Princess for Hire

By Melanie Ezell

Daniel Henderson has managed to beat the odds and been accepted into Kingston Academy, one of the best private high schools in the country. However, when Daniel is invited to take part in a special program, he learns that there's more to the school than he had thought...

NOTE: This story is loosely -- as in VERY loosely -- based on the manga/anime "Princess Princess." After the initial concept, any similarities are mostly coincidental, unless they aren't. (Puzzle that out why don't ya.)

Part 12: The Princesses shop (Thanksgiving Interlude 3)

-34-

I was hardly surprised to find that Sarah was the first of us to be ready for the shopping trip, but I was quite surprised to find that I was actually looking forward to it a great deal more than I had expected. Even the hour long car ride to reach the nearest mall had done little to dampen my spirits, with Sarah's giddy bouncing in her seat and constant chattering leaving me laughing any time I started to feel the slightest bit nervous.

That was until I saw the parking lot.

"Good god!"

Sarah's mom chuckled wearily as she trolled up and down the lanes, looking for an empty space in the sea of cars. "Trust me, it would have been worse if we'd come out yesterday. It's called Black Friday for a reason."

"Why?" I asked.

"'Cause even if a store's doing badly, after Black Friday, all their numbers will be 'in the black,'" Sarah said with one of her trademark giggles.

"Oh."

I watched the hordes of people entering and leaving the mall, and tried to imagine what it must have been like the day before, with all the so-called after Thanksgiving deals. I shuddered.

"It's not THAT bad," Sarah's mom said when she saw my reaction. "Though today we're less likely to find anything good than if we'd -- DAMMIT! Asshole!" She called out her window at the man who had just swerved into the lone empty parking space in the entire lot.

Fifteen minutes later, we finally managed to find a vacated space near the outside of the lot and far from the stores. The moment we parked, Sarah shot from her seat as though she were on a spring.

"Yay! SHOOOPPPIIINNNGGG!" She called as she raced ahead of us toward the mall, barely avoiding several other visitors and a rogue shopping cart.

Miss Sakaki nudged me with her elbow and grinned, crossing her arms. "Aren't you gonna follow her?"

I shrugged. "I'm not much of a shopper."

Her grin slipped, and a low sigh escaped. "Tell me about it. I'd much rather just buy things in the off season when they're cheap, or shop online even. But Sarah..." She watched as her daughter jumped up and down, causing the flaps and strings on her baggy toboggan cap to jump as well as she waved us toward the store.

I had a feeling I knew what she was thinking. Sometimes it was hard to tell how much of Sarah's personality was really her, and how much of it she put on because she thought that as a girl, it was how she should act. Just the day before I had caught sight of a stack of comic books in her room, but when I mentioned them she had hidden them away, saying they were "left over," even though I had noticed a few recent editions in the stack.

Regardless of what her motives might have been, the chill in the air was enough of a motivation for me to hurry toward the doors myself, and soon I was in the happy embrace of the mall's central heating, leaving me with a completely new dilemma.

"Come on, you know if you leave it on you'll be burning up pretty soon."

I could feel myself blushing as I undid the zip on the coat Sarah had lent me, and did my best not to look down -- seeing myself with a prominent chest once had been traumatic enough.

Not that refusing to look down helped any, as I could still feel the false breasts bouncing with each step. Sarah had said that they would help me blend in better, which I doubted, but her mother's argument had been the one that had convinced me to give them a shot.

"You were saying the other day that you wished there were more separation between you as a boy and as a girl, right?"

"Yeah," I had said, nodding while I was trying to get dressed that morning.

"Well, breasts would go a long way toward that."

"But I don't wanna wear fake boobs all day."

"I understand, but it would help to add another thing that makes your girl self different from you as a boy."

I could see where she was coming from, but as of yet I was still unconvinced. By the time I thought to argue, though, Sarah had already glued them on, and after a nasty trick where she pretended not to have any remover, we had gotten on our way. I could not let them be seen, since Sarah had a very different skin tone than I, but the effect they had on those around me already scared me.

I had gotten looks from people before, but now, there were many more of them, especially from the boys and men we passed. It truly is surprising how much difference a few ounces of silicone can make.

"Here's our first stop," Sarah said, grabbing my hand and dragging me headlong into a store before I could catch its name, calling out "this way," as she led me toward the girl's section.

I did my best to play along, matching Sarah's enthusiasm with if not an equal amount then at least enough to to keep her happy while Ms. Sakaki browsed the women's styles a little further down from us.

"And this... and this... oh, you'd look good in this too!"

"Huh?"

"Come on, the changing room's over here!"

"Wait!" I said, realizing I had missed something somewhere along the line. "Sarah, I can't go in there."

"Why not?"

"Because it's..." I quietened myself down to a harsh whisper. "It's a girl's changing room!"

"So?"

I tried to speak, but my mouth would not form the words. Instead, I numbly took the clothes from Sarah and entered the room, telling myself that it was not like there would be anyone watching me. I still did not feel comfortable, though.

-35-

"Yeah, you HAVE to have that."

I looked down at myself and fought hard to suppress the sigh that wanted to escape. Unfortunately, I did not fight hard enough.

"What? You don't like it?"

I turned away from the mirror and faced a confused looking Sarah. "It's not that, Sarah, it's fine, but..."

"You look nice in skirts," she said, with a shrug.

"I don't need to spend my money on skirts and dresses, Sarah," I said, giving her a meaningful look.

"Well, they've got some cute sweaters and things over-"

"No, Sarah," I almost snapped, then calmed myself. "I don't need any more girl's clothes."

"I think it's time for us to take a break," Sarah's mom said from the side, shushing Sarah before she could speak. I quickly returned to the changing room of our fourth store of the day and put back on my tee and jeans before exiting and handing Ms. Sakaki the sweater dress I had been trying on.

We said little to one another on our way to the food court, a small break I was immensely glad for. It had been non-stop trying on of clothes since we had arrived, and I had already spent more than I had wanted on dresses, skirts, shoes, tops, and a whole host of other things. Admittedly, ideally I would have spent nothing on them, but that was not the point, nor was the fact that it was thanks to the Princess program I had the money to spend.

After settling on a table, we all fell silent again until we had collected our food. I chose a burger and fries while Sarah and her mom both opted for a deli a few stalls down, and when we finally met back up at the table, Sarah looked very upset.

"What's wrong?" I asked, setting down my tray next to hers and scooting into the booth beside her.

She looked over at me. "Are you not having fun today?"

I sighed. "Of course I am, Sarah. Why?"

"Because, you looked like you were getting mad, and I'm just trying to help and I thought we were having fun with the clothes and things, and..." She stopped for a moment, breathing in and out before facing me again with red eyes. "Did I make you mad or something?"

I looked over at Ms. Sakaki for help, but she simply shook her head and gave me a look that said quite clearly; I had to do this myself.

"You didn't make me mad," I told Sarah, wrapping my arm around her shoulder in a light squeeze. "I just don't get into clothes as much as you do. And, Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

I hesitated, but had to say it. "As much as you might not agree with me, I'm a guy, not a girl."

"I know that!"

"Sarah." Ms. Sakaki said, in a sharp tone.

Sarah looked between the two of us with wide eyes.

"I do!"

I let her go and leaned back. "Sarah... what's my name?"

"Becky."

"Daniel."

"What?"

"Daniel. My name's Daniel. Beck is a nickname my dad gave me when I was little, 'cause he used to have this album he would listen to all the time and I would always sing along with it. He thought it was cute, so he started calling me Beck after the guy on the CD, and I liked it, so that's usually what I ask my friends to call me. But my name is Daniel."

This was the last thing I wanted to do, especially in the middle of a crowded mall. I could see Sarah growing more upset and confused. I gave Ms. Sakaki another pleading glance, and this time, she seemed to take the hint and stepped in.

"Honey, I think what Becky -- Beck," she smiled at me, "is trying to say, is that she... he, doesn't want to be a girl all the time like you."

I nodded. "Speaking of which, I NEED to get some boy's clothes today too. After that, we can do some more girl type shopping, alright? Just... can we tone it down a bit?"

"Umm, yeah?" She said, uncertain, so I gave her a hug.

"Thanks."

She squeezed me back, and held on for a moment before letting go.

"Now, if we're all through with that," her mom said, with a giggle that sounded exactly like Sarah's, " let's eat so we can get started again, and then GO HOME."

"Amen to that," I said, starting in on my fries.

"Aww," Sarah whined, but I was glad to see she no longer looked upset at us.

-36-

"I think I'll just hang back here while ya'll look, if that's alright."

"Are you sure?" I asked her.

"Yeah," she said, crossing her arms and staring at her feet. "I'll wait here."

I looked up at the sign. It said "boys and men." I shrugged. "Alright, I'll be right back."

"'Kay."

I turned to Ms. Sakaki, and without a word she nodded, crossing over to stand next to Sarah and hug her while I headed into the men's section in search of a few essentials.

Underwear. What size was I? I hazarded a guess a size larger than the worn-out ones I had back at school, grabbing two packs, and on impulse grabbed a couple of pairs of boxers as well. I needed jeans, too, and a few tee shirts. All in all, it took me less than ten minutes to find everything I needed and pay for it, and I was out the door, back with Sarah and her mom.

We tried a couple of stores on the other end of the mall, but it was obvious that Sarah was not really in the mood any more, so we soon wrapped up what purchases we had left to make and headed out for the car.

On the way home, Miss Sakaki and I talked a bit about school, and my dad, and a few other things, but Sarah stayed mostly silent, almost a complete reversal from her bright, sunny mood on the way out. As soon as we pulled in at her home, she climbed out and grabbed her bags, heading in without a word.

I went to follow her, but Miss Sakaki's hand on my shoulder stopped me.

When I looked at her, she shook her head. "Let her be alone for a little while."

I nodded, but inside, I felt like I had broken something. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings."

She smiled. "I know. And I think she knows that too. But right now she wants to think, and she always does that best alone."

We grabbed our purchases and took them in, but I never unpacked mine. Instead, I collapsed onto my air mattress and had a good sulk of my own.

I had blown it. My best friend, and I had driven her off. Just the other day I had even told myself that being a girl was a small price to pay for her friendship, and then what do I do but to throw it all away over some crap about being a guy.

I wanted to kick myself, but more than that I wanted things to be simpler. Being a girl sometimes was not so bad, but I could never relax when dressed as a girl, not because of the clothes but because it always seemed to be associated with being busy, either with school, Princess duties, or like the last two days, with other people. I adjusted my bra strap, pulling on the false breasts and reminding me they were there. Had I really forgotten about them for the past... "Five hours?" I asked myself in amazement as I looked at my watch. Sure enough.

I must have lain there at least an hour, just stewing, before a gentle cough from the door distracted me.

"Can I come in?"

I looked up, and it was Tommy, Sarah's older brother.

"Yeah, sorry," I said, sitting up and wiping my eyes, making sure there had not been any tears.

He flopped down on the couch at the other end of the room, propping his feet up on the coffee table, then just sat there, saying nothing for a few moments, before finally speaking again.

"Sarah's really sensitive, you know."

I looked down. "Yeah. I know."

"Do you know why?"

"Because she's the only girl-girl at our school?"

He shook his head, then paused, steepling his fingers. "If I tell you this," he continued, "promise me you won't tell her I told you."

I nodded, but he said nothing. "I promise," I finally said, holding out my hand.

"Good," he said, and kissed the back of my hand again, just like that first day, but this time, there was something different in it, and it did not make me feel uncomfortable or blush. It was like sealing an oath.

"We hardly ever see Mom's side of the family. They don't talk about it when they think we can hear, but from what I understand they never approved of our dad."

"Why not?"

He let out a harsh laugh, devoid of humor. "Probably because he isn't a doctor or a lawyer or something like that. We were never supposed to hear, but when I was little I heard them telling Mom how disappointed they were that she hadn't married better. They were more concerned for social standing than her happiness. But Mom loved them, and they still loved her, so they worked through their differences for the most part."

"That was until Sarah came out." He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees and staring into my eyes. "Dad takes the blame, but he wouldn't have pushed Sarah to try and be more boyish if grandpa and grandma Ichihara hadn't told him to. He wanted to be accepted by them just as much as we did."

"After being accepted into the Princess program, the first thing Sarah did the next time she came home was to throw out all her boy's clothes. Mom and Dad didn't like it, but it didn't really take her as much explaining as she thinks before she won them over to her side. Thanksgiving, well, it wasn't that much different from this year's. Dad's family is all pretty tightly knit, and now that they've accepted you you'll have to murder one of them before they'll disown you." He smiled when he said that, but his sombre mood quickly returned.

"At Christmas, though, we used to always go to Mom's family."

I felt a chill roll down my spine as I watched his mood visibly darken.

"They weren't cruel to her, but they were very cold. Don't get me wrong, they've never been like Dad's family, but before, we would always get a hug when we arrived, and one when we left. That year, they didn't hug anyone but Mom. We were no longer family; we were visitors.

Then we got around to presents. For most of us it was the normal selection of gifts, a cheap tie for Dad, some new button down shirts for me, and a nice dress for Mom. Then it came to Sarah, and they had a huge box for her. She was so excited, and looked so happy when she started to unwrap it." He stopped.

"What was it?" I asked.

"A complete new wardrobe."

I looked at him, confused by the anger in his voice.

"Pants, shirts, shoes, all in her old boy's sizes. 'It's time to end this silliness,' Grandma Ichihara said, and then she tried to drag Sarah into the bathroom and make her change, telling her she would never be a real girl."

I watched his fists clench and unclench as he sat there, the tension in him evident. I felt like I wanted to throw up.

"Mom grabbed Sarah and started yelling at Grandma, then Grandpa and Grandma both started yelling at Mom in Japanese, and we all left. Sarah wouldn't even come out of her room for almost a week after, and when she finally did, it was like she had changed. She still went to the school, but she won't admit to liking anything if it isn't considered feminine, and she tries as hard as she can to be as girlish as she can because she wants to prove Grandma and Grandpa wrong."

My vision began to blur, causing me to reach up and wipe my eyes, which is when I realized I was crying. "That's horrible," I said, dropping my hands in my lap.

"But that's Sarah. And now you know." Tommy stood up, then forced a smile onto his face. "Sarah talks about you all the time, you know. You're her best friend."

"I know."

He said nothing else, but nodded and left the room. As he left, I saw him look over and grow wide eyed, before nodding and heading upstairs.

As soon as he was gone, Sarah entered, her eyes red from crying.

"Sarah, I'm so sorry," I said, feeling my voice growing hoarse from trying not to cry.

She sat down next to me, and without saying anything we hugged one another, letting each other's tears fall freely, mine for her, and hers for... I cannot be sure, but I think herself, and for both of us too.

That night, we spent hours talking, her parents and Tommy never bothering us once. We talked about everything we could think of. Things that made us happy; things that made us sad; and things that we had no clue what to think about. And at the end of it all, we understood each other.

"Best friends forever?" She asked me, holding out her pinky with a small smile on her face as we lay facing each other on the floor.

"Best friends forever," I said, and took her pinky in mine, grinning back at her.

We never let go, even when we both fell asleep.

(End of Part 12)

END NOTES:

WOW. Talk about your characters rewriting a story for you!

I had been expecting this part to be lighthearted, and fun, and everything that in the end, it isn't. I had known that Beck would go shopping for boy's clothes, and what Sarah's reaction would be when that happened, but the rest of the events even took ME by surprise while I was writing it. I had known some of what made Sarah tick roughly, but this... again, most of this is as much a surprise to me as it was to you.

This also marks a landmark as being the part that officially pushes the PFH text document up past page 100, so yay for that.

Again, WOW.

I'm sorry I didn't give you the shopping trip I had been expecting, but who knows? Maybe at a later date I can pull it off. Hopefully, you like the exposition in this section enough to make up for it.

Melanie E.

PS: The usual. IF YOU COMMENT, MORE WILL COME!