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Things Are Really Tucked Up

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
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this.  I am not responsible.
Continuing to read this document, or storing it or reproducing it
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state, and country.


Things Are Really Tucked Up

***
10:21 22 Feb

     "Uhhnnnn," I told myself as I urinated.  I did _not_ feel well.
*Must be a hangover,* I thought slowly as I wiped my crotch.  *Water,
aspirin.*  This would be my first one.  I hoped I could do it right.
     Standing up again took some effort.  Water, aspirin, and more water
made it down.  They weren't even serious about making it back up.

***
10:27 22 Feb

     "Well, did you have fun last night?" Mom asked.
     "Yup."  My head hurt.
     She looked at me kind of funny.  "Brian said a whole bunch of girls
showed up to pick you up?"
     "Yeah.  Um, some of Debbie's friends.  They wanted to take me out.
To celebrate, kind of.  Me getting ungrounded."
     Mom made a very weird face.  I shrugged at her.  "Did you get your
hair cut yesterday?" she finally asked.

***
12:35 22 Feb

     "You didn't really go out with all those girls last night," Brian
told me, like he knew.
     "Well, yeah, I did.  All, uh..."  I counted.  Debbie, Lisa, Kathy,
Pam, Jill, Kim, Sabrina, Amanda.  "Eight."  Not counting me.
     "And you.  And they didn't have their boyfriends with them.  Bull."
     "Brian, as weird as it may seem, I DON'T CARE if you believe me.
We went out, we..."  I'd forgotten to ask my folks about tonight.  "We
might be going out again tonight.  Some of us, anyway."
     "You're dumber than Beavis if you expect me to believe that."
     I thought about it for a minute as I washed a couple of glasses.
"Maybe, but you get to hang here with your little buddies, and I'm going
out with more girls than I have computers."  I smirked at him.

***
14:21 22 Feb

     "Hello?"
     "Kim!  It's, uh, me."  Who was I, anyway?
     "Valerie?"  Oh, that's who.  "Hey," she continued, "what's up?"
     "Well, I was calling about tonight.  Did you hear anything from
Debbie or anything?  I can't get her on the phone, she must be out doing
consults or something."
     "Well, I talked to Pam already, and she wants to go, and so does
Jill, but she might be bringing that guy, uh, Russ or whatever.  You
haven't met him before.  Can you come?"
     "I was gonna ask, but I wanted to make sure that it was going on
before I asked."
     "Oh, okay."  I heard her shift position.  "So, how's your head this
morning?"
     "Ugh, but it's better than it was, anyway."
     "Did you drink lots of water?"

***
15:13 22 Feb

     My ear hurt as I went to go ask Mom if I could go out again.  God,
it was just like being with them, they could talk forever.  Especially
with conference calling.

***
15:16 22 Feb

     "Again?"  She looked at me skeptically.
     "Mom, they missed me while I was grounded," I explained.  "So they
want to take me out a lot."
     "Well, what will you be doing?"
     "Going to see a band."  I didn't mention the lead guitarist had a
crush on me.  Or something.  It would just confuse things.

***
15:40 22 Feb

     "Hello?"
     "Hey, Pam, it's me..."
     "Oh, Val, hey, let me call you back, okay?  We're conf called."
*Again?* I wondered.  *Or still?*

***
15:48 22 Feb

     "Yeah, I talked to Debbie," Sabrina said, "and she wants to come
tonight, and she said you could too, Val."  Most of them giggled.  "She
said you'd better be careful around Jack, though."
     "What?  Why does everyone blame me?  I mean, he kissed her too, and
I was just doing what ALL of you said to do, and it's not like _I_
wanted to, so..."

***
17:08 22 Feb

     "Oh, God, my ear," I moaned as I stumbled downstairs.  I hoped Mom
would believe that I needed to eat light tonight.  And I was going to
have to patch my headset into the phone.  It was the only way.

***
17:16 22 Feb

     "Well, I'm goin' out too," Brian told me at the table.
     "Good for you!" I said.  "It's about time.  What's her name?"
     "Bite me, dorkwad!"
     "Boys," Dad warned.
     As we both knew that he was going out with some of his guy friends,
and not a girl, it was a particularly cruel question.  But he deserved
it for doubting me.  Dork.

***
17:56 22 Feb

     I debated even putting clothes on at all.  I mean, I wasn't going
to wear them more than about ten minutes, no matter how long I was out.
But then I realized that my folks would ask nasty questions if I went
out naked, so I looked for something that would fold up small.

***
18:32 22 Feb

     I was watching the tape of X Files when the doorbell rang.  Brian
jumped up and ran for it.  "I GOTTTT ITTTTT!" he screamed as I ran
behind him.  I knew he'd try something if I wasn't right there.
     He flung the door open, narrowly missing my face, and it was Debbie
and Lisa and Jill and Pam and Amanda.  "Hey," Debbie said, waving at me.
     Brian stood there.  Finally, he gasped, "No way!"
     "Get OUT of the way," commanded Jill, advancing on him.

***
18:35 22 Feb

     "Nice to meet all of you," said my mom.  She looked kind of like
Brian had.
     "Thanks for letting huh-him go out with us again," Debbie said,
stumbling over the pronoun.  I hoped Mom hadn't noticed.  "We really
missed him."
     Kim slipped an arm around my waist, like Debbie already had.  And
grinned.

***
18:38 22 Feb

     I was about to open the door, when the doorbell rang.
     "Nice timing," teased Jill.
     I looked through the peephole.  "Hmmm..." I mumbled, staring.
*Whatta revoltin' development...*
     "IGOTIT IGOTIT IGOTIT!!" shrieked Brian as he sprinted from the
family room.
     "No, we got it!" Debbie yelled back, and I opened the door.
Everyone else pushed up against me to see who it was.
     Standing on the doorstep was a young, like younger than any of us,
girl, who looked like she needed one of Debbie's lessons on makeup.
When she saw all of us, her eyes bugged almost completely out of her
head.  I guess she wasn't expecting the Pack.
     Behind us, I heard Brian run into somebody's temper.
     "Hi!" I said.
     "Hello," said Debbie in her sales voice.  "Can we help you?"
     "Uh...."  The girl almost choked.  "Does Brian live here?  Brian
Tucker?"
     "This one?" asked Jill, and we made way for her as she dragged him
in a half nelson to the door.  She had him gagged with her hand, too.
     The girl's eyes were so big she looked like a lemur.  I thought she
was going to make a run for it.
     "Would you like to come in for a minute?" Jill asked.  "I think he
wants to go brush his hair or something?"  Brian mumbled something, and
tried to pry her fingers backwards and off his mouth.  She kicked him
in the leg.  "Naughty," she warned him.
     "Uhhh," the girl choked.  "My mom's waiting out in the car!"

***
18:40 22 Feb

     "Well, it's nice to meet you," said Mom to Mrs. Wiley.  Brian and
Jenny both looked like they wanted to die.  The Pack, and me, just stood
around, smiling.  That didn't help Brian any.  But it wasn't meant to.
     "So where are you going tonight?" Debbie asked Mrs. Wiley.

***
18:43 22 Feb

     "You think we should follow 'em?" Kim asked as she peered through
the back window.  We could just see the two of them hiding behind
Jenny's mom, like they were afraid of us or something.  Heh.
     "Nah," said Jill.  "Leave 'em alone.  We put the fear into Brian
anyway, that's good enough."

***
18:49 22 Feb

     "Could I have a little privacy, please?" I begged.  I hated
changing in front of them.  Especially when they kept peeking.

***
19:24 22 Feb

     "Feel better?" Jill asked as she got out of the shotgun seat.
     "I dunno."  I climbed in.  "I really hate changing in cars."  And
there was the whole girl's clothing issue, too, which I didn't want to
bring up.
     "Your hair looks good like that," she told me.
     "Thanks."  I squinted at her.  "I think you look good as a blonde,
by the way.  It's just kind of a radical change, you know?  That's what
I was saying yesterday.  But it looks real good, now that I'm used to
it."  She nodded, smiling.

***
19:41 22 Feb

     "What's this?"
     "Oh, you need to get something nice to wear tonight," Debbie told
me.  Pam pulled into Westcross Mall.
     "Bu- I don't have any money!"  I thought that would work.
     "Oh, we brought some extra," Kim said happily.
     Amanda said, to nobody in particular, "Oh, I gotta see this..." and
took another hit out of the thermos.  When she pulled it away from her
mouth, I took it and had a bit myself.  Well, more than a bit.

***
19:48 22 Feb

     "Why me?" I asked the ceiling.
     "Because we've spent more time than you shopping," Jill told me.
"Even me.  So you gotta catch up."
     I looked over at her, and tried to remember if I'd _ever_ seen her
in a skirt, outside of Sabrina's house that one time.  "Well, when are
YOU gonna dress up, huh?"
     Kim giggled.  "That's a good question, Val...."

***
19:56 22 Feb

     "I hate you," Jill told me over the top of the changing booths.
     "Fair's fair, blondie.  You do it to me, I do it to you."
     It seemed Jill disliked the girl stuff almost as much as I did.

***
20:03 22 Feb

     "Definitely the black," Debbie said, pondering.  The other three
nodded.
     Jill glared at me, and stomped off back to the changing room.
     "You, on the other hand, need something more elegant, to match your
face," Lisa said to me.
     "What?  Elegant?  ME?!"  Obviously she'd overdone the Valium
tonight.

***
20:16 22 Feb

     I ended up with a Little Black Dress, not too far away from what I
had worn last night.  And garters and seamed stockings.  Where had I
seen these before?
     In fact, everyone, including Jill, was wearing seamed stockings
too.  Jill looked severely peeved.  I wanted to laugh at her, she seemed
about as comfortable with this stuff as I did.  But it would be a bad
idea.  They had to buy her a garter belt, too, as well as the tight
black mini she'd tried on.  So the bill came out about even, split
between us.  Kim said that Jill and I could buy them dinner one night.
This did not make me feel any better.  Although, the idea of taking them
_all_ on a date had its appeal... especially if I could somehow do it in
front of people at school.
     But not in a dress.
     "Hey, baby, nice skirt!" some anonymous jerk called to one of us.
     Jill looked like she was about to go totally postal on everyone in
the area, so I tried to calm her down by saying quietly, "Been there,
done that, bad idea.  Besides, you wouldn't fit, dude."  I thought it
was kind of funny.
     The rest of the Pack thought it was hysterically funny.

***
20:21 22 Feb

     "God, how did you get a table?" Amanda asked Debbie as the hostess
led us back to a six-placer.  The place was packed.
     "I'm good," Debbie grinned back at her.

***
20:53 22 Feb

     "So when are we picking up this Russ guy?" I asked.
     Jill looked peeved again.  "He said he had something to do.  The
prick."
     "Well, fuck'im!" intoned Kim like it was some great wisdom.
     "Fuckim," Lisa nodded.
     Debbie was thinking about it, and before Jill could say anything,
Debbie said, "Fuckim ONLY if you wanna."

***
21:32 22 Feb

     "I thought you said you didn't have any money?"
     I rolled my eyes at the ceiling.  "Not for a new dress, Pam.  I
think I got enough to cover tonight, but I wasn't planning on buying a
new outfit to go out in."  You'd think they could have found something
suitable in two bags of clothes.  I guessed I'd have to go through it
with one or more of them to establish what I already "owned," so I
wouldn't have to buy anything else.

***
21:38 22 Feb

     Amanda watched me fiddle with makeup in the mirror.  "You know,"
she finally commented, "you're getting better with that.  I wouldn't
have thought..."  She trailed off.
     I looked back at her.  "Me neither."  Then I looked around, and
leaned closer to her.  "Does being this close to Debbie change EVERYone
as much as this?"
     Amanda raised her eyebrows and gave me an amazed look, but said,
"Not quite as much as you, but she's a, uh, a consciousness raiser."

***
21:39 22 Feb

     "Are they straight?"  Kim craned her neck back, trying to see.
     "They're fine, Kim.  Really."
     She turned around and said, "Well, turn around and let me check
yours."  I stood up.  It felt interesting to have her hands running up
and down my legs, adjusting the seams on the stockings.  More than
interesting.  I'd have to wear these the next time I slept over at
Debbie's house.  "How did you manage to screw these up already?" she
asked.

***
21:44 22 Feb

     "Well, what now?  The mall's closing," I pointed out.
     "Off to the show, I guess," said Pam.  She looked back at the rest
of us.
     "Yeah, unless-" Debbie started.
     "Hey!" some girl called from a ways away.  "Valerie!"
     "Oh shit," I mumbled as I turned around and started scanning.  It
turned out to be Rachel, though.  "Hey, Rachel, what's up?" I called
back, and waved.  Her and a few other people started walking our way.
*Oops,* I thought. Just what I wanted, more people to remember me as a
girl.
     As she came up, Rachel said, "Oh, you know, in the mall.  We were
going out tonight and had some time to kill, so..."  She shrugged.  "Um,
anyway, this is Terry, and Dave, a couple of friends I made in my anthro
class.  Uh, this is Valerie, and Debbie, and, I don't know the rest of
them."  She grinned.  Terry looked kind of normal, except it looked like
she put a lot of work into her hair, because it was long and glossy and
shaped just right.  Dave looked like a skinhead.  He didn't act like
one, though.
     Debbie said, "Well, this is Pam, and Amanda, and Jill, and you met
Lisa once..."
     "Oh, yeah, at the dorm over Christmas, I remember," Rachel said,
nodding her head.  "Sorry," she apologized to Lisa.  Then she turned
back to me.  "Did you get your hair cut?  It looks good."

***
21:45 22 Feb

     "So where are you all going tonight?" Lisa asked Rachel's group.
     Dave chirped, "Out to party!  Party party party," and he started
grooving to himself, right there in the mall.  Terry looked at him like
she wasn't sure it was such a good idea to be out with him.
     Rachel said, "Oh, we're going to this club called Mixer's, we're
gonna go see this band-"
     "Stepwise Pagoda?" said Pam.
     "Yeah," said Rachel, then looked at Pam again.  "Is that where
you're going?"

***
21:53 22 Feb

     "Well, see you there," Rachel waved as we went our separate ways.
     Debbie swung next to me.  "Doing okay?" she asked quietly.
     "Yeah, I'm alright," I sighed.  I looked at her.  "I'd like to go
out with you, just us, sometime.  I mean, it's cool hanging with
everyone, but, you know..."  I shrugged helplessly.  There were some
things you didn't want to say in a crowded mall.
     "Well, it wasn't me that got invitations from the band, you know,"
she reminded me, like she was peeved.

***
22:24 22 Feb

     "Well, I guess this is it," said Pam, as she cruised past.
"Everybody look for a parking spot."

***
22:27 22 Feb

     "Try not to kiss that guy tonight, okay?" Debbie warned me as we
walked towards the back entrance.
     I protested, "Hey, it wasn't my idea in the first place!  And he
kissed you, too, remember?"
     "Chill, girls," Lisa admonished us.

***
22:29 22 Feb

     "I don't see 'em," Jill finally said.
     "Well, if they lied," Debbie started, but then this beat up old van
pulled up and honked at us.
     Maddog stuck his head out of the window.  "Hey, who invited you!"
he yelled.
     "You did!" Jill yelled back as we all got out of the way.  "Ya
jerk!"  They laughed at each other.
     Maddog pulled in, and a car pulled in behind them, and then the
whole band was here.
     "Hey, wanna help unload?" Jack asked.  "That way, we can say you're
the road crew.  And you get in free."

***
22:32 22 Feb

     "I told you this dress was a dumb idea," I huffed at Debbie.
     She hoisted two drums up, and snarled, "Shut up."

***
22:48 22 Feb

     I watched in fascination as they ran cables to amps and did mike
checks and talked with the club sound guy and things like that.
     "Hey," whispered Lisa in my ear.  "You'd better stop watching Jack
like that, or Debbie is gonna kill you."
     I looked back at her.  "Lisa, I'm not watching Jack, I'm geeking,
okay?"  At her raised eyebrow, I explained, "Look, if _I_ ever want to
play in a band, it'd be a good idea if I kind of know what's involved,
right?  So that's why I'm watching them set up so hard."
     Lisa gave me a look that said, I don't really care if what you just
told me was the truth or not, you'd better watch it or you're gonna wish
you'd never been here.  Like I said, she had a very expressive face.
     I thought of something.  "Well, could you ask her to come over here
and sit with me?  There's enough of you to keep those two tables."

***
22:56 22 Feb

     The club was more of a bar, I guess, instead of a dance club.
There were tables and stools and things like that, and only a small
dance area in front of the stage.  I was looking around a little more,
now that the interesting parts of them setting up seemed to have faded
out.
     "So?  Can we go sit back down now?" Debbie asked me.  She sounded
really annoyed.
     "Yeah," said Mike as he waved to Pam and adjusted a stand.  "It's
gonna get loud up here in a couple of minutes anyway."  That apparently
set something off in all the guys, because they started hooting at each
other and slapping hands and so on.  I got the impression that they
liked loud.
     We got up and made our way back to the two tables, which luckily
were right at the edge of the dance floor, so we could see everything.
     "Can I get you something?" I asked Debbie as I saw the drinks on
the table.  She just shook her head.
     *Man, I hope she doesn't stay this pissed all night,* I thought.

***
23:07 22 Feb

     "Hey!" someone screamed over the band.  I turned, like all the
other girls at the table did, and saw Rachel, with her two friends.  She
waved at us.
     "We saved you some seats!" I yelled back.

***
23:11 22 Feb

     I thought maybe that a little dancing would improve Debbie's mood
some, especially since they were playing something that you could dance
to.  I squeezed her on the shoulder and leaned close to her.  "Wanna
dance?" I asked, as quietly as I could and still be heard.
     She just shook her head.
     *Oh, shit,* I thought.  *What did I do now?*

***
23:13 22 Feb

     "Oh, come on, Deb," Lisa pleaded.
     I added, "Pleeeeeeeeze?"  Hopefully, she wouldn't be able to resist
both of us.

***
23:16 22 Feb

     This wasn't like dancing with her at her house, but it was fun
enough.  Except I was worried that I was getting the hang of dancing in
heels.  Bad news, in my opinion.
     On the other hand, if it'd keep Debbie happy with me, I could
perhaps live with such indignities in certain circumstances.  Like this
one.  At least she was beginning to lighten up.  The rest of the crew
was already lit.  Including that Dave guy, who looked like he did this
all the time.  He was a dancing machine.  Kim and Amanda and Pam, ex- or
current boyfriends notwithstanding, were watching him like cats watch
fish.

***
23:18 22 Feb

     "Yeah, how about a coke?"
     I nodded enthusiastically, and got up to get us drinks.
     As I was halfway to the bar, I realized that I was now feeling
better BECAUSE Debbie wanted me to spend money on her.  Something was
wrong with me tonight.  Or something.

***
23:20 22 Feb

     Stepwise Pagoda was pretty hard rockin'.  I guess.  I liked a more
techno sound than they were putting out, but it was pretty good anyway.
They were really doing it up, too.  Not like on VH1, where they dance
around and do silly stuff like smash guitars or anything, but you could
tell they were really getting into the music.  Jack was especially
interesting to watch, 'cause about half the time it looked like he
didn't even know he was on the stage.  He was just that far into the
music.

***
23:23 22 Feb

     I glanced over at Debbie, and she was giving me the evil eye again.
*What the hell is her problem, anyway?* I wondered, getting really
pissed.

***
23:25 22 Feb

     "Nothing," she snarled at me.
     I threw up my hands.  *Fine, if that's whe way she wants it.*  I
got up to go dance with Jill and Rachel and Terry.  The little dance
floor was getting kind of crowded, but at least I didn't feel quite so
obvious.

***
23:36 22 Feb

     "Whew," breathed Rachel.  "Wanna go sit down?"
     I looked back at the table, where Debbie was staring holes into me.
"No, not yet."

***
23:39 22 Feb

     I looked back at the table, and Debbie had disappeared.  That
stopped me cold.  I looked around a little longer, and Amanda and Lisa
were missing too.  *Oh hell.*  I wondered where Debbie was.  I wondered
what was going on.  I wondered if I could get a ride home with Rachel.
     Then I wondered what was going to happen to my guy clothes.
     Then I said "Fuckit," and went back to dancing.  There wasn't a
damn thing I could do about it anyway, right now.  I'd have a heart
attack later, if I needed to.

***
23:49 22 Feb

     Half an hour of dancing had left me exhausted.  I went back to the
table, concentrating on dodging people, and when I sat down I was
startled to find Debbie on the seat next to me.  She still looked
unhappy.
     "Where'd'ya go?" I asked, trying to be conversational.
     "We gotta talk when we leave," she told me.  She didn't answer the
question either.

***
23:57 22 Feb

     "Oh, man, do we gotta go?  It's only been an hour and a half,"
whined Jill.  Debbie just pointed at me.
     Kim said, "Oh, yeah, we don't want her folks to turn Cinderella
here into a pumpkin again."  And giggled.
     Jill just sighed.  Then she said, "I had to wear a skirt for this?"

***
00:03 23 Feb

     "We'll be right back after these commercial messages," said Tony
into the mike.  He stepped back, and they turned the lights off.

***
00:04 23 Feb

     "So, you taking off?" Jack asked me.  I nodded nervously. "Well,
what did you think of the show?"
     "I liked it, it was really cool."  I hoped he wouldn't want another
kiss.  Not with Debbie this pissed off.
     "Well, we'll be here next week too, if you're interested.  Or you
could buy our tape," he grinned, and pulled one out of his pocket.

***
00:05 23 Feb

     "Look, we really got to get her home," Debbie said like that was
what was on her mind.  "She almost got grounded last night."
     Jack shrugged, like what could you do, and nodded.  "Well, thanks
for coming, and bringing everybody, okay?  Debbie?"
     Debbie looked over at me, and told me, "Val, go make sure the van
starts, okay?"  I was going to argue, but one look at the expression on
her face told me this wasn't the time to get independent.  So I waved at
Jack, and started swimming towards the door with Amanda.  I stuck the
tape in my purse so I wouldn't lose it.

***
00:07 23 Feb

     "What is going on with her?" I asked as soon as we had a little
privacy.
     Amanda just snorted into her hands.  "I think she'd better tell you
when she gets out.  Don't worry, I don't THINK you're in real trouble."
Oh great, she didn't THINK I was.  Great.
     I looked around, and it seemed like everyone else knew what was
going on but me.  As usual.

***
00:09 23 Feb

     Debbie shut the sliding door, and turned back to the rest of us.
     "So what the hell is going on?" I asked, without waiting.  Might as
well jump into the pit; I was going there anyway.
     "What the HELL do you think you're getting up to, you little
bitch!" she started, not wasting any time either.  I really resented the
bitch comment too.

***
00:11 23 Feb

     "JEALOUS?!  Of HIM?!  What the HELL are you THINKING?!"  She'd
truly gone off the deep end this time.
     "WhatthehellamIthinking?" Debbie screamed back.  "YOU'RE the one
that KISSED him!"
     "SHUT UP!!" yelled everyone else.  I was stunned enough that I did,
and, amazingly enough, so did Debbie.

***
00:16 23 Feb

     "How could you even THINK that?" I shrieked at her.
     Debbie exclaimed desperately, "Well, shit, it happened to me
before!"
     "When?!"
     "K-" started Lisa, then looked at Debbie.
     "What?"  I had a feeling there was something here I hadn't heard
before.  Again.

***
00:20 23 Feb

     "And then there he was, kissing-"
     "You're SHITTING me," gasped Kim, who started laughing again.
     I just kind of sat there with one of my favorite stunned looks on.
After a minute, I said, "A guy?  Your boyfriend kissing a guy?"
     "Isn't that what I said?" Debbie shrieked at me.  "Aren't you
LISTENING?"

***
00:22 23 Feb

     "Debbie, I mean, I understand why you'd be worried about me turning
gay after that, but, I swear, that is the FURTHEST thing from my mind,
okay?  I just, he just came on to me, like he did you," I reminded her,
"and everyone had been telling me about stuff like that all night and to
not worry about it, to go for it, it happens to girls, don't blow my
cover, that sort of thing.  So instead of kicking the shit out of him, I
let him do it, okay?  I didn't like it, I'd much rather be kissing you."
I looked around, remembered what Kathy had said last night about not
playing favorites or something, and added, "Any of you, but you most of
all.  But I didn't think- I mean, what all of you said, that would be
the absolute wrong thing to tell him."
     Jill and, amazingly, Amanda, kept nodding as I was talking.

***
00:24 23 Feb

     Debbie sighed.  "Yeah, I guess.  I'm sorry, Val.  I, it's just so
hard, I worry about you sometimes."

***
00:27 23 Feb

     "Val," complained Pam, "are you gonna change, or would you rather
make up with Debbie until we drop you off?"
     Debbie let go of me and pushed me away.  But gently.  I was glad
the lipstick was coming off in a few minutes with the rest of the
makeup, because I knew it was gonna be seriously fucked up.  Not that I
cared.
     "So don't get jealous any more, huh?" Jill said, and squeezed
Debbie's shoulder.

***
00:49 23 Feb

     "Well."  I sighed, and stared at the front door.  "Anyone want a
nightcap or something?"  I really hated saying goodnight.  And getting
out of a warm car.

***
00:51 23 Feb

     "Wonder what time your little brother got back," Jill pondered as I
fumbled with my keys.
     "Dunno.  I don't even know what time he's supposed to be home."  I
opened the door, and Dad was there again, in his office.  "Dad!  Hey, I
invited the ladies in for a nightcap, okay?" I told him as I led them
inside.
     "Hi Mister Tucker!" they all said.  Kim and Amanda waved.
     Dad's eyes started to bug out, but he managed to sound calm when he
said, "Good evening, ladies, did you have fun tonight?"
     I hoped the massive giggles wouldn't make him think we were up to
something.

***
00:54 23 Feb

     We were laughing at something on the Comedy Channel when I heard a
choking noise behind us.  We all turned to look, and it was Brian in his
sleeping clothes.  He was staring at us like we were the weird ones.
Except I had this scary flash that they hadn't gotten all the makeup
off.
     "So how'd the big date go?" Amanda asked him.
     Kim added, "Didja kiss her?"  And giggled.  We all did.

***
01:02 23 Feb

     "So anyway, see you tomorrow?" Jill asked.
     "Huh?"
     "For breakfast?"
     I glanced sideways.  "Did you invite-"
     Jill snorted and cut me off.  "Don't be stupid, of course I did.
Especially after tonight."
     I thought about it.  "Okay.  Ten?"  She thought about it, and
nodded.

***
01:03 23 Feb

     A full round of soft delightfully squishy hugs from all of them,
and a kiss from Kim and, most importantly, Debbie, and then they left.
I sagged against the door.  My feet hurt.  My head hurt.  And I had to
go out again tomorrow morning.  Oh God.
     I looked up, and Brian was staring at me like I was mutating in
front of him or something.  That made me feel better.

***
01:06 23 Feb

     *What the hell?* I wondered as I tossed the second pair of panties
up on my desk.  *They must be switching them on me or something.  This
can't be coincidence, twice in a row...*  It'd be nice to do this
someplace besides the dark back of a van, so I could see what I was
wearing.  On the other hand, darkness had its benefits...

***
08:34 23 Feb

     The phone woke me up, and I scrambled for it stupidly.
"Nnnhhullo?" I finally said.
     "Val?"  It was Kim.  "Get up and get ready.  We'll be there about
nine thirty, okay?"
     "Nuh?"  I moved the phone away and cleared my throat.  "What?  In..
an hour?"
     "Yeah!  Come on, it'll be fun!"
     "Uh, right, right."  I tried to sound enthusiastic.  "Okay, I'll be
ready in an hour."

***
09:16 23 Feb

     "Again?!"  Brian sounded scandalized.
     "Well, dude, I just guess you'll have to wait a few years before
you can go out with this many girls at one time."  It took a real effort
to say that with a straight face.  In fact, the only way I could do it
was to remember just WHY they kept wanting me to go out with them.
Which was the reason I'd shaved my legs and pits again this morning.

***
09:28 23 Feb

     They were early.  Brian just glared at me as I went to the door.

***
09:34 23 Feb

     "So what'm I wearing today?"  Debbie started pulling stuff out of a
bag.  "I get to wear flats with this, right?"

***
09:40 23 Feb

     I could live with this, I decided.  A denim skirt and white blouse
under a familiar looking oatmeal-colored sweater, with appropriate
underwear and slips and so forth.  This was actually warmer than what I
had been wearing.  Not that I'd bothered to wear much anyway.

***
09:43 23 Feb

     "Close your eyes, hon," Debbie said as she pulled the eyeliner out.
"So where are we going again?"
     I could just see Jill and Kim grinning at each other before I
closed my eyes.  Jill said, "Oh, it's this little cafe kind of
place...."

***
10:04 23 Feb

     "Oh my God," Debbie moaned softly.  I wondered if it was the same
two guys sucking face that had been here... oh, God, was it only last
week?
     "Oh, that's nothing," Kim giggled.  "Wait 'til you see what they'll
do for a tip!"
     For once, Debbie looked like she was about to completely freak.  I
was torn between telling her that this was as bad as it got, and letting
her freak for a while in revenge.  Then I remembered last night.  I felt
I sort of owed her for listening last night.  I mean, she COULD have
gotten pigheaded...
     "Debbie," I leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Kim's lying,
nothing worse than this happened last time, so don't worry about it,
okay?"
     Kim and Jill made pouting noises, but Debbie looked at me really
hard, then sort of collapsed in relief.

***
10:09 23 Feb

     "Oh, hey girls!" said Dan the waiter.  "Brought a fourth today.
Are you going golfing?"
     "Bowling," Jill said like she was serious.  Dan laughed, and asked
if we wanted anything to drink.

***
10:14 23 Feb

     "Yeah, okay," Debbie admitted.  "This place is alright."
     "Wait 'til you taste the croissants," Kim giggled.

***
10:16 23 Feb

     "I just don't understand, I mean, what did you think you were
doing?"
     I glared at her.  "What everyone was telling me to do!  And I
didn't hear you protesting too much when he kissed you, either."  I
tried to keep my voice reasonable, since I didn't want a repeat of last
night in the van.
     "That was different!" she protested.
     Kim came to my defense.  "No, it wasn't, not really.  The only
difference was, she," Kim pointed at me, "was there all night.  And that
was the worst trouble she got into.  We kept an eye on her like you
said."
     "And I'M not jealous about him kissing YOU," I barely didn't lie.
     Debbie took a deep breath.  "Okay," she surrendered.

***
10:21 23 Feb

     "Oh," mentioned Kim, "I talked to Ellen the other day, they let me
go up to see her."
     "How's she doing?" Debbie and I both asked at the same time.
     Kim sighed, and picked at her croissant.  "Mental wards are no fun,
but she's doing okay.  She said that they'll probably let her go back
home around spring break."
     We all sighed, and got quiet for a while, until Jill started to
snicker.  "Frank's face, when they locked the handcuffs on him at the
park," she explained.  That was probably right before he was stripped
naked, beaten with a stick, and had red paint poured over him.  Not that
I knew anything about what happened to him.  Heh.

***
10:26 23 Feb

     "So then he said-"
     I wished they could get together without all the gossip.  I mean,
couldn't this have waited?

***
10:28 23 Feb

     So then I said..."  Jill trailed off as she tracked something.
Debbie and I twisted around to see what she was looking at.
     Someone had come in and was being led to a table.  I say someone
because I sure as hell couldn't figure out if it was a guy or a girl.
It had long hair, and looked _almost_ like a girl, but there was
something... off.  And something about the way it moved was off too.
     "WHAT, is that?" Kim asked quietly, as we watched the person sit
down at another booth, and seriously kiss the guy that was in it.  And
kiss, and kiss...
     "I dunno, but I think it's seriously in luuuuuuv," Jill giggled.
     I snorted, but when I turned back, Debbie was giving me this weird
look.  Again.  "What?"  She shook her head.  Jill gave Debbie a look
which I didn't understand, either.  "What?!"

***
10:38 23 Feb

     "You bought a tape?"
     "Debbie, they DID get us in for free, remember?  And the music
wasn't half bad... better than the canned stuff you get on the radio or
VH1 or whatever.  And it was only five bucks."
     Kim commented, "Five- whoa."  She peered out the booth at something
past us.  "I think it's going to the ladies' room."  I fought the urge
to look behind me, until Debbie just stuck her head up and watched.  I
just caught a glimpse of a foot.  As we all sat back, Kim commented,
"Well, that's solved."
     Jill just shook her head, smiling.  "That doesn't solve anything."
     She pointed at me.  I complained, "Hey, cut that out!"

***
10:47 23 Feb

     I yawned.  "God, this is too much," I said.  "Going out three times
in two days?"
     Debbie just shook her head, like the other two.  "Don't you ever go
out and have fun?"
     "Only when I have to," I joked.  Debbie rolled her eyes at me.

***
11:04 23 Feb

     I stared into my fast-shrinking cash, and sighed.  "Debbie?  You
got any more makeup things this week?"
     "Leech.  Next week, but I'm not sure you'd want to go to it."
     "I don't have a choice," I complained.  "I don't have any money,
and you guys keep me spending it like there's no tomorrow."
     "Plus," added Jill, "there's some kind of hardware you want to
get."  She stared at me.  "Isn't there?"
     There was, but I wasn't going to admit it, not now.  "No!"
     "Liar!" they all chorused.

***
11:38 23 Feb

     I made sure I got my own underwear back this time.

***
11:44 23 Feb

     "Debbie?" I asked, as she turned towards the door.
     "What?"
     "Can we, you and me, do something soon?"
     She looked at the other two, who rolled their eyes, and gave me
another hug and left.
     "Soon.  Maybe Tuesday?" she sort of asked.
     "Anything.  I-"  I looked around for Brian.  He was around
somewhere.  He always was.  I guess he was trying to pick up pointers or
something.  "I'd like it to be just you and me, once.  Everyone else is
tiring me out."
     She gave me a half-grin, and a real kiss.  "Sure, hon, we'll go out
to dinner or something Tuesday, okay?"  I nodded.  "I gotta go, okay?"
     "Be careful, Debs."  We squeezed hands, and I decided to walk her
out to the car.

***
13:52 23 Feb

     Someone rang the bell on my room.  I pulled the headphones off and
went to go see who it was.  It was Kim.
     "Kim, what are you doing here?" I asked when I opened the door.
     She grinned at me.  "Aren't you going to come play today?"
     "What?"
     "The adventure?"  She was giving me a boy-are-you-dumb look.
     "Oh, shit, I forgot!"  I dashed for my backpack.  "Can you give me
a ride?" I asked frantically.  I WAS dumb.
     "Well, d'uh, why do you think I'm here?"

***
14:02 23 Feb

     "So how was your weekend?" Mike asked.  I knew what he meant.  And
I hated to admit it.
     "You were right, you jerk."
     "I knew it," he nodded.
     "On the other hand," I told him, "it was tons of fun.  And we ran
into Rachel again."
     He shook his head.  "I'm beginning to worry about you, Tucker."
     I shrugged.  "What else can I do?  If She's not getting ideas, the
rest of them are."
     "Like what?" asked Kathy, who I'd forgotten was there.
     I looked at her.
     She looked at me.
     We both started to laugh.
     "What?" asked Mike irritably.

***
22:09 23 Feb

     I rubbed my eyes in an attempt to get them to refocus.  *I never
thought that MY social life would kill me.  Except by boring me to
death.  Maybe I could drop out of school...*

***
08:02 24 Feb

     The speakers played Yes's "Saving My Heart."  When Mike looked at
me, and waggled his eyebrows, I knew that it was indeed a sign from
Debbie.

***
11:35 24 Feb

     I was laughing at something Kathy had said, when I saw Mike coming
towards me, looking like he had a concussion.  "Oh, shit," I mumbled as
I scrambled to my feet.
     "Whatsup?" one of the girls asked.
     I turned back for a second.  "That bitch Tina dumped him.  That's
what I looked like when she did it to me."  I turned back around, and
started towards him.  No, he looked worse.
     He didn't focus on me until I was maybe two feet away, which is not
a good sign in a geek - we're prey too often to be that out of it.
"Mike?" I asked, just to make sure.
     He stared at me for a moment, then mumbled, "That bitch..." like he
couldn't believe he was even saying it.

***
12:03 24 Feb

     She'd done him hard, and he was a wreck.  Even the Pack was sort of
sympathetic.  George and Dan had both wandered up, I dunno why, except
maybe karma.  "Hate chant," said Dan, and I agreed with him.  Except I
had to explain it to the Pack first.
     "If you think Mike's right, and she's a bitch for doing it, then
you gotta join us."
     "And do what?" Jill asked.
     "You just start drumming on things, and just start..." I scratched
my head.  It was hard to explain, and mostly improvised anyway.
     "Just watch," said George, and he started pounding both fists on
the table, slow and rhythmic.  Me and Dan joined in, but it took Mike a
minute to catch on.  People were starting to look over at us, but that
was part of the point.
     "Tina, Tina, Tina, Tina, Tina," George started chanting, real low
at first, but in a minute we were all screaming it.  Suddenly there was
another pair of fists banging on the table, and then another.  I
recognized the bracelets on one wrist as belonging to Kim.
     "TINA!  TINA!  TINA!  TINA!"  The girls added a certain unique
counterpoint to the chant, I noted in the back of my head.  I saw
another pair of fists, this one black, and glanced up to see Book-Man,
one of our computer associates, joining in.  Then past him, I saw Kevin
Massey pounding on another table entirely.  She'd dumped his ass too, a
while ago.  And one of Kevin's friends.  This was getting big.  Way big.
     "HATE HER!" I started the counter-chant, in time with the pounding.
"HATE HER HATE HER HATE HER..."

***

"Adult language: responsibility, personal accountability, honesty..."

TS Tip #15: You're not as good as you think you are.


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


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