DMV, take two

Moving her body to the beat of the song Rumor Has it, Candi watched video on her phone of a couple using laser pointers around the apartment as their three cats darted around to try and catch the two red dots. She paid no attention to any stares she got as she moved to the music and giggled at the video. Today was such a good day, she won the bet with Bailey and got her to give in on pretending she was the little sister. She was more of a follower and the way she acted fit way more with a little sister, her being born a month before her didn’t really matter. Her Mom had even noticed she was more mature than Bailey and put her in charge. Candi’s smile grew as she thought about Miss Best, she really did like her. She seemed always ready and happy to give a hug and while her threats of being spanked for punishment frightened her, she was more scared of her disapproval. She doubted her spankings were anything compared to nana’s when she made her get a switch. Candi just loved sitting in front of her as she brushed her hair, it felt wonderful and when she was done, she gave her a hug from behind. Bailey was so lucky to have a Mom like her. She felt a jolt of energy flow through her as she thought about their parents going off to a wedding this weekend. It was going to be so romantic, and she wished she could watch it all unfold. Her eyes went wide as an idea hit her and she knew exactly how to use the four minutes she had for Bailey to do what she wanted and she just couldn’t wait till tonight to make it happen. A few people walked past her, and Candi noticed people coming out of the testing area. She stood up and smiled when she saw Bailey, but it faded when she saw her friend’s posture and head low. Her friend’s gait that tended to draw the eye of men wherever was more of a shuffle and she could just feel the despair radiating off of her. “Oh no…” Candi ran over to Bailey and wrapped her arms around her friend.

Coming out of the testing area Bailey looked down at his pink heels as he slowly moved to see Candi. She could see his friend through his bangs, looking like this was looking through a curtain of black from his eyelashes and then another curtain of platinum blonde with his bangs. He felt so tiny, defeated and worthless. The test didn’t change, it was the same questions, the same exact test he had passed years ago, and he had years more experience actually driving. Yet when he looked at the test and selected his answers and go on to the next question his eyes would drift back up. He thought he knew the answers, but he also thought he was good at math. Today had proved that he knew less than he thought and things he was positive were right ended up being wrong. If those questions he was positive on could be wrong, so could these answers. Bailey had clicked a second option on the first question and went down to the next question, but by the time he was at the third he went up and changed his first answer again. His feet didn’t hurt him nearly as much as they once did, but standing there doubting himself, feeling a trickle of sweat run down past his bra strap, he noticed them. He noticed everything, the way his hair hung, the weight of his earrings, the choker, the touch of the lace from his shirt, his chest and how it moved when he breathed, the fact his manhood was locked away. All of it, he looked nothing like he did a month ago. He was confident, he was intelligent and had no problems talking to a large group of people or wooing a woman. He wasn’t some ditzy bimbo teen girl, yet as he looked at the sixth test answer, he just wasn’t sure, the answers might as well have been written in Chinese. When time was called for the test to be over he was relieved that it was over. There was no boy flirting to distract him, no mother about to call him a harlot, he had failed, and it was because he wasn’t smart, he was nothing.

The embrace felt wonderful, Bailey leaned into her. He didn’t say a word, she had passed this test, why couldn’t he? “Its okay, shhh, shhh, shhh, it will be all okay.” He heard Candi say in a soothing voice. He stood there with her long enough that his mind started to wonder. What was he going to say to Mommy? That he failed a test again and no he didn’t study, yes, I know that was stupid, yes, I know sixteen year olds pass the test all the time. He just wanted to go home, maybe go to sleep. He squeezed Candi a little tighter before letting go, thinking about asking her if they could just play video games. He liked video games and beyond that one night he hadn’t played any. It would make him feel like he had some control and do something that wasn’t super girly. “Better?” Bailey shrugged to the question. “How about we go sit down and we can like pull up the test and go over the answers together for your next try?” Bailey shook his head, not making eye contact with his friend. “I like don’t need my driver's permit, can we go? Maybe play some video games when we get home. Bending her knees a little Candi looked her friend in the eye, she was in a bad way. This was the third time she failed the test and probably at this point thought she was stupid. Candi knew the at feeling, she had failed Algebra twice and had to go to summer school Freshman year. She already had a hard time keep friends with traveling with her Daddy and losing part of her summer hadn’t helped at all. “Hey, hey, look at me.” Bailey didn’t want to, like looking into her eyes would make her see who he was and what he was really worth. “You are Bailey Ann Best, my best friend. You are not stupid.” That got his attention, his eyes went wide as he looked into her green eyes. She knew what he was thinking. He shook his head; he didn’t want her to say it out loud. He was smart, everyone used to say so, but if that was true… He felt her hands grip his shoulders. “Do you think I’m a bad judge of character?” Again, Bailey shook his head, but also answered her in a small voice. “No.” Candi paused, letting her friend, her sister digest that answer before continuing. “You are an amazing person and I like want to grow up with you, go do those shoes videos, dish about boys and I want both of us to help each other grow to be better people. I have judged you little sister and I decided you are like worth it. Worth whatever it is, you are not worthless, you are worth more than you know to everyone you know. You Bailey Ann Best are worthy. Maybe even worthy enough to pick up Thor’s hammer.”

Bailey wondered often what he did to deserve the nightmare that was his life, he really hadn’t done anything that bad. Nothing most men wouldn’t do, but right now he wondered what he did to deserve Candi. He hugged her again, the talk of being worthy felt good. Less the Bailey Ann Best part, and a lot more the worthy to lift Mjolnir. “I also think both of us are hot enough that Hemsworth might let us lift his hammer.” With that Bailey ended the and made a disgusted face at Candi. “Chris Hemsworth, shirtless. I knooooow you have thought of that. Don’t like even pretend. When that movie came out the other year, wow it made me understand why some girls used to need a fainting couch.” Bailey was acting more like her usual self, no longer slouching and smiling like she almost always did. Candi wondered if she should actually use the four minutes, she had to control Bailey to make her study for the test with her. If she felt more confident, she would pass it, she was sure. Still though, Bailey looked like she was nervous and wanted to go. “Are you sure you want to leave?” Bailey nodded, giving her a small smile as he gripped his left forearm. “I like never really wanted to drive, its like also why I never had my permit.” Tilting her head to the side at that answer Candi was shocked. “Wait, are you just saying that because you don’t want to risk failing again?” Taking a deep breath Bailey knew how to answer this so she would leave him alone, it was manipulative, but hey so was the trick she pulled on the math bet. “I was like really only acting excited because of how much you wanted this and I didn’t want to let you down.” Bailey gave a small shrug, looking away from Candi again. “One day I’m going to move to New York and like you don’t need a car there.” Moving her hand through her much shorter hair, Candi moved a little of it behind her ear. She believed some of that, but wasn’t going to push her friend on it, at least not today. “Okay, but you still need to like correct your ID, unless you want… to… stay… seventeen!?” Looking past Candi, Bailey saw their purses sitting on the uncomfortable plastic seats in the waiting area. Candi left them both there completely unguarded and her making a ditzy mistake like that made him feel a little better.

“No, no, no, no. We are going to totally fix that.” Bailey said moving past the blonde teen to get their purses. “Lets go wait in line to get that done and then get out of here.” Feeling a little more like his old self Bailey moved over to get his new id. The elderly lady behind the counter gave him no trouble with correcting it since he had all his documents, but because there was one error she made him go through all of his information. “Your ID says, female, is that correct?” Bailey blushed, while Candi giggled off to the side. “Take off your heels sweetie, we need to see how tall you are.” Bailey frowned, the last person just took his word for it. “Looks like you are five foot six.” Bailey already knew how tall he was and tried to not let it bother him that he was three inches shorter than the average male height. “Oh, oh I want to see how tall I am!” Candi said excitedly as she unzipped her block heel booties and ran up beside Bailey. The elderly woman smiled fondly looking at the two girls. “Looks like you are a half inch taller that your little sister. Go ahead and boot your shoes back on dear, I still need to take a photo for her ID.” Bailey frowned, but with his puffy lips it looked more like he was pouting. “Try smiling dear, you could always have another growth spurt and end up taller than your sister, but keep in mind both of you are already taller than the average woman in the states.” Yeah, that isn’t like my problem and there won't be any more growing. Bailey wasn’t self-conscious of his height, he sure didn’t like how short he was, but he just didn’t think about it. He ran into more than a few guys that thought being short meant their dating pool was more limited. Liam was like that once, but he taught him it was all about your attitude and confidence, today Bailey didn’t feel like he had any confidence. Putting his heels back on he smiled for the photo. This time checking the ID when it came out and showed it to Candi before she had the chance to ask. That was one small victory, he was eighteen again. Take the victory Bailey, you almost left without fixing this. You needed this win.

When he flipped the card over to show it to Candi and smiled as he held it up next to his face and made a V for victory with his other. “That picture is so good.. Wait don’t move!” He knew exactly what she was going to do, she snapped a photo with her phone. “Mission accomplished, can we like go home now?” Candi nodded, taking her sisters hand as the two walked to the car together. “You know if you like don’t want to get your license it means I get to drive us around all summer.” Shrugging his shoulders Bailey thought about it not really mattering, a lot of the things he had been obsessing over hadn’t mattered. This was just one more, and not having to drive wasn’t such a punishment. Other than riding his bike, and he couldn’t do that anymore he was always okay with Mommy driving. “Not like a big deal, like I said before.” The way Candi looked at him, he wasn’t sure if she bought what he was selling, but she wasn’t pushing the subject. Climbing into the driver's seat, Candi was thinking about how she really needed to come up with more ideas to boost Bailey’s confidence. It was sad to her that today was such an amazing day for her and was going to end with her Daddy coming home and yet for Bailey she was feeling down. “You know, I do like love your new haircut. Ry just gushed over mine when I showed him, what did Auggy say?” Bailey turned on his phone and looked in his photos at the few selfies he had taken today. Most without really considering what he was doing, it was just something he did. “No, umm not like yet.” That, that was the root of all this like right there, she was just as worried about her new haircut as I am! Candi thought. “It totally suits you, and you like have to send photos over to Auggy. He is just going to love how you look, with your eyes and lips done and that hair style you are just like the cutest doll ever!” Bailey mimicked a face he saw Candi do and scrunched up his nose to show his distaste. “I’m not a doll.” Bailey ignored the side glance he received and flipped through photo after photo he had taken of himself. He was surprised at how many selfies head taken. “Well, you are as cute as a doll.” Waiting a few moments as she pulled out into traffic, Candi didn’t make a sound till it was clear Bailey wasn’t going to respond. “Ahem!” She didn’t take her eyes off the road, but when she saw her friend look in her direction she continued. “Gee I wish someone I knew would complement me like that.”

“All the world knows Candace Ann Connors is as cute as a doll.” Giving Bailey a glance she gave her a huge smile and a wink. “And what about my little sister?” She wasn’t going to let up and he was kind of like Aunt Megan’s doll, dancing to her beat. He let out a sigh, thinking about the ballerina practice he still had to do today, and it was better to do them before he sat down to play videos games. “The world also knows your little sister Bailey is a pretty doll.” Candi put her hand on Bailey’s lap and patted it a few times. “Does my little sister know it is a complement?” Bailey nodded. “I can’t hear you.” Crossing his arms Bailey narrowed his eyes at the pushy girl. “You are like so bossy.” It was no surprise when the comment earned him a light slap, though while the blow was intended for him it missed, thanks to her giving more of her attention to the road. “And you are a brat. A cute little brat that needs to accept she is like both loved and a cute doll.” There was that word again, she used it too often, but it did feel good she thought he was worthy of it. “Thank you.” Focusing on the car ahead of her Candi leaned to her right and pulled her hair away from her ear. “Sorry it totally sounded like you said something.” He wasn’t going to say it any louder, he considered yelling it into her ear, but she was driving. So, he turned his head and leaned in close to whisper in her ear. “Thank you.” Correcting her posture in her chair Candi turned on the radio for the both of them, content in her skills at cheering up others. While Bailey sent one of the selfies he had taken off to August. If he delayed too long Aunt Megan might consider that strike two.