And I’d had that in my older life. The kids at school with their real parents and real homes and real lives.
It didn’t feel nice.
Pinky was wearing a tank top, jeans and high-heeled sandals. Lorie was in a mini-jeans-skirt and also was wearing a tank top and high-heeled sandals. Minnie wore a scrap of black fabric in a halter-top style that covered her breasts but completely exposed her back and stomach, tight jeans and high-heeled sandals.
I looked like the librarian I was (in better shoes) compared to them, this was true.
But they all looked nice, in a biker babe kind of way.
Just different than me, or really, anyone else at the mall.
I wasn’t looking down my nose at them.
I turned to escape when I heard, “Minnie, shut your mouth.”
This was Driver, who was right behind me.
I peered up at him to see he looked angry and sort of ridiculous being all biker and standing in Victoria’s Secret, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable. He didn’t seem anything but angry and his eyes were locked on Minnie.
I turned again to see Lorie and Minnie were looking at Driver and me. Not only that, but Pinky had also gotten close.
Fantastic.
Lorie’s cheeks were pink.
Minnie’s face got hard.
“Um…you know, why don’t you guys, you know, do your thing? I’m going to go get a coffee,” I mumbled.
“Right,” Minnie snapped, and I knew at once she took this as me trying to get away from them and not for the reasons I was actually trying to get away from them.
“I can…” I started, my mind whirling, “buy some for you guys. I’ll take orders. What do you want?”
“I want lunch,” Lorie stated, coming to me and hooking her arm in mine. “Forget coffee, let’s get some food.”
I didn’t want food. My stomach was churning.
I also didn’t want to protest.
So I didn’t.
We hit the Yard House, and as we were led to our booth, all eyes came to us.
It struck me then that when I lived my life prior to it disintegrating, I hadn’t really noticed bikers or biker babes hanging in the places I frequented. This was probably because bikers and biker babes had their own places to hang. And Fashion Square and the Yard House likely weren’t on the list of those places.
We sat in a curved booth, me between Lorie and Driver, Minnie and Pinky across from us.
Minnie’s mood hadn’t changed.
Neither had Driver’s.
Pinky and Lorie exchanged several glances, and I felt badly that they were clearly uncomfortable with the tense atmosphere.
I felt badly, but I didn’t know what to do about it. So I studied my menu like I would be tested on it.
We ordered, and my menu was swept away, leaving me with nothing to hide behind. So my eyes wandered the restaurant.
They did this for a nanosecond, mainly because I’d caught three people staring at me and my black eye.
I suddenly felt like crying.
And just as suddenly, for some reason I did not know, my mouth opened of its own accord and out popped words, and this happened after my gaze locked on Minnie.
“People are staring at me,” I told her.
“What?” she snapped, her expression hard, the word clipped out in a way I knew she wasn’t real big on speaking to me at all.
“It happens all the time,” I carried on. “People recognize me. They stare. It’s worse today because of my black eye. I don’t like being out in public, so I usually don’t go. But Buck wanted me to have fun, so I’m here.”
“Who cares if people stare at you?” Minnie asked, voice still snappish.
“Well, I do,” I answered.
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I know they know who I am, and they think I’m a loser.”
Pinky and Lorie exchanged another glance, and I felt Driver’s body move beside me, but I didn’t take my attention from Minnie.
“So? Who cares if they think you’re a loser?”
“I do,” I told her.
“Why?” she pushed, her voice still snappish.
“I don’t know. I just do,” I replied.
“That’s whacked,” she informed me.
“Sorry?” I asked.
“It’s whacked,” she repeated.
“It isn’t,” I said, then continued, “You don’t know. They aren’t doing it to you.”
“Oh yeah they are, and I don’t give a shit. They can look all they want and think what they want, and I don’t give that first fuck.”
I stared at her, finding this concept intriguing.
It was true. She was out in a halter top baring loads of flesh. She had big hair, hair that was platinum blonde and by no means a color found in nature. She had on loads of makeup. She attracted attention.
“That concept is intriguing,” I stated, her head jerked.
I heard Driver chuckle as Pinky let out a giggle, and I felt Lorie’s hand under the table giving my leg a squeeze.
“That concept is intriguing?” Minnie repeated after me.
“Well, yes, I hadn’t thought of that,” I said.