"So...," Mom began, "What are you going to do about boys?"

"Uh, boys?"

"Yes, what are you going to do when boys start showing interest in you?"

"What do you think I should do?" I asked (and I think I managed to sound very innocent).

Dad shook his head. "Your Mr. Bryant told me that in case we were in witness protection, our cover had been blown. I told him we aren't, but of course he doesn't know what to believe. How in the world do you get into these messes?"

"I don't know," I protested. "I don't do anything!"

Looking over her shoulder, Christina saw that her uncle was busy in the back room. She temporarily deserted her post behind the counter and walked to the far corner of the store where Richard had gone. As she rounded the corner of the aisle, she felt two hands on her hips lift her up off the ground and deposit her onto the glass freezer case where ice cream and other frozen goods were kept.
"Maybe I can help you warm up," Richard flirted as he wrapped his arms around Christina's waist. He gave her a long kiss and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Anyway," Ms. Tandy continued, "Why are you trying to keep a low profile? You're not on witness protection, are you?"

A student walking by overheard that remark, and his eyebrows shot up.

Synopsis: Terri begins to learn more about herself through a dream and discovers that her responsibility to herself extends past her hygiene.
 
 

"Miss Donner?" he asked, "Is your life usually so... exciting?"

"No," I said. "Just since I came here."

"Hmm," he said. "If things keep up at this rate, I won't need to watch television any more."

"Nina," I asked, "Do you think anybody knows this is just a doll?"

"Nope!" she replied brightly. "It looks too real."

"But it doesn't move," I said.

"So?"

I won't go through every detail of the day, but I will say that it didn't take me long to realize that Alice was joking when she said that waxing was fun. AND that it was nothing like waxing floors.

Realizing that she had been laying on Richard, unconscious, she nervously sat up and checked herself. Her mind panicked. Did he feel her fake breasts? What about her jeans? Did he go exploring there? How could she let this happen, she shouted in her brain as her heart raced.
Feeling rough fingers on her chin, her face was directed back towards Richard's and the man pulled her into a long kiss. Closing her eyes, Christina parted her lips and relaxed.
"It's okay," Richard assured her. I don't mind that you fell asleep. It was rather nice holding you."

When I was finally alone, lying in a huge bed in a huge dark room, I felt terrible. It wasn't just the residue of the waxy toy makeup. It was a crippling cosmic guilt like I've never felt before. I don't pray, but that night I slipped out of bed in my Hello Kitty nightgown and got on my knees.
 

"The only thing I want to change," I informed my parents, "is that I want to go to Lou's party on Saturday."

They glanced at each other for a moment, then Dad said, "As Tinkerbell, or Lite Brite?"

"It's Rainbow Brite," I corrected.
 

Ms. Tandy held up the doll and asked if anyone knew what it was.

One girl said, "A doll."

The teacher replied, "Come on, if it was that easy, I wouldn't have asked."

"Oh! Oh!" another girl called. "I know! I know!"

"That's not what I meant," she countered. "I mean that you have to behave. You can't be tricky and get around the rules. Rules are rules, and if you don't watch out, they can really bite you in the butt. If you're going to be a girl and not get caught at it, you have to keep your nose clean, keep a low profile, and not draw attention to yourself. You might think that teachers and adults are old and stupid, but they ignore a lot of stuff. They let a lot slide. If you flaunt the rules, people will notice, and when they have their chance, they'll lower the boom on you. Do you get me?"

"Mark, look. This isn't some sitcom on TV. It's real life. It's high school. Kids can be very cruel. You never know — one tiny slip, one little detail could give you away, and it would all be over. Then what would you do? Leave school? Run away?"

     I think he's technically my boyfriend."
     "... Okay, and this is bad because ... ?"
     "I can't have a boyfriend!" Christina exploded. She stood on her tip-toes and looked over the counter to see if her uncle had heard that comment. Convinced that he didn't notice, she looked back at Steph and insisted, "I can't have a boyfriend."
     "Why not?"
     "... Because ..." Christina stuttered, "Boyfriends ... and girlfriends ... they do boyfriend-girlfriend things!"

Mom bit her tongue, and said calmly, "Victor, listen to me. If you put on a boy's costume, one of your friends might notice you. But if you dress like a girl, they never will. Think about it."

"But do I have to dress like a little girl?" I asked.

"So what happened to your nephew Mark?" Denise asked. "Did Marcie come instead?"

"Yeah, sort of," Jane replied, laughing. "It's a funny story–"

Before she could start, I blurted out, "I'm Mark. I'm her nephew Mark."

"Oh, my lord!" she cried. "You have to wear a dress every day for the next two weeks?" She actually sat down on the sidewalk, she was laughing so hard. I wanted to smack her, I was so mad. "We're going to have to do some shopping!" She clutched her sides.

"Oh, Marcie," Ms. Price said with a concerned frown, "What happened to you? I thought you'd get here ahead of me."

In answer I looked up at the Queen of Hearts lookalike standing next to me. I wanted to say, What happened to me? She happened to me. That's what happened to me. Then I looked from Ms. Price's eyes to the hand on my arm, to try to tell her, I'm her prisoner now.

     Looking up into Richard's eyes, Christina did not think about whether or not what she was about to do was a good idea. In fact she didn't think it all. She wrapped her arms around Richard's shoulders, and her right hand found the back of his head. Guiding him down, Christina parted her lips and drew Richard into the most passionate kiss they had ever shared.

     "You can't be in here. This is girl space."
"I don't recall 'girl space' being outlined in the zoning regulations."
     "This," Christina stated manically as she outlined a square around her body with her hands, "is a girls-only establishment, hence girl space." She drew a square around Richard and said, "That is boy space. Boy space is not allowed in girl space. You have to go outside."

Christina whispered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"I thought I was kissing you," Richard joked. He leaned in and said, "Let me try again, and you tell me if I've got it wrong."