Homecoming Princess (Revised)   Part 4 By Arecee   Edited by Holly Hart & Sephrena Miller

“Miss Benson was gushing about how pretty her freshman Princess was. I almost fell asleep it was so boring. I wanted out of there! I had a piece of wood I wanted to turn on the lathe and this Princess crap was taking time away from me for doing that! I was about to leave until she announced who the pretty girl was. Do you have any idea as to who that might have been?” he asked in a tone of voice that left me shivering cold.

“Me?” I managed to get out. My throat was constricting because I knew I was in real trouble now.

“Yes.. YOU!” he looked at the poster picture and back at me again. “You know, now that I look at you and this picture, I can’t believe that I was so stupid as to believe you were a boy! You’re too damned beautiful to be one! Do you have any idea of how much trouble this school could be in, I could be in, if the parents of the students were to find out that a girl, posing as a boy on this swim team was TOPLESS at both practice and the meets?”

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My dreaming that night had been weird! I had dreamed about my life and what it was becoming. I was never a boy in any of them: I was a girl! The feeling that I experienced within them was as if I had actually been born a girl and everything I did and experienced was second nature. No longer was there the shock or weirdness to it like with my previous dreaming. It felt peaceful, and I was really participating within them. I was playing games with Mindy, and at times helping her do chores. I actually didn’t mind the work and it was fun with Mindy there to help.

What was really, really weird was that I was happy in every one of them! I felt a serenity and happiness of being complete. I radiated an inner joy and could feel my smile affecting Mindy and helping make her happy. Occasionally, a boy happened to wander in and both Mindy and me would get all giddy and begin critiquing and expressing our thoughts about how he looked, how we felt about him and such. It was perfectly normal and nothing was amiss. Except, perhaps, for the fact that I am a boy?

 

*          *          *
 
Monday morning came and Mindy had to be at school early. Miss Benson wanted a report on Lynn’s progress and whether or not he could pull off the deception.

“Good morning Mindy. Please step into my office,” she said holding the door open for Mindy.

Mindy entered and sat down beside Miss Benson’s desk.

“Well, how is Lynn doing?” Miss Benson asked as went around her desk and sat down.

Mindy could hardly conceal her excitement.

“Lynn is so much a girl! When he gets dressed it’s like he was born a girl! It’s so creepy how easy it is for him. We went to the mall and no one even gave him a second look! Except for the boys!” Mindy giggled nervously.

“Boys?” Miss Benson raised an eyebrow, “are you telling me that boys were looking at him?”

“Yes Miss Benson. That was the only thing that freaked him out.”

“I can quite imagine that it did!” she retorted, obviously thinking.

Mindy fidgeted with her hands and looked back up to Miss Benson.

“What is it child?”

“Miss Benson, are we doing the right thing with Lynn? What if something goes wrong?”

“As long as you both are careful, Lynn will be fine. The only ones that will know are just us three.”

“That’s not what I mean, Miss Benson. What if he’s different after this is all over? I worry that we might damage him.”

“Well there is that! I will have to call you and him in here together in a few days to discuss — the fallout.”

“Fallout? Miss Benson, I don’t understand?”

“Yes. Meaning after the Homecoming. Lynn isn’t just going to go around school pretending to be a girl is he?”

Mindy suddenly gleamed at what Miss Benson was saying. “He doesn’t want that.”

“Exactly. We need to discuss what we are going to have to do for Lynn after the Homecoming is over. We will need a plan and may have to bring Mrs. Collins in on it later.”

Mindy gulped realizing the implications. “It’s Ms. Collins Miss Benson. Lynn’s father left her and Lynn not too long after Lynn was born.”

Miss Benson chewed on that a minute. “Well that could explain some things then. Men! Sometimes I wonder how the human race has survived this long? Men just don’t think! Family is important and a child’s upbringing is equally as important. At least Lynn shows a lot more responsibility than his father did.”

“Oh, I almost forgot. This Wednesday is the luncheon for the Cancer society and it’s the first function Lynn has to attend. I want her to dress nicely. A skirt down to the knees, not one of those things most of you girls wear these days. I’d like her to wear a blouse and a cardigan sweater over it. She’ll need heels, but not too tall — and please make it something dressy. I’ll leave the rest of the details to you Mindy.” Miss Benson finished.

“Miss Benson? Lynn has tiny feet and my shoes are a size too large for him. Could we have a little money to buy the heels, please?” Mindy begged.

Miss Benson paused for a moment, staring at Mindy. This prank was getting out of control and expensive to boot.

“Here,” she said and handing Mindy twenty dollars. “Go some place cheap.”

“Thank you Miss Benson,” Mindy smiled as she left the principal’s office.
 

*          *          *
 
I had been getting compliments all day from various girls and boys for winning the Homecoming Princess title. In Advanced Math class, one girl in particular just had to ask me the question.

“Lynn,” Carla whispered,” You are so beautiful! Why do you… dress down like that? It doesn’t make sense to hide your beauty.”

Yikes! How do I answer that one?

I pulled my hair back over my shoulder and leaned closer to Carla. “Well… I’m not quite ready for dating. I have, well, sorta been hiding and trying to stay unnoticed. I know there is a lot involved with trying to be with someone and there is a lot of stress involved and mentally… I’m just not ready.”Ain’t that the truth! But then there’s Rex…

Carla stared at me. “Well, that takes a lot of courage to do! I actually admire your courage. Dating can be a real pain. But you don’t have to dress... well, like a boy.”

“I’m sorta doing two things at once Carla. I’m avoiding dating for now and trying to prove a point.” Come on brain! Think of something! What am I trying to prove? Hmmm.. oh yeah!

I continued, “A girl can do anything a boy can do. I figure… maybe… I might be taken more seriously, well, if I am sort of dressed like one. I do like to joke and be like one of the guys without being looked at, you know?”

Carla accepted that. “Yeah, there are times when I feel like they are looking only at my body and not at me. It’s kind of a weird feeling.”

“Uh huh. So that’s where I am. I’m not rocking the boat, I am trying not to stand out too much, well except for the Homecoming Princess contest, and I want to be treated just like any other guy.”

Carla giggled. “Wait until you meet the right boy.”

Oh no! I’m not going there! I just met a boy and I know what it’s like! Mmm hmm! I didn’t lie, I’m not ready yet. I’m not exactly telling the truth, and I’m not offering anything to expose me either. This was making me nervous. Uggh!

“Miss Realles, Miss Collins? Pay attention in class please!” Mrs. Hotchkins admonished.

My face showered in a blush. Oh God! I was embarrassed to the max!

“Yes Mrs. Hotchkins. I’m sorry,” I meekly apologized.

Carla spoke as well, “I’m sorry too Mrs. Hotchkins.”

Satisfied, Mrs. Hotchkins turned back to the chalkboard and began droning on, “Now for this quadratic equation, we have the…” I stayed quiet for the rest of math period. Math is really fun! Not!
 

*          *          *
 
It was 6^th period, last period of the day, and I was at water polo practice. I had been absent a week because of my preparing for the Homecoming Gala and the secretary at the School Office had given me an excuse slip for those dates when I had mentioned my name and the preparation for the Homecoming Gala I had been doing for Miss Benson. But now, I’m back, and looking forward to swimming and doing something I loved doing and excelled at!

I had been treading water for twenty minutes practicing my technique when Coach Wilson yelled, “COLLINS, out of the pool, NOW!”

What the fudge is this all about? I wondered as I swam towards him at the pool edge. I was one of the best swimmers on the team and yet coach seemed to be highly irritated with me to say the least!

“What’s wrong coach?” I asked innocently as lifted myself out of the water.

“In my office now,” he growled. He slapped a long beach towel at my chest.

“Cover yourself!”

I pulled the towel around my neck to let it equally hang on either side.

“No! I mean cover yourself!” Coach ordered as he grabbed the towel, opened it up and draped it over my front. “Hold that to you and get in here!”

Woah! I’m in some sort of trouble! And why do I have to cover myself? Geez!

I followed Coach Wilson to his office. Normally, he would have walked beside me, but now, I had to almost run to keep up with him.

We entered his office and he pointed at a chair.

“Sit!” he demanded.

“What’s wrong Coach?” I asked again.

He was busy writing something as he replied, “As if you didn’t know… What in the hell were you thinking Collins?”

“About what coach?” I whined. I still didn’t have a clue as to what he was so angry about.

“About this!” He waved his arm at me and then held up in front of me a poster for the Homecoming Princess contest. The one with my picture on it! Oh Snap! “What were you thinking when you joined the boy’s water polo team?”

Oh God! Now I knew what he was so pissed about! I joined because I’m a boy, but now, by coincidence and through the interference of a prank I am assumed to be a girl. If I opened my mouth to admit the truth, I’m dead. I mean, really dead! At home and at school! Gulp! I decided to be like I had been with Carla earlier with the coach and find out what he knew. Perhaps I could salvage this.

“Don’t you think I’m a boy, coach?”

“You want the truth?” he shouted incredulously. This was not going to go well.

“Yes please.” I meekly answered.

“I did at first. Your records list you as a male too! I’m taking that issue up with Miss Benson to get it fixed. I don’t know whether it’s a glitch or if you had something to do with getting it changed to show that you were a boy, but you are off this team!”

My lip quivered as water started to blur my eyes.

“What kind of girl would show up here with her breasts exposed? Huh? Would you explain that to me Miss Collins? Would you?”

I was speechless. He fully thought I was a girl trying masquerade as a boy! Just like Mr. Copeland!

“I noticed that you were lacking in the package department though and were built a little too effeminately, but I thought ‘What the heck? He’s a freshman. Puberty will take care of that!’ Even the other boys on the team mentioned to me that they thought you were a girl and I had the gall to shove it off as teasing. I don’t follow all of the stupid girl, boy bullshit that goes on around here in school. I teach my wood shop and I coach water polo. I keep to myself because I don’t want to get involved in that crap! Well, do you know what happened this morning at the teachers meeting?”

I shook my head.

“Miss Benson was gushing about how pretty her freshman Princess was. I almost fell asleep it was so boring. I wanted out of there! I had a piece of wood I wanted to turn on the lathe and this Princess crap was taking time away from me for doing that! I was about to leave until she announced who the pretty girl was. Do you have any idea as to who that might have been?” he asked in a tone of voice that left me shivering cold.

“Me?” I managed to get out. My throat was constricting because I knew I was in real trouble now.

“Yes.. YOU!” he looked at the poster picture and back at me again. “You know, now that I look at you and this picture, I can’t believe that I was so stupid as to believe you were a boy! You’re too damned beautiful to be one! Do you have any idea of how much trouble this school could be in, I could be in, if the parents of the students were to find out that a girl, posing as a boy on this swim team was TOPLESS at both practice and the meets?”

I gulped again. Oh my god! Oh my god! No! I do know! I managed to peep out a, “No sir.”

“Before I tell you, I want to know why you did this thing?”

I was sunk! My life was absolutely over! I had to explain my behavior as to why me, a girl was on the boy’s team. I could just pull down my speedo and show him why, but that would be just as bad with Miss Benson and my being the freshman Homecoming Princess. I finally had an idea to explain myself, thanks to Carla earlier.

“Mr. Wilson, coach, I know this is going to sound really stupid, but it all started at the first of the year. As you and every other person on the team have seen, I haven’t started to develop breasts yet. My mother is like me and is, well, flat up here,” I pointed at my chest. “Anyway, I noticed my records this year said that I was a male and I wanted to do something worthwhile in my life and compete against boys. Swimming against girls is too easy for me - I wanted real competition! Haven't you ever noticed I never showered with the other boys? Huh? I never was in the locker room! If I was, they would have discovered I was a girl! I’m very good at swimming and I wanted to stand out and win the competitions for this school and prove to myself and everyone else that I can compete equally along with the boys! I promise no one will find out about me!”

The Coach stared at me. He was silent. What? He wasn't believing me?

“Pleeeeaassse! Can’t I please stay on the team?” I groveled in my most sincere girl’s voice, tears streaming down my face. “Please coach… please…”

I was really laying it on him! If coach didn’t believe me… I was finished! I could see it all now: me, Lynn Collins, 14 years old, in a jail cell with other older men who committed really bad crimes. “I’m here because I killed 6 people!”one would say. “I robbed a bank and spent most of the money I stole!” And then, me. “I’m in here for posing as a girl, topless at my school on the swim team, and winning the Homecoming Princess elections for the freshman class.”

I cried.

“Look Collins. I know you’re a great swimmer, but what you did was inexcusable! Going topless here in school will get you expelled! Probably from the entire school district! Then there are the lawsuits this school is going to face, not to mention people losing their jobs: namely myself for not having spotted you at the beginning and preventing this!, but school administration as well! We will all be fired! It’s going to be bad enough when the boys start tittering about you having showed your boobs and then having to explain that to the girls. Miss Benson is going to have to deal with this and we are going to have to somehow explain this away before the School Board finds out. ‘Why on earth would she do that?’ they’ll wonder. No, Collins. I don’t want any more of this scandal. You are off this team,” Coach stated with a finality that left nothing to the imagination.

I loved being on the team! And now that was gone! I just sobbed as he phoned the School Office.

I had just noticed that he had finished talking because he was holding a hall pass he had written.

“Miss Benson wants to see you in her office now. Go collect your things and go see her.”

I stood up, took the hall pass he handed me, and ran from his office, tears running freely down my face. To make things worse, I was clutching my towel to cover my chest as I ran off!

I grabbed my gym bag and headed to the custodian room that I always changed in. I had found that it had been kept unlocked during most of the day and that I could lock it from the inside to change. I wouldn’t need to use it anymore after this.

My hair was not combed, wet at the edges, and hanging unkempt. I looked a fright as I slowly trudged down the hallway towards the office in a state of disbelief and scared out of my wits. My days of pranking are over! This just was not worth it!
 

*          *          *
 
Mindy didn’t see me at our usual meeting spot as school let out, so she went back inside towards the office. There, she saw me coming out: clothes wrinkled, hair a disaster, and what drew her attention the most was that I had been crying and reddened face.

“Lynn? What on earth happened?” a very concerned Mindy asked as she wrapped her arms around me.

I just couldn’t talk at that moment. I was too upset and my throat didn’t work right. I motioned for Mindy to just drop it so we could ride the bus to her house. I was still in shock from what had happened in the School Office.

I leaned against Mindy and she held me as we rode the bus in the back seat. Several girls talked in the drone that was the after-school buzz on the bus. I know I saw a couple of girls looked back towards us and then went back to what they were doing. I didn’t care! I was hurt and exhausted. Mindy sat on the aisle side of our seat, so I had her as somewhat of a pillow to lay against. I was so tired...
 

*          *          *
 
Mindy stirred me from my slumber. “Come on Lynn, we’re here at my house. I’ll carry your pack for you. Come on sleepyhead.”

I followed Mindy down the aisle of the bus and stepped off behind her.

“Now tell me girl, what happened back there?” Mindy grilled me as the bus pulled away.

I started to relate what happened that day from the coach to Miss Benson. By the time we were upstairs in her bedroom, Mindy’s jaw dropped open.

“You WHAT?” Mindy couldn’t believe her ears.

“Yeah. I sort of had to go along with it Min. I had no choice! This thing is way too big to admit to now. And I and everyone else will be in huge trouble if I don’t do this!”

Mindy had a hard time believing I had agreed to go along with the only solution Miss Benson could come up with to minimize the damage that was now starting to occur from our prank. I had to attend school as a girl at least up until Christmas break. That meant I had to dress more like Mindy and not in my usual boy clothes! Miss Benson had suggested that I should have my sex changed to female on all the school paperwork for now and was very nervous about doing that too. She repeatedly questioned me if this was what I had wanted to do rather than just to stop this and confess to everyone about the prank. I admitted that her idea was better than telling the truth at this point. I was too scared. People’s livelihoods were at stake because of Mindy's and mine's prank and even more would be at stake if I did not go along with it.

The worst part though was my mother. Miss Benson said she would have to speak with her before she would change the records and that it had to be soon! Meaning in a week soon. She said she would wait until after the Homecoming Gala and the Homecoming appearance at the football game. She did not want a scandal and also saw how hurt I was by all of this and knew that the solution was also going to be part of my punishment because, one way or another, my mother was going to find out.
 

*          *          *
 
“So like what are you going to do when your mother finds out? What is at Christmas break?”

I hung my head in shame. “Miss Benson says that I can transfer to another school further away if I like and the records can be fixed so that I can attend as a boy again there. But unless I admit to the prank now, and tarnish the school’s image, and getting both of us expelled, and Miss Benson in even bigger trouble, I have to attend school as a girl to keep up with people’s misconception of me as already being a girl.”

Yep. My three weeks as a girl has now been extended to half a school year at a minimum. *groan*

“Miss Benson has worked out a deal with the coach to quiet the rumors of my having been on the water polo meet. She hasn’t said what yet, but that she would try to make it happen. My schedule has been changed too. In place of the water polo meet, I have home economics. I have to see Ms. Peters about making up all of the missed homework tomorrow too.”

“I’m just scared of my mother Min. Really scared. She had all these hopes for me and I don’t want to let her down, you know? My father let both her and me down big time. I don’t want to do the same to her! I want her proud of me.”

I lay there staring at the ceiling wondering what I was going to do…

“You know what Mindy? I have to change and change now. No more pranks. No more joking - from either of us. I’m in enough hot water as it is now. The best thing I can do is to sink into my role and accept fate.”

Mindy smirked, “Lynn, you create your own fate. Don’t just accept it! I got you into this just as much as Mr. Copeland did. I’m going to stick with you through it. You’re my girlfriend and we stick together.”

Inwardly, I groaned. Yeah, I guess we are girlfriends.

“Would it do any good to mention that perhaps there is some small part of my body that is male?”

Mindy quipped, “Nope. You used up all of those excuses over this past week. I accept that you are a boy outwardly Lynn Collins, but inside, you pull off being a girl better than most of us real girls are. You actually almost feel like one.”

“Thanks a lot, Mindy,” I said sarcastically. “This prank has turned from bad to worse and now it’s taken everything I have and I don’t want to be reminded of that.”

I then lay backwards down on her bed and rolled away from her to face the wall. I began pondering and visualizing my life as it was going to be. Ok, I’m a girl. I know it. I admit it. I have to expose it at school and hide it at home. And yet, I can’t tell anyone that I really want to be one, especially Mindy or my Mom. This was really messed up!

“Look,” Mindy tugged my arm, trying to get me to roll back over and face her. I resisted. “All that I am saying is that you are a very special boy with a talent. Ok? I don’t think any less of you, in fact, I actually envy you! You are my very best friend! What makes you different from my other friends is that you are open and honest with me. Maybe both of us hide things from others, but never between us. I promise you, I will be there for you.”

She was there for me alright. She got me into this, but, it was kind of ok in a way. It’s all because I like the person I discovered that I was supposed to be. This! A girl. And I was finding that the girl that I wanted to be was not the way that I had behaved in the past. The girl that I wanted to be was a sweet, adorable girl that could be counted on. One whom was trustworthy. One whom was reliable. And one whom was wanted for who she was. I also… wanted to be loved. I wanted everyone to love me and treat me like a person.

In a sense, what I had used as excuse earlier throughout the day was based in fact. I was trying to prove something to myself all of my life. I felt uncomfortable being a boy. I recognize that fact now. It’s why I began pranking… it was all because I didn’t know what else to do to cope with this terrible feeling of not being right. When Mindy and this Homecoming Princess prank started, it opened up the door that had been shut to me my entire life. I had finally found myself. Oh, I was terrified at first, but I couldn’t pull away! I was drawn through that doorway by an exuberant feeling, a calling, and I had no control over it. And the more I was forcibly exposed to posing as a girl, the more I found that this was truly me.

First that dream and then Rex crystallized me into accepting myself. I loved me! For the first time in my life, I loved being me and being alive! I’m very ashamed to admit to anyone right now that I’m a girl. I’d lose Mindy for starters, then, my Mom. Mom, the person I loved the most and most wanted to impress — I was scared. I’m already in enough trouble and when she finds out next Monday, I’m a goner. I mean, yeah, she has had to put up with a lot of the nonsense from me. I know it. I was trying to find my way in this life.

But how in the world was she going to put up with my wanting to be a girl?

Mom had to put up with a lot hard times after dad left us. She struggled hard and made a home life for both me and her. And yet, did I help her like I am feeling now that I should have? No. I hadn’t. I feel really awful for having put that extra burden on her. I acted up, I skipped chores, I had made life harder for Mom all the way around. And yet, I find myself loving her even that much more for having had to put up with the boy Lynn, the Lynn that was a real jerk.

I didn’t see it then, but my eyes are open now - open as I realized my life was about to end. Once she finds out about the trouble I’m in next week, I won’t have to worry about wanting to be a girl. I’ll be worrying about trying to find a new place to live! I was a real disappointment to her. She certainly wasn’t going to love me anymore. She was going to kick me out! I felt like a total failure.

“Lynn Collins!” I rolled my head over and saw that Mindy was leaning over me looking at me. “Have you been listening to what I said?”

Warm water was trickling down my cheeks and I felt awful sick. I didn’t feel like talking either. I shook my head slightly and lay my head back down and started trying to hold back the urge to hiccup as I tried to keep from crying again.

I felt movement behind me, and then a warm body press up against my back. Arms encircled my waist and I felt a head with a lot of hair rest on my neck and shoulder. Fingers from that arm finally found mine and grasped them in a gentle squeeze.

“I’m so sorry Lynn. Please… forgive me?”

I wasn’t the emotional type when I had been Lynn the boy, but geez! Ever since finding my true self, I haven’t been able to stop being emotional. In a way, I think, I was making up for all the lost time of being me. Girl’s are emotional and sometimes cry for the silliest of reasons. Well, I had many reasons to cry, and none of them were silly!

I quietly sobbed and felt Mindy’s grasp on my hand squeeze several times and she rubbed her head against my neck telling me that things were going to be ok. I don’t know how long we had lain there. My sniffles were slowing down and I felt a depressive calm saturate me. Mindy then softly spoke.

“Let’s figure this out Lynn. Miss Benson said you had dress more proper as a girl until Christmas break right? Well, you can change over here before we go to school. Leave your house earlier and come over here. I’ll leave the garage side door open for you each night so you can enter in the morning to change.”

I was listening.

“You know that cabinet in the corner beside my father’s workbench?”

I nodded.

“It has a hanging rod in it already for hanging clothes. My father doesn’t use it and has a few boxes of things inside it but enough room to hang a change of clothes on for you. Just fold your boy clothes up and place them inside your gym bag and leave it laying on end sideways. I’ll leave an empty box you can place inside to hide your bag behind when you are done.”

That seemed totally doable. “Ok.” I squeaked through a dry throat.

Mindy then clasped my hands, both of them, inside of hers. “As for your Mother next week, try not to worry too much about it Ok? For one thing, we can do nothing at all about it. And secondly, we do not know for sure just how she is going to react. I think I know your Mother some, and I think that yes, she will be very angry. But I believe that she will try to reason things out. She seems to be a lot more reasonable than my Mom at times.”

Umm yeaah… But I happen to live with my Mom, and I just know she is going to blow her stack!

“And Lynn, I’m going to be there with you at your meeting. I’m in this together with you. I’ll explain to your Mother what I did and accept whatever punishment she sees fit for me too.”

Birds of a feather… they do what? Ummmmm…. Snap! Flock together! Yeah.

“What about us studying together?” I asked rather defeatedly.

“That hasn’t changed Lynn. Well, ok. It has somewhat. We’ll grab your clothes from the garage when we get home from school and you change here. My parents aren’t back from their work until about 5 pm. That way you can be here and leave here as Lynn.”

Hmm. I guess so.

“Can you help me with my Home Ec homework too? I have a lot of catching up to do and I’m not exactly known for being house smart.”

“Sure thing. It’s no harder than what I have been showing you about being a girl already.”

Mindy pulled her arms out from around me and propped herself up on the bed with her elbow. “Oh, Lynn, this Wednesday there is that Cancer benefit luncheon. I have the clothes for you that Miss Benson wants you to wear, but you’ll have to buy another pair of heels. A dressier set.”

“Mindy,” I said sounding on the verge of giving up, “I don’t have any more money.” And that was so true! I had already spent what little I had the other day, and now she wanted me to buy heels?

“Miss Benson gave me twenty dollars for you to spend.”

I blinked. “She did?”

“Yes. I think she’s starting to feel guilty about all of this.”

“Well she left me with a rather dismal view of my immediate future before I left school,” I let out as I rolled over and leaned on my elbow facing her. “Can we find something inexpensive?”

“I like the way you said that.” Mindy grinned. “Miss Benson said cheap, but my girl creation said inexpensive. You’re learning. Nothing’s cheap when it comes to girl’s clothing. I saw the perfect shoes for you at Cathy Jeans, and they’re on sale! You’ll also have to buy another bra because the one you bought over the weekend won’t just work with the blouse and sweater.”

“How will I get the money for that?”

“Don’t worry girlfriend. I’m going to buy a couple of bras for you. It’s the least that I can do for my best friend. Especially after how I got you into this.”

Mindy was genuinely upset and really felt bad for the situation I’m in. I could hear it in her voice and the fact she was going to dip out of her savings for me to help me through this showed she cared a lot for me.

Mindy held out her hand towards me and curled her pinky some. I held my hand out closer to hers and then she slid her pinky around mine and shook.

“Friends forever?” she questioned. Her look was one of true concern and asking forgiveness. Well, I can’t stay mad at Mindy.

“Friends forever,” I confirmed, really meaning it.
 

*          *          *
 
After calling Mindy’s mother and getting her permission to go to the mall, we fixed me up as a girl and rode the bus and made it there in short time. I was somewhat disappointed that we didn’t go back to Victoria’s Secret (I truly liked a lot of the clothing in there, even if it was geared more for adult women), but I did find a really cute bra style at Target. It was lacy and, well, I just loved it! The best thing too was that it was on sale and cost a lot less than the other place! I wasn’t gonna cause Mindy to spend a whole lot on me.

The next store we visited was Cathy Jeans. Mindy was right, the pumps were really cute. I started noticing things about shoes that I never thought I would when I had been a boy. I saw little things like how low the sides were and whether or not my toes showed. An ankle strap just added to the sexiness of the shoe. And I found myself gauging how well the color and style of the shoe would go with the clothing we had already gotten for me. It was like an inner fashion sense thing. I seemed to already have it. Maybe it was always with me and I just have never used it? Or did I really use it to fashion my grunge look?

Before we realized it, it was getting late and I had to change before Mom got home. We rode back to the stop by Mindy’s house, I went with her inside and changed back into my boy clothes. Afterwards, I saw I was cutting time really close to when Mom would be back from work, so I dashed off back home.
 

*          *          *
 
I was in the bathroom starting to remove my makeup. Yep! My own makeup. Mine, not Mindy’s. I might have spent a lot more money than I wanted, but at least this was mine! I heard the sound of a key turning in the door lock of the front door and wondered who it was? Mom wasn’t supposed to be home for another half hour!

“Hi honey! I’m home,” my mother shouted.

Fudge! I just hurriedly started taking everything off. God please make the water magical and take this makeup off! But to no avail. I scrubbed and washed as panic set in.

“Honey, where are you?” Mom asked.

“I’m in the bathroom Mom,” I squealed more in my girl’s voice.

“Are you okay?” Mom asked, wondering just what I was up to in there as she set her handbag on the table.

“Ummm I’m fine Mom. How was your day?”

Oh no! What was I thinking? I never asked my Mother how her day was! To make things worse, I was talking like the girl I was trying to wash away. And I couldn’t seem to get my voice pitch back down either!

“It went well sweetheart,” She replied, more curious than ever as to what was going on with me. She walked down the hallway to the bathroom door and paused there. “Why all of a sudden an interest in my day?”

“I was thinking about things today and I realized that I haven’t, well, been quite the son you may have wanted.” I blurted out, all the while trying to remember how to remove this stuff. Think Lynn, think! Then I remembered. Mindy had put cold cream in my backpack and told me to use it, or my face would turn into a street art expo. I opened the jar and started slathering the cold white stuff all over my face. Brrrr! This stuff really is cold! Even at room temperature!

“I want to change how I have been Mother. I’m going to start helping you around here more.”

YES!~ I love you Mindy! It's covering it up! Oops! Stash that makeup kit underneath the clean towels inside the towel closet behind me! There! Slather more of this cream on to hide the makeup!

“And I did listen to what you said last night about no more pranking. I don’t think it’s my style anymore. I know I haven’t been the best son, Mother. And I want to change that.” My very sexy eyes disappeared, as did the rest of my face. Now all I had to do was to face Mom.

I felt a tapping on my shoulder.

“Ummm Hi Mom,” I tried to smile through the goop on my face as I turned to face her. Yikes! I didn’t even hear her open the door!

“Hi honey!” She sort of fake smiled. I knew those gears up inside her head were whirring on overtime! “What on earth are you doing?”

My brain sort of froze up and I was at a loss for words. Well, I have been at a loss for words for just about everything today. So, I did what you do when all else fails…

“I love you Mother.”

Mom, not quite believing what she was seeing and hearing, calmly replied, “I love you too sweetheart. But what is this you are doing?”

“Mother, I am trying to scrub my face and cleanse it. Mindy said that I should start doing it because as I mature, my face will get oily and I might get bumps.”

My mother looked at me with a critical eye. What was I going to say? Gee Mom, I was removing my makeup?

“Honey, why are using cold cream then?” she asked. Good Question! Can I get back to you on that one Mom? No? Okay. Well, it did make my face feel softer, so…

“I am using this to soften my skin after the scrub.” My hand found and lifted up the little green scrubby pad from the bathroom sink to show Mom.

Mom just stifled a giggle and took the pad from me. “Oh Lynn! That will tear your face up if you use it. If you want a facial cleanser and some pads, we’ll go shopping and get you some and a facial moisturizer too. Cold cream is for removing makeup, not used as a facial moisturizer — well not normally. It’s a little more expensive and wasteful to use for that.”

Mom put it back and faced me again. “And what’s wrong with your voice dear? It sounds different, a little higher perhaps?”

Well, when Mother wants to know something and finds out, she just piles on the questions. I just knew that she suspected something from everything she was finding out, but I had to play this off. I hated to mislead her, especially since I was being truthful about changing myself. *sigh* I hate doing this! I really do! Here goes…

“It is? I didn’t really notice it,” I offered. Well, I didn’t notice it that much, I had, like, a ton of other things I’m worrying about at this exact moment! “Is it normal for it to be doing this?”

“No sweety, it shouldn’t. But you have been acting way out of the ordinary for the past few weeks. Maybe I should take you to the doctor for a checkup?”

Hmmm. Maybe. All this stress was sure not healthy for me.

“If you think so Mom. I’m not against it.” Mom chewed on that statement for a minute.

“Go ahead and wash that stuff off and I could use your help in fixing dinner,” she said in a more cheerful tone. “We’ll go to the store after dinner, Ok?”

I grinned. “Thanks Mom. Can you show me how to do it too?”

“Sure. I’d rather show you the right way than have you mess your looks up by doing it the wrong way with the wrong items.”

Mom left me to finish washing off makeup disaster hidden beneath a white frosting of cold cream.
 

*          *          *
 
After making sure every last speck of makeup was off and slipping my makeup case back into its hiding spot inside my room, I entered the kitchen to find my mother busy beside the sink cutting some vegetables on a cutting board. I didn’t know what possessed me to do it, but what I did next surprised even me! I just leaned forward and hugged my Mother from behind. She was warm, I felt her heart beating, and I felt safe!

My Mom just relaxed and seemingly enjoyed that moment.

I heard her comment, “Are you sure you’re my son?”

‘Well, actually Mother… I’m your daughter. I’m disguised as your son for the time being until I can get out of this mess.’ Sounds about right?

“Yes Mother. I’m your son.”

I heard her chuckle. “You’re not a clone some space aliens had left behind after they kidnapped my real child are you?”

Where did that come from? Was I really that bad before? Now I feel even worse.

“Oh Mom! I know I haven’t been a good son before, but I’m going to try and become the best for you now.”

I knew I was putting Mom on the defensive with that remark, but hey! A girl has to do what a girl has to do!

“I’m sorry honey!” Mom turned around and hugged me back in return. “I’m just not used to you being a wonderful human being.”

“Well Mom, I think it’s time for a change. And I’m committed to doing just that.” Oh boy was I committed! Really! I was! “So, umm, how did your day go?”

Mom’s smile broadened even more. “It went great. I got buyers for two houses. How did yours go?”

“Really good. Mindy and I went to the mall and found some things for Homecoming this weekend.”

“Are you going to it with her?”

“I guess that’s pretty obvious. After all, she is my best friend.”

“I’m glad you do have someone to go with dear. She seems to have a pretty positive influence on you now.”

“She always has been Mother. She is someone I can always count on.”

“I don’t know Lynn, she talked you into curling your ponytail.”

“Oh Mother! She was goofing around. Nothing was meant by it.”

“If she has changed and you have changed, then maybe my prayers are being answered.”

“I think we have changed Mom,” I said and gave her a hug.

“That’s what I’m talking about. You never used to hug me and now twice in one night? I think Mindy has cast a spell on my little boy,” she giggled.

“I hope you like it.”

“Are you serious? I love it.” Mom then moved to one side more and motioned me to the sink. “Wash your hands and let’s start on dinner.”

“Super!”
 

*          *          *
 
Later that evening, after eating, running to local pharmacy and picking up the facial items I needed and Mom picking a few things out for herself, we came back home and she proceeded to teach me how to do my face the right way. Soon afterwards, Rex called. We gabbed for about an hour on the phone in my room and I felt a little more relaxed from having talked to him. I slipped right back into being a pure girl when I heard his voice and, for that brief time, I had felt really good. Notice the words here: Pure Girl. There is no boy left inside here.

I was now laying on my bed, thinking.

I thought about how nice it had been tonight talking to Mom. Why had I never taken the time before to do this and get to know my mother better? I didn’t have to become a girl to do that. But, becoming a girl is that what I really wanted and was my sole mission in life now. My time as Lynn the girl had been without a doubt the best time of my life. Why couldn’t Lynn the boy be just as popular? I’m a nice person now and most of the kids like me. Do I really have any other friends than Mindy though? Not really. As Lynn the boy, the other students tolerated me, but I was ignored most of the time. Lynn the girl is something else. She’s pretty and popular. What a lifestyle change huh?

The other boys have started shaving and their voices sound silly as they crack when they speak. Mine still sounds like a girl when I speak, even when I don’t try to make it feminine sounding. And shaving? Yes, I do shave, but only my legs and underarms. What was Mom going to think about that? Would she buy me my own ladies razor?

I love being a girl and having a boyfriend like Rex, but it all seems so perverted somehow. I still have my memories of my father and how proud he was when we would play ball with my Little Tikes ball game. Those were memories I just couldn’t shove aside. I’m quite certain, from remembering the type of man my father was, that he would have beaten me, or worse, if he were to have seen me dressed as a girl, let alone being the homecoming princess. I felt guilty for loving the femininity I was being immersed in. I felt even worse for how easy it has been for me to be 100% girl. I want to be her, be myself, so badly, and yet I can’t. Not yet!!!

And then there was today. The loss of being on the swim team, my having to now attend school as a girl, the upcoming Homecoming functions, and then the ultimate — the conference Miss Benson wanted with Mom next week! I just know I’m going to die! I felt my eyes fill with tears again as I drifted off to sleep.

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To Be Continued...