by Livvy Aarons
“Julie stop pulling on that door before you tear a muscle or something. It doesn’t work and you have to climb through from the driver’s side.”
She shrugged then whimsically skipped to the driver’s side to climb in. “You know with some upgrades this car could be pretty awesome.”
“I agree. With enough money I could turn this ugly ducking into a beautiful swan. But I have no supply of cash right now and I was lucky that my father even gave me this thing. Does my car not meet your standards in travel?” I was curious to hear her answer since Julie did not strike me as a snob.
“There’s nothing wrong with your car, McKenna. My parents are research scientists they barely have enough money to feed themselves. My uncle spoils me since he has no kids and bought me a Beetle.”
Prefect, I thought to myself; Miss Sunshine drove the happy car. I am sure that it was yellow and probably even had a white daisy in the vase beside the steering wheel.
“No, my car is blue and I have a rose in the vase.” Julie said quietly. I pursed my lips trying not to think of anything else, considering Julie was always listening. “Would you like me to stop McKenna?”
I glanced over and saw her slouched in her seat, looking like a kicked dog. Guilt crashed down and settled into my stomach. “Nah, it is okay. I am just not used to the whole mind reading thing. Just ignore me the best you can.” Julie chattered the rest of the way to my house and it finally occurred to me why she talks so much; to drown out the rest of us.
Once I parked and helped Julie out the car, I dug around in my backpack for my house key. Ben started riding the school bus since I dropped him off on the very first day and never got home before three thirty. I fumbled around in my bag searching for my key and came up empty-handed. The blasted thing is probably in yesterday’s pants or on the kitchen table. As luck would have it, I had a diverse amount of skills when it came to breaking and entering. Julie watched me with curious eyes as I effortlessly picked the lock on the back door. If my father had not insisted on changing the locks when we moved in, a simple credit card would have jimmied the door open.
Sitting my bag down on the table, I noticed Julie was taking in her surroundings, cataloging every detail. “You okay there Julie, do you want a snack or something?”
“Yeah, I just cannot believe that you live here. It would give me the heebie jeebies.” Julie shivered lightly.
“What are you talking about?”
“Well, I guess if you were selling a house you wouldn’t want potential buyers to know why you’re selling the house to begin with or no one would buy it. Huh, oh well-- I am kind of hungry. What do you have?”
I stomped over to the pantry and snatched a box of cheese its. “Here,” I said lightly tossing the box to Julie. “Now talk; tell me what happened here.”
“You don’t have to be so bossy about it. All you have to do is ask.”
“Well you could have read my mind to know that I wanted to ask. So can you please tell me what’s with ‘heebie jeebies’ about the house?”
Julie began to nibble on the cheese crackers, reluctant to share her knowledge; maybe I could persuade her. “If you tell me then I will let you pick anything in my closet for me to wear.”
Julie gave me a wicked grin, “That’s a deal.” Something told that I was going to regret bargaining with her. “It is not that horrible but the last guy who lived here died in the living room. Heart failure I think or maybe it was a stroke. I am not sure on the cause of death. I do know that he was the previous plant manager. I mean it’s a bit ironic that your dad is the new one but Scott was old, like in his sixties and he worked all the time.”
I bit my lower lip trying not to let my worry sweep through, which was sort of pointless with Julie around. “What time are we going to your uncle’s place?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Seven ish—God knows we need plenty of time to turn you into eye candy.” Julie winked playfully. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed two cokes from the fridge then lead the way to my room.
Two hours later Julie had separated my closet in three piles; the “no” pile, the “what were you thinking pile” and the “McKenna needs to get over the black” pile. She was beyond frustrated, “Is this all the clothes you have?”
“Maybe if you told me what you were looking for I could tell you if I had anything remotely close to it.”
Julie did not respond, instead she put her hands on her hips looking around my sparsely furnished room. With a heavy sigh she went back to my closet. I heard a few boxes get tossed around then suddenly she squealed, “Perfect!” This was not good; Julie was dragging a box out of my closet with the biggest grin planted firmly on her face. “Just remember McKenna you promised me anything.”
Sweet Jesus what have I done.
After forty five minutes of arguing and another thirty minutes of whining here I stood once again in front of my mirror dreading the wrath of judging eyes. Julie had found a box of my Halloween costumes from previous years and pieced together something my father would not approve of. It’s a shame that he has morals.
She picked a red, low-cut top from a devil costume I wore three years ago and an old plaid skirt that was a part of my former school uniform. Julie did not find the skirt to be short enough so she hemmed it herself. I was impressed how quick she could sew. To top of my slut of the year costume she picked a pair of black lace up thigh highs and a pair of black platform heels that wore last year for my gothic girl costume. I had hoped that Julie would be satisfied with the get up but no she continued curl my hair, making it look exactly like I had just woke up in the morning. Let’s not forget the torturous session of makeup and tweezing. Bless Julie for trying to help but is this what guys want? A slutty, school girl with bed head.
Julie popped up behind me, “Yes it is. Relax I spend all day listening to the guys at school making comments or having fantasies about girls. Trust me Aidan is going to be speechless.” Easy for her to say, she did not look like a Britney Spears impersonator. She found an old cowgirl costume that I hadn’t wore since I was twelve. She was tiny so it fit her perfectly. Before we left I threw on a pair of baggy jeans and t-shirt to cover my ensemble. I had to ask my father for money and he would never let me leave dressed like this. He did not care about the hair or makeup but showing my goods was another story. Julie slipped out the back door, so that no one would see her. My father would be very suspicious if she was dressed up and I wasn’t. When I got downstairs I found my father half asleep in his recliner, flipping through the channels on the T.V. Ben had has comic books sprawled out on the floor. I tried to keep my distance so he would not want to hug me, “Dad?”
My father still stared at the T.V, “Yeah sweetie.”
“I am going out with a girl from school to listen to a band in town. Do you think I could have some money?”
My father reached for his wallet then handed me forty dollars. “I am giving you some money but I want the grass cut tomorrow, got it.”
“Yes sir.” Sure I was eighteen, an adult in the law’s eyes. In my father’s eyes I was living in his house so his rules.
Suspicious my father raised an eyebrow, “You going out looking like that?”
Crap. “Um--yeah, what’s wrong with this?”
“Absolutely nothing honey; have a good time and be home at a reasonable time. I have to be back at work in a couple of hours; we have a few supervisors out sick. I don’t want to leave Ben alone for long.”
I flickered my eyes to Ben who was engulfed in his comics, “Sure thing.” I nearly ran to the door when my father went back to flipping the channels. My father was not stupid if he continued to ask questions he would see through my act. I did feel sorry for my father working so much. The previous manager Scott probably worked too much; look what happened to him. I shrugged the thought out of my mind and concentrated on the problem at hand. I did wish I had grabbed a jacket; the mountainous air seemed to carry a chill when nightfall came. Julie would probably tell me to su
ck it up.
I gave the driver’s side door a hard slam, knocking the lip gloss wand from Julie’s hand. “So did you use the door or window?”
Julie could see that I was poking fun at her. “The window was just loads of fun. I felt like Bo Duke right out of the movies. However I do suggest that we swing by the school to take my car out to my uncle’s bar.”
I was going to ask why but I realized that indeed both of us were wearing skirts.
“See what I mean, not a good idea.” Julie snickered at my mental pictures of her climbing out of the car and knocking me down in process.
Yeah…so not a good idea.
Julie had forgotten to text her uncle about picking up her car at school so we just left my car there. I was really glad that it was dark outside; this was purely shameful.
“Just get in the damn car” Julie scowled.
I was surprised with how much I like her little bug; it was wickedly fast.
“It’s a turbo. And I forgive you for making snide comments on your outfit.”
“Forgive me? I thought you were going to stop reading my mind. Therefore you should apologize.” I folded my arms tight against my chest.
“You are right McKenna; I am sorry. You are only person who understands my ability. It is hard not to be myself around you.”
I loosened my grip, realizing that we really did understand each other. Silently I gave Julie my white flag then said, “Just don’t blame me if you don’t like what you hear.” Out of the corner of my eye I saw Julie smile her bouncy smile.
After a short drive we arrived at a tiny building that was lit up with lights that reminded me of a biker bar that I had visited in Savannah. Julie parked in a small lot behind the building rather than in the oversized lot beside the bar. The main lot was packed with cars and people, and when my eyes fell upon the devil herself; I thought I was going to ruin Julie’s carpet. Tiffany was here in all her grandeur, looking like she was willing to fight for what she wanted. I knew she would win. I was Skipper and she was Barbie; hands down she was way better at this than me.
“McKenna you are much more beautiful than Tiffany will ever be. You have more to offer the world than you let people see. Tiffany is as self-conscience as the next girl; she is just a better actress. It is all about your mindset. Most girls like Tiffany lie to their self’s everyday thinking that everyone either wants them or wants to be like them. She has no real power over you, only the power you give her.”
“So I should psych myself up in mind thinking that everyone wants me?” I arched an eyebrow at Julie’s theory.
“Exactly; the whole dressing up thing is simply because the whole town is boarding puritan levels and we all know what happens when you let a starving dog off its leash to eat. We just go a little overboard.”
I scanned the parking lot and she was right; most of the girls were dressed scantily.
“Can we go in now, before people think we are making out back here?” I gave Julie a nod and a silent “Thanks.”
Climbing out of the car, the cool air made me shiver. Julie tossed me a black pea coat, “You can borrow it until we get inside.” Quickly, I pulled on the coat that was longer than my skirt and looped the sash. The length was disturbing but at least the girls were covered.
We walked by Tiffany and her drones; nearly gagging at the stench of cigarettes and too much perfume. How could Aidan stand kissing an ashtray or want to wake up to the sounds of Tiffany hacking up her lungs. Excuse me Aidan while I cough out shreds my lungs but we can cuddle afterwards. Julie’s giggling broke my imaginative rants, “Good one.”
The line for the door wasn’t very long and I had almost forgotten that my real danger was dressed in black, looking delicious. “O’ crap Tristan is here”
“Yeah, he is the band’s manager or something. This is a public place, I doubt that he is going to try anything.”
God I hope you are right. I tried to avoid eye contact with Tristan but it was too late.
“Well Ms. Cole, I was unaware that you could be sociable.” The low seductive tone in Tristan’s voice was tantalizing. He was not going to fight fair, bringing out his big guns early. I had to stand my ground. Remembering what Julie had said I shucked off the coat to bring out my guns, despite their size. “Julie told me that the band was quite good.” I tried to speak with body language that screamed “you want me.” Tristan unfortunately was better at this than me.
He leaned down and whispered, “Don’t worry peaches I’ll be gentle.”
I froze, my face burning bright red. Julie snatched the stamp from Tristan then shoved me in the door. No doubt he was having a good laugh at my expense. I was grateful Julie found us a table near the stage but far enough out sight to my liking. I chewed on my nails nervous that any minute Aidan would come onto the stage and see me in the crowd—or worse not see me.
“Stop it. We talked about this. Remember you are a wanted object and if Aidan doesn’t respond; Tristan would gladly take his place.” Julie fluttered her eyes towards the bar. Tristan was staring straight at me with nothing but pure carnal lust in his eyes, leaning against a stool at the bar’s countertop. I had to give it to him; the man was seduction in male form. The gray fabric in his shirt looked like it was going to rip at the seams if he breathed to hard and those jeans…
“I am going to get us some drinks before the band starts.”
Julie was gone in a flash. Oops, I forgot she was there.
Shortly she returned with a note in her hand but no drinks. “Tristan wanted me to give you this. I think you should burn it."
Love the skirt and the lace undies. You should be more carefully when you sit down or someone could get an eyeful. I requested a song for you, Peaches.
A wave of humiliation flooded my cheeks as I read the note. Tristan was nothing but trouble and I seemed to have raised the gauntlet on his war. I sank in my chair and buried my hand over my face.
The sound of two glasses hitting the table that broke my sulking. A tall brunette woman with red shorts and black shirt had brought two fruit concoctions to our table. “Here you go honey, compliments of your uncle for you and your—friend.” The brunette was eyeing me wearily.
“Thanks Cheri. Tell him to come over when he can; I know he’s busy.” Julie said waving in the direction of the bar. A tallish, bald man smiled and gave a quick wave before going back to taking drink orders.
“Sure, hon.” Said Cheri then flittered over to another table.
Julie pushed a drink towards me, which looked yummy with its blue tint and pineapple chunks. Parched as I was I took a big pull from the straw. The moment I swallowed, I knew. “Julie these have alcohol in them.”
“Yeah, what’s your point? I would not have pegged you for a goodie two shoes given your past.” Julie took a quick sip before continuing, “My uncle lets a few slip as long as that person turns in their keys. He feels that teenagers are going to drink despite the location, at least here the cops can monitor who drives.”
I raised my eyebrows, “So how in the hell am I going to get home?”
“Aidan.”
Appalled by her answer, I did nothing but take another greedy pull of my drink. She was expecting something miraculous to happen and I had to have a victory or…walk home.
Suddenly the lights dimmed and Pete, Julie’s uncle, walked on stage. “Evening everyone, I would like to welcome you to my bar. I do hope everybody had a chance to put in their requests for the band to play; if not you can during the break and the band will play your request. Okay so let’s welcome to the stage Beaten Path!.” The crowded bar erupted in cheering as the band walked on stage. For the first time I saw Aidan’s smile, it was beautiful. He gave a quick nod to the drummer then the band began to play a Seether song, Driven Under. Julie was right the band was good and Aidan was born to be a rock star. His voice was utter perfection, a blend of Shaun Morgan (the lead singer of Seether) and Pete Loeffler (the lead singer of Chevelle); both were the kind that haunted your fantasies.
Listening to Aidan on the stage made me realizing that falling in love with him would be easy. I had to stop letting my fear hold me back and risk everything; including my life. If I was throwing caution to the wind, I was going to need more of these blue drinks, aka liquid courage.
* * * * *
The band was finishing with their first set and I was finishing my sixth drink, already feeling the tingle in my toes. Regardless of my condition, I was going to explain myself to Aidan. I gave my drink one last slurp before looking over at Julie.
She gave me a heavy sigh, “Maybe you have had enough; your thoughts are a bit erratic.”
“No, I am fine. If you want I will take a break.” I was hardly erratic as she said; more like fuzzy.
My head whipped around noticing the band was going to take their break. This was my chance to talk to Aidan during their break. I saw most of the band walk into a side room with Tristan; my surge of courage kicked in. Quickly I pulled myself together before heading to the dark room. Half way through the crowd, I turned around expecting Julie to be right behind me. Instead she was watching me from our table, smiling ear to ear. She gave me an encouraging nod sending me on my way.
The room was dark but I did manage to see two pool tables in the center and a few chairs scattered about. Three of guys in the band were playing pool on the back table; Aidan was not anywhere in sight. I needed to leave before anyone saw me. My hope vanished the moment I felt the hairs on my neck stand up.
“Leaving so soon beautiful?” Tristan whispered in my ear.
“I was just looking for someone.” I said as I turned back around.