Sister, Sister, Sister - Part 3
By Missy Crystal

Twelve year old Johnny wants to play Barbies with his sisters, but Barbies are for girls. How can Johnny join the game? A sweet, sentimental story about a young boy's discovery of the girl he should have been with the help of his sisters and mother. This is a story I wrote a couple of years ago and I am posting it here for those who would like to know more about Dr. Jenny Mitchell. It is complete, for those who anguish over being left hanging, but too long for a single post.

As I tagged along with Beth and her friends, I was glad that Beth ignored her brother when her friends came over, so they never saw me as a boy. That was an improvement over running into Mrs. Johnson earlier. Cindy's house was about five minutes from the park. As we walked along, the girls chatted about school and clothes and dates. I knew Beth didn't have a boy friend and I don't think she ever went out on a real date. The way Chrissy and Dee talked, they seemed to have more experience. Then the conversation turned to me.

"Jenny, do you have a boyfriend?" Chrissy inquired.

I was sure Beth was fascinated to hear the answer to that question.

"No, boys are really nasty," I said, repeating what Susie once said about some boys who were teasing her at recess. "I don't like them." That should put an end to the conversation, I thought.

"Well, Jenny, I think that will change very soon," Chrissy said very seriously. Once your hormones start working, you'll see. Won't she Beth?"

Beth looked at me.

"Definitely, Chrissy. It's just a matter of time before she starts to like boys."

I rolled my eyes and gave her another dirty look. Then I began to think about what she said. I know she was kidding me, but as Jenny, would I like boys?

Beth must have noticed that I became quiet. She moved close to me and whispered, "I'm sorry, Jenny. I was afraid if I didn't go along with the girls they would suspect something was wrong. Don't take it seriously. They're just pretending anyway. I know their moms don't let them date. Talking about boys is just a natural part of what girls do when they get together."

"Thanks, Beth," I said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, "but that's something I never really thought about before. If Jenny's a girl, shouldn't she like boys?"

"I don't know, Jenny," Beth said with a smile, "but if you start dating boys before I do, I'll really be pissed," and she deliberately gave me a bump with her hip.

The conversation ended with our arrival at Cindy's house. Chrissy rang the bell and a girl with blonde hair done into up in a French braid answered the door. She was wearing a pretty pink and white dress. The long skirt was flared and the top had a round neck and sort sleeves. There was lace trim on the top and a white sash around the waist. She was facing me so I couldn't see the back, but I guessed the sash was tied in a bow. Under her dress, she had on white lace tights and on her feet, pink patent leather shoes with a strap around her ankle and low heels. It was a really pretty outfit.

"Hey," Cindy greeted the girls.

"Hey," the girls greeted Cindy.

"This is my cousin Jenny," Beth said as she pushed me forward.

"Hi, Jenny," said Cindy, "it's nice to meet you."

"Hi Cindy," I said quietly. "It's nice to meet you too. I really like your dress."

"Thank you, Jenny," she said politely and turned to the other girls.

"Good timing. We just got back from my fitting for my cousin's wedding. This is my bridesmaid's dress," Cindy twirled around. "Isn't it delicious?" She picked up the skirt with her hands and swung it as she danced with a pretend partner: "There is this boy. His name is David. He is so, so handsome. He asks me to dance!"

She continued to hold onto her skirt and move to imaginary music. Finally, Cindy came back to earth.

"Lets go upstairs. Mommy," she called out, "my friends are here. We're going up to my room. Okay?"

I heard her mother reply from somewhere in the back of the house, "Okay, honey. Have fun girls. There's milk and cookies in the kitchen if you get hungry."

Cindy turned and we followed her upstairs. She picked up the skirt with her hands to raise it as she started up. I made a mental note about how to manage a long skirt when going up stairs. We got to the top and followed her to the end of the hallway. She opened a door and we all went in. I couldn't believe me eyes. Beth and Susie shared a room and it was crowded with two beds and two dressers. Cindy had a room to herself. There was plush aqua carpet on the floor and wallpaper with an aqua, pink and lavender flower design. The windows had drapes with matching material and the bed had a matching comforter and coordinating pillows. There was a double dresser with a big mirror, another full length mirror on a door, which I assumed was the closet, a desk and a large bookcase. All of the furniture was shiny white wood and the bed had a pink ruffled canopy. On the bed was a zoo of about a dozen stuffed animals and there was a doll collection lined up on the top shelf of the bookcase. Beth was standing next to me. I nudged her.

"Yeah," she whispered. "Wouldn't you kill for a room like this?"

"I'd kill for a room like yours," I kidded her, referring to my boy's room.

Our conversation was interrupted by music. I looked over to where it was coming from and saw Cindy and Mary next to a fancy stereo. Chrissy, and Dee were sitting on the bed. Beth went over to join them and I found a chair far enough away from the other girls that I did not have to get in their conversation.

"Jenny, be a dear and unzip me."

I looked up and saw Cindy standing in front of me. She turned around and I reached up, took the zipper and slowly pulled it down the back of her dress. I got about half way down and stopped.

"All the way, please, Jenny."

I continued to unzip the dress until the zipper stopped at the waist. I noticed that the top was still fastened around Cindy's shoulders. The only experience I had with a party dress was yesterday, when Beth dressed me up in hers to play Barbies, but that dress had buttons up the back. As I stood there, Cindy reached behind her neck and unhooked it. The top separated and she leaned forward as the dress slid off her shoulders and down her arms. She wiggled out of the waist and the dress dropped to the floor with a rustle of petticoats. Cindy was standing right in front of me and I couldn't help but see that she was wearing a white lace bra and white lace tights.

I glanced over at Beth and could she that she was trying not to laugh, because none of the other girls would understand what was so funny about me getting an eyeful as Cindy changed. In fact, the other girls weren't paying any attention to Cindy. They were having a conversation, as if they got dressed and undressed in front of each other all the time, which I guessed they probably did. The funny thing was that seeing Cindy undressed wasn't as interesting to me as seeing what she was wearing under her dress. I sat back down as Cindy peeled off her lace tights and stood in front of me in a pair of white nylon panties. I glanced over to the bed and saw Beth looking at me with a silly grin on her face. Cindy went over to the door with the mirror and opened it. I was right, it was a closet. She reached in and took out a pair of jeans, like the other girls had on. She held the jeans out, stepped into them and pulled them on. They were tight fitting and she had to struggle to get them up over her hips. Then she walked back towards me and stopped in front of her bureau. She opened up the second drawer and took out a pair of black cotton socks. She was facing me as she leaned forward to put on her socks and I had a close up look at her bra. It had thin straps and lace that covered the rounded white nylon cups. I couldn't tell if they were padded. Before I realized what was happening, Cindy reached behind her back and unhooked the bra, which slid down her arms answering my question. They were definitely her own. I immediately looked away and caught Beth covering her mouth with her hands to stop herself from giggling. Cindy opened the top drawer of the bureau and took out a stretchy top, which she pulled over her head. She used her hands to adjust each breast. Finally, she went back to the closet and took out a black short sleeve top, which she pulled over her head and tucked into her jeans.

"Jenny," Cindy said to me, "would you be a dear and hang up the dress for me, please? There's a hanger in the closet with a plastic bag on it."

'Be a dear' seemed to be one of her favorite expressions I thought to myself, but it didn't matter, because I was happy to get a close look at her dress. I walked over and picked it up. The stiff petticoats held the skirt out as I lifted it and I ran my hand over the lace on the top. From that point, I was at a loss. Luckily, Beth saw that I was in trouble and came over to help. She pretended to examine the dress and whispered to me, "There's a tiny hook which attaches to an eye at the neck. Then zip it up and tie the sash in a bow. There are loops inside the shoulders. They go over the hooks on the hanger, so that the dress won't slide off. Put the hanger through the arms and slide the bag over the dress." She went back and sat down on the bed. I followed her directions and handed the dress to Cindy.

"Oh, thank you Jenny, that's great," she complimented me.

I looked at Beth and winked. She winked back. We listened to music and the girls gossiped for about half an hour. I had never seen Beth with her girlfriends before. I was surprised how much they touched each other without seeming to give it any thought; doing each other's hair, sharing makeup, putting their hand on an arm or shoulder as they chatted. I thought to myself that Jenny needed to be friendlier, so I got up and went over to join the conversation. Dee had her pocket book open and was showing Beth something. I sat down on the bed beside Beth. She looked at me and then back to Dee.

"See," said Dee, showing Beth a small pearl colored container. "My mother got it for me. It holds three." She slid the top off and handed one of the little white ovals inside to Beth.

"That's really cool," Beth replied while examining the object. "I'll have to get my mother to get one for me. Here, Jenny."

I took it from Beth. She gave me a funny look. I had no idea what it was.

"Do you use tampons?" Dee asked me.

Holy cow, I thought. We're back to the period thing. Is Beth going to clue me in, so I don't give myself away?

Luckily, Cindy's mom called up the stairs.

"Girls, Chrissy's mother is here to give you a ride home. Hurry up down."

Beth took the tampon from me and handed it back to Dee. The ride home only took a few minutes. I said goodbye to Beth's friends and got out of the car. Beth followed me. We walked around to the kitchen door and went in. Mom was in the kitchen getting supper started.

"Hi, girls," she greeted us. "Did you have fun?"

"Well," said Beth, "Jenny got quite an education," and she stared to laugh.

Mom looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth does that mean?" she inquired.

"Oh, just that Cindy put on quite a show for Jenny changing out of her dress."

Mom looked at me.

"You're the one that told me to go," I reminded her.

"Yes," Mom told me, "and I still think it was a good idea. Jenny, you're going to have to get used to being around girls as a girl. Was there a problem?"

"No, Mom, it was fine. I just wasn't expecting to become one of the girls so quickly."

"Good," said Mom, "I'm very proud of my daughters." She came over and gave us both a hug. "Now, scoot along and get washed up. Dinner's almost ready."

After dinner, we cleaned up the kitchen. When we finished, Mom announced, "I'm going to take Susie upstairs and give her a bath."

"Can Jenny give me a bath?" Susie asked Mom.

"No, Susie, I'm afraid not," Mom replied. "Jenny may be your sister, but she's still a boy and boys don't give girl's baths."

"But if I had to go to the bathroom at the mall, Jenny would go with me to the girl's room, wouldn't she?" Susie argued.

"Well, luckily that wasn't something that we needed to deal with last night; but yes, Jenny would use the ladies' room. However, you're old enough to go to the bathroom by yourself. She doesn't see you with your panties down."

"What if I wore my bathing suit?" Susie persisted.

"Hmmm," Mom thought for a minute. "Okay, I'll tell you what. You keep on your panties and undershirt. Jenny can wash you up and do your hair. Then I'll finish. Now, off with you. I'll start your bath. Jenny, come with me."

I followed Mom into the bathroom. She closed the drain, turned on the faucets and started to fill the tub. A few minutes later, Susie came in. She had on cute little white cotton panties with tiny red hearts and a white cotton tank top undershirt. She got right into the tub.

"Can Jenny and I play a little bit before she washes me up, Mom? Please."

"Okay," Mom said. "But just five minutes, because it's past your bedtime."

Susie had a Little Mermaid doll with a glittery green fish tail that pulled up over her legs and a pair of seashells for a bra.

"This is Ariel. Ariel, this is my sister Jenny," Susie said, formally introducing us.

"Hi Ariel," I said. "What pretty red hair you have."

Susie had some other bath toys and we made up a game with Ariel escaping from Ursula, the evil sea witch, and marrying the handsome Prince Eric. The fact that we didn't have any of the other characters didn't seem to bother Susie.

"Okay, you two," Mom called to us, time to put the toys away and get washed up."

"Please, just a few more minutes. Jenny and I are having fun," Susie pleaded.

"No, Susie. Mom wants you to get washed up. Let's get started."

Was that me talking, the boy who always whined for a few more minutes? I had only been Jenny for two days and already she was having a good influence on me. I found a washcloth and began to scrub Susie's arms and legs. When I got to her feet, she started to giggle and splash around.

"Please be careful, Susie, you'll get my blouse wet."

My blouse? I was even starting to talk like a girl! Just then, Mom came in.

"Oh, thank you Jenny. That's great. Make sure you get her neck and behind her ears. I'll hold her hair back for you."

Susie had shoulder length blond hair that she wore straight with bangs. I wished my hair looked like that. Mom pulled it back into a ponytail, twisted it around a couple of times and held it on top of her head. Maybe, someday I would be able to have a ponytail too.

"Watch closely, Jenny. Run the water until its warm, then have Susie lean back under the faucet. Soak her hair good and use a small amount of the shampoo. Not too much, just enough to work up a good lather. It's a special shampoo that won't sting her eyes. After you've worked in the soap, have her lean back under the faucet." Mom supported the back of Susie's head with her head as she leaned her back. Rinse all of the soap out of her hair and sit her up." Mom put her other hand on Susie's head to prevent her from banging it on the faucet as she sat up. "Here," she said, handing me a spray bottle. This is a conditioner and detangler. It prevents snarls and makes her hair easier to comb out." Mom handed me a fine tooth comb. "Use it to work the conditioner and detangler though her hair. Yes, that's good. Make sure you get all of her hair."

"Wow," Mom, I commented, "it sure takes a lot of work to wash a girl's hair."

"Yes," Jenny, "it does, but you'll get used to it. Men think that women are born pretty. They don't realize how much time and trouble it takes us to create that illusion and we don't spoil it by letting them in on the secret." Mom paused and looked at me lovingly. "Except for a few special ones." She reached out and I snuggled up to her. She gave me a big hug and released me. "Time to do your homework," she reminded me. You have school tomorrow."

I was heading out the bathroom door and stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked.

"School," I replied. "I forgot all about it. Everything happened so fast over the last couple of days. Please, Mom, can I go to school as Jenny? Please!"

"Jenny, lets go outside."

We stepped out of the bathroom and Mom closed the door.

"Weren't you the one who was afraid of having pierced ears and a girl's hairdo, because the boys would call you a sissy and beat you up? What makes you think that it will be different if you go to school dressed in girl's clothes?"

"Well," I reasoned, "everyone who saw me today treated me like a girl, so, well, so I thought that maybe the kids at school would too."

"Jenny, dear," mother said softly, "your sisters and I treated you like a girl, because we're your family. Everyone else treated you like a girl, because they didn't know you were a boy. The kids at school will know. So will your teachers and the principal. I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "but, even if your wishful thinking was true, it's not possible. The school would never allow it. You would be sent home and I would get in trouble for letting things go as far as I have. I should have thought of this before. It was selfish of me to encourage you to be Jenny and it would be best if you went back to being a boy."

"No, Mom! No! No! No! It wasn't selfish. I like being Jenny. Beth and Susie like me as Jenny. You like me as Jenny too. I know you do. Why can't I be Jenny all the time?"

"Because, honey, you're too young to make that decision and I don't have the right to make it for you. Jenny will just have to wait until you are older."

I calmed down a little.

"Look, Mom. I can go to school as Johnny. If that's what I have to do, I'll do it. It's only six hours. Then when I come home, I have the rest of the day and all night to be Jenny. And weekends, holidays and vacations too. That's a lot better than going back to the way things were. I may have to go to school as a boy, but a girl lives here. Sister, sister, sister. That's just how it is. Okay, Mom?"

I looked up at her. She had tears in her eyes. Through her sniffling I heard her say, "Yes. If you're really sure you want to do this, its okay. You know I love you. I love you as a boy. I love you as a girl. I just want you to be happy and if being Jenny makes you happy, then it makes me happy too."

"I love you too, Mom. And I'm very happy to be your daughter," I added.

Mom's serious face turned into a big smile. "Now run along. I have to finish Susie's bath. Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed. "I forgot all about her. She must be waterlogged by now."

She turned and went quickly into the bathroom. I started off down the hallway and stopped outside Beth and Susie's room. The door was closed. I knocked.

"Come in," Beth answered my knock. She looked up and saw my sad face. "What's wrong, Jenny?" she asked.

"School," I told her."

"What's wrong with school? I like school. Don't you like school?"

"Not as Johnny I don't," I told her.

"Oh, I forgot about that. What are you going to do?"

"Nothing," I told her. "Mom says there's nothing I can do until I'm older. In the meantime, you'll have to put up with Johnny."

I was kidding, but Beth took me seriously.

"Maybe Jenny will be a good influence on him. Who knows? Maybe he'll even grow up to be like her." She winked at me. "We'll just have to wait and see. Anyway, tonight you're Jenny. So go put on your pretty nightie and grab you books. Mom will be coming to get Susie ready for bed. We can go down to the kitchen and study together."

I headed back to my room and started to get undressed. I unbuttoned my blouse and slipped out of it. Then I unbuckled the two straps on my kilt, undid the fastener and button and the skirt turned back into one long piece of material. My tights came off next, and then my top. I left my panties on and pulled my nightgown over my head. My arms went into my robe, which I tied in front with the two ribbons. I was now ready for bed, except for the nightly face washing and hair brushing that Beth had me do. I picked up my backpack and went downstairs to the kitchen. Beth was already sitting at the kitchen table. She had one leg tucked under her. It looked really uncomfortable, but if that's how girls sit, then that's how I'll sit, I thought to myself. I stood next to the chair and bent my left leg under me as I sat.

Beth looked up.

"Copy cat," she said with a smile.

"Yes," I agreed. "I want to be just like my big sister," and I smiled back at her. "However, I think this will take some getting used to." I took my leg out from under me and sat down again.

Beth got serious.

"What do you have for homework?" she questioned me.

"I'm not sure. I'll have to check my assignment book."

Up to now, I had never paid much attention to doing my homework and my grades showed it. Usually, I'd copy off one of the kids in my class during homeroom or knock off something in study hall.

"Well, miss," Beth said impatiently as I rummaged though the books and papers.

"Keep you pantyhose on, will you. I'm looking," I told her.

"Jenny!" Beth exclaimed. "Watch what you say, please."

I stopped.

"Oh, Beth. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it. Really. It's just, well, it's just that some of Johnny's habits are hard to break. Please forgive me."

"Of course, Jenny. I just wanted you to realize that was not very ladylike. Girls don't talk to each other like that."

"Thank you, Beth, for being so nice. I know I have a lot to learn. I really do want Jenny to be a lady."

"No problem, Sis. Now, have you found your assignment book?"

I kept looking.

"Yes, here it is." I pulled it out from the bottom of the backpack.

I turned to last Friday: Math — worksheet. Science — worksheet. English — write a poem. Social Studies — map review.

"Wow. That's a lot of homework. I'll never get it done," I complained.

"Of course you will, Jenny. You just need to be organized and concentrate. If you put as much time into doing your homework as Johnny did watching TV and playing video games, you'll do fine. Now, let's start with the math. Where's the worksheet?"

I went back through my backpack and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. Beth gave me an exasperated look.

"The first thing you need to learn is that boys are slobs and girls are neat. You have to take care of your things and that means your school work too."

"Okay, Beth. I'll be more careful. It's not too bad, anyway." I ran my hands over it a couple of times. "There."

She gave me another look.

"C'mon, Beth. I'm trying. You've had twelve years to learn how to be a girl and I've had two days. Actually, I think I'm doing pretty good."

"Actually, I think you're doing pretty good too and I'm really happy you chose to be my sister."

She reached over and patted my arm. Touching is definitely a girl thing I thought.

"Why don't you try a couple of the problems? I'll check them when you're done. She went back to her reading."

I looked at the math sheet. Now I wished I paid attention in class. I had no idea how to do the problems. I pretended to work on the first one, writing down the problem and then making up numbers, erasing them and putting down different ones. Beth looked over at me and frowned.

"You don't know how to do it, do you?"

I looked down.

"No. I'm sorry. Usually I just copy somebody's paper when I get to school. Mr. Merrill doesn't care."

"You have Mr. Merrill for math? I had him too. He's a good teacher. I'm sure he would care if he thought you did. Okay, let me show you how to do the first problem. Pay attention Jenny."

Beth was a good teacher. She was patient and she showed me how to do the problem step by step. Then she had me do it again while she watched. It took me a while, but I finally got the right answer.

"Good girl, Jenny. I knew you could to it. Now try the next problem."

Beth went back to her own work while I tried to follow her instruction. After about five minutes I actually had an answer.

"Is this right?" I showed her my work.

She studied it.

"Yes, Jenny. That's excellent. Now do the next one."

It took a while, but I finished the worksheet. Beth checked it over. There were one or two mistakes. She wouldn't tell me the right answers. She just made me do them over. Maybe it was spending time with Beth or maybe it was my understanding the problems, probably both; but for the first time that I could remember I actually enjoyed doing homework. After math, Beth helped me with the rest of my assignments. We were still at the kitchen table when Mom came in. She looked at Beth and then at me. I could see she was really happy.

"Susie's in bed. She wanted you to read her a story, Jenny, but I told her you were busy. She's quite taken with you and I can see why. The change is amazing. I only hope that you've made the right decision."

"I'm quite taken with my little sister, too," I told her. "And my big sister," I added, taking the opportunity to pat Beth's arm.

She smiled at me.

"And I'm quite taken with being Jenny. Whatever happens, Mom, it was definitely the right decision."

"I hope so," Mom said with a serious look. "Having three daughters makes it much easier. We'll just have to wait and see how things work out. I really hope they do, Jenny, for all our sakes." Then her smile was back. "It's getting late girls."

She turned and headed for the stairs.

"You better finish up or you won't be able to get up for school tomorrow."

"Yes, Mom," Beth said. "Goodnight, I love you."

"Yes, Mom," I said. "Goodnight, I love you," I repeated.

It was late when we finished our homework. We went upstairs and shared the bathroom. Even though it had been a long day and I was tired, Beth insisted that I do my complete skin care and hair routine. Finally, everything was done to her satisfaction. I said goodnight to her and slipped into bed. There was hardly any time to enjoy my silky nightgown before my eyes closed and I was fast asleep.

I was having a wonderful dream. We were at the mall and Mr. Kenneth was putting my long, blonde hair into a French braid. I heard him calling my name.

"Jenny! Jenny! Hurry up. You need to leave or you and Susie will miss the bus."

I sat up. I wasn't at the mall. I was in my bedroom and it wasn't Mr. Kenneth's voice, it was Mom's. I looked over at my alarm clock: 7:30. Oh no, that couldn't be right. Then I realized that I was so involved with getting Jenny ready for bed that I forgot to set my alarm.

"Okay, Mom. One minute. I'm coming."

I jumped out of bed, pulled my nightgown over my head and tossed it on the bed. Girls may be neat, but Johnny was in a hurry. I went over to my bureau and took out a pair of underpants and a t-shirt. I changed out of my girl's underwear. My briefs and t-shirt felt funny after wearing panties and cammies all weekend. So did not tucking my wiener under. I pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, ran my fingers through my hair and stepped into a pair of sneakers. Quite a difference from what it takes Jenny to make herself presentable I thought as I headed for the stairs. Girls in dresses and heels may not run, but boys who are late for the school bus sure do. When I reached the kitchen, Mom and Susie were waiting. They both looked surprised when they saw me en drab, as Mr. Kenneth called it. There wasn't any time for conversation.

"Lets, go, Sis," I said to Susie as I grabbed my backpack and slung it over my shoulder. "See you later Mom," I said as I took Susie's hand and rushed out the door.

We walked quickly to the corner. As we arrived, I saw the bus about a block away. Susie pulled on my hand.

"What happened to Jenny," she asked me with a sad face. "I want her to take me to school."

"Shhhh, Susie," I whispered to her. "Jenny can't go to school. She's a very special girl who lives in our house and loves her little sister very much, but you can't talk about her to anyone or you'll spoil everything. I would get thrown out of school and Mom would get in trouble. Okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Jenny. I mean Johnny. I won't say anything. But Jenny will still be my sister won't she?"

"Yes Susie," I assured her. "No matter what happens, Jenny will always be your sister." I put my arm down and gave her a little hug.

The bus pulled up and we got on. Susie went to the back to sit with her friends and I slid into an open seat next to Kevin, one of the kids in my class who I hung out with.

"Hey, Johnny. What's up?" he greeted me.

"Not much," I answered him, "went away for the weekend."

That was true, sort of.

"You?"

"Usual," he said with a shrug.

Then he turned to me.

"Wow! You've got an earring. Cool."

"What?" I put my hands up and felt my ears.

Uh oh. I was in such a rush this morning I forgot to take out my earrings.

"Umm, yeah. All the big athletes and movie stars have them. My cousin got his ear pierced," well that was true too, sort of, "so Mom said I could get mine done. I have to wear this stud for a while, then I'm going to get a skull or something."

I reminded myself not to turn my head so he could see I had both ears pierced.

"The earring is cool," Kevin went on, "but I would lose the nail polish."

"What?"

I looked down at the back of my hand. I couldn't believe it. I forgot to take off the pink nail polish Beth and Susie put on me when we did makeovers.

"I'm going to kill that little sister of mine," I said pretending to be angry. "She talked me into playing beauty parlor and gave me a manicure. I'm going to go see the nurse as soon as we get to school. Maybe she's got something to get this off."

Luckily, the bus arrived at school a minute later, so there wasn't any more time for conversation with Kevin.

"Gotta run," I told him, jumping up from my seat and pushing my way through the line of kids waiting to get off before he could get a good look at me.

As soon as I got off, I quickly took out my earrings and put them in my pocket. Then I rushed up the stairs and headed down the corridor to the nurse's office. I opened the door, looked around to see if there was anyone else waiting, and then closed the door and took a seat. Mrs. McGowan came out in her white uniform. She knew Mom.

"Hi, Johnny. What's the matter? Don't you feel well?"

"Umm, no Mrs. McGowan. I feel okay. I just have a small problem."

"Oh," she said curiously. "What kind of problem? Not something about sex education I hope. I can't help you with that. You have to speak with Mr. Nyles, the boy's phys. ed. teacher."

"No, Mrs. McGowan," I assured her, "it doesn't have anything to do with sex education. It has to do with letting my little sister play beauty parlor and give me a manicure."

I held out my hands and showed her my fingernails.

"Do you have anything to take this stuff off? It's really embarrassing."

"Well, I don't get much call for nail polish remover," she teased me, "but maybe alcohol will take it off."

She took a little package out of a cabinet, tore off the top and took out a square.

"Give me your left hand," she directed me.

I held it out. She took the square and pressed it on top of the nail of my little finger. She held it for a few seconds. Then she rubbed it back and forth and took it off.

"Hmm," she said, holding up the square and then looking at my nail. "That acrylic polish is made to stay on. Maybe Mrs. Green has something stronger in the science lab. Do you want me to give her a call?"

I hesitated. This wasn't something I wanted the whole school to know about. Mrs. McGowan must have sensed my concern.

"You don't have to worry, Johnny. I'll explain the situation to her. I'm sure she'll keep it confidential."

"Whatever," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders. "I don't have much choice."

Mrs. McGowan picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, Paula, this is Sally. Yes, fine thanks. How about you? Good. Listen, I have a student here with a little problem and I was hoping you could help. No, no. It's not a medical problem. She lowered her voice. He's wearing nail polish." There was a pause. "Yes, I said 'he.' Pink. Really. It's not a joke. He let his little sister give him a manicure and forgot to take it off. Do you have anything to remove it? Yes? Okay, I'll send him right down."

"Johnny, do you know where Mrs. Green's room is?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, she's expecting you. You'd better hurry. It's almost time for the first bell."

I picked up my backpack and headed down the stairs. Mrs. Green's room was in the basement at the other end of the building. I went as fast as I could without drawing attention to myself. I got to her room and opened the door. As the science teacher she did not have a homeroom.

"Ah," she exclaimed, "the young man with the problem. Come in."

I walked over to her. She was young, pretty and seemed very friendly.

"Come into the supply room," she directed.

I followed her through a door behind her desk. She pointed to a chair and I sat down.

"This should work. It's acetone, the same ingredient that's in nail polish remover."

She unscrewed the top of a dark brown bottle, wet a little ball of cotton and held it on the nail of my little finger, just like Mrs. McGowan had done. After a few seconds she rubbed it around and then removed it. There was pink on the cotton and I could see that most of the polish was off my nail.

"Whew," I said with relief.

She turned the cotton ball and rubbed the nail some more, then turned it and rubbed it again until no more pink came off. Then she dropped the cotton ball into a glass jar and did the next nail with another cotton ball. She did one more nail and then handed me a clean cotton ball.

"You got yourself into this. You get yourself out of it." She smiled. "You better hurry though, my first period class will be here soon. Please put the used cotton balls in the jar and cover it and make sure you wash you hands when you're done." She pointed to a small sink. "Oh, and next time, tell your little sister to use clear polish."

She laughed and left, closing the door.

I worked as quickly as I could. Once I got all of my nails clean, I checked them closely and saw that there was still some color near the bottom, so I had to go back over them. I heard the bell ring. Finally, no more pink came off on the cotton ball. I made sure that the top was on the jar, screwed the cap back on the bottle and washed my hands with lots of soap and water to get rid of the smell. I dried my hands on the paper towels that were above the sink and then slowly opened the door to the classroom. I could see that the kids were coming in and taking their seats. Luckily, I didn't see anybody I knew. I slipped out of the door and Mrs. Green turned around.

"Everything okay?" she asked me.

"Yes. Thank you very much Mrs. Green. You're a lifesaver."

"Glad to help."

She looked towards her class and then back to me.

"Maybe if I give up teaching I can open a nail salon," she whispered.

I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe," I said, "but don't count on me as a repeat customer."

She laughed.

"I wrote a note for your first period class. I said that you were working on a 'special assignment' for me."

She handed me the note.

I left and hurried to my math class. When I got there, the class had already started. I tried to slip quietly into my seat, but Mr. Merrill saw me. He came over.

"Do you have a note?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes, Mr. Merrill," and I handed him the note.

Johnny didn't exactly have a good reputation. Since he didn't catch me the first time, he gave me a second chance to get myself in trouble.

"Do you have your homework?"

"Yes, Mr. Merrill."

To his obvious surprise, I opened up my backpack and took out the homework sheet I had done with Beth last night.

"Here it is," and I handed it to him.

He took it from me and looked it over. Three's a charm he must have thought, sure to catch me this time.

"Did you do this all by yourself?"

"Yes, I did all of the problems by myself, but my sister Beth went over them with me and checked my work," I told him honestly.

Mr. Merrill's attitude changed.

"Beth's your sister? My, my. She was one of my best students. Please tell her that I said hello." He started to walk away and then turned back towards me. "And keep up the good work," he added.

Being prepared made a big difference. Usually, math class put me to sleep, but actually I was able to follow Mr. Merrill's lesson and before I realized it, the bell rang for second period. It was the same for each of my other classes. The teachers were surprised that I had my homework to hand in and even more surprised when they saw it was right. The lessons made sense and I even raised my hand a few times and answered some questions. The other kids must have thought I was possessed or something, because up to now I was practically invisible when it came time for class participation. Before I knew it, the last period bell was ringing and it was time to go home. I gathered up my books, carefully placed the worksheet that was just handed out in my binder pocket to avoid another lecture from Beth about neatness and headed for the bus. When I got outside, I ran into Kevin.

"Hey, Johnny, some of the gang is going over to the park. You coming?"

"No, Kevin, sorry," I replied. "I'd really like to, but my Mom has been on my case about my grades and I'm grounded. I have to go right home or else."

"Bummer." Then he looked at me closely. "What happened to your earring?" he asked. "Did it fall out?"

"No," I told him. "I took it out. Too many kids were cracking jokes. I didn't need the hassle. It's not a big deal, probably a bad idea to start with. Well, gotta run. If I miss the bus, I'm dead meat."

I got on the bus and found an empty seat. Ten minutes later, I was in the house. As usual, Mom was at work, Beth was still at cheerleading practice and Susie was at Mrs. Johnson's. I dropped my backpack in the kitchen and got myself a glass of milk and a cookie. As I sipped the milk and nibbled on the cookie, I thought about how just a couple of days ago I would have grabbed a handful and taken a slug out of the carton instead. When I finished, I rinsed the glass, dried it and put it back in the cabinet. Then I headed upstairs to transform myself into Jenny on my own for the first time.

I went into my room and took off the jeans and sweatshirt I had thrown on this morning when I was rushing to get ready for school. I had to pee, so I went into the bathroom and sat down. Might as well get into the mood, I thought. I took off my t-shirt and underpants and went to my bureau. There were a few pairs of Beth's old underpants that she had given to me: two pairs of plain white cotton, a pair of yellow cotton with white edging and the pair of pink nylon panties that Beth had put on me when she put me in her party dress. I really wanted to wear the silky nylon panties again, but Beth had said those were for when I got dressed up. Then I remembered that Beth and I had each bought a pair of stretchy white lace panties and a matching top at the mall. I looked around in the drawer until I found them. I put on the panties and tucked my wiener under where it belonged. They were hip huggers with high cut legs. I loved the way they felt, clinging to my hips and butt. The top was also clingy and would have showed off my figure, if I had one. With my underwear on, I went to explore Beth's wardrobe.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was my reflection in the full length mirror on the closet door. I moved closer and turned sideways, then around so that my back was to the mirror, trying to see my butt. When I finished admiring myself, I went to Beth's dresser. It had four drawers. I opened the top one. It was filled with a rainbow of panties and bras. Beth knew that we were sharing clothes, except for panties, so I didn't think that she would mind my looking through her things, but I wanted to make sure I left everything neat. I opened the next drawer and it had all sorts of socks, stockings and tights. The next drawer had tops. The bottom drawer had bathing suits and shorts. I really wanted to try one of the bikinis on, just for fun, but there was no hurry and I was anxious to pick out an outfit.

I walked over to the closet and opened the door. One side had Susie's clothes. They were too little girlish and too small for me. I started to look through Beth's clothes. There were lots of jeans and pants. That was what she usually wore to school and around the house. Next were skirts, then blouses, then sweaters and finally dresses. Her shoes were arranged in a line on the floor by heel height and then boots. I couldn't believe that her closet was organized like a department store. Girls certainly are neat I remarked to myself. This was my first time dressing myself as Jenny and I wanted something simple, so I decided on a skirt and blouse. There were lots of different styles, lengths and materials to choose from. I tried on a few just for fun. Boy's clothes don't button and zip in back, so I struggled for a while until I figured out that I could fasten them in front and then turn them around.

The last skirt I took out was blue denim. It had a little flare and came a couple of inches above my knees when I held it up to my waist in the mirror. I took it off the hanger clips and found that it opened up like the kilt I wore yesterday, except there weren't any buckles and there was only one button and a string on each side. I wrapped it around me, but when I buttoned it, one of the strings was covered. I took the skirt off and examined it. I saw that there was a small buttonhole at the waist to put the string through. I put it on again, wrapped the right side over the left and poked the string through the buttonhole. Now I could tie the skirt in front. I remembered that yesterday Beth had worn a blue cotton blouse with her jeans and left the neck open, so you could see her top underneath. I found the blouse, slipped it on and left the top buttons undone so my lace cammie showed. I still needed something for my legs. I went back to Beth's bureau and looked through her stocking drawer. I liked feeling my lace panties against my skirt and picked out a pair of knee socks instead of tights. I started to sit down on the bed to pull them on and then remembered I needed to smooth my skirt first, so I stood up and ran my hands over my butt and behind my legs. Once I had the socks on, I went to the closet and found the loafers with the heel that Beth picked out for me when I wore her jumper. I slipped into them, completing my outfit. I stood in front of the mirror, turning and making dramatic gestures the way I had seen models do on TV.

As I studied my reflection, it seemed like something was missing. Then I realized I was not wearing my earrings. I went back to my room and found them in the pocket of my jeans. I returned to Beth's room and sat at her makeup table. This was the first time that I had taken my earrings out and I struggled to line the posts up with the holes and then to get the backs over them. Finally, they were in. Putting on my lipstick was next. There were a few tubes to choose from. Yesterday Beth had suggested red lipstick to coordinate with my kilt. I wore pink with the jean jumper and thought that would probably go with a jean skirt too. It only took me a couple of tries to get a nice even pink color on my lips and I was very proud of my progress. I spent the next fifteen minutes brushing out my hair. I remembered what Mr. Kenneth had said about making the style more feminine with accessories, so I looked through the drawer and found a couple of gold barrettes that I clipped on. A little bit of perfume and Beth's gold heart locket and gold bangle bracelet completed my outfit.

I went back and studied myself in the mirror. During lunch at school I had been eyeing the girls. One of them caught me and must have thought I was interested in her, because she winked back at me. I wondered what she would think if she knew I was checking out what she was wearing and not her. I definitely looked as good as any of those girls. Maybe even better, I kidded myself. Nobody would recognize me as a boy. My admiration of myself was interrupted by the telephone. I hurried to Mom's bedroom and picked it up.

"Hello."

The voice on the other end of the line said, "Hello."

It was Mom.

"Hi Mom," I answered her.

"Jenny, is that you?" she asked.

"Yes, it's me," I replied. "Who were you expecting? Johnny doesn't live here any more," I told her half seriously.

"Listen, honey," Mom went on. I have a chance to work an extra shift. I used to come right home, because I was worried about you, I mean Johnny, getting into trouble if I left him alone, but I don't need to keep an eye on Jenny."

"Thanks, Mom, for trusting me. I'm sorry I made things difficult for you," I apologized.

"Oh, it's not your fault, sweetie," Mom continued. "Boys just get into mischief, especially when they don't have a father around. That's one of the reasons I'm so happy that you decided to be Jenny. Anyway, the reason why I'm calling is to ask if you and Beth can pick up Susie at Mrs. Johnson's. I probably won't be home until after midnight, so you and Beth will have to make dinner. It would probably be too much for Beth to do by herself, but with your help I'm sure it will be okay."

"Mom, are you sure about me going to Mrs. Johnson's? Remember, I ran into her at the park and I'm not sure whether she recognized me. Maybe Beth should go by herself."

"It's up to you, Jenny, but I had a nice chat with Mrs. Johnson when I dropped Susie off this morning on my way to work. I was curious to hear what she would say about you. She mentioned meeting you and asked how long you would be staying with us. I told her I wasn't sure; that my sister was relocating and we decided it would be easier if you came here until they were settled. She complimented you on how pretty you looked and said that she hoped to see you again. It seems to me that she is convinced you're a girl. Either way, tell Beth I called and asked her to pick up Susie when she gets home because I'll be late and that you and she need to feed yourselves and Susie. There's a frozen pizza in the freezer. She knows how to heat it in the oven. Okay?"

"Okay, Mom. I'll tell Beth and I'll give visiting Mrs. Johnson some thought. Goodnight. I love you."

"I love you too, Jenny. Goodnight."

TO BE CONTINUED