Lead Shoes-8

Chapter 8

I’m still kind of laughing because well…

I just went nuts on somebody and I’ve never gone nuts on someone before in my life. I mean before it was ignore being ignored. Take the looks, take the whispered little comments. Just take it, take it, take it.

But Sammi’s my friend, one of my only friends and I’ll effing die before people get away with treating my friends like dirt! (sob!)

Okay crying now.

I hurt.

Ow, I think I skinned something and my hands hurt from using the crutch.

Sammi comes running out. “Oh fuck! Kayla? Are you okay?”

I look at her.

It’s Sammi, my best friend who aside from my CP is just like me…

I explode into tears.

“I’m Sorry!, I’m So Sorry I was just such a bitch before!…I…I…I Love you! Please don’t stop being my fri….end!”

All of that was at full hormonal teenaged girl explodey cry.

She hugs me. “Hell no, I’m not going to stop being you’re friend. I love you too sweetie…oh my god you were so brave just now….you were amazing!”

No one’s ever really called ME amazing before. I’m hugging herb and crying and she’s hugging me and crying. And Evelyn is giving us that bitchy hairy eyeball of hers like she hates us and there’s some smug satisfaction there.

The Cops pull in a few minutes later, one car and a female officer gets out with her partner another woman and the walk over to us. Evelyn comes out. “It’s about time you got here, you need to lock her up!”

She’s pointing at me.

“Alright Ma’am just calm down and tell us what happened.” this is from the first police woman and she’s this kind of no-nonsense looking woman in her late 30’s maybe early 40’s.

“That demented little asshole comes up here by the take out window where Samir’s been on and started using on of his crutches to smash up the car of a repeat client.”

“Ma’am, please watch you’re language, tone it down some alright now for the record. What happened?”

Evil-Lyn’s giving this account of her’s where I just walk up out of the blue and start beating on the asshole’s car. She keeps using male pronouns too.

I see the cop look at her while the other one, went inside and went to talk to people. There’s another cop car pulling in as that happens and the car with the assholes in it.

The other cops are O.P.P. while the ones already here are Metro?

The Cops talk to each other and the black cop comes over to me and Sammi. “Alright you girls, how about you tell me what this was all about?”

She helps me up and over to a seat at the outside tables. Her partner is inside talking to the staff and some of the people inside. Evil-Lyn is talking to the O.P.P. guys or rather interjecting her own opinion.

Sammi sniffles and talks. “They’re from my school and they don’t like me because I’m transgendered…or that I’m Hindu. They’ve been calling me names and insulting me all night coming around to the drive through because that’s where I’m working…they just get a small fries or a pop but they just won’t leave me alone… (sniffle.)”

I (sniffle.) too nodding along with her. “Sammi called me and she was scared so I came as fast as I could. They were doing it when I got here and since her boss wasn’t here and that one! (I point right at Evelyn.) wasn’t doing anything to help her out so I stood up for my friend.”

The officer nods. “I see, Sammi…why didn’t you call the police?”

“Evelyn said if I called the cops she’d get me fired.”

“She did?”

The cop turns and talks into her shoulder mic for her radio. There’s some stuff said back after a few minutes.

Then there’s another police car and Sammi hugs me and cries on my shoulder. She’s shaking too which get the guy from the car and his friends laughing and pointing amongst themselves. The cops, none of them at this point look the least bit impressed with them. This crosses some lines and there’s some nods and finger pointing at Evelyn from some of the staff and the patrons too and there’s a lot going on.

Sammi hugs me tighter and whines a little. “Oh shit I’m so fired.”

I look over to where there’s this middle aged Arabic man who is talking to the police there inside and Evelyn makes her way over to him and she’s saying stuff and pointing at us repeatedly and I see Mom, there right beside them…I’m not sure who called he or when she showed but I do catch her stepping between Evelyn’s pointing hand blocking her.

We all hear her say. “If you refer to those girls in anything but the right way there’ll be hell to pay.”

I’m not sure what else is said because the voices are lowered but Evil-Lynn’s changing colors and looks pissed, really pissed. She storms away yelling. “You can’t do this!, You’ll be hearing from my lawyers!”

Mom’s talking with the cops and the manager/owner of the franchise and then they go inside for a while.

The black lady cop has a blanket and she gives it to use to wrap around each other. It’s kind of quiet in the chaos for awhile and we’re both sitting and hugging each other and someone pull’s up on a BMX street bike.

“Kayla?”

“Will?”

“Yeah, what’s going on? Hey Sammi.”

(sniffle) “Hey Will…”

I hug her a bit more even though it kind of hurts. I smile at him. “Sammi was getting hasseled by those dickheads in the car over there and her ex-assistant manager has a problem with people like us and wasn’t doing sweet F-all to stop them so I showed up.”

“Of course you did, in your crutches and stuff.” He leans in staring at me.

“Hey, what?”

“I’m looking for the super girl logo on your shirt.”

“Will….” I’m blushing a bit.

“Hey, I’ll be right back okay girls.”

“Okay…”

He pedals off standing in the pedals and hops and clears the curb and zips off. He has a really nice butt and I got a good look at it as he was taking off. Sammi leans on me putting her head on my shoulder. “He likes you.” (sniffle)

“Yeah, god that’s scary Sammi. I mean he’s a boy.”

“Uh-huh, I’d be scared too if I was into boys.”

“You’re a lesbian?”

“I think so, I mean I think I still like girls it’s just I don’t know.”

“We’re behind everyone else Sammi, I think we can be allowed to be confused about stuff…Will’s really confusing for me.”

“But in a good way.” She says with that sort of tail-end of the sniffles and start of a bit of a smile sound to it.

Here in the blanket despite all the stuff that’s gone on…this is what I’m supposed to have had, that I should have been living before. Hugging my best friend, both of us the same. It’s still more than I ever dreamed even with the stuff that’s happened with me and my hormones. Losing my temper with mom and Sammi and now this.

I smile a bit. “Yeah, but in a good way.”

We’re there awhile longer and there’s some other cars arriving and adults getting out and talking to the assholes and they’re pointing at me.

I hear one of the cops mention CP and there’s some yelling from some of the parents. Mom comes out with two cops and the manager and there’s something going on.

Dickhead with the mouth on him gets all pale as something gets played. Mom comes over with a big bag of McDonalds stuff and sits with us. The black lady cops partner is with her and she asks Sammi. “We’ve evidence of those kids harassing you Sammi, do you want to press charges?”

“If I don’t will they not press charges on Kayla?”

“I can’t get into that part of it Sammi. It’s not up to me.”

Sammi’s biting her lip and looking at me. I nod to her. “Do it, they’ve gotta list the charges in the court news, he’s got his license so he’s not a minor Sammi they’ve got to learn they can’t just go around bullying people and thinking they can get away with this.”

“But, you’re going to get into trouble.”

I shrug. “I knew what I was doing when I was doing it. Nobody hurts my family or my friends…CP or crutches or whatever. I’ll take whatever comes honey, you’re my girl…you’re worth it.”

We hug and we cry a bit more and the cop’s talking to the others on the radio. They head off to the other cops and I sniffle some more and look at Mom who’s taking out food and eating a few fries.

I look over at her. “They got evidence?”

“Yeah, video but the headsets too.”

“Headsets?”

“Quality assurance and stuff they record the headsets stuff for “training purposes” they have them being little assholes to Sammi on her mic’s pick up and the threats and abuse from the assistant manager too on there. It’s all on computers so the times they’re at the drive through match up.”

“So Sammi’s okay then?”

“Yeah, you’re both good.”

“Both?”

“Yeah, the little mouthpiece’s dad won’t let him press charges after being caught being such a little dick and getting his car beat to crap by a little crippled girl in crutches while him and his friends were picking on an immigrant kid.”

“Wow…put it that way it makes them look like a real losers.”

“Yeah and in court, they’d get things drawn out a lot more. The law is really cracking down on bullying now and you girls being TG is right in that whole anti-bullying thing and add in Sammi being racially persecuted and you having CP and the fact the assistant manager wasn’t protecting her employees…”

“What tell me you pointed a lot of these things out Mum.”

She shrugs. “Maybe…” And takes a drink of her pop.

“So…I’m not in trouble?”

She stares at me. “Hardly young lady. You effed up so you’re grounded.”

“Okay…” I look down, I disappointed her. I hate this feeling in my chest and stomach right now.

“No, it’s not okay. Look I’m proud as hell that you came here no matter how much it hurt and you were willing to really stand up for your friend and what you believe in. I love you for that.”

“You do?” I’m sniffling again.

“Yes, hell yes….but…”

“But…”

“But you don’t ever, ever do something like this without calling me, calling the bar and telling someone there what’s going on. I know you hate being judged by your CP Kayla but this is the real world. You’re really lucky those little shits weren’t a bit meaner and stupider or they’d have gotten out of the car and would have turned on you…You could’ve been hurt…or even killed.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know, but you never do this again without someone that’s got your back honey…okay…I just got you. I don’t want anyone taking you away from me.”

“Okay Mom.”

I hug her and she hugs me and we eat together and Will comes back driving his bike but with a tray of iced coffee’s from Tim Hortons. Mom’s eyebrow raises as he pulls up. “Okay, you’re grounding starts once you get home young lady.”

“Thanks Mum.”

She gets up but takes one of the three coffees from him. “Thanks Will, you’re a sweetie.” And he’s blinking after she walks away to the van. He blinks like a dog trying to track a dozen squirrels in his yard. Do guys always get that kind of look? God that’s cute. I feel all…I don’t know but I like it.

He sits and gives me and Sammi our iced coffee’s and looks at us. “So what happened and are you girls okay.”

I slide him my extra Mc double and eat some fries before starting in on everything.