A LIL' LESS BROKEN

by Tara Oakes

"He seems nice enough I guess. Say... why do they call him blue? He's got brown eyes." Sunny's hysterics returned and she needed to gasp several times before she could muster up a response.

  "Well... I heard he gets off on girls giving him blue balls.. some twisted sadistic shit." I stared straight ahead, stunned at Sunny's explanation. All righty then.... I doubted I would ever be able to look at Blue the same again. I joined Sunny in her laughing and we headed north out of town.

  *******

  Chisolm wasn't much of a town compared to most and it didn't take us long at all to leave its borders behind. I took the main interstate that would lead us directly into River Rapids. My apartment building wasn't far from campus, with most of its tenants being students like myself. It was no Taj Mahal but it was clean and it was cheap. It came fully furnished, and the Super was always pretty good about fixing and repairing things. I had about seven months left on my yearly lease, and was praying that the landlord would let me break it without too much hassle. He should have no problem finding another tenant, especially with the kids staying around to take summer classes and all.

  I had been able to save up a decent amount over the last two years. I received a scholarship for daughters of veterans, that covered all of my tuition and even some of my other expenses. I was damn lucky to find it too, otherwise I would be drowning in student loans like most of my friends would be one day. My paychecks and tips from tending bar at the brewery downtown covered my measly rent and car insurance. I had to cut some corners here and there but I lived pretty comfortably for a college junior.

  Knowing Jay as well as I did, I was fairly confident that he wouldn't take a penny from me no matter how hard I tried to pay my own way. If I took the thirty five hundred dollars out of my savings account to cover my lease I should still be left with around six hundred or so, and I could pick up a job in Chisholm to help me build up my cash reserves again. I should probably stop by the bank on my way into town to withdraw the cash before they closed. I had Sunny text Blue that we needed to stop at the Bank of America branch on Main street for a minute.

  Our little entourage pulled in the front lot of the bank, "Hang out here for a minute, I'll be right back." Sunny handed me my purse and I scooted out of the Truck. Blue lifted his sunglasses and gave me a quizzical look. I held out my hand to him gesturing 'one minute' and filed in to the brick building.

  I completed a deposit slip at the main counter for thirty seven hundred dollars to give myself just a little extra cash to tide me over for a while. Waiting on line, I fumbled through my bag for my wallet to prepare for the teller. My license wasn't in its usual slot. Hmmm. I searched every other built in pocket and noticed that my debit card was missing too. I hadn't had to use either since before the whole bachelorette party incident, and started to panic that they had been stolen or left behind, when I found a piece of folded paper.

  LIL'S- USE THE MONEY I GAVE YOU

  Fuck. That son of a bitch set me up. The next available teller was calling out to me. I gave him a shy look, called out "I'm sorry, I forgot something...", and I stormed out of the bank crumpling the withdrawal slip as I walked. Blue perked up at my hasty exit, and I called out to him. "If you talk to Jay before I do, you tell him what an asshole he is for me!" Blue held up his hands as if he had nothing to do with whatever I was upset about.

  I slammed the truck door behind me and threw my purse down next to me. "Everything alright, Lil's?" Sunny looked worried. I turned the engine on and bit on my lip.

  "Perfect. Everything's fucking perfect." It took us no more than ten minutes to reach my building. Parking in my usual spot proved tricky with an automobile triple the size of what usually parked there, but I managed. T.J. and Blue carried our bags up to my third floor apartment. They also carried their sleeping rolls.

  I set up Sunny in my bedroom with me. Blue and T.J. would have to crash in the living room. One lucky bastard would get the couch. I'll let them work that out between themselves. We all agreed on Italian for dinner and T.J. set out to pick up our phoned in order. Blue was a man of few words, but managed to discuss a plan of attack for packing up the apartment. With none of the furniture being mine, as the apartment came fully furnished, only my clothes, computer, TV, and cooking stuff would need to be packed. Sunny volunteered to pack up my personal stuff.

  T.J. returned with dinner, beer, cardboard boxes and packing tape allowing us to finally set down to eat, as he gave me an update on Tara. She was married to some electrician and they lived just outside of town with their one and a half year old daughter. She was about five months pregnant with their second child. T.J. was the dutiful uncle and shared pics on his phone of the cute little girl playing with her dolls.

  Wow... Tara was my age and she already had kids? That was crazy... I mean that would be like me.. FUCK. In all the excitement of the trip I had forgotten that I needed to stop in to see Dr. Foster tomorrow and get a prescription and a checkup. I suddenly felt very uneasy about the beer I was holding, setting it down and excusing myself to turn in early and get a good night’s sleep before my final exam tomorrow.

  I washed up and brushed my teeth before changing in to some yoga pants and a t-shirt. Sunny hung out with the prospects watching some alien movie, and so I shut my bedroom door to keep out some of the noise. I grabbed my phone and checked my messages. There was a text from Jay.

  JAY: SO APPARENTLY I'M AN ASSHOLE? MISS YOUR SWEET ASS.

  Jerk. Not only does he force me to take his money but he's trying to make light of it. I type a reply that I know will piss him off.

  ME: HEY BABY... I'M BACK IN TOWN. YOU BUSY LATER?...

  OOPS. SORRY. WRONG PERSON.

  I settled into my blankets with a cheshire grin, and closed my eyes. No sooner had I gotten comfortable did I hear the light ping of my phone. I tried to ignore it but curiosity eventually got the better of me.

  JAY: NICE TRY BABY. STILL MISSING YOUR SWEET ASS

  I wasn't overly tired yet, so I might as well entertain myself for a bit. I picked up my phone.

  ME: GOOD. I HOPE YOU GET HARD THINKING ABOUT IT

  JAY: OH BABY I'M HARD ALRIGHT

  ME: HOPE YOU DON'T GET A SORE WRIST

  JAY: MMM BABY IM RUBBING IT OUT RIGHT NOW

  ME: YOU ARE NOT!

  JAY: AM TOO… I CAN SEND A PIC TO PROVE IT IF U WANT

  ME: PIG!

  JAY: OK… NO PIC. HOW BOUT U SEND ME A PIC INSTEAD?

  I thought about this for a minute. This might not be a bad idea. I got up to lock the door and then shimmied out of my pants and underwear. I quickly snapped a picture of my lady bits and hit send before dressing again and getting back in bed.

  ME: YOU LIKE?

  JAY: GOD BABY! YOU ACTUALLY SENT ME A PIC!

  FUCKIN BEAUTIFUL...

  MMM I WANT IN THAT TIGHT PUSSY

  ME: YOU EVER HOPE TO SEE IT AGAIN

  THEN YOU GIVE ME MY CARDS BACK

  JAY: ALRIGHT ALIGHT I WILL..

  YOU DRIVE A HARD BARGAIN

  GETTING LATE. WHY U UP?

  ME: CUZ I HAVE A CRAZY MAN TEXTING ME :)

  JAY: OH I'LL SHOW YOU CRAZY. :)

  ME: U CRASHING FOR THE NIGHT?

  JAY: YUP

  WHAT TIME IS YOUR TEST TOMORROW?

  ME: 9

  JAY: GET SOME SLEEP

  NEED TO BE ON YOUR GAME 2MORROW

  ME: K

  HOW BOUT U?

  JAY: IN A BIT

  STARTING OUT EARLY IN THE A.M.

  ME: GETTING SLEEPY

  JAY: CLOSE YOUR EYES BABY

  THINK OF ME

  ME: MAYBE :)

  JAY: AND BABY..

  THANKS FOR THE PIC

  CHAPTER SIX

  MONDAY

  I was one of the first people to hand in my final exam and to exit the lecture hall. It wasn't anything too crazy. A short essay, some multiple choice and a case study. Piece of cake. I'll start checking online for the grading next week.

  The student services building was not far fro
m my testing site in the humanities quad. It was late morning and the campus had that carefree summer break vibe to it. Frisbee's being thrown across the lawn, bicycles zipping by and the occasional sunbather littered the grassy knolls between buildings. T.J. had been elected to accompany me around while I ran my errands, mainly because he was more age appropriate to blend into the college crowd. It probably would have helped if he left his leather cut at my place, but it seemed like blasphemy to even suggest it.

  We made small talk and joked a little about some of the freakishly dressed people passing us by. He was ruggedly cute, and didn't yet radiate 'pissed of biker bad ass' yet. Give it time, I told myself.. After all Jay had once looked semi innocent. I noticed many of the girls checking T.J. out, some casually and others blatantly obvious. He was a nice guy... hopefully he finds himself a nice girl and doesn't get too swept up in the free club pussy hanging around back home.

  I left him chatting up one of the Delta Tri Sigma girl's in the lobby of the student advisor department when I was called in to meet with a counselor. I explained that due to family needs, I would be moving home to Chisholm and would apply to several local colleges for the fall semester. I had to fill out some paperwork, mainly regarding my scholarship, was handed a manilla envelope with an unofficial transcript, and was officially un matriculated. The whole business took no more than forty minutes, but when I searched the lobby for J.T. he was nowhere to be found, Hmmm... that was odd. I didn't have his cell phone number or any other means to try and contact him.

  The receptionist had not noticed him to help me find where he might have gone off to. However unlikely, he may have headed back to the apartment. Either way, I'm sure I would meet up with him at some point. It would be nice to have a little privacy for my next errand anyway.

  I caught the next express campus bus to Main street, and headed over to the River Rapids women's health office. I had called in earlier this morning to schedule a quick appointment with my Doctor, and the receptionist had been very nice to squeeze me in. The wait times were usually not very long in this office, but I picked up the newest issue of US Weekly and prepared to get caught up on all the latest celebrity nonsense when my phone buzzed.

  JAY: SO HOW DID THE TEST GO?

  I hadn't expected to hear from Jay until tonight. I knew they didn't stop too often when making a run.

  ME: PRETTY GOOD

  WON'T FIND OUT 4 A WHILE

  JAY: I'M SURE YOU ACED IT

  I HAPPEN TO KNOW FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT

  U R A QUICK LEARNER AND AN EXCELLENT STUDENT

  ME: OH REALLY?

  AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?

  JAY: I SEEM TO REMEMBER YOU PLAYING THE

  SCHOOL GIRL AND ME BEING THE TEACHER

  Flashbacks of Halloween three years ago flooded over me. I had dressed up as a naughty little co-ed, a la early Britney Spears, and Jay had found a nerdy professor costume. I blushed and instinctively tilted my cell so no one could read my incriminating phone screen. Jay had given me some private tutoring lessons that night, mainly on the primal mating habits of mammals and the male anatomy.

  As I was trying to think of a witty comeback, a middle aged woman in grey scrubs called out to the row of chairs. "Julia? Julia Kaegan?"

  I tossed my magazine back onto side le and set to follow her back to the exam rooms.

  ME: GOTTA GO

  The exam room was very sterile looking, and smelled of hand sanitizer and latex. I followed the nurse's instructions and changed into the paper examining gown with the opening tied at the front and sat on the stiff exam le waiting for the knock at the door that was soon to follow.

  The knock was light, with Dr. Foster and the nurse closing the door behind them as they entered. The Doctor was beautiful, in a middle aged academia sort of way, and greeted me warmly. "Hi Julia, how's everything feeling this morning, hmm?" She glanced over my chart and began to scribble some notes in pen.

  "Hi Dr. Foster, thanks for seeing me on such short notice." The doctor simply nodded as I greeted her, with her eyes buried in my manilla file folder, so I continued. "I'm actually here for a prescription of birth control pills."

  Doctor Foster clicked her pen and closed my chart placing it on the counter, turning to me. "I see... It's good to see young women taking responsibility for their bodies. Tell me Julia, have you been on birth control in the past? Do you know the benefits and drawbacks to the pill? There are other options available such as the patch, the Nuvaring, and even a tiny implant in the underside of the arm."

  I nodded, taking in all of Doctor Foster's suggestions. "I've been on the pill before. It worked well, I just didn't have a need for it so I stopped taking it about six months ago."

  The doctor sat down in her rolling stool and sat before me gloving up. "Lie down sweetie.. let's check things out and get you set up with a prescription." I reclined down to hear the crinkle of the paper barrier beneath me as I shimmied down on the le and placed my legs in the stirrups. I felt something cold enter me and the pressure from the expanding of her metal instrument. "Julia, I must tell you that although birth control pills are almost 100% effective when taken correctly they do not protect against the transmission of sexually transmitted infection. Back up birth control such as condoms should always be used to prevent those."

  I was now being poked and prodded from the inside out and felt a dull soreness left over from Jay's own internal maneuvering the other day. Embarrassed, I felt the need to explain. "You see... my boyfriend and I were wanting to use protection. But, we did have a slight unexpected accident the other night." The nurse handed her a large Q-tip looking stick and plastic vile. After a small amount of discomfort and swabbing, the vile was sealed, cotton stick tossed into the garbage pail along with the Doctor's gloves and she stood up casually.

  "Julia, if there was unprotected internal ejaculation I cannot rule out a pregnancy. Any clinical signs would most likely not be detectable this early. A blood test would determine any hormonal changes indicative of early pregnancy in about a week or so." Dr. Foster now walked around to my side and began a breast tissue exam while continuing her well rehearsed speech. "I can write you a prescription for birth control pills to be taken on the first day of your next period, if there is a next period. If you have any increasing symptoms such as nausea, extreme breast tenderness, or a positive pregnancy test before then, disregard the prescription and set up an appointment for your first prenatal visit. I can also give you a prescription for some pre-natal vitamins to start taking. If you are not pregnant, they won't do any harm. If you are, they can only be beneficial, especially when taken as early as possible."

  Completing my exam, she jotted a few more notes down in my chart and filled out two sheets of her white prescription pad. "The chances of conceiving after one incident at this point in your cycle are not very high but it is possible. Make sure to use condoms now through the second week of your pack of pills, to avoid any other exposures while you may be fertile. Here are the scripts" she handed me the sheets of paper, "Do you have any other questions?"

  I took the papers and lowered my eyes from hers, concentrating on the floral design embossed on my exam dress. "Ummm. Actually, I was wondering what my options would be to help ensure that I don't miss my next period... I mean... isn't there something I could do this early on, just in case?"

  Dr. Foster set her pad and pen down on the counter and took a seat on her rolling chair again. "I see... Well, if the intercourse was the other night as you mentioned, you may still be able to take Plan B, or the morning after pill. It can be effective if taken within seventy two hours of unprotected sex to prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. If that is the route you would like to go, you can purchase it over the counter from the pharmacy when you fill your birth control prescription. As a medical professional, I cannot advocate one choice over another. It needs to be a well thought out decision. I can give you some literature on it to read through. Please call me with any concerns or questions you may have."


  I nodded to her. "Thank you Doctor. I'll think about it. Guess i'm good to go?" I stood up and headed over towards my pile of clothes on the padded chair in the corner.

  Doctor Foster and the nurse headed out the door. "Have a great summer Julia. We'll hear from you soon."

  ******

  The local pharmacy was two doors down from the medical building. I was relieved that there were not many customers in the counter area when it was my turn to speak with the pharmacist. I dropped off my prescriptions and told the woman that I would also like to purchase the Plan B. She typed some notes into her computer and told me to return in an hour.

  Having at least sixty minutes to myself, I decided I would kill some time by calling some local friends to meet up for a farewell night out. Most of them travelled home for the summers anyway, but they didn't know yet that I wouldn't be back in the fall.

  I pulled my phone from my purse and gasped at the amount of text messages flooding my screen.

  UNKNOWN: HI LILS... ITS T.J.

  UR IN UR MEETING AND SOME GIRL WANTS

  TO SHOW ME AROUND A BIT WHILE UR IN THERE.

  TEXT ME WHEN U GET OUT.

  Shit. So that's where J.T. went.

  UNKNOWN: LILS… U STILL IN MEETING?

  ITS BEEN AWHILE...

  I quickly scrolled through the majority of the texts.

  UNKNOWN: LILS.. PLEASE GET BACK TO ME