Stuck in a Rut.
By Rosalie Redd

Casey Church is a normal 13 year old girl, But in a world where there hasn’t been a girl born in over 100 years, Casey adjusts to her new life as a girl. Can Casey cope with everything that comes with being a girl, or will others conspire to ruin her life?

Chapter 37

I woke up on my bed. I remembered falling asleep on the couch with DeShaun. That sweetie of mine must have carried me up the stairs and put me here. Gotta love that.I wandered into the bathroom and brushed my teeth and got ready for bed. I climbed into bed and dreams of my strong, sweet man filled my head.

Morning came with no big fanfare. I pulled on some black leggings and cute white ankle socks. Rifling through the closet, I settled on a plain red tee. I passed Mom in the hall, and smiled at her. Running down the stairs, I arrived in the kitchen. Dad and DeShaun were at the table, looking at the paper. Dad looked up at me and frowned.

“I hope you aren’t going to school in that.”, Dad said with a dis-approving tone.

I sighed. “What’s wrong with this?”, I asked.

“You have something far better that you can wear, rather than just a t-shirt. Go change right now.”, he exclaimed.

I sighed and got up, going back upstairs. When I reached my door, I gasped. Mom’s Jersey was hanging from the know on a hanger, with a note.

I grabbed the note and read it.

“My Dearest Casey. You are the light of my life, and the most precious achievement. You are that which I am most proud of. None of my sports accomplishments mean 1% of what you mean to me. I would be ever so proud to have my little girl wear my heirloom from my time at school. This is yours now. Cherish it, and hand wash it. :P
Happy Early Birthday,

Love Mom.”

I picked up the jersey and took it off the hanger. Slipping it on, it fit like a dress, and looked good over the leggings. I heard a throat clear behind me, and turned. Mom was standing there with tears in her eyes. I leaped up and wrapped my arms around her, she hugged me and held me up, off the ground.
I kissed her cheek, and then she kissed mine. We smiled and headed down to breakfast.

Arriving back in the kitchen, DeShaun stood up and came over giving me a hug and a discreet kiss on the cheek. (Mom and Dad were watching, after all).

“I know your birthday isn’t until Tuesday, but we thought you might want to wear that to the game, and the bonfire tonight.”, Mom said, still wiping tears away.

I sat down and very carefully ate breakfast. As was tradition on game day, DeShaun had his jersey on a well. After we finished, Mom grabbed her keys, and we all headed to the car.

I arrived at first period, and Luna saw me and smiled. “Oh wow.”, she said with glee. “Your own personalized jersey. That’s so cool!”

I laughed, even though I was also aware that I was getting a couple evil-eyes from across the room.

“No silly, This was my Mom’s jersey from when she went here.”, I was given her maiden name for my first name.

“Oh, okay… I suppose that makes more sense.”, she chuckled. We both had a good laugh about that.

Luna looked over at me and in a hushed voice, she whispered. “You okay? I know for some it’s difficult to face the first month anniversary...”

I cut her off with a hug. “I’m fine. It’s surreal to think that it’s October 5th, already. It seems like the rut was longer than a month ago. Of course, all things being equal… I’d still rather be a boy. But I have gained some precious things to me from the change. One of which is a good friend (and awesome kitty).” I looked at Luna, and I laughed.

She giggled and mewed at me. All the while, the Wilders stared at me, with that look of hate.

The day progressed, and classes passed all too slowly.

Lunch came at last. Janie and I met at the usual spots, with DeShaun arriving shortly after. Janie looked at Mom’s jersey and smiled.

“Your Mom really gave you her old jersey?”, she asked.

I nodded. “I know my birthday isn’t until Tuesday, but she wanted me to have it early.”

DeShaun leaned over and kissed my cheek. “It looks good on you, too.”, he said affectionately.

“Lair.”, I said with a giggle. Yes, I’ve been conscious that I’ve been giggling more. “I’m practically swimming in it.”

“Still, looks kinda sexy”, he said.

Janie gave me a once-over look, and licked her lips. “Agreed.”

Changing the subject, I looked over to Janie. “How did things go with George?”, I asked.

She looked at me. “I think we got to him in time. He told me that he’d been severely depressed. And he’s scared about the change.”

“Damn.”, I said. “I had hoped that he hadn’t been triggered, though with all the blood I saw, I guess that was wishful thinking.”

Janie nodded. “He’s taking that hard, and his parents were kind of in denial about it. I sat them down and talked to them too. I told them about… what I went through, and how alone I felt. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mom and Dad dearly. But after I tried to kill myself, they didn’t know how to respond. That’s why they sent me to that clinic. It helped me, but I suggested that it might not be the best for everyone. I think that hearing my story kind of woke them up. They are going to schedule therapy sessions both for Georgia, and for the whole family.”, she said as she looked at her sandwich with a melancholy look.

“So he decided on Georgia?”, I asked.

“Yeah. I think the new name kind of make it more real for him, and not an abstract thing that is looming off in the not too distant future. I know it did for me.”, she replied, before taking a bite of her lunch.

I nodded in agreement. I thought about my own trauma. One month ago, September 5th. I looked over at DeShaun, then over at Janie.

Janie caught my gaze. “Don’t think I forgot. It’s your anniversary. Although I’m not sure what exactly you give for this one.”, she said with a smirk.

I laughed, and looked over at DeShaun, who was pretending not to be paying attention. That boy is up to something.

The day rolled on slowly. Everyone was waiting for 7th period. There was a pep rally scheduled for then in the gym. Typically, non-sports fans and the like would take the opportunity to duck out of school early, but as a football girlfriend, it was my “sworn duty” to be there for my man. Yes, I know that sounds so totally girly, but as has been pointed out to me several times today, that’s what I became a month ago.

I shuffled into the gym, and looked around. I spotted Janie, and went over and sat beside her. She gave me a hug, and we held hands as we waited for the show to start. I should probably explain, but in Eden Prairie, football is a big deal. Our long time coach, Coach Grant is the son of an NFL Hall of Fame head coach, and not only trips to the state finals demanded, they are expected.

Janie and I sat there, watching as the cheerleaders entered, doing back-flips and somersaults and cartwheels. Hmmm… I wonder if I can do those with my flexibility? I briefly entertained trying it in the backyard later, but the possibility of breaking my neck quickly removed that thought from my mind. I watched the cheer girls, there had been an uproar when Marcia had been hauled in. Several girls had quit, including the Senior Captains. Apparently Marcia had strong-armed her way up the ranks, with the assistance of her mother’s money, no doubt. With her gone, some left because she had ruined the activity for them, but she had scared them into staying.

Coach Grant and his assistant coaches came out next, and gave a speech about the winning tradition at the school, and about the life lessons he had learned from his father, and the lessons of fair play and hard work that he tried to instill in the team members. When he concluded, the lights were lowered and the marching band played the school fight song. The lights were then brought up as the band continued.

One by one, the reserves were announced, and then with a big cheer, the coach moved on to the starters. I cheered and hollared as DeShaun’s name was announced, and he came walking out. Janie Joined me, and we whistled and yelled and cheered the loudest. (Well, in my opinion, at least)

Once the entire team was announced, the band started playing various songs as we all clapped along.
After the rally ended, DeShaun came over and gave us both kisses, Janie’s on the cheek, and mine on the lips. I didn’t mind, as appearances had to be kept, and even though we had both made special promises to him, She knew that I was his girlfriend, and she was okay with that. Besides, I think that she and Luna might be getting a little more serious. Oh, what a bizarre foursome are we.

The game was scheduled for 7:00PM, so we had plenty of time until then. DeShaun and the rest of the team had to stay together for ceremonies and game planning and guy stuff. Yes, I know I’m not that removed from it, but yet I am.

Janie and I had returned to my house, and we both sat on the couch. I nestled into her arms and just drifted off into my own thoughts. Increasingly, I thought about how foreign I was to myself now. I tried to think back to things I enjoyed and prioritized as a boy, and a lot of it seemed alien to me now. Oh, I still enjoyed sports and video games, and the things that were big parts of my world then, but other things had crept in. I enjoyed sitting here, feeling the closeness with Janie. I actually liked shopping now. (Gasp!)

I know that when the change comes over you, your hormones change, neural pathways reconfigure, and in a very real sense, you become another person. Still, reflecting on it was unnerving. Then there was the whole sex thing. I had been a typical boy. I loved the tits, I loved the ass. I was 100% a straight male. Then the Rut happened, and I was drawn to him, to my opposite. And even after the rut had completed, I was attracted to him. The firmness of his pecs, those muscular arms that held me, that delicious 6 pack he was starting to develop. And most of all, that huge, wonderful cock of his.

It took me a while to realize, it wasn’t just him. I lingered over those sexy underwear ads, no, not Victoria’s Secret… those hot Calvin Klein guys. It’s a bit jarring to realize that you’ve changed sexuality. I do admit that I still am attracted to Janie and to Luna, they are both sexy to me, but I have also noticed that other girls are doing it for me less and less. It’s scary. But right this second, I wouldn’t change a thing. (Granted, in 6-7 weeks, when I’m swearing at DeShaun for making me have to suffer through the bloating, cramps, and bleeding. I’ll probably feel differently.) But I know in my heart that I’ll still be head over heels for him.