Chapter 33

Heather put Kim(the bass guitar) back on the rack. She was still so mad
at Kim, torpedoing the band like that. She was no good at playing the
thing. Luckily she could work around the missing instrument, playing a
keytar had its advantages. Since Beth and Tim had asked if Grrl Army
could play at the grand opening of Cheepskates, she had been finding
herself missing band practice. Not the frozen pizzas they ate, but the
music. The Spring Musical was set to go on this Thursday, it would be
nice to get the band back together.

She had spoken with Bella and Amber, they were totally okay with playing
another gig, especially if they got some cupcakes out of it. Besides,
Tim deserved this. He and Beth and Bobbie had put in so much work that
failure at this point would be a tragedy. A gooey, chocolate-filled
tragedy.

***

Spring break loomed. The mood was lighter, but Bobbie's locker had seen
other defacements. After 'slut' was 'whore', then someone with a
vocabulary had used 'harlot'. The janitor was getting sick of cleaning
off the locker. Bobbie apologized and brought him some cupcakes. She
felt it was the least she could do. The looks and stares of the
cheerleaders were filled with disdain. She heard derisive comments
whispered behind her.

"That virginal act of hers is disgusting."

"I'd ride that for the full eight seconds."

"An ass like that? No surprise she did porn."

"She probably doesn't even like guys. Lesbian."

"We're praying for her."

"Dammit, there's no justice."

Bobbie sat through the classes, occasionally a propository note would
appear on her desk. Sometimes it would be threatening. She felt
helpless, just like Robb had. There was nothing anyone could do. Here
was Melanie, rearing her head again. She put her head down, just wanting
the day to be over. The bell finally rang, signifying lunch. Bobbie made
it to the lunch area where she could sit with Beth and ignore everything
else.

She found Beth sitting alone. Staring at something, when Bobbie finally
got there, her insides turned to water. She was stunned. "Bobbie," she
whispered harshly. It was a still from the video. It was out now. Beth
knew. Bobbie felt herself starting to cry.

"Is that you?"

That was it, the waterworks turned on. With her face in her hands, the
blonde girl cried. Makeup be damned. Beth put her hand on Bobbie's
shoulder.

"It's before you came here. It doesn't matter; you wouldn't do it again,
right?"

"No," Bobbie whimpered. "Didn't want to do it that time," she started
crying again.

"Hey," Beth said sharply. "They don't know you. Fuck 'em."

Bobbie looked at Beth shocked.

"Sorry, but I don't know another way to say that strongly enough," Beth
continued. "Everyone makes mistakes, you shouldn't have to pay for them
forever."

Bobbie sniffled, smiling feebly. "When did you become so smart?"

Beth straightened. "Since I found out what having friends is like. Since
I found out that someone wants me. Thanks to you, I have Heather and
Steve, and you and..." she stopped short of saying Kim.

"Anyway. That's not who you are now. Ignore them, you're out of here
soon anyway," Beth showed confidence. She was reminded of the girl she
met that first day; on the ground, hurt and helpless. She remembered
feeling that way, then and now. It was different this time though. Beth
was there for her, It wasn't like this before at anytime in her life,
Robb's life.

I wish someone had been there for me... Bobbie's eyes focused and looked
at the concern in Beth's face, and she realized. This was that time,
again, and someone was there. Tears welled up again, as she hugged her
friend.

"Just don't try to kiss me," Beth said. When Bobbie looked at her.
"Sorry, that wasn't very funny."

***

The auditorium was full. She looked at Tim and smiled. His darkness was
lighter, a lot lighter. The one island of reality awash in an ocean of
unfathomable emotion, Her time with him had been the only time she
didn't feel lusted after. She didn't like it, it felt.... Greasy. She
heard whispers and felt people staring. She shifted in her seat,
welcoming Tim's arm around her shoulder.

The pictures were in wider circulation; Bobbie had opted for slightly
baggier clothes. It always felt like people were staring now. Almost the
same way as before; with derision, but, now it was coupled with desire
and disgust. The propositions were getting worse and more graphic. She
hoped that Spring Break would serve to help people forget. She couldn't
go anywhere without seeing the pictures or the reflection of what they
did to people in their eyes. Darkness merged into an almost negative
gelatin. She wasn't sure if the miasma of antigood was her own, coloring
all else. Or if everyone else had gotten worse; either way, it was
oppressive like the overabundant humidity of the tropics.

"Big turnout," Tim said. "I guess that the idea of a ska punk musical
was way too novel for everyone to turn away," Bobbie smiled, momentarily
letting go of her thoughts.

Looking at him revealed the tiredness in his eyes. Working at
Cheepskates was taking its toll. There was money coming in, and the
Grand Opening was coming up. Tim hoped that was the answer, he'd blown a
lot of what was in the safe to make it happen. Bobbie felt some of his
tension release as he hugged his girl closer.

They heard the band start up, horns, strings, and percussion all coming
together like a leviathan rising from its slumbering depths. The set was
striking, as were the costumes. Heather had done it, again. Sharply
delineated contrast between white and black, the only color being the
sunglass frames each character wore. But it was the music that struck
Bobbie and Tim. Both had seen Grease before, but not like this. It was
loud, horns echoing off the chamber walls, distortion laden guitars
shrieking their amplified sounds into the empty space.

The acting was amateur hour, but hey, it was a school play. Thunderous
applause greeted the actors and crew as they came out for a bow. There
was a rush for the exits, Tim and Bobbie got separated in the confusion;
a hand snaked out and slid up the inside of her thigh

Bobbie gasped and slapped at it, only to have another grope one of her
breasts. Slapping at hands, she started to shove her way through the
crowd. The grabbing continued, she felt her shirt tear. The hole opened
up on the right side, near her midsection, in the exact same place as
the bullet that had ended Robb's life. She saw the exit sign looming
close, just a couple more steps...

RIP!

The shirt had come completely off, leaving Bobbie standing there in her
blue bra, hands up to her breasts, she ran away from everyone, crossing
the street and hiding around a corner. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.

Wher u at bby blu?

Looking at her bra, she felt...well, exposed. She called him and
whispered, "Around the corner by the auto shop. Please hurry," she
flipped the phone closed. It took him exactly seventeen seconds to find
her, and his jacket was off before he said a word. Crouching down, he
swept the garment over her.

"What happened?" he asked, concern marinating his voice.

"They were grabbing at me and feeling..." she shuddered before collapsing
into him.

"Who?" Tim's face darkened.

"Everyone," she whispered hoarsely.

"C'mon. Let's get you home."

"YEAH, CUPCAKE DUDE!! GET SOME!" yelled someone from the street,
followed by titters of laughter that bounced around in pockets. They
started moving the other way, away from the crowds.

Bobbie couldn't stop crying, Tim's reassuring touch on her shoulder were
the cadmium control rods that stopped the full blown nuclear meltdown.
They stopped at a covered bus stop, the flickering light threatening to
give anyone who looked at it a seizure.

"Bobbie, is there something you want to tell me?"

Bobbie's skin matched her hair. She abruptly stopped crying, her red
eyes made the blue stand out more. "I...I..."

"I saw the video, I don't care. You're still you. So you have some
skeletons, we all do. It made you who you are now, right. I can't
complain about anything that led you to me, can I?"

Bobbie was struck, he knew, and didn't care.

"I don't care," he repeated. "Whatever different person you were then,
that's not the Bobbie I know. She cringed, if you only knew.

"The Bobbie I know is sweet, thoughtful, funny, one hell of a cook..."

"...and a great Vespa passenger. Beth is always kind of stiff," he smiled.

"And, honestly, the way you look, well, now the world knows what I have.
And I hope they're jealous. Whatever this is, it'll blow over. If I
wasn't here to help you through this, what kind of human being would I
be?"

First Beth, now this. The overwhelming tide of support from her closest
friends bolstered her mood. Bobbie was just about home before her
stomach knotted. She saw the unmistakable rear and red hair that
followed Roxx wherever she went. The nausea abated as she and Tim came
to the front door.

"Hold on to the jacket. Just bring it by the Bakery, We're closed for a
couple of days, so I can prep for the Grand Opening," Tim kissed her
cheek. "Sorry about tonight." He looked down.

Bobbie went inside and peeked down the hallway, she saw the light under
the door. She knocked and entered. What she saw jarred her.

It was Kim, and her hair was gone, the skin of her scalp reflecting the
dim lamplight.

"Kim," she gasped.

"Yeah, Roxx's idea. Maybe a little butch, but..."

"After..." Bobbie began.

"Save it. I remember everything you did. It looks better on me than it
did on you anyway. Any other lectures? Mom's out with Roy again. I'm
going to sleep, a little privacy," Kim was drunk, probably high, and
possibly on some variety of painkiller. She hoped that the intervention
would do something about that, Beth and Heather decided that Spring
Break would be the best time.

"Fine," Bobbie backed out of the room and went off to bed.

***

Water. Everywhere. Stretching out into the horizon, with no firmament
between water and wind.

The sky was overcast, all the clouds joining into a single mass. Her
hair was plastered to her head, any attempt to brush it out of her face
caused her to lose buoyancy, threatening to repeat the cycle again. The
water was clear, in the way a swimming pool was. Looking down the bottom
was an eternal black mass. The strains of an old John Williams score
played in her mind.

Sharks?

That thought terrified her. Being shredded by razor sharp teeth in a
feeding frenzy of blood was not on her list of things to do today.

Looking down into the inky blackness, she saw the reality was far worse.

Zombies. The kind that attack sharks. Bobbie looked around again, there
was no land, no respite anywhere. The sky began to open up and heavy
rain began to fall. She started to swim. Something grabbed at her feet,
her legs. She started to struggle as hands reached her thighs, her
breasts. Next was her hands and arms.

She couldn't swim anymore. The ocean of water became an ocean of hands
and teeth as the shapes upon her. The biting started...

She couldn't...

Get...

Away...

There was a girly scream from the top floor of the Pointe home. Kim was
too inebriated to respond or care, and Sylvia was still gone. Bobbie
went to sleep alone...

...and afraid.

***

Beth and Tim were measuring flour and sugar for the simple batter they
used to base every flavor of white cake when Tim finally heard about
Kim's intervention. She was so positive it would work, like on TV.

"I didn't realize it was so bad. Y'know? Roxx has been nothing but nice
to me, a little forward maybe, but I think she's just misunderstood.
Something happened to her, she just needs to be loved. You know what I
mean, like you and Steve?" Tim was smiling at Beth.

"Yeah," Beth smiled, "Or Bobbie and you. It seems like we're all meeting
the right people," she looked at the slowly forming batter. "All of us
except Kim, I just hope she'll hear us."

"Huh?"

"We're gonna talk to her. Bobbie hasn't told you yet?"

"No, we've been busy. She's got her own issues now," Tim said carefully.

"I know, can you believe that video?" Beth said. Tim's face changed to
one of shock.

"You know?"

"Yeah, the pictures are all over school."

"Damn. I'm sure there's a good reason she did it. She doesn't seem like
that kind of girl...at all," Tim couldn't put the images out of his head.
"Hey, this batter's done, grab the cocoa powder and I'll get the coffee
started. And hey, Beth. Let's not bring it up around her, okay?"

"Sure," Then the girl turned to her task. Tim watched her turn, that
Bobbie was in the video wasn't the problem.

Who was that other girl? Why hasn't anyone asked about her?

***

Bobbie was coming back from the store when she saw Sylvia standing out
front. There were some garbage bags out on the ground. Puzzled, Bobbie
came closer.

"Well, were you going to tell me?" Bobbie recognized that look, she was
past angry and upset, and on the way to enraged. "Or were you just gonna
let this ride out?"

"I..." she began. Sylvia pulled out a picture.

Bobbie turned white, her knees buckled. "Just go away and I won't call
the police. You did that with...that...that girl? The whole good girl thing
is just an act. Isn't it? Was it an accident? Was it Melanie?"

"Or was it you?" Sylvia quickly turned and went back inside, leaving the
bags. "What else did you lie about? Don't come back," Crying, Bobbie
slowly got the bags into a comfortable position. She began walking to
Cheepskates when she realized it was the only place she could go.

Chapter 34

Spring Break. Students, bikinis, alcohol and bad decisions. Delacroix
was no different, at least for those that stayed home. The weather was
shaping up to be beautiful. Monday morning, Kim was sneaking out early.
She had been doing so every day, so the fact that school was out made no
nevermind. Turning the corner she felt someone grab her, someone strong.
Her elbows touched. She struggled and kicked, soon a velvet bag was over
her head. She was bundled into a car . Her screams were drowned out by
loud guitars and heavy percussion.

What'd that fucker do?

With his negligence?

Turned you into a victim

of your innocence

And he'll never know

'Cause he don't look back

He'll never know...

Kim knew that song, at once she knew what was going on. Shit, some
intervention crap. I swear when I get out of here...

The car stopped suddenly, she was moved out of the car. She was grabbed
and moved into a cushioned chair, her hands secured by bungee cords. The
bag was ripped off and sure enough, the rest of the recruits of Grrl
Army stood there before her. She realized she was in Heather's studio.
It looked different since the band started practicing at Cheepskates.

"Kim," heather began. She wasn't her usual impeccably dressed self. Her
skin looked oily and her eyes seemed dimmed. "We all thought we should
talk and didn't know how else to get you here."

"I'm not going to even start on the hair. We're worried about you, we
care about you a lot. You brought all of us together, you brought Bobbie
here... and...."

"Save it, Heather. Maybe I just outgrew all of this," she gestured to
the adornments that signified teenaged girlhood.

"Kim," Bella interjected. "You don't fuckin' know what it is you fuckin'
want."

"Fuck Bella, anyone ever tell you to watch your fuckin' language. And
another thing, you tell them about Brown yet?" Bella's countenance
displayed shock. Heather and Amber looked at her.

"Oh, you didn't tell them yet? If I hadn't walked out, we would have
been gone by Summer."

"Kim, we're just trying to help you," Another voice behind her, Beth.
Kim craned her neck toward her.

"You have to get off the...the... whatever it is. It's making you..."

Amber spoke up. "Addicted. You watched it with your brother..."

"All you know about me is what I want you to know," Kim spat through
gritted teeth. "Now let me out of here."

"Not until we've all had our say."

"Fuck all you guys. I don't want your help. There's nothing wrong with
me," The bungee cords came undone with a snap. One of the hooks swung
out, catching Beth's ankle. She went down with a yelp. Kim bolted for
the door. Bella missed her completely, while Heather dove for her feet.
Amber tried to catch the door, only to catch it and close the door right
behind her.

"FUUUUUUUCK," heather used 'the scream' and Bella and Amber ran to help
Beth.

"Well, that was..."Amber said.

"A fuckin' waste," Bella said, pressing a cloth against the bleeding
wound on Beth's leg.

Heather stared at the door, her already red eyes not showing the initial
signs of tears.

***

Tim was frosting cupcakes when he heard the distinct clatter of the
opening door.

Click, click Click, click.

"Hey, Tiger," It was Roxx, and she wasn't wearing much. Her hair sat
perfectly straight, strands falling in front of her cleavage.

"Roxx," Tim gasped. Squeezing too hard on the piping bag, he overfrosted
a cupcake.

"Mmm," she said, oozing forward like perfectly melted cheese. "Your
frosting is so good," she dipped a perfectly manicured finger into the
puddle of wasted frosting. She raised it to her lips and slowly sucked
the sugary substance from her purple painted nail. She moved closer to
Tim. Her breath smelled of cigarettes and caramel. She pulled a joint
out of seemingly nowhere. She lit it and inhaled it deeply. She offered
it to him. He took it, stared at it. It's been so long, just a little.

Tim hit the joint. From the taste alone, he knew it was high quality.
Holding his hit in, he quickly moved away from the finished cakes.
Exhaling. "Health code. Gotta be away from the merch," His mind began to
cloud. "Merch," he laughed.

He offered it back to Roxx, she declined. "You need it more than I do,"
he did. God, I miss this. He put it out. "Keep it, I can always get
more."

"Thanks," Tim said, grinning like an idiot.

Roxx moved languidly closer, then suddenly she was in front of him...
kissing distance. Her tongue was in his mouth, her hands...where?

She had her hand around his stiffening manhood. Something gritty and
sticky between, he responded with every move of her hand. Smiling into
his stoned eyes, "I told you how much I like your frosting, right."

"Ummm, Roxx. I can't do this. Not to Bobbie. I...I..."

Roxx rolled her eyes. "What? You go soft or something?"

Tim stammered, "Uh...uh...no....but..."

Roxx traced a hand along her breasts, "Not long ago, you would have
given anything for a girl like me."

"A lot's happened since then," Tim stated distantly. He ground his teeth
against the terrible pleasure.

Roxx's green eyes flashed. "Shut up," she said, forcing her mouth back
onto his. Her tongue darted into his mouth. Tim felt his pants loosen
with an expert touch of her other hand, the cool air greeting his legs.

"What about Kim?" he breathed as their kiss ended.

"Forget her for now," she whispered into his ear. "I like boys too, she
doesn't."

Roxx's hand moved slightly, she felt him harden further. He bit his lip
as a small moan escaped his lips. The sound of the door flushed his body
with adrenaline.

****

Bobbie left her garbage bag by the door to Cheepskates as she opened it.
She opened the door, she heard a soft sigh. As she came around the
corner, what she saw caused her to freeze. Tim was standing there, with
Roxx velcroed to his side.

Bobbie saw the tan mass of frosting covering the waistband of his
boxers. Tim opened his eyes to see her standing there. The horror on her
face caused him to try to move away from Roxx, but he couldn't while she
still had her grip.

NO! this isn't fair. First Cheepskates, then Kim, now this?

"Tim!" Bobbie yelled.

****

Tim saw Bobbie but couldn't think clearly, He was just about to.....

Roxx felt him twitch in her hand; once, twice, five times. His semen
mixing with the caramel frosting that was smeared into his pubic hair.
"Bobbie!" he tried to yell, his voice coming out pitched and cracking.

****

Bobbie saw Tim's eyes roll up a little, there was no hiding what was
happening. He tried to call her name, but it sounded funny; like he was
going through puberty again, backwards.

Her mind was every significant weather event at the same time; Tornadoes
of hate for Roxx, Hurricanes of disappointment for Tim, And an
earthquake of uncertainty for Bobbie. Her mind tried to fight for just
one emotion, but could only come up with extensive cocktails of
feelings.

"Tim," she cried again, venting some anger, but keeping the
disappointment behind another filter. Tears flooded her eyes.

"Bobbie," he said, clearer this time. "It isn't... I ...I..." As he spoke,
Roxx kissed his neck, lightly biting at the end.

Bobbie's wail was the only sound heard as she turned and bolted away.

Roxx saw the tears in Bobbie's eyes and grinned impishly, savoring their
flavor. Then, looking back at Tim, she saw his. Tim looked down with an
expression of hurt and disgust.

"Roxx, get out. I...I..." His confusion was getting the better of him. He
couldn't think of anything to say.

"I have gone soft" Tim started to find his resolve. I care about Bobbie
too much. And now that you...."

"You just better hope I can fix this," Tim said through clenched teeth.
"Go away Roxx. Don't come back here," he was freely crying now.

"Goddamit," he wiped the moisture from his face. GET OUT!" Tim brought
his hands to his eyes.

Exasperated, Roxx grabbed her purse with her left hand, she wiped her
right on his shirt in a long, smearing motion.

"It's okay," Roxx smirked malevolently. "I got what I wanted."

Tim was still covering his eyes as she left. Roxx's normal seductive
exit had no power over him.

After she left, an abstract though entered his mind. Frosting wasn't
mixed well enough, he thought of the grit he felt during the handjob.
"Damn sugar," he said.

Then he started to cry... uncontrollably, he punched a nearby door. The
pain of his skinned knuckles didn't bother him.

Not one bit.

****

Bobbie was losing it, the garbage bag she carried was cumbersome. Every
ten steps or so, she had to reshift the bag to a better position.
Standing at a stop light, she heard wolfwhistles. A truck came by,
splashing water all over her body. The tears started again, these not
visible through the water.

She sunk to her knees. She pulled out her phone and looked through the
contacts. She dialed Heather, her voicemail message coming on
immediately. Scrolling up, she saw a name she hadn't thought about
lately. Faye. Looking around Bobbie saw where she was and knew it wasn't
too far to where she lived. She started to head there.

It was a few blocks away, the bag would continue to annoy her as she
walked. The world seemed to be a much darker place as she walked. The
sense of wrong started to tingle her skin, it grew stronger as she got
closer. She felt that she was going the right direction, her suspicions
reaching apogee as she reached the darkened doorway. The car she
recognized as Nick's Camaro sat shabbily in the driveway. The recent
rains had sort of cleaned the car, tracks of dust reminding Bobbie of
her running mascara. The rust spots blotchy like the rest of her makeup.

Bobbie stood at the door hesitantly; she reached into her pocket for her
phone. Something sticky greeted her. Pulling out her hand, dark black
and purple bruiselike smears covered her fingers. An errant flying
insect landed on her face. She slapped at it, leaving ink in drops and
splotches on her face. The balance of fear, anger and just being upset
made the tears come again. She knocked.

The door opened. Nick was standing there, looking like he was
interrupted. "B...Bobbie? Right?"

The tears were still coming. Looking at him, she... needed something, she
couldn't figure it out. It didn't matter. She dropped the bags and
hugged him close, the ink on her hand and face printing its outline on
his Air Gear shirt as she tightened her grip.

"Hey, what's wrong," Nick weirdly returned the hug. She let go and
stepped back. Sniffling and smearing the ink further, she reminded Nick
of the Maori warriors he'd seen on the Culture Channel.

"Is Faye... oh, I'm so sorry," Bobbie stuttered, noticing the ink smears.

"It's okay. I've got three of these. Gotta protect the geek cred," he
smiled. "Faye should be home in a minute. Everything okay with you?"

"No," she started to cry again. Before she wiped her face, Nick stopped
her. "Hey, bathroom's over there, you might wanna," Nick imitated
scrubbing his face.

Bobbie went down the hallway, past a locked door and into the bathroom.
Looking at the mirror, she saw how bad it truly was, thick smears of ink
looked like oil slicks against her face. Deciding that the sink wasn't
enough, she turned to the bathtub.

The hot water came on slowly. Bobbie rinsed off what she could by
putting her face directly under the faucet, water sluicing the ink off.
She was reminded of the blood running down the drain in Psycho.
Satisfied that the bulk of the ink was off of her face, she turned to
her hands.

WHACK! Pain exploded across the back of her head, a split second later
the culprit made itself known. The shower curtain rod had fallen from
its previously secure location and landed square on the back of Bobbie's
head.

That was it, she couldn't take anymore. Everything that had happened
since becoming Bobbie was falling apart, slowly, like a villain in a
samurai movie. The cut took only a second, but the effect was
dramatically delayed. The crying started again, then as she thought
about how funny it would have been in a movie.

Then the laughing started. Abstractly, she thought she must have sounded
like a maniac. The laughing continued with the tears. A loud noise came
from the entryway, there was some mumbling and crashing. Bobbie was
oblivious to the noise, lost in the fog of past emotion and present
feelings.

The door opened, Faye looked at the blond girl. Without taking her eyes
off of Bobbie, she yelled. "Nick, I think she's a little batty."

Bobbie turned quickly, she grabbed Faye. Patting Bobbie's back she
looked at Nick and mouthed "what's wrong?"

Faye managed to coax Bobbie out into the living room. Fast food bags and
cups occupied the coffee table, along with game cases and controllers.
Bobbie got to the couch and sat heavily.

"Bobbie, what's got you so upset?" Faye finally asked.

"Everything," she sobbed. "The video, Kim, and... Mom kicked me out.
Tim...I," The crying began again.

"Nick," Faye started. "I forgot the ice cream, you wanna..."

"Faye, can't you ever..." he looked at Bobbie. "Okay, fine. Bobbie?"

She looked up at him with tear stained eyes.

"Monkey Madness or Awww Fudge?"

"Nick, honey," Faye said condescendingly. "Just give her three hundred
ccs of chocolate, stat."

Nick shook his head as he grabbed his keys. Once the Camaro started,
sounding like an old WWI fighter, Faye looked out the window at the
place where the headlights were.

"Okay, he's gone. Now tell Aunt Faye everything," Faye smiled, putting a
hand on Bobbie's shoulder reassuringly. Bobbie let Faye's voltage flow
through her.

Bobbie inhaled deeply. "Faye, everything's gone wrong. The bakery...Kim."

"Those things get better."

Bobbie shook her head. "Then Mom threw me out... She saw the video."

Faye's face fell. "Oh, shit. That's..."

Bobbie dissolved into more crying. "...and I saw Tim," More sobs. "Roxx
was... she had her hand..."

"See?" Faye said. "Boys are stupid, aren't you glad you're not one
anymore?"

Chuckles and tears. "Everything started so well. Kim and Mom, Tim and
the bakery, I was helping people. I started to like myself, now it's...
it's..." Bobbie stopped talking.

"Bobbie, I'm going to say this as nicely as I can," Bobbie's eyes turned
to Faye.

"Shut the fuck up."

Bobbie looked stricken. She opened her mouth to speak.

Faye held up a hand. "I don't wanna hear it. Seriously. Neither one of
us wanted this. I jumped off of a fucking bridge. You have had a really
easy change. Last time we talked everything was looking up. You can't
win all the time, but you can't lose forever," she pointed at Bobbie.

Bobbie smiled a little. "Don't start quoting John Woo at me. I've seen
it."

"Huh?" Faye asked.

Her face fell. "The Killer? No? Never mind," her voice softened. "Tim
would get it."

"Forget him. If he wants her, let him have her. He deserves what he
gets."

"Thanks," Bobbie said, sniffling into another sob. "It just feels like
everything is falling apart."

"And why do we fall?"

"To learn to pick ourselves up again," Bobbie said, completing the
quote. "Thanks Alfred."

"'Attagirl," Faye took out her phone. "I know what you need," she tapped
and swiped her screen. "Hey, Rach. Remember that party tonight?...We got
room for one more? ...Well, I wasn't, but...Rad. Hey," Faye eyed Bobbie.
"Bring some clothes. She can't go out in what she's got on... Bobbie... yes,
the cupcakes. No, she didn't bring any. Late."

"Hey, c'mon. We're gonna get out of here," she handed Bobbie a burger.
"It's Nick's, he won't notice.

Bobbie, upon smelling the burger, realized she was starving. "Thanks,"
she demurely started eating.

"Well, it's not much, but you can stay here a bit. Nick won't mind. Rach
should be here soon. Don't worry, we ungirls have to stick together."

Bobbie smiled limply as she wondered why Pam's had to use cinnamon in
their grilling seasoning.

Chapter 35

As Promised, Rachel was there within twenty minutes, carrying a bag.

"Rach, you've met Bobbie. Bobbie, this is Rach, my girlfriend," Rach
looked at Faye, shocked.

"Faye!"

"Don't worry, she'll keep it quiet. That the infamous bag of fun?" Faye
grabbed the bag from Rachel.

Nick reentered the house. "Rachel, do you have to take the parking space
every time?"

"Of course, shows how much I care about you," Rachel kissed her middle
finger and blew it at Nick. He wrinkled his face as he put the ice cream
into the freezer.

"Nick," Faye started. "I gave Bobbie your burger. You can have mine."

"The one with the pickles? Great," Nick huffed. "Faye, you're eating my
brain with an ice cream scoop."

"It's only because I love you," Faye smiled sweetly, her voice dripping
sarcasm.

Nick grumbled as he opened the burger and started removing the green
discs.

"C'mon, to the Batcave," Faye said, waving Rachel and Bobbie along.

Faye's room was, like before, a mess. There were articles of clothing
sitting amongst circuit boards, DVDs, food wrappers, and colorful cans
that contained fermenting energy drinks.

"Rach. Bobbie... well. You remember that video we paid for last summer?"

"The demon and the...omigod," Rach's face contorted into surprise as she
recognized Bobbie. "You're amazing," Rach thrust out her hand to shake.
Faye pushed her hand back down, nodding.

"She'd rather forget it happened," Faye said. "And it seems like that's
the least of her problems at the moment."

Rach looked at Faye with a face full of confusion, she shrugged.

Faye reached into the bag. She pulled out a garment. "LBD," Faye said,
throwing it at Bobbie. "Put this on," Bobbie started for the bathroom.

"It's okay, we're all girls here," Faye said, her stare suddenly became
something more, the slight wrongness enveloping her. Bobbie uneasily
slipped off her jeans and blouse.

"Bra, too. Not gonna work with that dress," Rach said. "God you're
cute."

Bobbie reddened, heat creeping into her cheeks, she unhooked the blue
bra. Left only in her panties, Faye and Rachel could see how embarrassed
she truly was.

***

Over an hour later, Bobbie sat on the sofa. The cry of shoryuken
repeating like a bad techno sample.

"You done yet, Rach? We should be leaving sometime soon, HA! Take that,
Nick! Dishes are yours."

"One of these days, Faye. I'm gonna get out of this."

"Only if you get better. And face it Nick, My Zero will always beat your
X-23. I think you've plateaued. Or you just get off playing a sissy
character"

Nick mumbled under his breath as he looked over at the other girls. "In
the interest of continued relations, this topic is shelved for tonight.
I've gotta get to bed. Game release."

Faye's eyes turned into searchlights. "Shit. I totally forgot about
that. I said I'd..."

"No way, Faye. The last Call of Combat release had you wearing a
camoflauge bikini top, in November. You nearly started a riot. I think
they're still replacing the glass. I've waited too long for this one."

"You say that about every game," Faye said dismissively.

"And I mean it about every game. Besides, looks like you're headed out."

Rachel was sitting in front of Bobbie, applying makeup.

"Jesus, your eyes are just gorgeous," Rach said, refilling the
applicator with eye shadow. A few more deft strokes and she was done.
"Open 'em."

"You almost done, Rach? Nick can't take much more of this merciless ass
beating," Faye was finishing a bout against the computer.

"Almost, just finishing up the mascara," Rachel finished quickly and
handed Bobbie a blue lipstick. "Don't worry, Bobbie. It won't show up
blue, but your lips'll look amazing."

Looking into a hand mirror, Bobbie studied Rachel's work. If her eyes
had been large before, now they were the size of small moons. That's no
moon. The mascara, eyeliner, and eyeshadow were a blue tinged charcoal
color, expertly blended to create the smoky eye effect she'd seen on
some of the other girls around town. Bobbie looked at the lipstick for a
second. In for a penny...

The dress and the makeup left Bobbie not recognizing herself. Standing,
she tugged at the hem of the dress. It barely covered her legs.

"Feel sexy yet?" Faye asked.

"If by sexy you like a piece of candied meat, then yes," Abstractly she
wondered what Tim would have thought of...

She slammed that mental door so hard it rocked its hinges. Faye was
right, screw him. Kim doesn't want help, Tim doesn't either.

"Just wait, a night of dancing and debauchery will cure what ails.
Ready, Rach?" Faye said, obviously reading Bobbie's mind.

"Nick, we're leaving," Faye called out. A muffled cry responded.

"Okay, that's just about everything," Faye said. Bobbie looked back at
the apartment as she left.

***

Bobbie was standing outside the location of the party. The warehouse
district was home to many abandoned warehouses, many of which have been
used for illegal parties over the years. Robb and Melanie had gone to
one, back when they had started dating. The music was too loud, the
crush of people proved to be too much. Melanie, on the other hand had
had a fantastic time. Bobbie's trepidation was palpable.

"Ladies? Shall we?" Faye casually outstretched her arm to knock on the
heavy door.

A wall of dubstep greeted them, followed by the aroma of alcohol and
sweat. It hit Bobbie in the face with the force of a glass pie dish.

"Welcome to the pleasuredome, where sins of the flesh aren't just
encouraged, but graded," Faye screamed over the throbbing baseline.
Bobbie felt the vibrations immediately, the heat of the crowd was
enticing, as was the music.

Bobbie lost sight of Faye and Rachel within minutes. She felt her hips
start to move of their own freewill, the beat penetrating her bones. The
bass made her skin tingle, the sensitive skin of her nipples responding,
tightening. Before she knew it, she was dancing, she felt herself stop
caring. There were no cupcakes, addicted sisters, cheating boyfriends,
or sneering teenagers. The music was all there was.

Bobbie didn't know how long she'd been dancing, but she felt a little
sweaty and thirsty. The only thing she knew was that she did indeed feel
better. Her parched throat got the better of her and she went in search
of refreshment. Unfortunately for Bobbie, nearly everything had alcohol
in it. After some searching, she found a pyramid of water bottles.
Grabbing one, Bobbie emptied its contents in one long gulp. Grabbing
another bottle, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was Mary.

"Bobbie?" she slurred. "Oh wow! You are so hot!"

Bobbie opened her mouth to answer when Mary took the initiative.
Surprised, Bobbie didn't have a chance. They kissed for a moment...

****

Alcohol has sixteen atoms of carbon for every twenty two atoms of
hydrogen and eleven atoms of oxygen. When a drink is imbibed, most of
the alcohol goes straight into the stomach, some however stays in the
mouth, mixed with saliva.

In Mary's mouth were approximately five thousand molecules of alcohol.
They slipped into Bobbie's mouth, and straight into her brain.

****

Jerking her head back, Bobbie felt lightheaded, and full of helium. She
pictured herself floating away, it looked silly to her. She laughed for
a second before the song changed.

"Oh, my God. I love this song," Bobbie twirled away and ran to the
nearest open space in front of one of the massive sound system's
speakers. She started by allowing herself to lose control of her hips,
the sway more pronounced.

Bobbie was drunk, the kind of drunk she remembered from before. It had
soaked into her mind like an old friend. The world's cares disappeared
as she lost herself in the music, she felt parts of herself shake, and
others shimmy. She opened her eyes and looked around the partying mass
of flesh. She saw Faye and Rachel...it could have been called dancing if
dancing looked like sex. They were so close to each other, hands sliding
up and down, hips were being caressed. Lips were kissed. The boys had
formed a crowd around them, looking down, Bobbie realized that she also
had a crowd.

Bobbie was having a really good time, her cares were gone. Faye was
right, again. Maybe I should listen to her more. Nothing mattered.
Senses were slightly dulled,

By the end of the evening, Bobbie was wearing the last piece of the
ensemble...

A smile.

As the trio headed back to Rachel's SUV, Faye noticed Bobbie's face.

"See? Told you, a little debauchery never hurt anyone."

"That was so fun!" Bobbie yelled, the music still taking a toll on her
eardrums.

Faye looked at the blond girl. "Are you drunk?"

Bobbie tittered, "A little."

Faye started laughing. "Our little girl is growing up."

"Hey, not my first time," Bobbie said, having trouble with her balance.

"Not judging," Faye said. "Just glad I could help."

****

The next morning Bobbie woke in a darkened room, she was still in the
little black dress, her mouth dry. She felt around for her surroundings.
All at once she remembered where she was. She worked her way to a
standing position, the digital clock's red numbers told her it was 9:00
am. She quietly moved away from the snoring form of Faye. Bobbie turned
the knob and slowly backed out of the room.

She looked for the coffee filters and coffee. She knew it had to be
somewhere. The sound of a turning lock made her jump. It was Nick, and
he was carrying a bag from Experience Point, and one from Pam's. His
eyes doubled in size when he saw Bobbie, he dropped the Experience Point
bag.

"Oh, hi Nick. Where are your coffee filters?"

"Bobbie? Sorry, didn't recognize you. They're up here." He reached the
top shelf to get the filters.

"What's with you two and the burgers?" she said, indicating the bag.
Bobbie had seen so many wrappers from fast food places, that she thought
she was in the Crappy Food Museum.

"Faye's insanely lazy. I can't cook, last time I tried..." He shuddered at
the thought. "Was crock pot chili. The beans are supposed to soak first
apparently. So we got spicy meat stew with rocks."

"You have a crock pot? Y'know, I can show you how to make some simple
stuff," Looking around, Bobbie saw the state of the place in daylight
for the first time. Faye's room was worse, but not by much.

Nick was ripping plastic away from the green case, he threw it aside. It
drifted to the floor lazily. Bobbie cringed. God, they need help. She
was reminded of Robb's apartment with Melanie. That didn't take too
long, neither should this.

Sipping coffee, Bobbie started loading the dishwasher. Satisfied that
she had played Tetris with the dishes enough, she added the detergent
and started the clunky machine. Next were the counters and the stove,
then the floor. Dishes are done, man.

Nick was lost in the game, trying to get those first few hours of
mastery in specifically before Faye woke up and mopped the floor with
him. He was so lost in the combo attacks that he never noticed that
Bobbie had managed to clean and straighten the entire living room.

"Ahhh, shit," Nick said, setting down the controller. He stood and
stretched his back. Looking around, he noticed the sudden cleanliness.
Bobbie sat on the sofa, sipping at her coffee.

"Did you do all this?" Nick looked around at the suddenly clean space.

"Well, yeah, I was bored. You think I could get a ride to the store?"

"Sure." Nick smiled, happy to finally avoid dish patrol.