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Tuckered Out
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.
Tuckered Out
*** 06:45 1 Nov
"Good morning, Deb- who's this?"
"Uh, Mom! Uh, this is Valerie. We went to the party last night, and when we left I was too tired to drive her home. We got here by twelve thirty, but we both got up real early yesterday morning to get ready."
I thought I was dreaming until someone shook my shoulder and said, "Wake up, Val. Wake up..."
I woke up, alright.
Ohmigod! Ohmigod! I thought as I sat bolt upright in bed, staring at the sheriff leaning against the doorframe.
I was going to scream, I think, but Debbie said, "Val, this is my mom. Mom, this is Valerie Walker, she's in my history class."
"Hi," I managed.
"Good morning, Valerie." She nodded at me before turning back to Debbie. "Debbie, you know you're supposed to ask permission before someone stays over."
Ohmigod her mom's a sheriff I'm gonna go to jail oh god where's my pants?!
"I know, Mom, but we were too tired last night to drive any more. And you said if I got that tired to get to a safe place and sleep. So we did."
What did she do with my pants?! I was still in the costume!
She shook her head. "Debbie... what am I gonna do with you?"
"Keep me?"
Her mom laughed. "I guess so." She thought for a second. "You're off this morning, aren't you?"
"Yeah, an inservice thing."
"Well, would you girls like to go to breakfast?" Debbie looked at me. I looked back at her. Oh no, I thought, knowing what Debbie was going to say...
"Sure, we'd love to. Just let us get ready, okay?"
"Alright. I need to change out of this anyway."
"Okay mom. So do we," she grinned.
Her mother turned her attention to me. "Valerie, do your folks know where you are?"
Debbie answered, "We called 'em last night. Remember?" She pinched me.
"Uh, yeah, sort of." I didn't remember. "Yeah."
Her mom nodded. "Well, that's good. Anyway, you two get ready so we can eat. I'm kind of hungry. It was a busy night."
"Okay Mom," said Debbie.
She shut the door, and I almost pissed myself in relief. I can make it out the window, I thought in a panic...
*** 06:51 1 Nov
"Hold still, damnit!" she whispered fiercely.
"Oh, God, I have to pee now!"
"Just hold it in! I have got to get this perfect!" She whisked frantically at my face with something out of the toolbox.
"Whyyyy?!" I whined desperately.
"'Cause now it's for real!"
*** 07:02 1 Nov
"Ahhhhh!" I said as I whizzed about a pint. Oh, God, that feels goo-
The door opened and I almost died. It was Debbie.
"Come on, get done, we have to get ready!"
"Ah, ah, ah, ah, shit!" I panted.
"Well, hurry up! And for Christ's sake, sit down!"
*** 07:12 1 Nov
None of her flat shoes fit my feet. The heels from last night did, though.
"Oh, no, not again!"
"Shhh, damnit!" she hissed as she dug through the closet. "Shit shit shit... Oh. This..." She pulled a pair of jeans out, then a shirt, then a T shirt. "Put this on! And hurry!"
I realized that I was still taped up and inside a corset. When I realized this, the itching started. "Oh, Jesus," I moaned, scratching myself frantically.
"Get dressed! Scratch yourself later!"
*** 07:14 1 Nov
"What's wrong with this shirt?"
She looked up from her own frantic preparations. And stopped, and giggled. "It buttons the other way, dummy!"
"Which other way?" I knew I had it on right side out.
"No, the buttons are on the other side. You have to do it the other way than you're used to."
"Oh." Sure enough...
"Hurry! Don't button that anyway."
"Why?" I wasn't looking forward to this.
"Because, I have to fix your hair!"
"My-" I felt my head. "The wig! You said it would come off! It's still stuck to my head!" I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed before now. On the other hand, I was rather preoccupied.
"Shut up!" she shrieked back in a strangled tone. "If my mom figures this out, she is gonna kill both of us!"
"Oh God, oh God-"
"Shut up, calm down, and act natural! We can pull this off..." She advanced on me, hairbrush in one hand and a spray bottle in the other.
*** 07:26 1 Nov
Things got a little calmer after my hair and face were in place and I was dressed. Unfortunately, Debbie had gotten dressed at the same time, so I didn't get to see her naked. Now I was watching her do her hair. I liked watching Debbie do almost anything.
She looked at me under her arm, and mentioned, "Oh, you need to call Mike, too, in case your mom calls him."
"I didn't call home last night!"
"Yes, you did, you talked for almost a minute with your mom. You said you were over with Mike because you were both too tired to drive. You fell asleep while you were talking, too."
I stared at her. "I don't remember..."
"Would I lie?"
*** 07:28 1 Nov
"Hi, Mike? Listen-"
"Tuck?" he said sleepily. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"Mike, listen, man, please. If my folks call, I was at your house all night after a party."
"Huh? Do you know what time-"
"Mike! Wake up and listen!"
"Okay, what? At a party?"
"I crashed at your house last night, after we both went to a party, because we got out late and we were too tired to drive home. Got it?"
"Yeah. What's-"
"I'll tell you later. I gotta go, the deputy's calling."
"What?"
"Bye!"
*** 07:31 1 Nov
"Hey, George, whatsup?"
"It's early, Mike, really early. I'm sleeping in."
"Well, how about me paying you back for dinner last week. Want breakfast?"
"Uhm." Pause. "Sure. You pick me up?"
"Yeah."
Pause. "Is Tuck coming?"
"Ah...no. There's something weird going on with him this morning."
"Well, tell me about it when you get here, 'kay? Bye."
"See ya in a minute."
*** 07:35 1 Nov
"Do I look okay?" I asked, staring at myself in the mirror.
"You look... pretty good, actually," she said casually, staring at the wall. Debbie wasn't really awake, after the earlier panic.
"Good enough?" I was kind of paranoid.
She focused blearily on me. "Yeah, good enough. I think you ought to be warm enough too." She'd added a sweater, over the T shirt and under the other shirt. Layered, I guess. I felt warm enough right now, but then I usually do after a panic.
"These heels don't look stupid?"
She rolled her eyes at me. "They look better than you wearing shoes that don't fit. Besides, they'll make you walk better."
"Huh?"
We heard her mom coming down the stairs then, so I didn't get to find out what was wrong with my walking.
"Ready?" her mom asked without any preamble. We nodded, and out to the car we went. I was relieved that she'd changed. The uniform was making me nervous. Come to think of it, her mom in general was making me nervous.
*** 07:41 1 Nov
"So how was the party last night?" her mom asked as we drove through the morning traffic. She drove like a cop, too.
"Oh, it was pretty fun, actually," replied Debbie. I'd been keeping my mouth shut unless it was absolutely necessary that I say something.
"Did you go with Tuck?" My heart lept into my throat.
"No, he was busy or something, and he couldn't go last night."
"Oh, I'm sorry," her mom said, apparently sincerely. "Well, who else was there?"
I stared out the window, trying to calm down. I might just live through this, I realized. Maybe.
*** 07:56 1 Nov
"Table for three, please."
"Oh," said the hostess, "Is this your daughter?" Pointing at me.
"No," her mom said, grinning, "this one's mine. This is a friend of hers from school." She put a casual arm on Debbie's shoulder.
I smiled bravely.
She was about to lead us back to the tables, when I heard someone choking behind me. Reflexively, I turned to look, like everyone else.
George Spaulding was bent over just inside the door, having a fit, while Mike pounded on his back.
I was going to die.
Fear spurred me on, like it had yesterday.
"Hey, guys," I said in an I-hoped-casual voice, "sorry we didn't catch up with you last night, but we ended up staying at the party 'til real late, and then I slept over at Debbie's house last night. Um, you know Debbie, and this is her mom." I tried to keep my voice normal while pleading with my face. Then I turned around, and said, "Uh, this is Mike and that's George, I think."
They all said hellos. Mike and George looked kind of stunned. Mike said, "Oh, um, that's cool. Uh, so how was the party?"
I said, "Oh, it was alright..."
I caught Debbie nodding at something, and her mom asked, "Could we have a table for five?" Turning to us, she said, "I figured you'd like to be with your other friends too."
*** 08:14 1 Nov
"Um, ham and eggs, with toast and a side of bacon, please."
"How do you want them eggs, miss?"
I glared at Mike and George, but they didn't say anything. They just smirked. "Uh, over easy please."
"So what happened at the party last night?" George asked. Debbie and I stared at each other.
"Um," I said. "Nothing much, I guess."
"Well..." said Debbie.
*** 09:25 1 Nov
"Oh, boy," said Debbie's mom after a humongous yawn. "I think we'd better think about heading home, kiddo. It was a long night."
"Um, well," interjected Debbie, "we were kinda gonna go hang out at the mall or something for a while. Right?" she asked me. She kicked me under the table to give me a hint.
"Uh, yeah," I said, nodding. I didn't know how to get out of some of the costuming.
"Oh, well, if you're going to the mall, could you pick something up for Aunt Kathy's shower? I haven't had the energy the last couple of days, and it's this Saturday."
"Uh, yeah, I guess... did you have something in mind?" Debbie asked, as she squeezed my hand under the table.
She mentioned some arcane female thing, which I didn't get. Debbie nodded.
"Oh, well, we were going there too," said Mike helpfully. I glared at him as he went on, "Maybe we could take the girls there for you, so you could get home. Ma'am."
"Well, that's awfully nice of you, Michael, but I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble," she said.
"Oh, no trouble," they both said. And grinned. Oh, no, I thought.
*** 09:31 1 Nov
"Oh, noooo," I moaned as she dragged me into the women's room.
"Oh, stop whining," she ordered. Leaning close to my face, she whispered, "And don't forget to sit down this time, okay?"
*** 09:36 1 Nov
"Debbie, don't stay out too late, alright? We have some chores to do this afternoon, remember?" She arched her eyebrow.
"Yes, mom," Debbie sighed.
"Alright, then, you be good," she said, giving Debbie a hug. "Nice meeting you guys," she said as she got into her Blazer. I almost choked.
Debbie elbowed me in the ribs. "Look happy," she hissed through a smile. I smiled. "Wave!" I waved.
*** 09:40 1 Nov
"Don't you ever clean the back of your car out?" Debbie asked.
Mike pulled his head out of the back seat. "No, not usually," he admitted.
"Jeezus, hurry up," I complained, then stared at the battered truck that honked as it pulled into the parking lot. They honked again and waved at me.
Debbie scolded, "Would you stop encouraging them?"
"Me?!"
*** 09:46 1 Nov
"So what the hell has been going on?" asked Mike as we pulled out of the parking lot.
"Uh," I said.
"Well, it's like this," said Debbie.
*** 10:04 1 Nov
"He kissed you?"
"Hey, it wasn't my fucking idea, okay? He-"
"Was it on the lips?" asked George.
Everyone else was quiet as I gagged. "No," I finally managed. "Thank God."
"Was he that bad a kisser?" asked Debbie.
*** 10:07 1 Nov
"Well, then what happened?" asked George.
Debbie and I looked at each other.
"Oh, we just talked a lot," she said, not taking her eyes off me. She grabbed my hand and rubbed along my thigh.
"Just talked?" questioned Mike. "You two were alone in a dark locked room, and all you could think of was to talk?"
I just grinned. I didn't want to tell them quite what really happened, but there was no denying it had made me feel better. Even dressed like Maid Marian at the time, it had made me feel manly, somehow. Don't ask how.
"What are you smiling at, asshole?"
I just chuckled. So did Debbie.
Pause.
"Oh, no way. Not with Tuck..."
*** 10:09 1 Nov
"They came in?"
"Well, it was Lisa's house, and they have some kind of funky door locks or something. So she thought it was someone else in there, so she just popped it."
"Oh, man, what were you doing?"
We both laughed. And laughed.
After a minute, Mike asked, "Well, did you have your clothes on, at least?"
I pointed at Debbie, and laughed harder. She licked her fingers, which made it worse.
"Your makeup's gonna run if you keep that up," pointed out George. I flicked him the bird. "No thanks, you're not my type."
*** 10:18 1 Nov
Mike parked the car and turned off the engine. "Well, here we are," he said unnecessarily.
"I think I'll stay here," I said, to a storm of protest.
"Oh, come on!" said Mike.
"It'll get cold!" explained George.
"You'll be all alone out here," pointed out Debbie. "And it might take us a while. And every high school kid in town is off today."
*** 10:20 1 Nov
"Heels?" Mike asked as he held the door open for the rest of us.
"Nothing else fit," I muttered as I got the next door.
"They look good on you," George said. "They make your butt move right."
"See?" said Debbie.
"Oh, great, that's just what I need," I said bitterly.
"Hey, in front of your girlfriend's mom, this morning, I think you could have used all the help you could get," said Mike.
"Oh Jeezus, don't remind me," I said as the hair went up on my arms. "I can't believe I'm still out of jail."
"Jail?"
I looked at him. "Did Debbie ever mention what her mom does for a living?"
"Uh, no..."
*** 10:23 1 Nov
"God, that's scary," George said after he caught back up with us. "I can't tell the difference."
"The heels make a big difference," Debbie explained. "They'd even work for you!" she exclaimed, pointing at Mike.
"Oh, no!" he protested, waving his arms.
"Oh, yes!" I enthused. "Him next!"
"Hmmm," said Debbie, looking thoughtful. She stopped walking. So did we. "Hmmm," she said again. She stared at Mike.
"You're kidding, right?" asked Mike, a note of panic in his voice.
"Depends on how good a boy you are," she finally said. "That goes for you, too, Georgie."
"We'll be good, we'll be good!" they chorused.
"Hey, what about me?" I asked. "What did I do to deserve this?"
She grinned as she leaned close to my ear. "It's not what you did," she whispered, "it's what you get as a reward. My dear." And she stuck her tongue in my ear. My eyeballs shot up to the ceiling as I shivered.
When she stopped, and I came back down to earth, George asked, "Hey, if I let you do that to me," pointing at me, "will you suck on my ear too?"
"No."
"Well, forget that, then."
*** 10:31 1 Nov
"Hey, uh, Valerie." Oh, God, I hated that name.
"What, Mike?"
"The guys keep looking at you."
I sighed. "I know. Debbie did too good a job."
"You know," he told me helpfully, "it'd help if you didn't wiggle your butt like that." George snickered.
"I am not wiggling my butt! It's these damned shoes."
"Oh, yah, heheh, heheheh, heheh, shoes, heheh..." George's imitation of Beavis was uncanny.
"Here, you try 'em if you don't believe me," I said, slipping out of them. The tile was cold on my feet. No socks, or hose, 'cause it was kind of busy when I got dressed. I didn't miss 'em. The hose, anyway.
"No way in hell!" he said.
"So what's she getting in there anyway?" Mike asked, looking through the window at her.
"I dunno. Something for a shower..."
"Baby or bridal?" Mike asked. I stared at him.
"I don't have the foggiest idea, Mike." We looked up at the sign. Laura Ashley Mother and Child, it said. "Could be anything."
*** 10:34 1 Nov
"So, what now, oh great leader?" asked George, bowing to Debbie.
"I want to go look at some stuff," she said.
Me and Mike and George looked at each other. Mike smacked himself in the forehead. "I shoulda known," he complained.
"Don't be such a wuss, or I'll be buying for you, too."
*** 10:41 1 Nov
"What do you think of this?" she asked me as she turned in front of the mirror.
"Nice," I replied, nervously not staring at anything or anyone. Well, trying real hard. I don't think I'd ever been in a girl's dressing room. It was too much like a girl's bathroom for me.
"Oh, come on, Val, you can do better than that. Look at me for a second." I looked.
"Very nice," I said, thinking hard. "I like the way it shows off your..." I didn't know a delicate way to put it, so I just waved both hands around the bow on my sweater. The one on the neckline. Which was rather too low for my tastes this morning. On me, anyway.
"Looks almost as good as yours, eh?" she commented.
"Ah, no," I said. Just then, some older woman came in with three, count 'em, three young girls. Young like freshmen. Thank God none of 'em knew me. One of them stared at me as she went back to a changing stall. "Bugger off, ya little rugrat," I muttered under my breath.
"What?" asked Debbie.
"Nothing."
"Well, do you like this one better than the last one?"
I thought hard. "Um, I dunno." She stared at me, and I knew she wanted more detail. Just like English class. "Uh, this one makes you look a little sweeter, more, uh, demure, but the other one makes you look more sexy. I guess," I added, in case the brat was still listening.
"Well, if you were a guy, which one would you like better?" she asked, a large grin on her face.
"Debbie!" I protested, my face going red. I pleaded silently with her to not do things like that.
"Well, just imagine that you were," she pressed on.
"Uh.... the second one."
"Cool. That's my pick too. On to the next one..."
"How many did you get?" I asked. I'd lost count.
"Eight." she said as we walked back to her stall.
"Eight? You're gonna try on eight?"
*** 10:58 1 Nov
"I like it, I like it," said Mike about the final choice.
"Me too, me too, heheh heheheh heh heheh," added George.
"Cool," said Debbie.
*** 11:12 1 Nov
"So- Val, pay attention!"
"Uh, sorry..." There were a lot of half-naked women wandering around in here. I kept trying to not watch, but my eyes kept-
"Now, which one do you like better?"
"Huh?"
"Valerie! Wake up!"
*** 11:26 1 Nov
"Hey, guys, over here!" She let out a sharp whistle, and everyone looked our way. Just what I need, I thought. More attention.
She held the dress up in the air.
They both gave a thumbs up from the discount jewelry counter, thirty feet away.
"Cool," Debbie said.
*** 11:31 1 Nov
"Again?" Mike asked.
"Just a little longer," consoled Debbie. We both snorted. I've never heard this line before, I thought.
"So when's Val gonna try something on?" George asked evilly.
"As soon as you agree to pay for it," shot back Debbie, as I tried to swallow my heart again.
*** 11:47 1 Nov
"So which one do you like better?"
"Uh..."
*** 11:52 1 Nov
"Cool," she said, then went to the counter to pay for it.
My feet hurt. Bad.
*** 11:55 1 Nov
I didn't like the way the guys were eyeing me, especially the two that were with me. When I heard them chuckling, I finally snapped.
"What the hell are you two dorks laughing at?"
"Nothing, nothing... Uh, Debbie, can I ask you a question?" said Mike. He whispered something in her ear, and she got a surprised look on her face, then nodded.
George just rocked back and forth on his heels smiling.
*** 12:18 1 Nov
"Debbie, can I please skip this one?" My feet hurt. So did the rest of me, but especially my feet.
"No, not this time. Come on." She took me into the dressing area again. I'd been in more of them today than I normally saw in a year. Well, I normally saw the guy ones.
"I got this one for you," she said casually as we went towards a stall. She shoved me in as I started to protest. Then she threw the dress over the door.
"But, but, I thought you said I wouldn't have to!" was the best I could come up with. She was holding the door shut, too.
"They had the money. Now, come on. They want to see you. I do too."
I'll bet they do, I seethed.
After considering my options (none), I started to take my clothes off. Before I got too far down, though, I checked outside the door. Debbie was standing guard. Well, one problem solved...
As I slipped the dress on, the tag caught my eye. It was on sale, about twenty bucks. Those cheap bastards, I thought. It sure felt nice, though, considering. Nice and cool. Then I tried to figure out how I was gonna button it when the buttons were in the back.
*** 12:24 1 Nov
"Well, what do you think? Val, turn around real slow." I turned around real slow, embarrassed almost to death. Not to mention frightened. The little brat from several stores back had been there, and she'd given me a real hard look this time. And I'd been sweating and trying to get my arms to bend places they weren't supposed to bend. Trying on girl's clothes was a pain. I didn't know how Debbie could keep going.
"Damn," said Mike.
"Eerie," commented George. "Simply... eerie."
"Here, what do you think, Val?" Debbie asked, turning me to face a mirror.
I saw, in the mirror, the same thing I'd seen yesterday - someone way too good. I mean, my nose was still beaky, and I had a zit on my forehead, and my face was a little rounded towards the bottom, and everything else, but I looked... nice. For a girl. Not the girl you'd drool over, at least not in this dress, but someone you wouldn't mind your mom seeing.
The dress had a lot of lace on it, and had a really tight waist, which made the curves look curvier than they were. It was in this sort of floral print, mostly white and blue. Something a nice, cute secretary would wear. I looked nice and cute in it. Like George said, eerie.
"Debbie?" I whispered in her ear. "You'd wear this, right?" She nodded, smiling. I could imagine her in it quite well, and I liked the picture. Much better than me in it, anyway.
"Okay, guys," I said, whirling around. Put yer money where your mouth is, I thought.
"Okay, what?" asked Mike.
"I want this one. So you have to buy it." The look on their faces was almost worth being there in it.
"But it's twenty bucks!" complained Mike. George just stared.
Having seen some of the prices on the stuff Debbie bought, I wasn't real sympathetic. "And cheap at twice the price, wouldn't you agree, gentlemen?" I turned to Debbie. "Come on, let's get this off so they can pay for it."
She just grinned.
*** 12:29 1 Nov
"I can't believe you did that," complained Mike, holding the bag with "my" dress in it.
"I can't believe you want to see me doing this so much!" I shot back.
"It's funny!"
"Heheh heheheh heh, funny, yeah, heheheh heh," added George.
"It is not funny. If you think it's so damned funny, then you try doing it," I snapped. George's Beavis was pretty lame, though. I think he was still freaked out.
"But you're so good at it, Vallllerrrrie," drawled George.
"Oh... fuck off," I said, for lack of something better.
"Children," chided Debbie. "Are we ready?"
Mike said, "Hell, I want to go look in the game shop, if we've spent all this time here." I wanted to, too, but realized it might not be a clever idea, especially if one of the clerks figured it out. It wasn't Halloween any more, after all.
"Well, then let's get on," said Debbie, and led us off down the halls.
We'd walked maybe halfway when someone called to Debbie. My heart froze when she turned her head. I prayed frantically, Oh, please don't let it be someone from school oh please oh please... as my heart slammed back into turbo mode.
It was Lisa, the hostess of the party last night. "Hey Debbie, what's up?" Then she saw me. And grinned, just like Debbie. "Hey, Valerie!" she said, all excited. "It's so nice to see you again!"
"Uh," I said as she swept up and hugged me. "Huh-hi," I stuttered.
"And who are these guys?" she asked, turning to George and Mike. They were caught between laughing like hell and keeping quiet for me.
"A couple of friends of ours," said Debbie, putting her arm around George's waist. He started. "And maybe the next victims."
George yanked loose, while Mike edged away. I snorted.
"Well, well, well," said Lisa, still grinning. "Debbie, I have got to show you something. Come on." She took Mike, and started walking the way we were going. Debbie grabbed George in a thumb lock, and I came by myself. Not being an idiot.
"So what's up with her this morning?" asked Lisa. She jerked a thumb at me.
"Well, we, I couldn't get all the costume off last night, so she ended up staying over," said Debbie. "At least I tried to take off the hard parts first, so she looked okay this morning."
"Omigod." She giggled. "Did you ask your mom first?"
"Well, no... what happened was..."
*** 12:33 1 Nov
Whatever she wanted to show Debbie was in Victoria's Secret. I declined to go in, thinking I'd had enough exposure to femininity for one day. That was a mistake.
"Hey, the game shop's just around the corner," remembered George.
"Val, we'll be back in a minute, okay? Don't go anywhere," ordered Mike.
"Uh, wait guys!" I took a couple of steps after them, then recognized someone I knew. Someone I didn't want to recognize me, either. "Oh.... damnit!" I didn't think, before, that I'd dated that many people, but here was another ex. Eugene Tucker, stud muffin.
There were some pushcarts with jewelry and stuff, so I turned to look at them, hoping nobody would recognize me from behind. Having other people around me made me real nervous, but I was beginning to think that people were dumber than I'd thought, 'cause nobody'd caught on yet.
I was staring around, actually looking for stuff for Christmas gifts, when I heard someone cursing. I didn't want to look.
"You fucking bitch!" it said, and a hand spun me around.
It was Bobby McPhearson. Oh, fuck...
They said, in biology class, that your adrenal glands are right on top of your kidneys, and suficient nervous stimulation will cause them to release all their stored adrenaline. I think.
I felt it happen, in half a second. Whizzz...
"You got me fucking suspended! I'm gonna kill you!"
Fuckfuckfuckfuck... He swung at me, and I ducked. His fist hit the post on the cart, hard enough to make the whole thing rattle.
I backed up a step, then slid the heels off and slid sideways around the cart. Then I ran like hell.
"Get back here!" he screamed. Yeah, right, not!
I remembered that he'd run track. I wondered if fear would give me the edge. Oh, God, don't let me die... I was glad Debbie couldn't find any stockings this morning.
"You fucking cunt!" I could hear his feet right behind mine as he gave chase.
I wasn't looking in front of me, really, just enough to dodge the faceless people in my way, so when something on my right side stood up and up and said "Whatthehell?" and reached out for me, I was taken totally by surprise. I shrieked, and tried to dodge. Unfortunately, the tile floors didn't give much traction, and I lost what I had.
I screamed all the way down and as I bounced and thrashed along the floor, 'cause I knew Bobby was right behind me with blood on his mind. I actually ended up tumbling into the side of a planter, but as soon as I stopped moving I tried to get up while trying to track Bobby again. He hadn't kicked me yet...
Someone was in front of him, and the two of them were screaming at each other. Travis??! I thought in amazement.
When several hands grabbed me from behind, I thought I'd missed Bobby somehow, or that it was a friend of his or something, and he'd nailed me from behind. I screamed, loud and hard, but that was the last thing I did, though, because my overworked heart blew a breaker, and I passed out. Fainted.
*** 12:36 1 Nov
When I woke up, I felt someone shaking me and asking desperately, "Valerie? Valerie?!"
I slammed back into overdrive and shrieked as I tried to scrabble backwards. I'd made about two feet in maybe half a second when I realized it was Travis. And I backed into the planter hard enough to hurt.
"It's okay, Valerie, it's okay," Travis said, holding his hands out. He was on his knees in front of me. "The police got him. It's okay."
I'm gonna live? That, on top of everything else, just tore it. I couldn't help it. I just burst into tears.
"It's okay, it's okay," said Travis as he moved forward and gathered me up in his arms. I wanted to scream, but it came out as harder crying, and he just held me gently. "It's okay," he mumbled, rocking me back and forth. I was so humiliated, I wanted to die. Of course, that made me cry harder.
"Poor baby," crooned Debbie, stroking my back. "Poor baby, it's alright now..."
*** 13:14 1 Nov
After the police talked to everyone, they took Bobby dearest away. Charges; assault, minor intoxication, public intoxication, driving while intoxicated.
As I got the story from everyone, Bobby had swung at Travis after threatening to kill both of us. He'd lost the fight, and Travis was dragging him outside in a headlock while Debbie and the rest of the crowd tended to me. I was passed out at the time.
When the cops showed up, they told Travis to drop Bobby, which he did. Bobby came back up swinging, and hit Travis again. When the cops tried to control him, he smacked one of them in the jaw. They bounced him on the floor and got him cuffed, again. He was dumb enough, or drunk enough, to tell them that he'd driven to the mall, and he was pretty toasty, or so Debbie said. He'd also admitted that he'd been trying to beat me and Travis. And, he'd knocked down a couple of people, including this little old lady. They pressed charges too.
"Dumb, dumb, dumb," chuckled Debbie. I was too busy enjoying breathing again. Debbie had loosened the corset while I was passed out. She'd also helpfully found my shoes. One step forward, one step back...
"So what's gonna happen to him?" asked George.
"Well," replied Lisa, "hopefully his parents will be too busy to make bail for a while. And isn't he still suspended from school?"
"I think so," said Debbie. They laughed, an evil sound.
"That asshole," rumbled Travis, rubbing his fists. "That asshole," he reiterated. I couldn't really look at him. He'd kissed me, again, when the cops called him over to give a statement, after he'd been holding me for like ten minutes. In front of my two best friends, and my girlfriend, while I cried. It felt like I'd been slapped, where his lips had touched me. At least it was on the cheek again, instead of... I didn't want to think about it.
Lisa chuckled. "That asshole is gonna be in jail for a while. Val, how come you didn't press charges yourself?"
"I don't want to get into a court case." Especially not like this. Everyone nodded solemnly except Travis.
"That asshole," said Travis.
"Trav, dahling, you're being repetitive," drawled Lisa.
"Jeezus," said Mike finally. "Jeezus."
"So, anyone up for lunch?" asked Debbie hopefully.
*** 13:27 1 Nov
"Table for six, please." The host walked us over to a couple of tables, and Mike and Travis helped push them together while the rest of us arranged seats.
When everything was done, I was about to collapse into one when Debbie took my hand and announced, "We'll be right back." Lisa followed us after telling the guys what we were going to drink.
I'd been through so much today, that I hardly freaked at all as they pushed open the door to the women's room.
*** 13:32 1 Nov
"Hold still!" commanded Debbie as she worked on my eyes.
"Why didn't you use waterproof?" asked Lisa. Helpful as always.
"'Cause I didn't think of it this morning as I tried to avoid sudden painful death from my mother," Debbie snapped. "It was kind of... busy, this morning."
I moaned. I wasn't having a good day. My ribs hurt.
*** 13:37 1 Nov
"That's it? Nachos?" asked Travis.
I said, "I don't feel too well." I felt... well, I felt like I'd been running for my life and then beaten with a stick. Half true. I also felt sort of nauseous.
"Besides, you're on a diet, remember?" said George.
"George!" I wailed. "Leave me the hell alone!"
Debbie leaned over to whisper in my ear, "He'll be next, I think. A redhead, perhaps?" That made me feel better. I looked at George. Definitely a redhead. I nodded, almost snickering. We both grinned at George when he looked at us. It seemed to make him nervous.
"So how long are you going to be in town?" Travis asked me.
"Uh..."
*** 13:40 1 Nov
"Here, that fall you took was pretty nasty. Take this," Lisa said, and handed me half a pill.
"Wha-"
"Valium," whispered Debbie in my ear. "You need to calm down some."
I needed to calm down some. I swallowed it dry.
*** 14:12 1 Nov
Mike and George had choked down their food like it was a race, and when they got done, they looked at each other.
"I think they had a Street Fighter 2 out front," said George. They both got up.
"We'll be by the games," said Mike, right before they walked off.
I watched Debbie and Lisa watch them walk off. Then the girls looked at me and Travis. Then they started talking to each other and ignoring us.
Reluctantly, I looked at Travis. He shrugged.
Great, now what? I thought.
"Geeks," he commented. And smiled.
I smiled back. "Yeah..."
Pause.
"So, uh, what do you like to do for fun, up in New York?" he eventually inquired.
"Oh, uhm," I looked at Debbie for inspiration. She was so deep in her conversation, I think she forgot I existed. I looked back at Travis. "I don't get out much, I guess. I'm kind of a stay-at-home."
"Huh," he said. "Why? You seem like the kind of girl who'd go out a lot."
"Why?"
"Oh, just..." He thought about it. "I dunno. You looked really good last night. And New York is the still the capital of night life n the East Coast."
"You're kidding!" I said without thinking. "I was scared out of my mind."
"Really?" He looked at the table. "You sure didn't look nervous. You had this sort of serene look, actually." Pause. "Are you nervous now?"
I gave a little fake laugh. "Why should I be nervous?" I let some of the hysteria out, too. He laughed at that.
"Yeah, okay, dumb question," he admitted. "You just, I guess you cover it well." I shrugged. "So what do you do with your time?"
I looked at the table. It sure was... safe, to look at. "Uh, I'm a nerd, I guess. Nerdette," I corrected myself. "Read a lot, play on my computer, that sort of thing."
"You're kidding," he disputed. "No way!"
I smiled and looked at him, shrugging. "Would I lie?"
*** 14:39 1 Nov
"Uh, Debbie, can I, uh..." I'd forgotten my purse, which is where Debbie had stashed my wallet. Which had all my money.
"I'll get yours, Valerie," said Travis. He grinned. "It's not like you ate that much, anyway."
"Uh, I-" Debbie kicked me, hard, under the table. And nodded slightly. I smiled weakly. "Uh, thanks."
"No problem. Can I walk you out to your car? In case Bobby's still around." As if.
Debbie kicked me again. Same spot. "Uh! Sure," I sighed. This was going to be trouble, I just knew it. And my leg hurt.
When we all got up, he offered his arm. Debbie managed to kick me a third time, same place, as we left the restaurant, as a hint. I sighed again, and took his arm. When I caught a glimpse of Mike, he was staring at me like I'd grown horns. Or boobs. But what else was I supposed to do? Debbie was going to break my leg eventually...
"You two look like a matched set," smiled Lisa.
*** 14:35 1 Nov
"Look, we really need to get her home," said Debbie, finally. Mike and George just kind of hung around the car. Watching.
"Okay," said Travis, looking at me. Then he walked towards me. Oh no...
Debbie let go about the same time Travis opened his arms up and reeled me in. I tried real real hard not to run screaming. The Valium was helping a lot. I just sort of whimpered instead.
"You be careful," he said over my ear, then let me out just far enough that he could kiss me. On the nose. I went cross-eyed watching him do it, but I didn't figure out what he was doing in time to pull away.
He rubbed my shoulder affectionately before he walked off.
I got into the car, stunned. And stoned. Mike and George followed me and Debbie in, and they looked stunned too. I wondered if Lisa had slipped them the other half of the pill.
"He's sweet," said Debbie admiringly.
*** 14:38 1 Nov
"Boy, he sure cries a lot," said George as I sobbed into Debbie's shoulder.
"Hey, lay off," said Mike unexpectedly. "You'd cry too if some guy kissed you."
It wasn't that. It really wasn't. It was just the whole thing, and the stress.
"I'd beat the hell out of him is what I'd do!"
"Oh, yeah, right, Mister Muscle Midget... besides, did you see how big he was? He nailed McFear pretty good..."
"Shhhh, there, there," whispered Debbie into my ear. She was a lot softer than Travis.
*** 14:59 1 Nov
"You sure everyone's gone?" I asked nervously as Mike unlocked the door.
"Sure I'm sure," he said.
"Come on, we got a lot to do," said Debbie. She pushed Mike up the stairs, and we all followed into Mike's room.
"Well?" asked Mike.
Debbie was pulling things out of one of the bags she'd gotten. "No sweat. Val, lie down on the bed." I did. The shoes hit the floor as I jettisoned them. Ahhhh.... I felt better already.
The smell of acetone filled the room as she dipped several Qtips in the bottle. When she pulled them out, she stuck them under the edge of the wig.
"Now for those nails," she mused. George and Mike lounged around, watching.
"Pay attention, guys, you may have to do this yourselves someday." They didn't like that.
*** 15:06 1 Nov
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Damnit!"
"There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"My head.... ahhhhh..." I started to rub my forehead, then thought better of the idea when I touched it. It burned.
"Okay!" she said enthusiastically. "Now, sit up and take your clothes off. Mike, can he borrow some stuff for a while?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess," he said, not too happy. I was very happy, shedding the sweater in a couple of heartbeats. I realized as I fumbled at the jeans that I was going to be naked in front of everyone, but somehow, at this point, I didn't really care. I mean, I'd been wearing a dress in front of them not too long ago.
*** 15:08 1 Nov
"Where's your dick?" asked George, staring at the G string and its lack of a bulge.
"Oh, believe me, it's in there somewhere," said Debbie, and snickered.
"Come on, Debbie, take it off..." I whined.
"I want to see how she did those boobs," said Mike.
She reached behind me and fumbled with the laces for a very long time before it loosened. She had to peel it off.
"Ahhhhh....!" I said as it painfully unstuck from my skin.
The bags of pink goo fell to the floor. Mike and George stared at them like they were snakes.
"Okay, this is gonna sting a little bit," said Debbie casually. Then she ripped off one of the strips of duct tape.
"AHHHH!" I screamed, leaping straight up.
"Ah!" said Mike and George, startled.
"Oooh," remarked Debbie. "Maybe we'd better get it all off quick."
*** 15:10 1 Nov
My eyes were leaking again when Debbie finished. Oh God, it felt like someone had set my chest on fire. It looked like it too.
"Shit," said George.
"Oww, oh God it hurts," I moaned.
"Come on, move your hands. I got some Solarcaine here." She sprayed my chest, which felt like ice. Not a good feeling. After a few seconds, though, it started to slow down hurting. Not stop, but slow down, at least.
"Now, the makeup last," she said, pulling out something that looked like baby wipes. "Wipe your face with these," she said. I scrubbed and scrubbed. It felt funny, like oily or something. The smeared makeup on the wipe looked like an abstract painting.
"Close your eyes," commanded Debbie. She dabbed at them with another one for a while. When I saw what had come off my eyes, I was flabbergasted. It hadn't looked like that much on my face.
"No wonder they call it face paint," said Mike.
*** 15:24 1 Nov
They dropped me off first, thank God. I was about ready to pass out, what with everything and the Valium and everything. Debbie gave me another long kiss before I got out, though. I liked that.
I staggered in, noticing that Mom wasn't home, thank God. The first order of business was a shower. I still itched. A lot.
At least Debbie gave me the Solarcaine, I thought as I trudged up the stairs.
*** 15:41 1 Nov
As I opened the bathroom door, dripping wet but not itching any more, the first thing I saw was my little brother. The first thing he saw was me.
"Jesus, what happened to you?" he asked, staring at my chest. What he was seeing, was the same thing I'd seen when I got in. Solid red chest, with deeper red lines where the steel rods of the corset had been, and a big bruise on the right side where I'd taken a dive at the mall. And red marks on my forehead. Dark circles under my eyes that weren't leftover makeup. The eyes themselves were bloodshot. I had more bruises on my arm, and if he'd seen how my feet had swollen up, he would have stared at those, too. And I think I was developing a bruise where Debbie kicked me, too.
"Debbie had this idea, y'see," I said casually. Then I decided, I don't have to tell him nothing. It would probably be smart not to, too.
I pushed past him, and walked towards my room, singing, "Oh yo-o-o, why you always give me the runa-oof," pausing as I ran into the door. "Runaround," I continued, punching in the access code to disarm the Anti-Relative System. I loved Blues Traveller.
My bed was quite soft and cool and soothing. I remember laying down on it. Oh, man, was I fucked up.
*** 18:35 1 Nov
Someone was knocking on my head- no, that was the door.
"Eugene? It's supper time, come on." It was my mother. Argh. I didn't even want to try bothering to get out of eating. She whined a lot when I tried that; she thought I was too skinny already. As if.
I struggled out of bed and into some of my own clothes, then staggered downstairs, holding on to both railings.
Brother Brian was staring at me as I fell into my seat. I smiled and nodded at everyone.
"So how was the party?" asked Mom before she looked at me.
"Oh, lots of fun, lots of fun. I'm never doing that again," I stated. "Hey, mashed potatoes, my fave, thanks Mom." I helped myself to a lot.
When I looked up again, everyone was staring at me.
*** 19:07 1 Nov
"Brian? Five bucks if you clean up for me tonight."
He thought about it for a minute, then said, "Deal." We shook on it, and I crawled back upstairs and into bed.
What a day, I thought. That was the last thing I thought.
"What a night. Where's my underwear?"
TS Tip #2: If someone asks you which bathroom you use, slap them.
"Tallyho!" \ / @>--,--'-- ehayes@nym.alias.net + vicki .sig Ellen Hayes --=()=()=-- Renaissance Woman ==[-------- + virus 9.1a
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