PMS Zombies by Arielle Brix
Cross-posted from Lycelia
Full novel available at Amazon

Chapter 2: Cravings
-------------------

 I kept my head down to hide the redness in my cheeks as I entered the crowded school.  I was more careful than ever to keep my textbooks clasped tight against my chest.  One girl had figured out my secret but this was a big school.  She didn't know my name and if I was lucky she'd swiftly forget all about the strange little freshman she met on the bus.  If I kept my guard up from here on out then I'd be alright.

It was difficult to navigate the halls.  Many of the signs and locker numbers showed fresh graffiti over half-erased graffiti of old.  Worse than that was the people.  My small stature left me struggling to see anything but the people around me as I tried not to get pushed over and trampled.  One more annoyance that I knew I wouldn't have to put up with if my body finally got with the program and got a bit more manly.  Any day now, I was sure.  With my baggy wind jacket and sweatpants I was nice and slovenly, which according to the internet was a big part of being a Bro.  

"Yo, wassup bro?"

I turned, hopeful, but the ensuing fistbump took place above me, not with me.  The coveted sign of male bromanship had passed me by again.  I peered up at the receiver, wondering what he had that I didn't.  Basketball shorts and a tank top?  That couldn't be right... Or I hoped not, considering how hard it would be for me to wear the same.  Maybe if I got some of the compression bands that Peter Pan actresses used I could wear a tank top without showing off anything I shouldn't.  I hoped his goatee wasn't the key 'bro' factor. A tank top would be tricky but facial hair was impossible. If anything it felt like my face was getting smoother as I aged, not hairier. 

I didn't last much longer in the hallway.  The girls moved in packs and the other guys were big enough to muscle through, but I was stuck spinning in circles.  It didn't help that with my short stature I was at most guys' armpit level.  Deciding to escape the cloud of BO and Rose Corp's Body Spray for Men before I fainted, I slipped into room 106 for my first period class without visiting my locker.  

Still clutching the textbooks to my chest for camouflage I slipped into a seat at the back.  A few students turned my way before I lowered my head.  Hopefully if I didn't look at them they wouldn't look at me.

The bell rang before I could succumb to fidgeting.  "Welcome to AP Biology..." was as far as the teacher made it before my brain cut out.

'Oops.' A closer look revealed this was room 108, not 106.  Maybe if I just slipped out quietly?  No, that would draw too much attention.  Maybe if I just stayed very still no one would notice I was there.  It wasn't like the teacher was having much success with roll call.  Nearly half the girls were wearing sunglasses indoors for some reason and most refused to take them off when he asked them too.  Thanks to so many of them swearing at him nearly a fifth of the class was sent to the principal's office before he gave up and resumed the class.

Overall, the classroom was much more homey than the hallways.  Red rose motifs showed up on the desks, projector, and wallpaper, all of which appeared brand new.  Frankly I felt the town should have sold out to Rose Corp years ago if this was the result; they seemed much more giving than the gridlocked government of late.  I was starting to see their logo in my dreams thanks to all the advertising though.  

The first twenty minutes were an overview of the syllabus that made me fear for my life.  A twelve page final report?  Back in middle school I'd never written anything longer than two pages (and that with the largest font I could get away with).  If the freshman classes were this intense I'd have to give up video games... or sleeping.  Probably sleeping.  Every growing teen needed their daily dose of gaming.  

I breathed a sigh of relief when the teacher flicked the lights off and started a movie.  Less chance of being singled out now.  In the dark I could maybe even sneak out without being noticed but I wasn't sure where I would go.  The only thing worse than leaving a class mid-lecture was entering one.

A familiar scent of lavender and lilac made me breath in.  I'd smelt it before on the bus, I realized, subtle against the burnt rubber smell of the tires and the odor of the boys.  I turned as a chair pulled up behind me.  

"Hey," whispered the girl from the bus.  "I don't think you ever told me your name."

I was pretty sure it was common courtesy to offer your own name first, but did that still apply between a younger student and an older?  Either way, I wasn't about to accuse such a pretty girl of being rude.  "Alex."

"That short for something?"

I glanced at the teacher, double-checking that he was still focused on his laptop.  "Nope, just Alex.  What's yours by the way?"

"Elizabeth.  Call me Beth.  Hey, I coulda sworn you were a freshman.  Watcha doing in a class like this?  Some sort of genius or something?"

My chin-length hair swung forward to hide my blush as I ducked my head. 

"Ah," said Beth as she surmised my mistake.  "Wrong classroom, gotcha.  Don't worry, your chest isn't the only thing growing.  Four more years and I bet you'll be able to read maps like a pro."  She laughed, but the light kiss she left on my cheek kept me from taking what she said personally.  My heart beat in my chest as I wondered if this meant she was into me.  I didn't know why she would be interested in a boy like me but I was beginning to dare to dream.

We watched the movie in silence for a time.  It was rather dull, often referencing things I'd never heard of as it talked about gene transmission in bacteria.  As long as Beth stayed close I didn't mind though.  My heart kept beating quickly and I couldn't keep my mind off her.  Occasionally I dared steal a glance at her, increasingly curious as to what she would look like without the sunglasses.  I had to be insane to be so interested in a girl who had not only bit me but was weird enough to wear sunglasses in a dark classroom.  Was this what love felt like?

Pessimism began to weigh on me.  There was no way she'd be interested in a twerp like me.  Even if she did agree to a date, she was a white girl and I'd passed no less than three skinheads in the halls getting here.  Weyton, population twenty thousand, was not a good town for interracial dating.  My mother had even lost her job because of the bias back when she'd been dating my Swedish father. 'Screw it, I'm a man, I can't let little things like that intimidate me.'

I'd have to woo her carefully.  Soon as I got home I'd buy some dumbbells and start working out.  Wait... I'd spent the last of the birthday cash my absent father had sent me on parts for my latest robot.  No matter.  I'd find a job and save up for the dumbbells and then work on getting rid of my girly legs and even have money to pay for a dinner date.  Though to get a job first I'd have to get a work permit and buy some nice interview clothes that hid my breasts and then find someone who would hire a fifteen-year-old who could only work part time...

Dating was hard.  If I went through all that and it turned out she was already dating another boy it would crush me.  Well, it would likely hurt even now, but I had to know.  It would be weird if I asked right out though, even though she'd already kissed me on the cheek.  Maybe if I asked obliquely somehow.  I could ask if she was free maybe she'd like to come over and see my robots.  No one ever had before, but Beth was a more mature sort of girl.  She'd appreciate a good robot.

"So..." I started, struggling to find something to start the conversation with. An icebreaker, I thought they called it.  Maybe the the teacher's name?  "About the teacher---"

"I know, right!"  Her whispers were becoming non-whisperlike.  "He's really lame isn't he.  I wish Miss Bell was still teaching this class.  Sometimes men are like, you know?  I just want to claw his face off."  I gave a nervous smile, scrunching in my seat.  Belatedly she added, "Err, hypothetically."

'Maybe white girls are crazy,' I thought, reconsidering some of the advice my mother gave me. Still, the homicidal look was surprisingly fetching on her.  I wasn't sure what the teacher could have done to piss her off that much though.  Feeling vaguely obliged to stand up for my sex and show that not all of us were... whatever it was she had issue with, I said, "You know, I---"

"Quiet in the back!" commanded the teacher.  I meekly obliged though Beth's glare at him grew even more focused.  She refrained from cussing at him unlike a couple of the other girls so that was something I supposed.  Was it possible that once girls left middle school they all started acting out like this?  Aggressive and possibly a bit feminist and man-hating?  My mother had acted a bit irritable this morning too at my macho desire not to wear a bra so maybe I was the one at fault for not seeing the world as it truly was.  It was possible that girls were always like this but my childish mind had incorrectly interpreted them as kind and sweet.  

With nary a sound I rushed into the hallway before anyone else the moment the bell rang.  I was interested in Beth but my whole worldview was being challenged and I felt wholly unprepared to woo her just yet.  I needed to research the subject of wooing.  And maybe girls in general.  To the library!  Wait, did I have class or was this a break period?  

I jumped as a hand grasped my shoulder, textbooks and papers exploding from my hands like a deck of cards.  "Sorry."  It was Beth again. She knelt with me to gather up the papers, growling briefly at a boy that stepped on one.  

"It's my fault for being so jumpy," I said. Still not a manly thing to say but I felt like I was getting better at talking to her. If I kept practicing I felt like I'd have it down in no time.  

"Still, sorry. Umm, did you want me to walk you to your next class? Us girls have to stick together in the hallways."

The joy I felt at getting invited to spend more time with her was abruptly doused by two very important words. 'Us girls. She thinks I'm a girl.' In hindsight it made more sense than her being so friendly with a nerdy boy with boobs but it was still shocking that my sex could be so easily mistaken.

I wanted to blurt out the truth and remedy the embarrassing misidentification but I couldn't convince my mouth to speak. Revealing her mistake at this point was impossible, it was already too late to write it off as a momentary misstep and solidify my appearance in her mind as that of a guy's.  Better to pretend that Alex the girl had suddenly moved away and then Alex the boy could ask her out later. The best bet was to get away from her now before she formed any strong memories about me.

Once all my things were collected she surprised me yet again. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up.  Follow me." 

I felt like I was in over my head but I followed her anyways. The hallways were nearly as crowded as before but with Elizabeth leading the way it was much easier to progress. I wasn't sure if it was her status as a senior or her good looks but we weren't getting run over or pushed aside. One gaggle of male soccer players nearly blocked our way as they conversed but several girls hissed and cursed at them until they broke up. 

'This must be why high school girls are so aggressive, it's the only way to get around.' The theory made sense. All this hyper-aggressive behavior wasn't necessary in earlier grades because it was only in high school that the boys were significantly larger than the girls.

She stretched an arm around my waist to keep me close as we worked through the crowd. I swore I could feel her breath on my ear as she leaned in close to be heard over the din. "Is your neck okay? Really sorry for biting you. I've just been feeling this craving for something lately, I guess I was even after it in my dreams."

"It's fine," I said. It was the natural thing for any true man to say but in this case it was actually true. I hadn't even thought about the injury since I got stuck in the AP Biology class. Not only that, I couldn't even find evidence she'd ever even bitten me. No blood or pinpricks from her teeth, just smooth unblemished skin. I would have expected a bruise at the very least but I wasn't going to complain. Maybe her kiss to my cheek had magic healing powers, haha.

She stopped in front of a vending machine and  swiped her food card. I supposed this was our destination. I felt too nervous to eat but perhaps some potato chips would calm my nerves.  "Here," said Beth as she handed me a pink bottle. "It's the new Rose Corp product and it's suuuper tasty.  Supposed to help you lose weight and have healthier hair and skin.  I think I'm allergic or something though.  Had three sips last night and couldn't stop sneezing."

The bottle felt like it radiated femininity.  Not only was it pink, strawberries and primped models of various ages adorned the front. "Strawberry Buster - Look your best!" it read.  It was the sort of fruity drink that even a seven-year-old knew was only for girls. There was no way I could drink such a thing and still call myself a man.

Stalling for time I read the nutrition label.  "So... you're allergic to strawberries?" The only ingredients were strawberries and other natural flavors.

"Nope." She pouted, lips the same rose-red color as the bottle but far shinier. "Must have been one of the dozens of hidden ingredients. Those labels are basically useless these days. Shame about it though, that juice was really good. Dunno how it's supposed to help you shed weight though when it's so sweet."

Sweet? It claimed it had no sugar. Life was so weird. "I see," I said, though in reality I didn't.

I twisted the cap, taking in scent of sugar and strawberries. Drinking something so girly was something I'd never consider under other circumstances but this was a gift from a girl I was rapidly falling in love with. I couldn't just spurn it out of hand. Cautiously I took a sip.

It was indeed sweet, intensely sweet with a slight aftertaste that might have had me spitting were I not in such fair company. By the second sip though my tongue adjusted and it felt like I was swallowing liquid candy. I could feel it staining my lips red like a girl's lipstick but I hardly cared because it tasted so good. No matter how much I drank I still felt thirsty so I just kept going, tipping back to finish it. I flushed as I realized that my posture was leaving mounds in my jacket from my breasts but I kept drinking anyways. I'd be finished in a moment regardless and Beth already thought I was a girl.

I finished the drink with a gasp. A stray drop threatened to drip down from my lip but I caught it with my tongue in time, licking slowly over my lips to savor the last bit of the Strawberry Buster. Normally I would have just used my sleeve but the drink was too good to waste even a drop of the substance. I loved the stuff, and I loved Beth even more for giving it to me. It was strange though, I'd had an entire bottle and I still couldn't say what it tasted like. It wasn't quite strawberries, it was more like... the flavor of pink.

"Wow, you really liked it, didn't you." My cheeks burned as I realized what I'd been doing with my tongue in front of her but the real reason was even worse. Her shy gesture towards my chest revealed what she was actually talking about. Hurriedly I covered the protruding points with my arms, wondering how I could possibly make any worse of an impression on my crush.

Her hips twisted, drawing my eye as she asked, "Are you, umm, are you not wearing a bra?" My soul seemed to slip out of my body, too overwhelmed by the situation. "You're a bit old for that, don't you think? And large." 

She walked to my side, peering lengthwise at my chest. "Maybe you're right not to wear one though. I'm pretty sure bras were invented by the patriarchy. Just thinking about wearing something made by men makes me want to tear mine off and and rip it into itty-bitty pieces." Her fingers twitched, curving likes claws full of dread intent. Seconds later though they relaxed and she was back to normal.

"So," she said, "want another bottle? I know if I wasn't allergic I would've had three in a row last night for sure. My mom had six --- she had a wicked headache this morning though, wouldn't even come out of her room."

****

A/N -- So.... yeah. I tried everything I could think of including some off-site converts as a mid-step and still can't figure out how to get a word/google docs document to copy paste in here and keep any of the formatting. Very annoying and a little mystifying. Is there a conversion button I'm missing somewhere here?