The Princess and the Plague By Anistasia Allread Edited by Edeyn "So my cheerleader daughter is a lesbian? This sounds like some fantastical story you'd find online -- mind you, not one of the smutty sites, but one of the classy ones." Erika rolled her eyes.

---

Erika was on cloud nine, or should she make that cloud 11?

"Whoa! Now I know why you haven't been recognized at school, you're beautiful," her father smiled, "You know, you look like your mother when she was about your age."

"That's what she said, too."

"Hmmm," her father made a noise, "Turn around, lets see?"

Erika slowly twirled around. She didn't have any of her nice clothes with her so she put on a pair of jeans, her new blue blouse and some pumps to dress it all up a bit.

Her father stepped forward, "Hi, I'm your Dad."

"Hi, Dad, I'm your daughter, Erika Sum - er - Martin."

Her dad stood awkwardly for a moment, before Erika made the move and stepped forward wrapping her arms around her dad... Her dad. Not his, but her dad.

Her father took her to Chili's for dinner, one of her favorite places to eat. There, they had a heart-to-heart talk.

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Just because I'm Erika now, it doesn't mean that I would mind going camping or fishing with you. Dr. Barts said that my being Erika might stop those kinds of events."

Her father smiled, "I don't know if you and I either one are meant to go fishing based off of our last trip," he chuckled.

Erika giggled with him.

"Besides, you are still grounded."

Erika nodded.

"You are to be home as soon as cheer practice is over."

"I have to be at the game on Friday. It's a home game."

Her father thought about this for a few moments, "When do you have to be there?"

"As a member of the Rally Squad, we stay after school and do Rally stuff, then we perform at the game."

"Then, I'll take you home from the game."

"I'm sure I can get a ride from one of the girls."

"Nah, I'll be there anyway. I'll just take you home."

"You'll be there?"

"I've got to cheer for my cheerleader daughter and her school," he smiled, "They have a good football team don't they?"

Erika wasn't sure if she was pleased or mortified. Her father in the stands watching her stumble through a dance routine?

"So, the other night when you came home with swollen lips, was that from kissing a boyfriend or a girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend," Erika avowed, "Tricia."

"So my cheerleader daughter is a lesbian? This sounds like some fantastical story you'd find online -- mind you, not one of the smutty sites, but one of the classy ones."

Erika rolled her eyes.

"So how did this all come about?" her father inquired.

Erika related the summer spent at Camp Kumoni to her father. She edited some of the more graphic things, not wanting to shed a negative light on things after his trust and understanding in her. The Good Parts version.

"And your mother has known since Parents' Day?"

Erika nodded, "She didn't know how you would take it given your family's prejudicial nature."

"They are quite, ah, vocal. A lot of it has to do with Uncle Will," Mr. Martin nodded, "So, why did you decided to enroll in school as Erika?"

"I couldn't go back to being 'The Plague,' Dad. I just... couldn't."

"Were things that bad?"

"I really don't want to talk about that tonight," Erika ended the topic.

"Okay, okay," he sat back in his chair muttering something about mothers and daughters, "We have bigger fish to fry anyway. We have to reconcile with your mother, and then there is something we like to call 'my' family to deal with. They may have banished one family member, but I won't let them banish another. In fact, I'm going to give Aunt Carrie a call and invite her to Thanksgiving."

"Really? I've never met her," Erika bounced, "Can you ask her to bring some fudge with her?"

Mr. Martin laughed.

--o0o--

Her mother's car was in the drive when they returned and parked. Their cheerful mood became more subdued as he turned off the truck. The two sat in the truck for a long moment.

"I need to have a long talk with your mother," her dad said.

"I think we'll need several long talks with one another," Erika agreed.

The two of them slowly walked into the mostly dark house.

"Go on upstairs, and get ready for school tomorrow."

"Yes, Daddy," Erika said automatically.

She paused. Had she really just called him, 'Daddy?' She looked at her dad who was smiling.

"Thank you for dinner."

"You're welcome. Go on now."

Erika raced up to her room as fast as her heeled shoes could carry her without doing bodily damage.

Erika kicked off her pumps into a corner of the room not caring for once that they were still in plain sight. Actually, kind of reveling in the fact that they were still in plain sight for once! She then fell back on her bed and took a deep breath.

"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up," she informed her ceiling.

She reached over to her desk and grabbed her cell phone. Two messages, both from Samantha. Instead of listening to them, she dialed her friend.

"So what happened?" Samantha asked answering the phone, "Are you all right?"

"I'm doing well, I'm doing fine," Erika told her, "My mom went by the school today to pick me up and was told that I wasn't enrolled there."

"Oh, shit! And you're okay?"

"I had to confront them both and tell them what was going on."

"And you're still alive?"

"My Dad was... incredible," Erika gushed. "He was shocked at first, but it was like a switch went off and he accepted me as Erika, like instantly."

"No way."

"I know, I couldn't believe it either! I'm still afraid I'm dreaming," Erika related, "My mom, though, was pissed and took off, so Daddy told me to change and he took me out to dinner."

"You're playing with me, aren't you?" Samantha asked, awed. "This is recorded and I'll be on YouTube or Punk'd or something."

"No, I'm serious," Erika told her friend, "My dad didn't blow up or anything."

"Maybe he's in shock."

"Could be, but not after a couple of hours of being with him."

"Your mom's pissed though?"

"Yes, she's the one who snapped. I don't know what happened. She said that she thought that this was just a phase or a way to get attention, like she never believed me despite what Dr. Barts talked to her about. She got mad and left... she's back now. I think my dad is talking to her."

"Have you called Tricia?"

"No, she hasn't answered my phone all day."

"Do you want me to call her?"

"Will she answer?"

"I don't know but it's worth a try."

"Okay."

"I'll call you back," Samantha promised.

Erika hung up and decided to pull all of her stuff out of hiding. She didn't have a whole lot, but for the first time, she was able to arrange the limited makeup she had on her bathroom counter. She pulled clothes out from under her mattress, as well as out from under stacks of paper in her desk drawers and hung them up in her closet, trying to ignore the wrinkles hiding the clothing had caused.

She could hear muffled voices of her parents talking and arguing downstairs. She couldn't make out what they were saying. She didn't want to, and decided to put on some music to help cancel out any of their conversation that might penetrate her walls and door.

Her phone rang. She fell on the bed grabbing the phone at the same time, "Hello?"

"Hey, its Samantha."

"What did she say?"

"She's happy that your father took it so well, but she doesn't want to talk to you right now. She is really hurt about what happened at the party."

"Oh. What exactly did happen at the party? I only remember bits and pieces."

"Well, you got drunk," Samantha started, "then she says you got mad at her for smoking a bit of pot. She then found you making out with Julian Rock."

"I remember kissing him, I don't think I made out with him."

"According to the stories going around school today you were all over him," she argued, "Then lets see... oh, yeah, you got sick and threw up all over the bathroom. Then after I chased Tricia down and coaxed her back to the party, we found you upstairs in one of the bedrooms with Julian as he was undressing you."

"He was undressing me?" Erika gulped.

"He was helping you out of your shoes and jacket when we came in... or so he says."

"Thank God."

"Then after we put you to bed, hoping you'd sleep it off, you slipped out of the party and disappeared, causing Tricia and me to hunt all over the place. No one called Tricia's mom and because of that she is grounded."

"I'd be upset with me too," Erika realized, "Was I really making out with Julian Rock?"

"From what I have heard, it was pretty steamy. You are no longer considered a lesbian at school, but a Bi."

"Is that better or worse?"

"Let's just say that you are going to be receiving a lot of propositions over the next few weeks," Samantha giggled.

"Damn!" Erika groaned.

Samantha giggled some more.

"So should I try and call Tricia? Or maybe text her?"

"Maybe send her a text or two, but unless she responds, no more than that."

"Okay."

"See you in the morning?" Samantha asked.

"Yes."

"Night."

Erika ended the phone call and pulled up her text menu. She texted Tricia apologizing for Saturday night and asked what to do to make it up to her.

Erika stripped out of her clothes, slipped on her nightgown and washed her face before sliding under her covers.

Erika was just about to drift off to sleep when a light knock came at the door followed by the door opening enough to allow a head to poke through.

"I'm going to pick you up at school tomorrow," her father informed her. "Your mother went to the school today to take you to get some more blood tests done."

"More? Why?" Erika shifted in bed, squinting at the light coming through the door.

"I'm not sure. They just said that they needed to run some more tests."

"Okay, what time?"

"I'll pick you up at ten-fifteen."

"Mom won't do it?" Erika asked.

"How would it look if a woman went to a school asking for someone one day and then someone else the next?"

"Oh."

"While I'm there, I'll arrange a meeting for next week, after we have a sit down with your Dr. Barts."

"Is Mom still mad at me?"

"She is upset at the two of us right now. She is just having a hard time with this... this whole thing."

"Why aren't you?" Erika asked sitting up in bed, her eyes now comfortable with the light shining into her room.

"Oh, I'm upset. Just not in the same way," her father told her. He came into the room and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I'm just trying to be a loving, understanding, father," he sighed and looked away from Erika.

"When I saw what my mother's family did to Uncle Will, I told myself that I would never do that to my children. Never."

He paused and took a breath, "My mother made me distance myself from Unc - Aunt Carrie, as well. I didn't want to, but families have a way of making you behave in ways that you don't always like. I miss my Uncle Will. I know that he's the same person just in a different package, but it's... just... different."

"Dr. Barts said that would happen with us, too," Erika nodded.

Her father nodded with her.

"One thing will never change though, and that's my love for you. Boy or girl, you are mine, and I love you. Now get some sleep."

He eased himself off of her bed, and departed the room closing the door behind him.

Erika wiped a tear from her eyes and burrowed under her blankets.

"God?" she said to the ceiling, "God, please, please don't let this be a dream."

With that she closed her eyes and snuggled in for a good night's sleep.