Four months following the events of “Nights of Silence...”

The bell rang, once softly, and then louder, bringing down the curtain on another day in the life of the most popular girl at Pittman High School.

Kayleigh was more than ready to go home, after taking care of a few things. She was worn out and cranky, just wanting to take a nap, like any other teenage girl.

Jenna, a girlfriend of Kayleigh’s, met her at her English class desk.

“Ready to go, Kay?”

“Just a minute.” She riffled frantically through her purse, searching for pink lipstick.

“Again, Kayleigh? Come on!”

“It’ll take one second!”

About two minutes later Kayleigh left the classroom with Jenna trailing behind. She swished her butt as she put one Ugg-boot-covered foot in front of the other. “Walking girly” almost came naturally to her now.

She had blond hair, long and wavy, all hers, with no extensions whatsoever. She’d pierced her ears and, as evidenced by her frequent digging into her purse, she wore a lot of makeup.

She wore a frayed, denim jacket over a white tube top, complementing denim jeans. The outfit came tantalizingly close to revealing her belly, but didn’t, much to many a boy’s disappointment.

Kayleigh still expressed shock, often, of how well she’d fit in. She had three guesses as to how she’d risen on the social ladder of the small school, and has she trudged to her locker, she ruminated about them in decreasing order of probability.

First was the simple explanation. Shortly after arriving in their new town, Kayleigh and Grace had started into ballet lessons at the Pittman Dance Academy. Kayleigh had risen incredibly quickly and wound up nearly on Grace’s level. There, they hit it off with three other ballerinas - the aforementioned Jenna, as well as Emma and Breanna. They’d become fast friends, and when it was brought to light Jenna, Emma, and Breanna were the three most popular girls in school, it was only natural the Barnes girls joined their small clique.

Second was the fact that, because Kayleigh and Grace were pretty outgoing, they’d slid in to the popular lunch table fairly quickly.

And the third could be summed up in one word: hormones. Kayleigh had always, for whatever reason, preferred this explanation to all others.

The fact is, when Kayleigh started onto small doses of estrogen, she’d basically become a stereotype of a girl - mood swings, crying and laughing jags, boy-craziness. And, although they were moving at what the doctor described as a “glacial” pace, she was gradually getting boobs and a butt as well. When she removed the pads she hid under her bra and panties, she could actually see, beyond the padding, an inkling of little boobies just starting to bloom.

Angered when the doctor had told her how abnormally slow her breasts were growing, when she had a chance to shop online for padding, she’d chosen the biggest pads she could find. So it went without saying that Kayleigh had the biggest bust and butt of any of her friends by far. And that, perhaps more than anything else, will make you popular in high school.

Kayleigh arrived at her locker and threw herself dramatically against it, venting to her twin sister all the while.

“I’m SO tired,” she mustered all while muttering obscenities. “I wanna go home and sleep, and get out of these jeans.”

“Why did you even wear those jeans?” Grace asked, incredulous. “Your yoga pants were clean, they’d go fine with your top and jacket.”

“I know, but...” Here a blush and giggle crossed Kayleigh’s face. “I caught Dean Bassett checking me out in these jeans about three weeks ago, and I thought if I maybe I wore them, he might...”

“Dean Bassett the senior? Dean Bassett the baseball star who is dating cheer captain Kirstie Hayes?”

“I suppose you’re right,” she sighed, thumbing through the waves in her hair. “I guess we’d better head home now.”

“Home? Didn’t you forget?” Emma and Breanna had now joined the trio and the latter spoke.

“What?”

“We got ballet this afternoon, remember?”

“You’re kidding me!” Kayleigh yelled, and punched her locker several times - only stopping to smile at a boy looking her over.

“I don’t know how you forgot, Miss Clay reminded us about twenty times last week,” said Emma matter-of-factly.

“I’ve never listened to anything that idiot says and I won’t start now,” Kayleigh sniped as she hiked up her jeans to accentuate her curves. “Why can’t Miss Melnik teach us all the time? I can’t understand it.”

The group split up briefly as the Barnes twins went to run an errand. “What is it with you and Miss Clay anyway?” Grace asked, confrontationally.

“She’s always criticizing me. Can’t stand it, is all.”

“Well, if you spent more time practicing and less time twirling randomly around in the tutu from your last recital she’d have more kind words for you.”

“Shut up! What would you have done if you’d never even gotten to wear a tutu before?”

“Never my ass! You told me yourself you would sneak into my room and try on all my recital costumes, sometimes in one day!”

Kayleigh tried to grasp a comeback but quickly resigned. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Both she and Grace giggled.

Suddenly there was a great commotion coming from above the twins, on the tiny second floor of the school. Against Grace’s wishes, Kayleigh went to check out what was going on, climbing the staircase to the upper level while Grace stayed below and spoke with a teacher.

At the end of the hall, two short freshmen - Kayleigh recognized them from what some of her guy friends derisively labeled the “geek” table - stood over a stack of books that had fallen all over the hall. They’d been carrying them on a cart, headed toward the library, and apparently had taken the turn wrong.

She picked up a few books and handed them to one of the freshmen, a bespectacled boy about half Kayleigh’s size. “Believe these are yours?” she said.

The boy said nothing, content just to stare at Kayleigh’s chest. Normally put off by this, she just laughed. The other boy was more conversational and appreciative.

“Thanks, Kayleigh. That’s real nice of you.” Everyone, somehow, knew everyone in this small school.

“Anytime,” she responded politely.

Finally, the first boy spoke, blurting out, “You’re a lot hotter than your sister!”

His friend scolded him while Kayleigh chuckled. “That’s the best compliment I can get!” She left laughing but deep down made a mental note to tell Grace, knowing it’d tick her off.

She thought little regarding the fine deed she’d just done. Because take away the girly clothes, the hair and makeup, the bra, the panties, and the real and fake boobs and curves, and you still had Jared Barnes, who thanks to Earl Green’s spontaneous kind gesture was able to receive a fresh start...

---

“What time’s Daddy picking us up?” Kayleigh asked Grace when all five of the girls were together again.

“Fifteen minutes,” Grace responded, thumbing through her phone.

“Good, I’ll be right back.” Kayleigh had one more errand to run - and it was an important one.

Just because she was wearing skirts and tights didn’t mean Kayleigh didn’t have designs on pursuing her favorite hobby - managing her school’s basketball team. And Pittman, according to the papers, had a young one that had the potential to contend. To Kayleigh, potentially being a manager was a can’t miss. She only hoped the coach/athletic director/teacher Mr. Hull would agree.

Kayleigh slunk into Coach Hull’s office and slumped into a chair. A boy, who Kayleigh barely looked at, was waiting outside as well. Speaking from the room told the pair the coach was in a meeting.

Almost unconsciously, she pulled lip balm from her purse and layered it yet again. She inspected herself carefully, using her phone as a mirror, and then smiled, satisfied.

“You’re getting awfully dolled up for a meeting with Coach Hull.”

The boy was buried in a notebook, writing something down, not looking up at Kayleigh as he spoke those words.

“And you would be?” Kayleigh was most annoyed.

“Connor Cox, sports editor, Pittman Trumpet. Here to interview the Coach,” he said politely. Kayleigh found him a bit pompous. “You’re Kayleigh Barnes, right?”

“I am,” she said, tossing her hair. “What’s it to you?”

“Nothing, nothing,” he said. “It’s just that, I was wondering if you could help me.”

“With what?” Kayleigh raised an eyebrow, suspicious, but interested - especially now that she’d seen Connor’s face.

“Well, you see, I’m the sports editor. And since the ballet is so prominent around this area, we’ve always covered them in the sports section, kind of lumping it in with the arts. And the girl I used to talk to about ballet, Lydia Bowdry, graduated last year. So I kind of need a new contact. Would you be willing to come talk to me now and again, about what’s going on at the academy?”

Kayleigh eyed Connor seriously but soon giggled. “You talk too much,” she laughed.

“Oh, sorry about that. Unusual for me.” Connor blushed and Kayleigh laughed harder. They both smiled.

“I’ll do it. Here,” Kayleigh said, “why don’t you text me?” She scribbled her number down on his notepad. She had never done that for any boy before, but she didn’t tell Connor that.

“Alright, I’ll text you, Kayleigh. Thanks!”

The five seconds they smiled at each other felt like an eternity - an eternity interrupted by Coach Hull’s throwing open the door.

“Alright, who’s going first?” The coach seemed irritable.

“I’ll go,” Kayleigh said, taking charge. She sat in a chair, crossed her legs, folded her arms, and prepared to turn on what she called her “princess charm.”

“So what can I do for you, Miss Barnes?” Coach Hull asked detachedly.

“Well,” Kayleigh said in a high-pitched voice, one that she only used when kissing up to adults. “I was wondering I could be of any assistance to the basketball team.”

“Kayleigh, Kayleigh, Kayleigh,” the Coach sighed, shaking his head. “I think you’ve made a mistake. If you’re interested in cheer talk to Mrs. Berkeley.”

Only mildly offended by Coach’s presumption, Kayleigh continued. “No, no, no!” she stated. “I want to help out as a manager, with the boys’ basketball team.”

Coach Hull pushed his glasses upon his old face and breathed carefully. “You, Kayleigh Barnes, want to be a manager with the boys’ basketball team?”

“Yes,” Kayleigh nodded.

“And how,” Coach Hull said as he paced anxiously behind his desk, “do I know that you won’t just use the position to talk to boys?”

Now Kayleigh was fully offended. “Excuse me?”

“Come on, Miss Barnes,” Coach Hull said snidely, shaking his head and grinning simultaneously. “You’re in my gym class. I’ve had to silence you several times because you’re constantly flirting! And how do I know you won’t do that when you help me out?”

“Coach Hull, that is...” Kayleigh just shook her own head. “I know basketball and I know I’ll do a good job. Please. Just give me a chance.”

“Lemme think about it.” Coach resumed his detachment.

Kayleigh stood up, straightened her jacket, hiked up her jeans, and fingered her hair. Her eyes were drawn to photos on Coach’s wall.

“Is that Bob Lanier?” she asked, referring to the Detroit Pistons great.

Coach stopped, and smiled a wry smile. “I knew I’d regret not letting you do this than vice versa, Kayleigh. Sorry I questioned you. Tryouts are Monday and you’re free to join us.”

“Thanks, Coach,” Kayleigh said. “See you then.”

A handshake and they parted.

Connor was still outside. “How’d it go?” The boy piped up.

“Well, Coach is a nice guy when he’s not being a bit of a sexist,” Kayleigh proclaimed.

“Ah, I see,” Connor chuckled. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Not if I see you first!” Kayleigh needled him. She turned, made an effort to shake her butt, and left.

Connor thought for a minute, shrugged, and went back to his writing, thinking little of his run-in with the Most Popular Girl in School.

Kayleigh did the exact opposite. She’d seen something she liked in Connor - something more than the “Crushes-of-the-Month” as Grace derisively labeled the Dean Bassetts of the world. She grinned ear-to-ear as she met her girlfriends in the bathroom as they changed into their leotards.

“What are you smiling about, Kayleigh?” Grace piped up.

Kayleigh gulped. “The geeks think I’m hotter than you!” She announced, as she wove her hair into a pretty bun.

Laughter echoed through the bathroom, audible in the hallways of the school that Kayleigh Barnes had taken and made her own. This was Kayleigh’s world. The whole wide world. A girl’s world. At last.