MTU: Hard To Look At - Chapter 16 (Patreon)

Monday started out weird and just got weirder. First, I was up early and spent most of the morning before school trying to decide what to wear for my second date with Ross that would also be good to wear all day in school. It took forever to decide on an outfit that, last week, I probably would have chosen without a second thought. The worst part was my assumption that Ross probably wasn’t thinking about his outfit at all.

Then, I did my makeup and it, for some reason, was difficult because I could not decide which combination of eye shadows looked best on my copper and green skin. Mom knocked on my door as I was adding a marigold eyeliner. “Not yet, Mom,” I called out. “I’m lining my eyelids.”

“You’re going to be late. I can see Elliot walking this way.”

“Okay, thanks, Mom.”

I finished up quickly and was out the door before Elliot could ring the doorbell.

“Don’t you look all spiffy,” he said.

“What this? I just threw on the first thing I saw.”

“Yep, and it turned out rather spiffy.” After a moment he said, “You’re nervous. I totally understand. I was nervous the first day of school after Marie and I went on our first date.

“Is it obvious?”

“Only to someone who’s been there recently. Relax. You had a good date. You’ve set up a second date. School should only be its normal level of awkward.”

“That’s a relief.”

We made it to school just in time to get to our first classes. After class Stacy walked with me to my next class. “Looking good, Em.” The Fashion Police had started calling me Em. “How was your date?”

“We can talk at lunch. Short answer: great.”

“Great. Can’t wait till lunch time.”

Before lunch, I saw Ross down the hall between classes. He smiled at me and then disappeared into the rush of students trying to get to their next class. Someone bumped into me from behind because I had stopped short. It was not until I was in my next class that I realized my hair snakes had not hissed at the intruder. They had been as distracted as I had been.

I was grilled at lunch by the girls and apparently the kid gloves with which I had been treated up until now were gone. They wanted to know everything and I could not keep any details private from them. I finally felt just like one of the girls with them.

When classes ended for the day, I rushed down to the gymnasium. The boys on the team were running in circles bouncing basketballs up and down and passing them between one another in a manner that looked like a choreographed dance. I didn't know much about basketball but I think it was called drilling. Ross towered over the other players. Only Ryan came close.

As I watched I didn't notice Jenny until she was sitting next to me. I said, "Hi."

"You're here to watch Ross? He is so hot."

"Won't Tommy be mad if he heard you say that? "

"He knows better than to be like that. Heck, he'd probably say Ross is hot."

"Really? I never would have thought those words could come from his mouth."

"Oh, no, he wouldn't say that in public or in front of friends. Maybe he'd joke about how hot Ross is in the locker room. But he has told me a few guys in school are hot."

"Why does he hate me?"

"It's all because of his asshole friends. Hell, if I ever dumped him, and he could figure out how to woo you, given the history, he'd date you in a second."

"I find that impossible to believe."

"I don't blame you. I've tried to get him to stop hanging with those idiots but they're all on the football team and he doesn't want to rock the boat. If he did, he would apologize for all he's done to you."

"Are you sure you know him as well as you think?"

She laughed. "Maybe I don't. But I believe what I'm telling you."

The game started and it only took the first ten minutes for Jenny to say, "You don't know anything about basketball, do you?"

"Not really."

She started explaining the game to me. Ross was the Center because he was the tallest player on the team. I remembered Ross telling me that and I wasn't sure what it meant.

At the end of the first half, I said, "Thanks for explaining what's going on in the game."

"You aren't the first girl I've had to explain basketball to."

"I'm sure I'm the first one who used to be a guy that you've helped in this way."

"Don't assume." She ignored the surprised look on my face and continued, "I saw the bust you made of Marie. You’re very talented. I will completely understand if you say no, but could you make a bust for me. I'd be happy to pay for it."

"A bust of you?"

For the first time since she sat down she seemed apprehensive and unsure. "I'd like a bust of me and Tommy, kissing. I can model my part and I have a photo of us kissing that would be so cool in 3D."

"And all that stuff about me not understanding Tommy was to get me to agree to do it?"

"Not as such. Please. I know you probably hate him. But I love him. And it would be a gift to him. He's always giving me thoughtful gifts and I want to one up him."

"He'd probably break it if he knew I was involved."

"I wasn't planning to tell him where I got it."

"Let me think about it."

"That's more than reasonable."

* * *

Jenny and I were waiting outside the boys locker room when both Ross and Tommy exited. They bid one another a good evening. Tommy didn’t say word to me. Jenny and I said goodbye to one another.

Ross drove us to a quiet coffee shop not far from my house. “I saw you were sitting next to Jenny during the game. “

“She knows a lot about basketball.”

“She does. Did you know she and I went on a date before she started going steady with Tommy?”

“No, I didn’t. She was the only one date girl?”

“Yes, I told her I didn’t think it would work out.”

“She still thinks you’re hot.”

“Am I hot?”

“The hottest.”

At the coffee shop we ordered beverages and sat on a sofa. “You’ve asked me a lot a questions. I still know very little about you,” I said.

“We’ve established that I’m the hottest, I believe,” he said with a wide smile. “Ask me anything.”

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“Aside from basketball? Actually that’s not really a hobby. It’s fun. But, it’s not a core part of me. I read a lot, mostly mystery thriller stuff.”

“When I suggested an action movie you didn’t want to see it.”

“I don’t think thrillers really translate to film very well. A thriller isn’t a scary story, it’s an edge-of-your-seat story. While some action films can give you that feeling, I far prefer reading them.”

“I guess I never really thought about it.”

“And that’s fine. I’ll give you one of my favorite books if you want.”

“Sure.”

We talked for a couple hours before we noticed it was getting late. He drove me home and we kissed for a moment in the car. He walked me to the front door and we kissed again. He had to get home for dinner so he didn’t come inside.

As soon as I entered the kitchen, Mom said, “How was your date?”

“It was good. We mostly just talked.”

“You could have invited him in for dinner.”

“He said he had to go home for dinner.”

* * *

Elliot noticed the photographs as soon as he entered. “Are you stalking Tommy and Jenny? Have you finally decided how to get your revenge?”

“What are you talking about?” I said.

“I’m just joking. I suppose you decided to make the bust for Jenny.”

“Yeah. I didn’t have anything else going on. And she’s paying for it. I can deal with Tommy’s face because I’m being professional.”

“She’ll be here Thursday so I can start the details of the bust. I was actually thinking you and Marie might want to model for the kissing part.”

“Well, I’m flattered. Am I as good looking as Tommy?”

“On the inside, where it matters.”

He laughed. “I’ll take it.”

“Where is Marie?”

“She’ll be here around five. She had an appointment.”

When she arrived she was eager to be petrified while kissing Elliot. I took a few pictures of them kissing, trying to match one of the photos Jenny had given me. We spent a few moments picking which photo would look best as a bust before I zapped them. I took a small sip part way through working on the bust. After an hour and a half, I had a rough sculpt of two generic people kissing. Marie and Elliot had to leave after that.

Jenny arrived at my house around four on Thursday. She liked the pose of the bust so far. She saw the stool and asked if she would sit there when she posed.

“Posed? I doubt you can pose all kissy-faced for very long.”

“I thought you would do your thing to me.”

“Why would think that?”

“Marie told me she posed for her bust.”

“You want me to petrify you?”

“Yes. Is that a problem? I’m really curious about it.”

“Curious, you say?”

“Marie isn’t the only person you know who’s contemplated being petrified.”

I laughed. “I had no idea it was so popular.”

“I’m serious. I first saw that Greek myth movie from the eighties when I was eleven. I must have cried for days when Perseus cut off the head of the gorgon. Do you know what kind of raw deal your namesake had?”

“Being cursed for getting raped? Yes, I’m aware of the parts of the myth most people don’t know about.”

“So, you’ll do it.”

“I’d have done it without the explanation. But I appreciate knowing what you said.”

“How should I pose?”

For almost half an hour we tried to get her to pose as if she were kissing someone. But it never looked right. I took a bunch of photos and she agreed she wasn’t doing it right. We could not get her to look right by herself.

“What if I kissed you?” She said.

“That could work. But how will I know how you look from a distance if I’m right next to you?”

“Take a selfie of us and we’ll see if I look better.”

We tried it. Her lips tasted of some kind of berry and we may have kissed a bit longer than was necessary. The selfie was much better. And after a second selfie, we were sure she would look right. We kissed a third time and I admit I let the kiss linger a moment longer than necessary before opening my inner eye and turning her to stone.

“What the fuck!”

My hairsnakes opened their eyes to see Tommy rushing toward me. The next thing I knew I was in serious pain as he had grabbed a handful of my snakes and tossed me to the ground.

“What is going on in here?” My mother said, suddenly appearing in the doorway. “Look out!” She shouted.

“Oh fuck, no!” Tommy shouted.

I heard a loud thump and a crack. When I got up Tommy was holding his head, his face went from shock to utter despair and he started bawling and repeating the word “no” over and over.

“Oh my god,” my mother said.

I noticed Jenny wasn’t standing where I left her. I stood up. She had fallen backwards, her head no longer attached to her neck.

“You can fix her, can’t you?” Tommy said, tears running down his face. “Dear god, I’ll do anything. Anything. You have to fix her.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” I screamed at him. “I don’t know if I can fix her. But I know I don’t need your fucking noise.”

“I’m going. I’m going. Ple--” he shut up and disappeared from the garage.

“Can you fix her?”

“I don’t know, Mom. Help me stand her back up.”