Stuck in a Rut.
By Rosalie Redd

Casey Church is a normal 13 year old girl, full of hopes and dreams and fears and anxieties. But in a world where there hasn’t been a girl born in over a century, what is normal?

Chapter 23.

I sat and looked at Luna and Janie and smiled. I pulled out my phone and called Mom. “Mom, is it okay if I have a couple friends over tonight?”, I asked as I looked at them.

Mom agreed, and I sent Luna off to ask her mother if she could stay over. Janie likewise called her mother and got approval. When Luna came back, she was smiling. “My first ever sleep over party, What should I bring?”, she asked.

Janie and I helped raid her closet and her dresser and pack the appropriate items. She shooed us out and got changed. She came out in a pair of dark black canvas high-tops with purple accents, black socks, purple shorts and a black tank top. The gothic version of casual, I guess?

We went down the stairs quietly, and went outside. Mom pulled up a few minutes later, and introductions were made. Janie and I laughed as Luna looked up in awe at Mom. I was so used to her that I guess I forgot how imposing and beautiful she was. With Mom’s tight yoga pants and sports top, showing off her figure, the three of us girls were rightfully intimidated.

We arrived back at the house, and I showed Luna upstairs, she left her things in my room, and we all headed downstairs. DeShaun was sitting on the couch, watching college football. I glowered at him and we went out to the back yard.

Luna looked at me and asked me a question. “What was with the look to McAllister?”

I looked at her and replied in an icy tone. “I’m sure you know that Marcia slept with him. Well, she’s pregnant. It could be his.”

She nodded in understanding. “Still, I wouldn’t be too mad at him. She is a master at manipulation. She probably caught him at some point where he was vulnerable, and used it to twist him around her finger. Though, out of everyone, it’s that baby that I worry about. If he is or if he isn’t the father, that baby can’t stay in that family. I’m sure that when he is born, Marcia’s mother will petition for guardianship.”

I looked at Luna. This tiny little slip of a girl was smart, I hadn’t even thought of that.

“I… I’ll be right back.”, I said as I got up from the recliner I had settled into.

With an urgency, I went back inside and sat down beside DeShaun. “We need to talk”, I said to him in a serious tone.

He looked at me, and turned off the TV. “I’m listening.”, he said.

“Luna said something to me just now that I think you need to think long and hard about.”, I stated. “If this baby is yours, you need to step up, and step up big. Because your son can not be raised by that girls’ mother. She twisted and broke Marcia. I’m not excusing Marcia, I still hate her guts, and she needs to be kept in a dark room forever. But imagine your son with that family. Any chance he would have to grow up normally, and have the choice would be gone. She would warp him as thoroughly as she did her own child. Just think about it.”, I said as I stormed out.

I looked back and saw DeShaun lower his head, cradling it in his hands. I arrived back outside, Luna was swinging gleefully on the back porch swing, looking like what a little girl must have looked like back in the day. I laughed at that. Janie had laid out on a chaise lounge, tanning. I noticed though that she had a long sleeve t-shirt on though still. I sighed.

Heading over to Janie, I laid down beside her, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You don’t have to be self-conscious around us. You can take off the tee and we won’t stare, we won’t gawk. We know it’s not your fault. We know the bitch did it.”, I said. I looked back towards Luna, who had slowed down her swinging.

She came over and sat down in the lounge beside us. “Yes. It wasn’t your fault. And If I had known she was going to go after you, I would have intervened. So it’s kind of my fault.”, she said.

Janie sat up and took off her shirt, exposing her bikini top. She reached over and hugged Luna. “Don’t say it was your fault. We owe you so much.”, she said with tears forming in her eyes. After I joined the hug, we sat there for a bit, then I got out the sun screen, and applied some to Janie’s back. Luna scrambled back to the shade. I motioned her to come back, but she giggled and got back on the swing.

Still laughing, Luna explained. “How would anyone take me seriously as the creepy goth girl if I got a tan? No, I have to remain pale and spooky!”

We all got a good laugh out of that. Mom came out to join us. I noticed the looks of complete awe on Janie and Luna’s faces as Mom stood there with a plate of fruit and iced tea, wearing her black bikini. Inner me growled at that, as Mom once again unintentionally upstaged me. Once again, I subconsciously wished my boobs would hurry up and start growing. Janie was a solid B cup, and even little Luna was at least an A, by my judgment. I caught myself thinking about this, and realized that I was. I fought off the tears and sniffles. My dwindling masculine identity inwardly frowned and took the punch from my growing feminine side.

Dad came out in shorts and an awful Hawaiian shirts, and fired up the barbecue. It wouldn’t be much longer that we could grill out. It was late September, and that meant that Autumn was on its way.
He strong-armed DeShaun into coming out and learning the ‘secrets of manly grilling’, I overheard this and sighed. I knew Dad didn’t mean anything by it, but I know he had hoped to pass the tongs down to me some day.

Mom walked over to Luna and asked her if she ate meat, and if there were any food allergies they needed to be aware of. I laughed internally as Luna sat there flustered, looking up at Mom with a sense of awe.

When the grilling was finished, the four of us teens sat around the patio table, while Mom and Dad shared a chaise lounge.

I passed the corn to Luna, and thanked her once again for everything she had done for us.

“It was nothing, really. After I saw how she manipulates people, and then after she made Anthony leave, I knew I needed to fix things. But Mom is like I am, small and not very threatening. And Dad… well, he’s too busy just trying to keep a roof over our heads. We lacked the money and the resources to do anything. I don’t mean to sound like her, but When you became involved Casey, I saw the opportunity. Your Mom and Dad are well-connected, you certainly don’t have the issues I have financially, and you are likable. I’m the tiny girl that dresses dark and creepy to keep people at arms length.”, she stated plainly.

I looked her in the eye. “From now on, you are my friend, and you are more than welcome to hang out with me. I think I speak for Janie and DeShaun when I say that they feel the same way.”, I said, as I looked to the other two to back me up.

“Definitely!”, Janie added.

“For sure!”, DeShaun said, taking a break from stuffing his face. I looked over at him, drooped my head, and sighed audibly.

Janie noticed and giggled. After we finished the burgers and corn and baked potatoes, we all sat and sipped at our root beer floats. I noticed a tear slowly rolling down Luna’s cheek.

“You okay Luna?”, I asked.

“I’m sorry. It’s… it’s just that this is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”, she said with a slightly sad look on her face.

Everyone gathered around her and gave her a hug, my parents included. I did notice she got an inadvertent squish into mom’s cleavage, which left her blushing quite noticeably.

After the floats, and the clean-up, DeShaun and Dad got out a football and played some catch.
Mom soon joined in, and between her and DeShaun a rather spirited game of keep away developed. Mom showed that even at her age, she was still a world-class athlete, intercepting many of the passes intended for DeShaun.

While they played, Luna, Janie, and I sat off to the side, watching and talking.

“Do you think there will be anything to worry about from Amy and May?”, I asked Luna.

She looked up, and took a sip from her leftover root beer. “I don’t think so, they are still in shock about the fact that Marcia manipulated them, and drugged them. They were not happy that they became girls. And That revelation really hit them hard. We don’t have to worry about them still being on her side, but I don’t know what they will do now. They have the sort of personalities where they can’t stand being seen as weak.”

Janie frowned, understanding. “And if they know that we know about the drugging, they might retaliate, in order to be seen as tough still.”

I nodded. “It pains me to say this, But Luna… we need to keep up appearances at school. You stay close to them, and act coldly towards us all. I don’t like it, because you are such a nice person.”, I said with a sigh.

Luna nodded. “I get it, really. If I’m suddenly seen hanging out with you guys, they will know for sure that I was the one that leaked the info. Plus, if I stay close to them, I can keep an eye on their activities.”, she stated, using that logical thought process of hers.

She was indeed a smart girl, I had realized that when I had learned about her surveillance. The famous quote came instantly to my mind. ‘It’s always the quiet ones you need to be aware of.’ I was glad she was on our side.

I sat and ruminated on things. I hated that I had to think about stuff like this, and that I couldn’t be myself. But I was a girl now, and I was learning that in high school, the girls are the most dangerous of all.
The boys can beat you up, but the girls were more devious. Now that I was one, I had to learn the rules of being a girl. I knew through the school’s gossip mill that I was considered near the top of the freshman class, as far as looks. Granted, that was a pretty small group, compared even to the sophomores, and nowhere near as large as the juniors or seniors. I stood out too much for stealth, and Janie had her own issues. People knew about her wounds, though not all knew that Marcia did it. Luna would be our ace in the hole.

As the sun started to creep towards the horizon, and sunset was approaching, we went in. I ducked into the bathroom and changed, donning my boxers and a tank top. I went into my bedroom, Janie and Luna had unrolled their sleeping bags and likewise were in sleepwear. Janie had on some short flannel pajama bottoms, and a big flannel top, both in red plaid. Luna was in a velvety pair of pajama pants with lace around the bottoms, and a matching top, with short sleeves and more lace at the collar and sleeves. Like seemingly everything else of hers, it was shades of dark purple and black.

We dug through my movie collection, and grabbed some of my newer chick flicks, and started to watch.

Comments? Questions? Critiques? please let me see them, I love to hear what you think.