Chapter 20

The weeks continued to roll along nicely in Dogtown. The Zephyr team was rapidly gaining the fame they deserved for reinvigorating the skate scene. It seemed like kids all over the West Coast were catching the fever to skate, and spreading it eastward. Contests seemed to grow more and more frequent as skate and surf companies smelled profit in the air from this fast growing trend. Naturally, the Z-Boyz were reacting to this sudden change of fortune according to their own temperaments.

Alex and Stacy were sitting on her back patio earlyish one Sunday morning after driving home late the night before from his latest contest. Coffee and cereal at hand, they were sort of settling into a routine as far as meshing Stacy's skating and Alex's work lives. Sunday morning breakfasts together were a favorite part, though not taking anything away from their Saturday night exertions.

Bang! The gate to the backyard crashed open causing them to jump involuntarily. In walked Jay, skateboard under his arm, still in the same clothes from yesterdays contest. "Hi Mom and Dad, I'm home," he quipped flinching himself from the loud bang of the gate. He walked right up and sat at the table between them.

"Man, Jay, you look terrible and smell worse," Alex noted, dodging a kiss Jay decided needed to be placed on her cheek.

"Shush, can the sweet talk in front of your old man, Stacy'll figure out how much you want me." Jay answered, already looking around to see what was available for breakfast.

"So Jay, congrats on the win, you really ripped it up yesterday. I saw all the reps from the other teams swarming you," Stacy referred to what was happening to all of them more and more frequently.

"Shit man, who cares about those kooks. Did ya see all the blonde Mali-babes swarming me? That's what I call a prize!" Jay enthused.

"That's what I'd call a surprise," Alex muttered.

"Yeah it was just like Christmas morning for them, getting to unwrap Jayboy," Jay looked pleased with his comeback and turned his attention to Stacy, "Did you see that fox in the striped mini dress? She just dropped me off – yup, spent the night in high style."

"But they don't have showers in Malibu?" Stacy laughed. "You are pretty ripe there, Jay and you got grass or some shit in your hair."

"Ah, you know, making the most of her lavish estate." Jay laughed, plucking foliage from his hair. "Didn't want to give her a false sense of hope, so I split first thing this morning."

"Before she sobered up and got a look or a whiff of you?" Alex teased in the sweetest voice she could muster.

"We always hurt the ones we love," Jay shot back at Alex, equally sweetly. "How 'bout I go in and make us some pancakes, since you're only offering this cold breakfast to go with your cold-hearted words?"

Stacy enjoyed the banter between his friend and his girl, knowing them both well enough to see they enjoyed the give and take. "Oddly, Jay is a pretty good cook, Alex, let's let him treat us to breakfast."

"I'm a GREAT cook! Been cooking for my Mom and me for years," Jay said heading into the kitchen.

Jay returned with a stack of steaming hot pancakes, which were actually quite delicious. This boy is just full of surprises thought Alex.

"So Alex, I passed your bar last night, it looked jumping, how's your job going?" Jay said between bites.

"It's going good so far, the other people working there are cool, and the customers seem like a good crowd. My boss said Aerosmith would be recording next door in a little while; I'd like to see them come in."

"Stacy said you know Led Zeppelin-when you gonna hook us up to see them?" Jay was figuring the angles.

"Um, maybe when they're actually here to be seen, I guess," Alex demurred, knowing how famous people felt about being paraded around like zoo exhibits.

"Cool, hey some of us are going to see their new movie, The Song Remains the Same, when it opens next weekend, you two wanna come with?" Jay followed up. "Or have you already been there, done that, Miss Rock and Roll?"

"Nope, never saw the movie, though I was at the concerts they filmed at Madison Square Garden." Alex looked down while answering and then to Stacy to see what he thought of the invite.

"Could be fun, we'll think about it Jay." Stacy felt maybe Alex didn't really want to go.

"Stacy, let's hit the pool!" Jay said jumping up.

Later that week….

Alex was slumped in the passenger seat of Stacy's car, heading south from Malibu after working until 1:00 am. Poor Stacy, she thought, if I'm tired imagine how he feels. She had recently started taking the bus to work, but Stacy was adamant about picking her up late at night. In between he was working a full shift at Venice Noodle before driving to Malibu. "I really got to think about getting a car honey, you're just too good to keep driving me around in the middle of the night," Alex said stroking the side of his face.

Stacy stifled a yawn and smiled wanly at her, "you're more than worth it, babe, but maybe you wanna drive the rest of the way, and I really am beat tonight."

Oh-oh thought Alex, that wasn't the answer I expected; "Um, I guess this isn't the best time to fess up to this, or I maybe it's the perfect time, but I can't really drive."

"Why?" Stacy looked tired and confused, "Did you guys have drinks after your shift, or you don't know the way?"

"No, I just don't know how to drive a car, pure and simple." Alex said embarrassed at being caught out.

"But the first night we hung together, a night I remember fondly and very well I might add, you made a point of showing me your NY driver's license," Stacy didn't sound mad, just confused.

"Well, I did show it to you by way of ID, which is why I got it in the first place." Alex explained.

"Don't you have to know how to drive to get a license in NY? Pass a road test kind of thing? I know you said people don't drive that much in Manhattan, but they still call it a driver's license, right?" Stacy appeared to be waking up now.

"I guess the Motor Vehicle Department is probably pretty stuck on that fact, but if you go to a seedy looking dude in Times Square, well, that requirement seems to be more relaxed," Alex hoped a light tone might defuse this uncomfortable situation.

"What are you telling me, Alex?" Stacy said with his usual forthrightness.

Alex exhaled; "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you, but in order to be legally responsible for myself I had to have ID, and the easiest form of that is a driver's license."

Stacy pulled the car off to the side of the highway at this point, in a spot overlooking the Pacific waves crashing on the shore on a secluded turn. At least it's the perfectly poetic locale to have my house of cards come crashing in thought Alex unhappily.

Stacy reached over and took Alex's hands in his; "I'm really confused, Alex, help me out here. It seems the only two reasons you'd be buying fake ID- cause that's what we're talking about, right?- is because you aren't who you say you are, or aren't the age you say you are…"

"Or you just can't drive-there's always that!" Alex said with mock hopefulness.

"Don't you think I deserve to know the truth?' Stacy said quietly.

"Yeah, I really am sorry, none of this was meant as a lie to you, you're an innocent bystander who just got caught up in it." Alex said sincerely.

"And the truth is?"

"I really am Alexandra Boylan, the picture on the license is real, the height and eye color are real, the age however has been modified…"

"And your real age is?" Stacy started to look like he was pulling teeth in this conversation.

"16"

"Date of birth?"

"May 13, 1960 - Look I really am sorry to have lied to you, but as I said it wasn't you, I just needed to be 18 and legal and all, and that was my story and I had to stick to it. I hope you'll understand, now that you know me, I'm not a pathological liar, just felt I had to stick to that story to survive," Alex rambled hopefully.

Stacy considered her story and felt the ring of truth, in any case he didn't want to break up or anything over what seemed like another piece of the puzzle that was Alex; "16 huh? So I could get arrested for doing this?" Stacy asked, pulling her into a deep kiss.

Minutes later Alex came up for air, much relieved and breathed; "Not if we both stick with the story and I continue to be 18." Several kisses later she reconsidered; "if you want to move this to the back of the car, I think we can come up with something that would get us both arrested."

"Après vous," Stacy said flipping down the back seat of his car.

This one is full of surprises they both thought simultaneously.