The Phenomenon

I stared at myself in the mirror and took a moment to reflect, no pun intended, on the past five days.

Sunday started out rough, but going out for a walk in the park turned it into the best day I'd had in ages. I ran into my high-school best friend and the two of us hit it off. Vivian embraced her new life, she was a girlier girl than me now.

She took me shopping and helped me buy a couple cute outfits and some make-up. We had dinner together, then we kissed... My heart still fluttered every time I thought about that.

It was just one kiss, but it was on the lips. And it was magical.

On Monday things were back down to Earth again as I was dealing with my family once more. Mom was depressed, Kevin was all but hysterical, and Cheryl was moody and bitchy.

There were two things on the TV news Monday night that caught my attention. First was the percentage of former men who now accepted their circumstances continued to climb. Second was that schools and colleges would remain closed for another month at least. The government changed their mind, now they wanted to solve the ID issue before re-opening the schools.

The acceptance thing still made me uncomfortable, but Vivian seemed really happy and upbeat about her new life. And she made some good points about being positive and maybe helping make things better, rather than being negative and contributing to things getting worse.

And the school thing was actually a relief to me. It meant I had another month at least before I had to make the decision about staying here or heading off to college.

After all that, Tuesday was great. During the day was just ok, but Tuesday evening I went out with Vivian. We had dinner together then just sort of hung out and talked more. And at the end of the evening, we kissed. More than once. And that memory set my heart fluttering yet again.

Yesterday was sort of a mixed-bag. Cheryl seemed to be doing better again, and Kevin finally started coming out of his room for more than just meals. He was still moody and weepy but at least he wasn't screaming and sobbing. And mom spent all day watching her movies again, then fell asleep on the sofa before dinner-time.

Kevin and I ordered pizza for dinner last night since mom wasn't interested and Cheryl was working late again. Apparently her first week back they took it easy since everyone was still adjusting, but now they were all working overtime to try and make up for the days they were shut down.

Now it was Thursday afternoon. Cheryl was in a good mood when she got up this morning. Kevin's mood was a little better too. Mom was laying on the living-room sofa watching TV again as usual. And I was smiling at myself in the bathroom mirror as I put the finishing touches on my lipstick.

I was wearing one of my new outfits and I thought I looked amazing. I had tights, a short black skirt, and a tight purple t-shirt. My hair was all neatly brushed and in my opinion at least, my lipstick was subtle but sexy.

Satisfied with my reflection, I went back into my bedroom for the finishing touches. I put on my favourite sneakers and pulled on my new autumn jacket. It was black with bright pink accents. I looped the strap of my little purse over my right shoulder and let the purse settle at my left hip, then finally glanced at the clock.

I ran down the stairs as I shouted "Mom, Kevin, I'm going out with Viv! Don't wait up!"

Neither of them responded. As I hurried out the door I saw mom was laying on the living-room sofa, probably asleep or something again. I didn't have time to investigate, it was half past two and Vivian was waiting for me in the driveway.

"Sorry I'm late!" I said as I slipped into the passenger seat.

Viv giggled, "Typical girl, always taking forever to get ready."

I pouted, and she apologized as we pulled out of the driveway.

"Sorry Callie. Honestly you were right on time. Even if you were late though, you're seriously worth waiting for."

My heart melted a little and I blushed and grinned, "Thanks Viv. You know just what to tell a girl."

She smiled back at me then focused on the road again.

After a minute or two I asked, "So where are we going anyways? Middle of the afternoon seems a strange time to start a date?"

Vivian flashed me an excited smile, "We're going to the salon. I booked you in for the same kind of thing I got last week. Prepare to be pampered, my dear. You deserve it."

For a few moments I didn't know what to say. I was excited and maybe a bit scared.

"Um, I don't want purple hair though?" I finally replied.

Viv laughed, "Well you don't have to dye your hair! But if you want to then go for it! It's seriously fun!"

She added "Um, I mean the actual dyeing process isn't fun, that kind of sucks. But once it's done, it's great!"

"What are you going to do while I'm doing all this stuff? Are you going again?"

She shook her head, "I'll be there to keep you company. I could have used someone to talk to when I went."

She had me booked for three o'clock and we got there ten minutes early. So I had some time to think about hair styles and nail polish and colours and all that exciting stuff. There were books and fashion magazines in the waiting area, and Viv went through them all with me as I tried to decide.

I had all my choices made by the time they were ready for me, and Vivian stayed with me and kept me company while I had as many as three cute girls working on me at the same time.

The mani-pedi was ok but at times it felt really strange. Like having strangers handling my hands and feet while I just had to stay calm and still and stuff. And she wasn't kidding about dyeing hair being un-fun. The chemicals did not smell pleasant at all. Overall though it was an enjoyable experience, because Vivian was there with me.

And two hours later I emerged with a beautiful new hairstyle, bubblegum pink polish on my fingernails and toenails, and bubblegum pink fringes in my hair.

"Wow," she said as she looked me over. "Callie, you're absolutely stunning."

I blushed as I smiled, "Thanks Viv."

The whole thing was pretty expensive but Vivian insisted on paying for it. She wanted to treat me, and it was her idea and everything. It was just past five in the afternoon when we got back into her car.

"What's next?" I asked.

Viv gave me a hopeful smile, "I'd really really like to get my ears pierced, so if it's ok I want to go to the piercing place over on Broadway?"

She added, "I'm not going to pressure you into doing yours too, but I'd really appreciate if you kept me company while I had mine done?"

"Of course!" I stated. "Of course I'll stay with you. And um, wow. Now I'm thinking about that too."

As we drove to our next stop I found myself touching my earlobes and thinking about earrings. It was something I'd thought about a hundred times in the past, but with the chaos of the phenomenon I sort of forgot about it.

Soon enough we were in the lobby of the piercing and tattoo parlour, but we had a brief wait while the piercing artist was with another customer. There were pictures on one wall and we wound up staring at those. Most were tattoos, but a few were piercings. Not tame stuff like earlobes but the more exotic stuff.

Vivian's cheeks flushed as she pointed to one picture and whispered, "Check it out. Wouldn't that be wild?"

I felt my cheeks colour as well as I stared at the photo in question. It was a close-up of a voluptuous pair of boobs, with shiny metal rings pierced through both nipples.

"You're not thinking of doing that are you?" I whispered back at her.

She hesitated, "I wasn't. But... They look pretty hot."

I found myself nodding, "They do."

Fortunately we were both called away from the pictures as the artist was ready for us. We'd already filled out the waivers and paid the fees. And since we were doing it together she let us keep each other company for the procedure.

Vivian went first, between the two of us she was more brave. I watched and cringed as the girl pushed a needle through Viv's earlobes, but the purple-haired beauty didn't even flinch. And a minute or two later she had a shiny little titanium barbell in each lobe.

Then it was my turn and I was brave and tried not to flinch either. There was a little sting at first, but it wasn't that bad. Then some strange sensations as the barbell went in and the end was screwed on.

While the girl was finishing up my first ear Vivian asked her, "Do you know if it hurts a lot, to get your nipples pierced?"

The artist replied as she started on my other ear, "I had mine done about a decade ago. Just had them done again two weeks back. I'd complain that the phenomenon took away all my body mods and tats, but it's honestly been pretty good for business since everyone's eager to get theirs redone."

She finished up my other ear and shrugged, "Pain's subjective so nobody can tell you how it'll feel for you? In my experience, a few people say it's painful but tolerable. Now and then someone will get one done and decide to pass on the other. But most people find it ok. Some even say it's a positive experience."

I looked at Viv and asked, "Are you seriously considering it?"

"Maybe? Not right now, but..." she was blushing but smiling as her voice trailed off.

I felt my cheeks going pink as well, and the piercing artist grinned.

"If you two are going to get them done together, I'll cut you a discount."

"Wow thanks!" Vivian grinned.

After that the girl moved on to take care of her next customer while me and Vivian both took some selfies with each other showing off our new bling.

Finally, with aftercare sheets in our purses the two of us left the shop and got back into Viv's car.

By then it was nearly six o'clock and we were both ready for dinner. Vivian didn't have any big elaborate plans for that, she wanted to leave it up to me. Or at least she wanted me to weigh in on the subject.

I wasn't picky and definitely didn't want anything fancy. After a few minutes we agreed on a Tex-Mex place, and fifteen minutes after that we were sitting together at a table looking at the menus.

The food was nothing special, the place was a chain and both Viv and I had eaten there before. Though this was our first time eating there together. It was still hard to believe, but it was basically our third date.

Sunday was our first meal together, and our first kiss. Tuesday was our second date, second meal, and I lost count of how many kisses we shared. Today... I had no idea what to expect but so far it had been a wild wonderful amazing afternoon.

We actually ended up sharing a meal since the portions were huge. Then we split dessert too. I insisted on paying the bill since Viv paid for my make-over. I'd have paid for her piercings too if she let me, but we each paid our own way there.

Between dinner and dessert and conversation and everything, we didn't get out of the restaurant till almost half past eight. It was getting dark out, but it felt much too early to call it a night.

"What do you want to do now?" Vivian asked me as we climbed into her car.

I pouted, "I don't know? I don't want to go home yet, but I don't know what else to do."

We were both quiet for a few minutes. I was trying to come up with something but nothing appealed. I really didn't want to go see a movie. I had no interest in hanging around a bar. I wasn't ready to try dancing yet, but I filed that suggestion away for later.

Viv was obviously thinking through our options as well, and she came up with an idea first. She gave me a hopeful smile and suggested, "We could go somewhere private and make out?"

I felt my cheeks going red yet again as I stared at her for a few seconds. I bit my lower lip, then nodded slowly. I kept my voice level as I replied, "Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do that."

She grinned then started the car and drove us back to the park where we first met on Sunday. She parked in the far corner of the lot where we had trees and bushes on two sides. Then she killed the ignition and looked at me with a nervous excited smile.

I smiled back, and a minute later we were both in the backseat. Our lips met, and I felt one of her hands slip up under my t-shirt while one of mine slid down into her jeans.