Z Day -A Bunch

  JAMES

  The night of the dining out, I was a wreck. Shae said she'd pick me up at 5:30, and I was literally running around double and triple-checking everything beforehand. I'd set my uniform up the night prior but kept checking it for lint or medals out of place, anything. I was wearing the white shirt and a bow tie that was required instead of the standard blue shirt and long tie. I wasn't used to it since it was only required with the formal uniform. The tight neck bothered me, and the bow tie refused to stay straight.

  When a knock came at the door, I tried to get there first, but my mom was already letting Shae inside. This would be the first time my mother met Shae, and I was nervous.

  When I saw Shae, I literally stopped in my tracks, my jaw hitting the ground. I had to look like one of those Tex Avery cartoons, but you would understand if you'd seen what I was looking at.

  Shae wore a shimmery, sleeveless, emerald green dress with a t-back. The dress was low cut in the front and just seemed to slither down her body, pooling at the bottom in a slight excess like a train on a wedding gown. She wore a matching green lace piece around her throat that covered most of what her low-cut dress exposed and climbed up her neck like a choker. She'd slicked her hair straight back in the tamest fashion I'd ever seen on her. She topped it off with a pair of emerald earrings, one longer than the other. I swear to God, she looked like she'd just stepped off the red carpet.

  I couldn't breathe.

  “Good evening Ms. Sable. It's a pleasure to meet you finally,” Shae said.

  “Yes, please come in,” Mom said.

  The three of us stood in the small space that was the living room of my house.

  “Hello, James,” the vision that was Shae spoke my name, finally thawing me from my paralysis. “You ready to go?”

  I couldn't speak and instead held up a finger in an “I'll be right back” gesture as I needed to grab my uniform jacket that and restart my heart. I tripped over my mom’s papasan chair as I left, losing all my cool points. When I came back, my mother and Shae were chatting.

  “Well, don't you look dashing?” Shae grinned, now seeing me in my full uniform. I realized she'd never seen me in it before.

  My cheeks were on fire as I managed to say, “Thanks.”

  “It speaks,” My mother ribbed me. “How late does this thing run again?”

  “About ten o'clock, Mom.” I knew she already knew that.

  “We'll be back by ten-thirty, Ms. Sable.” Shae had caught on to what my mom was hinting at.

  “Alright, have fun, you two,” my mother said as we made our escape.

  Once outside, the cool night air helped me find my voice again. “You look amazing.” My voice cracked, and I had to clear my throat. “Really.”

  “Oh, I didn't think you noticed,” She poked fun at me. “I mean, you were bubbling over with the compliments inside.”

  “I literally couldn't speak,” I choked out.

  “Oh?” she asked innocently.

  “You're too pretty,” I said, opening the car door for her.

  “Too pretty?” She looked at me. “Is that a problem? I could change; I think I have some jeans in the back.”

  “NO!” I yelped. “I mean, no. You look perfect; please don't change anything.”

  She smiled and kissed me on the cheek as she slid inside the car.

  I held onto the car door tightly to keep from falling over. I closed the door and moved around to slide into the passenger side.

  Tonight, she wasn't driving her normal car. Tonight, an older black Chevy Impala glimmered in the twilight. I only knew the name because I saw it on the back when I walked around. It was sleek and sounded like the muscle car it was as she fired it up.

  “Nice car,” I said.

  “Thanks, a friend let me borrow it. I was told my car wouldn’t cut it for such a fancy night,” Shae said, pulling out of the driveway, her tone sounding slightly annoyed.

  On the drive over, I kept catching myself glancing at her, but she kept her eyes on the road more than usual. It was almost like she was as nervous as I was.

  “So,” she started when we were about halfway there. “Anything I should know for this military ball thing?”

  “Uh, not really.” I hadn't been to one before, but the Chief had given us a lot of instructions. “When we get there, there will be a receiving line where all the special guests and officers will be. I'll do the introductions, and you just have to shake hands. Then there’s a bit of a social hour where we sorta mingle. Then dinner. After dinner, there will be some talking, a speaker, then dessert and a band.”

  “There's going to be a real band?” she asked.

  “Yeah, apparently, the Chief pulled a few strings and brought up an Air Force jazz band from Lackland for this,” I said.

  “Sounds fun.” She smiled, seeming to relax a little. “Wait, you're going to do introductions? And mingle?”

  “Yeah?” I said cautiously.

  “This I gotta see,” she grinned. By now, she was all too familiar with my terminal shyness.

  When we pulled into the parking lot, I got out and opened the door for her. She waited for me patiently as I made my way around the car. The formal uniform was a bit bulkier than I was used to and made me move more awkwardly than my usual awkwardness.

  As soon as she was out of the car, she frowned and rubbed the spot on my cheek where she’d kissed me earlier. “Better,” she said before taking my arm, another first. I tensed up as we started walking. We automatically fell into step together; our strides were the same. We meshed.

  I held the door again as we entered the building, and once inside, she retook my arm. I felt ten feet tall, but in reality, Shae was now the same height as me, thanks to her heels. My heart was trying to pound its way out of my chest.

  “Relax,” she whispered to me as we approached the entrance to the ballroom. “You'll be fine, honest.”

  There were a few people in the receiving line ahead of us. Those of us in the JROTC program had to wear the uniform, regardless if we were male or female. Our guests could wear suits and dresses, of which there were quite a few. I saw more formal dresses than I'd ever seen before. I'd never been to any formal event other than a wedding, and even there, people weren't as dressed up as here.

  No one here looked half as good as Shae did, which was apparent as we started down the receiving line. I introduced Shae to each person in line, and when we finally got to the Chief, I managed to relax a bit.

  “Good evening, Chief. Chief Ramirez, this is my date, Shae. Shae, this is Chief Ramirez,” I managed to say without stuttering. The hour I’d spent practicing that line had paid off.

  “Very nice to meet you,” he said, shaking her hand with gentle formality. “This is my wife, Claire. Claire, this is Cadet Sable and his date Shae.”

  “Nice to meet you, ma'am.” I shook her hand just as the Chief had Shae's.

  “Do you go to R.J., Shae?” Chief asked.

  “Oh no, sir, I'm out of school already,” she smiled, the hint of dimples coming out. I'd never seen them before; how'd I missed that?

  “How'd the two of you meet then?” Chief asked.

  “A pleasant happenstance,” Shae began. “I was at the school visiting a friend and rescued James here from having his heart stomped on by an evil harpy,” she grinned.

  Chief looked at me and chuckled. “Seems you have a guardian angel looking out for you.”

  “You have no idea, sir,” I managed before we had to move on as more people were coming up behind us.

  We found the table we'd been assigned and glanced around.

  “Nice man, your Chief,” Shae said as she picked up a glass of water from the table.

  “He really is,” I started, “the best teacher I've ever had.”

  We mingled a bit; by mingled, I mean Shae dragged me around the room, making me introduce her to other people. After a while, I got used to the expressions other people gave us. Men seemed to ogle Shae, while women seemed to shoot daggers at her. Both looked at me incredulously. Shae looked in her early twenties. That was only a guess, as she never told me how old she was, and I honestly didn't care. Plus, I sucked at guessing ages.

  There was an official photographer in one corner who had set up a backdrop and a flower pedestal. We stood in line, and when it was our turn, the photographer had us stand together with my left arm around her waist and her left hand on my chest. I may not have been able to breathe, but my smile was probably the biggest one of my life.

  I kept catching myself staring at her just as much as other people were. We were standing behind our chairs, waiting for the opening ceremonies to start, when she finally said something.

  “You know, while I do enjoy the attention, it tends to make a girl a bit self-conscious when you stare the way you do,” Shae said.

  “I'm sorry, I just can't help it. You're absolutely stunning,” I said.

  I got full dimples for that comment. *How the hell had I not seen those things?* I thought.

  “Why can't we sit again?” Shae asked.

  “We have to wait for the official party, AKA the big wigs. Then they'll post the colors, sing the anthem, and when the official party sits, then we can sit.”

  “Oh, right,” she said as if remembering it.

  It didn't take long, and it was kind of nice to see Shae slightly out of her element. She always seemed calm and collected, but here she was, a little unsure, unfamiliar with all the etiquette.

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  When we were finally seated and they started serving food, I looked down at the 15 different pieces of silverware in front of me. I looked around the table, and everyone else seemed as lost as I was.

  “Need a hand?” Shae looked over at me.

  “Yeah...it looks more like I'm about to do surgery, not have dinner,” I managed.

  She laughed a gentle bell of a laugh and then started pointing out what each piece did. After a moment, the whole table was listening to her impromptu cutlery lesson. This seemed to help break the ice, and everyone started talking afterward.

  I didn't know the couples on either side of us as they were both upperclassmen, but I did know Jerry across the table as he was in my first-year flight. He'd come with another of our first-year flight members, Dana. They looked more like friends than a couple.

  The meal was good, but the speakers that followed were boring. OK, to be fair, I have no idea what they spoke about, as I spent the entire time just watching Shae. She found my hand and squeezed it several times while telling me to stop staring.

  All too soon, dessert was served, and the band started up. The official party took the dance floor first, not that anyone else seemed to be that eager. But more people braved it once they were dancing, and the Chief was out there with his wife.

  I was starting to sweat bullets again.

  “Come on, let's get it over with,” she grinned at me and stood up.

  I hesitated as she held out her hand.

  “I guarantee if you don't, someone else will,” she threatened.

  That did it. The thought of someone else dancing with her was enough to get me out of my chair.

  I wiped my hands on my pants as we stepped onto the dance floor, and I took her hand, placing the other on her waist. I could feel her warmth through the thin material of the dress. As we started dancing, she looked at me, surprised.

  “You know how to two-step?” Shae said in surprise.

  “Yeah, but don't get too impressed. It's the only thing I know,” I said as we moved awkwardly around the floor. I wasn't the most graceful person to begin with, and the uniform didn't help matters. On the other hand, she was as smooth as the dress she was wearing. She just flowed across the floor, responding to my slightest direction.

  “I thought you didn't dance,” she gave me a suspicious look.

  “The two-step doesn’t count. It’s pretty much mandatory learning in Texas,” I said as I focused on not stepping on her toes or dress. “When I was younger, my mom and grandparents used to go out to a local dance hall and bring us kids. They usually made us dance at least once, then we could just sorta hang around.”

  “Sounds nice,” Shae said.

  “It was, now that I think about it. I didn't think so at the time, of course. It was a more traditional place, not a bar, club, or even a honky-tonk. Just a place people went to dance.”

  “Maybe we should check it out sometime. I could teach you some new moves,” she grinned.

  “I'd like that.” I was surprised I meant it.

  The music changed then to a slower number, and we slipped into a slow shuffle. She put both arms around my neck as I put mine on her waist. We didn't say anything; we just looked at each other while we swayed. It was strangely nice.

  By the song's end, I'd forgotten where we were, so when the clapping started, it made me jump.

  “Don't those hurt?” I asked, pointing at her high heels as we took a break and sat down.

  She looked at her shoes and then smiled at me. “Of course they do.”

  “Then why wear them?”

  “Don’t they make my legs look good?” she asked.

  “Your legs are just fine the way they are; you don't need to break your toes for that,” I said.

  She rolled her eyes. “Boys can be so dense sometimes.”

  “What? Why?” I asked, confused.

  “Forget it. Come on,” and she pulled me back to the dance floor.

  A while later, we were dancing to another slow song. The night was coming to a close; the official party had already left. Shae had her head on my shoulder this time as we slowly twirled about the floor.

  “Did I mention you looked nice tonight?” I asked.

  “Mmm-hmmm. You might have mentioned it once or twice.” She didn't seem tired, just really relaxed against me.

  “Well, you do.” As much as dancing made me nervous, I could do this with her forever.

  “You look pretty good in a uniform, too,” she said.

  “This thing? I look like a bus driver,” I said.

  She laughed. “Maybe, but you make a mighty fine-looking bus driver.”

  The song ended, and she sighed. “We should get you home before you turn into a pumpkin. Or your mom threatens me again.”

  “What?” We were walking out in the parking lot by this point. Once again, the cool night air seemed to help clear my head.

  “Oh, nothing,” she said, leaning back against the side of the car.

  “No, tell me,” I said as I leaned against her, gently pressing her against the car.

  She laughed. “She just wanted to remind me of the statutory rape laws in Texas.”

  “She what?” I said incredulously, leaning back a moment before coming close to her face again.

  “Apparently, she fears for your virtue with me.” Her eyes were mischievous.

  “But I’m 18,” I frowned. I thought a moment and then smiled. “It wasn't you; it was this dress,” and I surprised myself by leaning down and kissing her. It started off slowly but quickly built.

  “What, this old thing?” she mumbled as we came up for air.

  “Probably illegal in 17 states,” I said, kissing her again. I'd never been the aggressive one, but having been this close to her all night, I couldn't help it.

  “23.” She kissed me back with just as much enthusiasm.

  Minutes passed this way as the rest of the world disappeared again. My hands slid down her back and pulled her into me, crushing our bodies together.

  “UGH!” she finally groaned, breaking off from me. “I have to get you home.” She kissed me again before breaking away once more. “As much as I love parking lot dancing with you, you need to get in the car,” she growled at me, and I reluctantly stepped to the other side of the car.

  By the time I got in, she had the car started and was pulling away. “Come over here,” she said, patting the place next to her on the bench seat. I slid over, and her arm pulled me closer so our legs touched. She placed her hand on my thigh, making me jump.

  “I'm not trying to be a tease, really. We just don't have the time and...I want to be close to you,” she said.

  “I'm not complaining,” I managed

  She took my hand and put it on her thigh before returning to mine. “See?” Her hand kept running up and down my thigh as we drove.

  All I could manage was gently squeezing her thigh; I wasn't sure what else I could get away with.

  “So...” I managed after a few minutes. “What exactly are the statutory rape laws in Texas?”

  “Hmmm?” she seemed to be in her own world for a moment. “Well, if you were a tad younger and since I'm a little bit older than you, doing this,” she slid her hand further up my thigh, making me gasp, “might get me put in jail.”

  “Not by me,” I managed to squeak out.

  “No, I wouldn't think so,” she grinned.

  She looked at her watch when we pulled into my neighborhood, and she nodded. She pulled the car over on the undeveloped side of my street, beneath some trees, and threw it into park. The next thing I knew, the engine and lights were off. She pushed me down onto my back and kissed me fiercely.

  We seemed to pick up right where we had left off in the parking lot. My hands clawed at her back as she ground against me, her mouth all over mine. Then she kissed my neck, and my body was on fire with the urgent need of blind teenage lust.

  An intense few minutes of kissing and grinding followed that quickly fogged up the windows. I was willing to risk my mother's wrath and be late, but she wasn't about to get on her bad side. So, our brief make-out session ended prematurely, and she drove me the last few blocks home.

  We pulled in right at 10:30 and had the windows down to try and clear the fog.

  “We should have left earlier,” I said softly.

  “No,” she shook her head. “Any more of that, and I wouldn't have brought you home,” she grinned. “Besides, I liked dancing with you.”

  “Like I said, we should have left earlier,” I grinned back.

  “You're bad. Now kiss me and go,” she said.

  I behaved myself and kept the kiss short. “When can I see you again?” My hormones were raging and gave me the courage to ask.

  “Sooner than you think.” She touched my thigh once more before pushing me out of the car. She waved as she backed out of the driveway.

  I slowly walked back to the house, trying to calm my body down before I got to the door. It didn't work; I was still way too keyed up. I took my jacket off and held it in front of me. Good thing, too, my ribbons had come undone and were hanging sideways from our frantic few minutes.

  “How was it?” my mom asked as I walked in. She was sitting right next to the door, watching TV.

  “Oh, it was fun. The Chief's wife is really nice.” I threw it out there, hoping to steer the conversation. “They had this stuffed chicken that was really good.”

  She glanced up at me, “That's good; glad you had a nice time.” She clicked off the TV. “Well, lock up. I'm heading to bed. Got work in the morning. Night!” and she went into her room and closed the door.

  I frowned. *That was too easy,* I thought. I went and hung up my uniform before heading to the bathroom to brush my teeth. When I flipped the light on, I froze. I had lipstick on my face and a fat hickey on my neck. There was no way my mom had missed either of those.

  I groaned and headed back to my bed, my teeth forgotten. I'd probably get an earful in the morning, but I was too tired to worry about that now. The frantic night's events seemed to catch up to me, and I collapsed on my bed, out cold.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  SHAE

  Shelby was standing on the front porch when I pulled up. She’d probably heard the car coming from a few kilometers away and had rushed outside to meet me. She was practically bouncing when I turned off the car and headed towards the house. I didn’t even make it to the porch before Shelby was firing questions at me.

  I ignored her and stepped into the house. I dropped my heels in the hall and found Malik in the living room.

  “How long has she been out there?” I asked.

  “About 20 minutes,” Malik grinned.

  I tossed him his keys. “Thanks for the loaner. I think it made quite the impression.”

  “Of course, why wouldn’t it?” Malik grinned and stood up. “Best you deal with that before she pops.”

  I turned and found Shelby practically vibrating with barely contained excitement. “WELL?!?” she finally burst.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at her teenage-like enthusiasm. “It was good,” I finally said.

  “Good?” She just looked at me. “It was good,” she repeated.

  “Yeah, it was a nice time.” I had to turn away from her to hide my grin.

  “A nice time? All that prep. The dress. The car. The hair, which is still so hot, by the way. All of that, and it was just a nice time?” Shelby said incredulously.

  “Shae, play nice,” Malik said from the other room. “You’re going to give her a stroke or something.”

  As I turned, Shelby plowed into me, tossing me on the couch and sitting on my chest. “Talk!”

  “OK, OK, watch the dress,” I relented and gave her the highlights of tonight’s events.

  “He danced? Really?” Shelby was beaming at me with excitement. “Malik?”

  “Yes, precious?” Malik answered from the other room.

  “Why don’t you take me dancing? I want to go dancing!” she pouted.

  “I’ll get my keys,” he said as I heard the jingling of car keys.

  I giggled, actually giggled at how they were together. They were made for one another, and I was more than a little jealous.

  “What else?” Shelby said, still sitting on my chest.

  “There’s nothing else to tell,” I said, finally pushing her off me. Her tiny frame weighed next to nothing.

  “There must be more. You can’t have all that and then…nothing.” Shelby looked at me incredulously.

  I sighed. “He had to be home by 10:30,” I groaned as I heard it come out of my mouth.

  Shelby, bless her heart, bit both her lips, trying to keep a straight face. “Oh,” was all she said…at first. I watched her struggle internally as it took all her control to calmly say, “Did he have to get home to his mommy?” And then she completely collapsed in belly laughs.

  Malik entered the room while Shelby was still rolling on the floor, laughing. “Did you just make her snort?” Malik asked me.

  “Yeah,” I said slowly as Shelby snorted with laughter again. “She been drinking?” I asked.

  “Not off me,” he said. “But she has been jumping up to check the front door every 10 minutes tonight. She’s been like a lonely puppy waiting on their master to get home.” He shrugged.

  Shelby sat up, tears streaming down her face. She tried to control herself, but the occasional chuckle still escaped. “I’m sorry, Shae. I don’t mean to…really. I know how rough it can be on a school night!”

  “And she’s off again,” Malik said as Shelby continued laughing hysterically.

  “I’m going to bed,” I said as I picked my shoes up and headed back to the room Shelby had started letting me use when I was in town.

  “Wait, wait!” Shelby said, causing me to pause at my door. “You’ve still got 20 minutes till curfew!”

  I rolled my eyes and slammed the door behind me, muffling Shelby’s renewed laughter.

  (∞*0)?(0*∞)

  JAMES

  Surprisingly, my mom didn't say anything in the morning and left for work like usual.

  While I seemed to have caught a reprieve at home, school was a nightmare. News of Shae and her dress had made it through the social grapevine. By lunchtime, I was now dating a 30-year-old supermodel who drove a classic muscle car. People I didn't know were coming up and asking questions. People were pointing, giggling, and whispering in the halls as I passed by.

  When I sat down at our lunch table, I was about ready to ditch school and go home.

  “There he is, Mr. Popularity!” Pete called.

  “Oh, not you, too,” I groaned.

  “Can I get your autograph?” Paul joked.

  “Is she really a model for a European magazine?” Mark asked.

  “A 30-year-old, you dog!” Pete continued.

  “Actually, I just want to know about the car,” Paul said seriously.

  “Knock it off guys,” Megan cut through all of them.

  “Thanks,” I managed.

  “Just a friend, huh?” she said before mumbling, “Nice hickey,” just loud enough for me to hear.

  I put my head in my hands and groaned.

  A pair of hands clamped down on my shoulders. “What’s wrong?” Trent said. “Late night?”

  I pulled my hands from my face in time to see Trent slide into a chair across from me, laughing.

  “But seriously, what’s the deal?” Trent grinned, popping a tater tot into his mouth.

  Sighing loudly, I gave my friends the basic facts, leaving out everything personal. Afterwards, everyone just looked at me.

  “Yeah, I’m not buying it,” Mark said.

  “Definitely not the whole story,” Trent agreed.

  “Now, hold on,” Megan interrupted. “Maybe he just doesn’t want to share all the sordid details with the gutter-minded.”

  “Thank you,” I nodded to her.

  “So, there are sordid details then?” Megan grinned.

  I picked up my tray and left the table with many a jeer and catcall following in my wake.