This chapter and later ones shamelessly use an idea from the movie “Brassed Off” in places. I don’t apologize for doing so because “Brassed Off” was very entertaining and done without a single naked body or a drug user in it. Please accept that this story is meant to be fictitious fun and written to entertain a few people through this Covid-19 mess.

Previous Key played – D Minor……… It was right about then that I would have liked for the floor to just open up and allow me to drop down into the bowels of the earth.

A Different Key – E flat Major.

But not surprisingly the floor stayed exactly the way it was. I was left blushing bright red as everyone there accepted Old Sid’s decision about the Band. Apparently I didn’t have a say in it one way or the other. Then as if to perhaps put me in the spot light even further, he asked me what I felt the band needed to do to improve. Um… oh…. mmm… oh frack it!

So I instead tried to place the burden on everyone else by asking aloud what everyone felt about the music scores they’d been given and did they like the music. I knew if nothing else, “that” should get the others talking if yesterday’s comments from Band members I had worked with was any indication. And the bitching started up as if cued to do so, thank god.

While everyone who spoke up seem to agree that the music chosen was a vast improvement on last year, the wiser ones were questioning how we could play and perform songs that had a clear and definite ownership to a specific artist or artiste that could be made to at least sound as good as the original. Since a lot of the pieces were catchy up tempo electro/techno songs such as those by Lady Gaga to name but one, how could a school Band possibly play that sort of music outdoors with very little or no speakers and electrical connectors to plug instruments into? Michael and Jenny between them put forward a good case for why it wouldn't be possible from a singers perspective, to perform those types of songs for people to listen to who might attend the school’s sports games.

When it seemed as if no one else was going to speak up, Mr. Dean asked me for my own opinion about what my bandmates had claimed. I in turn returned service on him by asking Old Sid what exactly the Band’s objectives were supposed to be if they weren’t playing music designed to encourage both our sporting teams and gaining the crowd’s interest?

Old Sid put his hand under his chin as if to think about it. Perhaps ten seconds went by in silence before he said perhaps the first objective for “this new school Band” should be to find a piece of music we could play to inspire our sporting teams first, looking round to see if anyone seemed to disagree.

Penny then spoke up and asked why we couldn’t play the last 30 minutes before the start of home games by playing the music of a popular artist, adding that if the songs we played were well enough known, we might be able to get crowds to sing along with us. She looked around for support piping up about how we now seem to have the makings of a kickass set of singers who could lead the way. Others started calling out suggestions for musical theme nights, with one even suggesting we should get the local newspaper involved and have them publish the words to songs we'd play of at a game.

One of the new guys who played both the trombone and the electric guitar although he’d chosen the trombone for Band, told everyone about a movie he’d watched recently about a mining town in England who apparently had a brass band that went and won their country’s national music award. He offered to bring in the CD with him tomorrow and play some of the music, which Mr. Dean seemed to enthusiastically agree to.

When Old Sid then went and said he’d go and speak to the audio staff about seeing if the school’s sporting arena next door could somehow be fitted out to allow for electric guitars and keyboards to be played there, the entire Band seemed to show considerable enthusiasm for him to do so. He finally called the class back to order and wrote on the board behind him in large letters,
1) Team song for encouragement?
2) Theme Tune Performance Music?
3) Electrical jacks for instruments?

He then turned back round to ask for if anyone had anymore suggestions. Seeing how easy it appeared to be to have the old boy think about alternatives, I stated that with so many new Band-persons it might be the right time to look at wearing a more appealing uniform than the old purple people eaters outfit. Without arguing Old Sid turned back to the blackboard and added,

4) New Style of Uniform before adding a question mark after it and circling it in chalk several times over.

He turned back around and started slap wiping his hands together to mimic how easy it was to get things done before giving the class a ten minute early mark but not before saying that tomorrow’s class would be used to try and find the best way to play the country’s National Anthem along with several variations to allow for some differences for regular sports attendees. He asked me to stay behind for a moment while everyone else streamed out before asking me if I could bring along the uniform my mother had had made for me, telling me that he been left a photo of it in the notes Mr. Carmichael had left along with the idea that this might be a good time for the school board to consider a change of Band uniform. What else did he leave in his notes for his successor to consider I wondered?

When I finally walked outside I was swamped by a number of band-people all asking me if I really did play all the musical instruments in the video. One of the guy singers, Steven I found out later on from Anne, actually put his arm across my shoulder as he quietly asked me was it really me singing? All my girlfriends knew how much I hated being touched, let alone held and I was about to tell this gorilla to piss off and stop touching me, when, god knows why my brain began telling me that his arm across the top of my shoulder actually felt (for once)………. kind of “Nice”. So instead of yelling at him to piss off and stop touching me, I felt myself blush while parts of me tingled in ways I’d never felt before.

In the school bus on the way home, Anne and Carmen gave me so much grief about Steven it came to the point I was whispering loud denials to having any feelings for him let alone admit to agreeing ne might look kind "hot". Until they both got off the bus, they teased me constantly about him and numerous times reminded me how I appeared to have blush red while he was talking to me.

When I got home, my brief reply to mom about how school went today, I soon found out must have made he start worrying about me. I simply headed for my room to my room to get changed out of my school clothes. Once there I made a beeline for my vanity mirror and saw my face still looked flushed, which I hurriedly did my best to try and remedy before getting changed. Once back outside and heading to the kitchen where mom was to find something to snack on, she once again asking me about how today had gone and without realizing it I was blushing again. Mom knew the signs that I must have been trying to hide something from her and like mothers the entire world over, she wanted to know what I was trying to hide.

So I firstly tried explaining to her about what had happened in Band earlier on, which eventually got around to me mentioning about this guy named Steven, which as soon as I said his name had my face yet again turning red. Mom’s silently mouthed “O” before gently smiling was the first time that I felt I no longer needed to defend myself from showing any apparent feelings for someone. Especially since in this case it was a boy I was blushing about! Mom for her part decided to play the role of a big sister as she told me that my own body was now beginning to show the effects of my lack of testosterone and the female hormones I’d been taking now for almost 12 months (partly due to the surgical bilateral orchidectomy my parents had agreed to me undertaking now Jane was sure of her next step in life). I now actually had a pair of breasts (of sorts) to take pride in, although admittedly only a small A (but growing) cup, which were still hidden behind the B Cup cutlets I used inside my bras.

Later on the evening we talked about certain things and feelings “again” and how I had to be extremely careful about not letting any boy/guy touch me somewhere inappropriately. When mom hugged me close I didn’t realize that it was a test of sorts, which when she asked me did I know that she had her hand under my skirt and resting on my crotch, had me hurriedly moving it away. I suddenly realized how easily it was to feel comfortable with someone and therefore vulnerable to certain other people.

Mom then reverted to her protective “Mother Hen” persona and told me we’d be going shopping together on Saturday for something extremely personal for me to wear before chuckling and saying I’d probably need some more stay up stockings and a few pairs of special nylons and possibly a suspender belt or two as well. Looking confused at her, mom happily laughed and told me it might be better for me to wear a pair of tight joggers and a napkin under my school uniform tomorrow so I had an excuse if I met Steven and forgot things, before mom made me stand up. She then playfully swatted my backside and told me to get ready to start getting ready for bed, leaving me furiously blushing in embarrassment over having forgotten such important things that I needed to remember to protect Jane’s new life. We continued to talk about it as mom brushed my hair, which was the accepted sign that I needed to listen to her for my own benefit. Her talk was part mini birds and the bees and part revision training girl 201 lessons. I’d passed class 101 with flying colors some time back but mom felt I needed some re tutoring in girl 201 subjects. In the morning I didn’t wear shorts under my uniform skirt, but did wear control briefs along with a panty liner inside it “and” a pair of pantyhose over the briefs.

Lucky for me I did too. At lunch I sat down with my other musical girlfriends but also with Michael and Jenny as well as Steven, who simply asked if there was room at our table and sat down uninvited beside me! Before long out regular table for eight was not only full but overflowing as other band members sat at tables besides ours and turned their chairs inwards towards our table as we talked about musical artists and themes.

Mom had spoken to me before about how some males out there sometimes emanated a form of invisible essence of some kind, that for reasons still not entirely understood among the females of the Homo Sapiens species, affected women and girls of all ages between 10 and 65 that made them lose track of time or place or events. Our school lunch time was listed as 40 minutes in duration, but for the life of me, the sound of the bell signifying the end of lunch caught me totally unawares and I quickly realized with a startled look my girlfriends were all giggling at me. it seems my mother hadn’t been telling me tales to tease me last night. In fact a deep nasal inhale had me discovering that at least on of the guys sitting around our table did seem to have a particular scent about him that I’d never smelt before. I felt a hand lift the back of my hair outwards and knew that Steven must have had his arm over my shoulder again during lunch and I’d never even noticed him doing so!

Hurriedly rushing to catch up with my other girlfriends on their way to the ladies toilets, I had to embarrassingly ask Carmen and Anne if they’d noticed how long Steven had had his arm across my shoulder. Anne looked back at me as if I was an idiot. So did Carmen. They seemed to know what was happening to me and told me in strict girl confidence how Steven seemed to be as smitten with me as I appeared to be with him. This was certainly news to me and as much as I tried to tell them otherwise, they simply took my denials with a grain of salt and continued to look at me with slight smirks on their faces and bright smiles in their eyes.

Just before band I went round to the administration offices and retrieved the lovely Band uniform mom had had made for me and which after a girl’s music weekend had never been out of the plastic again after it had been dry cleaned. Carrying it over my shoulder I left it in the spare side room until Mr. Dean wanted to look at it. The Band guy yesterday who had said he’d bring in a CD of a movie actually did and on entering the room had handed it straight to Old Sid. The movie strangely enough titled “Brassed Off" was part Rom-Com, part Musical and part History lesson movie and the musical score caught everyone’s attention. So much so that only the students who had no other way of getting home left at the final bell to catch school busses home.

Then finally when they played the William Tell Overture and won the trophy, it had a number of students shouting out we now had a tune that every coach at school would gladly have us playing as their teams ran onto the fields this year and even Old Sid agreed, promising that he get us musical scores as soon as possible to practice rehearsing with. At this time of the year, the main school sport aside from baseball was soccer, which had a reasonable following and also was the first choice for the cheerleading squad for home games. The goal Old Sid decided on was to aim to have the band ready to play it for our next home soccer game in three weeks.

I was asked to go and get changed quickly into the uniform I’d brought along while Gail was asked to change into hers as a comparison of old against new. It only took a quick show of hands shortly afterwards to find the new uniform preferable to the old purple people eater with not a single student objecting. Just before I went and got changed back into my normal clothes I told Mr. Dean that I’d bring the quote my mother had obtained to him tomorrow for reference if the school board agreed to the purchasing of new outfits.

We spent the Following day’s Band class with the brass section playing the WTO (William Tell Overture) after Old Sid had already written the score up onto the smaller blackboard off to one side. He did this while also providing the music for various other non-brass instruments. If nothing else, that act alone shut everyone up, so much so that without having to say so Mr. Dean saw everyone drawing up hasty manuscript pages and writing the music down from off of the board instead of waiting for the copies to be finally provided once the admin office had copied them.

To his credit Old Sid quickly changed from teacher to conductor as he explained how he wanted particular instruments to play or sound. The percussion section was to provide the timpani required, possibly even including some the movie hadn’t shown. He wanted to find a way to somehow or other incorporate a set of church chimes into the music at certain bars. He also wanted the two selected electric guitarists to highlight small areas of the music while he felt it would be possible for some acoustic guitars to be able to be used for additional background music to make the music less brass and and more "orchestral".

The first few rehearsed attempts sounded terrible Old Sid told “the ensemble” as he now labelled us. But there was no doubting how enthusiastic and excited he appeared to be when also explaining how he wanted certain bars of music to sound or be played as. While the Brass section was to be the main focus of the piece, he quickly had the String and Woodwind sections providing additional backing melody that softened, yet emphasized the strong Brass instrument sound playing. His last action before the final bell rang, was to record our last rehearsal playing, then telling everyone he’d have copies for everyone to listen to and compare on Monday before wishing us a good weekend and asking us to practice at home.

“Mom, this guy Steven’s asking me out to the movies next Saturday” I gushed out to her after dinner. I was somehow trying to cradle the phone in my bust while telling her which I hoped at the same time wouldn't let him know I was asking my Mother if it was OK for me to go. Mom simply nodded her head in approval and smiled before I turned around and lifting the phone back up to my ear and said I’d love to. We spoke to each other about silly nothingness things happening around school for about another 10 minutes before he finally hung up. I still didn't fully realize what I'd just done to Jane, but mom sure had. She'd gone straight after nodding her OK to me for the lounge room to obviously inform dad about his daughter Jane just being asked out on a date. When I came into the lounge room it was with more of a bounce than a walk to find both of my parents nonchalantly watching T.V. ignoring my sprightliness completely.

It was dad who evidently decided would have to take on the role of the chief prosecutor and ask me who I’d just been on the phone talking to. After giving him a name, age, my little personal bio I knew of Steven to my concerned father it might appear he'd need to more about someone who had asked his daughter (who remember hadn’t been that for much more than a year) to out out with them. He must have decided he was told enough before ending his cross examination and sternly reminding mom (although I found out later from mom he’d just been play acting) to make sure she spoke to me about “certain things” I'd have to know, then giving me a curfew time to be home by said for me to not make so much noise as he proceeded to watch the program in front of him, whatever it was.

“We’ll talk about it while we’re out shopping tomorrow Jane” mom promised me before glancing sideways towards dad while looking towards the ceiling, then giving me a friendly smile signifying not to be worried. In the silence required by dad (now engrossed again in what was on T.V.) I began to ponder whether I should have been so quick to say yes to Steven’s invite. What in blazes made me say yes?

The next morning I woke up and got ready to go shopping with mom. When I walked into the kitchen to get breakfast, mom suggested it might be better for me to wear a longish sort of skirt today instead of the usual figure hugging jeans I was wearing. After I’d eaten and cleared away the dishes into the washer I went and got changed into a casual skirt that fell down to about knee height. I cheated about hose and chose to remain bare legged for the day. There’s nothing worse than wearing stockings or pantyhose during warm weather when you don’t actually have to after all.

One good thing about shopping with mom was that she’d often allow me to drive if dad wasn’t in the car. The topic about me having my own transport had been brought up again just recently and dad’s blunt refusal about me having my own car before I was 18, didn’t seem as set in stone anymore. His new line of thought was that provided I showed I was mature enough, he “might” consider allowing me to have my own car, provided I was able to pay the for insurance and running costs myself!

AS we neared the shopping precinct mom gave me directions as to which streets to turn into and after mindlessly doing so, realized as mom instructed me to park anywhere round here that we were nowhere near our regular shops were since we weren’t even in the mall’s carpark street. Once out of the car, mom stopped me outside of a, would you believe it, an “Adult Product’s” store, whose sign on both the overhead metal sign and front window had painted showed “Be Daring” and in smaller letters under both Adult Products and whose actual large shop front window and entry door were completely whitewashed over so the public couldn’t see inside the shop from the footpath outside.

My curiosity was certainly peaked because I’d never in all my life set foot in a sex shop before either as Michael and “definitely” not as Jane. In fact it actually felt a bit naughty entering one because a sudden thought had me panicking that one of my friends or someone from school might have seen me or recognized me walking into this one……… At school a not so unusual reaction to hearing somebody relating their shopping experience in one, was to humorously call them a pervert or a sexual deviant and almost without exception, the person concerned would either funnily camp it up for everyone or mimic what they supposed a sexual degenerate behaved like.

On passing through a curtain to back up the whitewashed front door, the sight that my eyes beheld had me thinking “whoa, so this is what these stores look like inside”. The store seemed exceptionally long and narrow with a clearly defining center display stand separating the store into two lanes of shopping products. The store lighting was simple diffused overheard fluro lights and the several male clients inside weren’t wearing long plastic overcoats or greatcoats. I'd already heard several times about how the sex shop customers walked around inside totally naked under the plastic or army surplus great coats they wore with only their shoes and the bottoms of cut off trouser legs held up with rope ties around them to make people think they were dressed. Admittedly most of the clients inside were men, but none of them seemed dressed that way, while there was also a twentyish looking young woman aside from mom and myself browsing around the store picking up and inspecting boxed products before returning them to the shelf she took them from.

Mom simply chortled quietly, possibly guessing what was running through my mind. “Behold the holiest of holies of men the entire world over honey” mom whispered loudly which immediately had me giggling, firstly at first her sense of humor then secondly at how easily she had just made me relax and not feel nervous or embarrassed about being inside an adult sex shop.

She obviously guessed this was my first time inside one of these shops and decided to give me an educating tour around the product shelves. She casually would chose a clear plastic fronted box and casually hand it onto me, carelessly commenting on the product’s genuine similarity or lack thereof to an actual thing. Her humorous coarse remarks about certain products she showed me soon had me giggling or chuckling loudly in this sacred shrine of male masculinity and I discovered a new side to mom I never known of before. She certainly wasn’t embarrassed about both either seeing or handling various sized and colored phalluses, faux vagina’s, anus’s or anything else, although she did say about certain products how a woman’s plumbing would make something hard to use or be not that enjoyable to experience.

At the end of the far wall was another curtained doorway that had a printed sign on the wall above it stating B.D.S.M. which mom wordlessly ushered me through the curtain of. The other side of the curtain was in contrast to the room we had just come from. The walls of this room were painted dull black and there were a lot of mirrors around the floor, while the overhead lighting was made of small spotlights shinning downwards. The display cases were all glass fronted and chrome closed at each top and side, while on the walls hung mannequins wearing various types of clothing, some with chains of varying thicknesses or lengths. Some of the mannequins displayed hands in silver handcuffs or cuffs around their ankles, some both. Others included masks over their heads as well as being zipped up or unzipped. There were far too items many to mention here.

After allowing me to satisfy my curiosity somewhat over my first actual sighting in the flesh so to speak of discipline appliances, Mom guided me over to where am employee was casually standing behind a glass top counter with the shelves behind fully stocked. Mom quietly explained what she was looking for while I only half listened, far too busy absorbing what was on the various mannequins displayed around the room. I did catch mom saying something belt, but wasn't really listening to the conversation between mom and the elderly shop employee I was so distracted with looking around. He turned around and selected several small boxes which he handed over to mom saying underwear had to be worn at all times trying on the products.

Taking the boxes from him she moved behind me and quietly directed me towards what appeared to be a very poorly built temporary changing room and telling me as she slid the door close and latched it behind us, to take my skirt off and try on a belt. Perhaps mom wasn’t ready to call it a chastity belt at the moment.

After trying on several and with my confirmation as to whether they were comfortable or not, which needed to include a brief walk around the area outside as well as in the main area of the store to check for chafing for each belt, we left the store with me carrying a quite practical non descript plastic carry bag that contained 3 boxes containing “modesty” belts. Then after driving around to our regular shopping center and purchasing the necessary groceries for the following week, I drove mom and me home. On the drive home we talked about my “modesty” belts as mom pronounced them while I called them what they were in olden times “chastity” belts before mom decided to concede the term while explaining her reasoning to purchasing them for me to wear.

It all boiled down to the fact that until I could manage to control my feelings more consistently so that I wasn’t in any danger of being touched somewhere inappropriately, for the sake of both Jane’s new life, my reputation and to avoid any possibly violence being perpetrated against me by troglodytes, I’d be required to wear one of the chastity belts when I wasn’t at home, although I would be expected to carry the small unlocking key on my person to cater for toilet usage situations.

Out of curiosity I wore a chastity belt around the house for the rest of the weekend, only taking it off when using the toilet, or at bedtimes. Mom and I checked whether some sort of unusual bulge might divulge my secret, but the three belts all had soft though stiff leather around the inside thighs region, but which also allowed me to wear the belts over my waistline which also meant they were snuggled very closely between my legs and thighs. It felt slightly awkward walking around with a slightly opened gait and it took at lot of getting used to trying to cross my legs without feeling uncomfortable. Mom didn’t tell dad what she’d purchased for me just yet and he didn’t suspect a thing. Certainly he kept reminding about behaving appropriately with Steven even up until the time he called round for me, which dad wouldn't have needed to do if he knew what I was having to wear!

On the Monday, I'd already planned to make sure I had taken off and discreetly hidden the chastity belt in my locker before Gym, so I was able to get changed as I usually did. But when it came to Band, I suddenly found it a bit awkward to sit at the drums perched on a small stool and use my bass drum pedal comfortably! Mr. Dean made mention of my slightly less than usual good percussion work, although not going any further than to inquire if I was alright today.

By the end of Wednesday Band class, our ensemble had mastered the Star Spangled Banner anthem perfectly for performing at our next sports gathering. Each day thereafter, the ensemble incorporated in the words being sung, which became the responsibility of Michael with Geoff Smartz designated alternate anthem singer. The girls voices were used for additional harmony as were the remaining boys. By the following Monday, our now stirring rendition of the country’s anthem was certainly worthy of being listened to.

I’d arranged with Steven for him to call for me so we could view an early show Saturday evening. Then he’d planned to take me to dinner, which after careful consideration for his and my money (because we'd already agreed to go Dutch this time), had us going to a nearby Chinese takeaway where I knew they served tasty food at sensible prices. Getting ready for my first date didn’t entail having to do much really. I’d already told mom no to her offer a makeover at the salon we both now used, besides which I already knew how to do my nails properly now anyway.

But mom still claimed “Mother’s Privilege” to help me to get ready and I kind of hoped she’d help me incase I wore something wrong. So after showering and getting rid of any unwanted hair, mom watched as I took out a pair of my prettiest matching bra and panty sets to wear. I’ll admit I was very tempted to wear stockings and a suspender belt, but felt that already wearing one belt was enough and that two could very likely be a problem. When I pulled out a pair of stay ups instead mom simply told me I was wiser than most women who went out every weekend and I knew then I’d chosen correctly.

So after putting on my underwear and then my chastity belt, I decided on wearing a simple blouse and flowing soft skirt with 3 inch heels to finish it off the rest of my first date outfit. The skirt wasn’t short and came down to my knees, but because it was so loose and big at the bottom, would allow me to be able to be comfortable if it rode up while I was sitting and still allow me modesty with prettiness.

When I’d done my face, mom finished brushing my hair to a shining luster before pinning it enough to enable me to wear it falling to one side of my head. Mom then took about five million photos of me before sitting down in the lounge room and waiting with me for Steven to turn up. Needless to say, Steven’s tongue almost fell out of his mouth when he first saw me. The flowers (with a small bunch for mom too) he gave me were a nice touch (and so 50’s don’t you think), while dad who made an obviously rehearsed late entry into the lounge room, gave both his blessing to how we both looked while reminding Steven about how much he loved his little girl, leaving my date in no doubt about what would happen to him if he did something inappropriate to me.

All in all we had a really fantastic night out together. If anyone watching us saw my father later on they’d have to tell him we acted like an innocent couple simply having a good time. During the movie though I did permit Steven petting rights, but only up to a certain point, which was just far enough up my legs but well away from my chastity belt, and only allowing his hand to stay on the outside of my skirt at all times. I did however allow him to put his other arm over my shoulder and cuddling rights, which I suppose encouraged him to try the old accidently seeming to let his left hand slip down onto my left breast for a brief moment. After a second time and again quickly removing his offending paw, I gave him the screaming out warning, which saw him stop it.

He had already taken my right hand and carefully placed it quite high up inside his left leg but just below his groin using his own hand over mine to move it around slightly at times. No actual contact was made with his cock, but it would have been quite easy if I'd wanted to rub the outside of him. Our kissing was a bit of trial and error. Finally we both worked it out that the movies we’d both seen weren’t practical in real life. We quickly discovered that our noses often got in the road a bit too much for truly toe curling kisses. But somehow or other we worked out how to do it properly in the end.

During the previous few days I’d actually wanted to go and see the movie he and I ended up paying for. But I’m dashed if I could tell any of my friends now what the movie was all about since I didn't pay to much attention to it! Our Chinese meal afterwards was indeed the perfect finishing touch to a wonderful night out first date.

Steven made sure he dropped me home before curfew and I rewarded him accordingly at the front door. Mom then helped me get undressed while I dished out what we had done together, making sure I didn’t get too detailed about things and was rewarded by seeing the satisfaction in mom’s eyes as she tucked me in and kissed me goodnight.

My personal clothing secret remained exactly that and would have remained so except mom was late driving me to school one day. That left me racing the entire morning to catch up on class note writing from blackboards. When a person like myself (who's normally used to running to time), finds they're needing to move faster to catch up, it sometimes means that I’m not thinking at top speed all the time. So with my mind that morning needing to think quicker than it usually did and with me normally using Gym to allow my mind to relax to a more calming place, I simply wasn’t thinking when I began to get changed for Gym and unintentionally showed what I was wearing underneath my uniform skirt.

O.M.G. I could have died when Lesley, the girl changing next to me embarrassingly cried out in a voice I just wished would have been quieter, when she asked me "is that a chastity belt your wearing Jane?" Then before I could react or even offer an answer or explanation to her, every girl around me seemed to be looking and exclaiming either OMG's, praise, criticism or else asking with a curious tone what it was like to wear. With a speed that every girl knows about, it seemed that soon every girl in the change rooms was aware I was wearing a chastity belt by the time we headed out to commence Gym.

A few of the Cheerleader girls gave me grief about it with whispered insults ranging from my promiscuity and obvious lack of it, through to the belt being a waste of money because I’d never get a guy to go out with me anyway, let alone get him to want to screw me! The rest of the class was spent with me having to whisper my reasons for wearing it to one girl after another, or describing how it felt wearing it, to how comfortable or uncomfortable it was to wear.

Then when I needed to take it off to shower, I had probably the entire female class crushed together around me watching me remove it. I did so if only to appease the mob and because I needed to shower the sweat away, but as I usually did when showering after gym I left my underwear on until I'd entered and locked my shower cubicle to wash. It was better to leave the chastity belt on top of my clothes instead of trying to pack it away and have it opened up anyway after i was under the shower, to allow the girls who simply had to look and touch to do so.

The one thing I’d learnt about women since I’ve joined the female team was that with few exceptions, most of them “can” keep a secret or not spread a rumor (or fact) if it was to a boy unless it was out of bitchy spite. So by the end of lunch apart from my lunch table friends curiously asking me about wearing a chastity belt, it appeared none of my gym class had done anything bitchy. I was thankful for that because of my afternoon classes. It appeared no guy was any the wiser as to what I was wearing or seemed to be quietly whispering to other guys. By now I’d mastered any discomfort sitting on my stool and playing the drums.

There was a funny side to the girls in my Gym class discovering what I was wearing. I found that out a few days later and that I’d unintentionally started a new fashion trend among the senior girls. By Friday, it was considered to be Tre-Chic to be wearing a chastity belt with a lot of the more adventurous girls letting it be known they were wearing one. In Gym, if you had brought the wrong colored, or with not enough silverwork showing on it chastity belt “and” were seen wearing it, you’d performed the worst possible fashion faux par ever!

I knew that mom had spent over $600 for my three belts but the belts that some of the girls wore, made mine look like they were made out of tinfoil. The head cheerleader would proudly show off her own gold plated front with what she claimed were small rubies along the front in the shape of an outlined heart to any girl in the change rooms who looked. She also seemed to have appointed herself the “Fashionista” of the change rooms, letting those particular girls who were wearing chastity belts she didn’t approve of, take the full verbal brunt of her distain for that girl’s style.

By Friday every person in the senior year Music class had joined Band class. This allowed Music classes to be able to extend into Band class time when necessary, while allowing pre Band extra lessons to those seniors who might need personalized learning help. Mr. Dean had also been exceptionally busy sorting out band requirements as per the wish list he had drawn up on his black and refused to allow to be erased except by him and only if the part being erased had been achieved.

So with 13 days until the next “home” soccer match, he gave a short speech about how the sports stadium would be wired up for electric instruments in time for our next home game performance. He then dramatically erased the point from off of the blackboard before explaining how the school board would not however be able to find the funds necessary for 102 new Band uniforms in the school’s budget (actually it would only be 101 with my outfit already made). He did say though that there was probably just enough money to enable the school to purchase uniforms for those new to the Band.

In what was also considered another first for Band, Old Sid’s news wasn’t what was hoped for or what they wanted to hear, so the class decided to revolt. Since practically everyone who had recently joined was a musician (or singer) and as with most (but not all) school musicians had parents who the kids could ask for financial assistance from, the idea new uniforms couldn't be afforded wasn't satisfactory. Within a minute a seriously enforced school rule about the non using of mobile phones on school premises was being broken, as if by magic 90 mobiles phones were in use for contacting parents. Those who didn’t have phones simply waited for a friend to share theirs. The entire room was one gigantic seething mass of noisy moving students doing the mobile rhumba talking with parents. Old Sid simply stood mute and watched his class ignore him entirely.

By the time some phones had been shared around and used, the class finally started to quieten down and looked back towards the front to allow Mr. Dean to have his class back. He began by reiterating how the school board might be able to purchase enough uniforms for the newer members with a student payment of $30 for each uniform, but there were not enough funds to attire the now much larger Band in new uniforms. Michael Lee our best solo vocalist then stood up and asked if the school would allow for the new uniforms to be made if it was paid for by parents directly. He then said his own parents would pay for his Band uniform and turned around to the class and asked aloud if any other student had parents who would pay for their uniform, asking those who would to stand up.

Almost as one everyone appeared to stand up at first. However a quick head count soon saw 18 students still seated or not able to stand up with confidence. Michael Lee turned to Mr. Dean and asked Old Sid if he could arrange to have a letter drafted up for parents to sign. The school would then only need to find enough money to pay for possibly 18 new Band uniforms. The stunned look on Old Sid’s face didn't however hide his excitement over what was now happening, so he gave the class an assurance that by tomorrow’s class letters for parent’s would be available to be taken home for signature.

He then advised the class that after reviewing all of the written requests about possible new music, he had prepared a list pending how the makeup of the crowd at our next home soccer game eventuated before allowing him to be in a position to provide a final program for the rest of the school’s musical and sporting year’s calendars. He asked the class though if he could organize for the copying of manuscripts for a possible short program of a famous 1960’s musicians music, would everyone agree to it. He then offered the choice of playing a medley of Beatles, Rolling Stones or Burt Bacharach/Hal David songs, using the chalk board to write down a number of songs from each artist.

Someone, I’m not sure who called out about the half time break and if we could play music that allowed for the school’s cheerleaders to get involved. Old Sid thought about it momentarily before making a face that seemed to signify he thought it wasn’t a bad suggestion. Nodding his head, he said he’d speak to the people involved and something might be able to be arranged.

This seemed to appease everyone at least for the moment, before Old Sid asked everyone if they’d practiced "Tell" over the weekend. He then called for a rehearsal now stating it might sound scratchy playing. It sure was but it was certainly enthusiastic played. The short remaining time that day was spent concentrating on the first 55 bars of the tune.

Once final bell had gone and everyone was outside, discussions were split between uniforms and how long it would take to get made and with section leaders trying to arrange hasty after school rehearsal commencing the following afternoon. Since I was supposedly now in charge of the ensemble, as each musical section came to agreement about possible after school practices times, I was approached for assistance to coordinate it.

Because of the need for the school’s own small stadium to be used by sporting teams for practices after school, it was generally agreed that a nearby public park was the most obvious not to mention closest venue to hold practices at, so all that was needed was for permission to be obtained to go there and practice. I dashed back into school and made a beeline for the Music and Audio staff room where, upon knocking and asking, was invited into their sanctum where I discussed out of school practices with Mr. Dean.

On hearing of the apparent enthusiasm of the ensemble he asked me to go with him to the Principal’s office straight away and see how to obtain local authority’s permission to use the park for Band practices. Our Principal Mr. Dwyer simply looked on his computer before proceeding to ring up and see if it would be allowable for the ensemble to practice there. Listening to only one side of a phone conversation isn’t easy, but after several questions by him over the phone to an unseen person, and their possible answers back to him, Mr. Dwyer hung up and announced the park would be allowed to be used for Band practice between 3.40pm and 5.30pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays!

Quickly standing up to leave, I thanked both of them before dashing back outside to let a now much smaller huddle of students (who were all the ensemble’s section leaders) the practice times. They told me they’d contact their musicians at home during the rest of the afternoon and tell them about the practice times. Old Sid had assured me while I was thanking both the Principal and him that he’d have an announcement ready to be made at all the registration classes tomorrow morning for those not able to be contacted.

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May I extend my heartfelt thanks to everyone who has been following this story, offering kudos, comments or even using author contact to offer encouragement for the story as well as my well being. A Different Key - F Major, will hopefully be up and posted by BCTS June 5th ? - Please stay safe.
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