School Days

The next morning, I woke up when the alarm clock went off, and like the previous morning, in my attempt to turn it off, I knocked the thing to the floor. I grumbled, sat up, picked the clock up and then finally silenced the alarm. I got up, grabbed my robe and headed for the shower. After I had woken up a little bit, I finished washing up and then shut off the water. I got out, and patted my self dry. As the mirror cleared, I saw my blue eyes sparkling, It wasn't the normal sparkle; this sparkle was caused by tears, happy tears. I left the bathroom as mom came out of her room and she stopped and looked at me.

"You ok? You look like you've been crying." She said. I wasn't sure how she could tell, the hallway was dimly lit, with the only real light being a nightlight at the top of the stairs.

"They're happy tears. Everything is going right, my outside matches my inside, I can wear what I want now, when I want. I'm whole." Mom smiled.

"That you are. Go get dressed, I'm going to take you and Riley to school today." I raised an eyebrow.

"Why are you taking Riley and I to school?" I asked.

"Well, you because we still need fix all of your files at the school, and Riley because I thought that, perhaps you'd like to ride to school with your girlfriend..." Mom smiled. I blushed.

"I would like that." I said, going back into my room. After I had gotten dressed I went down stairs to the kitchen. I had just finished my oatmeal when there was a knock on the door, and I assumed that it was Riley, and when I opened the door, it could have been my reflection staring back at me, well with the exception of our hair and eye color being the different.

"Good Morning," Riley said. I stood there for a few seconds, just staring dumbly at her. I finally shook my head and cleared the cobwebs that had developed. She had on the same outfit that I did only she had chosen to wear her beret.

"Come in!" I said, stepping out of the doorway so that she could. Heather was coming down the stairs.

"Morning. Riley, you and Zoe look like you could be sisters..." she let the thought trail off as she stopped at the bottom of the stairs. Riley and I slipped our hands together and walked toward the kitchen. Heather walked behind us and chuckled as our hands slipped together. We walked into the kitchen, where mom had three bowls of oatmeal ready. Riley and I looked at each other and each grabbed a bowl, taking the two stools on one side of the island leaving Heather to stand and eat. Heather finished hers first and then headed out to catch the bus.

"Have fun at school, Zoe." Heather said, patting me on the head as she passed. Riley and I finished our oatmeal and I put the bowls in the sink and ran water in them. Mom looked at the clock and then at us.

"It's time to go." Mom said. Riley and I stood up and pushed the stools in. We both walked over to the front door and slipped our shoes on, and then grabbed our backpacks and headed for the door that went out to the garage. I opened the drivers side door and let Riley get in, closing it behind her and then went around and got into the car on the passenger side. Mom came out a few seconds later and got in the car... "You girls ready?" We both nodded, and mom opened the garage door and started the car. She pulled out of the garage, and drove toward the school.

#
Mom parked the car in the same parking spot that she had parked in the day before. We got out, and mom let Riley and I walk ahead of her. We walked into the relatively deserted school and headed for the office. Most of the staff was in the building already, so figuring out who we needed to talk to wouldn't be that difficult. Mrs. Chattfield looked up as we entered.

"Morning, Mrs. Franks, Zoe, Riley."

"Good Morning, Mrs. Chattfield," Mom started. "Who do I talk to about changing Zoe's files?"

"Me, actually." Mrs. Chattfield said. "Give me one second to go pull her files." Mom nodded and then looked at us and smiled. It was then that Riley and I realized that we were holding hands again. We looked at each other, not caring about the world. Mrs. Chattfield came back with a rather thick folder, and sat it on her desk. "Zoe and Riley, you girls can have a seat." Mrs. Chattfield said. Riley and I sat down and looked at each other, tuning out mom and Mrs. Chattfield.

"Did you get all of the homework I gave you done?" Riley asked. I shook my head no, as I really hadn't gotten much done.

"No, but I will get it tonight. My absence from yesterday was an official excused absence, so I have until tomorrow to get it in."

"So does that mean we can't hang out tonight?"

"No we can, I just need to make sure that I this homework done. In some ways my grades slipped because I couldn't be who I should have been." I said, glancing out the window and watching a bus load of kids depart a bus. "Now it's time to kick some butt and fix that." Riley smiled at me.

"I can help you if you like." I smiled at her.

"And I can help you if you like." I replied getting lost in her eyes yet again. I wondered if I had the same effect on her.

"Zoe, Riley." I heard mom say. I realized that we were both still looking at each other, well staring was more like it...

"Huh?" I said, mom smiled which caused both Riley and I to realize that she had been watching us. I was sure she knew what had happened and that caused me to start blushing.

"You two looked like you had gotten lost in there." Mom said, with a chuckle.

"Gotten lost in where?" I asked, trying to sound as if I didn't know where 'there' was.

"In each other's eyes. Don't worry, it's something your father and I did as well." Mom chuckled again.

#
"Girls, if you would come with me," Mrs. Chattfield said. Riley and I stood and looked at each other. "Zoe, I'm going to take you to all of your classes and try to explain this to your teachers." She chuckled. "Hopefully no one has any issues, I mean the last person that did isn't here any more..." I looked at her.

"I know that she got suspended, but what do you mean that she isn't here any more?" I asked, grabbing my backpack.

"She resigned shortly after Dr. Hashburn relieved her. Said that she couldn't handle running a school that allowed boys to run around dressed as girls..." Riley and I looked at each other.

"She quit?" I asked, astonished. I knew she had a problem with me running around the school in a skirt... Mrs. Chattfield nodded. "Isn't that a bit extreme?"

"I think so... It's a new era, things change..." Mrs. Chattfield said, opening the door so that we could go to mine and Riley's first class of the day... When we exited the office, there were three girls standing there, dressed similarly to Riley and I. One of the girls, I recognized as being in mine and Riley's classes. I had never been one that was big on the social scene in school and I had a feeling that was about to change. I knew that this girl was also in my first class of the day, so she followed the three of us to the classroom. Riley looked over her shoulder at the girl and smiled.

"Megan, meet Zoe; Zoe, meet Megan." Riley said as we walked toward the room.

"Hi." I said as we started to climb the steps to the second floor. We walked into the classroom, which caused Mrs. Stevens, our English teacher to look at us.

"Morning Mrs. Chattfield." She said, looking Riley and I both up and down. We looked like sisters with the exception of our hair and eye colors. "Morning, Riley and Megan. I don't know you though..." She pointed at me with the pencil in her hand.

"Mrs. Stevens, This is Zoe Franks. She's going to be taking Allen Franks' place in your class." Mrs. Chattfield said. Mrs. Stevens' eyebrows went up.

"What exactly do you mean 'taking' Allen's place in my class?"

"Well, Allen doesn't really exist any more. Zoe has taken his place..." This got a brief look of confusion, and then a look of understanding. I was glad that Megan had already taken her seat at the back of the room and didn't hear most of this rather awkward conversation.

"Ah ha!" Mrs. Stevens said, "I thought you looked familiar, Zoe. Will do, Mrs. Chattfield. Zoe, do we have a cover story?"

#
By lunch time, I was known as the new girl, quiet and shy and already friends with Riley. Riley had a circle of friends that I would get to know better as time went on, but for now, I had to pretend to be this quiet girl just to not be discovered by someone that would be unsympathetic to my mental gender. After I had eaten the meal that the school called lunch, something I almost always had to supplant with a snack almost as soon as I got home Riley and I headed off toward our study hall. Mrs. Chattfield hadn't walked me to any classes since the one that morning with Mrs. Stevens, instead letting Riley handle my introduction. Once we got into the room where our study hall was held, Riley and I walked up to Mr. Jackson, who was also one of the gym teachers.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Jackson," Riley said. "This is Zoe Franks, and she will be replacing Allen Franks on your roster." Mr. Jackson looked at me in a way that made me feel uncomfortable.

"I don't want no boys dressed as girls in my classes." He said. "I don't know whose idea this little stunt of yours was, Allen," I cringed at the use of the name and the way he said it. "But I see it as you trying to get into the girls locker rooms or get out of something. You can just go to the office and tell Mrs. Chattfield that I sent you there." I felt a tear start to escape my left eye. I resolved to not cry in front of Mr. Jackson, but he saw that single tear and pounced. "Look, he's crying like the little pansy he is..." I turned and left the room, making sure I slammed the door. I was entitled to throwing a hissy fit after what it had taken me to get in the school as my self. I found a corner and slid down the wall sobbing. I didn't see Riley come out of the room and crouch next to me. She placed her hand softly on my shoulder, and I turned my head to look at her. "Riley, come back here or I'll have you assigned detention." I heard Mr. Jackson say.

"Come on, Lets to talk to Mrs. Chattfield." Riley said, offering her hands to help me up. After I was back on my own feet, Riley released my right hand, but still held onto my left hand with her right hand. We made our way to the office. I was still crying when Riley and I walked into the office. Mrs. Chattfield looked up as we entered the office and stood up behind her desk.

"What happened?" Riley led me to the chair that I had sat in that morning.

"Mr. Jackson said that he 'didn't want any boys dressed as girls' in his classes, and accused Zoe of doing this just so she could get into the girls locker rooms. She teared up and had one escape and then Mr. Jackson said something to the effect of 'Look, the little pansy's crying,' and to come down here and tell you that Zoe was down here because he had sent her down.' Zoe just lost it and left the room. He said I was going to get a detention if I didn't come back in the room, but my friend is more important, and my parents know that." Riley had, in her own way, decided to help guide me down my path to girlhood. We were alike in a lot of ways and that made it easy for us to get along.

"You won't get a detention, Riley." Mrs. Chattfield said. "Zoe, I need to report this to Mrs. Young, sit tight and I'll be right back." I nodded, and watched her go. Riley grabbed a kleenex from the table between the chairs and dabbed the tears off of my face. While she was doing that, the door opened and Brian Foley walked in, holding a piece of paper. Brian was in our study hall and I presumed that it was the detention request for Riley. He watched Riley drying my face for a few seconds.

"Faggots..." He said quietly, but not quietly enough for us not to hear it.

"Shut up, Brian." I said, looking up at him. He was taller than me when I was standing, so when I was sitting it was even worse.

"Why don't you try to make me, you pansy." I was not about to loose my cool and get into a fight. "Your girlfriend is already getting a detention because she left class, and you're getting one for the same thing." He sneered. He was looking at us and didn't see Mrs. Chattfield and Mrs. Young coming back down the hall. They pretended to not hear the conversation.

"What can I do for you Brian?" Mrs. Chattfield asked. Mrs. Young just stood there and watched.

"Mr. Jackson sent this down, It's about those two." He tilted his head toward us. Mrs. Chattfield skimmed the paper and then looked Brian in the eyes.

"Tell Mr. Jackson that he will have to hand deliver this himself." Mrs. Chattfield said, ripping the paper in half and handing it back to Brian. "Now go back to class, Mr. Foley. Expect to be down here later though. Mrs. Young and I heard what you said to Riley and Zoe." Brian's eyes grew as big as saucers and he scurried out of the office like a dog with its tail between it's legs.

"Zoe, Riley, Can you guys come back to my office, I'd like to hear what happened." Mrs. Young asked. I nodded dumbly and held out my hand for Riley to help me up I stood, feeling my skirt fall back to my just above my knees and we walked, hand in hand back toward Mrs. Young's office. Just after the door shut, I heard Mr. Jackson's voice.

"What's the deal, Cheryl, that detention form was proper and the correct response to two students leaving a classroom." Mr. Jacksons said.

"He doesn't know when to quit does he?" I asked, Riley and I sat on a couch that was similar to the one in Mrs. Perkins' office. Mrs. Young had apparently been temporally promoted after Mrs. Perkins left in a huff because of me.

"Let me worry about him." Mrs. Young said, with a confident smile. "Riley, tell me what happened."

"I just told this to Mrs. Chattfield, but, Mr. Jackson said that he 'didn't want any boys dressed as girls' in his classes, and accused Zoe of doing this just so she could get into the girls locker rooms. She teared up and had one roll down her face and then Mr. Jackson said something to the effect of 'Look, the little pansy's crying,' and to come down here and tell Mrs. Chattfield that Zoe was sent down here because he had sent her down.' Zoe just lost it and left the room. I went after her, having an idea of what his comments had done to her. He said I was going to get a detention if I didn't come back in the room, but my friend is more important, and my parents know that. I stand by my friends and when one is in need, there is little that I won't do for them." Riley looked at me and then leaned forward and gave me a kiss on the cheek. This caused me to smile, and I could smell the cherry lip gloss that she had on.

"Ok, and what did Brian Foley say to you guys?"

"He called us 'faggots' and then when I told him to shut up, He told me to 'try and make him,' calling me a pansy in the process, and then saying that my girlfriend and I were getting detentions for leaving class. I don't think he saw you guys until you had pretty much heard that..." I replied, finally getting my emotions in check. "We're not girlfriends yet, but who knows what the future holds..." I said gazing at Riley. There was a knock on the door, which caused me to jump, and then it swung open; Mr. Jackson stood there, a scowl on his face. Riley placed her left hand on my right arm.

"Susan, Those two," He pointed at us. "Deserve a detention for leaving class without permission."

"For starters, you may have been here longer than me, but don't call me by my first name in front of students, Mr. Jackson," Mrs. Young said, calmly but firmly. "Secondly, you your self told Zoe to come to the office. Your little comments have really upset the poor girl and her best friend came to her aid. Thirdly, I will not tolerate bigotry in my school. As soon as I get off the phone with Dr. Hashburn, I will guarantee you that you will have been suspended. Comments like yours from someone that a student is supposed to trust is exactly why Mrs. Perkins was relieved from her duties, and subsequently resigned. Fourth, that door was closed because I'm in a private meeting, I would think that you should close it and get out of my office, now."

"Your just standing up for Allen so that he can get into the girls locker rooms and see things that he shouldn't be seeing yet. I can't help the little pansy wants to run around wearing skirts; in my day, we simply tried to look up the girls skirts..." He said.

"That's not her name, and furthermore, she is under a psychiatrists care for this, that makes it a mental disorder, something I'm not sure that you know anything about. You may want to try to talk to someone and find out what your comments may be doing to that poor young lady. How would you feel if she committed suicide because of your comments?"

"Wouldn't be my problem." He said.

"It sure would be pretty quickly." Mrs. Young said. "I would make sure of it. Word of this is already going to be getting to the family's attorney, I'm sure, as well as Zoe's parents. You're picking fights that you don't want to even start. Now get out of my office!" Mr. Jackson scowled at Riley and I, and then left Mrs. Young's office, slamming the door behind him and causing the wall to shake. I was on the verge of tears again, but was also in awe of the way that Mrs. Young had stood up for me. "Don't worry about him. Dr. Hashburn will probably be here shortly after I get off the phone with him..." She walked over to her desk and picked up the phone.

#
Riley and I were still sitting in Mrs. Young's office when there was a much softer knock on the door. This one didn't cause me to jump like Mr. Jackson's knock did. Mrs. Young got up from sitting on my left and then opened the door. Mrs. Chattfield and Dr. Hashburn stood on the other side.

"Dr. Hashburn is here to see the three of you." Mrs. Chattfield said. Mrs. Young nodded and Dr. Hashburn walked into the room, and looked at me. He did a quick assessment of my condition.

"Mrs. Chattfield, call Zoe's parents and have them come in if possible; if not, can you have them call my office to arrange a meeting with at least them, Zoe, and I. If they would like to bring their counsel, I would completely understand that." Mrs. Chattfield nodded.

"Yes, Doctor. Will there be anything else?" He shook his head and shut the door silently. I wouldn't have to explain any thing of what had happened to Dr. Hashburn, as Mrs. Young had done that over the phone already. Dr. Hashburn sat across from Riley and I.

"You two look like sisters..." He said, letting the thought trail off. Riley and I looked at each other and grinned. We hadn't really planned on dressing alike, it just sort of happened. I knew that we both would look cuter with the berets on our heads, but we couldn't wear them in school. "There is no reason for a teacher to talk to, or treat a student like Mr. Jackson did. Zoe, he will be taken care of; I promise you that." Dr. Hashburn said. "And Zoe, I told you that you would look beautiful in whatever you decided to wear, and I was right. Who is your friend?"

"This is Riley Edwards, My new best friend." I said, not able to hide the smile in my voice. I felt Riley slip her left hand into my right and give it a gentle squeeze. This action not going unnoticed by Dr. Hashburn.

"Riley, I'm Dr. Hashburn, the superintendent of the school district." Dr. Hashburn said.

"It's nice to meet you." Riley said, offering her hand. Dr. Hashburn and Riley shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you too and I'm glad that Zoe has more than just me and Mrs. Young on her side." He smiled. There was a knock on the door, and Dr. Hashburn got up and opened it. Mrs. Chattfield stood on the other side.

"Doctor, I got ahold of Zoe's parents, They said they can't come in today, but they said they will meet you at eight on monday morning."

"Ok, can you call Debbie and make sure that she puts it on my schedule, please."

"Will do." Mrs. Chattfield said, She turned and went back down the hallway. Dr. Hashburn shut the door and returned to the seat he had been sitting in.

"I'm sure that mom and dad are wondering what that was all about..." I said quietly. "They probably think that I've done something to get into trouble." Riley, Dr. Hashburn and Mrs. Young all looked at me.

"I doubt it," Dr. Hashburn said. "In a situation like this there are going to be some problems along the way. The fact that it involves me means that you are more than likely not in trouble. Zoe, what's your next class?"

"Business applications."

"Riley, what's yours?"

"Also business applications, we're in the same class." Riley smiled at him. Several years ago, the district realized that typing classes would be good for all students, and therefore mandated that everyone took typing in the eighth grade.

"Would you girls mind if I walked you to class?" He asked. Riley and I looked at each other. I had no idea what would go though Mrs. Harper's head when we were walked into the room by Dr. Hashburn, but it would be interesting to see her face...

"Fine by me," I said with a smile. Riley smiled as well. She could smile all the time and I'd never get tired of seeing it.

"Ok with me too." It wasn't every day when you were walked to class by the guy that ran the whole school district. Riley and I stood up, and grabbed our backpacks. Dr. Hashburn opened the door of Mrs. Young's office and we walked out toward Mrs. Chattfield's desk. She smiled as we came down the hall.

"Mrs. Chattfield, can you please have Brian Foley report down here after next period starts, please?" Dr. Hashburn asked.

"Sure thing, Doctor." Mrs. Chattfield said, and then she started typing on the computer.

#
Riley and I walked into the classroom where we had typing class. Mrs. Harper looked over and smiled at Riley and I. Her jaw dropped a few seconds later when Dr. Hashburn walked in the room. He smiled at Mrs. Harper.

"Mrs. Harper," He started. This is Zoe Franks, and she's going to be taking Allen Franks' place on your roster." Mrs. Harper looked me up and down. She shrugged.

"Ok," Mrs. Harper said, with a shrug. She was indifferent to this new girl in her class. "Are you related to Allen, Zoe?"

"A little," I said quietly. Riley let out a small giggle. Mrs. Harper raised her eyebrows at Riley and then realization hit her like a ton of bricks falling from above her head.

"Girls get to your seats and we are working on what we started Wednesday. Zoe, once I get the class started, come up and you and I will cover the basics since you weren't here." I nodded and went to my usual computer and sat down. Riley sat next to me, and we both logged in to the computers so we could launch the software for the current task. I didn't know what that software was, so I stared at my desktop. Well, I guess it wasn't 'my' desktop, it was Allen's desktop. I would have to change that.. I idly wondered how long it would take the IT department to change my login info... The tardy bell rang and Mrs. Harper looked around the room. I was getting looks from my fellow classmates. Some of them had seen me at various times throughout the day, others this wast their first glimpse of the new girl, Zoe. "Class, First of all, we have a new student, her name is Zoe... Please don't bite her." There were chuckles from the class. "I want everyone working on what we started on Wednesday. Only thing I want to hear are whispers and keys clacking."