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Saturday morning is grocery shopping as usual. I go with my Father, Aunt Janice, and Susan to the supermarket to fill up with food for the coming week. My Uncle is working again this morning. It’s mid-morning by the time we get home and have all the purchases put away.

Aunt Janice suggests we pay a visit to the local swimming pool, as we haven’t been there in a while. My father agrees that it’s a good idea, and lets me go despite being grounded. Before my change, I hadn’t been keen on using public changing rooms. I felt out of place in the men’s locker-room, and I wasn’t comfortable with my chest bare, especially considering my I was starting to develop gynomastasia.

Now that I can use the women’s locker-room, and wear a proper girl’s costume, I’m not bothered. In fact I’m looking forward to just being accepted for what I am. I think Aunt Janice wants to keep an eye on me to make sure I behave correctly, and don’t ogle the women getting undressed.

The first thing on the agenda is going to be buying a swimming costume. There is no way I can use any of my old swimming trunks, unless I want to be arrested that is. After lunch, we called in at Platterns department store to find me something to wear.

I decide for my first outing I will buy something slightly conservative and go for a one-piece rather than a bikini. Although I am proud of my new body, and don’t mind showing it off, I’m not convinced the tiny bits of fabric in some of the costumes on display will stay in place. I find a nice one-piece suit in red that seems to suit my figure. It doesn’t show off a lot of skin, but it is very figure-hugging to show off my new curves.

Satisfied with my purchase we head to the local pool. It’s just Susan, Aunt Janice, and me. My Father has stayed home to do some gardening. I think he believes I need some female bonding time.

Aunt Janice and Susan are already wearing their costumes under their clothes, so I am the only one who has to change fully. Having paid the entrance fee, we head into the locker rooms to change. I’m not fazed in the slightest by being surrounded by half-naked women, and simply proceed to get undressed, ignoring what is going on around me. I do catch my aunt glancing at me. Susan has already seen my new body naked, but this is the first time for my aunt.

Having gotten into my new costume, and locking my clothes into a locker, I follow my companions out to the poolside. I tie my towel to one of the railings round the edge of the pool, and then walk into the water.

The pool is quite large, although not up to Olympic size. It has a slope that comes right out of the water. It is a favourite for disabled visitors as there are special wheelchairs that can be pushed down the slope into the water. It’s also popular with families as the water depth slowly increases from zero at one end to full depth. It’s ideal for small children. It’s almost like being on a beach, but without the nasty currents to deal with. A wave machine is started up for ten minutes every hour to give a realistic seaside experience. The only thing spoiling the effect is the lack of any sand.

I wade in and walk until the water is up to my neck. It’s at least a year since I last went swimming, and it’s the first time in this new body, so I take my time to get used to the water. It takes me a quarter of an hour to get used to my new buoyancy. Fat people float better than thin ones. I used to be slightly tubby and could float well. Now I’m a lot skinnier my legs and waist don’t float as well, however my chest seems to act as a floatation device so keeps me from sinking totally.

I have never been a good swimmer. Once I get used to the feel of the water and my new body I am able to swim for short lengths, however I don’t dare leave my depth.

After an hour and a half swimming, we head back to the changing rooms. I make doubly sure to go into the right one. The three of us remove our costumes and head into the communal showers to rinse off the chlorinated water from the pool. Standing amongst a group of naked women seems so natural to me. I was always tense when doing this as a boy and would get in and out as quickly as possible, but here I feel relaxed and Susan has to drag me out from underneath the refreshing spray.

I make sure I am thoroughly dry and apply some sweet smelling talc before getting dressed. I am wearing a white long sleeve top over a white bra and camisole. I have a green pleated skirt with a white slip underneath. I wear transparent nylons and a pair of black shoes.

I have washed my hair in the shower and have it wrapped in a towel while getting dressed. I dry it as best as I can then put it in a high ponytail so it won’t fall down and make my back damp. I take the longest to get changed. My aunt comments that I am worse than Susan for dawdling in front of a mirror. I simply ignore her, of course I’m going to take longer than I used too, I’m a girl now, that’s what we do.

We head out to the car and drive home. My aunt seems happy, so I assume I met her expectations and behaved correctly. I decide to query this as she drives.

“Well, do I present myself OK as a girl? I assume you were worried I would behave like a boy and get a kick out of seeing naked ladies,” I ask.

“If I didn’t know I would never be able to tell. Not that anybody can argue with a body like yours. You definitely don’t look like a boy anymore. You acted so naturally it’s as if you have always been a girl.”

“I have always been a girl, it’s just that my body took some time to get the message and get in sync with my brain,” I reply.

“Yes, I agree, I think that’s a good way of putting it,” my aunt says, “How are you coping with being a girl, I assume I don’t need to give you a biology lesson.”

“I have made sure to read up on the subject, and I know exactly which bits are which and what to expect each month,” I reply, slightly embarrassed, “I’ve only been a girl for a fortnight and haven’t had to go through the icky bit yet. I already have the materials at hand to cope when the time comes. I’m not worried about the biological aspect.”

“What I am finding strange, and what concerns me more, is the emotional aspect and the mood swings. I know it’s something I will simply need to get used to, but I’m a lot more emotional now than I was a few weeks ago. I think it’s the effect of the female hormones,” I reason, “I also have the added consideration of projecting my old form. If I get too distracted either emotionally or physically by cramps or pains, I may not be able to continue pretending to be David.”

Susan decides to join the conversation, “I haven’t mentioned this before, but emotionally you have changed over the last few weeks. You’re showing emotion a lot more than before. You’re also acting much more girlish, even before you were outed. Several of the girls have commented about it.”

“I have always tried to act manly, but since the change I haven’t been as motivated to be as careful. Since being outed I have simply given up pretending and just acted naturally,” I admit. “It’s the same with showing my feelings. I always tried to keep them suppressed, but not anymore. However, my hormones are definitely playing a part as well,” I smile.

I have a nice long lie-in on Sunday morning, followed by a nice relaxing bubble bath. After a good soak, I dry off and put my dressing gown on. My hair is wrapped up in a towel. I head downstairs where my father is making some coffee. It is already nearly eleven o’clock.

Susan knocks on the back door and enters the kitchen.

“How do you fancy going for a walk down the river,” she asks. “Becky is driving her mother mad. I have volunteered to take her out for a little while and wondered if you would like to come. We can introduce her to Jenny.”

“Sounds like a good idea, I need to stretch my legs having spent the week sitting down pretending to be David,” I reply, “Is Becky OK walking with her leg in plaster?” I ask. Her left leg is plastered up to her knee and she is currently walking with crutches.

“She’ll be fine as long as we keep on solid flat ground. I have already checked with Audrey and she’s OK with us taking her for a walk as long as we take it easy,” Susan counters. Audrey is Becky’s mother.

After confirming with my Father that it will be all right to go out, I get dressed in a denim skirt, white blouse, long white socks and hiking boots. The boots are the new ones I got specifically for walking round the countryside. They may not be very girly, but they are very practical. I put a fleece on to keep warm and put on a straw sun hat and sunglasses.

We head round to pick Becky up. I am introduced as Jenny, a friend of Susan’s. Susan casually asks Becky if she has been to the loo before we set out. Becky is not amused, giving Susan a dirty look, but politely states that she has. I am not supposed to know that Becky broke her leg while sitting on a tree branch having a pee. When I ask how she came to break her leg, I am told that she was out walking and fell down a slope.

The three of us head out through the alleyways behind the houses and out into the countryside. We soon join the footpath that runs alongside the bank of the river. The river is to our right, meandering through marshland on which sheep are grazing. To our left is woodland on the slope of the river valley. We walk along a raised soil bank that separates the river from the marsh, the top of which is a footpath. It hasn’t rained in a few days so the soil is hard and dusty. Although slightly uneven, Becky has no problem hopping along on her crutches. There is no danger of slipping or sinking in mud as the ground is too dry.

After ten minutes, I get the feeling we are being watched. I glance over the river and catch a glint in the corner of my eye. I take a closer look with my remote vision. I see somebody filming us through a zoom lens on a digital camera. It’s one of our classmates, Stephanie Miller. I suddenly realise exactly where on the river we’re walking. This is nearly the exact spot that the video of the old me dressed as a girl was taken.

Becky is a couple of yards ahead of Susan and me. I lean over and whisper into Susan’s ear, “We are being watched, I think David needs to stroll along the other bank.”

Then aloud I call to Becky. “Take a left at the next gate, there is a nice clearing in the woods where we can take a short break.”

We head into the clearing and I spread a blanket so we can lie down. Susan deliberately puts herself in the middle between Becky and me. We take out the bottles we have brought with us and sip our drinks. I lie down on my back and pull my hat over my face. While Susan keeps Becky distracted, I project myself over the river.

Stephanie is still on the other side of the river with her camera. I appear behind her as David. Although I am projecting as David, it’s David as a girl. I am dressed the same way as I was in the video taken a few weeks ago.

“Hello Stephanie, looking for me?” I ask. I have obviously caught Stephanie by surprise as I make her jump. She stumbles forward and drops her camera. I catch it before it hits the ground.

“What are you doing here, pervert?” she screams at me angrily.

“I could ask you the same question,” I say waving her camera at her. “Do I take it that you were responsible for that video of me appearing at school? Somehow I didn’t think Dimwit was clever enough for that trick.”

“Stay away from me you perverted freak,” Stephanie shouts, stepping backwards away from me, pulling out a pepper spray and pointing it in my direction.

“What’s the matter, what do you think I am going to do to you? I hardly pose a physical threat. You’re stronger and fitter than I am. Also according to you I am only interested in boys, so I wouldn’t want to rape you, or do you now doubt your own accusations?” I ask her, grinning menacingly.

“Stay back. I don’t know what goes through your sick twisted head,” she replies, “The way you mince your way around school shouts at you being gay, but I wouldn’t put it past you to try to sneak into girls’ locker rooms so that you can catch a peek. Why else try to pass yourself off as a girl?”

“Perhaps because I am one, a girl I mean, have you never heard the terms transgendered or transsexual?” I ask, “People who identify as being the opposite gender to their physical sex. There are thousands of people undergoing sex changes each year.”

“Just because you can doesn’t mean it’s right,” Stephanie retorts, “Abortion is legal but can still be classed as murder.” She stares at me, looking me up and down as if I am a piece of stinking garbage. “You’re a disgusting pervert. You should be locked up. I don’t know how you haven’t been expelled from school yet.”

“If being a girl was grounds for expulsion, then half the students, including yourself, would have been expelled,” I reply. Before she can cut me off and say, ‘you’re not a girl’, I quickly continue. “Our school has a strict equal opportunities policy. They can’t discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, race, or any other factor. I could be a green-skinned lesbian from Mars, and they would still treat me the same as any other student. They did ask me if I wanted to attend as a girl, but I declined the offer, as I’m not yet ready. I have enough problems as it is without the constant laughter of being seen as a boy in a dress.”

“That’s just political correctness taken too far. You try and come to school as a girl and the uproar you would cause in the community would force the school to chuck you out,” Stephanie spits at me angrily.

“I doubt it,” I reply, “and if you start stirring up trouble it will be you who ends up expelled. I am not going to let you intimidate me, Stephanie. Now take your camera and get out of here and stop trying to spy on me.”

I hold my arm out and she snatches the camera from me, and backs away, keeping the pepper spray aimed at my face.

“I suggest you look where you are going, I don’t want to have to fish you out of the river if you fall in,” I call to her. She turns round and starts sprinting down the path. I vanish before she has chance to look back.

I sit up on the blanket where Susan and Becky are talking. I get up and stretch my legs. “Shall we continue our walk?” I ask my companions.

We resume our hike and arrive home shortly after one in the afternoon. We part company with Becky, who heads inside for lunch, and carry on to Susan’s house.

We take our sandwiches and sit in Susan’s back garden. I fill Susan in on what happened with Stephanie. We decide to keep an eye on her at school and let our friends know what has happened.

Sunday evening we set up a video conference between the four of us using our computers. Susan and I, as David, are in Susan’s room, while Mary and Tracy are at Mary’s house. Tracy is staying the night with Mary. Tracy’s elder brother, Damien, has some of his friends over, so Tracy has opted to spend the night away from home. Tracy hates her brother, and likes his friends even less. When Mary offered her a sleepover, she jumped at the chance.

In some ways I feel envious as sleeping over is something that I have never been allowed to do properly. Susan did arrange a sleepover for the four of us for her last birthday. I stayed with the girls until bedtime, but had to sleep in a different room. Susan deliberately arranged it to be as girly as possible, but it wasn’t the same with me being regarded as a boy. I almost revealed that I was transgendered that night, but I chickened out, as I was afraid of the consequences.

We let Mary and Tracy know that we caught Stephanie spying on us down by the river.