Chapter 6

When the others had gone Amy went and fetched a selection of swimwear for us to chose from. After trying them on, the others chose bikinis, but I went for a swimsuit which just managed to cover the line of my breast forms, but was cut quite high on the hips, and I was glad that I had been fixed by Mum’s friend, because it was quite revealing and did not cover much. We all packed our things in our bags and helped Amy tidy the place up.

We were a colourful bunch as we made our way down to the beach, some of us in sundresses, others in shorts and crop-tops. We found a decent bit of space sheltered by the dunes and reed and grass tussocks behind us. handy for the ice-cream shop and hamburger stall and in a good position to watch all the comings and goings

We enjoyed our day down at the beach, sunbathing and relaxing after our late and restless night.
We started watching a group of four boys trying to play volleyball, but with only two on each side it was hard for them to get a rhythm going and work up a decent volley.

"Is anybody feeling energetic enough to join in their game?"I asked the others. They giggled a bit, I think they were more interested in meeting the boys than playing volleyball.

“Do you want another few players, it will be more fun with a full team. I shouted over to them.

“That would be great, come and join us, girls, two of you come over here with us and two over there with the others, that should be a fair balance.”

"No,"said Lucy cheekily, "we were thinking that us four would take you four on, girls against boys, we think that will be fairer.”

"Whatever you want girls, but don’t complain when we thrash you.”

"Back at you, bigmouth! Typical boys, you think girls are useless at sports, we’ll see who thrashes who."Amy called back at them, giggling.

Although the boys were stronger and hitting the ball a lot harder than us, because of our netball experience we were much better at anticipating where the ball was going and were more agile around the court, and gave them a fairly even game, much to their surprise.

"That was fun and a good game, you must have played before"said Paul, one of the boys,”I was wrong to say that we were going to thrash you. Can we join you for a bit, I’ll go and get some ice cream and we can hang out for a while.”

The others gave me a quick look and I just nodded back as it was obvious they were liking the attention and I didn’t want to spoil their fun even if I was a bit worried that the boys might try to get a bit too friendly. As it happened, they behaved themselves and were just at the beach for a bit of fun themselves and were quite happy just sitting talking with us. When it was time to leave for home, they just got up, picked up their things and left with a wave and "Hope to see you all around again.”, much to the disappointment of the others who had been hopIng to be asked on a date or at least arrange another time for us all to meet at the beach."

We all went back to Lucy’s to collect our clothes and things and just as I was leaving she called me over.”

"Thanks for coming Carla, I hope you enjoyed it and weren’t too embarrassed when we made you strip. It was a bit of fun that just went too far, we all just got a bit over-excited.”

"Don’t worry it just added to the fun of the night, I was more worried that you would all be shocked and embarrassed at what you saw, or rather didn’t see.”

"You know Carla. what you have had done is pretty realistic, anybody that didn’t know better would really take you for a girl, you even have a decent figure and quite good skin, being a girl suits you. You are welcome to come to any sleepovers or parties we have from now, as Carla, the invites will not apply to Carl."

"We’ll have to see about that, I am not sure how long Carla will be around for. Thanks for the loan of the swimsuit Amy, I’ll take it home and wash it before giving it back.”

"No worries, keep it for next time, I never wear it anyway, it fits you well, you don’t have a bad figure, considering. I hope that Carla stays around for a while yet.”

Back at home after telling mum about my sleepover and day on the beach, obviously leaving out being dared into stripping naked, I was up in my room changing and about to take off the swimsuit when Mum came in.

"Sorry, for not knocking first Carla, Zoë and her Mum are downstairs and her Mum wants to talk to you. I like the swimsuit, but you are all red, I keep telling you that you should use sunscreen, you’ll have quite a tan when it all settles down. Keep the swimsuit on and just put your sundress over it and come downstairs.”

"Hi Zoë, Mrs Marshall, Mum says you want to see me.”

"Carla, Zoë has told me that you have been on the beach wearing Lucy’s swimsuit. That is not really appropriate, what if somebody recognised you as a boy, just think of how embarrassing it would be for everyone.”

"Carla, drop your dress to the floor."Mum snapped at me and I did as I had been told.

"Margaret, what do you see? Carla looks all girl, there is no reason for anyone to think otherwise, is there? The girls had a good time at the beach, no need to spoil it for them. Carla, go and change out of the swimsuit and come and join us in the garden.”

"i was soon outside with them enjoying the evening sun in the bright blue sky, everything had calmed down and Mrs Marshall had gone back to being her normal pleasant self. Zoë and I shared a jug of freshly-squeezed orange juice while our Mum’s had a bottle of white wine, as we sat and chatted for an hour or so. As they were leaving, Zoë’s mum gave me a hug. ‘ Sorry about being a bit over the top earlier, I was just a bit worried about what would have happened if those boys had been a bit more pushy. Don’t let it stop you coming round to see Zoë, you are welcome any time.”

This was the last week of the month and I was expecting to hear soon whether my campaign to change the rules had been successful. On one hand I was looking forward to being myself again, but on the other hand I was enjoying my time with the girls, they were turning out to be real friends. All my old friends, Sam and the other boys, were still treating me coldly and I realised that if they were that shallow, that they were not really worth knowing and worrying about. I put on my school dress, and brushed my hair, collected my things for school and set off to enjoy my time as Carla for as long as I could.

There were three major events that week which drew me even further into being Carla.

When I was changing for netball on Tuesday the girls were all sniggering about my tan lines as I was changing my top and bra, but there was a deathly silence as I turned to face them as I pulled up my netball skirt and they could see the flat front that I now presented, There were then gasps of amazement and a big cheer.

"Hey Carla you are really one of us now, no need to hide in the corner anymore. Let’s get out there girl and show us what you can really do on the court. Amy told us what she said to you after your first game with us, but there is no need to worry about that now, you must be well over your period.”, causing a lot of hysterical giggling and some quite lewd comments.

I was no longer self-conscious of the movement of my breasts as I ran around the court chasing the ball and realised all the girls had the same thing going on, even with sports bras there was still a lot of jiggling as they ran about. With not having to worry about my ‘boys’ bits’ showing when I was jumping, I was much more relaxed and played quite well setting up a few goals for our shooter. It was all good fun and good exercise and I wondered whether there was any way I could continue with playing netball with them when this was all over.

Partly due to the adrenaline rush we all had from the energetic game, and partly from the excitement of them seeing me getting changed earlier, when I came out the shower cubicle with my towel wrapped around me the girls all seemed a bit excited. I was surrounded by them, and felt someone grabbing my towel away from me, leaving me totally naked.

I was annoyed and embarrassed and about to shout at them when Zoë put her hands on my shoulders. “Just stay calm Carla, it’s an initiation we do to all the girls, usually in year 6, but you missed out on that. It is a way of welcoming you to the sisterhood of your friends. Besides everybody knows about you now, and none of us are bothered about it, in here you are just one of us. Now go and get dressed and we will go off to classes."

Accepting that they had all seen me, and realising that they had treated me no differently to how they had been initiated themselves at some time earlier, I moved my hands away from covering my breasts and my groin and proudly strutted over to where my clothes were hung.

I found that when I had been in the shower my bra and knickers had been replaced with a new lacy set, which I put on while they all clapped and chanted. "Put them on, you sexy thing"which I was told was a play on words from a 70s song by Hot Chocolate. This was the final part of the initiation for me, and I slipped on my dress, collected my things and we set of for our science class.

"Today we are doing something different."started Miss Thomas. "We hare going to discuss the human body and some of the functions. Will the boys go next door to Mr Campbells’ class, and his girls will be coming in here. Carla Duggan, please stay in here with the rest of the girls.”

"Today girls, we are going to talk about the female anatomy, specifically the reproduction system. I know that many of you will think you know it all and will be groaning and muttering when I am talking, but believe me you do not know nearly as much as you think you do. Most of what you think you know you have mainly learned from rumour and gossip and is more than likely mostly wrong.”

For the rest of the lesson she went through the internal workings of the female body, diseases and treatments, feminine hygiene to avoid some of the more common problems, menstruation and associated problems, fertility problems, pregnancy and childbirth, the menopause, and breast and cervical cancers. At the end most of the girls were looking a bit shocked and unnerved at the problems they might face in life and were not nearly as knowingly smug as they were at the start. The bit that particularly hit home with them was her description of childbirth. Most of them had dreamy rose-tinted notions of cuddly cute babies without really thinking about all the associated pain and discomfort and disruption to their lives, and made them listen a lot more intently when she talked about methods of birth control.

On the way out Miss Thomas called me over to stay as the others left.

"I hope you found that interesting and informative Carla. I know that most of it is not really of significance for you, but remember we were all told to treat you as a girl, and girls have to know these things, I hope you weren’t embarrassed at some of the diagrams I showed, and some of the functions I described”

"Not at all Miss. When you started, you said to the girls that all the rumours and gossip were probably misleading or wrong. That is even more true when the boys are sniggering about girls, they are even more ignorant and misguided, particularly about girls being on their periods and feeling a bit grouchy and the size of breasts and things like that. Most of the boys could do with the same lecture, the more we all understand each other, the more we can help each other.”

"I was a bit unsure about having you in this lesson in case the girls were embarrassed with you being here, but most of them now look on you as one of the girls anyway and probably didn’t even see any reason for you not to be here.”

"Miss Thomas, I appreciate that you asked me to stay for this lesson along with the others, I have learned a lot, probably more than most.”

On Friday afternoon, I was called out of class and taken in to see the Headmistress.

"Carla, there was a meeting of the school governors this morning, your protest, and what has happened since, was discussed in great detail. with a lot of strongly-held concerns on both sides of the argument. My tolerance of you wearing a skirt and my insistence on you doing it properly and conducting yourself as a girl did not go down very well and I have been told not to let this situation be repeated, I have been reminded that some people might not take such a tolerant and supportive view as your family and friends and the school could be in trouble.”

“Most things were my decisions, or at least suggestions that I agreed to follow, as far as I am concerned all I want is for you to change the rules, I am not looking to blame anybody else."

“However the governors have reviewed your request to be allowed to wear shorts in the hot weather and they have agreed to change the dress code to allow plain black knee-length shorts, proper dress shorts not sports wear. So you should be happy now and I expect to see Carl back at school on Monday, wearing shorts if you prefer.”

"I am really glad that you have all seen common sense and I am sure that the boys will be pleased too. However while all this has been going on I have really been accepted as one of the girls, and most of my friends and people I spend time with are girls and I am comfortable as I am.”

"I am a bit confused, Are you saying that you are wanting to continue to dress as a girl and be treated as a girl.”

“Playing sports with the boys, I was never particularly good and always got roughed up a bit, whereas playing netball with the girls has got me enthusiastic about fitness again and I would like to continue with that. Also, It was really interesting in Miss Rogers’ needlework class and I enjoyed that too, particularly learning a new skill and making this dress, I am so proud of that. I am sure that skill will come in useful in the future, in fact Cassie and I worked together as a team to make a dress for Mum that she absolutely loves. Now Miss Rogers is teaching us how to knit as most of the girls have never been taught or encouraged by their mothers to learn, and that is something I am doing at home with Mum, we find it very relaxing. I think that, all things considered, I will continue to dress as I am and be treated as Carla, at least until the end of the summer term and the holiday break.”

"I’m not sure that I can allow that Carla, it may be too disruptive to the other pupils, I am sure that they will be expecting to see Carl again. They have all tolerated you dressing as a girl to make your protest, but continuing to dress and act as a girl without that excuse may be too much for some. I think that you will have a much tougher time from now onwards.”

"It might be more disruptive if you force me to go back to being Carl. I am comfortable with the girls, as they are with me, I have made a lot of friends among them, and the boys generally don’t want to know me anymore. If I was suddenly to appear as a boy and be taken out of classes with the girls, I don’t think they would be very happy. Can you imagine what would happen to me if I started using the boy’s changing rooms and washrooms again, even if I go back totally to being Carl, you could very well have the scandal of a rape case, or at least a serious assault to deal with?”

“Are you finished?”

"It depends on you, can I continue coming to school as Carla?”

"Ok, if that is what you want to do, but to be clear I am no longer obliging or even asking you to do so, this is totally your decision, and the school is not liable to answer any complaints from your parents or the parents of other pupils.”

"That’s good, I can now settle down and get on with my next campaigns.”

"What on earth are you going on about?”

“In my time as Carla I have seen lots of imbalances in the way boys and girls are treated. For instance, the girls are now allowed to play football, but the boys are not allowed to join in with netball or hockey. Boys have to keep their hair short and closely trimmed, girls can wear their hair virtually any style and length they wish.Today I sat in Miss Thomas’s class with the girls when she talked about female issues and the boys were sent off for a separate lesson, I think it would be useful if the lessons were given to both genders, separately if it will save embarrassment for the teachers or pupils.

"That is quite a speech, are you finished, do you expect me to agree to all this?”

I could go on, but think that is just about enough for now. Finally, most of the cookery programmes on TV are presented by men chefs, and many of the cookery competitions include a lot of men. I think that boys should be allowed, or even encouraged, to take cookery classes too, and I am sure that many of the girls will appreciate that in years to come. I think that all classes and activities should be open equally to boys and girls. attitudes out in the big wide world are changing, the school needs to accept that, and, although not necessarily leading the way, at least needs not to be left behind ”

I stood up and walked out of her office feeling very proud of the way I had dealt with her, leaving her with her head in her hands, muttering,"Not again, what have I done to deserve this?”

The End