Soft Tail

Two gals and a classic bike.

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Author's Note

It's slow-burn romance time again. Two girls, not part of the 'in crowd', discover each other over a series of chance encounters. Definitely not a wham bam sex story. If you liked the one I wrote called Lemongrass, this should put a smile on your face.

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Copyright (c) 2020 WaxPhilosophic

The events and characters in this story are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. All characters are eighteen or over and you should be too if you're reading this.

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Soft Tail

Kara Davis stepped out of the shower and lifted her towel from the rack. She rubbed her hair dry as best she could, and pulled it out of her face using an old, black plastic headband. Her preference was for her new cat ear headband with the sparkly plastic band and the furry purple ears, but that one had been lost. Well, not lost so much as stolen. Kara tried not to think about that too much.

She picked up her toothbrush. As she squirted a line of toothpaste over the bristles, Kara glanced at her to-do list written on a piece of notebook paper the night before. Before she started brushing, Kara decided to move 'hire a friend' to the top of her list by drawing a little upward-pointing arrow in the left margin.

With that task complete, she began her brushing in earnest.

Kara made five little swirls around each tooth before moving on to the next one—twenty-eight teeth in all, plus four wisdom teeth the dentist said she should have extracted before summer. But, she didn't feel it was right to count those since they weren't showing yet.

After completing exactly seventy swirls on her fourteen top teeth, Kara stopped to spit out the excess foam building up in her mouth. She only ran the water long enough to convince the foam to go down the drain and no more. After learning that one in nine people in the world did not have access to clean water, she felt it was wrong to waste any.

As she started in on her bottom teeth, Kara thought about those clean water for Africa advertisements she had seen on YouTube recently. She also thought about Toyota trucks. It seemed to her that every video about sub-Saharan Africa she had ever seen had featured at least one Toyota pickup truck—usually looking quite battered and with the bed overflowing with people or supplies. Kara began to think of the dangers of traveling with so many people loaded into one truck, but was soon distracted by palindromes.

"A Toyota" is a palindrome. Kara manipulated the words in her mind, reversing the sequence of the letters, and smiled a little bit at the way it spelled the same thing both directions. "A Toyota ... a toyoTA" She could almost see the letters reflecting in the mirror as she started in on her bottom teeth. Kara was still smiling when she rinsed the last of the foam down the drain and made her way downstairs. "A Toyota ... a toyoTA."

Kara sat alone at the kitchen table, tapping other palindromes into the text messaging app on her phone. She wasn't planning to send them to anyone, she just liked to see what the auto-complete would predict she was going to type next. When it suggested "Electric" to finish the sentence, "Able was I ere I saw..." Kara knew that machines would not be taking over the world any time soon.

She let the auto-complete finish the sentence in error and thought briefly about sending it to her mother. But Mother was driving and wouldn't respond until she got into the office. Kara would be in school by then and wasn't supposed to be using her phone. She thought about sending it to Aunt Susan, but figured the humor might be lost on her. Aunt Susan's replies seemed to consist mostly of a single emoji these days anyway. The only other person in Kara's contact list was Dad, and he didn't live with them anymore.

In the end, Kara erased the text and started a new one. "Taco cat." With that one she pressed send. Let's see how Aunt Susan responds to that. Kara giggled and hoisted another spoonful of Cheerios to her mouth.

She looked around the empty kitchen. Some days she missed having Mom and Dad together with her at the breakfast table, but she was getting used to it. And this morning she was particularly optimistic that she would have a friend hired by the end of the day. It worked for all those people in Japan she had read about on the internet—it could work for her too. Kara thought about how nice it would be to have a friend while she stood waiting at the bus stop.

When the number 427 bus arrived and opened its doors, Kara quickly climbed aboard and found an empty seat in the front. No longer thinking about "a Toyota" or "taco cat" or any other sort of palindromes, Kara pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to make herself as small as and inconspicuous as possible.

* * *

Zhang Ju Lin wiped the steam from the bathroom mirror and ran her hand through the unruly shock of black that was her hair. She kept it short and it was naturally thick, so there wasn't a lot that she could do with it, other than pushing both sides toward the center to form a sort of crest on top. A fauxhawk, that's what some kid at school had called it. "Nice fauxhawk, dyke," is what he had said, right before finding himself slammed against a locker and apologizing profusely.

In her opinion, Mom and Dad had totally missed the mark with her name. Ju Lin meant woodland flower, but she was partial to Julie. At six-foot tall and muscular without an ounce of flab to be found, Julie Zhang did not consider herself anything delicate like a woodland flower at all. In fact, after her eighteenth birthday next week, she planned to march right down to city hall and file the paperwork to have it legally changed. She thought about this while looking in the mirror and chasing the toothbrush around the inside of her mouth.

Once downstairs, Julie opened the refrigerator and pulled out two slices of last night's pizza, the dinner that she had delivered since her parents were both away on business trips. She had ordered one pepperoni and one veggie delight so that she could tell her mother that, yes indeed, she was eating her vegetables. Julie put the veggie slice on top of the pepperoni slice so that together they made a sort of triangular sandwich with the crust serving as the bread. She took a bite, grabbed her school bag, and headed out the door as she chewed.

Julie walked to school, since her motorcycle was currently parked in Grandfather's garage with an engine that spewed an acrid blue smoke whenever she started it up. The distance to school made for a long walk, but in Julie's mind it sure beat the alternative, which was taking the bus. She thanked her ancestors for providing the warming spring weather as she watched the number 427 bus rumbling by her. Better to walk—the bus was a fucking zoo on wheels.

As she rounded the corner to school, Julie stopped, her eye caught by some sparkly purple thing on the ground in front of her feet. After a moment of staring, she saw it for what it was—a glittery headband with furry purple cat ears attached to the top of it. She bent forward to pick it up.

Turning the headband over in her hands, Julie dusted it off as best she could. It was a cute little headband, totally not her style, but she figured that someone would be missing it. As the first bell started ringing, she slipped the headband into her backpack and made a mental note to drop it at the lost and found later in the day.

* * *

Kara's first class of the day was a study hall, which in her mind was a complete and utter waste of time. She didn't need a study hall—didn't see the point of it—Kara found the academic aspects of school to be quite easy and just assumed it was easy for everyone else, too. What she struggled with were the social aspects. She never seemed to know what to say when someone was trying to be friendly, or what to do when someone was being mean.

Kara thought about that mean girl Becky who snatched her favorite headband and tossed it out the bus window the other day. Kara's right ear began to ring as she thought back on the incident. It was distracting, and she tried to occupy her mind with something else besides the ringing and the vision of Becky tossing her headband out the school bus window.

Kara tried palindromes, but quickly found that, as hard as she tried, bitch spelled backwards didn't really make a word, so she gave up. She settled her attention on Esmeralda Sanchez, the captain of the girl's track team, instead. Esmeralda was seated only a few tables away—close enough to take in, but far enough that it wouldn't be completely obvious.

Kara had known for some time that she preferred girls over boys, and she sincerely hoped that Esmeralda did too. It would be such a crime if she didn't. Esmeralda had already decided to take advantage of the warming weather by wearing shorts to school. Kara spent the next fifty minutes of study hall watching every twitch of muscles beneath Esmeralda's smooth skin, sighing softly each time Esmeralda shifted her position.

Kara put on the airs of studying by pulling a thick book out of her backpack and opening it near the middle. The fact that it was not a textbook, but rather a repair manual for the Harley Davidson Evolution V-Twin motorcycle engine did not phase Kara in the slightest. Nor did the fact that Kara had never owned a Harley Davidson or any other brand of motorcycle for that matter.

Kara simply liked looking at the mechanical drawings of engine parts. There was an order and a symmetry about it that put her mind at ease when her thoughts came too fast to process. She had been through these pages several times since she picked up at the public library's used book store for the bargain price of only two dollars.

Kara's attention alternated between the engine diagrams and Esmeralda's sleek, muscular calves. In her mind she began to compare the power of Esmeralda's long, lean legs to the foot-pounds of torque generated by the twelve-hundred cubic centimeters of the Harley-Davidson Evolution V-Twin.

Kara imagined the pistons set tightly into their cylinders. She turned her gaze just in time to catch a glimpse of Esmeralda's inner thigh. Feeling the heat rising in her cheeks after the stolen glance, Kara returned to studying the engine diagram. She tried to think about the proper seal of the piston rings to keep the engine oil from pushing into the combustion chamber.

This new image, with slippery lubricants and thrusting pistons did not help at all.

Kara began to daydream about what it would be like for Esmeralda to claim her virginity. She imagined lying on her stomach as Esmeralda's pressed down upon her. Kara would shift her hips to give the beautiful girl access to claim any part of Kara that she wanted. She imagined that the first time might not be comfortable for her, but it didn't think it unusual.

What little Kara knew about the subject had been gleaned from her experiences on Pet Life, a web site she thought would be the perfect place for girls who liked to wear cat ears. She signed up on the very day of her eighteenth birthday, because that was the minimum age. She soon learned Pet Life was also the perfect place for men who fantasize about young girls who wear cat ears. And after a spate of private messages describing their desires in lurid detail, Kara deleted her account.

But the thoughts of all those things stayed with her to this day, and she imagined Esmeralda on top of her, pinching her nipples and thrusting into her with a thick strap-on that felt like it might just be long enough to tickle her lungs. She pictured herself slipping a hand between her thighs in order to take part in the pleasure, for as far as she knew it was up to her and not her partner.

By the end of study hall, Kara's cheeks were flushed and her breaths were taken in short, ragged gasps. There was a small drop of saliva on the engine diagram that Kara quickly wiped away as she tried to calm her breathing. She had no desire to draw any undue attention to herself, especially after the feelings that just coursed through her.

Kara watched longingly as Esmeralda got up and strode out into the hallway, beautiful and carefree, not having the slightest inkling as to the fantasy she had just played a major part in. Kara mentally put Esmeralda at the top of her friend for hire list, and after most of the study hall had cleared, Kara gathered up her book bag.

She left the room trying to think of palindromes that involved the words Kara, Esmeralda, and the delicious image of Esmeralda's inner thigh that still lingered in her head. By the time school ended Kara had explored many lovely phrases to describe her lust, but so far nothing that read the same forward and backward. But, for Esmeralda she could make an exception.

* * *

Julie Zhang ducked under the bleachers and jammed two sticks of gum into her mouth at the same time, chomping with vigor. Last week she would have been lighting up a cigarette, but she was weening herself off. Still, it was a recent enough habit that she still felt the need to hide out under the bleachers.

Julie pulled out her phone and dialed the number for yet another motorcycle repair shop. The story was always the same, the good shops were either too expensive or had a waiting list long enough to put any chance of having her bike fixed well into the summer months. Grandfather had offered to take it to the shop he used, but as far as Julie was concerned they were probably the ones that fucked it up in the first place, and were therefore an absolute last resort.

Julie put her phone away and turned her gaze to the athletic field. The girl's track team was warming up, which was always a pleasant sight in her book. She watched lean bodies leaning forward, fingers grabbing at toes, pulling first on one side then on the other. When Julie's gaze happened to fall upon the team captain, who seemed to be having a discussion with an odd little thing not really cut out for running, or any kind of athletics, Julie had a sudden flash.

There was something familiar about the odd little girl. Julie Zhang shrugged off her backpack and rummaged inside. She knew what her mental flash was about as soon as she touched a finger the soft faux fur of the cat ear headband. Julie pulled the headband out to clutch it in her hand. The odd little girl had finished her conversation with the team captain and moved off to sit alone on a nearby bench.

"Hi," Julie said.

The girl nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Sorry," Julie continued, "but I thought this might belong to you." She thrust the headband in the girl's direction.

The purple headband sparkled as the afternoon sunlight caught the bits of the purple metallic flecks embedded in the plastic.

"I thought I saw you wearing it last week," Julie offered.

The strange little girl said nothing.

"Look, if it's not yours I'll just take it to lost and found."

Still no response.

"Okay," Julie said, "If you know who it belongs to, tell 'em I took it to..."

"Wait."

"She speaks." Julie smiled. The girl still wouldn't meet her gaze, so Julie decided to sit down on the bench, but far enough away that the girl wouldn't feel spooked. Julie Zhang was well aware that she cast an imposing shadow.

"My name's Julie." She held out the headband one more time. "This is yours isn't it?"

When the girl didn't make any move to take the headband, Julie set it on the bench between the two of them. They sat in silence for a while. Neither one looking at the other. Finally Julie watched a slender hand reach out to snatch up the headband.

"Taco cat," the girl said as she shed the ordinary black plastic headband she was wearing and replaced it with the bedazzled and fake fur accented cat ear headband.

Julie smiled. "Race car," she said. Julie had played the palindrome game enough times with her mother to know what the girl was going for even if she didn't feel the lay out the rules before diving in.

"Madam," the girl said, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

"Madam, I'm Adam."

"I'm Kara."

"I win," Julie said. "That's not a palindrome unless my name is Arakmi, and I've already told you it's Julie. Arakmi, I'm Kara would totally work though."

Kara smiled briefly in Julie's direction.

"Are you going to try out for the team?"

Smile gone, Kara just stared at her lap, shaking her head.

"Me neither. Waiting for the activity bus, then? You probably missed your regular one."

Kara nodded weakly.

"Mind if I wait with you?"

Kara shrugged.

She certainly wasn't much for words, but Julie found her intriguing anyway. Maybe it was the quirkiness with the cat ears and the palindromes. Maybe it was brought on by Julie spending so much time alone at home. Or maybe it was Kara's diminutive size that brought out some deep-rooted desire in Julie to serve as her protector, a chance to be someone's knight in shining armor. That was an image that made her smile inside.

Julie briefly pictured herself on horseback, swinging a sword at a fire-breathing dragon—at least until she noticed the dragon was wearing a furry purple cat ear headband. After that Julie had to bite her lip to avoid appearing rude by laughing out loud for no particular reason.

Soon Julie's mind began to clear itself of feline dragons, and the horse she was riding was replaced by the image of her nineteen eighty-four Harley-Davidson FXST Softail. The pounding of hooves gradually gave way to the unique rhythm of the V-Twin miraculously brought back to life. Julie put her hands behind her head and leaned back to enjoy the warm sun as she thought about her bike actually running.

"She said I was too small," Kara blurted out.

Julie turned to look at her formerly silent companion, now turned chatty.

"Told me to come back next year after I grew some more." Kara chuckled lightly. "I'm a senior. I won't be here next year."

"Me too," Julie said. "A senior that is. I don't think anybody thinks I need to grow any more."

Kara gave a little snort of a laugh and then hid her face from view. That was the end of the conversation. Kara ran off as soon as she saw the activity bus pull up—didn't even say goodbye.

Julie gave a little wave that Kara didn't see, gathered up her backpack, and set off for home on foot. The sun was dipping very close to the horizon by the time she opened the front door. Not that it mattered much since mother and father were both away on business and the house was eerily silent.

For once, Julie almost missed being at school. Kara the cat girl was actually kind of fun when she wasn't being all shy and awkward.

* * *

That evening when Kara's mother called her down to dinner, Kara did not feel inclined to mention her meeting with Julie Zhang. In her mind, there was no particular reason to mention it. Julie was just another one of a hundred faces she had encountered that day.

Kara spent dinnertime giving the shortest possible answers to Mother's inquiries about her day while at the same time dreaming about Esmeralda Sanchez.

"How was English class today?"

"Good."

Even though the captain of the girl's track team had declined her offer to be a friend for hire, Kara still held the image of Esmeralda's long, lean body in her mind.

"Are you participating in class discussions?"

Kara shrugged.

Kara thought back to her glimpse of the smooth skin of Esmeralda's thigh from earlier in the day.

"I know it's tough kiddo, but class participation is ten percent of your grade."

"I know."

Kara's mind turned to her after school meeting with the track team captain—the way Esmeralda looked at her when Kara suggested that she'd like to hire her as a friend. People in Japan do it all the time. Kara was sure of it. Nobody looks at them funny.