Written by: TVM (mrtvm@mrtvm.com)

Archive: www.asstr.org/~TheVertManArchive/Stories/Scent/Index.html

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"Remind me why we are here?" I asked as we walked into the main lobby of the hospital.

"Because we've been apart for a week doing our own thing and I thought it might be nice to spend some time together," Mindy explained as we arrived at the front desk and got our assignments from the staff director. "Even if it is while we're at the hospital."

"Yeah that will be nice," I agreed as we both looked at our assignment sheet and grinned as we said in unison, "Babies."

"I love babies," Mindy said as we took the elevator up to the nursery where we'd be volunteering on Saturday.

"You can tell it's the nursery," I said as we got off the elevator and heard the cries of some of Thief River Falls newest residents.

"It's just babies crying," Mindy said. "Does that bug you?"

"Not really I'm used to it after dating you for three years," I said and laughed when she gave me a seriously dirty look. "What?"

"I just decided I wanna break up," Mindy said as I laughed and her cell phone rang. "Oh it's Punky."

"Huge surprise," I said as Mindy giggled and flipped open the phone.

"What are you doing?" I asked Mindy as I pushed what resembled a mop handle with a razor blade on the end along the sidelines of the Basketball court. Trying to scrape up the old tape that marked the sidelines.

"Dakota and I just got to the baby nursery and we're about to sign in," Mindy said from the other end of the phone. "You at the gym yet?"

"Scraping up old gum and thousand year old tape while..." I said before I moved the phone away from my ear for a moment as I looked over to see Melanie was still playing Basketball on the hoop. "...MELANIE PLAYS BASKETBALL."

"She's not helping, huh?" Mindy asked with a giggle.

"No, she is not," I said. "Unless you count making sure the hoop is still in good shape."

"It is," Melanie said as she grinned at me before taking another shot.

"Ladies, how are we getting anything done if we are talking on the phone and playing Basketball?" Mr. Craig (the new math teacher and staff volunteer for this project) said as he came out of the office.

"I better go," I said to Mindy as she giggled. "See ya back at the dorm."

"I was only playing Basketball because Molly said I could," Melanie said to Mr. Craig.

"Yeah I'm so sure," Mr. Craig said. "Get back to work and let's see if we can make this volunteering worth the schools time. I'll go get the ladder and we'll get these raggedy old nets down. You two get going on that tape."

"That means you too, Melanie," I said as she went to fetch her 'scraping thing' as she nicknamed it earlier. Falling in behind me and getting anything that I missed as she asked, "So how's Alfred doing?"

"He's still very talkative," I said as she smiled. "You should come by and see him."

"I will," She said. "Been busy with school and the new roomie's since I got transplanted."

"So you like your new roomies?" I asked.

"Actually I do," Melanie said as we rounded the corner at the far end of the court. "I spend most of my time laughing. And playing garbage can Basketball with Dakota."

"Is that anything like Laney's Snowball?" I asked as Melanie laughed.

"No, but she did promise to teach me how to play it when it snows again," Melanie said. "Garbage can Basketball is a little more simple."

"You gonna play for real if they get the team going again?"

"I used to back home in Tampa," Melanie said. "I played my freshman year and averaged 6 points a game off the bench."

"Not very good were you?" I asked as she gave me a certain look that made me laugh.

"Ha ha, we had a good team and I was the first girl off the bench," Melanie said. "We came close to winning the state title."

"Why did you come here for then?" I asked as we again rounded the corner and headed back down the other side. Making good time now as Mr. Craig was busy taking down the nets.

"I was dating a black guy," Melanie said.

"So your Mom didn't like that?" I asked.

"She actually liked him until she found out that he was in a gang," She said with a shrug of the shoulders. "And then she sent me here on a voucher from the state."

"How does that work?" I asked.

"I don't know," Melanie said. "I do know that we have to renew it every year."

"Ladies can we pick up the pace a little?" Mr. Craig asked. "I've just heard from Mr. Woods who is concerned about a storm headed our way. A major blizzard he thinks. So if we can finish this up it'd be ideal."

"Blizzard?" I asked Melanie.

"It won't be too bad," Melanie said. "It never is."

"You're right," I said as we went about finishing up the work.

"You ready?" Macey asked as she tapped on my door.

"Let's roll," I said as I closed my door behind me and we soon rode down in the elevator...to the basement. "What the..."

"It's the basement," Macey said as she got off the elevator and pulled me along whether I wanted to go or not.

"Are we allowed down here?" I asked. "And what the hell are we doing down here?"

"I got something for Joe the janitor," Macey said. "JOE!"

"Since when do we have a janitor?" I asked.

"He stays to himself so hardly no one knows him," Macey said as a small older man appeared from behind a door and smiled briefly as he came over to join us. Looking down, I noted, not wanting to make eye contact. "We still on for the trade?"

"Yes ma'am, yes ma'am," Joe said in a halting nervous voice as he went to get something out from under the desk. Pulling out a parka like jacket with the Los Angeles Raiders logo on it. Handing it to Macey a moment later as she handed him a colorful bag of what looked to be premium coffee. "Thank you, Thank you."

"This is brand new," Macey said as she looked at the jacket. "Nice doing business with you, dude."

"Thank you, thank you," Joe repeated as we turned to leave. He shuffled back off to work and to do...well whatever it is he does.

"OK, you're gonna tell me how you know him," I said as we rode back up to the first floor in the elevator.

"I get around pretty good," Macey said mysteriously.

"Macey!" I warned her.

"OK, OK, geez, I just don't like people knowing my business," Macey said as we arrived on the first floor. "Maggie said she knew he liked different kinds of coffee so I asked him one day when he was in Maggie's office. He had on a Raiders jacket I liked so I made him a deal."

"Where did the coffee come from though?" I asked.

"You remember that movie that Mindy traded me?" She asked as I nodded as we put on our coats at the front door. Macey stopping to look at Alfred and say, "Alfred's a pretty boy."

"He sure is," came Alfred's reply as we both laughed. Heading outside a moment later and across campus towards the Francis Park Field House.

"The movie you traded off Mindy?" I asked to remind her.

"Oh yeah, I traded that to another girl for a shirt I liked," Macey explained, "I traded the shirt, didn't fit me good, for a pair of pants. I traded those for a DVD, that for a blu-ray from some dumb blonde who had no clue what it was. And that got dealt for a series set of the Walton's on DVD, don't ask, and I traded those with Joe for a 96 pack of toilet paper."

"Toilet paper?" I asked in disbelieve as I stopped her.

"Follow me," Macey said. "I traded the toilet paper to the janitor at Oliver-Stanton Hall for the coffee. And bam, Raiders jacket."

"So many questions there," I said as Macey giggled. "Why did the guy need toilet paper?"

"I don't know," She said as we started walking again. "He just did. And he had this primo coffee from the Philippines that's like the best in the world or something. All I know is Joe wanted it and I got it for him. It feels good to help people out."

"Or rip them off," I said as she laughed.

"Hey, if they want what I got and they agree to the price no one is being ripped off," Macey said. "First rule of trading."

"When I said you were full of surprises I had no idea," I said as we turned up the walk leading to the 'Field House'. "Any more secrets or surprises you can let me in on?"

"I'm a Muslim," Macey said as I looked at her surprise. Wondering if she was just pulling my chain.

"For real?"

"Yeah, I converted at first, from Mormomism, to piss off my parents," Macey said as I laughed. "Now that's not looking like such a hot idea."

"Be serious," I said as she grinned.

"I seriously am," Macey said. "I'm not devout about it or anything but I do read the Koran a lot."

"I had no idea," I said. "Is that it?"

"There's more but I think you've had enough of Macey's wacky world for now," Macey said as we reached the front doors of the 'Field House' and she peaked inside.

"I'd rather know if there is so it doesn't come out later," I said.

"OK," She said. "I think I might be a FTM, female to male transgender."

"Now you are fucking with me," I said.

"No, I'm serious again," She said as she again peaked inside. "Oh cool there really hitting in there. Can we go in?"

"No, wait, you really think you're a boy trapped in a girls body?" I asked in shock.

"I think so," Macey said. "That's actually what got me dumped here. I told my Mom and she freaked out and packed my crap up and here I am."

"WOW, you've got about a million things going on at once in there," I said as Macey looked at me and simply nodded. "How do you handle it?"

"It's getting harder every day," She said softly. "I tried to not feel like that but I do."

"Feel like what? MTF?"

"FTM, female to male," She said with a giggle. "And yeah that. It's hard to sleep at night and I miss my family and why did you have to bring this all up..."

"It's OK, I'm here," I said as she started crying softly into her hands. "We'll figure this out."

"You'll still be my friend?" She asked.

"Yes, god yes, I sure will," I said as she half-smiled and welcomed my hug.

"Cally something is beeping in your bag," Randi said as she met me by the batting cages, where Michelle Schrieber was hitting, and handed me the bag. "You got a bomb or something in here?"

"No," I said as I opened it and got out my tablet to show her. Candy and Allison coming through the front doors.

"What is that?" Randi asked in confusion.

"It's a tablet," I said as I turned it on and showed her. The beeping being a notification for new email.

"That is so cool," Randi said. "I'm just getting used to using Laney's MacBook."

"My Dad, David, gave me, Molly, Chloe and Alisha one for Christmas," I said.

"HMMMM really?" Randi said in a flirty voice as she hugged my arm. "You in the market for anymore friends? HMMMM?"

"The way you look? Oh yeah," I said as she grinned and then asked, "You saying I'm hot?"

"Very," I said as we shared a smile.

"Excuse me," Laney said as she came over from playing catch with Anisha and Chi. Hana and a friend of hers who I hadn't met yet coming in as well. "You have a girlfriend so stop flirting with my mine."

"I am not your girlfriend," Randi corrected. "At least not yet. I am your girl though."

"Yes you are," Laney said as she kissed Randi's cute lips. "What is that thing?"

"It's a tablet," Randi said as she showed Laney what I had shown her.

"And how do you know so much about it?" Laney asked Randi.

"Because she just told me," Randi said as her and Laney giggled. "Does that flashing thing mean you got email?"

"Hey I just got a new email too," Chi said as she checked her phone as she came over. I checked mine and groaned when I saw who it was from and soon realized that Chi and I had recieved the same email. "W. Traber?"

"That evil little witch Wendy Traber," I said as I clicked on the message as Chi looked at my tablet for the first time and said, "Freakin cool."

"Does it play video?" Anisha asked as she joined us. Finding that Wendy's email contained a video attachment with the simple but cryptic message of "Your future. LOL" included.

"As soon as it downloads it will," I said as I tapped the download button on the attachment. It downloaded easily and as Candy and Allison (along with Michelle) joined us I opened it and everyone of us watched in shock.

The video of a game somewhere in South Korea with the 'Phenom from Ulsan' (Pee-Ko Jung) in the circle. Piling up strikeout after strikeout with her fastball blowing away hitter after hitter. What made the video even more intimidating was the inset in the lower right hand corner that was trained on a radar gun. Everyone of her pitches clocked in AT or above 72 mph. For a high schooler that was unreal. I knew then the meaning of the message from Wendy in the email.

"We are royally screwed," Hana said as everyone looked to her. Not even noticing that she'd joined us.

"I'm glad I'm a pitcher and not a hitter," Anisha said as I smiled at her.

"She looks unhittable," Chi said. "I'd love to catch for her though."

"WOW," Allison offered as her only reaction.

"I'm afraid she'll hurt me," Randi said as a nervous giggle went through the crowd. She took the tablet and started rewatching the video.

"I've never ever seen anyone throw that hard before," Michelle said.

"Guys calm down," Candy said as Lindsay (Price) and Coach Rock came out of the office discussing something. Candy taking my tablet from Randi and stopping the video. "This is what Wendy wants, for us to freak out. She's won already."

"Why did you take that from me?" Randi asked Candy.

"Because I don't want you getting all stressed over it by watching this video a million times," Candy said. "Anyway she's not that impressive."

"OHHHK there Candyland," Allison said as everyone laughed.

"She's not," Candy said. "A few things I noticed."

"I'm interested to hear this myself," Coach Newman said as he joined us. "Lindsay got the same video. The Pee-Ko video?"

"Hey so did I," Anisha said as she checked her phone and smiled. "Why am I excited? Deleting."

"That was it," Randi said as she looked to Candy, "So?"

"She has a rise ball that's barely average, her fastball is straight as an arrow and this video has been cleverly edited," Candy said as everyone looked at her in amazement. "I'll bet money she gave up at least two or three runs in that game."

"I noticed that too," Coach said.

"Sure you did Coach Rock-in-Head," Randi said to her Dad as everyone laughed.

"Rock-in-Head?" I asked with a giggle.

"That's the nickname he got when he was coach of a Native American team two years ago," Randi explained.

"You're grounded," Coach said to Randi as everyone laughed.

"Why you mad for Coach?" Lindsay asked with a smirk. "Yeah almost everyone has a nickname from what I hear. Let me see if I got these straight. Cally is Spanky. Randi the Pocket Rocket, Chi is Snickers."

"Thanks a lot Hana," Chi said as everyone giggled.

"Hana is the Tanned One, Candyland, and Cindy is the Ice Princess," Michelle said. "Right?"

"Don't forget Anisha," Chi said.

"Don't you dare tell them that," Anisha said as Chi giggled and went on anyway when she said, "Right Nisha Bug? Her Mom calls her that."

"Nisha Bug," everyone said in unison as she blushed and tried to look mad.

"Speaking of the Ice Princess where is she?" Chi asked as everyone seperated finally and went to doing various forms of practice around the 'Field House'.

"She running late," Coach said. "She'll be here in a few."

"Hey is that invite still good tonight?" Hana asked. "Sorry about the last time."

"Yeah sure," I said. "You can just walk over with me if you want."

"Cool," Hana said as she walked off.

"Wendy Traber?" Laney asked as she now sat on the floor checking her email on her phone. "Why are you emailing me for you stupid bitch?"

Everyone laughing as Laney looked up and asked, "What?"

"I never figured you for being good at changing a diaper," Mindy said as she watched me change the diaper of little Mackenzie Li, one of the newest residents of Thief River Falls. But already grinning up at me as I talked to her in a soft voice.

"I did a little babysitting back home," I said. "Not quite this young but I did."

"I'm thinking I might have found my calling," Mindy said as she picked up one of the other babies and he smiled up at her.

"Being a baby factory?" I asked as I picked up little Mackenzie and wrapped her in her blanket as she cooed happily. Mindy giving me a dirty look as I grinned. Nurse Hatacher (the Resident Nurse) coming into join us. "Mindy thinks she might wanna do this for a living."

"So you think you can listen to babies cry 12 hours day?" Nurse Hatcher asked Mindy. "Cause that's what you gonna get."

"12 hours a day?" Mindy asked. "All day?"

"Every day," Nurse Hatcher finished. "I been here 15 years and I can block it out but a lot of girls come through here and crack under the pressure."

"But I love babies," Mindy said, "I think I could do it."

"Do you think you could handle being here when one of those sweet little angels..." Nurse Hatcher started to say before pausing and choosing her words very carefully, "...doesn't make it?"

"That really happens?" Mindy asked in a horrified voice.

"That's the neo-natal intensive care unit," Nurse Hatcher said as she pointed to it. "Some of them just don't make it sweety."

"I couldn't handle that," Mindy said as Nurse Hatcher smiled.

"I think you'd be better suited for a job in a day care," Nurse Hatcher said. "You give me a call during the week and I'll see if I can get you a volunteer job at one."

"Thank you," Mindy said as Nurse Hatcher took the baby in Mindy's arms and then the one in mine as we made our way out for the day. "That sounds cool."

"It does," I said with a smile as Mindy took my hand and laced our fingers together. "I might go with you."

"I always like it when you're with me," Mindy said as we got on the elevator as she grinned and leaned in and kissed me. It just felt kinda strange. "UMMMMM...yeah."

"I know," I said. "What's wrong with us?"

"I don't know," Mindy said as we reached the main floor. "It just doesn't feel like it used to."

"No it doesn't" I agreed. "I guess we just gotta keep trying?"

"We have been trying ever since Christmas break and it's just not working," Mindy concluded. She was right. "I don't want too, so bad, but..."

"Don't say it," I said as I pulled her into my arms and kissed her again. Better...but still that spark we once had seemed to be gone.

"Break up," Mindy said finally. "It's just not working anymore."

"OK," I said as she started to cry. Feeling the frustration of not being able to work this out wash over me as the reality of the end of our relationship finally set in. "I'm sorry."

"Me too," She said as we hugged and a light snow began to fall on us.

The light snow soon turned into a steady down pour as we made our way back to the Mintzler campus and parted ways (for what felt like the last time) and I had to now face the reality of being officially single. Though I wasn't exactly heartbroken over the end of Mindy and I, it was more of a sad for the ending but relieved it was finally over kinda feeling. I took a seat in the lobby of Oliver-Stanton Hall and watched two girls play Wii tennis as it continued to snow outside.

"Dakota, Dakota," came the voice that finally snapped me back to reality. Noticing Natalie (the OSH RA) snapping her fingers to get my attention. "You OK girl?"

"Fine," I muttered as I looked to see that everyone was gone from the main lobby except me. "Where is everybody?"

"Probably in bed it's almost 10," Natalie said as she showed me her watch. "You been sitting out here for like two hours silent. You OK?"

"Mindy and I broke up," I said as she sat down beside me. "This time it's really over."

"She find someone else? Or you did? Or what?" Natalie asked.

"Neither," I said. "Things just changed."

"You ever think about the fact that you guys could have been a rebound romance?" Natalie asked. "Like you got hurt by Bre and she got abandoned by Courtney."

"How did you know all that?"

"It's a small campus and Mindy is very chatty," Natalie said as I laughed. "Got you smiling."

"And about your theory, I don't know," I said with a yawn that finally drew my eyes to the snow that now stood nearly two feet thick outside the front doors. "Where the hell did that come from?"

"The same place the other snow is gonna come from," Natalie said. "We're probably gonna get about 6 feet before it's over."

"Damn," I said in shock.

"Get your phone," Natalie said as she jumped up to answer the phone in the office.

"Hello?" I asked as I picked up my cell. "Hi, Mom."

"Honey, I have some news and I'm not sure how you're gonna take it," Mom (Anpaytoo) said.

"Go on," I said as a horrible case of dread washed over me.

"I've found a great job with a law office that pays me much more than Dr. Phillips," Mom said. "So I've decided to take it."

"But I thought you were moving..."

"Your father has decided to retire from the factory and move to Thief River Falls to be with you," Mom inserted.

"WOW, cool," I said. "But how can he afford that?"

"Dr. Phillips, Mark, has decided to give up his practice and move with your father," Mom announced as my bottom lip dropped in shock. "Dr. Phillips is very well off and I assume he'll be handling the bills for the time being. I hope that's OK with you."

"Yeah I guess," I said, "But it does bring up a good question."

"What?"

"Does this mean I'm gonna have two gay dads?" I asked. Mom started laughing and soon so did I. Who knew in the same day I'd break up with my girlfriend of nearly 3 years AND get a new gay dad.