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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.03 - Half Day, Double Trouble

The best part of starting school had to be the fact that I didn't have as busy of a schedule as I'd had during the summer. With no engagements as Sarah until Saturday's concert I had the evenings to spend with Emily and Ethan, something we hadn't had in a number of weeks.

But Friday morning dawned with the excitement that any of my concerts brought. I would be leaving during lunch to make the trip to the airport for the flight to Denver. I was performing at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre Saturday night, and I couldn't wait to get back on stage. It had only been a week since I had performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, but with the start of school it felt like it had been a lot longer. I really wanted to get back in front of my fans!

I had a huge smile as I got ready for the day and ate some breakfast. When Emily and Ethan showed up I grabbed my stuff, including my gym bag, and headed for my car with them and with Austin.

Gym. The one downside to this morning was the fact that we actually needed our gym clothes for the first time since school started. The school renovated the locker rooms over the summer, and we had spent the last two days waiting for the final touches to be completed before we could actually use the facilities. Of all the classes that I was taking this semester, P.E. was definitely at the bottom of what I would consider my favorites. It was even below Chorus.

I knew that there were going to be some unhappy girls in that locker room when I followed them inside. Sitting around on the bleachers during the last two days of class doing the assignments that Coach Anderson, our P.E. teacher, had given us had shown me that. Many of them looked very apprehensive when they found out that I was in the class. I knew that even though I was legally female, I had always been considered the opposite before this year. While there weren't any girls in the class who had ever called me names or tried to hurt me, I knew that they weren't as accommodating when it came to invading what they felt was their privacy. Nobody had said anything to me yet, but I had overheard some of them talking about what they would do when we got our lockers.

All of these things were worrying me as we walked toward our homeroom. But I should have been worried about other things.

We were walking around a corner when I screamed. A fist was quickly flying at my face. I was not sure how, but it missed me and I found myself on the floor. Somehow, I had managed to drop fast enough to avoid the blow that was meant for me. But that didn't stop Jared Lumbart. Once he realized he had missed with his fist he moved to kick me with his foot. I knew there was no way I was going to avoid that, since I was awkwardly sprawled on my hands and knees.

But I was shocked because instead of feeling his foot connecting with my ribs, I watched as Jared was slammed into the ground on his back, with Ethan on top of him! The loud scream that was echoing around the hallway was, for once, not mine. I had never heard Ethan yell with such rage before! I had never seen him take on someone as big as Jared either.

Jared was surprised as he hit the ground. He obviously hadn't expected anyone to fight back. His surprise kept him from moving as Ethan's fist slammed into his right cheek. Then he looked dazed enough to prevent him from fighting back when a second fist came slamming down onto his shoulder.

"Ethan!" I screamed, and leapt to my feet. I reached over and tried to pull him off Jared, but he was too strong for me. I couldn't prevent a third punch from connecting with Jared's jaw. Then someone else was at my side helping to pull Ethan off the now bloodied football player.

Jared jumped up immediately to retaliate, but he came to a halt when he saw Ethan being held back by Coach Madsen. This was the second time the football coach had been nearby when Jared had tried to attack me.

"Lumbart!" Coach Madsen yelled. "What did I tell you?" When Jared didn't respond, the coach continued. "Get to the nurse and get that cut taken care of. Then you and I are having another talk. Mr. Knight," he said while releasing Ethan and turning him around so that they were facing each other. "You are coming with me to the principal's office."

"But he was just defending her!" a girl yelled from nearby. I didn't recognize the voice, and I couldn't tell who in the large gathered crowd had said it, but I grinned slightly that someone else was standing up for me. Not everyone in this school hated me.

Coach Madsen didn't respond, however. Instead, he turned and lightly pushed Ethan toward the office while making sure that Jared was moving in the same direction without starting anything again. I worried as they walked out of sight what would happen to Ethan. He might have been defending me, but he had also punched Jared three times. He had definitely done more than just defend me.

"He'll be okay," Emily said softly next to me. I looked over at her, and I knew she didn't believe what she had just said.

The warning bell broke the silence that the hallway had fallen into, and people started scurrying toward their classes. Reluctantly, Emily and I did the same.

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Ethan entered our homeroom about five minutes before class was supposed to end. He didn't look very happy, but he forced a smile as we met his gaze. I felt myself smile in response. The fact that he was still at the school meant he had at least not been suspended. He sat down next to us with a sigh.

"How bad?" Emily asked first.

"Detention for the next week," Ethan responded. "Coach Madsen convinced the principal that I was only defending Megan, so he didn't suspend me. But he didn't like the fact that Jared had been bloodied." The smug smile on Ethan's face worried me. I was grateful that he had been there to prevent Jared from hurting me, but he had gone too far.

"Ethan," I said. The tone in my voice turned his smile into a frown, and I knew I would have to be careful with what I said. "Thank you for defending me," I started. "But you didn't have to punch him like that."

Ethan's frown turned into a grimace. I knew my words were not what he wanted to hear, but I felt he needed to hear them.

"He was going to hurt you, Megan!" Ethan said loudly, catching the attention of many of the other students in the classroom. Most had already been listening to us anyway.

"I know," I said back, keeping my voice soft. "But once he was down..."

I didn't have to finish my sentence. I saw it in Ethan's eyes. He knew that what he did had been wrong. He knew that I wouldn't approve. But he also knew that he had to do something. I saw that in his eyes. Our relationship had changed. We used to be best friends. Now, we were something different. He was trying to protect me, and that was something he hadn't needed to do before.

The bell rang, indicating the end of class. Without a word Ethan stood up and left as Emily and I were still putting our things away. I knew that he was upset. But I also knew that he wasn't upset with me. He was upset with himself at how he had reacted to Jared's assault.

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"Are you ready for this?" Emily asked as we approached the doors to the gym. On either side of the main doors was a separate door into the boys' and girls' locker rooms.

"No," I said, eyeing the girls who were grouped outside of the door that I would need to enter. They were nervously watching me approach. When we reached the girls, I sighed in relief when I realized that they were waiting in a line to get their locker assignments and not in a group to prevent me from entering. However, they seemed to become more defensive when they realized that I was joining the line with them.

The line continued to move forward. As Emily and I approached the door we saw Coach Anderson handing out locker assignments as the girls entered. I could also make out the heated discussion that one of the girls was having with her.

"...can't be in this class if she is!" I overheard. "It isn't right!"

"Go wait in the locker room," Coach Anderson replied. "If you feel uncomfortable you don't need to start changing. Tell any of the other girls with concerns to wait too and we'll discuss this after I have passed out the locker assignments, okay?"

Amber Hartfield, the girl who was speaking with the coach, nodded, though she remained unhappy. Then she stepped into the locker room. Emily and I continued to move forward until we were next in line.

"Good morning, Megan," Coach Anderson greeted me while searching through the slips of paper in her hands. She found what she was looking for and handed it to me. "Here is your locker assignment and the combination."

"Thank you," I said, taking the paper from her and moving to enter the locker room.

"Megan," Coach Anderson stopped me. I was worried about what was coming next, but I stopped and turned back to her. "I have talked with Principal Hall and your mother. I'm well aware of your situation, but most of the girls in the class are not. Would you be willing to explain it to them?"

I sighed. The last thing I wanted to do was share the details of what my body was doing with them. "If it will help," I told her.

"Thank you," she replied. "I've asked the girls to not start dressing yet until we've discussed this in one form or another. You can find your locker, but please don't start changing yet."

"Okay," I said. She nodded at me with a smile that reassured me that everything would be alright before she turned to Emily.

I stepped into the locker room and passed the door of Coach Anderson's office. There was a short hallway until the room opened up into several rows full of lockers. I looked down at my paper to find the number of my locker, and started walking forward until I found the right row. I ignored all of the stares and glares that I was receiving as I found my locker. I managed to get it open on the first try despite the fumbling that my anxiety about the class brought to my shaking fingers, and placed my gym bag inside. Then I turned and gave a silent prayer of ‘thank you’ when Emily appeared beside me to unlock her own locker, a grin stretched across her lips.

"Ladies," Coach Anderson yelled from down the locker room. "If all of you could come down here, please."

I tried to return the grin that Emily had, but I was worried about what was going to happen now. I closed the door to my locker and turned to follow Emily. We walked back the way we came to the first row, where the other girls in the class were sitting on the bench in the middle or leaning up against the lockers. Coach Anderson motioned me to join her, and Emily followed behind me as I approached our teacher.

"I know some of you have concerns about Megan being in this class," Coach Anderson started as she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. The sneers and scowls that appeared on some of their faces were disheartening, but not surprising to me. I'd had plenty of trouble with this decision, and I'd had six years to contemplate it. Most of these girls only had a few days to come to terms with what had happened to me recently.

"Despite what many of you may think, Megan is female," Coach continued. "She has every right to be in this class and in this locker room. I expect you to give her the respect that you would give to any of your other classmates. If I hear of any problems, disciplinary action may be taken, okay?"

There were nods around the room, but I wasn't sure that Coach Anderson was helping my cause at all.

"Megan, would you like to explain what is going on?" she asked me. I nodded before taking a big breath.

"When I was born," I started. "The doctors thought that I was a boy. Externally, I looked like a boy." Disgust was evident on many of the girls' faces now. But I pressed on. "I thought I was a boy. But things in my life never added up. Despite how hard I tried to be a boy, it just didn't seem right. I was in a bad accident when I was ten that complicated things further. Doctors started questioning my gender, which in turn led to both my parents and me doing the same thing. I've been seeing a therapist for six years now trying to figure this out."

"But you’re a boy," Amber spouted. "You shouldn't be allowed to change with us. That's not right!"

I nodded at her. "If I was a boy then I would completely agree with you," I told her. "But I'm not a boy. I never was. Just before school ended last year I had some tests done. Those tests very conclusively informed me that I was and always had been a girl. Things started to add up quickly, and I stand before you today as the girl I was born as. I know that some of you may not believe that, but it is true."

"You’re right," Amber spoke up again. "I don't believe that. Things like this just don't happen. You are a boy or you are a girl. You don't get to change that."

"That's just it," I retorted. "I didn't change ANYTHING. I just learned the truth. I'm as female as anyone in this room. I'm a late bloomer. I had my first period just after school ended. If you don't believe me, then believe that fact!"

There were some astonished faces in the crowd now. They obviously hadn't expected me to tell them that. However, there was still disbelief on a number of them.

"Look," Emily stated. "I've known Megan since we were two. I was there as she grew up, and I can tell you that she really is a girl. She has always been a girl. She even has a scrapbook that proves it. Having the doctors confirm this fact didn't change much about her. The only thing it really changed was how other people see her. She didn't just start living as a girl. She's been living as a girl her entire life. It's just more apparent now."

It looked like a number of girls were going to speak up, but Coach Anderson stepped in first.

"I've talked with Megan's mother," she said. "I've talked to her doctor. I can confirm that Megan is female. I know some of you feel uncomfortable about this. You are welcome to try and transfer out of the class, but Megan is staying here. She has both my full support and that of the school. Her gender is not in question here. Now, get dressed and meet me in the gym in five minutes. We've got a lot to do today."

The assembled group started to dissipate, but I knew it wasn't going to be this easy. The looks I received as I walked back to my own locker only confirmed that.

When I returned to my locker I was happy to see that Emily and I shared our row with only two other girls. Those two girls had also been two of the girls who perhaps weren't happy to have me in the class but were at least indifferent about it. I had a feeling that Coach Anderson had a hand in making sure that I wasn't placed near anyone who had been vocal about this.

To say that I was scrutinized as I started to change would be an understatement. I did my best to change quickly so that I could get out of the locker room, but that still didn't stop the soft gasps from the two girls nearby as I changed. They didn't say anything else, and neither did Emily or I. When we entered the gym together there were only three other girls changed and waiting for the class to begin.

Girls continued to filter out of the locker room as we sat waiting patiently. Some of them looked relieved that they had managed to change without seeing me. Others glared at me as they caught my eye. Amber actually scowled, and I was worried about what she would try to do next.

After Coach Anderson had finished calling roll she led us through some warm-up stretches. I started to receive some new stares as we continued. Even Emily was staring at me as I managed to bend further and easier than most of the girls in the class. While some of the girls were more flexible than me, only Becky, who was a long-distance runner, seemed to be in better shape. That was an observation that wasn't lost on many of the girls. The many hours of singing and dancing on and off stage over the summer had certainly kept me in good shape, and it showed.

My conditioning was further emphasized as we spent the class going through some fitness tests that Coach Anderson said were required. Girls were dropping to their knees panting and wheezing left and right. I was winded, for sure, but I still got more of a workout while on stage at one of my concerts.

There were sighs of relief all around the gym when Coach Anderson told us to hit the showers. At least, until the other girls started to worry that I would actually shower with them. Unfortunately, I was being checked out by my dad at lunch in time for the flight to Denver, and I wouldn't get a chance to shower before we had to go to the airport. Even though I didn't want to, I knew that I was going to have to shower now.

After I returned to my locker, Emily sent the first warning signal to the other girls when she asked, "Are you going to shower?"

I saw the concern on her face, and I thought she was hoping that my answer would be no.

"Yes," I replied, and saw the concern on the faces of the two girls near us rise. "My dad is checking me out and we have to go straight to the airport. I don't want to fly all sweaty."

Emily nodded, but she still looked worried. I shared her concern completely. "Where is Sarah playing this weekend?" she asked. "Denver?"

"Red Rocks Amphitheatre," I confirmed.

"Wait," one of the girls, Liz, spoke up for the first time, disregarding the fact that I was standing half-naked in front of her. "You're going to the concert?"

"I go to all the concerts," I told her truthfully. "I'm one of Sarah's personal assistants."

She actually looked impressed as I finished undressing and wrapped a towel around me.

"You are so lucky," she replied before I could leave for the showers. "I'd give anything to meet Sarah."

"Maybe you'll get a chance when she comes to perform at the school," I told her. She nodded, but she didn't seem to believe that was a possibility. However, Dad had already told me that I could personally invite the people whom I wanted to meet with backstage. Liz hadn't exactly been friendly to me during class, but she hadn't been rude either. I mentally added her to the list, for now. Depending on what happened in the future, her wish might just become a reality.

I stepped past her and headed toward the showers. Emily was right behind me. The closer I got, however, the more the tension in the air increased.

"No!" Amber screamed as I stepped past another row of lockers. She too was wrapped in a towel and looked like she was heading toward the showers. "No!" she screamed louder. "You can't!"

She didn't have to elaborate. It was pretty obvious. However, there was no way that I was going to put on Sarah's expensive clothes without showering first. I didn't care if she had a problem with me. I was going to take a shower.

I continued walking. I knew that saying anything would only bait her, and I didn't want any problems. But it seemed like the lesser of two evils. I had almost made it to the showers, with most of the girls in the locker room staring at me as I went, when Amber screamed again. She continued to scream as she ran down the locker room to where I was, and she tugged hard on my towel!

I shrieked at my sudden nakedness and tried to cover myself up with my hands! My scream barely drowned out the audible gasp that came from the on looking girls. I didn't know what they were expecting to see when my towel was pulled away, but it apparently wasn't what I had on display. I knew I was turning red with embarrassment as I reached for and yanked my towel back from the now shocked Amber and quickly wrapped myself up again.

“Hartfield!" Coach Anderson yelled from her office. It seemed to take every effort for Amber to turn and look at the coach. "Get over here!"

I didn't wait to see what happened. I ducked into the showers. Nobody did or said anything to me after that. I washed, dried myself off, and returned to my locker without incident. Everyone was openly staring at me whenever I turned around, but their sneers and glares had been replaced with shock and disbelief. Even though Coach Anderson had specifically said that I was female, they obviously hadn't believed it.

"You know why they are shocked, right?" Emily asked me as I was working to finish up my makeup in the small mirror I had attached to my locker.

"I'm not what they expected," I replied. "Am I?"

Emily laughed lightly before shaking her head. "No, Megan," she said. "It's because you have a better body than any of us. They're jealous, just like I am," Liz was nodding her head, her eyes wide.

It was my turn to be shocked!

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