I Want Crazy

“Tom!” A knock came to her door, making her jolt up in her bed. “Tom! Wake up!” The person on the other side of the door knocked again. “Today’s the day!” He said, cheerfully. Tom crawled off of her bed, and moved to her closet deciding on what to wear. She didn’t know why she was even putting so much thought it in it was just another day. She was just going to go for her normal t-shirt and jeans. “Tom?” The voice called through the door again.

Tom groaned. “I’m up, Dad! Just give me a minute!”

“Alright, Bud. Come downstairs when you’re ready. You’re mother has breakfast waiting.” Tom quickly threw a clean t-shirt over her tank top and rushed downstairs, long blond hair flowing behind her.

“Reagan, don’t run!” her mother ordered, calling her by her first name. Tom’s mother refused to call her by the nickname her father had given her. She’d always say that she had four girls, and that she was going to call them as such. Everyone else called her Tom, but her mother wouldn’t. Her father, being the one to create the nickname, was thrilled to finally have a child that he could relate to. His three older girls were always wrapped around their mother’s finger. Following her everywhere, like perfect little clones, which is basically what they were. Same eyes, same hair, same build, all exactly like their mother. However, Tom was just like her father in every way. Tom despised anything that involved the color pink and enjoyed hanging out at her father’s garage and helping get some of the cars out of the repair line.

With hardly any formal training, just a few classes at the local Community College, she was set for her path to join the engineering team in Star Fleet. Today was actually the day that she would be receiving the message on whether or not she would be taking off the next morning.

“Reagan?” Tom’s mother asked, as she put a spoonful of scrambled eggs on her daughter’s plate. “Are you excited at all?” Tom only shrugged, and began shoveling her breakfast. “You hardly seem affected at all. Thomas, this is a big deal.”

“Oh, she knows. If I know anything about my daughter, it’s that she tried hardest not to get excited over things that are really important to her.”

Tom mumbled. “He’s right, Mom. This whole Star Fleet thing might not even happen. I mean, there are far more other qualified people than me. It doesn’t matter if I pass the tests, it matters if people did better than me, which is still very possible. I just don’t want to get my hopes up.”

“But you do want this?” Cadence asked curiously. Secretly, she wasn’t sure that she wanted her daughter to do something so masculine. “This wasn’t something your father talked you into?”

“No, I promise.” Tom assured. Cadence raised an eyebrow. “Mom, I love working at Dad’s garage. And from what Yasmin always reported, The Academy sounds like the next step for me. I want to do this.”

“But Yasmin also had formal schooling. She had a medical degree. You have a few classes over at the college and all that your father has taught you.”

“Which brings me back to ‘there are probably more qualified people out there.’ It doesn’t hurt to try. If it doesn’t work out, then I’ll just stay at Dad’s garage. It won’t be the end of my world.”

“Alright.” Her mother sighed, although still unsure. Maybe it was just that this was her baby all grown up and possibly being shipped off to the Academy.

Tom quickly cleared her plate and put it in the sink. She leaned over her mother to kiss her on the cheek. “I gotta get going.” She did the same to her dad. “I’ll see you at the garage, Dad.” Her father nodded, and moved back to his food. To ran outside and grabbed her bike from inside the family garage. After a few turns, attempting to start the engine, it finally got going and she headed to her father’s garage.

“Hey, Tom.” One of the employees greeted as she walked in the door. She dismounted her bike and looked out the window to the warehouse garage out back. There were hoards of people out surrounding it, all wearing red uniforms.

“Hey, Bobby. What’s in the back?”

“Academy ship.”

Tom furrowed her brow. “What the hell are they doing way out here?”

Bobby shrugged his shoulders. “What’s anybody doing here? Car trouble. Trying to get back to the shipyard. Captain wants to see the owner.”

“The owner won’t be here for another few hours.” She told the man. Bobby shrugged, and then turned back to his current project. “Guess that means I got it.” She grabbed a rag from the bin by the door and stuffed it in her back pocket. The Cadets stood in a few straight lines, having casual conversation, but not leaving their spots. Tom walked up to a man wearing a black uniform. “Captain?” The man turned to face her. “Captain Pike?” she recognized. The man looked at her questioningly.

“Do I know you?”

Tom stumbled. “Uh, no, sir. I read your dissertation a while back. I just recognized you from the research I’ve done on the Academy for my application.”

Pike nodded. “Interesting. Are you the owner?”

“No, sir. My father won’t be in for another few hours. I’m second in command and I’ve learned everything I know from the man. I’d be honored to help you with whatever I can, sir. But if you don’t mind me asking, why aren’t any of your engineers helping you with the problem?”

Pike cast a smile. “I’ve got command of almost twenty-five cadets and not one of them are engineers.”

“I see,” Tom joked. “Mind if I take a look?” she asked, already reaching to put her hair in a ponytail.

Pike shook his head and gestured to the vehicle with his hand. “By all means.” Tom entered the garage and found her way to the inside of the engine. “Well, sir, it seems as if I could do this just as well as my father could, if not better. I will get started right away and probably have you back on your way to the shipyard within an hour.”

“Thank you.” Pike said. Tom nodded, and moved passed him to start her work. Like she figured it was quite an easy fix, and was able to be done in an even half hour. Pike was overseeing her as she was working, and somehow, she didn’t even feel nervous. The captain of a Federation Space Ship was observing her work and she wasn’t at all shaken. She removed herself from inside the vehicle and wiped her forehead with her arm, careful of the grease that was on her hands.

Tom sighed. “That should do it, sir.”

Captain Pike glanced at the watch on his wrist. “That was only half an hour.” Tom confirmed this by looking at the clock on the wall.

“I suppose it was, sir.” She shrugged.

“That was very impressive.” Pike admitted. “Do you always get your customers out of here that fast?”

Tom waved it off. “Just the important ones. It was nothing. Just trying to get the Federation back on its feet.” She went for a clean rag and wiped her hands off. “You guys can load up and take off. Good luck on your adventures, Captain Pike.” Tom held out her hand for the older man to shake. The Captain took her hand, but didn’t let go.

“There has to be some payment involved.”

“No, need, sir. It was a pleasure doing my job for the Federation.” Pike slowly released the girls hand.

“When are you supposed hear your response from The Academy?”

“This afternoon, sir. If accepted, I am shipping off tomorrow morning.”

Pike nodded. “Well, thank you…” he trailed off leaving Tom to say her name.

“Oh, right. Parker, sir. Reagan Parker.”

Pike hmmed. “I will definitely remember that. I will get back to the shipyard quickly, check out your file, and do what I can to put in a good word with Admissions.” Tom was shocked, her jaw dropping.

“Sir, I’m sorry, but are you joking?”

“No, Ms. Parker, I am not.” Pike smiled. “If all of your work is half as good as this, The Academy would be privileged to have a student like you.”

“Captain, it was one job. That I’m sure any other person that any other person could have done just as well.”

“Yes, but your first time estimate was an hour, and you did it in half the time.” Tom shied away slightly from his comment, but didn’t lose her posture. “Like I said, I will put in a good word, assuming your work is reliable and we make it back to the shipyard.”

Tom nodded her head. “She’s reliable, sir. You will make it, I’ll bet my future on it. Thank you, Captain.” Captain Pike nodded, and returned to his fleet. Tom went back to the main office and into her father’s office. He had yet to arrive, but she needed a moment to herself. With that promise, how in the hell was she supposed to go the whole day without knowing about her acceptance?

Tom trudged through the day, though. As cranky and as irritable as not knowing made her, she couldn’t leave the shop. She didn’t tell her father of the Federation ship when he arrived. She didn’t want to get his hopes up too high. Tom’s father’s opinion of her meant everything. She knew that no matter what she did he would be proud of her, but still that little voice nagged her. If she was given her golden opportunity to get into The Academy and blew it, how would he look at her after that? She wasn’t sure that she could live with it.

Her head was under the hood of an old classic car from the early 2000s when her father called her. “Hey, Bud!” he called from across the garage. “Time to pack it up.”

“Five more minutes!” she called back, trying to tighten up a few last bolts she had to put back in. She didn’t want to seem too anxious to get home and check her messages. Her father nodded and disappeared back into his office. She finished up quickly and went to her bike to put it in the bed of her father’s truck so they could ride back together, as they always did at the end of the day. She climbed into the passenger seat of the truck and waited for her father, who climbed in a couple minutes after she had.

“So,” he started. “Bobby said something about an Academy ship coming in today.”

Tom kept her composure. “Yeah, they needed to get something fixed. I took care of it. Didn’t charge them either. It only took half an hour. Wasn’t worth it.”

“Anyone that you recognize?” her father asked. Tom nodded her head, like it was nothing special. The rest of the drive was made in silence, Tom bouncing her leg up and down. When they arrived at the house, she didn’t even bother taking her bike off of the truck. She ran inside the house, ahead of her father, and went to the household screen. She hit a few buttons until she found it. Her message. The message that decided her future and where she would go, if she went anywhere at all.

“Reagan?” her mother’s voice called from the doorway. Tom’s eyes didn’t leave the computer. “Honey, your sisters are here. Emmeline, Neoma, the kids. Even Yasmin is here, on break from The Academy. We all wanted to gather to hear the news.”

Tom turned to her mother, fear in her eyes. “Mom, I didn’t want them here.” She said quietly. “What if I don’t get in? I’m not like them. I’m not as smart as them.” Cadence tsked. She went towards Tom and put her daughter’s face in her hands.

“Honey, you’re perfect.” Her mother assured. “It’s what the nurse said the day you were born and it’s what I’m saying now.” Tom pulled herself out of her mother’s grasp and looked away and back to the screen. “If you don’t get in or even if you do, we love you.” Tom nodded, looking behind her mother to see the rest of her family standing there.

Tom sighed. “Everybody ready?” Her family nodded. She turned toward the computer and looked at it solely. She clicked open the message and read it aloud. “Reagan T. Parker, we have heard of your work on the ship run by Captain Pike, who was indeed very impressed by your performance. It is on his recommendation that we invite you to attend the Star Fleet Academy!” She didn’t even get halfway through her last sentence before she started squealing and jumping up and down. She turned to her mother, whose eyes were watering with joy. She ran to her mother and hugged her tightly, moving through her family, leaving her father for last. She stood in front of him, knowing that he would probably be uncomfortable with a hug. She smiled up at her father.

“Wait,” her father said. “What was that about Captain Pike?”

“Yeah,” her eldest sister, Yasmin spoke, “Captain Pike is a big deal at the Academy. Where did you meet him?”

Tom shrugged. “He came into the shop today. I fixed something up for him. I never thought it would actually do it.”

“Do what?” Thomas asked.

“He said that he would put in a good word for me. I got in because he liked what he saw with my work.” Tom sat down on the nearest chair. “I never believed that this could happen. I didn’t think that he would actually do it.”

“You better send the Captain a thank you note.” Yasmin suggested. “I mean, I know you’re good at what you do, Tom. However, those accepted into Star Fleet have formal training. I bet that he was the main reason that you got in.”

“Yas, I’ll deal with that later. I got in!”

Emmeline came forward. “We should go out and celebrate.” She suggested. “Make a girl’s night. You’re gonna be gone for a while. We’ll miss you.”

Tom nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Mom, do you mind watching my little nieces?” Tom asked, moving toward her sister Neoma’s three little girls. Her mother shook her head. “I just need to shower and talk to dad for a minute.” The women nodded leaving Tom with her father in the main room.

“What’s up, Bud?” he asked. She smiled, no matter what her mother said, she would always love being her father’s ‘Bud.’

“Are you proud of me?” She asked, quietly. Thomas looked at her daughter and sighed, before wrapping his arms around her shoulders, pulling her into his own hug.

“I am damn proud of you.” her father pushed her out of the hug. “But even if you didn’t get it, I would have been proud anyway. I finally have a daughter that I can relate to. I love your sisters, but we never got along the way you and I do. I knew from the first moment I held you that you were going to be something special. And now you get to prove it.”

Tom smiled and hugged her father again. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad.” She admitted, a bulge growing in her throat.

“Me, too, Bud.” He squeezed her tightly, and pushed her away. “Now, go get cleaned up.” Tom smiled at her father one more time before running up the steps taking two at a time to the bathroom. She jumped in the shower quickly and dressed herself in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a red fitted shirt, and boots that went up to the middle of her calf. She would have to get used to the color. If she passed at the Academy, she would be wearing red on her missions.

Her and her sisters took a van to a bar a little down the road from the garage. It was one that they always went to, mainly because it always had the best drinks and of course, the food was great. Emmeline, as professional as she was at her teaching job, seemed to be the one that kept refilling Tom’s drinks. Emmeline kept saying that Tom wouldn’t know when she’d be having this much fun next. Yasmin assured her it would be as soon as she arrived at The Academy. Many of the first years go out to celebrate their last night of freedom before classes began. They had been there for about an hour when a bunch of people wearing red suits came in.

“Speaking of.” Yasmin said, quietly. Tom began to recognize a few of them from the line-up that was at the garage earlier this morning.

“That’s going to be you in a few short hours, Tom.” Neoma informed. “How do you feel about giving up your life to the Federation?”

Tom snorted. “How do you feel about giving up your life for three kids under five?”

Neoma shook her head. “Those kids are my life. I’m sure you’ll find it will be the same for you when you settle down.”

“I don’t think I’m ever going to settle down, Ne.” Tom said, taking a drink from her Budweiser Classic. “I’m having too much fun. And I’m just beginning to map out my future. The way that I see it, guys are just for fun. Too many only want the one thing, and honestly, I’m okay with that.” Her sister’s shook their heads at Tom’s comment.

“Maybe daddy was right.” Yasmin thought.

“About what?” Tom asked, before finishing her beer.

Yasmin shrugged and then laughed at the thought. “Maybe you were supposed to be a boy.” Tom rolled her eyes at her sister and looked to the door, seeing a guy stroll in by himself wearing a jacket. He winked at her and she smiled back. There was no way in hell, that she was going to forget those blue eyes.