Stephanie’s Deal by Jennifer Brock Eighteen days ago, Steven Brooks violated his parents’ trust and snuck a peek at his Christmas presents. Instead of having his new Nintendo Wii taken away, he made a deal with his parents to dress and live as a well-mannered girl until school started up again. Due to a problem at school, Steven will have to be Stephanie for twenty more days. Last episode, Stephanie had a horrible introduction to the boy she’ll be dancing with at her cousin’s wedding, so she decided to try to grow breasts to get back at him. In this episode, some impracticalities of Stephanie's wardrobe are corrected, winter weather comes to town, and some social plans are made.

Episode 11

When Stephanie had come home from her ballroom dance class, she’d wanted to tell her big sister Michelle all about it. But she wasn’t home. Michelle had spent the night at her friend Molly’s, so Stephanie wasn’t been able to tell her about her adventure at ballroom dance class until lunchtime the next day.

As soon as her sister got home, Stephanie gave her a big hug and apologized for anything Michelle’s bratty little brother might have ever done to her. Stephanie had met the all-time champ of bratty little brothers, and regretted ever having anything remotely in common with him. Michelle wanted all the details, and Stephanie became very teary-eyed as she described all the cruel things her dance partner Christopher had said to her.

Michelle could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was Grace’s brother really that rude? She held Stephanie close and assured her that her own little brother Steven was never that much of a pain. She even added that she’d miss seeing her little brother, since it didn’t look like he’d be back before she had to go. She’d be driving back to college in a little over a week, but Steven’s school wouldn’t be open again for two and a half weeks. It was also a shame that she wouldn’t be around for Stephanie’s birthday, since it might be the only time her little sister would be celebrating one.

Steven had never really been close to his sister. Stephanie on the other hand felt very close to Michelle and could tell that she sincerely loved her. The house would definitely be a lot emptier when she left.

The sisters went into the living room to try to figure out what they wanted to do with the rest of the day. Mom was watching the afternoon news and shushed them. The Channel 8 weather lady said that a huge storm was on the way, expecting to dump 3-6 inches of snow late Friday morning.

Michelle groaned that it meant she’d be busy shoveling the next day. Stephanie offered to help out, but realized there was a problem. “Mom, would it be okay if I got some of my boy clothes out from storage?”

“Why, Honey? Are you trying to back out of your deal?”

“All I have to wear are skirts and dresses, but I really can’t wear them if I want to help Dad and Michelle with the shoveling. I thought maybe I could get a pair of my jeans, and some work boots, just for doing work like digging snow or maybe even when I help you with the house cleaning. Girls wear jeans, so I could still be a girl, just borrowing some clothes from boy-me.”

“I don’t know. That seems like a slippery slope. I think we need to keep your boy clothes separate from your girl clothes, so you always know who you’re supposed to be.” She thought for a moment. “But you’re right; you don’t have any clothes that are good for helping with the snow. I think there’s only one real solution — we’ll have to get you some jeans and snow boots of your own. Come on, Girls! Let’s go shopping!” She turned off the TV and grabbed her purse.

The three Brooks women bundled into their coats and headed off to the mall in Mom’s car. Stephanie had a lot of fun trying on new clothes, and didn’t feel weird stripping down to her panties in the changing booth in front of her sister. She ended up getting two pairs of jeans: a faded blue pair that fit tight on her waist and had wide flares at the bottom, and a deep blue pair that rode lower on her hips and straighter legs. She was supposed to wear the lighter pair for working and save the dark ones for if she ever wanted to go somewhere dressed casually.

Mom picked out a pair of nice soft baby-pink fleece sweatpants that she could wear for housework or exercising, and they had a matching hoodie to complete the outfit. It was only after they’d bought them that Michelle showed her sister the pair of white hearts printed on the back of the pants that matched the one on the front of the jacket. Mom almost wanted to return them when Michelle started teasing her sister for having a lot of love in her butt, but she stopped when she saw no one else was laughing.

Because Stephanie really didn’t have many casual tops, she’d need something she could pair with her jeans when shoveling snow. They got her a purple tank top that was supposed to be good for layering. It was tight and gave her boobs real definition. Stephanie loved it. Michelle found a red long-sleeved t-shirt that looked really cool. Its collar scooped a little lower than a boy t-shirt, and the sleeves were so long they could cover her hands if she wanted. Mom approved it and it went in the basket.

Stephanie saw a raspberry-colored top that she liked. It was a little stretchy and had short sleeves and a V neck, and all the edges at the collar and the sleeve and around the bottom were all rippled. They told her it was called a “lettuce edge,” like the vegetable, but she thought it looked more like a lasagna noodle. She giggled to herself for a while, wondering what raspberry lasagna would taste like.

In the shoe store, Mom kept picking pink shoes for Stephanie to try on. She got a pair of pink rubber snow boots that matched her coat, and a pair of pink sneakers for doing work around the house. They were having some kind of sale where if you bought one pair, you could get a second for half price. Stephanie said that her dance teacher wanted her in heels, and asked if she could get another pair so she wouldn’t have to be in navy blue every week. Michelle found her a pair of black pumps that she said would be perfect for any occasion. They looked like real grownup woman shoes. Mom added a pair of sparkly pink sandals that reminded her of the shoes the stars wear on that ballroom dancing show.

They’d gotten everything they came for, so Stephanie expected they’d just go home. But her mother and sister told her that there was more to shopping than buying something specific. Shopping was also about seeing what else was out there. They spent some more time walking through the mall, stopping at various stores and looking at things.

There was a sale rack in an aisle that had cold winter wear. Mom bought Stephanie a hat, scarf, and gloves in the brightest shade of pink she’d ever seen. It was to keep skiers from getting lost or something, but it would make Stephanie look ultra-girlie if she ever went out in the snow.

In one store Michelle tried on this silk top that fit her well and looked really nice, and Stephanie was surprised when she just put it back on the rack and didn’t buy anything. “You didn’t like that? I thought it was really pretty.”

“So did I. That’s why I wanted to see how I looked in it.”

“But you put it back?”

“I really don’t have anywhere that I can wear that kind of blouse, so buying it would be silly.”

“Trying on something you’re not going to buy isn’t silly?”

“Nope.” It seemed that Stephanie still had a way to go to learn how to think like a girl.

She tried harder to get into it, and as they continued browsing every so often she pulled out things that she didn’t want to buy just to look at them. She tried on a cute little skirt that she liked, but Mom said it was way too short for her. Michelle tried whispering that she’d get it for her as a birthday present, but their mother overheard and immediately vetoed that idea.

They were walking through one of the big department stores at the end of the mall when Stephanie saw something she wanted to try on. It was a short-sleeved dress, striped in light and dark purple and cream, that looked very pretty. It had buttons down the front, a gathered elastic waist and a built-in lining under the skirt so it didn’t need a slip. They had one in her size and it fit great! She twirled around in front of the mirror a few times before putting it back on the hanger.

Instead of giving it to the changing room attendant, Mom kept it and took it to the cash register. Stephanie was confused. She thought they were just supposed to be looking and not buying. Mom explained, “Yes, we’re just looking. Even if we like something, we put it back. But that look on your face says you don’t just like this dress; you love it. And what kind of mother would I be to deny you that feeling? And it’s one that works in either a casual or a dressy situation. With your dance class, and church every Sunday, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to wear it.”

Stephanie thanked her mother and gave her a big hug in appreciation. She really did love that dress. Steven never really cared much about what he wore. He didn’t even have any favorite shirt or sweater or anything. Feeling this strongly about a piece of cloth was a very new experience.

She was still smiling about her new dress as they continued shopping for a couple more hours until everyone was too worn out to continue. Mom looked at her watch and saw that it was getting close to dinner time. None of them had any energy to want to cook, so she called Dad and told him to meet them at Fiorelli’s instead of going home.

They got to the restaurant first and were enjoying a basket of garlic bread when he showed up. He told all three of his girls that they looked very nice, and gave his wife a sweet peck on the cheek. The waitress gave him a menu to look over, but he just ordered his favorite without bothering to open it.

Dad had had a rough day, and didn’t want to talk about it. He tried to look interested when Stephanie told him about the pretty new things they’d bought for her, but she could tell he didn’t care. He just smiled and said that he was amazed to see her so excited about something; his youngest child had always seemed so quiet and withdrawn, before.

She wasn’t really sure how to react to that. Stephanie was mainly emotional and talkative because that’s how girls are supposed to be, but she had to admit to herself that there was a part of her that really did want to tell her Daddy all about her exciting day of shopping. She really didn’t know where that came from. Steven just hadn’t had a lot he wanted to share with people, so he kept to himself, but Stephanie was greatly appreciating feeling connected to her family. It was weird.

She tried to shave the confusion out of her head while splitting a yummy tiramisu with Michelle. She forced out thoughts of what Steven was before and tried to just focus on being Stephanie in the present. And in the present she was enjoying a meal with the people she loved.

They got home and had time for the whole family to play a game of Uno before Michelle disappeared to go call her boyfriend. It was just a nice night. She put on her favorite nightgown (the one she’d been wearing when she kissed a boy), told some of her worries to Hannah the doll on her bureau, and then went to bed.

Friday morning, the light was very bright outside her window. The storm had come early, and the whole yard was layered in white. A few flakes were still falling, but it seemed like most of it had passed. After a breakfast of instant oatmeal, she was ready to help her father and sister with the shoveling.

She got wear her “raspberry lasagna” top and her new flared jeans for the first time. With her pink snow boots, her pink jacket, and her very pink scarf, gloves and hat, Michelle said she looked like “Snowbunny Barbie.” Dad had to break up the snowball fight that followed. He set them back to work on different sides of the house, Michelle with him in the driveway and Stephanie clearing the front walk.

She tried catching a few snowflakes on her tongue. When her nose was starting to get too frozen, they went inside, where Mom was waiting. She made them take off their boots in the hall so they wouldn’t drip all over the house. Since Stephanie’s jeans fit nicely over her boots instead of tucking into them, the cuffs were wet, and she had to take her pants off, too.

She felt very self-conscious about stripping to her panties in front of her dad and made him close his eyes while she ran out of the room to get her robe. He tried to make some kind of complaint, but he gave up and closed them. After a snack of hot chocolate and a cookie, it was back to work.

It had become an almost second nature for Stephanie to apply lip gloss, and that habit worked even better at keeping her lips from getting chapped than any balm ever had. If she hadn’t become a girl, she’d be a boy with icky cracked lips, and that alone almost made the whole thing worth it.

By the time she’d gotten to the end of the walk, she had to go over the beginning again, to scrape up new snow. Then it was ready for Dad to spread salt to keep it from getting slippery. Michelle convinced Stephanie to make snow angels in the backyard before going in, and it was fun.

It was even more fun when Mom saw them both come in covered in snow, and they both had to take their snowy jeans off. Stephanie’s robe was still right there, but it was Michelle’s turn to run through the house in her underpants while her sister giggled.

The plow had come, so Dad was out of excuses and had to go into the office. Mom gave him a kiss and told him to be careful on the roads. The news at noon showed a picture of Stephanie’s school, where the giant plastic tarp had blown off in the storm and snow had gotten into the big hole in the wall. They interviewed the guy in charge of fixing the school, and he swore that everything would still be finished on schedule.

Stephanie was kind of uncomfortable thinking about going back to school, because it reminded her of going back to being Steven, and she wasn’t sure how much of the good things about being Stephanie she’d be able to take back with her. She took a long, hot bubble bath when Michelle was done in the shower, and lay there wondering if it would have been easier if she’d always been a girl. She washed the things that didn’t belong on Stephanie and tried to imagine what she’d look like without them. She couldn’t decide whether the idea fascinated her or terrified her. When the water got too cold and her toes got too wrinkled, she got out and got dressed.

She felt like dressing up after her bath and put on her shiny pink tights, black skirt, ruffled pink blouse, and white cardigan sweater. She slipped into her new pink sandals to try them out. They had a seriously grown-up heel to them. The outfit worked well with her pink jewelry, and she used her glittery lip gloss and a little bit of mascara, and a dab of cologne. She was tired of her hairstyle and tried a few things, but settled on sweeping it forward on one side and pinning the other side with barrettes.

She went downstairs and Mom said she looked very pretty. Michelle asked if she had a date or something, and Stephanie told her she was just in the mood to look nice, even if her family were the only ones looking. She borrowed some polish and remover from her sister and changed her nails to a paler pink. Michelle offered to help, but Stephanie wanted to make sure she’d be able to do it when her sister went back to college.

Steven’s experience with model paints translated well to nail polish, and Stephanie’s left hand came out perfectly. However, Steven had never had to paint with his left hand, so the nails on Stephanie’s right hand were a little sloppy. Michelle told her to clean them off, and then showed her a better grip for holding the brush in her left hand, and told her she might gain more control by moving the nail against the brush instead of the brush against the nail. That was strange, but it worked. It was good to have a big sister that could teach her things.

Stephanie got to wear an apron and help her mother cook dinner again. She had to peel carrots and potatoes for a pot roast. Dad was running late, and somehow cooking the meal extra-long only served to make the meat more tender and delicious. Mom and Dad had to go talk about something in his study after dinner, and Michelle had another call from Kurt, so Stephanie just went up to her room and drew until she was ready to go to bed.

Stephanie’s package was delivered on Saturday morning. She’d almost forgotten about it, but when she opened the box and saw her two bottles of lavender and tea tree oil, she remembered her plan. If she used enough of those two oils, it would make her boobs grow, and then that obnoxious Christopher couldn’t call her a little kid.

Mom wanted to know what she’d gotten, so she told her it was some bath oil she’d bought with Grandma’s Christmas money. She snuck her bottles up to her room and pulled out the internet pages she’d printed about the oils from their hiding place in her attic.

She locked her door and opened the bottles. Tea tree oil smelled gross! And people actually used this stuff for mouthwash? She was planning on just rubbing the stuff into her skin, but people would definitely notice the smell. Lavender oil smelled much prettier, so she figured she might be able to get away with using it as perfume.

She stripped to the waist and lay down in her bed. Then she took a few drops of lavender oil and started massaging it into the general area where her boobs would be if she had them. It felt kind of good on her little nipples, but it made them stick up. When she had rubbed it all in, she smelled strongly like a flower and had oily hands. She wiped her hands on her ears and the back of her neck, where perfume would go, and ran them through her hair. She put on her bra and a camisole and a top, and it hoped that would be enough to keep the scent down. She put the bottles in her dresser drawer and went to wash her hands.

For the rest of the day, her family would get occasional odd looks on their faces, like they were thinking, “What’s that smell and where’s it coming from?” but nobody said anything to her. When she was ready for bed, she realized that her dirty clothes hamper was going to be smelling like lavender for a while if she was going to keep wearing the oil under her clothes. It was just as well that Mom had started Stephanie doing her own laundry.

She rubbed the tea tree oil on her chest before she put on her nightgown. It still smelled gross, but it didn’t make her want to throw up or anything. It was just like really strong paint fumes or something. She promised herself that she would keep it up as long as it takes.

She settled into a routine of rubbing lavender oil on in the morning and tea tree oil at night, and putting a few drops of both into her bathwater. She even tried adding some tea tree oil to the glass of water she rinsed with after brushing her teeth, but that was too disgusting for every day.

Sunday was a big day. Her mother had printed out a stack of invitations for Stephanie to hand out to her Sunday School classmates. They each said:

You are invited to Stephanie Theresa Brooks’ 12th Birthday Party!
2:00pm Saturday, January 19 Summerwood Cinemas
Bring a gift appropriate for a 12-year-old girl
There will be games and refreshments, followed by a showing of the new Disney movie Enchanted (Rated PG).
Please RSVP.

Stephanie was in such a good mood that she wore her pretty new striped dress to church, and pantyhose like a grownup, and she wanted to wear her new pumps but Mom said her Mary Janes would be more appropriate. She wasn’t exactly sure why she was so happy, until Michelle asked if she was putting so much effort into getting dressed up because she’d be seeing Brian again. Stephanie blushed from head to toe as an answer. She realized Michelle was right, but also asked her mother if she could have one more invitation.

When they got to church, she tried to catch Brian before Sunday School started, but she was waylaid by a very said Bobby Perrone who looked like he needed a hug. She whispered in his ear, “Hang in there, Robin. Just remember you’re an angel princess.” She wanted to invite Robin over for her birthday but knew she couldn’t invite an eight-year-old to a party that would be showing a PG-rated movie, so she made a plan to ask her mother if she could invite Robin to dinner some night.

She passed out her invitations at the beginning of class, and Debbie made sure to tell her immediately that she’d definitely be coming to the party. Patrick took his invitation, crumpled it up and threw it in the wastebasket without even reading it. A couple of the other girls said they had to check and see if they could get permission first. She wasn’t sure how to read the other boys. They just tucked the invitations into their pockets without making eye contact or anything.

Mr. Walters was still really cool through the lesson, and they did some readings about love that just made Stephanie daydream about Brian. She really didn’t know where that came from, but it was a happy thought so she went with it.

She finally found him during the coffee hour. She caught his eye across the room and he started walking toward her. They met somewhere in the middle of the room. It was all Stephanie could do not to throw her arms around him and smother him with kisses.

He managed to speak first. “Hi”

“Hi. Um, since you were nice enough to invite me to your party and all, I thought I would only be, like, fair to invite you to my party.” Her trembling hand held out an invitation.

He took it from her, and maybe he touched her hand a little longer than necessary. Her heart fluttered and she almost missed his reply. “Hmm. Looks interesting. I’m not sure it’s my kind of movie, though.”

Stephanie looked up into his face. “I would love to have you there.”

“These refreshments — are any of them strawberry flavored? When I see you I just can’t stop thinking about the taste of strawberry.” He licked his lips, and she remembered her strawberry lip gloss and felt her ears turning red.

She had to catch her breath before she could answer him, and then there was a shout from across the room and Pastor Moore was coming right over toward them, and he looked pissed off about something. Stephanie looked around for her family and tried to run away. Brian tried running off in the other direction.

She wasn’t fast enough. “You are an abomination, Young Man! I believe I have made it clear that your kind are not welcome here. Now get out of here and don’t come back until you can behave properly!”

Stephanie didn’t know what to do, so she fled the church, tears streaming down her face. She found Dad’s car in the parking lot, but it was locked. She leaned on it and tried to calm down, but she just started crying instead. She wasn’t waiting long before her family came out.

Mom gave her a tissue and tried to comfort her, but she was steaming mad. “He had no right to talk to you like that. I’m going to call the Deacons tomorrow and see if we can force him to apologize.” Even after they got home, she spent the afternoon on the computer composing a complaint letter.

Later on the phone rang and it was Brian. He said he was sorry he didn’t stick around when the pastor was yelling at Stephanie, and he sounded sincere. But she wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. He abandoned her to be chased away by a mad minister. She got him to promise to come to her party, and she caved a little and said that he might get to taste some strawberries if his present is good enough.

Since her party was a whole two weeks away, he told her that if she wanted to maybe see him a little earlier than that, he’d be having a couple friends over on the Saturday in between to play video games, and she’d be welcome to join them. She said she’d think about it.