//------------------------------// // March 15: Love Inflation // Story: 7DSJ: Shake It Off // by Shinzakura //------------------------------// “A feeling becomes a word The word loses it meaning When you say it again and again You are losing You are losing You are losing it” - Kraak & Smaak “I cannot believe your behavior!” Tequila Sunrise looked down at the ground, unable to face her mother, Pastel Pink. Her mother was yelling at her at the breakfast table and throwing one of her typical temper tantrums. “How can you do this to me?” Tequila thought about saying something, but as always, opted not to – it was less painful that way. “ANSWER ME!” Tequila finally looked up. “But Mother, you heard what happened at the dance! That upstart! She and her…associate—” “You mean living blow-up doll,” Pink seethed. “I’ve done some research on those two. Apparently, the little blondie will go after anything with a pulse. As to the other one….” “Vinyl.” “Yes, whatever her name is. She has some protection via her father, but the private investigator I hired to look into them has yet to dig up what the little blue-haired whore is hiding. In any case, I’ve prepared some assistance for you and your friends.” Pink threw a folder at her daughter. “Now, I expect you to fully follow my directions. We’re going to put a stop to those little bitches, so that you will retake your position at the top of the school order, do I make myself clear?” “Yes, Mother.” “Good. Now, I’ll be out of town in Los Angeles for the rest of the week. I have to have a discussion with my producer as to why he wants me to play another mother role.” She struck a pose and smiled. “Aren’t I young and voluptuous enough to play a girlfriend?” “Yes, Mother,” Tequila said flatly, not reminding her mother that she’d had so many facelifts over the years that her smile lines were probably behind her ears at this point. “Well then, dear. I’ll be off now. Best of luck and I’ll expect results when I get back. Ciao!” With that, her mother left the kitchen. Tequila waited until she heard the car drive off before she bothered to open the dossier. What she found surprised her. She knew her friends had been digging up some dirt, but her mother had hired a professional and with that came some information she had no idea even existed. What she had already would highly embarrass the Shitty Six. What Tequila’s mother had given her would destroy them utterly. She reached over and grabbed her phone. “Hey, Crafty? I need both of you to meet me at the Highpoint Coffee Shop in an hour.” Holding the folder in her hand like a precious jewel, she said, “I have something that’s going to make our lives easier…and make the Shitty Six a thing of the past.” Vinyl lifted her spatula, the flat bready disc pirouetting through the air, though she barely paid attention to it. Something felt wrong – she wasn’t sure what it was, and if anyone was to ask her, she wouldn’t be able to verbalize it, either. Still, if there was one thing she was starting to learn since moving from Canterlot, it was that she needed to pay attention to her instincts. She heard footsteps and looked up to see Cloud descending the stairs, and that caught her attention. Ever since she had come into her life permanently, Cloud was changing, smoothing off her rough edges and in the past couple of months had become more feminine, if that was a word to use. Sure, she was still earthy, could curse up a storm and was great in the sack, Vinyl had to admit, but Cloud Kicker was undergoing a metamorphosis from lover to girlfriend, and somehow, the azure-haired teen wasn’t going to complain. “Pancakes?” Cloud asked as she walked over to Vinyl and kissed her on the cheek. “Crepes, actually,” Vinyl admitted, adjusting her glasses. “It was one of the few things of value that I learned from my mother.” She sighed. “Why the hell is it that I think about her whenever I think something bad’s about to happen?” Cloud looked at her with concern, and Vinyl turned back to her crepe, sliding it from the skillet to a plate. “Sorry,” she apologized. “It’s just that I get that something’s wrong.” “You’re right there’s something wrong,” Cloud told her. “You’re bothered by something and not telling me what it is, Vi. I’m your girlfriend. We’re supposed to talk.” The shorter teen reached for the batter and poured another flat disc. “There’s nothing to tell,” she commented. “I really can’t explain it, Kicky. I wish I could. But it’s just a feeling that something’s wrong.” “Something wrong as in I’m not paying enough attention to you, or—” “You pay plenty of attention to me, Kicky. Just because you have a job now doesn’t mean that we have to be testing the bed all the time. Besides, I kinda like little moments like this,” she said with a blush. “Then what is it?” “This is going to sound weird – call it blue pineapples or jitters or whatever the hell you want to call it…you’ll probably think it’s trivial.” Cloud took her girlfriend’s face in her hand. “You’re not trivial to me, Vi, you know that.” “Thanks,” she said with a meaningful smile. “Anyway, I have that same feeling I did when I was around Blueblood. My instincts told me that I should’ve stepped away but I didn’t and you know what happened. I’m getting that same feeling now, but I don’t know why.” She flipped the crepe with a twist of her wrist, then brought it down again. “I dunno. Maybe dinner last night is getting to me.” “Well, Bulgarian food was an interesting experience,” Cloud admitted. “Yeah, so interesting I don’t think I’ll want to go back to that restaurant, but Dad and Clover wanted us all to go out to dinner before they left on their vacation, and at least Clover liked it.” There was another rumble of footfalls down the steps and both turned to see Long Play coming down the stairs. “Hey, how’s my favorite girls I’m not sleeping with?” he asked, putting arms around them. “Thanks for making that so gross,” Vinyl said, smacking her brother on the back of the head. “We were having a moment, and you ruined it, Long,” Cloud added. “Oh, you guys were having a moment?” he asked. Both nodded, and he laughed. “That’s so cute. Listen, Vi, you busy tonight?” “I didn’t have any plans, why?” she asked, as she moved the done crepe to the ready plate and started on a third. “I’m working late tonight,” Cloud added, “so I don’t have anything set.” “Good – I need a favor,” Long started. “I was supposed to do a gig tonight over in Kalamazoo. But I just got a call from our drummer and there’s a rep from Persephone who wants to see us play.” He gave a wide smile. “This could be my big break!” “Good for you!” Cloud cheered. “So, I told the guys at Kalamazoo that I needed to bounce, but that you were just as good at the decks and I recommended you. They’re willing to pay you the same rate that they were going to pay me, plus a bonus for last-minute scheduling. And since the party’s expected to run late, they reserved a hotel room for you as well. You up for that?” “You should do it,” Cloud told her. “I don’t know how late it’s going to be when I get home, and besides, sounds like it’s a good gig.” “Yeah, okay, then I’m in.” “Cool. Let’s eat breakfast, and then I can go over the basics before I head out.” Vinyl’s answer was to flip the third crepe. “Sure thing!” “Okay,” Windsong called to her friend as she walked through the door of the Highpoint Coffee Shop, “what’s this I hear about you having a way for us to get rid of the Shitty Six for good? You been holding out on us?” Tequila took a drink from her coffee while Stagecraft, who had shown up just a few minutes before, was silent. “Have a seat and read,” the former said, sliding a copy over to the empty seat on the other end of the table. As the third girl sat down and picked it up, the teen chanteuse added, “Trust me, this shit’s the good stuff, and should put them down once and for all. Granted, the spying that we’re planning on Satin should work for her, but there’s a couple of others that are going to need a little…coercion.” Windsong quickly skimmed through her copy, her jaw falling more and more as she saw the information. “Is this shit legit?” she asked Tequila, who nodded. “Do you know how much we could destroy those bitches?” Stagecraft finally looked up from her copy and wiped a faux tear away from her eye. “This is beautiful, Quila. You have come up with a masterpiece.” “I don’t care if it’s a masterpiece or not,” Windsong scoffed. “Look, as long as we get rid of the retard and the carpet munchers, I give no fucks.” She pointed at one particular page. “Now this shit I can believe, given that cunt Cloud Kicker looks at everyone like she wants to lick their bungholes.” “Ewww!” Stagecraft spat. “Nobody wants to hear that!” Tequila grinned. “Doesn’t matter. After what we have, we’re going to bury them so hard in the next couple of days that they’re going to beg us to kick them out!” She grinned maliciously. You’re going to pay for your insolence, Vinyl Scratch. Just you wait! A little while later, Cloud and Vinyl showed up at the True Brew. With spring break fully in session, it was a week that Cloud could pick up some extra hours, while Vinyl just wanted to hang out with her friends before her gig tonight. But as they arrived, they found that neither Satin nor Bossa Nova were present. “Hey, where’s the others?” she asked. Countryside grinned. “Satin’s playing house at her place with Starfruit this weekend, while Royal and Nova went out of town this weekend with his parents. As for BB, she went shopping for some baking stuff – I think she wants to bake Satin and Starfruit a ‘Happy Month-Long Anniversary’ cake when she gets back.” Something in the back of Vinyl’s mind tingled. “Is she okay?” At this moment, Praline came out from the back of the shop and said, “She’s fine, Vi. Pecan is with her. I swear since those two met at the dance planning sessions, they’re completely inseparable. Why, is something wrong?” Cloud rolled her eyes. “Vi’s been of the opinion that something strange is going to happen soon.” “Hey, it worked for Pinkie, okay?” Countryside looked at her friend. “Who’s Pinkie?” “Friend of ours back in Canterlot. Had this thing she called a ‘Pinkie Sense’, where she could predict something before it happened. Maybe it rubbed off on me or something.” Countryside giggled. “New age type, I’m figuring?” “No, that’d be Lyra.” “Sounds like you had some interesting friends, girls.” “Yeah,” Vinyl sighed, “until I screwed up so many of those friendships.” Even two months after she’d moved on from the whole Vibe affair, she never really got over it…and she wasn’t one of the ones fully victimized by Blueblood and Flash Sentry’s “Club.” The last conversation Cloud had with Sunset this past Friday via Skype indicated that Vinyl’s reputation would never really recover, and that psychiatrists and counselors in the Canterlot metropolitan area were worth their weight in gold right now from the fallout of the Vibe situation. “I’m just as much to blame as you were,” Cloud said. “I could have stopped you earlier, but I didn’t. Besides, it’s all in the past now. We did move here to start over, didn’t we?” “Yeah, we did,” Vinyl said in gratitude for being reminded of that. As the bell rang and several customers came in, Cloud went back to the counter, leaving Vinyl and Countryside alone. “Yeah, it still bothers me.” “We all have our dirty pasts, Vinyl,” Countryside replied. “Mine is that my dad isn’t my birth father – my mother had an affair while she and Dad were on the verge of divorce and got pregnant, but they patched things up and Mom has never told me who my biological father is, so I’ve never met him. My dad is the only father I’ve known, and he loves me just as much as if I was his by blood.” “That’s nice. I wish I could say the same about my mom,” Vinyl replied. “I mean, things were great when I was a kid, but then Mom wanted to climb through the halls of power in Canterlot – I think she has her eye on an elected seat someday – and Dad just wanted to be a DJ. Dad got offered the afternoon slot in Houston, he and Mom divorced, Dad took Long and moved there, and I stayed with Mom because they thought that was the best thing for me at the time.” She sighed. “I wonder if Dad knew how much shit Mom put me through if he would’ve changed his mind.” “Sounds like your mother was a real problem.” Vinyl nodded. “Don’t get me wrong – Mom did take care of me; it’s just that she wants to be at the top so badly that she did everything she could to make sure that all the stars aligned in her favor…and as I got older, that included using me as a tool as well. It got so bad that when I got mixed into my troubles, Mom sent me away because I’d become more trouble than I was worth…because she never saw me as a value other than her fortunes in the end.” “You reap what you sow,” Countrytime agreed. “But hey, Canterlot’s loss is our gain, right?” “I guess,” Vinyl said nonchalantly. “I’d just settle for being as normally cool as I already am.” “And humble, too, I see.” Satin Splash looked up at the ceiling, smiling softly. She was sore right now, but sore in a good way. She could still feel the sharp pain inside her, the tears of both pleasure and pain that had welled in her eyes, and the inexplicable sensation she felt when she gave up her virginity. It was worth it, she felt. She looked at the boy dozing silently next to her. Thankfully, her bed was big enough for the both of them; her parents were out of town, and Starfruit had told his parents that he was staying over a friend’s place for the weekend. Sure enough, that made it ideal for the two to have a beautiful weekend exploring their relationship…and each other’s bodies. She ran a finger down the length of his jawline and the movement woke him up. “Hello, love,” she said softly, taking in his essence. “Hey, yourself,” he said, reaching over and kissing her softly. “How do you feel?” “Like I want you again,” she purred. “I think I can oblige,” he said, as he slithered under the sheets, to her pleasurable sighs. Meanwhile, on a discarded shirt hanging on a chair just six feet away, a series of small cameras shaped like buttons recorded the whole thing, feeding the data to a receiver system on a drone floating above the house and in violation of FAA regulations. However, teenagers never really gave much care for laws when it didn’t directly impact them, not when it came to illegal use of drones…or the illegal use of encrypted transmissions to a location not too far away. Seated in a car at the end of the block, Tequila watched the footage of the two teenagers making love. It was both bumbling – that usually happened for two people who were going through their first times – and erotic, that last part being due to the passion of the two involved, but that held no interest for her. No, what truly caught her attention was the sheer…usefulness…of the video. One down, four more to go, she grinned maliciously. “Thanks for giving me a lift home,” Countryside said to Vinyl as they pulled up in front of the former’s house. “My car’s in the shop right now, and it’s a pain taking the bus everywhere.” “I can imagine,” Vinyl replied. “Well, I gotta get going. It’s a long drive to Kalamazoo, and I’ve never been there before.” “I’ve been there a few times,” Countryside commented. A thought then came to her. “Want me to come with you? I’ve got nothing going on.” “You sure? I don’t want to drag you out to the middle of nowhere where you’ll be bored.” “Hey, we’re friends, right? Besides, better to travel the road with company than with no one at all.” She waved her in. “C’mon, won’t take me a minute to pack, then leave a note for my parents.” “Sure, be right in,” Vinyl said, as she turned off the ignition and locked the car, stepping out to briefly join her friend in the house. After a quick drink, and Countryside throwing some clothing in a bag, as well as leaving a note for her parents and promising she’d be back the next day. With that, the two rushed out of the house, eager to go on their trip. They were so focused, they didn’t see the small package sitting by the door that read FOR COUNTRYSIDE. Bon-Bon put her head briefly against Pecan Roll’s shoulder. So far things were going perfectly! Ever the gentleman, Pecan offered to help her shop for stuff so that they could make treats together. True, they’d been dating for nearly a month now and almost got to kiss! But neither of them was ready to make that big of a step yet…that was an awfully big change in their relationship, after all. “Well,” said Pecan as he looked at the shopping list on his phone, “we still have to stop by Kumquat’s Fruit Stand, then Natural Goodness’ Organic Shoppe, and then we can head back to the True Brew to start baking, okay?” Bon-Bon looked at her own watch. “You know….” she said in a sweet voice, “I saved a whole hour, thanks to you.” She turned a bright red, then shuffled her feet nervously as she said, “Well, um, you know, I guess, maybe you deserve a kiss for all that, and…I….” Pecan himself blushed, adjusting his glasses nervously. “I mean…are you sure? I-I-I don’t want to rush you, if you don’t think you’re ready and….” She smiled winsomely. “Let’s…pick up the final things we need, then we’ll go back and talk about it in my room, okay?” Pecan tried not to show the shock at how forward she was being. Inviting him into her room? That was…. Wow, she moves fast! he mentally gasped. In order to push off his surprise, he suggested, “Let’s take a shortcut. This alley cuts through the block, and we should be able to get to the bus stop from there, okay?” Bon-Bon smiled, and that was the sweetest thing in the world to him. “That’s a reallyreallyreallyreally great idea, Pecan!” she cooed. With that, he gestured for her to enter in first, and then, ever the gentleman, Pecan walked in front, braving the slightly dingy and dirty reality that was the alleyway. That lasted right until he was slugged hard in the solar plexus, dropping him in an instant. The blow had been so hard, that he was completely unconscious by the time he hit the ground. Bon-Bon reacted immediately, moving to Pecan’s side in an instant…only to be yanked hard back to her feet by a bunch of men wearing masks. “Don’t move a single fucking muscle,” the man holding her by the arms growled at her while a second one ripped off her backpack and started rummaging through it. “No!” Bon-Bon screamed, frightened by what she knew was going to happen the moment the second man unearthed Feather. Trying to desperately wriggle out of her assailant’s grasp while trying to rescue her beloved plushie from the other thug. It only became worse when the man produced a lighter and started to bring it towards the polyester fur. “No! Please don’t!” Bon-Bon cried, tears streaming down her face. She was pulling as hard as she could now, far beyond that of someone riled about the destruction of her property and more akin to a person desperately attempting to save a loved one. With a final wrench that looked as though she dislocated something, she fell to the ground, dazed. “What the fuck?” the first thug asked the second. The second didn’t listen, however, lighting the plushie on fire. Whether it was due to the materials used in its construction or countless repairs, the toy went up in flames. “Here – you can have it back!” the second man taunted, throwing the burning plushie at the girl. The burnt plushie bounced once, then impacted against her shirt and her hair…which then caught fire. The screams became louder, almost insane in their cacophony. “Fuck, let’s get out of here!” the second one screamed, both beating a quick retreat as people arrived to investigate the terror-stricken shrieking. “So it’s done?” Windsong said into the phone. “No, I’ve no idea why that little cunt would act like that, and frankly, it’s not my problem….Yeah, don’t worry, Grind, you’ll get your cash.” Pressing the disconnect button, Windsong looked at the other two. “Well, that’s one problem taken care of.” Tequila looked at Windsong. “Which one?” “Grindout and Takeoff ran into Bon-Bon and that faggy boyfriend of hers downtown. Since they’re just dumb jocks and I know how to handle them, I made them an offer to break the two of them.” Stagecraft giggled. “Oh, do tell.” Windsong laughed. “You know that stupid doll that Bon-Bon always carries around? Well, I told TW and BD to rough up Pecan Roll, then to set that fucking doll of Bon-Bon’s on fire.” The look on Tequila’s face was one that Windsong hadn’t expected. “You set her plushie on fire?” “Fuck yes? Who the fuck carries a doll to school? I haven’t done that since I was in first grade!” Stagecraft sneered. Tequila sighed. “Windy, Crafty…that plushie was important to—” “Did I just hear you right?” Stagecraft asked, surprised. “Are you actually giving a shit about that retard girl?” “I…no! Why would I?” Tequila stammered. “It’s just that…she didn’t get hurt, did she? That’s…that’s going too far.” “Hey, the boys aren’t that stupid,” Windsong scoffed. “I bet all they did was just scare her and rough up her fagboy a little, nothing serious.” “Besides,” Stagecraft added, “main event hasn’t kicked in yet. Got a friend making copies of Satin Splash and Starfruit’s, ahem, ‘entertainment’, as it were. We should expect it to go online in as many places as possible during the first week of school.” “And what about the others?” Tequila asked. “Do we have anyone we can trust to take care of them?” “Still working on that. Can’t promise anything, but if worst comes to, the shame of being tied to the others should be more than enough,” Stagecraft promised. A rented truck rolled down the eastbound Interstate 94, well on its way to its destination. Seated in the cab, two people relaxed, playing some relaxing beats by the Tunetwisters as they chowed down on lunch. “Okay, so tell me about this whole gig,” Countryside asked. “Sounds interesting.” “Well, from what my brother said, the party’s being done by some old high school buddy of his. Apparently, it’s his 23rd birthday today, so he thought he’d celebrate in over-expensive style. The rest, of course, you know.” “Yeah, but Kalamazoo? Didn’t think there was much there.” “Yeah, I kinda got the feeling myself,” Vinyl admitted, “but hey, I go where the pay is. Besides, you get to party tonight and relax at a hotel tomorrow. What’s so bad about that?” “Point,” Countryside laughed. “Are you going to need help setting up your rig?” “Some, because I don’t know if there’s anyone there who knows how to put one together. Besides, I’d rather it be someone I trust.” Vinyl was thoughtful for a second, and added, “Oh, and it goes without saying that since it’s a party, there’s probably going to be a lot of drinking and maybe even some drugs. Not my job to bother you about that, but whatever you do, don’t bring it around the rig. It’s a professional piece of machinery, so I gotta do my best.” “No worries on my end, but what about you?” “I don’t touch anything while I’m on the job, not even water or soft drinks. Hell, that even includes Kicky.” “You’ve had her behind the decks before,” Countryside reminded her. “Wasn’t she on the decks?” “Yeah, but usually it’s just to finish something out or while I step out to use the little girls’ room,” Vinyl explained. “Trust me, her main interest when it comes to gear is usually the person running it, AKA me.” “T-thank…you.” Praline nervously put down the phone before dropping to the floor. “PRAE!” Cloud immediately dropped her tray and rushed to her boss’ side. “You okay?” “I’ve got to get to the hospital!” the woman cried. “BB’s there – she was attacked and burned!” “Burned?” Cloud asked, shocked, then recovered. “Get to the hospital,” she insisted. “I’ll get a hold of Frenchie, then close the café and head over there!” While Praline rushed to her car, Cloud started to get people their drinks as fast as she could in order to close up shop. She slipped the store’s Bluetooth into her ear so she could get a hold of Frenchie and give him the sad news. After that, she’d have to rush to the hospital immediately, as well as call the others. Vinyl’s going to be out of town for the rest of the day, and Nova and her boyfriend are on vacation as well, she sighed, as the phone dialed the other café. Hopefully I can get a hold of Countryside – I think we’re going to need her help. Vinyl stood there, trying to recover from the shock. The place was huge – it was easily the biggest gig she’d ever work. There were two stages, one for the bands and one for her gear. There were already a bunch of people drinking and toking, and it was blatantly obvious that there would be a few couples, well…coupling by the end of the night, if not sooner. But that wasn’t the thing that had her attention. No, that honor entirely belonged to the person of honor, the one throwing this whole shindig: Kind Bud. A spoiled trustafarian living a sybaritic lifestyle, and looked stoned out of his gourd. She could practically smell the THC he was giving off. “Hey, man, so you’re Long’s kid sister! Fuckin’ awesome! Band’s’ll be playin’ until about 11, and then you’ll go on until everyone drops or the sun comes up. You got the hotel room for the week you’re here!” Vinyl and Countryside looked at each other in surprise. “Week?” they both asked. “Yeah, didn’t your brother tell you ‘bout that? Party was just supposed to be ‘bout me, but then my cousin came in town and I haven’t seen her in ages, so I made it a family reunion, too! Totally sweet!” He turned and waved over. “Yo, Octy, c’mon down and intro yourself to the DJ!” Down the steps, came the person in question and with that, Vinyl’s jaw dropped: the girl looked like a double of Octavia Melody, the hot, wet dream of Vinyl’s life. But this was even stronger: somehow this girl knew what she had and she displayed it, with a too-tight shirt, pants that clung to her, and burgundy eyes that burned with desire. It was beyond belief, Vinyl knew, and she couldn’t even begin to calculate the odds of having a second person looking so much like the girl that had once taken her heart and caused her to end up living out here in Michigan. Yet, as she well knew, the world was a weird place and it was possible. Plus, she remembered the C2 ad campaign for a few years back with the “someone else on this world looks just like you” when she was a kid; with her mother’s permission – her mother was still cool back then – Vinyl had uploaded a picture of herself and it was matched to a girl named Tekno Elektrisch, who lived in Belgium…too bad the system didn’t allow for addresses to be put in. But this… But this… The girl leaned against Bud and sighed. “Really, Bud? I was busy.” The way she said it sounded sexy enough that Vinyl’s body practically started vibrating and it took everything in her to calm herself down. “Hey, this is Vinyl Scratch, the DJ performing tonight,” Bud said, “and I didn’t get your name.” “Um…Countryside,” Countryside stated. “I’m a friend of Vinyl’s.” “And this is my cousin, Octavia Philharmonica. Octy’s a musician herself, but she’s just here to relax.” Octavia looked at Vinyl and Countryside before sighing in what sounded ominously orgasmic. “Do I get to keep them?” She waltzed over to the two girls, looking at them as if they were pieces of meat on display. “She looks like she goes for the long haul,” she purred, before turning to look at Vinyl. “And you already look ready to go, don’t you?” “I…uh….” Octavia fished her room key out of her pocket. “My room, in an hour. Don’t keep me waiting.” She was just about to walk away, when Vinyl steeled herself. This is wrong! “No,” Vinyl said, handing the key back. “No, you just reminded me of someone I knew back when I lived in Canterlot.” “Oh, her.” Octavia’s tone suddenly went from wanting to venomous. “That frigid little goody-two-shoes cunt. Should’ve known. She ruins everything.” “Who?” Bud asked. Octavia sighed, but this time it was one of exasperation. “I have a cousin that lives in Canterlot by the name of Octavia Melody. We look very much alike, but I’m nothing like her. She wishes she had the talent, the drive and the libido I do, but she’s a stuck-up little fucking Pollyanna.” She then turned back to Vinyl. “Keep the card. You want memories of an Octavia that’ll last you a lifetime? You know where to find me.” She walked over and kissed Vinyl, not deep, but enough to get the point across. “I’ll make you forget she ever existed.” With that, she walked off. Bud sat there for a while, speechless. Then a lazy grin came over his face and he added, “Sweet. Looks like you two got yourself a threesome. Well, I gotta go see about the herb shipment and the alcohol, so see you around, girls!” He then headed off as well. “That was…intense,” Countryside said, grasping for a word. “Is it bad I’m not even gay and I felt her desire?” Vinyl didn’t respond, and Countryside said, “Vinyl, you okay?” Vinyl stood there, her hands balled into fists and her eyes shut tight, tears at the end. “Why me? Why me, Goddammit?” “Hey, Vi….” “C’mon, let’s go load the rig and then get to our hotel room. This isn’t what I expected, and I’ll need your help. I’ll need a friend.” “Why?” “Because I love Kicky,” Vinyl admitted, “but I just got offered the temptation of a lifetime. We’ll talk later.” Nestled in a vacation home just north of Woodstock, Ontario, Royal Flush and his girlfriend Bossa Nova sat outside, just enjoying the spring breeze. Across the way, his parents were getting in a rented van and getting ready to tour the local Ontario farm country. They didn’t bother asking the two teens whether they wanted to go; Royal had already received the lecture about being a gentleman when it came to the ladies, and besides, when it came to his girl, Royal had very much intended to treat her like his own personal treasure. “So….” he began delicately. “What do you want to do now?” Nova gave her beau what she hoped was her sultriest smile. “I was thinking we could start by making out, and then if we have time, bed-shattering sex.” His eyes widened large enough to be easily confused with those of a cartoon equine. “WHAT?!?!?!?!?” She laughed softly. “Vinyl said that would break you, and I told her that it wouldn’t faze you at all. I guess I owe her twenty bucks now.” “No, it didn’t,” he said, blatantly lying through his teeth, which made her laugh all the more. “Yes it did, you can admit it.” “I admit nothing,” he told her. “Only thing I admit is that you have my heart.” “And don’t I know that, which is why you’re not getting rid of me,” she said with a soft smile. She caressed his cheek, and he could feel the warmth of her hand, as well as the faint pulse within, as if sending a morse code of desire. “I love you,” she said, as she leaned forward to kiss him— —only to have his cellphone go off. “Sorry,” he said and she nodded as she moved back. “Yeah, this is Royal.” “Royal!” the voice on the other end was panicked, and female. “Is Nova there?” He finally realized who it was. “Kicks? What’s up?” “Oh, thank God! I’ve been trying to get a hold of everyone and I can’t!” She sounded as if she was almost about to shatter. “I can’t get a hold of Satin, Countryside or Vi! If Nova’s there, please put her on the phone!” “…and thanks for keeping me in the loop, Kicks.” On the other end, Nova sounded as if she wanted to cry. “Please take care of BB. We need her to be okay.” “I will,” Cloud said. “You guys take care. Bye.” She hung up the phone and looked out the window of the fifth floor of Royal Oaks Medical Center, the best hospital in all of Detroit. BB was in the ICU right now and though brutalized to the point where he’d been hospitalized as well, Pecan gave a statement to the Detroit Police Department. With her was Praline and French Roast, and because she wasn’t family, she couldn’t go in. She’d managed to get a hold of Satin and her boyfriend, but both Vinyl and Countryside were still out of touch. Were they both in an area where there was no phone reception? Or were the batteries run down, or…. Cloud forced herself to calm down; Vinyl knew how to take care of herself, and she was sure Countryside was okay as well. For the former, she’d just have to ask Long for info tonight when she got home, and as for the latter, she could probably have him drive her to Countryside’s place tomorrow. “Kicks?” She turned to see Praline approach, and she looked horrified. “I thought you’d want to know what happened to BB.” She walked over to a seat and slumped in it. “For starters, she’s physically okay. It burned off most of her hair and she had first degree burns, but despite his broken arm and ribs, Pecan smothered her with his shirt in time.” She smiled sadly. “He protected her and I never expected that of him. As far as I’m concerned, while he was fine to date her before, he’s great in my book now.” But Cloud caught her comment. “You said physically.” At that, Praline broke out in sobs. “She’s in a coma,” she explained. “Whoever attacked them burned Feather and the shock….” Cloud wrapped her arms around the woman and held her close. “I can’t lose her,” Praline moaned. “I just can’t.” “We won’t,” Cloud promised. “We’ll make sure that she’ll get through this. You have my word.” Cloud was going to say something else, but then her phone went off. She looked at it and saw a voicemail. “It might be Vinyl or Countryside,” Cloud explained. “Let me check.” She unlocked her phone, went to voicemail, and listened. “Hey, hottie babe, this is Jukebox. Now, I know you moved away and you don’t play no more; this call ain’t about that. No, I called to let you know some shit’s going down and I think you might want to turn on the TV, girl. Anyway, best to you and whoever you got lickin’ both your lips. Later!” Cloud stared at the phone; Jukebox had been one of her regulars, but she’d always thought him weird. The truth was, if it wasn’t for the fact that he was hung like a horse, she wouldn’t have bothered. But whatever it was, it was serious enough for him to call her. Turn on the TV? Wonder what that’s about? On a hunch, she opened her browser to CNN and saw the headline: MAJOR CRIME RING UNCOVERED Dozens Arrested at Commune in Ukiah Sheriff: “These Hippies Were Up to No Good” Cloud then read with shock about the arrests being made at the Ukiah All-Natural Wellness Center. About the sex slavery, the hardcore drugs, counterfeiting, the works. And then the piece d’ resistance: her parents, Wheat and Flax, being dragged off in cuffs and ushered into the back of a Mendocino County Sheriff’s Department cruiser. Things weren’t bad right now… …no, they were worse.