[msW8ing]

I was 16, not like most the girls my age. I was very mature physically, emotionally and mentally. Quite statuesque I might say. 5’10”, blonde shoulder length hair and bright green eyes, nicely tanned from bucking hay all day for the farmers, job sucked but the pay was decent and I didn’t have to wear one of those humiliating uniforms at some greasy fast food place. I had no interest in boys for some reason that wasn’t obvious to me. Although we had a neighbor Pat, an older woman that rode a Harley, a beautiful midnight blue Harley, every time I heard that rumble coming down the street I’d jump up just to watch her, my mother and her fat snobbish friends would make nasty comments as they sat around blaming their ex husbands for their miserable lives and sucking them dry for alimony and child support, they laughed about that though. “There’s that Dyke again”. “Natalie get away from the window don’t attract attention to yourself with that Dyke”. And when I would get caught talking to her I would get punished for associating with “That Dyke”. I couldn’t understand why they had such a hate for such a nice woman. Being in such a small town in Idaho, people there just refused to accept anything or anyone that didn’t fit their cookie cutter lives. I didn’t feel like them. Whenever I’d see her I’d have odd feelings deep inside me. I tried to date boys like my friends did and it just didn’t feel right to me. My mother would prod me to date this one or that one because she liked his parents or he came from the “right family”. I didn’t care about all that. , this caused much stress and arguments within the household. I was walking home from the beach one Saturday afternoon and looked over to Pats house and my heart jumped into my throat, I froze, and for some odd reason I felt weak in the knees. There was a moving van in her driveway. My mother and her flock of bitches outside on the patio cackling like a bunch of old fat hens, “Natalie, get in the house, don’t you dare go over to that Dykes house”. Ignoring my mother’s screeching I walked up Pats driveway, running my hand along the side of moving van as I slowly walked up to her porch. She came outside and smiled to me.” Hey kid, it’s time for me to go. You’ve been so kind to this old hippie. Karma will repay you”. Not understanding really what she meant, I just looked her in the eyes, I could feel tears welling up inside of me, tears of sorrow for this kind, gentle woman that the whole town was so cruel to, “Yes Pat, and you are an amazing person, Karma will get those fat cackling bitches too”. She threw her head back and let out a big laugh. Winked at me, saddled up on her steel horse and I could feel the rumble of her bike deep into my soul as she rode off. I was so pissed at everyone in that town. Being startled back by my mother’s screech, “Natalie, get your ass in the house, I told you I did NOT want you associating with that Dyke biker trash”. I just walked past her clutch of cackling bitches not acknowledging them. I decided I in fact was going to that party my friends were talking about. So I gathered my clothes and jumped in the shower. I was still pissed off, letting the hot water rain over my body, I got to thinking, “How dare those fat bitches, they were the ones that ran Pat off, all because she was a “Dyke”? So what if she didn’t like men, hell I couldn’t blame her, I could relate to her. Standing in front of the mirror, wiping off the fog, I stood on the edge of the tub to see my entire body. Looking at my reflection, thinking, “Why do I have to be so tall? Why do I have to have big tits? And these long legs I used to kick Jason in the balls when he grabbed my big tits”. That thought made me burst into laughter. I finished getting dressed, cut off Levi shorts and a pink spaghetti strap tank top. Ran a brush through my hair, brushed my teeth, I was ready to run. As I walked past the patio table of fat bitches my mother screeched, “And just where do you think you’re going Dyke lover”? I just rolled my eyes and muttered, “Maybe if you all put down the Oreos long enough to drop a few rolls you wouldn’t be so bitter”. I knew I shouldn’t have mumbled that, it made those hens just start clucking even louder spewing nasty shit about me and lack of respect. Threats were being thrown of punishment. Charlotte, the most bitter and fattest of them, said,” And to think you filthy girl, dated MY Jason”. I spun around and glared at her, in a low growly voice I spoke mine, “Charlotte, YOUR son Jason is not only the smelliest, filthiest boy I have ever laid eyes on, he is the nastiest, slobberiest kisser, AND YOUR precious Jason grabbed my tits, came in his jeans from that and I am the one that kicked him in his balls”. As I walked away I could hear them clucking even louder, my mind wandering back to what Pat had said about Karma, made me laugh. Laughing even harder as I thought about,” who is going to cook and clean for the old fat hen tonight? Who will she take all her bitter hate out on with me gone”? I wasn’t quite sure as to where the party was but it was such a warm summer evening I didn’t mine wandering around, watching the fireflies play in the tall grass, lighting up the darkness with their little butts. I was mesmerized by this. I loved when the fireflies would come, sad when they died. Like everything of beauty that came here, this town would kill it. So deep in my thoughts I hadn’t noticed Mike and Carry pulling up alongside me. “Hey, what are ya doing walking around alone”? Carry hollered. She was already buzzed and well on her way to drunk. Made me laugh, although they were in their late 20’s and married, they were my best friends in this black hole of a town. All my friends were much older than I, although I do believe I was the most mature. “Looking for that party”. Mike smiled at me, “You look like you could use a party Natalie, come on hop in were heading there now”. Driving to the party, letting the wind blow on my face, blowing away the sadness I still held in my heart for Pat. Carry knew about Pat, and she sympathized with her as well. Being one of “those” girls that got pregnant at 16 in this town she knew what is was like to wear that Scarlett Letter. Pulling up to the “party house” as it was known by, I seen so many people there, some I knew and could stomach, some I couldn’t stomach and couple new faces. Walking up the sidewalk to the doorway, being whistled at and having lewd comments thrown at me did NOT impress me one bit. I ignored them, went where the keg was and got a beer. I just wanted to be numb, to not feel anything now. I was drinking to get drunk plain and simple. Even though I hated the taste of beer it was going down hard and fast. Getting buzzed fast, I figured I’d better go find Carry and check on her. She was standing in the corner of the living room talking with some guy I’d never seen before. I figured he was hitting on her; she was a natural beauty, long dark hair, deep brown doe eyes, and a figure to blow your mind. “Oh shit Natalie, stop thinking about her like that, she’s your best friend what’s wrong with you, you freak”. I walked over and softly bumped her hip with mine. “Hey, what’s going on”? Carry giggled, “Ummm, Natalie I want you to meet my new friend”. She hesitated a moment, looked at me with an evil grin, “Ummm Annie, this is my friend Natalie”. Then she giggled some more. I wasn’t too sure what it was all about but I was going to find out. I smiled at Annie, “Pleasure to meet you; you’re not from around here so in my book that’s already points in your favor, excuse us for a minute”. As I grabbed Carry’s arm and pulled her into the kitchen. She was laughing hysterically at this point. “Carry? Carry? What the hell is this all about”? She sheepishly looked into my eyes and whispered with nasty whiskey breath, “That’s Annie, she is very curious about you my little friend, Annie was asking a lot of questions about you”. She giggled again. My head was spinning. “Why would she be asking about me? Who the hell is she? Where did she come from?” I was going to have to ask. I peeked around the kitchen doorway into the living room, there she stood, same height as me, nice build, masculine not at all feminine like Carry, wearing faded levis, I could see where her wallet had worn it’s way to a white outline in her back pocket, nice back pockets at that, a faded Ozzie T-shirt and boots. She had such a boyish charm about her, light brown wavy hair, short like the boys wore it. I noticed she had the deepest gray eyes, I’d never seen gray eyes before, they were mesmerizing to me like the fireflies. I couldn’t stop looking. Annie looked over at me, felt as if she were looking right through me. I ducked back inside the kitchen. I couldn’t look back at her, I was frozen. Where the hell did Carry go. I looked everywhere for her. I walked the hallway to the bedrooms, slowly opening doors looking for her, knocking on the bathroom door. No answer. I had to pee anyhow; I went into the bathroom shut the door. Right in the mid-stream, a big ol’ guy walked in. “Hey, asshole I’m using it”. I growled. He looked at me like I was prime rib, very scary. I could have sworn I’d locked that door. He slammed the door shut, and then locked it. “You’re a pretty young lady”. I’d pulled my shorts up and buttoned them. “Yeah, well you’re a smelly, greasy pig, let me out”. He was huge, outweighed me by at least 100 pounds and stood a good 6 inches taller. Scruffy unbrushed wirey red haired freak. I screamed as loud as I could for help but the music was so loud no one could hear me. I felt nauseas and overheated from fear. “Fight or Flight” is what they called it in class. I stood my ground. Still screaming for help. He just stood there blocking the door, had me cornered between the tub and toilet, he grabbed my shoulders hard, tried to kiss me, I spit in his face, screaming and crying hysterically now. I struggled as hard as I could. “Come on Natalie think, think”. I struggled enough to reach a can of Aqua Net sitting on the counter, I grabbed it and sprayed it into his eyes. He bent over and starting rubbing his eyes, I reach over him and tried to unlock the door, still screaming and sobbing hysterically, as I reached for the door it thrust open with so much force splinters of wood flew past my face. I saw an arm reach around me through my tears it was so blurry, grab that asshole by his shirt and pull him into the hallway. I sat on the edge of the tub sobbing into the hand towel trying not to throw up. I heard male voices yelling,” get him off, he’s going to kill him”. I could hear another voice, “He was trying to rape her”. Then I could see through my tears four of the men were dragging the assholes unconscious body out of the hallway to where I didn’t know nor did I care. I buried my face back in the towel, I felt a presence sit next to me, I could smell familiar cologne, and then softly speaking, “Are you alright”? I could feel a soft touch on my knee, as if to tell me I was safe now. I was starting to calm down enough, lowering the towel from my face so I could make out who my hero was, it was Annie. Annie was the “he” that heard my cries for help, the “he” that kicked in the bathroom door, the “he” that pulled that bastard out of the bathroom and beat him unconscious. Annie was my hero. Looking into her eyes, so full of concern, I could see the warrior that was her soul. She gently placed her hand on my cheek, wiping away my tears. I just fell into her, nuzzling my face into her neck. “Shhhh Natalie, your safe now. I won’t let anyone harm you”. For the first time in my life I felt like a girl, not a tomboy, a real, weak, feminine girl. Sniffling I managed to murmur into her chest, “ Thank you, thank you so much, he was going to, he was trying to”. She put her arms around me, “Shhhh, he’s gone now. Come on your getting out of here to. You’re coming with me”. She helped me to my feet, putting her arm around me, taking my hand with hers, she led me out of the house down the sidewalk, “Fucking Dyke” some guy said as we walked by. I didn’t respond, but why would he be calling me a Dyke? Wait, wait a minute he was calling Annie a Dyke. Annie just whispered to me, “Ignore it, let’s just get you out of here, this is no place for such a young girl”. She led me to an old beat up Ford pickup truck, rusted, dented, but to me at that very moment it was the most awesome truck I’d ever seen. She opened the driver door, I just looked at her like an idiot, she said, “The passenger door don’t open, you’ll have to slide on over”. I jumped up in the cab and slid over to the passenger side. It took a few times of turning the key before it wanted to start. Poor old truck. Annie rubbed the dashboard and was talking sweet to it, made me giggle, she just looked over at me and winked and grinned, made me melt. It started. It ran like it was sick, coughing and sputtering. “Now, where do you live Ms. Natalie”? I didn’t want to go home; I did not want to deal with the fat old hen.