"There come's a point where a man just can't take anymore!" That's what John often says, anyway. I wouldn't know, I've never been much of a man, or boy. In fact, I've always known I was a girl, even though my body would say otherwise. I knew no one would ever understand that, so I've tried my best to act like a boy. I've done a lousy job of it, though, if the way the boys treat me is any indication. They're always teasing me, tripping me up, shoving me, and even hitting me when they think they can get away with it.

Except for John. He wasn't my friend or anything. In fact, we never spoke at all. But whenever he saw the other boys bothering me he'd break it up. With his fists if he had to, and he often did. I think I've had a crush on him for a long time, but he really became my knight in shining armor when he started defending me like that. Despite that, I was glad for summer vacation to come, because it meant I would be safe for a few months. But I also missed seeing John, even if I never actually spoke to him.

Anyway, my summer vacation was going the way they always do. I sat around at home and watched TV or played video games. When those options weren't available, or just got old, I'd read. But one day I had the house all to myself for the day. Somehow I got the idea in my head to try and see what I'd look like as a girl. I fought with myself for a while, but finally gave in and raided my big sister's room. I must have gone through every stitch of clothing she's got before I settled on an outfit to wear, and then struggled with getting the bra on and finding a way to fill it.

Finally I was all dressed up, but I wanted to go as far with this as I could. So, I got to work with makeup. I'd watched my sister put her makeup on lots of times, but I still made lots of mistakes before I got a look I was happy with. Then I played with my hair for a while until I'd finally gotten something feminine looking out of the unruly mess. Then I threw on some jewelry. My sister didn't have any clip on earrings, so I had to skip them.

Finally I was as ready as I could get and began the long five foot walk to the full length mirror on the back of my sister's door. I was afraid to look, sure that I would see an ugly guy in a dress with hideous makeup on, but I had to see. Taking a deep breath I steeled myself and stepped in front of the mirror. I looked closely at my reflection, trying to figure out if this was some kind of trick of the light, but I really looked like a girl! In fact, I looked pretty good! Not model material or anything, but way better than I expected.

I dug out one of my sister's purses and put it on to complete the look. I looked like I was ready to go shopping at the mall with my friends or something. That gave me an idea, but it was so extreme I could hardly get my mind around it. I could actually go to the mall, and buy my own clothes!

I dithered over it for a while before some strange compulsion led me to get my cell phone and wallet and dump them in the purse, along with the lipstick I used and my keys. Bemused at my own actions, I stepped outside as a girl for the first time. Somehow I found the courage to put one foot in front of the other, even though I was sure someone was going to start laughing at the ridiculous guy in a dress. But no one did! In fact, everyone seemed quite pleasant. They nodded or smiled at me as I passed them, instead of glaring at me or ignoring me like they usually would. No one seemed to recognize me, which gave my confidence a huge boost. Especially since everyone was reacting so well to me!

As I went I got more confident and soon I almost forgot what I was wearing. By the time I reached the mall I felt normal. Well, not normal, but what should have been normal. I walked in with my head held high, sure that wonderful things were going to come from this outing, though I had no idea what.

I must have hit every clothing store in the mall that day. I had a lot of money saved up, for no particular reason, and it was going fast! I soon had so much stuff I was having a little trouble carrying it all, even after consolidating my bags. It was just so heavy! Then I hit the shoe stores, and my bags really got awkward. Somehow I kept going, though, and bought even more.

Finally I reached the point where I just couldn't carry anymore. I stopped off in the food court for a sandwich in order to prolong my visit. I never wanted to take these clothes off, but I knew I'd have to. Sooner or later someone would come home from their various activities and it wouldn't do to get caught like this!

It was at the food court that the boys from school found me. At first they were just staring at me and leering like the jerks they are. But then one of them got this quizzical look on his face and nudged his friend. He whispered in his ear and the friend passed the message along. Before long they were all looking at me funny and I knew I was in real trouble.

I finished my sandwich as quickly as I could and looked around for an escape route. That's when I saw John. I was afraid of how he'd react if he saw me like this, but at the moment I was too frightened of the other boys to worry about that. I had to hope that he'd be true to form and protect me. I grabbed all my stuff and started walking towards him, trying to appear as if there was nothing wrong in case I was wrong about them.

I wasn't. When I started moving they immediately followed. They were moving faster than me, they weren't encumbered by shopping bags after all, and soon had me surrounded. I had to stop, and with John only fifty feet away! "W-what do y-you want?" I stammered, trying to make my voice as feminine as I could. It sounded better than I thought, but I doubted it would do me any good.

"Well, well, if it isn't little Justin!" Brad sneered. He was the biggest of the lot, and their leader. "Dressing up in your sister's clothes, sissy? I knew you were a fruit!" They moved in closer and I couldn't see John anymore. I wondered why nobody was getting involved, but I knew Brad and his 'friends' never got in trouble for any of the things they did, except with John.

I tried to speak, but no more words would come out. One of the boys grabbed my right arm and forced me to drop my bags. Another did the same with my left, and I was immobilized. I began to shake with fear; they'd never acted quite like this before!

"Hey, Brad, if he wants to be a girl so bad, why don't we help him out?" Vic suggested. He was one of the smallest of the gang, but also the most vicious. He was always goading Brad on to greater heights of cruelty. And he seemed to have it in for me even more than the rest of them.

"Sounds like a good idea, Vic, what did you have in mind?" Brad replied with a cruel smile.

"Well, girls don't need what he's got between his legs, right? And a girl should know how to please a man, too. We can take care of both of those things for him easily enough!" Vic said with an ugly laugh. I felt a chill down my spine as I realized what he was suggesting.

They're going to kill me! I thought. They started dragging me away and I was too paralyzed with fear to resist. They pushed and pulled me into a secluded corner of the mall behind some planters full of pretty flowers. Before I knew it they were ripping my clothes off and one of them had a knife!

I was shaking in fear when I heard a dull thud and one of the boys on the outside of the circle fell over. I hardly even noticed, as I was about ready to pass out from terror! But when another boy fell down even I noticed, as it was Vic!

"What the hell do you thugs think you're doing!" John roared as he kicked Brad in the head. Brad was knocked back, but didn't fall. "You little shits have been pushing this poor girl around all year! What's wrong with you?" He punctuated each statement with another punch or kick. The boys were scattering in fear, as he was bigger even than Brad and had taken some Karate classes. None of them wanted to fight with John, even though they probably could have overpowered him if they'd fought together.

"What, so you're a fag, too, Cartright?" Brad sneered. "I should have known after all the times you stood up for him!" He took a swing at John but John blocked it and then clocked him. This time Brad dropped bonelessly to the floor, out cold. Seeing both Vic and Brad out of action, the other boys ran away.

"Damn bullies, they've really gone too far this time!" John growled when he saw the state I was in. I tried to cover myself up, but my clothes were ruined and I could barely keep them together enough not to fall off entirely. John was pacing around and muttering to himself and kept looking over at Brad and Vic as if he was hoping they'd get up so he could punch them again.

"J-John?" I said tentatively.

John stopped on hearing my voice and turned to me. "I'm sorry Justine, but there comes a point where a man just can't take anymore! I've wanted to do that all year, but this…" he said, gesturing at my ruined clothes, "is too much!" He stopped and took several long, deep breaths to calm himself. "Look, just wait here for a minute, okay?" He took off before I could answer and I curled up behind the planter and cried.

A few minutes later John returned. He was carrying all of my bags as if they were nothing, and a security guard was following him. "That's her over there. These two and their friends attacked her. Is it okay if she goes and changes, they pretty well shredded her clothes?" John said to the guard as they approached.

The guard took one look at me and tensed up. I just knew he was going to start hitting me like the boys did, but instead he said, "I'm really sorry this happened to you, ma'am! You go ahead and get changed and we'll take care of these scum bags." John brought the bags over and I selected an outfit to wear. I put it in one of the smaller bags and hurried over to the bathroom to change. I couldn't believe they were both treating me like a girl, but I wasn't about to complain!

The clothes I'd bought fit better than my sister's stuff. I put her ruined clothes in the bag with vague ideas of somehow repairing them. I took a look in the mirror and realized my makeup was ruined. I'd picked up a makeup kit in one of the stores and put it in my purse, so I fixed it. I did an even better job than the first time, and I had to admit I was looking better than ever!

I tore myself away from the mirror and hurried back to John. I was afraid Brad's friends would show up at any moment, and I didn't want them to find me before I got back to him. Police officers had arrived while I was away and I felt a stab of fear knowing this was going to get back to my parents if I didn't find a way out of this soon! But I just couldn't leave all those wonderful clothes I'd bought sitting there. As I approached John saw me and ran to my side.

"Are you alright Justine? I'm really sorry I didn't get here sooner. You're not hurt, are you?" he said, his voice full of concern.

"Uh, yeah, I'm okay I think." I replied.

The policemen started asking me questions after that, but they all seemed to think I was a girl, too. I wasn't about to disabuse them of that, but I thought for sure that Brad or Vic would have disabused them of that idea by now.

I answered the questions as best I could, and followed John's lead in identifying myself as Justine instead of Justin. I was starting to think he was off his rocker or something, but I was enjoying being treated as a girl, especially by John, so I just basked in the attention.

Naturally they asked about my parents. I tried to put them off, but they insisted. Finally, I gave up and gave them my Mom's cell number. I would just have to hope I could get home and changed before she got there and could pretend the Justine thing was just a clerical error!

The policemen insisted on John and me staying until our parents got there. That's when I knew I was dead! I started shivering and crying and just couldn't stop. I was sitting on the floor and John came and sat next to me and put his arm around me. "It'll be okay Justine, you'll see. I'll help you as much as I can. I guess your parents don't know about you, right?" he said.

"Uh, no, they don't." I agreed, wondering if we were talking about the same thing or not.

"Look, I know this is all weird, and I know you're technically a boy." John said. "But I've always seen you as a girl. When I saw you today I just knew I was right and you were meant to be a girl! I…I think I've had a crush on you for a while, but I've been too afraid to do anything about it. I hope you're not disgusted."

I glanced at John in amazement and the huge smile that spread across my face was probably answer enough. "I…I've felt the same way! You…really see me as a girl?" I asked.

John nodded, "Yes, I do. I'll help with your parents if I can, and I'll protect you from those jerks. You're way too nice of a girl to have to deal with slime like them!" He was starting to get worked up again and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Sorry, but I hate bullies!"

"Me too." I said with a smile. He smiled back and I thought he was the most handsome boy in the world! But then I remembered my parents were about to find out all about me. My life would be over!

John seemed to know what I was thinking about. "I know things are going to be hard now, there's no way you can hide things anymore. And I don't think you should try. You're so much more radiant when you're just being yourself! Maybe it's a bit early to be talking about this, but I think I love you! Will you let me help you through all of this, and give me a chance when you're ready?" he said.

He was being so kind and understanding I felt like melting into his arms right there and then! "You're really wonderful, do you know that?" I said. He blushed and looked away in embarrassment. "No, I mean it. You're a wonderful person, and I'd be overjoyed to have your help. I certainly need it! I don't think my parents could handle me having a boyfriend just yet, but I'd love to give you a chance once things have settled down a bit. But…are you sure you want to be seen with someone like me?"

"What, a beautiful girl who lights up the room whenever she enters it? Yeah, I think I can handle that!" John said with a sappy smile.

I slapped his arm playfully, "You know what I mean!"

He nodded solemnly, "Yes, I do, and you're exactly what I said you are. I'd be thrilled to be seen with you, so don't go putting yourself down!"

Our gazes locked at that and I felt like I was falling into his eyes. I knew in that moment that this was a special person who I'd be lucky to spend the rest of my life with. And here he was saying that my being a boy, physically, wasn't a problem for him! Could he be for real? But even as the thought formed I knew he was, I could see it in his eyes. It was like he was baring his soul to me so I'd know he meant everything he'd said.

Our faces were slowly inching towards each other without our consciously willing it, and I'm sure we'd have been kissing in a moment if my mother's voice hadn't interrupted the moment. I cursed under my breath, much to John's amusement I suspect, and turned to greet my mother. She was shocked, as you can imagine, and John and I spent quite a while explaining things to her. John's presence really seemed to help, though, and I surreptitiously grasped his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed it back and smiled at me.

After that there was a whirlwind of activity. We had to give statements to the police. Then Dad arrived and we had to explain things all over again. He got a little upset over the girl thing, but John put him straight in no time. I was in awe of him! Then I was taken to the hospital to make sure I wasn't injured. I had a cut on my leg from the knife that I never even felt, and a few bruises, but was otherwise okay. Then there was the psychologist who asked me why I was wearing girl's clothes. John was right there at my side when he could be, and nearby when he couldn't. His parents didn't know what to make of his devotion, I think, but were also proud of the way he was helping me. Unsurprisingly, they were as wonderful as their son!

John was never far from my side from that day on. Soon we'd won over my parents and the psychologist, and an endocrinologist had prescribed estrogen and androgen blockers for me. Then there was electrolysis. Long, painful, boring process, but John was right there holding my hand the entire time!

I don't know how I would have dealt with it all without him, especially since I had to testify at the trial for Brad and Vic. Their cohorts never did get arrested, but they were a lot more subdued without their leaders! Especially with John glaring at them whenever they got close to me. They took to giving us both a wide berth, and it was nice not getting shoved around anymore.

The morning before the first day of school, we're both seniors this year, John kissed me right there in front of the whole school! I asked him why he kissed me there, in front of everyone, and he said, "There come's a point where a man just can't take anymore! And I just couldn't stand to go another minute without kissing you!" Isn't he wonderful?