Twenty Weeks - 5

 

Things get better, things get worse, things get so much better
and then things get so, so, so, so much worse.

---

 
Author's Note: I do appreciate the comments, I really do. I am truly happy that so many people are enjoying the story. It's a pretty busy week, I know and I appreciate you giving me a little of your time. Happy Chanukah, Good Kwanza and Merry Christmas.

Happy Holidays to everyone! ~Clara.
 
This version of Twenty Weeks - 5 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
 
Part 5
 

"That's it!" Jade announced as Dean stepped out of the dressing room wearing a very, very simple dress that resembled a long sleeved, Henley style shirt that reached down to just above his knees. The soft, heather-gray material was just clingy enough to show off his faux breast -area and then had a wider, nearly-an-A-line skirt.

"This is it!?" Dean asked, surprised.

"You look hot in that," Robin assured him.

"But... it's so plain..." Dean said, looking in the mirror and feeling very unsure about this choice. He'd tried on several fancier dresses prior to this one and this just seemed too simple. He hadn't even picked this one out. Robin had passed it into the dressing room and told him to try it on.

"Dee, you're going to the movies, not the prom," Robin chuckled. "You want to look your best, but not look like you'd rather be eating in a fancier restaurant, or doing something more sophisticated."

Jade took over the clothing analysis. "This dress tells Willie that you're a fit, beautiful girl while still looking like a night of burgers and a movie is all you require."

"Willie will love it," Robin's smile was as big as it could possibly get.

"That's cute," Robin's sister, Dove, said as she appeared from the clothes racks. "Is that what you're wearing?" She looked a lot like Robin. Older and more womanly, but red headed, too and the same facial features.

"I'm not sure," Dean admitted. "What do you think?

"Hmm," Dove considered. "I wish it was a cuter color, but you make it work. It has that 'sweet and innocent' style that our cousin Willie will love, while still looking kind of hot for a sophomore. I think it's a great choice."

Dean looked at his reflection some more, swaying a bit to see how the dress' skirt swung around his legs and felt the softness of the fabric brushing against his skin. He liked it. He liked it a lot, but is this the kind of dress that he'd like to see a pretty girl wearing, or would he prefer something... frillier?

"You really think Willie would prefer this dress to the light blue one?" He asked, lost in the romance of picking out a dress to entice a boy.

"Uh oh," Jade laughed, looking at the other girls. "She's smitten."

"She sure is," Dove laughed as well.

"What?" Dean came back to reality and realized that the others were talking about him.

Dove, the eldest of Robins sisters, found this romantically infatuated, little teenager adorable. She patted his soft hair and smiled gently at him. "Willie is your first crush, isn't he?"

What was the point of denying it? Dean nodded.

"We just find it kind of... sweet... that's all."

"So?" Robin asked, her smile as wide as her sister's, "Is this the dress, then?"

Dean looked at himself in the mirror some more. Finally, he nodded. "Yep. This is dress."

"Awesome!" Robin said. "Give us all the other things you tried on and we'll put them back while you get back into your uniform dress."
 

~^~
 

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Dr Martin smiled at her son as he bounced down the stairs that Saturday morning, already wearing makeup, his hair nicely done and wearing a very cute skirt and sweater combination she'd ordered for him from Amazon.

"Hi," Dean smiled, already excited about the evening ahead. He grabbed a banana from the fruit basket and sat at the table with his mother.

"Do you have any plans for this morning?" She asked.

"Not really," Dean shrugged.

"Good. Let's take a ride."

"Where to?"

"Does it matter?" His mother smiled. "I just feel like taking a ride."

"It kinda does," Dean said, a little serious sounding. "Last time you wanted to go for a little ride, we ended up on Cape Cod for the weekend, and I do have plans for this evening."

His mom laughed at that. "I promise that I will have you home in plenty of time to get ready for your date."

Dean blushed a little, making him even cuter. "Ok. When to you want to leave?"

"Tell you what: Take that banana with you and you can eat it in the car. I'll stop at the Dunkin' Donuts in town and get us some drinks, then we can see where the road takes us for a couple of hours."

"Ok."

There is something about taking a relaxed dive through the countryside that just seems to relax people and let them talk. Amelia bought herself the a medium hot coffee with cream and two sweet and low, and she bought Dean a Coolata, then off they went to nowhere in particular. They listened to some music for a little while until they were both pretty relaxed.

"So, you're looking forward to your date tonight, then?" His mother asked.

He nodded. "I am. It's kind of cool to be able to go out with friends.'

"I'm sure it is," she replied with a smile. "Even cooler when your friend is as sweet and handsome as Willie, right?"

Dean shrugged. "I guess."

"Yeah, you guess," his mother laughed. "You don't need to be shy about this, baby. I can tell that you have feelings for this boy, and that's ok."

He nodded. "Ok... I guess I like Willie a lot. The girls say it's a crush. I don't know if that's true or not, but I do have... I am attracted to him, I guess."

She thought for a few moments before she spoke again. "Honey... When you think about being with Willie... do you picture yourself as a boy or a girl?"

Dean looked out the window for a solid minute before replying. "I don't know, mom. I mean... I'm always... dressed as a girl... and... I always look like a girl when I'm with him... but... I... I'm not sure I feel like a girl or a... well... as dad said... a gay sissy."

"Alright, well, the word 'sissy' is never to be spoken by anyone in this family, ever again. Ok?"

Dean nodded. Actually, he hated the word, but it had been rattling around in his head since his father had uttered it several days earlier.

"And being gay is nothing to be ashamed of - that is - if you are gay. Well... you know what I mean."

Dean nodded.

"So, the question is, deep down, do you think you're a boy or a do you think you're a girl?"

He thought about it a while longer, then replied as honestly as he could. "I have no idea, mom. I'm still very confused."

His mother reached over and squeezed his hand. "Ok, baby, but... I think it's important that you think long and hard about this situation. I mean, I know that I'm the one who put you in a cute, little, private school, girl's uniform, and I'm the one who threw you into a world of girls, but, to be very honest, I half expected you to be coming to me to tell me that you had a girlfriend and I'd have to worry about where that could lead. I never expected that you'd have a boyfriend - AND DON'T MISUNDERSTAND ME - I am one hundred percent ok with you having a boyfriend, no matter how you are dressed. It's just that... I don't think you've considered how quickly a night out with a boy can turn bad if the boy finds out that his date is also a boy."

"Mom, Willie's a nice boy..."

"Yes, he is and he's a nice boy who was kissing you and running his hands over your body the other night. Deedee, it is very easy for a boy in that situation to feel something he shouldn't feel. Or your bra could move to the side when he tried to squeeze your breasts, letting him know that your breasts are all padding. He could accidentally/on purpose run his hand across your lower abdomen and feel your penis. And, baby, if something like that happened, something violent could follow."

Dean nodded. "You know, there's always the possibility that he'd like the way I am. Some men do."

Dr Martin sighed. "I'd say that was a pretty slim chance, Deedee. And if he did like it, well... that's a whole other can of worms to discuss. Male/male penetration is much more complicated than male/female..."

"Oh, mom, please stop!" Dean protested. "It doesn't matter if I'm a boy or a girl, I'm still fifteen and I have no intention of having sex with anyone. I am not 'penetrating' anyone and no one is 'penetrating' me. Ok?" He was embarrassed and a little hurt that his mother would even consider that he'd do such a thing.

"Ok... well... that's good, I guess," she said, relieved. "I think that what's really important right now, though, baby, is that you give this situation some serious thought. Right now, you're a very small, fifteen year old who, so far, has not really entered puberty, but that could change at any minute. Some day, you could wake up with a low voice and hair on your chin. You're able to live as a girl pretty easily right now, but the day that the puberty fairy arrives... all that could change."

He nodded. "Interesting that you used the term puberty 'fairy.'"

"I was just making a point. I didn't mean anything by it. You know what I mean, though. If you want to go back to being Dean, then you can just ignore all of this conversation, but if you want to remain as Deedee... tick-toc... ok?"

He nodded.
 

~^~
 

An email was not his preferred way to communicate with his ex-wife, but under the circumstances, it seemed like the best way to avoid an argument.

'Hi, Amy,' he typed. 'Look, I know I behaved terribly at your place the other day and, from the bottom of my heart, I apologize. In the short time I had to get to know our son...' Nope. That might not be correct. Try to keep everything as gender neutral as possible. Backspace, backspace, backspace. 'child, I realized that you raised a remarkable young person who is bright and happy. I had no business imposing my opinions - which have changed drastically since we last spoke - upon you and our child.'

'Having said all of that, I would really like to be a part of...' Dean? Deedee? Which should he use? Either could end up biting him in the butt. Better use the name currently in use at home. '...Deedee's life. I know I can never really be considered as a father in any way other than being a part of the conception, but if there was a way that I could be a good friend of the family, I'd like to do that. I do not want to do anything that might be construed as interfering, though. Just some 'How are you?' texts every once in a while, or a birthday present. Maybe help out with some money for driving lessons or college - you know. That kind of thing.'

'Anyway, I am really sorry about my behavior that night. I lost your love through my own stupidity once and I'd hate myself if I ever lost your friendship for the same reason. Please let me know how you feel about all of this.'

'Thanks for continuing to be my friend.'

'Love, Frank.'

He read it and reread it, even reading it out loud to make sure he had written it the way he wanted it to be. It seemed ok. Contrite, which he was, and friendly, which he hoped they still were.

Finally, he hit 'send.'
 

~^~
 

"Why are we stopping here?" Dean asked as they pulled into a strip mall in town that he'd never even noticed before.

"We," his mother smiled as she reached into the backseat to grab her pocketbook, "are doing something that mothers and daughters all over the country do on a Saturdays. We... are getting our nails done."

Dean's eyes opened wide. "Cool!" He jumped out of the car and practically bounced into the store front nail salon with his mother.

Inside, the salon was nearly full with women and girls having their finger and toenails shaped and colored. Dean recognized a girl named Hannah from school. She was a junior, so they had no classes together, but both of them were in 'Chicago,' so they were acquainted. Hannah waved when she saw Dean enter and he waved back.

"Who is that?" His mother asked.

"That's Hannah. She goes to Greenwood. I know her from the show."

"Ahh," she replied and then waved as well.

"This way, ladies," a woman said to Dean and his mother.

As they sat, Dean's mother instructed, "Just my fingers today, but I'd like my daughter to have both her fingers and toes done. This is her first time, so shaping, filling... all of it. Maybe some nice acrylics on her fingers - not too long, though. Something appropriate for her age.'

The nail salon woman smiled and looked at Dean, assuming he was closer to eleven than fifteen. "Very good."

For the next fifty minutes, Dean experienced the agony and bliss of the digging, cutting sculpting, filing, filling, painting, sealing and drying of a mani/pedi, and when he was done, he had short, French manicured nails that projected just a tiny bit beyond the tips of his fingers. They were elegant and pretty and amazing and he loved them so, so, so much.
 

~^~
 

"Hey, mom," Willie said to his mother at about the same time that Dean and his mother were exiting the salon, "I need to talk to you about something."

She looked up from her cross-stitching and immediately knew by the look on her son's face that he had something serious on his mind. "What is it, William?"

Willie took a deep breath, then gave her a fairly in-depth report on what had happened at Deedee's house a few days earlier. As he wrapped up his report, he finished with, "...I apologized to Deedee's parents, mom, and I made it clear that it was all my fault. I'm the one who kissed her and then... well... I guess I got a little carried away."

"Exactly how 'carried away' did you get, William?" His mother demanded.

"Just kissing, mom, but... we were alone and I shouldn't have even gone that far."

"And why are you telling me this now and not when it happened?"

"Honestly, mom, it wasn't that big a deal and, well, just in case Dr Martin brings it up, I thought you should know."

She nodded and thought for a long moment. "William... we have had discussions about things like this many times before..."

"I know, mom."

"... and you don't seem to understand that giving in to one moment of passion can ruin the rest of your life. You know nothing about this girl..."

"I know plenty about Deedee, mom."

"...and all it takes is one mistake to destroy all of your plans for the future. You need to get that through your head, William, and you need to think with your brain, not with your penis."

"MOM!" Willie was shocked. "Could you, maybe, never talk about my penis again - ever - please!"

She huffed a bit. "You know, after this conversation, I'm not sure that it's a good idea for you to see this girl tonight, after all."

"Come on, mom," he said, knowing this was the position she would take. "I was honest about what happened, it wasn't that big a deal, and it won't happen again. I promise. Now, come on and be reasonable. I am going on that date tonight."

"Not if I don't drive you," his mother said.

"Mom, I have a job, I have money of my own, I have a debit card and I know how to use Uber. If you won't drive me, I will take an Uber, but I really want you to meet Deedee and Dr Martin. Once you do, you'll understand why I like this girl so much."

She sighed and shook her head. "Alright. I'll drive you, but so help me, William, if anything like this ever happens again, you will be grounded until you are out of college. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled.
 

~^~
 

"Arrrrrrrgh!" Dean screamed dramatically from the bathroom off of the upstairs hallway.

"What's the matter?" His mother asked through the door.

"I can't get my makeup right, I can't get my hair to hold a curl and I just dropped my eyelash curler and it broke!" He ranted, pulling the door open and pushing past his mother, heading for his room, wearing just his bra and panties. "I'm just going to call Willie and tell him I'm sick or something. I look like crap and can't do anything right."

Had he not been on the verge of tears, his mother may have actually laughed at his outburst. God, he was more of a teenaged girl than a teenaged girl! Obviously, this behavior had nothing to do with hormones and everything to do with presenting yourself as a young woman.

"Alright, now calm down. Let me help you. Go into my room and sit at the vanity."

He grunted in frustration, but was grateful for some help. He felt so knotted up with nerves that he couldn't seem to do anything right on his own. What was wrong with him!?

Once seated, his mother stared brush out his hair with gentle, but practiced strokes.

"My goodness," she laughed, "it feels like you sprayed an entire can of hairspray on this."

"I was TRYING to get it to do what I wanted, but it just fought back the whole time."

"You can't fight with your hair, baby. You have to work with it. You'll get used to it."

He let her brush a few more strokes before he said, "Mom...?"

"Yes, honey."

"You know... before... when I was a boy... you never called me anything except 'Dean.' Now, you call me 'sweetheart' and 'baby' and 'honey' all the time. Do you like me more as Deedee than Dean?"

Dr Martin thought about that for a moment. "Not better, baby, but... I guess I just feel differently about you now. Before, you were a young man - solitary and quiet. You hardly said two words to me in the course of a day. You were completely engulfed in gaming and we just didn't seem to have a single thing in common anymore. Now... now we go shopping together, you're more outgoing, we can go to the salon together and you're happier and more talkative... it's like I have my child back, again. I love you, no mater what, but... Deedee is a little easier for me to relate to. In fact, I think it's easier for you to relate to me as Deedee, too, isn't it?"

"I think you're right," he admitted.

She plugged in her curling iron and returned to brushing his hair. "I was just thinking... maybe tomorrow we could go have real facials done. You'd like that. It's the ultimate in female pampering. And besides, you'll want to look your best for the show. What do you say?"

She picked up the curling iron and wrapped a section of hair around the shaft, then turned the device to wrap that section all the way to his scalp.

"I'd like that. Thanks, mom."

"See - girl time with mom. That's not something I could share with my son."

He gave a little laugh.

His mother wrapped and curled more sections of his hair, then added another few doses of hairspray. "I'm going to let those be for a few minutes while I work on your makeup. Turn towards me."

The vanity stool allowed him to spin towards his mother and she went to work on his face.

"You know, when we first got here, you wouldn't let me put any makeup on you at all. Now, I don't think I seen you without makeup unless you're in your pajamas." She sighed. "Things have really changed."

"The girls kind of forced me to get good at it."

"And you loved every second of it, didn't you? Admit it - You love being with those girls and you love every brush full of makeup that you apply to your face. It makes you look prettier and that makes you feel better, doesn't it?"

He thought about denying it, but what was the point. She was right. He'd always been that short, weird boy that no one talked to until he'd come to Greenwood. Ever since then, he was the pretty little girl that got along with everyone - well, nearly everyone - and he loved getting attention for being good looking rather than for being odd looking. The more he utilized makeup and hair are techniques, the more compliments he got, and that made him very happy.

"Here, let me do your lashes," his mother instructed. "Look up." First she used what looked like a much more expensive eyelash curler than his to curl his eyelashes. Then she added her own, much more expensive, mascara to them, making them look richer and longer than ever.

"Relax your jaw and open your mouth, just a little," she said and she applied his lipstick. "I'm going just a little pinker than your usual nude lipstick. It'll make your lips a little more noticeable without looking like you're trying to look too grownup."

Dean liked the idea, kind of a lot.

"There," his mother said with unusual maternal gentleness. "Are you wearing a bow in your hair tonight?"

"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "Do you think I should?"

His mother smiled. "Well, it has kinda become your signature look, hasn't it?"

That made Dean smile and blush a little. "I guess."

"Ok, go put on your new dress and shoes, then bring your hair-bow back here and I'll help you with it."

He was only gone for a couple of minutes before he returned in his new, collarless, heather gray dress and the cute, round-toed court shoes with the two inch heels that his mother had bought for him on the way home from Cape Cod. He was also carrying an emerald green head band with a rather large, emerald green bow attached to it.

His mother loved the dress, the shoes and the bow. "Oh, baby... you look so beautiful. Sit. I'll help you with your hair and the head band."

First she brushed out his hair, leaving it full and wavy, and then it only took a moment or two for her to place the hair band into his honey blonde hair. "That color matches the green of your eyes perfectly, and with your eyes made up like this, your eyes are just popping."

"In a good way?" Dean asked, a little concerned about 'popping' eyes.

She smiled in a more motherly way than Dean ever remembered as she chuckled affectionately. "In a very good way." Then a thought occurred to her. "Let me give you something."

She opened the top draw of her lingerie cabinet, the draw that she used as jewelry storage, and pulled out a few items. When she returned to Dean, she was holding a beautiful, heart-shaped, emerald pendant that was suspended from a delicate, silver chain. Between the emerald heart and the chain was a small, nicely cut diamond that sparkled beautifully in the light of her bedroom.

"That's beautiful," he said in admiration of the little jewels.

She smiled at his appreciation. "Your grandfather gave me this necklace and these earrings," she showed him two pendant earrings that had a smaller version of the emerald heart and diamond on each piece, "when I graduated from high school. They are the last thing he gave me before he passed away suddenly a few weeks later. They are very valuable, both in money and in memories, but... I'd like to give these to you, Deedee. They are yours and they match your eyes just as beautifully as that headband does."

Dean's heart skipped a beat. "Seriously? You're GIVING me those?"

She nodded as she stepped behind him, drew the delicate chain around his slender neck and attached the clasp securely.

Dean's hand instinctively touched the beautifully cut heart that hung just an inch or so below his neck.

"Take out your earrings and let's put these in."

He took out his studs and, again, more gently than Dean knew his mother could be, she replaced his childish, gold colored studs with the simple, elegant pendants.

"There," she said when she'd finished, "they look prettier on you with those green eyes of yours than they ever looked on me."

Dean smiled, then turned to see himself in the mirror.

"Do you like them?" Amelia asked, truly enjoying this lovely mother/daughter moment.

"Mom, I love them! They're beautiful and I love how the the earrings dangle. They feel so different."

She smiled at his joy. "I know. They make you look pretty and the swaying of the pendants are a constant reminder of how pretty you look. Every time you feel your earrings swaying, remember that they're making you look even more beautiful than you already are."

Dean stood and hugged his mother tightly. "Thank you, mom."

"You are very welcome, my love." Just then, they heard knocking coming from downstairs. "I think Willie and his mother are here. I'll go down and say hello. You take a minute or two to get your things together, then come down and make your entrance."

"Ok," he answered giddily.

"Hi, you must be William's mother," Dr Martin said, swinging the front door open to find a very well dressed woman waiting with her son, the boy she'd seen in her house a few days earlier. "Mrs Trainer, right?"

"Yes, hello, Dr Martin," the woman practically sang with upper-middle class prevention. "It's Muriel, please." She extended her hand in a limp-wrist-ed hand shake.

Dean's mother accepted it as graciously as possible. She was used to dealing with people who had a constant need to impress everyone around them. "Very nice to meet you, Muriel. Please, call me Amelia."

"Well, thank you Amelia," she cooed as she entered the house. "Oh, my, what a beautiful home you have."

"Oh, well, thank you, but I can't take much credit for it. Almost everything here belongs to the school. We are just staying here for my tenure at Greenwood. Please, come into the sitting room and let's get to know each other. Deedee will be right down."

"Oh, are we early?" Muriel asked, making a show of checking her watch.

"No, not at all," Amelia smiled. "You know how teenaged girls are though."

"Not really," Muriel smirked as she sat in a love seat and motioned for Willie to join her. "I've got three boys, you see. They shower and dry their hair and they're ready to go."

Dr Martin just smiled and sat opposite her guests.

They chatted about themselves for a few moments before Muriel said, "I suppose we should address the elephant in the room, Amelia."

"The elephant...?" Dr Martin squinted just a bit as she tried to suss where her guest was headed.

"She means what happened Thursday," Willie clarified.

"What happened on Thursday...' she said aloud as she thought, and then she understood. She'd assumed that the boy would have kept that to himself. She found it rather admirable that he'd told his mother about the incident. "Oh! That!," she laughed. "Honestly, my ex-husband and I just walked in on the kids at exactly the wrong time. I'm afraid that my ex may have overreacted a bit, but we all talked, as a family, and things are fine, now." She was surprised by the judgmental look on Muriel's face. "I assume that you and Willie have talked about all of this as well, and come to an agreement, too."

"Yes, we certainly have," Muriel said, looking for all the world that she was smelling cabbage cooking somewhere nearby. "William, tell Dr Martin what you told me."

Looking very confused and put upon, Willie shifted a bit on the loveseat and then said, "Oh... ummm... well... I told my mother what happened and I promised that it would never happen again. I also made it clear that I was responsible for the whole thing."

Amelia smiled at the boy. "Well, thank you for being so honest, Willie. I find that very commendable." She looked at Muriel and smiled a bit differently. "Congratulations, Muriel, you've raised a very good, young man."

A compliment! Something Muriel loved to hear. "Thank you, Amelia," she grinned. "I would love to return the compliment, but... Where is this girl I have heard so much about?"

"I'll call her," Amelia said, standing and going to the foot of the stair. "Deedee? Our guests are here, dear."

"I'll be right down," Dean called back.

In truth, Dean had started down the stairs once already, but he stopped as an overwhelming feeling of anxiety gripped him. What was he doing? He was about to meet his boyfriend's mother. HIS BOYFRIEND'S MOTHER!!! He actually had a boyfriend and... was this going too far? He'd bought a new dress, gotten his nails done and let his mother do his hair and makeup for this date. A date he truly wanted to go on, but... this was for real now. He didn't need to just pretend to be his mother's daughter any more. If he did this - met Willie's mother and went on this date... he had to give up ever being Dean again. He had to be Deanne from here on out.

At least, that's how it felt, and that was a lot of weight suddenly resting on his tiny shoulders.

He couldn't back out now, and besides... he really wanted to go on this date with Willie.

"Ok, Deedee," he whispered to himself, "man up and..." he stopped and shook his head at that. He started over. "Put on your big-girl-panties and go meet Willie's mother."

He took one more long inhale and let it out slowly, then descended the stairs.

Slowly.

"Oh, here she is, now," his mother, who had yet to sit again, said from the sitting room.

Willie stood, both because of years of being told to stand when a lady enters a room, and because he really wanted to see Deedee, but when he turned to see the girl of his dreams, he actually gasped in grateful surprise. His cousin Robin had told him that Deedee had gotten a cute new dress, but... wow... the dress was great, but it was only a part of what he was seeing. He thought that Deedee was beautiful at any time of the day, but right now... she looked absolute amazing. He didn't know exactly what was different, but... she was different.

Dean went to his mother's side. She put her arm around his tiny shoulders and smiled. "Muriel, this is my daughter, Deanne. Deedee, say hello to Mrs Trainer."

"How do you do, Mrs Trainer," Dean said, uncertain as to whether or not he should offer a handshake, so he just smoothed the soft skirt of his dress with his hands so they had something to do. "I'm so happy to meet you."

"Likewise, I'm sure," Willie's mother replied. "William has told me so much about you that I feel as if I already know you."

Dean glanced at Willie, who was wearing a nice, button-down, Oxford style shirt and clean, pressed jeans, and a huge smile.

"Hi," Dean half-whispered.

"Hi," Willie half-whispered back.

Amelia smiled at the two young lovebirds, but when she looked at Muriel, Muriel did not look as enamored or the scene.

Muriel stood and looked at this girl that had so grabbed her son's attention and she understood his infatuation. The girl was tiny, barely over five feet tall, with stunning green eyes, lovely, wavy hair, apple cheek, a broad, natural smile and an intriguing look about her that said there was more to her than meets the eye.

"Well, I must say, you are a very beautiful young lady," Muriel said, causing Dean to blush.

"Thank Mrs Trainer, dear," Dean's mother promoted.

"Thank you, Mrs Trainer. That's very kind of you to say."

"And well mannered," Muriel smiled. She looked at Dean's mother. "Congratulations to you, Amelia. It appears that you have raised a very polite young woman."

"Thank you," Amelia smiled. "I certainly hope that is the case."

"Umm, mom," Willie said, quietly, "we kind of need to get going if Deedee and I are going to eat before the movie."

"Oh, of course," Muriel nodded. "Grab your things, Deedee, and I'll take you two into town."

As Dean grabbed his purse and coat, Dr Martin asked, "What will you be doing while the kids are at the movie, Muriel."

"Oh, just sitting in the car doing crosswords, I suppose," she shrugged.

"Well, please, come on back here, then. We can have some tea or wine and get to know each other better."

Muriel was about to decline the offer, but she was interested in finding out as much as possible about the beautiful little girl who'd stolen her son from her.

"Thank you, Amelia. I'll be back in about a half an hour."
 

~^~
 

"You look really pretty, tonight," Willie said as they walked hand-in-hand towards the door of The Diner. He'd been bursting to tell her how pretty she looked since she'd first walked down the stairs, but he had to wait until his mother dropped them off to say so.

"Thanks," Dean smiled, thrilled by the compliment. "You look very handsome."

Willie let out a scoffing laugh. "Yeah, right. I feel really underdressed right now. I mean, I'm just wearing a clean shirt and jeans. Other than that, I just brushed my hair and teeth and here I am. Look at you, though. Nice hair, nice makeup, a new dress..."

"How do you know it's a new dress?" Dean asked, a bit more flirtatiously than he'd intended.

Willie smiled. "Robbie called me and told me to dress well because she and Jade and you had gone shopping and gotten you a new dress." He lifted Dean's hand in his and placed a kiss on Dean's fingers. Then he looked at the little hand in his and said, "And look at that... you even got your nails done." He smiled. "Your nails are very pretty like this."

"I'm shocked you noticed," Dean smiled. "Most guys wouldn't."

"I'll always notice," Willie returned the smile as he opened the door to the restaurant and they entered. They got a booth in the corner of the old train-dinning-car section of the diner and ordered two cheese burgers, two Cokes and a large fry to share. Then they tried desperately to not look fifteen years old while they sat there, but the waitress kept checking on them, and the way she called them 'kids' and the way that she smiled at them made it clear that, even if they looked older to other diners. She knew they were put for a first date and she thought they were adorable.
 

~^~
 

"You're kidding!?" Muriel said, shocked that in just the first few minutes of conversation, they'd found that she and Amelia had several friends on common.

"I'm telling you the truth," Amelia laughed. "We were all at Wellesley together. My God, those girls could drink like they were half fish! We called them The Mermaids because they could drink at least twice what the rest of us could and hardly look drunk at all."

Muriel shook her head and laughed. "I know. They were the same in high school. We'd go to a party and be three sheets to the wind in an hour, but they'd be going strong all night long. Those girls were unbelievable." Willie's mother had really loosened up since she'd returned to Amelia's house. She didn't get along with a lot of people, but this woman, was Amelia, very funny and very intelligent. She liked her.

"And where did you go to high school?" Amelia asked, grateful that Willie's mother had relaxed, now that they'd started to chat without the kids around.

Muriel held up her coffee cup as if in a toast. "Good old Greenwood Academy," she laughed.

"You're kidding?" The Chancellor laughed. "And you and your friends were drinking while you were students here."

"Constantly," Muriel laughed. "It's a miracle that our livers survived until graduation."

Amelia shook her head. "I have to admit, Muriel, that I didn't think you had that kind of a past when I met you."

"I know, I come on strong," Muriel said with a sly smile. "My therapist says it's a defense mechanism, but, hey, it works on most people. You didn't buy it, though, did you?"

"Oh, I did," Amelia admitted. "I was just hoping that you might relax and be yourself if we had some wine or something."

"Yeah, and all it took was a cup of coffee." Muriel sighed. "Honestly, I've been a bitch for so long that I'm not sure I know how to be anything else." She took a sip of her coffee. "I like you, Amelia. You make me laugh."

"I like you too, Muriel," Dean's mother smiled. Then she asked, "So... are you ok with the kids dating?"

"I'm not thrilled with the idea that William is dating anyone at fifteen, but... if he has to date, I guess that Deedee is a good choice. She is a lovely little thing, Amelia."

"Thank you, Muriel. I'm very proud of my little girl. And I'm very happy that she's smitten with Willie."

"Oh, I hate that nickname," Muriel laughed. "William is such a strong name and he refuses to use it."

"Oh, but Willie is an adorable name."

"Yeah, but 'Willie' is what you call a dick," Willie's mother laughed. "It's all his Aunt Penny's fault, you know. She started calling him Willie when he was little and all of her girls jumped on board. Ever since he was in second grade, he's been asking people to call him Willie instead of William. I think I'm the only person still using his full name. It's a losing battle, of course, but I have to keep trying."

"I get it. Deedee hates her name, too. But... she is much more of a Deedee than she is a Deanne. At least she is since she came here. Greenwood has changed her, a lot."

"For the better?"

"Oh, yeah. She has just blossomed over the past couple of months. The idea that she'd be going out on a date was inconceivable in San Diego - AND going out with a boy!? I never saw that coming?"

"You thought she was a lesbian?"

"I didn't think she had any particular sexual proclivities at all. I didn't think she thought about boys or girls or anything else until a few weeks ago. Now... You should have seen her earlier today. She was out of her mind trying to get ready for her date with Willie. Her hair wouldn't cooperate, her makeup was mess... she was absolutely panicked... and it was the most adorable thing I've ever seen in my life. That was not my child in San Diego. Not by a long shot."
 

~^~
 

Dean knew pretty much every line of the movie. 'Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope' was one of his favorite movies of all time, but he'd always watched on a TV or computer screen. It was astounding on the big screen. Sure, the acting was still mediocre and the special effects were a little dated, but as a whole, the only movie Dean liked more than this one was it's sequel, 'Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.'

He was so enthralled in the movie, in fact, that he hadn't noticed that Willie's arm was around his shoulders and that he had been leaning into Willie's side for most of the film. As Luke Skywalker said, "It's not impossible. I used to bullseye womb rats in my T-16 back home and they're not much bigger than two meters," Dean found himself cuddled tightly into Willie and feeling rather wonderful about the whole thing.

Then, as Luke, Han and Chewbacca received their medals from Leia, Willie leaned over and whispered, "Would it be ok if I kissed you?"

Dean smiled up at him in the semi-darkness and whispered back, "It would be wonderful."

So, Willie leaned down and placed a soft, warm kiss on Dean's lips. It lasted a long time, but it wasn't as uncontrolled and desperate as the kisses they'd exchanged a few days earlier. Both of them knew that they needed to control themselves and they did.

As they walked back into the lobby, they ran into a small group of boys that Willie knew from his school. He introduced them to Dean, and then he introduced Dean to them as 'His girlfriend, Deedee,' which made Dean's heart soar.

When Dean excused himself to the ladies' room, the boys began to rib Willie, as boys do.

"Your 'girlfriend,' huh?" The first boy started. "She's cute, Trainer, but... come on... no tatas at all."

"Hey!" Willie said, defensively.

"Yeah, Trainer," the next boy joined in. "What are getting your girlfriend for her birthday? A training bra?"

"That's enough," Willie said, more forcefully.

"Hey, Trainer," the third boy began, but Willie used two hands to grab the front of the boy's shirt.

"I said - THAT'S ENOUGH." This time there was no doubt that he meant what he said.

"Ok, Trainer, ok," the first boy said, looking around to be sure that there were no staff members coming to throw them out. "We were just kidding."

"Yeah, well, enough of that," Willie said, releasing the third boy. "Besides, none of you losers could even get a girl to go out with you."

"Yeah, well, if I did," boy number two began, "she'd have bigger tits..."

This time it only took one hand to grab the boy's shirt and shut him up.

"Relax, Trainer," the boy said, laughing while pulling his shirt free of Willie's grip. "I'm just saying that I prefer..."

"Just shut up, Jeff," Willie warned. "Here comes Deedee and I don't want to have to make you cry in front of her."

"Very funny," the boy said, making a mimicking face.

"All set?" Willie asked Dean, who nodded and smiled, unaware of the strife that had occurred moments earlier. Willie took Dean's hand, then looked at the boys and gave them a friendly smile. "See you in school on Monday, guys."

"Yeah... see ya," the first boy said and they all waved and smiled.

"They seem nice," Dean said as they walked out the door.

"Oh, yeah," Willie smiled. "Great guys."
 

~^~
 

"Did you have a good time?" Dean's mother asked as he came into the sitting room where she was reading.

"I had a great time," Dean smiled and sat. He tried to see the cover of his mother's book. "What are you reading?"

She flipped the cover over and showed him the title, 'The Maltese Falcon.' "Just an old mystery. I love this book - and the movie based on it. I just felt like revisiting it tonight."

"Cool," Dean said and nodded. He looked around the room and fidgeted with the hem of his dress a bit in a way that told Amelia that her son had something on his mind.

"Is there something you want to discuss?" She asked.

"Me? No. Why?" Dean replied, surprised she'd asked.

"Oh, I don't know," she smiled. "It just seemed like you had something to say."

"Nope. What's the book about?"

"Oh," she shrugged. "Well, there's this detective named Sam Spade and his partner, his name is Archer, gets killed while investigating what appears to be a very run of the mill case, but it turns out that there are a whole bunch of people who are after this statuette of a falcon that was made on Malta. The legend is that the bird is encrusted with millions of dollars in gems, but those have been covered by a layer of black material to make sure that nobody steals it from..."

"Mom?" Dean interrupted, just as his mother had expected him to.

"Yes, sweetie?"

He took a deep breath. "I think... I think I should... maybe... see one of those doctors you were talking about."

She closed the book and set it in her lap. "Oh?"

He nodded.

She considered her words carefully. "So... have you decided that you want to remain presenting as a girl?"

Dean shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure... I want to be a girl. Like... a real girl. You know?"

His mother nodded and thought. "Alright, then, if that's what you want."

"It is."

"Ok... well... I guess we need to do some research online... find some doctors and make some calls."

Everything felt oddly still and eerily undramatic as Dean shared the most frightening revelation of his young life. It all seemed surreal and ordinary, yet profound and earthshaking, all at once.

"Are you... ok with that decision?" He asked.

His mother cracked a small smile. "Of course, baby. I'd be happy with any decision. I just want you to be the person you're supposed to be."

Dean sighed and looked around the room. It was a nice house. He liked it here. This is what he wanted.

"Deedee?"

Dean looked at his mother who had a look about her that told him she'd called his name more than once. "Yes?"

"Do you want me to help you take off that make up? Maybe braid your hair for you?"

Dean smiled and nodded. "Yes, please, mom. I'd like that."
 

~^~
 

"Well," Dr Ames said, looking from Amelia to Dean and back, "that is quite a story." The endocrinologist who specialized in sex related matters crossed his legs and looked at Dr Martin with a curious expression. "Tell me - Do you feel that, had you not insisted on your son taking on this new, more feminine persona, that we would all be sitting here today, having this discussion?"

Amelia sighed and squeezed her child's hand. "I don't think we'd be sitting here TODAY having this conversation, Dr Ames, No, but having seen how she has blossomed as a girl, I'm pretty sure that we would have been sitting in some doctor's office at some point."

The doctor looked at Dean. "How about you? Did you want to be a girl before you were forced to take on the role of being a girl?"

Dean was taken aback by the word 'forced.' "Not really. I don't think I'd ever really thought about being a boy or a girl. I was just kinda me, you know? And I really hated it at first. Being a girl, I mean. I didn't want to do it, but it was important to mom to come here, and I wanted to help. I don't think I was really forced, I just had to do it because it was a solution to a problem. But after a few weeks... I think I knew already that this was what I wanted. I was just, sorta, arguing with myself until last Saturday. Then... I knew for sure."

"And that was because..." he checked his notes... "you're boyfriend... Willie... who is unaware of your true sex, hugged you during a movie. Correct?"

"That sounds a little less romantic than it actually was, but... yes... that's the gist of it."

"I'm just trying to understand the situation as it occurred, Deedee," the doctor said, making some notations on his pad of paper.

"So, do you think you can help Deedee, Doctor?" Dean's mother asked.

The doctor finished writing a few notes and looked up. "Yes, I believe I can, but there needs to be a psychological evaluation first. I'm booking you for a meeting with a therapist next week. Dr Martin, I think you should attend that as well, and after I've talked to your therapist, and if all has gone well, then I can prescribe some medication that I think will benefit Deedee. We'll start with some testosterone blockers and get some estrogen into her as quickly as possible. That will keep her looking feminine and eliminate the possibility of male puberty beginning."

"Well, that's what we want, I think," Dr Martin smiled and looked at her child. "I am correct, right Deedee?"

He nodded, too nervous to show the world the smile that was desperately trying to spread over his face.

"Alright," the doctor said as he rose from his chair. "See Beth on the way out. She will give you a time to meet with your therapist and I'll see you back here in about a week. Lovely to meet you both." He offered a handshake, which Dr Martin accepted.

"Thank you, doctor," she smiled.

"Thank you," Dean said when the doctor shook his hand.

"You're a lucky little girl, Deedee," the doctor said. "Your mom is getting you the help you need before your body starts to grow and get manly. If all goes well, you should have very positive results."

Dean nodded, confused by what he should say in response. "Ok. That's good, I guess."

"I guess," the doctor smiled, amused by the child's response. "See you both in a couple of weeks."
 

~^~
 

"Hey, Amy," Frank's voice came through the receiver as Dr Martin listened to her voicemail, "I just called to say... well... thank you for letting me know about the decision that you and Dean... I'm sorry... Deedee reached. I am truly sorry about that. I'll get used to it, I promise. It is odd, I have to admit. Even though I really didn't know my kid, I am kind of used to telling everyone that I have a son. I guess saying that I have a daughter will just take some getting used to. Love ya. Talk to you soon."
 

~^~
 

"Next week is production week, boys and girls," Ms Highland reminded the kids as they completed a rare Saturday morning rehearsal for the musical. "We have run throughs after school Monday through Thursday and we open Friday night. Then it's Friday night and Saturday night shows at seven with a Sunday matinee at two. Questions? Great! Now, go get some rest and nobody get sick!"

They were all excited. The show was going very well. It felt like they had a good production on their hands and they couldn't wait to get it in front of an audience. The shows were selling well and there was a buzz in the community about how good the show was going to be.

"It's mall time!" Jada cried, excited about the afternoon ahead. "First the food court, Japanese chicken and rice with vegetables, then an afternoon of window shopping! I have been looking forward to this all week!"

"Me too," Robin smiled. "We need a girls' afternoon. We've had Willie with us everyday for the last few weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love my cousin, but I need some real, honest to God girl time."

Dean smiled. "You don't really mind, do you? Having Willie with us so frequently, I mean."

Robin shook her head. "No. Of course not. Willie's like my brother and I'm glad you two are happy together. It's just nice to do something that's just for us girls."

"Oh, a girls' trip?" A voice said. The three friends looked up to see Donna Linkletter smirking at them. Things had gone pretty well with Donna since she'd returned and apologized to everyone several weeks earlier, but she'd been acting oddly superior that Saturday morning. "How sweet." She walked uncomfortably close to Dean and looked down on him in every possible sense of that phrase. "Trying on dresses and looking at jewelry... sounds like just the thing for a sweet, little girl like you."

"Do you have a problem with that, Donna?" Jade was obviously a bit piqued.

"No problem," Donna smirked. "No problem at all. Enjoy it while you can." She walked away.

"That was weird," Robin said.

"She's weird," Jada said. "Let's go."

Their afternoon at the mall was nothing but unrestrained fun. Trying on dress after dress, none of which any of them could afford, looking at jewelry, trying on shoes, trying out makeup, playing a few games at the arcade, and just laughing and loving being young and being with friends.

Dean thought about what his new therapist would say about this when he told her. She'd probably say that he was enjoying it so much because it was all new to him, but he looked at Robin and Jade and they were having just as much fun. This was what being young was supposed to be like! Not the solitary existence he'd had as a boy.

This.

This was what life was supposed to be. Friends and joy.

They got home around dinner time and Dean and his mother headed into the big city, Boston, to see a Boston Symphony Orchestra performance at Symphony Hall. Dean didn't know the pieces they heard that night, but they were all amazing and powerful. He loved every second of it, including the opportunity to get dressed up and made-up for a fancy evening.
 

~^~
 

"Hi, Deedee, it's your dad." Dean stared at his phone, as he road home from Boston, shocked that his father even had his phone number. "I understand that you have a busy week coming up, what with the show opening on Friday and all, but I just wanted to offer my best wishes for you. I hope that you and the rest of your cast have a great time. I sure do wish I could be there. If anyone makes a video of it, I'd really love to see it. Oh, and listen... I've been thinking a lot about your decision and... I know I'm not around much, so I don't offer much support, but, Deedee, you are a very brave kid and I'm very proud of you. I gotta run. Love you. Tell your mom I called and give her my love too."

Well that was odd. His father had never called his cell before. The world has gone crazy!
 

~^~
 

When he woke up on Sunday morning, Dean showered and dried his hair before picking a nice dress to wear down stairs. His mother had talked about going out to breakfast, then to do a few errands later in the day and Dean wanted to look his best.

When he was ready to go downstairs, he took a quick selfie and looked at it. He was very happy with how he looked, so he sent the photo to Willie with a text that read, 'What do you think?'

Seconds later, he received a photo from Willie showing him with horrible bed-head and wearing a torn tee shirt. 'Looking a lot better than I am' the text read.

That made Dean laugh. He took his phone and bounced down the stairs.

When he reached the bottom step, he could hear a conversation in the sitting room. It was his mother and a man. It definitely wasn't his father, but whatever was being discussed, it sounded serious.

"Ok, I agree," he could hear his mother say, "but surely we can work this out without making that big a deal out of it."

"Oh, but it is a big deal," the man said. "A very big deal, Dr Martin. I am shocked that you don't realize that. This shows a level of moral turpitude that I never expected from an educator at Greenwood Academy, and as a parent, I will not sit back and allow this to continue."

There was a pause as Dean walked to the doorway to hear better. His mother spoke again. "I know that the girls have not always gotten along..."

"Girls!" A female voice said with disdain. "That's a laugh. Do you even know the difference between a boy and a girl?"

Oh, shit! This was about him!

"Alright, dear," the man said. "Let her speak. After all, she needs to figure out what she's going to tell the rest of the board in the morning."

It took a moment, but when he heard his mother speak next, she sounded sad and defeated. "I can see that there is nothing I can say to you that will dissuade you from doing what you intend to do, but... if you could at least consider how you go about doing this, I would be very grateful."

"You should be grateful that we came to speak to you first and not going to the police or the newspapers instead," the man said, very calmly. "Your career has ended, Dr Martin. It's up to you how tomorrow plays out. My advice - Admit everything, face the consequences, perhaps even accept some criminal charges, and move on from there."

Dean couldn't let his mother be alone right now. He wasn't one hundred percent sure what had happened, but she needed him, of that he was sure. So, he hurried into the room and to his mother, who stood as he approached and put a defense arm around his shoulder.

"Mom?" Was all he could ask because no other words came into his consciousness.

She shook her head sadly. "Deedee, this is Mr and Mrs Linkletter. Donna's parents. They have come here today..." she she swallowed hard, then looked at the couple. "... No... actually... they were just leaving."

"Yes, we were," the man stood and then offered his wife a hand. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Dean," the man said. "Dr Martin..." He took his wife's hand and headed to the door.

When the door closed, Dean looked at his mother and asked, "How did they find out?"

She pointed to a Manila envelope. "They wanted to get even with us over the conflict between you and Donna. When they felt we'd embarrassed them, they hired a private detective to dig up dirt on us and he found that I'd only ever had one child. A son. From there, my story unraveled pretty quickly, I guess." She sat and rubbed her face with both hands. She wasn't crying, but she looked different than before... defeated... broken.

Dean sat beside her, his head on her slumped shoulder. "I so sorry, mom. I did my best."

"Oh, God, baby... you don't think this is your fault, do you? This is just... it's just people with more money than empathy who always get their way. I upset them, and they hurt me in return. That's all. Unfortunately, you, your friends and a lot of other people at Greenwood are going to be hurt as part of the collateral damage from this." She shook her head. "I can't blame them, though. Ultimately... this was my doing. I never should have left my last position. That put us on the brink of poverty. I never should have taken this job and uprooted our life. I never should have asked you to deny who you were and live a lie. I never should have done any of this. I should have just stayed where I was. I've ruined our lives, Dean. I've ruined everything."

Dean stood up and faced his mother. He touched her chin and raised her face so they were looking each other, directly. "Mom... look at me... Do I look like my name is Dean? You didn't ask me to deny who I was, you allowed me to discover who I really am. Like you said to Dr Ames at our first meeting, I would have figured it out eventually, but this whole thing has allowed me to figure out who I really am. Who I was meant to be. I'm very glad that you showed me a whole new world, mom. Thank you."

She stood and hugged him, very tightly. "Well, at least some good has come from all of this then." She kissed his head and let him go. "I guess we should pack up our things. There's an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors at seven tomorrow morning. I'll have to resign and..." she sighed "oh, well... I really liked this house... and this school."

Dean shook his head. "Mom... I don't really care about packing or anything. I need to talk to my friends and..." suddenly the whole situation seemed overwhelming and it showed on his face.

"... and Willie?" his mother asked.

Dean nodded. "Mom, he can't hear it from strangers." Tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm ruining the show, mom, and that's bad enough, but if they find out... if Willie finds out... from... from... from Donna..." That was all he could get out before his dam burst and he broke out into sobs.

"I know, honey, I know," his mother said as she hugged him. "Let's see if we can get together with Willie and his mom, then see if the girls and their moms are available. Ok?"

He nodded, but it was a good few minutes before he got control of himself.
 
 
To Be Continued...