Jem… Chapter 12

Chapter 12

He smiles back at me and says quietly. “You’re here? I know I said we should keep things with us being away from each other but I missed you kiddo.”

“Me too, I was getting worried about you.”

“Angel, I’m a grown man I can take care of myself.”

I look at him smile but raise my eyebrow. He stares then shakes his head. “God you look like your mother when you do that.”

“I do?”

“Yes, you do.”

We walk over to where the girls are sitting up against Brooklyn’s Monte Carlo and I smile at them. “Girls this is…this is Mr. Powers. Uhm Mr. Powers these are my roommates. Raven, Roxy and Brooklyn.”

They all kind of chime “It’s nice to meet you Mr. Powers.”

Kimmie pipes up. “Jase’s told us a lot of cool things about you and Angel say’s you’re pretty cool too.”

“She does, huh I think that I can live with that.” He’s looking at me and smiling. “Who’s car?”

Brooklyn’s standing the furthest back from dad, like she’s scared. She seems nervous. She dangles the keys an bites her lower lip a bit.

Dad looks at her smiling. “That’s a nice ride, old school. Pop the hood.”

“Why?” She asks but looks like a mix of scared and confrontational.

“It’s a ….Angel thought it’d be okay if I took a look at it.” He looked from me to her. It took her a minute to get it.

“Oh, okay.”

She pops the hood and she comes over beside me with the stuff I brought from inside the car as Dad’s looking it over. She leans to me. “Why are we just not talking normally?” She whispers. I shrug. “So Mr. Powers any word on Jase anyway? How’s he making out?”

“He’s good last I heard from him. He’s at some friends place in T.O.”

“So the cops?”

“Still around, hoping if he’s going to show up.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, I think there’s some plainclothes been around lately.”

Raven asks. “Around?”

“Yeah there’s someone who recently moved in across the street. The place with the grey siding.”

It’s tempting to look. It’s bugging Roxy and Brooklyn says. “Oh…you think they’re cops?”

“Two guys and they don’t look gay and I’ve seen their car at places I’ve had to go.”

Raven puts on a pair of shades so there’s no way to tell where she’s looking. “Sounds like breakfast to me.”

Dad chuckles then looks at me and Brooklyn. “What’s that?”

I smile. “Care package. I was worried about you and Jase said he wanted me to look after you if I could.”

He comes over and takes the bags and looks inside. “Oh, well this is awesome…” he sniffs the bags. “Meatloaf?”

I nod. “Yeah, I though you might like it.”

“Oh Yeah, definitely. Tell you what you want to trade off?”

“Trade?”

“Yeah the home cooking for a tune up.”

“Sure? Brooklyn?” I look to her. She looks still nervous.

“Yeah…okay.”

We talk and stuff as Dad digs through a few shelving units and come back with an armload of stuff. He keeps anything good or useful from other vehicles we’ve worked on and in short order he’s swapped out the spark plugs and changed the air filter and cleaned the carburetor.

We all talk as he’s working just general stuff and about the house and the gigs that we’re going to be doing and stuff and Brooklyn’s still all nervous tightly wound with a lot of “Yes sirs and No Sirs.” And Raven’s sort of just looking around as we talk but kind of looking out I think and Kimmie’s in the car giving it gas when he asks her and it the car sounds a lot better with just some TLC.

Huh…kinda like the girls.

Kimmie’s watch beeps. “Oh, we’ve gotta go guys if we’re going to make it back to class.”

I give dad another hug and a kiss on the cheek and Brooklyn’s already getting in the car but she says. “Thanks Mr. Powers for the work on the car.”

He nods. “You girls stop in anytime and I can do more with more time.”

“You don’t have to do that sir.” She blushes and gets in the car.

“We’ll be back!” Kimmie grins and bounces over to Dad and hugs him. “You’re really cool Mr. Powers, It was so awesome to meet you!” She even kisses him on the cheek.

Raven gives him a sort of smile and a good handshake and I do the same but hug him. “I think we’ll definitely be back, we’ve got a van too.”

Dad smiles and hugs me back talking in my ear. “You be careful too, I’ll be okay but these guys aren’t just cops, there’s no undercover in town here. I think they’ve been brought in.”

“Any word from your Mountie friend?”

“Yeah he’s taking some time off to help out and stuff he should be here in a few days. I’m putting him up while he’s here.”

“Good. Sorry about Brooklyn Dad she’s been through some stuff.”

“No problem, I can tell. I’ll use kid gloves when you girls are over.” I blush a bit at being included with the girls. He pushes something into my hands. It feels like bills. “Dad…”

“Go I’ll see you girls some other time and thanks for the food.” He says it loud enough to hear but not too loud to be weird or anything.

We get into the car and Brooklyn’s a little fast pulling out and driving away. I lean forward (Raven and I are in the back.) and ask. “You okay?”

“Y..yeah, I’m just not good up close with like family authority figures…I kinda had like a sort of mini freak right.”

“A bit, are you really that scared of guys?”

“No, not at all but it was like just being there and he’s your dad and everything just got kinda scary, I think it’s because he’s your dad and I was just expecting…worse…sorry Ange.”

“No, shit Brooklyn, I get it I really do. Dad’s not like that.”

She starts crying as she’s driving. “I know! (sob-sniffle) he..he..I mean he didn’t have to..to..do the stuff to the car but he did and..and..I couldn’t just stop being a scared jerk when no ones done something like that for me y’know!”

Raven sit’s up passed me and reaches past Brooklyn and takes a grip on the wheel. “Stop the car, you can’t drive like this.” It’s weird I’ve never seen people do something like steering from the backseat as we slow down and pull over. Then we kind of play hug our friend car twister while Brooklyn has a bit of a freak and I can’t help but hug just as much too and still can’t help but be mad at the kind of men that give a beautiful girl like Brooklyn that kind of PTSD stuff.

She wipes her face and Raven and I sir back after the freak out and Kimmie looks at her watch. “Well we’re screwed, we’re late.”

“Sorry girls if we hadn’t come over her then none of this would have happened.” I sigh.

Brooklyn looks back at me. “Bullshit Angel it’s my crap that had me freak out and it’s not a big deal, just another Saturday detention.”

“Oh shit sorry girls.” I cover my face.

Kimmie pipe in with. “Yeah, it’s cool besides we have to keep our reputations up and all that.”

I’m leaning back slid down in the seat kind of feeling bad for getting them in trouble but these two seem like it’s just par for the course and normal for them and stuff. Raven’s sort of sitting in the corner of the back seat her sunglasses still on and she’s got her arms up one on the back of the seat the other in the sill of the side window and she starts nodding her head with this beat in her head the starts to sing.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey….”

God just the way she sang that it clicked, just…Roxy’s drum slapping on the dash and like a band will, or just maybe a group of friends will we all start singing in the car at the top of our lungs.

“Won’t you! Come see about me.”
“I’ll be alone, dancing you know it baby.”
“Tell me your troubles and doubts.”
“Giving me everything inside and out…”

“Love’s strange! So real in the dark.”
“Think of the tender things..”
“that we were working on.”
“Slow change! May pull us apart…”
“When the light get’s in your heart, baby.”

“Don’t You!”
“Forget about me!”
“Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t!”
“Don’t You!”
“Forget about me!”

And we’re suddenly going from the singing to the four of us laughing together because the whole thing this afternoon was just that old 80’s movie teen angst thing and just to hit it just right with that tune was just awesome. It’s funny too but you’d maybe have to be here.

We’re still laughing when there’s a siren and we look back to see one of the police cars for the town cops with his lights going. Brooklyn pulls over and swears. We all watch the cop get out, talk on his shoulder radio and then walk up to us. He taps the window with his hand. Brooklyn rolls the window down some. “Is there a problem officer?”

“License and proof of insurance please.”

Brooklyn starts to dig around and he looks at us. “Shouldn’t you girls be in school?”

Kimmie says. “Car trouble, we’re already late and now…hey can you write us a note?”

“No. What about you two in the back?”

Raven looks at him. “I’m sixteen, I quit.”

I look at him and shrug. “Me too.”

He stares at me. I blink at him. He’s a different cop than the other one. Brooklyn passes him her information. He’s looking it over still looking us over mostly and me a lot. “You seem friendly with Jeremy Powers?”

“I know his son Jason. You seem to be pretty interested in who I know officer.”

Kimmie takes out her phone and points it at him. “Say You Tube!”

The cop looks at her. “Hey!, put that the fuck away!”

Raven jumps in with. “You’re stifling her civil rights?”

Brooklyn’s right on him a second later. “Exactly why did you pull me over, we didn’t break the law?”

I chime in with him. “So you are looking at me because of my hair or because that other cop seen me there and you guys are all harassing me and Mr. Powers?”

He’s getting barraged by four rapidly talking angry sounding females and he’s starting to look like he’s the one being interrogated.

Kimmie says out loud. “And e-mail to…there!”

He’s saying. “Give me that phone!”

Raven takes out her phone. “I’m calling 911.”

Kimmie says. “I’m calling my Daddy!”

The cops like. “What? Wait who’s your daddy?”

Do you have Any Idea how hard it was not to burst out laughing at that?

Kimmie doesn’t miss a beat. “Kenny Kurowasa, he’s so gonna sue your ass!”

He’s suddenly looking at her and the prep-school uniform.

Brooklyn asks him again. “Hey! Why are we being pulled over?”

Raven again. “Hello? 911 I need to report police harassment can you call the RCMP?”

I look at him. “Why don’t you ask why some skinny kid had to take off out of town while some spoiled rich jackass and all his ass kissing friends are making like the guy’s a murderer. Honestly you guy think the entire town don’t know you guys are letting the Marshals whip this into a frenzy?”

He‘s looking panicked like any guy does when confronted by a superior female force. “It’s not like…., please here put the phones away? Look we’ll just pretend this never happened. Okay?”

“No! It’s not okay! Jason’s a friend of mine and a nice guy! You assholes are pressuring anyone who knows him over a fucking assault charge! And you honestly! Honestly think that we don’t know that it’s of that rich little fucktards say so? Just…Just fuck off!!!”

I’m screaming at him and leaning over the seats with Raven and Kimmie holding me back and Brooklyn’s taking her stuff back. “Look Cop? We’re just friends of his, we’re not looking for trouble okay, we cool?”

“Yeah, yeah we’re cool.” He’s backing off really quick like he’s the one who’s scared of us now. It doesn’t take him long to get into his cruiser and he hit’s the lights and pulls away squealing his tires like he’s off to some big emergency.

I fall back into the back seat breathing hard and look at the ceiling and scream and kick my feet.

I stop and the three of them are looking at me. “Jase, you okay?” Raven asks me.

“No, those guys in the place across from Dad’s called us in I think.”

All three of them are nodding. Brooklyn says as she starts the car back up. “Yeah that much was pretty transparent.”

Raven nods and offers out gum. I take a stick, I like Cinnaburst. “He sure wasn’t expecting a car full of pissed of girls.”

I nod. “But the cops know who we are more or less and I don’t think they’ll bother us again but Adam and them might give us trouble.”

Brooklyn laughs. “Yeah well they won’t be expecting you to be you Jase, not after that freak out. A guy hiding from the cops isn’t likely going to be suspected of being an angry pissed of girl. You really think that Adam’s going to be a problem?”

Kimmie’s grinning and not her cute grin but nasty sort of. “Let em.” and she actually takes out and does this whole wrist thing with a butterfly knife. I stare at her. She giggles? “What? These things are illegal; how’d you think I caused so my shit for my folks, I had half the parents in my old school and the kids thinking I was Yakuzza.”

“Yeah, the flipping stuff’s all she can do though.” Brooklyn says.

Kimmie smiles. “Yeah dad was Un…pleased, he almost really flipped out.”

We all just get quiet for a moment and there’s this tension bursting laughter as Raven actually giggles out. “Who’s your daddy!”

That just hits my nerves and the other too and we have to pull into the Ultramar station and run into the store part to pee.

I’m taking awhile to calm down while sitting on the toilet and for a little while I was shaking. The whole thing was really funny with how we henpecked a freaked on him till he ran like a scared little boy. But it’s so, so not funny at the same time. The nerves hit and the tears come and I cry a little bit and I hate this, I really hate this. Part of me would do something really bad if I had a gun or something. I’m not that kind of person but you really can be pushed to that breaking point.

I come out and see the girls there waiting and looking as me worriedly and each one of them gives me a long hug. It really does help, I get the support that I’ve never really had before and I breathe in that feminine whatever that girls give off that makes everything alright.

Raven takes out her purse and starts doing her make-up. “We need to de-stress, we should do something.”

I dig my purse out and look at the money dad gave me. There’s another couple of hundred…Dad…I know we’re actually not to badly off with the money he makes but it’s been so much…lately. Going out, getting out of my head sounds so good. “Yeah, that sounds so good…I’ve never really done the whole going out thing.”

Kimmie’s like. “Yeah we can go dancing and stuff!” she starts to bump and grind and bogey there in front of the mirror. Yeah that’s right girls go out dancing and stuff like that don’t they?

I nod using a bunch of tissues and cold cream to take off my wrecked make up lending some to Brooklyn who smiles and she’s even more of a mess than me but she wears some heavy rocker make-up to classes. “We should go to the Cat.” Raven and Kim nod and both say. “Definitely.” I nod to after a second. The Cat is a Teen Club owned by two women and is actually called The Black Cat and it’s one of the only teen clubs in town that has either live music on the weekends or a DJ during the week. It’s kind of like “The Bronze” from Buffy the vampire slayer.

I say as we’re redoing our make-up. “I need to get a few things, I’ve got nothing to wear.” The girls look at me and we start laughing again and then we head out to the car and gas up. I buy the gas and it was so cool to see Brooklyn’s eyes light up when we fill the tank. “Angel…” She hugs me again. I hug her back and say. “Hey, You’re driving us around so fair’s fair right?”

We’re still in a good mood as we pull into the Highline mall. It’s the big main mall for town and it’s right up on top of the highest part of town pretty close to the highway and stuff and full of places I’ve never really gone to before. I mean really, you ever notice the bulk of the stores in a mall are geared towards girls and women? It’s a whole new experience for me and we kill most of the afternoon shopping, trying on things and I buy some stuff. I get some stuff at the pharmacy and I buy this really expensive set of underwear at Victoria Secret’s I know, cliché but the stuff is exactly what it is and really sort of a staple in girl world to have some as Raven puts it Slinky wear. And I find a really short skirt. I don’t stick out down there so It’s not a problem and you see girls going out and the clothes are pretty provocative.

I want to look good. I’m already passable thanks to my medical stuff I’ve been through but there’s this kind of thing where I want to really fit in with the girls who’ll I’m sure will look great.

We don’t get take out or anything not with the stuff already cooked home. We pig out and it’s actually mostly meatloaf sandwiches.

The house gets this vibe going as we crank the tunes and it’s this whole thing of girls getting ready to go out on the town which has this kind of fun and excited vibe to it that I’m not used to.

Me…I take a packet with the facial stuff. (They’re like two bucks at Body Shop.) and get that on before I take a hot shower and scrub. I dry off really well and I take out my new boobs. I bought them and they’re not prosthetic ones but the flesh colored gel ones that some girls places sell as a helper. They’re a high B-cup and I take my time getting them onto my chest with double sided tape and some liquid bandage where there’s no tape.

I kind of feel weird standing there waiting for my boobs to dry but once their on I do a few non-bra jiggle bouncy swaying tests to make sure they’ll stay on good. Wow that feels weird, not bad, a little erotic but that fades as I get more into being Angel. I mix some powder foundation with some more liquid bandage and use it to hind the seams.

Wow, I really look like a girl. It’s so strange, and scary, un-pink my hair and I’d really look like my mom.

I lotion up with this nice baby powder scented lotion and then some actual powder and then some perfume in a few places deodorant and all of that then I do my make-up. I take my time with it, I’m still going with the whole Jem pink thing and eye liner and eye shadow and all the usual. It’s hard but not all at the same time honestly if you think about it like cars or house painting it translates okay but I kind of go with what I’d like to see on a girl like me.

You know what I mean:P

The biggest thing is technique and the hardware. I’m actually getting pretty good at this. My lips are the biggest thing. I use a dark red lipstick them blot most of that off leaving a sort of dark color there that I put a nice pink lipstick on over it but not too pink, more like a really nice shade. I’ve found out that the sparkle stuff and the pearly stuff’s kind of tweeny or good for on stage. I like the look and I get dressed.

I slip into the stuff from Vicky S’s it’s from the Miracle collection and yeah I paid way too much for just the one set but that push up demi bra effect…erotic…again yeah but at the same time there’s this whole thing where they say when you feel sexy you feel good. I feel really good. It’s not just the whole sexy thing, I look good, cool even.

I shimmy into my short skirt, tight lycra and black. I actually notice I kinda do have a girl sort of butt. It’s a bit smaller than most but there’s some curve there. Over it I just do this grey long sleeved tee-shirt with pink flowers embroidered on the sleeves and the scoop neck really shows my bra and boobs just right. I add a belt to sort of make a waist and add some jewelry. Last is a pair of wedge styled sandals and I leave my room and head downstairs my smallest useful purse in hand.

Brooklyn’s in a shirt like me but a brown color with bronze in it that sets off her red hair and black jeggings. Roxy is all short skirted like me and in a camisole shirt and doing that tiny breasted no bra bit that really makes her look all sexy hot little Japanese girl, she looks really good too.

Then there’s Raven…What can I say, black leather jacket, hair loose and styled, sexy ankle boots with a three inch heel and this drop dead body hugging, breast lifting little black dress with spaghetti straps.

I can’t help but stare and she stares at me and… No one’s ever looked at me like that.

Then for the first time in my life I hear.

“Oh my god you’re beautiful.” She says it and… something felt good inside.

I smile at her and there’s another look? “Hey, I think that’s my line.”