Chapter 27

The last month had passed in an almost idyllic fashion for Jess. Much of her free time outside of class and work had been spent in Stacy's company or talking to him on the phone, especially now that she had her own phone and line courtesy of her mom's generosity. They hadn't spent a lot of time hanging out with the other Zephyr people, which didn't bother Jess in the least. After that party at Red Dog's where she found out the truth about Wentzle and had the uncomfortable encounter with Jay, she wasn't especially eager to talk to either guy again. And the others she could either take or leave. She did stop by and talk to Deb from time to time and occasionally ran into Kathy in Venice. Both of them knew about her budding relationship with Stacy and seemed to approve. "Angel's gonna fuh-reak when she finds out," Kathy informed her gleefully when she first learned of Jess' happy news.

"Oh god, I hope she's not going to jump me or anything," Jess replied, nervously scanning the busy boulevard for the pissed-off Dogtown girl and her posse, as though the mention of Angel's name would summon her instantly to bring down her wrath.

Kathy threw back her blonde head and brayed with laughter. "Ha! She's not totally stupid. Beating up Stacy's girl is no way for her to get in his good books. Nah, the worst you can count on is some dirty looks," Kathy confidently assured her.

Still, Jess thought it best to keep a low profile for a while anyway just to be on the safe side. Therefore she was more than happy to accompany Stacy to a variety of skate spots located outside Dogtown such as the Escondido Bowl, a concrete reservoir which was hidden in a ravine well to the north of LA. It was an unlikely spot for people to just drop in, given that one had to scale a pointy iron security fence and then scramble up a steep, rocky hillside to reach the bowl. Jess sincerely doubted that any of the "DT bitches" (as she had privately come to call them) would risk breaking their overgrown claws trying to get there. The bowl was sessioned heavily by amazing skaters from all over the LA and Southern California area, most of whom greeted Stacy as an equal if not a hero. Jess felt like she could sit there under the trees, now starting to leaf out, and watch Stacy skate all day. He drew the eye like no other skater there with his flying hair and the way his body undulated as he threw his weight around to rocket up and down the walls of the reservoir.

Whether they were hanging out in person or just talking down the wires, Jess and Stacy were getting along like a hotel on fire. Music and books were the common conversational denominator especially at the outset while each got the measure of the others' tastes. Stacy had already made her several mix tapes, getting her turned on to a lot of good bands. He'd also gotten her turned on in the other expected ways as most of their meetings incorporated at least a brief makeout session if they had the time and the privacy. As yet they hadn't gone as far again as they did the night of their first dinner date, but after a couple more trips to Vista Point he certainly knew the contours of her upper body very intimately. She had yet to delve so much as a fingertip below Stacy's beltline but felt that the time to move forward was coming, especially now that she was on the Pill. It was surprisingly easy to get a prescription despite her being under the legal age of consent – although she wouldn't be for long. Her 18th birthday was this Friday and she had plans to go to dinner with her mom and then a movie with Stacy. And after the movie – well, maybe Stacy could give me an extra special present, Jess thought with a silent giggle as she hung blouses up on a revolving rack in the boutique. Although I'm still not sure I want my first time to be in the back of his car, privacy curtains or not. Well, we'll see.

She was interrupted from her reverie when the owner of the pet grooming place next door came breezing into the boutique, a little toy poodle under his polyester-clad arm. "Happy Hump Day, ladies," he sing-songed to Jess and Evie, who came out from her usual spot behind the register counter. "Who's your friend, Ralph?" she asked as she scratched the delighted dog under the chin.

"My name's Peekaboo and I'm a sweet boy," Ralph answered for the wiggling creature in a high, silly voice.

"Housebroken?" Evie queried.

"You know I wouldn't bring him to meet you if he wasn't the very picture of canine santlihood, now don't you, Evie?" As Ralph spoke he put Peekaboo down gently on the carpet. Jess knelt and patted the floor enticingly, making kissing sounds to draw the little dog to her. "Yes, give him some sugar, Jess. He needs it today. He's been to the bad place," he informed them, sotto voice as though the dog could understand him.

Evie nodded understandingly. "There's nothing wrong with him?" she asked with concern, knowing that Ralph loved his pets as much as some people loved their own children, if not more.

"No, just a routine checkup, but he really gets out of sorts from all that poking and prodding, don't you Peekie? Don't you?" He directed that last bit to the dog, who had gotten it's fill of patting from Jess and trotted obediently back to his owner.

Jess stood back up and racked the last of the shirts. "Ok, I'm done with this, anything else you need before I go?" she asked her boss, who shook her head negatively and bade her farewell. Jess collected her purse and weekly paycheck and left the shop, stopping to unchain her bike from the railing out front. Last day I have to ride around on this, she thought happily as she pedaled through the sunny and mildly warm streets toward home. Tomorrow her mom was going to take her up to look at a used car that one of her co-workers at the movie studio was selling. Sandie refused to tell Jess any details, just hinted that it was going to be a sweet ride. Jess couldn't wait to find out what it was. She loved her old bike but having to pedal everywhere made her feel more like a kid than someone on the verge of womanhood. And it'll save on showering time too, she mused as she rode. I'm going to have to scrub up real quick before Stacy comes over. They had arranged for him to come over by five, ostensibly to do homework, but with the ulterior motive of sneaking in a good makeout session before Jess' mom got home from work.

Unfortunately it was not to be. Soon after she got home Stacy called. "Sorry, but I have to go back on our plans. I gotta work tonight, they're short-handed and goin' crazy," he informed her, regret heavily lacing his voice.

Disappointed, Jess told him she understood and let him go so he could get ready for his shift. Crap, he'll probably be kept there until 11, way too late to drop by here afterward, she thought dejectedly as she hung up the phone and turned on the stereo, which was tuned to KIIS. Oh well, I'm sure he'll make up for it on Friday night, she mused dreamily as she laid back on the bed and let the mellow sounds of Bread wash over her.

The next day Stacy was waiting for her outside her classroom, an apologetic look on his handsome face. "Sorry about last night," he started to apologize, but Jess cut him off with a lingering kiss.

"Hey, get a room," a tall, muscular student said with pretend disgust as he passed the couple.

Stacy whipped his head around to see who the offending speaker was. "Sit on it, Sarlo," he commanded the other guy, who threw back his head full of thick, wavy brown hair and laughed heartily.

"It sits on me, bro. Every day."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Stacy shot back with a laugh of his own, then turned his attention back to a bemused Jess as the other guy walked out of earshot. "You knew who that was, right? Allen Sarlo from the Zephyr team?"

"Surf or skate?"

"Both, but he's much more of a surfer. He's amazing, kicks my ass all over the place on the waves," Stacy enthused.

"Wow, he looks more like a football player than a surfer," Jess mused aloud.

"He plays football too, actually. Your classic all-around athlete, I guess. And don't the ladies just love it," he said admiringly.

Jess grinned mischievously as she snuggled closer to Stacy's chest. "Well, I prefer guys with your build."

Stacy grinned shyly at his feet. "Always good to hear." He reluctantly extracted himself from her embrace. "Better let you get to class," he said with a sigh.

Jess let him go and picked up her purse and books from the hallway floor. "On your way to work?"

"Of course," Stacy replied with a disgruntled tone. "Man, that job's so dull it's a crime. I'd give anything to quit, but I gotta hang in there until something better comes along."

"Sorry to hear it, Stace," Jess sympathized, then gave him a quick kiss on his jawline by way of goodbye. As he started to walk off, she got a sudden thought and called him back.

"Hey, what time do you finish your shift?"

"Oh, if we're not too slammed and Mr. Clark the Sadist doesn't try to load me up with a double shift then it'll be around four. Why you askin'?"

"Maybe if you want you can ride with me and my mom to go see this car she's thinking of buying me. It might be nice to have a guy's opinion, especially one who knows cars," Jess flattered him in the hope he'd be charmed into coming.

Her ploy worked. "Sure, why not? And I can use it as an excuse if they do try to make me stay," he quipped with satisfaction. "I'll go straight to your house after work, ok?" And with that he threw her a little wave goodbye and strode off down the hall.

Stacy was as good as his word. By 4:15 he was on Jess' doorstep, wearing a different tee shirt than the one he had on that morning. "Jeez, you have more wardrobe changes in one day than Liz Taylor in Cleopatra," Jess ribbed him as he walked into the house.

"Yeah, well you'd change clothes a lot too, if you got ashes and coffee grounds all over them every ten minutes," he groused, but with a little smile. "So where's your mom?" he asked as he glanced around the living room.

"Not here until five or so," Jess informed him, the hint of promise purring in her voice.

"Cool." Stacy took a seat on the couch and reached out to pull Jess down beside him. "Wanna make out?"

"Need you ask?" Jess replied as her lips met his. They kept the kissing subdued, knowing they would be interrupted at any minute by her mom's arrival. Sure enough, Sandie walked through the door at five minutes past five to find her daughter and Stacy sitting out of arm's reach from each other on opposite ends of the couch, innocently watching TV. "Hey mom, is it ok if Stacy comes with us to look at the car?" Jess politely asked.

"Of course it's ok. Hi Stacy."

Stacy gave her a small nod and a wave. "Hi Mrs. Gio- err, Sandie."

Her mom kept her jacket on, hovering by the front door. "As soon as you're ready, we should go. Davie's expecting us as soon as possible. He's flying up to San Francisco later tonight, so time is of the essence," she informed the couple, who immediately got to their feet and made for the door.

They piled into Sandie's little Volkswagen and headed north on Pacific until it turned into Ocean Avenue and then into the Pacific Coast Highway. It turned out that the car's seller lived in Malibu, in a lovely wood home that stood on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Stacy whistled though his teeth in awe at the sight of the rustic but large house and the view of the crashing waves below.

"Yeah, Davie's been a bigwig in the art department for 20 years," Sandie explained as she pulled to a halt in the driveway behind a red Mercedes convertible that looked brand-new. The owner himself, wearing faded jeans and an expensive sweater, came out of the front door to meet them, smiling broadly. After Sandie introduced her daughter and Stacy, Davie led them to the garage and hoisted the door open, allowing the outside light to illuminate a car-like shape covered with a large army green tarp. "She's got pretty low mileage still and everything's up to date as far as registration and preventive maintenance goes," he explained as he began untying the tarp. Stacy stepped forward to help him strip it backward, revealing a gorgeous midnight blue 1974 Triumph GT6 coupe. Davie continued to extol the car's virtues: "Power brakes, leather interior, clean transmission – you do know how to drive a stick shift?" he addressed Jess directly for the first time as everyone looked at her expectantly.

"I uh, I can certainly learn," Jess ventured, not at all certain if she could learn or not. Using a manual shift wasn't something I've really thought about before, she thought privately as she circled the car to get a better look.

"I'll teach you," Stacy eagerly volunteered. "Jessica, don't let that stop you from getting the car. It's awesome!"

"How many cylinders does the engine have?" Sandie asked.

"Six. So it's not going to run away with her," Davie assured her mom. "So you wanna talk price while she gets a better look?" he asked Sandie as he handed a set of keys to Jess. Sandie murmured her agreement and they left the garage, leaving Jess and Stacy alone with the car. "Go ahead, get in and crank the engine," Davie called back over his shoulder as he walked with Sandie down the driveway toward the house.

"Before you do that, let me pop the hood," Stacy told her as he found the release latch.

He got the hood open and leaned over, studying the engine for a moment. "Everything looks like it's connected and in good shape," he told Jess. "Ok, start it up." She did so and Stacy nodded his approval. "No blue smoke from the carburetor. You wanna roll it out of the garage and into the light real quick?" When Jess hesitated he gave an embarrassed little laugh. "Sorry, you probably don't wanna do that just yet, huh?" He gestured for Jess to get out of the car and took her place behind the wheel. Slowly he rolled the car forward until it was completely out of the garage and put it in park. With the engine still running he walked around the car, frowning with concentration as he checked it out from all sides. Jess glanced to her left and saw her mom and Davie in conversation in front of the house. Whatever they were talking about was drowned out by the noise of the gently purring motor. Stacy came over to stand by Jess. "I really think you should get it if the price is right," he advised her earnestly. "It's a righteous car."

Jess agreed with his assessment, but still felt worried about her ability to drive it. "Do you think I can learn how to shift a manual transmission, though?" she asked, furrowing her brow with anxiety as she looked up at him.

"Sure, you're smart. If you're coordinated enough then you should pick it up real fast," Stacy said confidently. Jess only bit her lower lip and turned her gaze back on the car, tilting her head in thought.

Davie and her mom came back to join them. "So what do you think – you gonna take it or should I put it back in the garage?" Davie asked Jess genially. She automatically looked at her mother, who only said, "He's asking a great price so it's your call, sweetie." Then Jess turned to Stacy. "Hey, you know my opinion already," he told her.

Jess looked at the car again and sighed. "Ok, I'll take it." As the words came out of her mouth she became aware of Stacy bouncing up and down on his heels excitedly.

"You totally made the right decision," he told her with a wide grin as he quickly flung one arm across her shoulders for a quick half-hug.

"Well, I'm glad I asked you to come along now, 'cause you're going to have to drive it back to my house," Jess exclaimed.

After her mother wrote Davie a check and he gave them the title and an extra set of keys, they were ready to depart with Jess' new ride. Still grinning widely, Stacy settled behind the wheel again as Jess slipped into the passenger side. "I am so stoked for you," Stacy declared as he gunned the engine and shifted into first gear, preparing to follow Sandie's car out of the driveway.

"I can't believe I own a car now," Jess murmured as she reached out to turn on the radio and tune it to KLOS. "Jessica" by the Allman Brothers was halfway through.

"Hah! It's a good omen," Stacy exclaimed with joy. "Even if Duane doesn't play on this track…" his voice trailed off reflectively as he turned left on the Pacific Coast Highway. As they cruised back south they both sang along to the haunting melody. Jess was secretly entranced with watching Stacy drive. Something about watching a cute guy shift gears is a real turn-on, she mused privately. When the highway turned back into a normal road, Stacy pulled up next to Sandie at the first red light they reached and got Jess to roll down her window. "Is it ok if I go ahead and give Jess some driving lessons now?" he called across to her mom, who gave them the thumbs-up as the light turned green.

"No time like the present. The sooner you learn how to drive this thing, the better," Stacy advised her. Jess had to admit he was right, but was still nervous that she wouldn't get the hang of it quickly, if at all.

A few blocks farther down Stacy spotted a recently-vacated car dealership and quickly swung into the parking lot and then into Coach Mode. "Perfect spot. Let's get started, ok?" He had Jess switch places with him, then gave her a quick rundown of the various pedals and gears. "It's all about timing," he advised her. "Just learn to synchronize your clutch foot and your shifting hand, and you've got it. It's really pretty easy."

Yeah, says you, Jess thought anxiously. You make everything look easy, even when it's not. She took a deep breath and tried to flood her psyche with a wave of confidence. "Ok, I'm ready to try."

"Ok, just put it into first and roll forward slowly. Go ahead and press the clutch while easing off the brake," Stacy counseled. Despite her best efforts the car immediately stalled and Jess made a frustrated noise, flushing crimson despite herself.

Stacy smiled patiently. "Don't sweat it. Common rookie mistake. Start 'er up and try it again."

Jess' second attempt also failed. As did her third. And her fourth. On the fifth try she got ten whole feet before letting off the clutch too soon and causing the engine to fall silent again. In sheer frustration she screeched "FUUUUUCK!" and banged her head against the padded leather steering wheel. Hard. Then she cast a desperate look toward Coach Peralta, who was clearly struggling to keep a straight face at the sight of her exasperated expression and the pink curved welt springing up on her forehead. "If…you…laugh…" she warned him through clenched teeth, "…I will learn how to drive this thing just so I can run you over with it, I swear to god I will!"

All Stacy could do for a moment was lace his fingers together and bring his interlocked hands to his mouth, trying to hide his now-imminent grin. "S-sorry, Jess. You're doing fine-"

Jess cut him off with a lupine snarl. "No. I'm. NOT. Aw god, I'm gonna have to take it back to that guy, I just know it…"

All trace of amusement gone, Stacy went back into Coach mode. "Jess, if you tell yourself you're gonna fail then you probably will. C'mon, let's change tack here. You're gonna get it, don't worry."

Reassured, Jess steeled herself and informed him she was ready for another try.

"Here's what we're gonna do," he advised. "I'll shift until you get the hang of working the clutch and the brake. And if we have to we'll trade places and let you get the hang of just shifting." Their teamwork paid off. After two more false starts Jess finally learned how to coordinate her feet so she could smoothly press the clutch while letting off the brake, and then switch her right foot to the gas pedal and accelerate steadily. Stacy told her when to press the clutch as he prepared to shift gears upward or downward. Then they traded places and she worked the gear shift as he instructed her on listening to the engine for cues about when to shift.

After about 20 minutes of this, Jess was ready to give it a shot without Stacy's help. As she prepared to shift out of park, she briefly closed her eyes and sent out a silent plea to the powers that be that she not screw up again. If I do I'll probably just abandon this thing right here and walk the hell home, she told herself as she placed her hand on the gearstick and pushed it up a notch while concentrating on the pedals. To her immense relief she worked everything correctly and got into first with no mishaps. The car began to roll forward slowly. "Excellent!" Stacy cheered. "Ok, give it a little more gas. Now get ready to go into second. Hit the clutch…and shift!" Jess did so with equal success, squealing with delight as the car gave a little lurch but kept moving forward.

Stacy grinned at her with pride. "See? You're doin' it! Ok, now get ready to – he looked out of the windshield and his eyes went big – "TURN!"

Jess realized that she was so focused on her hands and feet that she wasn't really paying attention to where the car was headed. Right in front of them was the dealership showroom, looming closer every second. Jess took her foot off the gas and wrenched the wheel hard to the left at the same time. The front wheels just clipped the curb, causing the car to jounce and make its occupants heads' bounce like bobble dolls.

"Oops," Jess muttered once they were back on course, another blush spreading across her face. She was glad that she hadn't caused the engine to stall during her corrective maneuver.

"Ok, let's just take it real slow," Stacy breathed, a tad shaken but doing a good job of hiding it.

After another 30 minutes of practice Jess felt she was ready to take it to the streets. "You sure?" Stacy asked. "I mean, you've done great for your first lesson, but you don't have to do anymore if you don't really want to. I'll be glad to drive back to the house and we can take up where we left off tomorrow."

"Let me just try driving for a few blocks," Jess implored him. "I won't try to get all the way home. I just want to know that I can do this." At the determined look on her face, Stacy relented and let her exit the parking lot onto the moderately busy street. He offered to shift for her again, but she declined. "Thanks, but I think I got it."

She did well for a few blocks, never having to get out of second gear. But at the intersection of Ocean and Santa Monica, almost at the northern border of Dogtown, she got a little thrown by the timing of the light and the car stalled. "Arrrgh, dammit!" she cried as she struggled to start the car and get going again, trying to ignore the impatient honks of the vehicles behind them. Jess was so glad that it was Stacy and not some other Z-boy in the car with her as the other guys would have undoubtedly started firing off the bird left and right.

Once she got the car started and in motion again, Stacy directed her to pull into the first parking lot they saw so they could change places. As they passed each other crossing in front of the hood, Stacy stopped and gave Jess a congratulatory hug. "See? I told ya you could do it," he murmured in her ear, then gave the side of her neck a naughty lick, causing her to laugh helplessly.

"It's all thanks to you, Coach," Jess replied with a grin, then leaned forward and licked him in return. "So, you wanna go to the beach or something?" she asked coquettishly.

Stacy made a pleasure sound in his throat but gently pushed Jess away. "We'd better go back to your place first before your mom sends out the sheriff to find us," he reminded her as he resumed his trek to the driver's seat.

"Oh yeah," Jess mumbled, slightly abashed that she'd forgotten completely about her mom in all the excitement. After all that had gone on that day she was eager for a nice, laid-back kissing session, but it would have to wait.

When they got back to the house and gave Sandie a run-down of the lesson (omitting the near-collision with the building), Stacy excused himself to go home, saying that his mom had probably kept his dinner warm in the oven for him. Jess was bummed, but had to admit it was a good reason to go. She walked with him out the front door and down the front steps. At the dejected look on her face Stacy leaned over and gave her a little kiss. "I'm sorry, Jessica. But hey, don't forget our date tomorrow," he reminded her.

Jess brightened up noticeably. "Oh no, I haven't forgotten. Are you still going to pick me up or should I meet you there? I got wheels now," she jibed.

"That you do," Stacy murmured wistfully as he took a last admiring look at the Triumph. "But I don't mind coming to get you. Eight-thirty, right?"

"Yep. See you tomorrow, then." They gave each other one last relatively chaste kiss in case Sandie was watching, then Stacy ambled across the lawn and got into his Volvo. Jess waved him off and went back into the house, already lost in dreams of anticipation about Friday night.