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Tuckin' In The Woods -*- Copyright 1998 by Ellen Hayes.

Any resemblance between the writings in this work, and any actual
persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental, except when
used for satirical purposes.

This work contains adult situations, adult language, adult concepts, and
possibly sex.  If you are legally not allowed to read materials
containing such things, then you will be breaking the law by reading
this.  I am not responsible.
Continuing to read this document, or storing it or reproducing it
in any format means that you explicitly affirm that you are legally
allowed to possess and read such materials in your city, county/parish,
state, and country.

All rights reserved.  See the bottom for distribution rights.


Tuckin' In The Woods


***
07:02 24 May

     I woke up, for no real reason that I could tell, and I couldn't
figure out where I was.  I had to lift myself off the bed before I
recognized Sabrina's "party room".  Pam was sitting, staring out the
window at the daylight.
     "Hey," I said softly.  She looked back inside, and waved sort of
half-heartedly.  Then I realized I had to go to the bathroom, and right
now.

***
07:04 24 May

     "What's up?" I asked her as I perched next to her.  She looked kind
of weirded.
     She shrugged, still staring out the window.  Finally, she said,
"Just thinking."
     "Good things?"
     She half smiled at that.  "No, guess not."  She turned to look at
me.  "Do, do you ever wonder," she asked softly, "if you made the right
decision?  By living, I mean?"
     I guessed it was still the witching hour.
     I thought about it for a long time.  This was not the sort of
question I was good at answering, and it brought up things I'd rather
not think about either.  "Sometimes," I finally answered.  "Not much.
Sheila, my therapist," who, I just remembered, I had an appointment with
at ten.  Uh oh.  "Um, she said for me to keep busy with friends and
stuff, remind me of what's good in life."  I shrugged.
     She looked back out the window.  So softly I could barely hear her,
she said, "Sometimes I wonder if it was worth it.  Living."  Pause.
"When I stopped dancing, it was like my life was over, you know?  Like,
I'd never do anything again, and the rest of my life would be just,
just..."
     "Leftovers?"
     She looked back at me with this sort of amazed expression.  "Yeah,"
she said slowly.  "Yeah, like leftovers from this wondrous banquet,
except you got thrown out before you could really eat anything."
     We both sighed.
     "Sometimes I feel like that," I mentioned after a while.  "Like,
like my life was just destroyed, and that's it, too bad, game over."
     "But you can still be what you want-"
     "A normal guy?"  I shook my head.  "I'll never be normal.  Not
now."  My body was going to screw up that little assumption.
     "Yeah, but..." she stared out the window again, looking more upset.
     "Sorry, I didn't mean to cut you like that.  I guess it's about the
same, huh?  We both lost what we'd dreamed of, all our lives."  She
nodded absently as my stomach cramped up when I heard what I'd said.  My
throat cramped up too.
     I saw a tear roll down one cheek.  So I reached out and took her
hand in mine.  She didn't say or do anything, she just sat and stared
out the window while tears dripped off her chin.

***
07:22 24 May

     We'd been staring out the window, just holding hands, for a long
time, when Kathy mumbled something incoherent and shot up, then crawled
out of bed and walked over to the door and out without saying anything.
     Pam and I looked at each other.  She was smiling like I was, like
if we smiled then we weren't really upset.  She leaned close and kissed
me.  "Thanks," she whispered, and wiped the tear tracks off my face.  I
did the same to her, and so we looked almost normal when Kathy came back
in.

***
09:18 24 May

     In a completely bizarre reversal of everything I'd been doing the
last six months, today I was sneaking out of Sabrina's house wearing guy
clothes under a jumper.  It caught me about the time I was sliding into
Debbie's car.
     When she got in, we looked at each other, and started to laugh.

***
09:37 24 May

     "So what were you doing with Pam this morning?"
     "Huh?  When?"  Things had been a teeny bit confused this morning,
especially after Pam and Jill got into a tickle fight.
     She raised her eyebrows at me without looking, which I was grateful
for because traffic was heavier than I thought it should be for a
Saturday.  "About seven."
     "Oh."  I took a breath.  "Talking.  About.... about loss, I guess."
     Pause.
     "Oh," she finally said, glancing at me.
     "We're okay, I think.  Just... it hurts sometimes, and she asked...
well, I guess I asked first because she looked so sad at the window,
but..."  I shrugged.  "I dunno.  Sometimes hurting with someone else..."
     "It's better than hurting alone?"
     "Yeah."
     She nodded.  Eventually, her hand crept out and grabbed mine.
     We didn't talk any more after that.  But it was kind of comfortable
anyway.

***
10:02 24 May

     "Can I ask who that is outside?" Sheila asked as we sat down.
     "Um, that's my girlfriend Debbie."
     "Oh, that's nice of her to bring you today."
     "Yeah."
     She looked at me.  "Should I... not mention her?"
     "Um.  Not to my parents?" I asked hopefully.
     "Alright," she said, looking puzzled.
     I felt like I should explain.  Sheila had this really hurt look
whenever I didn't tell her what was going on.  "I just, I mean, I don't
want them to know she brought me over today, because, because they don't
know, that we had breakfast today.  Together."

***
10:55 24 May

     I came out, and Debbie looked up and didn't even wait before she
stood up and hugged me.

***
11:00 24 May

     "It just hurts so bad sometimes," I sniffled.  "I mean, it's like I
lost everything, you know?"  It hurt so bad, that I wasn't sure I could
stand up if I wasn't leaning against the counter.
     Debbie nodded without saying anything, she just ran some water on a
paper towel and wiped my face with it.
     I was nuzzled into her neck when we heard the door open.

***
11:28 24 May

     "When are you doing consults today?" I asked her as she turned off
the engine.
     "Um, one o'clock for the first one- that reminds me, Lisa is
supposed to come over so she can rent the equipment."
     "Huh?"
     "She's got the other D&E credit card," Debbie grinned.
     "YOU have a CREDIT CARD?!"  That was the same tone of voice that
Dad had used when Susan asked him for a credit card when she left for
college.
     She nodded.  "How do you think I paid for dinner last night?"

***
11:32 24 May

     Debbie and I were just saying hi to Dad when someone poked me in
the ribs.  "Hey!" I complained as I twisted out of range and got ready
to counterattack Brian-
     It wasn't Brian, it was Susan.  "Susan!?"
     "Hey," she said, smiling.
     "Hi," Debbie said.
     We all sort of stood there, I guess thinking about the last time
we'd all seen each other.  At least, that's what I was thinking about.
It hadn't been a happy time.

***
11:37 24 May

     "So anyway," Susan explained as we flopped down in her room, "I
thought I'd come back when Amy was coming up."
     "Why didn't you come back sooner?  Your finals were over, right?"
     She looked kind of ill.  "Yeah, but I had to make up some class
stuff, so I stayed on a little bit.  Don't tell Mom and Dad, okay?"
     "Okay."  Reflexively, I calculated what I could get out of her for
my silence, before I remembered that she held something much worse on
me.
     I guess she remembered too, because the little oh-no-I-shouldn't-
have-said-that expression on her face went about four different
directions, and she ended up sort of smiling.
     "What?" Debbie wanted to know.

***
12:12 24 May

     "See you tonight at the party?" I confirmed into Debbie's ear.
     She just nodded against me.
     I understood how she felt.  I didn't want her to leave either.

***
13:09 24 May

     I was beginning to wonder if Amy was in fact coming, or if this was
some trick to get us all out of the house so someone could rob it - I
was going to blame Nickerson if that happened - when she finally
staggered out of the boarding tunnel.
     "AMY!" we all yelled and waved our arms.  She sort of perked up
when she saw us.

***
13:34 24 May

     "It's not that Bill doesn't like you," Mom explained, "it's-"
     "Brian," Susan interrupted.
     Amy made a face.  "He's still like that?"
     "He's still like that."
     "What a jerk!"  I nodded.

***
13:38 24 May

     "I got a job too, this summer-"
     "What?"
     "Babysitting?"
     Amy gave me this incredulous look.  "You?!"
     "Yeah, so?"
     "I thought, after that time you told me about-"
     "I think we were doing it all wrong."
     "No kidding!"  She giggled.  "Hey, need some help?"
     "Um, no.... although maybe Debbie could fit you in somewhere.  She
might need a substitute."
     "A what?"  Her eyebrows came together.  "Is this the same Debbie
you were dating at Christmas?"
     "Yeah-"
     Amy confirmed, "You're still dating her?"  Susan snorted.
     "They're inseparable," Mom confirmed, and I almost had a heart
attack until I realized it was a general comment, rather than something
specific like about this morning.

***
14:27 24 May

     "Which room did you want to stay in?" Mom asked as we all hauled
Amy's luggage into the house.
     "I, I thought I'd stay with Susan again," Amy said, kind of
confused.
     "I can still put my bunks back together if you're interested," I
mentioned.
     "Oh, come on, Tuck!" Susan complained.  "She can stay with me.
There's hardly any room for her anyway in there."  She leaned closer to
Amy.  "He's still doing his retirement home for old computers thing."
     "Hey!" I complained.  Amy giggled.

***
14:53 24 May

     Susan and Amy were going to have fun living together, I could tell.
You could barely turn around in the room once they had all their clothes
spread out.
     "Maybe we could get a clothes rack or something tomorrow," Susan
mused as she looked around.
     "Sounds like a good idea," Dad commented.  "Hold that steady," he
told me.  I tried to hold a thousand pound bunk bed up with sheer force
of will.  I didn't know why he couldn't be the one to hold it up and me
be the one to use the socket wrench.

***
15:09 24 May

     "So what's fun to do here?" Amy asked, leaning over the top of the
bunk.
     "I'm going to a party tonight," I announced while Susan thought.
     "Really?" Amy asked.  "What kind of party?"
     "End of school rave.  Kim- a friend of mine, you haven't met her-"
     "The blond one?" Susan asked.
     "Yeah, her.  Her folks, well her grandparents are letting us use
this barn, we're gonna-"  I checked my watch.  "Oh, sh- I gotta call
Lisa!  We've gotta go get the sound system!" I called as I dashed for my
room.

***
15:12 24 May

     "Sure, no problem," Lisa said.  I breathed a sigh of relief.  "Did
you call Pam?"
     "Pam?"
     "She's got that minivan, remember?"  Well, her parents did.  Almost
the same thing.
     "Oh, sh- I forgot!"
     "Go call her," Lisa ordered.  "I'll be over in a bit."

***
15:13 24 May

     "Hello?"
     "Pam?"
     "Oh, hi Val," she said.
     "Can you get the minivan, we need something to carry the sound
system out to the party..."  I crossed my fingers.
     "Um, lemme go ask."  She put the phone down, and I tried not to
bite my nails off.  Someone knocked on the door.  I scrambled over and
opened it.
     Amy asked, "Whatcha-" but Pam came back at that moment.  "Yeah,"
Pam said as I made shushing motions at Amy, "I can get it.  Do you need
to take the seats out?"
     "Yeah, probably," I told her.  "We can do that here, though."  Amy
looked baffled.
     "Okay, I'll be there in a bit, okay?"
     "'Kay, see ya then."
     "Bye!"
     She hung up, and I flipped the phone off.  "What?" I asked Amy.
     "What IS that?" she pointed to the thing on my head.
     "Everything audio," I told her.

***
15:16 24 May

     She liked the idea of the headphone and mic system I'd cobbled
together over the last couple of years.  "Oh, I forgot to ask, can I
come to this party?"
     "Oh, uh, sure, I guess so-"
     "You guess?"
     "Yeah, well, I mean, you won't know anyone there except me and Mike
and Dan-"
     "And Debbie?" she grinned.
     "Of course!"
     "So what should I wear?" she asked me.  I think she was joking, but
I suggested something anyway.  Then I remembered I had to call Mike,
too.  And Kim.  And Dan.  So I almost missed the look she gave me.

***
15:19 24 May

     "Hey Suze! You wanna go to a party full of high school brats
tonight?"
     She gave me a look like, Are you kidding?  "I, I..."  She looked
like her mind was changing.  "Where is it?"

***
15:32 24 May

     "Do I look okay?" Amy asked me and Susan.
     "Yeah!"
     "It's okay," Susan said.  We glared at each other.
     "It's a dance in an un-air-conditioned barn, Suze-"
     "It was just my opinion, okay?  She asked ME, alright?  So just-"
     Amy commanded, "Would you two get a grip?!"

***
15:36 24 May

     "Mom!" I heard Brian complaining as I opened the door.
     "Hey Lisa!" I said, giving her a hug and a kiss on the cheek before
she came in.  "This is my cousin Amy, she's staying here for the summer,
Amy this is Lisa, Debbie's best friend."
     They said hi to each other, then Lisa asked if I was ready to go.
     "Pam's not here yet."  She made a face.
     "Go where?" Amy asked.
     "Rent the sound system," I reiterated.

***
15:48 24 May

     "So anyway," Pam said, "he is SO fun to be with!  I mean, when I
said I wanted to go take a walk down the river, he said it was the
coolest thing and he always did it when he wanted to think..."  She
dodged around a Suburban and just made the turn lane in time.

***
16:07 24 May

     "How much are you getting, anyway?" Amy asked in shock.
     I grunted as I picked up one of the speakers.  "Enough," I huffed.
"Get the other one?"

***
16:19 24 May

     Lisa looked rather pained as she signed off on the charge slip.  I
think the rest of us were in shock.  I mean, I KNEW how much it was
going to be, but just watching her sign the slip like she did this all
the time... and I don't think Pam or Amy had any idea at all.

***
16:22 24 May

     "So, we have three seats and four people," Lisa mentioned.
     "I gotta drive," Pam reminded us.
     "Me and Lisa, me and Amy, or Amy and Lisa," I listed.
     Lisa looked at me, I looked at her, she wiggled her eyebrows, I
licked my lips at her like I did at Debbie when I meant something in
particular, and we laughed.
     "Me and, uh, Tuck," she giggled.
     Amy looked a little confused.

***
16:32 24 May

     "Ooh, who wants ice cream?" Lisa shouted almost into my ear as we
got into range of a Baskin Robbins.

***
16:36 24 May

     "Kim likes chocolate," I told Amy as the guy packed a quart of
antidepressant into the container.  "Especially more chocolate."
Debbie's chocolate was already waiting on the counter.
     She leaned close, and asked quietly, "WHICH one are you dating?"
     "Debbie!" I whispered back.  "The rest are just friends.  Well,
I mean, not JUST friends, I mean..."  I watched Pam to see if she was
going to order something fattening.  Just sort of in case.  She did.  I
felt better.

***
17:19 24 May

     Lisa and Amy had switched seats so Lisa could navigate.  So I got
to have Amy on my lap, sort of.  Actually, we were both sort of half in
the seat.
     "You know," she mentioned into my ear, "you'd have more money if
you didn't act like you were dating all of them."
     "And then I wouldn't get to go out with all of them," I pointed
out.
     "Yeah, but still, doesn't Debbie get jealous or something?  I
would."
     "Debbie knows where my heart is," I told her.  "And she knows
exactly how to rip it out of my body, too.  Besides, I never - well,
hardly ever go somewhere without two or more of them at once."  Not that
that had helped when Jill and Kim decided to kiss-test me.
     Amy's expression made me wonder if I'd said that out loud.

***
17:22 24 May

     "So why did you bring a bag?" Amy asked as Lisa and Pam poured over
a map.  "How far is this place anyway?"
     "Not that far, I think.  Mike and Kim got here, uh, yesterday, it
didn't take them too long.  I just, I mean, I'm gonna be setting up, and
running all over the place and stuff, and so I thought I'd bring
something to change into so I wouldn't be all gross when Debbie got
here."  I wondered if I should have called Debbie.  I wondered if I
should get a cellular phone like Debbie was getting.  I wondered if I
should get a pager.  I wondered-
     "Tuck?"  I focused on Amy.  "Hello, real world calling?"
     "I'm sorry," I recited, "the person you have called, has been
disconnected or is no longer in service.  If you feel you have reached
this recording in error, please dial the operator."
     "Tuck?!  I think you've been sniffing the soldering iron too long."
Which reminded me, that I needed or Mike needed to bring some extra
jacks, so we could use the headsets with the radios tonight-
     "TUCKER!"

***
17:33 24 May

     "Oh, thank God," I mentioned as we turned into a driveway.
     "I think- yeah, Kim's here already," Lisa mentioned.
     "Oh, cool," Pam said.
     "You think the ice cream melted?" I asked.

***
17:36 24 May

     "...and this is Amy, my cousin, and- Mike!"
     "Hey!" he called, then did a double take when he saw Amy.  "Hey
Amy!"  She waved at him, looking a little overwhelmed already.  Mike
pulled Kim along to meet Amy.
     "Are you two sucking face?" I asked Mike, recognizing the shade of
lipstick that was smeared over his face and neck.
     "Me?" "Us?" they both protested.
     "They've been sucking face," I explained to Amy, in case she'd
missed the lipstick.  Kim smacked me in the head.

***
17:38 24 May

     Kim cooed when Pam dug the ice cream out of her little cooler.
"Who-"  Pam pointed at me.  "OOh, thank you Tuck!"  She reached over and
gave me a hug and a kiss on the mouth.
     "It's, uh, from me and Mike," I explained.  Well, lied.  Sort of.
He would have wanted me to get it if he'd known we were going there.
Plus he was going to pay me for part of it.
     "You want some?" she offered.
     "I think Mike might."  She went off to go find him, with the quart
of ice cream and two spoons clanking in her fingers.
     "You sure you're dating this Debbie chick and not someone else?"
Amy asked.  "Where is she, anyway?"
     Lisa, passing by at that particular moment with a couple of bags of
groceries, answered, "She's coming with Jill and Sabrina, when she gets
done with consults this afternoon."  Then she left, saying "I gotta get
going, see ya!"
     "Consults?" Amy wanted to know.

***
17:42 24 May

     "So, we just gotta go in and set things up, right?"
     Mike made a face.  "Sure, Tuck, no problem.  Did you bring cables?"
I nodded.  "Extension cords?"  I nodded.  "CDs?"  I nodded.  "Computer?"
I nodded.  "Jaz disks?"  I held up the bag I was carrying.  "Radios?"  I
nodded.  "Hmmm."
     "Also the DJ security system.  Didja bring the," I made a explosion
sort of gesture.  He nodded.  "Your CDs?"  He nodded.  "Your radio,
headsets, voice changer, effects boxes?" nod nod nod nod.  "Then I guess
all we gotta do is go in and set things up, huh?"  He made a face at me.
Kim purred at him and fed him some ice cream.
     "Are there going to be SINGLE guys here tonight?" Amy complained.

***
17:47 24 May

     I'd realized a problem, and went to go find Kim.  "Hey, Kim, do you
have anything to keep my hair out of my face?"

***
17:49 24 May

     Two barrettes were all the girls could spare, so that's what I was
wearing.  They didn't match, either.  Mike could not contain his
comments, of course.  "You look like a dork, Tuck."
     "Shut up, Mike.  Come on, let's get this done so I can take them
off, okay?"

***
19:04 24 May

     We were about half done, like I expected, when the door opened.
"Hey, wh-"  It was Kim's sister Linda.  She looked shocked.
     "What are you DORKS doing here?!" she demanded.
     Mike started bowing, and so I got up and started bowing too.  Mike
intoned, "Setting up the sound system, oh most scintillating vision of
pulchritudinous onanism."
     It was only because we'd made a study of obscure insults that I
understood anything of what he was saying.  Linda got the gist of it,
though, by the way she slammed the door of the barn.

***
19:38 24 May

     "Sound check!"  Mike stuck his fingers in his ears, and I pushed
play.
     The sound crested up, then dove, then flew around the room, then
pulled up and up into a chord worthy of the gods before it dissipated.
     "The audience... is listening," Mike and I chorused through our
mics, which I had patched through the sound board.
     "Whoa," commented Amy and Kim and Pam.  Then they applauded.

***
19:43 24 May

     I slowly ran the volume up, ignoring the scream that was coming out
of the speakers.  I kept my eye on the flourescent work light that was
sitting on top of one of them.  These headphones were definitely worth
what we had paid for them.
     At about 3/4 of the way up, there was a pop and the lights and
sound went out.  I marked the point with a UV marker, then turned the
knob down a bit before I pulled the mic around and pushed the talk
button.  "Okay, Mike, reset the breakers."
     There was a clack! and the light came back on, as did the howl of
pink noise.

***
20:04 24 May

     We'd finished wiring the DJ booth, finally, and were sitting around
discussing the possibility of a shower when the door opened again.  It
was Linda again, but this time Kim was with her.
     "She wants to know what kind of music you guys have," Kim
explained, looking sour.
     "Everything not country," Mike explained.  "Everything from ABC to
Zepplin with detours at Nine Inch Nails and Spice Girls."
     "Everything," I confirmed.
     Linda looked skeptical, so I cued up Digital Orgasm doing "Running
Out Of Time," mainly because it happened to be in the CD player on the
first track.
     If they said anything after that, it was lost forever.  Kim's
eyebrows shot up just like Linda's did.  Kim poked Linda in the side,
and they both left.  Mike shot me a thumbsup and this wicked grin.

***
20:06 24 May

     "Just kill anyone without a pass that tries to go in," Mike told
Pam as he waved his example of said pass at her.  Mike had been busy
with the laser printer.
     "Or," I expanded, "you can explain to Debbie why she doesn't get
the deposit back on this equipment."
     Pam bleached white.  Kim looked at Pam, then at Mike.  "What did
you say?" she demanded.
     I went to go take a shower while Mike explained things.

***
20:14 24 May

     My toenails were pink.  I wondered if there was any acetone in the
house.

***
20:22 24 May

     I came out of the shower, still damp but mostly dressed, to find
Debbie waiting for me outside.  "Hey, beautiful!" she said as she hugged
me like she hadn't seen me all day.  I didn't mind.
     "Beautiful?" Amy asked from behind her.
     "I agree," and kissed Debbie's neck.
     "Want some pizza?" Amy persisted.  "Debbie brought some for us."
     "Beautiful AND practical," I commented into Debbie's ear.  She
giggled, and stuck a hand up my chest and oh so lightly stroked me.
"Rrrrrrr...."
     She whispered into my ear, "Come on, let's go eat, I'm starved."
     "I got you some ice cream," I mentioned.
     She paused to kiss me some more.  Amy huffed.

***
20:38 24 May

     Debbie had, kindly, offered some ice cream to Amy, and they were
quickly chowing down on it.  I managed to get a spoon in a couple of
times too.
     "You're hungry tonight," Debbie mentioned to me.
     "Skipped lunch, we went to pick up Amy instead, remember?"  She
nodded.  "It was worth skipping lunch," I added for the PR value.
     "I'd rather have Amy around than a burger," Mike stuck in, around
the wad of pizza in his mouth.
     "Speaking of Lisa-"
     "She left a while ago."  I shrugged.  "Did she have some catering
or something-"
     Debbie's face said, ooh I should have remembered.  "No, but there's
this school dance she's going to with Gary tonight, so..."  She spread
her hands, like what could you do?

***
20:42 24 May

     "Tuck?  C'mere."  Debbie waved me over, and dug in her purse for
something as I walked over.
     "What?"
     "Take those barrettes out of your hair," she ordered as she fished
a bandanna out and shook it.  I did, and she bent my head down, and tied
the bandanna around my head.  "Looks better," she said.
     "Cool, thanks," I said, kissing her.

***
20:49 24 May

     When we got back and through the crowd again, there were two goons
in front of the door.  They stood up, and were going to hassle us, but
Mike pulled out his badge and waved it at them, and they sat back down.
     "Good idea," I told Mike as we heaved the door open and went
inside.
     "I know," he smirked.
     A lot of cheerleaders were setting up tables and trashcan punch and
cokes and glasses and nachos and other things to encourage a good party.
     "Hey, can we get some music!" some poor idiot yelled.

***
20:51 24 May

     The same song would be boring for another demo.  I looked around,
and found some Madonna, which I stuck in.  "Vogue" was nice, and I could
show them the strobes at the same time.

***
20:54 24 May

     Several of the girls staggered out, blinded and deafened by the
wonders of modern music.  And high power strobe lights.  And eight
hundred watt high-bass speaker stacks in quad.  And a few other bits and
pieces.
     "Hey," Mike said over the radio, "want to fill up the cooler
first?"  We'd brought our own.
     "Yeah, good idea, I'd like Dew or Coke, okay?  And hurry up."
     He flipped me off, and I signed something rude back, and we went
through a large part of our ASL vocabulary cursing each other as Madonna
raged around us.

***
21:05 24 May

     We'd given Kim a headset and George's radio - George had kindly
left most of his equipment in Mike's keeping for the summer - and so we
could call her up when we needed something.  If she was wearing it.
     "I don't think she's on, Mike."
     "Damn!  Be back in a minute."  He ran to the door, opened it a
crack - and it was pushed open.  "I think the party's starting," he
warned unnecessarily as people started streaming into the barn.
     "Uh oh."  I flipped switches like a crazy man and got their
attention with a replay of the THX sound check.  I switched in my
headset mic as everything got quiet, and intoned, "Welcome to the 1997
McAllen Raving Madness," and launched Depeche Mode.

***
21:09 24 May

     "HEY GEEK!" someone yelled at me.  I looked up, and it was Rob
Walsh.  Oh, peachy.
     "What, Rob?  I'm busy."
     "Jerking off?"  Ooh, he was so witty not.
     "Running the sound, Rob.  Go elsewhere."  The people around us were
starting to stop dancing and pay attention.  Great.  Witnesses.
     "Make me!"
     "What?"
     He leaned up against the booth and yelled, "MAKE ME!"  It smelled
as though he'd started the party early, judging by the eth on his
breath.
     "Rob, just go-"
     "MAKE ME, YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
     I could no longer resist my baser impulses.  I reached over and
flipped the safety cover off a switch, smiled and waved bye-bye to Rob,
and then flipped it, sending seventy-five thousand volts at half an
amp, running through his nervous system through the wires he was
stupidly leaning against.  He didn't lean against them much longer.

***
21:12 24 May

     He should have paid more attention in physics class.  Or biology.
Or health class, or something, because it took him a couple more jolts
before he decided that this was a lame party and to go elsewhere.  Or,
depending on how you looked at it, before some of the onlookers decided
they didn't want to watch Rob keep jumping on the DJ station until he
finally completely fried his brain, what little he had.  And then have
to talk to the police about it.  He sort of resembled a punching bag -
he'd go down, then jump back up and hit the same spot, and I'd zap him
again...  So they grabbed his ass and removed him.  Bye, Rob.  Ask about
a new brain while you're gone...
     When he was well gone and Seal was crooning to an end, I switched
my headset back in, and announced, "Now that the designated asshole has
left, we can have some FUN!"  And cranked up Nine Inch Nails' "closer"
to just below the blowout line.  The uncut version, too.

***
21:16 24 May

     "What did you do?" Kim asked, giggling.
     Mike replied, "Franklin'ed him."
     "What?"
     "You know how a taser works?" I asked.  "I ran one around the booth
area, and he, well..."  There wasn't much else to say about it.
     Kim still looked confused.  "Ben Franklin, kites," Mike hinted.
"You know..."

***
22:04 24 May

     "Hey, Tuck!" Mike called over the net.  "You wanna go dance, take a
break and stuff?"
     "Sure, go tell Debbie I'll be out in a minute."
     "Hey, don't forget to disable that Infernal Device in there.  I
don't want to end up like Walsh."
     "Lobotomized?" I asked, and we both laughed.  "If I'd known it was
gonna be him, I would have cranked up the voltage."
     "ZOT!  Like a bug zapper-"
     "'Zactly!"  Ah, for a bit of precognition...

***
22:07 24 May

     Mike and Kim were in the booth together, and I had Debbie in my
arms.  And Amy was dancing with this other Mike, and life was good in
general.

***
22:37 24 May

     The only problem was, the barn was hot as hell.  And nobody had
brought fans.  It's the little details...
     So Debbie and I were outside, walking around and trying to find a
little privacy.  There wasn't any really, unless we went inside the
house, but it was locked up, and only Linda and Kim had keys.
     "Cool party?" I asked her.
     "Cool party," she nodded.  "Cool DJ," she added, and leaned over
and kissed me.  So I kissed her back, naturally.

***
22:52 24 May

     Debbie and I were enjoying kissing and hugging and touching under
the stars, and I was wondering if I could convince Kim to let me borrow
the keys to the house, when she showed up.
     "Kim!"
     "Hey, Tuck, Mike said he has to go like right now, and if you could
come in and spell him," she waved her fingers like she was a magician,
"he'd really appreciate it."
     Debbie and I looked at each other, and she smiled at me.  "Better
go," she said softly, and switched from hanging on my neck to holding my
hand.  "Wouldn't want him to pee himself," she added, and I cracked up.

***
22:54 24 May

     "Hey, Tuck!"  I looked up, wary, and saw Carlos, my old Big
Brother, waving at me.  Debbie and I changed course and walked over to
him and his girlfriend.  "I heard you were doing the music tonight."
     "Yeah, me and Mike," I replied, wondering what he wanted.  He was a
senior jock, on varsity football, and me...  We hadn't really talked
much since the first day of my high school, a couple of years ago,
though he had saved me from getting trashed by some football team guys
last year.
     "It's good," he said, and grinned.  I grinned back at him, feeling
a little weak in the knees.  Debbie nudged me in the ribs.  "Real cool,"
he added.  "Anyway, in case I didn't see you again tonight, I just... I
just wanted to tell you, good luck, man."  He stuck out his hand, and I
shook it.  I remembered that he was graduating this year, and I probably
wouldn't see him again, so I gave it a good shake.

***
23:02 24 May

     "Just weird, that's all," Debbie said over the booth headset.  She
was sitting on the other stool, like Kim had been.
     "Still, kinda cool.  Did you ever see your Big Sister after that
first day?"
     When she didn't say anything, I glanced over at her, and she had
this sour expression on her face.  "It was Andrea Patrick," she finally
admitted.
     "Ouch."  Andi, with a big heart over the I, was head cheerleader
this year, and had just missed being Homecoming Queen, and was the
favorite in the geek betting pool to go into marketing, or gold-digging.
And not the shovel and pick kind, either.  Debbie sold drinks and makeup
and so forth; Andi- well, let's say that she always kept one eye on the
bottom line in her relationships.  I would not dare to comment on what
she sold, besides the obvious one that whatever it was, it wasn't worth
what she was charging.  "Is she coming tonight?"  I hoped not.
     Debbie smiled her trademark grin.  "Someone convinced her she'd
rather be out having a 'grown-up' date with her latest sucker I mean
relationship."

***
23:29 24 May

     "Hey Tuck?" Mike asked over the net.
     "Yeah?"
     "Play something slow and romantic, wouldja?  Me and Kim..."
     I looked out of the box, and it turned out to be Mike and Kim and
Pam and Jill and Dan and Ellen and-  "Rachel?"
     "I invited her," Debbie answered the question I didn't realize I'd
asked.  "I thought she could use a party after moving last week."
     "Oh, cool."  I watched them dance.  Everyone looked like they were
having fun-
     "Tuck?"
     "Uh?"
     "Weren't you gonna do something up for Mike and Kim?"
     "Oh, yeah, right."  I scanned through a shelf and came up with
something syrupy, then another couple of choices that ought to match the
first one.  "These okay?"
     She took the cases, read over them, and finally nodded.

***
23:36 24 May

     Mike and Kim were draped over each other, and I was wishing it was
me out there with Debbie.
     "Kind of romantic, huh?" she asked, and I nodded without thinking.
She brushed my leg, and I yelped in surprise, and Mike turned to look at
the booth.  I flashed him a thumbsup, and he went back to dancing.  And
I switched my radio back to PTT.

***
23:58 24 May

     "Tuck?"
     "Yo?"
     "You ready for the big flash?"
     "Uh, hold on."  I dug the CD out of the case, and cued it up on one
of the players.  "Um, yeah.  You sure you want to do it now?"
     "Yeah, people are starting to talk about leaving."
     "Oh."  Wouldn't want them to miss this part.

***
00:00 25 May

     My watch beeped during the short interval of silence, before the CD
started.  Mike had this thing for 2 Unlimited, and he'd had this clever
idea...
     He'd removed something from his pocket, and pulled an antenna out,
which was my cue to do a last-second continuity check (good), a det
circuit check (not active, also good), and flip off the safety.
     People saw what he was holding, and started to edge away from him,
because it looked exactly like Hollywood's idea of a radio detonator.
     The music swelled, then dropped into a bass note that could, and
did, rattle teeth, and Mike pressed the button.
     Four charges, all of them right in front of the booth, went off
with a CRUMP and a serious flash.  When my ears cleared a bit, Mike was
screaming at the roof, and so were some of the girls, so I started too,
and then everyone picked up on it as I paused the CD.
     When about two thirds of the people ran out of air and got quiet
again, I hit play, and off we went.
     Debbie grabbed my hand, disconnected me from the board, and pulled
me out of the booth and in front, where she proceeded to make the rest
of the girls' dancing look sick.  I proceeded to gibber, drool, and
generally make a fool out of myself.  Debbie kept laughing and smiling
at me, though.

***
00:09 25 May

     Maybe the fifteen minute extended Jester custom special dance remix
was a mistake.  I was coming close to collapse.
     I watched Debbie gyrate around, all sorts of things wiggling and
bobbing and moving.
     Nah, not too long.

***
01:57 25 May

     "Folks," Mike boomed into the half-empty barn, "it's time to close
this party, until next year.... thank you for your support!"
     With that, I shut off the lights and speakers, and the party was
officially over.

***
02:38 25 May

     "How much?"  Mike and I had been busy loading stuff back into the
minivan, and so it took me a second to realize what Debbie had said.  I
was a bit hypoxic at that point.
     "More than even," she grinned.  "There's enough to give all the
badge wearers a few bucks extra!"
     We all cheered at that.

***
03:12 25 May

     The Pack, and Mike and Dan and Ellen, and assorted Pack boyfriends,
cheerleaders and their boyfriends, various guests, and Amy, were all
sitting in the living room eating cold pizza and winding down.  Most of
them were looped - apparently, the punch had been severely spiked at
some point. And there was no way Mike and I could drive thirty people
home.  Luckily, the phones worked, so everyone was making calls to the
parents claiming whatever.  That had been at Kim and Linda's insistence,
since it wouldn't be hard to figure out what party we were at, and they
were deathly terrified of someone else's parents calling their parents
trying to find out where some kid was at four in the morning.
     My folks had not been too pleased to learn that Amy and I were
going to be staying until morning, but I got my dad to agree that it was
easier and safer to do that, than to worry about driving home at this
time of night.
     Some of the cheerleaders came down the stairs carrying blankets,
and I guessed what was going to happen.  Which was fine with me, since
Debbie was snuggled against me about as close as we could get with
clothes on.

***


"It was a farm hand."  - elf


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"Tallyho!"      \   /     @>--,--'--  ehayes@nym.alias.net  + vicki .sig
Ellen Hayes --=(*)=(*)=-- Renaissance Woman    ==[--------  + virus 9.1a
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