Chapter 13: Ch. 13

Hey there, readers! I'm back with a new chapter of Hairball that I hope you'll enjoy! This chapter was proofread by the wonderful Trismegistus Shandy, thank you, Shandy! Please enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hairball (Chapter 13)

 

By

 

Elite Shade

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"--so astounding! I mean, really now. These things, these wishing stones, have the power to warp reality, and yet everyone is just going about their normal lives!"

"Well, what else is everyone supposed to do? I mean, they're rare--"

"That's not the point! This is something people need to be freaking out over, this is something the government needs to crack down on! My gods, have you already forgotten about the Arizona catgirl?!"

"To be fair, while it's been alleged that a wishing stone could have been used, there has yet to be any official confirmation--"

"Of course there's no official confirmation, there never will be! It's all part of a plan! What we're witnessing here is the first successful super-soldier test run!"

"Super-soldier? You're serious?"

"Think about it; now that she's part cat, she has night vision, perfect balance, superhuman reflexes, deadly claws--" I have no idea why I chose to listen to that podcast. Just a delusional, raving lunatic and some guy trying to interview him with a straight face... okay, point taken. I lean back in my seat, and sigh. I jump a little at the knock on my door frame. I turn to see Rebecca standing there, smiling.

"Sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean to startle you," she said.

"Uh-uh, you didn't," I say, realizing that the fur on the back of my neck is still standing. I don't think she believes me. As I smooth out my fur, I give myself a quick once-over. I decided to wear a white t-shirt with a large black skull on the front, and a pair of jeans. I thought that maybe Rebecca was going to suggest maybe I wear a different shirt when meeting up with my friends, something more "feminine." Oh yeah, today's the day I'm to head to the mall to meet up with Jenny, Kendra, and the twins for a girls' day. I have no idea how I got talked into doing it.

Anyways, when Rebecca doesn't say anything, I remember who it was that got me the shirt in the first place. I guess I look presentable... although, why the hell do women's jeans have to be so damn tight? I mean, I could get in them just fine, but I could barely get my wallet to fit in, as well as my new phone. Oh yeah, Nick got me a new phone, a smart one at that. That was pretty cool of him... and I told him as much.

"Well, it's about time to head out to meet with your friends," she says, smiling. She really seems happy that I've made some friends... why, I wonder? I grab my wallet off the desk and close my laptop before getting up and following Rebecca. Ben and Nick are out, apparently going fishing. From what I understand, neither one's been out fishing before, yet some new pictures only lately noticed around the house suggested that this was a very recent long-time bonding activity for the two of them. Apparently courtesy of the wishing stone. So, since today Nick had some free time, and I'm going to be out at the mall with just... just girls... he and Ben decided to give fishing a try for some father and son time out at the river. I finish reflecting on this as I buckle up in the car.

I stare out the window as we pass through the gates, and I reflect on how much my life has changed. It wasn't that too long ago that I was living in my tiny room in my old foster home, hoping to avoid others there as much as possible, leaving my sanctuary only to go to school or maybe my job at Whereaburger. Oh, by the way, I kinda lost that job when I didn't show up for work in over a week and a half. Not that I was too broken up about it. It was actually a really crappy job. Plus... Rebecca and Nick have promised to help me pay for college... which is... nice.

"Nervous, sweetie?" I hear Rebecca ask from the driver's seat. My thoughts have drifted away from college and Rebecca and Nick being really nice, to wondering how dorky I look in my jeans, that I maintain are just too tight for my liking, and my skull shirt.

"No, I'm okay," I say. Dammit! I gotta stop playing with my tail like that! It's a dead giveaway.

"Your new friends seem like a nice group of girls. Plus Kendra will be there," Rebecca says, trying to reassure me. I don't know... I guess she is reassuring me... not that I need to be!

"Y-yeah... but... uhm..." Why the hells can't I just spit it out?!

"Something on your mind, sweetheart?" Oh gods, she's giving me that look again. Stupid red lights. I squirm a little at the warm smile before letting out a sigh.

"I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with them!" I blurt out. Oh great, now my ears are blushing.

"What do you mean, Alex?" Rebecca asks. I should have counted on the followup question.

"Well... I've never gone to the mall with anybody... let alone a group of girls. What are we supposed to do together?" Nobody laugh, okay? Plenty of people have no idea what groups of teenagers, especially girls, do when they're hanging out at the mall!

"Lots of things. Walk around looking at the various stores, grabbing a bite to eat, chit chat with your friends about this or that... or about any cute boys." While my black fur hides my blush on my cheeks, the insides of my ears are just too damn obvious dead giveaways. "Or cute girls." And so my ears can get redder. Well, that's some handy information right there. "Trying on clothes, maybe buying a few pretty outfits."

"But I don't have any money," I say as we pull up in front of the mall entrance. Quick thinking on my part, actually. This way, I can reason that I won't have to try on anything. Huh? What is Rebecca getting her purse for? And why is she pulling out her wallet?

"Here, Alex," she says, holding out... no... that can't be a credit card, can it?

"Huh?" Holy crap... that is a credit card! On it is a picture with a... basket of kittens... of course.

"This is some spending money in case you find anything pretty that you want," Rebecca said with a wink. I open my mouth to respond.

"Something pretty for my pretty girl," she says, and now, once again, I am fairly certain that my ears are about to start a fire from all the damn blushing.

"B-but I can't just take your credit card," I say while trying to hand her the card with the cute kittens on it back.

"Sweetie, this will cover so much more that might catch your eye. Also, Nick and I discussed it, and we feel that this is a great way for us to show you that we trust you." I grow silent at that. Honestly, I don't know what to say at that. I squeak out a thanks and accept the card, slipping it into my pocket, and try to scramble out of the car, only to be given a surprise hug and kiss to my forehead.

"Now, remember to call when you need a ride home, or for anything else, okay?" I nod and shuffle my feet. Rebecca seems satisfied by that and instructs me to have fun, before she finally lets me close the door so she can drive away. Already I can feel the stares and hear some murmured conversations, but I pay them no mind as I enter.

Did Rebecca just call me her girl? Her pretty girl at that... Seriously, can you blame me for being lost in thought because of this. And they trust me? Why? I'm just some kid that their kid deformed with a wishing stone.

I don't have long to ponder this as I traverse the sea of stares and whispers before I hear my name being called, quite enthusiastically. My ears swivel in the direction of the voice, and I look up at the second story to see Jenny standing at the railing, waving her arms in a successful attempt to grab my attention, her long raven black hair swishing much like my tail is. I give a little wave and head for the nearby escalators, passing by a young family with two small girls, one of whom points to me and says "Kitty!" I keep my head down as I ride the escalator up, my tail swishing behind me. Jenny is waiting near the top, along with Hazel and Maeve; I still can't tell whom is who. And there's Kendra, smiling as she texts on her phone. OMPH! Jenny just pulled me into a hug.

"About time you showed up," she says once she lets me go.

"Sorry if I was keeping you guys waiting," I mumble, looking away, blushing.

"That's fine," Jenny says, "we were just wondering if we were gunna hit the food court, or look around some first."

"My vote's for the food court," the one I think is Maeve says. I'm fairly certain that she likes to wear a mood pinky ring. I think bright green means super enthusiastic.

"And I'm all for heading to Lucy's, they're having a sale," Hazel, by process of hypothetical elimination, says.

"I wanna get something to eat first," Kendra says, fist-bumping Maeve.

"And I was hoping to get some shopping done first," Jenny says, before turning to me. "Looks like you're the tie-breaker, Alex."

I feel nervous, suddenly finding myself put on the spot like this. I look from person to person in our group before I take a second to think it over. What I'm dreading the most about this outing is the clothes-shopping. So how about we get that done and out of the way. Then we can do... something... I don't know, quit judging me for not knowing what packs of girls go around doing!

"Uh... I-I'm could wait to eat..." I say.

"Alright! I really wanted to hit Lucy's before everything gets picked through. They're having a sale today!" Hazel says. She and her sister are both wearing matching jean shorts and red tank tops, both with rhinestone butterflies on the front, their platinum blond hair both tied into braided ponytails. I look to Kendra, and see that she's wearing a black mini-skirt with a matching black tank-top, with what looks like splashes of violet that at first I think is paint splatter, but I realize is the intentional design. Her hair is loose and shoulder-length. And then there's Jenny. She's wearing a light blue dress. The hem goes to below her knees, and she looks beautiful. Standing next to her, I just know that I look like I threw on the most dorky outfit in comparison. That plus the fact that I'm a cat, and I know I'll never look as good as her... wait, I mean, if I want to be her friend, I gotta look better than I do now. I-it's not like I've been wondering about my appearance a-and thinking about... uh... g-girl, stuff. Because I haven't! Wait, where are we going? Oh. the large shop with the name Lucy's. I don't know much about clothes shopping, but this place seems... okay, I guess. Our group kinda disperses, and I just wander down the aisles, just looking at everything with a passing interest.

Until I stop. ... It's a white sundress... I'm not sure why, but seeing it on the rack reminds me of Rebecca driving me to my doctor's appointment, mentioning getting me a sundress. I wonder... is this the one she had in mind? I mean, it's not bad, I guess. I pulled it off the rack and am holding it in front of myself, and it seems to be my size... the hemline ending at around my knees. The straps are really thin, and overall it seems pretty plain to me... well, aside from the embroidery around the hemline... Just looking at it makes me think of all the times Rebecca has called me pretty...

"Oh, that's pretty," Maeve says, making me jump. I hadn't heard her walking up to me.

"Uh... uh... I g-guess," I stammer, feeling guilty... I'm not really sure why.

"Oh score! It's on sale too!" she says, showing me the tag. Wow! $34 for a dress? Not even a prom dress... well, half off isn't too bad a deal, I guess... wait! I don't want to get this stupid dress! ... Don't I? I'll be honest... lately I've been a bit... curious... I mean, can you blame me? A guy turned into a girl... well, it would only be natural for them to be curious! Right? M-maybe... I should ask Rebecca later... when I get home...

"You gunna try it on?" Maeve asks me. "'Cause if not, I certainly wouldn't mind trying it on myself."

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No way! I found it first! Uh... I mean... "I th-think I-I'd l-l-like to get it."

"Oh! Look at this!" she says, grabbing a red dress on a rack behind me. I don't give the one she found much thought, since I'm kinda coming to terms with the fact that I think I do wanna try this dress on. I mean, it's not like it's that much different than the uniform skirts I wear to school. In fact, this is arguably less feminine than running around in a skirt! Yeah. Actually, wearing a dress is a pretty manly thing to do!

I head right on over to the dressing rooms, ignoring the stares, and enter the empty one.. I close the door behind me and strip off my shirt and jeans. I stop when I see myself in my pink bra and panties in the mirror. I stay like that for a few heartbeats before I pull the dress over my head. After a few seconds of adjusting, I get the... the dress straightened, smoothing it out. So it comes to just above my knees... but... i-it's not bad... I suppose. My tail is swishing behind me, the hem of the dress being lifted a little, so I'll have to modify this dress... am I really going to get it?

... Yes. Don't judge me. I like it, and it's manly, so there. Give me guff, and I'll scratch your eyes. I look at myself in the mirror a little bit longer, before I quickly strip off the dress and put on my jeans and skull shirt. Okay. One dress. That's all. I step out of the changing room, and almost run right into Jenny and Kendra, both holding a few items to, presumably, try on. Jenny immediately spies the dress I'm holding in my left paw.

"OMG! That's beautiful! Excellent find!" she says, jumping a little. Now that I think about it, for as long as I've known Jenny, she's always been pretty chipper and excitable. Kendra is standing right by, her smile showing how clearly amused she is. "I'll bet that looks great on you." And there go the insides of my ears blushing.

"Th-thanks... uhm, I'm gunna get it." I'm not very social, so simply getting straight to the point is the way to go for me! Saying this seems to make the two both happy, but I'm not sure why. I'm not entirely certain how it happened, but I'm now roped in to seeing the two try on different outfits and give them my honest opinion. Hazel and Maeve both show up, also trying on some outfits. I'm not sure how long we're there, the other girls trying on their outfits, getting each other's and my opinions on them; they all look good to me and I say as much, but they also try to encourage me to go and look for some more outfits. I politely decline. One dress, one manly dress, is all I need clothing-wise. Soon, we're at the checkout counter, everyone but me with a virtual mountain of clothes. The entire time, they're asking me about myself. I guess it's normal for... friends... to try and get to know each other better?

I explain about living in the foster care system, which for some reason nets me a few hugs, and then explain about living with the Fergusons. That seems to perk everyone up. Hazel and Maeve start explaining how originally they were from Norway, but their family moved here when they were two. Apparently their father works at a wind farm as an engineer, mainly working with the turbines. Their mother is a Fish and Game Warden.

I get up to the counter and pull out my wallet and the card Rebecca had given me. Hazel is standing nearby and sees it, zeroing in on the name. "Woah... your mom just gave you her credit card? WOW!" Hazel says in surprise, before she sees the picture on the card and lets out an "Awwwww!" I don't think I'm blushing... rather, I think having someone else refer to Rebecca as my M-mom... well, that just makes me feel weird.... I mean, I know that she isn't my mom, I'm just saying that it makes me feel weird.

I pay for my dress, and get it bagged, and we continue out into the mall. Hazel is explaining how they enjoy going out with their mom to see all sorts of local wildlife, surprising me when she reveals that she has a pet emperor scorpion named Lovey, and that Maeve has a pet orange-ringed tarantula, named Dovey. And they have pictures.

"Lovey LOVES her new log! Also, I just switched her to a new diet of mealworms and crickets," Hazel says, showing me a picture on her phone of a very large shiny black scorpion in a terrarium, close-up. I hold back a shudder. And then Maeve gets in on it by holding up a picture of a tarantula in another terrarium, sitting on a rock. Its hairy limbs have orange rings, if the species name didn't give it away.

"Dovey's a real sweetheart. She's a little skittish at first, but she warms up to people really quickly! If you want, you can come over later and hold her!" she offers. Holding a tarantula... oh joy...

"Uh... th-thanks, but I've got a... thing to do, back at home later today..." I say.

"Aww, okay, another time then!" she says, swiping and showing me some more pictures. Okay, two girls who should be teenage supermodels are actually pretty outdoorsy and have a love for very large and creepy bugs. That's actually pretty... cool...

I stop in my tracks as we walk past another shop, one that catches my eye. The Hobby Emporium... I've been there once before. It was a much better place to get my Sorcery: the Assembly cards than down at the Walmart.

"Alex?" Kendra asks, standing next to me. "See something you like?"

"Wh-what?" I respond, suddenly embarrassed. "Oh, I, uh, I..."

"Oh! Cool! The new Zindicar expansion set's already out?" she asks, making my mouth drop open, as she seems genuinely interested in the poster stuck to one of the shop's big glass windows.

"You play StA?!" I ask, thrown way off.

"Well, yeah," she says, snapping open the messenger-bag that I only just now notice slung around one of her shoulders. How'd I miss that? She fishes around and pulls out a plastic deck holder, opening it to show a full deck, all in their own sleeves.

"Do you?" she asks. Really, I'm more of a collector... mainly due to the fact that I haven't had anybody to play against in a long while...

"Y-yes?"

"Cool! We gotta play sometime!" she says, suddenly sounding competitive.

"Sure," I say, bewildered. I then notice Jenny and the twins are looking at the two of us.

"OMG! Another player?! You could join our team!" Jenny chimes in. Wait... they have a team?! Jennifer Rodriguez, THE Jennifer Rodriguez, plays Sorcery: the Assembly?! Was this some-crazy-how tied to Ben's wish? He doesn't even play StA... I don't think...

"U-uh... it's been a while s-since I last actually played against someone," I offer, as we start to head inside as a group.

"No problem," Hazel chimes in, "we all need to start training for the tournament next month anyway!"

"Tournament? Here?" I ask, prompting Maeve to point me to another poster. Oh... right, the Guild War tournament. You gotta be in a "Guild" of at least 4 and at most 6, all with the same card color theme, to participate. I didn't pay too much attention because, well, I'm kinda a guild of one. The shock continues as we all start picking out booster packs, talking about the tournament, as well as play styles, and even the lore. What is happening?

"Oh wow... it's really her, the catgirl!" My ears swivel towards a hushed whisper, and I look out of the corner of my eye at a couple of guys just outside the shop, both wearing black hoodies, because that's not at all suspicious in the Arizona heat.

"She is so hot! Maybe if we got some catnip, we could get her to do something fun with us, out in your van?" the shorter one said. But a little too loudly. Kendra whirls around from where we were and glares at them.

"You want me to come over there and knock your teeth in?" she shouts at them, already passing me her messenger bag and her purchases.

"Shit!" the two say, stumbling into each other before running. I didn't get a good look at the two, but they were both white, and I think the big one had dirty blond hair, and I'm pretty sure I saw the smaller one with those weird circle things some people put into their ear-lobes, for some reason. That was really... creepy... I mean, I've heard some... whispers... of a sexual nature, walking around school. But that... suddenly, I'm really glad I'm in a group. Is this why girls always go everywhere together?

"You okay?" Jenny asks, putting an arm around my shoulder.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine... thanks, Kendra," I say, handing back her bags, a slight queasy feeling settling in my stomach.

"No problem, but if you see those guys again, call the police, and then call me. Got it?" she says in a no-nonsense voice. I just nod, a little intimidated. She then smiles as Jenny gives me a squeeze. And just like that, we start talking about the upcoming tournament. We pay for our cards, and then head to the food court. I think maybe the queasy feeling will go away if I get some orange chicken in me. With some common ground, and some food, we start talking cards. It turns out that for the tournament, the team guild is going to be a a green and black theme, so necromancy and nature-based. Nice. I think I might be getting excited about this. We talk about catching a movie until Jenny's phone starts buzzing.

"Oh damn," she says, huh, I think that's the first time I've ever heard Jenny cuss, "it's my mom. She needs me to help fill in at the restaurant. Apparently they're short-staffed in the kitchen today. Sorry," she apologizes. Wait... she works at her mom's restaurant? It's an Italian restaurant named Bellissimo Deserto.

"Ah, no problem, Jenny," Kendra says while gathering up her lunch to toss into the nearby trash can in one perfect shot.

"Later, guys," she says, which we all reciprocate, before she hurries off.

"Y'know, I kinda need to head home soon too," Kendra says, grabbing all of her bags, "anybody want a ride home?"

"We actually need to head to the pet shop and pick up some more crickets for Lovey and Dovey," Hazel says; I'm 95% certain that it's her and not Maeve.

"Uh... s-sure..." I say when Kendra looks my way. I send off a quick text to Rebecca explaining that I was getting a ride home.

"Alright then. See you guys tomorrow?" Kendra asks, prompting a nod from the twins, who have yet to finish their salads. I myself am glad that I got my orange chicken and fried rice to go, because I've only eaten half of it... huh... I guess I was a little too busy talking and... laughing...

Anyways, we say bye to the twins, and head out to the parking lot. That's when I see Kendra walk up to a well-used deep blue truck. We stash out stuff behind the seats before climbing in.

"Nice truck," I say, because I'm awkward.

"Thanks," Kendra replies with a grin, "it belonged to my uncle until he decided to trade up. So my Dad figured it would make for a good starter-vehicle for me." We buckle up and pull out. We aren't driving long before Kendra asks me. "So have you noticed anything unusual about Ben lately?"

I'm thrown off by this, and at first don't know how to respond. "Unusual how?"

She shrugs. "I dunno... he just seems... different, at least to how he used to be. At least, different to how I remember..." she says, looking a little confused, before shrugging it off. "It's probably nothing."

I feel really nervous about this line of questioning. We shift the conversation to things like movies, finding that she and I have a lot of similar tastes, before pulling up to the gate. It opens and we pull up, with me getting out and grabbing my bags.

"Thanks for the ride, Kendra," I say.

"Anytime, Alex," she says before I shut the door, and pulling out. I watch drive off before I head inside. Right there is Rebecca, looking both anxious and excited.

"Hi, sweetie," she says, "how was it?"

"I-it was, nice... uhm... Rebecca, can I ask you something?" I ask... feeling my face grow hot underneath my fur and whiskers.

"Of course," she says, looking a little worried. I shift my feet a little before I look down at the bag with my new dress in.

"Uhm... is it... I mean... do you think.... that it would be at all... strange... i-if I w-wanted to... uhm... w-wear a dress?" I force myself to say it. Eventually, she was gunna see it and... well, I don't know, but it's better to get this kinda stuff out in the open, right? Right. So when she tells me yes, I won't be caught off guard.

"Of course not," she says, catching me off guard anyways and pulling me into a hug.

"B-but I'm... I used to be a guy?"

"Honey," she says, still hugging me but pulling back away enough to look me in the eye, "if you want to wear something, that's okay. There's nothing strange or wrong about it." Aw geeze... well, I guess this means I have to keep the dress after all. Yup. No doubt about it.

"Uhm... th-then, will you h-help me make a tail hole f-for th-th-this?" I ask, holding up the bag from the shop that I bought the dress at. Rebecca lets go of me and takes the bag, opening it up and pulling out the white sundress. Her smile grows wider.

"Absolutely. Anything for my pretty girl," she says... oh crap, I'm purring again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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