MAJOR/minor Chapter 18: STARTING/line

Rebecca leaned against the hood of her father’s used Volvo. It was a post 2005 sadan handymedown. She wanted better but couldn’t afford it. It was cold and misty in the Winton High parking lot, typical weather for early morning. She was two hours early for Mei’s proposed contest. She’d received a text with the time of 10:00 am, how Mei even had her number was a mystery she didn’t care enough to solve. That MAJOR in particular had an uncanny and frankly unsettling ability to accomplish things. It had been like that for as long as she’d known Mei. She took a puff of cigarette then tossed it. Three months off tobacco had soured the taste for her. She popped a piece of Razzberry gum in her mouth adopting her new habit instead. As a MAJOR the effects of smoking were negligible, but she’d quit for other reasons. Minors were susceptible to lung cancer as one of a dozen different negative effects. Cutting smoking was a better way to understand them. She wanted to understand them.

Rebecca pressed her fingers against the fabric of her leather choker. She grazed against the cold metal pendant that made it seem even more like the collar it truly was. She could feel the engraved letters that spelled the word “mine” on one side and her name on the other. A gift from someone who truly understood who she was and her impossible wants. But today wasn’t about her and neither was the cigarette. Today was about Brenda and the minor that had won her affection, and hopefully helping her closest friend take her first step towards her true role. A victory today would do wonders to boost her confidence and help her embrace the power she was suppressing, and the little Ivory could use a bit of a reality check. The girl strut around her tight, tiny, tush with the unearned confidence of a MAJOR. She understood why it was so enticing, what she saw in that bathroom, a minor abducted, broken to tears under the intense pressure of a manic tier 3, willing to forgive a personal violation of her privacy. Minors didn’t act like that, not normal ones. Izzellah Ivory wasn’t normal, neither was Brenda,....and neither was she. Today was an opportunity, a chance to help a friend. She blew a bubble. Her nerves were getting to her. The gum was helping more than the smoke but not much. She showed up early for a reason.

“Hurry up!” Mabel shouted to her older sister. Brenda lagged by the doorway fiddling with her braid when she should be driving them both to the WInton campus. “What are you doing?”

Brenda adjusted her shorts that showed more leg than she was comfortable with and pulled down her tank top that rode up and exposed her midriff when she moved her arms. Mabel had suggested loose clothing but Brenda felt it made her look awkward. The youthful outfits worked for Mabel who had plenty of muscle tone and energy, yet did nothing for her own physique. Her legs and arms were too skinny for a MAJOR and she felt like she was trying too hard.

“You sure this isn’t too much?” Brenda asked.

“You look fine!” Mabel insisted impatiently. “Honestly you should dress like that more often. Dressing in layers is for the winter or fat people!”

“You think she’ll like it?”

“I don’t think she’ll care.” Mabel informed. “I don’t think she cares about stuff like that.”

“What kind of stuff does she care about?” Brenda asked.

“Minors I guess?” Mabel shrugged. “Pizza? Cooking? Fighting?”

“Those are things you care about!” Brenda noted.

“You can ask her yourself when we get to school!” Mabel whined. “Now hurry up!”

Brenda followed her sister down the street. They lived close enough to the campus that it was better to walk or run in Mabel’s case as she took off in a dash.

“Race you to school!” She taunted and to her surprise Brenda found herself running to catch up.

“Shall I go over the rules again?” Mei asked to the trio of girls in front of her. Brenda, Mabel, and Rebecca. Three girls adamantly against her and doing nothing to hide their latent animosity.

‘It’s hide and seek bitch!” Rebecca sneered. “The rules aren’t that complicated. Although I say we should just kick the crap outta you and move on.”

“That’s not a clever choice hun.” Jessica said stepping up to the bubblegum addict. Rebecca stood tallest of all the girls there but Jessica still seemed more physically intimidating. The two locked eyes.

“I can’t believe you were so scared you had to bring muscle. Afraid to fight the battles you’ve created yourself?” Rebecca sniped.

“You’re hardly one to talk.” Jessica stated.

“I’m here for moral support only.”

“Well so am I.”

Both girls stepped into each other’s space, close enough to smell each other’s breath.

“Really?” said Sabrina, stepping into the picture. She was alone. “I suddenly realize how ridiculous we must all look.”

“I expected Izzellah to be with you.” Mei commented.

“She said she wanted to come by herself.” Sabrina infomed. “I’m sure she’ll show up. It’s only 9:30.”

“Wait it is then.” Mei smiled.

And wait they did. In a tense and awkward silence that only increased by the second. Not a single girl with the desire to talk to each other. Brenda and Rebecca occasionally whispered to each other, Mei stretched for a few moments before breaking out a pocket book and jotting stuff down. Mabel broke first and actually started doing push-ups and verbally counting them.

“12, 13, 14, 15,.” She went to one arm. “16,....ect.”

“Do you have to count them out loud?” Sabrina groaned.

“Jealous that I can do more?” Mabel taunted.

“Like hell!” Sabrina went down and pumped out a quick ten before going to one hand as well.

“Now that looks like fun!” Jessica beamed she joined in opting for one arm pushups from the start. Rebecca followed suit apparently having something to prove as she competed directly with Jessica in this unofficial one arm only game.

“Care to join them?” Mei asked toward Brenda.

“N-no thank you.” Brenda mumbled. “Push-ups aren’t really my thing.”

“Can’t do them?” Mei tried.

“Don’t like them.” Brenda replied honestly oblivious to Mei’s provocation. “They get my hands dirty….and Mabel can probably do double what I can anyway.”

“I see.” Mei scribbled in her pocketbook. “So she’s stronger than you?”

“Probably now, but definitely soon. She doesn’t have an off button. The only time she’s not moving is when she sleeps.”

“Interesting.” Mei noted.

The contest continued as two seperate contests formed. Sabrina had not only caught up to Mabel but had overtaken her by a push and a half, before Mabel called foul and switched to sit-ups forcing Sabrina to catch up again.

Rebecca and Jessica were going strong in the one armed push-ups, both grinning at each other, waiting for the other to break. It would be an era before either would get close to their limit.

“Unbelievable.” Lisa gasped. “Is this what MAJORS do for fun? Work out?”

“I mean, physical activity is sometime known to create dopamine that-”

“It wasn’t a real question Roro!” Lisa barked at her brother. The impressive, cream colored young man carried his halfsie sister on his shoulders. She was dressed in what was advertised as sporty fashion. A blue and white long sleeved top with matching thigh high shorts. She had a visor and was ready to hit the links or the court in a casual, yet stunning outfit that says I can be active and look good doing it! Sponsored by Adidas ™ additional gloves and foot accessories optional.

“The Watermienes. Not unexpected.” Mei greeted shaking Romeo’s hand. “I trust Izzellah is with you then?”

“She dropped us off!” Lisa said matter of factly.

There was a pause. The physical activity between the girls at a standstill.

“She..dropped you off?” Rebecca asked.

“Really?” Mei raised an eyebrow.

“That’s what I said Chinatown!” Lisa boasted.

“I’m actually Japane-”

“Don’t care!” Lisa cutoff.

“How?” Brenda spoke up.

:”Oh it was really cool!” Romeo started. “She has a-”

“Shut up, Romeo!” Lisa punished her younger brother by vicing his temples with her fists. It didn’t really hurt but he shut up anyway.

“Well when will she?-”

A roar was heard! A loud, horrible, mechanical sound. It echoed through the empty parking lot of the school. Something appeared in the distance. As it came closer the forest green finish reflected off the hood and the morning sun highlighted the pure white racing stripe that ran down the middle .

Izzellah smiled as she felt the true power of her vehicle for the first time. Sure she’d sat behind the wheel, pulled it out the driveway, even sat in it while Sabrina did the driving, but she hadn’t experienced it herself. Her father rented a special training car when he was teaching her, never the Mustang that wasn’t even street legal, that didn’t have airbags, or a registration, or a front bumper. That all had changed. In one day her father had taken off work he had finished it for her. She hated that he’d taken that from her but she loved that he’d given her much more.

She could feel the car tremble as she eased it to a stop next to the only other car on the lot. As it’s engine quieted down it still rumbled with power. She smiled. She finally had freedom….for the most part. Without a license the law would say she still shouldn’t be driving her car, but the look on those MAJOR faces more than made up for it. She stepped out.

“Okay, let’s do this!” Izzellah smiled. She genuinely couldn’t remember a moment when she was this happy.