-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

Tucky Break

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.

Tucky Break

***
01:43 14 Dec

     "Jeezus!" I exclaimed as we went outside.  *When did it get so
cold?*
     "Let me get the car," said Bobby to Sheila, and she nodded,
shivering.  He zipped up his coat and stepped off the curb.
     "So," said Travis.  I turned to face him, and incidentally use him
as a windbreak.  Hunks were useful after all.  "Everything going okay?"
he asked.  A car's headlights outlined him, like stage lights.
     I reflected on things, and decided that it hadn't been too bad.
"Yeah, pretty much.  Although I wish it was-"
     "Shit," interrupted Travis, raising a hand and staring off to the
side.  I started to turn, and heard a scream and a very loud, very final
thud.

***
01:43 14 Dec

     It had come from the street, but when I turned to look, I couldn't
see anything.  Except Sheila and Travis running out into the street.
     And I couldn't see Bobby at all.
     I started to follow, and when I did, I wished I hadn't.
     Bobby was sprawled out on the ground, and not moving.  Travis was
kneeling next to Bobby, and Sheila was standing and staring down at the
two of them.
     Travis' head snapped up and locked onto me.  "GO CALL 911!" he
roared.
     I didn't even think beyond that, I just turned and started inside.
As I opened the door, though, two cops came rushing out, almost running
into me, and split up, one heading off to a police cruiser, the other
right out in the street.
     It had taken maybe twenty seconds.  And I still didn't know what
was going on, really.

***
01:54 14 Dec

     They'd pulled up one cruiser right behind Bobby, to keep him from
getting run over, and the ambulance had parked in front.  Travis had
been there the whole time, doing something, but the cops told Sheila to
get lost, so she came back over to me, where we both freaked out for a
while.
     I wasn't doing too badly, though, until I saw the helicopter coming
in for a landing in a parking lot a few doors down.  They don't call out
Traumaflight unless it's _really_ serious.  They shooed Travis off then,
and he got there just in time to catch Sheila before she started running
after the ambulance, which had just turned into the parking lot. I just
felt sick.  So sick, in fact, that I had to sit down before I passed
out.
     I could just see Bobby being pulled out of the ambulance and slid
carefully into the helicopter.  He looked like a busted-up doll.  I put
my head down on my knees and tried to blank out everything that had just
happened, but it was impossible with Sheila screaming and all the
flashing lights, and the roar of the chopper lifting off.

***
02:07 14 Dec

     "Miss?" someone asked me.  I pulled my head up, to find a cop
tapping me on the shoulder.  "Miss, did you see anything?"
     I shook my head, just then realizing how cold it was.  "No, I just
heard a thud, and then when I turned around, he was like that.  I didn't
see him get hit or anything."
     "Okay."  He took a note on his pad, then offered me a hand.  "You
ought to get off that ground before you freeze, okay?"  I took his hand,
and he hoisted me upright.  "Are you with them?" he asked, pointing at
Travis and Sheila, who were talking to a couple more cops a few yards
away.
     I nodded, and he walked me over to them, saying, "They're just
about done, and then you can get home or whatever."
     Travis looked around as I walked up, and said, "Valerie."  Then he
wrapped me up in his arms.  Tonight, I was glad for it.  I was shivering
really hard, and couldn't stop.
     A few seconds later, I felt another body against mine.  It smelled
like Sheila's perfume.  We just stayed like that for a while as I shook.
     The tears started to leak out after a little while, and under their
encouragement, I had what Debbie would have called a good cry.

***
02:10 14 Dec

     "Well, what do you want to do?"
     "Do?" Sheila and I asked at almost the same time.
     He ran his fingers through his hair, and stared into the parking
lot, where the helicopter had been.  "I'm gonna go wait in the ER until
he gets out, but-"
     "Me too," said Sheila firmly, daring him to disagree.  Then she
sniffled.
     "Yeah."  I looked out in the street.  At least they'd caught the
bastard that did it, or so I'd heard.  The cop that had left had nailed
him within a couple of minutes, and everyone had positively identified
the car.  And the guy was so drunk he didn't know what was going on.  I
swore I'd never make doughnut shop jokes ever again.  If they hadn't
been right there, in the deli, he would have gotten away with it.
"Let's go, and at least get the hell away from here."
     "Yeah," Travis agreed, then looked across the street.  "I'll, uh,
I'll get my truck, okay?"  We nodded, and he patted us both on the
shoulder, then walked off.
     Sheila grabbed my hand so hard it hurt.  "Do you think he'll be
okay?" she asked desperately.
     I nodded, uncertain.  "I think so.  They couldn't have gotten here
any faster, and it's the first hour that's really important.  He's
probably already in surgery or whatever."
     She closed her eyes, and sort of sagged.  Then she threw her hands
around my neck, and started to cry again.  "Oh my God," she moaned, "I
saw the whole thing, and there was nothing I could do, I couldn't even
scream in time, all I could do was watch,..."
     I patted her on the back, like Travis had done, but there wasn't
anything else I could do.

***
02:29 14 Dec

     Sheila had recovered enough in the car to start complaining about
the state of her makeup, and to remember that she had busted her curfew.
When we pulled in to the visitor's parking lot, though, she got quiet
again.

***
02:36 14 Dec

     Bobby's parents were there, and there was another round of upset,
which I didn't participate in this time.  I just sat on one of the
couches in the waiting room, and wished that I'd never come tonight.
And I was so cold.

***
02:44 14 Dec

     "Valerie?" asked a voice above me.  I pulled my hands away from my
eyes, and looked up into the glare.  It was Travis.  He sat down next to
me.
     "Valerie, I really appreciate you being here, but he's not gonna be
out for a couple of hours yet, so you can go home if you want.  I have
enough for cab fare for you, I think."
     I shook my head.  "I can wait.  I, uh, I guess I'd better call
Lisa, though."  I'd forgotten once we got in.
     "Are you sure?" he asked, and I nodded, not knowing why.  He
reached across and gave me another big hug.  "Thanks," he said huskily
into my ear.  "I really appreciate you being here."  I just gave him an
extra squeeze.

***
02:48 14 Dec

     "Hello?"
     "Lisa?  It's Valerie, I-"
     "Ohmigod, what-"  She cut herself off.  "Debbie, it's Tuck, hold on
a minute."
     I heard another phone pick up, or something, and Debbie asking
"Tuck, where are you!?  What happened?!  We've been worried sick about
you.  What-"
     "Let him talk," interrupted Lisa.
     I took a deep breath.  "Well, me and Travis and, uh, Bobby and
Sheila, do you know them?"  Lisa said yes, so I went on, "We all went
out for a snack, and we got done and were leaving, and, uh, Bobby got
hit by a drunk, uh, driver, and, uh, it was pretty hard, and he, uh,
they took, took him to the emergency room, um," my eyes were filling up
again, "um, they had to Traumaflight him out, so we all came here, and,
uh, we're gonna wait until he gets out, I guess."  I sniffed really hard
to keep from dribbling down my face.
     There was a stunned silence from the other end of the phone.  "Are
you okay?" Debbie finally asked.
     "Yeah, I'm still kind of cold," I couldn't get warm, and I was
still shivering, "but, uh, nothing happened to me, or, uh, anyone else.
Um, they caught the driver already, he's goin' to jail, I think, at
least.  I'm fine, I guess."  I wasn't, but there was nothing anyone
could do to make me feel better about what happened.
     Lisa asked, "Do you want us to come and wait with you?"
     "Uh, no, I, uh, there's no reason, I guess, and, uh, Travis and
Sheila are here."  I sniffed again.  "Um, I guess I'll be okay with them
and everything."
     Debbie asked, "Are you sure?  You sound really shook up."
     "Yeah, I am, I guess."
     "Where are you?"
     "I'm at, uh, Sisters of Mercy, the emergency room there."  Someone
had put a sticker on the wall of the phone booth, giving the address and
the number and even directions to the place.  "Um, you two don't-"
     Lisa said, "Okay, thanks, we'll be there in a while, okay?"
     I protested, "But-"
     "Don't argue," they both told me.  Debbie added, "You need someone
else to be with you, okay?  So we'll be there in a while.  Bye."  She
hung up, and Lisa hung up a second later.
     I wiped my eyes, then realized with dismay that my fingers had gone
black.  *Oh hell,* I thought, when I figured out what I had done.  *Just
what I don't need.*

***
02:51 14 Dec

     This was the first empty bathroom I'd been in all night, and I was
glad for it.  I'd done a real job on my makeup, too.  I sighed, and set
to work, trying to repair it.  At least it kept my mind off why I was
here.  It was really hard to do with my body trembling, though.

***
02:57 14 Dec

     "Where were you?" asked Travis.
     "I, uh, after I called Lisa I had to go fix my, uh, my makeup."  I
felt really stupid, because I felt really embarrassed about telling him
I was wearing makeup, then realized he would think it was perfectly
natural for me, and that I had nothing to worry about.  "Um.  It took me
a while."
     "Well, come on and wait, if you still want to."  He waved me over
to a couch, where Sheila was pretending to read a magazine.
     I sat down, and he plopped in between both of us.  I would have
moved away, but he was so warm.

***
02:59 14 Dec

     "How long have you been shivering?" Travis asked.
     "Uhmm, since it, uh, the-"
     "You're still shivering?" he asked sharply.  I nodded.  "I'll be
right back, okay?"  I nodded again, and he got up and went off
somewhere.  I huddled against myself, trying to get warm.
     He came back in a couple of minutes, carrying a big white blanket.
"Wh-" I said before he unfolded it and wrapped it around me.  It was
warm, REALLY warm, like it had been heated or something.
     Travis said, "You need something to warm you up, okay?" as he
arranged the blanket to cover me.
     "But-"
     "Don't argue."  I stopped, but got kind of annoyed.  Everyone had
been telling me that lately.
     On the other hand, the blanket sure was nice.
     He sat down next to me, and arranged himself so that he was pushed
up against me.  In a minute or so, I could feel him warming me up too.
     I thought about protesting, but I didn't think it would do any
good, so I just tried to pretend nothing was happening.
     After a minute or two, I leaned my head back.  I figured that part
of the problem was that I was so tired.  And the Valium probably had
something to do with it too.

***
03:18 14 Dec

     "Don't wake her up," said a familiar voice.  I opened my eyes, and
it was Debbie.  She waved, and put her head on her hands to tell me to
go back to sleep.  I pulled my legs up, under the blanket, and scooted
back up on the couch.  Then I closed my eyes again.

***
05:47 14 Dec

     "Val?"
     I went back to sleep.
     "Valerie?"
     I pretended I wasn't hearing anything.
     Someone shook my shoulder gently.  "Valerie, wake up, hon.  Bobby's
out of surgery."
     I vaguely remembered that this should have some sort of meaning in
my life, and I thought about it for a minute.
     "Nnn?"  I decided I was going to have to open my eyes.  When I did,
it took me a little to figure out the weird perspective.  *I'm leaning
against something,* I finally decided.
     "Valerie?" asked Travis, from under me.  Was I lying on him?
     I sure was.  I pulled myself upright.  My legs were off to the
left, tucked next to my butt, and somehow I was all wrenched around.
And Travis was right next to me.  I must've been sleeping against him, I
decided.
     "Come on, they'll let us see him for a minute if you hurry.  Come
on."  He got up, taking part of the heat bubble with him.
     I moaned, but slid around so my legs would point at the floor, and
started unwrapping myself from the blanket.  Somewhere I had shoes...

***
05:49 14 Dec

     Bobby looked worse.
     They had him strung up, wired for sound, and I dunno what else.  He
looked like the back of my computer, he had so many cables and tubes
running into him.
     Nobody said anything for a long time.
     At least he wasn't in pain or anything.  He looked almost
comfortable.  Or at least like he felt he was comfortable.
     Still, it was pretty horrifying.

***
05:52 14 Dec

     "They said everything went okay," said Bobby's mother, whose name I
did not remember.  "The orthopedic surgeon said they, they pinned his
pelvis, and he, he should be able to walk again, soon..."  She started
to cry again, and I hugged her for a long time.
     Everyone was doing that tonight.  She started me up again, too.

***
06:02 14 Dec

     "Well, what now?" asked Travis.  Us "kids" had gathered together in
a group after Bobby's parents had left.
     Debbie looked kind of embarrassed.  "Um, I'm kind of hungry,
actually..."
     "Anyone up for breakfast?"  Everyone nodded but me.
     I shrugged.  "Why not?"
     "Let's go fix your face first," said Debbie.

***
06:04 14 Dec

     "Oh, God, what a nightmare," I mumbled as I redid my eyes again.  I
didn't want to say anything too loud, because Sheila had come with us
too.  That was also why I was doing my own makeup.
     "Are you holding up?" asked Lisa, a real note of concern in her
voice.
     Debbie chimed in, "Breakfast was just sort of a weird idea.  We can
take you home if you want."
     I sighed, and looked at them in the mirror as I thought about it.
     Finally, I said, "No, I guess breakfast would be okay."  I shook my
head, and looked down at the sink.  "I just wish I hadn't come last
night, or something.  Maybe it wouldn't have happened if I wasn't
there..."
     "Don't be an idiot," snapped Debbie.  She continued, more calmly,
"This had nothing to do with you being there or not.  And Travis, for
one, was glad you were there."
     There was something I didn't want to think about.  "Oh, God, was I
really sleeping on him?"
     They both broke into smiles.  Then Sheila flushed, and came out of
the stall.  "You looked so cute snuggled up against him," said Debbie,
smirking.  "Both of you," she added as Sheila walked up and washed her
hands.  Sheila just rolled her eyes, while I blushed so hard I thought I
was going to have an aneurisn.
     "I'm just glad he was there," she said quietly.  "I don't know what
I would have done without him there."  I nodded without thinking.

***
06:08 14 Dec

     "Well, where to?" asked Lisa.
     "I know where I _don't_ want to go," Sheila said, with feeling.
     After a short pause, Travis suggested, "How about Denny's?"
     Everyone in girl's clothes shrugged at the same time.  It struck me
as funny.

***
06:11 14 Dec

     "At least he's gonna be okay," I offered.
     "Yeah," Travis said distantly.  Somehow I had ended up riding with
him, while Sheila had gone off in Lisa's car.
     He slammed the steering wheel with his fist.  "Damn!" he cursed, as
we lurched over, and almost sideswiped another car.  Travis didn't seem
to notice.
     "What?!"
     He snarled, "Why him?"
     After a tense few seconds, I cautiously patted his hand.  He
glanced over at me, then visibly got control of himself and calmed down.
"Sorry," he muttered.  He sort of calmed down.
     "It's okay," I told him.
     After watching him teeter on the edge of losing control for a long
minute, and wondering if we were gonna be in an accident on top of
anything else, I asked carefully, "Travis?  Can we pull over for a
minute?"
     "Yeah, why?"
     "Just for a minute," I evaded.
     He swung into a parking lot and into a space.  When he stopped the
truck, I popped my seatbelt off.  "Talk."
     "What ab-"
     "Travis," I interrupted, "you're worried out of your mind about
Bobby, and you're the only one who hasn't let it out yet.  You've been
there for everyone else."  I looked down at the gearshift for a minute.
"Now, he's gonna be okay, in part because of you, and everyone's
alright, and you did more than anyone could hope for.  So now it's your
turn."
     When I looked back up at him, his eyes were closed as he faced
straight ahead, but there were tears leaking out from under his eyelids.
     I bent over, and hugged him, and said quietly, "There's nobody here
but me.  You're safe," and that was what broke the dam loose.
     There was some sort of advantage in knowing what buttons to push,
from the inside.  And he really needed the release, before he blew up
completely.

***
06:18 14 Dec

     I thought I'd had some kleenex in my purse.  I pulled it out, and
wiped his eyes and the rest of his face, then made him blow his nose.
He smiled, a little, at that.
     "Need some more time?" I asked quietly.  He shook his head, and
grabbed another kleenex and blew his nose again.  I slid back into my
seat, and he put the truck in gear and pulled out.
     After we'd been back on the road a little, with his driving much
improved, he glanced over at me.  "Thanks," he said, almost embarrassed.
     "S'okay."  I knew how he felt.  It was nice to know that one jock,
at least, was human too.

***
06:27 14 Dec

     "What took you two so long?" asked Lisa.
     "I, we had to stop for a little, I, uh, I had to cry some more," I
lied.
     Lisa said, "Oh."
     Pause.
     "Well, have a seat," said Debbie, patting the bench next to her.
     I slid next to Debbie, and Travis sat next to me.  He whispered in
my ear, "Thanks, I needed that."  I nodded, not looking at him.
     "Chocolate overdose," said Lisa.  "That's what we need, tryptophan
in spades."

***
07:41 14 Dec

     What we actually ended up having was normal breakfasts, although
Sheila and Lisa split a sundae.
     "Oh hell," said Travis, looking in his wallet.
     I had a guess what had happened.  "I'll pick it up," I said.  He
looked at me, and I shrugged.  "I owe you one anyway."
     Debbie patted me on the leg, and when I looked at her, she winked
at me.

***
07:50 14 Dec

     Lisa said, "Well, we have to take her home anyway, so we might as
well do it now, and you can take Sheila home."
     "Um," said Travis, looking at me.
     I nodded tiredly.  "I need to get some sleep, and so does Sheila."
I don't know if the chocolate syrup had done it, or if Lisa had slipped
her one of her Valiums, but she was having trouble staying awake while
she walked.
     "Yeah, I guess," he said.  He didn't sound too happy about it.
     "Travis?"  He looked up at me.  "Thanks, for everything."  I opened
my arms for a hug, and he almost picked me up.
     I was really too tired to be out any more, because when he sort of
reeled me out, I looked up at him, and tried to smile, to show him
everything was okay.  Instead of smiling back, he bent his head down,
and I didn't do anything until it was too late.
     The kiss was wonderful.  And it was on the lips too.  And I was
enjoying it until I realized just WHAT I was kissing.  Then my brain
locked up.
     He let go, and told me, "You be careful, alright?"  I nodded
dumbly.  He motioned to Sheila, and they walked off to his truck.  They
waved before they got in, and I managed to wave back.

***
07:52 14 Dec

     "...and then he just did it, I mean, he just bent his head down and
whammo!  There it was."
     "I know, I know, sweetheart," said Debbie, stroking my shoulder
through the jacket as she held my head against her.
     I would have freaked out really hard, except I was too tired.
     "You're not gonna, I mean," I sat up, "you're not gonna tell
anybody are you?  You're not gonna be mad at me?  'Cause it wasn't my
fault, he-"
     Debbie interrupted, "I know, it's okay."
     Lisa giggled from the driver's seat.  "I think it safe to say that
we've all been kissed at one time or another, and we still respect each
other."  Debbie snorted at that.
     "But-"
     "Sweetie," Debbie said, "just relax, okay?  It's a weird
experience, but you lived through it, and nobody's gonna blame you for
what happened.  Especially after last night."  She snorted again.  "If
he _didn't_ try to kiss you, I'd wonder about him."
     "But-"
     "Chill out!" they both admonished.
     "But-"
     Lisa told Debbie, "Kiss her and make her shut UP, will you?"
Debbie did.
     After a minute, I figured they really weren't mad at me or
anything.

***
08:11 14 Dec

     "How should I know if it was a good kiss or not!  I've never-"
     "Well, was it better or worse than me?"
     "Worse!"
     "How?"
     "I don't KNOW!  It just WAS!"

***
08:19 14 Dec

     "Where are we going, anyway?"
     I caught Lisa looking at me in the rearview.  Then she glanced at
Debbie.
     "Um," started Debbie, "my mom's home, and so is Lisa's folks."

***
08:26 14 Dec

     "I _can't_ go in there!" I begged frantically, trying to get loose.
     Lisa shook her head.  "Sure you can, if you stop acting like you're
afraid of it."
     "No problem," added Debbie.
     "Would we lie?" asked Lisa.

***
08:31 14 Dec

     "Oh, hi.  Debbie and Valerie, right?"
     Debbie nodded, then swept her hand towards Lisa.  "Rachel, this is
Lisa, my best friend.  Lisa, Rachel, someone we met at the first sales
party."  They shook hands.
     "Well, come on upstairs, and we can get started.  You're lucky, my
roommate left last night, so I have the room to myself this morning."
She sighed.  "One more final, and then I get paroled myself."  Debbie
helped me up off the old couch, and we all started moving towards the
elevator.
     "So," Rachel asked as she turned back towards me.  "What happened
last night, anyway?  Debbie wasn't real clear..."
     I said, "Um..."

***
08:49 14 Dec

     "Oh, my God, what a horrible night," Rachel sympathized, shaking
her head.
     "And then," said Lisa, grinning.
     "No!" I almost screamed.  "You promised you wouldn't!"
     "Oh," she said, and her face fell.  "Sorry, I forgot."
     Rachel just sort of watched for a minute, then asked, "After
breakfast?"  I nodded without thinking.  She stared off into space for a
minute.  The acetone smell was making me kind of sick, but it was too
cold to open the windows, and I didn't want to have the door open.
     Debbie dropped another polish-covered cotton ball in the trash.
     Rachel giggled, then looked at me.  "This guy, Tracy, right?"
     "Travis," I corrected.
     She stated, "He kissed you, out in the parking lot after breakfast,
and it freaked you out, right?"
     We all stared at her.  She shrugged.  "It's the only thing that
it could be.  And after all that, he _would_ have kissed you."
     "See?" said Debbie.  "I told you it was normal."
     "So don't worry about it," said Lisa, on the other side.
     "Besides, one kiss won't hurt anything," stated Rachel.
     "But-"
     Rachel put a finger to my lips.  Then she motioned Lisa away, and
bent down to whisper in my ear.  "The other problem you're having is,"
she said, very softly, "that you liked it, and you're afraid that makes
you gay, right?"
     Instead of denying it, or saying anything useful which could get me
out of this, I overloaded again, and started to cry.

***
08:58 14 Dec

     "Don't take too long," Rachel cautioned.  "The hot water tends to
go away real quick."  Debbie wrapped a towel around me, and we went out
to the showers.
     There were a couple of girls in the hall, but Debbie's mundane
chatter about the paper she was writing last night, and my towel, seemed
to immunize us from anything worse than a couple of glances.

***
09:14 14 Dec

     "So how do I get out of here?"
     Rachel said, "We just go down, and pretend nothing's out of the
ordinary."  She stared at me a second.  "In fact, if you fluffed your
hair up some, you'd still sort of look like a girl, if you walked like
one."
     Debbie said, "Let's use the wig instead..."

***
09:17 14 Dec

     I felt like more of an idiot than usual, parading through the lobby
in my usual scruffy geek clothes, with heels on my feet.  "To remind me
to walk right," Debbie had said.
     But, damnit, she was right again.  Nobody looked at me twice, not
even the old battleaxe that was supposed to keep the male riffraff out.

***
09:48 14 Dec

     "See you tonight, maybe?" I said hopefully.
     "Let's get some sleep and see, huh?" said Debbie, and gave me a
kiss.
     I nodded, and shut the door, and walked up the walk to our front
door.  Sleep was the only thing on my mind.
     "Eugene Wallace!" called my mother.  *Oh no.*  "Get in here right
now!  Where have you been?!  We have been worried _sick_ about you!"
     I stared at her, and my dad, who had his arms crossed in that "I'm
letting your mother do the talking but I agree with everything she says"
way.
     "Debbie didn't call?" I asked.

***
10:22 14 Dec

     I managed to catch Debbie and get her to come back and explain
things to my folks, and apologize.  Then they made a fuss over me, and
apologized, and tried to turn it into a social occasion.  That sort of
ended when I fell asleep sitting up and almost drowned in some cereal.
     Then, I got them to let me go to bed.  I made it in, and just
barely managed to get my shoes off before I slid under the covers.  I
think I was asleep before I stopped moving.

***
18:51 14 Dec

     "Sure, whatthehell."  I wanted to laugh hysterically, but I was too
tired.  But why not go to the dance?  I mean, it would be the smart
thing, to skip it, but I had gone beyond doing the smart thing a long
time ago.
     "Okay, then, see you about seven-thirty?"
     "Yeah,"
     "Okay, see you then.  Kisskiss," and Debbie hung up.

***
19:34 14 Dec

     I was trying to remember how to tie a tie when there was a knock at
the door.
     I made it carefully downstairs, to find both Debbie _and_ Rachel
there, dressed up and ready to go out.  Debbie was in a dark red gown,
and Rachel was in blue.  Both of them looked seriously luscious.
     "Uh," I said brilliantly.  "Rachel!  I wasn't expecting you..."
     Rachel shrugged.  "I needed a study break, and when Debbie
called..."  Debbie was grinning her trademark grin.
     My brother came down the stairs to see what the noise was, and then
stopped and stared.  I made introductions all around, which didn't
really clear things up.
     Although Brian was looking really impressed, for once.

***
19:40 14 Dec

     "Anywhere but Marciano's," I said.
     "Why?" asked Rachel.
     "That's where they went last night," said Debbie smugly.

***
19:54 14 Dec

     "Table for three, please," I said, like I did this all the time.  I
had one girl on each arm as the hostess led us across the restaurant.
And, for once, I felt like a million bucks.  Even if I couldn't walk in
a straight line.

***
20:46 14 Dec

     "What?"
     I shook my head.  "You both look so fantastic, I can't figure out
which one to look at."  Rachel giggled, and blushed a little.
     "Me," Debbie said, grinning, "because you HAVE to keep me happy."
     "Well, of course, you are just slightly the more beautiful, he said
diplomatically," I said.  They both blinked at that.  _I_ thought it was
clever, but then again, I only had half my brain working.

***
21:19 14 Dec

     Rachel pulled into a parking space, and we all climbed out.  Once
again, Debbie took one arm and Rachel took the other one.
     A couple of people did double takes as I came through the door.
Well, not at me - at them.  I _did_ at least remember to get the door
for both of them, but they got my arms again as soon as I came inside.

***
21:26 14 Dec

     "Two dates?  How much did the other one cost to rent?" Mark Snyder
sniggered.
     "Excuse me?" said Rachel in this tone that froze my drink solid.
     "Excuse me?" said Debbie, in a tone that was colder, if possible.
     "Uh," he said.  He realized he'd made a _large_ mistake.  Then,
his own date dragged him off and started bawling his ass out.  She even
smacked him once.  Rachel and Debbie high-fived each other, right over
my head.
     This just kept getting better and better.

***
21:37 14 Dec

     "JUST LIKE A PRAYER
      YOUR VOICE CAN TAKE ME THERE
      JUST LIKE A DREAM
      YOU ARE A MYSTERY-"
     I was getting into this dancing thing.  It was _much_ easier
without heels on.  It was also cool to be dancing with two girls at
once.  And I'd lost all sense of shame, about the time I couldn't figure
out what the white bar in my hand was for, in the shower.  That made
dancing a _lot_ more fun.  I tried a moonwalk, and got it to work.
Rachel pointed at me and clapped.  "No _problem_!" I told myself
inaudibly.

***
21:53 14 Dec

     "I SAID CAN WE TAKE A BREAK!!" I screamed at both of them.  They
looked at each other, and nodded.  We stopped dancing, and headed out of
the cafeteria proper and to the snack bar.
     "God," I said when I thought I could be heard again, "I dunno how
you two do it."
     "Do what?" Rachel asked.
     "Dance.  Like that, I mean, dressed like that."  I waved my hands
at them.  "Aren't your feet killing you?"
     Debbie growled, "Don't mention it."  Then laughed.
     Rachel told me, "You get used to it after a while."
     I shook my head.  "Not me."

***
22:01 14 Dec

     "Tuck!  Man, where were you last night?"  I turned around, and it
was Mike.
     I sort of wanted to tell him, but I sort of would rather be choked
to death by a weasel stuffed down my throat, and it was all so fucking
confusing anyway.  So instead, I just grabbed his shoulders and yelled,
"AHHHHHH!"
     "Ah?!" he replied in surprise.
     "AHHHHHHHHH!" I said again.  It felt good.  So I screamed,
"AHHHHHHHH!!"
     Mike grabbed my shoulders.  "AHHHHHHHhhh?!" Mike screamed back.
     I nodded frantically.  "AHHHHHHHH!"
     "AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" we chorused.  "AHHHHHHH!  AHHHHHHHH!"  Our dates
stood around and stared at us, like we were going mad.  I know I was,
for a while.  I needed a break from sanity.
     Dan-the-Man came up with _his_ date, and so we yelled at him.
     "AHHHHHHHH!  AHHHHHH!!"
     "AHhhh?!" he asked.  We both nodded.  "AHHHHHHHHHH!"
     "... think I've got it now..." I thought I heard Rachel say, then
she tapped me on the shoulder.  When I turned around, she grabbed my
shoulders, and went, "AHHHhh?!"
     It was so good to have people around that understood, for once.

***
22:04 14 Dec

     "MI-ster Tucker, are you _quite_ done?" Dobson asked.
     "Almost, sir."  I threw my head back, and let everything loose at
the ceiling in this ululating (SAT word) wail that would have made
Tarzan jealous.  I almost beat my chest, too, but that would have been
too much.  Instead, when I got done, I shook his hand and said, "Thank
you, sir."  I think that sort of blew him away, because he didn't say
anything else.
     "Well, _my_ throat hurts," remarked Debbie.
     "Drinks?" asked Rachel.  "Then maybe you can introduce me around."
     "Oh, yeah, well," I corrected things as we walked towards the
table, "this is Mike, and this is Barbara-not-Barbie..."

***
22:07 14 Dec

     "I need to powder my nose," mentioned Barbara, which sort of
started this general exodus to the bathroom.
     Rachel and Debbie and I were comparing weird musical groups, and I
didn't think anything about it until she stopped and grabbed my hand.
     "Sweets," Debbie said as she leaned close to my ear.  "Why don't
you use the boy's room tonight."  I looked up, and I was about two steps
away from walking into the girl's room with everyone else.  And I
_hadn't noticed_.
     Debbie started to laugh.  I couldn't help it either, after a minute.

***
22:12 14 Dec

     I'd almost forgotten how much quicker it was for me to go to the
bathroom when I didn't have to mess around with makeup.  Or skirts.  Or
lining up my underwear.  So I had plenty of time to sit around and watch
the other girls going in and out.
     They finally all made it out, Pack included, in one large flock,
and we walked back to the tables.
     As we got there, Dan came up to me and pulled me aside.  "Debbie, I
know," he said, "But who's Rachel?"
     "Oh, this girl I met."
     He gave me a look.  "And so you invited her out to a dance with
your current girlfriend?"
     "No, Debbie invited her," fell out of my mouth.
     We stared at each other for a few seconds.
     "Debbie invited another girl to go out with you tonight."
     "Well, yeah, I mean, it's not like it's really a big deal or
anything.  Rachel already has a boyfriend."
     "She already has a boyfriend," he repeated.  Then, "Aren't you
worried about him maybe wondering where she is?"
     "Oh, no, he already had his last final and left the dorm
al-already."  I was really beginning to regret this conversation.  Sort
of.  And sort of not.  Heh heh.
     "The dorm?"
     "Yeah, the dorm.  A dorm.  I forget which one."
     "What is a real woman doing out with _you_, of all people?"
     I shrugged, keeping a smile off my face.  "Guess she likes me or
something."  Then I added, "Me and Debbie," just to keep things
confused.
     "Oh, sure, she's probably-"
     "Hey, she asked for _my_ phone number first, you know."
     He stared at me, because he couldn't tell if I was lying.  Normally
I would have been, too, but this time it was all true.
     Then Rachel came up, kissed me on the cheek, and took my hand,
saying, "Come on, join the party, sweetie."  _Then_, Debbie came up on
the other side, and kissed the other cheek, and took my other hand.
     Dan's eyebrows almost shot straight off his face entirely.

***
22:34 14 Dec

     They started a slow song, and I offered to Debbie.  She smiled, and
grabbed me, and started to dance.  Leading, of course.  I sighed, then
occupied myself with tasting her neck.
     After a couple of minutes, Rachel cut in, and took me up, and
started to dance with me.  Leading, of course.  I sighed.  I might have
kissed her, except I don't think I would have made it out alive.  I did
wave at Debbie as we swung past her.
     Then Debbie cut in again, but instead of her dancing with me, she
grabbed both me and Rachel, and so we sort of had this three way dance.
I decided I could risk a kiss on the cheek, so I gave Rachel a little
one and Debbie a big one.  They both gave me a kiss back, and I lived,
so I guess it was okay.
     I was getting some really awesome double-takes from other guys, and
a couple of girls, though.  I loved it.  As for who led, I let Debbie
and Rachel fight it out.

***
23:08 14 Dec

     "I SAID CAN WE GO HOME!  I'M REALLY TIRED!"  My throat really hurt
now.
     "WHAT?!" I dimly heard Debbie shriek over the noise.  I smacked
myself in the forehead, then pointed outside and worked my mouth like I
was talking.  She got it then.

***
23:09 14 Dec

     "I said, can we go home now?  I've had a real hard day."
     Rachel was going to say something, but Debbie bent over and
whispered in her ear.  Then Debbie stood back up and said, "Sure, Tuck.
It's been a hard day for everyone."
     Not that I felt suspicious or anything.  Haha.
     On the other hand, there wasn't much they could do to me at this
point, because I was going to slip into a coma pretty soon anyway.

***
23:37 14 Dec

     I think I made it from front door to snoozing faster than I ever
had before in my life.  God, I was so tired I wasn't sure I could make
it up the stairs.
     It was a great dance, though.

***
19:38 18 Dec

     "Merry Christmas, Debbie."
     "Whaaaa..."  She started ripping at the paper.  When she finally
got to enough of the real box that she could read the label, she
squealed and almost tackled me.  "You remembered!"  Then she gave me a
good kiss.
     I grinned and nodded dumbly, and made a mental note to give Julia
something when we got back to school.

***
19:40 18 Dec

     They fit, too.  Lucky me.  I felt especially lucky when she showed
how happy she was, by giving me a looooooooong sweet kiss.

***
08:32 25 Dec

     Since I was next in line, being older than Amy, it was my turn to
open presents.  Except this was present, singular.
     "Well, go on, open it," said my dad, grinning.
     I stared suspiciously at the box.  It was huge, almost as tall as I
was, and it had a whole bunch of labels on it.
     "This is ih- from everyone?"  I'd learned a little tact from
Debbie's fast hands.
     My dad nodded, still grinning.  In fact, everyone in the room was
grinning except Susan and Brian.
     I started going at the paper, but there weren't any clues on the
box.  When I finally opened it, though, and saw the manual that fell
out, I almost yodeled.  "Ohmigod, ohmigod, this is exactly what I wanted
ohmigod-"
     "MERRY CHRISTMAS!" all the adults yelled.
     I stared at the picture of the synthesizer on the manual as my dad
explained that they wanted to get me the best, so they all got
together, and pooled their money...

***
17:38 27 Dec

     "Hi, Lisa?"
     "This is Lisa, who's speaking please?"
     "Um, it's Tuck, and-"
     "Oh, hey, how's it going?"
     "Um, pretty good."  Pause.  "Remember that deal we made?"
     "Yeah," she said warily.
     "Uh."  I explained, "Well..."

***

"Is it 'getting in touch with your inner woman' or 'gibbering lunacy'?"
- -ehayes


"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

iQCVAwUBM/SyQnYDebnvyV1VAQHM7wQAmb3YL234r02Yl+9Ho7jGUKedlJxIx5Q5
M48UtcerGqt+v9aj+Se+/wApjLeaUFVYqKdD6G5+QhgUJ+QCYiRKUFOlHSPIGlVc
fFfWP+RXCjxxGSHakzUrpr2NtK3fpqS/t6a/58wBe5KNDyqm0d6+cjJnhp7bkK2A
gib4d7/VBhs=
=u1X5
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
