This is actually going up a day early because I just finished the final chapter about an hour ago. Instead of being three chapters, this is the final five. Ready to see how Amanda's story ends?

1.

"Amy!" Steve called out to me. He shook me out of whatever daze I was in just in time to stop me from running into the exterior wall of the gym. Ugh... Why had I done that? Oh, yeah, because I'm a damn moron. And I'm a moron because of a speech I've got to give in class because of flags. I should really get my priorities straight.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Are you okay?"

I shrugged. "Kinda."

"What does that mean?"

"Well... I'm just... Screwed up. I feel bummed out because I have to give a speech in History class on Friday."

"A speech? That's all you have to do?"

"Well..." I rubbed at my arm. "I haven't given speeches in front of everybody since this happened."

"You'll do fine!"

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm... Sure..."

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "Um... You wanna come over to my place for dinner tonight?"

"Huh?"

"Well, my mom said last night it's been awhile since you came over, and... Well... She kinda wants to meet you."

"You mean she wants to see me as Amy for the first time?"

"Yeah."

"I... Um..."

He waved his hands in a sort of stop motion. "Don't feel like you have to, I just..."

"No! I'll come!" I was blushing. Pure, full-on, red-faced, I-clearly-wanted-him-to-like-me blushing. Why was I acting like I had a crush on him? "Getting away from my place and the school would probably help me a little bit. I'm still a little nervous about being outside my house." And there I was justifying my decision! Why was I acting like I had a crush on him?!

Steve smiled. "Thanks." Stop smiling! Stop being cute with me! Transitioning from male to female is bad enough without your best friend being endearing!

"Yep. I'm gonna head home first, I'll be there around five, okay?"

"Perfect!" He's enjoying this too much. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. "See ya later!"

As he ran off to his house, I sighed. What was I getting myself into?

2.

Five. I had just under two hours to get ready for...

A) Dinner at a friend's place.
B) My friend's mom meeting me and probably treating me like some girl her son is dating.
C) My friend treating this like it's probably a date.
D) How I might feel because my friend will treat this like it's probably a date!

I shut the front door behind me and heard Melanie yelp in surprise. Oops! Why'd I do that? Why, why, why? I opened the door again. "Sorry. A lot on my mind."

"Yeah, and my nose clearly isn't. Look, little sister, you may not care about how you look, but that doesn't mean I don't care how I look."

"Who said I didn't care how I look?"

"Didn't you?"

"I mean... I'm not like uber-fashion oriented, but... I mean... I... I dunno, okay? I'm just really concerned."

"You mean because Steve asked you out?"

"He didn't ask me out!"

Mom walked into the living room, a cup of coffee in her hand. "Who asked who out?"

Before I could say anything, Melanie said, "Steve asked Amanda out."

"No he didn't!" I squealed. I needed to calm down and stop sounding like some nervous girl about to go on her first date - which, granted, I probably was, but still - and sound more like a confident girl about to go hang out with her best friend. That's all I wanted to be.

Why couldn't I just be that?

"Calm down, sweetie," Mom said, voicing my internal instructions. "If I were you, I wouldn't be surprised if this was a date, from his point of view."

I plopped down on the couch. "I know. I'm worried about that. I mean... He's my friend, and I don't wanna stop being friends with him. That would all change if we started dating."

"Why?" Melanie asked.

"Because it like always does."

"You two have been friends since forever, you're not gonna stop just because you're suddenly dating. Besides, dating your best friend is a great way to experience dating from the female perspective without having to meet somebody new."

"And if we ever break up, that means I lose a best friend."

Mom sat down beside me and put her arm around me. "Amanda, you need to make your decision before you set foot in Steve's house. Will he eventually be your boyfriend, or will he stay your best friend."

Oh, for chrissakes, why did I need to make this decision now?! Why can't this just be dinner at a friend's house?! Fuck!

3.

"Can I borrow some make-up?" I asked. Melanie looked surprised. "What? I don't mind make-up."

"Yeah, but for somebody who doesn't want to date her best friend, I'm surprised you're asking."

"I still wanna look presentable. I'm not going all out with like mascara and eye shadow and all that."

"So, what's your plan?" she asked, a big wide smile on her face. She was enjoying this. Aw, my little sister wants to wear make-up to her flirst date! Yeah, shut up Head-Melanie. Great. I have a Head-Melanie. This is starting to get annoying.

"My plan is to hang out with Steve, but I still look like I just got out of bed, so... I wanna look more presentable."

She shoved me into the chair at her vanity. "And what if this turns into more than just hanging out?"

I groaned. "Can't we just get off of that? This isn't a date, as far as I'm concerned, okay?"

"Look, Amy, I've gone on more than one 'not-a-date', and when you and a guy have a strong connection, it's hard to avoid the eventual moment when you're sitting next to one another and suddenly your lips are touching his and you wonder if you're wearing the lipstick he likes on you and this and that and all this other stuff that runs through your head because you're kissing a guy you like." She handed me a tube of lipstick. "Hope he likes dark purple."

I sighed. "Are you just handing me this because it's the lipstick I wore on Sunday?"

"Duh."

"And because I told you that Steve likes it?"

"Double duh."

"And because you're having fun with this?"

"Triple duh." She sat down on her bed. "How would you even deal with having a boyfriend, anyway?"

I turned toward her. "Whaddya mean?"

"You never had a girlfriend. Never. Have you even gone on a first date?"

I blushed. "Yeah!"

"With who?"

I rubbed at my arm. "Um... Nobody..."

"See? This isn't just new to you because you're a girl, dating is new to you in general."

"No, it's not. I've watched TV, I've just never actually been on a date."

"So how are you gonna deal with this? You could be coming home tonight with a totally different relationship with Steve, something that'll change your lives forever. How is this going to affect you?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Weren't you basically telling me to go out with him earlier?"

"Kinda, but that's not important. The important thing is your emotional state."

"How does my emotional state come into this now?"

"Because it's pretty obvious that even if you're not head-over-heels for him, you like Steve simply because he's your friend. You're gonna be emotional around him no matter what because you're an emotional person, you have been even when you were Adam."

"I'm not that emotional."

"When you were six, you cried when you couldn't spell 'Spaghetti-Os' with your Spaghetti-Os."

"I was six! I cried when an episode of Barney was over!"

"And I never did, that's my point. About the biggest difference between Adam and Amanda are boobs and a vagina, and you've always been emotional. Even if you don't start dating Steve today, you're gonna feel different about him. How are you going to deal with that?"

I leaned back in the chair and took a deep breath. "So, you're kinda saying that if I don't start dating Steve today, I probably will at some point just because he and I are friends and I like him?"

Melanie shrugged. "I'm just saying that it's a good possiblity that your relationship with your best friend will change tonight, and you need to be ready for that, because if it changes one way, that raises the chances that it'll change for the worse later on." She stood up and reached into a dresser drawer. "Now that that's out of the way, I have something I want you to do." I nearly shivered at the smile on her face.

4.

Don't think about, don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about...

I rang the doorbell at Steve's place and stood there, nervously. Neither Steve's mom or his sister had seen me since this whole thing started, and that scared me. That actually scared me more than whether or not Steve considered this a date. How would I act around the family of the boy who potentially wants to date me?

The door opened and Stephanie stood there, looking like she was ready to laugh. "What?" I asked.

"I seriously thought Steve was lying when he told me you were a girl."

"Really?"

"Yeah! I thought he was just bullshitting me because I was sick."

Oh, thank Christ... At least I'm okay around Stephanie. "And when he told you I was coming over for dinner?"

"I was gonna tease you guys about being gay, but I guess if you're a girl, Steve's not gay."

"Can I come in now?"

Stephanie moved out of the way and I walked in and immediately felt even more nervous. And now I was thinking about it! Why, why, why, why did I let Melanie talk me into this? Why did I let myself let Melanie talk me into wearing a frickin skirt to this dinner? I've never worn one before, but now I was, and now I felt awkward as hell.

"Hey, Steve! Your boyfriend's here!" Stephanie shouted. I shot a glare at her. "What? It's my last chance, okay? Just lemme treat him like he's gay one more day, please?"

"But he's not."

"I know, as weird as that sounds. I've been teasing him about it for awhile, because he only hangs out with you."

"I think TV Tropes calls that heterosexual life partners."

She shook her head. "I don't care what the internet calls it, I just like teasing him for it."

I sighed. "Just don't tease me."

She held up her hand in a Boy Scout's salute. "Promise between women, I'll leave you alone."

"I'm holding you to that."

"You know there's no promise between women, right?"

"I don't care. You promised, I'm holding you to it."

"Fine."

"Seriously."

"I get it."

I sighed again. This might be a long night.

5.

"So, Amanda, how has your transition been?" Mrs. Burke (Steve's mom) asked. The question kinda caught me off guard. Was she talking about my actual change, or my lie at school that I was transgender? (Now that I think of it, is that really a lie? Ah, determining that isn't important right now.) Did she know about the curse?

I gulped down the bite of tomato I had in my mouth and said, "I'm doing fine. It's not easy, but, I'm managing. I get a lot of mean looks, but not too many insults or anything." I took another bite. "Well, not when I'm in the room, anyway."

Steve looked a great deal more nervous than I felt right now. He seriously looked like he was going to pee his pants.

"You're an amazing young woman, Amy," Mrs. Burke said, "it takes a lot of courage to come out and admit to the world that you were born wrong." Okay, so Steve likely told her the lie. Good, now I can bumble through it here, in my best friend's house. "And to embrace it so fully. I'm sure there are quite a few transgender people who wouldn't wear a skirt less than a week into their transition."

Yay, she noticed... Ugh... "I didn't actually want to. Melanie tricked me into it." I blushed. "I feel really awkward wearing a skirt."

Stephanie leaned over the table. "It gets way, way easier. Trust me. Leg freedom over tight jeans any day, sister."

I smiled. It wasn't getting any easier so far, but, this was also my first time wearing a skirt. I kinda hoped it wouldn't, but I was already getting very used to wearing bras after only four days.

"You're being awfully quiet, big brother," Stephanie said to Steve. "What's up?"

He shrugged. "I'm just... Y'know..."

"It's okay to be nervous, honey," Mrs. Burke said. "It's not every day you invite a pretty girl over for dinner." She said that with a smile. Great. He probably told everybody but me that this was likely a date.

"Mom!" Steve nearly shouted. He was beet red.

His mom was laughing. "Honey, I'm just joking." She turned to me. "Amanda, before you came over, Steven expressly stated more than once that this wasn't a date between you two, I'd just like you to know that. His sister and I are just teasing him about this whole thing."

"I can't say I wouldn't do the same thing if Melanie actually had a friend come over," I said, then I looked over at Steve and said, "Sorry."

He shook his head. "No. I guess I deserve this for asking a girl to dinner. Even if she's been my best friend for years."

Stephanie smiled. "It's not every day your boyfriend becomes your girlfriend, though."

"Steph!"

"What? Adam was a boy, right? Was your friend, right? Amanda's a girl, right? And she's your friend, right? Adam, boyfriend. Amanda, girlfriend. Just because I'm saying girlfriend doesn't mean I'm saying she's your 'girlfriend', in the dating sense."

Oh, dear Christ, this conversation is getting embarrassing. And I'm not even the one being teased!

"Besides, I kinda think you're an idiot for not asking Amy out."

Was he? I'm still semi-male (for, like, six more hours, anyway), so, I could easily understand why he'd be uncomfortable asking me out, plus there was that stigma of all the people at school who still think I'm a crossdresser pretending I'm a real girl.

Wow. This almost seems like I'm just watching this event, as opposed to quietly eating my steak right beside it.

And then she said this: "And when I was talking to Melanie on the phone last night, she said the same thing."

Whoa, now I'm interested. "What?" I asked.

"Yep, Melanie thinks that you two would make the perfect couple."

~o~O~o~

1.

I didn't feel too good, not after that conversation. Steve and I, the perfect couple? No, no way. I don't see it at all.

So, while Steve was busy trying to decide what DVD to watch, I just sat there and, well, took stock of my best friend for the first time in our friendship. The first thing I noticed was all the differences in him, that had to come as a result of the curse. His room was generally a mess, as opposed to mine which was (and still is, actually) only a little messy. My room usually just had some clothes on the floor, although now that involved bras and panties as opposed to plain white shirts and boxers.

Now, his room was actually cleaner than mine, and was ridiculoulsy organized. I could remember a time when his Xbox was sitting on top of half the games he played in it, and now they were all alphabetized on a shelf with the Xbox sitting nicely beside his DVD player. It was... Well... weird.

Was this his challenge? To be a better put together kid, rather than the slob he used to be? Hadn't I considered that a few days ago?

"So... What's with the cleanliness kick?" I asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the room. I was just... Y'know... Bored one day, decided to clean it up. It'll probably be a mess again in a couple days, I bet."

"It's not just the room, Steve. You're cleaner."

"Whaddya mean?"

"You combed your hair. I've never seen you comb your hair. Or dress nice, or... Just... You look like you probably would have asked me out on a date."

He stopped looking at his DVDs (which were also alphabetized and neatly placed on a shelf) and sat down on his bed beside me. I had a sinking feeling I knew exactly what he was gonna say, so I just braced myself for it. "Can I confess something to you?"

"You really did want this to be a date, didn't you?"

"What? No. I wanted to ask you out, yeah, but I didn't want this to be a date."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I felt like it'd be too soon to ask you out earlier, and I still feel that way, but since you brought it up..."

"You wanna ask me out now?"

He smiled, nervously. "I'm still kinda scared to, actually."

"Good, because I don't know if I wanna date you."

"Would you know tomorrow?"

"Are you serious?"

He shook his head. "No. Truth be told, I don't know if I'll ever not be nervous about asking you out, so I'm just gonna do it now, okay? Can we go see a movie tomorrow, or something?"

And thus our friendship had taken a turn I'd been warned about.

2.

After he asked me that question, time stood so still I could see every particle in the air. My friend - my best friend - had just asked me out on a date. This wasn't somebody who'd just met me and thought I was cute, this was a guy who had known me for most of my life, who knew I'd been a boy, and who had absolutely no problems with that.

And he wanted to date me.

Could I ever find that again? Somebody who knew I'd been male for fifteen years and just didn't care about it? Steve was a great trial run, wasn't he? I mean, that was a cruel way to think about it, but it was sorta/kinda true.

Should I say yes? Would I hurt him if I said no? Steve's my friend, after all, and I don't wanna stop being friends with him. Was I, in a way, obligated to say yes?

I kind of felt that way. I felt like if I didn't say yes, that Steve would cut all ties off with me, and then I'd have almost no ties to my old life as Adam other than my family, who were all accepting me as Amanda, so they didn't count.

But, even more important, did I want to date Steve?

3.

"Amy?" Steve asked, drawing me back out into real time. It was amazing how many thoughts could run through your head in less than a second.

"Sorry," I said, my face turning red.

"So you won't?"

"No! I didn't mean... No! Yeah, I'd love to go out with you!" Stupid, stupid, stupid words. "Just... If this doesn't work out, we're still gonna be friends, right?"

"Well, yeah. Amy, we've been friends our whole lives, we're gonna stay friends even if dating ends up being a giant fucking mistake." He nervously chuckled. "So... Whaddya wanna go see?"

4.

I shut the front door behind me and found a very curious Melanie waiting for me. She was standing there, arms folded under her breasts, a downright scary look on her face that basically said You will tell me everything! and almost made me wet myself. "Talk," she said. One word. That's it.

"What?"

"I want to know details. Every detail."

"There's not much to tell. It was dinner and then we watched a crappy movie in his room."

"And did he try to make a move on you?"

"No." I walked past her to the stairs, and smiled. "Not to say I didn't try to make a move on him." It was a lie, but it was time I had fun with Melanie, as opposed to the other way around.

"Wait, what?!"

I ignored her and walked up the stairs. She followed me, very eager to hear what she wanted me to say, but I just wasn't gonna talk. I was having way too much fun with this. I walked into my room, closed my door, then quickly took that skirt off, opened the door again and handed it to a very angry Melanie, shut my door again and locked it. Yeah, just take that Mel. Just think about what I'd said.

I just sat on my bed wearing pajama pants and a tee-shirt, watching TV for a couple hours before there was a knock on my door.

"Amy, can I come in?" Mom asked. I hopped off the bed and unlocked the door, then looked down either side of the hallway. "Melanie's in her room, so you don't have to worry about her."

"Okay. Whaddya want?"

She sat down on my bed and patted the spot beside her, so I sat down there. I had a feeling it was time for one of those 'mother/daughter talks' Melanie always talked about. "How was dinner at the Burke's?"

"It was fine."

"And how did Steve react around you?"

"Stephanie was making fun of him during dinner a lot, then we just watched Pacific Rim in his room."

"And did you..."

"Did I what?"

"Sweetie, you were alone in a boy's bedroom with said boy, and, it was a boy who you've got a strong connection with."

"I didn't kiss him, if that's what you and Melanie are asking."

Mom gave me a look. "How'd you know?"

"Because it's pretty obvious that Melanie had you come in here after I didn't tell her anything."

"And you were willing to answer me?"

"Only because messin' around with Melanie is fun."

Mom sighed. "So, how did it go?"

"It was the most harmless date I've ever seen."

"So it was a date?"

"No, that's tomorrow night."

From the other side of my door, I heard a very over-excited "I knew it!"

My turn to sigh. "I didn't know she was hanging out right outside the door."

Mom put her arm around me. "Me neither. Listen, baby, take this slow."

"I know. Tomorrow's just a movie, nothing special."

"Good." She stood up and walked over to the door. "Your sister already scared the shit out of me when she started dating, I don't wanna go through that again."

I just smiled.

5.

"Hello, Amanda," the sorceress - Ms. Malski - said. We were in the principal's office. When did I get here? "Don't worry, you're just dreaming."

"Then why doesn't this feel like a dream?" I asked.

She was working on papers, grading, or something. This really didn't feel like a dream.

"Mostly because it's not so much a dream as a telepathic communication between us."

"You can read people's minds?"

She looked up at me. "No. I just knew that would get your attention."

I rolled my eyes. "So, what is this really?"

"Just a magical conversation we're having. Your body is sleeping, your mind is here."

"What do you want?"

"Mainly to tell you what your challenge was, now that you've gotten past it."

"What?!" I've been asking for, like, four days and now she tells me?! "What was it?"

"When I first met you, last Friday, I sensed a void in your life, one that you - "

"Oh, for God's sake, please don't tell me that turning me into a girl is 'fixing' me!"

Ms. Malski glared at me. "If you'd let me finish?" She did a little bit of paper signing for a second, then continued, "No, this doesn't fix you as a whole. In fact, I introduced a number of other problems into your life, but no more than any other fifteen year old girl."

"You mean aside from half the people I know thinking I'm a crossdresser, another half thinking I'm a freaky tranny and the only people who actually know being Steve, Dean and my family?"

"Keep interupting me and you'll spend the rest of your life not knowing what your challenge was."

I crossed my arms under my breasts and waited for her to keep talking.

"Good. As I was saying, I sensed a void in your life. I'm sure you've noticed your strengthened interactions with young Mr. Burke?"

"Wait, this whole thing has been about Steve?"

"Not entirely. It's been about the two of you. You, as the one who loves him, and him as the one who loves you."

"So, what, I'm a girl because it makes us as a couple look less awkward?"

"Again, not entirely. I'm certain you've noticed your preferences slide more toward men, but Steve's, unfortunately, don't."

"So, I was... I guess gay, but Steve wasn't?"

"Exactly. In order for the two of you to even be a couple in the first place, one of you needed to be female."

"Why was it so important that Steve and I be a couple?"

She set her pen down, then looked me straight in the eye. "Amanda, I need you to understand that what I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room."

"You mean this dream?"

"Yes."

"I can't tell Steve?"

"No."

I groaned. "Fine."

"I was asked to get the two of you together."

"By who?"

"Melanie and Stephanie."

The fuck?!

6.

My sister and my best friend's sister had conspired to get me and Steve together? Why? "Why?" Holy shit, I actually asked it.

"I can't tell you that, because I don't know it."

"So, what, they just asked you said yes, without even asking why?"

"Do you know how many people know about my power, Amanda? Until the unfortunate incident of the panty raid, it was simply Stephanie and Melanie. When I discovered that I could use magic and make reality my plaything, I never even told my father or my step-mother."

"So, how did Melanie find out?"

"A few months ago, they were in a city alleyway late at night. Had I not been on a date at that exact time, you and Steve might not have sisters any longer."

"What happened?"

"Three boys, members of another high school's cross country team. One of them pulled a knife when the girls told them they wouldn't submit themselves. The boys don't know what hit them, even to this day. They wake up each morning, get dressed for school, and wonder why they went to sleep as future regional cross country champions one night and awoke the next day as nerdy girls who the school eggheads wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole."

I almost lost my older sister because she wouldn't let herself be raped and I'd had no idea before now. Holy shit. "What happened next?"

She continued, "I told the girls about my power. They were much too curious and too thankful to accept that the entire situation just ended."

"So, did they conspire to get Steve and I together then, or did this just come about recently?"

"I imagine they probably had the idea in their heads some time ago, but it was only last week that they asked me to do this."

"Why'd you do it? You saved them, not the other way around. You weren't indebted to them in any way."

"In a way, I was. They kept my secret. They could have gone to the news and told everyone about the sorceress who saved their lives from filthy rapists, but they didn't. I chose to honor their request because I honor our friendship."

"So, why are you telling me this? Why not just throw up some bullshit and call that my challenge? Why tell me the real thing if I can't tell Steve?"

She smiled. "I only told you that to get you to shut up and listen. Considering Melanie and Stephanie are both involved, you would have found out about it at some point anyway."

I rolled my eyes again. "So I can tell Steve?"

"Of course."

"And what about Dean?"

"Of course not."

"What's his whole place in this, anyway?"

"His challenge is a genuine punishment. That you all three were affected at the same time is a mere coincidence. Even if you hadn't broken into his house that night, I'd have found out about the panty raid and dealt with it accordingly."

"Giant coincidence?"

"Yep."

"I don't believe it."

"I don't care."

"So, now what? I just wake up, tell Steve that this whole thing was a giant set-up to get him and me dating, and, what?"

"You live your lives. Stephanie called me earlier and told me Steve was taking you to a movie tonight."

"Yeah, he is."

"If you two are as compatible as the girls and I think, then you should enjoy yourself."

"And if we're not?"

"Then you find another boy who catches your fancy, it's that simple. Your friendship with Steve is eternal, there'll never be a time when the two of you aren't together in some way or another. Whether you take the next step is up to the two of you."

7.

I woke up and slowly sat up. Things were... Different now. Now that I knew why this whole week had happened, I just... Things were different, it was that simple.

I took a shower, shaved my legs and my pits (no knicks this time!), dried off, got dressed and walked all the way to school without talking to anybody. Actually, without really seeing anybody. Mom was on the phone in the kitchen when I left, Dad was probably still asleep, and Melanie took her shower a couple minutes after I got out of the bathroom.

I sat on the front steps and waited for Steve. I was almost an hour early, so I had time to think before he got there. Everything I thought kept going back to that dream conversation, kept going back to the truth. Maybe it was too much for me. Maybe Ms. Malski shouldn't have told me.

"Hey," Steve said as he walked up to me, "what's the matter?"

~o~O~o~

1.

"What's the matter?" Steve asked a second time. I wasn't entirely sure how to answer him. He looked concerned, and I didn't want him to feel that way. It wasn't his fault this had happened to us. It wasn't his fault...

...That I liked him.

I stood up and sighed. I had to tell him. I'd be a bitch if I didn't tell him, that's for sure. "I... Had a dream last night that wasn't really a dream."

"If it wasn't a dream, what was it?"

"It was her, Ms. Malski. She told me what my challenge was."

He took my hand. It felt nice. It felt nice, for a boy to hold hands with me. No, not just for a boy to hold hands with me, for Steve to hold hands with me. "So, what was it? Aside from turning into a girl for a week, that is."

I shook my head. "That wasn't part of it. That was for something else."

"She turned you into a girl for something else?"

"Yeah."

"What?"

"Us."

"Huh?"

I looked him in the eyes. "Melanie and Stephanie."

"You're not making any sense."

"Mel and Stephanie know Ms. Malski, they're the reason I'm a girl. And I'm a girl because... Because the two of them couldn't..."

"Are you saying they used the sorceress to get us together? Even though you were a guy and neither one of us was - "

I cut him off. "I... Think I was."

"Really?"

"It's complicated. I'm not sure, I just know I've transitioned way too easily considering I still like the same things. I shouldn't be jumping on the I like boys bandwagon so instantly if I didn't already, y'know?"

He nodded. "Okay, let's say you were gay when you were Adam, why throw me into the mix?"

"Stephanie probably told Ms. Malski that you needed a girlfriend, and turning me into that girlfriend must have seemed like the best idea."

"So, this whole thing was just an extremely complicated way of hooking us up?"

"Basically."

"And what about Dean?"

"Legit punishment for the panty raid."

"And how did you feel about all this?"

I sighed. "I wasn't as angry as I probably should have been."

"How come? Our sisters basically perpetrated this whole thing to turn you into my girlfriend. What are you getting out of this?"

I didn't answer him with words, right away, anyway. Instead, I did something that just plain surprised me. Shocked me. Scared me. Horrified me. Excited me.

I kissed him.

2.

When we broke the kiss off, I said, "I get you."

Steve put his hands on my waist and said, "Is that all? Me?"

"Well, c'mon, I haven't changed that much. I still like all the same stuff, I just have to deal with bras and panties now. Oh, and periods. That's a little annoying, but manageable. Or, at least it better be, since I'm gonna havta deal with 'em until menopause."

"Or until you get pregnant."

"Whoa, that's a little too much to be talking about right now."

He smiled. "You're right. So, does this make us boyfriend and girlfriend now? Because you were a little hesitant to say that yesterday."

I nodded. "Yeah. And... That was my challenge."

"What was?"

"Accepting this."

3.

"Spill it, sister," Melanie said to me when she finally found me at my locker. She looked either furious or curious, and I'm not sure which one I'd rather her be.

"Why did you say that like it's the Seventies?"

"Stop avoiding the question and answer the question."

"What question? All you said was 'spill it'."

"Exactly, now do so."

"Spill what? You were listening at my door last night when I talked to Mom and this whole thing was yours and Stephanie's idea in the first place, so what do I really need to spill?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about that?"

"Ms. Malski told me in a dream last night."

"Are you... Angry, with us?"

I shut my locker and then leaned up against it. "No. And, to be honest, if you'd told me, I probably would have laughed in your face." I brushed my hair back behind my ears. "You didn't do the wrong thing, Mel, though I honestly would have liked to know sooner."

"Sorry. I swear, the next time Stephanie and I have Ms. Malski do anything to you, we'll tell you first."

I rolled my eyes. "If you ever have her do anything to me again, it'd better be because I stop growing," I pointed to my boobs, "and you don't."

She smiled. "Getting a little envious already, are you?"

"You know I'm joking."

"Yeah."

"Besides, I'm bigger than you already."

4.

"Somebody's a lot less anxious than she was a couple days ago," Shanna said as we changed for gym. Sports bras were much more comfortable when they were the right size. Not that I wasn't grateful that Shanna had let me borrow one the other day, but I knew I couldn't get through gym class next year without some of my own.

I smiled and slipped my shirt over my head. "Just some deep, deep soul searching."

"Soul searching, huh? What'dya figure out?"

I pulled my shorts on and then sat down on the bench in front of the lockers to lace up my shoes. "Just... Something. Something important."

"I thought you'd decided to be a girl awhile ago."

"That wasn't what I was talking about."

"Oh. So... Is there... Somebody?"

"That's privilaged information between me and my boyfriend." I tied my hair into a ponytail. "And I'm not telling you."

Shanna was smiling now. "Oh, don't worry, I won't pry. Hey, Amy?"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome to the fairer sex."

I smiled again. "Thanks."

5.

"You look realy happy," Steve said after the gym teacher finished off roll call. "Is it on account of that kiss earlier?"

"No," I said, hitting him on the arm lightly. "I'm just... Accepting for the first time, and I love it."

"When were you ever not accepting?"

"That's not what I mean, and you know it. I mean of me."

He smiled. "I know. I'm happy that you're happy."

"Thanks. Now," I picked up a basketball and tossed it to him, "you think you can take me now? Because I used to kick your ass at basketball when I was a boy."

He dribbled the ball a little. "I'd like to see you try."

6.

"Ms. Richards, do you have something to add?" Mrs. Zucker, the Creative Writing teacher, asked me, because I'd been yawning, and raised my arms above my head. Oops. Me be dumb. I shook my head, but I was sure I was red-faced. "Then keep your yawning to yourself. Now, which of you will actually come up here and read your essay?"

Melanie raised her hand, and I had a sinking feeling her essay had something to do with me. Why'd I have this feeling, you ask? Well, because now that I knew that Mel and Stephanie were behind this whole thing, the odds that this essay - which was assigned to us at the beginning of the semester, I might add - involved me in one way or another were very good.

"Okay," Melanie said as she got to the front of the class, "I wasn't actually gonna do this essay, and just take the failing grade, but a couple of days ago, my little sister took a big step in her life and, well, it inspired me." See? I knew this'd be about me. Goddamnit, Melanie... "Amy came out to me and our parents last Friday, after having dealt with her problems for awhile on her own." Seriously? This is actually a good essay? Damn, my sister might actually graduate high school after all. "Amy had kept up appearances as Adam for awhile, but she just couldn't anymore. I was the first person she told, even over our parents. At first I didn't know how to feel about it.

"Here was my little brother, the dweeb I teased every so often because - I thought - he was gay." That's a complete, unadulterated lie. She's never teased me about that. Hell, I didn't even know I was gay until I wasn't anymore. Wait, am I technically still gay? I mean, I'm a girl, and girls like bo - Aw, the hell with it. "It turned out it was much more than that, because Adam didn't want to be Adam, he wanted to be Amanda, felt free as Amanda. Adam was technically gay, he just wasn't Adam.

"And so, my little sister finally became my little sister last Friday, and there isn't one member of my family that isn't happy for her, because she's finally the person she truly is."

Mrs. Zucker started clapping, and then so did other people, which surprised me. They were clapping at an essay - a short one, at that - about me. I was almost dumbfounded. When Mel sat back down, I didn't even say anything, I just hugged her. My big sister wrote that about me. I felt like I was on top of the goddamn world.

7.

I felt like I was gonna throw up.

I made it to the bathroom just in time to avoid a mess all over the living room floor. I clutched the toilet and puked what was probably half my body weight out. By the time I was done, I sure felt like half my body weight was gone. It was a lot of puke. I instantly felt better, but that didn't make it any less disgusting.

"Honey? You okay?" Mom asked from the other side of the bathroom door.

"No."

"What's the matter?"

"Bad..." Oh, God, I was gonna do it again, wasn't I? Dammit, dammit, dammit, dammit! "Hot dog..." I tried to calm my stomach down. I didn't want to puke again. I heard her talking to Melanie. Thank you, so much, Melanie!

It took a few minutes, but I started to feel better. Whew! Thank God... I was starting to think I'd have to call Steve and tell him our date was ooooooooooglrughph.

And I puked. Again.

Oh man, what was going on? Was I getting cold feet? No, that couldn't be it. We were going to see Jurassic World for fuck's sake, in no way a cuddle movie or anything. Even if we are boyfriend and girlfriend, this wasn't a date movie, it was just a movie that happened to be while we're dating, so why was I so sick if it wasn't that hot dog I had at lunch?!

"Amy?" Melanie asked. "I'm coming in there, so you better not be covered in puke."

"I'm not," I gasped out.

I heard the door open, then close, then Mel sat down on the laundry hamper in the corner. "So... How ya doin'?"

"How do you think? I'm puking here!"

"I see that. Why are you puking?"

"I've been trying to figure that out myself." I calmed my stomach some more. Hopefully I wouldn't puke again. I put the toilet seat and lit back down and sat down. "I... Kinda... Um..."

"Your date tonight?" I nodded. "Well, it's not uncommon for a girl to get sick when she's about to go on her first date, but this is a little extreme. Besides, from what I hear, boys are way worse than girls when it comes to getting cold feet on a date."

"I wouldn't know."

"I know. You sure it wasn't that hot dog you ate at lunch? You looked kinda green after you ate it."

"It's probably a combination of the two."

"Ah."

"Should I go?"

"Duh."

"But I'm sick."

"And if you don't go tonight, you'll be sick next time. Go tonight, you'll never be sick again."

"You sure?"

"Just don't eat any popcorn."

I glared at her. "That's your advice?"

"What? I've never dated my best friend, so this is probably a thousand times worse than it should be for you. Just, go, and if you feel sick during the movie, excuse yourself to the ladies' room real quick. You're going to see a dinosaur movie, so odds are good you'll get sick just watching the dinos eat people."

"Hey, I think I can take that."

"Still. Go. I'll push you all the way to the movie theater myself if I have to."

I sighed. "Okay, okay. Who knows, maybe I'll feel better after this, y'know?"

"There ya go!"

Melanie stood up and walked to the door. Before she left the bathroom, I said, "Hey, Mel, thanks for writing that essay."

She smiled. "Anything for my baby sister."

~o~O~o~

1.

About twenty minutes after my big bathroom puke session, I was up in my room, switching out of the clothes I wore to school (since they smelled like puke) and getting ready to take a shower. I slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top so that I wouldn't be running between bedroom and bathroom in just my bra and panties. Melanie had done that a few times and caught some absolutely hilarious hell for it from Dad.

As I was washing my legs (no shaving tonight, because I did that this morning), I came upon what was once Little Adam, and was now Ms. Amanda. It was done, totally, completely, I didn't have boy parts anymore. I couldn't believe it. It was done. I touched my... Deep breath here... Vagina lips (and that was weird to say to myself) for the first time and it felt super weird.

I shuddered. The internet can only teach you so much. Should I take my first plunge and discover what masturbating as a girl felt like, or save it for later? Would it feel squicky? Dammit, dammit, dammit...

I finished my shower, dried off, and got dressed. A simple pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt, nothing too fancy considering I was just going to see a movie with my best friend.

Best friend who was now my boyfriend, that is.

2.

"Two for Jurassic World, please," Steve said when we got up to the ticket counter. He looked at me and smiled for whatever reason (maybe because he was the one asking this time, when it was usually me), and I smiled back. He was happy about something. If I was lucky, it wouldn't be that he was secretly planning on kissing me at some big semi-romantic moment (because, let's face it, most action movies have semi-romantic parts).

We got our drinks, our popcorn (popcorn, yeah!), and then made our way to theater 12, where our showing was. Luckily, the place wasn't packed, and we picked a spot in the back, away from everybod - and I know where this is going.

"Did you bring me back here so you could cop a feel with nobody looking?" I asked.

"No!"

"Really?"

"Really. Tell me one time I've copped a feel on you back here before. We sit back here all the time."

"Tell me one time I was your girlfriend all the other times we've come here."

He sighed. "Okay, good point, but, seriously, we've always sat back here. Why should us as boyfriend and girlfriend be any different?"

"You mean other than the fact that it's not gonna look weird if you reach over and kiss me?"

"Good point, again. Look, it's a date, but not a date date, okay?" He gave me a light peck on the cheek. "We're just here to enjoy a movie as boyfriend and girlfriend for the first time, that's all."

"Stop it."

"What?"

I slouched in my seat. "Stop being cute. It makes it harder not to kiss you."

He smiled. "I wouldn't mind."

Somebody shouted, "Shut up back there!" I sighed.

3.

"Eh... The first one was better," Steve said as we left the theater. He was holding my hand, and I was enjoying it.

"I liked the second one better."

"Why?"

I hit the crosswalk button when we got to 3rd and Perez. "Because I don't care how ridiculous it is, a T-Rex rampaging through San Diego is awesome. After all, Sea World gets boring after awhile."

"How would you know? You've never been to Sea World."

"Because fish bore me, no matter how big, that's how."

He smiled. "Fine. So, you want me to take you home, or wanna hang out some more?"

"Nah, walk me home. I need to finish my homework for History tomorrow."

"Oh, your flag thing?"

"Uh-huh. I still don't know which flag to go with."

"Want me to help?"

I shook my head. "No, I gotta do this myself. It's a feeling, y'know?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll do great on it, though."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

4.

Melanie was waiting for me at the front door when Steve dropped me off and walked to his place. “Nope,” was all I said to her when I passed her and walked inside. She looked like she was gonna burst. It was adorable.

“Why not?” she asked, following me into my room. I unzipped my pants and wiggled them off me. “If I were dating your best friend’s brother, I’d tell you everything.”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “I’m not you, sis.”

“Hey, you should so be playing by my rules, seeing as you wouldn’t even be dating Steve if it weren’t for me.”

“For you and Stephanie. You’re just lucky I’m no worse off this way than I was as Adam, otherwise I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad would disown you for ruining their child’s life.”

“So, are you saying you’re better off than you were as Adam?”

I shook my head. “Um, periods, bras, people calling me tranny or shemale, not to mention shaving my legs and armpits. No, I’m not better off, I’m just a girl when I used to be a boy. It’s different, but neither one is better.”

“But, you’re happy now.”

“I wasn’t unhappy before. Granted, apparently I was closet gay and didn’t know it, and I’ve been transitioning pretty well despite the enhanced crazy around me. I’m not saying I was right as Adam, but I wasn’t wrong, either.”

“Well, that’s good.” She turned around to leave the room, then stopped and shut the door. Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t realize that the door was open when I was taking my pants off. Um… Wow. “Hey, Amy, can I tell you something?”

“Yeah, of course you can.” I pulled on the shorts I’d worn earlier when I took my shower. I would put a nightie on, but I still had homework to do.

“This whole thing, changing you and setting you and Steve up together, most of it was Stephanie’s idea.”

“So what?”

“Well… The two of us were…”

“Mel, so what?”

“Huh?”

I plopped down on my bed and grabbed my tablet. “Is it really gonna change my life if I know which one of you decided to do this to me first? I’m Amanda now, I love being Amanda now, as much as I loved being Adam before, nothing about anything is different. You have a little sister instead of a little brother, it’s no big deal, I’m still the same person with the same likes and dislikes, so stop worrying about owning up to a mistake you didn’t make. The only mistake you did make was not telling me sooner.” I laid down. “Now lemme do my homework, okay?”

She smiled. “Yeah.”

5.

I woke up, sat up, stretched, and yawned. I was halfway through my shower when I realized I’d had no dreams the night before. Well, no curse-induced dreams, that is. I had a normal dream, which involved me running naked through a forest and then riding on a polar bear, but nothing involving me and Steve, or me and Dean, or me and Ms. Malski.

I was finally free.

Granted, I’d been free the whole time, considering there was little I could actually do and nothing was hurting me physically, but the curse was over now.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Come in!” I said.

In came Melanie, pulling open the shower curtain and holding out two dresses. One was pink with little hearts all over it, the other was yellow with flowers. She was smiling way too much. “Pink or yellow?” she asked.

“Um… I’m not wearing a dress to school.”

She laughed. “No, stupid, it’s for the year end dance after school. Or did you forget we have a year end dance?”

Oh, goddamnit… “Do I have to wear a dress?”

“What’s the big deal? You wear nighties to bed, this isn’t really any different.”

“Except that I’d be wearing it around people!”

“That’s no big deal. Dresses are nothing to be scared of. So, pick one.”

“No.”

“If you don’t, then I’m just gonna hand you one after school and not let you leave the restroom until you change.”

“Nope.”

“Steve would like to see you in one, I bet.”

“Actually, Steve says I’m cute no matter what I wear.”

“Amanda Richards, you’re wearing a dress and that’s final!”

“You’re not Mom.”

“Mom! Amy won’t wear a dress to the dance today!”

“Shut up, Melanie!” Dad shouted back.

“I said ‘Mom’, not ‘Dad’!”

“And I said shut up!”

I started giggling. This was hilarious. “Will you get outta here and let me finish my shower, please? If you’re gonna force me into a dress I guess I’ll take the yellow one.”

“Great! I have the perfect pair of heels to go with that!”

Oh, for fuck’s sake! “Seriously? It’s bad enough I’m wearing a dress, now you’re gonna force me into heels?”

“You can’t wear tennis shoes with a dress, silly.” With that, she turned around, left the bathroom and shut the door. Oh, Christ, today was gonna be annoying.

6.

“She’s making me wear a dress,” I said as I doodled a picture in Homeroom.

Unfortunately, the only one I had to talk to in Homeroom was Dean, who was busy filing his nails. “At least it’s just your sister making you wear stuff, something you can actually persuade otherwise. I make me wear stuff, and it’s all because of that witch.”

I sighed. “You don’t know Melanie that well.”

“I should, she and I have a similar taste in clothes.”

“Either way. She’s not the most persuadable person.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Yes, it is. Pay attention in class one of these days.” I looked up from my picture. “So, why are you even talking to me? I figured you’d blame this whole thing on me.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault that, it’s the witch’s fault.”

“Seriously? You don’t find at least a little blame in what you did?”

“You mean a harmless prank? Panty raids don’t hurt anyone, Richards.”

“You’re wearing panties right now, you sure you still believe that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, you’ve got a point.” He looked like he had something else to say after that, but he didn’t.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Seriously, what? Don’t forget, I’m like the only person who’ll talk to you anymore.”

“It’s not important.”

I sighed. “Fine. If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Fine.”

“Stop it, Richards.”

“I’m not trying to guilt trip you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I really wasn’t, even though it sounded like I was. It was kinda funny, actually.

“Did you want to be a girl before you were cursed?”

What?! “What?”

“I know you tell everybody that, since it’s easier than telling the truth, but did you actually want to be a girl?”

I shook my head. “It really doesn’t matter whether I did or not. I am now, and I don’t mind it.”

He hugged his knees to his chest. “That just means you were gay.”

I sighed. “I’m actually pretty sure now that I was, but that’s beside the point.”

“You, too, huh?”

That caught my attention. “Wha?”

His face turned redder than it already was (he was wearing way too much blush) and then he looked away. “Nothing. Just forget I said that.”

Something seemed very off about that…

7.

“Your final assignment of the year is to draw anything,” Mr. Pendergast said, writing the word ANYTHING on the board. “Anything at all. You have the entire class to get as far along as you can, but I want it to be as detailed as you possibly can, shoot for nothing less than the best you can do.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Johnny said when Mr. Pendergast walked back into his office. “Anything?! I can barely draw anything!” He looked over at me. “What are you drawing, Richards, lemme copy off you.”

I covered up my paper with my arms and glared at him. “No.” Steve started laughing. “How would you even copy me anyway? The only thing you could do is trace me, and Mr. Pendergast would know.”

“C’mon! I’m gonna flunk if I don’t!”

“No.”

He turned to Steve. “Burke, tell your girlfriend to let me trace her drawing.”

Kimberly nearly spit out her drink. “No way, those two are dating?!”

I nodded. “We haven’t exactly telegraphed it, or anything, but yeah.”

Steve said, “Well, she doesn’t telegraph it. I had her name tattooed on me.”

I smacked him in the back of the head. “No you didn’t.”

“Wait,” Johnny said, “you two really are dating? Shit, man, I just guessed.” He held up his hand for a high five. “Good job scorin’ the trannie, man, that’s just awesome.”

Kimberly elbowed him. “Shut up, dumbass. Amy’s not a trophy, even if she is still somewhat a boy.”

“Um, I’m not, actually,” I said, sheepishly.

“You mean you had the surgery?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “I had that done awhile ago. I just started the hormones recently to get the rest of me caught up.”

“But, genetically, you’re still a boy, right?”

“Um… Yeah.” Not really.

“See, so you’re still somewhat a boy, like I said.”

I groaned. “Fine.”

Johnny said, “Look, none of this settles the problem of Richards letting me copy off of her drawing.”

Steve responded, “She said no, so I’d take that as your final answer.”

Johnny slammed his head down on the table, making my pencils go flying. “Dammit! I’m gonna fail this class!”

I sighed. “See that wall behind me?” I asked, pointing to the very basic wall behind me. “Draw that.”

He looked up at the wall and then his eyes lit up like he’d finally found religion, or something like that. “Richards! You’re a goddamn genius!”

I just rolled my eyes.

~o~O~o~

1.

It was time. My History grade depended on it. I needed to do this right. Very, very right. Very, very right. Yeah, okay, I really do have weird thoughts and put too much emphasis on certain things.

Anyway, in order to do this right, I had to wait for everybody else. Kenny Williams picked the Canadian flag, because he was from Canada and because he liked their sense of peace and universal healthcare. Sarah Williams (no relation to him, apparently) picked the Swedish flag, for some reason I wasn’t really paying attention to because she also dove straight into her dating profile for any single boys who want a hot summer date (I hope I’m never like that). Billy Kerrigan chose the New Zealand flag for yet another reason I wasn’t really paying attention to because every other sentence involved The Hobbit trilogy. Some people picked weird things for what a flag “meant” to them.

“Ms. Richards?” Mr. Greene called my name. It was time. I had to do this. My entire History grade was cou -

Shut up, Amanda, and get to it!

I hated my brain.

I sighed, stood up, and walked to the front of the classroom. Deep breath, Amanda, deep breath. I put my little printed out Rainbow Flag on the whiteboard with a magnet. “This is the Rainbow Flag,” I started. Some people were already trying to hide laughter. “It’s the symbol of the LGBT community, and I picked this flag because, as a transgender girl, well, it means a lot to me that people in my community are treated equally.” Everything I said sounded like it was stolen from a thousand different speeches from people who actually meant their words. I took another breath.

I continued, “When I was a boy, I didn’t mind my life. I got up, went to school, hung out with my friends, went to bed, rinse, repeat. It was a normal life, it was okay.” Some people were still disguising their laughter. Yay. “Then, one day, I realized that Adam Richards wasn’t right. I got up every day and went though my life exactly like I said: Rinse and repeat. Everything was so basic and so nothing that I felt like I wasn’t really living so much as going through the motions of somebody else’s life.” Did I suddenly sound more confident? I think I did. People were still laughing lightly, but I didn’t care. “I decided that day that I’d stop being Adam and be who I really felt like I was, and that’s who I am now.”

Jenny Gunther raised her hand. “How did you know you’d feel better as a girl?”

I shrugged. “I didn’t, at first. It took me a little while to realize that it was my... “ I expected the laughs for this one, “...Boy parts…” and there they were, “...Were the cause.” I could have said penis, but people would have laughed equally as hard, so I just said boy parts. I felt no shame. “But when I did, I went to my sister, and together, we went to our parents. I owe my sister a lot of thanks for what she did to help me.” I chuckled. “She’s the best sister ever, and I’m not just saying that.”

That sounded a lot more real than it was.

2.

Steve grabbed me around the waist and held onto me while I was cleaning out my locker. “You look like you just won a gold medal, how ya doin’?” he asked.

“I did great on my speech. A+.”

“That’s great, Amy!”

I lightly elbowed him to get him off of me. He took the hint. “Yeah, it is. I’m also the only one that got an A+. A lot of other people got A’s, but I’m the only one that got an A+.”

“You’re saying that like it’s a bad thing.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s not. I just don’t get why I’m the only one that got an A+. A lot of other people did that good, too.”

“Mr. Greene just thought you were the best, that’s all.” He turned me around and pushed me back against the locker, gently. “Amy, just because you’re the school’s only transgender girl doesn’t mean you can’t also be the coolest, greatest student.”

“I’m not, though. Dean’s supposedly the valedictorian this year.”

“Yeah, I heard about that.”

“He… Kinda said something weird to me during Homeroom.”

Steve looked surprised. “You mean Dean Garnet was capable of talking to you like a normal human being?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know what to make of it.”

“What’d he say?”

I shrugged. “That’s just it, I don’t really know. It was mostly his tone, he kinda sounded like he was gonna tell me he was gay before he was cursed.”

“Considering how many girls he’s dated, that would surprise me. Stephanie said he was one of her better boyfriends.”

I sighed. “I dunno. Maybe I was just reading too much into it.”

Steve smiled. “Hey, don’t worry about it.” He quickly changed the subject. “So, are you going to that stupid dance in a little bit?”

I nodded. “Yeah. Melanie’s making me go. She says I need to wear a dress.”

“You? In a dress? You looked so uncomfortable in a skirt the other day at my house that I thought you were gonna go nuts.”

“I get nervous wearing that stuff in public, y’know? I mean, I wear nighties to bed, and dresses are pretty much the same, but that’s to bed. I don’t wear them with all my friends around.” I sighed again. “I dunno. Do you think I’d look cute in one?”

He kissed me on the cheek. “I think you look cute all the time, so I’m not one to ask about that.”

I smiled now. “You’re just sayin’ that because you’re my boyfriend.”

“No, I woulda said that if we weren’t dating. I’m mainly saying it because it’s true, but I’m also saying it because I’m your best friend.” He grabbed me by the waist again. “If you’re going, I guess I’ll go, too. I don’t want you dancing with any other guys, after all.”

“Jealous much?”

“A little. You are the hottest transgender girl I’ve ever dated.”

“I’m the only transgender girl you’ve ever dated.”

“Point taken. See ya then.” He gave me another kiss on the cheek and then left me to go to his locker. I sighed. At least he’d be there to make me feel better if I made a total ass of myself.

3.

“You look relieved,” Melanie said when she caught up to me after History class.

“I feel relieved. Nobody laughed loudly at my speech. I’m never doing one again for as long as I live, but at least it wasn’t as painful as I thought it’d be.” I sat down on a bench in the school lobby. Only twenty minutes before the school dance started. Urgh…

“So,” she said, holding up her book bag, “you ready to get changed?”

“You’re really gonna force me to do this, aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”

I sighed. “Fine. Let’s get this over with.”

4.

Melanie was smiling like a lunatic. She grabbed me by the arm, dragged me to the nearest restroom and blocked the exit. She really couldn’t wait for this. I could, but then again, I’d never worn a dress or heels before.

Actually, the heels scared me more than the dress.

I took off my shirt, my shorts and my socks, then pulled the dress on. It felt so weird to be wearing it. Luckily, it wasn’t backless or strapless or anything, so I got to keep my bra on. I don’t know if I could deal with wearing a dress and letting my boobs flop around underneath. It’d probably feel weirder than simply wearing the dress.

Next, I used the door of a stall to balance myself as I put the heels on. I needed to take a deep breath before and after each one, goddamn nervousness… I took a few practice steps in them so that I could get the hang of walking in them. Thankfully, Melanie picked low heels, because I don’t know if I could have handled the ones I saw her putting on. Hilariously, the only benefit here for her (other than seeing her little sister in a dress and heels), was that she was now one inch taller than me. Even as a girl, I was still taller than her.

“Ready for your make-up?” Mel asked. She was really having fun with this.

“C’mon, I’m already wearin’ the dress and the heels, make-up, too?”

“I thought you liked make-up?”

“I don’t hate it, but I’m already wearing lipstick, isn’t that enough?”

She was smiling like a demon again. “Nope. If my baby sister is going to her first dance, she’s going there looking the best she possibly can.”

I was going to regret this day for the rest of my life, I was sure.

5.

This was it.

My moment of absolute total fear and horror.

The moment my fate as a member of the female sex would be decided.

All of this past weird week was leading up to this moment.

And nobody was paying me any more attention than anyone else.

The gym was crowded as hell, lots of people dancing to whatever was playing (I think it was Imagine Dragons, but I wasn’t quite sure, because a few of their songs sounded like deeper Linkin Park songs), others over by the punch bowl just talking (and probably spiking it with liquor, knowing our football team). I caught sight of Dean off in a corner by himself. His compulsions thanks to his curse had gotten him into a dress, too, though his was a lot more revealing than mine, and his heels were higher.

Melanie was having a ball just dancing by herself, so I sort of drifted off toward the punch bowl. Pretty much every girl was in a dress, and pretty much every guy was wearing plain clothes. I was one of the few girls who was wearing heels, though, so Melanie was full of shit when she told me I couldn’t wear tennis shoes with a dress. At one point, I glanced over at the corner Dean was in, but he wasn’t there anymore. Maybe he found somebody to dance with.

Maybe he just left.

I was sipping on my fifth cup of liquor-spiked punch (I was a little tipsy, I don’t think they put as much into this bowl as they usually did) when somebody tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and nearly drowned on some punch when I saw Steve standing there wearing a tuxedo. “Tell me, cutie pie, have any guys tried to dance with you yet?” he asked. He looked so damned good, it was amazing.

“You rented a tuxedo for this? Did Melanie tell you to do this?”

He shook his head. “Nope. And I didn’t rent this, it was my dad’s prom tux. It still smells like the 80s.”

“You wore that for me?”

“I brought it in case you were going, whether you were wearing a dress or not. I gotta say, though, you look gorgeous in that. Melanie was right about that much, at least.”

I blushed - well, if you could tell, anyway. “Thanks.”

“So?” He held out his hand and almost immediately, slow dance music came on. “May I have this dance, Ms. Richards?”

I smiled. “You certainly may, Mr. Burke.” I took his hand and pulled closer to him. This may sound like the sappiest romance story ever, and it kinda felt that way, too, but I didn’t care. I was dancing with my boyfriend, and even if I was wearing a ridiculous dress and he was wearing a tuxedo that really did smell like it crawled out of 1985, I was loving every second of it.

When the song ended and Steve kissed me, I finally felt like this whole weird week, this whole outrageous journey, this whole learning experience of becoming female, was finally over.

And off to the side was Melanie and Stephanie, high-fiving themselves.