Scarred for Life

by S. L. Kassidy

  ***

  Nicole decided to do just that, even though she really wanted to protest. It was just…well, it was delightful to have someone doing something for her for a change. She watched as Dane scrubbed the dishes and noticed Dane's left hand.

  The lawyer had seen the few scars marring Dane’s hand, both the top and the palm. She had also noticed that the hand trembled sometimes when grasping objects. What she was witnessing now was something more than just old wounds and a slight shake, though. Danny's face tensed into a look of extreme concentration as she gripped the dishes with her left hand. Once she had the dish, her face relaxed and after washing the plate she shifted it to her right hand to place it in the dish rack, even though the rack was on the left side.

  Nicole's mouth opened to ask about Danny's left hand, but dodged a bullet by managing to get her mouth to say something different at the last moment. "I think I'll get going. Do you need anything while I'm out?"

  "No thanks. I should be fine today," Dane answered, finishing up the last dish. "I'm going to be fine, Nick. Go take care of the evildoings of your corporate masters."

  Nicole visibly flinched. One grey eye closed as if in anticipation for the verbal incursion that she assumed was coming. Nicole took a deep breath and chuckled. "You think you're so clever, don't you, pup?"

  "Hey, it's Great Dane," the taller woman playfully huffed. "Oh, wait, before you go, I was wondering how Dipshit took it when you threw all of his shit at him?"

  Nicole's mouth dropped open. "I completely forgot to give him his stuff. The boxes are still sitting by the door where we left them when we packed."

  "Oh, I'll help you put them in the car, so you can take the boxes to the little dipshit."

  "You don't have to," the redhead argued, putting a hand up to halt her Danny.

  "I know I don't have to," Dane stated, walking off toward the door.

  Nicole quickly followed and fell in step with Dane. There were two boxes and a suitcase waiting by the door. Danny grabbed the smaller box as she opened the front door. Nicole snatched her keys off the table by the stairs and hit the button on the key that popped the trunk of her car. On her way out of the door, she grabbed the other box and carried it out to the car as Danny went back for the suitcase. They deposited Tyler’s stuff in the trunk.

  "Thank you so much, Danny." Nicole smiled.

  "Don't mention it. It's the least I can do. You're going to need strength for when you get to work and deal with Tyler."

  Nicole groaned. "Don't remind me."

  "Just don't take any of his shit, Nick," Dane said in a stern voice. She received a nod and a smile.

  ***

  Nicole marched into the firm like she owned the place. Her stride was powerful, majestic, like a tiger surveying her domain. Coworkers watched her move, probably wondering what had gotten into her. She never entered the office with such command and presence. She made a beeline to Tyler's office, but spotted him in the lounge making coffee. She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder.

  "What the fuck —" Tyler exclaimed before he saw who had interrupted his other conversation. A huge, confident smile overtook his round face. "Hey, babe—"

  "I'm not your fucking babe," Nicole snarled. "Your shit is outside on the curb. I'd get to it quick before the garbage men pick it up. Next time you invite your cousin to stay somewhere, try taking her with you when you leave." Nicole marched to her office, a smile tugging at her lips and her insides doing a happy dance. It was going to be a good day for her…meaning it would be a tough day for anyone up against her.

  On her way to her office, she noticed Mina, who watched the scene. Mina nodded and smiled proudly to the redhead. Nicole couldn't help smiling back. That smile stayed in place for the whole day.

  CHAPTER 5

  Nicole returned home from work with a smile on her face, despite the fact that it had been a long day. Tyler bugged her after retrieving his possessions from the street and circled her like a buzzard, demanding to know why the hell she was acting the way that she was. She ignored him, feeling gratified that he was so irritated by her behavior. He gave up after a morning of being treated like he didn't exist. Sure, ignoring him took much longer for him to disappear than yelling at him, but the frustration that had been mounting in his eyes had made it all worth it.

  Mina had dragged her out to lunch along with Clara to congratulate her for standing up for herself. Her obsidian haired friend had even worked hard to make sure the lunch stayed a celebration rather than turning into a lecture on relationships and her personality in general. It was refreshing and helped the second half of the day along. Before the lunch was over, Nicole decided to renew her vow to stop dating until she could get out of the habit of turning potential mates into improvement projects.

  On her way to the front door, she had to dodge Dane's bike. The rusted bicycle was lying haphazardly on the steps, much like it had been that morning. She wasn't sure if it meant that Danny had stayed in the house all day or if she just liked dumping her bike on the wooden stairs. Well, if the bike was there, then Danny was probably there. The thought made Nicole bounce with excitement; she couldn't wait to tell Danny how she handled Tyler.

  "Danny? Danny, are you still here?"

  Not getting an answer, Nicole wasn't sure what to think. A long sigh escaped her, along with the thrill of her victory over Tyler. She changed into some house clothes, a plain white tank top and lilac sweatpants, and sought out a snack. Cookies sounded very pleasing to her stomach.

  Cookies flew out of her mind as she entered the living room. She gasped, finding the living room occupied by Dane. She was sitting on the sofa, her head swaying and her ears covered with huge headphones. Her eyes were closed and she was holding a cup of instant noodles in her hand. Nicole guessed the music was so boisterous that the younger woman didn't realize she wasn't alone in the house anymore. Drawing closer, she saw Dane certainly was off in another world, especially when the head nodding turned into head banging. Nicole yelped in surprise, jumping back to avoid getting head-butted.

  "Well, I can guess what type of music she likes," Nicole giggled. She carefully reached out and tapped Dane on the shoulder, not wanting to get any closer in case the younger woman's movements got any wilder.

  Grey eyes slowly opened, as if Dane wasn't shocked by the presence so close to her. She smiled slightly Nicole and eased her headphones off her head. Nicole could now clearly hear the raucous metal music and she wondered how the younger woman wasn't deaf from listening to it. She couldn't understand why anyone would listen to all of that screaming in the first place.

  "Hey, I didn't hear you come in," Dane said.

  "I'm surprised you can hear anything at all," Nicole remarked, motioning to the headphones.

  "Huh?" Dane's face scrunched up momentarily and then it dawned on her how blaring the music was. "Oh, I listen to it like that all the time. I'll probably be deaf if I make it to old age." She had the nerve to smile.

  "You shouldn't say stuff like that, but then again, you shouldn't listen to your music that loud, either. How has your day been?" She took a seat on the couch, careful of Dane in case the younger woman valued her space.

  Dane's eyes went blank briefly, as if she didn't understand the question. "…Uh…it was okay. I went and bought some instant noodles," she replied, shaking the empty cup in her hand.

  Nicole took a moment to absorb Dane's attire more than what was in her hand. "I hope you went out in more than those basketball shorts."

  The ebony-haired woman was sporting a pair of shorts that went to her knees, showing off her powerful, but scarred legs. Nicole briefly admired the limbs, seeing signs that Dane was athletic or at least used to be. Aside from the marks marring them, they appeared smooth and firm.

  "I did, but it wasn't that bad. Got a bunch of good noodles out of the deal," the younger female stated, shaking her cup again.

  Nicole glanced down at the cup. "You didn't have to do that. There's plenty to eat in the kitch
en."

  "I know, but I wasn't totally sure how you would feel about that."

  "Danny, please, feel free to eat whatever you want in the house. Just tell me if you eat all the cookies," Nicole informed her with a soft, teasing smile.

  Dane chuckled. "Gotcha. Promise not to eat your cookies. As far as the other food, it's fine. I like instant noodles."

  "Funny, you don't look old enough to be a college student, yet I can tell your diet is just like one."

  "Hey, you look just like a five-year-old and your diet seems to be just like one," Dane countered, earning a giggle from her hostess.

  "Touché," Nicole said before focusing ahead of her. "Do you mind if I turn on the TV?"

  "No, and I also promise not to turn from whatever you turn to. I can always return to my music if I don't like the show."

  The lawyer reached for the remote and quickly found a quiz show that had already began. The duo sat there mutely and at first Nicole didn't think that Dane was paying the show any mind, even though she hadn't put her headphones back on. And then there was a question about the origin of jazz.

  "New Orleans, you idiot," Dane hissed in annoyance when the contestants took too long to answer.

  Green eyes glanced over at the young woman, but she didn't say anything. She took Dane's frustrated muttering as an opening to answer the questions out loud herself. Danny didn't seem to mind when Nicole blurted out the next answer, responding correctly. Danny cast her a lingering look and a half smile and Nicole intuitively understood that they were now in a competition. They both began blurting out answers. Nicole giggled when either of them got a wrong answer while Dane shook her head.

  "Now, how the hell did you know that last one was China?" Dane inquired in disbelief, a very small smile tugging at her lips. "You gotta be cheating somehow. You looking the answers up on your phone when I'm not looking?"

  Nicole laughed, not expecting that lighthearted accusation. "Not looking? You haven't stopped looking at me since I answered that question about classical music faster than you did."

  "Because that's when I figured you had to be cheating somehow."

  Nicole rolled her eyes. "Please, if that's the case, you have to be cheating somehow, too. I mean, the way you answered that trig question when I know they haven't covered that in fifth grade yet."

  The younger woman snickered, even though it seemed like she attempted to hold it in. "You've got nerve. You only just got out of first grade yourself."

  "That still doesn't explain how you knew a trig question off the top of your head."

  "Same way you knew that classical music question from the top of your head. I mean, of all the obscure musical pieces on the face of this Earth, you knew it? Cheater!"

  "If that's the case and you truly believe that I cheated, then you just confessed to cheating as you claim to have known your answer the same way that I knew mine."

  "Hey, don't try any of your fancy lawyer mind tricks on me."

  The discussion was halted as they heard the next question on the show and automatically called out the answer. A silent truce began since they both got that one right. The argument flared up again the moment one of them answered a question with a little known fact.

  "So, I won," Dane declared once the show was over.

  Nicole arched an eyebrow. "And just how do you figure that, young pup?"

  Dane snorted. "I answered more questions than you, didn't I?"

  "I wasn't keeping count and I highly doubt that you were."

  "Nah, I won. So, how does it feel to be a woman with a college degree and be beaten in trivia by a woman that barely has a high school diploma?" Dane inquired with a teasing smirk.

  "If that is the case, then I demand a rematch," Nicole proclaimed, not even bothering with the fact that her guest had just admitted to only having a high school diploma. She didn't care about that. All she cared about was that it was fun to call out answers to the television with someone sitting beside her.

  ***

  Dane shrugged. "Fine, I'll just whip you again, then," she stated smugly.

  The lawyer leveled Dane a challenging glare and swiftly located another show for them to watch. Neither of them said it, but it was clear that they were having plenty of fun. They argued even more during that contest, but couldn't hold in their laughter as they tried to appear serious. At one point, Dane wasn't sure what came over her, but she pretended to lunge at her hostess as Nicole chirped out several correct answers – all about classical music – before she did. Nicole noticed and giggled, giving Dane enough time to start running off answers about geography. Nicole arched an eyebrow to the younger woman's world knowledge.

  "Never realized I knew all of this useless junk. I've never bothered with trivia games before," the younger woman said. I can't believe how much fun that was. Is it because of Nick?

  "I never knew having someone around would make this almost a contact sport," Nicole added with a playful grin.

  "Hey, you were going to jump me first, so I was just getting ready for a preemptive strike," the taller female joked.

  "Oh, so you were acting in self defense?"

  "Of course, your honor." Dane smirked.

  "How witty. It's getting late, so I'm going to start dinner. What do you want?"

  "I was just going to eat another cup of noodles. They were on sale two for a dollar, so I bought fourteen of 'em." Dane had wondered earlier in the day if Nicole was the type that would catalog everything and maybe label items. Even though she was sure Nicole wasn't like that, just in case, she bought herself some food.

  "I'll not let you sit here and gorge yourself on those strips of cardboard in rain water while I have a proper dinner," Nicole said, sounding very close to insulted and also scolding. It was an odd mix that caused her guest to pause for a long moment.

  "I don't mind…." Dane hoped that was the appropriate answer. The spark in those jade eyes told her that was the wrong thing to say.

  Nicole's nostrils flared. "I'm sure you don't mind, but I do. I didn't invite you here to rub my things in your face. I invited you here to share what I have with you. Now, you'll eat this dinner and like it," she ordered.

  Squirming in her seat, Dane let Nicole's tone sink in. The finality in Nicole's voice struck a chord inside of her that told her to not argue if she knew what was good for her. Usually, such a tone would have caused her to challenge the authority, but the glint in those eyes cooled her instincts, reminding her that Nicole was just being amiable, not autocratic.

  "Can I at least help make it? I don't want you to have to wait on me hand and foot or anything like that. I can pull my weight," Dane replied.

  "Danny, it's not about pulling your weight, but if it'll make you feel better, yes, you may help."

  Sensing there was no arguing there, Dane accepted that offer. The pair retreated to the kitchen to make dinner. Nicole took the main dish—turkey wings. Dane handled making rice and peas. They weighed their opinions on vegetables, but eventually settled on having spinach. While going through the motions of making dinner, they discussed other meals they knew how to prepare.

  "I don't cook as much as I thought I did," Dane realized as she ran out of items to add to their conversation. Although she knew how to cook, she never really did it. For some reason, she just wanted to keep up with Nicole and continue talking, so she started going through things that she could make, but never tried.

  "If the instant noodles are any indication, I get the feeling you'd rather have a quick meal than cook," Nicole commented.

  "Yeah, that's true. But, I like instant noodles a lot. I've seen a lot of good meals cooked. I guess I'm gonna have to talk about what I've witnessed rather than what I've done, but that's just as good. I know how to make all of those, too."

  "Who taught you how to cook?"

  Dane paused momentarily and shrugged. "A babysitter from a long time ago," she answered. There was a hint of sorrow in her voice that betrayed her emotions to her hostess, but Nicole didn't ask th
e story behind the emotions. Dane wasn't sure if she would've shared or not; in the past, she knew she wouldn't have, but Nicole was different.

  "By 'a long time ago' do you mean last week? Is this the person that put you on the back of the milk carton?" Nicole joked. Dane was grateful for the playful change, not ready for such a serious discussion.

  Dane chuckled. "He's also the same person I'll get to spank you if you keep going on about my age when you don't look but ten your damn self."

  "Still older than your five."

  As a retort, Dane did something that she hadn't done in years; she stuck her tongue out at Nicole. The redhead laughed loudly at the callow move and wasted no time in pointing out that the act merely proved her point. After that, they took a break from taunting one another to set the small table in the kitchen. Plates were made and they sat down to eat before the comfortable quiet was broken.

  "So, how did things go with Dipshit today?" Dane asked. "He didn't make your life hell, did he?"

  Nicole grinned. "For once, I was victorious when dealing with him. I left all of his stuff outside on the curb, like you said. Then I ignored him for the whole day, which drove him nuts. It was difficult because he's such an idiot, but it was worth it. I swear it looked like he was going to explode by the end of the day." She giggled.

  "I bet he looked like steam was going to come out of his big head. He used to look like that when I would pop him in the eye when we were little."

  "Was he a jerk even then?"

  "My family's full of them. Hey, for all you know, I could be one of them."

  Nicole shook her head, disagreeing even though she didn't have much evidence to back her up. "I suppose you could, but I don't get the same vibe from you that I got from Tyler. I'm pretty good at reading people and feeling them out. Unfortunately, in my everyday life, I have the bad habit of ignoring those feelings. My friend Mina is a good judge of character, too. It drives her crazy that I ignore my instincts so much and always give everyone a chance. But, I don't have to ignore it with you because I'm not getting any bad feelings at all."