AN: Hello everyone. I know this chapter has been updated faaar to late. I apologize for that I've just been writing for a bunch of other things and totally forgot to update. But please do not loose hope! I am determined to finish this story and present it to you. I want to thank all of you who have reviewed/favorited/alerted this story it means a lot to me.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but Sky and this plot.
Living Through the Past
Chapter 8: Being a Woman
I had the week off. I had a bad head wound after all. I didn't like it one single bit. The first day off, Martha had the day off that day so she dragged me to the store. She forced me to buy clothes she said would look fabulous on me. The second day I was stuck at home with Evelyn and Danny. I was kind of hiding from the base and they had just decided to hang out at the house since they both weren't working.
I was sitting on the living room couch reading a book I borrowed from one of the ladies at the moment. Evelyn was in the kitchen making lunch, and so was Danny. I had an easy time ignoring them both. Though I felt like I was intruding because no one else was in the house besides them and me.
"Sky you want anything?" Evelyn asked from the kitchen. I looked up from my book.
"No thanks Ma'am."
"I'm not a ma'am to you anymore." she chuckled. It was a habit that all of them kept reminding me about.
"How many times do you call everyone ma'am Sky?" Danny asked amusedly. I lifted the book up to my face. He laughed as he saw what I was doing. It was quiet besides them talking. A knock on the door directed me that I could get off the couch.
"I'll get it." I closed my book and hurried over to the door. Standing on the steps was Raif. "Hey Raif what you doing here?" I asked opening the screen to let him in.
"Wondering if you had some free time?" me? Seriously? He didn't look all that nervous, probably plane stuff.
"Oh really? Sure, just come in while I get uhh… 'Properly dressed'." I air quoted what Barbara and Martha always told me. He nodded and followed me into the house.
"Who's at the door?" Evelyn asked before seeing who was behind me.
"I'll be right back." I directed to Raif and scurried up the stairs to the room. I was currently wearing a t-shirt and khaki's. Which was frowned upon by everyone in the house. I changed into the blue blouse and a knee length summery white skirt. I slipped into my heels that Sandra had given to me. We were surprisingly the same size. When I went back down the term best described was awkward. Seriously awkward. "Uhh…back."
"You didn't brush your hair." Evelyn pointed out gesturing to my head. I plastered it to my head with my hands.
"Bye Danny, Evelyn." Raif nodded and started walking back towards the front door. Evelyn gave me a questioning look. I shrugged mouthing I had no idea and followed after.
"Soo…why were you looking for me?" I asked as we walked.
"Truthfully?" he asked glancing at me. "I wanted to see Evelyn."
"Ahh. I kind of figured that. Anyways you got me out here in the first place what do you want to do?" I supplied a subject change.
"Ice cream?" I laughed. "What?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Reminded me of high school for a moment there." I said with a smile. "And sure ice cream sounds good." we walked to the nearest ice cream place and sat on the bench outside of the shop. "I hate these shoes…" I muttered taking them off my feet and placing them beside me.
"You know while wearing women clothing you look like a complete girl, but you can pass for a guy if you wore guy clothing. How is that?" he asked sincerely curious. I had an inkling of a feeling he was only hanging out with me because the person he usually wasted time with was with the woman he loved.
"I have one of those faces. And you should see me when I actually have long hair." I licked at my vanilla ice cream making sure none of it got on my fingers.
"I probably will." he sounded thoughtful.
"I can honestly say right now, at this very moment, I would have loved some rain." the sky was a beautiful blue color though. Not a cloud in sight.
"Would fit the mood completely huh?" he asked with a humorless smirk. I nodded. We ate the ice cream in silence after that. When we walked back I held my shoes in my hand not caring at all what I was walking over.
"Thanks for the ice cream." I told him when we got to the front of my new house.
"Your welcome. And sorry I wasn't a better date." I chuckled and waved him off.
"Then it wasn't a date. Just a get together of two friends hmm?" he smiled and nodded. "Bye Raif."
"Bye Sky." I walked into the house. Danny and Evelyn were still in the kitchen. And must of heard us talking outside because they were silent.
"Well hello to you too." I informed by passing the table and getting a coke.
"So what'd you do?" It was Danny that asked. I glanced at Evelyn who's face showed barely hidden anxiousness.
"Ate ice cream, talk about the fact that I look like a girl now, and the weather. Oh and I'm pretty sure I got a blister from walking in those stupid heels. I don't know how you do it Evelyn."
"Practice lots of practice." she smiled slightly.
"The weather? Really?" Danny asked with an incredulous face.
"Yes the weather. We both miss the rain apparently." I flashed them a smile and went back to the living room to continue reading.
The rest of the days off went by quickly. Going back to work was kind of a pain. I wore coveralls over my shirt and skirt, and my guy shoes. There was no way I was working with heels on. I wasn't treated different by my friends, but by everyone else I was nothing but a woman. A woman who didn't belong there, or I got cat called. And I thought men were suppose to be gentlemanly. Raif and Danny worked as sort of instructors for the new comers now. I liked working in the garage most of the time.
"Oh crud." I cursed when the tool I had in one of my pockets fell out. I was also trying to clean up my language. I bent down to get it. Whistles. I got whistled at.
"Want me to yell at 'em?" Gooz asked from under the plane.
"Naah I can handle it." I told him and stood up straight. I turned toward the men who were hanging my the hanging. "Do you see something of interest?" I asked them with a scowl.
"Yep."
"You." one of them pointed at me.
"Oh really now?" I shoved my hands into my pockets and took a step toward them.
"Leave the lady alone. Get back to work." I glanced over seeing Danny in his tank top standing a foot away from me.
"I could of handled them." I muttered giving him a frown.
"You shouldn't have to." was his reply.
"Why because I'm openly a woman now?" I asked going back over to the part of the plane I was helping Gooz with.
"Your angry at me for helping you?" he sounded bewildered. I rolled my eyes.
"I'm annoyed I'm being treated differently. Just because I'm a woman doesn't mean I need help from men. I've been doing just fine without it." I knew it wasn't really fair to go off on him, but he was the one to be there when I finally tipped over the cliff.
"That was when everyone thought you were a guy. Now that you're a woman you could be put in bad situations." Bad situations…like since I was one of - what was it now? Sixty women on a place filled with men.
"Bad situations huh? Like being cornered by someone and raped?" warm brown eyes widened. "Already been in that situation hun, can't protect me from it." I ducked beneath the plane knowing I left him speechless. No one talked to me about what had happened in China. It was easily glossed over by them all. Personally I was fine with it. They didn't do anything to me really. Red gave me a ride home that evening.
"Bye Sky pick you up tomorrow?" he barely stuttered these days.
"Yep, and thanks again." I walked into the house. Dinner was being cooked.
"Sky! C'mon here a minute." I sighed and went into the kitchen. Barbara was cooking. "Taste this sauce does it taste okay?" she shoved a spoon into my mouth. I pulled it out. The sauce tasted alright.
"It takes okay, maybe a little salt?" she threw up her hands in frustration. I blinked confused at her state of distress and decided to just go up to my room. I was reading when Evelyn came in, a grave look on her face. I knew automatically Danny had told her and asked if she could talk to me.
"Sky…" she stared sitting on her bed.
"I don't need to talk about it Evelyn, trust me I don't care about it." my tone was harsher then I intended, and she didn't bring it up again.
A few weeks passed. My stitches finally came out. I was still uncomfortable more times then not in women clothing, but I was slowly getting use to it. On my free time I hung out with Raif. Who most of the time sulked in silence while I talked about stupid things that neither of us cared about. I avoided Danny unless it was during work, and the girls slowly started accepting the fact that I was not like them. My hair was about chin length now and fell in weird wavy lengths.
"It's not going to kill ya!" Sandra pouted as I backed away from her in my room.
"Don't get anymore closer." I warned putting a hand in front of my mouth. She was trying to put make up on me. And she was going for the cherry bomb lipstick first.
"Stop being such a scaredy cat Sky." she stated more firmly. Then she pounced. I yelped and ran out of the room, down the stairs, passed a confused Martha, and out the front door. Only to run into someone. That someone shot their arms out to keep me from falling on my ass.
"Thanks!" I said hurriedly and looked up. "Oh hey Danny. Here to see Ev? Well she's inside I gotta go!" I announced hearing Sandra yelling my name inside. He let go of my arms.
"Actually I'm here to see you."
"Huh?" I asked looking at him with my head shifted to the side.
"Skyla!" the voice was closer.
"Well then c'mon…let's go…" I motioned for him to start moving and hopped slightly away from the stairs of the house.
"Why are you in a hurry?" the door to the house swung open.
"If you gotta talk to me you better keep up!" I yelled taking off down the road.
"SKYLA!" Sandra screeched as I tore down the street. I could hear his footsteps following me. Once I knew I was a safe distance from the house I stopped running.
"Okay…why…are you…running?" he asked sounding breathless.
"She was trying to put lipstick on me." I said with my hands on my knees. That took a lot out of me.
"That's why?" he didn't sound like he believed me.
"Yes…now why do you want to talk?" his mouth turned down into a frown. "No." I answered curtly and started walking again.
"I didn't even say anything." he kept up with me easily now.
"You didn't have to." a shirt was handed to me. "What's this for?" I asked looking at him while taking his shirt.
"You're in a tank top." I looked down and yes I was in one of the few guy tank tops I had bought while still pretending to be a guy. I pulled on his shirt. I was also in pants. "Will you at least explain something for me?"
"Sure." I said reluctantly as we walked.
"Is that the reason why your so stubborn about not looking like a girl?" his question pulled me up short. No one had ever asked that before. Well no one was talking to me about what had happened anyways. I mean back home, my real home, women wore pants and shirts like I was doing right now all the time. I was just being my normal self.
"To tell you the truth I never even thought of it that way." he nodded. We were nearing the house again. We just went around the pretty large block. "I'll see you tomorrow at work." I walked back into the house, and sighed in relief when it was empty.
AN: I ended it here because the next chapter or so starts another bit of adeventureish stuff. I already have it written but still need to edit it and stuff. As to who Danny, Raif, Evelyn, and Sky end up with is still undecided. Please review guys I love hearing from you.
