Thursday came, and it was doomsday. Danny awoke, dreading what he would have to face after school. He wants to cry, scream, shout, and rage, but he can’t. And if he could, it wouldn’t change anything anyway. He laid in bed, the alarm on his phone going off repeatedly as he kept swiping snooze. Eventually, his mom knocked on his door commanding him to get up. Danny dragged his butt out of bed and hauled it into the bathroom. After using the toilet and brushing his teeth, he headed back to his bedroom to change. However, he was interrupted by a knock at his bedroom door.

“Yeah?” Danny asked. “It’s me, open up.” Danny just glared at the door as his sister stood behind it, wanting to come in. “C’mon, open up”, her voice rang behind the door. Danny just stood frozen in the middle of his room, fist clenched. “C’mon, bro”, his sister whined, “We’re gonna be late. Mom will get mad if we don’t hurry up.” After some moments of Danny wishing he had laser vision so he could zap his sister out of existence, his sister grabbed the handle and flung the door open. What greeted Danny was a big shock of surprise. His sister was dressed in her costume, the Cheshire Cat. But then Danny looked to what was in her hand and his anger rose.

“What are you doing?” he demanded, “Get out of my room!”

Jenny just strutted in, making herself at home. “No, we need to get you ready and we don’t have a lot of time.”

“What?!”, he screamed, his anger now peaked to the extremes.  “What do you mean get ready?!”

Jenny rolled her eyes, “I told you, we’re going as a group costume today, and you need to get ready.” 

Danny, at the point of nearly screaming, yelled out, “I’m not going to school wearing that thing!”

“Yes you are,” Jenny demands, “and we’re going to get dressed right now.”

“No! Get the hell out of my room!” Danny shrieked, his anger taking over.

Jenny didn’t care he was mad, she just turned around and gave him sass. “Fine,” she said, “You’ll be cleaning the donation closet, then.”

Danny couldn’t take it anymore and he stormed out of his room, barreling his way to the kitchen where his parents stood, getting ready for the morning. His dad was pouring his usual morning travel mug of coffee when Danny appeared behind him. “Dad!” Danny announced in alarm, “Jen wants me to wear that costume to school!” His dad sighed and turned to Danny. He didn’t want to deal with any trouble this morning. He’s never been a morning person, especially when there is drama in the household. “So? What seems to be the problem?” his dad asked. “What do you mean?” Danny shrieked, “That wasn’t part of the deal!” His dad put his hands up, shrugging and declaring, “It’s a group costume, sport. Everyone is already dressed up except you, so get in there and get dressed before you miss the bus.”

Danny watched his dad return to his coffee and his anger rose. He stormed off again and into his room where his sister was waiting.

“So, are we doing this?” his sister prodded, a bit of a devilish tone escaping her lips.

“I hate you Jen, I fucking hate you!” he screamed.

Jenny just let out a hearty chuckle in response. “I know you do. But are you doing this, or are you chickening out?”

Finally, after reaching the breaking point, Danny exploded in anger and kicked his laundry hamper over, spilling out the few clothes inside. His sister just rolled her eyes at his act of manly desperation. “Well, are you a chicken or what, Danny boy?” his sister said, mockingly. Danny found himself in more than just a rock and hard place. He absolutely did not want to go to school wearing a girl’s costume. However, he also did not want to spend the next month, maybe even longer, volunteering at the church and cleaning that hell hole. Danny let out a loud growl and his fists shook in rage. His sister was standing there, enjoying the spectacle before her, wondering why she never tried anything like this before. It was very entertaining for her to see her brother this frustrated and angry.

Danny stood there for a while, his blood boiling over as he shook his head in disbelief, cursing his sister and his parents for making him do this. “I’m waiting, bro”, his sister said, egging him on. Danny just kept staring into space, his frustration over his predicament pushing him further and further. However, he couldn’t escape it, no matter what, and he knew it. Jenny was on the edge of her seat right now, though. She was wondering if he was actually going to go through with this or not.

After what seemed like an eternity between the two, Danny finally meekly spoke up; “Fine.” Jenny moved a little closer, her heart jumping a little. “What did you say?” she asked. Danny looked up at her, his face still twisted and flushed, and he repeated himself. “Fine, I’ll do it,” he said, spitting it out. It took everything Jenny had to not start jumping with a diabolical glee. She walked over to her brother and held out the package with the tights resting on top. “OK, get dressed then,” she exclaimed with a bit of excitement leaking out of her. Danny reached out and grabbed the costume from her hands. “By the way,” his sister remarked, “I know that you wear boxers, so you’re going to need something a little more snug and better fitting for the tights so I got you these, too.” The next thing Danny knew, his sister was pulling out a pair of bright blue panties from out of the pocket of her jacket. Danny looked at them, then back at her, his eyes wide and his fury coming back. “Sorry, bro. If you wore tighty-whiteys, this wouldn’t be an issue, but your boxers won’t fit well and they’ll poke out through the bottom,” she said, dangling the panties out for him to take. Danny just glared at her before reaching out and snatching the underwear from her. “By the way,” she mentioned, “I got you some extra thick tights so that they’d be a little easier for you to put on. Just pull them up like you would a sock, a bit at a time for each leg, and you should be fine.” She then walked past Danny and out his door, shutting it behind him.

After a couple of minutes more of sulking, Danny then proceeded to get dressed. He got the panties on with no problem, pushing his anger and humiliation deep down. Next, he sat on his bed and unpackaged the tights. He did as his sister said and pulled them up like a sock, a bit at a time. The stretchy, elastic nylon fabric felt so foreign and weird to him as it clung to his legs. As he stood to pull them up all the way, he fought with the last rolled-up bits, but he managed to get it straightened out and on his waist. He looked down and saw how ridiculous he looked at this point, but he couldn’t back out now, even if he wanted to. So he grabbed the package with the costume in it, opened it up, and pulled everything out. He then unfolded the costume, saw how short the skirt was on the dress, and sighed. He also saw the stitched-on apron with bits of lace as well along with the sewn-in petticoat underneath. Then, the Peter Pan collar and puffed sleeves only made things worse. He turned the dress in his hands for a bit, trying to figure out how to put it on. He couldn’t find anything special, so he just slipped it on like a shirt. Immediately, the short armbands felt incredibly off, and worse, he felt like he was wearing nothing under himself. Danny stood there for a bit, not believing what he was wearing before he heard a knock at the door again. “You almost done in there?” his sister called out. Danny turned to the door, not wanting to face his fate.

Danny walked over and reached his bedroom door and opened it, revealing himself to his sister. His heart pounded in his ears as he watched the grin spread across his sister’s face. “Yes! You look adorable, little bro!”, his sister exclaimed with joy. Danny’s heart sank with his sister’s words. “OK,” she continued, “we need to hurry up and get you finished because the bus will be here very soon.” The next thing Danny knew, Jenny grabbed his arm and started hauling him to the bathroom, his stockinged feet pattering on the floor on the way there. As they reached the other end of the hall and into the bathroom, Danny saw what awaited him. On the counter was some of his sister’s makeup.

“Alright, we gotta be quick,” his sister said, grabbing a brush off the counter. Danny glared at her, but he knew he had no choice. First, came the eye shadow. She had him close his eyes as she patted on the powder, layering the colors on and blending them out real quick. Next, came the mascara. Danny’s eyes fluttered with each stroke of the wand as it tickled his lids. Then, his sister popped open a tube of lipstick. Danny looked at her with a disgusted look and pulled back. Jenny rolled her eyes and held up the tube, stating, “Don’t worry, it’s brand new. I bought it just for you.” Danny sighed and relaxed and she started smearing the greasy paint onto his lips. She then had him press his lips, the slick feel giving him an odd sensation. Finally, she pulled out a large brush and a container of blush. She wiped the blush onto his cheeks. There, all done, she said. She then flipped the mirror on the blush toward him and he got a look at himself.

“It was so over,” he thought to himself. He knew that he wasn’t going to last til the end of the day. Some kid was going to pick a fight with him and he knew it. “Alright, we got one more thing left and then you’re all set and we can leave. Jenny closed up the compact and then rapidly put away all of the makeup. She then grabbed Danny’s arm again and led him directly across the hall to her room where she walked over to her closet and opened it up. “I got one last big present for you,” she said, “This one cost me a bit of money, but it’ll be worth it.” The next thing he knew, his sister pulled out a shoe box. She lifted the lid and a pair of shiny shoes greeted him. She pulled out the shoes and held them up. They were shiny patent black flats with a bow on each of the toes. “Here you go, put these on,” his sister said as she dropped the shoes to the floor. Danny looked at them and his heart dropped to the floor even more. He stared at the shoes, getting lost in his ruminating thoughts before Jenny gave his leg a slap. “Hey, hurry up, we need to go,” she persisted. Danny sighed heavily and slipped the shoes on as his sister stood up. “Alright,” said Jenny, “let’s go. Get your bag, and we’ll get out of here.” Jenny walked over and grabbed her book bag while Danny went into his room and grabbed his, hustling without a thought to anything else as he was distracted.

When they got to the doorway, their mom came out to see them off. “Aww!” she gushed, “Don’t you two look absolutely adorable!” Danny’s face flushed bright red, hidden by the blush. “Thanks, Mom”, Jenny replied. “Can I get some quick pictures before you go?” his mom asked, still gushing. Danny’s eyes went wide as he looked at his sister. There’s no way he wants pictures of this day. “Sure, Mom, just gotta make it quick since the bus is almost here”, said Jenny. “Alright, come into the kitchen, you two,” as their mom made her way through the living room. Jenny dropped her bag at the door and motioned for her brother to follow her. Danny sighed and obliged, knowing he had no choice.

All three shuffled their way into the kitchen and their mom started with Jenny. She, of course, ate up the camera. She did cutesy poses, sexy poses, and goofy poses for their mom as she snapped away. However, it was now Danny’s turn. His sister practically walked over and shoved him into the spotlight in the middle of the kitchen. There, Danny stood sheepishly, his hands folded in front of him and his knees pointed in as he stood there with an embarrassed look on his face. He didn’t realize it, but he had a very feminine look to himself and his mom had just caught it on camera.

His mom knew that Danny wouldn’t want to play around much, so she only got a few shots. However, Jenny jumped in and they took photos together, each with Danny looking miserable while his sister was victoriously beaming over her Halloween prize. After their mom snapped some more with her phone, she piped up, declaring, “OK you two, it’s quarter after. You’ll be running for the bus if you stay any longer.” Jenny nodded, snatched her brother by the arm again, and hauled him to the door. They both grabbed their bags by the door and headed out into the open.

The moment they stepped out into the cool morning air, Danny felt incredibly exposed. He felt like he was wearing nothing underneath and the stretchy fabric of the tights felt even more strange as the cold air seeped through every little pinhole. Moreover, the shoes he was wearing were also a completely new experience for him. Missing the whole top part of the shoe except for a strap made it feel very strange. Even worse, he just realized he had nothing on to keep himself warm. Somehow, the tights are making the cold air much worse than it is, and the short, puffed sleeves of the dress keep his arms fully exposed. Also, every single tiny breeze found its way under the skirt, chilling him more.

As they started getting closer to the bus stop, Danny could hear the voices of all the other kids waiting for the bus. His heart started to pound and he began to sweat. As they got closer, he could make out the outlines of everybody through the small hint of dawn light and the streetlights. In his mind, intrusive thoughts about people making fun of him or beating him up repeatedly played in his head, sending him into a tornado of panic that almost made him freeze in place, or run away. As they reached the cross-section in the road for the bus stop, a flash of bright lights caught the corner of his eye and startled him. He looked over and noticed it was just the bus at the stop before his. As he and his sister made it to the stop, Danny started to shrivel up. He felt like a billion eyes were on him. One of the boys laughed and he flinched, but he quickly realized it wasn’t at him. That is, until another kid, Austin, spotted him. Austin looked Danny up and down, eyeing him up, before snorting and shaking his head and returning to watching the bus come down the road.

The bus drove up and a gust of wind followed. It sent a cold chill across Danny’s exposed skin that was already covered in goosebumps. As the bus came to a halt and opened the door, more dread filled him. He knew that once he got on that bus, there was no return, not unless he were to walk all the way home. Begrudgingly, he filed in line and started to walk on the bus. As his sister got on, Ms. Fowler, the driver, gushed over her costume, prompting a cute little curtsy out of Jenny. However, with Danny in tow, Ms. Fowler just gasped and in a quiet, but still fairly audible tone blurted, “Oh! Isn’t that just precious!” Danny could feel his face flush up all over again as he kept walking up the bus’s steps. As he got to the top of the steps, eyes started to turn his way. More and more of the other students started looking at him and he felt completely exposed as he slowly crept up the aisle way.

Danny realized he had a serious problem. He had nowhere to sit. He didn’t really know anyone on the bus, and all the seats had at least one person in them. As his anxiety started to climb, his sister sat down in front of him and she immediately pointed to the empty spot across the aisle. “Here, sit, I need to tell you what’s up”, Jenny said as she dropped her bag between her legs. So, Danny slinked into the seat across from her. It was then that he realized he was sitting next to Trevor. He didn’t know Trevor much, but they talked on the bus sometimes. Looking at Trevor, Danny could tell he was judging him and trying to process what he was seeing.

The other students started shuffling by and soon enough everyone was seated. Ms. Fowler shut the doors and the bus started taking off as Danny put his pack on his lap. One thing that was nice about Ms. Fowler was that she blasted the heat in the mornings and it was feeling nice against Danny’s exposed skin, making things a little less insufferable as the chill faded and his goosebumps disappeared. Jenny then leaned toward Danny saying, “Alright, I need to you follow me once we get off the bus. I still have one more thing for you that I wasn’t able to buy.” Danny’s heart sank a little more, hating there were going to be more additions to his already ridiculous look. “I had to get Rachel to buy it for me last minute because I forgot”, Jenny continued. Danny sighed, annoyed that his torture wouldn’t be over.

As Danny sat there, fiddling with his bag and wishing this was all over, Trevor piped up, “So, what’s with the getup.” Danny could feel his face flush again, causing him to freeze for a few moments before answering, “I don’t want to talk about it.” Trevor gave a small chuckle and replied, “Lost a bet, eh?” Danny just nodded. “Sucks to be you,” Trevor responded before laughing again and turning to the window. Danny sighed a bit, thankful that the interaction didn’t go any worse.

The bus drove on, hitting stop after stop, filling the bus with more and more kids. It wasn’t until the fourth stop and overhearing Ms. Fowler, that Danny realized something — nobody was wearing costumes. On the whole bus, it was just him, his sister, and now this one other person who just walked on dressed as the devil. This only drove Danny’s anxiety further and made him realize that if hardly anyone was wearing costumes at school, he was definitely going to stick out like a sore thumb. This, of course, only fueled his anxiety even more as the bus got closer and closer to the school, each stop just another checkpoint with the final stop now happening.

As they rounded the school, Jenny tapped Danny on the shoulder, “Hey, don’t forget to follow me”, she said, trying to remind him about what she said after getting on the bus. The bus pulled around and parked in the usual spot in front of the courtyard. Danny just looked out the window past Trevor and he could feel his heart pound. He was not looking forward to getting off the bus and facing everyone. He could only imagine what was going to happen once he was off the bus and out in the open, exposed to every prying eye waiting to mock him, or worse. However, Trevor snapped him out of his doomsday fantasy as he got up. That prompted Danny to collect his bag off his lap and stand up as well, ready to shuffle off with everyone else.