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Tuck and Cover

Copyright 1997 by Ellen Hayes.

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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
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state, and country.

Tuck and Cover

***
18:07 13 Dec

     Debbie was showing me what to do if I smeared lipstick on my face
when the doorbell went off downstairs.
     I kept from screaming only because my entire body was paralyzed.
     "Relax, you'll do fine," coaxed Debbie, dropping things into the
red clutch purse.  "Just be nice and remember that you're really in
control of the situation."  She forced me up and out of Lisa's room and
down the stairs, while I tried to breathe again.

***
18:07 13 Dec

     As she guided me down the stairs, I was so scared that I had no
idea what I was doing.
     I guess whoever it was was in the living room or something, because
there wasn't anyone around.  Debbie paused, where no one could see us,
and gave me a long gentle kiss, and ran her fingernails along my exposed
back.  "It'll be fine, Valerie.  Travis is very nice, and he's not the
kind of guy to take advantage of you, so you'll be safe with him.  Just
relax as much as you can, and enjoy the evening.  He's really okay.
     "And when you're ready to call it a night, come back here, and
we'll take you home to my house so you can change, and you'll be in your
own bed before you know it."
     "Ahhh..."  I took a deep breath.  "Okay."  I looked into her dark
eyes, and saw someone else reflected there.   Wait, that was me.
"Just... I'd rather be with you tonight than him, or anyone else."  But
especially instead of him.
     "I know, but we'll be out together tomorrow night."  She gave me
another kiss, and gave me a gentle push.  "Now go on, lover, and have
fun."
     I guess her magic had worked, because I went into the living room
feeling almost confident.
     Travis was standing there, talking to Lisa, and had his back to me,
so he didn't see me right away.  I got a chance to look at him as I
crept over the carpet.  Some stupid instinct told me that I could sneak
through this without him seeing me...
     He was tall, and relatively thin.  But mostly tall.  And he looked
well muscled.  He had shortish blond hair, about the same shade as the
wig I as wearing.  Tonight, he was wearing a suit coat, but a trenchcoat
was casually tossed on the couch next to him.  No cutlass.  That was
good...
     Lisa betrayed me with a, "There she is!" and Travis turned around
to look at me.  Definitely a hunk.  I wished I looked like him,
desperately, for a second.  I mean, look where my looks had gotten _me_.
     "Hi, Valerie," he said, in this nice deep voice that I might have
traded my virginity back to get.
     "Hi," I managed.  Lisa gave me a thumbs up.
     "Um, I hope I didn't mess anything up too bad tonight."
     "Huh?"
     "With your dad and all."  He said this like I should know what he
was talking about.
     "Oh.  Um, no, it's okay."
     "Cool," he nodded.  "Oh," he reached into his coat pocket.  "I got
you a little something, for Christmas."
     I had this weird, horrifying flash, that it was an engagement ring.
Before I could do more than have all my hair stand on end, and die about
three dozen times, he pulled it all the way out.  It was an envelope.
He handed it to me, and I opened it.  It was... a gift certificate, to
Bookstop.
     "Oh.  Uh, wow, um, thanks."  His face broke out in a grin.  "I, uh,
I..."  Lisa had lifted a leather bomber jacket up and was pointing
frantically at... a wrapped present.  "I got you something, too."  I
hoped I'd gotten the hint right.
     I walked over to the couch, and picked the present out from under
the jacket and handed it to him.  "Oh, wow," he said, and gave me a
huge, friendly grin.  "Thanks a lot.  What is it?"
     Like I knew.  "Uh-"
     "You have to open it to find out!" chirped Lisa.
     He ripped into it, like any kid would.  It turned out to be... a
box of Legos?
     A Legos pirate ship.  I stared at Lisa in amazement, for half a
second, and she sheepishly grinned back.
     "Oh, wow, this is really cool!" he enthused, and reached out to
give me a hug.  I let him, this time.  *Nice Valium,* I thought numbly
as he squeezed me.  *I need to get some more of these.*  "So what made
you think of this?" he asked after he let go.  It was a short hug.
     "Um... just an inspired thought, I guess."  I shrugged.  I wondered
which one of them had gotten it, Lisa or Debbie.
     He pulled the box open, gently, and started looking through the
catalog inside, and staring at all the little plastic pieces.
     Lisa pulled me aside, and began to speak in a very low voice.
"Valerie, I told him that you basically got date raped a couple of years
ago, and that's why you're so shy and why your dad won't let you go out.
He's really nice about that sort of thing; he's the only guy that pushed
to get rape awareness classes at our school, and without him we wouldn't
have had them."  I stared at her, trying to make sense of what she was
saying.
     "Anyway," she continued, "according to all reports, he's just like
you'd expect from someone who did something like that.  He's never
pushed anything on any girl I've ever heard about, all the way back to
junior high.  So don't worry, okay?"  I nodded, and she pushed me back
towards him.  *What?  Date raped?  What?*
     Travis looked up at me, still grinning, and said, "This, this is
awesome, Valerie, thanks a lot!  I haven't played with Legos in years."
     "Me neither," I said dumbly.
     "So, anyway, how've you been?" he asked.  Lisa sat down on another
couch and motioned me to sit next to her.
     "Uh..."

***
18:19 13 Dec

     There was another knock at the door, but this one didn't worry me
hardly at all.  I mean, who else could come through the door?
     Lisa got up and answered it while Travis and I watched.  It was
Gary, her boyfriend.  *Oh, nooooo....*  He waved at me, grinning.
Grinning like he knew something.
     When he came in, Lisa went and got her coat, Travis got his
overcoat, which left this leather jacket on the couch.  Glancing at
Lisa, who was giving me this "well get ON with it" look, I slowly put
the jacket on, and took the purse again.
     Lisa ushered us out before locking the front door and activating
the alarm system, then said, "Well, see you after dinner, huh?"  She
walked off, with Gary in tow, out to the curb.  Gary waved again, still
grinning.  *Fucker,* I thought idly.  Then I wondered if Lisa and Debbie
had ever dressed him up...
     Travis said, "Well, we've got reservations at Marciano's," which
was a nice Italian place, "at 6:45.  You ready?"
     "Yeah, I guess."  I mean, if I wasn't, what was I going to do?
     He walked me over to his Bronco, and opened the door for me before
helping me in.  I wouldn't have needed the help except for the fact that
I was in a dress and heels.  I sighed before he got in the other side.
     He started the car, and we drove off.  There was a long silence
before he turned the radio on quietly.  Classical music flavored the
silence as I looked out at the dark streets.
     "Look," he finally said, startling me.  "I know you're just doing
this as a favor to Lisa, and I really appreciate it, I really do.  But
if you're not going to have any fun out tonight, if you don't _want_ to
be out, I might as well take you home.  I don't want to drag you around
all night if you'd rather be at home cutting your toenails or something.
It's okay.  Just seeing you was enough."
     I stared at him in amazement for a while.  Eventually, I said,
"Uh," to show that I hadn't actually passed out or gone into a coma.
Though it was close.
     After a while longer, without me being able to say anything, he
shrugged, and started to turn around.  "Uh, wait," I said, and he paused
in the turnaround.  "I, uh, can we go somewhere for a little and talk?"
I said nervously as I saw a cop pull in behind us.  I could only imagine
getting pulled over, like this...
     "Well, would dinner be okay with you?  We could talk there, and
then go home after that if you wanted."  He grinned.  "If not, it's
okay, but I'm kind of starved and I'd like to eat something soon."
     I allowed as to how it would be okay, and he turned, letting the
cop through, then turned around again.
     I asked him, "Just let me think for a while, though, okay?"  He
nodded, and turned up the stereo a notch.
     I thought furiously for a while.
     From what he said, and what I could figure out, he was telling the
truth.  Which left me kind of confused.  I didn't know I was that
obvious about not being willing.  I mean, what would it have taken _me_
to ask a girl if she'd rather go home, before the thing had even
started...
     But he'd offered, and he was willing to do it.  So he wasn't like
obsessed on me or anything.
     But he did want to see me.  Which scared me.
     On the other hand, Lisa thought he was discreet enough to ask him
to - well, to do something that really put her in debt.  And she thought
he was decent enough.  I noticed that she had _not_ said that about the
guy she was dating.  I wondered for a second why she wasn't dating
Travis, if he was such a peach, but then I realized, someone like this
wouldn't let Lisa walk all over him, and I think she wanted that in a
boyfriend.
     And he hadn't tried anything any time I'd met him, except to try to
see me again.  Which, hell, I'd have done in his place.  I used to do it
to a couple of my sister's friends, even, until she dissuaded me from
doing that.
     And it was dinner.  Never pass up good Italian food, I always said.
     And he'd been nice so far.  He'd even beaten someone up to protect
me.  And he hadn't really tried to take advantage of the situation, when
it happened.
     But.
     Did I really want to go out with a guy?  I mean, it wasn't like it
was a _real_ date.  It was a deal with Lisa, not anything I wanted for
myself.  But someone might think it was.  And it _felt_ an awful lot
like a date.
     Not to mention that I was in a dress again.
     And seriously foxious, too.
     But.
     I'd looked like this on Halloween, and he hadn't done anything,
even in the dark.  Not even put his hand on my knee.
     But.
     Did I want to go out with a guy?
     No.
     But...

***
18:40 13 Dec

     He pulled into a space in the parking lot and waited for me to say
something.
     I'd decided I wouldn't die, if he kept on the Wally Cleaver side of
things.  And Lisa would have no reason to complain that I hadn't kept up
my side of the bargain.
     "What kind of stuff did you think I was gonna do?" he asked me when
I told him that.  The first part, anyway.
     "Uh, you want a list of the possibilities?"
     "No, not really."  He looked, and sounded, kind of disgusted.
     "Look, Lisa said you pushed for rape awareness, so you know what
kind of-"
     He interrupted me.  "No, it's just, it makes me sick that guys do
that sort of thing, and girls like you have to be scared all the time."
     "Yeah," I replied quietly.
     "So, I'm not gonna do anything your brother wouldn't do."
     Not to lighten the mood or anything, I said "So I have to worry
about you throwing food at me when our parents aren't watching?"  I
grinned self-consciously at him.
     He smiled back at that.  "Maybe your grandfather."
     "The one who's been married four times?  The one who has slept with
more women than his age?  _After_ he was married?  That he's _told_ us
about?  Well, told us or it came out in the court proceedings..."
     He threw up his hands.  "Superman?"
     "Which one?"  I could field straight lines like this all night.
     He clutched his head in mock agony.  "You wanna go in and eat?"
     "Sure," I said, feeling better.  He got out of the truck and came
around to help me down.
     He made sure I had his arm as we walked across the parking lot,
too.  It was still slick.
     Jesus, he was tall.  Even in heels, he towered over me.  Me in
heels, I mean.  I felt like I was six again, with my dad walking me
somewhere.

***
18:44 13 Dec

     "I have reservations for two, name of Jensen."
     "Yes sir," said the maitre'd.

***
18:46 13 Dec

     They had given us a nice, two place table.  Discreet.  A little
dark.  Just where I would have wanted to take Debbie.
     He pulled my seat out, and I managed to remember to sweep the skirt
on the dress as I sat down.  He pushed the chair in, then took my jacket
and placed it on the back of the seat, then took off his coat and
finally sat down himself.  *I am gonna have to try that with Debbie one
of these times,* I thought.  It sort of impressed me, watching him do it
to me; it oughta blow Debbie away.
     "So," he started, "what did you want to talk about?"
     "Um," *What- oh.*  "I, uh, just wanted to talk some, I guess.  I
mean, it, uh, it seems kinda bad to just kinda, um, you know, blow
everything off so quick, you know?  Without even trying, I mean."
     Travis shrugged, then remarked, "Well, it's up to you, Valerie.
I'd like to take you to this dance at school, but not if you don't want
to go.  If you want to, we'll go; if not, I can take you home."
     "I know.  And I appreciate it," I added.  "I, uh..."  Then it all
just sort of came out.  "I just haven't been on a date with a guy in
forever, and it's scaring me half to death.  Not 'cause of you, you seem
pretty cool, just you being a guy is sort of freaking me out all by
itself."  I replayed what I had just said, and I was shocked to find I
actually hadn't told one lie.
     "Yeah, I understand."  He gave me a look.  "Can you deal with it?
Do you want to try, even?"
     I stared at the wall as I basically went through the same thoughts
I had in the car.  And came up with the same answer.
     I took a deep breath, then looked at him again.  "Travis, I'll, uh,
I'll give the dance and everything a shot.  But you need to promise me
that I can, uh, call the shots.  If I start to freak out or something,
you take me home, no hassles.  'Cause I'm kind of, kind of, stretching
my head, just being here with you, you know?  This is more than I really
wanted to do, on my own.  While I was here.  I mean, no offense, I just
don't have a real good experience with guys.  I'm half freaked already,
just being out here with you, alone, in this dress, and, um.
Everything."
     He nodded.  "That's what I figured.  Just tell me if you start
having problems, before you freak out, okay?  So we can go before you
start screaming or something."
     "Okay."
     We both kind of took a deep breath, then looked around for
something else to talk about.
     Nothing came up.
     Finally, he said, "Uh.  How about the weather, huh?"
     "Cold," I said, nodding.
     Pause.  Long pause.
     "You know, if that waiter would come over here, we could order," he
finally remarked.
     "Oh..."  I'd forgotten we were going to eat.  I opened my menu and
started looking.

***
18:50 13 Dec

     "Eggplant?" I asked.
     He replied, "Yeah, it's pretty good here."  Then he looked at me,
and asked, "You've never tried it, have you?"
     "Uh..." I started, but then the guy came with our drinks.
     "I figured you would go with one of the pasta dishes, not the
manicotti," mentioned Travis.
     "Why?  I love manicotti."  I made the appropriate mouth smacking
noises.
     "Oh, you're pretty thin, I figured you for someone on a diet all
the time."
     "Oh.  No, not really."  Why was everyone picking on me about my
weight lately?  First Mom, then Mike, my cousin Amy, a couple of the
Pack, and now him.  Besides, I was getting a little too chubby for my
tastes anyway.  "I just, uh, don't eat that much."
     We both chorused, "But that _is_ a diet."
     He chuckled as I explained, "I know, but it's not like I pay a lot
of attention to it.  I just kind of don't eat a lot of meals.  If I eat
twice a day, it's kind of unusual.  Unless it's a weekend."
     "What do you do on the weekends?"  He leaned back in his seat.

***
19:23 13 Dec

     "Jeez, finally," I said as they slid the dishes in front of us.  "I
thought I was gonna starve to death."
     Travis told the guy thanks, which I sort of tried to echo,
realizing I'd been rude.  Then Travis mentioned, "You had a salad."
     "I know," I sighed, "but it's not manicotti, you know?"
     "Or eggplant," he pointed out.
     I made a face.  "Thank God."
     "Hey, have you ever tried it?"
     "Uhm..."  No escape this time.
     He cut some off his plate and deposited it on mine.  "Just try a
little.  You might, just might, like it."  I made a face, and started on
my manicotti.
     "So what's New York like?" he asked.
     Luckily, I'd asked Amy this very same question over Thanksgiving.
And I had been there for one entire summer.

***
19:57 13 Dec

     "Would either of you care for dessert?"
     Travis looked at me.  I looked at my plate.  He offered, "We could
split a cheesecake."
     That sounded all right.  "Sure," I agreed.
     "But you have to try the eggplant," he said.  I made a face at him.
"Come on, it's just a little bite.  Try it."  The waiter hung around,
watching.  I sighed, and picked it up with the fork and put it in my
mouth.  And chewed.
     He finally asked, "Well?"  I swallowed.
     "I, uh."  They were both waiting, with this little grin on their
faces.  "Okay, it was all right."  They both smiled at that.
     "So you'll be having that the next time you come in?" asked the
waiter, and chuckled, along with Travis.
     I sighed.  "So where's that cheesecake?" I hinted.
     The waiter said, "Coming right up!" and took off.

***
20:01 13 Dec

     At least he gave us two forks.
     "You want to split it now?" Travis asked.  I nodded, and he cut it
right about down the middle.
     "Oh, wow, this is great!" I enthused after the first bite had gone
down.
     Travis nodded.  "They make great cheesecake."

***
20:09 13 Dec

     Travis looked at the bill, then carefully didn't flinch.  He took
out his wallet and pulled out what looked like a fair amount of cash and
stuck it in the folder.
     "Uh, if you want, I can help out..."  I had some cash in my wallet
too, not being a complete idiot.  Not since that one time, anyway-
     "No, I got it.  It's just weird the way it adds up so quick."
     I nodded.  "A couple of bucks here, drinks there, and poof!  It's a
lot.  But I can pay for mine if you want, I brought enough," I said,
opening the purse and getting my wallet.
     He shook his head.  "Naw, keep your money, Valerie.  It's the
least I could do."  I was going to protest when he suggested, "Why don't
you go freshen up before we go, uh, wherever."
     *Wha- oh.  Shit.*  I sighed mentally.  "Yeah, okay.  I'll be back
in a bit, okay?"  He nodded, and I got up, remembering to take the
purse with me.

***
20:11 13 Dec

     God, I hated women's restrooms.  I'd been in way too many of them
lately.  On the other hand, I guess, I was learning that I wasn't
necessarily going to be struck down by lightning just for being in one.
Or worse.
     I wasn't the only person trying to primp at the mirror, either,
though luckily I didn't have to wait for a spot.  I hoped I wasn't
sweating as much as I thought I was.
     The hair had survived alright.  Debbie had mentioned that one of
the benefits of the hairstyle she had given me was that it would keep
the hair out of my face while I was eating.  I hadn't really realized it
was a problem, before.  But I hadn't had any problems.  Now I just had
to try and get the makeup to look like it had when I left the house...

***
20:14 13 Dec

     I made my way back to the table, still amazed at the final result
of the primping I had done.  _Seriously_ foxious.
     "Ready?" asked Travis before I could sit down.  I nodded, and he
got up and handed me the jacket.  I slipped it on, and he waved me
forward.
     A lot of people looked at us as we were leaving.  Especially one
table that was full of guys.  I pulled the jacket tight as I noticed
them staring at me.  *God, I hate this.*
     Travis opened the door for me, somehow getting in front of me just
in time.  It was colder outside, a lot colder.
     He crooked his elbow at me, and I reluctantly slid my arm through
and stuck my hand back in my pocket.  "Let's get in the truck before you
freeze," he said, leading off.  I had no problems with that.
     He helped me up into the seat again, then walked around quickly to
the driver's side.
     Unexpectedly, he didn't start the Bronco right away.  Instead, he
swivelled around in the seat.  "So.  What's the plan?"
     "Uh."  For some reason, I looked back at the restaurant.  It had
gone pretty well in there, I realized.  I'd even forgotten to panic.
I'd been more at ease than I'd ever been while dressed up like this.
     I turned back to face him, and told him, "Well, uh."  I'd forgotten
that he was as interested in me as he was looking.  And he was looking,
right now.  Oh, man, was he Looking.  And I was being Looked At.
     "Would you like to go home now?" he finally asked.  I blinked a
couple of times, trying to shake that deer-in-the-headlights feeling.
     "Um, I guess not."  I could hardly believe what I was saying.  "It,
I felt really comfortable in there.  I guess."  Nice dashboard.  I
stared at it.  "We can go, if, uh, if you want to.  I'm okay," I added.
     "You sure?" he asked, and I looked at him.  *He's serious...*
     "Yeah, I guess, I am."  I really didn't feel that bad.
     He pressed, "You guess you're sure?"
     "I'm sure," I said with a confidence I was losing.
     "Okay.  Just remember, we can go whenever you want," he reminded me
as he started the truck.
     "Okay.  But let's go to the dance for a while."  Besides, I
couldn't get into Lisa's house.  I think she did that on purpose.

***
20:39 13 Dec

     "Well, here we are," he said unnecessarily as he turned the engine
off.  "Still want to try it?"
     "Yeah," I said absently, staring at the entrance.
     "You sure?"
     "Yeah I'm sure," I finally snapped at him.  "Why do you keep asking
me that?  Do you think I'm lying?"
     "No," he said patiently, "I'm just trying to make sure I know
what's going on with you before you have real problems."
     "Oh."  *There he goes, being a nice guy again.*  I felt guilty
about snapping at him.  "Sorry."
     "It's okay," he said, and patted me on the shoulder.

***
20:40 13 Dec

     Arm in arm, we walked up to the door.  He held it open for me while
not letting go of my arm.  I went in, and felt the water-in-the-face
sensation of having been outside too long in the cold.  And also felt
the pounding bass of dance music from somewhere in the gym.
     He finally let go of my arm about the time the door shut.
     "Well, here we are," he said unnecessarily.  I nodded.  Then I
realized something.
     "Travis?"  He looked over at me.  "I don't think I'm ready to
dance.  Not right after dinner."  And with him.
     He grinned.  "Me neither.  But they should have tables, away from
the music.  Let's go find one for a while, and hey, do you want a
drink?"
     "Sure, rum and coke would be nice."  I actually had no idea; most
of my alcoholic experience was limited to beer and wine coolers swiped
from parents of friends.
     "Hold the rum," he added, and led me over to the concessions stand,
which was open.  "Two cokes," he said, and dug out his wallet again.
     "Travis-" I protested, but he waved his hand and dropped a couple
of bucks on the counter.
     "My treat tonight, okay?  You can pay for the next time."

***
20:42 13 Dec

     There were a lot of people at the dance, relatively speaking.  As
usual, when I was dressed like this, I was getting a lot of neutral to
friendly attention.  As usual, it was driving me quietly crazy.  A lot
of people casually said hello to Travis, but we didn't stop to talk to
any of them.  Not that I minded.
     He guided me over to an empty table, and we sat down.  I just
barely remembered to sweep the skirt as I did it.  Something about the
heels reminded me.
     They had some music playing, lighter than the thundering dance
stuff from the gym floor, and as Travis looked around at the people, I
just listened to it, trying to pick it apart.  I was hoping I could get
as good with that synthesizer as I wanted.  MIDI had opened up a lot of-
     "Whatcha thinkin'?" Travis asked.
     "Huh?  Oh, um... nothing important."
     "No, come on, something important."  He paused.  "Something you're
really interested in."  He paused again.  "And you're afraid I'll laugh
at it.  Which I wouldn't."  He grinned at me.  "I'm right, aren't I?"
     "Ahhh..."  I was stunned.  "Yeah... You're right."  Not to be
paranoid or anything, I asked, "So, how long have you been a telepath?"
     He just laughed.  "Oh, not long.  No, it's just you can kind of
tell what someone is thinking, sometimes, by their face and stuff.
You're pretty easy to read, too."
     Oh, great, just what I wanted to hear.  "So what am I thinking
now?"
     "You're not happy that I told you you're easy to read."  *Bastard.*
"You're really not happy.  So what were you thinking about right after
we sat down?"
     "I thought you were telepathic.  You tell me."  I was a little
pissed off, and I guess a little frightened.  If I was that easy to
read...
     He shrugged.  "I dunno.  Hmmm."  He leaned his chair back, taking
his coke with him, and took a contemplative sip while staring at the
ceiling.  "Besides, you were the one who said I was telepathic, not me,"
he mentioned.  I gamely kept quiet.  And I didn't push him over.  It
took an effort.
     He finally looked at me.  "I'm not sure.  It wasn't about me, I'm
pretty sure.  But I can't tell anything else."  He eased the seat back
down on four legs.  "So what was it?"
     I shook my head.  "Nothing important, really."
     He shook his head back.  "I didn't ask if it was important, Val.  I
asked what it was."  He started grinning, one of those contagious grins.
I looked away from him, but I could _feel_ him doing it at me from the
side, and finally I started to smile too.
     "Damnit..."  I looked back at him, and he knew what he was doing.
"I just..."  He was going to make fun of me, I knew it.  And he was
going to make me tell him.  I took a deep breath, and blurted out, "I'm
trying to get a synthesizer for Christmas, a good one, and I want to
learn how to play stuff on it.  I," I stared at the jewelry on my hands,
"I always liked music, and I figured out that with a synth, I can learn
how to play anything if I can do the synth right."
     "Cool."
     Whang!  "What!?"  _Not_ what I was expecting!
     "I told you I wasn't going to laugh at you.  It sounds really cool.
What kind of stuff are you looking at getting?"
     "Um.  Are you serious?"
     "I wouldn't ask if I wasn't serious."  He looked serious, as he
scooted his chair up and leaned towards me, resting his elbows on the
table.  "I don't know much about them, but I still want to hear about
what you're doing.  So, what are you going to get?"
     I guess he was serious.  "Um.  I was looking at some of the Yamaha
portables, they have some really good ones..."

***
20:56 13 Dec

     "Val?"  I felt a hand on my shoulder, so I stopped talking, and
turned around to see who it was.  It was Lisa.
     "You seem to be having a good time," she commented.  Gary, behind
her, just grinned at me.
     "Oh, uh, we were just talking, I guess."  Now I felt embarrassed
again.  Which made me realize, I _hadn't_ been embarrassed when I was
talking just a minute ago...
     "Oh, about what?" she asked, taking a seat next to me.
     "Nothing!" Travis and I said at the same time.  I looked at him in
amazement.  He winked at me.
     Lisa's eyebrows shot up.  "Well," she finally said after a long
moment, "have you two been out on the floor yet?"
     I asked, "The floor?"
     "Dance floor," said Travis and Gary at the same time.  "No,"
Travis answered, "we've been digesting dinner."
     "Where did you go?" she asked.  Gary took a chair, and sat down.
He was still grinning, and showing no signs of stopping any time soon.
He was beginning to get on my nerves.

***
20:58 13 Dec

     "Well, we're gonna go freshen up," announced Lisa.  Just to make
sure I took the hint without complaining, she kicked me in the leg.
Just like Debbie did.
     "Nnn."  I grimaced at the guys.  They smiled back.  Gary waved.
     "We'll be right back.  Come on, Val, the ladies' room is off this
way."  We both got up, and she led off.

***
20:59 13 Dec

     Just what I needed.  A girl's bathroom during a dance.  It was a
madhouse in there.
     "Gary is beginning to piss me off," I told Lisa as she waited for a
bathroom stall.  "He keeps looking at me."
     She flashed a toothy smile at me.  "Everyone's looking at you
tonight, Val.  You look su-perb."
     "No, you know what I mean.  Like he knows something.  And it's
driving me crazy.  Can you get him to stop?"
     She gave me a most evil look, the kind Debbie got when she talked
about fleecing idiots out of money.  "What will you give me to get him
to stop?"
     *Bitch!* I thought, as something came to me.  "His life.  If you
get him to stop staring at me like that, _all the fucking time_ like
he's doing now, if you get him to stop that, I _won't_ tell Travis that
he tried to rape me the last time I was down here."
     She stared at me for a long time after that.  But she did close her
mouth fairly quickly.  Finally, she said, in a low undertone, "You're
playing this for keeps, aren't you?"
     "Lisa," I said slowly and carefully, "just look at what I'm doing,
here, tonight.  Try and imagine what could possibly, just possibly,
happen to me.  Try and imagine that sort of thing happening to you?"  I
drew my finger across my neck.  "Now try and imagine that there's
someone who knows, and they keep looking like they're ready to burst out
laughing and tell everyone what's going on."
     She protested, "He wouldn't-"
     "Just imagine it, Lisa!  Wouldn't that make you nervous?"
     She sighed.  "I'll talk to him.  But don't mess with him if he
doesn't, okay?  I'll try, that's all I can do."
     "Good enough."
     She shook her head.  "You're learning this stuff too fast."
     "What stuff?"

***
21:04 13 Dec

     God, there were a lot of babes in the bathroom.  And they kept
looking me over.  I was getting more attention from women now than I
_ever_ had.  I sighed, and tried to make my hair go the way I wanted it.
It was depressing, it really was...

***
21:06 13 Dec

     "So, feel like dancing yet?" Lisa asked as we walked back to the
table.
     "Mmmm, dunno.  We had a pretty big dinner."
     "Marciano's is good.  Who paid?" she asked.
     "What difference does it make?"
     She gave me a look that told me I was terminally stupid and that it
was amazing I had lived this long without getting run over.  "A _large_
difference.  So, who paid?"
     Jeezus, this was getting to be ridiculous.  "He did," I sighed.  "I
offered, but he paid it."
     She whistled.  "Oho!" she exclaimed, but then declined to say
anything else.
     "What're you all mad about?" Travis asked me quietly as we got back
to the table.  I just pointed, and he nodded, like that was only to be
expected.
     Lisa remarked, "Well, I think we're gonna go hit the floor.  See
you two around, hey?"  She got up, and took Gary's arm and walked off.
I wondered which one would lead.  Just before she disappeared into the
crowd, I saw her bend to whisper in Gary's ear.  Hopefully about leaving
me alone.
     "Well, have a fun talk?" asked Travis.
     "No."
     Pause.
     "Mmm.  So why did you want drum pads?"
     "Oh, uh, 'cause I figured that I could use them to trigger some
rhythm type stuff, or some special effects..."

***
21:14 13 Dec

     "Well?"
     "Well what?"
     "Feel like dancing yet?"
     "Um... no, not yet."
     Travis smiled.  "Okay."

***
21:26 13 Dec

     "Well, feel like dancing now?"
     "Um."  I had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he'd ask,
unless I told him never.  And I _had_ agreed to go to a dance, which
sort of implied dancing at some point in the evening.
     So I said, "I guess so.  But I still don't know how to dance."
     "You did fine last time," he told me, standing up.  "You'll do fine
this time."  He offered me a hand, and pulled me up too.
     "Yeah, sure," I mumbled under my breath.
     "Hey, you want to drop your purse off at the coat check before we
go in?"  That sounded like a good idea to me, as I had no idea what to
do with a purse on a dance floor.  I nodded.  Then I remembered
something, and checked my watch.  *Time for another pill, I think.*  I
had just enough melted ice in my cup for a swallow.
     "Allergies," I told him as I palmed the pill and slipped it in my
mouth.
     I had a feeling I was going to need it.

***
21:29 13 Dec

     I saw Lisa and Gary, but only Lisa saw me; she gave me a big grin
and a thumbs-up as she twisted to the beat.
     It was too loud to hear anything, so he just took my arm and guided
me out on the floor, to an almost empty spot.  I looked around a little,
and decided that doing things slow wouldn't look weird.
     Travis nodded emphatically when he saw what I was doing, and
grinned one of his contagious grins.

***
21:44 13 Dec

     "And now," said the DJ, "a slow set for all you couples out there."
     *Oh hell,* I thought.
     The next song was quiet enough that Travis tried talking to me.
     "Feel like a slow dance?"
     I looked around a little.  It was a slow and _close_ set, it
seemed.  I shook my head.  He caught my arm, and guided me out of the
crowd.  One nice thing about him, he sure could cut crowds.
     "Too much," I explained when we got out of range of the speakers.
     He shrugged.  "No problem."  Then he grinned again.  "Now we just
have to figure out what to talk about again."  I smiled back, and he
pulled us along towards the tables again.  I'd rather try and make small
talk than dance slow with him, any day.

***
22:02 13 Dec

     The conversation about college majors was cut a bit short when we
both felt the bass start up again, via our feet.
     Travis asked, "Want to dance some more?"  I knew he was going to
ask that.  I nodded, and we both stood up.

***
22:17 13 Dec

     At least nobody was pointing and laughing.  Travis set me back on
my feet and patted me on the shoulder.  *At least he caught me,* I
thought, trying to catch my breath.  *I would've felt _really_ stupid if
I took a dive tonight.*  Stupid heels.

***
22:31 13 Dec

     I realized that I was starting to seriously sweat when droplets
started running down into my eyes.  I think I gaped at Travis, because
he immediately stopped dancing and led me off the floor.
     "Gives you kind of a workout, doesn't it?" he said.  At least he
sounded a little out of breath himself.  I nodded, still panting.  "Want
to step outside for a couple of minutes, cool off?"  That sounded good
to me; I nodded again.

***
22:32 13 Dec

     "Not used to wearing heels, are you?" he asked conversationally.
     "Uh-uh.  I wear sneakers, most of the time."  The cold air was
rapidly cooling me off.  It almost felt refreshing, which was kind of
scary considering it was right on the edge of freezing again.
     "They look good on you.  You should wear them more often."
     "Uh, thanks."  What else could I say?

***
22:34 13 Dec

     Travis stretched, then said, "I think that's long enough.  Let's go
back inside."  That was good enough for me.  I was starting to get
chilled, which wasn't too hard considering how thin this dress was.
     He held the door open for me again.
     "Dance or talk?"
     "Um... how about a little more talk?" I requested hopefully.
     "Sure.  Want something to drink?"
     "Yeah, but _my_ treat this time."  I must've said it firmly enough,
because he held up his hands in surrender and nodded.

***
22:39 13 Dec

     We had just sat down again, when someone Travis knew came up to
both of us.  "Hey, howsit goin'?"
     Introductions followed; he was Bobby, which had always struck me as
a silly name for someone who was old enough to drive, and his date was
Sheila.  I was Valerie, again, but I tried not to let it depress me.
     "So what school do you go to?" Sheila asked me.  I tried to
remember what I had said back on Halloween.

***
22:46 13 Dec

     "I _thought_ we were here to dance," whined Sheila at Bobby.  Bobby
and Travis stopped the pre-game preview, and stood up.  Bobby looked a
little embarrassed, but he led Sheila along, back to the gym floor.
     Travis raised his eyes in the obvious question, and I nodded.
*Back to the grind,* I thought.  *Bump and grind,* and laughed.  Then
Travis made me explain why I was laughing.

***
23:19 13 Dec

     The song ended, and before the DJ could slip on another one, Travis
jerked his thumb at the door.  I shrugged, and followed him out.
     Bobby and Sheila were waiting outside.  "Hey, wanna get something
to eat before they wind everything down?" Bobby asked.
     Travis looked at me.  So did the other two.  I sighed mentally,
then said, "Sure, why not?  Let me go talk to Lisa first, though."
     "Well, we'll be by the tables, okay?" said Travis, and I nodded.
They walked off, leaving me alone.  I sighed, and started to look around
for Lisa.

***
23:28 13 Dec

     "Finally," I said to myself, which no one could hear over the
music.  I walked up to Lisa, and tapped her on the shoulder.  She
stopped and turned, and I motioned to the door.  Gary wasn't smiling any
more, which made me feel better, at least.
     She followed me out, and Gary followed her.  When we got out, and I
could almost hear again, I said, "Lisa, Travis wants to go get a bite to
eat, and then I think I'm free.  How do I get into your house?"
     "Well, we'll be going home in maybe half an hour, so all you should
have to do is knock.  Somebody will be there around the door, one of us,
so don't worry about it."  Easy for her to say.
     I sighed, then said, "Okay.  See ya in a while, I hope."
     "No prob," she told me confidently.  Gary smiled again, and waved.
I glared at him, but before I could do anything else, Lisa elbowed him,
and he stopped smiling.  I waved back, and went to go find Travis.

***
23:29 13 Dec

     "Find her?"
     "Eventually," I groused.  "There's too many people here."  They all
stood up.
     "You're from New York and you're complaining about the people
here?" Sheila questioned.
     "Most of the ones in New York aren't trying to use the same
bathroom.  Or on the same dance floor."  She nodded ironically at that.
     "Well, let's get our stuff and go," said Travis, and the group
started to wander off.

***
23:33 13 Dec

     "I need to freshen up before we go," said Sheila as we got our
purses and coats.
     I had learned enough to take that hint.  I steeled myself, and we
went off to fight our way through the bathroom crowd.
     "So how did you meet Travis?" she asked me curiously.

***
23:38 13 Dec

     It was amazing how much maintenance the makeup and hair needed.  I
set to maintaining it.
     At least I didn't have to go yet.  Sheila was still waiting in
line.

***
23:41 13 Dec

     "So anyway, I've known him for a while, you know, being in a couple
of classes together, but we didn't really hit it off until a couple of
months ago."  She whipped at her hair.
     "So what's he like?"  I figured turning the tables was fair.
Besides, I didn't think she'd have any trouble talking about him.  And
the less I said, the less I'd have to lie.

***
23:46 13 Dec

     "Ready?" Bobby asked rhetorically.  We both nodded.  Sheila took
Bobby's arm, and I took Travis', sighing again mentally.  On the one
hand, having a role model around, like Sheila, could be helpful in
showing me what to do.  On the other, I wasn't sure I wanted to act like
her.
     But at least she didn't have one of those evil smiles that Debbie
and Lisa seemed to get all the time.  Usually right before I had to do
something horrible, too.

***
23:48 13 Dec

     It was _really_ cold outside.  I was glad Lisa had loaned me the
jacket she had.  Although my ski jacket would have done well too.
Actually, a parka would have been quite nice right now.  That and a pair
of pants.
     Travis helped me into the truck again, and neither of us could get
the door shut quick enough.  He lept in in a few seconds, and started
the truck.  Cold air blew on our legs and in our faces in the couple of
seconds it took Travis to turn the heater to "Defrost", which was long
enough to make me really pissed off and cold.
     "Whoa, sorry!" he apologized.  "Damn, that's too cold!"
     "No kidding!"  He pulled out, and started revving the engine.
     "Well, it'll warm up quick enough.  I hope."
     "Me too," I shivered, rubbing my hands together frantically.

***
23:51 13 Dec

     "Well?"
     "Well what?" I finally asked back.
     "Well, how's it going tonight?"
     I looked at him for a while.  "Travis, were you there for the whole
time, or did your evil twin take over for a while?"
     He glanced back over.  "Valerie, I'm serious.  Are you having fun?
Is this turning out to be a positive experience, or are you wishing
you'd fell down the stairs this morning instead?"
     "It's not that bad," I protested.  "Um.  It's..."  I was amazed to
hear myself say, "It's been alright," and sort of mean it.
     "Really?"
     "Yeah," I said slowly.  "I didn't think it would be, but it's been
okay, it really has."  I would have preferred to go out with Debbie, but
I'd had worse dates.  He hadn't, for example, thrown up on my back.  Or
had a panic attack.  Or found a "better" guy in the middle and run off
with him.  Or-
     "Just okay?"  Before I could say anything, he quickly added, "Just
kidding.  I'm glad it went okay for you.  I was worried."
     "Well, how was it for you?"
     "I'm having fun," he said firmly.  "You're fun to talk to, and I
always like dancing."
     "I got that impression."
     He glanced over at me again.  "Well, what would you rather be
doing?  If you were on a date."
     "Uh..."  He kept putting me on the spot like that.

***
00:06 14 Dec

     "Let's hurry,"
     "God, how can it keep getting colder?" I asked rhetorically as I
grabbed his arm again.  I hated doing it, but these shoes had no
traction at all.  You'd think they'd work like snow tires, with the
spike, but they didn't.
     "It's winter, you know?"
     "Well, technically, not yet.  It's still fall."  We waited to rush
carefully across the street.
     "I don't know why they claim that.  It makes absolutely no sense."
     "Well..."

***
00:08 14 Dec

     "Table for four, please."  I _really_ hoped we wouldn't have to
wait.
     "That'll be about ten minutes, is that okay?"  Not that it mattered
what I hoped, of course.
     "Sure," said Bobby.  He gave his name, and the server took it down.
We moved away, and then stood and sort of looked at each other.
     "So what's it like, living in the Big Apple?" asked Sheila.
     I should have said I was from Iowa.  Nobody asks you questions
about Iowa.

***
00:21 14 Dec

     "Bobby, party of four, your table's ready."
     "Uh," said Bobby, interrupted in his tale of The Time He Went to
New York.  "Guess that's us."
     The place was a madhouse.  I guess everyone in town, at least those
who had gone out tonight, had had the same idea we did, and the place
was packed, almost elbow to elbow.  And, of course, the guys in the
crowd were checking me out as I went past.  They were checking out
Sheila too, but she was used to that sort of behaviour.
     We got to the empty table, right in the middle of the room, which I
hated.  I slid off my jacket, like everyone else did, and slipped it
over the back of a seat.  Travis pulled the seat out for me, and I sat
down, so he pushed it back in.  Bobby belatedly did the same thing for
Sheila.
     I didn't know whether to be pleased or what.

***
00:26 14 Dec

     "Miss?"
     "Sprite for me, please."  Any more caffeine and I was going to
explode.  Or twitch myself into pieces.
     "Coke for me," said Travis without waiting.

***
00:30 14 Dec

     "Does anyone want anything to eat?" asked Bobby.
     I started, "Uh, I, uh," before I had second thoughts.  Maybe this
wasn't such a good idea.
     "What?" asked Travis.  Not that he would let me off the hook, of
course.
     "Um, I was sort of thinking knish?"
     "Sounds good."  He turned to the waiter.  "Two super knishes,
please."
     "Alright, sir," said the waiter, scribbling.  "And for you two?" he
asked, turning to Bobby and Sheila.
     "Sorry," apologized Travis.  "It sounded like a good idea to me
too.  Hope you don't mind?"
     I shook my head.
     "What's a knish?" asked Sheila.  At least I knew that much.

***
00:47 14 Dec

     "So is that ALL you do for fun?" asked Bobby, disbelieving.
     "Well, yeah," I said defensively.  "I'm not much of a socialite.  I
like staying at home more than going out, most of the time."
     I caught the pitying look Sheila tossed Travis, and was obscurely
annoyed.  "Well," I added, "I mean, I do go out sometimes, but you know,
the Philharmonic is just so expensive."  It was, too.  Especially the
clothes you had to rent to go.  I'd hated the tuxedo, but the music was
good when I went with Amy when I was up there.  It would have been a
nice date if it hadn't been my cousin.
     Bobby asked, "The Philharmonic?"
     "Orchestra?  You know, classical music?"  I was getting bitchy; I'd
have to watch that.
     "You've been to the Philharmonic?" asked Travis.  I glanced at him,
and he was staring at me like I'd just mentioned free money.  I was glad
I'd actually gone.  That stare of his was _really_ intense.

***
00:51 14 Dec

     "Can I try a bite of that?" asked Sheila, pointing at my knish.
     "Sure," I said generously, and sliced off a portion for her.  Truth
be told, I wasn't that hungry.
     She picked it up on her fork, stared at it for a minute, then
popped it in her mouth.  After chewing a bit, she mumbled, "Mmmm, zass
noh bad."
     "Neither is the eggplant," whispered Travis in my ear.  I chuckled,
leaning away from him and wondering how he could get so close without me
noticing him.

***
01:27 14 Dec

     I had come a few conclusions over the midnight snack.  One, I
wasn't too fond of Bobby.  Two, Sheila wasn't so bad, but she couldn't
hold a candle to Debbie in terms of wit or experience.  Three, Travis
really was a peach, except for his taste in friends.
     "I'll get that," Travis told me over my protests, and stuck another
bill in the folder.
     Like I said, a peach.

***
01:36 14 Dec

     "Ready?" asked Travis.
     The general consensus was yes, until Sheila mentioned "freshening
up."  I sighed, and got up, remembered to snag the purse, and off we
went.

***
01:39 14 Dec

     This was almost as bad as the dance.  Except it was filled with
"adult" women, most of them not wearing the ultra-mode stuff Sheila and
I were.  They were still checking me out, though.  This was _seriously_
depressing.

***
01:41 14 Dec

     When we got back to the table, the guys got up, and we made our way
out, through the crowd.  It had only gotten worse since we got in.

***
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.

***

"It's a trilogy!  It's a trilogy!  BURN HER!  BURN THE WITCH!"
- - the crowd


"Tallyho!"      \   /     @>--,--'--  ehayes@nym.alias.net  + vicki .sig
Ellen Hayes --=(*)=(*)=-- Renaissance Woman    ==[--------  + virus 9.1a
            http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/5734/


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