9. Michaela
MICHAELA
“Okay, are you ready?” Jay asked, smiling like she could barely contain herself.
“I don’t think I will ever be ready, but go ahead, do your worst,” Michaela said in mock resignation.
“Hey! You make it sound like I am about to give you bangs or a tattoo, I’m just dressing you and doing your makeup,” Jay said, buzzing with excitement. Michaela liked the sight of it, the idea that Jay was excited to do this with her.
After Michaela had spent the better part of the day searching and applying for jobs on campus, she had met back up with Jay.
They had both had dinner with the Collective–which, if Michaela was being honest, sounded like the name of something from one of her old sci-fi books.
But everyone else seemed to be using it.
At dinner, Michaela was delighted to learn that Kevin had also applied for a couple jobs.
“I have an in with the library though, and one of the school papers backed by the Alliance. A friend of a friend,” he’d said.
“You just got here,” Callie said.
“Babe, you know I know everyone already,” he replied, and they both laughed in a way that suggested they were becoming fast friends. Michaela smiled at that, her group taking roots.
“We all know Ms. Cece, but I love that if you actually had an in, you’d let us know,” Jay said teasingly, and the three laughed harder. Michaela smiled at the idea of teasing being a love language rather than what her family and Brian did.
“Well, the cool part is you can do them both at the same time. Since people don’t really need library help, we just have to make sure there’s paper in the printers and stuff.”
Michaela hadn’t thought of that. Now, she was even more keen on submitting her writing sample. She had decided she felt good about it in the end. Either way, she hoped knowing Kevin would help her get at least one of the jobs.
After more conversation, in which Davis lamented about yet another man he was lusting after, they’d agreed to meet with everyone in front of their dorm later, since it was on the way to Sasha’s place.
Now they were freshly showered and Michaela was in a t-shirt and a pair of briefs.
Jay had gotten dressed while Michaela showered, in a cut-off black TLC t-shirt and baggy black jeans.
She had added a fat black studded belt to the mix, as well as her signature gold hoop earrings.
She hadn’t done her make up yet, and Michaela liked the idea of them doing that part together.
“So, you see these?” Jay said as she lifted a red bra–because of course, Michaela thought–that clearly had enhanced cups. “These are yours tonight.”
“What about you?” Michaela asked, fretting that she was taking something away from Jay.
“Oh me? Don’t worry, I think I like a smaller bust for this look anyway.
I usually only wear them when I am feeling extra saucy, maybe when I have a v-neck on and I get creative with trying to create cleavage.
” Michaela nodded, but she had no idea how Jay created cleavage.
She made a mental note to ask at a later date.
Jay handed her the bra.“Do you know how to put one on?” Jay said after a moment.
No judgment in her voice, just simple curiosity.
Michaela shook her head. “I didn’t know there was a right or wrong way to—”
“Oh there isn’t. Everyone has a preference–I can show you mine if you want? Okay yeah–” Jay went to remove Michaela’s shirt, before stopping midway.“Oh, sorry, I should have asked if you were comfortable. I mean, we are both girls, but I get it if it’s—”
“No, it isn’t an issue,” Michaela said, and was surprised to find that with Jay, it wasn’t.
She sometimes felt weird about her chest, a push and pull of wanting Brian to touch her there and to never be touched.
But the more she learned, the more she explored the why, the easier it got for her or at least it did with Jay around.
She pulled off her shirt, her back to Jay.
She heard Jay move closer to her from behind until she could feel the warmth of her body on her back, her breath on her skin. She resisted the urge to shiver.
“Okay so, first I like to deal with the clasp. I have a wider ribcage than most women, so it ends up being different for every bra. Sometimes I need an extender, but this should fit; it’s an extra wide.
” Michaela felt Jay’s arms encircle her as she wrapped the base of the bra around her ribs.
She closed her eyes, just to drink in the moment that felt unbelievably intimate and affirming.
“So if you look down…” Jay's voice snapped Michaela to attention and she looked down to see Jay’s hands holding the ends of the bra’s base.
“Uh yeah,” Michaela said, taking each end from Jay’s hands.
“You can see the hooks hook into each one of the loops to secure the bra.”
Michaela nodded and then hooked the bra, relieved it did fit comfortably.
“So now. with the base secure, you are going to turn the bra around and then slip your arms through each of the straps.”
Michaela did. The padding felt like armor against her skin. Maybe it was armor, she thought.
“Okay good, now hold the cups where everything feels comfortable, and I’ll adjust the shoulder straps,” Jay said. Michaela nodded to let her know she was covered. Jay began adjusting the shoulder straps, then moved to adjust the bra so it fit her better.
“YES,” Jay said with a pleased grin, “it looks amazing on you. I think it has to be yours now.”
“What?” Michaela said, smiling at the feeling of the bra but floored that Jay would just give it to her.
“Come shopping with me sometime and help me buy a new one. Besides that red looks so good on your skin, hot damn. I don’t suppose you have a pair of red panties to go with it?” Jay asked, pulling her eyes up from Michaela’s chest to meet her eyes.
Michaela felt herself frown. “Panties?”
“Yeah, like panties, you know, underwear?”
Michaela’s face flushed with warmth. “Uh no, I never–I wear briefs because they’re the closest, I guess.” It hadn’t been a conscious choice for Michaela but looking back, she knew it to be true.
“Um, what?” Jay said, genuinely.
“Jay! Come on, you—”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Jay sighed and dropped her head before raising it again. “OK, so we absolutely need to go shopping at some point. You also said you weren’t so crazy about your clothes, maybe we can pick up some staples.”
Before Jay could get carried away, Michaela said, “Girl, I don’t have any money.” The familial and sacred ‘girl’ came out so easily that it warmed Michaela. “I need to find a job first.”
“Okay so after you find a job, I will help you, okay? When you do, and you get your first paycheck, we are going. And no matter what, we are getting you a pair of panties!”
Michaela had never been to a party before, so she had nothing to compare her current surroundings to. Still, she felt a thrum of both excitement and nerves as she, Jay, Davis, Kevin, Callie and Iris made their way up the steps of a purple house adorned with rainbow flags.
“This is all Sasha’s?” Michaela asked, sounding shocked.
“Just the bottom floor,” Iris responded, pigtail swinging.
She had shared that her look for the night was a mashup of Baby and Ginger Spice, and Michaela thought she had nailed it.
Callie and Kevin both looked great, too.
Kevin was wearing acid-washed boot-cut jeans and a matching sleeveless jean vest, with nothing underneath.
His black hair was perfectly coiffed. Callie was in a babydoll dress with knee-high stockings and sneakers.
Davis wore a too-big dark blazer with nothing underneath and jeans.
When Michaela had seen everyone’s outfits, she was glad she had let Jay dress her.
She was in a tight black tank top that she allowed Jay to hike up so a sliver of her midriff showed and a pair of rolled-up blue jeans.
She had one of Jay’s flannels on because while she liked her new breasts, she wasn’t ready to have them on full display.
Besides, Jay had slid some rolled socks in the bra to stave off any gaping while moving, and it made Michaela slightly worried she would bend over and one would fall out.
Plus, the flannel smelled like Jay, citrusy and sweet, and it made her feel safe.
They had just made it to the top of the steps when the front door opened, and Michaela heard the beat of Keith Sweat’s Twisted playing off in the distance. They were greeted by a very delighted Sasha.
“You all came, and you brought the ducklings!” she said. She was sporting a denim dress with a flannel around her arms and thigh-high boots.
“Hey babe,” Iris and Davis said together. They enveloped Sasha into a hug, and then it was Sasha’s turn to hug and welcome Kevin, Callie, Jay and Michaela.
“Michaela, you look amazing,” Sasha whispered in her ear, and Michaela couldn’t help but smile at what she knew was a genuine compliment. And standing there with her new friends, especially Jay, she felt like it could actually be true.
“Come in, we’ve got plenty of drinks and stuff inside!”
They all filed in behind Sasha, into a small foyer that led to a hallway where Michaela could hear the sounds of a party further greeting them.
They made their way down the hallway to a staircase and two open doorways to their left and right.
To the left was a small kitchen, full of people talking, laughing, and drinking.
To the right was a living room, also full of party guests.
“Whole thing wraps around, so feel free to pick whichever side you want! Let me know if you need anything–now go, meet people, frolic!” Sasha said, and she disappeared to the right.
Michaela heard a group of people whoop and figured Sasha was making her rounds.
“Should we get drinks first?” Davis asked, turning to the group that remained clustered in the hallway.
“Sounds good to me!” Kevin and Callie both exclaimed, and then turned to each other and burst into giggles. Michaela thought they’d definitely started with something before arriving.
“They smoked or something before coming here,” Jay said, laughing in her ear as if reading her thoughts.
“Totally. I’m sorry I didn’t think, well I’ve never—” Michaela froze when Jay grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. She knew the gesture was friendly, but that didn’t stop a flush washing over her cheeks and a smile from spreading across her face.
“Mickey, none of that, I wanted a clear head so I could figure out how we got here, just in case. And we also don’t have to drink if you don’t want to.”
Michaela loved that she had said “we”, but Michaela wasn’t against drinking; she just hadn’t had many opportunities.
She had been drunk exactly one time with Brian when she first started living with him, and it was because she knew they were headed toward having penetrative sex and she needed the nerves.
Instead, and to her relief, she’d gotten so drunk she’d thrown up all over him.
She didn’t want to drink much after that.
But she was amongst friends, and she was with Jay, who she knew in her heart wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
It hadn’t been long, but somehow she just knew.
“No, let’s get something to drink,” she said to Jay, “maybe I’ll just have a beer or two, nothing too strong.” Jay smiled and nodded.
“Drinks, then?” Iris said, reading the reactions of the group.
Everyone nodded and began moving toward the kitchen, and Michaela tried not to grin too hard at the fact that Jay didn’t let go of her hand.