“Guys, are you sure about this?” Rustie looks at his friend’s reflection behind him in the make-up mirror.

“Look, we need a female in the group and you’re the closest thing we got to a girl. We don’t have time to get anyone else and you already know the songs back and forth.” Jason looks towards Rustie sitting at the make-up mirror.

“Besides, you look so much like a girl and sound like one, that no one will know the difference.” Lou looks over towards Rustie as well.

“Just stop complaining all ready and finish getting ready, Rustie. We go on in fifteen minutes.” Russell wanted to win this contest.

They have been practicing their asses off for months and they needed to have an edge that made them stand out. Most of the bands they were going up against were all boys. If they had a girl in their group, it would give them an edge and show they weren’t like everyone else.

Rustie goes back to getting ready. He couldn’t believe he was doing this again. The last time he dressed like a girl was to act as Lou’s date for their junior prom. Normally, he wouldn’t be doing something like this. But because his suitcase got mixed up with another person’s suitcase by the shipping company, they used to send all their instruments and luggage. He had no choice but to dress as a girl, since that was what the clothes were inside the suitcase.

“Are you guys and ladies ready yet?” Dawn sticks her head in the dressing room to check on the next band.

Lou looks over towards Rustie before answering. He hopes their plan will work “Yes, we're ready.”

“Alright, I need you out here in five minutes.” Dawn shuts the door behind her as she heads towards the stage.

“Come on, guys. Let’s go show these people what we can do.” Lou leaves the room followed by Jason, Russell, and finally Rustie.

Rustie was having a hard time walking in the heels that were in the luggage. He has only worn heels one other time and it’s been six months since then. He hurries behind the guys and when they approach the stage, he picks up his guitar.

“Alright, let's show these judges what we can do.” Lou was at the mic.

“Ladies and gentlemen, our next band is from Wichita, Kansas. Let’s give a huge welcome to The Rattlers.”

Just as the curtains open, Lou gives the signal for the band to start playing. Jason starts the music, followed by Russell on the drums, and finally, Rustie as she starts playing. The song they played was one Jason wrote and it was strong and had a good rhythm and tune to it.

The song called for all of them to add their voice to the song and Rustie did just that, but sounding more feminine. Lou looks over towards Rustie and gives her the thumbs up.

They were allowed to play two songs. So, after they finish the first one, they go into the second one smoothly. The second one showed off their talent and gave each member a chance to show off their skills with their instruments.

By the time they were finished, they were requested to play one more song by the crowd and judges. A smile appears on everyone’s face, as they start playing another song. Lou ups his game and the others catch on. They get the place rocking and by the time they finished playing, you could feel the energy in the place.

By the end of the judging, The Rattlers end up winning the contest. The prize was free recording time at any studio, owned by Dusty Gaskets Productions, plus fifty thousand dollars. The second place consisted of twenty-five thousand dollars, and the third place received ten thousand.

Rustie wakes up the next morning in the hotel room he was staying in. He could hear Jason snoring and noticed Russell had his head buried under a pillow. Rustie gets up off the floor where he slept last night and stumbles towards the bathroom.

He shuts the bathroom door and sits down on the toilet to pee. His head was still buzzing after the party they went to last night after the competition. He couldn’t believe that he managed to fool everyone last night.

He was glad that he took acting lessons when the local community center offered them. He finishes doing his business and washes his hands afterward. He walks back into the hotel room and sits back down on the blankets he slept on last night. He knew the others were going to be out for a while.

He pops open the suitcase and looks inside it. Everything inside the suitcase was clothes meant for a young girl his age. How his suitcase and hers got mixed up, he had no idea. He carefully digs through the clothes and finds some exercise shorts and a top he could wear to go jogging.

He takes the clothes out, along with the tennis shoes that are just a little snug on his feet. He goes back into the bathroom and changes into them. He was lucky that he knew how to tuck his small penis and testicles.

Rustie writes a note informing the guys where he went. He knew they had to leave the hotel by noon or they would be charged for another day. They barely had enough money to drive out to the competition and rent a hotel room. But luckily Lou was able to get a small loan from his father, which all of them promised to help pay back.

Rustie puts his ear pods in his ears and listens to some of his favorite music, including the songs they wrote. He had his rusty color hair tied in a ponytail. It bounced with each step he took. He wonders if from now on he is going to have to dress like a girl every time they perform.

By the time Rustie arrives back at the hotel. All the guys were awake and dressed. He was sweating and thirsty. He walks over to the cooler they brought with them takes a cold water out and adds a flavor packet to the bottle.

“You know, for a person who wasn’t born a girl. You sure as hell look like one dressed like that.” Russell liked how Rustie was dressed.

“Thanks, I guess. So, what is the plan now? Am I going to need to dress like a girl for every gig from now on?” Rustie takes a sip from the bottle of cold water.

“You might have to, Rustie. Anywhere we go from now on are going to be expecting a cute red-haired girl in our group. You knew a bunch of pictures were taken last night?”

“Great! How am I supposed to explain this to my family?” Rustie looks at Lou since this hair-brain idea was his idea.

“We’ll explain to them what happened when we shipped our bags and instruments ahead. Plus, it gave us a lot of exposers last night and won us recording time at any studio Dusty Gaskets owns.” Lou could only see the good parts of Rustie dressing and performing as a girl.

“How many do they own?” Russell was curious about that.

“I know they own Blue Grass and Roaming Rock studios back home.” Jason has been researching what studios Dusty Gaskets owns.

“Not to count that the prize money will pay off some of our bills and the loan I got from my father.” Lou had to remind the guys of that.

“I almost forgot about your father, Lou.” Jason looks towards Lou and knew without the loan Lou’s father gave them. They wouldn’t have been able to come.

“You might as well, stay dressed as a girl until we get home, Rustie.” Lou saw how Rustie was dressed.

“It looks like I have no choice. I’m taking a shower before we leave.” Rustie takes his ear pods out and puts them back in their case to recharge.

“Alright, we’re going to grab some breakfast. Do you want anything?” Russell looks towards Rustie.

“Where are you guys going?”

“Up the street to McDonald's.” Jason had spotted it when they arrived the day before yesterday.

“Yeah, grab me a sausage and egg biscuit combo, please.”

“What do you want to drink?” Jason typed the order into his cellphone.

“Sweet Iced Tea, please. Here, let me get you some money.” Rustie moves to grab his wallet.

“I got you covered. See you in twenty.”

“Thanks.” Rustie watches as the guys walk out of the hotel room.

Rustie picks the suitcase up and takes off the exercise clothes he was wearing. How was he going to explain to his folks about being dressed as a girl? He steps into the bathroom and takes a quick shower.

Midnight, Rustie’s Place:
It was midnight by the time Lou and the guys dropped Rustie off at home. Rustie enters the house and quietly walks upstairs with the suitcase that he ended up with. His instrument, along with all his musical gear would be delivered tomorrow afternoon.

He strips out of the sundress he had worn home. He was glad his parents were asleep right now. He was too tired to explain why he was dressed like a girl; not like they care. They were used to him dressing up like a girl. He’s been doing it since he was six years old.

Rustie grabs the shorts he normally wears to bed and puts them on. He also puts on his Yoga Bear t-shirt he designed and silk-screened himself. He loved making his own t-shirts and personalized stationery. Before crawling into bed, he removes the makeup still on his face.

Once the make-up is removed, he crawls into bed and hugs his leopard plushie. In no time he is out like a light. After sleeping on the floor of the hotel room, his bed was a welcome comfort.

When he woke the next morning, it was because of his alarm clock going off. Even though he had his wakeup time set on his cell phone. He stretches his hand out from underneath the covers and presses the snooze button. His fingernails were still covered in the bubblegum pink color from the nail polish he painted his nails.

Nine minutes later, the alarm starts going off again. Rustie gets out of bed and changes out of his night clothes and into a pair of running shorts and a sports bra. The thing was, the reason he wore a sports bra, was because with his figure, he didn’t look right.

He wasn’t built like his older brother or father. His older brother was a football player while he was in high school. Now, his brother Bart was attending Ohio State University on a football scholarship. His brother also won money from a scratch-off he received as a gift. So, between the scratch-off and the scholarship, his brother was set for his education.

The thing was, his brother took after their father. Both his father and brother were what you called manly men. They had strong muscular builds and played sports in college and high school. His father had been a professional wrestler and toured the wrestling circuit. That’s how he met his mother.

Rustie puts his long rusty color hair in a high ponytail and grabs his cell phone. He leaves the house and starts his run. His mother and father were at work and his neighbors were used to seeing him dressed as a girl. They knew he was a strange person, but didn’t care that he sometimes dressed and acted like a girl. The one karen who did have a problem with Rustie moved.

They learned that you didn’t mess with the child of a lawyer. Rustie waves to some of his neighbors working outside either washing their vehicles or tending to their lawns. He runs to his turn-around point which is five miles away and turns around to jog back towards his house. He knew he was going to need to take a shower and later on, stop by Lou’s place to pick his instrument up and gear up.

Lou’s dad handled all their shipment needs. He owned the delivery service for Greyhound Bus Station. Rustie hopes the young woman who got his suitcase by accident enjoys his clothes.

By the time Rustie returns home, he goes upstairs and takes a nice relaxing shower. While he is washing his body, he wishes his body didn’t look so weird. He had long slender legs and, a small waist, and his hips were shapely.

He has tried everything, except getting testosterone shots. No matter how many times he used his brother’s weights, he couldn’t build his muscles up to the level of his brother and father. If nothing else, his body was developing more and more like his mother’s body.

After Rustie finishes his shower, he puts on an off-the-shoulder shirt and a pair of leggings out of the suitcase. Most of the clothes he owned and wore could be worn by either gender. He walks into the kitchen fixes himself a bowl of cereal and eats it.

While Rustie is eating his breakfast, his cell phone starts ringing. He presses accept “Hello?”

“Rustie, what are you doing right now?”

“Well, hello to you too, Ivy.” Rustie wonders sometimes why he is still friends with Ivy after the dirty trick he pulled on him.

“Sorry. So, what are you doing right now?” Ivy needed a second hand.

“Eating breakfast. What is it you need me for?” Rustie may not have trusted Ivy that much, but he was still his childhood friend.

“I need help cleaning out several storage lockers I just brought. Look, I know I pulled a dirty trick on you and Brandy and this is my way of making
it up. If there’s anything in the storage locker I bought that you want. I’ll let you have it without question.” Ivy really needed Rustie’s help and he knew Rustie collected certain things.

“Fine, I’ll help you. You’re going to have to come by my house and pick me up. My parents are spending the day with my aunt Betty and her husband.”

“That’s fine. I’ll be by your place in twenty minutes.” Ivy didn’t live that far away.

“Okay, Oh! I need to go by Lou’s house later to pick up my instrument and gear.” Rustie couldn’t wait to pick his gear up and part of the winnings as well.

“No problem.” Ivy didn’t mind helping Rustie.

“See you in twenty minutes.” Rustie ends the phone call.

After Rustie rinses out his cereal bowl. He goes back up to his bedroom and changes his clothes again. He puts on faded denim overalls that used to belong to his mother and a baggy short-sleeved shirt under it. He also puts on the tennis shoes he wears when he does yard work.

Once Rustie was redressed, he went back downstairs with his small backpack that had his wallet, house keys, and work gloves in it. He also brought along a mask as well. Sometimes the storage lockers had a buildup of dust inside them.

Rustie waits outside for Ivy to show up. He spots Ivy turning onto the street he lives on. Rustie watches as the transport van Ivy is driving stops in front of his place.

“Where did you steal the van from?” Rustie gets in on the passenger side.

“My uncle Charlie is loaning me his van.” Ivy notices how feminine Rustie looks wearing the clothes he has on.

He has known Rustie since they were kids in elementary school. He always found Rustie a little strange, but as they started to get older, he noticed Rustie was getting weirder and weirder.

“Will the storage units you bought fit in here?” Rustie wonders how much this van cost because it would make a good band van.

“Yeah, both units will fit.” Ivy puts the van into gear and drives towards the storage unit.

“What’s the gas mileage like?” Rustie was enjoying sitting in the passenger seat.

“Don’t know, but right now I’m getting twenty-two miles per gallon.” Ivy wonders why Rustie is so interested in the van.

“How did the band contest go?” Ivy knew the band Rustie was part of and competed against several other bands in Georgia.

“We won first place.” Rustie was happy they won because they went up against twenty other bands that were pretty good.

“Man, I wish I could have gone and heard you guys play.” Ivy was proud that he knew members of a band.

“We're playing next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at Deamon’s Tavern. There’s a ten-dollar cover charge, but it’s a nice place.” Rustie had been surprised when Lou told them about the gig on the way back from Georgia.

“I’m going to need to come and hear you guys play. Do the guys in your band know about your crossdressing?” Ivy knew Rustie liked to cross-dress.

“Yes, they all know about me cross-dressing. Is that why you did that dirty trick to me and Brandy?” Rustie knew Brandy still hadn’t gotten over what Ivy had done to her.

“Look, I’m sorry for what I did. I know Brandy didn't want people to know she was a crossdresser. But come on, Rustie. You and her should trade bodies because I know you enjoy dressing like a girl.”

“I won’t deny that I like crossdressing, but I also like acting and performing for people. The thing is, Brandy’s parents aren’t as open-minded as my parents are. Letting her secret out like you and Dave did wasn’t nice.” Rustie turned to look at Ivy as he drove.

“If I did something so mean to you and her. Why are you willing to help me?” Ivy glances toward Rustie.

“Because we have been friends since elementary school, you dummy. I’m willing to forgive you, but you’ll have to earn Brandy’s forgiveness.”
Rustie knew Brandy and her older sister wanted to tear Ivy’s hair out for exposing Brandy’s secret.

Ivy finally pulls into the storage unit and enters the code he was given. He waits for the gate to open and heads towards the two units he bought. If the stuff in the lockers were deceitful, he would sell them at the swap meet next week.

Rustie watches as Ivy drives towards the storage units. He knew Ivy sold whatever he found in the storage lockers at the swap meet. Ivy’s grandmother and mother got him hooked on selling things at the swap meet.

“Here we are.” Ivy parks the van and gets out.

Rustie gets out as well and stands nearby watching as Ivy unlocks the storage unit. Rustie lets out a whistle when Ivy opens the locker.

“Man, that is going to take some time to go through.” Rustie couldn’t believe how much stuff was stuffed in the locker.

“Well, let's see what is inside.” Ivy grabs his gloves and starts pulling things out.

Alco’s Self Storage:
“Man, I am so sore from moving all those heavy boxes and that piano.” Rustie looks at Ivy as he sweeps up the last of the trash in the second locker.

Rustie didn’t know that when someone bought a storage locker, they had to throw away all the trash in the locker as well. It was a good thing the storage unit manager had a wheel barrel they could use to haul all the trash to the dumpster.

“I know what you mean, Rustie. I’ve been doing this since I could walk helping my parents and grandmother. What are you going to do with all those instruments we found?” Ivy couldn’t believe how many musical instruments and amps he and Rustie found buried in the storage locker.

“The piano will come in handy writing music after I pay to have it tuned. As for the guitar in the white case. That’s a beginner’s guitar, it's not really good for doing our kind of performances on. I was thinking about giving it and the two trombones to our school musical department. I’ll tell them they are from you. As for the sax, I’ve always wanted to be able to play like Kenny G. He rocks the sax plus the girl from Dusty Gaskets plays the sax as well.” Rustie saw some of the performances Dusty Gaskets did online for their fans. They were into the steam punk culture, but some of their music was good.

“And the box of comic books?” Ivy knew Rustie collected comic books and t-shirts with comic book characters or organizations on them.

“Those go into my personal collection. I know I’m a nerd, but I love comic books.” Rustie had a soft spot for comics.

“Too bad you can’t draw as good as some of those comic artists. You could make a killing.” Ivy carries over the last bit of trash to the wheel barrel to be dumped.

“It’s hard getting into the comic book field, but remember Georgie from our art class in elementary school?”

“Yeah, what about him?” Ivy remembered Georgie from their elementary days.

“Well, he owns an animation studio and he does animation for several anime shows and himself. He works with some of the popular cosplay and anime people around. I’ve been communicating with him about doing an animation for our band. There’s a particular song we play that would look good as an animation cartoon.” Rustie hasn’t run the idea by the others yet, but the song would be perfect with an animation cartoon backing it.

“Damn! I didn’t know he had his own studio.” Ivy never bothered to keep in touch with most of the people he went to school with.

“I always liked how he drew characters and came up with storylines for the characters he created. He’s a very creative person. I should see if he’s willing to do the job for the band.” Rustie loads the rest of the stuff into the transport van.

Ivy walks over puts the broom and dustpan in the van and shuts it. He looks towards Rustie “What about the wheel barrel?”

“I got it covered. Meet me up front.” Rustie walks over to the wheelbarrow and lifts it. He starts walking towards the office and puts it back in the storage unit he got it out of.

Rustie walks into the office to let the manager on duty know that he returned it. Afterward, he walks back out to the van and gets in.

“Where to?” Ivy looks at Rustie as he makes himself comfortable.

“How about the piano shop first and then some lunch afterward?” Rustie looks at Ivy when he says that.

“What are you in the mood for?” Ivy drives towards the piano shop in town.

“How about Mexican? I know this great Mexican food truck that serves homemade tacos and such.”

“Sounds good. I could go for a good burrito.” Ivy loved the California burritos that Los Portales made and sold.

“You really know how to show a girl a good time.” Rustie just shakes his head.

“I hate to break this to you, Rustie. But you’re not a real girl.” Ivy didn’t mind being seen with Rustie or having him as a friend, but sometimes he had to remind Rustie that he wasn’t a girl.

“Just because I wasn’t born with a girl’s body, doesn’t mean I don’t identify as a girl. I don’t know how many times I can explain how I feel inside.” Rustie knew Ivy didn’t mean any harm.

“I still think that you and Brandy should swap bodies. It would be easier on the two of you.” Ivy knew Brandy had first come out being a lesbian
and then later that how she truly felt was that she should have been born a male.

“If it was that easy, I know several women who would do it. Some of them were normal, so they didn’t have to face the discrimination they faced for being a woman. Also, I bet they would love to see how some of the rapist and abusive husbands would feel when the tables were turned on them.”

Ivy stops at the piano shop first and helps Rustie move the piano from the van to the store. Inside the shop owner tests the piano and gives Rustie an estimate. Rustie knew his share of the prize money would cover the cost of fixing the piano.

Afterward, they stop at one of the two Mexican food trucks to grab some lunch. Ivy buys a huge burrito, while Rustie buys a six-pack of tacos. He loved tacos and it didn’t matter what type of tacos they were either.

Rustie looked at his cell phone to see what time it was and noticed it was close to the time Lou wanted everyone to meet at his house. Rustie looks at Ivy “Can you drop me off at Lou’s house, please?”

“Sure, but what do you want me to do with the items you want?” Ivy knew he needed to get the van back to his uncle.

“Can you meet me at my house in about an hour?” Rustie knew the meeting wouldn’t be that long.

“Or, I could just hang around and give you a ride back to your house.” Ivy didn’t mind waiting.

“Sounds better. We already know what we are going to play at Deamon’s this week.”

Ivy drives Rustie over to Lou’s place to pick up his musical instrument and amps. Also, to pick up his share of the winnings as well. He’ll pitch the idea of the van as well. That way they could transport all their instruments together and unload everything when they get home.

Lou’s House:
When Ivy and Rustie arrive at Lou’s place. Rustie spots Jason’s motorcycle in the driveway. Russell’s older brother’s pickup was parked next to Lou’s car. Ivy parks on the street in front of the house.

The two of them walk towards Lou’s house. Rustie rings the doorbell and a few minutes later, Russell opens the door.

“It’s about time you showed up. We were wondering if you were going to come. Oh, hi Ivy.” Russell moves aside to let Rustie and Ivy into the house.

“I was helping Ivy, here.” Rustie walks into the house followed by Ivy.

“So, what are you guys up to, Russell?” Ivy examines the interior as they are led through the house.

“Not much, our booking agent got us another gig for next month.” Russell escorts Rustie and Ivy towards the backyard.

Once they are outside, Lou looks at them “It’s about time you arrived. Go ahead and grab yourself a drink, because I got some news for everyone.”

“I’m fine.” Rustie sits down in a nearby lounger.

Ivy grabs a cold beer and sits down near Rustie. He wonders what Lou has on his mind.

“As you all know, we won studio time at any studio Dusty Gaskets Productions owns. I found out that’s three days’ worth of time for us. If we want to buy more time, we can do so at half the going rate. Now, as for the monetary prize. I have cashier checks here for everyone. Half the money is being spent to cover all the debts we owe and pay my father back for the loan he gave us. We still have eighteen thousand we can use for the band.”

“Can I make a suggestion? Why don’t we all chip in some of our winnings and buy a transport van like Ivy’s uncle owns? It’s big enough for us to travel in and to hold our equipment. Plus, if we had to, God help us if we need to, sleep in it as well.”

“How much are we talking about?” Jason looks at Rustie when he suggests the van idea.

“I don’t know, I’ll have to shop around for a reasonable price. Also, I was thinking about getting in touch with Georgie and seeing if he wouldn’t mind doing an animation short film for us for our song Fighting Tiger. I think with some modifications to the song we can turn it into a cool animation.” Rustie already knew how she would modify Fighting Tiger.

“Are you talking about Georgie Connors? The guy we went to elementary school?” You knew who Georgie was.

“The very same. He owns Artlinix studios and does work for cosplay people and a few organizations as well.”

“You know this person, Rustie?” Russell looks at Rustie when he asks that question.

“Yeah, I know him. He and I have kept in contact over the years. I consider him a friend and I think his animation style will benefit us with a few songs we have written.” Rustie looks at everyone when he says that.

“All right, if you think if it will help us. I’m willing to give it a try. Here is our schedule for this month and part of next month. Depending on what traffic is like at Deamon’s. We’ll be playing there for the rest of the month. Then we have a weekend gig in Benton for Friday and Saturday at a place called the Brewery Kettle. After that we are back here for a three-day gig at Lousie’s Sports bar. It’s going to be an outside event, so bring bug repellant.

Our school principal has contacted me and asked if we wouldn’t mind playing with the orchestra. They are putting on a show and would like us to be part of it.”

“I didn’t know that. I have some instruments to deliver to the school; I’ll check on that. It will be cool to play with our orchestra.” Rustie thought it was a good idea.

“I think the van is a good idea. See how much it will cost us.” Jason liked the idea.

“All right, is there anything else we need to cover?” Lou looks at everyone present.

“Not that I’m aware of.” Russell looks at everyone.

“I do. Are you going to start dressing as a girl all the time, Rustie? Because the band was shown with you dressed as a girl.” Jason wanted to know.

“I might, because if people figure out, we didn’t have a real girl in the band. It might hurt us.” Rustie was already semi-dressed as a girl.

“Well, if you are. I think it will help us a lot and we’ll need to keep it a secret as well. That includes you as well, Ivy.” Jason, Russell, and Lou looks towards Ivy. They heard what he did to embarrasses Rustie and Brandy.

“I promise Rustie’s secret won’t come from me.”

Club Craft 65:

I'm a street-walking cheetah
With a heart full of napalm
I'm a runaway son of the nuclear A-bomb
I am a world's forgotten boy
The one who searches and destroys

Honey, gotta help me, please
Somebody gotta save my soul
Baby, detonate for me!

Look out, honey, 'cause I'm using technology
Ain't got time to make no apology
Soul radiation in the dead of night
Love in the middle of a firefight

By the time the Rattlers were done performing their number. They all head back to the band room and collapse on the worn-out furniture.

“Man! My feet are killing me.” Rustie takes the shoes she was wearing off. She rubbed her feet to ease the pain her feet were feeling.

Lou looks over at Rustie and tosses her a cold water bottle. He knew Rustie had been dressing full-time as a girl since they won the contest.

“Are those shoes new?” Lou knew all the members had bought new clothes and accessories for their instruments.

“Yes, and they are killing me.” Rustie puts her shoes back on after rubbing her feet.

She gets up walks over to the private bathroom and cleans her hands. Ever since she came out to her parents about being a girl full-time, after telling them what happened at the band contest. Her mother in particular had seen how she dressed and acted. So, they weren’t surprised when she told them. They talked about it and she agreed to see a doctor that specialized in gender dysphoria.

Her mother said she would help her adapt to being a woman, so she doesn’t get called out. They had gone out and spent the day at the spa and later at the salon to find a hairstyle that would be easy for her to do for her gigs and when she wasn’t performing.

“You should have broken them in before this gig.” Jason knew what it was like to wear new shoes.

Rustie just glared at him. She was dressed in all leather tonight and most of it was brand new. She looked like a rock goddess from the eighties.
As for the guys, Lou was dressed like Axel Rose used to dress when he first started. Jason, on the other hand, was dressed in leather like
herself, but just in a leather vest and tight leather pants. Russell on the other hand was dressed all in black and a loose Metallica t-shirt that the sides exposed his sides.

Rustie had worked hard on her makeup and bought professional makeup, so it didn’t run when she sweated. The place where she normally bought her stage gear when she performed, had turned her onto a new product.

“I’m changing, before we leave.” Rustie was hungry and she knew they were going out later to get something to eat.

“I don’t blame you, Rustie. If you wore that outfit to a restaurant, all the men would would be hitting on you.” Jason was getting a hard-on from just looking at Rustie.

Rustie grabs her gym bag and steps into the bathroom to clean up. She changes out of her rock goddess clothes and takes a sponge bath to freshen up. When she put her feet into her tennis shoes, her feet were thankful.

Once she is changed, she steps out of the bathroom to help the guys put their gear away. Ever since she decided to go full-time as a girl. The guys were being nicer to her.

“I’m glad we bought the van, now.” Everyone looked at how stuffed the back of the van was.

“I’m just happy it came with a backup camera.” Lou was glad they got a better vehicle to travel in.

“So, where’s our next gig?” Jason looks towards Lou since he is technically their leader.

“The Escape. Our booking agent got us a three-day gig with them. Also, there’s a hotel across the street that is giving us a discount because we are performing at the club.”

“I hope there is something to do because staying in our hotel room all day isn’t fun.” Rustie hated staying cooped up all day.

“Don’t worry, I bet you’ll find something to keep you busy.” Jason knew Rustie was never idle.

“Yeah, why don’t you work on a new song? Our playlist needs to be increased so we can make a nice demo disk and send it to several record companies.” Russell has been working on a few songs since they came back from the contest.

“I thought Dusty Gaskets was going to offer us a record deal?” Rustie looks towards Lou for an answer.

“I haven’t spoken to them about it. I want to see if we can draw the attention of a bigger company, before going with a local production company.” Lou was thinking big.

“From what I have learned about Dusty Gaskets, they have at least thirty bands working for them. They have partnerships with the big three record companies.” Jason wanted to work for them.

“Well, there are other local productions out there. Let’s keep our options open.” Lou was hoping someone else would scout them out.

Rustie didn’t say anything. She just listened to Lou and Jason talking. She hopes they stop somewhere soon to grab some food.
After thirty minutes, Lou pulls into a truck stop and parks. Rustie wakes Russell, “Food, Rus.”

Russell wakes up and looks around. He notices they have stopped at a truck stop to grab some food. He opens the van door and gets out, followed by Rustie.

Rustie shuts the door behind her. She hears the van beep, as Lou locks it with the remote. She left her purse in the van but brought her bank card with her.

Her mother has been trying to teach her how to act like a girl so she can blend in better. She already knew the basics, but there were things most girls knew by the time they were her age. She follows the guys to the restaurant area of the truck stop and finds a nice booth to sit at.

There waitress shows up and all of them place their orders after looking through the menu. They also ordered sweet iced tea to drink. Once their waitress walks off. Jason looks towards Lou “I think we should look into Dusty Gaskets and see if they will hire us.”

“Look, I know there are other independent agencies out there. Let’s see if we can grab their attention, first.” Lou wanted to see if their band could grab the attention of another independent agency.

“I don’t care who is willing to grab us. We have to do our best and see about getting bigger gigs.” Russell wanted more money. Sure, they were making six hundred dollars per gig, but they needed more.

“Let’s give it a few more weeks before we approach Dusty Gaskets.” Lou wanted to shop around more.

After their food arrives and is paid for. They top off the gas tank of the new van and drive towards their next gig. Rustie put her headphones on and listened to her favorite music. She leans against the side of the van and tries to stay awake until they arrive at the hotel.

By three in the morning, they arrive at their next destination. Lou checks them in and gets four room cards for them. Since they were used to sleeping in the same room, they only needed one room.

Lou drives around to where their room is and parks. He turns around in his seat to look at Russell and Rustie “Grab your bags, we’re here.”

“Good, because I’m tired.” Russell opens the van door and gets out, after grabbing his overnight bag.

“Same here.” Rustie grabs her bag and follows Jason and Russell towards the room. She knew Lou would be joining them after he grabbed his overnight bag.

“I got the bed this time.” Rustie didn’t want to sleep on the floor again.

“We’ll share the bed.” Russell didn’t want to sleep on the floor.

“If we share the bed, you better not snore.” Rustie grabs her nightshirt and goes into the bathroom to change.

By the time she came out of the bathroom, Russell was already in bed and asleep. She gets in on the other side slides under the blanket and falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow.

Rustie pushes the lawnmower back and forth as she cuts the front yard. The gig they did only lasted a few days because a fight broke out at the place. A few guys had gotten drunk and became loud and belligerent. The bouncers tried to handle the situation, but when they got pushed, and fell into another group of guys that were drunk. A fight broke out and spilled onto the stage where they were performing.

Lou and Jason had been hurt, trying to protect her. Lou’s and Jason’s playing arms were in a cast. She had a black eye, a broken nose, and two cracked ribs. Russell’s drums were in the shop being repaired. The neck on her guitar had been broken and was being replaced. On top of that, they had to cancel their next three gigs because of their injuries and broken instruments.

Since they were going to be in town for a while. She told her parents she would cut and trim the yard, instead of just sitting around in the house. She went for her morning run, feeling like crap. Her ribs, even taped up hurt like hell, so when she got back from her short jog. She took some pain pills and changed out of her jogging clothes and into some work clothes.

When Rustie finishes the yard work. She sits outside on a lounge chair enjoying a cold glass of lemonade. Her right eye was still healing from the elbow she took to it. She takes a sip of her lemonade.

“Hey Rustie, are you around?” Ivy had heard that the Rattlers had come back to town.

He noticed the front yard had been cut and trimmed recently. So, he figures Rustie might be outside.

“I’m in the backyard, Ivy.” Rustie heard Ivy’s loud voice from the front yard.

Ivy heard Rustie’s voice and headed towards the side gate. He opens the gate and finds Rustie resting in the backyard lying on a lounger and enjoying a glass of lemonade. He also noticed she had a black eye and a broken nose.

“What happened to you?”

“Bar fight. Jason and Lou have broken arms.” Rustie watches Ivy.

“Damn! What caused it?” Ivy wonders how the band got involved.

“Two drunk guys being nasty and assaulting the bouncers of the club when they stepped in to try and defuse the situation. The police showed up and took everyone’s statement. And yes, they even checked our IDs to see how old we were.”

“I bet that raised some eyebrows when they checked yours.” Ivy knew Rustie was only seventeen years old, but would be Eighteen in a few months.

“I got carded by a female cop and she just smiled when she saw the F on my ID.”

“How do you have an F for sex on your ID?” Ivy was curious.

“The law was changed last year that allows you to change your sex to either male, female, or non-binary. Since I normally dress as a woman and play female roles at the theater. I had mine changed so as not to have any problems when I get pulled over. Would you like anything cold to drink?”

“Sure, what do you have?” Ivy sits down on a lawn chair.

“Ice tea, lemonade, flavored water, Red Bull, and if you want something a little stronger. My father has St. Paul’s Girl.”

“I’ll take a Red Bull, please.” Ivy liked Red Bull.

“One Red Bull, coming up.” Rustie stands up and walks into the house and grabs a Red Bull For Ivy.

She walks back outside and over to Ivy “Here you go.” as she hands him the cold drink.

“Thanks.” Ivy noticed it was one of the 20 oz cans.

“You’re welcome.” Rustie sits back down on her lounger.

She looks towards Ivy as he pops open the can and takes a drink from it. She knew her father and sometimes drank the Red Bull. She wonders why Ivy stopped by to see her. She did what she promised to do by dropping off the instruments Ivy had bought in the storage locker.

“So, you're probably wondering why I stopped by.”

“It has crossed my mind. You normally don’t stop by unless you need help with a locker or moving something.” Rustie knew how Ivy operated.

“True, the reason I stopped by, is I bought a storage vault that had a bunch of special effects items in it. I don’t know anything about the items or who to talk to about the items. Also, at the swap meet I sell at, people normally aren’t looking for the items I found. Would you mind coming and looking at the items?”

“I don’t mind coming with you. If what you say is true about the items. The theater I perform at might be interested in buying the gear or I could buy it from you.”

“Cool, how about after we finish our drinks, we go and look at everything?”

“Sounds good.” Rustie didn’t have anything else planned for the day.

Oxford Vault Storage:
Rustie watches as Ivy pulls up to a moving/storage locker place. She spotted at least five people unloading wooden storage crates and loading them into their vehicles.

“So, how many storage vaults did you buy?” Rustie knew Ivy bought all sorts of things.

“Five, the other four vaults have things I know me and my family can sell. But when it comes to industrial or computerized items. We're out of our depth.”

“How much did you pay for the vault?” Rustie figures she could pay Ivy for everything.

“Four hundred dollars.” Ivy stops in front of the five storage vaults he bought.

“Here, take these gloves.” Ivy opens the center console and hands Rustie a pair of grey leather work gloves.

“Thanks.”

Rustie and Ivy get out of Ivy’s van and walk over towards the storage vault. She stands back, as Ivy unhooks the vault cover and lets it fall towards the ground. When Rustie looks inside the vault, she lets out a whistle. There was a bunch of special effects, and lighting equipment inside the vault.

“Wow, Ivy. That’s a lot of equipment.”

“Do you know what all this is?” Rustie looks towards Ivy.

“Nope! All I do know is it has to be computerized or something, because here’s the main control unit.” Ivy points to a box with a name on it that was in another language. It showed the unit being used as some sort of control unit for things.

“Well, you have a bunch of lighting and special effects items in here. The unit is the brain of it and it can be programmed to do all sorts of things.”

“Well, since you know so much about it. Why don’t you give me fifty over what I paid for it?” Ivy looks at Rustie to see if she would take the offer.

“Fine, I can do that. I can donate it to the theater group I perform with. Let’s see what else you bought.”

“Okay.” Ivy starts opening the other vaults and loading them into his van.

Rustie helps Ivy load everything. She set aside items she was interested in buying from him. She liked working with Ivy as they went through everything. By the time they were done loading and making deals. Rustie was feeling hungry.

“Hey, Ivy. If you don’t mind stopping for lunch, I’ll treat you.” Rustie didn’t mind buying lunch for Ivy.

“Sounds good. I know a good Thai restaurant nearby. Is that okay?” Ivy looks toward Rustie to see what she thinks.

“Sure.” Rustie liked Thai food.

Ivy drives to the Thai restaurant and finds a parking spot where they can see the van. Once they were parked, the two of them exited the van and headed inside the restaurant. The restaurant was decorated nicely and the hostess was nice as she led them to a table.

Later on after lunch, Ivy drops Rustie off, after they deliver the items Rustie bought for the theater. As for her stuff, Ivy helps Rustie carry it into the house and up to the spare bedroom, Rustie uses for her stuff.

“Does your mother ever get on your case with all this stuff in here?” Ivy was looking around the room and noticed all the costumes and cosplay items in the room.

“Yes, but I love to perform either on stage with the band or with the drama group at school or the theater.”

“It looks like you're into cosplay as well.” Ivy spotted several outfits, including several female superhero outfits.

“Yep, I love playing my guitar, but sometimes I love dressing up and having fun.” Rustie loved acting and pretending to be someone different.

“Well, I can see why your mother would get after you. If you ever decide to get rid of some of this, I know some people who are always looking for cosplay outfits.”

“I will.” Rustie walks with Ivy back downstairs.

Ivy waves goodbye to Rustie as he walks towards his van. Once he arrives, he gets in and drives off.

Rustie watches as Ivy drives off. Her ribs were bothering her, so she headed toward the bathroom and popped a few pain pills into her mouth. Afterward, she heads upstairs to go through the items she bought from Ivy.

Rustie was tired as she left the theater. These past few weeks off because of their injuries were cutting into the money she saved up. She rides her scooter back home, stopping at Arby’s to buy a few roast beef sandwiches and potato cakes. Since she wasn’t doing any gigs. She decided to audition for a role in a play the theater was planning on doing.

She had a good feeling about the part. The director liked how she brought the character to life and the emotions she managed to bring just from the reading. She was proud of how well she did. She would know in a few days if she got the part.

After stopping at Arby’s, Rustie heads home. She couldn’t wait to eat her sandwiches. On the way home, she is nearly hit by a person talking on their cell phone. The jackass wasn’t using a hands-free unit, but holding the phone in their hands to talk.

Rustie looks at the jackass as the guy drives off. She wanted to key the person’s car. She didn’t feel like getting hurt again. Her nose was finally healing and the black eye she had, had finally faded away.

Rustie makes it home safely and parks her scooter in the garage. She was happy her parents didn’t mind her going full-time as a girl. Her brother on the other hand, once he found out what she was doing. He thought she finally lost her mind.

Just as she walks into the house, her cell phone starts ringing. She pulls it out of her backpack and takes a look at who was calling her. She notices it is Lou calling her “Hello, Lou.”

“Rustie, are you busy right now?” Lou just got a call from a person from Black Label Recording.

“I’m about to eat my lunch, Lou. Why are you meeting with someone from Black Label Recording, anyway?”

“One of their agents saw our music video on YouTube and wants to manage us.” Lou couldn’t believe he had been contacted.

“When are you meeting the person?” Rustie wanted to enjoy her lunch after the audition she gave today.

“In thirty minutes at their office downtown.” Lou was walking out the door.

“Unfortunately, it would take me too long to get dressed properly, Lou. Take Jason or Russell with you.”

“Well, I would, but Jason is at the doctor’s getting his cast cut off and Russell is working with his father today. Look, I’ll go ahead and meet with the guy and see what he has to offer us. I’ll come by your place after the meeting.” Lou was hoping Rustie could join him.

“Okay, I’ll be here doing laundry after I eat.”

“Well, have fun, and don’t sign any contract unless all of us have read over it.” Rustie knew Lou didn’t need their approval, because he was the leader of the band.

“We’ll see.” Lou ends the call.

Rustie hopes Lou doesn’t do anything stupid. She sits down on the sofa in the den and enjoys her lunch, while she watches Counts Kustom. She likes some of the cars they customize and wouldn’t mind owning some of them.

She would also like to learn how to ride a motorcycle as well. She loved riding her scooter and wondered what it would feel like riding a motorcycle. The vibration of the motor between her legs. She has read a lot of stories about women who love riding motorcycles. The freedom it gave them and the feel of the wind blowing by.

After Rustie finishes her lunch, she gets started on her laundry. She never imagined she would be doing so much laundry. Between the gym clothes she wears every morning when she jogs the clothes she wears when she goes to her yoga class and her everyday clothes.

Rustie makes sure everything is separated and put into the washer. While she is waiting for the washer to do its job, she heads upstairs to her bedroom and grabs her acoustic guitar. She loved her electric guitar, but she also loved her acoustic guitar as well.

She looked over towards the saxophone Ivy gave her and wanted to learn how to play it. She was looking for a teacher to teach her. The music store where Russell’s dad works might know someone who would be willing to teach her.

After playing her acoustic guitar for a while. She wipes it down afterward and puts it back on its stand. She looks over at the saxophone and can’t wait to play it.

For the next few hours, Rustie does laundry and works on a song that has been bouncing around in her head. She wasn’t the best songwriter, but she knew what she wanted to say. She took an online course in writing and had several books she read about composing music. She never thought it would be so hard, but nothing worthwhile was easy.

Just as Rustie was walking downstairs to head to the laundry room. Her cell phone starts ringing. She checks who is calling her and notices it is Lou. She presses accept “What’s up, Lou?”

“Can you meet me at my house? I got some good news for all of us.”

“Tell me you didn’t do what I think you did, Lou.” Rustie didn’t like what she was thinking.

“Just meet me at my house, Rustie. I think you’ll like everything.” Lou was excited about the deal.

“Fine, I’ll be over at your place. See you in twenty minutes.” Rustie ends the call and texts her mother and father letting them know where she’ll be.

Twenty Minutes Later:
Rustie arrives on her scooter at Lou’s house. She saw Russell’s pickup truck and Jason’s father’s truck were ready there. She parks her scooter near the band’s new transport van. She walks up to the front door and knocks on it. After waiting a few minutes, the door opens.

“Come on in.” Jason had stood aside to let Rustie into the house.

“So, how bad is it, Jason?” Rustie wonders if Jason has heard anything from Lou.

“Don’t know. He’s been keeping everything under wrap until all of us were here.” Jason shuts the door and follows Jason into Lou’s living room.

When the two of them walked into the living room, Lou and Russell were waiting for them. Rustie walks over and sits down in one of the armchairs that Lou owned. She watches as Jason sits down in the gaming chair Lou owns.

Lou looks at everyone “I had a meeting today with Black Label Recording and they want to produce our music.”

“Okay, so what are they offering us in return?” Jason wanted to know what they were offering the band.

“It’s a five-year contract with us having to produce our first album in three months.” Lou knew they could do it.

“Okay, we get three months to produce our first album, it’s a little tight, but I think it's possible. What else do we have to do?” Russell was curious now.

“Here, I made copies of the contract I signed for us.” Lou goes to pull out copies he made of the contract he signed this morning.

“Wait a minute, Lou. You signed a contract without consulting us?” Rustie wasn’t sure she liked this.

“Yes, since I’m the lead man and technically the leader of the band. I went ahead and signed the contract they were offering us. It was either sign it now or maybe not get another chance.” Lou hands a copy to Rustie.

“Lou, you didn’t shop around to see if we could get a better offer?” Rustie knew Dusty Gaskets had their eye on them.

“Look, I know you are hooked on Dusty Gaskets, but I haven’t heard anything from them. Plus, they represent a large number of bands already.”

“I bet the reason you haven’t heard from them, is because we have been laid up with injuries from that damn bar fight. You should have waited to let my mother or one of her lawyer friends look the contract over.” Rustie normally didn’t fight back, but she felt that if she was going to make the sacrifice of dressing as a girl all the time, then Lou could have waited before signing a contract.

Long Horn Lounge, Augusta, Kansas:
Rustie looks out from the stage as the band plays. She wanted to strangle Lou for signing that damn contract and murder the fucking, greasy, road manager that was traveling with them. The new road manager was making her dress in more revealing clothes. He didn’t know that she had been born male, so she had that going for her.

He was also taking twenty percent of the money they made as well. The accommodations he arranged for them, weren’t places they would have chosen for themselves. They were little holes in the wall that she didn’t trust. He also had them on the road seven days a week without a break.

After they finished the set, they were doing. Rustie headed towards the back, which was a storage room that had been turned into a makeshift band room. They had to provide their own drinks and snacks if they wanted any.

Rustie grabs a bottle of cold water from the cooler they brought with them. She looks towards the others “Does anyone else want one?”

“Yeah, toss me two.” Russell was soaked in sweat from beating on his drums.

Rustie grabs two bottles of water and tosses them towards Russell “Heads up.”

Russell catches the bottles of water “Thanks.”

Russell opens one bottle and dumps the cold water over his head, soaking his t-shirt with the water. The second bottle he opens and drinks from it. Russell looked so pale and tired.

“I’m stepping outside.” Jason gets up and steps outside.

Rustie looked over towards Lou and noticed he was looking tired. This was the fifth club they had played since they met at Lou’s place. After they finished this gig tonight, they had to get on the road and head towards Benton for their next gig. They would be playing at a place called the Knight’s Tavern for the next three nights. Their road manager would give them their money just before they leave.

After their break time is up, they go back on stage and start playing a list of cover songs the manager of the lounge wanted them to play. At all the places they have played, they did a set of their songs and a bunch of cover songs that the owners of the places they played wanted them to play. Also, their road manager would have a list of songs he felt they should play.

When they finish their gig. They pack up their gear and get their money from their sleazeball road manager. Whenever the road manager got close to Rustie, she got a bad feeling. She tried to stay close to Russell or Jason. She wasn’t talking to Lou right now.

When they start packing up the van, Rustie makes sure there is enough space for her to sleep. Since they have been traveling, and working so hard. The guys have been snoring more and more. So, whenever they get a hotel room, she sleeps in the van. Which, was good for them, because it meant someone was watching over their instruments.

The third night they were out, someone tried breaking into the van. Luckily, she had slept in the van and pressed the alarm button on the remote to scare them off. The only time she used the hotel room was to take a shower and get dressed. She bought a portable toilet to keep in the van when she had to poop or pee. She got the idea from a trucker they met at a truck stop.

“Wake me when we get to whatever hotel Mr. Carangi reserved for us.” Rustie lays down on the air mattress she bought to sleep on.

“Do you want any food, Rustie?” Russell knew Rustie wasn’t speaking to Lou.

“I’m fine. I just want to get some sleep.” Rustie covers up and falls instantly asleep.

Russell looks up front towards Jason and Lou. Jason was driving their new van and Lou was sitting in the passenger seat. He had his small laptop opened looking at the schedule their manager sent them. They had another week of nonstop traveling with no break. So, far all their gigs were in Kansas.

Max told them that he was trying to get them a few out-of-state gigs. Also, he sent a couple of recommendations that he noticed about the band that they might want to consider changing. As for the problem between him and Rustie, he knew sooner or later Rustie would start talking to him.
The thing is, he knew why Rustie was pissed at him. Once Rustie’s mother took a look at the contract he signed with Black Label Productions.
They all learned that the production company was screwing them over. The contract was good for five years, and during that time, they had to produce three albums or suffer a hefty financial fine. Also, no song could be no shorter than two and a half minutes in length and there had to be at least eight to fifteen songs per album.

Also, the production company gets seventy percent of all sales. The only advance they got was fifty thousand dollars. Plus, if they fail to produce the albums or choose to break up, none of them could play with any other band or operate under another name for six years in the United States.
The production company also reserved the rights to choose what songs they could put on the album, or let another band play their song. Their travel expenses came out of their own pockets but were reimbursed by the company.

“Rustie, we're here.” Russell gently shakes Rustie’s shoulder.

Rustie slowly wakes up when she feels her shoulder shook. She turns to face Russell, who is leaning over the seat towards her. She rubs her eyes and slowly gets up.

“Where are we?” Rustie looks towards the front of the van.

“We're at a Motel Eight.” Russell helps Rustie stand up.

Rustie follows Russell out of the van and shivers. The temperature had dropped and she was still wearing her stage outfit. The only difference, she had taken her heels off and put her bunny slippers on.

Lou opens the door to the hotel room and drops his overnight bag next to the bed he would be sleeping on. Rustie walks by him and heads towards the bathroom to change and take a shower. Just before she walks into the bathroom.

“Hey, Rustie, are you sure you don’t want anything to eat? There’s a Waffle House across the street.” Russell knew Rustie liked the food at The Waffle House.

“I’m sure, I’m going to take a shower and head back out to the van to sleep.” Rustie walks into the bathroom with her night clothes.

“All right, see you in an hour.” Russell was surprised because Rustie normally ate before going to bed.

As Jason, Russell, and Lou are walking across the street towards the Waffle House “Lou, you and Rustie need to settle whatever the problem is between you guys.”

“Look, Rustie hates that I signed us up with Black Label Productions.”

“Can you blame her? They are screwing us and we’re playing at places we use to avoid when our booking agent had jobs for us. Plus, she doesn’t trust Max Carangi and I can’t say I blame her. Have you seen the way he has her wearing more revealing clothes?” Russell knew Rustie didn’t like how she was dressing lately.

“Yeah, what happens when he finds out that Rustie isn’t a true girl?” Jason was worried about their friend.

“Look, I admit, that I screwed up signing that contract. But I heard a lot of good things about the production company.” Lou had done some research about Black Label and thought they could do more for them, than the other independent recording agencies.

“Still, you two need to patch things up.”

Back At the Hotel Room:
Rustie takes a nice relaxing shower and tries a new shampoo her mother recommended. She was glad that they were still on summer vacation, but what were they going to do when the school season started? Plus, she had her weekly Zoom meeting with her counselor whom she agreed to see. She promised her mother she would seek counseling for her gender dysphoria.

As for her acting career, it was short-lived. The theater couldn’t get the financing they wanted to produce the show, so they were going to wait. She did learn that the part she tried out for went to another person, instead. Which was fine, with her since she was going to be on the road working.

After Rustie finishes her shower and puts her night clothes on. She heads out to the van and makes herself comfortable. It doesn’t take her long to fall asleep again.