The Favour

© 2015 D.L.

"You look frustrated", Josh stated as he sat down at the table opposite Stephany. The snarl of annoyance she had emitted only moments before made the statement exceedingly obvious. It was a look Josh had become familiar with over the past few months.

Because he was one of the top pupils in the class, the teachers had suggested he help mentor one of the other students that wasn't doing as well. That was Stephany.

None of the other students really got along with her. To put it bluntly, she could be described as a bit of a bitch. Her put downs were exceedingly acidic, and most of the other girls would have nothing to do with her, let alone any of the boys. It wasn't helped by her being one of the moodiest and short tempered girls in the school.

Josh never let her hostile nature get to him. As far as he was concerned, it was nothing personal against him, it was just the way she was. He was the kind of person who could get along with anybody, but never really made close friends, only acquaintances.

With a sigh, Stephany explained the difficulty she was having with the algebra problem she was doing. She was trying to rearrange a formula to solve for X, but was messing up the balancing. Josh asked her to talk through the steps she was taking, and pointed out where she went wrong. He didn't give her the answer, but by talking her over the logic, was able to help her come to the correct solution.

Josh watched as she completed the final four equations of her maths homework.

"Thanks," Stephany said. "I always get in a muddle with the order of precedence. You must get fed up of explaining the same thing to me over and over again. It just takes me several times to get anything through my thick skull."

Josh smiled shyly, blushing faintly. Stephany noticed that the boy before her was slightly more nervous than normal.

"Stephany," Josh said softly, almost in a whisper, "I need to ask you a favour."

"Considering the hours you've spent helping me, I think you are probably overdue some payback," Stephany reasoned. Josh had never asked for anything in return for his help. He had joked before that he would think of something at some point, but from the body language he was now expressing, she realised he must have something serious to ask. This was confirmed only a few seconds later when he asked if they could go outside, so that they couldn't be overheard.

If it was any other boy, then Stephany may have had reservations about going outside alone. But Josh never seemed threatening. In fact, some of the girls reckoned he was gay. Stephany had even thought the same on some occasions, but she wasn't really sure. The one thing she did notice was his effeminate mannerisms. She would have teased him about it herself if she didn't need his assistance. Josh was one of the few people Stephany made an effort to not insult.

"What's the problem, Josh," Stephany prompted once they were safely outside of earshot of any potential eavesdroppers.

"You may not have noticed it, but things at home haven't been going very well lately. Frankly, I've had enough and can't go on living like this. I need a way out."

Stephany had noticed how sad and tired Josh had been over the past couple of weeks, and the almost emotionless tone of his voice caused her to look on in alarm. Seeing her expression Josh continued, "I don't mean like that, although I have thought about faking a suicide attempt. My aim is to get into foster care, not a padded cell."

"You had me worried for a moment."

A wry smile appeared on Josh's face before he turned serious again. "Social services aren't likely to act unless they think I'm in danger. I don't get on with my parents and we have had several big arguments. They have come very close to hitting me. Basically, I need to have a final showdown with them. All I need is a catalyst to push them over the edge. I need some visible bruises that I can show up to school with and get the teachers involved."

"Why not simply go to the teachers first? Getting yourself beat up doesn't sound a very safe approach? What if they go too far?"

"Social services won't act without evidence. I don't want to wait for an ongoing investigation to get around to doing something. It's a risk I'm willing to take."

Josh paused, obviously nervous about what he was about to ask.

To break the silence, Stephany suggested, half seriously and half jokingly, "You would like me to claim that I'm pregnant with your child so that they can go ballistic at you?"

Josh chuckled, "Well, I hadn't thought of that one. However, that would likely get me arrested for rape, then you'd get arrested for wasting police time when they found out it wasn't true. I don't think that is a good idea."

"OK, perhaps not," Stephany agreed, "So what did you have in mind?"

"It's quite simple really. My parents are slightly homophobic. If they were to come home and find their only son dancing round the house dressed as a girl, they would certainly be extremely annoyed. One of the things they don't like about me is my lack of masculinity. Having a big sissy for a son is not their idea of a perfect family."

Josh's blushing almost made Stephany laugh as the suddenly shy boy whispered his request.

"Are you sure that won't backfire. What if they decide to retaliate by taking away all your clothes and making you come to school dressed as a girl?"

Josh smiled and laughed, "I think I could cope with that. Actually, that was my plan B. Turning up here dressed as a girl would cause a lot of trouble. If I was forced to do it, rather than choosing to do it myself, then it would be my parents in trouble instead of me."

"Why do you think you would be in trouble if you turned up in a skirt?" Stephany asked.

Josh looked at her in puzzlement. Seeing the confused look, she elaborated, "What rule would you be breaking exactly?"

"I don't think a skirt is part of the uniform," Josh stated.

"Rubbish, I'm wearing one," Stephany replied.

"Yes, but you're a girl, boy's aren't allowed to wear skirts."

Stephany put her bag on the floor and rummaged through it, pulling out one of her folders. Turning to the back, she took a printout from a binder and handed it to Josh. "After all the fuss a few months ago with the length of some of the girl's skirts, I now carry a copy of the rules with me. They updated them to include a minimum skirt length. You read that and tell me whereabouts it specifies who can wear what. It simply has two bullet lists, one entitled 'What students can wear' and the other 'What students can't wear'."

Josh studied the literature carefully, reading it through several times. While it listed that both trousers and skirts were allowed, it made no mention of who could wear them, leaving it open to interpretation.

"OK, it may not be against the dress code, but I would still get in trouble for causing a disturbance."

"Like when Cynthia turned up with purple hair after an accident with hair dye?" Stephany asked, laughing at the memory.

"She got detention for a week and was lucky not to get sent home. If it hadn't been for her mother, she might have been suspended," Josh stated.

"That is because outlandish hairstyles are against the dress code. Once it was established it was an accident, she was let off," Stephany declared. "It caused a few minutes of laughter at the start of each lesson, but wasn't exactly causing much of a problem. I don't think anybody's grades suffered as a result. It would be the same if you turned up in a skirt. We would probably all have a good laugh about it then the day would continue as normal."

"I'm not convinced. Even if the teachers didn't do anything I'm likely to get teased rotten, if not beaten up."

"I don't think anybody would go that far, unless you tried to enter the girl's changing rooms. You might get away with sneaking into the girl's toilets, if you're lucky."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't try that. I have no inclination to get arrested, so I'll steer clear of the changing rooms. Actually, if they did let me stay at school in a skirt I would probably only dare use the unisex disabled toilet. I don't think using the boy's toilets would be a good idea, and I doubt any of the girls would let me in their bathroom."

Stephany thought for a moment, "I wouldn't object. It would be very weird knowing you were in the next cubicle, but I could put up with it, as long as you didn't try sneaking any looks over the door or cubicle walls."

The conversation paused while a couple of girls walked past. Once they were out of earshot, Stephany asked, "So, you want me to lend you some clothes?"

"If things go the way I expect, I very much doubt they would be in a fit state to give back. I was thinking more along the lines of you buying some things on my behalf. While I could probably pluck up enough courage to buy a skirt, I don't think I would be able to buy everything else I would need."

"What did you have in mind?"

"If I'm going to do this, I figure I need to go one hundred percent all out. That means fully dressed with a bra, panties, tights, skirt and blouse, or possibly a dress. Whatever you think is appropriate, perhaps some lippy, nail-polish and clip-on earrings. If I could pierce my own ears I would, but that isn't really practical; the girlier the better."

Stephany stroked her chin as she appraised the boy in front of her. He was only a few inches taller than her, and about the same build. Thinking to the hideous dresses stored in the back of her closet that her grandmother insisted buying her that made her look half her age, a smile crossed her face.

"Do you know your sizes?"

Pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket, he handed it to the girl. "I measured myself using the advice in a mail order catalogue. I think this should be comprehensive. You will know more about what I need than I do."

"Okay, against my better judgement, I'll do as you ask. How soon do you want to be able to do this?"

"As soon as possible, basically the first opportunity I have I will use."

"Meet me after school. We can stop at the supermarket on the way to my house to pick up some underwear and cosmetics. I have some really girly dresses that I never wear that will probably fit you. If not, I can always sell you some of my things and buy replacements later. We're not that different in size."

~o~O~o~

Josh nervously peaked over the magazine he had just bought, pretending to read it while sneaking a look to see if Stephany was finished shopping. He was sat on a bench near the exit, waiting for her to come through the tills. He had given her some money to purchase the underwear for him. He watched as she approached the ten items or less till carrying a basket. Josh couldn't see exactly what Stephany had from a distance, but it didn't appear that the girl had any problems with the cashier as she paid for her goods and placed them in a carrier bag.

Stephany nodded to Josh as she passed him. He waited a couple of seconds before following her out of the door. To the casual observer, it would look like they weren't together, which suited Josh fine. He was embarrassed that others may find out what was going on, if they saw what Stephany was buying. He knew he was being paranoid, but didn't want anything to go wrong. He was taking a big enough risk even involving Stephany, but this seemed like the only cause of action to reach his desired outcome.

The two children remained silent as they unlocked their bikes and rode off from the car park. There were several other kids from school hanging around, but none of them approached the couple. Most people stayed clear of Stephany for fear of a tongue lashing, and not many people paid much attention to Josh anyway.

~o~O~o~

It was a short time later that the two arrived at Stephany's house. She unlocked the door with her key, and they entered the quiet house. Stephany's parents were at work, and were not due home for another hour at least.

Stephany led the nervous boy to her bedroom. He had been in the house, and her bedroom, a number of times, but never alone with the girl. Usually one of her parents was home, and they always left the door open if they did go in there. Normally they would do homework in the living room, using the family computer. However, on a few occasions when Stephany's mother had some of her friends over, they would use her room instead.

"OK, strip," Stephany commanded.

"What!?" Josh exclaimed in surprise.

"I want to see you try these panties and bra on, and you can't do that without removing your clothes."

Stephany was stood in the doorway, blocking Josh from leaving the room. He stood in shock and embarrassment.

"I'm not getting undressed with you watching," Josh declared, trying to outstare the girl.

"What's the matter?" Stephany asked. "Afraid you might get a hard-on?"

Josh immediately went bright red, much to Stephany's amusement.

After a few seconds of thought, Josh replied, "If I ordered you to strip naked in front of me, would you do it? I suspect you would probably call me a pervert and slap me."

The two stared at each other for a few moments before Stephany stepped to one side, "Alright, spoil-sport. I'll let you change in the bathroom, this time. I'm so tempted to just strip naked to prove you wrong, but I better not. While I trust you not to do anything but look, I'm ashamed to say I might be tempted to take things further than I should, and I don't want things getting out of hand."

Josh took the packages that Stephany handed him a few minutes before and started to head out the door. As he passed, Stephany took her fluffy pink dressing gown off the back of her door and handed it to the boy. "Here, you can cover yourself with this. Give me a shout if you need help with the bra."

Josh entered the bathroom and locked the door behind him. He carefully removed his clothes, folding them neatly on the toilet lid as he did so. Opening the pack of three panties, he unrolled the first one out of the box. It was plain white and had lace round the edges. He slipped them up his legs until they were above his knees. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he tucked himself in, as he had practiced many times before, and pulled the panties into place. He looked down to see how badly he was bulging. While not totally flat, like he would have liked, he was at least presentable. The underwear was tight enough to hold him in without pinching too much. Josh had considered that he might need to wear more than one layer of fabric to hold himself in place, but he seemed to be okay at the moment.

Opening the carrier bag a second time, Josh pulled out the other two packages. The first was a bra. He hadn't ever had opportunity to wear one before. The young man expected it to be difficult to put on, but using the couple of mirrors in the room, he was able to position and fasten it correctly. It wasn't as hard to reach as first feared. Josh had expected some form of padded training bra, and although this one did have some padding, it didn't appear to be designed for a girl with a flat chest.

The third item had been a bit of a surprise when he saw it, but he hadn't commented. Josh had left it to Stephany's judgement as to what he would need, and if she deemed it appropriate, then he wasn't going to argue. The pair of foam pads helped to fill out the otherwise slightly baggy bra. According to the labels he was now a B cup. Josh, like many of the boys, had been paying close attention to the development of his classmates. By his estimate, he was now in the top third for bust size in his year.

Wrapping the dressing gown around him, Josh picked up his clothes and made his way back to the bedroom.

Stephany smiled at the nervous boy as he entered her room. "Can you lower the top of the gown so that I can check the fit of the bra? You can keep your lower half covered if you're embarrassed."

Josh thought for a moment. He didn't feel uncomfortable with his appearance in the bathroom, so decided to remove the gown and hang it back on the door.

Stephany took a glance at the figure before her. She was wondering if the boy would have any problems down below, as she was curious as to whether there was a sexual element to the boy's cross-dressing. A swift glance down didn't show anything much. While there was a bulge, it was smaller than she had thought it was going to be. Any other time she may have made a comment about the lack of size, but she restrained herself and instead focused her attention to the task at hand. She appraised the fit from both back and front, adjusting the straps to position the false cleavage slightly better on the boy's chest.

It had taken her several minutes of internal debate to decide on what to buy for the boy. He had asked for a simple training bra appropriate for a girl with no chest. This had surprised her slightly, as she would have assumed the boy would have used the bigger is better approach. In the end she had opted to pad him so that he was a similar size to herself. After all, she was about to give him some of her cast-offs, so he needed to be a similar size in order for them to fit right.

"Okay, that looks good," Stephany declared. "Does it feel comfortable enough? It doesn't look like it's pinching anywhere."

"It seems to be okay. It just feels a bit odd having a weight on my chest," Josh replied.

"You'll get used to it soon enough," Stephany stated, "I know it took me several days to fully get used to wearing my first bra, and that didn't have much padding. How about the other item, not to tight I hope? You seem to be squashed flatter than I expected."

Josh started to turn red again, but took some deep breaths before answering, "I did my research beforehand. I've practiced arranging myself to give a flat appearance. I figured girls' underwear wouldn't have as much room, so worked out the most comfortable way beforehand. I would rather not be distracted by being uncomfortable when I confront my parents."

Stephany nodded, as the explanation seemed reasonable. Walking to her closet, she opened the door and pulled out a pale lemon sundress. Taking it off the hanger, she unzipped it and positioned it so that Josh could step into it, which he did. She helped him into it and zipped the back up.

"Let's try this one first. I like this dress, but the colour doesn't suit me. I look too insipid in it. You have a slightly darker skin tone, which suits it better."

Josh stood and looked in the full length mirror on the inside of the closet door. He seemed mesmerised by his appearance as he twisted to examine himself from multiple angles. Stephany watched patiently for her friend to respond. Patience was not something she was usually blessed with, but the fact that he was doing exactly the same movements as she herself did when first trying it on amused her.

"I like it," Josh declared, "My mother's gold coloured watch would match nicely, and I think she has a necklace that would be just the right length to hang just above the collar. Once I have opportunity to shave my legs, it will look even better."

Stephany looked down. The boy didn't have much hair below his waist, but she could see what he meant.

"Your legs don't look too bad. It's probably not worth the effort. Besides, you would have a hard job hiding it during P.E."

Josh nodded. While he wanted to do a convincing transformation, he realised that there were practical limitations if he wanted to keep this out of general knowledge.

Stephany passed him another dress, this time a blue and white floral print with short sleeves. Josh carefully removed the yellow dress and stepped into the other garment. Again, he stood and admired himself in the mirror, appraising the look.

"It's a pity your hair isn't longer," Stephany stated, "While you look girly, it is still obvious that you're a boy in a dress."

Josh sighed. He bit his lip and closed his eyes in contemplation before reaching for his school bag and pulling out an opaque plastic lunchbox from the bottom of the bag. Stephany looked on intrigued as he stood and nervously held the container.

"You remember a few weeks ago Dan came to school with a bright red wig?" Josh asked to which Stephany nodded. "Well I was with him when he bought it from that joke and costume shop on London Road. I also bought one at the same time, but I chickened out of wearing it at school."

Josh opened the box and pulled out a mass of jet black hair, which he carefully placed on his head.

"Well, I've seen Carry on Cleo enough times to guess who you're supposed to be," Stephany giggled. "Actually, I think it suits you. It frames your face, and it doesn't look too out of the ordinary. I have just the dress to match."

~o~O~o~

Olivia Richardson pulled her car up in the lay-by outside her home. It had been a chaotic day in the office, and she was glad that she could get home and relax. Olivia hoped that her daughter had made a start on the evening meal, although that was probably too much to ask. Having put some mince in a slow cooker before leaving this morning, only vegetables needed to be done.

She got out of her vehicle and strode up the path to the front door, noticing the familiar sight of a silver mountain bike neatly stood against, and chained to, the small cherry tree. Expecting to find Josh and Stephany immediately inside, she didn't call out as she slipped in the door.

The living room was empty, and there were no signs of books or homework. Thinking they may be in the kitchen instead, Olivia continued through the ground floor to the rear of the house. Again finding the room empty, she now heard giggling and movement upstairs. Her interest peeked as to what was going on. Although she trusted Josh enough to let him into her house alone with her daughter, she was still slightly nervous about what the two may get up too, especially since they had not long just become teenagers.

Quietly Olivia crept up the stairs. She was not particularly happy to see that the bedroom door, which should have been left open, was currently closed. Expecting the worst, she swiftly opened the door.

The scene in front of her was not quite what she was expecting. Olivia suspected that she may catch them in a state of undress, most likely in a passionate embrace, or worse. Neither of the people expected to be found were present. Instead there was a young girl fully clothed in an elegant knee-length dress. She recognised the distinctive pattern of small pink butterflies on a white background. Stephany had such a dress, but very rarely wore it, as she preferred blues and greens to pink.

The occupant of the room immediately froze at the sudden interruption. Before Olivia could get a look at the face of the unfamiliar black-haired girl stood with her back towards her, the young lady dropped into a crouch and started to fiddle with something inside of a black jacket hanging off the end of the bed. Olivia was about to ask who she was when the phone began to ring.

Pausing for a moment, the woman turned and headed across the landing into her own room, where a phone extension was fitted. Lifting the handset she noted that the display was showing 'Josh - Mobile' on the small LCD screen.

"Hello Mrs Richardson. Is my sister, Jenny, still with Stephany? Only she's borrowed my bike and I need it back soon in order to go out myself."

"Yes, she is, would you like to speak to her?"

"No, that's alright, can you just remind her of the time? Thanks."

Josh hung up the phone and put it down on the bed.

"Jennifer?" Mrs Richardson asked as she returned to her daughter's bedroom. Jenny nodded as she continued, "that was your brother on the phone, reminding you to return his bike. I noticed it was outside when I arrived."

"Thank you, Mrs Richardson," the young girl replied in a soft feminine voice, not to dissimilar to Josh but slightly higher in pitch.

Olivia eyed the person in front of her. She was almost certain Josh would be here, but was taken aback when she saw another girl in her daughter's room. There was no denying the family resemblance of Jenny to Josh. Both appeared to have the same nose and eyes and the darker than average skin tone that came from their mother's Egyptian heritage. Something didn't seem quite right. Josh had never mentioned a sister. In fact she could swear that he was an only child. Something about the child seemed off. She looked a little bit too like Josh, even down to the mole on his cheek.

The mobile phone on the bed started to play the distinctive opening note to the Roy Orbison song, Pretty Woman.

"That's probably your brother now, you best answer it," Mrs Richardson stated, a sly grin appearing on her face despite her best efforts to keep a neutral face.

Nervously the girl picked up her phone. The display was showing number withheld, not giving any clue to the person on the other end. This wasn't necessarily unusual, as her father's business mobile was set to withhold its number so that he could phone clients without them having the mobile number to disturb him while on the road, preferring instead that only his office could contact him directly.

Cautiously, Jenny put the phone to her ear and answered, "Hello."

"Hello indeed," the answer came from both across the room and in her ear as Mrs Richardson pulled the hair from the side of her head to reveal the Bluetooth earpiece hidden underneath. Bringing the phone into view, Olivia ended the call having confirmed the identity of the individual in front of her.

"Care to explain what is going on here, Josh?" Olivia asked.

"Oh well, I guess it was a long shot that you wouldn't recognise me," Josh shrugged his shoulders as he tossed the phone back onto the bed. "I thought it would be pretty obvious what I'm doing. I'm trying on clothes to see which outfit is the cutest on me."

The sound of a toilet flushing and water being run interrupted the silence that had formed between the two people. Stephany breezed back into the room past her mother wearing nothing but her panties and bra.

"Hi mum, I didn't hear you come in," Stephany said as she grabbed a yellow t-shirt and started to pull it on over her head.

"Just what do you think you are doing, young Lady?" Olivia asked crossly.

"Getting dressed?" came the puzzled reply.

"What were you doing walking round in your underwear in the first place?"

"Jenny wanted some help picking out an outfit, and you know me: I can't resist the opportunity to dress up as well. After all, why should she have all the fun?"

Stephany turned to her mother, still slightly perplexed as to why she seemed to be so annoyed. "What's the matter? It's not like I haven't dressed up with my friends before. I used to do this all the time with Jessica and Mary."

"Jessica and Mary were girls!"

"Yeah, so, what's that got to do with anything?" Stephany replied, completely failing to see the point her mother was making.

"Josh is a boy!"

"I know that, what's that got to do with Jennif-," Stephany came to a stop mid sentence and froze. The colour drained from her face as she slowly looked from her mother to her friend.

Josh's eyes grew wide in shock as he realised Stephany had forgotten who he was.

"Um, wow, like seriously?" Josh asked, "You actually started to regard me as another girl?"

"I know you can be a bit of a ditz at times, Stephany," her mother stated, "but this is ridiculous by even your standards. Do you honestly want me to believe that you suddenly, and conveniently, forgot that Josh is male?"

"If you don't want to believe me then, fine, don't," Stephany responded. "It's not particularly relevant anyway. I wear a lot less than this when down the beach. Josh isn't going to see anything that he hasn't seen before. You are also making the assumption that I would be bothered if he did catch a glimpse of me naked."

"Actually, I think your mother is assuming that this is some weird sexual foreplay and that if we were left alone for a few minutes longer we would be fucking each other's brains out."

"Seriously, is that what you think?" Stephany accused her mother, "because if that's the case, and you're planning on grounding me anyway, then I might as well just go ahead and have sex with Josh. At least then I'll have had some fun to make the punishment bearable. You feel up to it, Josh?"

"I told you earlier, I'd rather not do anything to get either of us arrested, and having sex with you would be statutory rape. Besides which, I don't have a condom handy."

"Enough," Mrs Richardson shouted. "You are treading in very dangerous waters, young lady. If I have any more cheek, then you'll be wishing for something as lenient as a simple grounding. As for you young man, at least you have a small amount of common sense. However, I'm not at all satisfied with what is going on here. Exactly what are you doing here dressed like that? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't phone your parents right now and have them collect you?"

"I've already told you, we are trying to find which outfit I look cutest in," Josh responded. "One of the main reasons for that is so that I can shock my parents and make them mad at me. You are welcome to phone my parents if you wish, but before you do that, I will warn you that you may not want to be involved in this. I know how my mother thinks. She likes to pass the blame. If she finds out I had help in cross-dressing, then she is going to accuse Stephany of forcing me into it, which is completely wrong. This was my idea. She will then accuse you of being a bad parent for letting this happen. I would much rather have her anger directed solely at me, without any opportunity for her to put the blame elsewhere."

"I still don't think you should face your parents alone," Stephany stated. "Mum, he wants to provoke them enough so that they hit him so that he can get removed into foster care."

"Is that right?" Olivia asked.

"It's one possible scenario," Josh nodded, "Although I hope that they finally realise they can't force me into becoming what they want me to be. I have to be my own person and live my own life, even if I choose a path that they find difficult to accept."

Olivia paused to think about the situation. Josh continued, "If you want to become involved in this, then I won't stop you. I realise I'm putting both of you into an awkward position. You either do nothing and let me walk alone into danger, or you risk becoming involved and face the possible consequences and fallout."

"I need to think about this," Olivia reasoned. "Change back into your own clothes while I decide what to do."

Josh turned and picked up his underpants, trousers and shirt. Leaving his socks and shoes behind, he carried the garments out of the room and across into the bathroom, locking the door behind him as he entered.

"Stephany, get dressed and come downstairs," her mother instructed before leaving the room.

~o~O~o~

Jennifer looked into the mirror. The thought of having to change back into a boy angered her. The reflection was of a young girl. Perhaps not the prettiest of girls, but it was definitely a reflection of a girl. It hadn't been more than a couple of hours since she first put on the correct clothing for her gender, but already the idea of changing out of her new underwear and not having the comforting embrace of the bra encompassing her chest seemed alien and wrong. A solitary tear rolled down the side of her nose. She wiped it away and took a calming breath to control her spiralling emotions.

With a renewed determination, the teen opened the cabinet on the wall and surveyed the contents. She was in luck; a can of shaving foam and a unopened disposable razor were quickly removed, along with a first aid kit. Quickly she unzipped the dress and let it fall to the floor. Stepping out of it and into the bath she sprayed the foam onto her legs and swiftly but carefully started to shave her legs. It only took a few minutes to remove what little hair was there. A few quick flicks of the razor and her armpits were also bare. She had to move quickly in case the others became suspicious over the length of time she was spending. Jennifer had already flushed the toilet half way though shaving to buy some more time.

Dumping her male clothes into the bottom of the bath, she turned the cold tap on. Standing next to it, she splashed her legs with water to rinse them, cupping water in her hands to bring it to the top of her legs. At the same time the water ran off her body and soaked the shirt, trousers and underpants she was stood on.

After drying herself, she slipped the dress back on. Jennifer was worried that she might cut herself, having not done the task before. Luckily, despite the speed she had done the task, the first aid kit wasn't needed. As she went to open the mirrored door of the cabinet to put it back she caught sight of herself and a thought came to her. Opening the kit she discovered it contained a pair of tweezers. She wondered how much shaping she could get away with on her eyebrows before if became too obvious. Deciding that it would take too long to do a decent job, and that it might be overly noticeable, Jennifer only removed a few stray hairs before returning the kit to the cupboard and emerging from the bathroom. Crossing back to the bedroom she found the room empty.

Sat in the middle of the bed was her school bag. Because of cycling to school, the only type of bag that was practical was a rucksack. The large green canvas back was army surplus, and quite large. It was very rarely full, even with Josh's school books, indoor and outdoor P.E. Kits, and a spare set of clothes in case he got soaked cycling in. The bag now looked to be bulging at the seams. Further examination of the contents revealed Stephany had quickly put in all the clothes Jennifer had tried on, plus a few others, into the bag.

She pulled the pair of white plimsolls from her bag and slipped them onto her bare feet. Ideally she would have worn socks, but she didn't have a suitable pair to hand. Out of one of the side pockets she retrieved a lipstick. It was part of a gift set bought in the run up to Christmas, the one time of the year Josh felt safe in buying it due to being able to claim it was a present if queried. It was not very often make-up could be practiced due to fear of being caught. However, lipstick was simple and quick to apply and she could do it without difficulty.

Standing in front of the full length mirror, she admired her new reflection. Although not much had changed, the subtle differences in her appearance added up to a much greater sense of femininity.

Pulling a sealed envelope from inside one of her exercise books, she placed it on the dressing table along with the rest of the money from her wallet as payment. Jennifer had said she would pay for Stephany's help, but they hadn't discussed an exact price. She figured they could argue it out later if needed.

A kettle could be heard from downstairs, so after one last look, she picked up her bag and headed in the direction of the kitchen.

~o~O~o~

Stephany, who was now fully dressed again, was sat on a stool at the kitchen counter. Her mother had her back to the door, attending to a pot of tea. On hearing Jennifer walk into the kitchen, Olivia turned around.

"I thought I told you to get changed," Olivia said with annoyance, "Just what have you been doing up there for the last five minutes."

"I won't be changing back again, and I have made sure that option isn't available. The clothes I arrived in are currently in your bath soaking wet. I fully intend to go home as I'm currently dressed. My mother should arrive home in about ten minute's time. I can't ride my bike in this dress and it's a fifteen minute walk home. I'm almost guaranteed to arrive home after my mother ensuring that she sees me like this. That way you can be sure that my parents find out what I've been up to this afternoon without you having to become involved."

"You can't walk home like that, what if somebody sees you," Stephany stated. "Being seen by your parents is one thing, but if anybody from school recognises you, you could be in deep trouble."

"Do you have an alternative?" Jennifer asked.

"I can drop you off in the car," Olivia reasoned, "I think your bike should fit if I put half the rear seat down."

"Okay, but let's do this quickly, so that there is a chance I can get indoors before my mother shows up. I promise I won't be changing out of these clothes before she arrives, but it will then look like I dressed up at home and she won't be suspicious that I had help. If I walk in the front door, she is going to immediately want to know where I've been."

After a few moments thought, Mrs Richardson agreed. Jennifer and Olivia headed outside to load the bike into the car. Stephany retrieved some plastic bags from the kitchen cupboard and then headed up to the bathroom. After quickly wringing out Josh's clothes, she placed them insde the bags, making sure that the package was water tight. Stephany didn't go into her room, so didn't notice the items left for her.

Stephany emerged from the house and locked the door behind her as the others finished loading the vehicle. She got into the front passenger door while Jennifer got into the rear alongside her bike. All three then set off in the direction of Jennifer's home.

~o~O~o~

"Is that your mother?" Stephany pointed across to a car that was waiting to emerge onto the roundabout.

"Yes," Jennifer said as they passed the stationary car. She quickly turned away after confirming her parent's identity. Her mother was concentrating on the traffic so didn't pay attention to the passengers in the passing cars.

Olivia kept an eye on the vehicle in the mirrors that was now following them several cars back. It appeared to her that the plan to get Josh home before his mother was not going to happen. She was contemplating what she would say to the other women when she noticed the other car turn into a petrol station. "It looks like we may have a few minutes to spare, your mother has just gone into that garage," she informed Jennifer who didn't have the ability to watch without turning round.

"Do either of you have a mobile with you?" Jennifer asked,

Stephany held up her phone. Like most teenagers, she was in the habit of never leaving home without it.

"I often use mine as an MP3 player. I'll put my headphones in and pretend to be listening to music when my mother arrives. Instead I can be on a call to you so that you can hear what is going on and verify that I am in fact getting into trouble with my mother."

"I'm more concerned with your safety at the moment," Olivia replied, "How physical are things likely to get?"

"I'm not going to deny that I expect to end up with some bruising, in fact I hope I do so that social services will have cause to intervene. However, I don't expect serious injury. They aren't likely to knock me about hard enough to cause concussion or broken bones. If I can, I will try to text you later. Unfortunately, I might not be able to do that, as the first punishment usually imposed on me is the removal of all gadgets, including my phone. Stephany, I have left an envelope on your dresser. Please don't open it, but take it to school with you tomorrow. I have been talking to our school counsellor anonymously online about this. The identity I've been using is written on the front of the envelope. Inside there is a letter to her along with all the evidence she has requested I provide so that she can act on my behalf. Hopefully you can give me the envelope back tomorrow morning. If I am not there, then raise hell. Do whatever it takes to make them listen, even if you have to reveal what I'm currently wearing."

Following Jennifer's directions, they parked the car a few houses past her house, in front of a neighbour's car where her mother would be unlikely to notice its presence. They quickly took the bike out and the two Richardson women watched as Jennifer ran with her bike up her drive and out of site to the rear of the house. A few seconds later the lights came on inside, just as the other car came into the end of the road.

Stephany's phone rang as the car backed into the driveway. Putting it on maximum volume so her mother could listen in, they heard singing.

"Hello, who are..." a new voice could just be made out over the singing which suddenly stopped with an exclamation of "oh shit!"

"Josh! What the fuck do you think you are doing prancing around dressed like a fucking pantomime dame? Did you shave your legs?" The ranting was quickly cut short as the call ended.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Stephany asked her mother as they pulled away.

"I don't know," her mother replied, "but he planned this, so we have to respect that he knows what he is doing. We wait and see what the outcome will be."

~o~O~o~

Mr Johnson slowly called the names on the register as he did most mornings. He paused slightly when he got to the name of Josh Ratliff, putting an 'S' in the column before continuing down the list.

"Mr Johnston?" Stephany asked once he was done, "Where is Josh this morning?"

"He's off sick."

"I have to ask, is that due to illness or injury?"

The teacher didn't respond, so after a moment, Stephany continued, "Because it's far more likely to be the latter rather than the former. If he is neither in hospital nor the care of social services, then he could be in serious danger."

"What makes you think he could be injured?" Mr Johnson enquired. He had thought nothing of the phone call the secretary had received earlier from the boy's mother to say that her son had come down with a case of diarrhoea. The directness of his student was causing him to rethink the situation. It was very unusual for Josh to be off sick. He had one of the best attendance records.

"He was planning on confronting his parents. He was predicting that it might turn violent. It's too big a coincidence that he is off sick today of all days."

"You are making some serious accusations there, young lady."

"I know what he was planning. I didn't agree with what he was going to do, but went along with it. I don't know if his parents would physically abuse him or not, I only have his word to go by. He gave me specific instructions to follow in case he didn't turn up. I haven't had a message from him this morning, and the fact he is now missing, is enough to convince me something bad may have happened."

"I second that concern," Mary added, "I live on the same road as Josh, and there was a lot of shouting coming from his house when I passed it last night. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it sounded heated."

"Sir, Josh has had bruises before. He was very embarrassed when I noticed and claimed he had knocked himself. Now I'm not so sure," Henry decided to speak up. While he wasn't very close to the boy, he shared the concern of the girls.

"Stephany, please come with me to the office. The rest of you, please keep the noise down and go to your lessons when the bell rings," Mr Johnson declared.

~o~O~o~

"Is Mr Lyle available?" Mr Johnston asked the school secretary upon arriving at the office. "This is urgent."

"Can you also call Mrs Parker, she will also be needed?" Stephany added, to her teacher's surprise. He hadn't considered calling the school counsellor, but didn't chastise the request, realising that she would probably get involved anyway.

The secretary directed them to the conference room while she spoke to the head and called Mrs Parker over the public address system.

Stephany and Mr Johnston sat patiently in silence waiting for the other staff members to turn up. They did not have long to wait as both entered the room.

"What is the problem?" Mr Lyle asked, wondering what had brought the student and teacher to the office.

"Josh Ratliff failed to turn up to school this morning," Stephany calmly stated, "He asked me to raise the alarm if he didn't make it to school. The last contact I had with him was yesterday evening. We were on the phone when his mother came in and the call was cut short due to an argument starting on their end. I'm worried that the argument may have turned violent."

Stephany opened her school bag and pulled out the envelope Josh had left in her bedroom. She placed it on the table in front of Mrs Parker so that the writing was the correct orientation for her to read. "Mrs Parker, Josh asked me to give you this, he said you would recognise the screen name need the information inside."

The sharp intake of breadth followed by the muttering of "Oh shit!" from Mrs Parker quickly focused the attention on the school councillor. Her swearing was distinctly out of character, especially in the presence of a student.

"What is going on here?" Mr Lyle asked, concerned that something serious may be going on.

"Thank you Stephany," Mrs Parker stated, "You can return to class now. We will deal with this now."

"I'm not going anywhere until I know my best friend is safe," Stephany replied in defiance at being dismissed.

"How much do you know, Stephany?" Mrs Parker cautiously asked. "I need to discuss what happens next, and I can't do that without breaking Josh's confidence. We have been chatting online for several weeks and he specifically said he hadn't told anybody else about his issues. So unless you have anything useful to add, I need you to go back to class."

"I do have more information. I promised Josh I wouldn't tell anybody what the plan involved. However, he did give me permission to talk to you about it if needed, and I suspect the last opportunity he would have had to contact you would have been yesterday lunch time, and a lot has happened since then."

Stephany sighed. She had hoped she could find out exactly what was going on. Part of it was her own nosiness, but she was also genuinely concerned for Josh's welfare, realising the night before how much of a friendship had developed between the two of them. She had also had time to think overnight, and had come to some other realisations. However, they were only speculations at the moment. After a short pause she decided to lay her cards on the table.

"Josh is a very private individual. I know he has been having issues at home, but until last night, I didn't know the details. I admit I don't have a definitive reason why he wishes to be taken into foster care, but I do know the 'what', 'where' and 'when' of his plan. Mr and Mrs Ratliff are unhappy with Josh's lifestyle choices, and while I don't exactly know what those are, I can surmise what they might be from the choice of how Josh was going to trigger the confrontation."

Stephany paused and looked that the three adults. Mrs Parker was doing her best to remain poker faced, while the two men were looking at both of them in puzzlement. Seeing she needed to convince them more Stephany continued, "Josh went home last night wearing in one of my most feminine dresses. When Josh first asked me to help him shock his parents by cross-dressing, and he explained it was because his parents were homophobic, I assumed that the root issue was his sexuality. After last night, I'm not so sure, I think he, or possibly she, falls elsewhere on the spectrum."

The young girl almost squeaked the last sentence, afraid that she was saying too much. She fully understood Mrs Parker's reluctance to break confidence. She feared she may also outing her friend, especially as she could be entirely wrong. However, she trusted the people in the room, and if proved wrong, then she would accept that risk.

Stephany had spent half the night tossing and turning in bed trying to get to sleep. Remembering the previous day, Jennifer hadn't been angry when she momentarily forgot she was also Josh. Stephany couldn't pinpoint exactly when she had started to regard Jennifer as the person with her instead of Josh, but she couldn't deny it hadn't happened. Josh/Jennifer had been surprised by her slip, but seemed far from angry. She seemed more bemused than anything else, and something about her stance seemed to hint at being happy at the mistake.

"Last night I saw a side to Josh that I've never seen before and possibly nobody else has either. We were having fun trying on different outfits. I've never seen Josh so bubbly and care-free, he's always been quiet and reserved. For a short while I actually forgot about him being a boy named Josh and actually thought of him as a girl named Jennifer."

Mrs Parker took her phone out of her pocket and speed-dialled a number. "Rebecca?" she asked. "Oh, hi Janice, It's Alison Parker, I need to speak with Rebecca, it urgent." There was a pause as the other person replied, "I don't care who she is meeting with, get her on the line A.S.A.P. Tell her Jenny2469 has been identified and she is missing."

"Is this about who I think this is about?" Mr Lyle asked as Mrs Parker ended the call.

"What's going on?" Mr Johnson asked, realising that there was more going on than what he was aware.

"Jennifer told me to use that name for her last night," Stephany stated, "I thought she made it up on the spot when we were joking around about how Josh didn't suit her when en femme, but I guess she was using that name with you as well."

"Josh is most likely transgendered. She, and I'll use feminine pronouns as that is her preference, contacted me via our intranet using the screen name J2469. Although I didn't know who she was, the fact she was contacting me on the closed internal network meant she was definitely a student. I had IT check the logs and it came from a device connected the Wi-Fi network in the library. It therefore has to be a student, as you have to visit the library to get the access code off the notice board. At first we talked about how she felt like a girl, and I gave her information on the subject and tried to help her come out to her parents. She wouldn't reveal who she was, and turned down the offer for me to act as a mediator with her parents. It was after describing her parent's reactions to her initial hints, that a potential pattern of abuse became apparent."

"Henry mentioned seeing bruises during P.E.," Mr Johnson added, "It was dismissed as accidental at the time."

"Jennifer provided transcripts of her arguments with her parents. She has also provided brief audio clips that matched her transcripts. However, they only contained her parent's voices, and had her name edited out." Mrs Parker answered as she emptied the contents of the envelope onto the desk to find some Polaroid photos and a DVD.

"Jennifer promised me photos of the bruising," Mrs Parker declared, "She chose to use old fashioned film as she was afraid she might be accused of photoshopping if taken digitally. I'm hoping the DVD contains the full audio of her previous incidents."

Mrs Parker's phone rang. A quick conversation followed confirming Josh's name and address. After hanging up Mrs Parker explained, "That was Rebecca Allen, my contact at Child Welfare. Given the nature of the claims, we are going to pay Josh a visit to make sure he is alright."

The bell interrupted further discussion, signalling the start of the first period.

"Stephany, thanks for bringing this to us. We'll handle this from here, and I promise to keep you informed of any developments throughout the day," Mr Lyle told the young girl before turning to her teacher. "Alvin, you best head back as well, before your next class decides to take advantage of you not being there. I'll give you a shout if needed."

The meeting was quickly adjourned as the teacher and student rushed to their respective classrooms. Mrs Parker collected up the evidence Josh had provided via Stephany and headed for her car, leaving the headmaster, on his agreement, to cover the A-level psychology class she was due to take.

~o~O~o~

Sergeant Alfred Hurst had just finished his morning coffee when his telephone rang. His initial annoyance at being disturbed while trying to work his way through the mountain of paperwork quickly subsided at the call to action from Mrs Allen.

In some ways he was glad to get out of the office. Nearing retirement age, he had been relegated to a desk job, where his relative lack of physical fitness compared to his younger colleagues would not have as big an impact. He had been assigned as the liaison officer for social services, which although could be rewarding was often harrowing and frustrating.

What he found the most annoying was the lack of action. Everything was done by committee with no single department wanting to take responsibility for taking action. Instead they all seemed content to discuss the same cases over and over again and bounce responsibility back and forth between them, only acting if forced.

The fact that he was being asked to attend an immediate intervention meant something serious must be taking place. He was aware of the case. A young unidentified male to female transsexual had tentatively been put on the at risk register. However, without a formal identity the court system was reluctant to act, especially as it could turn out to be an elaborative hoax, or simply a child crying wolf.

The police station wasn't far from the town hall, and Rebecca Allen was stood outside waiting as he pulled his patrol car up so she could get in. The women explained the new information received as they drove to the rendezvous with Alison Parker.

They only had to wait a couple of minutes before the silver Ford Ka pulled up behind the police car parked in the side street round the corner from the Ratliff household. Once all three were in the police car, they drove and parked outside their final destination.

Holly Ratliff wasn't expecting visitors. She was due to be in work, but instead had to quickly arrange leave to babysit her son after the previous evening. She grumbled as she rose from her chair and headed to the front door, expecting some kind of nuisance caller, either a Jehovah witness or a door to door salesman.

The sight of two women in business suits and a uniformed police officer caught her by surprise and immediately filled her with dread.

"Good morning, Mrs Ratliff. We represent Social Services and the local education authority. We just need to check the whereabouts and condition of your son, Josh," Mrs Allen stated.

"As I told the school this morning, he's off sick. Now is not a good time, he was up several times in the night being sick, and he is currently sleeping it off. We think the sausages we had last night might have been off. My husband and I both felt nauseous, but Josh seems to have been the worst affected," Holly replied, hoping to be able to get rid of the unwanted guests. However, the nervousness in her demeanour was not going unnoticed to the trained eye of the policeman.

Sergeant Hurst was hoping to be able to resolve this issue without having to resort to a search warrant. He had no grounds to enter the premises uninvited, and although he didn't think there would be a problem obtaining a warrant, he wasn't certain given the lack of concrete evidence. Getting the case in front of a magistrate to issue the warrant would also take time, and he was worried that if physical injuries were involved time may be wasted.

"She's lying." The disembodied voice caused everyone to jump, especially Mrs Ratliff. "Please come in. I'm locked in my bedroom, third door on the left at the top of the stairs. My mother is preventing me from going to school until the hand print she left on my face fades."

"Josh?" Mrs Parker asked. The voice was of a child and sounded vaguely familiar, but it was difficult to tell if it was a girl or a boy.

"Please stand aside and let us through," the policeman stated. "Unless you would prefer me to arrest you first?"

Reluctantly Mrs Ratliff nodded and opened the door further. Instructing the two women to wait, the police sergeant asked the mother to wait in the back of the police car. Once she was sat in the back of the vehicle, where she wouldn't be able to open the doors from the inside, the man retrieved his camera and led the others into the house and up the stairs.

The bolt on the bedroom door was photographed, and after donning a pair of gloves, in case the forensic team wanted to dust for prints, the policeman opened the door.

Sat on the bed holding one half of a baby monitor was Josh. He was dressed in navy blue cotton pyjamas. His left cheek was red from where he had been slapped across the face in the heat of an argument with his mother. Photographs were quickly taken.

After the child had quickly visited the bathroom, he led the adults downstairs to retrieve the hidden camera and microphone concealed in a fake book in the front room. Josh explained he didn't have opportunity to recover the device. When he came in the night before, he had chucked his rucksack into the cupboard beneath the stairs, and then switched on the baby monitor and camera.

His laptop was downstairs and his phone confiscated, so he couldn't send for help. The bedroom had been searched for girls' clothes and gadgets when he was locked in, but his parents hadn't thought to look in the rarely used cupboard for his schoolbag. Retrieving it, he then proceeded to dress in another of the outfits Stephany had provided.

The only reason Josh had stayed in pyjamas was that he didn't fancy dressing in his male persona. Now that she had the option, Jennifer decided to push the issue by dressing as she felt most comfortable, in the hope that others would see her as a girl and treat her as such.

Mrs Ratliff and her daughter were taken to the police station in separate cars for questioning.

~o~O~o~

It was halfway through second period when the knock came on the classroom door. Miss Whittle paused her maths lesson as the headmaster entered the room.

"Sorry to interrupt," Mr Lyle apologised, "but I'm aware that some of you are concerned about the whereabouts of Josh this morning."

Stephany, the primary reason why the headmaster was there looked on in bated breath. Mr Lyle also noted the concerned faces of several other students, including Mary and Henry who he had found out also voiced concerns over the situation.

"Mrs Parker has paid him a visit this morning, and I can report he is fine. Your assumptions were unfortunately correct. He did have a heated argument with his parents last night which resulted in him being slapped across the face. He was mother kept him home in an attempt to hide the bruise. The police and social services are dealing with the matter. Josh should be back in school tomorrow. However, I would request that you don't pester him for further information. The cause of the argument is a private family matter and he is likely to be uncomfortable and unwilling to talk about it."

~o~O~o~

Josh sat watching the second hand on the clock slowly tick round to the top. It was the end of second period on his first day back at school since the incident. The bell sounded denoting the start of the mid-morning break.

The teacher dismissed the students, and they started to pack their bags and leave the room. Josh didn't bother to rush. He looked across at Stephany, who was also taking her time. The two of them were the last to leave the room, both reaching the door together.

"Fancy a walk?" Stephany asked holding up an umbrella. Her companion nodded. They proceeded to slip as quickly as possibly away from the other students. A light drizzle was falling, discouraging most from venturing outside.

After a few minutes of silence, Stephany decided to break the ice, "So, I gather the plan worked."

"Yes," Josh replied, "I have been put on the 'at risk' register and temporarily removed from my parent's custody, pending further investigation; although that may only last a few days. At least everything is now out in the open."

"Regarding that," Stephany softly replied, "I'm not sure if you intended me to find out your secret, Jennifer. I promise not to say anything to anybody without your permission."

"That's okay. Mrs Parker told me that you figured it out, and she has already apologised that she confirmed it. She told me that you seemed really concerned, and reluctant to share your conclusions about my gender."

"So, does that mean I can call you Jenny now?" Stephany asked, "I half wondered if you would turn up in a skirt this morning."

"Yes, but only when alone," came the reply. "The thought did cross my mind, but I don't actually own a school skirt. I'm in no rush to get laughed at so I'm taking things one step at a time. I might eventually come to school as a girl, but probably not for quite a while, and maybe not at this school. "

"So, what happens next?"

"There is talk of me staying with my Aunt and Uncle, on my father's side. Most of the hostility towards me came from my mother and her side of the family. Dad is slightly more laid back, and although not happy with my choices, will put up with them. Uncle Stan has offered to put me up for a while to allow my parents to come to terms with me. I spoke with him for a couple of hours last night on the phone. I've been told I can dress as Jennifer in private, so I'll see what his reaction will be when I take him up on that offer."

"You think he may freak out? What about where you are currently staying? You can come over to mine for a few hours if you need to unwind," Stephany offered, "I know my mother will want to know how you are getting on. If I wasn't constantly texting her yesterday, I think she would have gone over to your house herself."

"I did arrive at my foster carers dressed as a girl. Their approach is for me to wear whatever I feel most comfortable with, in order to reduce my stress levels. I think they are worried I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown," Jennifer giggled, "The general consensus is that I need counselling. My social worker is arranging that."

"Are you okay with that?" Stephany asked with concern.

"Suits me fine, I'll need medical help to become a girl, and the first step is to obtain an official diagnosis of being transgender. Not much can happen until then, although I found out this morning that I have been scheduled to talk to Mrs Parker during my next two P.E. lessons, and Mr Lyle has given me permission to use the unisex disabled toilet near the office if I want to avoid the boy's bathroom."

"That's good; I can imagine how awkward that must be for you. Being forced to stand to pee at a urinal must highlight your problem. Is it true that boys who sit down to pee get mocked?"

"To a certain extent; I've been ribbed a few times, but for the most part, it's not an issue. I'm used to it. It's going into the girls' bathroom that's going to be scary."

"Don't worry," Stephany reassured her friend, "I'll help make sure you pass inspection. I'll even escort you in, assuming you'll let me hang out with you that is."

"Seriously," Jenny asked, "You don't have any problem with me being a girl?"

"Jenny, you are my best friend. I really mean that. You are the only person who has been willing to put up with my moodiness. I also figured that as possibly the only person our age who knows who you really are, you might be in need of a friend who can help guide you through girlhood."

"Thank you," Jenny replied in delight, pulling her new best friend into a hug.