Part Five:

They held hands all the way up Brenda's street. The lights were on, so they

dropped hands before going inside.

"Mom?" Brenda called. "You home?"

"In the kitchen, dear," Brenda's mother called. They headed into the kitchen, to

find her mom and Jude, her 17-year-old brother, standing next to the table. On

it was a birthday cake: white frosting with blue icing that read: HAPPY 15TH

BIRTHDAY, BRENDA BLUE! A picture of a girl with short blue hair was drawn in

various colored icing, by Jude.

There were blue candles on the cake, and Miranda joined in the "happy birthday"

song. Brenda was blushing as she blew out her candles.

"Thanks, you guys. But I'm not in the mood for cake now..."

"Come on, Bree," Jude said. "I want cake! And you know the rule: birthday person

first."

"Fine." Brenda looked a little pissed as she cut off a small piece. She snarfed it

in one bite. "There, dig in."

Miranda had a nice-sized piece, the one with Brenda on it. Brenda made screaming

noises and Miranda "ate" her.

Before going to her room, Brenda went to the bathroom. "You can borrow a pair

of my pajamas, you know where they're at," Brenda said.

Miranda went to Brenda's room, thinking about how mad she'd been about eatting some

cake. She doesn't like to be forced to do things she doesn't want to do, Miranda

tried to tell herself. But she was a little worried.

Brenda returned, grinning. Miranda had already changed, so Brenda went into the

walk-in closet to change by herself. Even though Miranda was her girlfriend, she didn't

want to be parading her "fat" body around.

They climbed into her bed together. "Goodnight," Brenda whispered with a giggle. The

lights were turned out. She leaned over and kissed her again. "Hey, Mira?" she said

after a minute of akward silence.

"Yeah?" Miranda replied.

"I want you to come with me tomorrow," Brenda said. "To get my tongue pierced," she

added.

"Okay."

Another akward silence. Miranda was still thinking about Brenda's behavior. "Mira?"

"What?"

"Are you tired?"

"Yeah," Miranda lied. "Good night." They kissed again, and Brenda went to sleep. But

it was a little harder for Miranda: the events of the night kept her awake.

The next morning, the girls got ready and dragged Brenda's mother to the piercing

parlor.

Brenda began to get nervous as the man prepared the needle. She held Miranda's hand:

partially because she was nervous, and partially because Mira was now her girlfriend.

"It's okay," Miranda whispered as the man clamped her tongue. Brenda closed her eyes,

and:

it was over. Brenda had a silver metal ball on her tongue. She stood in the mirror,

sticking it out to admire it. Her mother rolled her eyes, smiled, and payed for the

piercing.

Brenda had trouble talking all day, but she and Miranda hung out. While Miranda ate

lunch, Brenda drank some Diet Coke. At least it's an excuse not to eat today, she thought

to herself.

Miranda had to go home that afternoon. "I haven't even started my science project, and

it's due in two days." So she left. She forgot about her worries of the night before,

and remembered that she and Brenda were girlfriends now.

She was scared and happy, all at the same time.

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