45th Annual Gala of Tiresias: 3

 

Skyler has to make some decisions - should he resist his transformation or should he go all
in to try to win The Gala? Thank you for all the reviews and comments. I did understand that using
a real life political issue would not agree with everyone. I'm sorry if my point of view veers from
yours, but that is the nature of political discussion. At times, we must just agree to disagree.

---

 
Author's Note: Please continue to leave comments and reviews! I truly appreciate it and
it's awfully nice to be back here with you all again. Please, if you like my story, leave me a review?
Good or bad I read them all! ~Clara.
 
This version of 45th Annual Gala of Tiresias: 3 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.

---

 
 
Chapter 3
 

That night, Skyler drove Hanna back to her dorm a little earlier than usual. He was still getting used to the feeling of having the breasts attached to him, but he was still dressed in shorts and a shirt - the only difference was that the current shirt and shorts were borrowed from Regina and the shirt was clingy and plunged a lot lower than any tee shirt he'd ever worn before while the shorts barely covered the bottoms of his butt cheeks.

"Come on up," Hanna said from the elevator door in the lobby. "Let's talk about the next few weeks."

They sat in her dorm and, at Hanna's suggestion, sent emails to Skyler's professors explaining the situation and asking them to be understanding. All responded with a simple 'ok' or 'good luck' or things like that, but Professor Kramer, his piano teacher, responded, "Come see me ASAP. I'm in my office all day Monday. This is important."

"I wonder what that's all about?" Skyler mused aloud.

"Go see her Monday morning and find out, I guess," Hanna smiled. Then she opened a drawer and pulled out the chemise she'd borrowed from Regina a few days earlier. She held it by its spaghetti straps in front of Skyler and smiled. "Let's see how much better this looks on you, now that you have the right equipment."

"Seriously?" Skyler whined. "Isn't this top bad enough?"

"There's nothing bad about that top, Sky, and for crying out loud, are you going to act like a baby every time you have to put on a piece of women's clothing. I mean, one minute you're making promises and the next you're upset because I'm asking you to do exactly what you promised. Are you going to try to win this or not?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to try to win it. I just wonder if you think you're dating me or my kid sister."

"Well, if I had a lesbian bent to me, I could do a lot worse than Reggie, but I really prefer to have a partner with a wee-wee rather than a hoo-hoo."

He shook his head as he took the chemise and pulled his shirt off. "Do I keep my bra on?"

"Nope," Hanna laughed. "You can keep your panties on if you want, but I promise you - they won't be on long."

He turned his back and asked, "Can you undo that for me?"

Hanna's hands touched his back and gave him shivers. Before she undid the hook and eyes on his bra strap, though, she ran her hand around his torso, and touched the underside of his new breasts. He could feel the touch of her hands, but he could also feel the movement of the appliance on his body and that sent tingles through him as well.

As she prepared to undo the clasps, she moved his light blonde hair gently to side so that it all hung over the front of his right shoulder. Then, slowly, she undid his bra and let it hang limply on his back.

"I've never done that for a date before," she said. Then she kissed his back and worked her way up to his left shoulder. "I better stop if I want to see you in that chemise, huh?" She chuckled.

Skyler took off the bra and lowered the chemise over his head. Then he pulled off the very short shorts that he was wearing. He turned and faced his girlfriend, who smiled down at him.

"You look amazing," she smiled. "Those breasts look so real and the chamise is hanging beautifully on you now, too. I love it. Come on. Lay on the bed."

"Are you sure you're not a lesbian?" He asked, only half-teasing.

"Are you sure that your chromosomes aren't messed up?" She asked in return. "Because nothing about you looks like a boy right now." She caressed the front of his chemise, rubbing the silken nylon of the chemise on the silken nylon of the panties he'd been loaned. He couldn't help but get turned on by the touch and she couldn't help but gloat a bit about getting him wound up. "Oh wait! Maybe there is something a little like a boy in there. Yes... I think I feel it. It needs to grow up a bit though. It must be hard to be a penis attached to the body of a pretty fourteen-year-old girl."

He wanted to argue that point with her, but her touch had him too excited. So, when he opened his mouth to speak, all that came out was a short, girlish gasp.

"That's right, my pretty, little girl," Hanna smiled and continued to arouse him, "just let me take care of you. I know how to make pretty, little girls like you feel... wonderful."
 

~^~
 

When the Uber driver pulled up in front of Skyler's house that Monday morning, Hanna got out of the car and hurried into the house, anxious to see how things were going.

The answer was: not all that well.

She entered the kitchen to find Kathy leaning against the counter sipping a cup of coffee and looking far too exhausted for someone who had just gotten up and dressed. She was shaking her head as off in the distance Hanna could hear the sound of Skyler's mother's voice - it was raised, sounded impatient and a bit irritated as she came down the stairs. "Damnit all, Skyler, you asked for your sister's help, and she gave it to you. Now, just get dressed and go to school so that the rest of us can get on with our lives, too."

"Should I go up and help him?" Hanna asked Kathy.

Kathy rolled her eyes. "If I were you, I'd just leave now, while you have the opportunity."

"I swear," Kathy's mother said, entering the kitchen, "it would probably be easier to take out a second mortgage on the house to pay for his education than go through all of this nonsense."

Kathy looked at Hanna and explained, "'The Twins' have not been getting along very well since Sky saw the clothes that Reggie picked out for him."

"What did she pick out?" Hanna asked. "A ball gown? A French maid's uniform? What has him so upset?"

"A sweater and skirt," their mother said.

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad," Hanna said.

"Just remember," Kathy pointed out, "that it's Reggie's skirt and Reggie's sweater. Think about how she dresses - especially just before a pageant."

"Uh-oh," Hanna said. "I better go help."

"Good luck," Skyler's mother said, shaking her head and pouring herself a cup of coffee.

Hanna hurried up the stairs and arrived at the landing just as Regina stepped out of her room wearing just her bra and panties. She was obviously upset as she turned back towards her room and screamed, "Then get out of my room so I can get dressed, because I am done trying to help you! You say you want my help and then act like a spoilt little bitch when I give it to you! Well, I am done! GET OUT!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Hanna said, arriving at the bedroom door and putting her arm around the younger girl. "Calm down. Let me help."

"Help!?" Regina sneered back into the room. "He doesn't want my help. He thinks he knows everything."

"Ok, Reg... relax, please. He needs your help he's just... you know... a guy. And guys act like that."

"A guy?" Regina sniggered. "Yeah, right. Well, see if you can get that 'guy' to get dressed, because I am done." She stormed off down the stairs.

Hanna shook her head at the lingerie clad teenager. Then she stepped into Regina's bedroom to find her boyfriend sitting on the bed, his head down, wearing a white, lacy bra and a pair of black, super sheer tights that allowed his lacy, white panties to show through. His makeup was done, but his hair was filled with hot rollers, a beauty item which Hanna had never used.

"So?" Hanna asked, already perturbed.

He looked up, surprised to see his girlfriend there. "What?"

She sighed. "This is the end of all this BS, Sky. Either you're doing this or you're not, but you promised me that you would at least be nice to Reggie when she helped you."

"Hanna... she picked the most ridiculously girlish clothes for me to wear and then expects me..."

"To put the damned clothes on, Sky," Hanna hissed, losing her patience and trying hard not to yell. "Sky, Reggie is only a kid and being able to help you is a huge thing for her. Finally, SHE'S the big sister instead of being the baby." She picked up the white sweater and gray plaid skirt and looked at them. "There's nothing wrong with these. The sweater has a crew neck so it's modest for your first day with breasts and the skirt is very stylish."

"And very short."

"Which is the style that Reggie prefers, Sky, and it's also the style that will teach you some modesty in a skirt. So, let's do this: Let's act like we're the more mature people, here, get you dressed, then we'll go downstairs, apologize to Reggie, have her help you with your hair and then she can come back up here and get herself ready for school. How does that sound?"

Skyler shook his head. "Hanna... Hanna, how can I suddenly show up on campus looking like this? Everyone is going to..."

"Everyone is going to go about their usual day without noticing anything, Sky. Maybe a half dozen people will even notice and that's because you're friends with them and friends will understand, once you explain things to them."

He sighed and nodded. She was probably right.

"So, come on," she insisted, "pull on your big girl clothes and let's go apologize to Reggie before she decides not to help you anymore."

A few minutes later, Skyler was wearing a simple, slightly oversized, light weight, white crew neck sweater that was decorated with just a hint of white lace trim around the breast area. The skirt was a traditional, grey plaid, with white and black squares to set off the grey. It had a slightly wide waist band, zippered in the back and was pleated enough to let it sort of take on a little bell shape as it hung. It was quite short, although not as short as many of Regina's spring skirts, reaching about a third of the way down Skyler's hairless, sheer tights covered thighs. The hem of the skirt didn't quite reach his fingertips if his arms hung at his side.

Hanna had suggested that they tuck the sweater into the skirt, and then she bloused that out to enhance the loose, oversized fit of the cute sweater. Even the sleeves were designed to be a little too long, so they bloused a little as well. On his feet were a pair of black, pointy toed, low-heeled pumps that only covered his toes, then exposed his foot until the strap around his ankle. The whole look was very young, Skyler might have said 'infantilizing' if he'd been asked. Very cute, very feminine and very, very flirty.

"Mind your posture," Hanna coached, as they walked down the stairs. "I think you need to walk around with a book on top of your head for a few hours every day to straighten out that spine of yours."

"It's these shoes?" he complained. "I'm not used to heels."

"There's hardly any heel to worry about, Sky. Heck, your cowboy boots have a bigger heel than those. Just relax and walk, putting one foot in front of the other."

He did and it did get easier pretty quickly.

When they entered the kitchen, Skyler's mother was sitting at the table, dressed for work and drinking coffee, Kathy was dressed to go to her own classes, still leaning on the counter and drinking her coffee, Amanda had come home from her shift at the hospital wearing lilac scrubs and pouring herself a glass of orange juice, and Regina was still in her bra and panties, still irked, obviously so, and standing between Skyler's other two sisters - a small phalanx of sisterhood, united in being ticked off at the only male in the house.

"Hey, umm, Reggie..." Skyler said, trying to be gracious, contrite and friendly without surrendering all of his 'big brother' persona. "...I'm sorry if I was a little... grumpy. Thank you for your help. I hope you'll forgive me and continue to help me."

Regina let out a very irritated breath. "You weren't grumpy, Skyler, you were a pissy little bitch, and I don't want to be treated that way ever again."

"I understand and I apologize for my behavior," Skyler said, truly sorry that he'd upset someone who was trying to help him. "I promise... if you continue to help me... I'll show you more respect. Honest."

She considered that for a moment, then said, "Alright. Sit down - and make sure to smooth that skirt or it'll wrinkle - and I'll brush out your hair."

He did as he was told, smoothing his skirt as he sat, which caused his mother, girlfriend and older sister to exchange smirking smiles.

"Well, if my opinion counts for anything, Sky," Kathy said, rinsing out her cup, "I think that Reggie's choice was perfect and that you look adorable in that outfit. And when I say 'adorable,' I mean that you look natural, and young, and very pretty and very... normal. If anyone does notice you, it'll only be because they find you attractive."

"And that was meant as a compliment, too," Amanda said. Then she mused over his outfit for a moment or two before saying, "I miss getting dressed up every day. I loved looking pretty."

"What are you talking about?" Her mother scoffed. "You're beautiful every day of the week."

"Thanks, but you know what I mean," she smiled as she sipped her juice. "I used to get up and find the perfect outfit to wear to school. The outfit that would attract this guy or that guy - Or the perfect skirt that would impress the girls - Or just the outfit that would make me feel..."

"Like a princess," Kathy helped. "I know what you mean. That's really a high school thing, I guess. I wear jeans and a flannel shirt to classes most days, now."

"For me, it's scrubs, every day," Amanda lamented. "I try to get the prettiest ones I can, but... no makeup, no perfume, no jewelry... I just miss all the prettiest parts of being a girl."

"See, Sky," Regina said in a slightly condescending tone, "you're getting to enjoy all the best parts of being a girl. Being pretty... having your hair done..."

"Boobs," their mother said, causing all the girls to giggle.

Regina brushed his hair gently and used a strategic approach to the dispensing of hair spray to make his hair hold its form as she worked. "Now," she continued to speak as if she was a well-worn teacher with a student who needed guidance, "as you go through the day today, I want you to try to stand and walk with a nice straight back, always smooth your skirt before sitting and try to smile a lot more than you usually do. A pretty smile is a girl's best beauty secret."

"That's funny," Hanna chuckled. "Jenny told him to smile more, too."

"Then maybe he should listen," their mother said.

When Regina was done, Skyler's long, honey blonde hair looked full of body and life and had wide, rich waves flowing down past his shoulders to the middle of his back. She gave it all a once-over with the hairspray before running to her purse and coming back with a little bag, from which she produced a tiny, pink bottle. She held the bottle over his head and pushed down the bottle's spray pump several times, producing a light mist that wafted down onto his hair and shoulders.

"What's that?" Skyler asked, a bit surprised.

"What does it smell like?" Regina asked.

He sniffed. "It smells like vanilla."

Regina smiled. "That's what it is. Vanilla scented body spray. Take it with you and give yourself a light spray of it every time you go to the ladies' room. It'll make you smell and feel pretty all day long."

"Oh geez," his mother said, "he needs a purse. Anyone have one he can borrow? Something small."

"I have something right here in the hall closet," Kathy said as she walked out to the hallway, returning with a small, quilted, black bag with a silver clasp and a long silver chain. As an added bonus, it had a fairly large, pink Pom-Pom hanging off of one side of the chain. It was plain and simple, yet kind of adorable at the same time.

Hanna took the purse and held it open so that Regina could lay the perfume, a tube of lipstick, a compact and some other pieces of makeup paraphernalia in the purse. Then Hanna added Skyler's wallet and car keys to the contents and closed the pocketbook.

"Perfect," she said with a smile, watching Skyler arise from the chair, looking pretty much - no - exactly like his youngest sister. "A perfect, pretty little purse for my pretty, perfect, little girlfriend." That produced a little giggle from the others.

"She really is pretty, isn't she?" His mother said with genuine admiration.

"Well, she looks just like your prettiest daughter," Kathy said, patting Regina on the shoulders, "so... yeah... she is pretty."

"Could we maybe use the correct pronouns," Skyler said, walking out into the hallway to see himself in the mirror on the inside of the closet door.

"We are using the correct pronouns, little girl," Hanna teased. "Now - if it's not too much to ask, could we possibly stop admiring ourselves and get going? I have class in forty-five minutes and Dr Kramer wants to see you as soon as possible for some reason."

"God, I really do look just like Reggie, don't I?" Skyler stared at the beautiful young woman in the mirror, amazed that that woman was in fact him.

"Come on, babe," Hanna said. "Let's go."
 

~^~
 

The walk across the campus was thoroughly uneventful. The people they encountered barely acknowledged that Skyler was passing them, let alone take note of whether he was male or female.

There was one interesting interaction in the cafeteria, though. While Skyler was getting himself a bottle of water and Hanna was grabbing a coffee, another student, a young woman who looked to be either a senior or a grad-student, went out of her way to catch up with Skyler to say, "I love your skirt! Where did you get it?"

Skyler sputtered for a second before he remembered what he'd been told by everyone who'd offered him any advice thus far: Smile. So, he smiled and said, "Oh, thank you! Actually, I don't know where it came from. I borrowed it from my sister."

"More like stole it from her sister," Hanna chimed in. "This one is a clothes horse and just keeps 'borrowing' anything that's cute from her sisters. She's shameless."

The stranger smiled back. "Well, I doubt your sister looks as cute in it as you do."

"Oh, thank you!" Skyler replied, staying in this new female character remarkably well for someone who'd never acted at all before.

"Gotta run," the stranger said with a glance at her watch.

They left the cafeteria and walked through the performing Arts Center lobby where Hanna said her goodbyes and hurried into her lecture on the music of Saint Hildegard of Bingen. "I'll see you in in the cafeteria in two hours," she said. "If I don't show up, come look for me in the lecture hall."

"Why will you still be in there?" Skyler asked.

"I may be asleep," she chuckled. "Have you heard the music of Hildegard of Bingen? It's beautiful but very dull. I'll never survive two hours of listening to it." She kissed his cheek. "Now remember to move like a girl - little steps, straight back, one foot in front of the other - and go see what Professor Kramer wants to talk to you about."

Skyler walked down the hall and felt the strange juxtaposition between the familiar surroundings and the unusual feel of the soft, feminine clothes that he wore. It was odd to be certain, but it was also kind of... cool. He was fascinated by the binding feel of the tights and the loose feel of the skirt, the feel of his prosthetic breasts bouncing on his chest and the way that his hair bounced along with them. It was all so alien, yet kind of exciting and interesting.

And then there was the odd head-rush of catching glimpses of himself in the reflective surface of a darkened window, or the polished metal of a decorative piece along the wall. No, he hadn't WANTED to dress this way, he hadn't WANTED to get his hair done, he hadn't WANTED to go out in public like this, BUT... it was kind of... amazing. He felt kind of... different... pretty, actually. And Regina had been right - the constant scent of vanilla was a reminder that he was looking, moving and even smelling different. It was all pretty cool.

He reached Professor Kramer's office and he knocked at the door.

"Come in," came his piano tutor's voice from inside.

He grabbed the doorknob, but it was locked. "The door's locked." He called in.

"Just a second," Dr Kramer called back. There was the sound of movement inside and then the door swung open. "Sorry about that. Good morning. How can I help you?"

Skyler was surprised by her odd greeting. "Oh, yeah... umm... you said you wanted to see me ASAP, professor, so..."

"I did?" The professor said, tilting her head in confusion just a bit. "Why would I need to..." Her facial expression changed entirely as she realized who she was speaking to. "Oh, my God! Skyler! Is that really you?"

"Oh, umm... yeah, it's me," he said, letting out a nervous giggle, which, if anything, made him sound as girlish as he looked.

"Oh, my..." she smiled. "You look... amazing! I guess I didn't expect you to have changed this much since last week, but... WOW, SKYLER! You look GREAT!" She stood there smiling at her student for a good long moment before she suddenly realized that she hadn't invited him in. "Oh... I'm sorry... come in, come in."

Skyler entered and took a seat that the professor offered in front of the desk, smoothing his skirt beneath him, while the professor took her place in her desk chair, staring at Skyler and smiling broadly.

Finally she shook her head a little bit. "Sky... I just can't get over it. You look like an entirely different person."

"Actually, I look exactly like my kid sister," Skyler laughed. He'd always been comfortable with Professor Kramer. "These are her clothes, my hair is cut and colored just like hers and she's been coaching me on how to behave more like a girl."

"Like a woman," the professor corrected.

Skyler chuckled and blushed a bit. "Actually, she's only fourteen, so..."

"Oh, well... like a girl is correct, then, I guess," the professor laughed.

She took in his new appearance for a few more moments, then said, "So... you're probably wondering why I asked you to come see me."

Skyler nodded.

"Ok, well... see... a few years ago, when I was getting my PHD in New York City, I was hired to accompany a person who was competing in the same competition as you. His name was Ron and for the pageant he went by the name Ronetta Rage-er. As Ronetta, she was a huge personality. Stole the show every time she was on stage, but she was being kind of a drag queen, so that kind of exaggerated personality worked against her and, even though she was the audience favorite, she lost.'

'Anyway, I watched the whole pageant and talked to all of the judges, then I attended each of the following Galas, so I think I have a few ideas to offer. I'd like to help you, if I can. I mean, obviously, you're not going for a drag queen look. You look like a biological female already. So, what are you doing for your two talents?"

"Oh, well, for the first one, I was planning on playing piano."

"Ok. Good. What piece do plan to do?"

Skyler sighed. "I'm not sure. I was thinking, maybe, 'Tipitina and Me.' You know, the Allen Toussaint solo. I think I play that pretty well."

The professor nodded. "Yes, you do, but pick something else."

"What!? Why? If I play it well, I should just play it, right?"

Professor Kramer smiled. "No, Sky. You see, you're missing the point. Whatever you play needs to be explosive and exciting, BUT it also has to have a feminine quality to it. If it sounds like a piece being played by a man - and 'Tipitina and Me' always sounds like it's being played by a man, even when I play it - you will be disqualified."

"So..." Skyler thought about his repertoire for a moment. "... any suggestions?"

"What light classical pieces do you know?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Oh... maybe the Chopin piece I did last semester. The Waltz in C-sharp minor, Opus 64 Number 2. I play that pretty well."

Professor Kramer straighter. "An excellent choice - EXCEPT - instead of playing Number 2, play Number 1."

"But..." Skyler was confused, "... I don't know how to play number 1. Number 2 is beautiful."

"And tedious for a crowd that doesn't appreciate classical music. This is entertainment, Sky, not a concert of legitimate music! The Waltz in C-minor, Opus 64, Number 2 is a beautiful piece, but Opus 64, Number 1 - in Db Major - is fire and life and will amaze the audience."

"Yeah, but..." he was feeling a little overwhelmed, "... I've only got three weeks and..." Then it struck him. "Wait a minute! Opus 64, Number 1... that's the Minute Waltz! You want me to master that in three weeks."

"Well, first, it's not 'Minute Waltz,' it's 'The My-Noot Waltz,' as in 'little.' Chopin wrote it as a musical representation of a hyperactive little dog running around the living room. He titled it 'Valse du Petite Chien,' or 'Waltz of the Little Dog.' Somehow, the French nicknamed it 'The My-Noot Waltz' and English speakers bastardized that to 'The Minute Waltz. AND - Yes, I do expect you to master it in just three weeks. What's the big deal? You're a piano major in performing arts college. I've seen dozens of little kids play that piece brilliantly. I've seen video of Yuja Wang playing it professionally when she was only ten or eleven. If she can do it, why can't you?"

"Well, for one thing, she's Yuja Wang, so there's a lot more talent in her fingers than mine, and for another thing, I doubt she only had three weeks to learn it."

"Nonsense," the professor scoffed. "You're mistaking talent for hard work. Park your butt in front of a piano and start working. I guarantee that you can have that piece mastered and memorized in two weeks."

"But... I'm not even in the classical music program."

"Well, frankly, I think that having separate programs for classical and pop music is ridiculous. It's all music and you should be able to play whatever you're required to play. End of story. That's how a musician makes a living. So, stop whining and learn the piece. It's the perfect piece for that event. Now - what about your second talent segment?

"Oh," Skyler was still reeling from his professor's sudden proclamation that he'd be playing such an iconic piece in such a short time. "... I'm singing."

"Good," she nodded. "I think you have an excellent voice. What are you singing?"

"Honestly, I have no idea," Skyler shrugged. "I was thinking about an Adele song, but my girlfriend says I should sound more like a girl than I do when I sing that piece - you know, Adele's voice is pretty low - so I don't know."

"Ok," the professor stood. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"To see Professor Marino in the Musical Theater Department. She'll have some suggestions, I'm sure."
 

~^~
 

"But don't you think that forcing young people into closets is harmful?" The interviewer asked the blonde congresswoman.

"Not at all," she laughed. "I think indulging young people before they are old enough to make their own decisions is the harmful thing to do. We are their parents, aunts, uncles... we need to set a good example for them. Show them how to be REAL men and REAL women. Not these caricature role models in the media. We are not 'keeping them in closets,' we are giving them the chance to grow up, learn their roles in life and conform to the societal norms that we all..."

"Oh, give me a break," Jenny snapped as she shut off the car's radio.
 

~^~
 

"Honest to God, that's my older brother," Regina said to her friends at the high school cafeteria table.

"No, it's not," one of the girls scoffed. "That's just you."

"No, it isn't. Look. Here's one of the two of us together. See? I got his hair, eyebrows, makeup, everything done just like mine. He's even wearing my clothes to his college today. I'm serious. That is my brother, Skyler. Isn't that amazing?"

"And he's doing this just to win a scholarship?" Another girl asked.

"It's a big scholarship," Regina nodded, "but... yeah."

"So... when can we see him dressed like this?" A third girl asked.

"Want to come over after school today?" Regina shrugged. "I don't know what time he'll be there, but he'll be there eventually."

"Cool," girl number one said. "I'm going! I want to see what he really looks like!"

"Me too!"

"Me too!"
 

~^~
 

Hanna couldn't concentrate on her lecture. She knew that Hildegard of Bingen was an important figure in the history of Western Music, but how could she possibly concentrate on 'O Virtus Sapientiae' when all she could think about was how adorable her boyfriend looked in that sweater and skirt this morning!? Oh, and the tights and heels!

Eventually, she gave up on trying to listen and opened a new Google tab on her laptop, opened Amazon's site, and started shopping. There were lots of different fashions that she would love to see him wear, but the ones that leap out the most and tickled her fancy were really designed for young, very fashionable teens - like Reggie. Soon, her Amazon basket was filled with all kinds of cute clothes, dresses, skirts, panties, bras, shoes, even a few pieces of jewelry. Each item was fairly reasonably priced, but the total of the cart was a little higher than she expected. Should she splurge and just get all of it? She'd been pretty good about money lately and she did have a good amount in the bank. She wasn't going to be broke before she got her next paycheck. Heck, how many opportunities would she have to dress up her boyfriend this way? She loved seeing him in clothes like this, too. And besides, Reggie could wear it all after Sky was done with them, so they wouldn't be wasted. Yep. She was buying it all.
 

~^~
 

"Hmmm... an interesting choice to have to make," Professor Marino said as she mulled over the enormous number of choices available to the young man who looked like a very young girl sitting on the other side of her desk. "I agree with your friends and family - the Adele song is just too... aggressive might be the word I'm searching for... for this kind of performance. Should we, maybe, be looking to gay and trans icons for a piece? You know... Judy Garland? Barbara Streisand? Marilyn Monroe?"

Professor Kramer shook her head and held up her phone. "I've been talking to a friend at the Gala to see what other contestants have already listed as their acts. You can't repeat a song or act. Everyone needs to be different. So far, there are contestants lip syncing to 'Over The Rainbow,' 'Don't Rain On My Parade,' and 'Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend.'"

"Yeah, but they're just lip syncing," Professor Marino shrugged. "Skyler would be singing - God knows he's got the range for pretty much any song written for an alto." She had spent a good ten minutes having Skyler singing scales and arpeggios to determine how high he could sing, and she had concluded that he could sing anything in an alto's range without much difficulty.

Professor Kramer shook her head. "I don't think they'd allow two Marilyns or two anyone else's in the show."

Skyler sat quietly and listened, wondering why every woman in his life seemed so obsessed with this competition.

Professor Marino nodded and mulled some more. "So... a song that's sung from a woman's point of view... about being a woman would be best... and something like 'I Enjoy Being A Girl' from The Flower Drum Song is no good because..."

"Well, besides the fact that it's kind of old and hackneyed, I think it's probably been done to death," Professor Kramer pointed out. "I'm sure the judges would be ambivalent about it."

"Yeah, probably..." Professor Marino nodded. "I can see that. So... a song about being a girl... being a flirt, maybe? Maybe being a tramp?"

Professor Kramer laughed. "A tramp!? Come on... Look at Sky. If he tried to look like a tramp, he'd look like a little girl dressed up like a hooker for Halloween."

"Hey," Skyler said, a tad defensively, but he realized that stamping his foot and insisting that that he 'could too look like a tramp' seemed counterproductive.

"I'm sorry, Sky, but come on," Professor Kramer chuckled, "you look more like an honor student than a tramp. You need a song about being a good girl."

Suddenly, something clicked in Dr Marion's mind. "A good girl!" She said aloud.

Professor Kramer looked at her colleague. "Did you think of something?"

"I may have," the professor said. "Let me think." Then she started muttering words with a bit of a tune to them. "I come from a long line of good girls, who chose the wrong guy to be sweet on. The girl with a face that says 'welcome,' that men can wipe their feet on. I'm there when he wants me the trusted girl Friday, alright, but what good does it do me alone on a Saturday night?" She snapped her fingers and looked at Skyler and Professor Kramer. "I've got the perfect song! It's flirty, and girly, and kind of naughty... I think it's perfect! Here, let me call it up and play it for you. Ummm... you can look up the lyrics on your tablet if you want. It's called, 'You Can Always Count On Me,' from the musical 'City of Angels,' and if you decide to do this song, Skyler, there are plenty of great karaoke tracks available for it."

Professor Kramer was looking at the lyrics before the music even started. "Oh, yes, I love these lyrics. Like you said, it's funny and flirty and definitely girly. Sky, I think we have a winner for you."

He looked at the lyrics as the song played. It started off as a slow, kind of a 1930s/1940s sound, and then became a faster song with more and more dirty lyrics - well, that wasn't true. Perhaps Professor Marino had used a better word: naughty.

"What do you think?" Professor Marino asked when the song ended. "It'll fit his range, it's not a real well-known song so no one else will chose it and it's a pretty great lyric."

"I think it's perfect," Professor Kramer said. "What do you think, Sky?"

Skyler was in shock, looking at the sexually playful lyrics. He'd probably like the song a lot if he'd just been listening to it, but the idea of singing it in front of people... "I don't know... I mean... it's pretty... sexual... you know? Like, it says that the singer defrocked a priest. I'm not sure I can sing that in front of an audience."

"What?" Professor Kramer laughed. "Why not? The judges will love this and the audience will go nuts over these lyrics. They're hilarious."

"I'd be saying that I had sex with a priest, though!"

"It's a joke, for crying out loud, Skyler, it's just a joke," Professor Kramer laughed.

"Skyler, in the detective films of the nineteen thirties and forties," Professor Marino explained, "every detective time had a secretary that not only seemed smarter than everyone else, but also was the most attractive woman in the movie and she almost always had an unrequited crush on the main character. It's an archetypical character from the era that most people over a certain age understand. This song is just a parody of that character. A pretty darned well written parody, in fact. So, the judges, who will all be old enough and experienced enough to understand the parody, and your audience will either get the cultural references, or they will just enjoy that silliness of the naughty subject matter. See, you have a very 'girl next door' look to you and we should play to that. This song will do that perfectly. I think it's a great choice for you."

"I agree with Professor Marino, Skyler," Professor Kramer said. "Sky... this is a winning song - IF you do it well, and she's here to help you prepare it for performance. I think it's a great choice and, just like I'm willing to see you as often as necessary for the next three weeks to help you prepare the Chopin piece, Professor Marino is willing to do the same to help you prepare this song. I think you should take advantage of that offer."

Skyler thought back to his conversation with Jenny a few days earlier and her advice to let people in the know help him, so he put aside his misgivings about the song and and nodded.

"Thank you, Professor Marino, and Professor Kramer. I will do the Chopin piece for my first talent and this song for my second. And thank you both for your assistance. I really do appreciate it."
 

~^~
 

Skyler's mother would sometimes spend her lunch hour at the outlet mall near her workplace. Usually, she would wander from store to store, looking for anything cute that caught her eye that might be appropriate for herself or one of her daughters. Skyler was easy to buy for, as a rule - just jeans and tee shirts ninety percent of the time, with the very occasional new suit coat or sports jacket for a recital.

This day, however, she kept picking up piece after piece and wondering which daughter might like it, and invariably, the name Skyler kept coming up. She was buying cute, feminine and even intimate items for her son and it was actually kind of wonderful. She was actually enjoying herself. '

Was this pastime indulgent on her part? Of course.

Was it a bit odd? Without question.

Did she need to step back and think about this a bit before spending any more money? No. For some reason, she was actually enjoying buying the cutest little things she could for her son. It wasn't a punishment or a fetish, it was just... fun. She'd never done this for him before. It was just a lark.
 

~^~
 

"Hey," the handsome boy in the cafeteria line said with a smile. "I'm Alan. Are you new here?"

Skyler glanced up, assuming that whoever was speaking, he wasn't speaking to him. When he realized that there was no one else around except the boy and him, Skyler responded in a slightly confused way. "Oh... I'm sorry... were you talking to me?"

"Yeah," the boy chuckled, uncertain as to whether or not this girl was pretending to be obtuse or if she was acting like a bit of a snot - like she was too good to speak to him. He chose to give it another shot, after all, she was pretty cute. "I said, I'm Alan. I asked if you were new here."

"Oh..." Skyler was still surprised that this guy, who he had noticed around the campus before, was talking to him. "Umm... no... I'm not new here."

"Really!?" Alan asked, surprised that he hadn't noticed this fashion plate before. "How have we not met before?"

Skyler smiled and shrugged, not knowing what to say, so, he grabbed a yogurt from the cooler and turned to head to the cashier.

"Oh, hey," Alan said, anxious to keep the conversation going, "can I buy you a Coke or something? Maybe we could have lunch together?"

'Oh, I'm, umm..." Skyler was very confused. No boy had only ever flirted with him before, and the only girl who'd ever flirted this aggressively with him was Hanna and he hadn't known what to say then either. "...I'm, ummm... meeting someone for lunch."

"Oh," Alan was a bit deflated, but not defeated, "a boyfriend?"

"A girlfriend," Hanna said, arriving in a nick of time. She leaned down and kissed Skyler full on the lips. "Hi, Alan. How are you doing?"

"I'm ok," he said, kind of shocked by what had just transpired. "I... thought you were straight, Hanna. Since when are you a lesbian?"

"I'm not a big fan of labels, Alan," she smiled and put her arm around Skyler's shoulder, "but I've been dating Sky for a while, now."

"Oh," he nodded. "Ok. Well... I'm sorry if I overstepped or anything. I was just... you know... trying to be friendly. I hope no one's upset about that."

"Not at all," Hanna smiled. "Hey, I'd invite you to sit with us, but we have a lot to talk about today. Another time, though?"

"Yeah. Absolutely," Alan smiled and nodded. If this girl wasn't interested in him right now, at least there was still a window of opportunity. Maybe, if he could get to know her, she would be interested in him when her relationship with Hanna ended. "I'll look for you later in the week."

"Cool," Hanna said, casually. "See you then." She turned and led Skyler towards a booth that was set aside from the rest of the dining room.

When they'd taken their seats, Hanna asked, "So... how'd it go?"

Skyler explained about the 2 pieces that had been chosen for him by the two professors. Being a Classical Music performance major, she was very familiar with Chopin's Minute Waltz, but she needed to listen to the Broadway show tune before she could pass judgement. She called it up on her phone, put in her Air Buds and listened.

"I think those are both great choices," She enthused. "Are you happy with them?"

"I've got a lot of work to do, that's for sure," Skyler sighed and shrugged. "I guess I just thought that this would be a lot easier."

"You thought earning a hundred grand would be easy?" Hanna laughed.

"Easier than this, I guess," he shrugged.
 

~^~
 

They stopped at a nail salon on the way home. Hanna had proclaimed that Skyler's nails were heinous and felt his look suffered by the lack of nicely polished nails. When he left, he had nicely manicured 'French nails' that were barely longer than his natural nails. They did shine nicely, though and caught the light in a way that seemed to fascinate Skyler.

They pulled into the driveway at Skyler's house, with Hanna driving, got out of the car and headed into the house.

"So, I have to write an analysis of this Bach adaptation for guitar I'm working on," Hanna was saying. "I've written a ton of notes, but I have to assemble it into an actual paper before my lesson tomorrow." She was carrying her guitar case in one hand and her backpack in the other.

Skyler walked in front of her, just a purse over his shoulder, his short skirt, tights, cute, low heels and blousy, white sweater still looking adorable as he searched the purse for his house key. "Ok," he muttered as he looked. "I need to practice this Chopin piece. You want to work in my room?'

"No, I can set up on the sofa near the piano. I just need a folding table or something to..." she stopped as they entered the house and, instead of finding it empty as it was every day, they found Regina and three friends sitting around the kitchen table drinking tea.

"There he is!" Regina said with a grin. "See... I told you. He looks just like me. Right?"

"Oh, my God!" The girl sitting in Skyler's typical seat said, wide eyed. "That can't possibly be your brother! She's really your sister, right? Like, your twin or something, right?"

Another girl stood right in front of Skyler and looked him up and down. "Nope. That is not your brother. No way. I've met your brother."

"Look at that girl's legs," the last girl said. "There's no way a boy has legs like those."

The girl standing in front of Skyler smiled. "This is so cool! You have your own Regina Doll. If you want to know how you'll look in an outfit, you can just have your Regina Doll try it on for you."

"Hey, that is a good idea!" Regina said, grinning. "Sky, we have to go shopping together. You can try on clothes for me, and I can do the same for you!"

"What!?" Skyler finally managed to say. "Reggie... who are all these girls? Why are they here?"

"They're my friends, Sky, and we're doing our homework," Regina said defensively. It was true that these girls were her friends and that they were doing their homework, but that was not why they were there. They were there to see Skyler in Regina's clothes and no other reason.

"We've met before, Skyler," the girl in front of him said. "You drove Reggie and me to dance class a bunch of times. Remember? I'm Paula."

Skyler looked more closely at the girl in front of him. Last time he'd seen her, she was cute, but little and skinny. Now, she was a good couple of inches taller than him, much more mature looking than the last time he’d seen her and kind of attractive. "Oh... sorry. I didn’t recognize you. You look a lot different than you did the last time I saw you."

The girl smirked. "Yeah. ‘I’ look different. It seems to me that the last time I saw you, you were a boy. What happened there?"

"I’m still a boy... I mean... a man," Skyler insisted. Before he could protest further, the second girl spoke again.

"Geez, Sky, Reggie tells us that you’re going to be in one of her pageants. Will you be up against Reggie? Do you think you can beat her?"

"He’s not going to be in the same pageant as Reggie," Hanna said, stepping in front of her boyfriend who seemed almost helpless in the face of several fourteen-year-old girls. "He’s going to be in womanless pageant of a sort."

"Oh," the first girl said, happily. "They had one of those at my cousin’s school. I went. It was pretty cool seeing all the boys in makeup and dresses. They didn’t look as good as you do, though, Skyler. You really look exactly like Reggie. It’s like you’re actually twins."

"That is true," Hanna said, "but right now, THIS Regina has to practice a piece of music for her pageant. Ok? So, you guys please stay out here and let us use the living room to do our work. Alright?"

"Sure," the real Regina said, satisfied that her friends had seen her brother looking just like her. "We won’t bother you."

When Skyler’s mother came home, she found Regina and her three friends hard at work at the kitchen table – unusual, but a good thing to find – Kathy making dinner in the same space, and she could hear Skyler playing piano in the next room.

"Hi," Kathy said, greeting her mother with a kiss on the cheek. "What’cha got there?" She asked, pointing to the collection of bags that her mother was carrying.

"Oh," her mother smiled, "just a few things for Skyler to wear over the next few weeks. I assume that’s him playing piano."

Kathy nodded. "Hanna’s in there too."

Her mother nodded. "I’ll just take these up to his room."

As she passed the doorway to the living room, Hanna looked up and Skyler’s mother motioned for her to join her upstairs.

"I’ll be right back," Hanna said to Skyler as she passed the piano.
 

~^~
 

"This is interesting," one of the gala organizers said as he reviewed the entrant information.

"What’s that?" Another asked.

"This contestant is planning on singing – not lip syncing but singing."

"We’ve had a couple of singers before, haven’t we?"

"Yeah, a couple, but they’re always disqualified in the first talent round."

"Can I see that?" Jenny asked, entering the room and sitting. She was in fairly endogenous clothing that morning, but still had the air of femininity about her. "Oh, this is Skyler you’re talking about. I had lunch with her and her girlfriend the other day. I liked her."

"Really?" The first man said. "Do you think you can talk him out of singing?"

"Well..." Jenny read the form, "...it looks like singing would be her second talent. Playing piano is her first. So, singing would come late in the process. If she doesn’t make it that far, then it won’t be an issue anyway."

"I don’t know," the second man said. "He’s got a great, natural, girl next door kind of look. Just looking at the submitted photos, I’m already rooting for him."

"Well," the first man shrugged, "let’s hear him sing at the talent rehearsal next weekend and see how he does. If it doesn’t work, Jenny, would you have a word with him?"

"Her?" Jenny said, with a little defiance. "I will."
 

~^~
 

"He’s not a toy for you to be showing off to your friends," Amanda scolded her youngest sibling after her friends had left. She spoke quietly so Skyler, still practicing in the living room, couldn’t hear. "No wonder he was upset."

"But he has to get used to showing off while all dressed up," Regina defended herself. "That’s exactly what a pageant is! Showing off! I was just helping him!" It was a feeble defense, but it was the one she was going with.

"It wasn’t very nice," Kathy said, pouring a pot of boiling pasta into a colander that rested in the sink. "We’re supposed to be supporting Sky as if he’s our little sister. Not making fun of him."

"I didn’t make fun of him!" Regina insisted. "Believe me, by the time my friends left here, they were determined to get their brothers into pretty skirts, too! They couldn’t get over how pretty Sky looked. They want him to hang out with us sometime."

"That might actually be a good idea," Kathy said, busying herself with the food prep.

"Why would that be a good idea?" Amanda asked.

"Well, you remember what it was like to be Reggie’s age, don’t you? We were just discovering how to be women. What clothes we liked. What makeup looked good on us. How to flirt. All that stuff. Maybe spending time with Reggie and her friends would open up Sky to those ideas and feelings, too. You know what I mean?"

"I do know what you mean," Amanda chuckled. "It means you’ve taken a couple of Psych classes and think you know how the human mind works."

Just then, Hanna and their mother appeared in the kitchen carrying several storage bins. "Open the garage door for us, Regina, please," their mother said.

"What’s all that?" Amanda asked.

"It’s all of Sky’s clothes," Hanna answered. "Your mom thought it’d be a good idea to take temptation away for the next few weeks."

"Nothing but girl’s clothes until after the pageant," their mother said, before disappearing into the garage.

Amanda shook her head. "You’ve all gone crazy."

"Sky! Come to dinner," Kathy called.
 

~^~
 

"So, no real problems at all?" Sky’s mother asked.

"No. Not really," Skyler said. "I was a little nervous at first, but once I got used to everything, it was ok."

"He even had a boy flirt with him," Hanna said with a smirk. "A cute boy, too."

"Ooh," both Kathy and Regina said teasingly.

"He just assumed I was a girl," Sky said, shaking his head.

"Well, you certainly look the part," his mother smiled. "If I could offer some advice, though, most girls change out of their nice clothes when they get home. You don’t want to wrinkle them or get food on a sweater as pretty as that one."

Skyler nodded. "Ok. I’ll change when I get home tomorrow."

"I bought you a few things when I was out today," his mother continued. "I put them in your dresser drawers."

"Oh," Sky replied, surprised that his mother had picked up anything for him. "Thanks."

"Hey, Sky," Amanda said, sounding very serious and practical, "I saw this person who was pulled over by a cop on the way home, and it got me thinking... You don’t look anything like your license at the moment and, to be honest, you don’t really look old enough to be driving. Maybe it’d be a good idea if you didn’t drive for a while. You know... until you look like yourself again – or at least until you look old enough to be behind the wheel of a car."

"That’s actually a really good point," Kathy agreed. "The last thing you want right now is to be in some kind of trouble with the police that will require you to have to prove who you are. You’d better not drive until all of this is over."

"But..." Skyler was shocked. "... how will I get to school? And work? And... well... wherever?"

"I can drive you to school," Hanna said. "I don’t mind taking an Uber over in the morning and driving you."

"Oh, that sounds time consuming and expensive," Skyler’s mother said. "Maybe you should just take Skyler’s car for the next few weeks. There’s no point in paying all that money for car services when his car is just sitting in the driveway."

"Yeah, and Uncle Bill’s store is only a few blocks away," Kathy pointed out. "You used to walk there before you had a car. If one of us isn’t available to drive you, you can always walk."

"Walk!?"

"Yeah. Walk," Kathy laughed. "You do know how to do that, don’t you? You used to have to do it all the time before you got a license."

"Yeah, but not dressed like this!" He protested.

"Sky, you look amazing," Hanna said, calmly.

"Yeah, but I look like a girl!"

"So? Isn’t that the point?" Regina said, matter of factly. "I mean, if you want to win, then you need to learn how to be a girl. Girl’s walk all the time, Sky. Heck, I walked home from school today. So what?"

"Yeah, but... people I know will see me..."

"And probably just think you’re Reggie," Amanda said. "Face it, Sky – you’re not a nineteen-year-old boy anymore. For the time being, you’re a fourteen-year-old girl and with that comes a lot of new experiences and a few limitations. One of those limitations is that fourteen-year-olds don’t drive. You’ll be fine."

Hanna petted his tights-covered leg. "Don’t worry, Sky. We’ll work it out."

He sighed and went back to his meal.
 

~^~
 

His shower took longer than usual. Regina had laid out a series of bottles – shampoo, conditioner, color enhancer, volume enhancer, body wash, skin exfoliators, acne scrub, skin cream, and on and on. All of it was expected to be used in the shower and by the time he’d read each label and used each ointment, he’d been in there almost forty-five minutes.

As he dried off, he was nearly overwhelmed by the fragrances on his hair and skin.

And it didn’t end in the shower. There was a series of bottles for after-shower use as well. Each of those was applied as well.

When he looked into the mirror, the reflection he saw wasn’t a familiar one. Staring back at him was a girl, not a woman, decidedly younger than Skyler had been a few days earlier. Small breasted, but those breasts were very real looking. Narrow eyebrows, skin shiny from the face cream, ears adorned with tiny, faux-diamond studs and lips already plumper than they’d ever been due to the products that had been applied to them over the last few days.

This was for real. He needed to start taking this seriously if he was going to win this competition and get back to his normal life, but for now – he needed to take Jenny’s advice to heart and start being the best girl he could be for the next three weeks. Then he could go back to jeans and tee shirts – and a flat chest.

Regina heard the bathroom door open, and she peeked out into the hallway where her older brother was walking towards his room, one towel wrapped around his hair, turban style, another around his waist, skirt style, his small, very real looking breasts exposed. She giggled, just a little before saying, "I put out the new nightie that mom bought for you. After you get it on, come see me. Since your hair is still damp, I’ll put your hair up in curlers tonight, so it’ll look nice tomorrow. It’s healthier for your hair to use regular curlers than to always use hot ones."

"Ok," he said as he entered his room.

A few minutes later, he was standing in her doorway, still wearing the turban-towel to keep his wet hair off of his back, but now also wearing the nightie his mother had bought him. It was pink with small white polka dots scattered here and there about the fabric. It had a modest, tee shirt style neckline, elbow length sleeves that ended in big, white lace covered bells and it was knee length. The bottom hem had a white lace covered ruffle.

It was cute and modest and feminine, but the kind of thing that Regina would have viewed as ‘too young’ to wear herself. She thought it was perfect for her older brother, mostly because it made him look, and hopefully feel, like her younger sister. A younger, less experienced girl, ready to accept her ‘older’ sister’s tutelage.

"Come and sit, Sky," she said with a warm smile and welcoming tone. Let’s get that hair up so you have nice, wavy hair in the morning.

Downstairs, Hanna looked at the time. "I wonder what’s keeping Sky so long," she said to Amanda and Kathy as they all watched ‘Jeopardy!’ on the TV. "I need to head home, soon."

"My guess is Reggie is playing with her new doll," Kathy chuckled. "I think she’s enjoying having a life-sized replica of herself to dress and play with."

Amanda looked around to be sure her mother was not within ear shot. "I think Hanna’s enjoying it a lot more than Reggie is."

Hanna blushed a bit. "Well, to be very honest... I am sort of enjoying having a soft, sweet-smelling boyfriend who looks pretty when he’s dressed up and wearing a little makeup. I’ve always been a kind of jeans and sweatshirt kind of girl, you know? And having a pretty boy on my arm is pretty awesome."

Amanda thought about that for a moment. "Hmmm... I suppose it would be kind of cool. Especially if he was fulfilling all the wifely duties at home."

"You mean," Kathy checked for her mother, too, "being a saint in the kitchen and sinner in the bedroom?"

"Well," Amanda laughed, "I was thinking more about being a saint in the kitchen. I was thinking about having someone who would take care of the house for me. You know... cooking and cleaning... taking care of the kids... things like that."

"Oh," Kathy nodded. "You want a maid."

Amanda laughed and shrugged. "Ok. Maybe that’s what I need."

Hanna was laughing too. "You know, Sky would look pretty cute in a nice maid’s uniform."

"Hey, that’s my little sister, you’re talking about," Amanda said, still laughing.

"Ok, come on," Kathy chuckled, "let’s not be mean to Sky. She’s... I mean... he’s working hard to do a good job in this pageant thing, and we shouldn’t be teasing..."

She stopped talking because she saw Regina coming down the stairs with Skyler following close behind. Regina was wearing a cute, spaghetti strap, silk sleep top with wide legged, boxer-style, silk panties. The typical pj set for a teenaged girl. Behind her though, Skyler followed wearing that pink nightie with the white polka dots and his hair all rolled up in huge, jumbo sized, lilac-colored curlers and those were somewhat covered with a pink head scarf that was decorated with large, childish, oddly feminine strawberries.

The whole look was sweet and young and girlish.

"Oh, my," Kathy smiled, being the first to catch sight of him. "Aren’t you the cutest thing?"

"She is, isn’t she?" Regina beamed with joy at having gotten Skyler ready for bed.

"She really is," Hanna said, standing and feeling all kinds of stirrings and emotions flooding her body. This... girl... this... little girl... was her boyfriend. Small and vulnerable and girlish. That was Skyler! Granted, Skyler had never been ‘manly’ in any usual sense of the word, but... holy cow. He was so... cute... and she wanted to be alone with him so badly.

But that wasn’t possible. She needed to get home and he was all done up like a tween ready to be tucked into bed.

"Someone’s not going to sleep well tonight," Amanda laughed.

"Why?" Skyler asked.

"The first time you sleep in curlers is always a tough night," his oldest sister laughed, "but sleeping in curlers THAT BIG is a sacrifice to beauty that I was never willing to make."

"I wear them all the time," Regina shrugged, indifferently. "She’ll get used to them and fall asleep soon enough." She touched the curlers in his hair and smiled with pride.

"I... ummm," Hanna said, picking up her backpack and slinging it onto her shoulder, "I should probably get going, I guess. I mean, it’s past eight and I need to shower and stuff before bed, so... I kinda have to go."

"Oh," Skyler said. "Let me get you my car keys." He turned and ran barefoot back up the stairs.

"Wow," Kathy whispered. "If I hadn’t seen him looking like that myself, I never would have believed that he’d allow himself to be dressed that way."

"And the curlers!" Amanda spoke quietly as well. "I am in shock."

"Pretty is as pretty does," Regina giggled, looking proud of herself. "She needs to really FEEL pretty in order to convey her confidence to the judges. By the time I’m done, Sky will be as happy to be a girl as I am."

"And I’ll be dating a ten-year-old girl, if you’re not careful," Hanna said, shaking her head as she pretended to not love what she’d just seen.

"Hey, I only did her hair and added some moisturizer to her face. Mom bought her the nightie," Regina said, holding up her hands in innocence. "It’s cute, though, right?"

They all agreed that it was, but they did so quietly as Skyler’s bare feet ran back down the stairs.

He held the keys out to Hanna who took them and asked him to walk her to the back door.

"That’s quite a look you’re sporting, there, Sky," she smiled. "I hope you get some sleep."

He shrugged. "I’m so tired right now I could sleep on a bed of nails."

She smiled, partially in sympathy, partially because she found Skyler’s vulnerable state very appealing. "So... this is kinda... for real, I guess, huh? Like Jenny said... you’re becoming a girl for real for the next few weeks, huh?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I mean... I looked at myself in the mirror after my shower and I... well, I guess I realized that I was already a long way to being a girl, so... it just makes sense to go all the way and try to win this thing."

Hanna’s smile widened a little. "I agree. You know that Chopin piece is already sounding pretty good." She chuckled before she said her next sentence. "Especially for a pop music major."

That made Skyler giggle a little, which only endeared him to Hanna more.

"So, what’s the deal then?" Hanna asked. "What Reggie says goes?"

He nodded. "That’s what you and Jenny told me to do."

"What your other sisters say goes, too, right?"

He nodded again.

"What Professor Kramer and Professor Marino say goes?"

He nodded again.

"Sounds like you’ve decided to be a good girl from now on, then."

"I decided I want to win," he shrugged. "If I want to win, then I guess – yeah - I’m a good girl from now on."

Hanna bent down and planted a soft, warm kiss on his lips. "I can live with that," she whispered. "I kind of like my boyfriend in a pink nightie and with great big curlers in his pretty, blonde hair. I think it’s sweet and... maybe it’s the way our relationship is meant to be."

Skyler cocked his head at that remark. Did she really mean that she actually preferred him this way?

It didn’t matter, though, because before he could speak, Hanna planted another kiss on his lips, and this time, it wasn’t a soft, little kiss. This time it was a firm, passionate kiss, and it turned into several more, more passionate, firmer kisses, that made Skyler want to melt into her embrace.

But it ended too quickly.

"I’ll pick you up in the morning, ok?" Hanna said, then kissed him once more. "Goodnight... my pretty, little girl."
 
 
MUSIC LINKS:

Tipitina and Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMBUbTA1eG4
 
Waltz in C-sharp minor, Opus 64 Number 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v21x-DApYg
 
Waltz in C-sharp minor, Opus 64 Number 1 (Minute): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2JCxapd5hU
 
Hildegard of Bingen - O Virtus Sapientiae: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg58CGFxHao
 
You Can Always Count On Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jASlyLiYss
 
 
To Be Continued...