My mother designed and made four prom dresses so far this year, the first she began on the fifteenth of January. The lavender and silver gown was the third one I modeled and the second for where I was identical to the person it was for. Technically, I was used as a mannequin on all of them as my mother had forms for me to wear to give me the needed size for hips, bust, and height of the wearer.

One girl that I was identical to was Sydney Towers, yes, Rosemarie’s daughter. Sydney is a senior and a cheerleader (captain) and as beautiful as one might expect. Sydney was eleven when I last played with her at her house. It was when her body began the changes it was deemed proper that I should no longer play dress-up with her. But it was last Halloween that I used her uniform to appear as a cheerleader and that Mrs. Towers selected my mother to make Sydney’s prom gown.

No girl wanted someone showing up in the same gown that’s where my mother often came into use. It was the same for wedding gowns, special dresses, as it was for prom gowns.

I knew who the other gowns were for and I had been pressing my mother to tell me who the lavender dress was for. I had seen a gown similar to this one but this one had a fuller skirt but the silver and white lace bodice were different. This gown was beautiful but not overdone like I thought of some others. Push as I might, my mother wouldn’t tell me who it was for.

I used Sunday afternoon for some Laura time. Sydney heard of it and she even allowed me to go out with her, Patti, and Lacey as we went to a movie. It wasn’t anything special but it did allow me to dress up a little.

Come Monday, was it a whiff of perfume, the way my nails were shaped, or a spot of makeup; I wasn’t sure but some upperclassmen were hassling me. I had been called a sissy boy, push around, and finally, I pushed back. Stephan, who was four inches taller and stronger, but was the last one who pushed me too far. I unloaded on him pushing back, yelling at him, what’s with hassling me?”

He retorted, “We don’t like a girly boy with our girls. We heard you were out with them!” Lacey was a friend of his.

“Did that threaten you?” I replied, “Are you afraid someone might thin your brow line or gloss up your pretty lips?” That was when the fight became more agitated. Stephan knocked me into his friend Nick and Nick turned and hit me with a punch and Cecil pushed me.

Andrew Staub came from nowhere and saved my butt as there were now three of them. Andrew, Drew, as I know him was a senior. He’s a friend of Sydney’s. They had done a lot together as a group of girls and boys together.

Between Drew and me, I got free and away from the day’s trouble. I thanked Drew for his help but didn’t stay around to talk to him.

It was two days later, our home phone rang even before I could tell my mom I was home. I guess I picked up the home phone just as my mother did, but she was the one who said hello. But I recognized Drew’s voice; I know I shouldn’t but I stayed on the phone. My Mom asked, “Drew did you ask him or tell him about the dress? Lucas loves the dress, and he is after me to tell him who it is for.”

Drew said, “He doesn’t even know I exist; I even saw him out with Sydney and her friends. It would work out great, I’m attracted to Laura and I think she’d love going to the prom.”

My Mom said, “You won’t know if you don’t ask and time is running out! I’m ready to tell Lucas that the person has backed out.”

Drew yelped, “Don’t, I’ll stop over at your house now and he and I can speak face to face.”

Mom said, “If he doesn’t hear from you, I’ll consider you still have cold feet and backed out.”

Drew hung up saying goodbye. Mom hung up. And then I did, and I opened the back door and yelled into the house as though I just got home.

I was upset learning it the way I did. I jumped in the shower to refresh myself and get some extra time to think. But nothing was clearer as I dried off and combed out my hair. I found myself braiding my hair so I decided to dress as Laura.

My mother knocked on my door, “Lucas, how was your day at school. And oh, by the way, someone might be stopping over.”

“Damn!” I said in Laura’s voice. I had not consciously decided to dress as I did.

Mother called in, “Are you dressing as Laura?” She too said something under her breath.

I was now getting angry at my mother, “How come you didn’t tell me about Drew and the gown?”

Mother said, “I’m sorry but who told you about them?”

I confessed to picking up the phone and hearing their conversation.

Mom told me, “Andrew Staub had called me and asked me about his idea and what I thought would make a pretty gown for you. That was some time back. Hearing from you what you thought would make a beautiful gown came in little dribbles over time. Plus Andrew has taken close to two months to work up the nerve to ask you. I felt foolish about saying something that seemed like it would never happen.”

“Mom, I’m not gay,” I said.

Mom said, “You said, like Laura, you are different from Lucas, that boys had some attraction. If that’s true you’d see Laura looking at it differently.”

I said, “But he defended me as another boy.”

With that, we heard someone drive up in the driveway. The person in the car went to the front door so we knew it was someone new. It was Drew, and mom asked him into the house. He took a seat and soon looked like a scared deer in the headlights, staring at both of us glaring at him, daring him to speak.

I finally asked, “Does Sydney know what you’re thinking of asking me?”

He eked out, “Yes, and maybe Patti.” Drew was freaking out.

I called Sydney and asked if she could come to my house. I told her that I was dressed as Laura and that Drew had come to my house to ask me something.

Sidney guessed, “You somehow know what he’s going to ask, don’t you?”

She was soon there and gasped when she saw me dressed as Laura. I needed to know I wasn’t going to be laughed at as a joke.

Sydney took me to the side, “You know if you do this, you might as well as come out as being transgender. Tiffany and at least one of her friends know; Patti, Lacey, and I know, and they’ll want to announce Drew’s date at the prom.”

We talked and I attentively agreed to go to the prom but suggested Drew and Laura publicly become friends between now and then. He’s planning to be an astrophysicist so one of our dates or times out would be at a planetarium. It was at my home that Drew said to me, “You know that I’m okay with people knowing that I like you like this.” I gave him what was to be a quick kiss, but he caught me in a hug. I liked that the kiss was more.

The prom would be a good six weeks away and with Easter was passed; my mother suggested I go to school for 3-5 days as Laura. We met with Jenn Myers, my therapist, and school officials. The school officials at first didn’t want me to come to school or go to the prom-like Laura. But when they understood they were not getting their way; we together sought to make the times at school and the prom as positive events.

Jenn Myers was the person to take the lead and make sure I didn’t get hurt or put on display. She confronted them knowing I was neither the only nor the first to break barriers at the school.

It was the third Monday of April that I first went to school as Laura. Ms. Henry my homeroom and Geometry teacher made the first verbal note of my presence. Melanie tested the waters and befriended me as we went to our first class. Tiffany was soon the next. Before lunchtime I knew a few friends who were openly supportive including my good friend Doug; I also knew of one teacher and several classmates who were upset with me, including Nick and Stephan. I already knew I didn’t make the prettiest girl, nor were my detractors the only ones who saw my resemblances with Lucas or being a boy.

Nick came to give me a hard time during lunch, but Tiffany stood up and confronted him. “You know track boys who have thin legs, you shouldn’t throw stones. Eva says she beats your time in the 400-meter race by three seconds.”

Nick turned and walked away before he ever confronted me that time. The thing that hurt most was that Nick and I used to be friends.

It was Tuesday and most of the girls knew I wasn’t using their restroom. We were coming away from lunch when Tiffany and Eva hooked arms with me and took me to the girls’ room nearby. I made use of a toilet stall. When I came out to wash my hands there was a group of girls who welcomed me.

A girl named Susan said, “Please check your face, we want to see how good you are with makeup.” Needless to say, I would have been nervous enough without her bringing attention to me.

Susan whispered as I was leaving the girls’ room, “What are you going to do if Drew or another boy gives you a kiss?”

I softly replied, “You know there aren’t supposed to be any displays of personal affection at school.”

She giggled back, “Who said it had to be at school?” Needless to say, the support of others helped to make the week go smoother. By Friday, my biggest problem was I wanted more days as Laura at school. The good news was tonight at school there was a dance where Drew and I would be together.

Dance night was my first dress-up time out in public. Rachel was home and she had a package for me. I could tell by the package they were glasses. When I opened them up they were a bright turquoise frame, oval. I giggle and jumped up and down and gave her a big hug. “How did you know?”

She said, “I know the vanity of a girl better than you do.” She even told me she’d help maximize my use of makeup to go with my glasses and outfit.

Drew and I was to meet up with both his classmates such as Sydney and my classmates like Tiffany and Melanie and their dates. When we got to the dance and inside the doors, Drew had a surprise for me. It was a wrist corsage. When I saw the note on the wrapping I knew I was accepted as a girl. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET SIXTEEN.

I quickly discounted it, “It’s neither my birthday nor am I sixteen yet.”

Sydney giggled and said, “Your mother said you’d say that, but that tomorrow is both. Your mother said, “You’re having a sweet sixteen birthday party tomorrow and we’re all invited over to celebrate with Laura!”

Once the corsage was on my wrist, Drew leaned forward and kissed me. The first dance was slow and being in Drew’s hug seemed natural.

It was a half-hour into the dance when I was approached by Nick. Nick held up his hands like he was surrendering to me. “I’m sorry,” he said, “I don’t know when we stopped being friends, but I want it to stop.”

I opened my arms to hug him, and he shook his head, “I never thought I’d be giving Laura Storm a hug like this.” I wasn’t ready to dance with him, but I was happy that we could be friends again…

To be continued...