Everything sorta got started when I was just eight years old, it was a Sunday and it was my Holy Communion. I had on my brand new blue suit with a long sleeved white shirt, a new pair of shoes and even brand new socks and underwear.

Mom, dad, my sister Jenny, and my brother Tom had spent the last month drilling me on the questions from my CCD class in case I was the unlucky one the priest called on to answer a question. I knew every question by heart, I was scrubbed clean from head to toe, and everything I wore was brand new. Everything seemed perfect except for one little thing - I couldn't stop staring at the girls in my class who looked so pretty and dainty in their white dresses, veils, lace trimmed socks, pretty white shoes, and little white purses. They all looked like little brides and every single one of them had big smiles on their faces.

Everything was going as planned, the boys in their suits were on one side of the church, and the girls in their pretty dresses were on the other. We'd all practiced over and over and over what we were to do, when to sit, when to stand, what to say. Nothing could possibly go wrong.

Except there was one thing wrong and of course, it was me. Good old Timmy, just another boy in a blue suit, wishing for it all to be over, wishing he didn't have to be there, hoping he wouldn't be called to answer a question, and since I was stuck there, wishing with all my might that I could be one of the girls in a pretty dress.

Yeah, me, Timmy Corcoran, just an everyday eight year old boy, tree climber, little league player, average second grader, lost in a fantasy of being dressed in an oh so very pretty, lace trimmed, white dress, the skirt fluffed out by a petticoat, my cute T shirt with the lace trim and pretty bow peeking out from under the almost sheer white top of my dress, white ankle socks with a band of lace across the top and pretty white shoes with a little heel on my feet.

If the priest called me, I'd stand up, smooth out my pretty dress, fold my hands in front of me like I was praying, and answer his question. He'd smile and thank me, then, just like my mom had taught me, I'd gracefully smooth my skirt, sit down like a proper young lady, and adjust my skirt and petticoat.

After the ceremony, I'd wait in line like a good girl to have my picture taken with the priest, then mom and daddy would take me to the park where I'd pose in front of the pretty flowers for more pictures. After all that was done, we'd go home and wait for our family to come to the party we were having to celebrate my making my communion.

Of course, when I got home, I'd go to my room and change into a pair of shorts and a cute top to keep from messing up my pretty dress. When everyone finally came, I'd go back to my room and get dressed up again so everyone could tell me how pretty I was in my communion dress.

Too bad for me that I had to go home, change from my suit into a pair of jeans and a jersey and wait like that until my relatives got there. Yeah, they all told me what a handsome young man I was and how good I looked in my suit but it just wasn't enough. If only I could've been wearing a pretty white dress with all the other stuff that went with it, that would've been terrific!

That night I dreamt that I was a girl. Mom, my sister Jenny and I had gone out shopping for the perfect dress for me. I tried on bunches of dresses until we found one that all three of us thought was the prettiest of all; my heart was pounding with excitement as the sales lady wrapped up the dress, I couldn't wait to wear it, my girlfriends would be so jealous!

When it came time to get dressed, I was the happiest girl in the whole world! Mommy had bought me brand new panties, all white and really smooth feeling, just like the ones her and Jenny wore with pretty lace trim and a cute little flower. I quickly pulled them on and put on a pretty Tee shirt that was also really smooth and had lace around the openings. After I got that on, I had to hold my arms straight up so mommy could lower a fluffy petticoat over my head and fix the straps to make sure it fit just right.

As soon as I was completely dressed, I started twirling around in front of the big mirror on my closet door. I was so much fun to see my dress and petticoat lift up so I could see the pretty panties I was wearing. I asked mommy if I could wear a petticoat and pretty panties to school but she told me that it would look silly to wear a petticoat under my uniform skirt but if I wanted, next weekend, she'd take me shopping for more pretty panties like the ones I was wearing. I couldn't wait!

I had to wait though, I woke up to find that it was just another boring, Timmy the boy day. Instead of a pretty nightgown, I was wearing boys PJ's that looked like a baseball uniform and worst of all, instead of the pretty panties I wore in my dream, I had crappy, heavy, boys underwear on. After breakfast, instead of a cute pleated skirt and white blouse, I'd go to school in a pair of blue pants and a white shirt. I'd heard adults talk about being something called depressed when they felt sad and I knew what they meant.

After that, I couldn't help but notice girls, especially when they were wearing skirts or dresses since I really wanted to be able to wear pretty clothes like they wore. If they wore pants, it wasn't such a big deal. Heck, just like them I could wear pants anytime I wanted, it's just that I wanted to be able to wear pretty dresses whenever I felt like it just like girls did, but I couldn't and it wasn't fair.

I tried my best to act like everything was okay, I still played sports and hung out with my friends but it wasn't the same after my communion. When I was playing baseball, I'd notice the girls playing with their dolls or jumping rope, riding on the swings, just having a good time while I stood there in a heavy uniform waiting for someone to hit the ball to me.

The girls could sit and watch while they wore cute shorts and pretty tops, sometimes their tops had ruffled sleeves or sparkles on them which I liked but if a girl was wearing a sundress or a skirt, it was almost impossible for me to concentrate on the game, I was too busy imaging how fun it would be to wear the same clothes!

I paid attention to how girls did things like walking, standing, sitting, and all kinds of other stuff. Being just a kid, it surprised me that girls did things differently than boys did. They didn't throw balls the same way or catch things the same way, they sat differently, they walked differently, and they just did everything differently than boys. Since I wanted to be like them, I started practicing doing things the way they did.

Not around my friends of course, somehow I just knew they'd think that something was wrong with me. No, I always practiced when no one else was around or when I was at home. If I was walking down the street all by myself, I might start skipping or something like that and if no one was around on the ball field, I'd throw balls like girls did, sometimes I'd carry my books like girls did or pretend that my book bag was really a purse. At home, I found a couple of Jenny's old baby dolls and started to play with them, pretending that I was the mommy and was feeding my babies or getting them dressed. It was really fun when I took Jenny's old boy doll and put girl's clothes on him!

My family took notice of how I was watching girls and even teased me a little bit. They thought I was growing up and that's why I was interested, I wanted to tell them the real reason but was too afraid. I mean, how would I explain to mom, dad, Jenny, and Tom, that instead of a baseball glove or a remote controlled Monster Truck, I'd like to have a cute dress or a beginners makeup kit instead?

I used to watch girls on TV shows to see how they dressed, my favorite show was called "Gilmore Girls" and was about a mom and her teenage daughter. The first time I saw it, I just loved the way the daughter dressed and acted, she wasn't in the least bit a Tomboy, you could tell that she loved being a girl! Even when she wore pants there was something about her that made me want to be just like her.

One day mom was teasing Jenny about how she now wore such pretty outfits but hated getting all prettied up when she was a kid.

"C'mon mom," Jenny laughed. "I was just a kid and having to wear dresses and stuff kept me from having fun. I couldn't play softball in a dress or ride my bike, all I could do was sit around and play with my Barbie's."

"Now all she wants to do is play with Kens!" My brother Tom joked.

"Not true!" Jenny insisted with a laugh. "I also like playing with Joe's, Mike's, and Dave's too!"

Mom had though faraway look in her eyes that she always got when she was lost in a daydream.

"Still it would've been nice to have a daughter I could dress up in pretty clothes and take her shopping or maybe go to the salon and get our nails done."

It was the chance I'd been waiting for and I jumped on it!

"I'll do that stuff with you mom." I offered with a big smile. "You can dress me up and take me shopping and it'd be fun to get my nails done!"

Suddenly, everyone quit talking and stared at me.

"Why's everyone looking at me like I did something wrong?" I asked innocently. I thought I was doing something very nice for mom but my family stared at me as if I was some sort of alien from Mars.

"Um, boys don't wear dresses or get their nails done," Jenny said softly.

"But I'm really a girl!" I placed one hand on my waist and held the other out the way I'd seen my heroine do on the TV show.

"You're a boy," Tom felt some sort of need to remind me. "You can't be a girl."

"No, I'm not a boy," I stamped my foot down insistently. "I'm a girl and should wear pretty clothes and do stuff that girls get to do."

"You're not kidding, are you?" Mom asked as she drew me into a hug.

"Nope!" I told her without hesitating as I shook my head. "I'd much rather wear pretty dresses than pants and shirts. I wish I could've worn a dress when I made my communion. You could've gotten me all dressed up with a petticoat and socks with lace trim and a pair of pretty shoes."

"But aren't you worried that people might call you a sissy?" Tom asked. "Other kids would laugh at you and tease you."

I had already thought about that and had figured everything out long before.

"Does anyone ever laugh at you when you wear dresses, mom?"

"Did anyone call you a sissy when you made your communion?" I asked Jenny.

"Well of course not, we're girls and girls wear dresses and boys don't." Mom tried to explain but my mind was made up.

"You said that before mom," I shook my head, getting through to adults wasn't easy.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" I could tell by her voice that mom was getting upset. "You can't wear dresses and you can't just be a girl!"

That pushed me right over the edge. For years I'd been dreaming about wearing pretty dresses and being just like the girl on TV. I didn't like any of the things boys did but I loved everything that girls did. The girls in my class complained about having to wear a skirt and blouse uniform with knee socks and saddle shoes but I was sure that I'd never complain, I'd be in heaven! A second later I burst into tears and cried harder than I'd ever cried before.

Just then, dad walked in the door and asked what was going on. Mom, Jenny, and Tom explained everything to him, how I wanted to be a girl and wear pretty clothes just like any other girl and do things that only girls did.

"Are they right? Dad asked, pulling up a chair to be able to talk face to face. "What would you do if we let you dress like a girl?"

I did my best to stop crying even though it's what girls did when they were sad.

"I'd do what other girls do of course. I'd let mom do my hair and I'd wear nail polish, and I'd spend lots of time playing with Jenny's Barbie dolls, and I promise to go shopping with mom and let her dress me up in the prettiest outfits!"

"You wouldn't mind not being able to play baseball?"

"I don't like baseball anyhow, " I shrugged. "I'd rather play jump rope or jacks with the other girls. Maybe I could be a cheerleader at school?"

"They're not going to let a boy become a cheerleader." Tom smiled. "Even a pretty one like you."

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" I asked, all excited.

"Sure, for a boy." He got the best dirty look I had for saying that.

"Everyone calm down," dad ordered. "Mom and I will talk this over and decide what to do. Meanwhile, let's get dinner on the table, I'm starved."

" I am too a girl!" I insisted as I passed Tommy, ducking to keep him from swatting me in the head.

I bugged mom and dad every day to see when I could start being a girl, but they just smiled and told me to be patient. How could I be patient though when every day I saw girls on TV and in the neighborhood wearing outfits that I just loved!

Finally, on Friday afternoon, when I got home from school, I went to my room to do my homework and got a big surprise. There on my bed was a really cute pink and blue pleated skirt, a pink blouse, pink knee socks, and a package of silky girl's panties!

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to get changed? Mom asked from the doorway.

I rushed over and gave her a great big hug!

"Call me if you need any help," She smiled as she left me to change.

I hurried to get changed, carefully hanging up my pants and putting all my other clothes into the hamper, since a good girl always takes good care of her clothes. I chose a pair of pretty yellow panties with a lace waistband and lace trimming at the leg openings; I couldn't believe how great it felt to put on a pair of my very own panties! Sure, I'd tried on mom and Jenny's panties before but I always had to use a safety pin to make them fit since they were too big for me. That was before, now I had my very own panties and they were a perfect fit! I didn't have much to hide and the panties were just tight enough to hide everything really well, making me feel so good, I probably looked just like a real girl!

Once I had my skirt and blouse on, I carefully smoother my skirt and sat to put on my shoes and socks. What a thrill, my shoes and socks, I wasn't trying to make do with mom or Jenny's stuff anymore, I had my very own knee socks and patent leather, Mary Jane shoes, the shiny ones that had a strap across them, just like a lot of girls I knew wore. After I was all dressed, I stared at myself in the mirror. I wasn't shaking or afraid of being caught like I used to be, I looked just like a girl, a pretty girl named Alexis, and my family didn't mind at all!

"Mom, can you fix my hair somehow, please?" I called out. "I look like a boy with this hairstyle."

"Don't worry sweetie," mom said as she came into the room carry a brush that got hot when it was plugged in. "No daughter of mine's going to walk around with a boy's hairstyle. We haven't got a lot to work with but I guarantee you won't look like a boy when I'm done with you."

I just sighed and sat down so mom could fix my hair into a girl's style. Imagine, I'm going to look just like any other girl, a pretty skirt and blouse, knee socks and Mary Janes, and now a girl's hairstyle, I just had to have died and went to heaven. Mom promised to make me look like a girl and I could hardly wait, I was finally going to forget all about being a boy and be the pretty girl I always wanted to be!

Mom went to work with her hot brush, rolling my hair one way and then another until she was finally satisfied. I would've loved to have long, shoulder length, wavy hair but I had to admit that I looked very cute with short, curly hair! As I smiled at the pretty girl in the mirror, mom snuck up and put some lip gloss on me. It wasn't the same as when I used to sneak hers or Jenny's lipstick and put it on, it was like way more exciting because when she finished putting it on me, she laid it down on my dresser, telling me that it was now mine. If that wasn't exciting enough, the lip gloss was sitting right next to a bottle of Disney Princess perfume, the very same perfume I'd heard other girls say their moms had given them to wear!

I stood there switching between staring at my lip gloss and perfume, and the pretty girl in the mirror until mom nudged me out of my day dream.

"I have a few more surprises for you Alexis," she whispered softly as she gently pulled me back from my dresser. She opened the drawer I kept my underwear in and there, next to my Superman and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles underwear were panties and Tee shirts in all kinds of pretty colors! In my socks drawer my old socks had been pushed over to make room for knee socks and the frilly socks with the lace top called anklets that girls my age wore for dress up. I was sure things couldn't get better until she opened the drawer further to show me some pretty tights and even two pairs of pantyhose for girls! Another drawer was filled with girl's jeans and pants, leaving room enough for only one pair of my boy's jeans.

"One pair ought to be enough for now, don't you think?" She teased. "They're for if you want to dress like a boy for some reason."

"Why would I want to do that, I hate boy's clothes, I want to wear pretty things, I'm a girl, remember?"

"Something tells me I'm not going to be able to forget," she shrugged as she opened my closet to show me the pretty skirts, blouses, and dresses she'd bought me.

"That should be plenty for now," she explained while trying to breathe as I hugged her as tightly as I could. "We have to see if you get tired of this."

Never!" I shouted as I held one outfit after another against me to see how it looked. "I told you I'm a girl!"

"Yes, that you did." She shrugged. "Now, how about my cute little girl helping to set the table for dinner?"

"Sure, gimme just a second, okay?" I asked as I rushed to my dresser and sprayed a little perfume on my neck and wrists just like I'd seen her and Jenny do.

"Okay, I'm ready." I smiled as I skipped out of my room, swishing my skirt as I went.

Mom and I talked all about my being a girl as we set the table.

How long had I wanted to be a girl? For as long as I could remember.

Why hadn't I ever said anything before? Cause I thought it was kinda weird.

Do I really want to be a girl or do I just want to dress like one. I really want to be a girl but if I can't, I still want to dress like one.

By the time the table was all set and dinner was ready to serve, Tom and Jenny had come home. They walked into the kitchen, took a look at me, my pretty outfit covered by an apron and their mouths dropped.

"Is that you Timmy?" Tom finally asked as he walked around me several times. "That can't really be Timmy, right? He asked mom.

"Dear God mom," Jenny blurted. "He was never going to be the kind of boy that girls go crazy over but now boys are going to be going crazy over him!"

I smiled, took off my apron and did a little curtsy.

"Her," I corrected. "I'm not a him, I'm a her. My name's Alexis Marie Corcoran but you can call me Lexi."

"Alexis is such a pretty name," Jenny said as she gave me a hug and kissed my cheek. "I think it's perfect for my pretty little sister."

"Did mom make you dress like that?" Tom asked as he stared at me.

"Heck no! Mom would never have to make me dress like this, I love wearing pretty clothes."

I twirled around to show off my outfit.

"See, I have pretty panties" I announced with pride just like you and mom, Jenny!"

"Put your skirt down Lexi!" Mom ordered, trying not to laugh. "Young ladies don't go showing off their panties."

"But they're so pretty and they feel so nice." I giggled as I smoothed out my skirt. "I used to put safety pins in your and Jenny's panties so they'd fit me but now I have panties of my very own, I'm the happiest girl that ever lived!"

"I don't think we'll ever see Timmy again," Jenny mumbled.

"I still have to be Timmy at school," I said sadly. "I wish I could wear a uniform like the other girls."

"That's what you should wear." Mom mumbled.

Mom suddenly realized what she said and tried to correct it.

"I meant to say…"

"Give it up mom," Tom laughed. "You're not going to get any arguments about how Lexi should dress for school or anywhere else. It's a shame that such a pretty girl has to dress like a boy."

Just then , dad walked in, looked at me, smiled, and gave me a hug and a kiss on my cheek.

"Looks like we were right about our little princess," he said to mom as he held my hand up so I could twirl for him. "She's a real cutie pie!"

Princess, cutie pie? From my dad? The one person I worried most about how they'd accept me. All my life I wanted to be his little Tiger, the nickname he had given me. I wanted to be good at sports just like he'd been as a boy but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't do it. I didn't like sports, I thought sports were boring, and I was lousy at every sport I'd ever tried. In baseball, I cringed when the ball was pitched at me and if I somehow got lucky and hit the ball, it never even got to the pitcher. Football was out of the question, no way did I want to get blocked, I was too small to block another boy, and the thought of being tackled scared the heck out of me.

"Your mom and I were worried about you," he explained as he sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap, something he hadn't done since I was about three or four years old. "We know how hard you tried to be the boy you thought we wanted but you were just too delicate and frankly, too pretty for a boy."

"Good grief," Jenny began laughing. "I thought I was the only one who thought he was pretty. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to put him in a cute outfit and turn him into my pretty little sister!"

"Don't bother," Tom laughed. "Every Halloween I thought you were wasting time as a cowboy or an astronaut or whatever boy's costume you wore. I wanted to suggest that mom get you something like a Poodle skirt and a wig and let you pretend to be a girl. If you wore something like that you could always say that it was a joke."

"We've got over a month until Halloween Lexi," mom explained. "You can be Lexi at home at home any time you like and we'll think of something pretty for this Halloween."

"But I want to be Lexi the time," I pouted. "Always and forever and ever. All of you said I was too pretty to be a boy, remember?""

"It may eventually come to that sweetie," Jenny said as she played with the curls mom had given me. "But for now you have to be a good girl and do what mom and dad tell you, okay?"

"We're going to do sort of an experiment Princess," dad explained. "Anytime you're not in school or we're not going anywhere, mom and I want you to our pretty daughter Alexis Marie. We don't want to see any sign of Timmy around, so as soon as you get home, change into your Lexi clothes and mom will fix your hair. We want you to forget all about Timmy until it's time to go back to school."

Mom looked at Jenny and Tim.

"It's not going to be easy but at home there's no Timmy. Dad and I don't want to hear that name when you're talking to or about your little sister, okay?"

Jenny and Tom seemed very happy with the idea and of course, I was thrilled!

"What about getting her some professional help?" Tom asked. "Your experiment sounds good but sooner or later a decision is gonna have to be made."

"Absolutely," dad agreed. "From now until Halloween we'll have a chance to see how well Princess Alexis here can handle being treated as a girl, after that, we'll see what a professional thinks; things could be a lot tougher depending on if they recommend that Lexi stays and Timmy goes."

"What do you mean tougher?" I asked. I already knew that I was a girl, mom, dad, Jenny and Tom seemed to think the same way too so it would be easy for anyone else to know that too.

"You'd have to go back to school as Alexis," Jenny explained as she pulled down the bottom of my skirt which had gotten messed up when I sat on dad's lap. "Other kids might tease you and call you names, and trust me, wearing a skirt every day can get old after a while."

"The girls also have slacks that they can wear," mom corrected her. "Times have changed since you were in elementary school and the reason you wore skirts to school every day in High School was to attract attention from boys."

"Hey. it worked, " Jenny laughed. "And from the looks of it, my petty little sister will want to wear skirts to show off her legs."

"Do you think I good looking?" I asked, hoping someone would be nice and say yes.

Dressed like that you're an absolute doll," Jenny insisted. "Like we said, you were just too pretty for a boy but put you into a dress and fix your hair, and you'll be the heartbreaker of your class."

"She's right," Tom gave me a kiss on my cheek. "I can't believe I'm saying this but you should never wear pants again, you're kind of hot in a skirt!"

I suddenly felt like someone had turned a hair dryer on my face.

"Aren't you the sweet talker?" Mom joked as she playfully slapped Tom.

"Look, she's blushing!" Jenny called out.

"I can't help it," I shrugged. "Tom's making me feel all kinds of strange."

"You'd better get used to it Princess," Dad told me as he hugged me close to him. "You're mine and mom's pretty daughter now."

I gave dad the biggest kiss I could manage before hopping down and doing the same for everyone else. No one was laughing at me, no one thought it was weird, everyone thought I was a very pretty girl, I was so thrilled I started crying.

My family finally got me calmed down so that we could have dinner. Tom was sweet enough to hold my chair while I brushed my skirt and sat down which of course earned him another kiss. All through dinner I concentrated on taking small, lady-like bites; no more chomping through way more than I really wanted just to act like I was a really tough boy. Nope, from then on I was a young lady, daddy's princess and I was going to make really sure that I acted like one.

From then on, I was the best daughter and sister I could be. As soon as I got home from school, I changed into the pretty outfit I'd chosen the night before. If mom was too busy to do my hair, I brushed it as best I could and added barrettes or a ribbon to make me feel pretty. I did my homework right away and then hurried to help mom get dinner ready. As soon as dinner was over, I helped clear the table and do dishes with mom so we could talk about girl stuff, you know, what kind of outfits did I think were pretty, hairstyles I'd like to have, how to walk and stuff just like a girl, and my favorite subject - Halloween!

When it came to my costume, the whole family came up with ideas. Tom and dad tried hard but their ideas just weren't girly enough for me - a Girl Scout, Minnie Mouse, a Cowgirl, or even the Poodle skirt idea. I wanted something super girly, something no boy in his right mind would ever think of wearing, even if his mom made him wear it.

"How about a Communion dress?" I suggested, remembering how I felt that day, watching the girls in their pretty outfits.

"Communion dresses might be hard to find at this time of year," mom explained, breaking my heart. "I promise I'll try but let's think of something in case I can't find a dress for you."

We finally settled on a Fairy Godmother costume since it was pink and very, very girly. Mom said she'd start shopping right away since if I had to be a Fairy Godmother, I'd need time to practice walking in a long dress. She also told me that she had several surprises for me.

The first surprise was that I was going to be going to the beauty shop to get my hair done, just like other girls did. If I was going to be the Fairy Godmother, my hair would be curled and piled on top of my head. If I was going to wear a Communion dress, my shoulder length hair would get waves put in it with curls at the end.

"That sounds so nice," I said dreamily. "But my hair's not long enough for either style."

Mom was more than happy to explain that she not only used to work in a beauty shop, she still had friends where she used to work and when she told them about Lexi, they agreed to fix my hair so I'd look beautiful!

I was sure that Halloween was never gonna come. Even though I always tried to be a good girl so my family would be proud of me, I worked even harder so that nothing would go wrong with my costumes. Even though I wore pants once in a while, (I had some really cute jeans with sparkles on the pockets that looked great with a pair of boots.), I wore nothing but dresses and skirts hoping to show that getting me the girliest costumes was the right thing to do!

My idea must've worked cause the Saturday before Halloween, mom woke me up early, saying that I had an appointment at her friend's beauty shop.

"Wow, I'm really going to an honest to goodness beauty shop," I mumbled as I struggled to wake up. "But it's only six thirty, can't it wait till I wake up?"

"Maybe next time," mom insisted as she pulled the blankets off me. "Now get busy, wash your face, brush your teeth, and get dressed. Why don't you wear your cute denim skirt with a nice top; we don't want to be too fancy since you're going to have to take the top off when they wash and set your hair anyhow."

"I can wear a skirt, outside??" I looked over at my empty bed. How could I be standing up, talking to mom, when I know I was still in bed, having the best dream ever?

Mom smiled and ruffled my hair.

"The ladies at the shop are expecting my lovely daughter Alexis. You're not the first they've done this to; they'll treat you just like a young lady so you'll have to dress like one. Besides, I thought we could do a little shopping after you're done."

I never got ready for anything faster than I did that morning; I had my face washed, my teeth brushed, and was all dressed in my skirt, a pretty rust colored top, sneakers that had a trim to match my top, and a pair of white knee socks in less time than it used to take me to get out of bed.

Mom fixed my hair into a cute pixie style and even let me wear a little bit of lip gloss. I was way too excited to eat so we hopped into the car and we were off to make a pretty girl out of me. I was so excited that I was practically shaking all the way to the beauty shop; mom probably thought she was helping by telling me that I'd get my hair washed and set, and my nails all filed and polished but the thought of having all those things done, things that wouldn't disappear right away, was making it worse for me.

I began imagining going to school on Monday with my hair all done in a pretty style and my nails looking so-o-o pretty, since there was going to be a party at school that day and we were allowed to wear our costumes, I could wear something pretty and go as Lexi?

When we got to the beauty shop, Mrs. Kroft, the owner, acted surprised to see me.

"I thought you were bringing Tim," she asked mom with a wink. "You never mentioned having a second daughter. Who is this lovely girl?"

Mom put an arm around me and smiled.

I'm sure I must've mentioned my other daughter Alexis," she said proudly. "She has a couple of Halloween parties to go to and unlike her older sister Jenny, she wants to get all prettied up for them."

"You certainly are pretty Alexis," Mrs. Kroft laughed. "I remember what a Tomboy your sister was, it was all your mom could do to get her to the shop for special occasions."

"Oh, not me," I smiled right back. "I like getting all dressed up and I couldn't wait when mom told me she was bringing me here!"

"Has she told you what your costume's going to be yet?" She asked as she gently helped me out of my top and into a pink plastic smock. "Maybe she'll let me break the big news?"

She glanced over at mom who nodded agreement.

"Well, tonight you're going to be a famous child star; an actress named Shirley Temple. Have you ever seen pictures of her?"

I shook my head no and Mrs. Kroft handed me a set of pictures of a very cute little girl short, curly hair wearing a pretty dress held out by petticoats.

"Oh my gosh mom, for real?" I squealed excitedly. "I'm going to look like this?"

"Only for the party, sweetie. When we go shopping you'll have to settle for your skirt and top."

"Not many girls could pull off this look," Mts. Kroft explained. "When your mom told me about the parties, we spent hours deciding on just the right look for you. We knew it would have to be something super girly, nothing a boy would ever consider wearing, even if it was for Halloween. After we talked about lots of possibilities, we both came up with the Shirley Temple idea. When she was little, she was every mother's dream daughter, sweet, pretty, and nothing but sugar and spice. Tonight, you're going to be that girl!"

"Imagine," Mom teased. "Ruffled panties, a petticoat, lace trimmed anklets, Mary Jane shoes, and the prettiest dress a little girl could ever hope to wear!"

"You'll look like you're about six or seven years old, is that okay?" Mrs. Kroft asked.

"Can I wear a ribbon in my hair, just like her?" I pointed to the picture of the young movie star.

"I told you she'd love it," Mts. Kroft smiled at mom. "She's short enough and pretty enough to pull this off with ease."

"Could you two please quit talking," I begged. "I can't wait to become the prettiest little girl in the whole world!"

I was taken over and had my hair thoroughly washed, then dried a little bit before small curlers were tightly wound into my hair. While I waited for my hair to dry, another lady filed my nails and put pink polish on them. No one was really sure if Shirley Temple wore nail polish or not but the ladies who worked in the shop just couldn't resist giving me the full girl treatment and I sure wasn't gonna argue with them.

"You can wear this polish all weekend long," Mrs. Kroft explained while I just sat smiling while I stared at my nails. "Tomorrow, for the party at the community center, you're going to be Miss America, in a pretty gown, a wig, some makeup, and even heels!"

A couple of hours later, a stunned, but pretty pre-teen girl walked out of the shop with her mom.

"I'm not dreaming, please, please, tell me I'm not dreaming." I said over and over. "I just left a beauty shop, my hair and nails are done, I look so pretty and I'm walking down the street dressed like a girl."

"What's to dream about?" Mom shrugged as if it was no big deal. "My daughter wants to wear some pretty costumes for Halloween so I took her to the beauty shop to get her hair and nails done. Lots of girls go to the beauty shop with their moms and even more wear pretty outfits for Halloween."

"Jenny missed out on so much," I shook my head remembering the arguments mom and sister used to have. "I promise to make up for it though, you can take me to the beauty shop any time, it was a lot of fun and I just love how they made me look so pretty."

"You won't mind wearing dresses and frilly underwear?" Mom just couldn't stop teasing. "How about going shopping and trying on a few outfits I think are nice?"

"I'll cry my eyes out if you don't let me wear pretty outfits," I teased back. "I promise not to complain if you decide to take me to Vicky's Secret and I'll be the sweetest daughter ever when we go shopping!"

Mom quickly put me to the test, we went straight to the Juniors section of J.C. Penney and began looking over outfits for me. Of course, mom would show me a dress she liked, expecting at least a little argument from me; instead, I'd grab it, rush to the nearest mirror, hold it against me, and gush about how pretty it looked and how I'd need new shoes and a purse to go with it.

Mom was no slouch in the game, while I was acting all silly, she was busy picking out a few more outfits and telling me to take them to the dressing room to model for her.

"Are you sure?" I whispered the first time. "I mean it's the girl's dressing room."

"Well, it's up to you, would you rather go into the boys dressing room in a skirt, top, and panties to try on dresses? You promised, remember?"

"Sorry mom, I got so excited about these cute outfits that I wasn't thinking." I smiled, took a very deep breath and went into the dressing room.

I never wanted that day to end; mom and I went to several shops, trying on different outfits, adding some more to my wardrobe, having lunch, and just enjoying a mother-daughter outing. Even though we had to leave after just a few hours, I didn't mind, when I got home, I was going to get all dolled up in a frilly dress that barely reached my knees, frilly panties, a full length petticoat, lace anklets, and a fluffy white dress with pink polka dots, a black sash for a belt, and short puffed sleeves that no boy would ever dare to wear, even as a joke on Halloween!

I soaked in a nice hot bubble bath, pulled on the prettiest panties I could ever imagine wearing, then, with trembling hands, I carefully lowered my petticoat over my head to keep from messing my hair.

I swirled in front of the mirror, not able to believe that the precious little girl in the mirror was really me! I sat down, loving every second of how the skirt of my petticoat felt against my bare legs and how the silky top felt against my chest. If there was a heaven, I was in it, no way around it!

I gently pulled on the pink anklets mom bought for me and turned them down at the top to show off the lace trim. It wasn't easy buckling my shoes with all the lace of my petticoat in my face but I somehow managed to hold it down with my arm while I reached over and buckled my shoes. It must've been tough to put up with petticoats, but I'm sure I would've managed!

"You look lovely Alexis," mom said as she walked into the room with my dress. "Are you ready to become a sweet little girl?"

"I sure am, mommy!" I smiled and batted my eyes. "I just love my new panties and petticoat and I'm way excited about wearing my new dress."

Mom slipped the dress over my head and zipped it up. The feeling of the dress tightening against me was thrilling; I knew that besides the zipper, there was a special catch at the top which meant that I was stuck as a little girl until mom undid the catch and zipper. Stuck as a little girl, what a wonderful thought! Mom used a comb she called a Pick to fluff out my curls, tied the sash on my dress, put a little bit of lip gloss on me, and then it was time for my debut.

"Oh my God," Jenny whispered loud enough to be heard. "What happened to my baby brother?"

"You never had one," I grinned. "Tom's older than you remember? I'm your baby sister."

"Good grief, mom!" Tom exclaimed when he saw me. "People will think you're nuts if you tell them that Lexi's a boy."

"Tom's right," Jenny grinned. "Lexi here is first prize material, no doubt about it."

"You don't think I went just a bit overboard?" Mom asked.

"I doubt that's possible with her," Tom joked. "You could dress her in the frilliest things and I can't imagine her complaining. "

"I'm gonna be Miss America tomorrow!" I agreed. "I can't wait, I get to wear a pretty gown and even heels!"

"Aren't you afraid of being teased?" Daddy asked.

"I guess some kids might tease me," I shrugged. "They'll just have to get use to me and I do have a couple of friends I can stay around."

"Any boys?" Tom asked.

I thought for a few seconds. Most of my friends were girls, it just always seemed so much easier to get along with girls than boys. Girls didn't seem to care if I said their outfit was cute and when we played games, I didn't have to get dirty either.

"One or two," I answered.

"You'll probably have a lot more in a couple of years." Jenny laughed. "Dad's going to have to hire someone just to beat them away."

"Don't do that, there are some awfully cute boys at school!" I shouted in panic before I realized that Jenny was teasing.

"How about you girls talk about cute boys later," Daddy asked. "I want to get there before the crowd."

"Your daughter's debut is more important than getting a table near the bar," mom insisted. "I plan on being fashionably late so there's a crowd when Lexi walks in."

"Women," daddy laughed and shook his head. "They're trouble no matter how old they are!"

"But we love you daddy," I cooed while hugging him.

Of course mom won the argument and we arrived at the hall just late enough to be part of the last group of stragglers. Some of the women noticed me and smiled, telling mom how pretty I looked which made me feel all warm and fuzzy. When we got to the sign in desk, the woman in charge smiled and asked daddy why Timmy couldn't come.

"This is Timmy," daddy grinned as he moved aside to give the lady a good look at me.

"This can't be your son, Mike," she exclaimed as she looked me over. "I mean Timmy wasn't exactly all snake and snails and puppy dog tails but this young lady is all sugar and spice!"

"I'm Shirley Temple , and I'm going on the Good Ship Lollipop ." I smiled and did a perfect curtsy.

"You had to have gone through a lot of trouble for one night," the lady told mom as we walked into the hall. "You're bound to win first prize though."

Heads turned and conversations stopped as we walked past groups of daddy's coworkers.

"She's adorable," more than one woman told mom.

"I thought your daughter was much older," daddy's boss asked, seeming to be very confused as he smiled at me.

"Jennifer's eighteen," mom smiled and waited for just a second before lowering the boom. "This is Timmy, our ten year old son."

Of course I did my curtsy and introduction for every group of amazed people.

"You've got to be kidding," daddy's secretary said. "How did you get him to hold still long enough to do all that to him?"

Daddy gently pulled her close and checked to make sure no one else could hear.

"A little while ago, Timmy announced that he wanted to be a girl. We talked it over and tried to get things straightened out. We have an appointment with a counselor next week, in the meantime he's been dressing and living as a Alexis at home for a couple of months now, this is his first time out."

"You're forgetting when mom took me to get my hair done and she and I went shopping."

Daddy's secretary looked me over very closely before smiling and kissing my cheek.

"Good luck Alexis, you're going to be a very pretty young lady."

I got tons of attention from people all evening long and of course, I won first prize! Mom and dad were worried that I'd be teased but I got along just great with the other kids; the boys didn't bother with me much but then again, they didn't bother the other girls either. I made friends with a bunch of girls who wanted to know all about my costume and how I felt to be all dressed up like that.

I told them that it was mom's idea and that not only didn't I mind it, I kinda liked the way the clothes felt. The girls all agreed with me, saying that boys clothes seemed so much rougher and not nearly as comfortable or pretty which to a girl means everything!

Of course I was thrilled to win first prize, to have my picture taken bunches and bunches of times, including once for the newsletter where daddy worked, and I made a couple of girlfriends who promised to keep in touch and maybe even play together if our parents didn't mind. The thrill of the night was great but added on to it was the excitement of going to the community party as a beauty queen the next night.

When we got home Tom and Jenny were waiting to pester me with questions. I showed off my trophy and gift certificate, and told them about all the pictures people took of me, and how nice daddy's secretary had been.

"So Lexi, what do you plan on buying with your gift certificate?" Jenny asked.

"I saw this really cute top when mom and I were shopping," I grinned and spent the next ten minutes describing the top and what I could wear it with.

Tom just shook his head.

"Why bother taking her to a shrink," He asked. "She's as female as mom or Jenny."

"And she'll probably be just as costly," daddy sighed. "Just when I thought the days of new outfits every time I turned around were over now that Jenny buys her own clothes, along comes another girl to have to buy for."

"Don't you want me to look pretty daddy?" I pouted. "I'll be wearing uniforms to school but I'll need pretty outfits for when I start going to dances or on days when we don't have to wear uniforms. Even if Jenny still had any of her old outfits, I couldn't wear them since they'd be way out of date and all of the other girls would laugh at me and no boys would want to dance with me."

"You're right," daddy told Tom. "What in the world made me think I had two sons?"

"You coulda asked daddy," I smiled. "I woulda been happy to tell you that I was really your second daughter!"

"That still remains to be seen sweetheart," mom reminded me. "We're going to sit down with a doctor soon and try to figure this whole thing out. You can't just decide to be a girl and everyone goes along with it; there are a lot of serious decisions to be made that could change your entire life. We don't want anything to hurt you."

"What's to hurt?" I asked, having no idea what the problem could be. I want to be a girl, I've always wanted to be a girl, and I'm absolutely sure that I won't be happy if I'm not a girl. I didn't wake up and say "Wow, wouldn't it be so cool to wear dresses and stuff like that?".

"What will the kids at school think?" Daddy asked. "How about the guys on the baseball team?"

"Once you start doing the things that will turn you into a girl, you won't be able to be a boy again." Mom explained. "That's why even if the doctor says you should become a girl you'll have to spend at least a year living as one before any permanent changes are made."

"That's kinda crazy, aint it? I have to be a girl for a year before I can be a girl?"

"It's like this," daddy tried to explain. "Yes, you'll look like a girl. go to school as a girl, and do everything that girls do but you won't physically be a girl. If everything works out okay, if you can handle being a girl, then things will be done to physically turn you into a girl. You'll probably have to wait until you're eighteen before it's all complete but then you'll be a girl for real."

"Totally cool!" I grinned. "When can I start?"

"Your appointment is in a couple of months, meanwhile, get a bath and get ready for bed, you have a big day ahead of you tomorrow." Mom smiled and shooed me off to bed.

I was up early the next morning in hopes that mom would want to get an early start on turning me into a Beauty Queen. Unfortunately, she wasn't in as big a hurry as I was, she wanted to have breakfast, watch a little TV, and have lunch and dinner before getting me ready. When the big moment finally came, I was waiting in panties, stockings which felt like nothing I'd ever had on before, and a pair of dark green shoes with a little heel on them.

Mom helped me into my first bra, a pretty pink one that matched my panties, with small, padded cups. I felt so excited when she fastened it in the back, the padding made it look like I really had boobies. Next came a half slip that also matched my panties, all trimmed in pretty lace, mom said it would keep the petticoats from scratching. I didn't care why I had to wear a slip; all that mattered was that it was so very pretty, and I was going to wear it!

Next came the big finish - my gown; a beautiful dark green one made out of a shiny material with a built in petticoat. I held my breath as mom lowered it over my head, it was the most exciting moment of my life; me, I was going to a party in the prettiest dress I'd ever seen, mom had clipped something called a fall into my hair to make it reach my shoulders and then she curled it so that I had two adorable strands of curls..

Wearing panties was no big deal to me since I'd been wearing them for a little while but the panties I was wearing were silkier than any I'd ever worn before; mom said it was real important for me to extra pretty underwear so that I'd feel all girly inside and that would help me win the contest. If feeling all girly was important, I was sure I had the contest won before it even started!

"Now, just a little bit of makeup," mom said as she smeared some sort of liquid on my face. "Normally, you'd be too young for makeup but girls who compete in these contests all use it so you'll be expected to wear some too."

Mom carefully explained the different things she was using on me and why.

"Foundation covers up any little problems on your face and makes it nice and smooth, it's important to match it to your skin tone, it may seem silly but you don't want it to look like you're wearing makeup. You have to blend the foundation in carefully and not overdo it. Next I'm adding a little blush to your cheeks, it give a healthy look but it also has to be applied carefully; if you pucker up, the part of your face that doesn't get pulled in is where you use blush."

Mom finished up with the foundation and blush and then started on my eyes. She used something called Mascara to make my lashes look longer, then a couple different shades of Eye Shadow that she blended together on my eyelids. A quick spray of cologne that she bought just for me and she said her lovely daughter Alexis was ready for the pageant.

"OMG!!! I look so pretty!" I stood in front of a full length mirror and stared at the pretty girl looking back at me. I wasn't a ten year old boy in a dress, I wasn't even a ten year old girl! I had to be about thirteen or even fourteen years old and I absolutely loved the way I looked. This is how I should dress, a pretty dress that came just below my knees, held out my a stiff petticoat, my legs looking really pretty in stockings, and a pair of pretty heels that matched my dress.

Being a girl was just so much fun! As a boy, I couldn't wear matching undies, and my boys undies didn't give me anywhere near the terrific feeling I was getting by wearing silky undies that were trimmed in lace. I was getting so worked up that I was starting to cry.

"Don't cry sweetheart," mom told me. "You'll mess up your makeup and I'll have to start all over again. When we get home tonight, you can look at your trophy and cry all you want."

"It'll be okay if I cry?"

"It's what girls do, aren't you a girl?"

"You bet I am!" I answered happily as I swung my skirt back and forth, admiring the petticoats.

I had tons and tons of fun at the party; since I was all prettied up people just assumed that I was a girl. Many of our neighbors came over to our table and asked mom and daddy why Timmy hadn't come and who I was. Whenever they did, I smiled, curtseyed, and explained that I used to be Timmy but for the contest my name as Alexis.

I got a couple of strange looks, mostly from the husbands but nearly every single woman told me how pretty I looked and how I was sure to win first prize. A few even called their daughters over and used me as an example for how they should dress. I always took the girl's side, after all, I am a girl, and said that this was all mom's idea and how much more comfortable a pair of shorts or jeans would be.

By siding with the girls I made friends with some of them and they invited me to sit at their table. Mom said it was okay so I took the cute little clutch purse that went with my outfit and sat with the other girls talking about outfits , (well mostly about my outfit. The other girls thought it was beautiful but still liked wearing jeans.), TV shows and music we liked. Not a single girl thought that I was a boy; they couldn't figure out who I was since they were sure that they knew every single girl their age from school or just hanging around the neighborhood. When they asked who I was, I giggled, told them that my name was Alexis and that they'd have to wait until the contest winners were announced to find out more about me.

There were a couple of boys who were dressed like girls and one even made a cute Alice in Wonderland but he wasn't going to be any competition for a beauty queen, I was sure of that. The other boys teased him which made me feel bad so I invited him to sit with me and my new girlfriends. Some of the other girls weren't real sure but Chris, or Alicia as we renamed him, seemed to fit right in. He knew a little about TV shows and movies girls liked cause he had an older sister but he wasn't up on all the latest styles like my friends and I were.

Finally, it was time for the contest, the girls were to line up on one side of the stage and the boys on the other. Of course my friends expected Alicia to line up with the boys but they and pretty much everyone else there just couldn't believe their eyes when I followed him.

The voting was done by clapping, whoever got the most of course was the winner. The lady in charge went down the line for the girls and one of my friends won for her Wonder Woman costume. When the lady finally got to me, she introduced me as Timothy Alexis Corcoran which got the crowd talking and when she asked them to vote, the noise hurt my ears! There was no doubt about it, I won the best costume for the boys! When the lady then said that the next vote would be the grand prize, everyone started chanting my name.

After my new friends congratulated me on winning they started with the questions.

"Who's idea was it to be a beauty queen?, Don't you feel silly dressed like that? What are you wearing underneath?"

I smiled and said that the costume was mom's idea, I didn't feel silly at all since it was Halloween, and told them that I was probably wearing the same things under my dress that they'd wear. The next thing I knew, I was in the middle of a group of girls, being led off to the girl's bathroom so that they could see for themselves what I was wearing. I wouldn't have minded but mom stopped them before we could get inside.

Jenny and Tom insisted on hearing about my evening so while mom got some soft drinks, I launched into my story. I told them how no one suspected that I was really a boy and how everyone was so surprised when the lady who was the judge called out my real name. Of course I told them about my new friends and how they let me sit with them and how we talked about all the stuff that girls like to talk about. When it was finally time to go to bed, I was exhausted.

I got mom to unzip my dress and then I carefully hung it in my closet, pushing a bunch of Timmy's clothes out of the way so that the first thing I'd see when I opened my closet door would be that dress. I wondered if I'd ever get a chance to wear it again? Maybe daddy could take us all out somewhere fancy for dinner so that I could wear it again, it was just too pretty to let hang in my closet.

I begged mom to let me wear my dress to church the next day but she insisted that until a doctor said that I really should be a girl, I could only dress up at home or if she took me somewhere and there was no chance of wearing dresses to church before then! The best I could do was to sit in church, read my mass book, and sneak occasional glances at other girls and think of how I'd look in the outfits they wore.

At least mom let me change as soon as I got home; I chose a pretty sky blue skirt and top, a white bra since my pink one would show through my top, my new slip, pantyhose, and blue skimmers to match my skirt. I did my best with my wig, sprayed on some cologne, and hurried to watch some of the shows I'd recorded.

I got comfortable on the couch, my legs tucked under me in a very girlish way, watching an episode of The Suite Life on Deck. I just loved seeing the twin boys who starred in the show and couldn't help wondering what it would be like to be one of their girlfriends. They were just so cute, I wanted to have one or even both take me to a school dance and tell me how pretty I was and how much they liked having such a cute girlfriend. Sure, the other girls would be jealous but tough, I was the lucky girl and they'd just have to put up with it!

Jenny walked by as I was sitting there and stopped to look me over.

"How about a few pointers little sister?"

"Sure, I'm always interested in how to do things like a girl, I haven't had a whole lot of experience." I said with a grin.

"Okay, first off, girls rarely wear dressy skirts around the house; we save them for dates or dances. If we feel like a skirt, we'll usually wear denim. Second, a real girl doesn't get all dolled up like you are at home."

"But I like the way I feel when I'm all dressed up, I feel so pretty and girly." I protested. "Since I can't go out like this, I do it at home."

"You won contests as a little girl and a beauty queen over the weekend sweetie," Jenny said as she squeezed my hand. "You're already all pretty and girly. Heck, you dress and act more like a girl then I did when I was your age. I hated wearing skirts and dresses, mom and I fought all the time over the way I dressed."

I just shook my head, imagine, not wanting to wear pretty dresses, that seemed really weird.

"But dresses are so comfortable and …"

"And they make you feel all pretty and girly." Jenny mocked. "I heard you but you're not listening to me. You don't want to stand out and have people think you're some kind of freak; you have to learn to blend in, to be just like any other girl so that means you have to ease off on the frills. Denim skirts are fine, jeans are more comfortable since you don't have to worry about guys trying to look up your skirt and you can get jeans that no boy in his right mind would wear!"

"I only have one denim skirt though," I shrugged helplessly. "I can't wear it all the time and I know I don't have any really girly jeans so like I said, when I want to feel like a girl, this is how I dress."

Jenny disappeared for a few minutes before coming back with mom. She tossed me the lightweight jacket mom had gotten me and my purse.

"Let's go sis, mom volunteered her credit card and I can hear the mall calling us. We're gonna turn you into a proper girl once and for all!"

"If only you could," I grinned. "Can you give me a minute to change, I don't want to look like some priss."

A few minutes late I was back, this time I wore my denim skirt, a cute pair of blue socks, my sneakers with glitter, and a blue and white striped pullover top. I grabbed my jacket and purse.

"Let's go!"

Once again, no one batted an eye as I shopped in the juniors department while mom and Jenny looked elsewhere. There were just so many pretty outfits that I was pretty much baffled about which I should get. Suddenly, a voice spoke out from behind me.

"Hi Alexis, getting some shopping in? I don't think they have much for a beauty queen."

I turned to face Zoe and Brittany, two of the girls I'd hung out with at the Halloween party.

"Yeah," I smiled, thinking about the dress I'd worn to the party. "That was a gorgeous dress."

Brittany looked at my denim skirt

"Having a tough time deciding on being a boy or a girl?"

"Nope, I decided a long time ago that I was really a girl. I managed to convince my family a few weeks ago and now I spend all my free time as Lexi. My sister says I should wear skirts less often so I'm trying to find some cute jeans.

"You're not kidding, are you? Zoe asked in amazement. "I couldn't believe you'd let your mom dress you up like you were for the party."

"Heck no, I loved getting all prettied up like that! It made me feel so happy to wear that dress and get my hair and makeup done. You should've seen me at daddy's party the night before; I went as Shirley Temple in a frilly little girl dress, petticoat, and ruffled panties. I won first prize there too!"

The girls were kinda shocked to hear that I thought of myself as a girl and loved to get all prettied up but that was all forgotten soon enough and they started treating me like a little sister.

"Try these on Lexi," Zoe said as she handed me a pair of jeans with rhinestones on the back. I took the jeans along with two other pairs and headed to the dressing room with the girls in tow. I used to hate it when mom made me try things on when she took me shopping but now, trying on girl's things, I couldn't wait!

We had a great time shopping; the girls explained that shopping was great, you could try on all kinds of outfits and didn't have to but any! They had be model different jeans, a couple of skirts, bunches of tops, and even a few dresses. To them I was a walking, talking Barbie doll and I loved every second of it.

"You've got a problem Lexi," Zoe said as I modeled a pair of low cut jeans. "The waistband of your panties sticks out over your jeans. Now that's okay if you were a guy, but you're a girl, you should get some hip hugger or bikini panties for when you wear low cut jeans."

Just then mom and Jenny caught sight of me talking to the girls and came rushing over.

"Is everything okay Lexi?" Mom asked while giving my friends the cold stare.

"Everything's cool mom," I grinned. "Zoe and Brittany were at the party last night, I spent the whole evening talking to them and some other girls, remember?"

"It's okay Mrs. Corcoran," Brittany spoke up. "Zoe and I were a little surprised at first but Lexi explained everything and we're cool about it. She's sort of like our little sister, we won't tell anyone and we'll make sure that no one bothers her."

"That kid has more luck than anyone," Jenny mumbled. "She'll probably have guys lined up to date her when she's in High School; I hope dad gets a big bat, he'll need it to keep the boys away from her."

"I'd really like to get jeans like this," I told mom as I held out a cute pair of low slung ones with a pretty pattern stitched onto the pockets. "But Zoe said my panties will show, can I get some different panties, please?"

I wonder what mom and Jenny were thinking? There I was, a boy dressed up like a girl, standing there with two girls I'd just me the night before, asking to buy panties. Who cares, I'm a girl who needs some different panties and I never shopped for them before.

Jenny nodded towards another part of the store.

"Lingerie's over there," she smiled. "Mom and I will pay for this stuff while you and your friends pick out some panties."

Zoe and Brittany were a huge help when we got to the lingerie department. They made sure that I stuck with panties that would be right for a girl my age. Sure, we looked at some of the real sexy stuff but they said that even they were too young to wear some of that stuff. They helped me find the right kind of panties and then left it up to me to decide if I wanted cotton (no way) or the silky nylon ones.

"How many bras do you have?" Zoe asked.

"Three I think; mom said that should be plenty."

"Do you dress every day?"

"Yeah, as soon as I get home from school I become Lexi and I stay that way all weekend long." I giggled. "Somehow, playing dress up is just way more fun than baseball or whatever the guys in the neighborhood want to play."

"Maybe you should ask your mom for a couple more," Brittany suggested. "You change your T-shirt every day, right?"

When mom and Jenny caught up with us, I told mom about needing more bras.

"You promised that I could still dress up even if the doctor doesn't want to turn me into a gir, right? So the bras won't go to waste, I can always use them."

By the end of the shopping trip, I had a dozen more pairs of panties, four new bras, three pairs of the prettiest jeans I could find and three new tops. Even Zoe and Brittany had to admit that I had more than enough clothes for now; if the doctor agreed to let me be a girl, I'd need more outfits since I'd be wearing girl's clothes all the time but for now, I had all I could use.

The next morning I got up early to get ready for Halloween at school. Mom promised that I'd like my costume and she was right. Hanging from my closet door was the cutest pink and grey pleated skirt with a pink blouse. I picked out a pink bra, matching panties and half slip along with grey knee socks and saddle shoes to finish off my outfit. She clipped the fall thingy into my hair again and then gave me a cute ponytail; I loved the way I looked!

Mom wanted to drive me to school but I insisted on taking the school bus; I wanted everyone to see how pretty I looked in my new outfit so I packed up my new pink backpack, put some change into a matching purse, and walked to the bus stop.

I was walking to the bus stop thinking about how cool it was to be wearing a skirt to school when I heard someone calling me.

"Hey Timmy, wait up!"

I turned around to see my neighbor and BFF, Christina, rushing to catch up with me.

"You look cute!" She gasped as she finally caught up with me. "That outfit is perfect for you."

"Um, thanks, mom thought it would be funny to dress me up like this for Halloween."

"Does she know?" Chrissy asked with a goofy smile.

"Know what, what's there to know?"

"That you like wearing girl's stuff." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the universe.

"Why would she think something silly like that?" Chrissy was my BFF but still… .

"Cause you do!" Chrissy laughed. "I know this isn't the first time you've worn girl's clothes and if I know it, I'll bet your mom does too. After all, she was shopping with you and Jenny yesterday and you were dressed up then. I saw your mom and Jenny with a girl that was about as old as you and kinda looked like you and everything."

"Big deal, what's that prove?"

"Um, that you like pretending to be a girl?" She had that silly grin on her face again. "Cause if you didn't, you wouldn't have worn girl's underwear to school twice last week and you wouldn't have a pink backpack just for Halloween and you wouldn't have been a beauty queen for the community party on Saturday and you sure wouldn't wear dresses when you're at home! I had to drop some stuff off that my mom borrowed and when your mom answered the door, I saw you watching TV in a pink and white dress."

"Well you've got a pink backpack and I remember you were a Princess for Halloween!" It was a dumb thing to say but it was all I could think of at the time.

"Yep, got one and was one but I'm a girl!"

"So am I!" I said, stamping my foot and holding my hand against my hip as I'd seen lots of girls do. "Or I will be!"

"I didn't mean that," I stammered, hoping to turn back time. "Please don't tell anyone I said it, please?"?

"I think you're a pretty girl," Chrissy smiled. "I promise not to tell, I never told anyone that you were wearing panties or that you dress up like a girl at home."

I was so happy that Chrissy promised not to say anything that I gave her the biggest hug I could!

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" I asked shyly. "I love the way I look today and being a beauty queen was the best!"

I told Chrissie all about wanting to be a girl and how much I enjoyed dressing up in pretty clothes and couldn't wait till I was old enough to wear makeup. She had the same feelings about pretty clothes and makeup and promised that I'd be her very best girlfriend forever and ever! I promised to tell mom all about what I told her and maybe she could come over and play dress up or watch some of the Disney Princess or other shows that girls our age liked.

It was so funny when I got on the bus; no one knew who the new girl was and kept looking at me and Chrissie while we sat giggling. We walked into our classroom and I sat in my regular seat which really confused everyone. Chrissie later told me that everyone was sure that I was a girl and wondered why Timmy Corcoran didn't come to school. I saw a lot of surprised kids when the teacher called roll.

When she called Timothy Corcoran, I stood up, smiled and said "Here!" I smoothed out my skirt, smiled and sat back down. It took a coupla minutes before she could get everyone to stop talking and looking at me.

At lunchtime, instead of sitting alone, I sat with Chrissie and some other girls. They were all so nice and wanted to know everything about my outfit; who picked it out, did my mom do my hair, how did I like wearing a skirt, what did it feel like to wear a bra, and bunches of other questions. A few had either seen me at the community center party or had heard about it so they had lots and lots of questions about that too. It was really cool, instead of being ignored like I usually was, I was the center of attention!

I went to all of my classes just like the rest of the kids but I held my books like a girl, walked like a girl, and always smoothed out my skirt as I sat. The teachers all said that I made a cute girl and some of the guys I used to play ball with even smiled and acted as if I was a girl. When I needed to use the bathroom, the teacher said that it would probably be best if I used the girl's bathroom so Chrissie volunteered to go with me to make sure the bathroom was empty and that no girls went in while I was in there.

I was totally excited by the time I got home; I went on and on about how no one had laughed at me or called me a sissy; everyone I ran into treated me like any other girl. I even talked mom into letting me stay dressed up for the rest of the evening instead of changing into jeans or some other outfit.

The next day was a letdown, I wanted so badly to wear a skirt to school again but mom and dad told me that would be a major league no-no. I got away with it for Halloween but if I showed up as Lexi again, I'd probably be sent home to change and might get in trouble too. I got along well with all my teachers and even the principal and hopefully pretty soon I'd be asking them to let me go to school as Lexi every day so even though it bummed me out, I wore my usual pants and shirt type uniform. Of course, no one said I had to wear boy's underwear so I wore a pair of yellow nylon hip huggers instead!

On Friday evening, there was a knock on the door; naturally, I was wearing a denim skirt and a cute top so I dashed up to my room to keep from being seen by whoever was at the door. I heard mom ask whoever it was to come in and sit down so I started one of my Princess movies figuring that I'd be in my room for a while since I didn't feel like changing back to Timmy. I was really getting into the movie when I heard mom call and ask me to come back down. As I walked into the living room I saw Chrissie and her mom sitting there, staring at me.

"I told ya so!" She squealed as she ran over to hug me. "Didn't I tell ya that she'd be wearing a skirt?"

"Chrissie's been talking about you all week Alexis," her mom smiled at me and motioned for me to sit near her. "She insisted that we come over to meet the sweet girl that lives here. I have to admit, I was surprised to hear there was a girl Chrissie's age living here."

"Um, uh, yeah, well I just sort of moved in a little while ago, it sort of surprised everyone in my family." I thought about running back to my room and locking myself in but Chrissie's mom had already seen me as Lexi so that wouldn't help. I smoothed my skirt and sat next to her, folding my hands in my lap.

"It's okay sweetheart," her mom said as she reached over and squeezed my hands. "Your parent's have told me all about you and I have to say that you are certainly a pretty young lady."

"Thank you," I smiled and squeezed her back.

"Chrissie said that besides being best friends, you two will be best girlfriends too. Feel free to stop over anytime to see Chrissie; she has a lot of cute things you two can wear if you like."

"Can I borrow that outfit you wore to school?" Chrissie asked, barely able to sit still.

"Sure, c'mon it's in my closet."

We both stood up to go to my room when I stopped.

"Uh, is it okay for Chrissie to be in my room with me?"

"Are you two best girlfriends?" Mom asked.

"You bet!" I nearly shouted as I put my arm around Chrissie.

"Count on it!" Chrissie grinned.

"I don't see a problem if the girls want to spend time in Lexi's room, do you?" Mom asked Chrissie's mom.

"No, I don't have a problem." Chrissie's mom smiled. "Have fun girls, I'll call you when it's time to go Chrissie."

Chrissie and I had all kinds of fun, we played dress-up, watched videos, and did our nails; it was way different than all of the other times I'd spent with Chrissie, then all we could do was talk about school, now we talked about our favorite outfits, school, and of course boys!

I wasn't what you'd call boy crazy or anything but I did seem to feel kinda funny around boys, especially around cute boys. I didn't stare or smile or wave at them, I wasn't in any hurry to get beaten to a pulp, but they did sorta make me feel like warm and stuff, you know? So for now I just made a list in my head of all the boys I thought were really cute and when I became Lexi for good I'd get Jenny or maybe Brittany or Zoe to teach me how to get one for a boyfriend.

It was exciting to think of all the stuff I was going to need to learn; I watched how other girls did things and practiced at home but there was just so much I needed to know like how do I know what size I take in different stuff? My older panties fit okay but they were still from the girl's department, my new ones from the Junior's lingerie department also fit real nice but they were a different size. And bras, how was I supposed to figure out what size bra I needed when I didn't need a bra? My boy pants had like two sizes, one for my waist and the other for how long they were but my girl's pants only had one size, how would I know the right size number to get? I had mom and Brittany and Zoe helping me the last time but what if I wanted to shop all by myself? Being a girl was sure gonna be confusing but I knew I wouldn't mind at all!

The big day finally came, mom arranged for me to have the day off from school, dad took a day off work, and the three of us drove to the doctor's office to find out if I should be a girl or not. I didn't see why anyone else had to decide; I mean I always thought that I was really a girl and had no idea how I ended up looking like a boy. I never wanted to do boy stuff like sports, I used to sneak old dolls from Jenny to play with, I played with mom and Jenny's clothes whenever I could, and whenever I saw babies I wanted to grow up and be a mommy. That doesn't sound like stuff a boy would do right, so why did I need the doctor to tell mom and daddy that I should be a girl? And if all that didn't suck enough, I had to dress as Tim for the appointment!

The doctor seemed nice, he smiled a lot, and when he asked if it was okay to call me Alexis, I could've kissed him! He wanted to know all about me, how long have I wanted to be a girl - forever, was there anything about being a boy that I liked - not a single thing, how did it make me feel to dress up and pretend to be a girl - like I wasn't pretending. He said that he'd already talked to mom and daddy who told him about how I'm Lexi at home and how I wore girl's costumes for three Halloween parties.

"I've heard that your parents were worried about how people might treat you when they found out that you were a boy, can you tell me if you were scared?"

"Nope, I was way, way too happy to be scared," I told him breathlessly. "I mean when I was Shirley Temple, I got to wear ruffled panties, a frilly dress for a little girl, a petticoat, socks with lace on them, and the cutest shoes I ever saw! When I dressed like a beauty queen mom put makeup on me that made me look like I was a teenager, a really pretty teenager, I got to wear a gown, stockings a padded bra, and even heels! I can't wait till I'm old enough to wear stockings, they made me feel so nice.

"You didn't have any problems going to school in a dress for Halloween, but how would you feel if you had to wear a dress every day?" The doctor asked.

"That's silly, pants are part of the girl's uniform, they don't have to wear skirts all the time. Even if they did, I wouldn't mind, it's just what girls have to do, you know?"

"What about the other boys, aren't you afraid that they'll pick on you, call you names , or something like that?"

"There are no bullies at my school," I said proudly. "You can get into a lot of trouble by doing dumb stuff like that."

"What about after school?"

"I don't like playing sports but I'm still friends with the other boys," I smiled, thinking of how many friends I had. "Sometimes I'm sorta like a cheerleader for them when they're playing ball."

After a long time of answering questions, the doctor smiled and told me that he needed to take blood for some tests.

""Go ahead, I'm a girl but I'm not a sissy or a scaredy cat!"

I hoped the doctor would tell us that I really should be a girl and get started on all the junk that mom and daddy told me would have to be done, like changing my birth certificate, changing all of my school records, getting me new school uniforms like the girls wore, and giving me pills and shots that would keep me from getting yucky stuff like muscles and hair on my face while making me look the way I should, pretty, and starting to get curvy! I hoped for all that stuff but all I got was an appointment to come back in a coupla of weeks.

After a little while I was starting to think that the doctor was inventing tests just for me to take; I had to finish sentences, talk about my favorite TV shows and movies, what did I think of certain boys who starred in some shows I liked, and even that test where you look at messy ink blots and say what they look like to you. The only good part was that after my second visit mom and daddy were expected to leave Tim at home and bring Alexis instead - yea!!

It took a bunch more visits but finally the doctor said that if it was okay with my family, I could become a girl. I amazed everyone when I ran over and gave him a kiss on his cheek! I had a hard time sitting still on the ride home, I was so happy that I wanted to dance all the way back. I had to keep seeing a special doctor for what I call my girl shots and I'll have to take pills to turn my body into the girl I should have been born as but who cares, I'm gonna be a girl for real!

The first thing to happen was that I got a couple of shots that the doctor said would stop me from developing as a boy. He had the shot all ready to go but asked me if I was sure that this is what I wanted, he said that in a little while, I'd start looking like a girl my age and would never be able to look like a normal boy again. I'd grow up to look like mom and Jenny with breasts and after a couple of operations, my thingy would be gone and I'd look like any other girl.

I just smiled, lifted my skirt, pulled down my panties so he could get to my butt.

"Could I have the shot please?" I asked in my best girly voice.

We stopped and got my first bunch of pills, then stopped for a burger so I could take my first girl pill. It was so exciting to take the pill out of its little pink holder, put it in my mouth and then take a big gulp of my drink to wash it down. I was on my way to being a girl!

I couldn't wait to text Brittany, Zoe, and Chrissy to tell them the good news- I was a girl just like them! They all sent congratulations and said that they couldn't wait to spend a girl's day out at the mall with me; we'd shop till we dropped. I promised that I'd outdo all of them. Sure, they were been born girls but I had more than ten years of catching up to do when it came to shopping and daddy had already promised to let me use his credit card when mom took me to meet my friends.

The next Monday, a letter came from my school. It was sent out to all of the parents and it said that I was going to change from Timothy Michael Corcoran to Alexis Marie Corcoran right after the Christmas break and that I should be treated like any other girl. Failure to do so, or any teasing, could get the person bothering me kicked out of school. I didn't think they needed to be all that mean sounding, after all, I had lots of friends at school, mostly girls of course but even the boys were nice to me. Sure, they probably thought I was sort of a sissy but that's okay, they really didn't know the real me, a girl named Alexis. When I came to school as Lexi for Halloween, not one kid teased me, they all treated me like one of the girls.

When I went back to school the next day, I thought that every girl in the school wanted to talk to me. They all wanted to know if it was true and what made me want to be a girl? I explained over and over that I didn't want to be a girl, I was a girl. It was kinda hard to explain that all of my life I thought of myself as a girl; I didn't want to wear pants, to have short hair, to play baseball and stuff like that; I wanted to wear pretty outfits, to have long, pretty, hair that mom could set in curlers for special occasions, that I could wear ribbons to match my outfit, that I would've loved to get baby dolls for Christmas and my birthday instead of baseballs and stuff like that.

The school and my parent's agreed that I shouldn't jump into being a girl and wearing skirts right away so Mom started brushing my hair a little more like a girl's style and instead of white shirts, ties, blazers, and boy's khaki pants I began wearing white blouses and girl's uniform pants along with the cute vest and floppy tie that the girls wore as their uniform. I even replaced my black shoes with saddle shoes!

I was so excited that first day I checked four different times to make sure that my uniform and everything was perfect. How wonderful to pull a pair of girl's pants over the pretty panties I was wearing and then to tuck in the blouse I wore over a pretty camisole that Jenny had given me when I first started dressing as a girl. Mom brushed my hair, daddy gave me a goodbye kiss, Jenny gave me a tube of lip gloss to keep in my purse, Tom hugged me for the first time ever and told me that all the other girls at school would be so jealous of me. I picked up my pink Hello Kitty book bag with my matching purse and went to meet Chrissy who had started walking me to the bus stop ever since we became best girlfriends.

That Christmas was the most wonderful ever! I got lots of gifts but not a single present for a boy; I got pretty underwear, tops, jeans, skirts, dresses, and a beginners make up kit. I didn't have to worry about having room for all of the pretty outfits I got since the first weekend after I went back to school as a girl, mom, Jenny, and I cleared out all of my boy clothes; I wasn't going to be needing them anymore, mom said, I was a girl and girls didn't dress like boys. Tom and daddy were real sweet too, they painted my room a pretty shade of pink that I picked out, replaced my old Captain's bed with a cute bed with frilly sheets and pillow cases that any girl would die for and helped me redecorate with pretty dried flowers and pictures of cute movie stars.

School and my life were both fantastic from then on; after the holiday break, even though I was a little cold, I started wearing the skirt part of the girl's uniform. I wore skirts any chance I had like when I was going shopping or to church so wearing them to school was no biggie except that to me, wearing a skirt to school shouted out "Look at me, I'm really a girl now!"

So that was where it all began, I was just a mixed up little kid then, I knew something was wrong, I was sure something was wrong, but how could it have been wrong? It took a little bit of work but lucky for me my family was very understanding and did everything possible to help me. I'm seventeen now, and I'm busy getting ready for my Senior Prom; I have the most beautiful gown I've ever seen (at least since my last prom gown); it's a one shoulder style in a breathtaking shade of blue with a pleated chiffon skirt that makes me look like the princess I used to dream of being when I was still a little boy. My gown has gold threads running down from the bodice which draws attention to my 36B breasts and then down to my 25 inch waist and my 35 inch hips. Yep, I've got some great looking breasts, and curves that my honey Cody just can't get enough of. I just love it when he puts his well muscled arms around my waist and pulls me close for a heart stopping kiss.

Cody and I met when I started High School; his family had just moved into the school district and there wasn't a single girl who wouldn't have pledged her undying love just to kiss those scrumptious lips. I just happened to be lucky enough to become his friend, we had a few classes together and spent time in study halls going over our homework and studying for tests. One thing led to another and at my Sweet Sixteen party, he asked me for a date. At first I thought he was joking, I mean we were friends, buddies, pals, but girlfriend / boyfriend?

That date took Cody from being my best buddy (male division, Chrissy was still my best girl friend) to being the guy that I loved being around. Smart, funny, and I realized - a total hunk! It took two more dates before I was wearing a ring he got me for Christmas and I realized that we were meant for each other. I'd become a girl for real when I was fourteen and I knew that someday, after I promised to be his woman, his wife, and never leave his side, I'd show this hunk of a man just how much of a woman I'd become!

Talk about matches made in heaven; his family kinda adopted me and mine kinda adopted him. There were times when his sisters, who were close to my age, and I would go shopping together and my brother Tom and Cody pitched in for season tickets for the football games. I'm pretty sure I got the better deal, I got to spend time with a couple of really great girls in a nice warm mall trying on clothes while Tom and Cody froze their butts off at the stadium.

Yep, we sorta like became part of each other's family; as a matter of fact, his sisters helped me pick both of my prom gowns; they knew their brother pretty well cause when he saw me in my gown last year, I thought his eyes would pop out of his mouth and that he'd trip on his tongue!

Cody has already asked me to marry him after college and of course I accepted, after nearly smothering him with kisses. I can't wait to walk down aisle wearing a big girl version of the white dress that brought me to tears when I was just a very confused little boy.