I don't own them, I just play with them.

Chapter 21

Run Or Dye

This was the dumbest thing I'd agreed to in a long time. Exercise was one thing, but running in a competition was another thing entirely. I was nervous. Val and Lula were excited and looking forward to it. I was looking forward to getting it over with. The staging area was teeming with participants. Valerie saw me and waved. I took a good long look at Val and then glanced down at myself. Her body was shaping up. She was jogging in place and seemed oblivious to the crowd around her. Her hair was Chroma-like in blonde spikes and her body was showcased in a tight t-shirt and tiny running shorts, both white. I was wearing the event t-shirt Lula had sent me, also white, and pair of black gym shorts Joe had accidentally left behind at my apartment.

Lula and Chroma were standing next to Val. Seeing Chroma made me realize I was nervous about more than running. She was wearing the event t-shirt and a pair of running shorts also. Her legs went on forever. Chroma and Val were a striking pair, standing next to one another. She smiled broadly at me, and my stomach did a little flip-flop. It had seemed like a good idea the night before, but now it seemed callous. I was going to hurt Chroma, and knowing it was for her own good didn't make me feel any better.

And then I saw Lula. She was wearing a white spandex tank top and shorts, and she had a tutu wrapped around her middle. There was a glittering tiara balanced on top of her Tina Turner wig. She made a beeline for me.

" 'Bout time you showed up," she said. She handed me a pair of wraparound sunglasses. "These will protect your eyes. Tank gave me a pair for all of us. Why didn't you wear white shorts?"

"I don't own any white shorts," I said, "and it's overcast this morning. I don't need sunglasses."

"You do need sunglasses. You gotta protect your eyes from the powder." I looked around and noticed several other runners with eye protection and at least two others decked out like Lula, with tutus and tiaras.

"What powder? And what's the deal with the tutu?"

"The color powder," she said. "And the tutu is because I'm a running princess. Wait till you see me at the finish line. I'll be a rainbow princess. I'm already a woman of color, but I'll be a woman of Technicolor!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The color run…you do know what a color run is, don't you?"

"Something to do with diversity, I figure."

"Hunh! You figure wrong. Didn't you read the race brochure?" I hadn't. Chroma had registered us as a team and given us all the race information. I'd stuffed the brochure into my bag and forgotten about it.

"No," I said. "I didn't read it. So this color thing is not about diversity?"

"Hell, no. It's about color. We're going to run this 5K, and people are going to fling dye at us. By the time we're finished, there won't be any white left on me."

"You're joking! I get stuff thrown on me all the time when I work for Vinnie. It's not fun. I've changed my mind. I'm going home." I turned away fully intending to leave, but Lula's fingers curled around my arm.

"You can't go home. RangeMan paid for all our entry fees. You have to run or you have to pay Ranger back, and since this race is for charity, RangeMan made a big contribution." Someone blew an air horn from the other side of the crowd. "Too late to back out now, anyway," Lula said.

Val and Chroma came over to us as we made our way to the starting point. "That was the two minute warning," Chroma said. "This is not a timed race, so we can run together like we do in practice, or you can go all out, but the plan here is to finish. I want you to get used to running with a group, so when we enter a serious competition you'll be a little experienced." I knew I didn't need the experience. I wouldn't be running in any other races. I was undecided about continuing running in the future, but if I did it would be only for exercise and not for competition.

"If this race ain't timed, how are they gonna know who wins?" Lula asked.

"If you finish, you win," Chroma said. "There will be a table at the end where they will give out gift bags to the finishers. We'll meet up there." The air horn sounded again and people were suddenly in motion. A woman on my left ran past wearing a shower cap and pushing a jogging stroller. I didn't have time to see if the baby was wearing a matching shower cap. I ran with an easy pace letting the crowd spread out around me. Valerie and Chroma were running side-by-side, a short distance ahead. I saw the first puff of color land on Chroma's back, but she didn't break stride.

Lula ran past me pumping with one hand and holding on to her tiara with the other. Her boobs were bouncing so hard I hoped the spandex would contain them for the duration of the race. I felt a small poof and looked down to see a splatter of yellow across my chest. I glanced to the side to see a smiling woman about the same age as Grandma Mazur shaking her now empty red plastic cup at me. I was having fun now, not.

After the third cup of color decorated my shirt, chest and forearms, I realized I was having fun. The color was soft and powdery and looked like it would be easy to dust off. I found my groove and let my feet hit the pavement in a rhythm that made the meters roll by quickly, and I passed Lula. When the finish line came into view, I realized I was going to finish just behind Chroma and Val. I picked up the pace a little just as I saw a familiar flash of red hair, ahead on the right, and then my steps faltered.

It happened all in one moment. Joyce Barnhardt recognized me, dropped her cup and with a huge, malicious grin picked up the bucket of dye she'd been dipping her cup into and let it fly…right at me. I stood sputtering blue powder. I thought about going after her, but she was a race official, apparently, and I was running for RangeMan. I kept my temper in check and shook off as much blue as I could.

Strong hands pushed at me as Lula roared by. "Out of my way, Smurfette," she said. "I've got the end in sight." She ran past me to the finish line where she was applauded by Chroma and handed a towel by Valerie. I started jogging toward my teammates with considerably less enthusiasm than Lula.

Chroma met me with a towel. Everyone looked like a finger painting class gone way wrong, and I knew I looked worse. She gently ran the towel over my face and it came away blue. "That helped quite a bit," she said. "You look great!"

"Yeah," Lula said. "You look just like that mean girl from Willie Wonka."

"Feeling a little blue, Beautiful? I can cheer you up." I swung around to see Lester grinning broadly at me. And standing next to him were Tank, Vince, Hal, Cal and Woody.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.

"RangeMan sponsored your team in the race," Lester said. "We came down to celebrate with you."

"Sheesh. Who's holding down the fort?"

"There's plenty back at the fort," Lester said. "C'mon. We're headed over to the Book'em for a celebratory drink."

Valerie walked up beside me and handed me a bag. "Here's your finisher's bag," she said. "What's the Book'em?"

Woody grinned. "The Book'em is a cop bar a couple of blocks down the road. It's open early to accommodate cops getting off the night shift, but this time of day we'll pretty much have it to ourselves."

"Yeah, that sounds like fun," Lula said, as she and Chroma joined the group.

Here was my chance. Standing in the middle of this group I could casually announce, "Sorry, I can't go. I've got a hot man taking me out tonight. Gotta go home and exfoliate." My stomach was roiling with nerves because I was going to do something hurtful, and that wasn't my nature. Oh, I could be mean when I had to. I'd take Joyce Barnhardt to the ground and pummel her with my bare hands if she sauntered by, but it was harder to hurt Chroma who was part kick-ass RangeMan operative and part vulnerable young girl.

The group seemed to be waiting for my answer. "Sure," I said. "Let's go." A little liquid courage would make the announcement go easier. I didn't want to announce it in front of the guys anyway. It would lead to questions, especially from nosy Lester, I didn't want to answer. I planned on my dating relationship with Milton Ward being a short one.

The bar was mostly empty. The bartender and waitress looked a little surprised as we entered. I knew how crazy Chroma, Lula and Val looked, and I figured I looked worse. I thought it would have been a better idea to go home, but the men wanted to celebrate our accomplishment. And somewhere beneath the lurking dread of what I was going to do to Chroma, I felt a little proud of myself.

"First round is on me, ladies. What's your pleasure?" Tank asked.

Lula, blonde wig and tiara still in place, should have looked ludicrous, but she looked sort of cute when she smiled up at Tank. "You're my pleasure, Baby, but you can bring me a drink anyway." I swear the big dark man blushed. "Let's have a fun drink, to celebrate our colors," she continued. "In honor of Stephanie, let's have Blue Hawaiians." Tank went to the bar to place the order.

The Blue Hawaiians went down pretty good, as did the Purple Rains and the glasses of Black and Tan. Not all the guys were joining us in our color drinking, but everyone seeming willing to chip in for a round. I was feeling more and more courageous. Our group had pretty much taken over the small bar, sitting at various tables and milling around. I noticed Lula was keeping her eyes trained on Tank as he moved around the bar joking with the men and occasionally coming to listen to a snippet of the conversation from the girls' table.

Lula watched as Tank slapped Woody on the back and shared a joke. She leaned in and we all knew we were going to hear something important. "That's one fine man, and he'd probably make a good daddy, but I'm glad I ain't pregnant," she said.

"I'm glad, too," I said.

"I need to get me some good birth control," she continued.

Valerie leaned toward Lula, talking in a hushed voice that wouldn't carry in the noisy bar. "I hope you're not using condoms," she said. I heard a slight slur in her voice. She tolerated alcohol much like me.

"We are using condoms," Lula said, "but I gotta get me something else. I don't want no accidents."

"That's a good idea," Valerie said. "I got pregnant four times using condoms." There was a loud crash behind us, and I turned to see Lester standing with an empty tray, our next round of color drinks foaming at his feet. He was staring at Val with an odd look.

"Hey, watch what you're doing!" The exclamation came from Chroma, who stood up suddenly, pushing her chair back, inadvertently ramming the corner of the chair into Lester's groin. He groaned and dropped the tray. The waitress scurried over with a broom and began to sweep away broken glass and something red and foamy, which kind of looked like blood, but was probably tomato juice. Lester was holding his hand over his fly in a protective way, standing not quite straight, with his eyes still fixed on Val, and I wondered what I was missing.

A tall thin blond guy, with soft brown eyes, dressed in RangeMan black, came forward. "Let me buy you the next round," he said. "What about some white wine? Is that a color drink?" I smiled at him. I didn't know his name, but he was a researcher for RangeMan. I'd seen him several times over the last few weeks.

"That'd be great," I said. "I'm Stephanie."

"I know," he said. "Four white wines coming up." He turned and walked toward the bar.

"Who is that guy?" I asked of no one in particular.

Lester was still standing frozen to the spot while others around him cleaned up the mess and cussed him for being clumsy. "That's Rodriquez," he muttered.

"What?" I gasped. "Rodriguez? It can't be. He doesn't look like a Rodriguez."

"It's a nickname," Lester said. "His real name is Rodney Regis. Rod Regis, aka Rodriguez. Holy Mother of Pearl, I need a drink." He turned away and walked stiff-legged to the bar. I sat down, stunned at my discovery, and forgot about Lester and his zombie impersonation.

Lula continued the conversation as if there had been no interruption. "I need to get one of them birth control shots. Dr. Milton is real good at givin' shots. I wonder if he'd give me a birth control shot."

"I dunno," I said, realizing this was my opportunity. I paused to make sure I had Chroma's attention. "I'll ask him tonight. We have a date."

"What?" Lula asked. "You got a date with my doctor?"

"Yeah," I said. "We're going out. It's about time I got a new man in my life. Joe is completely out of the picture, now." I knew Chroma was listening, but she was silent.

"Way to go, Steph," Val said. "That'll shut Mom up. She won't mind you dumping a cop if you're dating a doctor."

"What happened between you and Ranger?" Lula asked. "I figured once Officer Hottie was out of the picture, you two would get busy." I kicked her under the table. I hadn't wanted to bring up Ranger in front of Chroma.

Chroma sat totally still for a few seconds, then she stood abruptly and walked toward the group of guys standing by the bar. She gave Cal a punch in the arm and he stepped aside to let her join the group. She was one of the guys in a way I would never be, and now I understood why. I knew her departure from the table had been to cover her reaction to my announcement, and I felt both good and bad about it. Good that my dirty work was done, and bad that she'd not taken the news very well.

The white wine was delivered to the table and while the other two women sipped theirs, I gulped mine. I looked from side to side, my head swimming with the action, and I realized I was drunk. "Chroma kissed me," I said to my two remaining tablemates.

"I know," Lula said. "Tank told me."

"She kissed you?" Val questioned. "When?"

"Last night." I said. "When I took her home. I didn't mean to hurt her, but I had to let her know I'm not interested in her."

"You could have told her," Lula said.

"Yeah," Valerie agreed.

"Yeah, I could have," I said. "But I thought it would be better to show her."

"So, you're gonna show her with Dr. Milt?"

"Yes."

"That's a bad idea, Stephanie," Lula said.

"I need another drink," Val said, swirling her now empty wine glass.

"Me, too," Lula said.

"Me, three." I needed to drink until I didn't think about what I'd done.

We sat in silence for a moment, until Woody appeared. "My turn, ladies. What's your color pleasure?"

"What about a Black Russian?" Val asked.

"Those are disgusting," I said. "I want a White Russian."

"We already had a white drink," Lula said.

"I don't care," I insisted. "I don't want a black drink. I want a White Russian!"

Chroma slid onto the table in front of me, her long multicolored legs crossed and brushing up against my thigh. She reached out with a hand and tilted my face up to meet her gaze. Her blue, sometimes shy, eyes were hard, and today they were steel gray and piercing. I knew I was seeing the mercenary soldier she'd once been. "I'm a white Russian, and you don't want me." Her words came at a momentary lapse in bar conversation and they echoed off the walls. Every head turned to watch her as she slid from the table and strode out of the bar.

I stood and the room started to spin, and I sidestepped to avoid falling. "I need to go home," I said. I was going to be sick and I wanted that last humiliation to be in private.

Lester was beside me, his arm around my shoulders, and his voice was surprisingly comforting. "It's okay, Beautiful. I'll take you home. C'mon, Val," he said, tilting his head toward my sister. "Let's get baby sister home."