." She nodded, smiling.
*** 19:41 22 Feb
"What's this?"
"Oh, you need to get something nice to wear tonight," Debbie told me. Pam pulled into Westcross Mall.
"Bu- I don't have any money!" I thought that would work.
"Oh, we brought some extra," Kim said happily.
Amanda said, to nobody in particular, "Oh, I gotta see this..." and took another hit out of the thermos. When she pulled it away from her mouth, I took it and had a bit myself. Well, more than a bit.
*** 19:48 22 Feb
"Why me?" I asked the ceiling.
"Because we've spent more time than you shopping," Jill told me. "Even me. So you gotta catch up."
I looked over at her, and tried to remember if I'd ever seen her in a skirt, outside of Sabrina's house that one time. "Well, when are YOU gonna dress up, huh?"
Kim giggled. "That's a good question, Val...."
*** 19:56 22 Feb
"I hate you," Jill told me over the top of the changing booths.
"Fair's fair, blondie. You do it to me, I do it to you."
It seemed Jill disliked the girl stuff almost as much as I did.
*** 20:03 22 Feb
"Definitely the black," Debbie said, pondering. The other three nodded.
Jill glared at me, and stomped off back to the changing room.
"You, on the other hand, need something more elegant, to match your face," Lisa said to me.
"What? Elegant? ME?!" Obviously she'd overdone the Valium tonight.
*** 20:16 22 Feb
I ended up with a Little Black Dress, not too far away from what I had worn last night. And garters and seamed stockings. Where had I seen these before?
In fact, everyone, including Jill, was wearing seamed stockings too. Jill looked severely peeved. I wanted to laugh at her, she seemed about as comfortable with this stuff as I did. But it would be a bad idea. They had to buy her a garter belt, too, as well as the tight black mini she'd tried on. So the bill came out about even, split between us. Kim said that Jill and I could buy them dinner one night. This did not make me feel any better. Although, the idea of taking them all on a date had its appeal... especially if I could somehow do it in front of people at school.
But not in a dress.
"Hey, baby, nice skirt!" some anonymous jerk called to one of us.
Jill looked like she was about to go totally postal on everyone in the area, so I tried to calm her down by saying quietly, "Been there, done that, bad idea. Besides, you wouldn't fit, dude." I thought it was kind of funny.
The rest of the Pack thought it was hysterically funny.
*** 20:21 22 Feb
"God, how did you get a table?" Amanda asked Debbie as the hostess led us back to a six-placer. The place was packed.
"I'm good," Debbie grinned back at her.
*** 20:53 22 Feb
"So when are we picking up this Russ guy?" I asked.
Jill looked peeved again. "He said he had something to do. The prick."
"Well, fuck'im!" intoned Kim like it was some great wisdom.
"Fuckim," Lisa nodded.
Debbie was thinking about it, and before Jill could say anything, Debbie said, "Fuckim ONLY if you wanna."
*** 21:32 22 Feb
"I thought you said you didn't have any money?"
I rolled my eyes at the ceiling. "Not for a new dress, Pam. I think I got enough to cover tonight, but I wasn't planning on buying a new outfit to go out in." You'd think they could have found something suitable in two bags of clothes. I guessed I'd have to go through it with one or more of them to establish what I already "owned," so I wouldn't have to buy anything else.
*** 21:38 22 Feb
Amanda watched me fiddle with makeup in the mirror. "You know," she finally commented, "you're getting better with that. I wouldn't have thought..." She trailed off.
I looked back at her. "Me neither." Then I looked around, and leaned closer to her. "Does being this close to Debbie change EVERYone as much as this?"
Amanda raised her eyebrows and gave me an amazed look, but said, "Not quite as much as you, but she's a, uh, a consciousness raiser."
*** 21:39 22 Feb
"Are they straight?" Kim craned her neck back, trying to see.
"They're fine, Kim. Really."
She turned around and said, "Well, turn around and let me check yours." I stood up. It felt interesting to have her hands running up and down my legs, adjusting the seams on the stockings. More than interesting. I'd have to wear these the next time I slept over at Debbie's house. "How did you manage to screw these up already?" she asked.
*** 21:44 22 Feb
"Well, what now? The mall's closing," I pointed out.
"Off to the show, I guess," said Pam. She looked back at the rest of us.
"Yeah, unless-" Debbie started.
"Hey!" some girl called from a ways away. "Valerie!"
"Oh shit," I mumbled as I turned around and started scanning. It turned out to be Rachel, though. "Hey, Rachel, what's up?" I called back, and waved. Her and a few other people started walking our way. Oops, I thought. Just what I wanted, more people to remember me as a girl.
As she came up, Rachel said, "Oh, you know, in the mall. We were going out tonight and had some time to kill, so..." She shrugged. "Um, anyway, this is Terry, and Dave, a couple of friends I made in my anthro class. Uh, this is Valerie, and Debbie, and, I don't know the rest of them." She grinned. Terry looked kind of normal, except it looked like she put a lot of work into her hair, because it was long and glossy and shaped just right. Dave looked like a skinhead. He didn't act like one, though.
Debbie said, "Well, this is Pam, and Amanda, and Jill, and you met Lisa once..."
"Oh, yeah, at the dorm over Christmas, I remember," Rachel said, nodding her head. "Sorry," she apologized to Lisa. Then she turned back to me. "Did you get your hair cut? It looks good."
*** 21:45 22 Feb
"So where are you all going tonight?" Lisa asked Rachel's group.
Dave chirped, "Out to party! Party party party," and he started grooving to himself, right there in the mall. Terry looked at him like she wasn't sure it was such a good idea to be out with him.
Rachel said, "Oh, we're going to this club called Mixer's, we're gonna go see this band-"
"Stepwise Pagoda?" said Pam.
"Yeah," said Rachel, then looked at Pam again. "Is that where you're going?"
*** 21:53 22 Feb
"Well, see you there," Rachel waved as we went our separate ways.
Debbie swung next to me. "Doing okay?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah, I'm alright," I sighed. I looked at her. "I'd like to go out with you, just us, sometime. I mean, it's cool hanging with everyone, but, you know..." I shrugged helplessly. There were some things you didn't want to say in a crowded mall.
"Well, it wasn't me that got invitations from the band, you know," she reminded me, like she was peeved.
*** 22:24 22 Feb
"Well, I guess this is it," said Pam, as she cruised past. "Everybody look for a parking spot."
*** 22:27 22 Feb
"Try not to kiss that guy tonight, okay?" Debbie warned me as we walked towards the back entrance.
I protested, "Hey, it wasn't my idea in the first place! And he kissed you, too, remember?"
"Chill, girls," Lisa admonished us.
*** 22:29 22 Feb
"I don't see 'em," Jill finally said.
"Well, if they lied," Debbie started, but then this beat up old van pulled up and honked at us.
Maddog stuck his head out of the window. "Hey, who invited you!" he yelled.
"You did!" Jill yelled back as we all got out of the way. "Ya jerk!" They laughed at each other.
Maddog pulled in, and a car pulled in behind them, and then the whole band was here.
"Hey, wanna help unload?" Jack asked. "That way, we can say you're the road crew. And you get in free."
*** 22:32 22 Feb
"I told you this dress was a dumb idea," I huffed at Debbie.
She hoisted two drums up, and snarled, "Shut up."
*** 22:48 22 Feb
I watched in fascination as they ran cables to amps and did mike checks and talked with the club sound guy and things like that.
"Hey," whispered Lisa in my ear. "You'd better stop watching Jack like that, or Debbie is gonna kill you."
I looked back at her. "Lisa, I'm not watching Jack, I'm geeking, okay?" At her raised eyebrow, I explained, "Look, if I ever want to play in a band, it'd be a good idea if I kind of know what's involved, right? So that's why I'm watching them set up so hard."
Lisa gave me a look that said, I don't really care if what you just told me was the truth or not, you'd better watch it or you're gonna wish you'd never been here. Like I said, she had a very expressive face.
I thought of something. "Well, could you ask her to come over here and sit with me? There's enough of you to keep those two tables."
*** 22:56 22 Feb
The club was more of a bar, I guess, instead of a dance club. There were tables and stools and things like that, and only a small dance area in front of the stage. I was looking around a little more, now that the interesting parts of them setting up seemed to have faded out.
"So? Can we go sit back down now?" Debbie asked me. She sounded really annoyed.
"Yeah," said Mike as he waved to Pam and adjusted a stand. "It's gonna get loud up here in a couple of minutes anyway." That apparently set something off in all the guys, because they started hooting at each other and slapping hands and so on. I got the impression that they liked loud.
We got up and made our way back to the two tables, which luckily were right at the edge of the dance floor, so we could see everything.
"Can I get you something?" I asked Debbie as I saw the drinks on the table. She just shook her head.
Man, I hope she doesn't stay this pissed all night, I thought.
*** 23:07 22 Feb
"Hey!" someone screamed over the band. I turned, like all the other girls at the table did, and saw Rachel, with her two friends. She waved at us.
"We saved you some seats!" I yelled back.
*** 23:11 22 Feb
I thought maybe that a little dancing would improve Debbie's mood some, especially since they were playing something that you could dance to. I squeezed her on the shoulder and leaned close to her. "Wanna dance?" I asked, as quietly as I could and still be heard.
She just shook her head.
Oh, shit, I thought. What did I do now?
*** 23:13 22 Feb
"Oh, come on, Deb," Lisa pleaded.
I added, "Pleeeeeeeeze?" Hopefully, she wouldn't be able to resist both of us.
*** 23:16 22 Feb
This wasn't like dancing with her at her house, but it was fun enough. Except I was worried that I was getting the hang of dancing in heels. Bad news, in my opinion.
On the other hand, if it'd keep Debbie happy with me, I could perhaps live with such indignities in certain circumstances. Like this one. At least she was beginning to lighten up. The rest of the crew was already lit. Including that Dave guy, who looked like he did this all the time. He was a dancing machine. Kim and Amanda and Pam, ex- or current boyfriends notwithstanding, were watching him like cats watch fish.
*** 23:18 22 Feb
"Yeah, how about a coke?"
I nodded enthusiastically, and got up to get us drinks.
As I was halfway to the bar, I realized that I was now feeling better BECAUSE Debbie wanted me to spend money on her. Something was wrong with me tonight. Or something.
*** 23:20 22 Feb
Stepwise Pagoda was pretty hard rockin'. I guess. I liked a more techno sound than they were putting out, but it was pretty good anyway. They were really doing it up, too. Not like on VH1, where they dance around and do silly stuff like smash guitars or anything, but you could tell they were really getting into the music. Jack was especially interesting to watch, 'cause about half the time it looked like he didn't even know he was on the stage. He was just that far into the music.
*** 23:23 22 Feb
I glanced over at Debbie, and she was giving me the evil eye again. What the hell is her problem, anyway? I wondered, getting really pissed.
*** 23:25 22 Feb
"Nothing," she snarled at me.
I threw up my hands. Fine, if that's whe way she wants it. I got up to go dance with Jill and Rachel and Terry. The little dance floor was getting kind of crowded, but at least I didn't feel quite so obvious.
*** 23:36 22 Feb
"Whew," breathed Rachel. "Wanna go sit down?"
I looked back at the table, where Debbie was staring holes into me. "No, not yet."
*** 23:39 22 Feb
I looked back at the table, and Debbie had disappeared. That stopped me cold. I looked around a little longer, and Amanda and Lisa were missing too. Oh hell. I wondered where Debbie was. I wondered what was going on. I wondered if I could get a ride home with Rachel.
Then I wondered what was going to happen to my guy clothes.
Then I said "Fuckit," and went back to dancing. There wasn't a damn thing I could do about it anyway, right now. I'd have a heart attack later, if I needed to.
*** 23:49 22 Feb
Half an hour of dancing had left me exhausted. I went back to the table, concentrating on dodging people, and when I sat down I was startled to find Debbie on the seat next to me. She still looked unhappy.
"Where'd'ya go?" I asked, trying to be conversational.
"We gotta talk when we leave," she told me. She didn't answer the question either.
*** 23:57 22 Feb
"Oh, man, do we gotta go? It's only been an hour and a half," whined Jill. Debbie just pointed at me.
Kim said, "Oh, yeah, we don't want her folks to turn Cinderella here into a pumpkin again." And giggled.
Jill just sighed. Then she said, "I had to wear a skirt for this?"
*** 00:03 23 Feb
"We'll be right back after these commercial messages," said Tony into the mike. He stepped back, and they turned the lights off.
*** 00:04 23 Feb
"So, you taking off?" Jack asked me. I nodded nervously. "Well, what did you think of the show?"
"I liked it, it was really cool." I hoped he wouldn't want another kiss. Not with Debbie this pissed off.
"Well, we'll be here next week too, if you're interested. Or you could buy our tape," he grinned, and pulled one out of his pocket.
*** 00:05 23 Feb
"Look, we really got to get her home," Debbie said like that was what was on her mind. "She almost got grounded last night."
Jack shrugged, like what could you do, and nodded. "Well, thanks for coming, and bringing everybody, okay? Debbie?"
Debbie looked over at me, and told me, "Val, go make sure the van starts, okay?" I was going to argue, but one look at the expression on her face told me this wasn't the time to get independent. So I waved at Jack, and started swimming towards the door with Amanda. I stuck the tape in my purse so I wouldn't lose it.
*** 00:07 23 Feb
"What is going on with her?" I asked as soon as we had a little privacy.
Amanda just snorted into her hands. "I think she'd better tell you when she gets out. Don't worry, I don't THINK you're in real trouble." Oh great, she didn't THINK I was. Great.
I looked around, and it seemed like everyone else knew what was going on but me. As usual.
*** 00:09 23 Feb
Debbie shut the sliding door, and turned back to the rest of us.
"So what the hell is going on?" I asked, without waiting. Might as well jump into the pit; I was going there anyway.
"What the HELL do you think you're getting up to, you little bitch!" she started, not wasting any time either. I really resented the bitch comment too.
*** 00:11 23 Feb
"JEALOUS?! Of HIM?! What the HELL are you THINKING?!" She'd truly gone off the deep end this time.
"WhatthehellamIthinking?" Debbie screamed back. "YOU'RE the one that KISSED him!"
"SHUT UP!!" yelled everyone else. I was stunned enough that I did, and, amazingly enough, so did Debbie.
*** 00:16 23 Feb
"How could you even THINK that?" I shrieked at her.
Debbie exclaimed desperately, "Well, shit, it happened to me before!"
"When?!"
"K-" started Lisa, then looked at Debbie.
"What?" I had a feeling there was something here I hadn't heard before. Again.
*** 00:20 23 Feb
"And then there he was, kissing-"
"You're SHITTING me," gasped Kim, who started laughing again.
I just kind of sat there with one of my favorite stunned looks on. After a minute, I said, "A guy? Your boyfriend kissing a guy?"
"Isn't that what I said?" Debbie shrieked at me. "Aren't you LISTENING?"
*** 00:22 23 Feb
"Debbie, I mean, I understand why you'd be worried about me turning gay after that, but, I swear, that is the FURTHEST thing from my mind, okay? I just, he just came on to me, like he did you," I reminded her, "and everyone had been telling me about stuff like that all night and to not worry about it, to go for it, it happens to girls, don't blow my cover, that sort of thing. So instead of kicking the shit out of him, I let him do it, okay? I didn't like it, I'd much rather be kissing you." I looked around, remembered what Kathy had said last night about not playing favorites or something, and added, "Any of you, but you most of all. But I didn't think- I mean, what all of you said, that would be the absolute wrong thing to tell him."
Jill and, amazingly, Amanda, kept nodding as I was talking.
*** 00:24 23 Feb
Debbie sighed. "Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry, Val. I, it's just so hard, I worry about you sometimes."
*** 00:27 23 Feb
"Val," complained Pam, "are you gonna change, or would you rather make up with Debbie until we drop you off?"
Debbie let go of me and pushed me away. But gently. I was glad the lipstick was coming off in a few minutes with the rest of the makeup, because I knew it was gonna be seriously fucked up. Not that I cared.
"So don't get jealous any more, huh?" Jill said, and squeezed Debbie's shoulder.
*** 00:49 23 Feb
"Well." I sighed, and stared at the front door. "Anyone want a nightcap or something?" I really hated saying goodnight. And getting out of a warm car.
*** 00:51 23 Feb
"Wonder what time your little brother got back," Jill pondered as I fumbled with my keys.
"Dunno. I don't even know what time he's supposed to be home." I opened the door, and Dad was there again, in his office. "Dad! Hey, I invited the ladies in for a nightcap, okay?" I told him as I led them inside.
"Hi Mister Tucker!" they all said. Kim and Amanda waved.
Dad's eyes started to bug out, but he managed to sound calm when he said, "Good evening, ladies, did you have fun tonight?"
I hoped the massive giggles wouldn't make him think we were up to something.
*** 00:54 23 Feb
We were laughing at something on the Comedy Channel when I heard a choking noise behind us. We all turned to look, and it was Brian in his sleeping clothes. He was staring at us like we were the weird ones. Except I had this scary flash that they hadn't gotten all the makeup off.
"So how'd the big date go?" Amanda asked him.
Kim added, "Didja kiss her?" And giggled. We all did.
*** 01:02 23 Feb
"So anyway, see you tomorrow?" Jill asked.
"Huh?"
"For breakfast?"
I glanced sideways. "Did you invite-"
Jill snorted and cut me off. "Don't be stupid, of course I did. Especially after tonight."
I thought about it. "Okay. Ten?" She thought about it, and nodded.
*** 01:03 23 Feb
A full round of soft delightfully squishy hugs from all of them, and a kiss from Kim and, most importantly, Debbie, and then they left. I sagged against the door. My feet hurt. My head hurt. And I had to go out again tomorrow morning. Oh God.
I looked up, and Brian was staring at me like I was mutating in front of him or something. That made me feel better.
*** 01:06 23 Feb
What the hell? I wondered as I tossed the second pair of panties up on my desk. They must be switching them on me or something. This can't be coincidence, twice in a row... It'd be nice to do this someplace besides the dark back of a van, so I could see what I was wearing. On the other hand, darkness had its benefits...
*** 08:34 23 Feb
The phone woke me up, and I scrambled for it stupidly. "Nnnhhullo?" I finally said.
"Val?" It was Kim. "Get up and get ready. We'll be there about nine thirty, okay?"
"Nuh?" I moved the phone away and cleared my throat. "What? In.. an hour?"
"Yeah! Come on, it'll be fun!"
"Uh, right, right." I tried to sound enthusiastic. "Okay, I'll be ready in an hour."
*** 09:16 23 Feb
"Again?!" Brian sounded scandalized.
"Well, dude, I just guess you'll have to wait a few years before you can go out with this many girls at one time." It took a real effort to say that with a straight face. In fact, the only way I could do it was to remember just WHY they kept wanting me to go out with them. Which was the reason I'd shaved my legs and pits again this morning.
*** 09:28 23 Feb
They were early. Brian just glared at me as I went to the door.
*** 09:34 23 Feb
"So what'm I wearing today?" Debbie started pulling stuff out of a bag. "I get to wear flats with this, right?"
*** 09:40 23 Feb
I could live with this, I decided. A denim skirt and white blouse under a familiar looking oatmeal-colored sweater, with appropriate underwear and slips and so forth. This was actually warmer than what I had been wearing. Not that I'd bothered to wear much anyway.
*** 09:43 23 Feb
"Close your eyes, hon," Debbie said as she pulled the eyeliner out. "So where are we going again?"
I could just see Jill and Kim grinning at each other before I closed my eyes. Jill said, "Oh, it's this little cafe kind of place...."
*** 10:04 23 Feb
"Oh my God," Debbie moaned softly. I wondered if it was the same two guys sucking face that had been here... oh, God, was it only last week?
"Oh, that's nothing," Kim giggled. "Wait 'til you see what they'll do for a tip!"
For once, Debbie looked like she was about to completely freak. I was torn between telling her that this was as bad as it got, and letting her freak for a while in revenge. Then I remembered last night. I felt I sort of owed her for listening last night. I mean, she COULD have gotten pigheaded...
"Debbie," I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Kim's lying, nothing worse than this happened last time, so don't worry about it, okay?"
Kim and Jill made pouting noises, but Debbie looked at me really hard, then sort of collapsed in relief.
*** 10:09 23 Feb
"Oh, hey girls!" said Dan the waiter. "Brought a fourth today. Are you going golfing?"
"Bowling," Jill said like she was serious. Dan laughed, and asked if we wanted anything to drink.
*** 10:14 23 Feb
"Yeah, okay," Debbie admitted. "This place is alright."
"Wait 'til you taste the croissants," Kim giggled.
*** 10:16 23 Feb
"I just don't understand, I mean, what did you think you were doing?"
I glared at her. "What everyone was telling me to do! And I didn't hear you protesting too much when he kissed you, either." I tried to keep my voice reasonable, since I didn't want a repeat of last night in the van.
"That was different!" she protested.
Kim came to my defense. "No, it wasn't, not really. The only difference was, she," Kim pointed at me, "was there all night. And that was the worst trouble she got into. We kept an eye on her like you said."
"And I'M not jealous about him kissing YOU," I barely didn't lie.
Debbie took a deep breath. "Okay," she surrendered.
*** 10:21 23 Feb
"Oh," mentioned Kim, "I talked to Ellen the other day, they let me go up to see her."
"How's she doing?" Debbie and I both asked at the same time.
Kim sighed, and picked at her croissant. "Mental wards are no fun, but she's doing okay. She said that they'll probably let her go back home around spring break."
We all sighed, and got quiet for a while, until Jill started to snicker. "Frank's face, when they locked the handcuffs on him at the park," she explained. That was probably right before he was stripped naked, beaten with a stick, and had red paint poured over him. Not that I knew anything about what happened to him. Heh.
*** 10:26 23 Feb
"So then he said-"
I wished they could get together without all the gossip. I mean, couldn't this have waited?
*** 10:28 23 Feb
So then I said..." Jill trailed off as she tracked something. Debbie and I twisted around to see what she was looking at.
Someone had come in and was being led to a table. I say someone because I sure as hell couldn't figure out if it was a guy or a girl. It had long hair, and looked almost like a girl, but there was something... off. And something about the way it moved was off too.
"WHAT, is that?" Kim asked quietly, as we watched the person sit down at another booth, and seriously kiss the guy that was in it. And kiss, and kiss...
"I dunno, but I think it's seriously in luuuuuuv," Jill giggled.
I snorted, but when I turned back, Debbie was giving me this weird look. Again. "What?" She shook her head. Jill gave Debbie a look which I didn't understand, either. "What?!"
*** 10:38 23 Feb
"You bought a tape?"
"Debbie, they DID get us in for free, remember? And the music wasn't half bad... better than the canned stuff you get on the radio or VH1 or whatever. And it was only five bucks."
Kim commented, "Five- whoa." She peered out the booth at something past us. "I think it's going to the ladies' room." I fought the urge to look behind me, until Debbie just stuck her head up and watched. I just caught a glimpse of a foot. As we all sat back, Kim commented, "Well, that's solved."
Jill just shook her head, smiling. "That doesn't solve anything."
She pointed at me. I complained, "Hey, cut that out!"
*** 10:47 23 Feb
I yawned. "God, this is too much," I said. "Going out three times in two days?"
Debbie just shook her head, like the other two. "Don't you ever go out and have fun?"
"Only when I have to," I joked. Debbie rolled her eyes at me.
*** 11:04 23 Feb
I stared into my fast-shrinking cash, and sighed. "Debbie? You got any more makeup things this week?"
"Leech. Next week, but I'm not sure you'd want to go to it."
"I don't have a choice," I complained. "I don't have any money, and you guys keep me spending it like there's no tomorrow."
"Plus," added Jill, "there's some kind of hardware you want to get." She stared at me. "Isn't there?"
There was, but I wasn't going to admit it, not now. "No!"
"Liar!" they all chorused.
*** 11:38 23 Feb
I made sure I got my own underwear back this time.
*** 11:44 23 Feb
"Debbie?" I asked, as she turned towards the door.
"What?"
"Can we, you and me, do something soon?"
She looked at the other two, who rolled their eyes, and gave me another hug and left.
"Soon. Maybe Tuesday?" she sort of asked.
"Anything. I-" I looked around for Brian. He was around somewhere. He always was. I guess he was trying to pick up pointers or something. "I'd like it to be just you and me, once. Everyone else is tiring me out."
She gave me a half-grin, and a real kiss. "Sure, hon, we'll go out to dinner or something Tuesday, okay?" I nodded. "I gotta go, okay?"
"Be careful, Debs." We squeezed hands, and I decided to walk her out to the car.
*** 13:52 23 Feb
Someone rang the bell on my room. I pulled the headphones off and went to go see who it was. It was Kim.
"Kim, what are you doing here?" I asked when I opened the door.
She grinned at me. "Aren't you going to come play today?"
"What?"
"The adventure?" She was giving me a boy-are-you-dumb look.
"Oh, shit, I forgot!" I dashed for my backpack. "Can you give me a ride?" I asked frantically. I WAS dumb.
"Well, d'uh, why do you think I'm here?"
*** 14:02 23 Feb
"So how was your weekend?" Mike asked. I knew what he meant. And I hated to admit it.
"You were right, you jerk."
"I knew it," he nodded.
"On the other hand," I told him, "it was tons of fun. And we ran into Rachel again."
He shook his head. "I'm beginning to worry about you, Tucker."
I shrugged. "What else can I do? If She's not getting ideas, the rest of them are."
"Like what?" asked Kathy, who I'd forgotten was there.
I looked at her.
She looked at me.
We both started to laugh.
"What?" asked Mike irritably.
*** 22:09 23 Feb
I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to get them to refocus. I never thought that MY social life would kill me. Except by boring me to death. Maybe I could drop out of school...
*** 08:02 24 Feb
The speakers played Yes's "Saving My Heart." When Mike looked at me, and waggled his eyebrows, I knew that it was indeed a sign from Debbie.
*** 11:35 24 Feb
I was laughing at something Kathy had said, when I saw Mike coming towards me, looking like he had a concussion. "Oh, shit," I mumbled as I scrambled to my feet.
"Whatsup?" one of the girls asked.
I turned back for a second. "That bitch Tina dumped him. That's what I looked like when she did it to me." I turned back around, and started towards him. No, he looked worse.
He didn't focus on me until I was maybe two feet away, which is not a good sign in a geek - we're prey too often to be that out of it. "Mike?" I asked, just to make sure.
He stared at me for a moment, then mumbled, "That bitch..." like he couldn't believe he was even saying it.
*** 12:03 24 Feb
She'd done him hard, and he was a wreck. Even the Pack was sort of sympathetic. George and Dan had both wandered up, I dunno why, except maybe karma. "Hate chant," said Dan, and I agreed with him. Except I had to explain it to the Pack first.
"If you think Mike's right, and she's a bitch for doing it, then you gotta join us."
"And do what?" Jill asked.
"You just start drumming on things, and just start..." I scratched my head. It was hard to explain, and mostly improvised anyway.
"Just watch," said George, and he started pounding both fists on the table, slow and rhythmic. Me and Dan joined in, but it took Mike a minute to catch on. People were starting to look over at us, but that was part of the point.
"Tina, Tina, Tina, Tina, Tina," George started chanting, real low at first, but in a minute we were all screaming it. Suddenly there was another pair of fists banging on the table, and then another. I recognized the bracelets on one wrist as belonging to Kim.
"TINA! TINA! TINA! TINA!" The girls added a certain unique counterpoint to the chant, I noted in the back of my head. I saw another pair of fists, this one black, and glanced up to see Book-Man, one of our computer associates, joining in. Then past him, I saw Kevin Massey pounding on another table entirely. She'd dumped his ass too, a while ago. And one of Kevin's friends. This was getting big. Way big.
"HATE HER!" I started the counter-chant, in time with the pounding. "HATE HER HATE HER HATE HER..."
"Adult language: responsibility, personal accountability, honesty..."
TS Tip #15: You're not as good as you think you are.
"Tallyho!" \ / @>--,--'-- ehayes@nym.alias.net + vicki .sig Ellen Hayes --=()=()=-- Renaissance Woman ==[-------- + virus 9.1a
http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/5734/
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2
iQCVAwUBNGkMzXYDebnvyV1VAQEIwgQAstUAXux8j5E7NSYLC2Sb70KYFwjzpkXj omRDWiGEwDTsLS6LgIZKmHmYZLuF1yUw9Hj8ET0Ri6BQdRB76vP0N3eXNbO5On21 7+WSruDum2DLui9u6rRXqfIjLGuh+rqEH7KacKFsUm102dMZMQUYKCpITVA+4/di aGDj+peL1f8= =Y7+M -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----