A young boy realizes that a terrible mistake has been made. He despises sports and other masculine pursuits.

Can he convince his parents to help him right the mistake?

I always hated being short; I’m eleven years old but I’m short for my age; actually, I’m short for several years younger than my age! When we play basketball in gym class, some of the guys like to joke around by lifting me up to make a shot. I laugh and pretend that it doesn’t bother me but when I got home, I used to run to my room and cry. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t seem to fit in with the other boys.

It wasn’t too bad that I couldn’t fit in at sports since I really don’t have any interest in chasing balls around. I don’t care if it’s a baseball, basketball, football, or any other kind of ball, I didn’t give a rat’s backside about it. Why would anyone want to smack a ball and make other’s chase it or see if they could toss it though a metal ring hanging so high that even when other guys lifted me, I had to throw the ball up instead of just dropping it into the basket?

The girls at school didn’t have to do stupid stuff like that; they got to do fun things like gymnastics and cheerleading. Sometimes they even got to do cool things like learning how to Square-dance or Ballroom Dancing. No one even bothered to ask me if I’d rather take Square-dance lessons instead of chasing a ball around a hot field on a sunny day.

Mom knew how I felt and kept telling me that I’d start growing any day and then I’d be more interested in sports, but the days passed and I was still short and still thought that sports were boring. Dad told me that I should try to find something that interested me and that I might be good at. I couldn’t tell him that being a Cheerleader seemed like fun or that taking girl’s gymnastics would’ve made me happier than a pig in a mud puddle.

Gymnastics’ classes at my school were different for girls than for boys; the girls learned to tumble, to do handstands, and learning to walk on a balance beam. Guy’s gymnastics meant pulling yourself up while you held onto two rings suspended from cables in the ceiling, or other things that meant you had to have a bundle of muscles that I just don’t have or even want. I was fascinated by things that required gracefulness and coordination like the girls got to do.

One afternoon I was watching a rerun of a silly show called “You Can’t Do That On Television” and for some goofy reason the guys all got dressed like girls! It seemed crazy at first but the longer I watched, the more I liked seeing guys about my age wearing dresses! The taller guys looked strange but the shorter ones who were probably a little taller than me, looked pretty realistic, even with short hair.

I thought about that show a lot. I probably thought about it way too much. A couple of weeks later, when mom and dad were grocery shopping, I snuck into their room and looked around in mom’s closet and underwear drawers. I grabbed an old dress she didn’t wear anymore, a slip, underwear, and a bra then ran back to my room, afraid that they might come home unexpectedly and catch me. I locked my door and sat down on my bed to catch my breath while checking out the clothes.

I know it was a stupid thing to do but I couldn’t help myself; I just had to put on those clothes!

I was a nervous wreck as I pulled my shirt over my head, and then stepped out of my pants and underwear, and pulled on mom’s underwear. Since they were so big on me I ran back to her room, clutching them to keep them up, grabbed a couple of safety pins, and ran back to my room again. As I re-locked my door I felt a strange rush; it was so exciting to run around in mom’s underwear and risk getting caught!

With my new underwear pinned to make them fit I put on my first bra. No matter how hard I tried though, I couldn’t get the stupid thing hooked up while I was wearing it; I ended up taking it off, hooking it together, and then pulling it on over my head. That seemed like a lot of work but I couldn’t exactly ask mom to show me the right way to hook up a bra.

I managed to get the slip and dress on but had to run to mom’s room again to get more pins since even mom was taller than me and the slip was way too long and stuck out from the bottom of the dress. I carefully unlocked my door and listened to see if my parents had gotten home yet. When I thought it was safe, I ran to mom’s dresser and grabbed a fistful of safety pins so I wouldn’t have to make another trip. I was ready to run back again but since no one was home, I walked back real slowly so I could enjoy the feeling of being scared to death a little longer!

Once I got everything pinned up, I decided to go back to mom’s room to see how I looked in her full-length mirror. It felt so scary to walk down the hall to my parent’s room; I took my time and it was sort of like watching a scary movie when you know the monster can’t possibly get to you. I hoped they’d take their time shopping; maybe I could go downstairs for a while or maybe even open the front door and get the mail?

When I looked in the mirror, I saw what looked like a shorthaired little girl playing dress-up in her mom’s clothes. The dress was too big; the straps of her bra and slip were showing and a little bit of her slip stuck out from the bottom of her dress. She didn’t seem to care though, she just kept laughing and twirling and having the time of her life!

For once, the world seemed right to me. I was a girl who could learn to dance, or lead cheers at a football game, or twirl a baton in a parade. Instead of getting smashed by a guy twice my size simply because I had a football in my hands, I was on the sidelines in a cheerleader’s uniform, getting the crowd all worked up for guys who enjoyed getting knocked down for no good reason.

I spent almost ten minutes pretending I was a grown lady getting ready to go on a date; I even put on some of mom’s lipstick, a pair of her high heels, and brushed my hair to make bangs like I saw on girls at school. When I was done, I slowly walked back to my bathroom and wiped the lipstick off. I locked my door and then spent the rest of the time watching TV until my parent’s got back.

As soon as I heard their car in the driveway, I peeled off the dress and hid it in the back of my closet. I hid the panties and the slip under my mattress so I could get to them without digging through my closet and making a racket. I put my old clothes back on, and went to help unload groceries, scared that somehow my parents would know that I had tried on mom’s clothes.

I was so worried that I promised myself that I’d never do anything that stupid again yet the very next Saturday I was wearing the bra, slip, and panties (I saw an ad for ladies underwear and that’s what they called them), and digging the dress out of my closet as soon as my parent’s car left the driveway.

This time, I pinned the slip up a little bit more and pushed the straps as far under the dress as I could without having them fall down my arms. When I was all dressed, I calmly walked over to mom’s room and put on a pair of her heels, and some lipstick. I really, really, wanted to spray on some perfume but I was afraid that mom and dad would smell it when they came home; I know I can smell it on mom long after she comes home from work.

Mom and dad had told me that they had a lot of shopping to do, groceries and stuff from a home improvement store, so I knew I’d have lots of time to play dress-up. I tried on a bunch of mom’s stuff; a couple of dresses, some skirts, a few of her nightgowns, and just about all of her lingerie (another word I learned from a newspaper advertisement).

I wished that I had some pretty clothes that fit me but still it was so cool to dress up in mom’s stuff. I was having a great time trying on different things and even got to use more of mom’s makeup. I remembered how mom would sometimes use different colored lipstick with different clothes so whenever I changed into a different dress; I changed the color of lipstick I wore too. It was totally great to be able to put on a pink blouse and then find lipstick that looked good with it; normally I’d just throw on jeans, a jersey, and comb my hair, which seemed like so boring after raiding mom’s closet.

Of course, by the time mom and dad got back I was in my jeans and jersey, my hair combed and mom’s clothes put away except for the dress in my closet and the lingerie (I like the sound of that word, it’s way nicer than saying “Underwear”.) under my mattress. Sure, I worried that they’d be able to just look at me and know what I’d been doing but you know what, that just made it more fun!

After a couple of times I realized that not only had I found a new way to have fun when no one was home but that it was so much fun that I couldn’t stop. I might be able to go for a couple of weeks without dressing up in mom’s stuff but suddenly I would just have to wear something, even if it was my favorite pair of panties from under my mattress.

I’d take my shower and get ready for bed but as soon as mom and dad thought that I had gone to sleep, I’d quickly slip out of my underwear and into my panties. I got stabbed by the safety pin once or twice when I’d roll over but it was worth it to wear such pretty panties!

I even wore my panties to school a couple of times when I didn’t have gym; it was so scary in fun sort of way to think that someone might see the funny looking waistband peeking out from my pants. I’m sure that if anyone ever found out that I was wearing panties they’d call me all kinds of names and make fun of me but it didn’t matter; somehow, I just had to wear them.

After I’d been playing dress-up for a couple of weeks I started looking at girls and wondering what they were wearing. A lot of guys would see a girl and say things like “I’ll bet she’s not wearing any underwear,” or “She’s wearing a thong,” but I’d wonder how the blouse a girl was wearing would look and feel if I wore it or what it would be like to wear a skirt and stockings to school like the girls did for special occasions like class picture day..

One Saturday I was playing dress-up again and I thought about wearing stockings. I found a pair in mom’s drawer that looked like long underwear so I sat down on her bed and carefully pulled them on.

“Wow, they sure feel nice,” I thought when I rubbed my legs together. I put on one of mom’s prettiest slips, a blue dress with gold buttons and a pair of blue heels that she always wore with that dress. When I was all dressed, I sat down at mom’s vanity just like she always did and put on lipstick, makeup, and eye-shadow.

I didn’t really know what I was doing when it came to putting on makeup and so it never worked out right but I still enjoyed doing it. It made me feel more like a grown up lady instead of a little girl.

Something seemed to change in me when I played dress-up; I sort of like started to think of myself as a girl. Not as an eleven year old girl though but more like a little girl, maybe about seven or eight years old. I’d put on mommy’s pretty clothes and shoes, lipstick and makeup, and I’d pretend that I was mommy making dinner for daddy or cleaning the house. Nothing was as much fun to me as pretending to be a little girl playing dress-up.

One day when I was walking home after school I saw that a Goodwill box that I always passed was overflowing and someone had left bags of clothes on the sidewalk next to it. At first I couldn’t tell what was in the bags except that they were in lots of pretty colors. I looked all around to make sure no one saw me, and then slowly walked close enough to the collection box and the bags.

After walking past it a couple of times to make sure it was safe, I quickly opened a bag and saw that it was filled with girl’s clothes! Not just girl’s clothes, but stuff for a little girl; maybe about the same size as me. I looked around pretty carefully cause I didn’t want anyone to see me rooting through a bunch of girl’s stuff. When I was sure it was okay, I pulled some stuff out.

There were a couple of dresses, two slips, different colored panties with the days of the week on them, some socks with lace cuffs, two pairs of shoes, and even a majorette costume. Finding all of this was just about as good as getting an A for a surprise test in History class! I wasn’t sure any of the stuff would fit, but mom and dad wouldn’t be home before me and if I didn’t grab it now there might not be another chance. I grabbed the bag and ran home as fast as I could.

Once in my room, I locked the door and dumped the bag out on my bed with one hand while I was pulling off my clothes with the other hand. My heart was pounding and my little friend was getting very excited as I chose the Thursday panties and stepped into them.

I got them all the way up and couldn’t believe it — they were a perfect fit! They felt so nice and silky, just like mom’s panties, and they fit perfectly! Well, almost perfectly; there was a bulge in the front that just wouldn’t go away.

The slip came next; it was silky and looked so pretty with just a little bit of lace at the top and bottom. It wasn’t anywhere near as long as mom’s and didn’t peek out from the bottom of the green and yellow plaid dress I decided to wear. I smoothed the back of my dress as I sat down to put on my new shoes and socks; I don’t know why I did it but all the girls at school did it when they wore dresses, so since I was a girl I had to do it too. I picked a pair of yellow socks with a band of lace around them, pulled them up and turned the top down to show off the lace then stepped into a pair of shiny white shoes that buckled across the top of my foot. I didn’t have a whole lot of time before mom and dad would get home but I just had to run over to their room and see how I looked.

My new clothes looked so much nicer than mom’s clothes; I wasn’t a little boy playing dress-up in mom’s clothes anymore, I felt like a real little girl! I twirled and twirled, loving the way my dress would flare out and show off my pretty slip. If I twirled fast enough, I could even see my panties!

I heard my parent’s car in the driveway so I hurried back to my room to change and carefully hide everything so no one could find my new clothes. It feels so nice to know that I have my very own dresses and stuff; when I want to look pretty I don’t have to borrow mom’s clothe, I can wear my own. I left my new panties on, they felt so nice and I didn’t have to worry about getting stuck by pins, changed back into my boy clothes and started my homework.

Of course I dressed up every single chance I had; including wearing panties to school when I wouldn’t have gym class. I felt so relaxed and comfortable when I was all dressed up; I wasn’t a sad excuse for a boy anymore, I was a pretty little girl. Since I was a little girl I didn’t have to play sports, I could play hopscotch, or jacks, or play house, or baby dolls with other little girls. No doubt about it, being a girl was way better than being a boy!

Month after month went by and with time I got better and better at making myself look like a girl. I watched other little girls and remembered how they looked; ribbons and stuff in their hair, what kind of dresses they wore, how they talked, and how they acted so that I could do everything just like any other little girl. I practiced all the time until I thought I could even do something like go to the park and play with other girls and no one would notice.

Halloween was a month away when mom told me that she wanted me to do something different this time.

“Let’s see,” She smiled and ran her fingers through my hair. ”You’ve been a Pirate, a Zombie, a Vampire, a Cowboy, and Darth Vader, how about trying something different for me?”

“Sure, how about I go out as a Fireman? I could carry dad’s axe and cover my face with black stuff to make it look like I just put out a fire.”

“I was thinking of something else, something you’d never think of but would be a great costume.” She had a funny smile on her face that told me she was going to suggest something weird like pretending to be a Great Dane or something like that.

“I don’t want to be a dog, or half a horse, or any other animal, okay?” I figured that I’d put my foot down right away before she got too far into her plan.

“No animals, I promise.” She swore. “But this would mean so much to me and I’ll bet that you’ll get plenty of candy too.”

No animals, it would make mom happy, and I’d get plenty of candy? I didn’t see any way that I could lose.

“You’ve got a deal,” I agreed. “What am I going to be?”

“A little girl,” Mom grinned and I suddenly wondered if she could read minds.

She was smiling as if she’d just pulled off the best joke anyone had ever played.

“No way!” I insisted; afraid to give in to my dreams. “I’m not going to be some sissy.”

“It’s Halloween honey,” Mom insisted right back. “You won’t be the first boy to ever pretend to be a girl for Trick or Treating. It would really mean a lot to me; every mother wants to have a daughter, you can be my little girl for one night, can’t you? Please?”

I didn’t want to give in too easily; mom might think it was strange if I did. Of course I didn’t want to put up too much of a fight; she might give in and I’d lose the chance to become a little girl, if only for a day.

“What would I have to do?”

Mom grabbed me and gave me a gigantic hug.

“You’re a great kid,” she almost had tears running down her cheeks. “I can’t wait to see how cute you’re going to be!”

“I ‘m not agreeing yet mom,” I had to keep putting up a little fight. “You haven’t told me what I have to do.”

“You just have to let me dress you up and make you look like a pretty little girl, that’s all.” Mom shrugged as if it was nothing at all to dress her son like a girl. “We’ll go to a party for dad’s company and the next day you can go trick or treating around the neighborhood.”

“Dad will have a baby!” I blurted out, making it seem like I didn’t mind dressing up but that dad wouldn’t like it.

“I’ve already gotten him to agree,” Mom smiled, removing my best objection. “He thinks you’ll look cute too.”

“I don’t have much choice, do I?” I hoped not but I had to make one last try at getting out of it.

“Of course you have a choice Eddie,” Mom said sadly. “I was just hoping you’d do me a favor; tell me what you’d rather be and I’ll get the costume for you.”

I couldn’t turn mom down, it seemed to mean so much to her and it would give me a chance to dress up without getting any flack.

“No one will laugh at me and dad won’t have a baby, right?” I was looking for a way to say yes without seeming too happy about it.

“No one’s going to laugh and if dad has a baby we’ll go on all the talk shows,” Mom grinned. “Labor won’t be easy but the money from talk shows, the book deal, and movie rights will ease his pain.”

“It would certainly be an historic event!” I agreed, feeling better now that mom was smiling again.

Mom gave me another bone snapping hug. “We’ll go shopping this weekend for outfits,” She explained. “We have a lot to do to make a pretty little girl out of you!”

I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be all that hard but I thought it would be best to let mom go on thinking that way.

“You said outfits,” I cocked an eyebrow, hoping to appear confused. “That’s plural. Why do I need more than one?”

“I want everyone to gush over my little girl,” Mom explained breathlessly. “She’s going to be the most adorable, sweetest, little girl ever!”

“Why do I have to be a little girl?” I asked. I wasn’t really complaining, I just wanted to hear mom’s explanation.

Mom shook her head nervously. “I’m sorry; I just thought that being a little short you’d be perfect as a young girl.”

“How young do I have to be?” I worried that I was starting to seem too interested; my little friend was getting stiffer by the minute, but I just had to get more details.

“I was thinking maybe eight?” Mom bit her lip maybe expecting me to scream and carry on.

“So I’m going to be an eight year old Barbie doll, is that about right?”

I could see her tensing up, waiting for an outburst. After all, what eleven year old boy wants to be all dolled up like an eight year old little girl? I mean besides me?

“I suppose you could say that.”

“You still haven’t explained why I’ll need more than one outfit,” I asked. “Am I going to have to wear a different outfit for dad’s party than for Trick or Treating?”

“Uh, well, I sort of thought that we’d spend a little time getting used to being a Barbie Doll as you put it. That way you’ll be all set to impress everyone at the party.”

I don’t know how she missed the sound of my heart pounding; it seemed so loud I thought I’d have to shout to be heard.

“You want me to spend a whole month pretending to be an eight year old girl just for a party?”

Mom sighed and nervously shuffled her feet.

“No, it’s not just for the party.” She answered after a long pause. “I’m being selfish; I’d like to have a daughter for a little while so I made up the part of your needing to get used to it. I’m sorry; we’ll get something for you when we’re ready for the party.”

“This must be awfully important to you,” I smiled which seemed to help. “Does dad know what you had in mind?”

“Your dad and I don’t keep secrets honey, a couple that does that can’t survive.”

“So dad knows you want to turn me into a little girl for a month and he doesn’t mind?”

“He thought it was a bit unusual but he said it would be have to be your decision.”

“You don’t expect me to go to school that way I hope?”

“Absolutely not,” Mom made a cross you heart gesture. “I promise that no one will know but us.”

“I only have to dress up around the house, right?”

“No, I’d like to take you on some Mother-Daughter outings if you don’t mind. I’ll make sure that no one knows you’re a boy.”

“What kind of outings are you talking about?” I tried to act very calm even though my heart was pounding and my little friend needed some relief.

“Shopping trips, movies, dinner with your daddy, things like that.” She explained, grinning like mad.

“You really think it’s possible? No one’s going to point at me and laugh?”

“When I’m done, you’ll be all sugar and spice, the kind of daughter mothers dream about!”

Between her enthusiasm and my excitement over a dream come true, I couldn’t drag it out any longer!

“You’ve got yourself a daughter,” I smiled, wondering if she picked up on the fact that I didn’t say anything about for how long I was willing to be her daughter.

“Hey, go easy on the hugs!” I laughed as she squeezed the breath out of me. “I’m just a delicate little girl, remember?”

“Yes, a sweet, delicate, lovely little girl whom I love very much!” She said as she showered me with kisses.

Two days later it was a bright, sunny Saturday morning and I was standing in front of mom wearing a pair of silky blue panties with the Little Mermaid on them, a matching blue Tee shirt with a pink bow in the center of the neck opening, waiting patiently while mom unpacked some things, and removed the tags from a brown dress.

“Arms up sweetie,” Mom laughed as she bunched up the slip to slide it over my head.

I shivered in delight as the slip flowed over my chest and settled on my knees.

“Are you cold honey?” Mom asked. “I bought a robe you could wear.”

“No thanks, I’ll be okay.” I didn’t want to explain how good it felt to be dressed this way.

“I’ll have you all dressed in a jiffy,” Mom promised as she adjusted the straps on my slip. “You might like wearing half slips later on; I just wanted to sort of overwhelm you with girlie stuff right now.”

“Sorry, but I don’t exactly feel overwhelmed,” I shrugged as I raised my arms to let her put the jumper over my head.

“That’s okay Libby, you will, believe me, you will!” She laughed as she tugged the dress down.

“Who’s Libby?” I had to concentrate to over come the wonderful feeling of wearing all these pretty clothes.

“Daddy and I planned on having two children, a boy we’d name Edward and a girl we’d name Elizabeth Marie, Libby for short. After you were born, we found out that having any more children could kill me so we never had the daughter we hoped for.”

I felt so bad for mom and dad; their dream of having a son and a daughter were taken away from them. It was selfish of me to only be concerned about how nice it felt to dress up like this; I would be the best little girl ever just so they could have the daughter they always wanted!

I threw my hands around mom’s neck and gave her a big hug and kiss.

“What was that for?” Mom asked in surprise; I hadn’t been very affectionate in years.

“I just wanted to show you how much I love my mommy!” I told her. “Thank you for buying me all these pretty clothes.”

Mom suddenly burst into tears.

“What’s wrong mommy?” I asked, forgetting to revert back to boy speech. “Please don’t cry.”

“Everything’s okay Libby,” She wiped her tears and pulled me close. “I’m just so happy that you agreed to do this; daddy and I were afraid that you might think it was too weird.”

“It’s not something I’d brag about,” I teased after giving her another hug and kiss. “But if it will make you and daddy happy, I’ll be the best little girl in the whole world cause I’ve got the best mommy and daddy ever!”

I brushed my skirt under me and sat down on the bed so I could put on my new socks.

“Why did you do that?” Mommy asked.

Oops, I forgot that I wasn’t supposed to know how to act like a girl.

“Do what mommy?” I asked sweetly.

“You smoothed out your skirt when you sat down.”

“I see girls do it all the time,” I explained, hoping she’d but my reasoning. “I don’t know why they do it but I thought it was something I was supposed to do since I’m a girl now.”

“You are such a smart girl Libby!” Mom said proudly. “You should do that whenever you’re wearing a dress; it keeps it from getting all wrinkled when you sit down. You have to be a lot more careful when you’re a girl but I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”

“Thank you mommy,” I smiled. This was going to be so wonderful!

I put on a pair of black shoes that buckled like the ones I kept in my closet. Mom said they were called Mary Jane’s and were made just so little girls could look pretty. I certainly felt very pretty now that I was all dressed up and wearing such nice shoes.

“Now for the finishing touch,” Mom announced as she pulled a long, blonde wig out of a box. “I hope you don’t mind my being selfish again, I wanted my daughter to have the same color hair as mine and the same style I had when I was your age.”

“I don’t mind mommy, it’s very pretty.”

I felt like a princess as she pinned the wig into my hair to hold it in place and then tied a long white ribbon into a bow so that the ends hung down on either side of my head. When mommy took me over to the mirror I always used when I played dress-up, I saw the prettiest little girl staring back at me.

“I look like a pretty girl!” I said in amazement. “I’m so pretty!”

“You certainly are Libby,” Mom agreed. “Are you ready for your daddy to meet his new little girl?”

I smiled up at mommy and took her hand.

“Okay mommy, I hope he likes me.”

“He’ll love you to pieces Libby; now, do you know how to skip?”

Off we went for daddy to meet his new little girl; mommy seemed so happy and so was I as I held her hand and skipped.

“Was I right?” Mom asked as soon as daddy caught sight of me. “Isn’t she just the most precious little miss?”

“Oh my God!” Daddy exclaimed. “She looks just like you did in those pictures from when you were a little girl.”

“Libby and I are going shopping for some new clothes,” Mommy explained as she gave daddy a kiss. “Our beautiful little princess needs a new wardrobe; I promised to make her feel very girly!”

“Are you sure you’re okay with this Eddie?” Daddy asked in concern. “Mommy will be taking you where no one will know you, but I don’t want you to do something that upsets you.”

Daddy was so sweet; I couldn’t resist showing him how much I loved him so I skipped over and standing on tiptoe, gave him a big hug and kiss just like I had given mommy.

“Eddie’s a boy’s name, my name’s Libby,” I insisted. “I can’t wait to go shopping with mommy and buy lots of pretty clothes.”

Daddy pulled me into his arms and hugged me. I quit hugging him years ago but until now, I had no idea what I was missing.

“Thank you Libby,” He nodded. “You have no idea how much this means to your mother and I. Now you girls have a good time shopping.”

Mommy handed me a purse of my own with a change purse, tissues, and cologne for little girls. I took her hand and skipped out to the garage, turning to wave goodbye to daddy before getting in the car.

I wondered if I was really just dreaming this whole thing. Did my mother really ask me to dress up and pretend to be a little girl? Did she really say that she was going to overwhelm me with girlie stuff?

Was it possible that I skipped into a room, wearing a dress, looking like a little girl, and my father not only didn’t mind, he seemed thrilled to see me that way? I remember giving him a hug and a kiss and insisting that I was a girl named Libby and not a boy named Eddie.

I’m sitting in a car, looking like a little heartbreaker, headed for a shopping trip to buy me more girl’s clothes to wear. I couldn’t resist, I reached down and pinched my leg.

Crap. That hurt!

Wow, this wasn’t a dream! I really am wearing girl’s clothes and going shopping with my mother. I really did agree to be the perfect daughter for mommy and daddy for a whole month. I wonder if there’s any way I could get them to let Libby stick around after Halloween.

I was lost in a fantasy world of pretty dresses, silky underwear, baby dolls, and everything girly. I wanted to wear silky panties with pretty decorations on them, to be able to skip and jump rope instead of playing sports that I sucked at and had no interest in. I wanted people to look at me and tell mommy how pretty I was and how I was such a darling little lady. Mommy could dress me up in the girliest clothes and I wouldn’t mind a bit; I’d never be a tomboy, I’d always be a perfect young lady.

Mom must’ve noticed my trance. “A penny for your thoughts Libby.”

“I was just, uh, just worried that people will laugh at me.” What did you expect; I couldn’t share my deepest fantasy.

“Don’t worry Libby; you’re doing a great job of pretending. Remember how daddy acted when he first saw you?” Mom asked in a gentle voice. “Your father knows that you’re really an eleven year old boy but I’m willing to be that no one could have convinced him that you were his son. Especially not after you hugged and kissed him.”

I felt a warm glow inside of me as I thought back to how great it felt to give daddy a hug and kiss.

“I liked hugging and kissing daddy,” I said dreamily. “It feels so nice.”

“Don’t you like hugging and kissing me too?” She pretended to be upset.

“Of course I do mommy,” I laughed, giving myself over completely to being Libby. “I love you and daddy so much!”

Mommy looked at me and tears started to trickle down her cheek.

“If this is a dream, I hope I never wake up.” She said softly as she dabbed her eyes with tissue.

“When we get to the mall, I want you to be a good girl and hold my hand, okay?” She asked.

“Okay mommy, should I skip too?” I so wanted to hold her hand and skip; it made me feel so much like a little girl!

“That sounds like a good idea Libby dear; only a girl would skip while holding her mother’s hand.”

“It was kind of fun doing that at home,” I admitted hoping she’d understand.

“Being a little girl can be tons of fun,” Mom quickly agreed. “You can wear pretty dresses, skip whenever you feel like it, be a mommy for your baby dolls, play dress-up, or play Barbies with your girlfriends.”

“I’m kind of afraid; I don’t know how to be a little girl mommy.” I whimpered as we pulled into the mall parking lot.

“You’re doing fine Libby,” she smiled and adjusted the ribbon in my hair. “Just relax and I’ll bet you’ll have so much fun you’ll forget all about a boy named Eddie.”

Mommy took my hand and gave me some pointers as we walked toward the mall.

I shouldn’t run, shouldn’t order triple cheeseburgers at the food court, stay with her at all times, smooth my skirt when I sat down and stood up, and most important of all I had to remember to sit down when I went to the bathroom.

Our first stop was the girls department of a major department store. Mommy picked out several plain looking dresses like the ones I got from the Goodwill box and took me into the dressing room to try them on.

It was very exciting to be in the girl’s dressing room trying on dresses, but why did mommy have to choose such plain looking ones? I thought she wanted me to feel all girly.

I tried on about a dozen dresses, casual outfits mom called them, and six or seven pairs of girl’s pants to play in. I didn’t mind the dresses but what why would I need pants?

I helped mommy pick out four new dresses, three pairs of pants, and a couple of tops. No boy in his right mind would wear the pants; one pair was pink, another had a unicorn and sparkles on the back pocket, and the third pair had lace ruffles on the cuffs, but they were still pants! I’d been wearing nothing but pants for as long as I could remember and now I wanted dresses!

Mommy paid for my new clothes and we walked back to put them in the trunk of our car. I was starting to worry that I was going to be stuck with the clothes we’d just bought and not get anything really pretty.

“Are we all done now mommy?” I asked. “My dresses are very nice; I can’t wait to wear them.”

Mom gave me a devilish grin.

“Done? Oh goodness no Libby. We’re just getting started; remember you promised that I could buy you lots of pretty clothes didn’t you?”

“Uh huh, but we already did.”

“No Libby dear, we have not yet begun to shop!”

I hope that I was able to conceal my excitement; especially when we got to the shop that promised to make every girl feel like a princess!

The store was a dream come true; rack after rack of the prettiest dresses imaginable! Nothing like the ones we had just bought, all these dresses were the kind that little girls wore when their mommies wanted them to look their best for special occasions.

I hesitated for a second as we entered the shop and I saw Heaven open up in front of me.

“Is something wrong Libby?” Mommy asked.

“Are you sure about this mommy?” I whispered. “I mean, do you really want me to be a girl this badly?”

“Yes Libby, I certainly do.” She whispered back. “Daddy told me that if you agreed to this, he wanted you to look especially pretty so that he can take us girls out and show everyone how lucky he is to have such pretty ladies for a wife and daughter.”

I pictured mommy in a pretty dress, her hair all done up, and holding daddy’s arm as we walked into a fancy restaurant. I would be on the other side, wearing one of these beautiful dresses, frilly lingerie underneath, a pair of socks with the lace trim, and Mary Jane’s on my feet.

As we passed on the way to our table, people would stop talking and stare at us. The women would be so jealous of mommy for looking so beautiful and want to rush home to buy their little girls pretty dresses like mine. The men would be jealous of daddy; they’d wish they could be having dinner with two such beautiful ladies as mommy and me.

The waiter would hold my chair; I’d carefully brush my skirt, sit down, and fold my hands in my lap like a perfect little lady. Daddy would hold mommy’s chair and she’d smile and sit down like the graceful lady she was.

The women would all whisper to each other that it was so nice to see a mother who had taught her daughter all the skills that would allow her to be as graceful as she would be beautiful when she grew up!

I got so worked up over seeing so many pretty dresses that I completely lost control, rushed over to a rack of dresses, pulled out a pink one with sheer puffy sleeves and a sash and begged mommy to buy it for me!

“Please, please buy me this dress mommy!” I begged. “It’s so pretty.”

Mom’s face lit up as if someone stuck a light bulb inside her head. She hurried over, took the dress and held it against me.

“It’s a little small for you Libby; let’s see if we can’t find a bigger size. Look at the rings on the racks and find one that has an 11 on it, okay?”

I rushed around until I found a rack with an 11 on it and called for mommy to hurry over.

“Here it is mommy, is this the right size?” I asked as I pulled out the dress I wanted.

Mommy held it against me and smiled.

“I think it’s just right, are there any other ones you’d like?”

I was in a store filled with the most beautiful outfits a girl could ever hope to wear and mommy wanted to know if there were any other dresses she could buy for me? I didn’t need to be asked twice, I grabbed her hand and we were off to turn me into the girliest girl imaginable!

Mommy was thrilled to help me pick out dresses; we finally decided on twelve of the prettiest dresses in the world and took them into the dressing room.

Naturally I had to try the pink one on first; it was the first one I had fallen in love with so it just had to be the first I tried on! Mommy carefully helped me out of my jumper and top and I stood perfectly still, eyes closed, holding my breath, as she lowered the dress over my head.

“Open your eyes now Libby,” I heard mommy say after she buttoned up the dress and tied the sash. “Open your eyes and see what a beautiful girl you really are.”

When I opened my eyes I gasped. When I had played dress-up, I used to imagine that I was a pretty girl wearing just such a dress. Now it was real; I was standing in a dressing room wearing an ultra girly dress and mommy was going to buy it for me!

“You’re going to need a few petticoats if you’re going to wear that kind of dress honey,” Mommy said as she fluffed out my skirt (It feels soooo nice to call it my skirt!).

“What’s a petticoat mommy?” I asked as I twirled to make my skirt stick out.

“A petticoat is a special slip for dresses with full skirts like these. It has several layers which make the skirt stick out and away from your body. They’re very pretty and every little girl needs at least one for her best dresses.”

I was on cloud nine listening to mommy tell me how she was going to buy me petticoats that would make my dresses stick out, and matching panties with lace ruffles on the bum so that I’d look and feel extra pretty.

“Promise me that you won’t be a tomboy,” Mom begged. “I want my daughter to be a little lady in pretty dresses and hair ribbons. I’ll buy you the prettiest outfits if you’ll just promise to wear them.”

“I promise mommy,” I was nearly in tears myself. “I’ll never be a tomboy; I love pretty dresses like this one!”

“Some girls think it’s too much trouble to get dressed up; you have to behave and act like a young lady at all times.” Mommy told me. “Would you like to be a young lady for me and daddy?”

“Yes mommy, I’ll listen to everything you tell me and I’ll make you and daddy proud of me.”

“Good girl!” Mommy gave me a kiss and hug. “Let’s get you out of that dress; we have a lot more to try on!”

It took over an hour for me to try on every dress we had chosen; no girl could ever have been happier than I was. I had promised mommy that I’d never be a tomboy and I meant it; why would I ever want to wear pants when I could wear such pretty dresses?

Mommy and I went from store to store, buying pretty outfits for me and things like nightgowns with puppies and kittens on them, hair brushes, ribbons and barrettes, some sneakers (pink with sparkles), and even some baby dolls and a set of Barbie dolls and clothes for them. I wasn’t sure how to play with dolls but mommy promised that she’d teach me and that it would lots of fun.

It took four trips to bring in all of the packages when we finally got home. Daddy helped out a lot so I could run to my room and change into the pink party dress mommy had bought me; he insisted on seeing this beautiful little girl that mommy had told him about!

Mommy helped me out of my outfit and gave me a pair of pink, ruffled panties to wear. I pulled the panties on quickly hoping that mommy wouldn’t notice that my little friend was getting bigger. Next came a silky pink T shirt with thin straps (mommy called it a Camisole) and then my new petticoat.

The feeling of my panties, camisole, and petticoat against my body was nearly too much to handle; I forced myself to concentrate on things I was learning in Geography class to keep from making a mess in my panties.

Mommy undid the buttons and tied the sash into a big bow; my petticoat was making my skirt stick out way farther than any other dress I ever wore and I loved it! I knew that I couldn’t reach the buttons to take the dress off without help but who cared, I didn’t have to worry about getting caught playing dress-up, I was a little girl now and it was okay for me to wear pretty dresses!

Mommy brushed my wig and switched a pink ribbon for the red one I was wearing.

“Girls like to match the color of things like their shoes, purses, or for younger girls, hair ribbons to the color of their dress.” Mommy told me as I carefully sat down to put on my socks and shoes. “Your hair ribbon and shoes will be pink, just like your dress. Your socks will be white so that they stand out, but the lace collar on them will be pink.”

It felt so nice to be a girl; everything felt so silky, my panties, petticoat, and even my socks felt silky on my feet. I just had to convince mommy and daddy to let me be a girl after this month was over; I couldn’t imagine going back to wearing dull, scratchy, boy’s clothes ever again. I’d promise to be a good girl; they’d never have to worry about me being a tomboy. I’d let mommy buy me pretty dresses and lingerie, I’d let my hair grow long and brush it to keep it shiny and pretty, and when I grew up, I’d be a lady just like mommy!

Mommy sprayed some cologne on me to make me smell nice and after giving her a kiss I skipped to the living room to show off my new dress for daddy.

“You look beautiful Elizabeth,” Daddy whistled as he shook his head

“How come you called me Elizabeth instead of Libby?” I asked. My parents usually only called me Edward when they were mad at me. “Are you mad at me daddy, don’t you want me to be a girl?”

Daddy quickly swept me into his arms and held me tight.

“I’m not mad at you sweetheart, I only called you Elizabeth because you look like a beautiful young lady instead of just a little girl. Your mom thought being a girl for Halloween would be something different; things sort of snowballed from there. I don’t mind you being a girl if it’s okay with you; mommy and I want you to be happy though.”

I climbed onto his lap, fixed my skirt and petticoat just like mommy had taught me to, and threw my arms around his neck.

“I’m happy daddy, really I am. I love my pretty new clothes and I promise to be a very good girl for you and mommy!”

It was the first time I ever saw my father cry.

Daddy was so impressed with me that he insisted on taking mommy and I to dinner so he could show us off.

Mommy pulled me along to her room, saying that we had to hurry and get ready for our date with daddy.

“But I’m already dressed mommy,” I was protesting more to avoid being dragged into her room where she’d be changing clothes. I wasn’t feeling like enough of a girl to see my mom dressing just yet.

“Libby, a woman is never already dressed for an important date with such a handsome man.” She told me as she pulled me into her room. “We have important decisions to make; what dress to wear, do we want heels or not, stockings or pantyhose, how should we do our hair, and just scads of other things!”

I realized that mommy was opening up a whole new world to me; she was taking me by my hand and leading me to girlhood. If I was ever going to become a real girl I should know all of this stuff. I smiled sweetly and watched as she stripped off her clothes.

“First, we’ll have to shower; a hot bubble bath would be great but we don’t have time for that.”

“Now, the bra and panties I have on are made of cotton. They’re just fine for everyday things like our shopping trip but for a big date with a wonderful guy like your daddy, I want to feel extra pretty and feminine so I’ll wear this satin bra and panty set with a matching slip.”

To my surprise, she stripped off her bra and panties and began undressing me. I was thrilled that she was willing to treat me as if I was a real girl! I ended up taking a shower with mom and listening to her explain some of the mysteries of being a woman. When we were done, we were nice and clean, smelled like a bouquet of flowers, and I knew there was so much more to being a girl than I ever imagined.

Mommy powdered me all over with a nice smelling powder puff then we both started to dress again.

I pulled on my own panties, camisole, petticoat, and socks, and then watched as mommy put on her matching panties, bra, and slip.

“What’s that mommy?” I asked as she fastened something that looked like bottomless panties with straps around her waist.

“It’s called a garter belt honey,” She smiled as she carefully rolled up what seemed like pantyhose with the panty and clipped them to it. “When ladies want to feel extra special, we wear stockings and attach them to the garter belt to hold them up.”

Mommy let me feel how silky the stockings felt.

“Can I wear stockings too mommy?” I asked hopefully.

“Sorry honey, stockings and garter belts are not for little girls. When you’re a teenager, I’ll buy you your very first garter belt and stockings; you’ll love the way they make you feel so sexy and feminine!”

She realized what she had said and quickly apologized. I wish I could have told her that I couldn’t wait for that day to come!

“Even though you’re still a little girl, it’s important to feel feminine,” Mommy told me as she buttoned up my dress. “Wearing pretty clothes and lingerie helps women feel that way. Men love to be around feminine women, it makes them feel very strong which is important to a man. Anything that makes daddy feel good is very important to me since I love him so much.”

“Is feminine what I’m feeling mommy?” I asked as I ran my hands over my skirt. “I felt all funny inside when I first saw this dress in the store; I felt it a little bit when I first got dressed up as Libby and it feels really, really good to be all dressed up.”

“That sounds like you feel very feminine Libby dear,” Mommy told me as I zipped up her dress. “You’re going to have a wonderful time as a girl if you don’t mind feeling that way.”

“I don’t mind mommy,” I confessed. “I thought that maybe I would, but now I think that being a girl will be lots and lots of fun!”

“We’re ready for our big date, daddy!” I called out as I came skipping into the room. “You look very handsome!”

Daddy grabbed me and swung me around causing my skirt to flare out.

“Put me down Daddy, you’re going to mess up my dress and then we’ll have to wait while I find another one to wear!” I scolded.

“How did you do it?” He asked mom after quickly setting me back on my feet. “You turned my beautiful princess into a wife!”

“You’re silly daddy,” I laughed. “I’m not a wife, I just don’t want to miss dinner with the handsome man mommy’s been talking about!”

“You certainly are a real charmer,” Daddy laughed. “And just what has mommy been saying about this handsome man?”

“Well, she said that he’s the most handsome man she’s ever met, he’s very sweet, and that she’s madly in love with him!”

“I’ll have to take you ladies out more often!” He teased. “You smell very nice Elizabeth; may I call you that since you are such a beautiful lady?”

I couldn’t keep from blushing over his compliments.

“Thank you, mommy and I took our shower and she put some yummy smelling powder on me.”

“You took a shower with mommy?” He asked, surprised.

“Why not,” Mommy asked. “She had to get ready too and we didn’t have time for a bubble bath.”

That seemed to settle the question, mommy seemed to be telling daddy that she planned to consider me to be her daughter and we were going to do things together as two females! If this kept up, it would be easy to stay as a girl forever.

Mommy and I took our purses and waited for daddy to open the door for us; being a girl was so nice!

Everyone did stare as we walked to our seats but unfortunately, no one stopped talking or seemed awed by us. Daddy held mommy’s chair and the waiter held mine for me. I set my little purse on the table just like mom, smiled at the nice waiter, and sat down like a perfect little lady. Mom caught my eye and smiled, pleased that I was acting so nicely.

Mommy told daddy what to order for her then motioned for me to do the same.

“Ladies let the gentleman order for them,” She winked. “Men like to think that they’re in charge.”

“Do you have to tell her stuff like that?” Daddy laughed. “I was hoping that my princess would be spared all of that nonsense.”

“Your princess needs to know how to wrap a man around her little finger,” Mommy laughed. “I have to teach her all of the secrets that mothers have been passing down to their daughters for generations.”

“All a princess as lovely as Elizabeth needs to do is smile,” He shook his head. “Men will hurry to wrap themselves around her little finger.”

Dinner was beyond belief; the food was delicious but being treated as a young woman by daddy was even more delicious. I loved each and every one of his many compliments about what a beautiful and charming young lady I was. One day as a girl and I knew that I never wanted to be a boy again.

Later that night mommy let me experience something every girl loves — a hot bubble bath! She filled my bathtub up with hot water that was just loaded with bubbles and smiled knowingly as I sank into one of the most wonderfully feminine experiences ever.

As I soaked she sat nearby and continued teaching me the things she felt I needed to know to be a girl. I couldn’t wear party dresses every day no matter how much I wanted to. There may be times when it would just make sense to wear pants but that didn’t mean that I’d be any less of a girl. A girl had so many choices when she chose outfits that just weren’t available to boys.

“For example, you may need to wear pants, even jeans for some reason when you’d rather wear a pretty dress. You could choose a pair of pants that are a pretty color or have some nice decoration on them. You can also wear a pretty top with them.”

“I get it!” I squealed in delight. “I could even wear an extra pretty pair of panties that would make me feel nice even in pants.”

“Good girl Libby,” She smiled. “Now, what’s better, a quick shower or a bubble bath?”

“A bubble bath is way better!” I shouted as I threw bubbles into the air.

“Very good Libby, now enjoy your bath and don’t forget that daddy and I want goodnight kisses before you go to sleep.”

I shook my head vigorously. “I promise not to forget.”

Mommy kissed my head and started to leave.

“Thank you mommy,” I called out to her. “Thank you for letting me be a girl!”

We were both crying as she rushed to hug me. “Thank you for making me so happy Elizabeth; I never thought I’d have such a wonderful daughter.”

I was getting to like being called Elizabeth.

Mommy taught me all kinds of fun things like how to take care of baby dolls, how to pick outfits for my Barbie dolls, and even how to apply nail polish. I wanted to learn how to use makeup but mommy would only buy me a toy makeup set, she said I’m too young to use real makeup. I can’t wait until I’m old enough!

Time seemed to be passing faster than ever before but I was having so much fun that it didn’t seem to matter to me. Five days a week I went to school as an eleven year old boy named Eddie but every evening and weekend Eddie went away and Libby came out.

I’d rush home from school and take a nice hot bubble bath, put on some pretty clothes and start doing my homework. Mommy and daddy said that unless I had my homework done, I wasn’t allowed to play with my dolls so I made sure that everything was done and neatly set out for them to inspect. As soon as mommy checked my homework, I would rush to my room and bring out my baby dolls.

By the time daddy came home from work, I had my homework finished, my baby dolls were wearing pretty outfits, and we were waiting to greet him. He never got more than two steps into the house before I rushed over and smothered him with kisses. I was a big time Daddy’s Girl!

Halloween was only a week away when mommy asked which outfit I wanted to wear to Daddy’s party.

“I’d like to wear my yellow party dress,” I answered without waiting. “But it’s kind of cold so maybe I could wear that yellow velvet dress with my white tights and my green shoes that have a little heel.”

“The party will be inside so why not go ahead and wear your yellow dress to the party and save the warmer one for Trick or treating?” Mommy suggested. “It will be nice and bright at the party and everyone will be able to see how pretty you look.”

I thought about it for all of two seconds before hugging her and telling her how much I loved her! My velvet dress was pretty but if I was supposed to be a little girl for Halloween, nothing would make me look better than a little girl’s party dress!

No one at school even bothered to ask me what I was going to be for Halloween. I guess that was good since I didn’t want to spoil the surprise but it still hurt me that I was practically invisible to the other kids.

I still watched the girls for tips on how to dress and act but I had to fight the urge to rush over to the third grade girls at lunch or recess and ask if I could jump rope with them or talk about my Barbie dolls. I hoped that someday I’d be one of the girls in a cute uniform skirt, jumping rope, or giggling about a cute boy in our class.

Halloween would be on a Wednesday and Daddy’s part was to on the Saturday before. That was a very good thing because I wanted to be able to take a nice bubble bath and since mommy had promised to let me wear nail polish, my nails would need time to dry so I didn’t mess up my pretty dress.

I was very worried about Daddy’s party; I wanted people to tell me how pretty I looked, but what if they laughed at me? Daddy told me that some kids might laugh but that I shouldn’t worry too much; after all, it was all in fun for Halloween.

Mommy was going to the party as Raggedy Ann and Daddy of course was Raggedy Andy. They looked so cute in their costumes; I hoped they’d win some sort of prize. As long as I don’t get laughed at or teased too much, I don’t care if I win; my prize will be when mommy and daddy agree to let Libby stick around.

It’s been a month I’ll never forget; I never in my wildest dreams thought that I’d be not only be allowed to dress up like a little girl but mommy and daddy would treat me like the girl I hope to become. I don’t know how I’ll be able to stand it if they say that I have to go back to being Eddie again; even dressing up like I used to won’t help me. I’ve had a chance to be a girl and I know I’ll never be happy again as a boy.

The big moment finally arrived; I got almost completely dressed by myself, mom still had to button a few buttons I couldn’t reach, tie my sash, and help with my wig but it felt good to have her help; it may be the last time she’ll be able to. Once my buttons were done and my sash tied into a pretty bow, I was ready. Mommy and I took our coats and purses, I took a deep breath, and we were off to the party.

I got tons of compliments from many of the women at the party who first thought that I was just a little girl in a pretty dress. They’d ask me my name and I’d proudly tell them that it was Elizabeth Marie Martin, but my nickname was Libby. They all thought it was so cute that I’d answer like that.

Later, after I won first prize for best costume, they came back to tell mommy and daddy how amazed they were that I was really a boy. A bunch of them blurted out that I was too pretty to be a boy but quickly apologized. They probably thought they’d hurt my feelings; maybe they didn’t notice how much I smiled when I heard them! Winning First Prize at the party got me twenty-five dollars; but the compliments were worth tons more than the money.

I was walking on air as I waited to go Trick or Treating; mommy had decided to fix me up as a princess in a pretty First Communion dress she’d picked out for me. She showed me a rhinestone covered tiara, white pantyhose, little girl pumps with a low heel, and the prettiest white panties, camisole, and petticoat a girl could ever want. For that one night, my last stand as Elizabeth Marie Martin, I would even be allowed to wear a touch of makeup!

I rushed home on Halloween and spent an hour taking a hot bubble bath, then wearing my “Girls Rule” nightgown and matching panties under a fluffy pink robe, I ate dinner so that I wouldn’t be tempted to eat any candy before mommy and daddy could check it for me.

As soon as I finished dinner and helped mommy with the dishes, we went to my room to get me ready to become Princess Libby. My panties were nice and silky and had rows of pretty lace ruffles on the backside, the outer layer of my petticoat was all lace, and my camisole was silky instead of the usual cotton and had lace straps. It was the prettiest lingerie I’ve ever worn and when mommy showed me my dress, I almost cried.

It had a full skirt which is why I wore a petticoat; short sleeves that were sheer and puffed out, and the chest part had little pearls sewn into it. I knew that once I had that dress on, I’d never want to take it off again even if I had to wear it to school! I wanted everyone to see how pretty I was and then they’d know that I should have always been a girl.

“Why am I a princess,” I asked as mommy helped button my dress. “What was wrong with my velvet dress?”

“Nothing was wrong with it Libby,” She said as she adjusted my skirt to cover my petticoat. “I saw this dress and thought that since it’s not that cold, you might want to be a princess instead.”

I twirled a little to see how well it looked. “It’s so pretty mommy, thank you for buying it for me.”

Mommy gave mea kiss.

“You did daddy and me such a big favor that we wanted you to have something to remember from this last month. Turning you into a princess is our way of saying thanks.”

“I didn’t mind mommy, really I didn’t. It was a lot of fun being a little girl.”

I wanted to tell her that if she really loved me, she’d let me be a girl forever, but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Mommy fixed my wig and put a little lipstick and eye-shadow on me. Then she told me to close my eyes.

I felt something going around my neck and then something pinching my ears. When she told me to open my eyes, I was wearing a pretty necklace and earrings!

“Mommy, you’re letting me wear earrings and a necklace? I’ll be the prettiest girl out trick or treating tonight!”

“No matter what, you’d still be the prettiest girl.” I heard daddy say as he walked into the room. “It’s a good thing you’re not older, I might just run off with you!”

“You’d miss mommy too much.” I told him. “She’s the nicest lady in the whole world.”

“Then I guess you must be the second nicest,” Daddy nodded. “Thanks for doing this, I know it must have been tough, but it helped more than you can imagine.”

Mommy shooed him out of the room before we both started crying; after all this, I didn’t want to miss my last chance to be Libby.

I had to come back home twice to drop off all the candy I got; every time a woman was handing out candy, she’d give me an extra piece since I looked so pretty. Only a few people ever asked who I was and it took a lot of convincing before they believed me. I finished the night with more candy than I ever got before and posed for a couple of dozen pictures before I took my last bubble bath and slept in my Barbie nightgown for the last time.

The next morning it was back to school as Eddie; a short, confused, boy.

A couple of kids mentioned that they’d heard about my costume and some girls mentioned that they’d seen me and were amazed at how pretty I looked. I told them that it was all my mom’s idea and that I thought it was silly but they insisted that I had made a very pretty little girl! One girl even said that she thought I’d make a better girl than I did a boy.

She apologized but said that she wasn’t trying to be mean or anything; she just thought that I was very sweet and gentle and gentle. There was something about me, she told me, that made her think that I’d make a great girlfriend; I seemed to her like the kind of person she could got to if she was upset and I’d understand.

I smiled and told her that I wasn’t upset; I knew she meant what she’d said as a compliment and that’s how I’d take it.

When I got home there were no pretty outfits in my closet; my boy’s clothes had all been put back on their hangers and in my drawers. The stuff I’d brought home and hidden was still where I’d put it but I couldn’t change into them unless I had the house to myself. I locked my door, laid down on my bed, and cried.

Mom and dad (I didn’t feel right calling them mommy and daddy if I wasn’t Libby) acted as though the last month had never happened. I was Eddie and no mention was made of Libby. Dad seemed to miss having his daughter rush up to greet him when he got home at night, and mom would sometimes start to call me Libby but stop and quickly switch to Eddie. Nothing felt right at home; all of the warmth I felt from the past month had disappeared and I felt so sad.

Christmas came and went; I got clothes, a PC, and some hot games for my play station but it didn't help. What I wanted more than anything else was to be Libby again; to have mommy and daddy tell me how pretty I was and how happy I made them. If I had gotten even one dress for Christmas, my parents could’ve forgotten the PC and everything else they had bought for me.

I was able to dress up a couple of times when no one was home but it wasn’t as much fun anymore. Sneaking over to my parent’s room to look in the mirror wasn’t necessary anymore; I still had a full length mirror on my closet door from when I was Libby. I’d dress up and stare at myself but instead of twirling and giggling like I used to do, I ended up crying.

I found it hard to concentrate on my homework; when I finished I wouldn’t be able to change into a pretty dress and play with my dolls. My dresses and dolls were gone. Since I wasn’t concentrating on my homework, I wasn’t prepared in class and my grades started to fall from A’s to D’s. Mom and dad tried to talk to me to find out what was wrong, but I blew them off; I just knew they wouldn’t understand if I told them that I wanted to be a girl.

The months churned along and I found myself becoming sadder and sadder as they did. Nothing seemed to matter anymore; my grades sucked, I didn’t touch my PC or the games I got for Christmas: when I watched TV, I couldn’t follow any plots.

Spring was coming and so was my twelfth birthday. It didn’t matter to me though, nothing did anymore. I knew I should’ve been a girl; somehow, something went wrong though and I was stuck as a boy. I couldn’t tell anyone my secret though; other kids would think that I was some sort of freak and my parents would probably think they caused it by asking me to pretend to be a girl.

I really loved my parents even though I couldn’t tell them that; at least I couldn’t as Eddie, I told them that I loved them several times a day when I was Libby though. I knew that they loved me; they told me so even before I became Libby, but I had a hard time telling them.

Knowing that they loved me made it pretty much impossible to tell them what was bothering me; I knew they’d blame themselves, and the last thing I wanted was to hurt them in any way. I’d have to keep my feelings secret, no matter what!

One Saturday morning, two weeks before my birthday, everything blew up.

I was sitting in my usual Zombie state watching TV when dad asked what I wanted for my birthday.

“You’ve been really down in the dumps, what can mom and I get for you that would cheer you up?” He asked in a very worried tone. “There must be something that you want more than anything else. Maybe we could get it for you?”

Something inside of me snapped.

“I want to be a girl!” I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Dad’s mouth dropped open; mom’s mouth was opening and closing, but no sound was coming out.

Mom rushed to my side and threw her arms around me.

“You mean you want us to let you dress up like a little girl again?” She asked. “Is that what’s bothering you?”

I couldn’t pretend anymore; I broke down and started crying harder than I’ve ever cried in my life.

“No, that’s not exactly what I want.” I sobbed. “I want to be a girl, not just dress like one!”

“Eddie, are you sure you understand what you’re saying?” Dad asked as he came over and sat next to me.

“Yes dad, I understand exactly what I’m saying.” I said after a deep breath. “Something got screwed up when I was born. I know that I should have been born as a girl; I’m not supposed to be a boy and I hate being a boy.”

“Does this have anything to do with when you were Libby?” Mom asked as she hugged me. “Dad and I didn’t mean to upset you in any way.”

“It’s not that mom, really it isn’t.” I explained. “I’ve felt this way for so long, I can’t remember ever not feeling that something was wrong. I don’t fit in with other boys; I’m not like them at all. I hate sports; I’d rather play with a baby doll than a basketball.”

“You don’t have to be an athlete,” Mom countered. “Not every boy can be a star basketball player or quarterback. Sports have nothing to do with your sex.”

“It’s not just sports,” I shook my head. “It’s everything. I can’t explain it; I just don’t think of myself as a boy. I’d like to have a girl as a friend, not as a girlfriend. If I’m going to be on a Basketball court or a Football field, I want to be wearing a Cheerleader’s uniform and cheering for some cute boy.”

Dad’s eyes got huge when I said that I’d like to cheer for a cute boy.

“Do you prefer boys to girls?”

I shook my head and thought about Eric Montel, one of the guys who lifted me up to shoot a basket in gym; I felt my heart start to beat faster and a smile formed on my face.

“Uh huh,” I answered, nodding my head quickly. “I noticed that there are a lot of cute guys at school.”

“When did you start to notice that guys were cute?” Dad asked calmly. “When you were Libby?”

“Nah, I started noticing them about two years ago. I’d hear a bunch of girls giggling about some cute guy and I understood exactly what they meant.” I smiled as I thought about Eric. “Eric Montel is in my classes and he’s such a doll! He’s tall, has the most beautiful green eyes, and he lifts me up in gym class when it’s my turn to shoot a basket.”

“Do you like it when he does that?” Dad didn’t seem upset, but he did seem confused.

“Oh yeah,” I grinned. “He’s so strong, he lifts me way up and it feels so nice!”

Dad looked over at mom and shook his head.

“I think your mom and I have a lot of questions for you Eddie,” He sighed. “This is not going to be easy for any of us; I wish you had told us sooner.”

“I didn’t want you guys to think it was your fault,” I sniffed. “You’re really great parents and I love you so much!”

“We love you too,” Dad said as he pulled me close; it felt so good to have him holding me like that. “We need to spend some time figuring out how we can help. Would you feel more comfortable talking to us as Libby?”

“Yes, it would help a lot.” I nodded. “I don’t have anything to wear though.”

“How about wearing one of those nice dresses in the back of your closet?” Mom grinned. “I’ll bet you’ll look cute in one of those outfits.”

“Yeah, I haven’t worn one of them in a while!”

I suddenly realized that she knew about my secret stash of clothes.

“Why don’t you two pick out a nice outfit and come back when she’s dressed?” Dad suggested with a smile.

I hugged him so tightly I heard him gasp for air.

“I love you daddy!” I whispered.

“I love you too Elizabeth,” He whispered back as he kissed my cheek. “Don’t worry honey, we’ll figure this out somehow.”

I ran to my room as mommy promised to catch up in a few minutes.

I pulled the dress out of its hiding place along with a slip, panties, socks and shoes. The dress was badly wrinkled but it was still a dress and not a pair of boy’s pants.

I had my panties on and was lowering my slip when mom came in carrying my wig.

“Where did you get those clothes?”

I explained about the Goodwill box and how I’d carefully hidden everything so I could wear them whenever no one was home.

“They’re cute outfits,” Mommy nodded. “I found them not long after you brought them home.”

“Does Daddy know?”

“I told you that we don’t have any secrets Libby. We were concerned about you, we did some research on cross-dressing and decided it wouldn’t hurt you so we left the clothes where they were and arranged some time when you could dress up.”

“All those times when you two had extra shopping to do…?”

“All arranged to give you some time to enjoy some harmless fun. Or at least we thought it was harmless.” She shrugged.

“What about Libby and Halloween? Was that all arranged too?”

“Daddy and I thought you might enjoy being a girl for Halloween; when we started to talk about it, things sort of snowballed into your being Libby. We didn’t see any real harm in it and thought you’d have a good time.”

“I did, mommy. I had the best time of my life.” I told her.

“Was that what made you want to be a girl?” She asked after a little hesitation.

“No, I told you and daddy that I knew I should have been a girl a long, long, time ago. Spending all of that time as a girl was so nice and it made me realize that I could never be happy as a boy.”

Mommy took my dress to iron while I tried to fix my wig. When she came back, I had my wig all brushed out and felt so much better. Mommy unzipped my dress and helped me get it over my wig. When I was all dressed, I skipped back to the living room to talk to daddy.

I carefully smoothed my skirt as I sat across from daddy and folded my hands in my lap like a good girl.

“That dress looks very nice on you Libby,” He smiled. “Are you ready to answer our questions?”

“Thank you for letting me keep it daddy,” I answered happily. “Ask me anything you want and I’ll try to answer. I don’t understand everything, but I know that I’m really a girl!”

“Can you tell us when you first thought you were a girl?” Mommy asked.

“I guess when I was in Nursery School,” I told her. “I saw the other girls and wondered why I wasn’t wearing a dress too. I wanted to play dolls with them but the teacher wouldn’t let me.”

Daddy and mommy shook their heads at the same time.

“Your teacher told us about that,” Mommy agreed. “We didn’t think it was such a big deal; a lot of little boys go through a stage like that.”

“When I started first grade, I wanted to sit on the girl’s side of the room but my teacher said I had to sit with the boys. I thought she was being mean because I knew that I was a girl and should be sitting with the girls.”

“Did you ever tell anyone that you were a girl?” Daddy asked.

“Uh huh, when that teacher made me sit with the boys, I told her that I was a girl. All the kids laughed at me and teased me.”

“Why didn’t you tell us about it?” Mommy asked. “We told you never to keep secrets.”

“I know, but I was afraid that you’d laugh at me too.” I bit my lip to keep from crying. Whenever I remembered about how much I was teased, I wanted to cry. “Everyone at school was laughing at me.”

“We would never laugh at you Libby,” Daddy insisted. “Boy or girl, you’re still our kid and we love you.”

Biting my lip didn’t help; when daddy told me that he and mommy loved me, I broke down and cried like a little baby.

Mommy handed me some tissue to cry my eyes. She rubbed my back and asked if I felt like going on.

I dried my tears and nodded.

“Yes, I waited way too long to tell you guys. I want to make sure you understand how I feel.”

“Good girl,” Daddy smiled. “Now, tell us more about these boys that you think are cute?”

I smiled and told them all about Eric Montel and Dave Smith, and Mike Jones; the three cutest guys in the seventh grade.

“All of the girls think they’re so dreamy,” I groaned. “They tease the other girls and talk to them in the hall between classes. I wish they’d stop and talk to me.”

“That’s not going to happen honey,” Mom explained sadly. “As far as anyone is concerned, you’re a boy and they’re not interested in other boys.”

“I know, but I can’t help the way I feel whenever I see one of them. They really are so dreamy!”

I talked to mommy and daddy for a couple of hours before they said it was bedtime. They promised to talk to me more tomorrow, once they had some time to think.

“May I take a bubble bath please?” I asked hopefully. “I really miss them.”

“Sure,” Daddy nodded. “While you’re in the tub, mommy will bring out your favorite nightgown and some panties, okay?”

I jumped up and kissed him; I missed doing that but it was okay now since I was a girl!

I ran a tub full of bubbles, then took off my wig and stepped out of my outfit and into the tub. How could mommy wonder why I wanted to be a girl when I knew that she took bubble baths too?

When I finally got out of the tub I put on the Little Mermaid nightgown and the pink silky panties mommy had left for me. It felt so good to wear a nightgown and panties to bed again; I was never going to wear boy’s PJ’s any more!

Mommy was hanging clothes in my closet when I got back to my room. The pretty outfits I had enjoyed wearing were back and so was all of my pretty lingerie! My blue sheets and pillow case were gone, replaced by a Cinderella sheet set.

“Why didn’t you get rid of my Libby clothes and stuff mommy?” I asked. “Did you know I wanted to be a girl?”

“No,” She laughed. “You certainly surprised daddy and I. We knew you were dressing up and saw how much you enjoyed being Libby so we put the things away in case you ever asked to use them again.”

“Wow!” I couldn’t believe it. “You mean I could’ve asked for one of my dresses and you would’ve given

it to me?”

“All you had to do was ask.” Mommy grinned. “It wasn’t such a big deal and it made you happy to wear dresses. Becoming a girl is going to be a whole different story though.”

“It’s important mommy,” I pleaded. “I’m not kidding, really I’m not, and I just know that I shouldn’t be a boy!”

“We believe you honey,” She said soothingly. “Now get to bed, we have a lot more talking to do tomorrow.”

I climbed into bed and fell asleep thinking about what a great mommy and daddy that I had and what a lucky girl I was.

That night I dreamed that I was in gym class and we were practicing shooting baskets again. When my turn came, Eric Montel put his arms around my waist and lifted me up. I threw the ball and it went right into the basket!! Eric started cheering, and then he turned me around to face him and gave me a kiss.

“Good job Libby!” He said as he held me close.

Everyone in the gym was clapping and cheering; Eric put me down and I rushed over to where some of my girlfriends were standing so I could till them what a great kisser Eric was. They all said that they wished he’d pick them up and give them a kiss but I just laughed; Eric was my boyfriend!

I woke up the next day wondering if it had all been just a dream. I slowly pulled back the blankets and there was proof that it wasn’t — I was definitely wearing a Little Mermaid nightgown and a pair of panties! My sheets had Cinderella on them and there were skirts and dresses in my closet and pretty panties in my dresser drawers!

I chose a cute pair of pink jeans and a pink and white striped top to wear with a pair of white socks and my pink sneakers. I brushed my hair to make bangs, clipped a white barrette into my hair, and hurried down to have breakfast with my wonderful mommy and daddy!

“Good morning mommy,” I said as I hugged her and kissed her cheek.

“Good morning daddy,” I said as I did the same to him.

“You look nice Libby, but why are you wearing pants?” Daddy asked. “I thought you’d want to wear a really pretty dress.”

“I don’t mind pants daddy,” I smiled. “These are girl’s pants; I don’t want to have to wear boy’s clothes, that’s all.”

“Unfortunately, you’re going to need to wear boy’s clothes for a little while yet at least, “Mommy explained. “You can’t leave school on Friday as a boy and show up on Monday as a girl”

“But I told you, I’m not a boy!” Why didn’t they understand?

“We heard you Libby and we believe you, but unless and until we can get this whole thing straightened out, you’ll have to look like a boy.” Daddy insisted.

“But only for school sweetheart,” Mommy added. “When you’re not in school, you can wear pretty dresses any time you like.”

“Daddy and I were up very late last night,” She continued. “We looked up a lot of things on the internet and we’ve decided that you have to talk to a doctor.”

“How come,” I shrugged? “I’m not sick”.

“Not that kind of doctor,” Daddy broke in. “A doctor who specializes in boys who want to be girls.”

“Like a shrink?”

“Something like that,” He shook his head and laughed. “This would be a psychologist who will talk to you and make sure you really understand what you’ve told us. He’ll talk to you and ask a lot of questions and make you take some tests. Then you’ll probably have to have some blood tests done to make sure there’s nothing physically wrong with you.”

“Will he turn me into a girl?” I was psyched; I’d do anything to be a girl!

“If he thinks it’s the right thing to do, he’ll recommend that you become a girl.”

“It won’t be easy Libby,” Mommy quickly added. “Even if the doctor thinks you should be a girl, you’ll have to take pills and wait for about a year.”

“I can wait!”

“You’ll have to live completely as a girl during that time,” she continued. “You’ll have to be able to convince everyone you know that you’re a girl. That means teachers, friends, everyone.”

“No problem, I did it when I was Libby and again at Halloween.”

“We have one more condition that we’ll talk about later.” Daddy said. “Mommy and I have to go out for a little while; while we’re out, we want you to look at some things on the PC. They’ll give you some information on what you’re going to have to go through and what will happen if the doctor agrees that you should become a girl.”

“Okay,” I happily agreed. ?”It’ll be kind of neat to find out what was going to happen to me; I mean, I know the doctor couldn’t wave a magic wand and make a girl out of me, but I really didn’t know anything else. Except that I absolutely, positively, totally should be a girl!”

Mommy and daddy were gone for a couple of hours. I read all the stuff they bookmarked and it was unreal!

First, I’d have to take a bunch of tests to make sure that I wasn’t nuts, then more tests to see if I really thought of myself as a girl. I’d take their silly tests but I wasn’t going to change my mind.

What really made me pay attention was what would happen to me once I passed all the tests.

I’d have to get shots and take pills which would stop me from having a male puberty. I wouldn’t grow any hair on my face, my muscles wouldn’t get big, my voice wouldn’t get deep, and my little friend would stay little. Because I wouldn’t be changing into a young man, my body would take all of the fat cells that would accumulate and move them to my hips, butt, and chest making me look more like a girl.

Once my male puberty was stopped I’d get shots and take pills to replace the male hormones my body would’ve been making with female ones. That would cause me to grow breast, give me a girl’s figure, and smooth out my body, making me look like a girl.

The doctor might even recommend that my testicles be removed to help the female hormones take over. I think I’ll ask the doctor to do that right away so I don’t start turning into a boy while I’m waiting to become a girl.

I just finished reading everything when I heard mommy and daddy in the garage. I rushed out to meet them and see if they needed any help. Even if they didn’t need help, I’m sure they could always use a hug and a kiss!

They were carrying a bunch of packages which they set down by the couch. Daddy sat down with mommy next to him and told me to come and sit on his other side.

“Mommy and I had a long talk last night Libby, and we’ve decided that you just can’t be a little girl anymore.”

I couldn’t believe he was saying that to me!

“But daddy, you and mommy promised that I could become a girl, remember? I read all the stuff on the PC and I still want to be a girl!” I started crying.

“Calm down honey,” He told me as he put his arm around me. “You didn’t let me finish.”

“Mommy and I agree with you, you should be a girl, just not an eight year old girl. If you really want to become a girl, you’re going to have to grow up.”

“But I thought you liked having a little girl? Mommy said I was supposed to be eight years old, didn’t you mommy?”

“Yes, I did.” Mommy nodded. “Daddy and I knew that you liked to wear girl’s clothes so we thought you might enjoy spending time as a little girl and wearing all the pretty things little girls get to wear like petticoats and party dresses.”

“I like wearing petticoats and party dresses mommy, why do I have to stop?”

“Because twelve year old young ladies don’t wear little girl outfits.” Mommy explained. “Young ladies have lots of pretty outfits appropriate for their age. You’ll enjoy wearing more grown up outfits.”

“Why not show her some of the things she’ll be wearing?” Daddy suggested. “I think she’ll change her mind once she sees them.”

Mommy unpacked several dresses that looked so pretty! They were very lightweight, some had flowers on them or other patterns and some were just plain. One dress caught my eye right away; it was a very light pink, with a skirt that had three levels (mommy called them tiers), that reminded me of my petticoats. They were all very pretty dresses, just like the girls in school wore when they got all dressed up.

“Can I try them on?”

“Of course,” Mommy smiled. “I have a few surprises to show you; let’s go to your room.”

Mommy unpacked several denim skirts, one with really cute pleats at the bottom, some tops, and then showed me the lingerie she bought for me.

“You’re at the age when girls begin to experiment with more grown up clothes. It’s time to leave behind the Little Mermaid panties for something more grown up.”

She handed me a pair of stretchy panties that were all lace. As soon as I saw them, I just knew I’d never want to wear little girl panties again!

“Don’t forget this,” She grinned as she handed me my very first bra. It was the same shade as the panties and the front was covered in lace. “C’mon, start getting undressed; it’s a special moment for a mom to show her daughter how to wear her first bra.”

I sure as heck wasn’t going to rob mommy of her chance to help me with my first bra so I unbuttoned my jeans, pulled off my top, and said goodbye to my little girl panties.

“These feel so nice,” I groaned as I adjusted my new panties. I pointed to my little friend who was starting to wake up. “I can’t wait until I don’t have a thingy anymore though. “

Mommy grinned slyly.

“When you get married, you’ll be more than happy to let your husband give you his!”

“Mommy!” I exclaimed, shocked to hear her talk like that.

“We need to have a little mother / daughter talk about the birds and the bees.” Mommy laughed. “And twelve year old girls might call their mothers mom or mother, but not mommy.”

“Yes mother,” I joked. “But is it okay for me to call dad “Daddy?”

“He’d be heartbroken if you called him anything else.” Mom laughed. Not calling her mommy was going to take some getting used to.

Mom showed me how to hold the bra backwards against my chest, fasten it, then turn it around and put my arms through the straps.

“You’ll wear one of these for the rest of your life,” She said as she adjusted the straps. “I’ll teach you how to choose the right kind; bras serve a purpose for women but that doesn’t mean they can’t be pretty too.”

“This one is very pretty mom…, I mean mother,” I caught myself just in time.

“It’s a size 30AA,” she said as she pulled another one out of the bag. “They’re padded for now and from what I’ve read, you’ll probably need a little padding for the next few years. Now, what do you think of this one?”

I took a yellow bra from her hand and tried to figure out how it went on. Instead of the shoulder straps, it seemed to have a loop on it.

“It’s a halter bra, you wear it with sundresses and halter tops; they don’t have shoulders so you need this kind to keep your straps from showing.”

“I didn’t know there was so much to learn about being a girl,” I admitted. “I thought I was getting good at it too!”

“You were,” Mom said. “You knew how to put together a very cute outfit for an eight year old. I’ll bet you’ll be just as good picking out pretty outfits for a twelve year old. We’ll hit the mall tomorrow after school and let you take a shot, okay?”

“I can’t wait!” I exclaimed as I ran my hands over my new panties. “I love you mommy!”

I put my hands to my mouth as if I could stop the sound I’d already made.

“It’s okay Libby; mommy still has a nice sound to it.” She smiled and we continued exploring my new clothes.

“What do you think of these?” She asked as she held up a pair of pantyhose. “Your knee socks days are over young lady, it’s time to start showing off those pretty legs of yours!”

I took them and gently inserted my arm the way she had done. They were very sheer and made my arm look kind of pretty.

“I don’t know if I’m ready for these.” I muttered while running my other hand over them. “Are you sure I couldn’t just wear knee socks a little while longer?”

“Young ladies don’t wear knee socks with their dresses Libby,” Mom insisted. “Now be a good girl and slide them on, okay?”

I was shaking by the time I got the pantyhose around my waist. Having my legs covered by such silky material was sending shivers up and down my spine and I had Goosebumps everywhere else. It was heavenly!

“Libby, are you okay?” I heard mom call. “What’s wrong sweetheart?”

When the shivers stopped and the Goosebumps went down, I drifted back to earth.

Nothing’s wrong mom,” I stammered, trying to focus. “I’ve never had these kinds of feelings before, that’s all!”

"So, do you still want to be an eight year old?” Mom asked with a laugh.

“No, I want to be a pretty lady, just like you mom.”

Mom smiled and handed me a lace trimmed half slip to wear, and then showed me how to zip up my new pink dress without any help. I stepped into a pair of low-heeled pink shoes (mom promised to buy me a pair of heels as soon as I was ready) and then she styled my wig into a style that looked older.

“Are you ready to show Daddy how nicely his little girl has grown up?” Mom asked as she sprayed some cologne on me.

“I guess I shouldn’t skip, right?” I laughed.

Mom looked at me kind of funny for a couple of seconds.

“No skipping,” She said with a funny smile. “I’ve got a better idea.”

Ten minutes later, I walked into the living room with a sway to my hips and daddy nearly had a heart attack.

“Good God, Libby!” He whispered. “What happened to that adorable little girl that used to skip everywhere?”

I winked at mom and then walked over to daddy, put my arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek.

“She grew up daddy,” I whispered in his ear. “Do you think Eric would like to play basketball with me now?”

“I know exactly what he’d like to play and I’ll break every bone in his body if he tries!”

“Don’t worry daddy, I’ll be a very good girl. I promise.”

“I know you will honey, but you and your mom still need to have a long talk; things are going to be a lot different for you from now on.”

It felt so good to know that my parent’s loved me so much! I pulled mom close enough so that I could hug her and daddy at the same time.

Dad contacted the doctor about me and he and mom had a few meetings with him before we all met together. Dr. Lynch seemed like a nice guy, he told me that I looked very pretty and that he would help me as much as possible but that we’d have to talk about my life and then take some tests before anything could be started.

Dr. Lynch asked me lots of questions like did I ever want to be a girl before I started dressing up, how often did I dress up, did I pretend that I was a girl when I dressed up, and even if I liked boys or not.

I told him that I always thought that I was really a girl but somehow ended up as a boy, I dressed a little bit almost every day until I was allowed to be Libby, I never thought that I was pretending to be a girl when I dressed up; I just thought that I was wearing the kind of things that I should have always worn, and yes, I liked boys very much!

He asked what I would do if he didn’t think that I should become a girl; would I keep dressing up, would I stop and try to become a normal boy.

I answered as honestly as possible; if I couldn’t become a girl, I don’t know what I’d do. Of course, I’d keep dressing up, and no, I could never be a normal boy because I know that I’m really a girl.

Dr, Lynch thanked us for coming in and had us set another appointment for two weeks. He also sent me to get some blood tests done and a physical before I came back to take his tests.

Mom, daddy, and I went back for several more visits before Dr. Lynch told us that in his opinion, the best help for me would be gender reassignment.

Mom and daddy seemed very happy but I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“I’m recommending that you become Libby,” He smiled when I asked him to explain. “You’re blood tests indicate that you’re not likely to experience any growth spurt that will make you taller than about five feet tall and your level of male hormones is well below normal.

“The psychological tests that I had you take point to a very dominant female personality; you consider yourself to be female and you have the same interest in boys as any normal girl your age. I’ll make this as easy to understand as possible Libby; I think you’re going to be a very pretty and very popular young lady.”

“Does that mean…” I was so excited that I couldn’t finish what I wanted to ask.

Dr. Lynch handed me a paper with the name of another doctor.

“This is an endocrinologist,” He explained. “That’s a doctor that works with the chemicals in your body. She’ll give you shots and pills to take to stop your body from trying to make a boy out of you. Once she’s satisfied that your body isn’t going to grow any more muscles or other male characteristics, she’ll start giving you the chemicals that will change you into the lovely young woman I have no doubt you’ll turn out to be.”

He said more things about meeting with him once a month for at least another year but I was crying too much to listen.

I got my very first girl shot a week later. The lady doctor said that I should call her Doctor Lynn; she was very nice and after looking over all of my tests asked me to lift my skirt and lower my pantyhose and panties. Mom held my hand as the doctor gave me a shot in the butt.

“Congratulations Elizabeth, you’re on your way to becoming a young lady.” Doctor Lynn told me as I pulled my panties and stockings back up. “You’ll need to take the pills I’m prescribing for a little while to make sure you don’t start to develop like a boy.”

I happily rubbed my butt as we walked back to meet with mom and daddy in another office.

“I’ll be administering Elizabeth’s hormones and monitoring her progress,” Doctor Lynn told us. “I expect this to take some time; it wouldn’t be safe to try to replace all of her male hormones overnight. Fortunately, being so young should allow us to trick her body into readily accepting the female hormones.”

I didn’t want to wait forever to be a girl, twelve years as a boy was long enough.

“Could I get castrated?” I asked cheerfully. “I read where that helps the female hormones to take over better!”

“You’re not in any rush young lady!” Mom told me as daddy turned white.

“Dr Lynch did mention that in his report,” Doctor Lynn admitted. “And I would like to discuss the idea if you don’t mind.”

“We don’t mind at all!” I volunteered.

“Calm down Elizabeth, this is important!” Daddy said in a stern voice.

“I’m sorry daddy,” I apologized. “I’m can’t help being so excited, this means so much to me!”

“As I was saying,” Doctor Lynn smiled at me. “Doctor Lynch mentioned castration as an option in your daughter’s initial treatment for several reasons. It almost completely stops production of male hormones and it does help the body accept the female hormones more readily when we get to that phase. More importantly though, castration, along with minor genital alteration it will help your daughter develop more of a feminine self-mage.”

Doctor Lynn lost me real fast.

“What did she say?” I asked mom.

“I’ll try to make it easier to understand,” Doctor Lynn laughed. “What Doctor Lynch recommends is that Elizabeth has her testicles removed and minor alteration of her genitals to present a more feminine appearance. In other words, her penis will be retracted into her groin and the loose skin from her testicles will be used to form the labia.”

“I’m still lost,” I complained. “Can’t you speak English, please?”

Dad looked over at me and sighed.

“You’ll look just like mom does without panties on.”

“Now that would be cool! I could get a bikini, and I could shower with the girls after gym class!”

“Calm down Libby,” Daddy ordered. “This is extremely important and I don’t want any interruptions.”

“Sorry daddy,” I whimpered.

Mom and daddy talked to Doctor Lynn for over two hours and finally agreed that I should have the operation to make me look like a girl. I’m going to give them both tons of kisses when we get home!

I was going to have to wait for a whole month before I could get operated on. In the meantime, there were lots of things that needed to be done.

Mom and I packed up all of my little girl outfits and dropped them off at the same Goodwill box that my first dresses had come from. Then we took all of the sports posters off my bedroom walls, packed up the bat and glove I never used, and removed anything that would make it look like a boy’s bedroom. We left just enough boys’ clothes to get me through school; mom and I plan to drop them off at Goodwill when I come home on the last day of school.

Now that I knew I was going to be a girl my mood went way up. I paid attention in class again, did my homework, and my test scores showed it. By the end of the year, I had gone from barely passing to a B average. My teachers were glad that whatever had pulled down my grades was over, they told me that they hoped I’d come back in the fall ready to learn. I promised them that next year would certainly be different!

Mom was waiting for me as I left school; she had all the bags of my old clothes in the back, ready to drop off.

“There he is!” I shouted as we drove past the school. “That’s Eric, the cutest guy in the world!”

Mom looked at Eric and nodded. “He is cute, but you’re still too young to date.”

“Don’t worry Libby,” She smiled and patted my leg. “When you’re old enough, daddy will have to beat the boys back with a club.”

On the way home mom gave me some surprising news; we were moving out of the Hartwood school district; next fall I’d be starting the eight grade at Laketon Junior High. Daddy was starting his own company and that looked like the best place for customers.

“I just dropped off a request to have all your records transferred there. You might want to take a look at something that came in the mail today.”

She handed me an envelope from the state; I opened it and found a birth certificate for Elizabeth Marie Martin!

“You’re now officially a girl now Libby!”

I was so excited! I kept staring at the paper and reading it over and over; I loved seeing the word Female in the box for my sex. It was what I had wanted all my life and now I had it!

“We’ll stop home so you can change into something pretty,” Mom told me. “Now that you’re officially a girl you won’t want to be dressed like a boy, right?”

“No way mom!” I shouted. “I promised you that I’d never be a tomboy. I’m going to wear that white skirt you bought me and that blue halter top; I’m through with boy’s stuff, I’m going to be such a princess!”

I rushed to my room as soon as we got home. I couldn’t wait to get my stupid boy’s clothes off so I could on something really pretty and feminine.

I gave mom the clothes I had been wearing leaving nothing on but a pair of white bikini panties. I dug out a white halter bra from my drawer and expertly fastened it. I stepped into a half slip that was almost as poufy as my old petticoats, and then pulled on the three tiered, full white skirt I had gotten at the mall a week ago.

I pulled on my halter top, fastened the strap around my neck, stepped into a pair of sandals and it was off to get rid of the last of Eddie’s clothes!

I felt wonderful as the breeze whipped around my bare legs and cased my skirt to flare. The sun beating down on my bare shoulders and back would give me a tan that would look great when I went swimming in my new bikini!

Just for kicks, I opened my purse and took out the cardboard container of pills that were slowly turning me into a girl. I loved looking at them and knowing what they were doing to me.

My little friend seemed smaller than ever and nothing seemed to wake him up anymore. Soon he’d be inside of me, my testicles would be gone, and I’d never be able to stand and pee again. My hair seemed a little thicker, my body was getting softer, and I was happier than ever.

“You’re going to be a beautiful woman someday,” Mom said when she noticed me staring at the pills. “I’m glad you told daddy and me what was bothering you; it must have been terrible for you.”

“It’s all better now; I feel normal as a girl. I never felt that way as a boy.” I told her. “Other boys would be talking about how many baskets they could make or how many home-runs they could hit but I didn’t care. It got really scary though when I heard girls talking about cute guys and I knew exactly how they felt.”

“You seem to have gotten over your fear of cute boys,” Mom teased. “I’ll bet you wouldn’t be afraid of Eric.”

“Never,” I sighed. “I wish I could come back when I’m old enough to date; maybe he’d ask me out.”

Mom just laughed. “When you’re old enough, there will be a whole crop of boys at Laketon just dying to date you.”

I still hoped that someday I could come back to Eric, my first love.

A week later I had the operation to make me look like a girl.

I didn’t know what to think as I was wheeled into a room to prepare me for the operation. Half of me was scared and the other half couldn’t wait. I knew that when I woke up, I’d be able to be a boy again. The female hormones had done a job on my little friend and now, without testicles, they’d do a job on the rest of me.

Doctor Lynn told me that without my testicles, the female hormones would be sort of super-charged; in a few months no one would ever look at me and think that I was a boy. She used a computer in her office to show how I’d change; my face got softer looking and gradually my body started to develop a girl’s figure.

I watched as curves began to develop on my body. Slowly, my nipples began to get puffy and then my breasts began to grow.

“I estimate that by the time you’re thirteen, you’ll be a 32A, by sixteen, you should be a 34A, and by the time you reach eighteen, you’ll have developed into a 34B”

I started to blush and look away; except for taking one shower with mom, I’d never seen pictures of naked girls before.

“There’s no need to be shy,” Dr. Lynn squeezed my hand. “This is how you’re going to develop. You’re a girl now so there’s nothing wrong with seeing other girls naked.”

“You’ll be taking the girl’s gym class,” Mom laughed. “You can’t wear a towel in the shower.”

I wondered what it was going to be like; walking around a shower with a bunch of naked girls and looking exactly like them. Would my breasts be developed much more by the time school started? How much of a figure would I have by then? Wait a second, the answers were right in front of me and I was too shy to look!

“I’m sorry Dr. Lynn; I’m still new at being a girl. Could I see those pictures again please?”

Dr, Lynn gave my hand another squeeze and began rerunning the show.

“How big do you think my breasts will be by the time school starts?” I asked anxiously. “Do you think they’ll be noticeable?”

“Only to other girls,” Dr. Lynn laughed. “Boys are pretty nearsighted at your age; it generally takes a lot to make them notice. We girls though tend to be always checking out the competition, even when we’re young. We want to know who’s going to be the one we have to compete with for boys so you can expect to be pretty thoroughly examined.”

I blinked and screwed up my face.

“Don’t worry Elizabeth,” Dr. Lynn explained. “Unless you let them give you a physical, there’s no way they’ll ever know that you used to be a boy. Let me show you why boys will be interested in you.

She typed a date into the program that would match when I’d start back to school.

I watched as my picture began to change. My hair was longer, my face much softer and prettier, my breasts just starting to swell and my butt much rounder. I still had what mom calls baby fat, but not as much as now.

“I look pretty!” I exclaimed

Dr. Lynn smiled at me and put her fingers on the keyboard. “Would you like to see yourself at fourteen?”

I nodded my head up and down; I couldn’t seem to speak or take my eyes off the screen.

At fourteen my breasts were clearly developed, I had more curves, long, thick hair framed my pretty face, and the baby fat was gone.

If I had any doubts about becoming a girl, those pictures pushed them completely out of my mind.

I thought about those pictures as the nice nurse gave me an injection and I went to sleep.

“It’s time to wake up Elizabeth,” I heard someone say.

Oh no, what if this had all been a dream? If it was, I wasn’t going to wake up! I’d stay asleep and stay a girl.

“Elizabeth,” The voice called again. This time I felt someone gently shaking me.

Wait, if it had all been a dream, whoever was trying to wake me up would be calling me Eddie, not Elizabeth! They were calling me Elizabeth so that meant it was safe to open my eyes!

“How do you feel?” A nurse asked as she placed a straw to my lips. “Take some water sweetie.”

I took a sip of the most delicious tasting water I’ve ever had.

“Is it over?” I asked through my dried out lips.

“Everything’s neatly tucked away, now you’ll understand why it’s so important to keep the toilet seat down!”

I laughed so hard I spilled water all over my blankets.

Mom took me home two days later after the doctor checked me out and said everything was okay. I’d have to wear a pad in my panties for the next week but that was okay; it helped remind me that my life was going to be so much better.

The day after I got home I was watching TV when suddenly the front door burst open and my cousin Marie came rushing in. I wanted to jump up and run to my room but mom gently held me back.

“She’s your friend,” Mom said softly as she released my arm. “You know she’ll understand.”

Two years older than me, Marie and I had always been close. She was very cute, a cheerleader, an honor student, and popular, just the kind of girl I wanted to be.

“Hey Eddie,” Marie called as she came into the room. “Mom says you were in the hospital and have a surprise you want me to see.”

She saw me sitting there in my pink gauze nightgown, blowing on my fingers to dry my pink nail polish, a copy of Tiger Beat lying next to me. After blinking several times she shook her head and rubbed her eyes.

“Okay Eddie, I give up.” She finally laughed. “What’s the joke?”

“There’s no joke Ree,” I glanced up from blowing on my nails using my favorite name for her. “My name’s Libby now, that’s short for Elizabeth Marie.”

“Run that past me again,” She asked, her face showing the confusion she was feeling. “I thought you said your name was Libby.”

I smiled and stood up to better show off my pretty nightgown.

“Yep, my name’s Libby now and this is the surprise!”

“You want to wear girl’s clothes and call your self Libby, what’s wrong with this picture?” Ree asked.

“You wear girl’s clothes, nail polish, and have a girl’s name don’t you?” I always enjoyed teasing Ree and this was going to be bunches of fun!

“Yeah, but I’m a girl and you’re a…”

“Surprise, so am I!” I grinned as her face got all screwed up.

She turned to her mom who was smiling and shaking her head yes.

“Is this a joke or what?” She finally asked my mom.

“I have an ideal Libby, why don’t you show Ree how pretty your room looks now.” Mom winked. “I’m sure you girls have a lot to talk about.”

Ree shook her head but followed along to my room.

“Good grief, Charlie Brown. What happened to your room?” were the first words out of her mouth when I opened the door to my bedroom.

“Mom and daddy fixed it up for me; isn’t it pretty?”

Ree took in the pink walls, the white rug, my beautiful bed with the ruffled canopy and sheets. I could almost hear the wheels grinding together inside her head.

“Check out my closet.” I slid back the door revealing a row of pretty outfits.

“This isn’t a joke, is it?” She finally managed to ask. “You’re wearing a nightgown, doing your nails, you read Tiger Beat, you’re room is every girl’s dream come true, and you have a closet full of dresses.”

“Nope, it’s not a joke.” I insisted. “I could take my panties off if you need more proof.”

“You’re wearing panties too?”

“Of course I am, don’t you wear panties?”

“But, but, but, I’m a …”

“You mentioned that before and I told you …”

“I know, I know,” Ree kept shaking her head. “All right, smarty pants. Prove it!”

I raised my nightgown and lowered the pretty blue panties I was wearing.

“Do you believe me now?” I asked smugly.

“It’s gone!” Ree exclaimed. “What happened, where are your nuts?”

“My thingy still there, at least for now. A nice doctor tucked it away after he cut off my nuts. I look like a girl now and the hormones will work better.”

“You’re really going to become a girl?” she asked, still having trouble believing it.

“I always wanted to be a girl,” I told her as I pulled my panties back up and adjust my nightgown.

I cleared some of my baby-dolls that were sleeping in my bed so that Ree and I could sit down and talk.

After I told her my story, we looked over pictures mom had taken of me in my party dresses and my princess costume.

“You’re right,” She told me. “You should have been a girl; you’re way to pretty to be a boy and you seem so much happier now.

“I feel much better now. I just always knew something was wrong; I never liked doing the kind of things that boys do. I just never felt right; something inside of me kept telling me that I shouldn’t have been a boy. Being so short didn’t help either.”

“Don’t worry about that,” She said excitedly. “Being short will be a real bonus for you now. A lot of the big, strong guys like little girls. Haven’t you ever noticed the jocks are always with some sweet, little thing? You do like boys, don’t you?”

“That was another problem for me. I had crushes on a couple of guys which drove me nuts.”

Ree’s eye’s lit up when I mentioned having crushes on other boys.

“Cool, who was your biggest crush? Did he make you feel all funny inside whenever you looked at him?”

“That’s easy; my biggest crush was on a boy named Eric Montel. He has green eyes, light brown hair, and he’s so cute!”

“Did you ever want him to kiss you?”

“He used to pick me up to shoot baskets in gym class; I felt so funny because I didn’t want him to put me back down. If he would’ve kissed me, I would’ve died!”

“Yep, you’re definitely a girl!” Ree shook her head.

“I told you so!” I stuck out my tongue which caused her to swat me with my pillow. I grabbed another pillow and the battle was on!

Later, two exhausted but happy girls trooped back to where mom and Aunt Beth waited for us.

“Remember that little sister I always wanted mom?” Ree put an arm around me and pulled me close. “I think I just found her!”

“Now that you gave Ree her surprise, it’s time to give you one.” Aunt Beth guided me to a chair she had set up at the sink. “I’m going to give you a new hairstyle; your old one looks like a boy’s haircut. It’s a good thing you’re mother didn’t let you get any more cut off”

When I was finished my hair was styled into a short, but very pretty style that made me feel so special. Everything about me now said “Girl” and I couldn’t have been happier. Unless of course I got a kiss from Eric!

Mom let me spend two weeks living at Ree’s house. She thought that spending time with a girl closer to my age would help me adjust better. Uncle Pete seemed a little shocked when he saw me but mom, daddy, and Aunt Beth had already explained everything so after a minute or two he was okay with me.

Ree was thrilled to find out that I’d be going to Laketon Junior High. She’d be in the tenth grade at the high school which was just down the street.

“I’ll keep an eye on her for you,” She promised my mom. “I promise to introduce her to the cutest boys.”

“You’re too young to date Libby,” Mom insisted. “But I don’t think that daddy and I would mind if you went to a dance or two at school; Aunt Beth says they’re very well supervised so you won’t be able to go off in a corner to suck face with some boy.”

“Ah mom, you take all of the fun out of life!” I joked. “I can’t wait until I’m old enough to suck face with a cute boy!”

“Behave yourself young lady or you’ll find yourself back in third grade wearing Little Mermaid panties!” Mom fired back.

“Oh goody, I could wear my pretty party dresses and petticoats!”

“But no training bras and you won’t take any more female hormones which means you’ll stay flat as a board!”

I pretended to be very hurt.

“That’s fighting dirty!” I pouted and thrust out my chest to show off my puffy little nipples. “You know how much I want boobies.”

My uncle Pete never said a word about my becoming a girl; he was daddy’s brother and I’m sure he was told all about what had happened to me. No matter what though, he was a real sweetie, just like daddy so I knew he’d understand.

Ree and I rushed to unpack my stuff; she had a bunch of friends she wanted to introduce me to and she said that a couple of them had nice little brothers that might like me too!

.I had a great time with Ree; she was just like a big sister to me, showing me how to put on makeup, letting me borrow her nail polish, and making sure that everyone knew that I was her cousin and that they should be nice to me.

After a couple of days, Ree convinced mom and Aunt Beth to let me go to a nearby amusement park with her and some friends. She said that there would probably be some boys my age going but that she’d make sure that nothing happened. Some cousin she was; she could at least let me suck a little face. After all, I had so much to learn about being a girl and cute boys would probably be great teachers!

A couple of Ree’s girlfriends brought along their little sisters so I wouldn’t feel left out. Ree and her friends split off from our group so my new friends and I took off for the Ferris wheel and the roller coasters. It was so cool being with girls my age; we hit it off right away talking about the cute guys in Tiger Beat and the latest fashions for our age group.

I quickly found out that I had a whole lot in common with my new friends; Jenny had been a big Barbie doll collector, Mary and I both wished that we could have boyfriends as cute as the twin boys, Dylan and Cole Sprouse, who played Zack and Cody on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody, Annie was also wearing a denim skirt and like me, loved to wear pretty dresses instead of pants.

It was great to find out that they were also going to be in the eighth grade at Laketon, so we could hang out together! Best of all though was that Laketon was a private school that required students to wear uniforms; the boys all wore dress slacks, shirts, and ties and the girls all wore pleated skirts, white blouses, and knee socks.

That, I thought was totally awesome; I would have to wear a skirt to school, something I’ve wanted to do since Nursery school! Once school starts, I’ll wear a skirt, blouse, slip and panties five days a week just like every other girl. It’s so exciting that I can’t wait for summer vacation to end!! In the meanwhile, I have plenty of skirts and sundresses to wear over the summer.

We had a great time on the Ferris wheel and the roller coaster but Jennie and Annie were afraid to go on the spin-a-round, a ride where four people get into a car that spins in a circle while going around in a circle. Mary and I wanted to go on it but we needed two more people for our car. That was when two cute boys asked if they could ride in our car too.

Mary looked at them and asked. “Do you have girlfriends?”

“What’s wrong with you?” I whispered to her. “You’re embarrassing me!”

I took another look at the two cuties though and asked. “Well do you?”

As soon as they said no, Mary pulled me close so each of the boys would have to sit on the outside. I’d been on a ride like that before so I knew what she was doing. When the ride was at full speed, it forced everyone to one side and then the other; each of us would then have a cute guy pushing against us half the time and we’d be pushing against them the other half! The boys had to know what Mary was planning; they grinned at each other and hurried to choose a girl to sit next to!

Jimmy, the cutie pie sitting next to me, was every bit as cute and adorable as Eric Montel. He had big brown eyes, a mop of reddish blonde hair that wouldn’t stay out, and when he smiled at me I felt all kinds of funny things in my tummy!

Mary’s guy was named Mike and he was just as cute as Jimmy with blonde hair, green eyes, and some muscles on his arms. I whispered to Mary that we had to ride a couple of times so we could switch guys; I wanted to find a way to accidentally squeeze Mike’s arms so I could feel his muscles.

The ride started up and went to full speed real fast, causing Jimmy to squeeze against me.

“Am I hurting you?” He yelled above the screaming coming from Mary and me.

“No, it’s cool!” I smiled. He must’ve mistaken our screams for pain when we were really just letting everyone in the world know how thrilled we were to have two cute boys making a sandwich out of us!

A minute later I was squeezing Jimmy into the side wall.

“Are you okay?” I asked with a big smile.

“My arms sort of pinned,” He groaned. “It’s going to sleep.”

Once the car shifted, I moved so Jimmy could free his arm which magically found its way around my shoulders, pulling me close to him.

“That feels much better!” He grinned as I found myself staring into his eyes.

“Oh yeah,” I moaned as I snuggled close. “Much better!”

We rode the ride three more times but after the second one I stayed with Jimmy and Mary stayed with Mike. I liked Mike’s muscles but it just felt nicer to snuggle up with Jimmy.

Ree and her friends passed by and saw me snuggled close to Jimmy. She stopped, smiled, and waved, then went back to kissing some cute guy that had his arms around her waist. I knew she wasn’t going to say anything to our parents about me getting comfortable with Jimmy!

When we finished our four rides, Mary and I said goodbye to Mike and Jimmy and joined up with the other girls. We found a nice shady spot where we could sit and tell the others all about the cute guys and how nice it felt when we were all squished together!

The four of us found some more rides to go on and then decided to try our luck with games at the Midway.

The first game I tried was knocking down some milk bottles with a softball. Only girls were allowed to use softballs; boys had to use baseballs. Every player got three chances to knock the bottles down and win a prize. I was trying my best because I really wanted one of the Teddy Bears they offered as prizes but even with the bigger softball though, I couldn’t even get close to the stack of bottles. After five tries, I was ready to give up when I heard a voice behind me.

“You throw like a girl!”

I turned and saw Jimmy grinning at me.

“Well duh,” I pointed to my skirt. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I am a girl! (It felt so good to say that!)

“Girls can’t throw worth a darn,” Jimmy laughed. “Would you like me to see if I can win one of those big bears?”

“You’d have to knock all the bottles down with just one ball,” I said with a smile “Can you do that?”

That was all that he needed to hear; he put down a dollar, and picked up one of the three baseballs.

Holding it out to me, he asked if I’d blow on it for good luck.

I took a deep breath and blew as hard as I could.

He wound up, threw the ball, and sent the bottles scattering as if they’d been hit by a basketball.

I jumped up and down, clapping my hands, stopping only to point out a big pink bear that I wanted.

“You’re my hero!” I screamed as he handed me my Teddy Bear.

As he stood there blushing I was overcome with an urge to give him a proper reward so I quickly kissed his cheek.

“Th…,th…,thanks!” He stammered while rubbing his cheek. “I’ve never been kissed by a girl before!”

“It’s the first time I ever kissed a boy, so we’re even!” I smiled and clutched my Teddy Bear. “I’m going to name him Jimmy after my hero!”

Jimmy kept rubbing his cheek as he walked away.

“You kissed a boy!” Annie giggled. “Did you like it?”

“I just kissed his cheek,” I tried to explain. “He did win me this Teddy Bear so it seemed like the right thing to do.”

“He’s so cute,” Jennie groaned. “I’d give him kisses just for trying!”

When we met up with Ree and her friends they all wanted to know the story of my Teddy Bear. I told them how I couldn’t even come close to hitting the bottles and how Jimmy won him for me.

“She gave him a kiss!” Mary giggled. “She kissed him right in front of everybody!”

“That seems like a fair trade to me,” one of the older girls shrugged. “That’s a very cute bear, does he have a name?”

“He is cute and his name is Jimmy Bear,” I proudly announced. “He’s named after the cute boy who won him for me!”

Ree smiled and gave me a wink; we’d have lots to talk about when we went to bed.

That night, I showered and changed into a pair of silky, pink, bikini panties and a short, pink, nylon nightgown with lace around the sleeves and neck.

“Someone’s feeling very girly, isn’t she?” Ree teased as I dressed. “All pink and lots of lace.”

“I’m so happy now,” I giggled as I held Jimmy Bear and twirled around. “I hated being a boy; I never had this much fun when I was a boy.”

“That’s because you were never really a boy,” Ree explained as she painted my toenails a pretty shade of red. “You looked like a boy and so everyone thought you were a boy and treated you like one but you were really a girl.”

“That’s right,” I quickly agreed. “I always knew that I was a girl but I was afraid to tell anyone else.”

“I would have believed you,” she smiled. “I always thought you’d make a great girl. I’ll bet Jimmy thinks so too.”

I started to giggle and couldn’t stop. The next thing I knew Ree and I were both rolling around on the floor, laughing like crazy.

“What’s going on girls?” Aunt Beth asked as she rushed into the room.

“Ree’s teasing me, Aunt Beth.” I managed to say between howls of laughter. “Spank her!”

“Libby’s got a boyfriend, Libby’s got a boyfriend,” Ree started to chant. “Libby and Jimmy sitting in a tree, kissing!”

“It wasn’t a tree,” I laughed even harder. “And I only gave him one little kiss!”

Aunt Beth sat on the bed and pulled me onto her lap. “Tell me all about this boy that’s captured my pretty niece’s heart. Will there be a wedding soon?”

I managed to calm down enough to tell them both about the Spin-a-Round, and how Jimmy put his arm around my shoulders and how nice it felt.

“Was that when you kissed him?”

“No, that was when I felt all funny inside. I kissed him for winning me this cute bear.”

I told her all about how Jimmy came to my rescue and won the bear for me.

“Kissing him seemed like a good thing,” I told her. “Did I do something wrong?’

“No, kissing a boy on the cheek is a nice way for a girl to say thank you. You’re too young to get serious though.”

“I understand, I promised mom and daddy that I’d be good and I will be. It was nice of Jimmy to win me this; I’ve never had anyone want to do something for me before.”

“Get used to it,” Ree laughed as she brought a mirror over to me. “Look in here and you’ll see why Jimmy was being so nice.”

I looked in the mirror but didn’t understand what she meant.

“Oh for Heaven’s sake,” she shook her head. “Do I have to spell it out for you? You’re a very, very, very, cute girl! Boys like cute girls. Boys will do anything for a cute girl. Therefore, boys will do anything, anything at all, just to see a smile on that pretty little face of yours! They’ll fight to sit next to you, to carry your books, or dance with you.”

“She’s right,” Aunt Beth shook her head in agreement. “Boys are going to go nuts over you.”

“What should I do?” I wondered aloud.

“Enjoy it!” They both shouted.

I felt so confused; boys had always teased me and girls had always ignored me. Now, boys wanted to win prizes for me and girls wanted to be my friends. This was so new to me, I hoped I didn’t mess up, my new girlfriends were so nice and Jimmy was so cute.

Later the next week, Aunt Beth chaperoned a shopping trip for me and my girlfriends. Annie was having a pool party and we all wanted to get new bathing suits. We went from store to store trying on different suits and were having a great time.

We were nearing the Food Court when Mary spotted Jimmy and Mike; the guys from the amusement park ride. They were sitting with a group of boys and had noticed us first.

“There’s your honey Jimmy,” one of them teased. “Are you gonna get another kiss?”

The teasing seemed to be bothering Jimmy who was doing his best not to look directly at us; even from a distance I could tell that he was blushing. It wasn’t nice of the other boys to tease Jimmy for being so nice to me but what could I do?

An idea suddenly popped into my head; I called the other girls together and told them my plan.

“That’s a great idea!” Mary laughed when I told them what I wanted to do. “I get Mike!”

Annie and the others divvied up the other boys as we walked towards their table.

“Hi Jimmy,” I said on my sweetest voice. “Thanks for winning that bear for me.”

Of course the other boys immediately began teasing Jimmy making him blush and fidget, looking for a way out. On my signal, my girlfriends split up and rushed to the boys they had chosen, threw their arms around their necks and gave each a big kiss!

“Yuck, you’re gonna give me girl germs!” One boy complained as he brushed his cheek.

“What did you do that for?” Another complained.

“If you don’t stop teasing Jimmy, we’ll do that to you every time we see you!” I threatened.

“Bye Jimmy,” I waved as we walked away.

Jimmy and Mike were the only ones smiling.

“My guy was cute,” Annie sighed. “Can we go back and do it again?”

“Any time you need help like that,” Jennie agreed. “Count me in!”

“You are such a snot!” Aunt Beth told me when she finally finished laughing. “That was so funny!”

“It wasn’t nice of them to pick on Jimmy; they deserved what they got.” I insisted.

We finished our shopping and were just leaving the mall when I heard someone call my name. I tuned around and saw Jimmy running up to me.

“You were so cool,” He said as he caught his breath. “You didn’t have to do that though; the guys were just having fun.”

“Well I didn’t think they were being very nice to you!” I stamped my foot. “Since you were so nice to me, I wanted to help you.”

“Gee, that’s pretty neat!” He smiled and shook his cute head. “Uh, you know there’s a dance coming up at the youth center next week. My friends and I always go; maybe we’ll see you there?”

Jimmy had his back turned to Aunt Beth and the other girls, who were all grinning and shaking their heads yes.

“That sounds like fun,” I smiled which seemed to make him happy. “But I’m staying with my cousin Ree; I don’t know where the youth center is and I’d have to get permission from my aunt.”

Jimmy’s smile disappeared when he heard that, making me feel very sad.

“I think it would be okay if you went;” I heard Aunt Beth say. “It might be a good way to make some new friends.”

Jimmy’s smile popped right back onto his adorable face.

“My family’s moving somewhere around here,” I explained. “I’m not sure where yet but I’ll be going to Laketon Junior High next year. I don’t know anyone except for Annie, Jenny, and Mary; their sisters are friends with my cousin Ree.”

“You’re going to Laketon?” Jimmy shouted. “Way cool! I’m going there too!”

Looking into his eyes made me feel so funny; just like I did when Eric used to pick me up. I just wished that I was wearing something prettier than my denim skirt.

“Someone’s got a big crush!” Aunt Beth laughed as we watched Jimmy practically float out the door. “He seems like a nice boy.”

“Do you really think he likes me?” I asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

“He won a Teddy Bear for you and he practically begged you to go to the dance,” Jen laughed. “You are such a ninny!”

I stuck my tongue out and laughed. It felt terrific to finally be a girl!

I practically begged Ree to teach me how to dance; I only had a couple of days to learn and it was so important! I didn’t want to look like a total dork in front of the cutest boy in the whole world.

“What am I going to wear?” I kept asking Ree as I tore outfits from my closet. “Jimmy’s so cute; I want to look extra pretty for him.”

“You are such a girl!” She laughed. “How could anyone possibly have thought you were a boy?”

“Beats me,” I shook my head. “All they had to do was ask; I would’ve told them. You never heard me say that I was a boy, did you?”

“No, come to think of it, the subject never came up.”

“Too bad,” I laughed as I unzipped a dress. “I wish someone would’ve asked me; it was terrible pretending to be a boy.”

I wiggled out of the shorts I was wearing, took off my top, and pulled the dress over my head. It was a light blue, pullover style with a tiered skirt. I swung from side to side enjoying how the skirt swayed.

Ree started clapping and whistling. “Watch out Jimmy,” she laughed as I walked across the room, trying to make my hips swing back and forth.

“Do you think he’ll try to kiss me?” I asked hopefully.

“Boys that age are too shy,” Ree shook her head. “You have to wait till they’re at least fourteen before they get up enough nerve to kiss.”

“I don’t know if I can wait any longer. I wanted a kiss from Eric so badly and now I won’t get one from Jimmy either!” I pouted. “What does a girl have to do to get a kiss?”

“She has to wait until she’s older,” Aunt Beth said sternly as she came into the room. “Otherwise, it’s back to being eight years old again and you know what that means?”

I looked down at the twin bulges pushing out the front of my dress. I wasn’t going to take any chances on losing my nice new boobies!

I quickly crossed my arms over my chest.

“I’m sorry Aunt Beth, this is all so exciting. Please don’t take away my boobies!”

“You need to learn how to handle boys Libby,” Aunt Beth said as she sat me down on the bed next to her. “Boys are a lot like matches; they’re nice to have when you need one but they can be very dangerous to play with.”

“But how will I ever learn to handle them if I can’t date one?” I pouted again. “You even said that Jimmy seemed like a nice boy.”

“He does seem like a nice boy Libby; that’s why I’m letting you go to that dance. Maybe you didn’t notice, but I said yes without even calling your mom and dad.”

“Thank you Aunt Beth, that was very nice of you. Do you think mom and daddy would mind?”

“I think it’ll be okay honey, but I’m sure that they’ll expect you to act like a young lady instead of a streetwalker.”

From the look on her face, I realized that she must have watched me swinging my butt as I walked around the bedroom.

“Would you believe that I was just, uh, taking it out for a test drive?”

Aunt Beth and Ree both broke up laughing.

“Didn’t you ever do that mom?” Ree asked, her eyebrow lifted in an arch.

“Every girl does it,” My aunt laughed. “We try on out mom’s clothes and high heels when we’re little girls and then we move on to trying out our new figures when we’re a little older. Developing breasts and a figure can be so exciting and it’s only natural to want to be a sexy lady but a real lady doesn’t have to act that way; she knows how to attract and keep a good man without ruining her reputation. “Be patient Libby, your mom will teach you everything you need to know. Someday you’ll be a beautiful woman.”

I was crying like a baby when Aunt Beth finished; I promised her that I’d never let her down, I’d be a lady just like her, mom, and my idol Ree.

“Would you guys please help me find something pretty to wear to the dance?” I sniffled. “Jimmy’s the first boy to be interested in me as a girl and I want to make a good impression on him.”

“You’ve already done that,” Aunt Beth laughed. “You had that boy eating out of your hand at the mall.”

“I’ll make a deal with you Libby,” Ree offered. “I’ll teach you how to dress if you’ll teach me how to turn boys into faithful little puppies like you did with Jimmy!”

“But I didn’t do anything,” I shook my head trying to understand what was happening.

“At twelve years old, you’ve mastered the art of domesticating a male.” Aunt Beth laughed. “It takes some women a lifetime to do what you did in days.”

“I’d have guys waiting in line for dates if you’d teach me!” Ree insisted. “Mom’s got her guy, help me!”

“How does it feel to be irresistible to men?” Aunt Beth asked. “Tell us your secret!”

I was pretty sure they were teasing me, but it still felt so nice to hear.

“I’ll tell Ree but I can’t tell you Aunt Beth; you’ve already got the second nicest guy in the world, Uncle Pete!”

“I’ll trade you him for Jimmy?” She offered with a wink.

“You’re silly, Uncle Pete’s way too old for me and I can’t give away what I don’t have.”

“Isn’t that the funniest thing you’ve ever heard mom?” Ree’s eyebrows were nearly in her hair. “She’s got that boy tied up, ready for a branding iron and she’s trying to deny it!”

“Poopy on her mom, we’ll get our own guys.” Ree snapped her head, pretending to be upset.

“That’s it!” I screamed. “Now you’re gonna get it!”

After a long pillow fight we settled down and chose my outfit.

Ree suggested a lilac colored shift dress that had short, sheer sleeves.

“Better call the other girls and see if they want to go dressy,” Aunt Beth suggested. “You never want to dress better than your girlfriends. If they’re wearing jeans, the best you should do is a denim skirt.”

“Mom’s right, never, ever show up your girlfriends.” Ree agreed. “It’s us against the boys so we girls stick together!”

I called the other girls and we all agreed that we’d dress up for this one dance; after that, it would be strictly jeans though. For some reason they didn’t think wearing dresses was nearly as much fun as I did.

I took a bubble bath and wore my prettiest lingerie for the dance; my panties were the same color as my dress and I even had a matching bra. Since the dress had sort of a slip sewn into it, I didn’t wear a separate one. I wanted to wear pantyhose but Aunt Beth and Ree said girls didn’t wear stockings much in the summer; instead we made our toenails look pretty and wore open toed sandals.

I couldn’t believe how much there was to learn about being a girl but I wasn’t complaining, I loved everything about being a girl. I loved wearing pretty clothes, fixing my hair, bubble baths, and of course I really, really, really loved cute boys like Jimmy!

I carefully shaved my legs and armpits; I didn’t want any nicks to mess up my pretty legs and Ree had told me that a nicked underarm hurt like crazy. Once I was all done with my bath, I spread some nice smelling after-bath lotion all over, wrapped a towel around myself and stepped into my room to get dressed.

I had just gotten my bra and panties on when I heard a knock on my door.

“It’s Aunt Beth, I have a surprise for you Libby, may I come in?”

I opened the door and was surprised to see mom standing there with a big smile on her face.

“Aunt Beth said that my little girl was going to her first dance.” She told me as I ran into her outstretched arms. “Daddy and I didn’t want to miss that!”

“This is so great,” I said as I hugged and kissed her.

I ran past mom into the hallway. “I can’t wait to see daddy; I missed you guys so much!

Mom and Aunt Beth each grabbed one of my arms before I could get too far.

“Young ladies do not greet their guest wearing nothing but a bra and panties,” Mom said as they dragged me back into my room. “Let’s get you all prettied up before you see daddy, okay?”

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly. “I’m just so happy to see you guys again!”

“So tell me all about this young man who seems to have replaced Eric in my baby’s heart?” Mom asked as she helped me into my dress.

“His name is Jimmy and I met him at the amusement park; we rode the Spin-A-Round and he sat next to me.”

“Did it feel good when you crushed each other?” Mom smiled.

“It was wonderful!” I sighed as I smoothed out my dress.

I suddenly realized that I’d been set up.

“How did you know we crushed each other?”

“Do you think that’s a brand new ride?” Mom laughed.

“That ride’s been around for ages,” Aunt Beth added. “Your mom and I used to ride it with boys when we were teenagers.”

“That’s how daddy and I met.” Mom’s face looked like she was remembering something very nice. “He was so cute and when we crushed each other I saw stars.”

“Was daddy heavy back then, is that why you saw stars?”

Aunt Beth looked at mom and they both started laughing so hard I thought they’d fall over.

“No honey, daddy wasn’t heavy at all.” Mom howled “I saw stars because he was the cutest boy I’d ever seen.”

“That’s because she didn’t see his brother Pete.” Aunt Beth pretended to be upset with mom. “Pete is still so much cuter that Bob and you know it!”

“That’s why you wear glasses and I don’t!”

“I didn’t need glasses to see his muscles, and his beautiful brown eyes, and that wavy hair!”

It was so nice to see how much mom and Aunt Beth cared for daddy and Uncle Pete; I hoped I’d be that happy when I got married.

I stepped into a pair of sandals that matched my dress, brushed my hair, and grabbed my purse.

“You’re acting like a couple of schoolgirls!” I said, pretending to be all grown up. “In the meantime, my daddy’s waiting to see his beautiful daughter.”

I tried pulling them to the door but I was quickly pulled back into the room.

“You’re not going anywhere yet missy!”

“But I want to see daddy!”

“Your daddy will wait until you’re presentable!” Aunt Beth swung me around and sat me at the vanity.

“Were you planning to go on a big date with a special guy and not wear makeup?” Mom asked, seemingly confused.

“What kind of a girl would do that?” Aunt Beth wondered.

“A girl who doesn’t own any makeup cause she’s too young to wear it?” I shrugged.

“No self respecting girl would ever even consider meeting her dream date without makeup on!” Mom said sternly.

“Do you want your boyfriend to think he’s not important enough for you to look your best?” My aunt asked.

“He’s not really my boyfriend,” I tried telling them. “And I think I look pretty good!”

Mom raised an eyebrow.

“You’re wearing a pretty dress, your best lingerie, your hair looks perfect, your nails have been filed and polished, you’re wearing earrings, but this guy’s not your boyfriend?”

Aunt Beth started slapping at herself; I should have known better to ask but I wasn’t thinking.

“I give up, why are you hitting yourself and when can I see daddy?”

“I’m killing Tarantulas!” She said with a silly grin. “I just got off the Banana boat!”

“You lost me,” I sighed wearily. “Now when can I see daddy?”

“Just as soon as you admit that this Jimmy is your boyfriend and you put some makeup on!”

“I wish he was my boyfriend,” I smiled. “And I wish I had makeup to put on.”

Mom pretended to be shocked.

“You don’t own any eye-shadow? How about blush? You must have some in your purse, along with your lip-gloss.”

I shook my head and sighed deeply. I was going to have to play their silly little game if I was ever going to see daddy before the dance.

I held my hands out to show that they were empty. “Sorry. See no eye-shadow, no blush, no lip-gloss, no nothing.”

In the mirror I saw mom pull something from her purse before reaching for and opening my purse.

“You must need glasses,” She shook her head as she handed me my purse. “What do you call this stuff?”

“Looks like makeup to me,” Aunt Beth shrugged as she looked in my purse.

I looked inside my purse and saw a case with several different shades of eye-shadow, a compact with blush, and several tubes of lip-gloss!

“I love you mom!” I screamed as I pulled out the makeup and arranged it on the vanity. “Now, if you could just show me how to use this stuff?”

It took about twenty minutes but when mom and Aunt Beth finished with me I looked so totally hot!

I was in tears as I hugged them.

“I’ve got to be the luckiest girl in the world!”

“Let’s go show your dad how pretty you look,” mom whispered.

Aunt Beth dabbed my face with tissue to dry my tears as we started out the door.

“You’re not done yet!” Ree announced as she blocked my way. “I have something for you too.”

She pulled one of her hands from behind her back and showed me a bottle of her favorite cologne.

“Just a little bit,” she said as she dabbed some behind my ears. “This will drive Jimmy wild when he holds you tight for a slow dance.”

“Do you think he’ll do that?” I asked excitedly. “I know that I’ll just die if he puts his arms around me.”

“I’ll break every bone in his body if he doesn’t!” Daddy’s voice called from the hallway. “No boy is going to break my princess’ heart and get away with it!”

“Daddy, daddy!” I shouted as I ran to him. “I missed you so much!”

Daddy threw his strong arms around me and pulled me close.

“Mom and I missed you too princess,” He whispered as he kissed my cheek. “You look as beautiful as your mom.”

“Do you still miss your party dresses and petticoats?” Mom asked.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “A little bit, I guess. But I couldn’t wear pretty dresses like this and wear makeup and perfume if I was a little girl.”

“You couldn’t ride the Spin-A-Round or dance with Jimmy either.” Ree reminded me. “I loved my pretty dresses and petticoats when I was a little girl but being older is even better.”

I ran my hands along my dress, thought about the pretty lingerie I was wearing, smelled my perfume and makeup.

“I can’t imagine ever being a boy again,” I said. “I couldn’t give up all of this neat stuff.”

“One mistake was enough Princess,” Daddy said softly. “You never really were a boy. You’ve become a very pretty young lady and someday you’ll be a beautiful woman like your mother.”

After I stopped crying, mom and Aunt Beth took bunches and bunches of pictures before it was time for the dance.

I was worried about so many things as we drove to the youth center; what if Jimmy didn’t show up, what if no one asks me to dance, what would I say to Jimmy, would I do something stupid?

As we pulled into the parking lot I saw my girlfriends standing around in a group of kids. My heart started to pound when I saw Jimmy and Mike standing there, talking to the girls.

“That’s him,” I squealed and grabbed mom’s arm. “That’s Jimmy, the boy in the tan pants!”

“He’s cute,” mom agreed after checking him out. “You have good taste in boys.”

“I’ll have to talk to him to make sure he’s worthy of my daughter.” Daddy teased as he reached for the door handle.

“Don’t you dare!” I screamed as I pulled him back. “Jimmy’s a very nice boy and I don’t want you scaring him.”

“But that’s a dad’s job; making sure his little girl is safe.” Daddy insisted.

“She’ll be safe dear,” Mom told him. “She’s not a little girl anymore.”

“That’s right daddy, I’m not eight years old anymore!”

I kissed him and mommy goodbye and tried to get out before he had any more ideas about talking to Jimmy.

“Don’t forget to redo your lip-gloss after you kiss him.” Mom whispered as I squeezed past her.

“Hi guys,” I called as I walked up to my friends. “Sorry I’m late but my mom and daddy showed up and wanted to take some pictures.”

I found myself looking over my girlfriend’s outfits. They were all wearing dresses and skirts and like Ree had told me, no stockings. So far, so good, I was just another girl.

I started looking around at other girls and realized that mom had been right; I was checking out my competition to see if I was as pretty as they were. Most of them were also wearing dresses or skirts, a few wore jeans but still looked nice.

As I turned to look in another direction, I noticed Mike poking Jimmy in the side and pointing to me. I loved the feeling I got when Jimmy looked at me and smiled.

“Wow!” I heard them whisper.

Inside, nearly all of the boys stood on the opposite side of the room from the girls. Only Jimmy, Mike, and a handful of other boys stood with us girls and talked. Unfortunately, music was playing and we were still standing there talking. How was I going to get Jimmy to hold me and dance with me if he wouldn’t shut up?

“Anyone wanna dance?” I asked, hoping the guys would get the hint.

It was a good thing the boys took the hint, it would’ve looked pretty bad for me to drag Jimmy onto the dance floor.

We had six fast songs in a room before a break. I think I was doing okay with the moves Ree had taught me; she only showed me a few since she said I’d probably want to spend time sucking face with Jimmy.

We all stood around talking but I noticed that after a little while, the other girls drifted off to find guys of their own, leaving me and Mary alone with Jimmy and Mike.

The guys went off to get drinks, giving me a chance to talk to Mary alone.

“You look so hot!” She told me as soon as the boys left.

“So do you,” I giggled as I admired her pretty dress. Her chest was pushing out a little, just like mine making me feel so good to look just like any other girl my age. Even with the hormones I take and the talks I have with Dr. Lynch, I still worry that I won’t be accepted as a girl. Of course, having a boy like Jimmy think that I was hot and want to spend time with me made feel more like a girl than all of my pretty lingerie!

”Here’s your drink,” Jimmy smiled as he handed me my drink, making me feel all funny inside again.

“Thanks Jimmy, that was sweet of you,”

I sipped my drink, smiled and looked into his eyes. When he smiled back I had an urge to grab him and do some serious face sucking.

The four of us stood talking for awhile; I was getting seriously lost thinking about how cute Jimmy looked and I could tell that Mary was thinking the same thing about Mike.

“Let’s go to the bathroom,” Mary suddenly suggested. I smiled, promised Jimmy that I’d be back and followed Mary to the girl’s bathroom.

There had to be about fifteen girls in there and we were all talking about the cute guys!

“Do you think we’ll get to slow dance?” Mary asked. “That would be so nice.”

“I hope Jimmy asks me,” I giggled. “It took a lot of work to get ready for this dance; I don’t want to waste it!”

“I can guarantee you that it wasn’t wasted,” she laughed. “I was looking around while you and Jimmy were giving each other puppy dog looks; I’ll bet every boy here’s been checking you out!”

“Are you serious?” I jumped up and down, squealing like I was nuts. “Maybe a couple of other guys will get brave enough to ask me to dance?”

“Just remember to share okay?” She asked. “I’m pretty sure there are enough guys out there for both of us.”

We wrapped our arms around each other and hugged. I was getting pretty good at hugging!

We touched up our hair and makeup and made sue our outfits were okay before walking back to the guys. No sooner had we returned then a slow song started to play. I held my breath, hoping that Jimmy would want to dance to it.

“Would you be okay with a slow dance?” He asked, making me want to shout with joy.

“I’ll give it a try,” I smiled, trying to act like it wasn’t a huge thrill.

As we walked out to the dance floor, Jimmy reached over and held my hand.

“Okay?” He asked. I could almost hear him begging me to say yes.

“Sure,” I smiled and squeezed his hand. “I like it.”

I wonder if his heart was pounding as hard as mine. How could the other kids enjoy the music over the sound of my heart?

When we reached the middle of the floor, Jimmy put his arm around my waist and we started dancing.

“You smell nice,” He said with that cute, shy smile of his.

“Thank you, I hope I didn’t embarrass you at the mall the other day.”

“Nah, that was so funny!” He laughed, making my heart pound even more. “It was nice of you and your friends to help.”

I couldn’t resist, I leaned closer and kissed his cheek.

“Why’d you do that?” He asked. Boys can be so dumb!

“’Cause you’re a sweetie!” I giggled and kissed him again. “I hope your friends don’t tease you again.”

“They’d just be sore losers that I got a kiss from a pretty girl and they didn’t!”

Oh God, this dreamy boy thinks I’m pretty! I can’t wait to tell my girlfriends, and mom, and Ree, and Aunt Beth, and anyone else who will listen!

We danced two slow songs in a row before another fast one started.

“Let’s get a drink, okay?” He asked.

“Uh huh, sure.” I nodded, too worked up to even talk

He held my hand all the way off the dance floor!

“Bathroom break!” I practically shouted to Mary when we got back.

“I saw you kiss him,” Mary giggled in the bathroom. “What did he do this time?”

I told her all about how he said that I smelled nice and that I was pretty.

“That’s so sweet; wanna trade boys; mine hasn’t told me how pretty I am yet.”

“Are you nuts, you can have Jimmy over my dead body!”

I may not have been a girl for very long but I wasn’t giving up a sweetie like Jimmy without a fight!

“How about we trade off for a dance or two?” I suggested. She was my friend and Mike was cute.

“Deal!” she quickly agreed. “But you aren’t allowed to kiss him!”

We hurried back to the boys and some more dancing.

Mike was cute and he did tell me that I looked nice, but I preferred dancing with Jimmy.

The last song of the night finished and we were standing outside waiting for our parents when Jimmy took my hand again. He squeezed it, leaned close and kissed my cheek.

“I had a great time,” He grinned. “Thanks for coming tonight!”

“I had a great time too,” I said as I kissed his cheek. “You’re really a great dancer.”

“You ought to see me dance on roller skates,” He said excitedly. “Ask your aunt or mom if you can go skating tomorrow; maybe we can get Mary to go too. Mike and I go there every Saturday.”

He grabbed my hand and rushed over to where Mary and Mike were standing and asked them if they could go too.

We all agreed to ask our parents and meet at the skating rink.

“What if you can’t make it?” He suddenly asked. “How would I know, what would I do then?”

His face was all screwed up as if he was trying to concentrate on something.

“Could you give me your phone number?” He suddenly asked. “I’d call and let you know if I can’t make it.”

“I don’t have any paper,” I said as I grabbed a pen from my purse. “Gimme your hand!”

I wrote my aunt’s number on his hand and made him promise to call me if he couldn’t go. Mary did the same with Mike.

“Don’t forget my number!” I yelled as Mom and Aunt Beth pulled up.

I don’t think I needed to tell him that since he was staring at his hand and grinning like crazy.

“Looks like somebody had fun,” mom said as I got into the van. “Why is Jimmy staring at his hand like that?”

“He asked if Mary and I could go roller skating tomorrow; I gave him my number in case he can’t be there.” I answered as if giving a boy my phone number was no big deal.

“Don’t you think you should have gotten permission first? He’s going to be awfully disappointed when you tell him that you can’t go.”

“Please mom, please, please, please, can I go?” I begged. “I told him that I had to ask you first, honestly I did. Please say yes.”

“I’ll need to speak with this young man’s parent’s first.” Mom’s tone of voice told me that she wasn’t about to give in easily. “And of course daddy will have to agree; you’re still too young to be dating but I don’t see the harm in roller skating with a group as long as someone’s there with you.”

“You and daddy, and Aunt Beth, and Ree can all come along, I don’t mind!”

“Someone’s got a bad case of Puppy Love.” Aunt Beth chuckled. “If you and Bob are busy, Pete and I could chaperone.”

“Thanks Beth, but I still need to speak to the boy’s family and if everything’s okay, I’m sure that Bob wouldn’t want to miss seeing his little girl with her first crush.”

“But mom, I don’t know Jimmy’s phone number!” I was crushed, how could I go skating with Jimmy if mom couldn’t talk to his parents?

“You don’t need it,” Mom said calmly. “Girls don’t call boys, boys call girls.”

“But he’s only going to call if he can’t be there!” I was getting very upset; this was not working out well at all. “If he’s going to be there, he won’t call and if he doesn’t call, you can’t to his parents, and if you can’t talk to his parents, I can’t go, and if I can’t go, he won’t know that and he’ll think I don’t like him, and if…”

“Calm down Libby,” Mom had to shout to get me to stop. “You’re getting all worked up for nothing. Trust me, that boy’s going to call you no matter what.”

“He will? How do you know that?”

“I saw the way he was looking at his hand after you wrote your phone number on it,” She reached over and put her arm around me. “He may never wash that hand again!”

“I’d bet my house on that!” Aunt Beth howled. “That boy’s head over heels in love with you Libby.”

I couldn’t think of a thing to say; I just sat there and smiled, I had a boyfriend!

I walked into Aunt Beth’s house, put away my purse and walked to my room without saying a word. I sat on my bed, took off my shoes and stared at the wall.

Ree rushed over and put her arm around me.

“Are you all right Libby?” She asked, all concerned.

I turned my head, smiled, and nodded.

“Uh, huh, all right.”

“What happened, do you want to talk about it?”

“All right, I’m all right,” I kept repeating.

“She’s in love,” I heard mom tell Ree.

“Love,” I shook my head. “Uh huh, all right, in love.”

“Gosh,” Ree whistled softly. “If that boy can do this to Libby after one date maybe I should find out if he’s got a brother.”

“My Jimmy,” I kept repeating. “All mine.”

“Cmon Libby,” Ree told me as she helped me out of my dress. “Take a nice bubble bath and tell me all about your new boyfriend.”

I don’t remember getting undressed; I remember hearing that Jimmy was in love with me but not much until I realized I was in the bathtub.

“Is he a good dancer?” Ree asked. “Did you slow dance?”

“Is who a good dancer?” I asked, suddenly realizing that I was lying in a tub full of bubbles. “How’d I get here?”

“Welcome back Libby,” She shook her head. “We thought we’d lost you there.”

“What are you talking about? Where did I go?”

“A little town called Love,” she laughed. “Mom told you that Jimmy was in love with you about an hour ago and you’ve been zoned out ever since!”

“I do sort of remember her saying that,” I admitted. “It made me feel so good! I started dreaming about dancing with Jimmy, giving him kisses, and hearing him say that I was pretty.”

“You kissed him?”

“Only on the cheek, twice. I couldn’t help it; he’s so sweet and lovable!”

“Our mom’s seem to think he’s a nice kid; your mom’s on the phone with his right now.”

“He called?” I asked excitedly jumping out of the tub. “I’ve got to talk to him.”

Ree grabbed me and held me back.

“You can’t go running around the house naked; relax and enjoy your bath, he’ll wait.”

“But he might think I don’t want to talk to him!” I was frantic; my honey was on the phone and I just had to talk to him!

“Get back in that tub!” Ree ordered. “A girl never calls a boy and never rushes when a boy calls her. Get your cute little buns back in that tub and tell me everything that happened!”

“Yes mother,” I whined. What good was having a cute boyfriend if I couldn’t even talk to him?

I started from meeting the group outside to everyone drifting off leaving me and Mary alone with our guys, to dancing, kissing, and finally giving Jimmy my phone number. Ree sat on a chair that couldn’t have been comfortable but she never moved; she sat and listened to everything I had to say without interrupting. Once I finished though, she showed no mercy in prying every little detail out of me.

“Cool! Now, how did it feel when he held you for the first slow dance?”

“I can’t describe it,” I smiled as I remembered Jimmy putting his arm around me. “Did I mention that he held my hand all the way to the dance floor?”

“Six times already, now what did it feel like to have him hold you?”

“Let’s see, my heart was pounding, my knees went weak, and I felt an odd sensation between my legs; I was worried that I’d wet my panties.”

“Don’t worry about that feeling; it’s pretty normal to fill like that. Even guys feel something like that but it’s not as intense as it is for girls.”

“So that’s what I used to feel when Eric picked me up! I could get used to it.”

“That’s a good thing since it won’t go away. Mom once told me she feels the same way around dad.”

“Do I really need to know that?” I groaned.

“You’re a girl now; you need to know how your new equipment operates. Wait until your boobs grow, you’ll get feelings there too.”

“I did!” I said, shocked. “I did feel a little tingling in my boobies when he held me.”

“It’s a good thing you told your parents that you wanted to be a girl when you did; your brain was already way over into being a girl and your body was trying to become a boy. That sucked, you’d have been a lousy boy.”

“Thanks Ree,” I smiled. “I was so afraid that no one would understand.”

“Hey, it’s not that hard.” She shrugged. “You’re pretty, you like boys, boys like you, so you must be a girl.”

“Did I mention that I’m a very happy girl with a very cute boyfriend?”

“We sorta figured that out when your brain took off for parts unknown after mom said that Jimmy was in love with you!”

“Was I gone long?” I felt silly to have zoned out like that but when Aunt Beth said that Jimmy was in love with me, I completely lost it.

“About ten to fifteen minutes. You kept grinning and saying things like Jimmy, boyfriend, cute, love, and stuff.”

“Good grief, I feel so dumb.”

“You feel like any girl who has a new boyfriend.” Ree corrected me. “Girls are emotional, it’s what we do best, don’t let it bother you.”

“I like being a girl!” I grinned.

I finished telling Ree all about the dance and how Jimmy was supposed to call if he couldn’t go skating. All the while I was talking about Jimmy, I could feel the tingling sensation Ree had told me about. It was even more exciting than the first time mom had dressed me up as a little girl.

After my bath, I slipped on a pair of pink bikini panties, my pink gauze nightgown, a robe and slippers and hurried to find out what mom had said to Jimmy’s parents. I was sure that they were nice people but what if daddy had said something to scare Jimmy? I didn’t want to lose my first boyfriend

“Did you talk to his parents?” I asked as soon as I saw mom. “Is everything okay, can I go tomorrow?”

“You’d feel a lot better if you stopped to take a breath now and then,” Mom shook her head. “Yes, I did speak to Jimmy’s parents; they seem very nice, his dad teaches at Laketon High and his mom is a secretary there. That’s how they met; Jimmy’s dad was applying for a job there and…”

“And can I go?”

If I let mom talk, she’d tell me how Jimmy’s parents met, dated, got married, and now that I was a girl, the blow by blow description of her labor when Jimmy was born. I’d seen, or rather heard her in action before with other women who seemed to enjoy hearing every detail of someone’s life. The only thing I wanted to hear though was that I could go skating with Jimmy.

“Crap, I knew there was something I wanted to ask Cindy McCann ! That’s Jimmy’s mom, nice lady; did I tell you that she works at Laketon High?”

I was ready to burst into tears when mom stopped chattering and smiled at me.

“Daddy and I will take drop you off,” She began to laugh. “The look on your face was just great; it took all my concentration to keep from laughing!”

“You were funny,” Daddy joined in the laughter. “I had to turn away a couple of times to keep from laughing.”

The ringing of the phone broke the spell that had been cast over my family.

“That’s probably Jimmy now,” Mom remarked casually. “I told him to give you an hour and call back. It was so nice talking to his mom.”

I’m sure mom had more to say, she always does, but I was racing Ree to the phone.

“Touch it and die!” I screamed at her.

“That’s not very ladylike,” she laughed as she reached for the phone.

Grinning from ear to ear, she handed it to me.

“Hello,” I said in the sweetest voice I could work up. “Oh hi Jimmy, no I was just taking a bath.”

Ree was standing in front of me, mocking me, and pretending to throw up. I didn’t care, Jimmy had called!

The next morning I dressed in jeans and a pink top, and was off to the skating rink.

Jimmy seemed happy to see me, walking with me while I rented skates and got ready while our parents were getting acquainted.

“I haven’t skated much,” I admitted while I laced my skates.

“That’s okay, I can teach you.” He quickly offered. “I’ve been skating since I was five!”

I could almost feel Jimmy holding my hands and leading me around.

“That would be nice,” I smiled. “Just don’t go too fast, okay?”

Jimmy promised that he’d go as slow as I needed so I wouldn’t fall down. He simply has to be the sweetest boy in the world!

I struggled to stand and somehow made my way out to the floor and promptly fell flat. Kids were skating all around me, I thought that I was on my way to becoming part of the wooden floor when a hand reached down to me.

“Grab on,” I heard Jimmy call. “I’ll help you up!”

I grabbed his hand and was back on my feet in a flash.

“You really are my hero!” I said as I grabbed his arm to support myself. “I’m going to get killed out here!”

“Just hold on and don’t look at your feet.” He sounded so calm and sure of himself, I only wish I could be that calm.

“Pretend that you’re gliding along; gently push off with one foot and coast with the other. Switch feet and repeat.” He made it sound so easy that a minute later I was actually skating along beside him; holding on for dear life of course!

“This is fun Jimmy, but I have a really important question. How do I stop?”

“You could try running into a wall, that always woks.” He laughed. “It’s painful but it stops you every time. Don’t try in with the low sections; flipping over headfirst is not fun.”

A boy that was cute, funny, and willing to teach me how to skate, how lucky could a girl get?

He taught me how to slow myself down and stop like I meant to instead of slamming into a wall which I appreciated. Maybe boys didn’t care if they scratched their faces up but I wanted to be pretty!

We skated together for almost ten minutes before he let me try it alone. I couldn’t believe it, skating was so easy! I had a wonderful time zipping around as if I’d been on skates all my life; sometimes Jimmy would skate around me and hold out a hand. I’d grab it and let him swing me around; while my girlfriends, who knew how to skate, cheered me on.

When it was time to clear the floor, Jimmy and skated side by side to where our parents stood and I stopped perfectly in front of them.

“That’s amazing!” Daddy shook his head. “I didn’t know you knew how to skate.”

“I didn’t daddy!” I looked over at Jimmy. “Jimmy’s the best teacher ever!”

Jimmy started to blush, making him seem even cuter.

He hurried off to skate some more while I rushed over to see my friends.

“You are so lucky” Annie squealed. “He’s so cute, he’s a great skater, and your parents even seem to like him.”

“I almost peed myself when he held my hand,” I sighed.

“I would!” Annie agreed. “Can I try?”

“Get your own boyfriend,” I playfully snapped at her. “I’ll scratch your eyes out!”

“You don’t have long enough nails!” Annie challenged.

“I’ll grow them to keep you away from Jimmy!”

“Neat, a cat fight at the roller rink!” Jen laughed.

“Don’t even think about snatching Mike either!” Mary warned. “I’m going to sneak him home and keep him locked in my basement.”

It was so great to be just another girl checking out cute guys and fantasizing about kidnapping one of them. I’d waited so long but it was definitely worth the wait. I was finally a girl!

When a “Couples Skate” was called, Jimmy hurried over to us, held his hand out to me, and asked if I’d skate with him.

No matter how many times daddy calls me his princess, it will never be the same as when I reached out and took Jimmy’s hand; every problem that I ever had melted away and I was Cinderella being escorted by her handsome prince. My jeans and top changed into a beautiful gown, my skates were glass slippers.

As Jimmy’s fingers closed around mine, I was sure that the roof had opened up and the rays of the sun were beating down on Jimmy and me. Everyone had to be watching Cinderella and her handsome prince as they waltzed around the floor.

The music ended too soon and we skated back to being Jimmy and Libby, ordinary eighth graders.

No, that’s not true. I’m Elizabeth Marie Martin, the happiest girl in the world, and he’s Jimmy McMann, the most wonderful, cutest, and sweetest boy a girl could ever hope to meet!

I got to talk to Jimmy’s parents while he and his friends did tricks for a contest. The McMann’s are very nice people and Mrs. McMann even invited me to a surprise birthday party for Jimmy. We’re going shopping together soon to pick out a nice present for him; I’m not sure what I’ll get him just yet but it will have to be very special if it’s for him.

Later, as we drove back to Aunt Beth’s, Mom and daddy said that they were busy getting everything settled for the new house and asked if I’d mind staying with Aunt Beth and Ree a little longer and I jumped at the chance to stay close to my girlfriends and Jimmy;

Ree’s busy teaching me everything I’ll need to know about being a girl. So far I’ve learned how to wear heels, put on makeup so it doesn’t look like I’m wearing any, and how to cross my legs when I sit to keep boys from looking up my skirt.

Mom won’t let me wear makeup yet unless it’s a special occasion but it’s good to know how to put it on when I am allowed. She’s going to buy me my first pair of real heels soon and I can’t wait. Ree says there’s nothing sexier than wearing heels and tight jeans but Daddy said if I try to be sexy before I’m sixteen, he’ll lock me in my room till I’m too old to care about boys.

Everyone agrees that knowing how to sit and move like a lady is very important so I’m making sure I practice what Ree’s been teaching me. I’ve always thought Aunt Beth and mom were very feminine ladies and they’re the ones who taught Ree so I’m sure I’ll learn a lot.

Mom and daddy have finally finished getting everything moved and it’s time to move into our new home. I hugged Ree and Aunt Beth and cried my eyes out. They took a little girl and turned me into a young lady. We all promised to spend time together but it’s not going to be the same; I became Ree’s little sister and Aunt Beth’s honorary daughter; how will I manage without them?

I was very depressed as daddy drove away from Aunt Beth’s house; I was worried that I’d be too far away to spend time with my girlfriends listening to records, and talking about clothes and boys. Sure, we’d all be at the same school but that would be months away and we couldn’t talk in class.

Another thing I worried about was seeing Jimmy again. Would it be too far for mom or daddy to drive me to the skating rink, what about the mall where he and his friends hung out, waiting for me and my girlfriends?

When we weren’t skating we used to ride bikes around the neighborhood; would it be too far for me to ride back on my bike?

I’ve gotten to be very close to Jimmy’s family; they think of me more as their daughter than Jimmy’s friend. We’re so close that it’s almost like having another mom (after Aunt Beth, of course.). Someday, I hoped that I’d be able to call Mrs. McMann my mother-in-law. Now I may never see them again.

Daddy seemed to be driving pretty far away when I noticed something strange; we had turned around and were driving back the same way we came. We were just a couple of blocks from Aunt Beth’s when daddy suddenly pulled into a driveway.

Daddy turned off the car, got out and opened my door; he bowed and swept his hand towards the house.

“Welcome home Elizabeth.”

“This is our new house?” I asked, hardly able to believe my luck. Annie’s house was just around the corner, Jen lived two blocks away, and Mary lived at the other end of the street.

“Oh no,” a familiar voice called from behind me. “There goes the neighborhood!”

I’d know that voice anywhere! I spun around and saw Jimmy and his parents standing there smiling at me.

“Someone told me that a really sweet girl and her family were moving in, any idea who they might be?” Mrs. McCann asked. “We live across the street and thought we’d stop by and say hello to our new neighbors”.

I was so happy that I started to cry.

“Girls,” Jimmy shook his head as I ran to his mom.

“I’m going to like living here!” I sobbed as I hugged her. “I was afraid I’d never see you guys again.”

I don’t know how the rest of my life is going to be but I know that I’m finally happy. I’ve always thought of myself as a girl and thanks to my understanding parents, now the rest of the world does too.

Soon I’ll be starting the eighth grade in a skirt and blouse, living out my dream. I have a cute boy that thinks I’m the greatest, and plenty of girlfriends to do all those things I dreamed about like shopping, having slumber parties, and talking about boys.

I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the future, but somehow I just know that Jimmy will be there!

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