Flag Pole Sitta

Part 1

It was almost like deja-vous, Weevil cut an imposing figure, even while taped naked to the flag pole at the front of Neptune High School. I was almost tempted to leave him there in vengeance for Wallace the year before. The angry bruises on his face changed my mind. I pulled out my small switch blade, the one my father had gotten for me when I started working for him, the same one I had used to cut Wallace down with.

The sound of the blade opening brought Weevil's vacant eyes to mine, catching my biting remark in my throat. He said everything I needed to know in that gaze, he world had fallen in, and I was the first friendly face that had come by; I had asked him for a million favors and now he was going to collect.

"I know you don't want to be late to class, but do you think you can wait for the bell, I feel exposed enough as it is."

"You mean?" I knew I was blatantly looking at his crotch, but it was the only way I could think of getting my full meaning across without actually finishing my question.

"It's all me, Chica." He gave me a grim smile and I shut the blade, tucking it back in my bag. I suddenly felt fiercely protective of the biker; I set my bag on the ground and sat defiantly at his feet. I felt more then saw the flash of bulbs go off around me, knowing that my stunning contribution to the yearbook this year would be again posed with a mostly naked man taped to a flag pole; I could only imagine this year's caption.

I had to wait a good ten minutes after the bell rang before everyone had left for class, by that time I had gotten comfortable in my seat in front of the biker, leaning back against his legs with a school book open in my lap. Once the last person entered the school I put my book aside and pulled my blade back out. I carefully and silently cut Weevil's hands free.

"I have a pair of sweatpants in my car; we can get the rest of that tape off at my place." I busied myself with getting my bag over my shoulder, so that I didn't have to see the rejection that I was sure that Weevil was going to give me.

"You just want to get me naked so you can take advantage of me." He pulled the tape off of his wrists making a face as the hair came off with it.

"I just want to see if your hog is as big as you say it is." I opened my trunk and rummaged around, locating the sweatpants. "They may be a bit small; I'll get you some of dad's clothes when we get home."

Weevil pulled on the pants and they clung to his legs like a second skin, the legs that I had just been leaning against so casually suddenly looked entirely too tempting.

"So you really are skipping school?" Weevil looked to me, his hand poised above the door handle waiting for conformation.

"I'll call us in." I pulled my door open and slid behind the steering wheel, trying not to watch him slither into my car. Turning on the car, I pressed play on my CD player not really ready to talk, I would wait for him to be free of the duct tape and fully clothed before I asked what had happened.

Weevil slunk low in the seat trying to keep the tape from pulling on more unpleasant places.

The ride took forever, a tension that had never been there before was suddenly thick in the convertible. I had always been very comfortable with Weevil, despite his reputation he was one of the more reliable people that I knew, but after seeing him so exposed and then in my sweatpants, suddenly he was a threat, he was someone who could hurt me, because I was attracted to him, and that tended to turn out badly for me.

Once we were back to the apartment, tensions only got higher. I showed Weevil into the bathroom, while I found some wash rags to loosen the adhesive.

"You know, when I used to do this, I would at least leave their boxers on, this stuff is a real bitch to get off and the more hair the more it hurts."

"Which is why we're going to use soap and hot water to loosen it." I handed him the wash rags and turned on the hot water in the sink. "I really don't know how much you want me to help you with this." I held up the now hot soapy rag and examined the taped area, trying to look at it objectively.

"As much as I would love to be the tough guy and tell you I don't need your help, could you loosen the tape in the back and I may need you to rip it off to, please don't be offended if I curse at you."

"Only if you promise to do it in Spanish, I need to brush up on my Spanish insults."

"Sister, I don't know if I really want you to be able to curse at me in two languages." Weevil looked profoundly uncomfortable with me kneeling behind him loosening the tape, a hot wash rag pressed against the curve of his butt. I looked up at the expanse of tattoos across his back, only one stuck out to me; it was the only one with any color, a big red heart with my best friends name in it. My curiosity was killing me, distracting me nicely from the mostly naked man I was kneeling behind.

"Did you love her?" I kept my eyes on the tape I was slowly pealing away.

"I thought I did. I was young and stupid." I would feel his eyes on me from over his shoulder.

"Why is it the only one with color?" I peeled the strip all the way off, I could hear him suck in a breath when the last inch pulled out hair. "I'm sorry."

"S'okay. It's to remind me, of what we had, and then how much it hurt when it was over. I got it colored in after she died."

"I thought about it." I moved on to the next strip, making my way down into further uncomfortable territory.

"About what?"

"Getting a tattoo to commemorate Lilly, to remember." I started to pull the strip, moistening it as I went.

"If you want, when we're done, I'll introduce you to my artist. You can talk to him, see if you want one." I knew he was just talking to distract himself and me from the increasing amount of flesh he was showing, but it got me thinking again.

"Maybe a Cowley Lily, on my ankle?" The last of the third strip came off in my hand, my technique getting better, as there was almost no hair attached to the strip.

"Or the inside of your wrist." He hissed as I pulled on the next strip, as it had been holding closed a nasty cut which started to bleed.

"Would you be offended if I put on gloves before I continue?"

"Only my pride." I used one of the dry wash rags to put pressure on the cut, having Weevil hold it in place to try to stop the bleeding.

"I'll be right back then," I stood up and coved in front of him to wash his blood off my hands, my breath caught seeing him over my shoulder, as far as the mirror went he could have been completely naked. I knew he saw me blush when the smirk appeared on his lips.

In the end, I had him sit in a hot soapy bath to get the rest of the tape off, to save both of us from having to deal with me seeing him naked, and me embarrassing myself even further. He emerged from my bathroom smelling like my lavender soap and wearing a pair of my dad's blue jeans and a Padre's t-shirt.

"I feel silly." He gestured to his clothes.

"It's a step up from the duct tape, though the jury's still out as to whither or not its better then my sweatpants."

"True, though I think the sweatpants where a different statement."

"Just try not to bleed too much on my dad's stuff; he's going to have enough questions with all the wet tape in the trash." I ushered him into the car again. "So, where is this tattoo artist that you think so highly of?"

AN: So, I totally know that I have two other stories that are just pleading to be updated... but I had to start this one... I'm not sure where its going... I'm not sure how I 'm going to handle the Veronica Duncan break up that I totally skipped by letting her leave school... but I'll figure it out... if you have any suggestions send them my way! Either way please review... it's what gets me through my super long hours at work!