Did she just call me mister?
“Ms. Thornapple! How are you tonight? Chrissy and I were… well… we were just… uh… studying. Yeah. We were studying before I took her home,” Jeff struggled to say.
Ms. Thornapple rolled her eyes, “Oh really, Mr. Kowalski! Is that the best explanation you can come up with?” She looked over at me and said, “And you, Mr. Davis. I would say I’m surprised at you, but considering how easily you slid into living as a girl, I guess I’m really not. But still. Jeff have you forgotten that this is supposed to be your pretend girlfriend? That Mr. Davis is a boy?” An uncontrollable wave of shame swept over me.
“Yes, Ms. Thornapple. Chrissy always manages to remind me she’s a guy.” Jeff was turning bright red. I could tell he was utterly mortified.
I wanted to ask her if she was just jealous because she wasn’t getting any, but instead I asked, “Why are you saying these things? Why do you keep calling me mister?”
“Christopher, you’re not actually thinking of yourself as a girl, are you? I’ve seen you using the girls’ room instead of the one in the gym like you were told to do.” She bent down to look better through the window at me and said, “What if another girl saw something she wasn’t expecting to see in the girls’ room? I hope you’re not standing up to pee!”
“Ms. Thornapple! That’s enough!” Jeff exploded. “Look! You’re making her cry. In my mind, Chrissy is just as much a girl as anyone born that way! Just look at her! She’s beautiful! She’s sweet. She’s… she’s… well, she’s just everything any guy would want in a girl!”
Ms. Thornapple smirked, “Well, hon, maybe not everything.”
“Just what is this bug you have up your butt?!” I almost shouted. “You’ve never talked this way to us before.”
Ms. Thornapple studied her fingers for a moment. She looked up and said, “You’re right. I really am disturbed by what I saw going on here, but there’s more to it than that. My fear is that if you’re actually having a relationship; that increases the chance of you being discovered Miss Davis. I know how teens are. You break up at the drop of a hat, and someone may decide to spill the beans just to get back at the other. When you had an arrangement for your mutual benefit, who cared if you split up? Then, to top it off, I’ve learned that our school records and accounts are going to be audited during the Christmas break. What if I didn’t cover all your tracks? We could all have our asses in a sling.”
“But we love each other,” I protested. “We’re not going to break up, and if there’s any documents that say I’m male, just tell them it’s a typo. I mean, like, who’s going to look that close at student records?”
Ms. Thornapple shook her head, “No, I imagine they’ll be pretty thorough.” She paused a moment then said, “Look, why don’t you kids go on home. I’m sorry about some of the things I just said, but be careful. I never imagined you’d actually develop a real romance.”
As she walked away, Jeff started the car engine and said, “Well, I guess I’ll take you home now.”
* * *
“She said all that?” Mandy asked through the phone. “I can’t believe that. Ms. Thornapple can be pretty mean when she wants to be, but that’s a little much, even for her!”
“I know!” I said. “For the last couple of months, she’s treated me just like a girl. She really embarrassed Jeff a lot. He didn’t even kiss me good-bye when he dropped me off at my house.”
There was a pause, then Mandy said, “I have to say girl, that I can’t believe what you two were about to do! I mean, like, kissing is one thing, but that is just gross! You know I consider you to be a girl, and I love you as much as the other girls on the squad, but deep down, I still know who you are. Getting that close to Jeff is just plain gay.”
“I don’t see it that way!” I said. “I’m his girlfriend and I love him.”
“I know you love him,” sighed Mandy, “but is it fair for you to let Jeff love you?”
“If he loves me and I love him, what else matters?” I asked.
“I hope you’re right… for both your sakes.” Mandy sighed through the phone.
We talked for a few more minutes before we hung up.
Was Mandy right? Was I being unfair to Jeff by letting him love me instead of a — dare I say it? A real girl? The more I thought about it, the more I decided the question had no merit. Jeff chose me, eyes wide open.
* * *
Tuesday was a better day. I wasn’t so tired and I took the time to make myself look presentable. Sandy was almost civil… almost. Just knowing that there was a two week holiday looming on the horizon, made the day drag. Still, after dinner that evening, I’d put the day behind me and settled down on my bed to listen to the radio and read the latest issue of Cosmogirl.
I hadn’t gotten very far when the phone rang. When I answered, the voice on the other end said, “Er, uh, hi Chrissy. This is Danny.”
I had to think for a second, then said, “Oh, hey girlfriend! What’s up?”
“I… I hate to bother you and all, but I was just wondering if you would do me a little favor? If you weren’t too busy or anything,” said Danny, sounding a little nervous.
Hesitantly I said, “Ummm maybe. Like what?”
He paused a second then said, “Well, my parents have gone out of town for a couple of days, and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming over here and… uh… and show me h… how t… to put on my m m make-up.”
I didn’t really know this guy all that well. I was probably the only one who knew his secret. Still, I thought that any guy who dressed up like a girl might be some kind of weirdo or Axe murderer or something.
When I’d caught him in the women’s restroom, he’d seemed harmless enough. After a few seconds of thought, I said, “OK, Danny. I can show you a few things, I guess.”
With relief in his voice, Danny said, “Thank you, Chrissy! You’re wonderful!”
I said, “You’re welcome. Just tell me how to get to your house,” I paused for a second, “but I can only stay for about an hour or so. I have to meet my boyfriend later,” I lied.
I eased the Escort to the curb in front of Danny’s house. I was surprised to see the rather nice neighborhood he lived in. Dad couldn’t afford any of the houses on this street. It was very cold and I ran to Danny’s front porch and rang the doorbell. In a few moments, I heard several latches being thrown.
The door cracked open and I heard Danny inside whisper, “Hi Chrissy! Quick, come inside!” It worried me that I couldn’t see him. As I stepped across the threshold, I wondered if I was making another one of my big mistakes.
The door closed behind me and I spun around. There stood Danny, wearing a red micro-mini dress, pantyhose, a wig and three inch high heels. He was also wearing nail polish, and I noticed his legs and armpits were shaven. With an embarrassed laugh, he said, “Hey, thanks a bunch for coming over. I know you can’t stay long, but any help you can give me I’d really appreciate.”
“Sure. I’m glad to help.” I said as he led me up the stairs and down the hall to his room. The house was very nice. Expensive furniture, thick carpet and other obvious signs of wealth were evident.
Danny’s room looked like a typical boy’s room, if you discounted the several pairs of pantyhose, panties, several bras, a couple of skirts and dresses and a box of make-up lying on his bed. I picked up one dress, a floral pattern sun dress, and said, “Very pretty dress. Maybe you’ll let me borrow it when the weather gets nice.” I said sincerely.
Danny smiled, “If it’s your size, you’re more than welcome to it!”
“Thanks! Well, we don’t have much time, so have a seat and let’s have at it,” I said grabbing the box of make-up from the bed. Grinning wide, Danny sat down at his desk.
I went over the basics of applying foundation and how to use his brushes. After going over everything once, I removed his make-up and had him try to apply it himself. We had to wash his face a few times, but after a few false starts, Danny was fina
lly doing a pretty good job of putting his make-up on.
I brushed his wig out, so it looked less like a wig. Since he didn’t have a big mirror in his room, he led me to his parents’ room where his mother has a full length mirror. He turned on the room light then hurried to front of the mirror. He gasped, and then squealed in delight, “Oh my God! Look at me!” He then struck a few of what he hoped were sexy poses.
“I have to say, Dani, you’re very pretty. Any boy would be proud to take you out on a date!” I said.
Dani turned to me and asked, “You really think so? You really think I look like a girl?”
“You look great!” I said honestly. “I know you’re not interested in guys, but I do think you’d have to beat them away with a stick.”
Dani pranced and posed in front of the mirror for several minutes. In school, I really didn’t see him all that often, but whenever I did, he usually seemed to have quite a dour disposition, but right now, I’ve never seen him so happy. He’d spin on his high heels and watch his wig and earrings fly away from his neck. He stopped and looked thoughtful for moment.
“Chrissy, I just had the craziest idea!” he said as he turned to look over his shoulder at the mirror to view the back of his legs.
Dreading to know the answer, I asked, “Oh really? Like what?”
“Wouldn’t it be cool if you pretended to be a boy and I pretended to be a girl and you took me out on a date?” He laughed and added, “I’ve always had this fantasy about being picked up for a date while I’m dressed.”
“I thought you said you aren’t interested in guys?” I said, puzzled.
“I’m not really. But what a way to validate my femaleness by being on a date with a guy?” he asked like it was a perfectly normal thing to ask.
“Well Dani, I don’t know. That’s something I’d have to think about.” I really didn’t care for the idea.
“Oh, come on, Chrissy! Since you’re really a girl and I’m a guy, it’d still be a boy-girl date. We’d just be wearing each other’s clothes!” He posed in front of the mirror again.
“That’s something I’d have to think about. We’ll see, OK?”
Dani shrugged and said, “That’s fine. I just thought it’d be something fun to do.”
I looked at my watch and saw that it was after nine pm. I said, “I didn’t know it was so late. I need to get going, but hey, it was a blast. It was a lot of fun.” And actually, I really did have fun.
* * *
I didn’t think Friday was ever going to get here. Dad had left in the morning to drive up in a rental truck to get Diane and move her stuff back home. Jeff had seemed a little distant all week, but I blame Ms. Thornapple for that.
I stopped by my locker before leaving school to put away some books. Jeff was standing there, waiting for me.
“Hey babe,” he said as he put his arm around my waist and gave me a hug. “Dad’s going to keep me busy tonight, helping him get the car ready for the trip tomorrow, so I wanted to catch you before you left school.”
I laid my head on his muscled chest and pulled myself close to hug him back. “I’m going to miss you a lot, Jeff.”
I looked up at him and he said, “I’m going to miss you too, babe. A lot.” He bent his head down toward me and gave me a long, deep kiss. We pulled away and he looked at me for a moment and said, “You’re my girl, and I love you.”
“I love you, too! You’re my guy, and I never want to lose you!” I gave him another kiss. Even now, every once in a while I’d mentally step back and marvel at the fact that I was somebody’s girlfriend. I’m not complaining; it’s just not what I could have possibly imagined I’d be while I was growing up.
He smiled at me and said, “You be a good girl the next two weeks. Don’t let your sister talk you into going into any more bars.”
I laughed, “No, I don’t think that’s going to happen, and I was thinking about spending the next two weeks in bo…” I was about to say “boy mode”, but a pained look started across Jeff’s face. I said, “… uh, spending the next two weeks just being lazy around the house.”
But Jeff said, “Why not just stay a girl? You know, as far as I’m concerned, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world. Why isn’t that enough for you?”
I looked at the floor, “It’s important to me to try to get back in touch with the real me. I need to know if I can still even be a boy mentally.”
Jeff lifted my chin up so he could see my face, “Chrissy, this is the real you. It’s a big lousy deal that you were born with the wrong parts. You’re a girl. Why do you think you were accepted as a girl so quickly? Some of the other guys I’ve talked to thought you were a transfer student, because they never knew ‘Chris’ existed, but everyone knows ‘Chrissy’. I’ve seen some other girls wear their hair like you and dress like you. Why don’t you just accept the fact that you’re a girl?”
Holding Jeff’s hand as we started walking towards an exit, I said as emotion started to tighten my throat, “I realize that more people like me as a girl than as a boy. But Jeff, and I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, but the cold hard fact is I’m not a girl. I wasn’t born a girl. I wasn’t raised as a girl. I thought spending some time away from school would be a great chance to get back to who I am. Last weekend, I tried being me for only two days and it didn’t work out very well, but that was only two days. I just need to know. I’ll admit, I absolutely love being a girl! I love everything about it, but it’s a lot harder than you think it is, and while the other girls on the squad accept me as an equal, they also know that unlike them, I can go back to being a guy whenever it’s convenient. I’ll also never be able to fully experience everything real girls feel, good or bad. I’m glad I’ll never have a period, but real girls have to learn to live with that, and it’s part of being female.”
Jeff walked in silence until we reached the closed door that led to the outside. He stopped short of opening the door. Cold wind whistled through the cracks. Jeff put his arm around my waist and again pulled me close to him, “I’ll say it again, Chrissy. You’re my girl. Nothing is going to change that. I love you more than anything.” He bent down and gave me a long, deep kiss, the kind that just makes you want to melt. I put my arms around his neck to hold him closer.
We stood there in an embrace for what seemed like forever. Time seemed to stand still as Jeff continued to kiss me. For the moment, nothing mattered except being Jeff’s girlfriend. Despite the cold coming through the door, I felt warm all over. And, most of all, I felt happy.
* * *
That night I just lay there awake on what will soon go back to being Diane’s bed in her room. I wasn’t quite ready to move back into my old room just yet. Diane would return home sometime late tomorrow. I suppose she’ll be upset that I’ve been wearing her underwear and other clothes. She’ll live.
* * *
Chapter 7
I had just finished breakfast and was lounging on the couch in my peach satin camisole and tap pants, enjoying the lazy Saturday morning that marked the beginning of Christmas vacation when, looking through the living room window, I noticed a car pull up. I was shocked to see it was Jeff’s parents’ car. I ran to my room, grabbed a robe and checked myself in the mirror. Ack! I was a mess.
The doorbell rang and I ran back to the living room wondering why Jeff was here. I thought they’d already left for Arizona. Not really wanting him to see me this way, I slowly opened the door to reveal Jeff, standing there smiling and holding three packages wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper.
“Hey, Chrissy. Good morning,” Jeff said as he stood shivering in the cold morning air.
I pulled the robe tighter around me, “Hey Jeff! I’m surprised to see you. I thought you’d be on your way by now. Did you want to come in?”
“I can’t. Mom and Dad are waiting. I just wanted to bring these presents over since I won’t be here Christmas day. I know… I should have given them to you when you gave me yours last week. I didn’t get them wrapped
until last night.” Jeff presented the packages to me and as I reached for them, my robe started to fall open revealing some of my peach camisole. I didn’t have my falsies on, so I was flatter than a pancake. Jeff’s smile got bigger as he stared at me. I was embarrassed with my frazzled hair and no make-up.
As I took the presents, I tried to hide behind them, “Don’t look at me! I look awful!”
Jeff laughed as I set the presents on the floor and made a feeble effort to hide behind the door. Jeff took hold of my arm and gently, yet firmly pulled me out from behind the door. “You can’t hide from me!” His eyes twinkling, he stared at me for a moment. “Trust me, you don’t look awful.” He hesitated, then added, “Now, don’t get the wrong idea, but if we ever got married, it’s nice to know that you’ll wake up as beautiful as when you went to bed.”
The Reluctant Sister (Reluctant Series Book 3) Page 11
