That I as a junior should be going to senior's night at the biggest amusement park in the state was something of a miracle or even a collection of Miracles I had volunteered for the social committee as a way of meeting new kids at the high school it seemed like a pretty lame idea at first I did all the grunt work for Heather the senior girl who was planning the all the graduation activities she and the others on the Committee treated me pretty much like dirt and loaded all the work on me they sat around and
chatted while I made all the calls struck all the bargains and pretty much did everything the first real Miracle came when Heather came down with mono just two weeks before the Big Bash I was the only one who knew the contacts and the arrangements so I had to go along as the representative for my school enter the second Miracle a couple of angels you might say word got around That I could get people into the bash's helpers and I definitely needed help the other girls on the social committee had served notice that this was their
night to party and they had no intention of helping a lowly underclass boy Pat and Jennifer were Juniors who went to the ritzy private school on the west side and they weren't a part of the bash to make it more interesting their boyfriends were already gone to some football training camp run by the Ivy League school they had signed with when Pat and Jennifer volunteered to be my personal helpers for the night I didn't think twice even though I had most of the work delegated out already did I mention that Pat and Jennifer were the
foxiest girls I had ever seen the only real hitch was the car I had to have the car to get me and the girls to the park and back and Mom already had plans for the night we had a custom mom and me of making deals for things like this Tit For Tat sort of I had to come up with something big for this one and after a little pondering I hit on a deal I knew she wouldn't refuse I'm not sure which of us came up with the final wording but it went something like
this this I would get unlimited use of the car with gas supplied for the evening and Mom would get my unquestioned obedience for one month there after yes it was a pretty open-ended bargain on her part but I really needed that car being The Savvy Dealer I was I did put in one exception Clause mom had been trying to get me to cut my hair for the last year and I had resisted I made her agree that my obedience would not include cutting my hair the final miracle happened M agreed to the deal senior's night
itself turned out to be a mix between miracle and curse the first couple of hours I had to stand at the gate with the other school reps and resolve multiple cases of lost my ticket and the usual assortment of Dodges used by gate Crashers from other places then there were the assorted cases of drunk and disorderly and other eviction crimes that I had to log when a student from our school was involved we were only able to steal away a few minutes at a time to enjoy the amusement ments but what we had Jennifer and
Pat made the most of not only did they really help when there was work to do they treated me in a very friendly manner whenever we had a few minutes for The amusements it was all for Laughs of course how could they really go for a short stop like me but I took what I could get and we all three had some good laughs we enjoyed ourselves so much in fact that someone somewhere in the night took the time to warn me that their boyfriends would not approve of the friendly they were showing of course
their boyfriends were a thousand miles away and their school wasn't participating how would they ever know Reality has a way of paying you back for pretty much every miracle in your life I guess my payback started the first day of vacation just 2 days after the bash mom phoned from work and told me to clean up and meet her at the curb when she got home we had some things to do downtown that's all she would tell me over the phone so I reluctantly got myself cleaned up I hadn't quite started my summer job search
by then and was waiting as she Instructed she drove up to the curb and waited for me to get in then she drove out toward the boulevard that led to the other side of town I asked her where we were going and she gave me a glance then started to talk Alex I've been thinking a lot about the arguments we've had over the past few months I know it's been hard on you the divorce moving to a new place trying to make new friends in a new school I think I haven't been very fair to
you wow this seemed to be the Old melow mom talking not the one that had been writing me on pretty much every topic Under the Sun since the divorce proceedings began I began to get suspicious in thinking about it the last few weeks I've realized how much of the conflict is my fault immediately my senses went on active alert when Mom started out by admitting a fault you could be sure that she had something up her sleeve it's not so much you having long hair that's been bothering me it's That you seem not to keep
it as neat as I feel you should aha she was going to try some technicality to get me to cut my hair but I had an ironclad agreement with her so I let her continue without interrupting I guess I've just been expecting you to know what to do to keep your hair neat then to get it done and that's probably not reasonable on my part when I was your age I spent a lot of time with my mom learning how to do that she taught me how often to wash it And how to manage it
afterward how to set it and style it and keep it looking nice we used to spend hours sometimes brushing out each other's hair and thinking up new ways to wear it and manage it it was fun A lot better than the arguments and hassles we've had and I see no reason why we shouldn't have fun with this as well hm this was sounding a little too reasonable but I couldn't see anything to object to so far anyway I'd like to change the way I've been approaching this to take more responsibility to teach you what you
need to know and to make it an enjoyable thing for both of us do you think that would be okay with you I had to agree that our conflicts on this had been no fun and I liked the fact that she had acknowledged that part of it was her fault it was also true that I really didn't know how to manage my hair very well as it got longer it seemed to be greasy all the time every time I washed It though it got real wispy and I couldn't do anything with it Tangles were beginning
to be a major problem too I had actually wanted to ask Mom for her help but I was afraid she just used that as a reason to hassle me even more now here she was offering the help i' been wanding how could I say no actually mom I've had some real problems with Tangles lately and I was going to ask if you knew how I could avoid them I just didn't want you to hassle me or try and Make me cut my hair that's all sweetheart I appreciate you sharing those feelings with me I've decided
that with the changing Styles and all if you really want to wear your hair long there's really no good reason for me to object provided that you keep it looking nice would you let me help you do that sure I'd like that a lot then the only real problem is that with my job demanding more and more of my time I may not be able to spend all the time it Takes at first I mean after a while you'll be able to do most things on your own but at first I think you'll need more
help than I might be able to give you what can be that hard your hair is long but you seem to spend just a few minutes a day on it well this is a particularly easy style to manage but I'm not sure you'd like to wear your hair the same way we both chuckled at this little joke but even the simple Styles take a lot more time than you Might think you may not realize the amount of time I spend at the salon or the time at night before I go to bed make no mistake
you really will have to spend some time on this especially since your hair hair is getting longer than mine are you willing to spend the time and effort that it takes I guess I am but if you're already spending time on yours will you have the time to help me on mine I had no idea that I was digging myself deeper and deeper into Mom's trap Well as I said before at first you're probably going to need more help than I can give you that's why I've made arrangements with Betty to help you get started
that's where we're going now Betty was one of the first people one of the few who had befriended us when we moved in someone at her new job had referred mom to Betty's beauty salon when we first moved Betty had not only done a great job on mom's hair she had become a good friend and kind of helped Both of us find our way around unlike many adults Betty had gone out of her way to pay some attention to me and seemed actually interested in my friendship as well as mom's gee that's really nice of
her to be willing to help I don't think I've ever been to her house before Betty really is a good friend but I wouldn't feel right taking advantage of her Professional Knowledge or imposing on her Hospitality so I made this sort of a business deal I made an Appointment for you at Betty's Salon every Monday night this month tonight is your first appointment mom there's no way I'm going into a salon with all those women around I know you used to take me with you sometimes but I'm not a little kid anymore besides someone I
know might see me calm down sweet heart I'm not totally insensitive to your feelings and neither is Betty her Salon closes early on Monday night but Betty has agreed to stay late for these Appointments just so you wouldn't have to worry about other people being there not only that she's giving us a half price discount on everything she does and everything we buy wow that really is nice of her I'm sorry Mom I didn't mean to get upset she had me on the defensive now and I still had no clue of the she laid you're
forgiven my dear I do think that I've done everything I could to consider your feelings as well as my own I want us to have fun with this so I've Tried to keep the rules to an absolute minimum just two in fact my suspicions were suddenly aroused again what do you mean rules well this is after all you're part of the agreement that you'd follow all my wishes for the month after you got the use of the car right well my wishes are the please that for the next month you keep your hair clean and
well-groomed at all times and up off your collar when I'm around that's not too much to ask is it Mom your part of The agreement was that you wouldn't make me cut my hair wasn't this whole conversation about how I was going to learn to manage my hair long absolutely dear I said nothing about cutting your hair mom how can I keep my hair off my collar if I don't cut it you took that phrase right out of the old High School dress code this has nothing to do with the old dress codes and long
hair is going to be acceptable in the high school this fall again anyway I want you To keep it off your collar as a way of learning how to truly manage your hair at that length Betty can help you learn any number of ways to arrange it so that it's off your collar arrange it you mean put it up like a girl's mom you can't be serious you're yelling again sweetheart I mean put it up like you have all the skills you need to keep long hair neat and attractive once you've done that for a
month I'll be sure that you can handle it on your own no matter what length or Style you decide to wear it and as I said I'll help you as much as I can in addition to what you learn from Betty now I saw the clever trap she had laid technically I had agreed to follow any demand she made though I never dreamed she'd come up with anything like this there's no way you're going to get me to wear my hair like a girl's for the next month I couldn't leave the house I just won't
do it that's your choice my dear if that's the way you feel just have Betty give you a regular boy's cut and the whole thing will be over if you really believe those arguments you've been feeding me though wearing your hair up shouldn't be considered any more girlish than wearing it long and another thing you can wear your hair any way you like when I'm not around I can't control that it's just when we're at home together that I want to see it up if you really show that you've learned how to manage it before
the month is over I Might ease off on the requirements now here's BET's shop and we're already a few minutes late so hurry inside I'll be back about the time you're finished I have some errands to run I looked around furtively and saw no one near who might recognize me so I jumped out of the car slammed the door and raced inside I was fuming but Betty pretended not to mind as she greeted me warmly and had me sit down in the chair farthest from the windows from your mood i' guess that Your mom has
filled you in on her rules she told me about her plan over the phone yesterday I guess you're pretty upset huh she's laid her clever little trap for me Betty and she thinks she's going to win this one and get me to cut my hair but I'll figure some way out of this well Alex I really don't want to take sides you and your mother are both such good friends but there is a little bit of a middle ground here if you have the patience for it and are really Determined to keep your long hair
I'm even more determined now than I was before Betty chuckled I think you're every bit as stubborn as your mother that's one of the things I like about you both you know what you want and are willing to hang in there till you get it well then down to business I don't think you've had much practice with arranging your hair or using curlers have you I looked at her sideways you've got to be kidding I didn't think so but I just Wanted to make sure her tone made it sound as if she would have preferred
it if I had said yes if You' had practiced before we could settle for a simple French roll or something that you could let down and put up whenever you wanted you'll get good enough to do that over the next couple of weeks but for now I think you'll need a style that will stay pretty much in place for the next few days Friday morning is my only slack time this week I won't be able to help You with the next step until then what we can do is put your hair up in a style
that we can pretty well cmend in place something that you'll be able to maintain with just some hairspray and pins every morning Friday morning after your Mom leaves for work you can take it down and wash it then if you have trouble putting it up again you can call me and I'll help you how does that sound I didn't mean to but I probably sounded pretty whiny as I replied you mean I'd Have my hair up like a girls until Friday morning I wouldn't be able to leave the house I'd go stir crazy bet kept
her voice down but there was a firmness in it that told me I was near the end of her tolerance I know that may seem hard for you but it's the only way I see to help you if you'd rather we can just call it quits and give you a regular boy cut besides being embarrassed at having angered Betty I realized I was cornered now and I was Determined to fight back no I'm not going to give and just tell me what you want me to do Betty smiled and gave me a friendly hug now
now it really won't be that bad I'll bet you a milkshake that when this month is over you're going to look back on this and wonder what the big deal was I grinned in spite of myself you have a bet lady plan on a double chocolate malted okay wise guy you're on Betty selected two picture albums from a nearby shelf now look Through these books and pick a style that you like I think pretty much any one of these will our needs meanwhile I'll get my stuff arranged as I began to page through the albums
my spirits sank further and further every model had hair piled way on top of their heads most of them fixed up with ribbons or curls or decorated Combs some even had flowers woven into the style there was obviously no way I was going to get through the next few days with my dignity intact I Was going to be getting a girl's haird for a moment I seriously thought of just giving in and asking for a boy's cut as I thought it over I pictured all my hair lying on Betty's floor and a shiver went through
me I had fought for the right to wear my hair long not only with Mom and the principal at my old school but with several guys who found out that long hair doesn't mean you're a I really felt I had a lot of myself invested in it the last straw was when I Pictured the triumphant smile that would be on mom's face if she returned to find me with my hair cut short I swallowed hard then took the album over to Betty with grim determination I pointed to one of the Styles Betty suggested as being
the easiest I had seen it on several of my female classmates the day of the prom all the hair swept up to the crown then arranged in two tiar of ringlets one on top of the other I thought I could see just a bit of sympathy in Betty's eyes But she smiled cheerfully and patted the salon chair where I was to sit strangely enough now that I had made the decision I began to relax Betty's easy chatter soon had me actually smiling and enjoying myself as she began to wash my hair my memory drifted back
to the times when I had gone with mom to her beauty appointments I would usually sit in the front with a toy or comic book while the strange smells and the chatter of female voices filled my senses sometimes I Would look over the divider and watch as Mom and the other women subjected themselves to the indignity of curlers and other strange gadgets the women had always been nice to me me and had sometimes teased me about coming back and getting my hair done I got butterflies in my stomach as I realized that those memories were
now taking on a strange and current reality that funny feeling in my stomach grew stronger and was joined by a tightness in my chest as Betty combed out my wet hair separated the first Strand and wound a curler into it but I don't want curls in my hair Betty can't I just keep it straight you curl your hair every time you wash it Alex whether you wear it curly or straight large curlers like the ones we're using give you just a little body and control if you decide you really want curls we'll use the smaller
ones she didn't wait for my retort I'll just give you a set of these larger ones to Take with you tonight so you'll have them on hand Friday morning I'll be around to help if you forget what I'm about to show you as she put each curler and she had me hand her the hair pins that secured them in place after the first few she handed me the home since you're eventually going to have to do this for yourself you might as well start learning now I guess it took almost an hour and my arms
were aching but I finally began to get the hang of Things sectioning out a strand of hair winding the curler down and pinning it in place Betty taught me a little about which way to wind the curlers and where to position them to get the effect we were trying for when we were finally finished Betty wrapped my head with a net and led me to one of her dryers I I looked ridiculous but no more so than any female I had seen under the same circumstance Betty sat me under the dryer then before she turned
on the air She asked if I would like for her to give me a manicure while my hair dried no way are you going to paint my nails lady Betty giggled getting a manicure doesn't mean you have to get your nails painted silly I have some very good male clients who get regular manicures to keep their hands looking nice May or Frost among them the thought of Mayor Frost sitting in one of Betty's chairs made me giggle but Betty finally convinced me that it was okay and it Seemed preferable to browsing through the countless women's
magazines lying around when my hair was finally dry I followed Betty back to the styling chair my chest began to get strangely tight again as I watched her remove the curlers from my hair in spite of her assurances that large curlers would produce straight hair each strand came out with a bouncy curl at the end I wanted to complain but somehow I was too to fascinated to say anything all those Curls in my hair in some strange way it was exciting to me almost like the feelings I had when I had swiped some of Mom's
things to try on here I stopped myself abruptly it had been several weeks since I had decided to end that nonsense I was a guy after all and too grownup now to do such things still I could not fully repress the feelings that continued as Betty began to comb out each section tease it and Spritz it with hairspray then pile P it on top of My head she used several large hair pins to keep the strands in place until she had piled it up all around then she used an elastic Fastener to pull the whole
Mass together next she took a curling iron and began to form little flat curls that she pinned in a circle around the crown of my head when she had completed a full circle she was pretty much out of hair she told me she'd be back in just a second then she disappeared into the back of the shop I stared at my Reflection in the mirror for a long time there was no mistaking the femininity of this hairstyle nor the effect that it had on my overall appearance my resistance to the excitement within was quickly evaporating
on an Impulse I brought my newly manicured fingers up under my chin smiled at myself and struck a girlish pose for an instant I even regretted not having accepted Betty's offer of clear polish for my nails it was at that moment that Betty Came back into the room I quickly dropped my pose and sat back back in my seat Betty said nothing but she seemed to have a slight knowing Smile as she went back to work she had found a small hairpiece that matched my shade and proceeded to Fashion it into a second tear of
curls which she pinned at top the first Betty that's not really necessary is it I asked half-heartedly not really but would you deny an artist the pleasure of finishing her creation She gave me a broad smile and a wink and I smiled in spite of myself self Betty really was a good friend and I surely didn't want to get on her bad side not now when I really needed her when Betty was finished with the hairpiece she had me cover my face then she coated the whole construction with what seemed to be half a can
of hairspray I was just uncovering my face when mom walked into the shop oh Betty he's be I mean his hair is perfect immediately my anger Returned on the one hand I was fascinated to see myself with an honest to gosh hair style but on the other hand I was furious with Mom for having forced me into this predicament I didn't even respond when Mom greeted me and I pretended not to pay attention as Betty put several things into a bag and explained what I'd have to do for the next few days the next few
days were really hell I refused to speak to Mom number one she would leave long lists of Chores for me to do including having dinner fixed every night when she came home I was so determined not to speak to her that I didn't even argue of course it was all part of my agreed month of obedience anyway so arguing would have been useless with my hair up I wasn't about to go outside not even in my own yard for fear the neighbors might see me my haird was the cause of all sorts of problems not
just the confinement it took extra time every evening to spray My hair all over and wrap it in a net so it would survive the night there was no comfortable way to put my head as I tried to sleep either so I tossed and turned all night long I had to get up early every morning unwrap my hair pin all the strands that had come loose spray it then present myself to Mom at breakfast she was very cheerful every morning and very complimentary but I was having none of it there were times during the day
when I would take time Out from my chores and relax it was usually at these times that old urges would hit me and I'd spend long moments sitting at Mom's Dressing Table staring at myself in the mirror I was trying to see myself from the outside wondering what others would think if they saw me like this for the most part though those first days were just chores and silence Thursday morning after Mom left I decided that I couldn't stand another day of that sticky sagging Mass on top Of my head I was almost to the
point of Shaving myself bald just to get a decent night's sleep and to get away from the house for a while maybe I could do the curling and brushing out by myself how hard could it be I practically tore the pins out of my hair then took a long hot shower washing and conditioning my hair as Betty had instructed after I had relaxing for a while I got out all the stuff Betty had sold us that first night laid it out at Mom's dresser then began To put curlers in my hair it was a disaster
from the start no sooner had I put a few curlers in but one would fall out as I leaned over to pick the curler off the floor the others would loosen and flop around after about 15 minutes of this this I was in tears I phoned Betty at her shop and fortunately she was there the day was slower than she had expected and she offered to come right over I readily accepted Betty greeted me cheerily at the door and Immediately I felt my spirits lift within a few minutes she had me sectioning off my hair
and putting curlers in place like I had done it all my life not only that but she had me laughing and chatting with her to boot it seemed like no time till my hair was dry and Betty was helping me brush it out she showed me how to put it up in a simple bun at the back of my head she had me practice a few times to be sure I could do it myself then produced a Couple of items from her handbag she called them shenan covers and showed me how to pin them over
the bun explaining that they would hold in all the loose end that might otherwise stick out I didn't think they were really necessary but Betty reminded me that mom was going to awfully piggy about such things and would demand that my hair look perfect whenever she was around when she felt comfortable enough with my ability to manage the bun and the covers she asked If she could drop me anywhere on her way back to work I was completely Stir Crazy by this time and eagerly accepted she suggested that I could walk around the mall across
from her shop then she would drive me back home when I was finished this seemed great and I was soon waving goodbye to her as I strolled toward the mall entrance I caught my reflection in the doorway to the mall and saw with satisfaction that my hair was hanging almost straight by now it was certainly Cleaner than I was used to wearing it and maybe a little Fuller than before but it pretty much looked like it did a week ago I strolled around a little while then stopped at a music store and began browsing through
the racks of tapes may I help you miss the voice was near me but I paid it no attention at first then I saw the clerk out of the corner of my eye and he was looking straight at me Excuse Me Miss but are you looking for something in particular He was actually speaking to me I thought of something sarcastic to say but then I caught my breath as the realization hit me that he was sincere I shook my head and walked quickly out of the store as I approached the entrance to one of the
department stores a girl held up an atomizer and pointed it toward me try a little of lyan's new perfume Miss I quickened my Pace a little more and ignored the girl as I passed her my head felt a little light and my heart was Beating faster now and as I came to the first apartment I stepped out of the aisle to catch my breath and think for a moment these are brand new today aren't they just darling I looked up to see that I was in the Junior's Department standing among the dress racks yes the
sales clerk was talking to me you look to be about a five or a seven do you prefer a particular color I opened my mouth to tell her I was definitely not interested in a dress but nothing came Out except a horse croak my throat felt like cotton oh those summer colds are the worst aren't they I could get you a glass of water while you try something on I turned and almost ran out of the store leaving the sales lady staring after me I didn't stop till I found a secluded bench in one of
the back corners of the mall it took a long time to get my breathing and heart rate back to normal what was going on it was true that I had often been the staken for a Girl as I grew up especially when I wore a hood or cap but that was mostly in the past relatives still called me baby face sometimes but only the grown-ups who ignored my reactions to the name it was true that I had been teased several times since I started letting my hair grow long but that quickly stopped after the first
couple of fights I was small and thin for my age but I was very wiry and I had developed a reputation for having a quick temper and an ability to Back it up this was different though these people weren't teasing they were being polite for some reason three people had just mistaken a teenage boy for a girl I carefully examined my reflection in a nearby store window I was wearing loose jeans a baggy shirt and white tennis shoes so that wasn't much of a factor one way or the other it had to be my hair
maybe it did turn up a little at the ends and it did feel a little Fuller but was that enough to Make a difference somehow how with the subtle effect of the washing and conditioning and the curling something had changed it was like I had crossed over some invisible line that changed the way people saw me I had to talk to someone about this and Betty was just across the street I saw Betty chatting with one of her clients so I walked quickly past the desk without speaking to the receptionist Excuse Me Miss but you
can't go in there without Betty I'm Sorry to interrupt you but I have to talk to you right now I whispered Betty excused herself and led me into her office closing the door behind us Alex you look like you've seen a ghost what on Earth is wrong I quickly explained my experiences of the past few minutes well I guess I can understand your feelings but I must say I'm not really surprised I know how sensitive you are about this Alex but you have very fine features and a really pretty face with your hair as Long
as it is and now looking so nice and well-kept it's only natural that people see you that way I took a moment to digest this in so many tactful words Betty had just told me you look like a girl these were the same words that had caused more than one bloody nose among my peers but Betty was a grown-up and what's more I knew that she was sincere but Betty what can I do about it what do you want to do about it I was totally confused by now and frustrated Betty Seemed to understand but
she wasn't being very helpful I just sat there with a blank look on my face what could I do I could cut my hair but that would be surrender out of the question more than that I really did like wearing it long I liked the way it swung back and forth as I walked and I liked the way it felt when I ran my hands through it as I was doing now when all this was over I could go back to keeping it unwashed and stringy but that didn't seem like much Of an option either
Betty waited and watched me for a few moments then she smiled there is one simple solution that I can see here I perked up a little and looked at her hopefully you could just play along with the situation and let people think what they want we could make it sort of a game or an experiment see how much you can get away with it took me a couple of seconds to realize what Betty was talking about you mean pretend I really am a girl get serious Betty why not Alex it might be fun seeing how
many fools you could fool yeah until the first fool figured it out and told everyone else then where would I be well there is that risk I suppose but I think it's rather slim especially since you know so few people around here anyway I just looked at her skeptically I tell you what let's try a little experiment I'll bet you that I can take you out shopping right now as my niece or something and that not one person Will guess our secret oh come on Betty all I have to do is open my mouth or
just stand the wrong way and anyone will be able to tell you may not believe me but there are thousands of girls your age that have a deeper voice than you anyway you can let me do all the Talking if you like what do you say shall We Lay another double chocolate malted on the line at first I couldn't believe that Betty was really serious but the more I thought about it the more Curious I Became I had always wondered what I would look like as a girl and now it seemed like I was going
to find out why not let Betty help besides she had challenged me I always liked a friendly wager okay Betty you're on but I don't have to wear a dress or anything do I not if you don't want to Dear she paused as if I needed to respond to her implication I will need to do just a little fixing up though sit over here at my desk and I'll be right back Betty Stepped out of her office for an instant then came back with a brush and some other things now I'm just going to put
your hair up like we had it this morning she began to brush my hair back talking as she worked but we'll brush it back over your ears to soften the look a little more when she finished she opened her purse and then took my chin and in her hand now look down for a moment that's it now look at the ceiling try not to Blink very good now look down Again I felt little strokes at my lashes and over my eyelids and figured out that she was putting some of her makeup on me I started
to pull back but she tightened her grip on my chin not yet Alex let me finish then you can see what you think now part your lips a little that's it a heavy sweet taste filled my mouth as she ran a brush around my lips then filled in now rub your lips together mm that's it now blot now part your lips again The Taste was almost like raspberries and For some reason it set off a powerful surge within me my chest got so tight I could hardly breathe and there were other feelings I didn't even
want to think about memories of those Salon trips and visions of Mom's lingerie drawer began to pass quickly through my mind it was all I could do to bring myself back to reality Betty flicked the brush across my cheeks then smudged at them with her fingertips there now you can take a look in the mirror what do You think she wheeled the chair around so it was facing the full length mirror behind her door when I stood up I was so dizzy I had to hold on to Betty's arm to keep from falling over the
body in the mirror was definitely mine but there were subtle differences in the face the darker eyes the Pink Cheeks and lips it was still my face I guess only pretty wow it was all I could say while I tried to make myself breathe normally again well young lady are you ready to loose That bet I made a r face at her but I couldn't get my legs to move Betty took my hand interlacing my fingers with hers and led me out the door come on this is going to be fun Grace I'll be out
for an hour or two but I'll be back before Mrs F comes in for her appointment the receptionist nodded at Betty then made a face at me when Betty looked away I couldn't resist making a face back and for some reason that gave me a little more courage for what I was about to do I lost the bet during those 2 hours we visited almost every lady's shop and Department in the mall and no one even hinted that I might be a boy at the first couple of places we just walked through and Betty talked
about the latest fashions and styles color combinations and good accessories I realized later that she was giving me time to adjust to the situation no one we passed had anything more than a smile for me though a few people recognized Betty and said hello I began to believe that I was actually passing as a girl Betty quietly pointed this out to me several times reassuring me that this was going to be a breeze and a lot of fun at the next shop we stopped to browse among the racks of women's clothes Betty helped out several
things that she liked and asked my opinion on them subtly she drew me into the swing of things and soon I was laughing and chatting along with her several times Betty complimented me on my taste and my ey for fashion and I began sharing my opinion on everything from Fabrics to jewelry we went into some shops where Betty was well known and she introduced me as her niece from out of town the ladies were all very nice to me and I began to really enjoy myself it was intoxicating in looking through the racks of vibrant
colors and soft Fabrics admiring the beautiful jewelry smelling the scent of perfumes and makeup Betty Was careful not to go too far I think and never suggested that I try anything on but she did get me to sample some my shadow and a couple of lipsticks at one of the makeup counters when it was time to leave I realized how tired I was but I was almost reluctant to have it all end Betty took me back to her shop and helped me remove the makeup then she drove me home I thanked her for a wonderful
afternoon and she gave me a big hug before I got out of the car Maybe we can do this again next week and you can buy me that double malted you owe me I laughingly acknowledged that I had lost the bat and readily agreed to another shopping date I had a hard time throwing dinner together before mom got home but the good mood I was in survived even that strangely mom didn't comment on the chores I hadn't done and she even complimented me on the meal in a conversational tone she asked me what I had
done that day and I told her that I Had gone browsing with Betty in the mall I held my breath trying to think of what mom might ask and how I would respond thankfully she just commented on how nice Betty was to be so helpful then she began talking about how busy she was going to be in the next few days it was the first normal conversation we had in days that and a good night's sleep became a turning point for me I actually found myself humming a little tuned the next morning as I brushed
my hair back Above my ears and fastened it into a shenan over breakfast I apologized to mom for being so sirly and she apologized to me for being so hard-nosed about our deal she didn't offer to change any of her rules of course but she did ease up on the list of chores we shared a real hug and a kiss our first in ages before she had to rush off after she left I went into her room and sat at her dresser to take my hair down as I was brushing it out I glanced down
and Saw a tube of her lipstick a powerful urge seemed to sweep over me and I opened the tube and looked into the mirror I parted my lips as I had the day before and spread the Pomade over my upper lip as I rubbed my lips together that strong sweet taste a little different than before flooded my senses I dashed a little on my cheeks then smudged them just as Betty had done looking down again I found one of Mom's ey shadows and wiped the pad across each Eyelid in turn next I decided to be
really Brave and I opened mom's mascara I poked my eye twice and had to clean up several smears but I kept at it until both lashes were coated Black Betty had used brown on me the day before but I couldn't be picky satisfied with my makeup job I swept my hair back and held it up to the crown making a kissing face at the mirror then I smiled at myself as I realized that I could really do this I brushed my hair back over my ears Wrapped it in an elastic then Twisted it and replaced
the shenan cover I had removed only minutes before Betty's niece was back almost a thought flashed through my mind what if Betty had suggested I try something on yesterday would I have done it would she suggest it next week when we went shopping again would I be brave enough to say yes how could I wait until then now I was almost like a robot I did let myself think about past promises as I began opening Mom's drawers and searching through her lingerie I found one of her half slips and rubbed it against my face as
I had done so many times before still not allowing myself to think about what I was doing I took off all my clothes and dropped them in a pile I took out a pair of mom's panties and pulled them on then stepped into the half slip trying to put on a bra was very frustrating but I told myself I had all day if necessary finally I got it snapped behind my back And adjusted pretty well not allowing myself to look in the mirror yet I went to Mom's closet I had the run of the house
and it was several hours till Mom came home I felt so free and light I selected a gray pleated skirt and a white blouse with ruffled sleeves even though the buttons were in the front I realized they were on the wrong side and they took a couple of extra minutes to fasten now I examined myself in the mirror wondering if I looked as good as I felt I hugged myself and felt the wonderful silky fabric against my skin when I put my arms down I noticed that the blouse didn't look that good with the empty
bazer underneath I went to Mom's lingerie drawer again and found several pair of stockings to stuff into the bra cups I rebutton my blouse then held up one of the pairs of panty hoes as I stood there wonder if I dared risk it the doorbell rang I froze in my tracks what could I do someone would see Me the bell rang again before I realized that this was my house and all I had to do was to wait until they left I tiptoed out to the front door and peaked through a side window there was
a delivery boy standing there balancing a package and a clipboard I waited for him to leave but he rang the bell again and just stood there then knocked loudly I waited impatiently almost angrily for a few more seconds why didn't the dummy just leave then a devilish thought entered my Mind I had fooled a bunch of women yesterday could I pass myself off on this young guy I stepped back to the doorway and as he knocked the second time I swung open the door a breeze hit my bare legs and found itself up my skirt
giving me Goosebumps all over I put my hand over my chest figing a horse voice and whispered yes I think the door handle was the only thing preventing me from falling down in a faint at this point Mrs Anderson the boy asked now Maybe I looked like a girl but there was no way I looked like a Mrs this guy must be really dumb I looked at the package that he held up and saw the street number on the label Three Doors Down I whispered huh how could I get so irritated by a person in
such a short amount of time I cleared my throat and used my real voice the Andersons live Three Doors Down I said loudly then shut the door in his face as he dropped his clipboard had he realized I was a guy or Had he just been clumsy I peaked out the window again to see him picking up his clipboard as he turned and started down the steps he muttered what sounded like nice pillows it took me a couple of seconds then I looked down at my chest and burst into a fit of Giggles I had
been a little too generous with the stockings and my bra cups I must have looked like a double D to that delivery boy I went back into Mom's room and adjusted my bus line then decided Against actually wearing mom's panty hose too risky to chance a run or a snag I spent the rest of the day in Mom's clothes doing my chores and freshening my makeup and hair do from time to time about an hour before she was du back I carefully replaced all her clothes then scrubb my face for several minutes to remove all
the makeup giving into my impulses one more time I returned to Mom's room and retrieved an old baby doll nighty from the back of her Lingerie drawer I hid it under my hell then went in and made dinner mom again complimented me on dinner then commented on how well I was doing with my hair we talked about some of the tricks Betty had shown me and it turned into a really Pleasant conversation on hairstyles and fashion that night after mom went to bed I took off my pajamas and replaced them with the baby dolls I
had no idea what I was doing or why but it felt really good maybe like I was closer to my mom in Some way I thought about the conversation we'd had and how good it was to be on speaking terms again I fell asleep with a smile on my face Saturday and Sunday were both full of chores it seemed somewhere our conversation turned again to hairstyles and Mom asked me if I had chosen another style for Monday's appointment before I realized how odd it was I found us sitting on the sofa together looking through one
of Mom's magazines first we talked about Hairstyles then the conversation turned to Fashion then women's issues mom told me some of the things she had gone through at her past job we even talked a little about the divorce Sunday night I fell asleep thinking that mom's new rules were turning out better than I could have ever imagined Alex's second due Monday afternoon I had my hair up in the now familiar Shan and I was waiting for Mom on our porch when she drove up this time Mom came into Betty's shop With me hi Alex hi
Liz it's good to see you both does this mean you're back on speaking terms Betty's good-natured smile showed she was teasing both of us she took one of the albums off her shelf here Alex why don't you look through this and see if you can find the style you like oh we've already taken care of that haven't we Alex mom interjected I blushed a little as I nodded in response and pointed to the picture in the magazine I had brought oh the Gibson Girl that will be perfect very sophisticated but also very easy to put
up and take down do you think you'll need to give him a body perm Betty mom had said nothing about that when we had selected the style I crinkled my nose at Betty hm it could be but we'll try it first with a little extra setting gel and see how that works okay okay then I'll leave him in your hands and I'll see you in a while as mom walked out the door I settled into the shampoo chair And Betty began her routine again she had me do most of the curlers and by this time
I was pretty good at it she just had to explain the setting pattern to me and I was able to do most of the rest she was very impressed Betty gave me another manicure while I was under the dryer and this time I accepted her offer of a clear coat of polish on my nails when my hair was dry Betty combed it out and began the process of backcombing each section then pinning it Up until it was all pinned together at the top of my head we had a few minutes to chat here and there
but Betty took most of the time teaching she demonstrated how to get just the right fullness around the sides and form a smooth bun of the remaining hair as I was admiring her handiwork in the mirror Betty took a little hook and began pulling out strands of hair at my temples and the nape of my neck Betty we really don't have to go that far do we I Asked half-heartedly I'm not planning to show this off anywhere you know I realized that she was doing those wispy little curled tendrils that were a part of the
hairo in the magazine photo oh I'm just trying to give you and your mom your money's worth Alex it's these little finishing touches that set off a professional hairo from a homemade job she smiled and winked at me in the mirror besides I thought maybe you'd want to do a little showing off when we Go shopping together this week her reference to our upcoming shopping trip caused my stomach to do a flip-flop last week had been so much fun just browsing through the woman's departments but how far would she expect me to go this time
the thoughts of what we might be doing caused me to fall silent for the few moments it took Betty to finish curling the tendrils the result was very professional looking indeed and we took several minutes to admire the finished Product in the mirror a little voice in the back of my mind told me I shouldn't be getting this much enjoyment out of making my hair look so feminine but I couldn't help myself next Betty had me practice twice taking the whole thing down brushing it out then backcombing the sections and reconstructing the style from the
beginning she was very complimentary of my abilities and the second time she was satisfied enough to call it quits mom walked in just as I Was putting the final gust of spray on my hair Betty insisted that I do the tendrils again while Mom and she watched I used the small hook to pull out two strands at each Temple then curled them with my little finger and Spritz done with hairspray I repeated the process at the nape of my neck as well I was embarrassed for Mom to see me adding such a feminine touch to
my haird and to make it worse she noticed the clear polish on my fingers I see you did his Nails too Betty you do such a professional job and it really does make his hands look nice I'll have to come in and let you do mine sometime soon as she talked she was looking around at all the changes in Betty's Salon my I you really have expanded haven't you what is that table next to your manicure station oh that's my cosmetology setup I was telling Alex that I've just finished my last class in cosmetology all
I have to do for certification is 10 hours of Practical work I'm going to offer 10 of my customers a free makeover with any Cosmetics purchase that should do the trick and it will start to bring in a lot of extra Revenue I could really use some help on updating my look maybe I'll come back when you have some time and try to be one of the lucky 10 actually I have some time right now if you'd like and for my two favorite people I'll not only do your makeovers free I'll give you two for
the price of one on all your Makeup Betty that's so sweet of you what do you think Alex we don't have anything else planned for tonight do we she asked it casually as she patted in a imaginary hair into place above my ear I had been so absorbed looking at my new hairo in the mirror that I hadn't actually been listening was she actually suggesting that I get my makeup done along with hers I glanced at Betty and she was looking right at me with a knowing smile after our adventure the previous week I Couldn't
very well pretend that I wasn't interested in wearing makeup on top of that it was actually mom who was suggesting it but did she really mean that she wanted me to get a real makeover I swallowed real hard and tried to be non-committal uh I can't think of anything we had planned both women broke into big smiles mom grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze as Betty led us to her makeup table over my half-hearted Protest they decided that I should go first Betty put one of her pink smoks around my neck and pinned
the tendrils of hair away from my face we start with the eyebrows first they help frame the face and Define everything else we do Li is to move a little faster will each do a side you take these tweezers and follow what I do over here on the left I was certainly not expecting to get my eyebrows plucked but I figured they'd only be doing a few stray hairs Betty Started out that way by doing a little then Mom would follow I began to get concerned though because they kept at it when it seemed as
if they were finally through Betty would tweeze just a little more to get it even then Mom would have to do a little on the other side when they finally finished and sat back to take a look I gasped where my rather full eyebrows used to be there were now two very thin arched lines high above my eyes it seemed to have changed my face Completely and I was hit with the exciting and terrible realization that I had very clearly crossed a line without even a touch of makeup I now had a girl's face I
was suddenly sure that until my eyebrows grew back I didn't have to worry about passing as a girl I probably couldn't pass as a boy I probably should have gotten angry or at least protested a little but I was too stunned besides it was already done and a part of me was really excited by what I was seeing in the mirror mom and Betty seemed not to notice my surprise and didn't even ask me what I thought Betty stroked a pencil across what was left of my eyebrows now we'd be very conservative on the makeup
for daytime especially for Alex but let's do a full nighttime makeover for each you then you'll see the full effect of the colors we chose without waiting for a response from either of us Betty selected a dark shade of brown to line both my upper and Lower Lids extending the line out past the corners in kind of a Delta they began selecting the colors for my eyes Shadow and they drew me into the conversation as if it were the most natural thing in the world I tried to go along with the mood and I expressed
some preferences but every time the mirror caught my eye my chest would draw a little tighter with every stroke of those makeup brushes I was becoming a different person a different and very Pretty person they did my eyelids in three colors of Shadow then applied a cream blush to my cheeks and a red pencil and brush to my lips by the time they had finished with my lipstick I could hardly breathe they leaned back to give me a full view of the mirror and asked me what I thought in truth what I saw in the
mirror was beautiful but how could that delightfully pretty feminine face belong to me I hesitated for a moment and put my hand to my face just To be sure it really was me I finally picked what I thought was a comment that covered my real thoughts uh maybe just a shade lighter lipstick don't you think Betty agreed with this observation so I wiped off my lips with a tissue and Betty lined and brushed my lips a second time Betty pulled the hair pins from the tendrils and adjusted them over my forehead then the two ladies
spent several minutes turning me back and forth admiring their handiwork and Paying me all sorts of compliments on my appearance I was too fascinated with my own image to know how to respond so to draw the focus away from me I guided mom to the makeup stool your turn now Mom and I get to help Betty this time that seemed to be all it took and we were Soon gay conspiring over color selections for mom's eyes and lips it surprised me that they took some of my suggestions on colors and shades and it seemed to
make a difference when we were Finished mom looked 10 years younger it had been long time since I had paid her a compliment and when I told her how pretty she looked she got tears in her eyes and gave me a big hug so do you sweetheart she whispered sincerely I suppose I should have been appalled or at least offended but somehow I was pleased instead my appearance seemed to be affecting all my reactions Betty put all our samples in two little zippered Cosmetics bags then rang up the extra Lipsticks and Shadow's mom had purchased
I couldn't help noticing that at least some of those colors were my shades and not hers what did that mean exactly or did she like them so much that she was just planning to try them out on herself we both thanked Betty and went out to the car in the darkness of the late evening it never occurred to me to be concerned about my appearance until mom suggested that we stop at a drive-in for dinner mom I can't go anywhere looking Like this what would people say what if I saw someone I knew as I
said this I remembered my outing with Betty just a few days before that feeling of excitement was back but I had done that with Betty not with my own mom my dear at a drive-in people will only see your face and the top of your shirt the way you look right now the only notice you will attract will be as a very pretty young lady and as for meeting any of the snobs at that school I'd be surprised if They would notice anyone but themselves really though sweetheart if you get to feeling the least bit
uncomfortable we'll leave right away I promise that Assurance made me feel more comfortable and let the excitement take over what did I have to lose what can I get you ladies tonight the chery greeting sent a feeling of relief and a little thrill through me the car hop at least had not the slightest confusion over my appearance we ordered our burgers and Malts and the guy left how are you feeling so far mom asked pretty good I guess we sure fooled him I think you'll find that a common experience not to change the subject but
I think you were right about your lipstick that shade gives you just the right look even in these Neon Lights I blushed and was trying to think of an off-hand response but she went on you were right about my eyes Shadow too I think you have a real eye for this sort of thing now I knew She was teasing oh cut it out Mom I'm not teasing sweetheart I'm serious and Betty said the same thing some people just have an eye for colors and textures and you're one of them it's simply a talent that you
have and while we're on the subject you seem to be doing pretty well on your hair styling also that's almost a professional job you have there she seemed to be sincere and I was somehow both pleased and embarrassed at the compliment uh thanks Mom I I guess Betty's a pretty good teacher she makes everything so easy and fun well she tells me that you've been a very good student by the way I found another magazine tonight that has some good hairstyles would you like to look at it while we're waiting for our food we spent
the next few minutes looking through the magazine and comparing our views on hairstyles and makeup somewhere along the way I realized that I was really kind of interested in this stuff And that I did seem to have a knack for it our conversation was fun and it continued as we ate our food I got a little thrill when I looked down and saw my straw and my napkin Mark with traces of lipstick just like Mom's when we had finished mom wiped her lips and then took out a new tube of lipstick I watched fascinated as
she opened a compact mirror and began to apply the color she noticed that I was staring at her and she nodded toward my makeup bag Go ahead sweetheart yours needs a little touch-up too as she spoke she Twisted the rear view mirror so that I could see my face in it it was an electrifying moment for me I selected a tube from my makeup bag and took the top off as I twisted the base I looked into the mirror then lifted the tube to my lips as that full fragrant taste entered my senses for now
the fourth time I knew that I wanted to do this all the time I love the smell and The Taste and the Velvety smooth feel of the Pomade and I loveed seeing the bright color on my lips mom seemed to sense the feelings I was having and she smiled and gave me a quick hug it is kind of fun isn't it all my inhibitions were defeated for the moment I smiled at her and nodded my agreement as I took a second look in the mirror I suddenly froze there was a car pulling in next to
ours and who should be driving but Pat with Jennifer in the front seat I sank down as low as I could In my seat and pleaded with Mom to get us out of there fortunately the car hop had just come up to take the tray so Mom started the engine immediately and hurried out of the parking lot the way I was sitting I couldn't tell whether Pat and Jennifer had seen me or not and I didn't dare sit up to take a look how foolish could I have been probably the only two girls in the
whole town who had even given me the time of day and now that might all be ruined those girls Didn't exactly have a reputation for discretion either this could get all over town in a hurry whatever small hope I might have had for a normal existence in this town was now ruined I was disgusted with myself and angry at mom for forcing me into all this mom made a couple of tries at conversation while she was driving but I made no reply suddenly she pulled to the side of the road and turned off the engine
look Alex she said turning in the seat to face me I know you're very upset but I think it's time to get a few things out in the open first you need to know that I've been aware of your uh interest in my lingerie for quite some time my jaw must have dropped a couple of feet how could she have known had I left some things out or had she seen me it had been months well at least weeks since I had well except for this week of course what was she going to do to
me now don't be frightened I'm not angry with you or Anything as I said I've known about it for quite some time time but I figured if I had asked you about it you'd just deny it am I right I looked at the floor and nodded my head anyway I talked to my counselor about it I almost fainted She had told other people about this especially that goofball of a shrink she called her counselor and she said it was not that rare for a boy to be interested in feminine things granted it's not the most
common thing in the world but you Aren't the only one with these feelings by a long shot anyway Betty and I talked about it for a while then suddenly I felt physically ill Betty knew about my interest but then she seemed to the light suddenly dawned wait a minute mother you mean you set me up you and Betty and that goofball shrink of yours set me up calm down sweetheart as for Dr Harris I haven't really talked to her since we moved but yes Betty and I did sort of plan this as a well we
wanted to See how far you'd be willing to go I was pretty sure you wouldn't have agreed or even admitted anything if we had just if we hadn't devised this little incentive but admit it now it has been sort of fun hasn't it fun I yelled you mom held up her hand her special signal to me that I needed to lower my voice and think hard before I spoke I swallowed my words and just sat glaring at her for a couple of minutes how could she have tricked me like this Then I began to think
about last week's outing with Betty and the last couple of days talking with Mom and tonight's session at the salon I had to admit to myself that I really had been enjoying myself there was a peace and a friendship even that I hadn't felt in a long time maybe never before it was all very confusing on the one hand I was very ashamed of what I'd been doing and I knew I should be angry with Mom for her trick On the other hand I really couldn't deny the feelings of fun and friendship I was having
with Betty and with Mom and I desperately didn't want to loose those feelings suddenly I just broke down in big sobbs and hid my face in my hands mom put her arms around me and hugged me for a long time as I sobbed she just held and stroked me and whispered comforting words to me finally I returned to some kind of control and Mom handed me several tissues to clean Myself up as I B blew my nose and wiped my eyes she began to speak I know this is very hard for you sweetheart it's difficult
for me too but I think that this can be a very important and enjoyable time for both of us your feelings are out in the open now and I need to lay mine out also I was very concerned when I first began to suspect your interests but I've done a lot of thinking and reading as well as my talks with Betty and Dr Harris and now I see Some real positive things that we might explore suddenly I felt something other than shame or confusion and I looked up at my mom to see her smiling at
me our activity at Betty's tonight and your little trip with her last week yes she told me all about it shows me that you have a real interest in feminine things am I right I swallowed hard and nodded we've had so much fun over these last few days and seeing you tonight as a as Pretty as you look with your hair styled your makeup done I see that you really have a lot of potential if you want to explore that side of yourself sweetheart I want to help you do you think it's something we can
share I wasn't sure what she meant exactly but it felt really good to hear her say it Mom I really don't know what this is all about or what I really want but it feels good to think that you might help me I'm so confused dot I couldn't find the words But Mom interceded I know you have a lot of feelings to sort out and I hope you will let me help you do that too I'll listen anytime you want to just talk but at the same time I don't see why we shouldn't have some
fun with this whenever you feel you want to look pretty whether it's hair or clothes or makeup let's just do it and we can talk about it along the way we have the whole summer to use if we want it and it won't be hurting anyone that I can see it Would be a special joy for me to share some girl things with you besides she chuckled I've always thought you were too cute to be just another guy guy dot she hugged me again as she said this and I chuckled along with her when I
looked into her eyes I could see that she had been crying as well we dabbed at the each other's eyes in a vain attempt to clean the mascara off our faces and ended up laughing and crying at the same time the rest of the way home we talked About what we'd do if Jennifer and Pat had seen me Mom pointed out that if they were true friends things would work themselves out if not it would be up to her and me to face things together and deal with any gossip or other problems as they came
up it felt so good to be able to talk to Mom about everything I determined right then to be fully honest and open with all my feelings from then on when we got home mom told me to go and change into my robe then we'd meet In her bedroom to clean off the rest of our makeup I took off my clothes and began to step into my pajamas then caught myself I quickly put my pjs back in my drawer and took the nighty from under my pillow it was time for the first big test of
our new openness taking a few deep breaths for courage I put my robe over my arm and walked into Mom's bedroom wearing her nighty mom didn't seem to hesitate at all as a smile played across her lips I thought I Was missing something out of my drawers you look very nice in that sweetheart even if it is a little old and worn tomorrow during lunch I could buy you a night gown of your own if you like a little thrill passes through me as I nodded my head with that mom had me sit beside her
at her vanity and she showed me how to use her special creams to remove the makeup and moisturize my face she combed out my hair and helped me put it up for the night then I did the same For her it was one of the best nights of my life Pat and Jennifer I was exhausted by the emotions I had experienced and I slept very soundly that night by the time I got out of bed the next morning I could already hear mom moving around in the kitchen I hurried to take the curlers out of
my hair and get my hairstyle before breakfast but I only had two sections pinned up before Mom knocked on my door you don't have to bother putting your hair up this morning Sweetheart I just remembered I have to be at work early today so I'm headed out the door you'll have to get your own breakfast just do your regular chores and I'll see you tonight just as I was opening my door to give Mom a hug the doorbell rang I'll get it on my way out honey you go ahead and get dressed on my way
to my closet I hesitated in front of my mirror for a moment a part of me still wanted to put my hair up and try some of my new makeup as I stood there I Heard mom open the front door hi Mrs howl is Alex here we need to talk to him my heart almost stopped as I recognized Pat's voice surely mom would figure out some story and send them away she was pretty quick on on her mental feet hi Pat hi Jennifer come on in he's just getting dressed I have to go but he'll
be out in just a minute Alex honey she called Pat and Jennifer are here with that I heard the front door close I couldn't believe mom would do this to me Make me face Pat and Jen so soon after last night I grabbed my pants off the bed and put them on then threw a shirt over my nighty and tucked it all in as I was was trying desperately to button the shirt I glanced in my mirror and realized I still had the back of my hair pinned up meanwhile the girls weren't content to wait
for me in the living room they pushed open my door just as I pulled the last pin out of my hair hey Alex we can't wait all day for you we Have a real situation we need to tell you about as Pat caught sight of me she stopped speaking and just looked me up and down Jennifer pushed past her and came over to where I was standing by the mirror I told you that was Alex last night she exclaimed look he still has traces of mascara on his lashes and look at his eyebrows she was
almost shouting I collapsed onto the bed and hid my face in my hands I knew the rest of my life was over at this point Pat sat beside me On the bed and took my hands in hers I'm sure there's some kind of explanation for all this Jennifer it's not really any of our our business I suppose but do you want to tell us about it Alex I took some comfort in Pat's mild tone and I tried my best over the next few minutes to explain to the girls about my bargain with Mom and the
trick she had played on me Pat seemed to understand but Jennifer just stood there with a sarcastic look on her face the whole time when I fell Silent for a moment she let out a disgusted sound that all sounds so innocent but how do you explain this she pulled at a piece of pink ruffle that was peeking out from under my shirt I think our little friend is a queer Pat after the friendliness we showed him at senior's night too we'll never live it down are you a queer Alex strangely Pat came to my defense
Jennifer just back off a little would you how Alex dresses for bed is his own business after all Unless you're planning to add him to your list of conquests I was stung a little by the irony in her tone though I sensed it was directed at Jennifer and not at me besides we need his help right now or did you forget Jennifer took a step back from me and sat down on a convenient chair pat continued to talk Alex we just got word that our boyfriends found out about senior's night at the park this was
not good news but my mind brought back images of that Night that almost made me smile despite myself Jennifer in particular had been drinking a little I think and had become particularly friendly in the later evening you remember on the boat just before the tunnel when I looked back and thought I saw someone I knew well the next day one of the girls from our school Alice is her name and she's Bill's sister ouch bill was Jennifer's Neanderthal boyfriend and the thought of his jealousy wiped away any inclination To smile anyway she called Jennifer and
mentioned that she was at senior's night and started hinting roundabout didn't she see us there and who got us in and stuff like that she was a little confused about the details but she must have gotten your name from somewhere because she mentioned a kid named Alex Jennifer tried to cover it up but I think Alice was still suspicious so Saturday we got a call from the boys and they were fuming they said they'd be Coming back to town this weekend and they wanted to see this kid Alex if it's anything like the last time
they caught us we're all in for a beating but you most of all Alex as scared as I was a part of me was really angry why do you let those guys treat you like that Pat if they're so rotten why do you keep seeing them why don't you just tell them to take a hike easy for you to say Mr Jennifer shot back why don't you tell them to take a hike and see what You get for your trouble again Pats seem to be defending me Jennifer back off but she's right Alex we've tried
to get rid of them before they have everyone buffaloed on our side of town they're these great Sports Gods to all the adults with perfect manners and Ivy League recruiters beating down their doors even Pro recruiters meanwhile they threaten us and they beat any guy that even looks twice at us we hate them but we don't know what to do they left School early for their college training camps and we haven't had a date since they put the word out that we were still their girls and that's all it took then we heard about senior's
night and we heard you were this brain and this Wheeler Dealer and we just thought it would be fun well I know it was really our fault that we got you into this but well we were hoping you'd come up with some ideas she seemed on the verge of tears and it was probably genuine but I Could see how they had manipulated me were still using me in fact I began to see that they had pretty much set me up for a fall they had used me to get into senior's night not really caring what
might happen later to them or to me of course I knew at the time that they were going with me only because they couldn't get in any other way they had offered to help and I had needed help so all in all it was really not much more than a simple business relationship on the Other hand both of them had been very friendly the whole night and we had a lot of laughs there had even been some cuddling and kissing involved though it had been done amid laughter and teasing at any rate by the the
end of the evening I had thought we had a pretty good friendship going the girls had even tried to phone me a couple of times over the last week but I was going through the hair thing with Mom and had ignored the messages they left I guess now it Was time to pay the piper for the good times it took me a couple of minutes to work all this through in my mind and it was pretty quiet in the room Pat was just sitting there with a frown on her face while Jennifer paced back and
forth in front of us the more I thought about the boys the warmer the room seemed to get suddenly Pat spoke up would the two of you quit it I'm trying to think and you're both driving me crazy Jennifer stopped pacing and glanc at me I had Been running my hands through my hair and pulling my hair back and up off my neck then letting it fall when Pat spoke I sort of froze with my hands behind my head Pat's eyes narrowed and her frown began to change into a thin smile Jennifer and I just
looked at her for a couple of minutes without saying a word Pat jumped up and walked into the living room with us following behind her it was obvious she'd had some kind of bright idea but She seemed so focused that she couldn't even hear our questions she picked up the phone and dialed hello Alice this is Pat hi I'm doing okay but Alice we got a phone call from the boy Saturday and they were very upset about the senior's night thing Alice what did you tell them about this kid Alex there was a pause then
Pat began to laugh the laugh was convincing in a way but there didn't seem to be much humor behind it Alice where do you know Alex from another Pause that's what I thought Alice if I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to get Jen and me in trouble either that or you need to have your eye prescription changed Alex will be a little upset when sh finds out you mistook her for a guy I don't think the boys will find it too funny either Pat glanced up at me when she said that I
had no idea what was going through Pat's mind but I didn't like what I was hearing that's right Alice that was a Girl you saw with us on senior's night she paused to listen for a minute and her smile turned to a frown are you serious look even if we weren't already spoken for do you think we'd both be dating the same guy at the same time yes she was wearing a tie and Blazer but that was because she was one of the officials actually all the other officials had been pretty casually dressed but I
had wanted to make a good impression on my dates Alice you sound Like you don't believe me well maybe we'll just have to do that Missy but meanwhile I think you'd better call your brother and straighten the whole thing out she had raised her voice a couple of notches on that last sentence and she slammed a receiver down as she finished speaking the fact that she still had a frown on her face indicated that things hadn't gone as she'd planned okay so Planet didn't work then maybe Plan B will from what I'd heard of the
Conversation I was too afraid to ask what was going on in her mind but Jennifer was impatient all right Pat I think you need to explain what that was all about Pat put her hands to her head and began to speak rapidly okay here it is Alice saw us with Alex but mostly from behind just as we got off the boat someone called to Alex and that's how she got the name but she didn't get a real good look at his face only his clothes and his long hair so with the Clothes and the name
she assumed Alex was a boy that night I tried to convince her that Alex was really a girl but I don't think she bought it but look at him now she grabbed my face between both her hands with his hair done up and makeup like last night and with the right clothes Alex becomes our girlfriend Alexandra what do you think Jennifer looked from one to the other of us a couple of times I think you're Stark raving mad fooling a few people Might work but to think that we could fool Bill and Bob who know
everything about girls there's no chance oh yeah how about last night you should have seen us Alex after you and your mom drove away that is we knew your car of course and we recognized your mom but it took us a full 15 minutes to figure out who the girl in the passenger seat was Jennifer was the one who came up with it but it took her quite a while I didn't believe it myself until this morning When we saw you okay but last night was last night Jennifer interjected it was dark and we only
saw his head and shoulders think about Bill and Bob looking him over up close and personal from head to toe in broad daylight we don't stand a chance in a thousand look said Pat we'll get him made up and dressed up and then see how we feel if it looks promising we have until Saturday to practice and get everything worked out it doesn't seem like much Time I admit but unless either of you can come up with a better idea we don't stand a chance at all I think we can pull it off we get
him made up like last night we Pat him a little and dress him just right and we have't until Saturday to work on him what do you say Alex are you willing to help us out here I was stunned as I realized what Pat was proposing she wanted me to masquerade as a girl in front of those boys I couldn't even get enough breath to voice an Objection I looked at Jennifer hoping she would continue to object but she actually seemed to be considering the idea suddenly the memory of my first experience in the mall
came into my mind then I remembered my experiences with Betty then the delivery boy and then last night there was no doubt that I could pass myself off as a girl in some situations and I actually became a little excited at the thought of playing the part more completely on the other Hand the thought of what bill and Bob might do to me if they figured it out I began to shake my head as fear overruled my fantasies can you imagine the beating I'd get if Bill and Bob weren't fooled Pat threw in the Clincher
it's a sure thing if you don't try that we'll all get a beating so what have you got to loose she was right of course left unspoken was the risk that if I didn't go along with them they would tell the tale of my hair and makeup all over town Finally I just Shrugged and asked them what they wanted me to do Pat broke into a big grin can you do your hair and your makeup just like you had it last night sure uh I think so then you get busy with that Jen and I
have some things to pick up and we'll be back as soon as we can don't go anywhere she said said this with a wink as she grabbed Jennifer's arm and let her out I waited a few minutes after they were gone giving myself some time to think how had I got Myself into this awful mess resigned to my fate yet still a little excited to think about dressing up all the way as a girl I went into Mom's room and sat down at her vanity I took extra time and care with my hair and my
makeup part of me was scared and ashamed of having to show myself to the girls this way but part of me was excited too it seemed like such an adventure I had almost an hour to sit and stew even after my hair and makeup were done I tried to do some chores but My nervous stomach made me spend most of the time in the bathroom suddenly with a perun knock at the door Pat and Jen barged in carrying several bags I wasn't sure what to think at first because when they saw me they just stopped
and stared it was Jen who finally spoke first you know we may have more of a chance here than I thought Alex you make a beautiful girl when she said that my ears began to Roar and I blushed beet right all over my body and your hair do you think you Can help me put mine up like that uh well yes yours is a little longer than mine we might need to set it first to give it some body as I lifted a lock of Jennifer's Hair I caught sight of Pat's slice smile and I
realized that I had suddenly slipped into a completely different frame of mind a different role Pat realized it too obviously but she wasn't in the mood for teasing just then come on Jennifer we can worry about your hair after we get our little girlfriend Here all taken care of the girls quickly emptied the bags on my bed and it looked like they had brought everything I would need to dress completely like a girl there was lingerie of every description a dress two skirt and blouse sets shoes belts some jewelry and several other things we brought
a little of everything to see which size is fit and how things would look on you we'll have to be real careful with the shoes because some of them belong to our moms Jennifer opened Her purse and handed me an electric razor first things first go to the bathroom and shave your legs make sure they're completely smooth then put this on she handed me a pair of white nylon panties oh and don't forget to do under your arms as well then come back in here I knew I was blushing again as I turned and walked
into the bathroom both of them were smiling when I returned wearing nothing but the panties and my shirt now they seemed to be in a much More playful mood as I stepped over to the bed Pat ran her hand down my thigh my my my aren't we soft and smooth there was suddenly a very prominent reaction to Pat's playfulness and it wasn't only blushing well said Jennifer looking down at my panties at least one of us is going to enjoy the little Pat our new girlfriend seems to have a very unladylike problem here what can
we do about that my embarrassment was enough to make the problem subside immediately But the girls had obviously planned this whole thing for a purpose Pat opened her purse and handed me a sanitary napkin and a thin elastic belt she showed me how to fix the ends of the napkin into the Fasteners then she made me return to the bathroom with instructions on how to position the napkin and tuck my privates away once I had the napkin and my panties back in place the girls showed me how to put on a bra I acted like
I this was my first time then patted it With a set of falsies a garter belt was next then I experienced the Fantastic feel of stockings being drawn over my baby smooth legs I was grateful at that moment for the sanitary napkin that was hiding and restraining another reaction next came a half slip and camisole then a white blouse and a tan plated skirt with a wide belt that cinched in until I could hardly breathe a pair of white sandals with 1-in heels completed the outfit somewhere in the excitement of Dressing up I forgot all
about any shame I ought to be feeling and just let my enthusiasm take over I think I was beginning to feel like just one of the girls but suddenly there I was dressed completely like a girl for the first time I had to put my hand to my face to prove to myself that it was really me that I was seeing in the mirror then I had to grab Pat's hand to study myself as I almost fainted we spent some time looking me over in the mirror then Comparing makeup and hair styling tips I was
feeling more and more comfortable as both girls complimented me on my developing skills and my ey for style Pat eventually called us back to reality however and my girl lessons began in Earnest for the next 2 hours they drilled me incessantly on speaking walking standing and sitting like a lady we took a break for sodas and then Jennifer insisted I put her hair up in a Gibson Girl Like Mine this led to some Discussion of what I had been learning at Betty's and before long we were trading more makeup tips and putting Pat's Hair up
into a French roll eventually we all realized how hungry we were and the girls had no trouble talking me into lunch at our local mall the girls were from the other side of town so it was a pretty safe bet that they wouldn't be spotted and by this time I was feeling pretty confident that no one would recognize the old Alex Behind my new and beautiful disguise we spent the rest of the afternoon going from one trendy store to another along the way Jennifer used her dad's credit card to buy a few extras she thought
I'd need a purse and some more shoes some jewelry and other accessories it was early in the evening when we finished and the girls decided that it was time for another test I phoned mom at work and got her permission to go to Pat's house for dinner mom was genuinely happy That I had worked things out with the girls though she didn't ask for any details and I certainly didn't mention how I was dressed I couldn't believe that we could fool a woman as sophisticated as Pat's mom and we worked out a careful plan to
explain things to her if she figured me out somehow it worked out and we didn't need the plan at all both Pat's Mom and Dad seemed perfectly accepting of me as Pat's new girlfriend Mrs Sims even suggested that I accompany them on their next weekend visit to their Lakeside Cabin Jennifer had a hard time keeping a straight face as we talked about that one a few minutes after dinner we were in Pat's bedroom excitedly giggling and teasing about my first day as a real girl and my success with Pat's parents somewhere in the distance I
heard the doorbell ring and Pat's mother called up that we had visitors both girls jumped up and headed for the front door dragging me with them When they opened the door there were three tall guys standing there and Pat invited them in as if she had been expecting them hi guys you're just in time let us grab our purses and we'll be ready to go oh by the way this is the friend we told you about ali me Paul David and Jim they all said hello in unison and I blushed and only managed a feeble
High my knees were so weak I barely made it back to the bedroom Pat Jennifer what are you doing to me you Never said anything about this what's going on here oh calm down Alex we're just going out for burgers and a movie we'll be home long before your curfew a movie we're going out you can't be serious stifle it Alex Jennifer said rudely you have very little time before you meet Bill and Bob and you have to be 100% believable to pull anything over on them tonight we'll give you some experience in acting like
a girl around guys you can watch us and follow our Lead but besides we have to know how you're going to hold up under pressure now get your purse and let's go I just stood there with my mouth open and my knees knocking together Jennifer grabbed me by the arm and began pulling me out the door before I knew it I was getting into the back seat of David's car Jennifer was in the front seat next to David and Pat had maneuvered so that I was in the Middle with her and Jim on the right
and Paul on my left it was Obvious that I was to be Paul's date for the night night we went to the same burger place where Pat and Jennifer had spotted me the previous night just last night so much had happened since that that it seemed like a year the girls started right and talking and they kept the conversation fast and light through the meal and on our way to the movie they pulled me in from time to time and after I got the hang of boy girl talking from the other side I began to
chime in On my own I thought Paul was a little more intelligent than the other two and he made me laugh more more than once with his dry wit as we got nearer to our destination I began to realize that we were headed for the drive and movie at the end of town as we went through the gate and found a parking place near the back row of the drive-in I began to panic knowing the girl's reputation particularly Jennifer's I knew there was going to be more activity in the car Than just watching the movie
when Jennifer glanced back to say something to Pat I gave her a desperate help me look only to receive a smile and a wink in return follow our lead they had told me but I was pretty sure I didn't want to go where these girls might be headed as the lights dimmed and the advertisements began to appear on the screen I saw Jennifer scoot closer to David in the front seat it was already a tight squeeze with four of us in the Back seat but I felt Jim moving over to get even closer to Pat
I was pretty well Frozen in place and Paul seemed to sense my nervousness because he didn't move at all mercifully the conversation kept up through the advertisement ments and previews and I began to relax a little the boys started cracking jokes at some of the dialogue on the screen and they really were quite clever the mood was still light and fun but as the main feature began all three boys shifted Their arms up over the back of the seat as if to get more comfortable even in the dark I could see the subtle movements as
first Jennifer and then Pat leaned into their dates and allowed the boy's arm to slide down onto their shoulders seconds later I felt the warmth of Paul's hand on My Shoulder Through The Thin material of my blouse I had planned to just relax and let things happen but I was sure Paul noticed as I immediately tensed up I knew then that I Just wasn't mentally prepared for this everything was coming too fast I think Pat may have sensed that things weren't going to well she noticed someone walking by the car carrying popcorn and drinks and
casually mentioned that we had forgotten to buy some before the movie started within a couple of minutes she and Jen had all three boys trooping off to the snack bar for treats and the three of us were left alone okay Alex what's wrong things seem to be going Pretty well until the feature started I'm just not ready to have a guy's arm around me I don't know what to do or how to handle the situation Alex you handle it just like any other situation with a boy you let him go so far then you back
him off a little when you're comfortable with that you let him get a little farther if he goes too far you send him farther back than he was simple simple right for the next few minutes the girls initiated me into the sorority of how to Manage Men by the time the boys got back my head was spinning but the girls assured me they'd take care of the situation when the boys got back into the car we all assumed our former positions me with Paul's arm around my shoulders I was able to relax a little knowing
the girls weren't going to let me get into a situation I or at least they couldn't handle Not only was I able to relax and enjoy the movie but I began to understand what the girls had tried To explain to me the rest of the evening was a real education for me as I watched the girls play with these guys fortunately Paul was much more of a gentleman than the others and didn't try to go too far we cuddled a little bit and ended up holding hands during the ride home by the time we got
back to Pat's house I was congratulating myself on having survived such a delicate situation I didn't even think about how I was going to handle saying good night Until David turned the engine off Paul took my hand to help me out of the car then held on to it as he shut the door interlacing his fingers with mine there was a tree that sheltered some of the yard from the nearby street light and Jennifer and David had stepped under the tree and deeper into the Shadows Pat and Bob lingered by the car as Paul walked
me up the sidewalk to the porch as we got to the door Paul put his arm around my waist I guess I knew what was coming But my mind was blank as to what I could do about it he was very strong and as he pulled me to him my head went back and my eyes closed reflexively my lips parted in a light gasp and I suddenly felt a firm soft pressure against them then I felt the warmth of his breath within me and I knew he was kissing me my head began to spin my
knees went limp and I put my hands on his arms to steady myself he must have taken this as a sign of permission because he pulled me Tighter to him after what seemed like an eternity he broke the Embrace and looked into my eyes I was now more confused than ever and as he lowered his lips to mine a second time I automatically closed my eyes and opened my lips to him this time it was not only his warm breath that invaded me but his tongue as well that brought me back to my senses and
I realized what was going on somehow my hand found the door handle and pushed the latch I broke broke away from him And stepped backward through the door almost catching his hand as I closed it in front of me I leaned my head on the door for a long time trying to catch my breath and regain my bearings then I just put my back to the wall and let myself slide to the floor I was still sitting there staring straight ahead when Pat and Jennifer came in some minutes later Alex you were wonderful what was
it like wow what a sexy kiss you liked it didn't you did he give you Tongue they were both chattering at me at the same time and my mind was in a whirl I couldn't believe that I had kissed a guy twice I knew though that I had passed an important test in our plan to fool Bill and Bob as the girls drove me home we talked some more about handling guys and I took them to task for manipulating our dates the way they had Welcome to the Real World Alex if they weren't such jerks
about seeing how far they could get maybe things would be Different we aren't all jerks are we I asked Jen just gave me her most sarcastic look the answer is mostly yes but you've got to stop thinking about yourself as a guy for the next few days you've got to be the sexiest little babe on the block by the time Bill and Bob get home think that over while Pat and I get things going for the next couple of days as we neared my house I realized I had a couple of problems mom had never
seen me fully dressed as a girl not only That but I was sure she had been expecting me home much earlier I had left my guy clothes at home so it wasn't like I could go back to Pats and change I guess it was time to see how far mom was really willing to let her son go with his interests I drew a deep breath and with all the femininity I could muster I walked through our front door and into the living room mom was on the sofa and she was speaking as she turned toward
me hi sweetheart heart you're Home a little late did you and the girls have a DOT she stopped in mid-sentence as she realized how I was dressed oh my she gasped and then tears came to her eyes I thought I had really blown it and that my short career as a girl was at an Abrupt end then she came to me and took me in her arms as she gave me a tight hug she said oh sweet heart you're so beautiful I'm sorry for the tears it's just that I didn't think to see you all
dressed dressed up like that you're not Angry with me are you Mom oh not at all my sweet it's just a bit of a surprise that's all I guess I was expecting to be with you when you bought your first dress tears came to my eyes then and when we finally stepped back and looked at each other we burst into laughter our mascara was running again we dabbed each other's eyes then we sat down on the sofa I told Mom everything that had happened though I glossed over the real reason for Jennifer and Pat's interest
In dressing me up when I got to the part about Paul and I on the porch I hesitated for a moment then decided that I needed mom's help in understanding what was going on I gave her all the details you shouldn't feel bad about the kisses sweetheart you said you wanted to experience how it feels to be a girl and kisses are a natural part of a young girls growing up you were smart to stop it where you did however boys can be easy to encourage but difficult to stop If you let them go too
far I just nodded there's one other thing sweetie that skirt you're wearing is just a little short don't you think if you think this skirt is short you should have seen what Pat and Jennifer were wearing especially Jennifer we could see her host tops when she sat down well I don't want to downgrade your friends dear but they may not be the best gauge of what's normal for a young girl your age you above of all people should know the effect that Such a length can have on the young men she was right of course
and I admitted that to her just then the phone rang and Mom picked it up hello yes this is the howl residence who is calling please here Mom glanced at me briefly well Paul we usually don't allow phone calls this late at night yes I understand Paul how had he got my number Jennifer of course yes that's all right se's right here Mom looked at me with a smile as she emphasized that word and I blushed as She handed me the phone as she did I realized that I was going to have to use my
newly developed feminine voice in front of my mom but this was no time for backing out hello Ali this is Paul hi Paul I glanced at Mom and she still had that SCE smile on her face I really had a nice time tonight and I wanted to apologize for the way I acted oh Paul there's no need to apologize well after we got home Pat phoned me and really Laden to us for our conduct and she was Right I guess we all got a little too aggressive that's okay Paul well I we'd like to make
it up to you girls would you have dinner with us Thursday night at the Elms real formal and everything we'll wear coats and ties and be on our best behavior please say yes the other girls said that it would be up to you well it seemed that Pat and Jen had indeed got things going for the next couple of days Thursday night I looked at Mom and she nodded her Ascent what Was I getting myself into but how could I refuse uh I guess that would be all right Paul great uh I mean thanks so
much I promise we'll behave 7:00 then yes 7 will be fine good night Ally good night Paul and I told Mom they had asked us to the elm she got very excited we'll shop tomorrow after I finish work and find you just the right dress to wear hurry and change for bed then come into my room we'll do each other's hair and talk about our plans her obvious Excitement was just a little too much for me mother how can you be so excited about your son dressing up like a girl and going on dates I
mean I'm not complaining exactly but don't you feel like this is all a little too weird well sweetheart it was you who chose to accept the invitation wasn't it I nodded my head of your own free will right I blushed and nodded my head again for some reason I was beginning to feel more than a little ashamed of myself well Then since you've made up your mind I see no reason to do anything but enjoy the situation ever since I began to suspect your interests I've been thinking about what it would be like to have
a daughter to go shopping with and do these other fun things now I get to find out I just shook my head and walked down the hall wondering again why I was doing all these strange things when I looked into my room though I suddenly forgot all about being confused or Ashamed mom had been as good as her word late out on the bed was a complete pain War set all in white Ruffles and Lace there was a night gown panty a full length robe and slippers to match my heart skipped a beat as I
stared at that beautiful lingerie it was gorgeous and it really was mine I hurried as best I could to undress myself and put my new possessions neatly away then reveled in the luxury of pulling on those beautiful night things when I skipped into Mom's Room there was another surprise waiting for me she was wearing exactly the same painer as we stood together at her full- length mirror we really did look like mother and daughter it was my turn first and I sat at Mom's vanity while she brushed out my hair and curled it then she
sat while I did the same for her she helped quite a bit with the curlers of course but I felt that I was getting the hang of it by the time we finished all the while we talked more about what the Boys were like what the other girls wore and how they manipulated the boys all evening well you're getting quite a little insight into these relationships aren't you I hope it doesn't make you too cynical about girls from now on they aren't all like Jennifer you know I can tell that Mom Pat seems very different
although she goes along with Jen up to a point but it seems mostly the guy's fault anyway if they had more interest in us as people and not just as the next Conquest they'd see through these little games we wouldn't have to manipulate them at all really and we still could have a great time well sweetheart if you can just remember that when the shoe is back on the other foot this whole experience will have been worthwhile her comments made sense and I began to think of myself on my next date as a guy for
some reason the thought made me vaguely uneasy would I remember these things well enough to act differently exactly When would I go out again as a guy I lay awake for a long time that night experiencing all the sensations of the soft silky clothes I was wearing and thinking about the fun talk mom and I had then my mind turned to my date with Paul and what Thursday night might bring when I finally fell asleep I had several dreams that I'd rather not discuss but I slept really well Wednesday I woke up very excited for
the plans of the next day I showered quickly being careful not To get my curlers wet then I dressed and did my makeup when I finally took my hair out of the curlers and brushed it out I found that it was easy to put it up in the French roll I had practiced on Pat the day before Pat f right after breakfast and the three of us went out shopping again it was another grueling day of learning how to be feminine but I had to admit to myself that this was beginning to be a lot
of fun they got me home just in time to meet Mom and we Began what turned out to be a marathon shopping experience I quickly forgot my fatigue from the day's activity as I began to try on dress after party dress in practically every store in town along the way mom bought me some more lingerie a couple of skirts and blouses and two pairs of shoes when we weren't talking about clothes and shoes and makeup mom was critiquing my new feminine voice and mannerisms we also discussed what my upcoming date with Paul would be like
And some of the things I should and shouldn't do I found out that Mom was really smart about relationships even if it had been a long time since she had been out for my dinner dress we selected a shade of rose that Mom and the sales lady agreed was one of my best colors the design of the dress was modest for Mom but sophisticated enough to satisfy me I had the impression that I would be competing with semic catching Fashions on Pat and Jennifer and I didn't want Paul to feel like he'd gotten the Wallflower
among the Roses the dress had a draped neck and bodice rather High and a straight skirt with just a hint of a slit in the side mom bought me a pair of matching pumps with heels that were almost 3 in high and some clip-on earrings and a necklace when she offered to buy me a of lingerie that also matched I readily agreed that night mom had me model my purchases then we curled each other's hair again it was exciting And at the same time a little amazing to me that Mom was so what so open
to the idea that her only son was now dressing up and going out on a date with a guy as I thought about it I realized that while I was still a little amazed at myself part of me was very excited with what I was doing Thursday 700 p.m. the next evening found me just finishing my makeup when the doorbell rang mom answered the door and invited Paul into the living room while I put on my Finishing touches my stomach was turning flip-flops and I could see a very distinct flush under the foundation and blush
on my cheeks I couldn't even Define the reason for my feelings my mind was a complete blank to everything but the immediate task of finishing my beauty preparations fortunately mom was a good conversationalist and put Paul at ease for those last few minutes Paul stood as I entered the room and I could see he had a corsage that fortunately Matched my dress mom was prepared and tactfully took the flower from Paul relieving us all from the embarrassment and risk of having Paul try to pin it on the bodice of my dress to my anguish mom
insisted on taking several pictures of us standing together we finally got out of there and to my chagrin I found that David and Bob were waiting in Paul's car they had decided to pick me up first first in my sweetest voice I apologized to them as Paul opened the door for me Remembering my manners I slid across the seat to unlock the door on the driver's side somehow it seemed like it would be too much of a negative signal if I had slid back to my side so I stayed in the middle next to Paul
Jen and Pat did an intentional stall and I was faced with the challenge of 15 minutes of conversation with the three guys fortunately Bob and David enjoyed talking about themselves and their Sports exploits and I think they were Gratified to find a girl who seemed to understand what they were talking about Paul didn't said very little about himself but from Reading between the lines I could tell that the other two had a healthy respect for his abilities too when the girls finally did Walts down the stairs all of us just stared at them for a
few silent seconds the boys had promised to be on their best behavior and Pat and Jennifer had obviously decided to put them to the Test where my dress was sophisticated modest theirs were selected to show it all Jennifer in particular was wearing a little yellow halter style shift that clung to her every ample curve she was obviously wearing nothing underneath aside from the stairs and glares that Jen got the night passed uneventfully it was obvious and a little funny that the boys even Paul were having a very hard time keeping their eyes away from Jen's
features I have to admit that I was torn Between watching her and watching the guys trying not to watch her they were all so distracted that they never noticed the amused glances that Pat and I exchanged all night long in my opinion Pat in her black spaghetti strap slip dress was at least as attractive as Jen and I had to stop myself several times from looking at her in a very unladylike manner somewhere during the evening I found out that Pat and Jennifer had already agreed to another date the next Night if the boys had
successfully behaved as they were driving us home we had to admit to them that they had been perfect gentlemen well at least their hands had stayed in line even if their eyes hadn't we made plans for them to pick us all up at Jen's house on Friday night and we'd go to the amusement park in the next town when Paul walked me to my front door at the end of the evening I was pleased that he had been more of a gentleman than the other two at least he Had made an effort at conversation with
Pat and Ne during the evening I decided that he had lived up to his promise to behave and deserved a little reward as he gave my hand a good night squeeze I turned to him and raised my lips to his he needed no more encouragement than that but to my relief he only gave me a straight kiss and didn't try to go any farther Friday Friday morning Betty had arranged to take off work and take me on our second shopping trip mom had told Her about my dates and Betty was thrilled to be taking me
out as a girl I was beginning to really understand what girls got out of their shopping spree I enjoyed all the attention and I really had fun talking over all the choices of colors and accessories comparing creative ideas and seeing what would work there was a companionship and inequality in all this that I hadn't felt in any of my boyish activities Betty drove for over an hour taking us Into the city to a special shop that she had heard about it was called the spotlight and catered mainly to the theater industry Betty explained to me
that if I was going on dates I needed something more than regular fals seies for my figure and something better than a sanitary napkin to keep my profile in line for some reason I wasn't the least embarrassed as she described the helps we would be buying as we walked in the door we were greeted by a rather Effeminate man who offered to help us find things Betty asked him if he sold gaffs and his response almost made us burst out laughing of course we have gaffs honey but if you girls are buying for your boyfriends
you really should bring them into the store to get the proper fit when I left the store I was the proud owner of three cash and garments and a set of small fake breasts that actually glued onto my chest and felt for all the world like they were Real it had been embarrassing at first to have Betty and the clerk both helping with such intimate fittings but somewhere during my time in the shop I just stopped worrying about it and concentrated on learning how to position everything correctly with my new profile I felt completely at
ease trying on the shorts and top sets that Betty bought me on the way home the conversation turned to my plans for the summer by this time I really didn't want to Complain about what mom had made me do but I mentioned to Betty that the current dress and grooming standards had put a definite crimp in my job search plans you know Ali your mom mentioned her concern to me on that very topic and I think I may have a solution my ears perked up immediately business at the salon has picked up quite a bit
lately and I need extra help trouble is I need half of two people the girls I interviewed to do shampooing and help With the beauty work won't stoop to doing the stocking and cleanup but I don't have enough of either type of work to hire someone full-time if you wouldn't mind doing both types of work I could offer you pretty much a full-time job all summer long wow that would be great but would your clients be uncomfortable with a shampoo boy rather than a shampoo girl and who would tell them you were a boy my
mouth dropped open for a second you mean you want me To work at your salon all summer long as a girl Betty chuckled I think everyone would feel more comfortable with that Arrangement including yourself besides you still have two weeks to wear your hair up don't you and I need someone to start right away I don't think you'd want to dress as a boy around the shop with your hair done up would you well no but Dot and you certainly couldn't start as a girl then change back to a boy after 2 weeks now could
you I fell Silent as I realized what she was implying if I accepted her job offer I would be dressing as a girl all summer long till now I hadn't really thought about how long I was going to play this little charade I guess I had expected it to somehow be over after the next two weeks of Mom's standards if Pat's plan worked we'd be rid of the boys by Saturday night and wouldn't the girls be expecting me to change back to a boy after that then I thought of my talks With Mom my shopping
trips and all the fun i' had in the last few days days clearly mom was perfectly happy with me dressing up and I had not felt this close to her in several years accepting Betty's offer meant we might be able to keep that closeness all summer long just then Betty broke into my thoughts with the deciding argument the job starts at a dollar above minimum wage and you get to keep all the tips you get as a shampoo girl a little thrill went Through me as I accepted Betty's offer and she seemed genuinely pleased to
have me as her new shampoo and stock girl we agreed that I would start the next Monday as we drove toward home Betty told me that Jennifer had phoned her and asked if the three of us could come in for the works on Saturday morning apparently Jennifer wanted all three of us to look our best for the boys Betty asked me all about our plan to fool the boys and it was evident from her Questions that she thought it was just a practical joke I was relieved that Jen hadn't told her our real reasons I
knew that Betty would be sure to tell Mom especially if she thought I would be in any danger I thanked Betty profusely as she dropped me off in front of my house and she assured me that she'd had as much fun as I she told me she'd have three very special haird all picked out for us the next morning I had just enough time to freshen up a little and Shave my legs and get over to jens's they were really impressed to see my new features and my skimpy shorts and top outfit I told them
Betty and I had made some special purchases to help my figure they asked me if I was feeling a little sexy and I had to admit that I was the girls were obviously pleased and they explained that the boys would be expecting a reward for their behavior on our dinner date I didn't even have to ask what they meant and I mentally Prepared myself right then with the limits I would set for myself and Paul the boys were obviously pleased with the way we looked when they showed up following the lead of the other girls
I gave Paul a quick kiss to say hello and I let him put his arm around me on the way to the amusement Park we held hands as the guys paid for the tickets and we headed straight for the ferris wheel as the wheel started turning we began to look out at the scenery around us it was A little breathtaking at first to be going up that fast I glanced back at Pat and Bob in the seat behind us and saw that they were already locked in a clinch oblivious to what was around them it
almost made me a little jealous I glanced forward and Jennifer and David smiled and waved at us then Jenn turned her face to his and planted her lips firmly on his mouth my stomach did a little flip-flop as I felt Paul's fingers on my chin and realized what I Was about to do Strangely I actually wanted to kiss Paul he had been a perfect gentleman the night before as good as his word and he deserved more of a reward than that little pack on the lips I had given him to resist now in front of
the others would be a real blow to his ego and he didn't deserve that as he turned my face to his is I smiled into his eyes and moistened my lips his hand slid across my cheek and my eyes closed as he pressed his lips to mine it Was a soft tender kiss but it seemed to last forever when we broke for a breath I glanced around and realized that Jen and Pat and their dates were all watching us I knew I was blushing but I was determined not to act embarrassed I smiled to no
one in particular then I reached up and ran my fingers through Paul's hair pulling his head down to me I pressed my lips to his his arm slid down to my waist and I let him pull me closer this time when I felt his tongue I didn't pull back I opened my lips wider and fully answered his kiss his aftershave was mingling with my perfume and the effect of the ferris wheel and the smells and feels and the realization of what I was doing was all too much for me for several minutes I just abandoned
myself to the feel of his warm breath his soft lips and his gentle probing tongue it all caught up to me when his hand moved from my waist over my hip to my Bare thigh I felt a little thrill go through me but I suddenly realized I was past my limit I broke our kiss and dropped my hand to his I took his hand off my thigh but not wanting to be too abrupt with him I kept hold of it and interlaced our fingers he sensed that he had gone too far I think and we
separated ever so slightly and began to look at the scenery as soon as the Wheels stopped the girls pulled me into the nearest restroom we spent some time As the girls made me tell them every detail of what we did and how it felt by the time we had freshened our lipstick and rejoined the boys I think they were a little miffed at us for taking so long it didn't take much more than a squeeze of the hand and a little cajoling before we had them all smiling again though somewhere during the evening I forgot
the strangeness of what I was doing and just began to enjoy my date back at Jen's house each couple found a private Place in the yard and I spent several minutes enjoying the warmth of Paul's strong arms around me while we kissed tenderly we finally said good night and Jen hurted Pat and me toward the basement where we could talk without waking her parents on the way down the stairs Jen and Pat began taking off their shoes then their shorts and tops by the time we got to her recck room the girls had nothing on
but their panties Pat disappeared into the bathroom but Jen turned to me and gestured toward the phone why don't you call your mom and see if you can sleep over with us that way we can all go straight to Betty's in the morning as Jen finished talking she noticed the look on my face and she put her hands around my neck and smiled slightly into my eyes now now my little girlfriend you need to save looks like that for your boyfriend Paul remember that you're just one of the girls around here at least until tomorrow
night just Then Pat emerged from the bathroom wearing a little blue nighty she threw a yellow baby doll top at me and both girls watched as I slipped out of my shorts and top for some reason I was feeling modest about my new breasts and started to pull the baby dolls over my bra the girls would have none of that and they insisted that I strip and show them my special purchases I really should have refused but I knew that this too was a part of preparing me for my Role with the boys when the
girls were satisfied that they had done all they could to mortify me they had me phone my mom somehow I knew what she would say but I had to give it my best shot hello Mom it's Ally mom we all have appointments first thing in the morning at Betty's salon and the other girls have asked me to sleep over so we can go right there would that be okay with you there was a long silence on the other end of the phone before mom answered Sweetheart I know you're really getting into your new experiences and
I'm all for that it really is your choice of course but you might consider what the reaction would be if the other girl's parents found out about your true of status yes I guess you're right mom I'll be home in a little while I turned and Shrugged at the girls but they weren't quite ready to let me off so easily they made me put on the night eat they had given me and we sat around for another Hour while Jen and Pat teased me and told dirty jokes it was rather grotesque in a way but
they soon had me laughing along with them I knew they were trying to prepare me even more more for the role I was to be playing the big day the girls didn't get me home until almost 4:00 a.m. but they were at my door again promptly at 8 for our appointment at Betty's Salon fortunately since we were going to have the works done at the salon it only took me a few minutes to Dress and brush my hair back into a ponytail Jen had insisted I wear her red minis skirt and matching blouse with red
high heels sandals she had bought for me the outfit had a gold chain for a belt and Pat had brought a small gold chain necklace and two bracelets to complete the outfit I thought Jen's skirts would be cut for her longer legs but I still had trouble keeping my garter tabs from showing when I got into the car I was so tired I didn't even have the energy to Worry about how exposed I was or to be nervous for what we were about to do Betty was waiting at the shop with two of her best
operators and they started on us right away they gave us each a shampoo and sat and while we were under the dryers we all got manicures my nails were fairly long now not having been cut for almost 3 weeks and the girl who was doing my manicure filed them to a nice almond shape when she asked me what color I wanted for my polish I didn't Hesitate I had already spotted a red polish that matched my skirt and shoes before they combed out our sets we sat around Betty's table and conspired on each other's makeup
they did the other girls first and by the time my turn came we were all having great fun Betty and her girls were fussing over all of us and and telling us how good we would look for our boyfriends but most of the compliments were sent in my direction I'm not sure how much of that had been Planned beforehand just to get my confidence up but I loved every minute of the special attention was it just my imagination or did Betty's operators think I was just one of the girls as I was about to get
out of the makeup chair Jen put her hand on my shoulder just a minute Ally I think there's just one thing missing from your look Betty I want to treat her to something special this morning I looked up and caught her gesture toward the sign in the window Special on earpiercing I flushed red and my stomach did a flip-flop I knew I should protest such a permanent feminizing change to my appearance but I just couldn't all week long I had been secretly admiring the earrings the other girls had been wearing and wondering how it would
feel to have my own as it turned out protesting wouldn't have worked anyway Jen had obviously set this up with Betty beforehand she already had the studs lying in a dish of alcohol Next to me as Betty marked my ears Jen explained that the guys would be noticing every detail and this was just another way of ensuring that our deception would be complete I gave her a skeptical look but my mouth was so dry I couldn't have said a word if I had wanted to it was good that I was sitting down for this because
I almost fainted when I heard that little pop as the studs were driven into each lobe of all the changes I had gone through in the Past past few days and all the experiences I'd had this one seemed to have the most profound effect on me as I examined the tiny diamonds now glistening at my ears I really felt like a girl when the stylists were through with us Jen had a French roll that was perfect with little tendrils that curled down her forehead and the nape of her neck Pat's style was even more sophisticated
they had pulled her hair straight back and pined in single curls Descending from the crown to the nape even though I was feeling very very girlish I couldn't help but stare at her she looked delicious they had parted my hair on the side and swept it back to the crown in a wave that covered the tops of my ears with what was left of my hair and a little matching hairpiece they had formed a bunch of sausage curls that bounced and tickled my neck at each movement of my head little tendrils curled down from each
ear Betty insisted That we pose for her camera and she took several shots of us individually and in groups with her and her stylists then it was off to Jen's house for the big occasion as we were walking out the door of the salon Betty gave me an extra hug and said see you bright an early Monday morning honorable I flinched at that hoping the girls wouldn't notice but Betty went even further when she saw Jen and Pat's puzzled look she said didn't Ally tell you sh is starting as my new Stock clerk and shampoo
girl on Monday Jen looked at me like I had just crawled from under a rock she started to say something but Pat gave her an elbow in the ribs I think it's great that Ally has found a job for the summer I'd like to see you try to hold down a regular job Jen on the way back to Jen's house she shot a couple of verbal barbs at me with Pat defending me all the way eventually Jen tried to cover her feelings about me dressing as a girl all Summer long but she obviously had some
bad opinions of a guy who would do such a thing for my part I felt strangely unaffected by the whole convers ation I thought Jen was being a little hypocritical she had been a pretty forceful accomplice in my feminization all the way through more than that though was my own feeling of comfort I guess with my choice for the summer the emotions and the experiences were all very new and unsettling but it seemed Like fate that had brought me this far we had about an hour before the boys were to arrive and we spend it
going over every detail of our plan as we did some last minute pring and perfume selecting when the doorbell rang I stayed in Jen's room as the other two went down to greet their men I heard the whole conversation the boys barely said hello before they began talking about Alex and demanding to see him the girls really built it up trying to put them Off and acting like they were real reluctant to do what the boys were asking finally they gave in and called for me to come downstairs I took several deep breaths then slowly
opened the door from Jen's room my mouth felt like cotton and it took all my strength and concentration just to keep my knees from knocking as I started down the stairs my eyes were fixed on my feet but after the first couple of stairs I was able to force a smile to my lips and I raised my Eyes to see the boys for the first time these were two huge guys each of them well over 6 fet tall and built like trucks what saved the day for me was their expressions they both had their mouths
wide open and I swear I could almost see the drools from where I was on the stairs I knew they could see all the way up my skirt and I could tell that their eyes were jumping from my slightly padded panties to my face and Back Again a chill went through me as I Realized how exposed I was and I actually quickened my Pace to get to the bottom of the stairs it was obvious that the realistic jiggle at my bodice was a second focal point of the boy's attention the chill I was feeling changed
to a little thrill as I realized that it was already game over I was the Luscious bait for these fish and they were ready to swallow me whole the other girls were Knockouts it was true and probably prettier than I was but they Were dressed much more modestly and the boys seemed to be reacting as we had planned it the rest of this little exercise was just a question of timing my smile became genuine as Jen introduced me to the two APS I stood very close to bill so he could smell my perfume as Jen
said his name I gave his hand a friendly squeeze and then stood on my tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek I did the same for Bob saying that that the girls had told me so much about Them that I felt we were already good friends you could have cut the Silence with a knife Jen suggested we sit in the living room for a few minutes to get better acquainted as we turned in that direction the boys actually ran into each other and Bill nearly fell over backward Pat and Jen were biting their
lips to keep from laughing out loud I covered my mouth with my hand to hide my smile I hadn't dreamed that my little masquerade could be so successful the Boys and their girls all squeezed together on the sofa and I sat on an overstuffed chair directly opposite with my legs crossed I knew they were getting another good shot of my stocking tops and panties and sure enough the boys were so distracted they could hardly hold the threat of the conversation and sure they had wanted to question us about the night of the party but they
were feeling pretty foolish over their obvious mistake about now just at the Right moment Jen's mom came in from the backyard and asked us to go to the store for a few last minute things for the cookout Bob and Pat sat in the back seat of the car but Jen maneuvered it so that I was between her and Bill in the front we kept a racy conversation going and I tried to fill my role as a funloving gal every bit as experienced as Jen and Pat following our plan I took every opportunity to touch Bill
and smile at him as often as possible we kept this up When we got back to the house and I could tell that the boys were getting ripe for the next part of our plot bill in particular had a reputation for daring and sudden conquests in dangerous places that was one of the things that had attracted Jen to him at first but she soon realized that bill hadn't stopped with her Conquest now she and all of us were counting on Bill to stay true to form with his latest Target me sure enough just before we
were about to Sit down to eat to opportunity came up Jen's mom asked her to go down to the basement Pantry to get a second bottle of catsup Jen and Pat pretended to be busy with a vegetable plate and asked if I could go down instead I said I'd do it and Bill volunteered to show me where the pantry was I saw a signal pass between Bill and Bob and as we headed downstairs I saw Bob sort of following us at a distance apparently he was going to be the lookout I began to feel a
Little queasy as I realized that they had obviously done this sort of thing several times before would the timing work out when we got to the pantry bill turned on the light and stepped back to let me in it seemed like a perfect gentleman's gesture but now he was blocking to doorway and he had full view of my rear as I stooped to look at the bottom shelves the cats up was on the lowest shelf of course as I bent down to get the bottle I felt his hand on my Thigh just at the edge
of my dress I gave a little Yelp and as I straightened up he pushed my back against the wall and leaned into me making it impossible for me to move I gasped and he put his mouth over my lips and jammed his tongue into to me he really was an animal no finesse at all and I found myself comparing his incompetence to Paul's smooth and gentle Embrace I tried to fantasize that this was Paul and that helped to calm me just a little I was Struggling for air at this point and Bill had me pinned
so hard against the wall that I couldn't move I felt his hands pushing my dress up over my hips and I thought for an instant that I would have to Simply surrender and give him what he wanted then I realized that I couldn't give him what he wanted and he was quickly approaching the point where he would discover that fact Gathering all my willpower I forced myself to relax and I ran my hands over His huge arms and up into his hair he took this as a sign of surrender and he broke the lip lock
to take a breath letting myself fantasize about Paul again I smiled up into his eyes and brought my hand to his cheek he shifted enough to give me some balance and he began to run one of his hands up my side toward my breasts as he closed his eyes for another kiss just as our lips were about to meet for the second time I drew a deep breath and screamed as loud as I Could at the same time I brought my knee up between his legs as hard as I could bill doubled over in pain
and turned away from me but as I tried to scoot around him to get out he came back up and swung at me with the back of his hand cursing me at the same time my shoulder took most of the impact but the force of the blow threw me against the open door like a ragd doll I seemed to just hang there for an instant as the inur wore off then I slid to the floor In a heap meanwhile Bill had doubled back over and was groaning in pain of course everyone on the Block had
heard my scream and in an instant Jen's father was in the room followed by Bob and then the girls and Jen's mom Walter assessed the situation in one glance then grabbed bill by his shirt and began to drag him from the room on the way out he grabbed Bob by the ear and forced both of them up the stairs and out the front door each of the boys outweighed him by 30 Lbs at least but they offered no resistance we could hear Walter yelling as he threw them out the door that if he ever caught
them near any of his girls again they'd find themselves dead or in jail that was it it was over Jen and her mom helped me off the floor and into a nearby chair I was sobbing uncontrollably and had my face in my hands although all my natural and artificial body parts seemed to be in place my body achd and my face burned Where Bill had slapped me but the physical pain was a secondary consideration inside I was a real mess it was a great relief that our plans seemed to have worked but part of me
felt really dirty for having enticed Bill and set him up that way the word he had used on me kept running through my mind everyone gathered around me and offered their comfort in a short time someone found some humor in the situation talking about Bill's wounded Ape look after I had need him in a few minutes my sobs had changed to laughter and I began to wipe away the tears and mascara with several tissues by this time of course the burgers were burned and the cookout was pretty well ruined Jen's Mom and Dad suggested that
they stay and clean up but that maybe we girls would like to drive out to their beach house to sort of pull ourselves together I started to protest I desperately wanted to be alone right Then but before I knew it the three of us were in the car headed for the beach for an instant I wondered what mom's reaction would be when Jen's mother phon to explain everything to her how would she respond when she heard that her daughter was on her way to a sleepover with two other girls but then I had other things
to be concerned about I was between the two girls in the front seat of the car Pat was driving and Jan had her arm around me still trying to Reassure me we weren't far down the road when the tone of the conversation changed however Jen put her hand on my knee and suggested to Pat that it was time to celebrate our victory over the boys Pat agreed and putting her hand on my other knee she suggested that I deserved a special reward for my special part in the plot they told me they had really enjoyed
having Ally as a friend but asked if I would let them treat me like Alex for the next few hours how Could I refuse we stayed at the beach house till late Sunday afternoon and every minute of it was Heaven the girls spent the whole time teaching me everything I never knew about boys and girls together it almost seemed that they were competing to see which one could keep my interest up the longest and give me the most pleasure there were a few catnaps along the way and the girls even talked me into a quick
swim and sunten session on Sunday morning but The rest of the time was spend in an overpowering lesson and long endurance pleasure by the time they drove me up to my house I was so spent I could hardly walk Pat helped me carry my things to the front door then gave me a long deep kiss I guess with your new job started tomorrow this is goodbye to Alex for a while but we'll drop by the salon this week and see how Ally is getting along with another quick kiss and a wink she was gone mom
met me just inside the door And helped me take my things into my room she started out with a very stern look on her face but I think she realized how emotionally and physically tired I was and she kept the conversation light until after I had napped and eaten dinner that night we talked about all that had happened over the past weeks it turned out that mom had pretty well figured out everything including our little plot with the boys and what had gone on at the beach house I knew she wasn't pleased with some of
the things I had done but surprisingly she didn't seem to judge me at all instead she expressed her concern for the physical and emotional dangers I had faced and was still facing we talked a lot about the implications of working all summer as a girl I was still a little confused about where it all was leading but it seemed that the job and the situation was just right for me somehow we agreed that we would be Entirely honest with each other from that point on and that we would talk about our feelings as often as
possible I was thrilled that we were becoming so close again and it seemed to confirm my decision about the summer by the end of the evening mom seemed to feel exactly as I did we weren't sure where they would lead but we were both looking forward to the days ahead