Amberly - Story 3 Freyja's Unusaul Date...But Not Really

A Story by Karl Herzog

Eight grade and Amberly had already gone through so much. Rescuing the lost child had given her confidence. She started training in martial arts, winning tournaments and standing up against bullies.

‘It’s gone!!’

Amber woke up from her Friday afternoon nap to discover her magic hammer missing.

‘Mjolnir’s gone!!!’

Amber looked through her satchel pack that sat beside her bed. Her temperature increased, face redened as she frantically got out of bed and tipped the pack upside down, folders, textbooks and sheets of paper came pouring out but no hammer.

‘This is ridiculous.’

She thought as it was obvious, Thor’s hammer was not in her pack. The only other place Amber kept her hammer was the trunk it came in.

“ah ha!”

A moment of hope as she bent over and pulled out the old wooden trunk from under her bed.

Opening the dark, brown wooden trunk, no hammer. She slammed it shut and pushed it violently underneath the bed. Tensing her fists in anger and arching her back as if to yell at the sky, Amber stopped and noticed something odd. She stood up straight and noticed the bedroom door wasn’t shut properly. Amber left her door open most of the time except when sleeping. That’s when she saw a note from the pile on the floor that had large black writing which wasn’t hers, it read.

‘Hey, Ginger pubes!’

Amber cringed as it was the lamest insult she’s ever heard but the Australian exchange student, Thrym loved using it.

‘I got your stupid hammer. If you want it back, meet me behind the sports hall at 5:30pm. �" Thrym’

Amber scrunched up the paper in a tight fist as if it were Thrym’s throat. He was arrogant and yet so dumb. But because he Thrym was a football hero he got away with a lot. He introduced Rugby to the Grid Iron players, and they took to it like a duck to water. He was always calling out lame insults to people, but his friends would just laugh away as if he was the funniest comedian alive.

‘Thrym doesn’t know the difference between his a*****e and his elbow…and yet he was clever enough to figure out where I live and when I sleep!’

Amber cringed. She ran out of her room into Luka’s bedroom.

“Thrym’s stolen Mjolnir!”

Luka looked up from the floor strewn with Goth magazines. She was sitting on the floor and searching through them for a new look. Her eyes were wide open.

“WHAT!? ”

Luka knew the importance of Mjolnir and in the hands of Thrym…she didn’t want to think of the damage. Amber read the note that she still had scrunched up in her fist. Without any plan or further explanation, Luka jumped up and grabbed her charcoal grey coat with studded apelets from the coat hanger by the door and stormed out her room. For a moment Amber was puzzled but Luka was a very supportive friend and so Amber went along with the moment. They left the room but at the last-minute Amber turned back and locked their door.

“Yeah, I’m not falling for that again.”

Amber said dangling the keys in her hand.

[Chapter 2] basketball…more like b*****d ball!

The sports hall doors opened with Basketball players pouring out and giving Amber and Luka dirty looks as they walked by. They made crass comments and deliberately bump into both Amber and Luka, but they were on a mission and didn’t acknowledge the gargantuan teens. The sports teams normally gathered at the hall and oval on Friday afternoon and practiced, played sports late into evening. Then they were loud and obnoxious, but no one dared complain. Heading towards the south-east corner of the hall they spotted Thrym leaning on the wall smoking a cigarette. Soon as he saw them coming, he through his cigarette out in the hedge that lined the boundary of the sports ground. Thrym mumbled through acne riddled face. He brushed his black wavy hair as he did when being manipulative. Amber walked quickly up to him as he pointed a finger at her while mumbling.

Amber palm striked Thrym with her right hand into his sternum. He gasped.

“….ouch! Here me out first!”

He said with a thick Australian accent.

“WHERE’S MY HAMMER?”

Amber yelled just as Luka walked up and started to calm her down.

“Shhhhh, steady.”

Luka said as Amber relaxed.

“Okay, I’ll tell you where the hammer is so long as you do this one thing for me.”

Luka and Amber looked at each other, neither one was good at finding things. Amber pushed Thrym against the a wall with her right hand on his chest.

“I want you to set me up with someone and you’ll get your hammer back BUT you’re not allowed to tell anyone who it is…right!?”

Now Amber and Luka looked at each other strangely. Amber spoke up with her abrupt and annoyed tone.

“Who!?”
Thrym was reluctant to say but he eventually blurts it out.

“Frey…”

Luka’s eyes opened wide and she burst out laughing, Amber let go.

‘That’s why he’s such a douch bag. He’s in the closet and desperately coming to terms with it.’

Amber realized that if people at school knew Thrym was gay he would be the victim of bullying and discrimination. At that moment she had a bit of sympathy for him. Until she realized he stole her hammer and pissed her off. Amber turned to her left to face Luka and her right arm stretched out with her palm on Thrym’s sternum she pinned him against the wall.

“You know what, Luka? It’s not that big a deal…at least it shouldn’t be.”

Luka stood up, stopped laughing and took a deep breath.

“I know but the irony is delicious, I mean…he doesn’t fit the stereotype…but yeah, it takes all kinds to make up the world. Just because he’s in a discriminatory group it doesn’t necessary means he deserves mercy.”

“you’re right, he IS a bully and he did take my hammer.”

Amber turned back to Thrym.

“Look…ok I get it, you’re afraid to come out and I do have SOME sympathy BUT you’ve been nothing but a Jerk-face since you got here and you invaded my personal space and stole something from me.”

A cheeky grin broke out of Thrym’s acne riddled face.

“Ok…Luka and I will talk to Frey…he does swing both ways but I’m not sure how he feels about this. BUT one way or another I better get my hammer back.”

They made a reluctant deal and Amber dropped the chubby Australian down.

Walking quickly away as if in enemy territory, ignoring the insults being yelled out by the other rugby players on the oval they walked past, Luka and Amber talked about details.

[Chapter 3] �" I swing both ways but not with you

Knocking n Freyja and Frey’s door it swung open and Freyja stood in the threshold looking dressed like a belly dancer. She had tanned skin, almond shaped brown eyes and long black curly hair. Luka and Amber stood in awe of her beauty for a moment. The duo wasn’t sure of their sexuality yet, they weren’t attracted to any of the boys or girls…especially at the school they went to.

“Ola!”

Freyja said in her cute South American accent as she gracefully gestured the pair come in. The space was decorated in colors of red, blue, purple and yellow edging. It looked like an Arabian harem. There were some African artifacts and artwork on the wall of colorful patterns. The duo looked around as Freyja just stood with a smile on her face.

To her it was new that someone would be interested in her culture. Luka staring at an picture of a colorful pattern hanging on the wall broke the silence.

“What’s this…it’s nice!”

Freyja walked over to Luka and indicated the picture.

“That’s a Veve. These patterns representing the Lwa, that is a branch of Spirits. Veve’s are used in Voodoo rituals. Frey painted that….and here he is!”

Freyja caught Frey in the corner of her eye standing in the doorway. He didn’t look fourteen, he wore black trousers with braces, white shirt with sleeves rolled up and a fedora. On his tanned skin he had a short black beard which helped make him look older. A head full of short black curly hair.

“Hmmmmm we have visitors. What you ladies want? Is it a love potion because I’m short on ingrediants.”
Amber and Luka screw up their faces and both said.

“No….thank you.”

Luka spoke up.

“Actually, we need your help on pranking Thrym.”

Frey leaned back and lout out a boisterous laugh.
“I’m in already! What’s the plan?”

They both took turn in explaining what had happened. Frey was bisexual and open about it, but in no way attracted to Thrym, especially since he was a bully.

“C’mon Frey, Thrym stole something from me. Remember all those times I stood up for you?”

Frey admit, Amber was right. She rescued him plenty of times and before he could say ‘yes’, Luka chipped in with a sinister laugh. Amber knew that laugh, something incredibly quirky was about to follow.

“I’ve got an idea but you’re not going to like it…”

Amber braced herself.

“Amber should go….as Frey.”

Frey and Amber looked at each other weird. Freya overheard and had to speak up.

“I’m sorry but that’s not going to work. Amber’s female and not a dead ringer for Frey. For one thing, Frey has mocha latte skin color and Amber has pasty white with freckles….no offence Amber, I think your freckles are adorable by the way.”

Freya was sincere, Amber was not offended. Luka continued.

“Frey, you could dress Amber up like you. She already dresses like a guy….just saying.”

Again, Amber wasn’t offended. Luka continues.

“Dress her up like you and you can mesmerize Thrym, he’s so stupid it shouldn’t be hard.”
They all agreed.

Frey was a practitioner of Santeria, when asked he’d describe it as ‘Voodoo with a Spanish accent.’ People would go to him for help and he was happy to oblige…he was also a magician which meant he got invited to heaps of parties. Luka had just fed Frey’s ego and so he enthusiastically agreed. Freya got all excited, squealed, ran up and stood behind Amber, putting both hands on her shoulders looking her up and down.

“Brace yourself honey, we’re going to give you a makeover!”

They all laughed except for Amber; she wasn’t sure what to make of this. Freya gently guided Amber to a nice, old style chair that looked like it came out of Versailles.

“I’ve done make up and clothes plenty of times, got people ready for dates even dressed men in drag but I’ve never dressed a girl as a boy before. This is exciting. Frey! Get me all the clothes and bling you’d normally where on a date.”

This was fun and games for the others. Luka just stood grinning at Amber, Amber looking worried and Frey with a huge smile running back into his room.

Amber was dressed in tight black jeans, black leather shoes with pointy toes, a soft white shirt, thin black tie and the last piece was Frey puting on a black fedora with white pinstripes. Amber instinctively shifted the hat back on her head, revealing her red fringe but Frey titled it forwards and Freya brushed Ambers hair, tucking it back in the hat.

“Last piece of the artwork.”

Said Frey cheerfully as he pulled out a pair of mirrored, round sunglasses from his shirt pocket and carefully put them on Ambers face. Both Frey and Freya ran to their rooms, they got Amber to stand on the bare part of the wooden floor that wasn’t covered in some exotic rug. Drawing a circle around her and symbols in white crayon, Freya walked clockwise around waving incense around as Frey read something aloud from a book.

“Last but not least”

Frey pulled out a small, clear plastic spray bottle from his left pocket. The tightness of his jeans made him struggle to pull it out, He sprayed Amber all over with the sweet, musky fragrance.

“This will mesmerize Thrym making him more impressionable. Now go get him Tiger!”

Frey smacked Amber on the thigh. He go away with that because of Frey’s cool, feminine side but if it were any of the other guys it would be considered sexual harassment.

“Okay Amber…”

Luka said, chuckling at the weirdness of the situation.

“let’s get your magic hammer back.”

chapter 4 �" frey but not really frey

Luka got a text message from Thrym asking to meet Frey by the hall where he spoke to Amber and Luka. She screwed up her face at the message as she doesn’t remember giving her number to Thrym. As the duo walked along the courtyard, Amber kept adjusting the crotch of the tight jeans. Luka looked up at her from her mobile.

“Stop molesting your crotch! Thrym just text me. He’s so dumb and yet he can get hold of my cell phone number. He wants to meet Frey…”

Luka made inverted comas.

“Let’s go and find out where he wants to take Frey on a date and try and trick him into giving your hammer back.”

Amber was relieved to have Luka helping her. She was assertive, smart and often helped by acting as the mediator in awkward situations. Amber didn’t normally say much, she already figured out the less you say the more wise you appear…which honestly wasn’t working out for her so far but keeping her ‘head down’ minimalized the negative attention.

Amber tried to copy Frey’s mannerisms as best she could but there was no way Amber could impersonate his voice, much less a Hispanic accent. They approached the corner of the sports hall where Thrym was before. He was leaning against the wall and smoking a cigarette. Seeing Luka and Amber approach he flicked the cigarette into a bush and casually greeted Frey.

“Hi!”

Thrym brushed his wavy brown hair with his nicotine stained right hand. The sun was just going down and Luka was starting to feel a little anxious. Amber loved the night, but Luka hated being outside after dark.

“So….look Frey’s a little….shy about the situation. I’ll be the chaperone. What do you want to do?”

Thrym looked at Luka with resentment. But he turned his attention to Frey with lustful eyes and rubbing the crotch of his tight white jeans.

‘Ew! That’s so sleezy. I feel a “hash-tag me too” moment coming.’

Luka thought.

‘This is awkward, I pity the guy that Thrym pressures into prom sex.’

Thought Amber.

“I figured we’d just go for a walk around the oval, head towards the canteen and get something to eat.”

“The canteen’s closed.”

Luka point out but Thrym just grinned.

“Not to me it’s not.”

Amber rolled her eyes but Thrym couldn’t see them underneath the mirrored sunglasses.

‘Yeah, that’ll be right. Jocks have special privileges.’

Amber thought.

They started walking past the front of the hall. Amber looked around the oval, the sports hall was to their right and behind that was a slope heading towards the tall black fence, beyond that was a river leading the lake and lots of pine trees and hills. Ahead, in the distance were the larger hills and all around their left was the school with the snow peaked mountain beyond. She never really appreciated her surrounding until she started going to the boarding school. That was one of the very few positive things about it.

“Wanna’ see that stupid thing Amber keeps in her bag that everyone’s having s**t about?”

Both Luka and Amber gave an enthusiastic nod. As they got closer to the north side of the oval, Thrym ran ahead to the hedge and pulled out a black plastic bag and pulled out Mjolnir.

It wasn’t much to look at. It was a dark brown wooden shaft with a metal head that had a square face and pointy tip. Looked like a blacksmiths hammer. Luka and Ambers eyes open wide and their jaws dropped.

‘This idiot doesn’t know what he has.’

Thought Luka. Amber moved like lightning and grabbed the hammer. Thrym looked surprised but held on tight.

“What the…!? Frey what are you doing!?”

Amber grappled Thrym for the hammer clumsily until suddenly loosened her grip as did Thrym then she flicked the hammer into his face making Thrym drop to his knees, clutching his nose.

“Next time you ask a guy on a date really check if it’s consensual first. No sleezy tricks or emotional blackmail…. dickhead.”

Amber said, revealing who she really was to Thrym. He just squealed in pain and clutched his nose, looking up at who he thought was Frey with surprise.

The duo walked away with the magic hammer and Thrym learned a valuable lesson.