Seeing Heather, I knew either with Jeff or her I would be distracted by thinking of the other. The best I could, I put Heather out of my mind, save that we were friends. I did like her gown and thought how wonderful she looked.

Jeff asked, “Should I take you home? I feel so bad you got hurt.” Then I saw a glimmer in his eye, as he brushed some of my hair to the side. A huge smile came to his face, “My, how beautiful you are,” Jeff said.

We both embraced into a warm comforting hug. I said, “If you won’t be ashamed of still taking me. I would love to go to the prom with you.”

We were driving off to go to the prom when a squad car with Teddy Bruno passed in front of us. I saw Teddy clearly, though his head was bowed down. There was an aura around him. It was the saddened spirit of a victim, which caused me to wonder, ‘a victim of what?’

I pushed the thought aside for tonight, but not out of my mind.

Tonight I was with Jeff and it was my Prom. During our first slow dance, I brushed up against him. He was not expecting me to arouse him like this. I gave a luscious kiss in the middle of the dance floor as the dance ended. We caught the eyes of many who were there.

The second dance was faster and upbeat. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, but we came to life on the dance floor. Some of the time I was moving off from what Jeff was doing. And when I drew close, Jeff became mesmerized in following me.

We could almost read the minds of those around us. Jeff said, “Erin, I just saw Mary and Rose looking at you. I think they’re wondering where this side of you came from.”

His other sister Sherry came up to us, “Thank you, Erin, because of you, I’m sure many of our boyfriends won’t be underdone by underclassmen.”

While the juniors and seniors were introduced, we visited the smorgasbord and got our dinner. We paid enough attention that we could vote on things like the best dressed, the king and queen.

Somehow, I knew Stan Mann was my selection for King, and his old girlfriend Valeri was my choice for Queen. Stansky and Cousin Monica Karr were by choice for best dressed. Since I could not vote for my own gown, I chose Joni’s, a royal blue that looked like glimmering silk. It was the most elegant gown I had ever seen and it had flowed around the dance floor like she and the gown were one.

Come to the end of the night, I knew I was now and forever a woman. I felt totally natural and comfortable as Erin.

Come morning, I woke up as I heard my father coming down the stairs to our rec room. What happened, I’d gone to bed upstairs in my room. I looked over and there was Jeff asleep and down to his undies next to me. I thought, ‘I’m dead.’

Dad saw me and said, “Shush, come upstairs before Jeff awakes.”

I followed him up, thinking I was in deep trouble. He said, “Your mother saw you half asleep walking down there with your old blanket. You were in your night clothes and your robe was wrapped tightly around you as it is now. …Mom said you kissed him on the cheek and fell asleep next to him.”

Mom came up and snuggled me from behind. “I even used your old blanket to wrap it around you to keep you warm. …So did you have a good time.”

I perked up and was fully awake. I turned to my mother and said, “It was the most wonderful time a person could have. And I know I want to be a girl forever!” Mom smiled and nodded toward my father.

He said, “And what other choice did you have being a boy, or were you going to become that puppy dog you always wanted?”

I thought ‘Oops.’ Mother said, “I understand.” Father shook his head and said, “I know it’s some girl thing that I’ll never understand.”

Teddy Bruno came to mind out of the clear blue, and I asked my Mom. “Mom, I saw Teddy Bruno last night as he was being taken away in a squad car.”

Dad jumped in and said, “And that surprised you, we heard you foiled his attempt to deface the Palmer girl?”

“No, it was his look as he was being taken away like there was more to his hurt.”

Mom said, “There was a time long ago. His mother said he came storming into his house crying. He told her that she ruined his day.”

I remembered, my memory was as Aaron, but now as Erin. I remembered my mom asking me. And I told her I seemingly had surprised Teddy someplace in the fields and woods behind our house. Later that day when I came back through the fields I looked for where Teddy might have been. All I found was girls’ clothes and a broken tube of lipstick. I wondered if he had a girl back there and what other direction she went running off in.

“Hmm, that was long ago. Why would he be holding onto something like that today against Darcie?” Suddenly I said aloud, “Wow!”

Mom said, “Did you think of something?” I said I would tell her later and she knew to wait until we were alone.

Changing the subject, my mother told me to call down to Jeff to wake up and get ready for breakfast. I did that and my dad laughed.

He said, “I hope Jeff remembers why he’s here and not at home.” Dad told me, “When you came home, I smelled some alcohol on you two. I stopped Jeff before he could drive away. Luckily he stopped as he was about to hit the mailbox. He came back in without a fuss once I told him I wouldn’t tell his parents.” Dad laughed again, “I only told his parents, they would have to ask him.”

“But Daddy, you said you wouldn’t.” I knew it was my father’s sense of justice.

I helped my Mom and Josie to fix breakfast until Jeff came upstairs. Mom saw I was distracted and told me to get out of the kitchen. I loosened my robe just a little as we sat in another room. It was loose enough for Jeff to have his hand and arm around me. His hand could barely reach around and touch my breast, but he could and did. We were both pleased, but his hand quickly made it back around whenever we heard anyone enter the room.

Once breakfast was ready we ate and soon after eating Jeff was having trouble staying awake. Our goodbye was sweet but didn’t come close to matching the night before. I too went to bed.

It was near noon that I woke again, better rested for the day. I talked with my mom and sisters about the prom. Telling how I enjoyed the night, but only some of what we did.

“There I was Mom with the boy that I love, and I didn’t do all that I wanted.” Mom and then Ann hugged me and Josie giggled, “Was that because Jeni was there?”

Then I asked for Joselyn to leave so I could talk more seriously. Ann thanked me for allowing her to stay.

“Mom, I want to talk about Teddy Bruno. I was thinking about the time you said Teddy went home mad at me. I seem to remember before then he and I were good friends.”

My Mom said, “Yes, he was. It was shocking as soon after that, he started to become a mean boy.”

I said, “Well that day when I saw him in the field near a wooded area. He popped up like out of nowhere and was angry with me. I hadn’t done anything but was just going to pick some wildflowers.”

“I was distracted when I picked the flowers, so when I got back to the area around where I saw him. I didn’t find anything but some girls’ clothes and a broken lipstick. But I didn’t see a girl nor the grass bent to indicate anyone ran another way.”

I said, “This is probably a ludicrous thought, but what’s the possibility that Teddy’s tough to hide that he’s not really as tough as he tries to appear?” We talked and it was Ann who said she still saw his soft, tender side, like when she saw him shopping. “The strange thing was one time I saw him in the boys’ section, but he was looking over to the girls’ section. I thought he was afraid to go there. …He said he wanted to get his girlfriend something, but was afraid he would look stupid if he went there.”

“Mom, I think I need to talk with Teddy, but I’m afraid to.” Mom said she was willing to be with me or we could just tell his mother.

“Mom, he and I are at the age we don’t really listen to parents, even when we say we do. I think it needs to be someone like me, who has been a friend.”

It was three o’clock when we went over to Teddy’s house. His mother was there and she said, “Teddy would be too as he’s grounded. And the police said they needed to talk to him before he went to juvenile court. My mother going there and talking to his mother was normal as they were friends. Ann being there was for when I’d be alone with Teddy.

He said he was angry and didn’t want to talk with me. That was before I said, “I know why that cup split open and spilled that putrid water back on you.” He looked at me wondering how I would know, but I had his attention.

He said, “Don’t try to be a ‘goodie girl’ with me. You don’t know anything.” Despite what he was thinking? He agreed we should get away from our moms to talk. He was even open to my sister being near us. As he said, “I’m not really going to be talking to you, so it doesn’t bother me if she’s there or not?”

We were seated across from each other in their living room. Then I said, “I see you have relaxed from yesterday and are wearing some comfortable clothes.”

Teddy quickly pulled at his collar and made sure his shirt was pulled down, and not showing anything. Then I said, “It’s the outline of your underpants and I saw your top with the small bow and lace at the top. I’m not sure but I think the socks are girls’ also.”

I anticipated Teddy trying to bolt out of there so I already started to stand. I held my hand out and said, “Don’t try to run away, it’s your house. I just want to understand and help you.”

“You just want to embarrass me and make things worse!” he yelled back. “I’m not a freak like Drew.”

I said, “I don’t think either of you is freaks. But I think you were angry at him because he wasn’t afraid to be Darcie.”

“That’s stupid. It doesn’t make any sense,” he said.

“It kind of does,” said Ann, “if you want to act like your nothing like that.”

I spoke up, “You were one of the nicest boys and wasn’t afraid to be around girls, but something changed. I think part of it goes back to when you and I were in the wooded fields west of my house.”

Teddy panicked, “The girl clothes you found weren’t mine.”

“I didn’t ever say I found clothes nor about a broken tube of lipstick.” I had remembered when Teddy went running by me that day. He had kept his arm up to stop me from fully seeing him. I said, “I have tried wearing boys’ clothes and I didn’t like how they felt or looked. I wouldn’t think it would be stupid of a boy to want to wear something better.”

Teddy had still been half standing up when he finally sat back down. “You’re telling me you don’t think I’m sick or disgusting wearing girls’ clothes like Drew?” He unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt.

I said, “No. And when Drew sees himself as Darcie he likes being her. Like Darcie, you could look nice as another girl. Poor Darcie, I don’t know how many years she was afraid to dress like that.”

He said, “Well, you now know it has been at least four years for me.” His face is in his hands and he’s beginning to cry. “I used to like playing with you and Michelle, because of how you dressed and looked so cute. You didn’t know, I wanted to be a girlfriend.”

I said, “When we were six and eight you were one of us, you even liked playing with us girls, win or lose. We weren’t the ones who hassled you and said you had to change. You weren’t afraid of what others said, or I would have spoken up.”

Teddy said, “But I was afraid, and you didn’t say anything. I became more and more scared until I was afraid of being beaten up and thought of as a sissy.”

I don’t know why I did it, but I started to unbutton Teddy’s shirt and then helped him take it off. The camisole was a soft delicate pink. I drew my hands back and imagined the pretty girl he could be.

Ann finally said what I was thinking, “That is very pretty, is there something you usually like to wear with it.”

Teddy nodded yes but then walked to his room.

We hoped he went to change, but we were more afraid he just had enough. Ann and I went to talk with our mothers’.

Ann said, “It seems like Erin knew what she was talking about. Teddy even seemed to listen, but I think it finally became too much for one day.”

His mother said, “Well, we finally agreed with the police that he needs some therapy to get over this behavior.”

I said, “But from what I read if he really sees himself as a girl, therapy to get over it isn’t what he needs. He needs a good counselor to help him to figure out how he truly sees himself.”

We had been talking for a while and the conversation had become constructive. When from behind me, Teddy came walking out. Ann nudged me. Teddy still had on the top but had on a sweater and a skirt to go with it. He had tried, but only partially successful at changing his hair.

Mrs. Bruno’s eyes popped open and her mouth wasn’t sure what it wanted to say. Teddy was becoming afraid and started to turn around; when she finally said, “Please don’t go, I am so proud of you. Come here, dear.” Ted’s a good bit taller than me, but one could see he was relaxed as a girl. She soon shared, “I’m Tracey and I can’t thank you or apologize enough. I was so sure everyone would think the worst of me.”

Seeing a makeup bag in her hands; we asked if she wanted some help or to do it herself.

That was when the doorbell rang. There was both Darcie and the police…

To be conintued...