Arrogance Doesn't Pay

by Jennifer

 

CHAPTER 1

 

Fifteen year old Harry Jackson was academically talented, there's absolutely no doubt about that. And he proved it when he participated in a television reality programme in which as part of a group of 40 teenage boys and girls, he gave up his summer holidays to spend a month living in an authentic recreation of a typical English boarding school of the 1950's. They had agreed that for one month they would accept the regime of 1950's school uniforms, meals, discipline, lessons, and worst of all, sitting the stringent GCE examinations that went with it.

Their first week was of course a culture shock, and it should be admitted that those of their mothers and fathers who had themselves experienced such a regime in their own teenage years probably felt rather smug about it. For once, their indulged offspring raised on television, mobile phones and pizza dinners would experience a lifestyle that their parents had lived through for a large proportion of their youth.

The children (for as such they were regarded) were mostly deposited at the school by their parents like so many bags of laundry, and their entry into the regime was instantaneous. Questioning authority was not tolerated at all, and from the moment they walked through the front door of the main building of the school, they may as well have been going to jail.

But they needn't have despaired, it wasn't that bad, far from it. True, they were thrown together by a common cause, but we are all surprisingly adaptable creatures, especially when surrounded by others in a like predicament. By the time their month of harsh reality was over, nearly all of those sons and daughters felt that they'd benefitted from it, not least in engendering a spirit of co-operation and self discipline with their fellow students.

Overall, it was a fruitful experience, with just one exception. Harry Jackson. Bright he may have been, but his social skills were sadly lacking, mainly due to his being unbearably conceited. Like his father, he was aggressive and arrogant, with a burning ambition to be better than everyone else at any cost. He would have sold his soul to the devil to be first. Aspiration to greatness is one thing, but it's quite another matter to rub everybody else's noses in it, and Harry was adept at that. Even worse in the eyes of his compatriots was his antisocial habit of ingratiating himself with the teachers at every opportunity in order to gain their favours. In a word, he was a 'teacher's pet' of the worst kind, so he wasn't popular. But Harry couldn't care less. He was so self-centered that he was impervious to the low esteem the other pupils had of him.

And his most heinous crime as far as they were concerned, was his habit of making sure that the various misdeeds of anyone he regarded as a competitor, such as hoarding forbidden items, always came to the attention of the teachers. Anything that would undermine their credibility. It wouldn't be done openly of course, but in devious ways that made it difficult to prove that he was the culprit. Nevertheless, everybody knew who it was.

So it's hardly surprising that by the end of their month's sojourn, most of them were thirsting for revenge on Harry of some kind. Consequently, a few days before the end of term, a council of war was held by a group of boys and girls in a storeroom behind the gym. Something had to be done about Harry.

'Right then' began Jim Davidson, 'First of all, is there anyone here who doesn't want to give Harry what's coming to him?' There was a short silence before he gave a grim smile and said 'I thought not. All right then, any suggestions as to what we should do with him?'

There was a short silence before Michael Wilson said 'Well I was just thinking. His crime (if we can call it that) is his conceit isn't it? I mean, he's always trying to lord it over us as if we were all inferior beings, so I think the punishment should fit the crime. The opposite of pride is humility, so let's make it something humiliating. I don't want to hurt him physically, but his pride? I reckon we could take that down a peg or two.' A low chorus of approval went round the room, and Jim said 'All right then Mike, that sounds fair enough to me. In that case, what can we do to him that would be really humiliating? Something that would puncture his conceit for good.'

There was a brief silence before Hilary Masters gave a slight chuckle, grinned, and whispered something into her classmate Jenny Carson's ear. Jenny looked back at her, burst out laughing and said 'Oh yes! Now that I would like to see. Go on Hilary, suggest it.' That aroused everybody's curiosity, and Greg Miles said 'Come on Hilary, don't keep us in suspense. What's this great idea of yours?'

'Well' grinned Hilary, 'I was just thinking. You blokes won't have noticed it, but we girls have spent the last month wearing these hideous school uniforms. You wouldn't realise it, but these scratchy gym tunics and ghastly school hats, apart from being horribly uncomfortable, also make us feel like ten year old little girls, and frankly, we've felt really humiliated wearing them. So I was just thinking that if we feel humiliated, how much more humiliating it would be for a boy to be wearing one? In other words, why don't we dress Harry in a girl's school uniform?' She looked at Jim, chuckled, and said 'Well you said you wanted something humiliating didn't you?'

A roar of laughter greeted her idea, and when it subsided, Jim grinned and said 'I sure did. Full marks Hilary, that's a brilliant suggestion. Remind me never to cross you in future.' As an afterthought he chuckled and said 'And actually, let's not only dress him as a girl. I've just thought of something extra that will humiliate him beyond belief.' He went on to explain what he had in mind, and as the others warmed to Hilary's idea and they planned it in detail, Harry Jackson's fate was sealed. His last day of term would certainly be one he wouldn't forget.

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

The last few days of the experimental one month term were spent sitting several old 1950's GCE exams, and the papers were marked quickly by the teachers in time for the results to be announced at a gathering in the school hall on the last Friday of term. Those pupils who wished to were to be allowed to go home immediately afterwards, and the others could stay overnight and go home on Saturday morning, particularly those pupils who had a long journey home.

It was essential to Hilary's plan that along with Harry, they would stay until Saturday morning in order to give them the time they needed to put their plan into action, and she rubbed her hands with satisfaction when she heard that Harry planned to travel home by train on the Saturday.

On Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock sharp the school bell rang, and everybody assembled in the school hall. It was a typical gathering of this sort, in which each student went up onto the dais on which the teachers sat, were presented with their exam results, any outstanding achievement was announced, and for some, a prize was awarded to the applause of everybody in the hall. So it had always been in every school in England, and this was no exception.

The ceremony completed, the headmaster announced the conclusion of the term and walked off the dais with the staff, leaving the students to pack their cases and leave. Those who were travelling home immediately were expected to change out of the school uniforms they'd been supplied with, so they immediately headed off to their dormitories to change and leave their uniforms in their lockers to be collected by Matron for cleaning and pressing in preparation for the next group of students.

The girls were particularly relieved to say goodbye to what they regarded as their hideously childish school uniforms that they detested wearing, and many of them gave a contented sigh as they put on a pair of jeans or a smart skirt for the first time in a month. But Hilary had a special plan for her own discarded school uniform. She'd already asked Matron if she could keep her uniform as a souvenir, and after some persuasion, Matron had relented and said that Hilary could keep it. Problem over. Hilary knew that Harry Jackson was about her size, so everything was falling into place nicely.

The pupils who were going home immediately said goodbye, and were either collected by their parents or took the bus to catch the train from nearby Watford station. Once they'd gone, there were only about 15 pupils left in the school, and they whiled away the time until dinner playing games or going for walks around the school grounds. Dinner was their final taste of 1950's school fare consisting of cheese and onion pie followed by treacle pudding. By now they'd grown used to a 1950's diet, enjoyed eating it, and were all the healthier for it.

In the evening they were allowed to watch television until bedtime at 10 o'clock. For Hilary and Jim, along with their friends (and the unsuspecting Harry Jackson), tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

 

 

CHAPTER 3

 

Saturday morning dawned clear and sunny, and after breakfast the remaining pupils were free to pack their bags and go home. In her dormitory, Hilary folded up her school uniform, put it into a bag on top of her own things, and then sought out Jim Davidson and the rest of the group ready to put their plan into action. And by now it was well planned.

'Are we OK for transport? asked Hilary.

'Sure' replied Jim, looking at his watch, 'My brother's arriving with his firm's minibus at 11 o'clock. It'll seat a dozen, so there'll be plenty of room.'

'And does he know about our plan?'

'Oh yes' chuckled Jim, 'He can't wait. When I told him what an utter arsehole Harry's been, he said your idea was absolutely brilliant.'

'Good' grinned Hilary, 'In that case, lets get started.'

The team quickly assembled and headed for the student's common room in a secluded corner of the building, now deserted. In the meantime, Jim and Greg sought out Harry in his dormitory, where he'd just packed his bag and hung up his school uniform. The two boys went up to him, and Jim said 'Hi Harry. All ready to go then?'

'Yes I think so' said Harry with his customary superior attitude, 'Let's face it chaps, I don't think there's anything else they could teach me in this place. Did you notice I got top marks in maths, physics and chemistry? And nothing under 67% in any other subject?' He was impossible.

'We certainly did' replied Jim, trying to show as much admiration as possible, 'You really showed us all. As a matter of fact, Mr. Jenkins suddenly realised that he'd forgotten to give you a special certificate of his own for your exceptional performance in the sciences, and he asked me to give it to you.'

'Really?' said Harry enthusiastically, 'Great. Where is it?'

'Oh sorry. Silly me, I left it in my bag. D'you want to come and collect it?'

'Yes of course, I don't want to leave that behind.' Harry left his bag next to his bed, and Jim led the way. They went down a broad staircase and along a corridor to the student's common room at the far end of the building, where Jim opened the door and they went in. The trap was about to be sprung.

Harry's first surprise was to see the room already occupied by four other boys and six girls. His second surprise was to hear the door being slammed and locked behind him. Straight away he knew he was in trouble, and looking around him he said nervously 'What's this all about? What are you up to?'

'Nothing that you can report us for this time' said Hilary, 'As of now we've officially all left this place for good, so there's no point in running off to a teacher and blabbing about it because there's nothing they can do about it now. Which brings me to your question. What are we up to? Well I'll tell you. During this past month we've had to put up with your never ending oh so superior ways and your denigration of us. You're as proud as a peacock and you've been continuously rubbing our noses in it just because you think you're so superior. And in addition, you're a sneak, which is the lowest form of life. Well you've had your fun at our expense, so now it's our turn to have some fun at your expense. The antidote to pride is humiliation, and believe me, you're going to get a dose of it in full. I'm not going to tell you what we have planned for you, you can just find out as we go along.' She looked at the boys, grinned, and said 'All right then boys, grab him and let's get on with it, and you'd better gag him first, we don't want him yelling.'

Harry opened his mouth to call for help, but before he could make a sound a hand was quickly clapped over his mouth. Four boys grabbed Harry and forced him to his knees on the floor, while Jim took a large handkerchief that he stuffed into his mouth. Another boy had pre cut several strips from a wide roll of adhesive packaging tape, and Jim pressed them one after the other firmly over Harry's mouth so that he was securely gagged. Struggling helplessly in the boy's strong grasp, Harry tossed his head violently from side to side, trying to yell for help. But the only sound he could make was a quiet muffled 'Mmmmmf! Mmmmm! Mmmmmph!' After a few seconds he realised the futility of his efforts, and stopped struggling.

'That's better' grinned Hilary, 'Now we can work in peace and quiet. All right boys, get his clothes off.' Against so many strong hands, Harry didn't stand a chance, and in a moment they spreadeagled him on the ground and quickly and efficiently stripped off all his clothes to a chorus of giggles of amusement from the girls.

'Good' grinned Hilary, taking charge, 'Time to get you dressed Harry. But definitely not in a way you're going to like. Let's start with your lovely school knickers shall we?' Smiling wickedly, she picked up a pair of navy blue school knickers, and pulled them on over Harry's feet and all the way up his legs until she arranged the elasticated waistband securely around his waist.

Next came her white school blouse. The boys brought Harry into a sitting position and thrust his arms into the sleeves, while Hilary pulled it on over his shoulders before she buttoned it up to the neck. Then she quickly tied the royal blue and silver diagonally striped school tie round his neck. 'All right' she said, 'Now get him up into a kneeling position, but keep a tight hold of him.' The boys lifted Harry up into a kneeling position, holding him securely so that he could barely move.

Hilary picked up her grey box pleat gym tunic, looked at Harry and grinned. 'Now' she said, smiling wickedly, 'This is the one part of our school uniform that we girls have really hated wearing, our regulation gym tunic. It makes us look like 10 year olds, which is why we detest them so much.' She bunched it up, and holding it above Harry's head, she slipped it down over him, positioned the shoulder flaps over his shoulders, and then fastened the two sets of buttons that closed the tunic securely over his shoulders. Finally she fastened the buckle belt around his waist and secured the button which held the end of the belt in place. Pulling the tunic down around him, she said 'Right. Now sit him down on that seat over there.' Harry was dragged over to a wooden chair, and the boys sat him down on it with his hands held over the back of the chair behind him.

'Good' smiled Hilary, 'Now let's do something about his feet shall we? Hold out his legs.' Strong hands forced Harry's legs straight out in front of him, and Hilary picked up a pair of white cotton ankle socks that she pulled onto his feet, and turned them down neatly. She then took a pair of girl's brown T bar strap shoes which she fastened on securely with the buckles at the side.

'Very nice' said Hilary with a wicked grin on her face, 'Nearly there. Now let's do something about his head. This is going to be good.'

She opened a large paper bag, and took out a mid brown wig and a brush. The wig was a long one that had been plaited into a pair of pigtails, with bows of white satin hair ribbon on the ends. Harry looked at it in horror and gave a muffled grunt of protest as he realised what they intended to do with it. But what they had in mind was much more devious than he could have imagined.

Hilary turned the wig upside down so that she could see down into the head part, and said to Jenny Carson 'OK Jenny, got the glue?'

'Sure have' grinned Jenny, and taking a small tube out of her pocket she removed the cap. Then, while Hilary held the wig steady, she ran the tube carefully around the rim of the inside of the wig, squeezing the glue out as she went. Once she'd finished, she replaced the cap on the tube and grinned mischievously as she looked at Harry.

'Right boys' smiled Hilary, 'Hold him nice and still, especially his head.' Harry could barely move anyway, but one boy stood behind him, and crooking his arm around Harry's neck, held his head rigidly still. Hilary stood in front of him, and with a broad grin, placed the wig carefully on his head before pressing it down firmly all the way round. 'That should be all right' she smiled 'Superglue sets in a few seconds.'

Superglue! A chill went through Harry as he realised that without a solvent the wig would be impossible to remove, and for a moment he once again vainly tried to break free from the other boy's strong grasp. Hilary chuckled and said 'That's right Harry. Superglue. I think you're going to have your hair in cute little pigtails for quite a while. How delightful. Right, while you guys are holding him, let's see about our little girl's school hat next. After all, we girls aren't allowed out of the school grounds without wearing our hats are we?'

It suddenly sank in to Harry that not only was he being dressed as a schoolgirl, but they planned to take him out as well. Desperately he jerked against the boy's grasp and tried to yell in protest, but what was meant to be a loud 'Noooo!' was merely a muffled 'Nmmmmm!'

Suddenly remembering how many times Harry had put her down as an inferior idiot over the past month, Hilary chuckled and took down her school hat from a hook. It was a typical regulation style girl's school hat made of grey felt, with a royal blue hatband and the school crest at the front. She held it out upside down, nodded to Jennifer, and with a wide grin, Jennifer squirted a generous amount of superglue around the rim of the inside. Hilary then stood in front of Harry, and placed the hat carefully on his head on top of the wig before pressing it down securely, making sure it was level. A roar of laughter went up as they saw the transformation in Harry's appearance. The girls in particular giggled with mirth until the tears ran down their cheeks.

'Isn't she sweet!' exclaimed one, 'So demure.'

'Yes, well now he knows what we've had to put up with for the last month' chuckled another, 'But being seen out on the street like that will make it ten times worse for him!'

Once the teasing banter had died down, Hilary took down her royal blue school blazer from a hook, and holding it up said 'All right boys, stand him up. Let's get our little girl's blazer on and then we're ready.' Ready for what? thought Harry ruefully as he was dragged to his feet into a standing position. His arms were thrust into the sleeves, and Hilary brought the blazer up over his shoulders and pulled the sleeves of his school blouse down so that they came level with the cuffs of the blazer. Then she stood back to admire her handiwork and said 'There we are, one little new girl, all ready to go for a very long walk. Doesn't she look cute?' A chorus of giggles went up from the other girls, and Jennifer suddenly said 'I was just thinking. We can't really call our little schoolgirl Harry can we? I think he needs a sweet little girl's name don't you?'

'Um. Good point' grinned Hilary, 'Well in that case, any ideas anyone?'

'How about Susan?' giggled one girl, 'It's such a sweet name isn't it?'

'Susan' chuckled Hilary, 'Oh yes I like that. All right then, from now on, our little schoolgirl's called Susan.'

More laughter ensued until Hilary looked at her watch, and said 'Jim, It's ten to eleven, so your brother should be here soon. Why don't you pop outside and get him to bring the minibus round to the side door. In the meantime, let's go and get our cases.'

'What about Susan?' said one of the others, 'We can't just leave her standing here can we?' She obviously enjoyed referring to Harry as if he was a girl.

'No of course not. Tell you what, let's just tie her to that ladder for the moment. That'll stop her wandering off.' She pointed to a steel ladder that was rigidly bolted to the wall leading up to a hatchway into the loft, and the boys dragged Harry across to it. They stood him up against the ladder, put his hands behind it, and tied him to the ladder by his chest, wrists and ankles.

'There we are' said Jim, as he tied the last knot well out of reach of Harry's fingers, 'That'll keep our little girl nice and secure. And quiet. She certainly can't make a noise with that gag in her mouth. Now let's go and get our stuff. '

'Just a second' said Hilary, 'I've already got my case here, so I'll keep an eye on her here.'

'All right then. We won't be long.' They all went off to collect their cases, leaving Hilary alone with the helpless Harry. She walked over to him, stood in front of him with her arms folded, and grinned.

'Well my little schoolgirl' she chuckled, 'Not quite so proud now, are you? I have to say I must congratulate myself. Just look at you in your sweet little school uniform that we've had to put up with wearing for the past month. Have you noticed how itchy that horrible collar on your blouse is? Just to make it extra uncomfortable I sprinkled itching powder round the inside of the collar and I tied the tie extra tight just to make sure that it rubs, so you'll have quite a sore neck by the time you take it off. That won't be for ages though, and you know why? No I suppose you don't, so let me tell you what we have planned for you. Just as well you're gagged, because I don't want any interruptions.'

'To begin with' she continued, 'In a short while, Jim's brother will be arriving with his minibus. And we're all going for a ride in it, including you. The school's here on the northern outskirts of London, so guess where we're going? To south London, where we'll dump you and than carry on home. That means that you'll have to walk all the way across London to get back to the school and retrieve your clothes. You'll have no choice but to walk through the streets full of Saturday shoppers dressed as a sweet little schoolgirl. There's no way you'll be able to get that wig and your school hat off your head, so you won't have any choice but to put up with all the jeers and laughter that will no doubt follow you all the way. You'll have about 15 miles to walk, so it should take you the rest of the day. And just in case you might be tempted to come back by train or bus to get here more quickly, you won't have any money with you. That will still be in the pocket of your trousers back here.'

'And when you finally do get back' she said, putting a small bottle on a table, 'You'll find this bottle of superglue solvent here, so you'll be able to take off the hat and pigtails. Aren't I kind?' she giggled. 'By the way' she grinned, 'I hope they haven't locked up the school and all gone by the time you get back here. That would be awkward wouldn't it? Actually, I know that Matron lives here permanently, so you'd better go and see her when you get back. I just wish I could be here to see you trying to explain why you're dressed like that!' Hilary grinned broadly as she visualised the scene.

All this time Harry had been listening with increasing horror. If there's one thing that any boy hates it's to be dressed as a girl and exposed to public ridicule, and wearing Hilary's demure and old-fashioned school uniform was just about as bad as it could get. But he was helpless to avoid his fate, so he'd just have to put up with it. Hilary had said that humiliation was to be his punishment for being so proud and obnoxious, and she was certainly handing it out in full measure.

Suddenly they heard the sound of footsteps, and the others came back into the room. One of the girls looked at Hilary, grinned, and said 'OK, we've put our cases just by the side door outside. Jim's brother should be here any minute with the minibus.'

With everybody assembled again, the girls spent a few minutes teasing Harry with relish to pass the time, until Jim came into the room and said 'OK everybody, he's here. Let's get our little schoolgirl outside shall we?' While several of the boys held Harry securely, he untied him, but as soon as he was detached from the ladder, Jim tied his hands together behind his back to make it easier to control him.

They marched the helpless Harry out into the corridor and over to a side door that led outside. He was thrust out into the open, where a light blue minibus was parked on the driveway. Jim's brother Mike took one look at Harry and fell about with laughter. 'Oh boy!' he exclaimed, 'Hell, he looks even cuter than I expected. And I love the hat and pigtails, proper little schoolgirl isn't he? Come on then, let's get him into the van.'

'Just a second' said one of the girls, pulling out her camera, 'We've got to have a record of this. Hold him steady will you boys?' Two boys held Harry in position while she took several photographs of him, to his helpless disapproval. He shuddered to think what could be done with those pictures.

That done, the girl said 'Thanks boys, that should be enough. I can think of all sorts of things I can do with those!' She put away her camera, and Harry was bundled into the minibus through the sliding door in the side. Strong hands then sat him down in one of the seats where he was tied down hand and foot so that he couldn't get up or kick out with his legs. Finally his seat belt was clicked shut around him, keeping him completely immobilised.

The others loaded their cases into the minibus, and then they all took their seats and fastened their seat belts. Hilary sat next to Harry, grinned and said 'I think we can take off that gag. He can shout as much as he likes now, because no-one will hear him.' She leaned across, and peeled the layers of tape from Harry's mouth before pulling the handkerchief out. Harry gave a groan of relief, moved his jaw from side to side, and said 'Thanks for that, anyway.'

'Don't mention it' grinned Hilary, 'But keep quiet or we'll gag you again. Understood?'

'Understood' said Harry miserably, realising that it would be best to do as he was told.

'Good' grinned Hilary, 'Ready for your nice ride then Susan? Don't you look smart!' A chorus of giggles went up, and the minibus pulled away. Mike drove down the broad driveway of the school, and as they passed two of the teachers, Harry jerked in his restraints and gave them a beseeching look. They saw him, but simply waved cheerfully. Naturally, it didn't occur to them that the girl with her hair in pigtails wearing a school hat could possibly be a boy. Why should they? The minibus drove out through the school's main gate and turned onto a main road. Almost as soon as they began their journey, the semi rural landscape gave way to the suburbs of London as they headed south.

As they drove through the crowded streets, passers by barely gave them a glance, and somehow Harry felt safe in the minibus, A cursory glance in through the window would have convinced anyone that he was a girl, so he didn't attract any attention. But as they crossed the river Thames he became nervous. He knew that once he was dumped on the streets it would be a very different matter. And he was about to find out just how different.

Mike turned into a quiet side street and said 'Here we are then, this should do. We've come 17 miles, so this is a good place to drop him off. I reckon if he keeps walking he should get back there by about 6 o'clock. That will give him enough time to change and catch a train home.' He climbed out of the driver's door, walked round to the side door, slid it open, and said 'All right then, time to drop our little schoolgirl off.'

'It sure is' grinned Jim, and rapidly untied Harry. 'Come on Susan' he chuckled, 'Time to get out.' Several of the boys pulled Harry up out of his seat. They'd deliberately sat him next to the door, so it was a simple matter to drag him out and onto the pavement. They stood him up against a nearby wall and said their last teasing farewells.

'There you are then Susan' giggled Hilary, 'Time for your nice long walk back to school. Don't talk to any strangers will you? Just keep walking north and you'll get there. Eventually' she added with a grin.

Suddenly panicking at the prospect, Harry said 'But you can't leave me here like this, you can't!'

'Of course we can' grinned Jim, 'And we are. You brought this on yourself mate. If you hadn't been so keen on putting us all down and telling everyone how brilliant you are it wouldn't have happened. No, this is the perfect way of deflating your ego, so it should teach you a valuable lesson.'

'It sure will' laughed Hilary, 'Come on everybody, let's leave Susan to her little walk.'

They began to climb back into the minibus, and Harry tried desperately to get back in with them. But the burly Mike held him back until they were all sitting safely inside, before he slammed the sliding door shut. Then he went swiftly round to the driver's door where he climbed in and shut it. Harry was now marooned alone on the pavement, with no hope of avoiding his humiliating punishment.

'Bye bye little Susan' called out Mike with a broad grin, 'And don't get lost little girl.' He drove off accompanied by the jeers and laughter of Mike, Hilary and their friends. A moment later they turned a corner and were gone.

 

 

CHAPTER 4

 

Mike stood there forlornly and looked himself up and down For a moment he could hardly believe it. Here he was, standing in a London street dressed in a girl's school uniform, with no choice but to walk through the streets exposed to the ridicule of every passer-by. It was going to be a horrendous experience, and he shuddered at the prospect.

He reached up and tugged experimentally at one of his pigtails, but all that happened was that he pulled his head to one side. It was fixed as firmly to his head as if it had been his own hair. Even the hair ribbons were glued to the end of the pigtails to prevent him from removing them. Then he tried to pull the hat off his head with the same result. He tugged and pulled at the embarrassing hat with all his strength, but it refused to budge by as much as a fraction. Hilary had certainly done a thorough job and he was condemned to be a schoolgirl for the day, so gritting his teeth, he gave a sigh of resignation and began walking northwards as best as he could tell.

He turned into a busy main road, and almost immediately began to attract attention. Most people naturally didn't give him a second glance, assuming that he was simply a schoolgirl wearing a rather old fashioned uniform. But plenty of others knew better.

The first indication of what was to come occurred when he walked past a small queue of people waiting at a bus stop. As he nervously walked past them, he noticed that one young woman who was talking to her friend, glanced at him, and instantly a wide grin crossed her face. He walked on, but heard both of them burst out laughing behind him. He didn't dare turn round, but he knew what he was the source of their amusement. And that was nothing compared with what came next.

As he approached Vauxhall Bridge to cross over the Thames, he had to stop at a pedestrian road crossing, where he found himself surrounded by what seemed to be a group of young French tourists. At such close proximity it was impossible for Harry to disguise the fact that he was a boy, and several of them looked at him and burst out laughing. After a moment's loud whispering among themselves, one of the girls decided to practice her English and said 'Excuse me monsieur, but why are you dressed as a girl? Is it for an advertisement? An English festival?'

Harry thought quickly. He was anxious to get away from them but he couldn't ignore her, so he said 'Yes that's right. I'm in an advertisement. We're filming just round the corner, so I can't stop.'

'Oh. Well you make a very pretty girl' she grinned, and as the lights changed she gave him a friendly 'Au revoir,' and Harry rapidly continued on his way, his heart thumping after the encounter.

He crossed the river, and decided to go through Hyde Park. He knew that it would be much less crowded than going through the West End, so he went past the back of Buckingham Palace to avoid the tourists, and was grateful to enter the comparatively quiet refuge of Hyde Park.

But it couldn't last forever, and Harry realised that he had no alternative but to make for Marble Arch and walk northwards up the Edgeware Road. Suddenly he was surrounded by a dense crowd of pedestrians, and it wasn't long before three girls saw him and started to walk alongside him, making it impossible to shake them off. He looked ahead steadfastly avoiding eye to eye contact, but it was hopeless. After a few moments of loud giggling, one of them said to Harry 'Hello little girl. Are you lost?' The others burst out laughing, and Harry realised he had no choice but to talk to them in the hope that they would soon tire of their sport and leave him alone.

He turned and looked at a girl about his own age with an impudent grin on her face. 'I'm not a girl' he said, 'That's pretty obvious isn't it?'

'No not really' she said, 'Actually, we thought you were a girl at first, but it's your walk that gave you away. I've got to ask. Why are you dressed like that? Don't tell me you like wearing that outfit do you?'

'Of course I don't' said Harry with feeling, and suddenly realised that if he told them the truth, embellished in his favour, he might elicit some sympathy from them. So as they walked along together, he told them what had happened, leaving out the fact that he was in fact being punished for the way in which he'd behaved towards his fellow students. He simply said it was an end of term prank.

And the girls were sympathetic, even though they still couldn't help grinning at his appearance from time to time. One of them tugged at his pigtails, and laughed as he spun around. 'Now you know what it's like' she laughed, 'I used to have plaits, and the boys were always pulling them. My goodness, that wig really is glued on isn't it? They certainly thought of everything didn't they?'

'They sure did' said Harry ruefully.

'Well in that case, since you're stuck like that' said the first girl, 'Perhaps we can make it a bit easier for you. Why don't you try and walk more like a girl? Then fewer people will notice that you're a boy and probably won't tease you. They'll just think you're a schoolgirl. Mind you, I'm glad we don't have to wear uniforms like that at our school. I mean, just look at that ghastly gym tunic. You look like the photos of my mother taken when she was at school.' The girls giggled good humouredly, but Harry could see her point.

'So how do I walk like a girl?' he said, 'I've never really thought about it before.'

'No, I don't expect you have' she grinned. 'Well don't worry, we'll soon teach you. My brother was in a school play once, and he had to be a girl. He wasn't bad actually, and we soon taught him how. It was fun teaching him, so now I'll teach you.' Turning to her two friends she said 'Listen you two, just walk a few yards in front of us will you, so that he can see how you walk. I'll give him a few tips as we go. And by the way' she continued, looking at Harry, 'That's Fiona and Angela, and I'm Carrie. What's your name?'

'Harry. But those rotten so and sos called me Susan.'

The girls laughed, and Carrie said 'Susan! How delightful. Yes, well looking like that I can understand why. Well OK then Susan, let's give you a crash course in deportment shall we? Off you go girls.'

Fiona and Angela stepped out in front of them, and for the next twenty minutes or so, Harry studied them closely. With some encouraging pointers from Carrie, he gradually acquired a way of swinging his hips slightly and bringing down his leg in a girlish but slightly relaxed fashion as teenage girls do.

Eventually they stopped for a moment, and Carrie said 'All right then Susan, let's see you try it. Walk in front of us, and I'll tell you how you're doing.'

Harry walked just in front of them for a while, and after about five minutes they stopped again. Carrie smiled and said 'Well done Harry, that's pretty good. I reckon you'd fool most people by now. By the way, have you ever read Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain?

'Huckleberry Finn? No, why?'

'Pity' she laughed, 'Because there's a bit in it where Huck Finn disguises himself as a girl and a wise woman spots him as a boy. But the best bit is when she tells him why he's given himself away as a boy. Pity you've never read it, it might have been useful. You should read it someday. Great book anyway. Never mind' she added, 'You certainly walk ten times more like a girl than you did before. What do you two reckon?'

'Well he looks pretty good to me' grinned Fiona, 'I've only been watching him from behind for the last few minutes, but quite honestly Carrie, let's face it, what do I see? A girl's school uniform, a pair of pigtails and a school hat. What else would I think? No, as far as I'm concerned he's perfect. You could certainly fool me.'

Carrie nodded in agreement, turned to Angela and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

'Don't look at me like that' said Angela with a grin, 'I've got no problem with how he looks. As far as I'm concerned, it's much easier to think of him as a girl than a boy anyway. But it's interesting. All right, that's a ridiculously old fashioned girl's school uniform, but most people looking at Harry would take him for a schoolgirl without even batting an eyelid. What they see is a girl's school uniform which is part of our psyche without regard to the wearer. Anyone wearing that school uniform will be taken for an English schoolgirl automatically. If a boy happens to be wearing it, it won't even register because people simply don't expect it.'

Angela grinned. 'Well that's my view anyway' she added, 'So I reckon he's got nothing to worry about. I think he should just brazen it out and walk back to his school as soon as possible. Frankly, I think it's rather a nice challenge. But then, I always was into a bit of drama.'

'All right then Angie' grinned Carrie, 'I assume that means that you're satisfied with his performance. Good.' She looked at her watch and said 'Let's have a cup of coffee Harry, before you go on your way shall we?'

Harry put his hand into his gym tunic pocket and said 'But I haven't got any money. They wanted to make sure that I couldn't get back earlier by taking a train or bus.'

'Oh that was mean wasn't it?' grinned Fiona, 'Well never mind, the coffee's on us. Come on, there's a coffee bar over there across the road.'

It was a friendly offer that Harry couldn't refuse, and he was growing to enjoy the girl's company, so they went into a nearby coffee bar and sat down. A waitress took their order, and as she did so she kept glancing at Harry. As soon as she went to fetch their coffees, Harry whispered 'She knows I'm a boy! I'm sure she does!'

Carrie took his hand. 'No she doesn't' she said reassuringly, 'It's just that old-fashioned school uniform you're wearing, it's bound to attract attention. By the way, why is it so old fashioned? I wouldn't be seen dead wearing a school uniform like that. How could anybody inflict it on someone?'

Harry decided it was time to come clean, and told them that he'd just spent a month in a 1950's style school for a TV programme. As he gave the details in full, the girls were clearly impressed, and Carrie said 'Does that mean we're going to see you on TV?'

'Yes I suppose so. But you won't see me dressed like this!'

The girls laughed good-naturedly, and Harry felt completely at ease with them. Suddenly he felt that his journey wasn't turning out to be the ordeal he'd expected, and he felt more relaxed than he'd been all day.

But eventually Carrie looked at her watch and said 'Well Harry, I'd love to talk some more, but I think you'd better be on your way. You've still got quite a few miles to go. By the way, do you have an email address I can contact you with?'

By now Harry trusted Carrie implicitly, and grateful to her for her sympathy and protection, he didn't hesitate to exchange email addresses with her. That done, she looked at him, frowned a little, and said 'By the way Harry, just a point. You may feel tempted to try and thumb a lift, but dressed like that I wouldn't recommend it. You could finish up in all sorts of trouble.'

Harry was ahead of her on that one. 'Yes' he replied, 'I've already thought of that. No, don't worry, I'll just concentrate on my walk, and hopefully I won't be pestered by too many people.'

He stood up to go, and Carrie gave him a little peck on the cheek. 'Good luck my little schoolgirl' she said with a friendly grin, 'And don't worry too much about how you're dressed. Remember that people only see what they think they see, and dressed like that you could only be a demure if rather old-fashioned looking schoolgirl. I'll look out for the TV programme, and I can't wait to tell all my friends at school how I met one of the boys. Except he was a girl of course' she giggled.

Harry thanked the girls for their invaluable help, and after saying goodbye, he set off up the Edgeware road once more.

He had about ten more miles to go, but fortunately he was a fit lad who enjoyed cross country running, and it wasn't a particularly daunting task for him. He walked along steadily, and soon realised that he was attracting very little attention. He began to almost enjoy the deception, and his confidence grew. Unfortunately, his confidence was to receive a severe jolt when he was about three miles short of his destination.

He suddenly came to what seemed to be some sort of common with broad stretches of grass interspersed with small clumps of trees, surrounded by a tall cast iron fence. A couple of hockey pitches lay to one side, next to a large group of buildings that was clearly a school. There was a small gate through the fence, and next to it was a sign which said St. Catherine's School for Girls. Founded 1847. A paved path led from the gate across to another gate in the distance on the other side of the sports ground.

The school grounds lay directly across Harry's path, and he realised that he could save himself valuable time by going straight across rather than making a long detour around the school grounds.

Two games of hockey were in progress, along with some athletics as well, and a large number of girls were obviously engaged in Saturday afternoon sports. Some of them were dressed in their sports uniforms, while the remainder wore their normal bottle green school uniform of blouse and skirt and a blazer. A few wore their bottle green gaberdine school raincoats with their hoods up to keep out a brisk cold breeze which had sprung up.

Harry faced a dilemma. Should he go around the school grounds, or chance not being noticed if he took the short cut across to the other gate? Surely they wouldn't mind anyway would they? In his anxiety to get to his destination as quickly as possible and with his newly acquired confidence in his appearance, he decided to risk it. He went through the gate and started walking along the path, concentrating on his girlish gait.

Harry should have remembered Carrie's advice when she'd said that despite his quite competent newly acquired walking technique, the odd girl would probably still spot that he was a boy. And surrounded by a couple of hundred girls, the odds were that at least one of them would notice.

About half way across the playing fields was a small wooden pavilion with a cluster of girls around it chattering in lively fashion. Harry had meant to avert his gaze and walk past them as casually as possible, but he suddenly noticed three girls talking to each other while they stood on the path, directly blocking his way. There was nothing for it, he had to get past them, so he looked at one and said 'Excuse me, can I come through?' It was a fatal error. His voice was a complete giveaway.

She looked up, starred at him intently, and then a broad smile crossed her face before she started giggling. 'What the.....?' she exclaimed, 'It's a boy! Look girls, it's a bloke all dressed up as a sweet little schoolgirl!' All eyes were suddenly upon Harry, and a chorus of giggles and laughter came from all sides. Surrounded on all sides, he was in no position to walk out of this situation. Suddenly, a detour around the school seemed by far the better option, but it was far too late for that now.

'Let's have a look at him' grinned one tall athletic girl, and she went to lift Harry's hat off his head. She gave it a tug, and soon found that it wasn't going anywhere. Then she grabbed one of his pigtails and pulled it, jerking his head round.'

'Don't do that' yelled Harry, blushing crimson with humiliation, 'They won't come off. They're glued on.'

'What!' she laughed 'Glued on? So they won't come off? How delightful. My goodness, you are in a pickle aren't you little girl?' Amid further laughter, Harry was bombarded with teasing and taunts.

'Doesn't he look cute Margaret?' said another, looking at the tall girl, who seemed to be in charge, 'I mean, just look at that school uniform, he must be squirming with humiliation in that lot.'

'It's a classic isn't it? Blouse and gymslip, school hat, and his hair in pigtails with cute hair ribbons on the end. That's exactly the kind of school uniform I'd run a mile from. Imagine having to wear that every day!'

'I know what you mean. He looks like my little sister. Her primary school uniform's just like that.'

'Well the question is' said Margaret suddenly, 'What are we going to do with him? We can't just let him go can we? This is far too good an opportunity to have some fun.'

'You're right' said another, and turning to Harry she said 'But first of all, you'd better tell us how you came to be in this fix. How come you're walking through our school grounds dressed as a girl? You should have asked and we'd have lent you one of our school uniforms. At least you would have been properly dressed!'

A chorus of giggles followed, and Harry hoped that by explaining everything he could elicit the sympathy he'd received from Carrie and her two friends. He repeated his tale of woe, but it seemed that these girls had already decided to have some fun at his expense, and as they spoke he had the feeling that some of them had had a bad experience at the hand of boys, and this was their way of getting their own back at the male species. And it seemed that Harry was going to be the sacrificial lamb.

'So then they dumped me back near the Oval dressed like this' he said pathetically, finishing his tale of woe. There was a moment's silence, but Harry could tell by their grim smiles that they weren't sympathetic. Quite the opposite in fact. Margaret looked at Harry thoughtfully for a moment, and then said 'I have a feeling that we've only heard half the story. Even I wouldn't do this to a bloke except as a punishment for doing something pretty lousy. No, somehow I reckon he deserved it, so I think we should continue with his punishment. Let's take him inside out of sight and have some fun. Grab him girls.'

For the second time that day, Harry was restrained by strong and willing hands, and the girls dragged him into the pavilion.

'Right' said Margaret, 'Put him up against that post and we'll tie him up.' He was quickly held up against a vertical beam that supported the roof, and while the girls held his hands together behind it, Margaret took some lengths of rope and tied him to it securely by the neck, chest, waist and ankles. Then she took a small rubber ball, forced it into his mouth, and cutting some strips of adhesive strapping tape, taped Harry's mouth shut. Then the girls stepped back to admire their handiwork.

For the second time that day Harry squirmed against the ropes that held him and tried to yell out in protest. But all he could do was wriggle slightly and make a muffled 'Mmmmmf!' He was well and truly stuck again.

'Right' grinned Margaret, 'That should do. Tell the others that they can come in and have a good laugh at him for the next couple of hours. I suppose we'll have to let him go eventually, but at least it will teach him not to trespass on our school grounds. Come on, let's go and tell them.' She turned to Harry, pulled on one of his pigtails and said 'Have fun little schoolgirl. We certainly will, anyway!'

And so began two hours of excruciating humiliation for Harry. His former arrogance was by now a distant memory, and he deeply regretted the conceit that had brought about his downfall. But at least he was genuinely sorry, and perhaps this punishment, although a fatal blow to his pride, was the beginning of a new and more amenable boy.

In ones and twos, a continuous procession of girls came into the pavilion to tease and taunt Harry with immunity, which the smaller girls particularly enjoyed. They tickled him and pulled his pigtails, and generally enjoyed having a boy completely at their mercy for once.

But all things come to an end, and eventually, Margaret and a couple of the others came back into the pavilion. 'Well that was fun' she said, grinning at Harry, 'But I suppose we'd better let you go.' She removed his gag, but he decided to say and do nothing that might annoy them. All he wanted was to be off the school grounds and on his way as soon as possible.

The girls untied him and took him outside again. Margaret looked at him and said 'Well off you go little girl. Have a nice walk back to school. Somehow I don't think we'll be seeing a schoolgirl like you again!

Harry turned and fled at a brisk walking pace along the footpath to the jeers of the girls, and was relieved that they didn't follow him. He went through the gate out onto the street, and with a groan of relief continued his walk.

He was glad to find that there weren't to many pedestrians about, and nobody challenged him. And he almost gave a shout of joy when he finally drew near to his destination. He walked in through the main gate and up to the school buildings. The place seemed deserted, and for a moment he feared that Hilary's earlier prediction might be true. What if the place was locked up and everybody really had gone? Then he remembered that she'd told him that Matron lived there permanently.

Not really caring that she was about to see him dressed as one of the girls, Harry made his way upstairs to Matron's living quarters and knocked on the door. A voice said 'Come in,' and he opened the door and went in.

Matron was sitting at a table writing, and looked up as he entered. For a moment she saw the school uniform and obviously thought Harry was one of the girls, but after a few seconds she frowned and stood up. She came over to him, peered at his face and said 'Harry Jackson? What on earth are you doing here dressed like that? What on earth's happened? Come and sit down on the sofa and tell me all about it.'

Harry decided that a full and completely truthful account of how he came to be in such a predicament was required, including the fact that his obnoxious behaviour was the reason why. As he recounted the day's events, Matron listened sympathetically, yet at the same time she couldn't help grinning occasionally.

When he'd finished, she looked at him with a good-humoured smile and said 'I see. Well that certainly accounts for the school uniform. I wondered which girl you were when you first came in through the door. Well I must admit it was a rather drastic punishment, and I certainly don't approve. Officially that is. But unofficially' she grinned, 'I imagine it's done you some good. Perhaps from now on you'll think more carefully before you put the backs up all your colleagues with such arrogant insensitivity. You must try harder not to aggravate people Harry, otherwise you'll make too many enemies, they'll gang up on you, and this is the result. I imagine it's a lesson you'll never forget' she said with a grin, and Harry nodded his head vigorously.

'Well now' she continued, 'I suppose you'll want to get changed. Or would you prefer to go home dressed like that?'

'No!' Harry exclaimed rapidly, and she smiled good-naturedly. 'I thought not' she said. She put her hands up and tugged at Harry's hat and pigtails. 'My goodness they are well stuck on aren't they?' she murmured, 'Where did you say that glue solvent is?'

'In the student's common room in room 4b, along with my clothes.'

'All right' she replied, 'Go and get your case from your dormitory and bring it back here. I'll go and get the solvent and your clothes from the common room. Then we'll see if we can turn you back into a boy again' she added with a twinkle in her eye.

Harry gratefully sped off to fetch his case, and a moment later, Matron joined him again in her room and set about removing the hat and wig. Fortunately the superglue solvent was quite effective, and after about 15 minutes the wig lifted off Harry's head and he gave a sigh of relief.

'Better?' smiled Matron.

'Much!' said Harry with feeling.

'Good' she said, as he removed his blazer, 'Now let me help you out of the rest of this uniform. The girls were always complaining how uncomfortable it is to wear, though I don't know why. When I was their age I wore a school uniform like that all the time.'

'Well the blouse is certainly uncomfortable' replied Harry ruefully, rubbing his neck, 'One of them put itching powder round the collar and it's been driving me mad all day.'

'That was naughty. Yes your neck does look rather red' said Matron as she unfastened the belt and shoulder buttons of the gym tunic and lifted it off over his head. Next came the shoes and socks, and finally the tie, blouse and navy blue knickers. He was free at last.

'There you are' said Matron, 'Now come into my bathroom and take a shower. And shampoo your hair. Hopefully that solvent hasn't done any permanent damage.' She led the way into her en suite bathroom, and left Harry to clean himself up.

Twenty minutes later he emerged, feeling totally renewed. He quickly dressed in his normal clothes and suddenly felt none the worse for his ordeal.

'I've just phoned your parents to let them know you've been delayed' said Matron. 'I didn't tell them why, I thought I'd leave that to you' she added with a grin. 'Now I'll drive you to the station. Let's get you home as soon as possible.'

Harry picked up his case, and with a last look at Hilary's school uniform now hanging up neatly on a hanger, he followed Matron downstairs to her car. Ten minutes later she dropped him off at Watford Station to catch his train home.

It wasn't a long train journey, but to Harry it went by far too quickly as he wondered how on earth he was going to explain why he'd been delayed. To tell his mother and father that he'd just spent the day walking through the streets dressed as a girl was something that he just couldn't bring himself to admit. So he made up a story saying that he'd simply been delayed by a detour via London with his schoolfriends.

But truth will out. Harry's erstwhile colleagues had the last laugh when a week later a package of photographs came through the post addressed to his mother with a note of explanation. And that was when Harry learned that it's better to be nice than nasty. Well we all have to learn to get on with others sooner or later don't we?

And yet Harry's ordeal did bear fruit. His day of salutary humiliation, well earned by his arrogance, turned him from the path of unfeeling conceit to a much more sensible and fulfilling attitude to others. And his reward came in the form of an email he received from Carrie that led him to a fulfilling courtship. And after that? Well that would be telling, wouldn't it? 'All's well that ends well' as the poet says. Let's just leave it at that.

 

THE END

  

  

  

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