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Ohio: 2001

Almost two years into the new millennium and all Helga had to show for it was a part-time job at McDonald's, a dirt bike to get from place to place, and a pet shop collar she bought for herself. She sighed while packing her lunch, just a PB&J, an apple, some chips, and a soda. She brushed through the hair she'd let grow from her old buzzcut, playing with the short strands that she was considering shaving again. The hood wasn't fun to wear with short hair, and she pretty much wore it religiously. Not that she liked it anymore.

Another ragged moan came from Lorraine's bedroom. The hog slouched her shoulders and exhaled. The wolf and her new lover were still going at it. She'll admit, the lion had stamina, no one had gone so long with Lorraine. Not even her.

With a turn of the knob, the bedroom door opened, with the lion strutting out it naked, with his flaccid cock waving with each step. He stopped when he saw Helga, shocked by reflex but then he smiled.

"So, that's what you look like under the hood," he said, leaning against the wall and blocking her path, "I figured you were ugly, but you're not half bad. I'd say a solid six."

"And your attitude makes you a three, now get out of my way."

With a smile only a mother could love, the lion stepped out of her way and signaled for her to pass. She swallowed the desire to smack him as she passed, trying to push her thoughts more towards how she would deal with her lazy bitch of a boss today.

"I can see why you wear the mask,"

She stopped, hand frozen over the knob. Eyebrows furrowed as she turned her head towards him, "What?"

"Well, I'm not some psychologist or anything, but in my line of work I see lots of people who put on a false face so to speak," he sauntered over, exposing the defined pectoral muscles that Helga didn't give a shit about, "Put em in the right spot, and they're true colors are revealed. Under that mask, you seem so much nicer, more content," he armed her chin to his brown eyes, "I bet you love coming home to put on your real face, Piggy."

Helga drove her knee into his crotch before she could process what he said. She stomped on his gut when she let what he said sink in. Heart in her ears, the pig bolted from the door, pulling her keys from her jacket pocket and fiddling with them for the bike key. Curses echoed from Lorraine's apartment as Helga left the building and jumped onto her bike, forgetting her helmet as she drove off to avoid that lion's wrath.

Tears formed and were wiped away by the wind as she rode down the street. The lion knew nothing about her. That mask wasn't her, that mask was just what made her Lorraine's pet. She kept telling herself that every day, that her willingness to wear the hood was what made their relationship work. But when was the last time Lorraine touched her? When did the wolf give back from everything Helga gave? Teeth clenched, knuckles white, she skidded to a halt at the nearest stop sign and screamed to the heavens.

Then she drove off, hoping she wasn't tardy.

She arrived a few minutes late, got chewed out by her boss, and headed to the register. Just another day of her taking orders at the drive-thru and putting on a fake smile with a cheerful tone that made her want to stab her own eardrums. Or maybe that was just today, given all her mornings didn't start with her ass being fucked by a stranger.

It happened more than she liked.

Helga took a deep breath as the lunch rush slowed to a crawl, leaning back against the wall and looking out to the rest of the staff sharing her shift. Some were going, some were just starting, like Gracie, a mink with ears covered in piercings, a short orange mohawk, and a smile that made the hog think, if only for a moment, how wonderful her screams would be with her touch.

She'd been having them more often as of late, ideas of being with someone else. A mental hand usually slapped her silly, pushing away the thoughts of cheating on Lorraine. This time the thought lingered, letting Helga imagine herself taking that mink out behind the dumpster and making her squeal with just her fingers. Like Lorraine used to do to Helga every night, before she gave her the hood. Now the wolf only received from the pig, and, deep in the back of her mind, Helga knew it wouldn't get any better.

So why did she feel a pang of guilt whenever she fantasized about other girls?

A knock against the drive-thru window shook Helga from her thoughts. She sighed, there was only one person who'd bother her through the window like this, the only person she begrudgingly called a friend nowadays, even though she only came for free food.

"Hey," Tabitha smiled as she rested against the counter of the window, "How's work?"

The pig kept her apathetic look while looking over the younger wolverine. When Helga first met Tabs she wore faded clothing that barely fit, topping it with her brother's old leather jacket that always looked like it would slip off. Now, the clothes fit, though the jacket looked like it was wearing thin. She let her hair grow out, leaving a long orange mop over her head that she never bothered to brush.

"It's fine, how's squatting?"

"Freeloading," she corrected her, "And it's doing great. So..." her hands softly patted the metal counter, "You guys throwing anything out yet?"

Peering over to the clock on the wall, Helga nodded, "Yeah, see you out back." she said before heading to the break room, grabbing her lunch, telling her boss she was on break, and sneaking two boxes of McNuggets that were around an hour old.

"Weve taste like shif," Tabitha said, mouth stuffed to the brim with nuggets. Helga smiled as she took a bite into her sandwich, "Beggars can't be choosers."

If Helga smoked, she'd be going through a pack right now as the two girls ate out behind the restaurant. Instead, she just took a look at Tabitha's Frankenstein's monster of a bike, still holding together despite looking like it held together by duct tape alone. Still more of a ride than her dirt bike, enough to make Helga feel like a poser in the bar.

"That can't be street legal."

"Probably isn't, but not like the cops ever notice. Feels like they get paid to just sit in their cars all day and play with their guns," she smiled, picking out bits of nugget from her teeth, "I should be a cop. Not as free as biking, but I get a free ride, a free gun, the right to beat people up whenever I feel like it. Maybe I could arrest some fantasy nerds on the grounds that their 'totally accurate' Lotro sword is a weapon," she burped, then tossed the box into the dumpster, "they could totally get it back, for a nice BJ."

"Lotro?"

Tabitha popped in another nugget, "Lord of the Rings. Some sword and magic flick, bringing out all the nerds who throw balls at you and call it lightning," she snickered, "God, they're stupid."

Helga chuckled along, "Well Tabs, for starters you know those are all the wrong reasons to be a cop, right?"

The wolverine shrugged, "I'm sure enough cops get away with it."

Helga didn't want to argue that, instead she laughed it off and said, "Sure, but even if that were the case, what makes you think they'll hire a highschool drop out that's squatting in her brother's shack while he's overseas?"

"Freeloading."

"Does he know you're there?"

Tabitha's eyes shifted away at the question. Helga knew the wolverine wouldn't admit she needed help, seeing her so-called situation as a true act of being free. When in reality, Tabitha was just a homeless teenager too old for the state to give a shit about when her folks kicked her out.

"Ok," Helga said, "So, barring that, what money are you gonna use to get into police academy?"

"I got savings."

"The Pool hustling money in your mattress ain't gonna help you. Especially since people are catching onto your game. After all, how long have I been giving you free food?"

"Expired food."

"Still edible enough for you," Helga slouched her shoulders and laid up against the wall, "Look, I know you hate handouts, but I can maybe get you a job here."

"And do what? Flip burgers until I'm sixty? I think I'll pass."

The hog snorted, "Better than dying in a homeless shelter. Look, it's not that bad here, and you can finally get at least a consistent flow of money. Do you really want to be hustling Pool forever?"

Tabitha's expression told Helga a lot. That furrowed brow of anger, those shifting eyes of defeat, the way she clenched her fists and twisted her foot against the ground. "Least I'm not in denial," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Least I know where I fucking stand!" she said, stepping up to Helga, "You think you know what's best for me? You don't even know what's best for yourself."

"The fuck is that supposed to mean?" she asked, more in a guttural growl than she expected. The wolverine stepped back, fists clenched but looking away, "N-nothing."

"No, tell me what you think."

"I think you're doing shit you hate because you're delusional," she said, eyes staring directly to Helga's, "And I don't want to fall down that path."

"It's called growing up, Tabs. You should try it sometimes." Helga answered, but from the look on her face, Helga was sure that it wasn't her dayjob that the wolverine was referring to. Her jaw clenched, was it about Lorraine again? Helga told her a long time ago to not butt in between her and the wolf, that it was private. Tabs did stop talking about it, but it never stopped her from referencing it. After all, the wolverine was the only one who bothered to listen. Helga just never wanted to hear what she thought from someone else.

She sighed, "Look, you want the job or not?"

With both hands in her coat pockets, Tabitha looked up to the grey cloudy sky, sighed, and looked back to Helga with a smile, "How about we talk about it over Pool? Just us. The rest of the grandpas are going on their weekend ride so we won't have an audience to see me whoop your ass."

"Fine," Helga said, packing up the rest of her lunch she didn't get to finish, "fine, I'll see you then. But seriously, I'm just trying to help."

"You need it more," Tabitha said under her breath. Helga heard it, she always heard it. She didn't say anything about it, choosing to take a deep breath, then exhaling before heading back inside. Her shift would be over soon enough.

***

Lorraine wasn't home. Given the upcoming weekend, Helga figured the wolf had set out on her bike to ride with the rest of the gang for their monthly cross country trip. A trip that Helga had yet to experience. She'd hopped Lorraine would offer to let her ride on her bitchseat, but the wolf never brought it up. Maybe Helga should have asked instead?

She sighed. No use getting depressed at what-ifs. Stripping down her uniform, she pulled out a pair of jeans, a black shirt with a skull, and that leather jacket she got from the Salvation Army years ago. Grabbing her face-covering bike helmet, she left the apartment and her frustrations with Lorraine behind as she locked the key. The pig didn't need to think about her tonight. A day away from her might do her good.

Thor's Hall, like Tabitha said, was pretty devoid of patrons tonight. It surprised Helga, even if the gang Lorraine and Tom were a part of were the main regulars, stragglers and strangers weren't a rarity. Tom didn't pay Helga much heed as she walked in, they'd all but stopped talking to each other outside of her ordering a drink. Running the bar wasn't his only excuse for that, but she never pressed on. The pig wasn't innocent herself.

The wolverine was too young to be here officially, only nineteen in a twenty-one and over establishment. Tom still let her hang out, and the rest of the bikers liked her enough when they were around, probably to fulfill a promise they made to her brother when he was flown overseas. She didn't seem to mind, and she had a fake ID if anyone asked about it.

Tabitha held out her fist, "Rock, paper, scissors, to see who breaks?" she smiled. Helga tried rock, then scissors, already knowing which pattern Tabs would shoot.

"A miller and a coke, on the tab," She ordered, before taking the pool cue from the younger wolverine's hand and lining up the shot. The night went on easily, metal playing low on the jukebox, her losing every two out of three games against Tabitha, and Helga making sure the teenager didn't steal a sip of her beer. Didn't matter if the wolverine was her friend, she wasn't going to let her drink early.

Despite trying to keep her out of her mind, Helga checked her phone every so often for a message from Lorraine. This whole texting this wasn't easy, but surely the wolf could send something? Or call her, tell her when she'll see her again? The hog pondered on calling her, mentally slapping herself for keeping the wolf in her head.

"So," she said, putting her phone back into her jacket, "Have you thought about it?"

"About what?" Tabitha said, attention focused on the shot she was lining up. Helga leaned into the bar, taking a swig from her third, maybe fourth, cheap beer, "About the job offer."

"Oh, that," her attention didn't waiver, "No...well ok yeah." she knocked a ball into the side pocket, "I don't exactly have a washing machine for a uniform."

"You can use the one in my...the apartment complex where I live." Helga corrected herself, the apartment wasn't hers, despite how much she helped with rent.

Tabitha mulled over it, slouching her shoulders, "Eh...I mean, I don't really have an easy way to just bring my clothes over. I'd have to move in."

"Sure. You could-" she paused. With how many people Lorraine brought home, was having Tabitha move in with them a good idea? Did she want the wolverine to see her in that hood, to see her pathetic disguise? What if Tabitha thought that was the real her? She shook her head. The teenager was squatting in the shack to her brother's shitty house, barely having any electricity or toiletries, all because she was kicked from her own home. She'd swallowed enough pride as is, being Lorraine's pet, surely she could stomach Tabitha looking down on her if it meant the girl had a better place to sleep.

"You could sleep on the couch. We even have heating."

"Heating does sound nice...do I gotta smile at people?"

"I'm sure we can keep you on the grill. I can't see you at the register."

"Cause I'd punch people?" she chuckled, "They'd probably deserve it."

"No, because you dropped out junior year of high school. Math probably isn't your best subject."

The wolverine forced a laugh, missing her shot and taking another breath, "Cute...sure, I'll do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the shack is too cold. Don't want Jamie coming home from Raq and seeing his little sister's starved corpse in his shack."

"Great," Helga said, hopping off her stool, "Mind if we put the game on pause? I gotta use the can."

"Whatever," Tabitha said, dismissively, "But afterward we need to get my shit. Got some packing to do."

"You want to move in tonight?"

Tabitha raised an eyebrow, "Yeah. That a problem?"

"I...let me go to the bathroom first. Then I'll make a call." Helga said, excusing herself as she headed to the lady's room. Was that the right call? Lorraine probably wouldn't enjoy a third housemate without her knowledge, but she knew Tabitha's situation as well as everyone in the gang. They all offered, but Tabitha declined, so it's not like Lorraine couldn't help take her in. What's the worst that could happen, kick them out?

That scenario played through her head as she relieved herself. And the worst part was not that she had no plan on what she could do afterward, or how she had no one to rely on except maybe Tom for a night or two. But then she wouldn't be with Lorraine anymore. Tabitha's situation and Lorraine's indifference to Helga bounced in the pig's mind. She loved Lorraine, but she had stopped seeming to care about her. Tabitha was the only person who listened, and she needed more help than the wolverine let on, being too stubborn to accept any. She flipped out her phone, eyeing Lorraine's cell number in her contacts. She selected it, but her finger hovered over the enter button. One call, that's all she needed to do to set this up.

She sighed and flipped her phone closed. This had to be done in person, and Tabitha could use a warm night.

The bathroom door opened as she washed her hands. Heavy boots echoed behind her. The pig looked up at the mirror, eyes widening at the lion standing in its reflection. The same lion that Lorraine fucked last night and this morning, now dressed in blue jeans, a black hoodie, and a red bandana across his scalp. That wasn't what sent chills down her spine, nor was his presence in the ladies room the cause. The culprit to that was the knife in his hands.

"Hello, Piggy."