Chapter 3: Hair, Boys, and Prom

On Jenny's first day in the Skin, nearly everyone, excluding the Krust cousins of course, let their jaw drop as they stared at her new form. Boys wooed and crowded around Jenny, and girls questioned about her beauty secret. She didn't reply to anyone but simply held her head up with a grin and a light, flattered blush.

During the first week in her, enhanced Skin, the boys greeted Jenny suavely as she arrived at Tremorton High with Brad. Some complimented her about her outfit and then left, while others walked her to her locker and to class. Brad stayed with Jenny as the other boys chatted her up and walked with her, being as friendly as he could to them, but he soon began to feel rather uncomfortable with the excess company, and would walk off with a different friend as Jennifer strolled with the boys. One morning, she hardly noticed he had walked off as she was bombarded with attention.

Moreover, the android made a hefty amount of female friends as she did masculine friends; she befriended girls that weren't angrily jealous of her new appearance, naturally. One of those girls was Frida, a short-well, rather short in relation to the six and a half foot XJ-9-spunky, flamboyant, lean girl with short, wispy, bright blonde hair. She had moved to Tremorton from New York City during Jenny's sophomore year; they shared the same grade level as well as an interest in theater. The android met her through Drama club, and quickly learned about her obsession with the 1920's. Frida wore beaded flapper dresses every Friday, for a personal, weekly holiday she called "Fancy Friday." Every other day of the school week, she wore dresses of all sorts, disregarding rain, hail, or gusty winds. In the winter, however, Frida dressed more appropriately; sure, she was full of energy, but she was calm and keen when it came to her academics, and she always made sure to maintain common sense.

Anyhow, in Drama Club, Frida participated as a crew member, specializing in hair and makeup of all sort. Her skills with makeup ranged from daytime subtle to circus wild to special-effects dizzy, and she practically had a textbook index of hairstyles written in her head. She had learned her skills at a young age, thanks to her mother; she was a Broadway director and actress. Frida participated in theatrical clubs in NYC as well, so her talents never became rusty.

On Jenny's first day in the Skin, Frida practically danced over to the android when she caught sight of her after school. "Jenny?" she asked beforehand, so as not to frighten a person that didn't know her.

XJ-9 looked over to the person who called her and smiled broadly. "Hey, Frida!" she cheered.

"Oh my gawd, ya look so good! What happened? Tell me tell me tell me!" The blonde jumped up and down as she spoke, and Jenny told her all about her transformation. They walked to the android's house from school together, and once there Frida stated, "Hey, I can teach you how to do your makeup! Oh, I can see you with your enhanced features already..." She placed a hand under Jennifer's chin and examined her face, picturing it subtly brushed up with makeup.

The Skinned android giggled. "Thanks, girl, but wearing makeup would really be for naught, and applying it a waste of time, too." she stated honestly. "It would probably come off or smear all over my face whenever I battled villains."

Frida gave some thought to her friend's statement before she agreed that would probably be the case. "What about your hair? You gotta let me show you some basic stuff, at least." she urged, giving Jenny puppy eyes.

The android peered at herself in the mirror and played with her hair, running her fingers through it and holding it up in various spots. "Ya know, I would love if you could teach me. This whole 'hair' thing is completely new to me, so some pointers would be helpful." Jenny smiled.

Frida cheered and clapped her hands as she pranced over to her bag and pulled out a clear zip-lock bag full of scrunchies and little rubber bands, and another with bobby pins. She then explained, step by step, showing Jenny in the mirror as she did, how to French-braid her hair, traditionally braid it, tie it into a ponytail, into a sleek and messy bun, and into waterfall and fishtail braids. "The fishtail one is easier than the waterfall, so if you really want to braid it waterfall style, call me over and I'll help ya." Frida informed her, then winked at her in a friendly manner.

"Will do." Jenny laughed. "Thanks again for helping me out."

"Of course, dawling! Anything for my favorite robot." Frida told her genuinely, and they briefly laughed together.

From then on, the externally improved XJ-9 mixed the hairstyles she learned with her outfits, pairing jeans and loose shirts with messy buns, casual dresses with small braids at the crown of her head, her bangs loose... Long story short, thanks to Frida's help, she could dress herself in a more detailed way, as she could pay attention not only to her clothing, but her overall appearance.

Brad liked Jenny's new hairstyles as much as she did. He kept complimenting her in his head from day to day, and admiring her from afar, but eventually, Brad couldn't contain his thoughts any longer. One day at lunch, he threw it out in the midst of a conversation:

"It's just funny how much the press has been all over me lately. Like, yes, I'm wearing Exoskin that I can fight in, what's the big deal?" Jenny told him, speaking about a recent interview she had about her Exoskeleton; the story was published in the Tremorton Times that morning and mentioned on the cover. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I really appreciate the attention I'm getting and people's interest in me, but like... I don't know. I would like it a little better if there were just a tad bit less of everything."

Brad nodded, signaling that he was on the same page, then held up a finger and fired away. "By the way, I don't mean to interrupt but, I wanted to tell you: I like what you've been doing with your hair. Who taught you how to do those hairstyles?"

Jenny blinked, bringing a hand to her hair as she caught onto what Brad said. "Oh, thanks." she smiled. "My friend Frida from Drama Club taught me. We had a cram session about basic hairstyles last Friday at my place."

"Oh, cool! That's nice. You look good with your hair in a bun." Brad told the android quickly, gesturing to her hairstyle as he did. "But I'm sure one of your other fans said something about your hair already." he then remarked.

Jenny pushed him back playfully when he complimented her. "Pff, stop," then said, "No one did, actually, other than a few girls from my classes."

Brad raised a brow. "No other guy said anything about your hair?"

"Nope, you're the first. So far, anyway." Jenny informed him, then added as she flipped her tied hair, sarcasm lingering in her gesture.

Brad breathed onto his nails and polished them on his shirt. "Swag." he said as he did. "By the way, that hair-flip made no sense because-" he added, but was cut off by Jenny.

"I know I know," she laughed, "I was trying to be funny but failed."

"Little bit," the redhead pointed out, laughing with her as he bit into another French-fry.

•

Day after day, week after week, boys of all grades and heights and ethnicity stuck to Jennifer's hip, complimenting her about her looks and curves; anything you could think of that could receive a compliment or a remark of awe received it. Of course girls still admired her new appearance, but the boys made it known that they loved the new Skin she was in.

About one fourth of the 30 boys that asked for the android's number, got it, then bombed her new cellphone with texts and calls, actually received a reply; the rest of the boys' calls went to voicemail, and their texts were either never replied to or deleted. Since so many of them were suddenly interested in Jenny, she figured she could be as selective as she pleased. After much deliberation, Jenny went on a date to Mezmer's with Rick, to a movie with Max, to New York City by plane with Zachary-he had money to spend and decided to spend some on Jenny in the Big Apple, long story short-mini gulfing with Brendon, to a roller skating rink with Victor… Kile took her for a walk around town and bought her a can of deluxe propane, and David...well, he didn't exactly take the gentlemanly rout.

David Deal was a classmate in Jenny's science class, and since the students could sit anywhere they liked, he grabbed a seat next to the changed android as quickly as he could. He'd been passing notes to her under the table, and placing them in her lap since the day he acquired a seat by her. David also insisted on taking pictures of her rump whenever he caught sight of her in the halls; it pleased him, but not as much as he would have liked.

So one night, a Friday night specifically, David came over to Jenny's house and snuck up to her bedroom, courtesy of her grand window. The Skinned android halted her nail painting when she heard tapping on the glass.

"David? What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd stop by and visit." he told her plainly with a grin.

"Were you heading somewhere? It's pretty late at night," Jenny asked, then looked at the clock on her bedside table. It read: 10:15 pm.

"No, I just wanted to get to know you little better, is all." The two sat on Jenny's bed and talked about school and the futures they had planned, for roughly two minutes, before David decided to bring up a more sensual topic. "So, have you ever...done anything outside the box or, ever made-out with a stranger?"

Jenny whipped her gaze over to the brunet. "Uh, no. Why?"

"Just curious. Do you want to?" David asked with a soft grin, his eyes low.

Jenny slid away from him on her bed. He wasn't a stranger to her, but she didn't really know too much about him either. She turned her gaze from him before she said, "Um, I don't know if I'm ready for that yet." A blush of embarrassment, and slight nervousness, powdered her cheeks then.

"Come on, babe. It'll be fun, it's nothing serious. Let's just play with each other, like kids at the playground." David urged, making sure to keep a charismatic tone in his deep voice.

Jenny looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a grin. "Really? Nothing serious?" she asked, doubting him momentarily.

"Yes, really. If you want, I'll leave you alone afterwards. Whatever you say goes, sweet-cheeks." David grinned softly.

The young android debated her reply. "Alright. But remember, if you wanna try me on, don't think we're together. I change like the weather." she winked. (Quote courtesy of the group Karmin. Song: Try Me On).

"I'll remember." he whispered, leaning into Jenny as he did.

Before she knew it, their lips interlocked and meshed together, effortlessly. He brought her atop him gradually, and caressed her artificial skin with his whole hand, snaking it throughout her form, making her sensors run wild. Moans escaped Jenny's throat and her back arched at the overdose of pleasure David showered her with. Jenny had never experienced anything of the sort, but she knew any make-out session would evidently lead to much, much more; she saw it happen in rom-com films.

David then pinned Jenny down on the bed, keeping a firm grip on her wrists,, and loomed over her. Her eyes went wide with shock, and she slipped her hands out from under him and pushed him back as she said, huffing as she caught the breath she didn't have, "I think that's enough, David." It took the teen boy a few minutes to bring himself back into the room, but when he did, he let Jenny go, thanked her and said, "Maybe we can do this again sometime." before he left out her window with a goodnight.

Jennifer knew that if their intimate kissing were to happen again, especially in her bedroom, it would most certainly guide them to a much more fiery and sensual happening. So, after that night, the android never returned David's calls or texts, and ignored his existence outside of science class at all times. As the weeks came and went, Jennifer limited the amount of boys she got involved with, replying to calls and/or texts less frequently and evidently forbidding herself to agree to any more dates. She needed an emotional break, and the cycle of flirtation was beginning to get old, anyhow.

•

The temperatures got hotter and muggier, and the kids got stupider and lazier as the school year progressed. Over time, everyone got used to Jenny's look, but one strange occurrence, or rather a usual one that had been halted, was the daily insults thrown at her by the K Cousins. Jenny noticed, a few days after her first appearance in the Exoskin, that they started to walk by her in silence, showing only an expression of anger on their faces. She always grined to herself and snicker. 'Jelly much?' she would think.

Brad needed to adjust to the changes as well; at first he was jealous of Jenny receiving the excess attention from everyone, but in particular from the other boys. He made sure to avoid the halls full of them crowded around her for a solid week; he didn't want to deal with the mess of people, and Jenny didn't notice his avoidance, so it wasn't a big deal.

Junior Prom later rolled along, in mid-April, and Brad was sure one of Jenny's paparazzi boys would jump on the ask button. But, as it turned out, Sheldon had asked her...and she said yes.

"What made you agree to go with him?" Brad asked with a raised brow and a forced grin, trying to make it seem like he was alright with what he just heard from his best friend.

"Well, one of the reasons was, and don't tell him this but…it was out of pity. The guy should get to enjoy himself with me for once. That, and I didn't trust the other boys enough." Jenny admitted.

Brad's grin began to droop, so he needed to pull it back up as he said, "Oh, alright. That's nice, yeah. He deserves to have some fun..." His gaze drifted away.

"Who are you taking?" Jenny then asked.

"I don't know yet, but I'll find someone for sure. Besides, Prom's not for another two weeks." he limp-wristed.

Frida had done Jenny's hair and makeup on the night of Prom, as Jenny agreed to let her do so several weeks back. As Frida got the android properly dolled-up, they too conversed some about why she had agreed to go with Sheldon of all people.

Jenny shrugged gently as she said, "I just feel safer going with him than with any other guy. That, and the kid loves me to death!"

Frida would have asked about Brad and why she wasn't going to with, but the thing was: she didn't know the first thing about Brad. They'd never met. So, instead, she shrugged and nodded, "Alright, I see where you're coming from. But I wouldn't be too sure about the whole 'safety' thing. Guys can turn on a dime, ya know." Frida warned.

"Yeah, I know, but Sheldon? The kid wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"Eh..." Frida had experience with boys and their attitudes, so it would take a lot of convincing to change her mind. "Still, keep an eye on him and play things safe."

Jenny scoffed with a grin. "Yes, mom."

The doorbell of the Wakeman household then rang, and Nora proceeded to answer the door. "Oh, why hello there, Sheldon." she greeted. "Aren't you looking spiffy." she then laughed, complimenting him on his ironed suit and slicked back hair.

"Thank you, Mrs. Wakeman. I'm here to pick Jenny up for Prom tonight." he explained.

"Yes, I'm aware."

Jenny looked at her friend that acted as her face and hair dresser for the night, and grinned. Frida smiled back at her and took hold of her shoulders. "You two have fun tonight. And remember, no funny business." she winked. Jenny laughed and nodded, then took hold of her purse and proceeded down the hallway and the stairs.

Nora then called, "Jennifer, Sheldon is here to-" but was cut off by the sight of her android daughter coming down the staircase; Jenny wore a bright blue dress down to her knees in length with a beaded heart-shaped neckline, a corset sewed underneath the cloth that hugged her figure. Glittered, vertical frills extended from her hips down, and a loose, transparent cloth attached to the dress covered her left shoulder. Silver, strapped shoes completed the outfit.

Sheldon and Nora gaped at her gleaming form. At the foot of the stairs, Jenny laughed and waved a hand before their faces. "Earth to mom, Earth to Sheldon."

Nora blinked herself from her daze and awed, "My, my how you have developed."

Sheldon thought, 'Wow...she's so stunning in that dress...it's unbelievable.' before he straightened up and held out his arm. "Shall we get going?"

Jenny took his arm and replied confidently, "Yes, let's 'shall.' The night won't stay young forever."

"Oh, off with you two, before I burst into tears!" Nora cheered as she pushed them out the door playfully. Frida came down from the top floor then and waved them farewell, then shut the door and went to have a cup of coffee with Dr. Wakeman.

Before the house stood a chauffeured, midnight black Cadillac, running as it waited for the temporary couple. The android awed at the expensive car and offered a look of shock to Sheldon. He winked at her and opened the door, ushering her in. The interior of the car was lined with soft, black leather, and it smelled of champagne. Once Sheldon entered the car, the driver offered a glass of the suspected champagne to him, and another filled with premium motor oil to Jennifer. She took it humbly, a hand of flattery on her chest. They clanged their glasses together and sipped the beverages on the way to Tremorton High.

Little did either of them know, a certain, angrily jealous redhead saw the Prom couple board the pompous Cadillac. He groaned and shut his blinds after they departed.

•

Many friends and fans of Jenny's crowded around her, flooding her ears with a slew of complements. Guys questioned Sheldon about how he got Jenny to go to the dance with him, and he was forced to explain his "strategy" a few dozen times that night.

The two conversed on the sidelines of the dance floor much more than they actually danced, but once in a while, when the DJ put on a catchy song, they would strut their stuff without a second thought. Then came the slow-dance song, the second to last song of the night. With a blush, Sheldon held out his hand as he silently asked Jenny to dance with him. She politely accepted his offer with a smile. The slow tempo of the song caused those dancing to it to rock side to side slowly, mindful of every motion. It also allowed Jenny's nerve endings to absorb the heat and energy that radiated off of Sheldon. She took note that it wasn't the same feeling she felt when she embraced David that night when he came through her window, or the one she felt when she went on dates with the other boys; this closeness felt more like an embrace of gratitude in a way, but Jenny didn't see an issue with that. Besides, she and Sheldon were just friends, after all.

Halfway through the song, Jenny felt comfortable enough to lay her head on his shoulder, regardless of its bony nature. Sheldon blushed and gently pressed his cheek to her hair, catching a whiff of its Springy sent. He engraved into his memory every moment of the night, detail by detail, and stored those memories deep in his mind.

At midnight, the same chauffeured Cadillac arrived before Tremorton High and then dropped Jennifer off at her home. At the foot of the Wakeman household, Sheldon gleamed his eyes into the android's and thanked her genuinely for spending the night with him. "I couldn't have asked for more." he admitted.

Jenny giggled, flattered once more, before she said, "It was no problem. Thank you for the good time."

The two then bid one another goodnight, and as they did, Sheldon placed a kiss on Jenny's hand. He then began to lean into her, his lips heading for hers, but Jenny turned her head away before he could place his intended kiss on them; the brunet kissed her on the cheek as a result instead.

Jennifer glanced at Sheldon in shock for a moment, and mentally asked him 'What on Earth? Wait… I should have expected that…' However, not wanting to end the night on a bad note, she quickly smiled and laughed lightly, trying to bring the mood back to what it was before. "I'll see you around, Shel."

"Yeah," he chuckled, both nervously and brightly. "Catch ya later. Thank you again!" Sheldon concluded as he briefly waved goodbye and went back to the black Cadillac, a satisfied grin curled at his lips.

•

Brad never did find someone to take to the dance; his first option was Jenny, and all his other back-ups acquired dates long before Prom. So he sat in his room and pretended to be watching Captain Spunk reruns; the whole night he looked out the window and fumbled with his nails, letting the TV play in the background. 'Just when I thought I had a chance with her...' he thought to himself.

Thanks for reading! Next chapter coming next Monday. :)