Heather                         by: Jacki Pett

 

Part 1

Nick was getting annoyed at Walter. "Come on, don’t be such a pussy."

"I’m no pussy!" Walter insisted. He was just scared to death, but he wouldn’t admit that to Nick.

Walter had never tried to get served in a bar before. Sure, he had the fake ID Nick had loaned him but he was only seventeen and he knew he looked younger.

"I’m coming." Walter told Nick as his new friend waited with his hand on the door.

"Well, hurry up." Nick said impatiently.

Walter could feel his knees shaking. He had never done anything like this in his life. He never did anything that might get him into trouble. Weak knees and all, he hesitantly followed Nick through the door into the dimly lit bar.

Up until two weeks ago Walter lived at home with his Mother. It had only been 13 days ago that she had the accident and left him alone in the world. He wasn’t exactly completely alone, he did have an uncle that he had never met until the funeral. A drunken bum of an Uncle that it took him only days to learn to hate.

Life certainly wasn’t anything like it used to be. His new home was a dump. He now lived in a new city where he knew no one. No one except his new friend, Nick. Nick was no prize but at least he was someone to hang around with, an excuse to get out of the house.

Walter was doing a lot of things he had never done before. He was smoking and drinking, to name a few. Just yesterday, he and Nick were shoplifting at the drug store. Nick did some pretty wild stuff. Maybe it was because it was all so new and different to Walter, maybe that’s why he went along with it all. At least he had someone to call a friend. Hanging around with Nick was pretty exciting, and just a little scary.

If Walter’s mother could see what he was doing, up there in heaven, she’d be really ashamed of him. She always told him what a good boy he was. It bothered him that he thought that way. Nick had told him he was a pussy for thinking like that when he objected to doing some of the things they did together. Walter never mentioned his mother again after that.

His uncle didn’t seem to give a damn what he did. He was always either boozing it up with his buddies at the house or off somewhere with them.

Uncle Jack used to have a job. From what Walter had learned, he used to have lots of jobs but the drinking always seemed to get him fired. He was between jobs right now but he was getting by on the money from his mother’s insurance, the money he received monthly from his Mom’s will, to support Walter.

There was a little money put away for Walter when he reached eighteen. His Uncle wasn’t supposed to touch it, thank God.

Walter and his Uncle didn’t get along very well. Uncle Jack had always lived alone. He never married, according to his mother. Walter could understand why. Everything had to be his way. He had hit Walter more than once or twice when he was drunk, hungover or just in one of his bad moods. Uncle Jack didn’t like having Walter living with him and, if it wasn’t for the money, he’d probably have thrown him out.

Their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Nick pointed to the far side of the bar. It was darker there and no one was sitting nearby. Nick had told Walter that he had been here before so it was a sure thing that they’d get served. Walter wasn’t so sure.

There were a couple of guys at the bar. One turned and looked at them as they walked over to sit down. Walter turned his eyes away from him.

Several of the booths were occupied. One held an old man and woman, they seemed oblivious of everyone, sitting in the cloud of smoke from their cigarettes.

Another was occupied by two girls. They weren’t girls exactly, they looked like they were about twenty two, twenty three and not all that bad looking, at least not in this light.

The third booth was the noisy one. Three guys, rednecks, were pretty well lit and still drinking heavily. Again, Walter looked away when they took notice of the newcomers to the place.

Nick climbed up on the stool and the bartender, an old guy, about fifty, came right over. "Let’s see some ID boys." Walter hadn’t even sat down yet.

This is it, Walter thought to himself. We’ll never get served. The sweat was running down his back. This guy will probably call the police on us. We’ll go to jail and they’ll have to call Uncle Jack to bail me out. He’ll kill me.

George looked at the driver’s license Nick handed him. He remembered seeing they kid before. He handed back the fake license.

"Now you." He said to the other one and held his hand out, looking very stern.

Walter reached into his back pocket for his wallet. He didn’t raise his eyes to the man.

It said he was just over twenty one. The picture didn’t look anything like him really but the guy in the picture had light brown hair and blue eyes, just like his.

George looked from the ID to the boy. ‘Can’t be more than fifteen’ he said to himself, looking at the baby faced boy in front of him. ‘Hell, it looked like it was going to be a really slow night.’ He flipped the ID back on the bar. "What’ll it be?"

Walter was amazed. He never dreamed he’d actually get served.

Nick responded without hesitation. "Iced tea... Long Island."

Walter hadn’t expected to get this far. He hadn’t given a thought to what he’d have. "I’ll have the same." He told the bartender in a shaky voice.

In a moment their drinks were in front of them and the bartender disappeared to the other end of the bar, to pass the time with his regulars.

"Told ya." Nick said with a smile on his face as he lifted his glass to his lips.

"Yea, great." Walter answered, lifting his glass too. He had never tasted an Iced Tea. It wasn’t bad. It didn’t even taste like there was any booze in the drink. He took another gulp.

Nick lit up and offered a cigarette to Walter. "Ya gotta smoke. It makes you look older."

That’s all Walter needed to hear. He hardly coughed any more when he smoked and the drink helped sooth his throat.

While they waited for the bartender to notice them so the could get another drink, they watched two girls come in and join the others they’d been watching in the booth across from them, on the other side of the bar.

One of them was quite striking, the tall one the others called Renie. It wasn’t that she was beautiful. She was tall, at least 5’10", and she had a full head of long, beautiful dark brown hair. She was so skinny that it seemed you could but your hands around her waist and your fingers would touch. She was wearing skin tight jeans and looked hot.

From the other end of the bar, Walter and Nick heard a comment whispered by one of the old guys. "Oh great, the Lesbos are here."

Walter understood what he meant and turned to study the two new arrivals. They didn’t look or act like they were queers but his curiosity was peaked so he watched them as they greeted their friends.

They hugged, they kissed each other on the cheek. Walter had seen lots of girls do that but he’d never actually seen a lesbian, at least as far as he knew. Maybe they were gay?

Linda heard the comment as they said hello to Patty and Carol. Renie obviously didn’t hear. What jerks, she thought to herself as she looked over at the bar flies. She thought about making a remark, telling them they were wrong, but what good would it do? They were all drunk, or well on their way, they wouldn’t believe her. She decided to just let it go. They were here to have a few drinks and a good time.

Walter and Nick were on their third iced tea. Walter was beginning to relax. He was starting to feel no pain as he sipped his drink.

The guys down the bar continued to make quiet snide remarks to themselves, not directly at the girls. When the group of girls started to play darts with each other, the remarks became more vocal. Nick was beginning to join in. Walter wouldn’t have thought to say anything himself but he felt like he had to do something so as not to appear sympathetic toward the girls. He joined Nick as he laughed at the guys jokes.

Nick had been smoking one after another and he was out of cigarettes. "Hey George," By now they knew the bartender’s name, "Let me have some change for the cigarette machine." Nick held out a couple of singles.

"Machine’s broke." He told Nick. "You gotta go down to the corner, to the Seven Eleven for cigarettes." George still didn’t like the idea of serving these kids, even if they did have IDs. He turned back to his friends.

"Shit!" Nick said. He turned to Walter. "I’ll be back in a couple of minutes." With that he slid off the stool to go.

"Wait a minute till I finish this and I’ll go with you." Walter didn’t want to stay there alone.

"Don’t be such a pussy." It was one of Nick’s favorite sayings. "I don’t need you to hold my hand. Just wait here, I’ll be right back."

Walter hoped that no one over heard Nick, he was getting a little loud. No point in making a scene. Nick would be back. How long could it take to walk to the corner and back? "Yea, right. I’ll be here. Don’t take too long."

"What are you worried about? Afraid the queers will attack you?" Nick asked, just a little too loud. Everyone looked their way, including the girls.

Walter felt like he had to say something or he’d look like a fool. Showing more nerve than he really commanded, he answered. "It’d be the best screwing they ever had." Walter made sure he said it loud enough for the other guys to hear. Of course, the girls heard it too.

Nick slapped Walter on the back. "You bet it would."

Walter got a chorus of applause from the guys. That made him feel pretty good. He was accepted as one of them now.

Nick left, going around the bar and past the girls. He sneered as he went by and out the door.

Up till now they hadn’t really taken much notice of the two boys. They had seen them across the room, in the dark corner, but couldn’t make them out very well in the shadows. With the comment the one made they all turned their attention toward him. It still wasn’t worth saying anything.

"How old do you suppose that little shit is?" Renie asked no one in particular.

None of the could see him very well. Linda commented, "He’s just a big mouthed kid. Ignore him. Let’s play another game." They’d just gotten another pitcher of beer.

Walter was on his fifth Long Island Iced Tea and he had passed feeling no pain with his third. Nick still hadn’t returned with his cigarettes and Walter was beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. He looked at his watch. How long had it been? Forty five minutes, an hour? It was a little hard to read his watch. It looked like it was eleven thirty. Maybe he better go see what happened to him, he decided.

He gathered his change off the bar, completely forgetting to leave ‘George’ a tip. The second he slid from the stool and his feet hit the floor, his head started spinning and his legs turned to rubber. Walter grabbed the edge of the bar to steady himself.

George could see the kid was drunk but he was able to stand so he could get out of the bar on his own two feet. "Ya oughta wait for your friend. You’re not drivin are ya?"

He heard the words but took a second to respond. His words were slurred. "No..., I walked." Actually Nick had driven them. He was sure Nick must be just outside.

He took a deep breath and mustered all his strength. He had to get out of there on his own two feet. It would be too embarrassing to be carried out.

He cleared the end of the bar, moving slowly with careful steps. He used the backs of empty stools to steady himself. Now all he had to do was cross the open floor to the door. It was only about twenty feet.

He steered for the door but he walked anything but a straight line.

The girls noticed him as he came around the bar, watching him. As he neared them they got their first good look at Walter.

Walter had gone out of his way to look his best tonight. Nick had said they’d probably pick up some girls so he wore his new black silk shirt and his gray dress slacks. He felt like he was dressed to kill, at least that’s what Nick said. Walter wasn’t as confident.

Now Walter felt anything but selfassured. All he wanted to do was reach the door.

Patty wanted a better look at the loud mouthed kid with the wise ass mouth but was shocked at what she saw. "That crack came out of him? He looks more like a little girl than any kind of bad ass stud." It was their turn to harass him.

"Come on pretty boy. You can make it." Carol said to him laughing, as they watched the boy weave his way toward them.

Walter was staggering pretty badly as he came across the floor but he was still alert enough to hear and understand the crack. He stopped and looked at them. "Fuck You!" He told the four of them then resumed his effort to reach the door.

"Sweet thing, you’re not man enough." Linda said, joining the others as they laughed. She almost felt sorry for him.

"I’m not sure he’s even a boy." Renie added. He did look more like a girl than a boy with his small soft features and shoulder length hair.

Walter didn’t have the presence of mind to think up a retort. He had been made fun of for years because of the way he looked and he was sick of it. He paused with his hand on the door and turned to them. "Fuck You!" He said again.

Walter stumbled out the door, hearing the sound of their laughter before the door closed.

Outside, in the warm July night, the drinks really hit him and his legs gave out under him. He raised his head and looked around for Nick’s car. It wasn’t where they had parked it. Now what was he going to do, he asked himself?

Walter pulled himself up by the door handle of the nearest car. Holding on for support, he made his way to the rear of the car where nausea overcame him. He threw up all over the back of the car.

It didn’t help clear his head. Walter felt like he was going to pass out. He didn’t want to pass out on the ground, right there in the middle of the parking lot. He looked into the back seat of the car, the one he just threw up on. The soft seat looked so inviting. Walter tried the door. It wasn’t locked.

He pulled the door closed behind him and collapsed on the seat. Before he lost consciousness, another wave of nausea erupted from his stomach as he passed out.

They finished their game. They finished their pitcher. Tonight didn’t turn out the way their night out usually did. "We were dumb to come to this dump. We should have gone downtown like we planned." Renie said, exasperated.

"Next time we’ll know better." Linda agreed.

"I’m never coming here again." Patty looked back at the derelicts at the bar as they walked out of the place.

"What now?" Carol asked. She wasn’t ready to call it a night just yet.

"I’m beat. I’m going home." Patty told them. She had just come off of a double shift at the hospital and she just wanted to fall into bed.

Linda wasn’t ready to call it quits yet either. "You want to come back to my place? I’ve got a gallon of fudge ripple ice cream and I’ll make us a pot of decaf?"

"Oooh, fudge ripple?" Renie knew she shouldn’t. One spoonful of that and she’d probably gain five pounds. But it sounded so good. "I’m game."

It sounded pretty good to Carol too. Frowning at her friend, she said, "You’re mean Linda," Then the devilish smile crossed her face. "but I’m not passing that up." Carol didn’t have to worry about her weight. She was one of those girls that could eat anything and never gain a pound.

"We playing tennis in the morning?" Patty asked as she walked toward her car.

"Sure," Carol answered. "see you around nine?"

"That early?" Patty remarked with mock dismay as she unlocked her car door and slid behind the wheel.

They each had their own cars and kept an eye on each other until they were safely inside and the doors were locked.

Patty pulled out first and turned right. Linda followed her out of the lot, with Renie and Carol right behind her, turning left toward her place.

Renie was no sooner out on the street when she smelled the horrible odor rising from the back seat. Traffic and the constant procession of stop signs kept her from stopping the car to find out what would cause the car to smell so badly. Renie could see Carol behind her, in the rear view mirror. If she pulled off onto a side street then Carol would probably follow her. Renie decided she would just drive on, to Linda’s. Renie shut off the air conditioning and opened all her windows. It was only about three blocks more to Linda’s. She’d find out there what was causing the car to stink so.

Renie was quick to jump out of the car after pulling to a abrupt halt in Linda’s driveway. Instinctively she slammed the door on the smell as soon as she got out.

Linda, who saw her almost jump from the car asked, "What’s the matter?" She saw the way Renie contorted her face.

"I don’t know." She looked at Linda, concerned. "Something smells rotten in the car."

Carol walked up the driveway to the back of Renie’s car. What she saw on the trunk turned her stomach. "I know what’s rotten."

The other two looked in the direction she was.

"Someone threw up on your car." Carol backed away from the smell.

The others came back to look but no one got too close. "Uhuu, disgusting." Linda held her nose.

It turned Renie’s stomach too but what she didn’t understand was, "But I smelled it inside the car? With the windows closed."

Carol walked over to the front door and reached for the handle. She was looking into the back seat as the door opened and the light came on. Carol was surprised, but not alarmed. "I know why." She pointed.

Renie and Linda stepped over next to her.

"Oh Shit." Was all Renie could say.

"It’s him." Carol said, surprised. "The kid from the bar."

"And he’s thrown up all over the back of my car." Renie was fuming. First they have to take insults from him, and then he does this. "Let’s get him out of there."

No one particularly wanted to touch him. Linda shook his shoulder, violently with no reaction from the unconscious boy. "He’s out cold." Linda looked from Renie to Carol.

"He’s going to clean this up." Renie said fuming.

"Not tonight he’s not." Carol said, shaking her head.

"Let’s just lift him out and set him on the ground." Linda grabbed under his arms. She was amazed how easy he was to move. "This kid’s a real lightweight."

Renie and Carol each took a leg as Linda pulled him from the car. Now the light from the streetlight shone full in his face. Carol couldn’t help but remark again, "I can’t believe how much he looks like a girl."

"You’re right," Linda agreed. "Look at those big blue eyes and his little nose and mouth. I bet his mother didn’t have much trouble deciding what he should be on Halloween.

"What the hell are we going to do with him?" Renie asked the others.

"I don’t know but we can’t just leave him on the lawn for the night." Even after the way he acted and what he did to Renie’s car they just couldn’t leave him outside. Besides, he looked so sweet to Linda.

"Come on, we’ll put him in the guest bedroom for the night." Linda said as she bent down to pick him up.

Renie was shocked, "You’re going to let him sleep it off in your house?"

"We can’t leave him on the lawn all night." Agreed Carol. She went to help Linda.

"Besides," Linda added, "this way he’ll be here in the morning to clean your car."

"She’s right Renie." Carol looked at Renie for help. He wasn’t heavy but carrying a limp body was awkward.

Fortunately, he hadn’t thrown up on himself but he still stunk. In the bedroom, they set him on the floor at Linda’s insistence. "I’m not putting him in one of my beds, smelling like that."

"It’s in his clothes." Carol said, holding her nose.

"Let’s get him out of them. I’ll wash him up before we put him into bed." Linda started by pulling off his shoes.

"Do you know what it’s going to be like getting his pants and shirt off?" Carol argued.

"Well then, cut them off. There’s a scissors in the drawer." Linda pointed toward the desk against the wall.

"If we do that what will he wear home in the morning?" Renie asked. Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea when she thought about it. It’d serve him right to have to find his way home without clothes on.

Renie retrieved the scissors from the desk. She proceed to cut his pants from the cuff to the waist. They rolled him over and cut his black silk shirt from collar to hem.

"Too bad, it was a pretty shirt." Carol commented as Renie threw it on top of the pants by the door.

"Serves him right." Was all Renie said.

Linda went to the bathroom for a wash cloth, towel and a basin of soapy water.

"Skinny little thing, isn’t he." Carol said looking down on him.

"Petite." Renie agreed. Then she bent down with her scissors and snipped his Jockey briefs from waist to leg.

"Why’d you do that." Carol asked, only mildly surprised. She had to admit she was a little curious.

"I don’t know, for fun?" Renie answered as she dropped the flap that was left of his underwear, between his legs. "Oh my, isn’t that cute?"

Carol covered her mouth with her open fingers, "Adorable," She chuckled, "it’s so tiny."

"The boy definitely has some growing to do." Linda said, also smirking, as she walked into the bedroom with the wash pan.

"Is this the same little drunk who said he’d like to give us the best screwing we ever had? The little thing has quite an imagination." Renie said laughing.

Renie stood up and looked at her friends. "I have an idea. I know how we can have a little fun with him and get even at the same time." The smile on her face was from ear to ear.

Carol had also been thinking, after studying the boy in the light. "If you’re thinking what I think you’re thinking, the answer is yes." Again she looked down and thought how adorable he looked.

Linda looked from one to the other of her friends and understood as though she read their minds. "It could be fun. Let’s get him cleaned up."

Clean, dry and quite oblivious to what was going on, they put Walter on the bed.

Carol asked Linda, "Do you have any of that duct tape left that we used to pack those boxes we sent to your sister last month?"

"Sure, it’s in the garage. Be right back." Linda headed for the garage.

"Don’t you think his eyebrows are a little bushy Carol?" Renie asked grinning.

"Oh definitely. They just cry out for plucking and shaping." Carol grinned back at her friend.

"My purse is on the kitchen table. I have a pair of tweezers in it."

Carol quickly volunteered, "I’ll get it for you." She was back when Linda returned from the garage.

"Thanks Lin." Carol took the tape and cut off a piece of the wide adhesive with the scissors. She trimmed it to fit between his legs, cutting only the tiniest hole in the middle. Carefully, she pulled the skin of his little penis up to the tip so that when she gathered all the loose skin she could, it appeared that his appendage had been pushed up inside him. Then she carefully attached the tip to the back of the tape. This way he could still pee but would have to sit like a girl to do it.

His little testicles, flattened by the tape that ran from his rectum up to just above his crotch, seemed to disappear.

"Perfect." Carol admired her handiwork. "He doesn’t have a lot of hair down there but he’s going to have a lot less when he tears that tape off." She said, smiling.

"My turn now." Renie told the others.

"What’s she going to do?" Linda asked.

"Just watch." Carol told her friend, beaming.

It didn’t take a second to figure it out. "Oh delightful." Lin remarked as Renie started plucking his eyebrows.

They watched as it took Renie almost a half hour before she was satisfied with the way he looked. Gone were his bushy eyebrows.

"Just look at him. Isn’t he just precious." Carol was thrilled with the way he was taking shape.

Renie stroked his chin. "I don’t think he’s even started shaving yet. His face is so smooth."

"I want to do his hair." Linda insisted.

"I don’t know, with him in this condition it won’t be easy." Renie was concerned about how to handle him like this.

"I know but it would be such a waste to go to this much trouble and not do something with it."

"You’re right." Carol agreed. Then it struck her. "Whatever happened to that wig you use to have?"

"What wig?" Linda didn’t have any wig.

"That’s right," Renie chimed in. "remember the one you wore a few years ago for that Halloween party.

"Oh, that one. Sorry, I threw that out last year." Now she really wished she hadn’t. That would have been perfect. It almost matched his hair color.

"Damn." Carol was disappointed.

"Well then, I guess we’ll just have to style his hair." Renie sighed with mock disappointment.

"I don’t mind at all." Lin said smiling. "Let’s take a kitchen chair into the bathroom and we’ll sort of tie him in it. I know I can manage."

"What about his legs?" Carol asked. He had only fine hair on his legs but they still looked funny.

"You want to shave him?" Renie asked smiling.

"We’ll we certainly can’t leave him looking like that." Linda agreed. "I’d be a little leery of shaving him though.

"Do you have any Nair?" Carol asked.

"I just bought a new bottle." Linda said smiling.

"While you do that and his hair, I’m going to run out to the all night drug store and pick up a few things." As long as they were going this far, Renie had something else she wanted to do. "I’ll be back in a half hour."

"We’ll be fine, go ahead." Carol said as the started to get him up out of the bed.

Renie took almost an hour. "Got it."

Linda and Carol had washed his hair, conditioned it and given him a simple cut. They had agreed on how to style his hair and it needed a little shaping. Lin was half finished setting it in rollers. "He’s going to be absolutely adorable when I’m finished with him."

Carol did two applications of the delapatory before she was satisfied with his smooth legs.

Renie held up one of the things she bought at the store. "What do you think?" It was a set of glue on plastic nails.

Both Carol and Linda loved the idea. While Lin finished rolling his hair, Renie and Carol went to work on his nails. They didn’t stop with his fingers, as much work as it took to get them looking just so. They also put several layers of deep red polish and clear sealer on his toenails.

He was still out cold but they didn’t know for how much longer. His hair was set and they would finish it in the morning. "We better get him into bed." Linda suggested. "You two are going to spend the night, aren’t you?" It was Friday and none of them had to work over the weekend.

"You couldn’t throw us out of here." Renie told her.

"I want to be here in the morning when he wakes up." Carol didn’t want to miss that for anything.

They put him back in bed. "He can’t just go to bed naked." Renie said smiling. "Lin, don’t you have some old thing he could wear?"

"I’m sure I can find something." She hurried off to her bedroom.

Now it was time for Renie to take out some of her other purchases. "Help me slip these on him Carol."

"Those are lovely. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled." Carol lifted his feet and then his bottom while Renie pulled up the silky pink lace panties. The small front panel was of solid material and hid the tape nicely.

"Oh my! They look precious on him." Linda remarked when she came back carrying a nightie she found in the back of her drawer. It was a white, lightweight, soft cotton and lace sleep shirt. The long sleeves and neckline were beautifully trimmed in delicate lace with satin ties on both the neck and sleeves.

"That’s perfect." Carol loved it.

"It’s almost a shame to waste it on him, it’s so pretty." Renie thought it was gorgeous.

"I can’t wear it. For some reason the lace bothers me when I sleep. It was a gift from my mother." It wasn’t like Lin would miss it.

They had a little trouble getting him into it, but finally managed.

"Now just in case he wakes up before we do, I bought us a little insurance." The last items in her bag were restraints. "They go on his wrists and ankles, across his hips and chest and I even bought a strap for across his forehead." Renie proudly showed the others.

"Isn’t he going to be awfully uncomfortable?" Lin asked, concerned.

"He’ll be fine Lin." Renie assured her. She wasn’t the least concerned for his comfort.

"I understand the rest, but why a head restraint?" Carol asked.

"We want to be here when he discovers how lovely he looks now. Don’t we?"

You dummy, Carol called herself. "Of course."

They got him all strapped down. It was almost three in the morning and they were suddenly very tired. Morning was going to come early and they needed to get some sleep.

Linda loaned them both something to sleep in. Renie insisted that Carol take the other bed in Linda’s bedroom and she would sleep on the couch. "I want to be close just in case he wakes up and cries out."

The three young women called it a night.

He had no idea where he was or what he was doing there. Morning sunlight shone in through the window next to the bed. With his head throbbing, it hurt his eyes. He retreated in merciful darkness, holding his eyes shut tight. Not too tight because that made his head pound even worse than it was. Walter knew what a hangover felt like.

His recollection of the night before was vague. He remembered the bar. At least he remembered going there. He remembered how nervous he was and how relieved he felt when they got served without getting into trouble. Beyond that he recalled very little.

He did know he felt terrible. His head was pounding and his throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton.

He just laid there, afraid to move. Certain that the slightest movement would cause his head to fall off. Now he felt the urgent need to get something to drink, to wash away the desert like dryness in his throat. Walter was stunned to find he couldn’t move. He couldn’t even raise his arm. What had happened to him?

Renie heard him stirring. She had seen the dawn, as anxious as she was to get things started today. She went in and woke the others. "He’s awake. I can hear him testing his restraints."

"We’ll be right there." Linda told her, in a half yawn.

Carol stretched and yawned herself. "What time is it?"

"He didn’t do bad. It’s almost eight." Renie told her friend smiling.

"It feels more like six." Carol rarely got out of bed on Saturday before ten. Except on mornings she played tennis, like today. Now she was awake. "I almost forgot. Patty’s meeting me to play tennis this morning at nine."

"Call her and tell her to meet you here. She’ll love what we’ve done with our new friend." Renie suggested.

"She’ll think we’re crazy." Lin told Renie.

"Maybe, at first. When we tell her what he did and she see’s him looking the way he does, she’ll think it’s a hoot." Renie was confident that she’d get a charge out of the boy.

Lin had a thought. "While you’ve got her on the phone, ask her to bring her extra tennis outfit." Lin looked at Renie and Carol with a devilish little smile.

Renie and Carol loved it. "What a great idea." Renie said grinning.

"I’ll call her right now. Wait for me." Carol hurried to the kitchen.

Walter heard movement, people talking, elsewhere in the house. He still couldn’t figure out why he was strapped down in a bed. But who’s bed was it, and who’s house? What was going on?

They didn’t bother to get dressed. "After all, it’s just us girls." Carol said to Renie and Lin, laughing.

Renie did the honor of opening the door. "Good morning."

Walter was a little shocked to see three girls in nightgowns standing over him. It took him a few seconds to collect his wits and his nerve. "Who...who are you?"

Carol smiled down at him. "Well, I’m Carol. This is Linda and this is Renie."

Each of them said good morning to him.

Walter was still dumfounded and more than a little nervous. "Where am I." He asked sheepishly.

Renie answered this time. "You had a little too much to drink last night so we brought you home with us." Essentially it was the truth.

That sounded simple enough. He did drink too much, of that he was certain. So they took him home? He was just beginning to think maybe this wasn’t so bad when two things dawned on him. First, he recognized the tall one, the one they called Renie. She was one of the girls at the bar that everyone was making fun of last night.

Second, he was strapped down on a bed with these three standing over him.

Walter looked harder at the other two and struggled to remember. Eventually it came to him. The other two were there too. He was strapped down on a bed in this place with three lesbians standing over him! Walter was scared now. What did they want with him?

His fear showed. "Just relax dear, you’re alright." Linda assured him, stroking his head.

He was afraid to ask, but had to, "Why am I strapped down?"

It was Carol who answered, "We were just afraid that you’d wake up in a strange bed, in the dark and be frightened. If you got out of bed and wandered around you might have hurt yourself."

What nonsense! Walter dared only speak those words to himself. "I have to go to the bathroom." Why would that simple statement cause them to look at each other that way, he wondered? What were they smiling about?

"Just hang on for a minute or two honey. We’ll be right back." Carol told him.

"Do we just tell him outright?" Lin asked the others outside the closed bedroom door.

"No, let him discover everything for himself." Renie thought it would be more fun that way.

Carol had a thought, "Has either of you thought about what we should call him. We’ve got to have a name for him. Whatever his is, I don’t think we want to use it."

"Carol’s right. He’ll need a name." Renie agreed.

"How about Heather. I just love that name and he looks like a ‘Heather’ with that pretty brown hair of his." Linda always liked that name.

"Heather’s fine with me." Carol agreed.

"Good, that’s settled. Let’s go let our little girl out of bed."

 

It felt good to get the restraints off. The first thing Walter went to do was rub his wrists. That’s when he saw two things, the lace sleeves of the nightgown and his long red finger nails.

"What....?" He looked up into their smiling faces.

"What’s the matter Heather?" Renie asked.

No...What...? Walter looked at his other hand. Same long nails. He lifted his head off the pillow and looked down at the soft feminine nightgown he was wearing and couldn’t believe his eyes. "What have...? Why?"

"Calm down now Heather. You’re alright. There’s nothing to be upset about. Just relax." Lin knelt at the side of the bed and continued to stroke his forehead.

"WALTER!" He managed to blurt out with a voice that cracked.

"No dear, Heather." Renie told him.

In a very small, shaky voice he said to them, "My name is Walter."

"No dear, your name is Heather now." Carol told him, not cruelly, but forcibly. He looked so adorable.

Tears began to form in the corners of his eyes. "Why....?"

Linda, still comforting him, said, "You were very bad last night and now you have to be punished. You be a good girl for us today and we’ll let you go home later." That’s what they had all agreed on.

"What do you want from me?" He whispered, his voice shaking.

"Want?" Renie asked sweetly. "We don’t want anything from you dear." She smiled at the others. "We just thought you might learn a little lesson if the tables were turned for a day." Renie was really enjoying this. No longer was he the big mouthed jerk he had been last night. She thought the tears were a nice touch but they weren’t going to get him off the hook.

Walter still couldn’t remember what he had done to them last night. "I’m sorry, for whatever I did, I’m sorry." His tears continued to fall on his cheeks.

"Not yet you’re not sweetie, but I think you will be." Carol told him straight out.

He looked from one to the other. Each of their faces told him he wasn’t going to get out of this easily.

Up till now, The one called Renie was the only one that seemed angry. Now the blond, Carol seemed to have an attitude. She was shorter than the brunette, about his height. She was slender too but she was a little bigger chested than her friend. At first he thought she had a pretty face but it turned hard when she was angry.

"Come on with me to the bathroom and well wash you’re face. It will make you feel better." Linda offered him her hand.

He wasn’t about to take her hand. As Renie and Carol stepped aside, he swung his legs off the side of the bed and started to get to his feet. Directly in front of his was a large dresser with a long, tall mirror over it. He got his first good look at himself and dropped back to sit on the edge of the bed.

His hair was all done up in curlers.

Linda sat next to him. "Oh, don’t worry about those. When I get it brushed out you’ll love it."

For the first time in years, Walter wished he had listened to his mother and cut his hair short. "I look ridiculous." He said to no one in particular as he stared at himself in the mirror.

Carol laughed to herself, "No you don’t Heather. Most girls look that way when they first get up in the morning." She and Renie exchanged grins.

It wasn’t till then that he dropped his eyes from his hair to his eyebrows and realized what they’d done to his face. It made his stomach churn.

His reflection in the mirror had caught him off guard when he first went to stand up. He had felt something strange but his reflection got all his attention. Now he put his hand down to his crotch because he felt uncomfortable, strange. When his hand, through the soft cotton night shirt and panties, felt the tape he leapt from the bed. "What’s this?" He asked in shock, feeling for his penis and balls. He knew, but just couldn’t believe what they’d done.

Carol answered calmly. After all, it had been her handiwork. "Relax Heather. It’s just tape. It’s to make you look more.... natural." She explained to the frightened boy. "Just keep your hands off it." She told him.

Walter pulled up the night shirt and saw the lacy panties for the first time. Through them, he could feel the outline of the tape. It could have been worse, he thought to himself. They haven’t done anything he couldn’t undo.

Wearing the women’s underwear was embarrassing enough. Having the four of them looking at himself in them was worse. He dropped the nightie quickly.

Walter looked at his face in the mirror again. With his finger, he traced his slender, arched eyebrows. They were going to be a problem. How was he going to face anyone with those obviously feminine brows. Beyond being hung over, he felt sick to his stomach.

"Come on Honey. Let’s get your face washed." Linda took his hand and didn’t let go when he halfheartedly tried to pull free.

They all knew he realized how hopeless his situation was. The sooner he accepted it the better. He was calming down a little and let Linda lead him to the bathroom. Renie and Carol followed.

Walter stood facing the toilet. The one named Linda had followed him into the small room and the other two, Renie and Carol stood in the open doorway. He hesitated, hoping they’d leave him to go in private.

No one budged. "I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to do it standing up Heather. Just pull down your panties and sit down dear." Linda told him.

Linda’s condescending tone was beginning to drive him nuts. She talked to him so calmly and patiently, like he was a baby or something. She was also a blond like her friend Carol. Her hair was longer and a little lighter. She was just as slender as Carol but she had a fuller figure. Definitely more up top than the others. She seemed just a little flaky to Walter.

He had to go badly and he realized he would have to do as he was told. Walter turned around and pulled the panties to just above his knees. He squatted down to the toilet, pulling the nightie up behind him. He didn’t expose himself too badly but he could feel his face getting red.

"Isn’t that adorable. She’s blushing." Carol couldn’t get over how sweet he looked.

Walter ignored her. He had other things to think about. Where was the stream of piss going to go when he let go? There was no stream. It was more like a fast dribble. It had to be because he was packed so tightly under the tape.

It wasn’t till that moment that he noticed his legs. His hair was always so fine that his legs always were kind of smooth. But now there was a difference. He didn’t say anything as his hand rubbed the side of his thigh. Gone was the hair that had taken so long to grow. One of the few trademarks of his manhood was gone. It would grow back, he told himself anxiously.

After wiping himself, wiping the tape actually, he stood, pulling the panties back up. At least they covered him, somewhat. They were less than half the size of the briefs he was accustomed to wearing but better than nothing.

He looked to the girls who were looking at him so compassionately. At least that’s what he thought their expressions were showing. His look was a question, ‘now what?’.

"I’ll go ahead and fix Heather’s hair while the two of you get dressed and make breakfast." Linda suggested.

"That sounds good." Renie agreed. "Come on Carol." They left Linda to do her thing. The boy didn’t seem to have the heart left to resist.

Walter sat down on the toilet seat where the girl told him. He sat quietly, almost heartsick, While Linda took out the rollers and showed him, step by step, how to comb out his set.

"Pay attention dear." She had to tell him from time to time when his thoughts wandered.

When Linda was finished, his hair was no longer shoulder length. It came almost even with his chin and tickled him where it brushed his face. The right side of his face was partially covered with his thick soft wavy hair. No longer did it hang limp at the sides and back. It was full and thick. How odd he looked, Walter thought in disgust, like a freak. No matter how much he pushed it to the side, it fell back in front of his face.

"No silly, let it fall. You look so pretty with it that way." Linda told him. She was proud of herself. If his hair had only bit a little longer she could have done so much more with it. No, he looked lovely the way it was.

All he needed now was a little makeup. Not too much, that would spoil his look. Besides, they were going to take him outside to wash Renie’s car.

Walter had been sitting backwards on the toilet, so that he could see. Now Linda needed him to turn around. "Turn around and face me Heather. I want to take a good look at your eyes."

Walter slowly followed her direction. The whole time he sat there he considered jumping up and running. Where would he go? He couldn’t go outside, dressed the way he was, in only a nightgown and women’s panties.

Linda took his chin in her hand and raised his face to her’s. "You really have the prettiest big blue eyes Heather." She said smiling at her creation.

Softly pleading, he replied, "Walter, my name is Walter."

Linda didn’t become impatient. "No sweetie. It’s definitely Heather." She told him smiling.

What’s the use, he asked himself? He wasn’t going anywhere until he found his clothes then he’d run like hell out of there. His hair might look funny but a hose would take care of that in a hurry. He’d find one in a yard somewhere on the way home.

Just a little eye shadow, some eyeliner and mascara. That’s all he’d needed for this morning, just to look natural. "Now hold your head up and hold still." Linda took one of her big hair clips to hold his hair out of his eyes for a few minutes.

Carol poured cereal into the four bowls while Renie set the table. They both turned when they heard them coming.

Carol was amazed. "Look at you. Your hair looks wonderful. And your eyes, so pretty." She said was an adoring smile.

Walter wanted to melt into the cracks in the floor. He felt so ridiculous.

Renie agreed, "Just adorable." If he just kept his mouth shut, no one would ever guess that he wasn’t a girl.

"Let’s eat, Patty will be here soon." Linda suggested. It was a quarter to nine and Patty was almost always on time. "Sit here Heather." She showed him where to sit so that his back would be to the front door. They wanted to surprise Patty with him.

Linda decided she’d wait till after Patty arrived to get dressed. That way he wouldn’t be so conspicuous by being the only one in a nightie. Lin couldn’t wait for Patty to see him. Would she know? Lin doubted it.

Walter sat where Linda told him to but the thought of eating breakfast was the furthest thing from his mind. Walter’s stomach was doing flips and only a small part of it was from being hung over. He sat and watched as the others ate breakfast, uncomfortable in just the flimsy nightgown.

Patty knocked on the front door precisely at nine, punctual as always. Linda got up from the table to let her in. She was very anxious to spring their surprise on her.

She followed Linda back toward the kitchen. Patty whispered in Lin’s ear, seeing the fourth person at the table in her nightie. "Who’s that."

Lin was busting. "Who? Do you mean Heather?"

Walter wasn’t going to play their game. He didn’t turn to look behind him.

Patty questioned Linda with her expression only. She didn’t know anyone named Heather and she didn’t think her friends did either. At least not someone close enough to stay over. Then it dawned on Patty, Renie and Carol were still wearing the same clothes they had worn last night. That was odd?

She stepped to the far side of the table to get a look at Linda’s house guest. "Hi." She said to the girl. She didn’t recognize her.

Walter finally looked up. As he expected, it was the fourth girl from the bar. He could ignore her but he might as well acknowledge her, "Hi." Walter’s eyes returned to the table in front of him.

Patty looked from Linda to Renie and then to Carol. They all had little smirks on their faces, like they were holding back laughter. "What’s going on?" What was the joke she was being left out of? She pulled out a chair and sat down between Renie and their friend Heather.

Carol couldn’t hold back any longer. She had to tell Patty before she broke out laughing. "Heather’s someone we met last night."

They met her only last night and she stayed here? That didn’t sound like her friends, to take to someone so quickly. Patty glance at the girl again. Why was she being so quiet and reserved. This didn’t make sense.

Renie asked, "Do you remember how they harassed us in that dive last night?"

"Of course, how could I forget? The jerks."

"Do you remember the young kid with the big mouth."

"The feminine little shit that told us to get fucked? Sure." She wouldn’t forget him any time soon.

Renie tipped her head toward Walter and raised her eyebrows.

Patty didn’t understand at first. Then, as she looked where Renie had indicated, at Heather, the light came on.

"Holly Shit!" Patty couldn’t believe her eyes. "That’s him?" No, it couldn’t be. She stared in disbelief.

"That’s him." Linda said with delight.

"No!?"

"Yes." Renie assured her.

"What happened? How...?"

"When he stumbled out of the bar past us, he got as far as my car. Threw up all over the outside then crawled into the back seat, threw up again, and passed out. I didn’t even realize he was back there until we got here."

Patty reached over and pulled his hair out of his face to study him. "He’s adorable." To Walter she asked, "Are you alright?" He looked so forlorn.

Walter didn’t move, he didn’t look up and he didn’t answer her. He was too ashamed to look her in the eye.

"Heather’s fine. She’s just a little shy and a little hung over."

"I’ll bet." Patty was beginning to understand and appreciate why they’d done this to him. "Just precious." She remarked as she stroked his cheek. He pulled back from her touch but she would have been surprised if he hadn’t.

Patty turned to the others. "What are your plans for him?"

Renie corrected her, "You mean ‘her’."

Patty laughed. "Yes, I mean her. What are you going to do with Heather now?"

"The first thing we’re going to do is finish the final touches on her then Heather’s going to get dressed and go outside and clean my car, inside and out."

Good! Outside, in his clothes, he could take off. Walter doubted if any of them could catch him.

Patty remembered the outfit that Linda had asked her to bring. She picked up the bag to pull it out. "Lin, I brought that...."

Linda cut her off. She didn’t want Heather to see what she had brought, not yet. "Not now, hold onto it till later."

Patty figured it out quickly and took the bag and set it on the kitchen counter. It obviously wasn’t for Linda. That was fine with Patty.

Carol and Patty went into the living room to talk. "I can’t believe how fantastic he looks." Patty remarked.

"I know. Isn’t he adorable?" Carol agreed.

"That poor thing makes a better looking girl than a boy." Patty couldn’t get over it.

"We’ll have some fun with him then let him go later." Carol proceeded to tell Patty their plans.

Patty had a question or two for Carol. "What are you going to do for tits for him? Just stuff a bra with padding?"

"That’s what we planned on doing." Carol explained.

There were a few ideas running around Patty’s head but she decided to keep them to herself for now. She couldn’t help but picture him in her mind and how pretty and natural he looked.

They cleared off the table while he just sat there. "Come on Heather. Just one more thing to do than you can get dressed." Linda said, taking his hand.

God, he hated that name, but the thought of getting dressed helped to raise his spirits a little.

They took him back to the bathroom and he resumed his seat on the toilet. Walter was impatient. Impatient to get his clothes on and get out of there. He was going to run so fast and hard.

His makeup was fine. He had on all he needed to go out front and wash the car. Linda just pulled his hair back and put a white hair bow in to hold it out of his face. He looked so sweet, she thought to herself, smiling at him. "There, I think you’re ready now Heather."

He was ready, ready to run.

"Let’s get you dressed now." Carol was standing in the doorway, waiting. She led him back to the guest room. "Wait here while we get your clothes."

They didn’t wait for him to answer or acknowledge. They pulled the door closed and he heard the lock click into place. Walter stood in the middle of the floor in the nightshirt and panties, waiting. Alone now, he pulled the panties down and picked at the edges of the tape in his crotch, trying to loosen it.

They had to look a little but Linda finally found what she was after. Linda had two wardrobes, one for when she felt she was overweight and another for when she was happy with herself. It was the wardrobe for the skinnier Linda that the two girls were going through. They knew they’d find a few simple pieces they could have him wear that would fit him.

The other thing they had to come up with was the proper stuffing for one of Linda’s bras. It was fortunate that the boy had such a slender chest. He really made a marvelous looking girl.

He heard them coming and the lock open. He took one look at what Renie carried over her arm and panicked. Had there only been one of them he might have gotten out the door but he didn’t quite make it.

"Just sit down on the bed and behave yourself." Renie told him sternly. "If you try that again I might just let you go." She smiled at him. "How far do you think you’d get and where would you go, running down the street in just your nightie and panties?"

In his moment of panic he hadn’t thought about that. He just reacted to them bringing him that bra and those other things.

"Now be a good girl and put this on. If you need help, I’ll help you." Renie waited, holding the bra. "Just pull the nightie over your head and lay it on the bed."

"I can’t, please...." Tears were in his eyes again. He was begging.

"Of course you can Heather. I’ll help you." Carol, from behind, pulled the nightshirt over his head.

Linda felt a little uneasy. Poor thing, she thought to herself.

Renie was ready with the bra. "Put your arms out."

Walter raised them only slightly. It was enough for Renie to slide the bra on him. Carol hooked it from behind as he stood there like a statue.

"It’s a little snug on her." Carol remarked as she adjust the straps for him. "There, that’s better." This was so much fun.

Renie handed him Linda’s short nylon running shorts next. "Here Heather, put these on."

Walter held them up. They seemed too small. He looked up at Renie’s face and, seeing her expression, bent over and stepped into the shorts. When he pulled them up to his waist his ass almost hung out. He tugged them back down a little.

"No sweetie. Pull them back up to your waist." Renie gave them one last adjustment after he pulled them most of the way back up. "That’s better." He didn’t quite fill them out the way they had hoped he might. He did have a little more of an ass than most guys but not quite enough. Too bad.

He was sure his ass would stick out if he bent over.

They had decided on shoulder pads to stuff the bra and give him the most natural shape. They weren’t quite enough so they added a few cotton balls behind them. He looked almost natural. He didn’t appear to have overly large tits. That would have made him too conspicuous and they didn’t want that.

Patty stood back next to Linda as Renie and Carol dressed him. Patty marveled at how feminine his whole appearance was. It wasn’t just that he was slender. The boy had such a pretty face. she had to wonder if fate hadn’t dealt him a cruel blow, making him a male instead of what he should have been born.

Next came the short white cotton tank top. It wasn’t long enough to tuck into the shorts and it left Walter feeling exposed. He looked at himself in the mirror and his fake tits pushed the light cotton material away from his chest. His stomach was churning so badly by now that he was sure he would throw up.

"These should fit you." Linda hand him a pair of her white Keds sneakers. He looked the part, certainly. She just wished he weren’t so nervous.

Walter plopped down on the edge of the bed. They probably would fit, he had such small feet. That was another thing that drove him crazy. Other guys his age were buying size ten and eleven. He was embarrassed to go to the store and ask a salesman for a size seven and a half.

Carol was amazed, "They’re too big on Heather." She looked at Renie. "She’s just too much."

"They’ll do for today." Renie assured her. She was anxious to get him outside and busy. They didn’t want to waste the whole day just cleaning up the car. "Let’s go."

Renie and Patty stopped at the front door and turned to him. "If you’re thinking about taking off when your outside, think about this. We have your wallet and clothes. We know where you live. It’s a long way home, especially dressed the way you are. Just do what you’re told and later, we’ll give you your things and you can go. It’s that simple. So make up your mind." She neglected to mention that his ‘things’ were in shreds.

Renie was right about one thing. He didn’t want to go home dressed like he was. He’d have to walk the whole way and some of the neighborhoods around home were pretty rough. If anyone saw a girl walking alone through some of those streets she wouldn’t stand a chance. He could just imagine what they do with him when they found out he was a guy. He didn’t want to think about that.

He still couldn’t bring himself to look her in the eye. "I won’t run." He didn’t even have money for the bus. Now that he’d thought about it, running would be stupid.

"That’s a good girl." That pleased Linda. She didn’t want to have to worry about him.

"The worst is over Heather. All you have to do is pretend you’re one of us for the day. It can’t be that hard for you." Actually, Renie planned on making it very hard.

The bright morning sun hit him right in the eyes as he stepped out the door. It was still early, only nine thirty, so it wasn’t too hot outside yet. Actually it would have been a beautiful morning, under other circumstances.

He walked over to the driveway and just stood waiting while Linda went and got a hose from the side of the house and Renie went in the garage and got the bucket and sponge.

Linda and Patty set up lawn chairs on the lawn, under the tree.

He worked quickly, he wanted to get back inside as soon as he could. They all helped him wash the outside of the car. Renie was in charge of rinsing and she didn’t hesitate to spray the others from time to time, especially ‘Heather’. The others retaliated by throwing their suds soaked sponges at her, but not the boy. He was far too selfconscious to join in their horseplay.

Every time a car drove by he moved to the front of the car, getting out of sight as much as possible.

The tape chaffed only a little. He was getting accustomed to it.

Cleaning up the carpet and back seat was definitely his job. By now it really stunk. Renie and the others were relaxing in the shade while he worked.

He had washed the carpet and seat and was attempting to dry it with a towel when her heard the strange voice behind him.

"Good morning Linda."

Instinctively, Walter turned and looked behind him. Not five feet away stood a middle aged woman in a pink house coat and slippers. Her hair was a mess, like she just climbed out of bed. Walter was dumfounded. He didn’t know what to say.

"Oh, I’m sorry dear. I thought you were Linda."

Getting up from her chair, Linda called out, "Hi Jean." She came over to talk to her neighbor.

Renie went over too.

"You girls are busy early this morning." She turned to the girl she thought was Linda a second ago and, with a grin. "You can wash mine next." She was only kidding, of course.

Walter knew he had to say something or he’d look like a total idiot. He was convinced that the moment he opened his mouth he would give away his secret. Why the woman hadn’t already recognized him for what he was, amazed Walter. He forced a smile. "No thanks." He saw no change in her expression.

Linda thought he was doing beautifully. "Jean, I’d like you to meet my niece, Heather."

To Walter, she said, "Heather, this is my neighbor and friend, Mrs Walsh."

"It’s very nice to meet you Heather." The woman extended her hand to the girl, a friendly smile on her face.

He had to respond. He watched the woman’s face carefully as he said, "It’s nice to meet you too." He took her hand and remembered not to try to grip it too tight. The limp handshake felt weird.

Nothing, no sign that she doubted he was anything but a girl. He was sure his voice would have given him away. It wasn’t that it was deep but he had always thought of himself as masculine and he imagined his voice was too. He had serious doubts now.

Renie and Linda continued the conversation with the woman. Walter turned back to his chore. He still had to finish drying out the upholstery and vacuum out the rest of the car.

She didn’t stay long. "Bye Heather, it was very nice meeting you. I hope to see you again." Mrs Walsh turned and walk back to her front door.

He answered from inside the car. Smiling wasn’t any easier this time. "It was nice meeting you too." And God forbid, she would never see Heather again.

Renie resumed her lawn chair. Linda stood beside her. They all watched the boy as he worked inside the car.

"He did fine with Mrs Walsh." Renie was pleased.

"Much better than I thought he would." Lin was thrilled with how he was behaving.

"He was too embarrassed not to go along." Carol said smiling. Good.

"I’m sure. He didn’t sound bad at all." Patty hadn’t really been worried. The only thing that had concerned her was that his voice might have cracked, as it had several times in the house this morning.

"I don’t think his voice is going to be a problem." That pleased Renie. It was going to make it possible for them to do more with him. He was absolutely precious.

Perhaps it had gotten a lot warmer. More likely it was nervous perspiration. Either way, Walter needed a shower. Back in the bedroom they had him strip down to the panties. They were wet along with everything else. The cotton balls in the bra had absorbed a great deal of perspiration. "I’ll get you a shower cap Heather. I don’t want you to get your hair wet."

Walter would have liked nothing better than to wash his hair, to wash out the set. He followed Linda to the bathroom, Renie followed.

The shower did feel good. He felt weird wearing the shower cap.

Patty waited in the living room. She was already ready to go.

They left him alone in the bathroom while he showered. He hadn’t dared try while they watched him but now that he was alone, he tested the tape. Whatever the adhesive was, it adhered well. He was finally able to loosen a tiny corner. Little by little, and not without considerable pain, he was able to loosen almost a half inch all the way across the top of the wide tape. It peeled off slowly and painfully. Walter thought that at any time his skin would come with it. The soap didn’t seem to help at all.

He was still in the shower when Renie went into the bathroom, carrying clean underwear for him. "Just about finished Heather?" She asked.

Walter didn’t answer. He turned off the water and reached out around the shower curtain for the towel they had left him. He didn’t want them looking at him like this.

Renie pulled the shower curtain aside. He was toweling off. Her eyes were drawn to the tape. "What have you been doing?" She was annoyed that he was trying to get it off so soon. "You shouldn’t have done that!"

"I was just...it was pulling." What could he say?

"You should have left it alone." Renie scolded him. Now she’d have to fix it so he couldn’t pull it off. There was enough glue left from the fake nails to do the job.

When Walter finished drying off, Renie handed him a robe and led him to the bedroom. "Lie down on the bed so I can fix the tape."

What was she going to do, he wondered. Walter reluctantly did as he was told.

"Carol, would you come in here a minute." Renie called out.

It took only a few seconds for her come from the living room to the bedroom and join them. "What’s up?"

"I just need your help for a minute." Renie had retrieved the small tube of glue from the bathroom and slipped it, inconspicuously, into her pocket. She was sure he’d make a fuss if he knew what she was going to do with it. She let Carol get a peak at the tube so she’d understand.

Carol understood perfectly. She turned to the boy who lay on the bed in the clean, unstuffed bra. "It’s time to get you fixed up again Heather." Linda sat on the edge of the bed, leaning over him so as to block his view of what Renie was about to do. She proceeded to put back the shoulder pads and fresh cotton balls. She deliberately took her time.

Without tugging on it, Renie ran a bead of the fresh adhesive around the loose edges of the tape. Pressing it down in place, she held it for a few seconds till it adhered to his skin. Let him try to get it off now, she said to herself. It would take days before it would come off. She carefully ran a bead around the rest of the edges.

"There, that’s better." Now Carol would know she was finished.

"And Heather’s all taken care of here too." Carol said, stepping back.

How embarrassing to have them treat him this way.

"Alright Heather, let’s get you dressed again." Renie offered her hand to help him up. The fact that he wouldn’t take it and got up on his own didn’t bother her at all. She laughed to herself when he checked the tape again, only to find it stuck down securely.

Did she think that would stop him from ridding himself of the tape by simply pressing it pack in place?

Linda handed him the white knit top from the bag patty had brought earlier. "Here you go Heather." She knew the simple white top wouldn’t cause him any anxiety. It could, just as easily, pass as a guy’s pullover.

Walter quickly pulled it over his head, relieved that he could cover up the bra. He gave no consideration to the fact that he mussed his hair.

"That looks nice on you." Renie told him.

Who cares, Walter thought to himself, without acknowledging Renie.

Linda handed him the little white tennis skirt. Now she expected a reaction.

He didn’t say anything at first as he looked at the short skirt with its built in panties. It wasn’t as bad as the red shorts had been but...a skirt!?

Renie stepped closer when he hesitated. "Do you need help?"

Walter looked at her with pleading eyes. He knew she wasn’t given to expressing sympathy but he had to try. "Do I have to wear this?"

"No, you could wear the shorts again I suppose." Renie said teasing. "I just thought you’d be more comfortable in this."

Linda and Patty joined them. Linda had showered and changed into her tennis outfit. She was ready to go.

The thought of wearing the little skirt, the idea that it was so easy to see the panty underneath, made him extremely uncomfortable. But not as uncomfortable as having his ass hang out of the red shorts.

Walter stepped in the skirt, pulling it up to his waist and tucked in the top.

"That looks just perfect on you." Linda remarked as she walked around in front of him, giving him the once over. He and Patty were the same size, almost.

Renie made no comment about the way he looked. She didn’t have to. Walter could tell by the smile what she was thinking. God, he hated this.

"Let’s go fix your hair Heather." Linda waited at the bedroom door for him.

Walter followed her to the bathroom.

"So, what do you think of our girl?" Renie asked Patty and Carol.

"I just can’t get over how much he looks like a girl." Carol remarked.

"I know, it’s unnatural." Patty agreed. "So what did you all have in mind for him?"

"We’ll take him to the courts first." Renie said grinning. "Then maybe to the mall later." They had discussed a number of possibilities last night as they worked on him.

"The mall would be fun." Patty agreed. "We’ll have to find him something appropriate to wear."

Having repaired the damage he did to his hair, Linda touched up the little bit of makeup he wore. There wasn’t much point in doing him up completely, not with them taking him to play tennis. The eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara were enough for now.

Walter wasn’t stupid. It didn’t take much to figure out where they were planning to take him. He was really scared at the idea of going out in public, dressed the way he was.

Linda finished, and they went out to the living room where the others waited.

He really looked amazing in the tennis outfit, Carol thought to herself. He was so slender that he looked quite natural in the figure flattering outfit.

"Ready to go?" Renie asked. She was impatient to take him out and they had already taken too long getting him ready.

He had hoped they were still just having their fun, dressing him up. "Do I have to? Please let me go home." He said pleading. A feeling of panic was rising up inside.

"I don’t think so sweetie. We’ll just go play a little tennis." Renie said, very matter of factly. She had borrowed shorts and a top from Linda, as Carol had. She started to push him toward the door.

"Heather."

Walter turned to see who called the name. The flash of the camera caught him by surprise.

Linda wanted to capture him that way, by surprise. "Ok, we can go now."

He hoped he’d never get to see the print.

Renie took his arm and they walked out together into the mid morning sunlight. The quiet residential neighborhood had come alive. Across the street, a man cut his lawn. Linda’s neighbor was out front working in her garden. A couple of teenagers rode their bikes past the front of the house as they all climbed into Renie’s car. He was sandwiched between Carol and Patty in the back seat. The others all talked but he sat in terrified silence as they drove.

The streets they drove were unfamiliar at first. If he had run earlier he wouldn’t have known in which direction to go. As they continued, Walter began to recognize several landmarks. They were heading in the direction of his house and that scared him.

Renie had gone through his wallet and knew where he lived. If they were going to go out in public, they might as well go where it would be the most awkward for him to be seen. There were tennis courts only a few blocks from his house.

As they drew closer and closer to home he began to fidget. "Relax Heather. No one will recognize you." Patty was loving this as much as the others. He was trying to slide down in the seat in an obvious effort to be less noticeable. It would have been impossible for anyone to recognize him in the car but that obviously didn’t occur to him.

They intentionally drove past his street and Walter couldn’t resist looking. His, or rather Uncle Jack’s, rundown house was only the second from the corner. A few of his drinking buddies’ cars were parked out front. Did Uncle Jack even know he didn’t come home last night? Probably not, he was probably too drunk to even notice.

Walter longed for the old days, not so long ago, when he happily lived with his mother. She would have been worried sick about him if he stayed out all night. He missed her, a lot.

And suddenly, they were there.

Renie pulled into the small parking lot, driving slowly as she searched for a parking spot.

Walter looked around for any familiar faces. He had come here often since he moved to Boston. He had been here with Nick, but never this early in the day.

The basketball courts were full of guys he didn’t recognize. Children filled the playground as their mothers and fathers looked on, watching over their little ones. There was a game going on, in the small baseball field next to the tennis courts. They were mostly older guys playing ball, in their late twenties or early thirties.

Renie found a spot as another car backed out at the end of the row. It was all the way on the other side of the parking lot from the courts but that suited them just fine. They would have to walk past the basketball courts and the dugouts at the ball field. That would allow plenty of guys the opportunity to see their Heather. How he was going to handle it was up to him.

What was he going to do, he wondered as Carol climbed out of the back seat and Patty urged him out. If all these guys saw him they’d surly make cracks and draw the attention of others. He’d never live it down.

They could fairly easily read his mind but Renie verbalized his thoughts. Standing next to him on the side of the car, she told him as she handed him one of the tennis rackets she had gotten from the trunk, "You really have only two choices Sweetie."

He looked up to her, fear in his eyes.

"You can do your best to pretend that you’re what you appear to be, a girl. Or you can stumble along like a boy in drag and expose yourself to everyone. It doesn’t matter to us how you handle it but I would think it would be much less awkward later, if you run into these people again, if they believed that the girl they saw this morning were just that."

She was right of course. They mustn’t know who he really was. He’d never live it down. They had him right where they wanted him.

"I don’t know how to act like a girl?"

Renie had her answer and it was the one she hoped he’d give. "Wonderful Heather." She hugged him. The others listened with delight. "We’ll all help you as long as you go along with us. For now just walk with us and keep your eyes straight ahead. Don’t look if any of those guys say anything, just keep walking and keep your head up." She raised his chin with her finger. "That’s a sure giveaway that you’re trying to hide something."

"I’ll try." Walter said, very unsure of himself. Again, he thought about just taking off but where would he go? He couldn’t go home looking the way he did. Uncle Jack and his buddies were all at the house. He had nowhere to go.

The walk to the courts looked like only a couple of hundred feet but it felt like a mile. He watched Carol and Linda who walked ahead of him, trying to imitate their easy gait. It felt very strange. He was thankful that Patty and Renie were flanking him.

They had been right about comments from the guys. They almost all came from the younger guys on the basketball courts. Walter didn’t look at them, as he was told not to, but he tried to watch out of the corner of his eye, inconspicuously. They whistled and made some suggestive comments. It made him very uncomfortable, considering the way he looked in the little white skirt.

The older guys at the ball field didn’t make comments like the younger guys but they definitely stared as the five girls walked by. Walter wasn’t sure what was worse, the comments or the stares.

"You’re doing beautifully Heather." Patty told him. She was thrilled that he was going along and behaving so well. His attempt to walk casually didn’t go unnoticed.

The courts were full but they were the only ones waiting for one to become available. That was a relief to Walter. He would have been too nervous to just stand there waiting, with strangers close by.

Linda and Patty sat on the bench. Renie was content to stand. "Why don’t you sit down Heather?" She suggested.

Considering that his knees were shaking, that was probably a good idea. Patty slid over to give him a spot between her and Linda. It was a relief to get off his feet.

"Don’t sit like that." Linda whispered to him. "Put your knees together or cross your legs. You’re wearing a skirt remember?"

How could he forget. Linda was right and he put his knees together. "How am I going to get away with this?" He asked Linda in a whiny voice. So far she had been the most compassionate and helpful. She was different than the others. They treated him like a boy dressed as a girl but Linda acted as if he was nothing but an ignorant girl, telling him and showing him the things he needed to know. He wondered what enjoyment she got from doing this to him?.

Even her smile seemed genuine. "Just relax and go with it Heather. You have played tennis before?"

"Sure." His mother had taught him a little. He wasn’t particularly good but he could serve and volley.

"Ok then. Just play like you always do and have fun. Don’t even think about what you’re wearing when you’re out there."

He whispered to her like she had been doing to him. "I don’t know if I can." For the umpteenth time, he brushed his hair from his face.

How thoughtless she had been. Linda reached into her bag and brought out an extra sweat band. "Slip this on." She told him.

He had worn headbands before but never with his hair styled. He pulled it over his head like he always did.

Patty laughed. "Not like that silly." She looked to Renie and Carol. "Stand in front of Heather for a second." A poster board with the rules of the court hid them from curious eyes from behind but they wanted to block the view from the courts. Patty fixed the headband quickly and Linda helped her straighten his hair so that he looked nice.

He felt like such a jerk with them fussing over him. What if someone saw them? He didn’t have long to think about that. Renie and Patty stepped aside as a middle aged man and woman left the courts. The woman smiled as she passed the girls. The man, following the woman, eyed each of the girls.

Walter’s flesh crawled at being looked at that way, close up.

"It’s nothing. Don’t let it bother you. All he saw was a pretty young girl. Didn’t you see his smile?"

Linda was right. Now that he thought about it, it was sort of funny. The guy hadn’t seen him for what he really was. All he saw was a girl. Was he really that convincing looking? It was hard to imagine.

Walter tried to take Linda’s advice. He felt really selfconscious when he served and his skirt came up, exposing the panty underneath. Fortunately, playing doubles, he didn’t have to serve very often.

The game helped him take his mind off his predicament and it wasn’t long before he was playing aggressively. He was Patty’s partner, playing against Renie and Carol. They beat him and Patty with ease. The girls were obviously much better tennis players than he was and he knew he lost the match for them.

Linda played the second match as his partner and that helped his game only a little. They still lost, but he enjoyed the game more.

Patty was his partner of the third and last match. He was getting tired. Patty encouraged him on and, with her help, they almost beat Renie and Carol, but not quite.

He was sweating profusely as they all walked from the court.

"Very good Heather." Was Renie’s only comment as they walked toward the car.

He didn’t expect much else. That was alright.

Now they had to walk past the guys again. Walter didn’t look forward to that but he wasn’t as scared as he had been earlier. He still kept his eyes straight ahead. No comments were made but the stares were still there.

He wasn’t the only one sweating. "I need a shower." Linda remarked.

"We could go to my place and take a dip in the pool." Carol suggested. She wondered how he’d look in a bathing suit. Wouldn’t that be fun to do with him.

"Heather and I are going to my place to shower." Renie announced. She wanted him to herself for a while. She had some things she wanted him to do. Personal things that she didn’t want to tell the others about.

"Patty and I will go with you." Carol told her friend.

"Don’t you want to go home and shower and change first." Renie suggested, hopping to talk them out of coming.

"No, that’s ok. We’ll just get our cars at Linda’s." They didn’t want to miss anything.

"I’ll get a quick shower, pick up a few things and join you." Linda replied.

Renie had wanted him to herself but their was no way to have her way now, not without being obvious about it. "Ok, great."

She dropped off the others in front of the house. "Come on in front Heather."

Walter got out when the others did and got in front. There was something about Renie, he could never be comfortable around her. Not like with Linda. Even Patty wasn’t so bad. They, at least, seemed genuinely interested in helping him carry off this charade.

It only took about twenty minutes to drive to Renie’s place. She lived in a condo in a part of town he wasn’t familiar with. Walter didn’t utter a word the whole way.

He followed Renie like a puppy dog from her car to the condo. Once inside he breathed an audible sigh of relief.

Renie took him down the hall. "This is the spare bedroom." She told him, opening the door for him. "Get undressed and get in the shower." The guest bedroom had its own bath.

It would have been fun to tease him by showering with him but there was no time now. Later, there might be a way to get him alone.

Renie really enjoyed the control she had over the boy. It was exciting.

Patty and Carol made a quick stop at Carol’s apartment before going to Renie’s.

Renie couldn’t resist watching around the curtain as he showered. Again he wore a shower cap so as not to ruin his hair. Renie could have set it over again and that would have been fun, but they’d loose so much time.

Renie saw something they had let slip earlier. While he washed, she hurried back to her bathroom to get what she wanted. "Heather," She spoke through the curtain, "I noticed you have hair in your armpits."

Hair in his armpits? God! Not that too. He didn’t realize she had been watching him. His face turned bright red.

"Here’s a fresh razor. You’ll need to get rid of it." She handed him the razor, making no pretense of caring about his privacy.

Walter didn’t take it from her immediately. He just looked at the razor then at the girl. "I won’t....Please don’t make..."

"Oh, you don’t have to if you don’t want to sweetie. You can just leave right now if you want. Problem is, I’ll send you on your way, just the way you are." She wouldn’t tolerate his not obeying. She thought of him as hers to do with as she pleased, because of what he’d said and what he’d done to her car. She took it very personally.

He believed her. She probably would throw him out naked. He said nothing as he took the razor and gingerly shaved off the hair it had taken what seemed like a lifetime to grow. Another symbol of his manhood quickly disappeared.

Pity that she couldn’t make him more like real, Renie thought to herself as she watched him. His smooth hairless flat chest begged for breasts. What fun it would be to watch him agonize over being turned into a feminine beauty. If there was only a way.

Patty and Carol laid out the clothes they’d grabbed at Carol’s on the guest bed. Their selections all had one basic criteria, each item had to be the most feminine they could find. They were very excited and anxious to dress him up.

What else could they do to him, he asked himself as he toweled off? It would take him weeks, even months to grow back the hair on his legs and in his armpits, it grew so slowly.

"Slip these on." Renie handed him a pair of string bikini panties when he finished drying himself. It was so unnerving, having the woman watch him. He felt so exposed.

He felt foolish when he pulled the panties up. They were so small, they barely covered the tape. White lace trim outlined the small triangle of material. He couldn’t see his face in the fogged mirror but he could feel the heat as he turned red again.

"Put some of this on." She handed him a roll on deodorant. It was hers and fortunately, she had a new one in the closet. This one would land in the garbage when he was finished with it.

He had always used a spray. It was an odd feeling, applying the roll on to his naked armpits. The deodorant had a decidedly feminine fragrance.

Renie had picked the underwear from the clothes the others had brought with them. She would never have given him any of hers but if the others didn’t care, why should she?

"Let’s find you an outfit to wear Heather." She wanted to get him into a bra and outfit as quickly as possible. The sooner he was dressed, the sooner he would feel the humiliation.

Walter hadn’t heard the others come in. When they stepped from the bath to the bedroom he saw them and the assortment of clothes on the bed. He expected this but the knowing didn’t make it any easier.

All three fussed over him as they first put him in several bras before they found the one they wanted him to wear. It was no better than the others had been, silky and lacy against his skin. How alien it felt.

They had him try on every outfit they brought with them. They weren’t satisfied with the way any of them made him look.

"Too dressy," Carol remarked.

"Too revealing, it doesn’t hide his falsies well enough," Patty expressed her disappointment.

Linda came in as they got down to the last few pieces. She stood there and watched him too, adding her opinion to the chorus of others.

He endured. He just silently endured.

The below the knee, lace trimmed, white leggings were the worst. They were skin tight and the print tunic top didn’t come close to covering his ass. He would have been mortified if they had told him to leave that outfit on.

The last outfit that he was given to model turned out to be worse than the leggings. Patty handed him a white skimp dress with a bright flowered print. When he pulled it up Carol zipped up the back. It came to almost five inches above his knees. The flared skirt was so short.

"I really like that." Patty told the others as she admired the boy in it. It was a dress that she had picked from Carol’s closet. She hoped that the others would agree.

"It looks adorable on him. I really like the trim on the collar." Linda agreed. He looked so sweet in it.

He hadn’t noticed until she mentioned it. The dress had a narrow lace collar on the jeweled neckline and it was trimmed with lace, just like on the hem.

"It does fit him up top well." Carol agreed. It had been so difficult to find something simple but alluring that wasn’t ruined by his wearing falsies.

"That’s the one, I agree." Renie added. "Now lets finish getting him ready."

Renie was relieved that Patty had thought to bring him pantyhose. "Do you know how to put these on without tearing them Heather?" Renie handed them to him.

Pantyhose? They expected him to wear these too. His stomach turned.

Renie was right about one thing. He had not mastered using his new finger nails with any degree of dexterity. He was sure he’d probably tear the delicate material and that would surely piss Renie off. He looked nervously at Linda.

"I don’t think he’s had enough time to get used to his new nails." Linda told the others, seeing his anxiety. "He’ll probably tear them." She didn’t want them to get mad at him if he accidently ruined them.

"Well then, why don’t you help him get them on Lin." Renie suggested. Impatience crept into her tone.

He had not expected this.

Linda walked over to him with her warm, reassuring look and told him, "Sit on the edge of the bed Heather. I’ll help you."

It was embarrassing, definitely, to have her help him put on the pantyhose but better it be Linda than any of the others running their hands over him. As awkward as the situation was, he did trust Linda, in a way. None the less, Walter did insist on pulling the top of the sheer undergarment up himself, being very careful with his nails not to ruin them.

It was an odd sensation he felt as his legs brushed together. Not altogether unpleasant, but he’d never tell any of them that.

"Try these on Heather." Carol laid a simple pair of white flats at his feet. She could only guess at his size but she was pretty sure his feet were no bigger than hers.

Walter stepped into them, surprised that they fit so well and were actually comfortable. They could have, just as easily, brought him heals to wear. He was very thankful they hadn’t.

"Come on Heather," Lin drew him toward the bathroom. "I want you to try fixing your hair yourself. The way I showed you."

Fixing his own hair, under Linda’s watchful gaze, was almost like giving in to them but she didn’t give him much choice, knowing the alternative Renie would offer.

"Very good." Lin commended him when he finished.

Again his hair hung in front of his eye in soft waves and this time he had done it himself. How embarrassing.

"Ok Heather. Now let me show you how to put on your makeup." Linda was excited and couldn’t wait to teach him.

Do it myself? How could they expect him to go along like this? His answer appeared in the doorway.

"How are you doing girls?" Renie asked. She was impatient.

"Heather’s doing beautifully. Doesn’t she look lovely?" Linda was proud of him so far.

"Yes she does. Very nice Heather." Renie laughed to herself, letting her face betray only the tiniest smile. Linda was so cute with him. She really got into this.

They were in the bathroom for almost half and hour. She taught him the finer points and he applied all his makeup himself.

Blending the eyeshadows was the toughest thing for him to learn to do. Foundation, eyeliner, mascara, blush and even the lipliner was simple in comparison. He had seen enough lipstick commercials to know how to put that on.

Linda was delighted when he finished. His reflection did not betray the boy underneath the makeup and clothes. She would have been happier if he had shown a little more enthusiasm but she really couldn’t expect much. His makeup was light, not over done. He looked pure and lovely.

What a lie he perpetrated. Would he fool anyone? Surly not.

"Let’s go show the others how beautiful you look." Linda couldn’t wait to show them how well he’d done. She could brag that she taught him.

Walter could easily have waited.

Looking at him this way only cemented her conviction. Patty knew she could improve him, given time. But would she have time? Probably not, pity.

Carol thought he was darling. He really should have been born a girl. "One last touch Heather." Before he realized what she was talking about she applied the finger that had the perfume, under his left ear.

He brushed her hand away before she did the same under the other ear.

"Don’t be such a baby Heather." Carol told him. "It’s just perfume."

He knew what it was. The fragrance left him no doubt.

"Behave yourself Heather." Renie, now showered and changed, rejoined the group.

Carol saw that seeing Renie pacified him and took the opportunity to dab the perfume under the other ear. "Here Heather," She handed him the little bottle. "Just put a little dab on your wrists."

He took the bottle she placed in his hand. His eyes down, not daring to look into Renie’s, he dabbed the fragrance on his fingers and applied it to his wrists. Now he not only looked like a girl, he smelled like one.

"Here’s your earrings Heather." Renie had found him a pair of clipons she had buried in the back of her drawer. She thought to herself, wouldn’t he look delightful with pierced ears?

Patty didn’t give him even a second to think about them. "Here, I’ll help you Heather. They can be tricky if you’ve never worn them before." Added to the fact that he was a klutz with his long nails.

He stood passively by as she clipped them on his ears. They hurt only at first.

"I brought you a necklace of mine." Carol offered. It was an old, cheap one she had hardly ever worn but it was pretty and delicate. It would no doubt turn his neck green if he wore it long enough. Like her shoes, it didn’t matter if she never saw it again.

Renie was satisfied. He looked perfect. Her thoughts wandered again to getting him alone and her having her way with the pretty feminized boy. Maybe there was still a way. She desperately wanted there to be.

"I want a picture." Linda announced, standing poised with her camera. "Smile Heather."

Smile? What was there to smile about, he asked himself.

Linda implored him, "Come on Heather, just a little smile, for me?"

Linda was the kindest and nicest of them all and she really believed she was helping him. The only thing that bothered him was that smiling for her, in front of them, was like conceding that he was enjoying himself. He didn’t want to give them the satisfaction.

She was always able to make people smile. She made a face at him. ‘Click!’

"That’s better Heather. That didn’t hurt a bit, did it?"

It was only a reaction, not a concession. But who’d believe that? She tricked him and it worked, but he couldn’t bring himself to get mad at her.

They took Carol’s Bronco this time. Again, Walter rode in back with no access to a door. He barely gave a thought to running, dressed the way he was. No way. He was sure it would be easier to go along with them for now.

Old Creek Mall was only a half mile from his house. They picked that one because he was most likely to see people he knew there. Very probably, he’d hung out there with his friends.

He had no way of knowing where they were taking him and no one was volunteering any information. He did know they were heading back in the direction of his Uncle’s house again. Little beads of perspiration formed on his forehead.

His worst fears were realized when Carol turned off Old Creek road, into the huge mall parking lot.

He gave thought to running again, even dressed the way he was. "You’re going to enjoy this Heather. Shopping is one of a girl’s favorite pastimes." At least it was Patty’s.

"It’s like a sacred thing Heather." Carol added. She was as addicted to it as Patty. "Whenever we’re feeling a little down, we go shopping. Trying on a new outfit really gives you a lift."

That was nonsense as far as Renie was concerned. Shopping was fine when you needed something, but to shop just for the sake of shopping was ridiculous. Don’t lump her into a category with all those women who ‘live to shop’, she commented to herself.

Today was a different matter entirely. Today, with pretty little Heather along, they would shop for the pure enjoyment of it. Especially if the pleasure was at his expense.

Carol found a spot near Ivys. It was one of her favorite stores.

They nudged Walter from the car. "Oh Heather, I almost forgot." Carol pulled the shoulder bag out from under the seat. "You want your own purse of course." She hung the strap from his shoulder. "There, now you look better."

It figured that they wouldn’t forget the little necessities. In a way, it was probably better they hadn’t forgotten. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself if he could help it. He couldn’t imagine a girl who wouldn’t carry a purse. He would have stood out.

What an bizarre feeling, wearing a dress and pantyhose. He could feel the air through the light fabric that brushed against his legs. He felt almost naked from the waist down.

As they walked across the parking lot Walter looked into the faces of the people who passed them. Not into the guy’s faces, he couldn’t bring himself to do that, but he could look at the women and girls.

The young woman who passed, hand in hand with a guy who was probably her husband, looked at him without a sign of recognition. Two little girls passed, holding their mother’s hands. No sign that they saw anything strange on their faces either.

Did he really make that convincing a girl? It was too much a blow to his male ego to believe that. No, they just weren’t looking closely enough.

The young men held the doors open for the girls. A couple of them weren’t bad. The guys smiled at them as they passed.

Most of them thought nothing of it but Walter certainly felt strange. They looked right at him, he was sure. Still, there wasn’t so much as an odd stare. Were they blind?

Carol and Renie thanked the men for their courtesy. It was too bad that Heather was too frightened to respond. He looked like he was almost trembling.

Linda moved close to him as they went up the escalator. She whispered in his ear, "Heather, remember what we talked about at Renie’s!"

How could he forget. His friend, Linda, had warned him how spiteful Renie could be. "She’ll do anything she can to embarrass you if you give her the opportunity. Try to behave as much like one of us as you can. Don’t give her the chance."

Linda had been only partially right. Renie would certainly take advantage of him, but not in public as Linda believed. Renie would rather he become so accustomed to the feminine roll that he might begin to forget how to be himself. Of course, one day would never accomplish that. There had to be some way to have more time with him.

They headed directly for the lingerie department and Walter, carefully mimicking their walk, followed.

Renie made her first move when a salesgirl asked if she could help her. "No, but maybe you could help my friend. She’s looking for a new bra. The rest of us are just browsing." Renie pointed out Walter.

"Of course." The girl zeroed in on the customer.

"Can I help you miss?" She asked the young girl.

Walter heard Renie’s remark to the salesgirl. He took a deep breath as inconspicuously as possible. It did little to calm him. "I’d just like to look around on my own for a bit." He explained.

"Of course. You might want to look at the new selection of Madenforms that just came in. They’re over there."

Walter’s eyes followed where the girl pointed. "Thank you." He breathed a small sigh of relief as the girl walked off. Not once during the short exchange did the girl look at him funny. For once, the features that he considered a curse most of his life, saved him. Ironic, he thought.

To not look too obvious, he walked over to where the girl had indicated. Carol and Patty followed him.

Linda separated herself from them. She thought it would be easier for him if there were less of them around. She watched Renie as she kept within earshot of the group. Linda thought she looked like a vulture, just waiting for an opportunity to swoop down on him. God help the poor thing.

"Isn’t this lovely Heather." Carol held up a black lace bra to show him. There were several women with in ear shot.

He knew the question required a response. With all the enthusiasm he could muster, he fussed over it. "It’s so pretty and delicate." He took it from Carol and felt the texture of the lace. "It’s beautiful."

He took both Carol and Patty completely by surprise. It wasn’t the reaction they expected. They could only smile at him, dumfounded.

Walter hadn’t wasted his time as he looked around. He had frequently shopped with his mother when he was younger and he was no stranger to a lingerie department. His mother often bought intimate apparel with him in tow. "I just prefer an underwire."

Renie, who had been mildly amused with his first response, almost laughed out loud hearing this. The others were, again, taken back.

The salesgirl, seeing the girl’s interest in the bra, came over to see if she was ready for help. "Would you like to try it on?" She asked.

"I don’t think so, not right now. I think I’ll look around some more." Not once did his eyes meet hers. He still couldn’t bring himself to do that. It was time to get out of there before she had him in a fitting room.

The others followed as he walked between the racks of bras and panties, out of the department.

"What shall we look at next Heather?" Renie asked him sarcastically.

"Can’t we just go?" He pleaded, so scared.

"Don’t be silly. We’re just beginning. I think we ought to try the Junior’s department next." She said with a smile as she put an arm around his shoulder and guided him along.

"Ivy’s has a wonderful Juniors department Heather." Carol came up along beside them. This was going to be fun.

Patty and Linda walked behind.

"Renie’s really enjoying trying to embarrass her." Linda commented just loud enough for Patty to hear.

"Him Linda, him." Patty reminded her.

"I know what he is." Linda responded, a little annoyed. "It’s just that he makes such a sweet looking girl. I just wish she’d take it a little easier on him."

Patty was reminded why she liked Linda so much. She was so full of compassion for anything helpless or hurt. "He’ll be alright, don’t worry."

"I can’t help but worry. I’d love to take Heather home with me and spend some time with him."

"Ever the little mother. What would you do with him?" Patty slowed her pace to let some distance come between them and the others.

Linda looked at her friend. "I’d teach him how to behave like a young lady, how to take care of himself. Wouldn’t that be fun?"

Linda’s thoughts about the boy weren’t that much different than her own. A warm smile appeared to replace the look of concern. "Yes it would. To be honest, I was thinking that myself."

"I knew it!" Linda returned her smile.

They stepped up their pace, to catch up with the others.

Each of them picked through the racks of clothes, looking for anything that might look pretty on him. Walter just followed Renie around the department, just like she told him to do.

Carol came up to them as Renie looked through a rack of jeans. "What do you think?" She asked, holding up a pair of walking shorts and short sleeved camp shirt.

"Pretty." Renie agreed. The pinks in the brightly colored print of the linen shorts matched the solid pink top.

"Heather, you just have to try it on." Carol said, holding the outfit out to him.

He wouldn’t take it. He spoke softly, so as not to be overheard. "I can’t." His voice rose only slightly as panic crept into it. "I can’t go in there." He looked to the doorway of the dressing room. He had seen at least ten girls pass through that doorway in the last two minutes. He couldn’t go in there.

Renie didn’t bother to keep her voice down. "Heather, you’ve just got to get over being so shy. Of course you can try it on."

They heard her. Several of the women and girls turned to look. They turned to see the girl who was too shy. He wanted to dive into one of the racks of clothes and hide.

"Come on Heather. I’ll go in with you." Carol took his hand.

He felt like the whole place was watching him. He could stand there and make a fuss, whereas Renie would continue to embarrass him or he could follow Carol, who was tugging on his arm.

In the dressing room, if he was careful, he might avoid embarrassing himself. He gave in and let Carol lead him through the dressing room door.

"He did the right thing." Patty whispered to Linda.

"Why is she so mean to him?"

"You know how she is. Ever since that episode at work when she was passed over for promotion." Patty reminded her.

"I remember. Renie wanted to castrate any man in a suit. She really did deserve that job. She was much better qualified than that guy."

Funny she should say that, Patty thought to herself. "She still goes into a rage when the subject of equal pay for equal work come up."

"She’ll get over it. We all do." Linda mused. "Come on, I want to find him something sweet and feminine he’ll look really pretty wearing."

"Let’s try the dresses." Patty suggested.

As crowed as the dressing room was, Carol lucked out and grabbed an empty stall. Standing there, holding the curtain open, she told Walter, "Go ahead and try it on then come out and model it for us."

"Aren’t you going to stay with me?" He whispered, pleading.

Carol didn’t want to sound mean, like Renie. She leaned in and whispered, "Don’t be silly Heather. Just change and come out. We’ll be waiting." Carol stepped back and pulled the curtain closed.

He heard her footsteps retreat. In the roomful of girls he felt completely alone, abandoned.

He knew he had no choice. He pulled the edges of the curtain as tightly as he could against the sides of the stall. No matter how he tugged, the curtain was too narrow to close the gaps completely.

Walter found out just how awkward it was for girls with long nails to unzip a zipper. He did manage, finally.

His next problem was getting out of the dress and into the outfit without anyone seeing him or the padding stuffed into the bra he wore.

He pulled the bag waisted shorts on while the dress hung on his shoulders. That was easy. Next he unbuttoned the blouse and got it ready. When he dropped the dress down to his ankles he quickly pulled the blouse on and, with his back turned to the curtain, he buttoned it up as quickly as his nails would allow him to. He did become a little frustrated but after he took a calming deep breath he found he was able to do it.

He tucked in the blouse, buttoned the shorts and belted them. He hung the dress on the hook with the purse he had been carrying.

A thought occurred to him. This was the first time he was alone and he knew by the shifting around inside that the purse was not empty. He hoped that they had put his wallet inside.

Another disappointment. As he looked through the contents he found a hair brush, lipstick and compact with eyeshadow, blush and lipliner. All the things he had used earlier to make himself up with Linda’s patient instruction. No wallet. He hung the purse back up.

Walter was afraid to leave the relative security of the stall. Watching through the gap left by the curtain, he waited for the right moment but it never seemed to come. He knew that if he took too long, one of them would come after them. If it was Renie, he’d pay a price for stalling. Slow deep breaths didn’t quell his fears this time.

He remembered what Linda had told him about being bold and self assured. It was now or never.

He did get looks as he walked down the narrow row of stalls. Looks at the outfit he wore, not at him in particular. Not one of the half dozen girls he saw seemed to pay him any particular attention at all.

He hesitated for only a second before he walked out of the dressing room, out into the Junior’s department.

"Oh, I like that Heather." Carol walked around him, admiring the outfit from all sides.

They were all there. He look to Renie. She only smiled at him.

Linda fussed over him a little. "That’s pretty." She told him.

It didn’t bother him as much, coming from her.

"That looks nice on you Heather." Patty added. "Linda found this." She told him, holding out a dress. It was a floral print on a pale blue background. It had little capped sleeves and a jewel neck collar.

Linda took the dress from Patty and held it up to Walter. "See, I told you it would match her eyes." They had found a dozen dresses that would have look adorable on him but they were all cut too low.

"Please try it on for me." She pleaded. It was a size seven but she thought it would fit. If not he’d need a miss’s six. "Let me know if it’s too big, I’ll go get you another if you need me to."

He felt like he needed Renie’s permission. Or was it her command? He felt a little confused.

Renie just barely nodded to him. She was thoroughly enjoying this. He was beginning to accept that she had the control over him and she savored the feeling.

"Go ahead Heather." Patty coaxed.

Walter took the dress from Linda.

It wasn’t any easier the second time only he didn’t worry so much about stares from the girls in back. He did feel a little more exposed because he had to strip down to his underwear before he could put on the new dress. The zipper did give him a little trouble at his waist. This dress was more snug than Carol’s. He did finally manage.

Before he walked out to them he stopped and looked at himself in the mirror. He hadn’t had the courage the first time he went out. Linda was right, the color did match his eyes but that was the only thing she was right about. He was ashamed of himself standing there looking at the fit of the dress. He never realized how narrow his waist was before. Walter tore his eyes from his reflection and went outside.

"I told you Heather would look fantastic in it." Linda said to Carol with satisfaction. Turning to the boy, "It’s really lovely on you Heather." Linda walked around him, pulling here, tugging there. "The darts aren’t quite straight and the stitching could be better."

Linda loved to sew her own clothes. She rarely bought dresses or skirts. Even the prices appalled her. "Heather, I could make you this dress for only a few dollars and the quality would be much better."

Patty thought she was so cute. She was forgetting herself again but she wouldn’t remind her this time.

"I don’t think so." Walter told Linda, hardly believing his ears.

It’s not that she forgot. She just got rapped up in the moment. "No, of course not."

Renie hadn’t just been standing around while he was changing. "Try these on Heather." She held out the jeans and top to him. They were a pair of Chic stretch denims. The red cotton tee, with it’s padded shoulders, was designed to fit a girl snugly.

To Walter, taking them from Renie, they were just a pair of jeans and shirt, much more preferable compared to the other things.

Carrying the jeans back into the dressing room, he stopped for just a second to look at himself in the mirror again. It was just hard to believe how they’d made him look so much like a girl. He drove the thought from his mind, revolted by it.

Putting on the jeans was harder than he had anticipated. Just getting his feet down and through the skinny legs was an effort. It took him far too long, standing there in just the bra.

He pulled the top over his head before buttoning the skin tight jeans and only then did he realize how figure flattering the combination was intended to be.

They looked sprayed on as he contorted in front of the mirror to see how tightly they fit in the rear. They even fit into the crack of his ass and enhanced his cheeks.

The top followed his shape almost as tightly. The stuffed bra underneath showed in a definite outline. Wearing this was no less embarrassing than the dress, he realized.

Walter turned and saw Patty watching him from the doorway to the dressing rooms. He didn’t want to go outside to the others. He hurried over to her. "Patty, I look terrible in this. I can’t go out there." He pleaded.

She had been waiting for him at the door and only happened to see him step from the stall to look at himself in the mirror. She thought it was darling the way he looked himself over.

She had to admit he was right about the snug top at least. It was too tight and they hadn’t done a convincing enough job with his falsies. He didn’t look natural. "Go back and take off that top. I’ll be in with a different one in a minute."

Patty didn’t have to tell him twice.

Patty told Renie, "That top was no good. It showed everything underneath, he looked funny. Help me find him something else."

It was easier said than done. Tank tops were too revealing. Knits, to clinging. Everything else they found didn’t look feminine enough. Patty was the one that decided on the boldly colored, white and yellow rugby shirt.

After the other top, this wasn’t bad at all. Walter slipped it over his head, tucked it into the jeans and followed Patty out into the store. Carol and Linda liked the way it looked on him. They especially liked the jeans.

Patty whispered to Linda, "Now at least it looks like he has an ass."

Linda laughed.

Walter was too nervous to notice them giggling. He was also too occupied. Carol appeared with a skirt and blouse for him. Renie had already found shorts and another top.

It went on for another hour. In and out of the dressing room, outfit after outfit. Walter was getting tired and the gurgling in his stomach wasn’t necessary to tell him he was hungry. He was relieved when Linda suggested they go have lunch.

"I can’t believe it’s almost two thirty." Patty was surprised when she looked at her watch. "Enough of this for a while, let’s eat."

It was a relief to get out of there even though he was back in the dress. He walked between Linda and Patty, following Renie and Carol.

They sat down at one of the back tables in the little German restaurant. Walter had eaten there once, when he came to the mall with Nick to hang out. He even recognized the waitress.

When his thoughts turned to Nick, he thought to himself how he’d like to strangle him for leaving him alone in that bar. Dwelling on Nick though, wasn’t something he had time for right now. Would the waitress recognize him?

The others all ordered light lunches. He didn’t want to stand out so he order the same salad that Patty did. Maybe it was just his imagination that the waitress seemed to look at him for more than just a glance. Walter broke eye contact with the woman no sooner than he made it. He hadn’t even being aware he was doing it.

They spent the whole time during lunch talking about girl stuff. Most of it he ignored, just looking around the restaurant. When they started talking about him and the way he looked in the clothes he paid attention but said nothing.

It was weird to hear them talk about him as a girl. It made him uncomfortable but there was something...., almost gratifying, to hear them complement him on doing so well and looking so good in the clothes he modeled. It wasn’t that he wanted to pass as a girl. It was more that he had done something well and they were giving him credit for it.

They all cleaned their plates. Carol needed to go to the ladies room. "Anyone else need to go?" She asked.

They all did and started to rise from their chairs, retrieving their purses, when they realized one of their party was still seated. They had almost forgotten.

Little mother encouraged him. "It’s alright Heather. We’ll all go in with you. It’s no big deal." Linda assured him as they all started to toward the door in the rear of the restaurant, with Walter in tow.

The ladies room was empty, to Walter’s relief. There were only two toilets. Linda and Walter went first. "Just lift up your dress and pull down your pantyhose and underwear to your knees. Patty told him just before she closed the door to the stall. "And for heaven’s sake, don’t forget to wipe." She added as an afterthought. They shared a silent chuckle at his expense, but he wasn’t aware of it.

It was a lot more trouble, taking a piss in a dress than in pants and girls had to through this every time? It was such a pain. As full as his bladder was it should have been a relief to go but when it only came out in a trickle it wasn’t the same. Not being able to feel himself under the tape was an equally uncomfortable sensation.

Renie and Patty were next. Carol went to wash and took Walter with her. "Fix your hair Heather."

His reflection was a little messed up. Pulling so many things over his head for the past two hours had something to do with it. Maybe that was why the waitress looked at him funny?

"You have your brush in your purse. Go ahead." Linda coaxed him.

He only had the purse with him now because Patty reminded him to pick it up from the back of the chair at the table. It was a strange sensation having it hang from his shoulder, bouncing against his hip when he walked.

Walter unzipped the bag and removed the brush. He brushed his hair the way Linda had shown him that morning and, with a little effort, managed to get it looking almost like it did when they started out from Renie’s.

"Fix the flip." Linda told him, pulling at his hair. "Like I showed you."

He fussed with it a little more, using the curling motion with the brush, the way she’d shown him.

"That’s better Heather. Now put on fresh lipstick." She added.

At that instant a pair of middle aged women came through the door. Seeing the toilets occupied, they stood by waiting.

Walter froze, his hand halfway to the purse to put the brush away. He was going to object to having to put on lipstick again but how could he now?

Patty, also waiting for a toilet, saw his reaction to the women. She felt she should do something before his fear drew attention to him. Stepping over next to him, she said, "Heather, I really love that shade of lipstick you bought. It looks perfect on you."

That was enough to bring him back to his senses. "Thanks," He responded with little more than a quiver in his voice. He put the brush back in the purse and rooted around for the lipstick.

One eye was on the reflection of the two women behind him. They weren’t paying him any particular attention. He felt clumsy as he applied the pale frosted almond lipstick to his lips. He took care not to mess up. It took him longer than it should have but he was satisfied that he did it right.

Renie and Carol finished and took Walter’s and Linda’s places at the mirrors. He and Linda stood to the side, standing next to the woman who now waited for her turn.

Walter was standing next to her feeling very awkward. If he really were a girl he would have been talking more, at least he thought he would. The silence was unnerving.

She turned and smiled at him. He could only smile back.

Finally, Patty finished and took only a minute or two at the mirror. It was a relief to get out of there.

They each said, "Good bye", to the waitress as they passed her on the way out of the restaurant, even Walter.

Back out in the mall, the girls stood discussing where to take him next. Patty suggested, "I want to go down to Leslie’s."

"They have some really pretty dresses." Carol remembered. The store catered to the upscale young woman.

"Good idea, let’s go." Agreed Renie.

Walter stayed close to Linda who he trusted most, although his opinion of Patty had greatly improved. Carol wasn’t as bad as Renie but she wasn’t a lot better.

The store was at the far end of the mall. Walter hadn’t been there often enough to know all the stores and the walk seemed endless as he watched each passing man, woman and child.

They had almost passed it when Renie spotted the little jewelry store with the big ‘Sale’ sign out front. It read, ‘Two for one earring sale with free ear piercing’. Renie just couldn’t resist. "Girls, come here for a second."

They all followed her into the small store, bringing Walter in with them.

"Aren’t these beautiful." Renie remarked, showing the others a pair of delicate pearl drop earrings. She stepped over close to Walter, holding one up to his ear. "They’d look beautiful on you Heather."

The salesgirl saw them come in. "Those are on special. They’re only $54.00 and you can pick a second pair of equal value, free." Looking at the girl the others called Heather, noticing her ears weren’t pierced, she said, "Piercing is free with those too."

God forbid! "No, thank you. I don’t want my ears pierced." He tried not to let the nervousness show in his voice.

She could tell the girl was afraid to get her ears pierced. "It really doesn’t hurt and it only takes a few seconds."

"No, I don’t think so. They’re too expensive." He just wanted out of there, any pretense would do.

"I have some really pretty gold drops on sale for only $10 to $20 and you can still have your ears pierced free."

The salesgirl walked over to the far side of the store, behind one of the glass display cases, to bring the earrings out to show her.

Walter was of a nature that whether he was wearing his own pants or Carol’s dress, he couldn’t be rude to people who were trying to be nice to him. He was compelled to go look at what the girl wanted to show him.

They let him go alone.

She pulled out a pair of one and a half inch gold hoops. "Here, these are only $20 this weekend. See how they look on you." She pulled over the a mirror so the girl could see herself.

Walter took one of the earrings. He didn’t know how to get away from the girl.

"You really need to hold them both up." She told her, handing over the other earring. "I’ll hold yours for you."

Reluctantly, he pulled off the clip on earrings Renie had put on him and handed them to the girl. He had been wearing them for so long he had almost forgotten they were there.

Bending down slightly, to see in the mirror, he held up the gold hoops to his ears. He supposed they would look attractive on a girl, but not him.

"They’d really be pretty on you." The salesgirl pressed for a sale. "I suppose you could have them for $16." She could even go lower if she had to. "The girl who does the piercing doesn’t have anyone waiting. She could take you right away."

How was he going to get away from her? "They’re really pretty," He told her, handing them back and picking up Renie’s from the counter, "but not today." It was awkward getting the clipons back on but at least he had the mirror to help him.

She was disappointed at not making a sale. It had been a slow day. "I can show you a few others, a little less expensive?"

"Another time, thanks." Walter got away from her. He joined the others who were waiting just outside in the mall.

"The hoops would have really looked pretty on you." Linda said when he joined them.

"You saw?" He was embarrassed.

"Through the window." Renie explained.

"I didn’t know how to get away from her." Walter told them in his defense. They had seen him hold the earrings to his ears. For the second time today he felt as if he appeared to accept and enjoy the role they made him play.

Renie learned something about him through his experience and she was sure she could use the insight to her advantage, if she got the opportunity.

"Let’s get over to Leslie’s. It’s almost four." Patty tried to hurry them along.

It wasn’t much different from the experience at Ivys, except the clothes were classier, more feminine and much more expensive. Walter couldn’t believe some of the prices.

Since the store was more upscale, there were fewer shoppers and the dressing room wasn’t nearly as busy. For an hour and a half, they brought him, and had him model, dresses and skirt outfits for work, for partying and for leisure. Each was feminine in its fabric and design. Since the styles were more reserved, there was more of a selection to choose from for him. They all enjoyed seeing him begin to relax and not fight it as much. They probably should have brought him here in the first place.

It did get easier for Walter. Often he was the only one in the dressing room and as he became more nimble with his long nails it got easier to get in and out of the clothes.

It still didn’t feel right, wearing girl’s clothes. Wearing bright colors, delicate fabrics, and lace made him look that much more like the girl they wanted him to be and it was so awkward feeling, having them fuss over him as if he were one of them. He did grow to feel a good deal less animosity toward Patty and even Carol.

Linda he came to actually like. In a way, it was like have his mother back, alive. She worried about him, fussed over him and tried to keep Renie off his back.

Renie,.... Renie still made him get goosebumps when she looked at him. She didn’t let up all day, doing anything she could to put him in awkward situations.

He stopped at the mirror in the dressing room after he put his dress on to leave. He took the brush from his purse and fixed his hair and applied fresh lipstick, more to keep people from looking at him strangely than from any need to look nice, he rationalized to himself.

His efforts weren’t lost of the others when he came out of the dressing room. Linda didn’t say anything because she didn’t want to embarrass him but she nudged Patty. "He’s beginning to care how he looks."

"I noticed." Patty said smiling. He had changed, just the littlest bit, over the course of the afternoon and Patty was tickled by the difference in him.

Carol held her comment till he was out of earshot, walking ahead with Patty and Linda. "I think he’s beginning to enjoy this." She said to Renie.

"I agree with you. It’s too bad we have to let him go so soon." Renie could see that he’d be so easy to dominate and she hated to see him go. "If there was only some way...." She thought out loud.

"We could keep him overnight and have some more fun tomorrow."

Carol suggested. She wouldn’t mind carrying his feminization a step further.

"I wish we could but his parents are probably going crazy looking for him. If we hang on to him much longer they’ll probably call the police."

That had occurred to Carol already. "Too bad."

It was about a quarter to six when they stepped through the mall’s doors and walked out into the late afternoon sun. It was noticeably cooler, but not cold.

"How about you let us buy you dinner Heather, before you leave us?" Patty offered.

They were really going to let him go. He had begun to have his doubts. Then he thought, it had been Patty and Linda that paid his check at lunch. "I don’t want to put you out."

Walter’s heart was in the right place, considering all that they’d done to him. He wasn’t even thinking of that at the moment. Patty thought that was so sweet of him.

"It’s alright Heather, we’ll all chip in. We owe you that." Renie offered.

She owed him a great deal more than that but Walter was willing to settle for putting as much distance between him and Renie as he could. If going to dinner with them would end it, then he would bear the humiliation of being their girlfriend for a little longer.

"Ok" Was all he said.

"Good." Carol joined in. "What do you think of Bennigan’s." She pointed to the far end of the mall parking lot, to where the restaurant stood.

They were seated by a young girl in shorts and a boller hat. Their waiter was a guy around twenty one. He had features that a movie star would have been proud of. Walter was jealous. Why couldn’t he have been born with a more masculine face instead of the one he was burdened with.

The girls ordered wine and for him, a coke. They talked about anything but him. Clothes, men, themselves, Walter learned a little about their personal lives. Patty was some kind of nurse. Linda worked in accounting somewhere, as near as he could tell. Carol was a salesperson for some Hitachi company, she didn’t seem the type. Renie was a supervisor was all he could get from her complaining about her job.

These four girls, women, he decided was probably more appropriate, all were professional people. Why did they waste their time harassing him?

Linda, as always, found time to instruct him on how to sit; legs crossed, back straight and his hands in his lap, on his napkin. He was wearing a white dress after all.

When their drinks came, he was told how to hold the glass and to take small sips through the straw. "You don’t want to ruin your lipstick." She told him.

When their dinner came, first Walter had to get over the disarming look the waiter seemed to give him. Walter mistakenly made eye contact and didn’t like the feeling he got from the guy’s look.

Then he had to contend with Linda again. "Take smaller bites. Pull your food off the fork with your teeth, not your lips. Hand in your lap." She was constantly after him. But he didn’t really mind it, coming from her.

He didn’t object so strongly when they were done and had paid the check, going to the ladies room with them. At least this time he knew what to expect. At least he thought he did.

It was much larger and much busier than the small restroom in the mall. There was no way he could talk to any of them in there. This time there was a half dozen girls, not older women. Some were as young as him and that felt strange for some reason he didn’t understand. He had to wait for a stall but didn’t waste any time getting done. As he had the last time, the pantyhose he wore had stretched so he had to take a moment and pull them up so they wouldn’t bag.

At the mirror he brushed his hair, no longer needing instruction from Linda. He had to take care of himself in this crowd. He only hesitated for a few seconds with the lipstick. Virtually every girl who came up to the mirrors applied fresh lipstick and he was no exception.

He and Carol waited just outside the bathroom for the others to finish. "We really had a nice day today Heather. It was a lot of fun. I’m glad you went along with us."

She thinks I enjoyed myself? He couldn’t believe it. There were too many people around to tell her what he really felt. He just said nothing.

Renie, Patty and Linda joined them in just a minute or two and they all walked out together.

It was about seven thirty and still light outside. With daylight savings time, they had about an hour and a half of daylight left. The clear sky was beginning to turn a deeper blue. It was a little cooler then when they had gone into the restaurant and when the sun went down it would actually get chilly.

Renie walked ahead of the others, to Carol’s car. She had the key and unlocked the door. From under the front, seat she withdrew a small brown bag.

"Well Heather, it’s been a wonderful day and I’m really going to miss you." Renie handed him the bag.

Did she mean what he thought? There were too many people around to create a scene, even if he had the confidence to do so. He tried desperately to keep control of his voice. He was shaking and almost to the point of tears, "You’re going to leave me here, like this?" He looked down at his white print dress, the pantyhose, the white flats and the purse over his arm.

"The clothes are my present to you Heather." Renie said smiling.

"But my clothes.....you promised." He just couldn’t imagine them leaving him like this.

"I kept my promise dear. They’re in the bag." She explained, holding it out to him.

Linda felt the worst. She was sick for him and ashamed of her friend.

"But I thought....." He couldn’t hold back any more and began to well up with tears. How could he go home like this?

Patty took out a handkerchief and handed it to him. "Here Heather."

He took it, looking at her soulfully, and dried his eyes.

Patty drew him to her and held him for a second. She whispered in his ear. "You’ll be alright, just hurry home." As she released him she kissed him on the cheek.

Linda wanted to take him in her arms. Actually, she wanted to take him home with her. She felt so bad. When Patty stepped aside she did give him a hug and she didn’t care who heard what she said to him. "Heather you are very sweet and you would make a very special girl."

He wasn’t sure how to take that. He knew she didn’t mean the emotional comment as a an insult. He felt her press something into his hand and then close his hand around it. He had enough sense not to look when she stepped back.

"Linda’s right Heather." Carol said hugging him too. "You do make a lovely young lady." She kissed him on the cheek and turned away quickly, so he wouldn’t see her smile.

Had he been wrong about Carol? Did he misinterpret her comment earlier, he wondered. No! What could he have been thinking? She was just teasing him.

"It’s time for you to go now Heather." Renie told him.

"But....How...?!" He couldn’t find the words.

Renie gave him a sympathetic look. "I thought you wanted to go. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. You could come home with me. I’d really like that." She hadn’t told the others of her thoughts about completely dominating him and turning him into her pretty feminine pet. That fantasy she kept to herself.

Not that, no way. "I’ll go." He answered in a scared whisper. He tucked the brown bag securely under his arm, exchanged one last look with Patty and Linda and turned and started walking across the parking lot.

"We can’t just let him walk off like that." Linda told Renie when the boy was out of earshot.

"Of course we can. He’ll be fine." Renie would have loved to been there when he got to his house and his mother and father opened the door to greet their son. Oh, wouldn’t that be something to see.

She gave up. Linda knew there was no point trying to elicit sympathy for the boy from her.

They all climbed into the bronco to ride back to Renie’s.

He watched them pull out of their parking spot, watching from behind a parked car. He looked again at what was in his hand. Linda had stuffed a note and three dollars in it. ‘I’m so sorry that we left you this way. Use the money for the bus. I’ll miss you Heather.’ On the bottom of the paper was a phone number, written as though it was an after thought.

She kept it up, right to the end. Her intentions were good at least. What she didn’t realize was, that with their departure, they also took any confidence he had gained with them. He could no more get on a bus by himself than jump over a house. He put both the money and the note into his purse. He debated tossing the purse away but decided he better not. It was part of his disguise and he needed it until he found a place to change.

He walked up to Old Mill Road and watched as the bronco rode to the far end of the mall parking lot and pulled out onto the road, heading away from him, toward Renie’s. He felt so alone.

Linda and Patty, sitting in the back of the Bronco, watched out the back window as they pulled out of the parking spot and drove toward the mall exit.

"I hated leaving him like that." Linda told Patty in a whisper.

Patty agreed, "So did I." She could see him walk from between the cars, toward the street. "What do you think will happen when he gets home?" She wondered out loud.

Renie heard Patty’s question. "I just hope his mother and father discover him all dressed up." She thought that would be so funny.

"I wish we had a little more time with him." Carol remarked.

She had echoed all their thoughts. Though each had their own reasons for doing what they’d done.

"I wish there was a way to really make him over. You know, get him comfortable with pretending." Carol was thinking out loud.

Renie had been content with embarrassing him today but she agreed with Carol. "He would make such a delightful looking girl." Her desires, her fantasy about what she would do with him would remain a secret from her friends.

"He really was pretty. I’d have loved to be able to teach him to act and think like a girl." Linda could just picture him as a little sister.

"That would take a lot of time and patience." Carol remarked. "Besides, without real breasts it would be so hard for him to feel the part."

Patty had given that a lot of thought today. "That wouldn’t be impossible to give him."

Renie had thought about the possibility of giving him real breasts. She turned around in her seat and asked Patty, "I completely forgot about you’re being an intern. Could you do that?"

Walter’s guess that she was a nurse had been only partially correct. Patty was just starting her second year internship at the hospital. She was planning on becoming a GYN.

"It’s possible but I don’t know if I could do it. That’s more in the field of Plastic Surgery." Patty was uncomfortable with Renie’s interest in the subject that she had given so much thought to today. Renie only wanted to hurt the boy, embarrass and degrade him. Patty felt no desire to humiliate him.

Her reasons for wanting to see him undergo the metamorphosis were different and hard to explain. She saw in him a very gentle, sensitive person who, looking the way he did, had to be struggling to fit into his male roll. When she thought about it, she felt sorry for him and wanted to help. She was convinced, that once he accepted a female identity he’d be much happier. She could help him, she was sure of that and Linda seemed to want to take an active roll.

She had already planned on doing some research on the subject. Patty didn’t share her thoughts with the others. Maybe with Linda she would, when they were alone later, at her house.

"Will you at least look into it?" Renie asked, slightly peeved. She wished Patty would be a little more willing.

It occurred to Carol that Patty might not be their only option to finding medical advice about transsexualism. She couldn’t tell her friend, Christine’s husband Peter, why she wanted the information but knew she could get it from him. He had several transsexual patients in therapy.

"I’ll check." Was the only commitment Patty would make to Renie. She was relieved that they finally got to Renie’s place.

"Where are you going?" Renie asked Patty and Linda. She thought they’d come in and have a drink and talk about the fun they’d had today.

"It’s been a long day Renie. I’ll call you Monday or Tuesday, when I find out something." Patty told her as she took out her keys and unlocked her car.

Linda wasn’t anxious to relive how Renie enjoyed humiliating the boy today. She would keep a different memory of Heather. "I’m kind of tired too Renie. I’ll let you know about Tuesday night at Karen’s." They were supposed to go to Karen’s Mary Kay party Tuesday. She said goodnight to Renie and Carol.

Patty pulled her car up next to Linda’s, rolled her window down and when Lin rolled her’s down, she asked, "You want to come over to my place for a cup of coffee? I want to talk to you about Heather, without the others around."

Renie and Carol waited for their friends to pull away before they went out and got in Renie’s car, pulling out of the driveway in a hurry.

It was almost a mile to his house and the easiest way to get there was down Old Mill to Rodger’s Street, three lights down. He could see it in the distance. If he took back streets it would take him longer and it was all residential, no place for him to change.

He knew his best bet was a gas station or something. He’d sneak into a men’s room and hide in a stall, change his clothes and dump everything somewhere. With that plan in mind, he began walking.

Walter had gotten almost to Rodger’s Street when he remembered his wallet. He stopped to look inside the bag for it, only to discover the condition of his clothes. They were garbage, the pants were cut up both legs from the bottom to the top. His shirt was cut in half too, like his underwear. His shoes were the only thing undamaged and there was no wallet anywhere among the rags.

The depression that he felt when they drove off and left him was magnified now. He would have to go home dressed like this. What was he going to do when he got there? He thought about Linda’s note. No, he decided. He couldn’t call her for help. He would find himself back in the same predicament again and he didn’t want a repeat of today.

Walter threw the rags into a garbage can he passed, keeping only his shoes and socks. He had no reason to stay on the heavily traveled road. Crossing the road, he took the back streets. Fortunately, few people were outside as he walked through the quiet neighborhoods. If he saw anyone ahead, he slowed his pace until they were gone. He didn’t look at the people in the cars that drove by.

Once he changed his direction and took a different street when he saw a small group of kids out in front of a house on the next block. They were guys and, while he was sure he didn’t know any of them, he couldn’t walk past them. Not dressed the way he was.

He reached his corner before dark. Standing at the head of the street, he debated what to do. He couldn’t just stand there, waiting for it to get dark.

Uncle Jack’s was the next to last house on the block, next to an empty, overgrown lot, and he’d have to walk past it to reach the bushes next to the driveway. He could hide there until dark. With a deliberate pace, modified to not look like a guy’s gait, he started walking.

He almost reached the house when he heard a car coming down the street, behind him. He kept walking and didn’t look back until he thought it should have passed him. He was in front of his driveway when he turned to see Cindy standing next to a car full of girls in front of her house. She was looking at him.

He hadn’t noticed the car just on the next block or the two occupants who just sat in the car, watching him.

Walter liked Cindy. She was really pretty but he was too shy to do anything but introduce himself to his neighbor. The three times he had seen her on the street out front, he hadn’t said more than ten words to her but that was enough. From his back yard, he had seen her often and, admittedly, he had a crush on her.

He panicked and walked quickly up the driveway, finding the hiding place he sought in the bushes.

"You know her?" Her friend Judy asked.

"I’ve never seen her before." Cindy answered, confused that the strange girl went up that driveway. "That’s that drunk’s house. He has a kid living there with him, Walter’s his name, I think. He been living there with his uncle for the past few weeks." That was odd.

Cindy climbed into the back seat and she and her friends pulled away from the curb.

"Slow down as you drive past." Cindy told Judy. The car barely crept along as it went past the driveway.

He was sure they couldn’t see him in the bushes. Why did they drive so slow? He could see them all looking. Walter breathed a sigh of relief when it finally passed and he heard the car speed up as it turned the corner.

If she had come out of the house a few seconds sooner she would have caught him. That would have been horrifying for him. He’d never be able to show his face outside the house again.

They had seen it all. "That was a close one for him." Carol remarked. The two had been laughing, almost to the point of tears.

"Did you see how he panicked? It was great." Renie thoroughly enjoyed watching it.

"Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could get him and his neighbor in the same place together, with him ‘dressed up’ and no way to escape?" Carol suggested, thrilled with the idea, knowing it would be well received.

He settled in to wait for dark. He tried sitting down but that didn’t work. His stockinged ass was all that touched ground. The dress was too short to sit in.

Uncle Jack was not home alone. Walter recognized the two cars in the driveway. His friends, Jim and Carl were there. They were a couple of his drinking buddies. It wouldn’t make it any easier to get into the house. Usually, when they came over, they stayed around most of the night drinking.

It seemed like a long time before he felt it was dark enough to try to sneak into the house. Running around in the white dress didn’t help much in the dark.

Walter thought about his options. He eliminated the front and back doors immediately. Both could be seen from the living room and he’d have to go through there to get to the hallway to the bedrooms. That left only the windows. The bathroom window would have been his first choice but it was painted shut. If he could have gotten in there he could have washed and wrapped himself in a towel before his Uncle caught him.

His bedroom window opened but it stuck a lot. He didn’t have much choice. Carefully, quietly, using a stick he found next to the garage in back, he slowly pried his window up.

Each time a car passed on the street or he heard a strange noise, Walter ducked down behind the bushes under his window, beside the cars. It took forever to get it open enough to squeeze through. He had to carefully pull up the old, rusted aluminum blinds up so as not to make too much noise.

Finally, he was inside, in the comparative safety of his room. He wasn’t home free yet though. He crept across the room and carefully closed the old squeaky door. His room was at the end of the hall and anyone coming down the hall to use the bathroom would see him.

He pulled the dress off, over his head, as soon as he managed the zipper. The bra, with it’s padding, the panty hose and the panties landed on top of the dress. Walter balled everything up in the dress and stuffed it under his bed. He would dispose of everything tomorrow, in a garbage can far from home.

Walter grabbed a pair of shorts from his drawer. He didn’t dare waste any time. There was always the chance that his Uncle would notice the bedroom door closed when he went to the bathroom and he went to the bathroom a lot when he drank.

He made a quick tug on the tape. It wouldn’t budge. He decided he would just soak it off in the shower. There was another problem he hadn’t thought of. Walter was sure that as soon as he turned on the shower his Uncle would realize he was home.

Walter knew he wouldn’t have much time. He tip toed down the hall to the bathroom, taking care to close the door behind him quietly and locking it. He’d have to hurry before one of the lushes in the living room decided he had to go.

His face was first. He ran the water in the sink slowly, directly on the washcloth. Almost everything came off fairly easily. All but the eyeliner and mascara, that he really had to scrub and it made his eyes red.

His eyebrows looked so strange, he realized, looking at himself in the mirror. What was he going to do about his eyebrows. He had the eyebrow pencil in the purse under the bed but his Uncle would know, Walter was sure of it. He had no other choice. In the medicine cabinet was Uncle Jack’s razor. The razor was poised at his eyebrow. He knew how strange he’d look with his eyebrows gone. Walter couldn’t convinced himself that his uncle wouldn’t notice. ‘I burned them by accident Uncle Jack.’ That’s what he’d tell him. He’d make up some story how he did it. That would explain why his eyebrows looked so funny.

He brushed his hair aside, using only his hand. He saw the reflection of his long red nails. There were nail clippers in the medicine cabinet. The fake nails that overlaid his, were glued on too well to pull off. He had tried, several times on the way home. He’d have to just cut them and hope that his Uncle didn’t notice. First, he had to worry about getting the polish off. The rubbing alcohol from under the sink did the job pretty well. Walter was very careful to get it all. His nails looked a little funny but he would have had to hold them out to see for anyone to notice and he had no intention of doing that.

Walter’s hair was next but how was he going to wash it without alerting his uncle that he was home. He’d come bursting into the bathroom, probably breaking the lock to see what was going on. He tried combing it straight back but it didn’t work. It continued to fall, wavy, in front of his eye and the rest was still too thick and wavy to make it lay down. He’d just have to wash it.

He had no choice. He’d have to jump in before the hot water came up.

"What the hell is that." Jack looked to Carl, surprised.

Carl heard it too. He was thinking a little more clearly than his drinking buddy. "It’s your shower Jack. The kid must be home." He told Jack matter of factly.

"I didn’t see him come in." Jack commented as he pried himself from the old, overstuffed chair.

Carl and Jim looked at each other. They weren’t as drunk as Jack and knew that when Jack was sloshed he wouldn’t hear an A bomb drop.

Jim told him. "He didn’t come through here."

"I know that, dipshit." His patience was short when he was drinking and he’d been tipping beers all day. "I’ll kick the little sissy’s ass for making me wonder where he was all night and day."

"You’re drunk Jack. Leave him alone until you sober up." Jack was always complaining that the kid was this terrible burden to him and that he was a little pussy. Always so polite, well mannered and shy. He was so mousey it made Jack sick. "Be a man." He told him at least a hundred times in the past few weeks since he’d moved in.

"Fuck you Jim." Jack almost made it from the chair to the hallway in a straight line, almost.

Navigating the hallway wasn’t difficult as long as he used the wall to keep from falling over. Now that he was up, he had to piss, badly.

He tried the door and found it locked. "Open this door God Damn it." He yelled, pounding on the door with his fist.

Walter, under the cold water, soaked his hair immediately. He lathered up the soap and rubbed the lather on the edges of the tape. As hard as he tried to pick and edge loose, it held fast.

He didn’t hear his uncle try the door but he certainly heard him pounding and swearing. It hadn’t occurred to him that he’d need to jump out of the shower, dripping wet to open the door. With the towel wrapped around his waist, holding it securely with one hand, he released the lock.

The door almost hit Walter as it swung in hard. "Where the fuck have you been?" Jack yelled. He held the door frame for support.

Walter backed away from his drunken uncle. "I...I.." He had rehearsed the story but now, with his uncle standing there, his face beet red with anger, he couldn’t get the words out.

Jack looked at the boy’s face. He couldn’t tell immediately what was wrong. Something certainly looked odd. Then it struck him. "What the hell did you do to yourself."

Walter found his voice, "What?" He asked, not sure what his uncle meant. His voice quivered as he spoke.

"Your God Damn eyebrows. What’d you do to em?" Jack only turned the volume down a few decibels.

Walter became a little braver as his uncle began to quiet down. Still shaking, clutching the towel tightly around his waist, he answered the man, "A gas barbecue, I was lighting...."

Jack got enough of the picture. He burned them. Dumb kid. Satisfied with his answer he went back to his original question, cutting the boy off. "Where’ve you been?"

Uncle Jack never let him finish a sentence. When he was angry, and he often got angry for no apparent reason. Walter was afraid his uncle would hit him. He had to give him the story now or he was sure to get hit. "I’m sorry Uncle Jack. I went out with some of the guys....."

"Where the hell did you go." Jack took a step in the boy’s direction. It really pissed Jack off that he got stuck with the kid. He didn’t even like the little candy ass.

Walter took a step back and ran into the wall. Shaking visibly now, his story fell apart. "We had a couple drinks."

The kid was old enough, Jack felt. He normally wouldn’t get pissed about him drinking but it was just the way he acted that infuriated Jack. So scared, such a wimp. "You steal my booze?" The volume of his voice raised again and he took another step toward the boy.

Still clutching the towel with one hand, Walter cringed, holding up his other arm. He was as prepared as he could be to fend off the blow he was sure was coming.

The more the boy showed fear, the angrier it made Jack. Whether it was the booze or his repulsion over they way the boy acted, He didn’t know. His hand caught the boy across the face and send him sprawling to the floor.

Walter felt like he’d been hit with a two by four. the pain brought tears.

His crying only infuriated Jack further. More proof that the boy was a wimp and he detested that. In some twisted way, in Jack’s mind, it made Jack less of a man since he was responsible now for raising him. "Stop your God Damn crying or I’ll belt you again! STOP IT!" He yelled.

Walter was terrified of him. His mother and father never hit him, not once. He didn’t know how to deal with the way his uncle treated him. He tried to hold back the tears but the harder he tried, the more they flowed.

Jack stood over him. "You fucking pussy. Get in your room!" He screamed.

Walter moved, cautiously, trying to stay as far from his uncle as he could. He scrambled across the dirty tile floor on his knees. As he reached the door he got up and ran for his room.

"You better God Damn run." Jack told him as he followed him down the hall. "Hell’s gonna freeze over before you get your ass out of this house again!" He continued screaming at the boy.

Walter ran to the far corner of the room. His uncle followed him in. He continued to yell at him.

"What the hell did I do to deserve you? Why did your God damn mother and father have to go and kill themselves!" He yelled in the boy’s face.

Walter, his back against the wall, sunk to the floor trying to get away from the man and his ravings. The alcohol on his breath was enough to make Walter almost sick.

Jack finally stopped screaming long enough to take a deep breath. The scent that filled his nostrils didn’t belong in the boy’s room. In a calmer tone but far above normal, he asked the boy, "Did you bring a girl into this room?" It was perfume, he was sure of it.

From the floor, Walter answered, "No Uncle Jack, I promise." He couldn’t figure out why he asked but then he smelled it too and it dawned on him. He should have thrown the clothes out somehow, as soon as he took them off.

Jack didn’t believe him. "She’s here now, isn’t she?" The smell was too fresh in the room. "Where is she?"

There weren’t too many places to hide in his little room. Jack, keeping an eye on the boy, stepped over to the closet, yanking the door open. Walter didn’t have a lot of clothes. No one could hide in there without being spotted. "Where is she kid?" Maybe he didn’t give the kid enough credit.

"Honest Uncle Jack. There’s no gi....." Walter stopped in mid sentence. He watched his uncle drop to his hands and knees at the edge of the bed. He was going to look underneath. For just an instant, he thought he would die.

Jack was sure there was a girl in there. The fragrance was too strong for there not to be. He raised the worn dust curtain and saw just a bundle of clothes. They didn’t interest him. He was about to drop the dust ruffle when he took a good look and saw one of the white flats. "What the hell is this?" He reached under and pulled the clothes out.

He was drunk, not stupid. "So there’s no girl here? Bullshit!"

Walter had to think of something. "She’s gone."

"Without her clothes? I don’t think so kid." He renewed his efforts, turning out every possible hiding place in the room.

Walter was terrified that his uncle would finally put two and two together.

He was frustrated at not being able to find the girl. The alcohol that fogged his thinking only made it worse. He stood in the doorway looking at the boy on the floor in the corner. "The little bitch better be gone."

Jack had an overwhelming feeling of disgust, looking at him cringing there. "You don’t leave this room, understand?"

Walter didn’t answer. Still clutching the towel at his waist, he only nodded at his uncle.

Jack, with the clothes from under the bed in hand, pulled the bedroom door shut with a loud bang.

He didn’t move from the spot on the floor. He felt drained, completely. Only now, did he feel the pain in his face where his uncle had hit him. The day took it’s toll on him and he allowed all his emotions release. The tears flowed freely.

Jack stopped halfway down the hall,. A thought struck him. He tried to dismiss it as ridiculous, but it made sense.

"I found these in his room." Jack announced as he walked back into the living room. He held up the dress, shoes and underwear.

Carl smiled, "He had a girl in his room." Maybe he wasn’t a sissy after all.

Jim’s thoughts echoed Carl’s.

Jack dropped into his chair. "If he did, she left without her clothes." Jack wasn’t sure if he should share his suspicions.

"Underwear and everything?" Jim asked.

Jack held up the purse. "Even this."

"That’s weird." Carl didn’t understand.

Jack decided what the hell. He didn’t care a whole lot about his nephew. "I don’t think he had a girl in the house." He told them with a smug look on his face.

Now both Jim and Carl were confused and it showed on their faces.

Jack shared his suspicions, "I think the little sissy’s dressing up."

Jim looked at his buddy, "You mean the little shit is....?"

Carl chimed in, "He’s a pervert?" He thought it was something the kid would do, after getting to know him a little over the past few weeks.

"Yea, I think so." His buddies took the news well. They all laughed.

Jim had an idea. "Ok if we go check him out?"

"Yea, sure. Come on." The night had been boring so far. Since the guys thought it would be fun, why not? Jack led them down the hall, telling them to be quiet.

Jack turned the door knob carefully, hoping that the boy wouldn’t hear them. He didn’t know what he expected to see when he peeked through the crack as he opened the door just a bit. The boy was still curled up in the corner, crying. What a wimp, he laughed to himself.

Walter looked up, startled, when the door swung open and he saw the three men standing there, staring at him. The tears were still running down his cheeks. He tried to hold them back as he wiped his eyes with his arm.

"Look at his hair." Jim said. "That’s no guy’s haircut."

His hair was almost dry and had partially regained the set the girls had put in it that day. Walter, selfconsciously, tried to flatten it with his hand, pushing it away from his face. Remembering his strange looking finger nails, he quickly put his hand down again.

Carl brushed past the others to get a better look at him. He knelt down in front of Walter for a better look. "Shit, check out his eyebrows."

Jack thought twice about them now. He and Carl stepped closer.

"God damn. He plucked em." Carl said with a smirk. "Check em out Jack." That’s when Carl noticed the faint scent of perfume. He leaned closer to the boy and sniffed. A wide smile crossed his face. "He’s got perfume on." Carl backed off so he could see and smell for himself.

Jack saw the shaped eyebrows now and caught the faint scent that Carl had noticed on him. "Shiiit!"

This was ten times worse than Walter had feared might happen.

"I want to see the little faggot in his dress and stuff." Jim suggested.

"Yea," Carl agreed. "let’s see how he looks Jack."

If they were amused by it, why not? "Sure, what the hell." He dropped everything on the floor in front of Walter. "Put it on, pussy." Any feelings he had for the boy, and there was little, were gone. Doing what he had done was too much. Thank God his friends didn’t see it as a reflection on him. At this point, he’d go along with whatever the guys wanted to do with him.

The boy didn’t move. Jack took another step closer. He leaned over, "You heard me kid, put on the clothes."

This was the last thing Walter wanted to do. These rednecks, his uncle included, were as crude as anyone Walter knew.

If he wouldn’t do it willingly, he’d entice him. Jack hit him for the second time with his open hand.

"Don’t bruise him Jack. He won’t look very pretty with a bruise on his face." Carl said laughing.

Jim thought it was hilarious and joined in the laughter.

Walter’s tears began to flow again. He reached out to the pile of clothes and pulled the dress to him, reluctantly.

"Don’t forget you’re underwear little girl." Carl said to him, pushing the things closer to the boy with his foot.

The look on their faces scared him. He looked down at the things on the floor. If he put them on they’d see the tape, see what the girls had done. He asked, his voice cracked, "Alone?"

"What’d you say sweetie?" Jim asked sarcastically. He could almost picture what he’d look like and there was something about all this that stirred him, excited him.

Walter spoke up a little, his voice still very shaky, "Get dressed alone?"

"She’s modest. How sweet." Jack taunted him. "No, I don’t think so. Just put the clothes on." He had backed off from the boy but now, he moved in close again.

Walter could see that he was getting mad again. He didn’t want to be hit. Still holding the towel with one hand he attempted to pull the panties on with the other.

"Look at his nails." Jim saw what was left of the glue on nails on the boy’s finger as he struggled with the underwear.

Walter pulled his hand back quickly, trying to hide his hand again.

Carl was closest. He reached out and grabbed Walter’s wrist. "Look at these." He said, showing the boy’s hand to the others.

Walter pulled back but not until they had seen his nails. He resumed trying to pull the panties up as he knelt on the floor, still clutching the towel.

"What’re ya hiding?" Jack moved quickly to yank the towel off the boy.

It was unexpected. Walter wasn’t prepared and the little protection the towel had offered was gone. He froze.

"Will you look at that." Carl was even a little surprised to see the duct tape.

"I can’t believe he’d do that to himself." Jim could imagine how that would feel coming off. "He even has a little hole to piss through."

Walter couldn’t stand them looking at him that way. He quickly pulled up the panties.

"He looks very natural." Jim’s excitement was building. He resisted the urge to rub himself. "Now the pantyhose."

Walter wanted to be covered up now. He got up off the floor and sat on the edge of his bed, as near to the wall as he could and as far away from the three as possible.

Carl retrieved the bra and padding from the floor. "Here’s your bra darling." He smirked as he tossed it to the boy.

Walter caught the bra but the padding fell out.

"Go ahead you little pervert, put it on." Jack felt his contempt for the boy growing. His anger grew with it.

He didn’t take his eyes from the floor as he slipped his arms into the bra and pulled it on. He left the cotton on the bed, stuffing only the shoulder pads into the cups. Walter wasted no time stepping into the dress and zipping it up. He had to stand for a second to put it on. Then he sat down quickly, back on the bed.

Jim and Carl looked at each other and grinned. Jack just looked at his nephew with disgust.

"Where’s your make up missy?" Jim asked.

Walter just shook his head. None of them thought to look in the purse and he wasn’t about to volunteer the information.

"Come on out in the living room cutie." Carl grabbed Walter’s wrist. "We’ll have a drink."

Walter tried to resist. Carl stood 5’11" and weighed 190 lbs. As small as Walter was, the guy had no problem hoisting him from the bed.

Jim pushed him down by the shoulder on to the couch. He dropped down onto the cushion next to him. Carl sat down on the other side of the boy. Jack got comfortable in his chair and cracked open a cold one.

Walter didn’t even look at the TV. His eyes were glued to the floor in front of him.

Jim twisted off the cap on one of his beers and handed it to the boy. "Here, have a drink."

Walter didn’t want a drink. He set the bottle on the coffee table in front of him.

"Drink!" Jim insisted, picking up the bottle and handing it to him again. "All of it!"

Walter took a sip and started to put it down again.

"All of it, I said." He grabbed his wrist and brought the bottle back to his mouth.

Walter, hesitantly, drained the beer, stopping only twice to catch his breath. He set the empty on the table.

Carl knew what Jim was doing. He poured a shot of Jack Daniels from his bottle on the table. "Here," He said, putting the shot of bourbon on the table in front of the empty beer bottle.

Jack only glanced over at the three of them on the couch. He didn’t care if they got him drunk. In the state he was in, he didn’t care about much of anything at the moment. He drained his beer and grabbed another from the cooler on the floor beside his chair.

Walter didn’t want the shot. He raised his eyes from the floor and looked, pleadingly, at Carl.

Carl wasn’t moved. "Drink!" He insisted.

Jim had already pulled out another beer for the boy. "Here’s a chaser."

Walter downed the shot in three sips. He didn’t have to be coaxed to take a long drink from the beer, his throat burned from the bourbon.

Over the next half hour they force fed him four or five shots and nearly a six pack. Jack was passed out in his chair, oblivious of what was going on.

Jim and Carl watched the boy constantly as he became more and more intoxicated. Jim figured he was finally ready. He had been sitting with his arm around the slender boy’s shoulder for about ten minutes.

Walter had hardly noticed when Jim rested his arm on his shoulders. He was drunk and would have fallen over without the support.

Carl was trying to be patient. He could hardly wait to make his move on the boy. He was actually a little jealous of Jim.

"So, you want to be a girl." Jim whispered in Walter’s ear.

Walter, in his state of intoxication, barely heard the words, much less understood them.

Jim continued, "Then you need to learn how to make a man happy."

The words still didn’t mean anything to Walter but he had enough presence of mind to get really scared when Jim took his arm off his shoulder and pulled down his zipper.

"I’ll show you." Jim told him smiling. The boy tried to resist but it was easy to pull him over, till his head was in his lap. Jim took a firm grip on the hair on the back of Walter’s head. "That’s a good girl." He said as he pumped his head up and down.

Carl made no pretense of following the boy as he rushed to the bathroom. He waited impatiently while Walter, on his knees with his head in the toilet, vomited over and over. Only when his heaving slowed did Carl pin the pretty boy against the bowl, pulling down his pantyhose and underwear. A healthy amount of spit was all the lubrication Carl needed.

The big man’s arm pinned him there while his underwear was pulled down. He couldn’t have escaped if he had the strength.

Time seemed to stand still. He didn’t know how long after he laid there on the bathroom floor, his underwear at his knees, weeping like a baby. His rectum still ached from what Carl had done to him. The pain and humiliation was still fresh in his mind.

Walter could hear the TV in the other room. Occasionally, he heard the two men laughing.

He finally reached down and pulled up the underwear that had become his. Covering himself, even with these strange clothes, gave him little feeling of protection.

It was as he was lifting himself off the cold tile floor that he heard the TV suddenly go silent. What did it mean? Walter was terrified that it meant they were coming for him again.

He was still shaky and very sore but he managed to scramble down the hall to his bedroom. He didn’t bother to look back over his shoulder, afraid of what he might see. He slammed the door behind him. He leaned against it, listening. He heard footsteps in the hallway. His door had no lock. He had no choice. This time when he slipped over the window sill he didn’t worry about the noise he made when the blinds rattled.

They started out talking in Patty’s living room and then moved to the breakfast nook when Patty offered Linda coffee and cookies.

"You gave him your phone number? Why?" Patty asked Linda, surprised that she’d do that.

"I’m worried about him." She told her.

"You’re impossible." Patty told her, shaking her head. She swirled the coffee grounds in the bottom of her cup. It was her second. One of the reasons Patty liked Linda so much was that she was such a caring, sensitive person.

"No I’m not." Linda answered, smiling. She and Patty got along like sisters and she treasured their relationship. Her smile was replaced with a thoughtful expression. "He made such a pretty girl, didn’t he?"

"He really did but it was more than the fact that he looked so much like a girl. His nature was gentle and sensitive, not like most boys his age." Patty reflected.

"He was so shy." Linda’s heart went out to him, even then.

"I know." Patty wondered if she should share her thoughts with Linda? Probably not, she might not agree. There had to be a way to get him back with them, if only for a while. But how? Patty’s thoughts wandered. She would find some time on Sunday to do some investigating about hormone therapy’s and its effect on males.

Linda left around ten. Patty had early rounds and needed to get to bed. She cleaned up, making sure everything was in its place before she got ready for bed. It felt like it had been a very long day.

Renie and Carol were back at Renie’s. Carol had just gotten off the phone with Christine.

Renie asked impatiently, "So, what did he say?."

Carol beamed, "He said I could come over in the morning for coffee and we’d talk."

"He wasn’t suspicious?" Renie asked, concerned.

"No, not at all. He said there are hundreds of closet transsexuals and transvestites, afraid to ask for help. He thought it was very generous and open minded of me to help our ‘friend’." Carol and Renie had planned out their approach carefully.

"Terrific." Renie was excited. "I can’t wait."

Carol turned her attention to the papers spread out over the dining room table. "Now, where did we leave off." An empty wine bottle sat on the counter nearby. A box of crackers and the last crumbs of a piece of cheddar cheese sat on the corner of the table. The stereo was on low in the living room.

"I have to file the police report in the morning. We’ve got his first few days pretty well planned."

"Can we finish in the morning, after I talk to Peter? It’s late."

It was late. It was almost two in the morning. They had brainstormed for almost five hours and were exhausted.

"In the morning." Renie agreed as she got up to see Carol out. "You’ve got the list of questions?" She asked as she opened the front door.

"It’s all memorized, but I have the list." Carol thought Renie was being a little fanatical about this. She was just as excited as she was about what they had planned, but not like Renie.

As she cleared the table, stacking up the papers that detailed their plans, putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, Renie fanaticized about what it would be like. She was impatient.

Linda didn’t recognize the faint rapping sound that woke her from a sound sleep. The illuminated figures of the clock on her nightstand flashed one am. She had been asleep for hours. Again the rapping sound came to her. Finally, she recognized it to be someone knocking on her front door. Who would be knocking at this hour, she wondered as she slipped her legs over the edge of the bed and pulled on her robe. She was a little nervous. She didn’t like answering the door at this time of night.

Moving silently down the hall in the dark, she passed through the kitchen and approached the front door. With her eye to the peep hole, Linda reached for the light switch. "Oh my God!"

Linda threw the dead bolt, twisted the knob and yanked the door open. "Heather, what happened to you?" He was a mess.

The dress Carol had given him was terribly wrinkled, soiled and smelled to high heaven. There were runs in both legs of his stockings and the white flats were all scuffed.

His eyes were red, obviously from crying.

"It’s Walter." He reminded Linda in a weak scared voice.

She hardly noticed him correct her. Linda was anxious to get him inside. She took his arm, "Come in sweetheart. Sit down."

Walter let himself be led into the living room and sat on the couch.

"What happened? Are you alright?" Linda brushed the hair from his face.

Walter was exhausted. He had spent the last hour and a half walking, hiding, thinking. How could he tell this girl what they had done. He hardly knew her. Yet, he felt he could trust her.

He told Linda about sneaking into the house, about stealing down the hall and into the bathroom. Then he told her about his uncle’s reaction when he found he was finally home. Home, that was a joke, Walter thought to himself.

Linda couldn’t believe the man could treat his nephew the way he did. She put her arm around him and held him. "You poor thing."

It was strange to have this person hold him the way she did. He hadn’t felt this way in a while, since his mother died and left him.

Walter told Linda of the ordeal when they discovered he had been the one wearing the clothes. How they made him dress up for their amusement. How they got him drunk. He stopped short there, not wanting to share his humiliation over what they’d done to him. He was sure she would look at him like he was a freak, something soiled and disgusting.

Linda listened, shocked and amazed at their treatment of the shy, gentle boy. He didn’t deserve to be treated that way. She held him, stroking his hair and shoulders. When he finished she announced, "You’ll stay with me tonight Heather."

He didn’t even bother to correct her. When she said the name, it wasn’t to be cruel or unkind. She simply was more comfortable calling him that. She was so sweet to him and he didn’t want to spoil that right now. She was giving him what he needed.

He agreed to stay.

"The first thing we need to do is get you out of those clothes and get a shower." Again, taking his arm, she led him to the bathroom.

He didn’t resist. How many times had she seen him without clothes? He pealed everything off while Linda got him a clean washcloth and towel. The shower would be welcome, feeling the way he did.

"Here, for you." She produced a new toothbrush from the pocket of her robe and handed it to him. She wished she knew how to make him smile. He was so quiet and somber. It disturbed her.

He could still taste the faint flavor of vomit. He relished the opportunity to brush. "Thanks."

Linda was picking up the clothes from the floor when she noticed the small, fresh blood on his panties. "Heather?" She said, holding them up.

The memory of what they done was so very fresh in his mind. He could still feel the pain from the way the man had stretched and bruised his insides. As Linda looked at him, the tears began to fill his eyes again.

Linda knew he hadn’t told her everything, that he was holding something back. "Tell me what happened sweetheart." She drew him down to sit on the edge of the bathtub next to her. Her in her robe and him in just a towel.

It was ok to tell Linda. She was genuinely compassionate. She listened, with out the reaction that another might have.

Linda kept telling him, "You’re alright now Heather. You’re going to be fine." And he wanted to believe her.

"It’s not your fault that they did this to you. They’re sick. Don’t blame yourself." Linda thought she knew what he must be feeling. The victim frequently blamed themselves for what happened. She spent some time trying to make him understand. When she suggested that he should see a doctor he pulled away.

"No! I can’t!" He insisted. He couldn’t tell a complete stranger what they did to him, he couldn’t.

Linda didn’t press him. She understood how embarrassing, how terrifying it must have been for him.

He finally showered, washing his hair. He let the water beat on him for quite a while. The rythum of the water soothed him.

Linda wrapped the towel on his head. She brought him a clean pair of panties.

He knew that was all she had to offer so he didn’t fight her about them. He was clean and had to wear something. They weren’t like the string bikinis Renie had insisted he wear.

"What’s this?" He asked as he pulled the panties on.

"It’s just a panty liner." She explained. "In case you have any more bleeding during the night." She had put it in the panties before she gave them to him.

He decided that made sense and said no more about it. He pulled up the underwear.

He did think twice when she brought him the nightshirt he had worn the night before.

"You can’t go to bed naked." She explained.

He probably would have done just about anything she asked that night. He was grateful to her for the way she took him in and gave him something he hadn’t felt in a while, love.

"Now, I want you to take this." In the palm of Linda’s outstretched hand was a pill.

He wanted to trust her but he had to ask, "What is it?"

"It’s Valium, to help you sleep." Linda explained, holding it out again. "Trust me."

Walter knew what valium was and he did trust her. He plucked the pill from her hand and took it with water from the sink.

"It’s time for you to climb into bed Heather." Linda led him from the bathroom.

The same bedroom that had been the place that had been the beginning of his nightmare was now a welcome refuge. Linda stayed with him as he lay there in the dark. She stroked his head and comforted him till he drifted off to sleep.

Back in her bed, Linda didn’t fall asleep easily, thinking about what those men had done to the boy. It was almost an hour before she finally drifted off.

It was the sun, shining through the sheer white curtains on her face, that first woke Linda. The clock on the nightstand said it was only 7:30.

Her first coherent thought was to call Patty. Patty’s answering machine, with its cheerful message, came on. Linda was too late. She had already left for the hospital. She left a short message. "Call me as soon as you get in. Heather’s here with me."

She drifted in an out of a light sleep. She was listening for any sound from the other bedroom. Any sign that he was awake. Linda didn’t want to wake him before he had a good sleep.

After tossing and turning for almost an hour and a half, Linda decided she couldn’t wait any longer for something to eat. Throwing on her robe, she headed for the kitchen.

Linda’s bedroom, with its private bath was at the end of the hall. She tip toed past the boy’s door which was halfway up the hall, across from the guest bath. The hallway opened onto the kitchen, bright with the morning sun. The kitchen and breakfast nook were probably the things she liked most about the little cottage like house. Her mother and father bought it for her when she graduated from college. Linda knew she was fortunate to have the kind of parents she had.

She ate a light breakfast of juice, toast and cereal. She was constantly struggling with her weight even though she was only a few pounds over her ideal weight.

Quietly, she put everything in the sink to wash later.

Linda always enjoyed Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and the paper. She retrieved the paper from the front lawn, opening and closing the front door as quietly as possible. She spread out the paper on the kitchen table, Sitting where she could see down the hall to the guest bedroom door.

She had finished reading the news and was half way through the circulars when there was a knock of her front door. Linda looked up at the clock on the wall. It was eleven.

"Good morning sweetheart." Connie said in her good natured voice as she stepped across the threshold, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

Linda kissed her mother back. "Good morning Mom." She was surprised by the visit. Her mother had obviously just come from church, judging by the way she was dressed.

Linda’s mother always dressed immaculately. She shopped at only the best stores. She looked young and they were occasionally mistaken for sisters. Linda aspired to be as elegant a lady as her mother when she was growing up.

"I missed you in church this morning." She said as the two walked toward the kitchen table.

"It was a late night last night." Linda explained.

"Did you have a date." Her mother asked, looking around the house. She was proud of her daughter. Proud of the way she took pride in herself and her surroundings.

"No, Patty and few of the girls and I got together for a while. Bob’s out of town this weekend." She couldn’t very well tell her mother about staying up half the night with the boy or what they had been up to yesterday, with him.

Bob was Linda’s latest and it was true that Bob was out of town.

"I haven’t seen Patty in a while. How is she?" Connie asked. She liked her daughter’s friend.

Walter had been awake for only a few minutes when he started hearing what he thought was the television. He got up and opened the bedroom door a crack. He heard the voices and started down the hall toward the kitchen. "Linda?"

Where they were standing, they couldn’t see down the hallway. Linda took a step to her right and saw him. "Good morning Heather." She said with a smile. She didn’t stop to think about it when she called him the name they had given him, it was second nature to her.

He was in the kitchen before he saw the other woman. He froze. He thought about turning around and running. He was standing there in just the nightshirt.

"Good morning." Connie said, smiling pleasantly at the girl. Linda had not mentioned that she had a guest.

Walter’s vocal cords were stuck. He didn’t answer the woman.

Linda reacted quickly, "Mom, this is Heather. Heather this is my mother."

Connie approached the girl, her hand outstretched, "It’s nice to meet you Heather." She noticed instantly that the girl was wearing one of Linda’s nighties. It was one she had given her daughter.

Behind her mother’s back, Linda encouraged him to respond.

The delay between Connie’s greeting and his reply was almost intolerable to Linda.

Walter finally found his wits. "Good morning." He replied, sheepishly. He gave the woman’s hand a gentle squeeze and released it quickly. The woman was striking. Quite beautiful in fact and she certainly was Linda’s mother. They had the same pretty features. Her mother had a trimmer figure than Linda but still quite shapely. She struck him as a person with a lot of self confidence, a lot of poise. He was held spellbound by her beauty, her presence.

"Heather spent the night with me." Linda felt she had to explain.

Of course, Connie had figured that out. "So that’s why you girls were up so late." Connie looked the girl over. Disheveled was the first thing that came to mind. Connie wouldn’t dream of stepping out of her bedroom with out being dressed, her hair done and her makeup on.

She was not unattractive. Awfully shy, yes, but pretty. She was a little young, she thought to herself, to be one of her daughter’s friends.

Connie turned to Linda. "You didn’t forget that your Aunt Mary and Uncle Tony are coming to the house today? You’re still coming over?"

She heard the command in her mother’s voice. She had forgotten but that didn’t matter now. She had to make an excuse. She couldn’t leave the boy, not today. "Heather’s had some trouble at home and he’s staying with me today."

"She’s." Connie corrected her.

"What?" Linda didn’t realize she had slipped.

"’She’s’ staying with you. You said ‘he’s’." Connie explained.

What a stupid mistake. "I meant she." Linda corrected herself.

"Well, that’s not a problem." Connie replied.

Linda and Walter breathed a momentary sigh of relief. Walter just stood there like a statue, not saying a word.

"Bring Heather with you." She told Linda. Turning to the girl, she said, "You really must come Heather."

He wanted to tell her no, but he was still too afraid to speak up.

"I don’t know Mom." Linda was about to tell her mother no, they couldn’t make it.

"I’ll hear no more about it Linda. The two of you are coming. Linda, you know how disappointed your Aunt Mary would be if you don’t come see her." Connie had told Linda about them coming two weeks ago and she wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

Connie couldn’t help but notice how fidgety the young girl seemed. And what was the trouble she was having at home? She’d ask Linda later.

Linda knew better than to try to argue with her mother. She agreed, reluctantly. "Alright Mom. We’ll be there." Linda worried what the boy was thinking right then.

"That’s my girl." Connie gave her a peck on the cheek. "I’ve got to run now. I promised your father I wouldn’t be too long." She turned to Heather. "It was very nice to meet you Heather." She picked up her purse. "We’ll see you both at one. Don’t be late dear."

"We won’t Mom." Linda replied with very little enthusiasm. She walked her mother to the door.

Walter, his bare feet glued to the same spot, said nothing. He watched as Linda escorted her mother out the door. It wasn’t till Linda returned that he dared speak. "Linda, I can’t!" He took a deep breath to try to calm himself. "I can’t go to your mother’s house."

He reacted just the way she thought he would. "I’m sorry Heather. I just couldn’t get us out of it."

"I could just stay here." He suggested.

"I can’t just leave you here, alone. No, you’ll be fine. I’ll be right there with you. There’s nothing to be afraid of."

Walter walked on shaky legs over to the table and dropped into a chair. He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling despondent.

He had no reason to worry. "It won’t be so bad. You’ll really like my mother and my Aunt Mary is really sweet." After she said it she realized that it probably wouldn’t matter to him how sweet they were.

He looked up into Linda’s face, "They’ll know.... They’ll think I’m some kind of freak."

Linda smiled down at him. "They won’t know. The salesgirls in the stores didn’t know. My mom didn’t know." She paused for a second, then added, "I thought you trusted me."

He didn’t mean to offend her. "I do trust you. It’s just...."

"Don’t worry." The smile was back on Linda’s face. It was important to her that he trust her.

"Linda, I don’t know how to act like a girl. I’m all thumbs. I feel so awkward."

That was basicly true, she thought to herself. But putting him in this situation, being around her mother and Aunt Mary might teach him a little about how to behave.

The thought occurred to her that her cousin Emilie might be there. She and the boy were about the same age. Emilie was sixteen now. That’s about how old she figured the boy was. She didn’t know his real age. Renie had his wallet with his ID in it and she didn’t want to just ask.

"You’ll be fine. I’ll tell Mom that you were raised in a houseful of boys and never had the opportunity to act like a girl." The story had possibilities. The more she thought about it, the better she liked it.

"A girl who doesn’t know how to behave like a girl?" He doubted the story would hold up.

"We’ll tell them your mom died when you were born and you didn’t have any girlfriends who lived nearby. Maybe even that your father was strict and made you do everything your brothers had to." She was getting into this.

"What about school? Wouldn’t I have hung around with girls at school?"

"You didn’t go to school. Your father taught you and your brothers at home." Linda was on a role.

Walter could see how that story might be feasible. He had to find another way out of this. "But Lin..."

"No, this will work. It’s perfect." She wasn’t about to be deterred. She was excited. Linda had learned about the death of his parents and if she told her mother and aunt about Heather’s rape, he’d get all the motherly love he could handle. That would be just what he needed right now.

Linda looked up at the clock. She was amazed to see that it was already a quarter to twelve. "Come on Heather. We have a lot to do to get ready. I have to set your hair, redo your nails, find you a dress to wear..." The list went on and on.

In her bathroom Linda first inquired, "How do you feel this morning? Did you have any more bleeding?" She was still worried about him.

He hadn’t thought to check. "I don’t know." He wasn’t overly anxious to look with her standing there.

Linda saw that he was hesitant. "Come on Heather. You should know by now that there’s no reason to be shy around me. We’re friends, aren’t we?"

He liked to think so. "Yes." He admitted. It was still uncomfortable to pull down the underwear in front of a girl but he overcame his shyness and did it.

Linda thought it was adorable the way he blushed. The pad was clean, no blood. "Thank goodness the bleeding stopped." If it hadn’t, she was going to insist that he let her take him to a doctor.

He was relieved too. He was only minutely aware of any discomfort this morning. While the memory was still fresh in his mind, the pain at least was gone.

"Ok, let’s get you ready." His hair would take the longest to do. Linda stood looking at him in her bathroom. "I’d want to give you long bangs." She said as she pushed his hair this way and that.

Walter pulled back a little. "No Linda," He said, pleading, "please don’t cut it."

"Ok, ok." She thought some more. With the cut she’d given him yesterday, she could do it in a short bob. He looked pretty yesterday with his hair falling across his face. "Do you want to wear it the way I did it yesterday?"

"That drove me crazy." He admitted.

That was settled. "I’ll do it a little differently, with a part on the side. It won’t be in front of your eyes that way"

"Let’s see." He sort of agreed.

"Ok, you’ll need to wash it and I’ll put some body back in it with some gel."

"Will it wash out?" He asked. He didn’t want to be stuck with his hair looking like a girl’s.

Linda thought that was funny. "I will only take a couple of washings." She assured him.

Linda blow dried it using her big round brush, lifting his hair away from his brow. After parting it off to the left she pulled it back off his face and to the side, only teasing the top a little. She curled it forward at his right ear and let it hang forward over his left side. The effect was very soft and conservative. It didn’t take too much hair spray to insure it would stay in place.

"What do you think?" She asked, standing back.

He turned his head from side to side. If he had to endure looking like a girl at least his hair looked the part. "It’s fine." Strangely, he thought it looked nice.

Linda would really have liked it if he were a little more enthused but she understood. The style soften his face. It accented his already pretty features.

"Ok, let’s fix those nails of yours." She said holding his hand in her’s, deciding what to do. "First we have to soak off those old nails. What did you do to them."

"I couldn’t get them off at home so I cut them." Of course.

At the kitchen table, she poured alcohol into a small dish. "Now just sit here and soak them while I fix my hair.

Walter did as he was told. He flipped through the Sunday circulars while he soaked them. It took almost fifteen minutes but they did come off, finally.

Linda was back, her hair in rollers. "Now we’ll put on new ones." She brought the kit they bought Friday into the kitchen with her.

He really didn’t want long nails again but Linda thought it wiser if he did. It did make him more convincing. "Just not so long this time?"

Linda loved the way he was going along with her. The nails he had on yesterday were too long for her taste anyway. She agreed.

It took her almost a half hour to put them on him, apply the filler and shape them.

They were only half as long as the had been. They still stuck out past the tip of his fingers a little. "That’s better." He agreed.

Finally, he smiled. It was the first time since last night and it made him look so much better. She had to tell him, "It’s nice to see you smile."

This time his smile was involuntary. He didn’t want to but her’s was so infectious.

Back to business. "I want you to polish your nails yourself." Linda told him, putting the sealer for the fake nails, the coral polish and clear coat on the table. "Do it over the newspaper so you don’t make a mess."

"I don’t know how to do this." He insisted.

"Don’t be silly. You can do it. Just take your time, spread the sealer on first them a couple coats of polish, be sure to cover the whole nail but not get it on your skin." It was cute watching him do it himself. "Let each coat dry completely before you do the next then, last, you put on the clear coat to seal them. Simple."

He managed to paint his nails, he got a lot on his fingers too. He felt like such a klutz.

Linda laughed when she came back and saw all the polish on his fingers. "I have something to take care of that." She assured him. She painstakingly scrapped off what didn’t belong. She was quite pleased with the way his hands looked when she was finished.

"That alcohol really dried out your hands." She commented when they were back in her bathroom. "Here," She handed him a bottle of Oil of Olay. Rub some of this into your hands.

"It feels greasy." He said when he started rubbing it in.

"It’ll soak in." She assured him. She put a dab of the lotion on his nose. "You need to take better care of your skin. When you’re done with your hands, apply some on your forehead, nose, cheeks and around your eyes." She dabbed a little on each spot as she told him. She looked for the smile she hoped would appear. None did.

Walter rubbed in the lotion on his face as instructed, being careful not to rub his face the wrong way.

"You don’t want to stretch your skin." She explained.

"Now your makeup." She told him as she set everything out. She had taught him yesterday, how to apply it, and he remembered most of what he was taught. She had to help him with the eyeshadow and eyeliner. The mascara he applied perfectly. He had beautiful long lashes. He had a little trouble getting just the right amount of blush in just the right places but after a couple of tries he did fine.

This time she did something different with his lips. "You use this to make your lips look fuller." She explained as she emphasized his lower lip slightly. His upper lip had a pretty shape and didn’t need any. The lipstick he picked up from the vanity was the same color as his nails, a frosted coral. Linda stopped him. "Wait until we get dressed. You don’t want to get lipstick on your clothes."

‘My clothes’, that was a joke, he thought to himself. He was not comfortable with the thought of dressing up again. Looking at himself in the mirror he realized it was too late to worry about that. His reflection was the picture of a girl. He hardly saw himself behind the hair and makeup. Would they actually believe he was a girl? Could he get away with it? He wasn’t as sure as his new friend.

Linda was waiting for him in her bedroom. She was confident, even if he wasn’t. He looked adorable as he walked out of the bedroom. He was still wearing just the nightshirt. Even dressed like this, no one would ever imagine he wasn’t a girl. "You really are very pretty Heather." She tried to encourage a smile from him with hers, but failed. She didn’t let it discourage her.

"Now, let’s find you something to wear." Linda took out a dozen dresses and he shook his head no to each of them.

"Do I have to wear a dress?" Just the thought of going out in one made him uncomfortable.

"To go to my mother’s, for Sunday dinner? Yes." She wouldn’t dare show up in anything less.

She knew he couldn’t pick one so she’d have to pick for him. "Here, this is the one." She announced, holding up her white dress with the peach flowers. It was perfect for him with its high notched neckline and flowing skirt. It would hide the fact that his waist was a little thick and he had almost no hips. The high neckline would conceal the bra with its padding.

She held the dress up to him. "This one’s perfect."

Walter felt a shiver run through him, from head to toe.

Linda picked out a white shirtdress with a pink, green and gray floral design for herself.

He had almost no difficulty with the pantyhose this time. He was getting accustomed to the way they felt on him. He’d have to wear the same bra he had worn yesterday, Linda’s were much too big for him to get away with.

"Here’s a slip." Linda handed him a full length white one from her closet. Every one she owned was trimmed in lace.

"A slip?" He said, holding it up and away from him.

Linda laughed, "Of course. You can’t go out in that dress without a slip. You can see right through it otherwise." It was amazing how little men knew about the way women dressed.

She showed him how to pull it on over his head. He felt so weird in it. It fit snugly at his chest and hips. Everything was so silky and feminine feeling.

Walter managed to get the dress on without help. The matching belt cinched his waist.

Linda approved of the way the dress fit him. On her, since she was a little shorter, the hem came to just below her knees. On the boy, it came just to his knees.

Now they had a problem. The dress called for heels and all the boy had was Carol’s white flats and they were a mess. He’d have to wear them. Linda’s feet were smaller then his so he couldn’t very well wear a pair of hers. "We’re going to have to stop on the way to Mom’s and get you shoes."

"What’s the matter with the ones I wore yesterday?" He didn’t see anything wrong with them.

"They’re a mess, besides, they’re the wrong shoes for that dress." No point in telling him now that she was going to buy him a pair of pumps. She wouldn’t buy him high ones, just an inch or an inch and a half heal would be fine.

They were both almost ready. The clock on the nightstand said it was almost one. Linda knew they were going to be late but she couldn’t help that.

He stood there in the dress while Linda gave him the once over. It made him nervous. Would her mother look at him the same way? Would her relatives?

"You need some accessories Heather." Linda decided.

"Walter." He reminded her. He knew it was a waste of time.

"Not today honey. It’s got to be Heather." She was being more serious with him.

"Ok." She was right, not today.

Linda rooted through her jewelry box and came up empty. "I thought I had a pair of clip on earrings but I can’t find them."

"That’s alright. I don’t have to wear earrings." He really rather skip that part of the disguise.

Linda looked at him like he was from another planet. "Of course you have to have earrings. How many girls have you seen that don’t wear one kind of earring or another?"

She had a point. "None." He admitted.

"We’ll get you a pair when we stop for shoes." She could supply him with the other necessities. "Here, put these on." She handed him a pair of bangle bracelets and a silver serpentine necklace.

The bracelets were very tight going over his hand. Trying to work the clasp of the necklace was nearly impossible for him with his nails.

"Let me to that." Linda offered.

Now he looked the part. The new shoes and earrings would complete his outfit. Linda was proud of herself. If he didn’t make some horrendous blunder he would pass easily.

Linda was ready. He was ready. She handed him a small white shoulder bag. "Go in the bathroom Heather and collect your makeup and hair brush. Put everything in your purse." She told him.

As the moment got nearer he was more and more scared. He put the things in the purse. When he came out of the bathroom Linda was waiting for him with a little vile of perfume. "Here, it’s a sample of White Shoulder. Try it."

Perfume too? He put the purse on the bed and pulled off the little cap. He took a sniff of the fragrance. It was so feminine.

"Behind your ears and on your wrists. Just like you did yesterday." Linda told him, smiling.

He applied it sparingly but the scent was strong, non the less.

"MMMM, you smell wonderful." She liked it on him. "OK, let’s get going. We’re already running late." Linda was anxious to go. Her mother didn’t like it when she was late for family functions.

He hesitated at the front door. Standing back a few feet from the doorway he looked out at the bright afternoon. The sky was a bright blue with small puffs of clouds racing by. Their was a typical summer’s breeze keeping the eighties temperatures from being too warm. It was a beautiful summer day and he was afraid to face it looking the way he did. His eyes gave Linda the message.

"Awww, you poor thing. Don’t worry. You look lovely and if you do half as well as you did yesterday, you’ll be fine."

‘Doing fine’ wasn’t what he most wanted. But he did want a friend and he knew he had found one in this girl. As twisted as what he was doing was, Walter enjoyed her friendship, even on these terms. He summoned his courage and took the first step.

They got into Linda’s new white Pontiac Trans Am, Walter squirmed in the seat, straightening the dress. They buckled their seat belts and Linda backed the car out into the street.

She had been impatiently pacing the floor. The coffee pot in the kitchen was half empty. Renie had gotten up much earlier than usual for a Sunday morning. She had made herself breakfast, read the paper from end to end and cleaned up her bedroom, all before nine.

Renie had been thumbing her way through one of her fashion magazines when the doorbell rang. She rushed to open the door without even looking to be sure that it was Carol. "Did you see him? What did he say?"

"I saw him and I got a lot of good information." Carol was as excited as ever.

"Come on into the kitchen. Do you want some coffee?" Renie couldn’t wait to hear.

Carol followed her into the kitchen. "No, none for me. I’ve already had three cups this morning."

She thought of something Christine said. "Oh, you’ll get a kick out of this. Christine said if the poor boy needed to talk to a woman, needed any feminine advice or help, she’d be thrilled to be his friend. She sat with us the whole time and really got into it." Carol thought that her interest was absolutely delightful.

Renie didn’t feel the same way. She resented another woman taking an interest in the boy. She wanted him to herself. It bothered her even having to include Carol in her plans but she had to admit, she needed her. "So what did he have to say?"

They sat down at the table. Renie took out her pad to make notes. "Peter had four transsexual patients. Apparently the word gets around."

"And?"

"They really have to go through a pretty lengthy process to complete their transformation. A few months in therapy before he’ll prescribe hormones for them. They have to live as a woman, exclusively, for a year and only after that, if they still want to go ahead, does he prescribe the surgery." That was the minimum for his patients.

"The hormone therapy, how long does it take before their body begins to change?" That was one of the details that most interested Renie.

"It depends."

"On what?"

"Normally it takes a week to ten days for them to start feeling sensitivity in their breasts. It takes months for them to start to show any changes." Carol knew Renie would be disappointed with that news.

She was. "That long?"

"Most of the time, yes."

"What do you mean, ‘most of the time’." Renie didn’t understand.

"Well sometimes they get impatient and speed up the process." This part made Carol’s skin craw when she heard it.

"How?"

"They castrate themselves." She got goosebumps.

Renie felt a shiver too. "How?"

"Peter said there’s a couple ways they do it. A tight rubber band around the base of their testicles will cause them to sort of die off. I don’t completely understand that. Wouldn’t that make them sick?"

The thought of someone doing that to themselves was repulsive to Renie. The boy would never leave it on long enough. No, that idea was out. "I would think so. How else do they do it?"

"He said they can take something, a pill. It causes the organs that produce their male hormones to quit producing. It causes their balls to shrivel up and their penis’ to shrink down to a little nub." The thought of that made her get goose bumps too. She tried to imaging some of the guys she knew if they did that to themselves. Gross!

Renie didn’t share her reaction. "How long does it take?"

"No time at all for them to stop producing male hormones. A month or so to shrivel up. Isn’t that disgusting?"

Renie pretended to agree. "Yes, really." That sounded perfect for her plans. "Did he tell you what the medication is called?"

He did and Carol couldn’t pronounce it. She slid her notes across the table to renie, so she could copy the name down.

"There’s one other way." Carol added.

"What’s that?"

"There’s a minor surgery they can perform. They go in and sever the tube that supplies the male hormone to the body from the testicles then they remove the testicles at the same time. Peter said it’s no worse than having a vasectomy."

"Then how long before the penis shrivels up?"

"The same, about a month or so." Carol couldn’t imagine a guy voluntarily doing that to himself. Now, their little Heather, he was another story.

"What about the female hormones?"

"That was interesting. They have something new out. It’s a time release capsule. They usually give it to women who have radical hysterectomies. It regularly supplies their bodies with the hormones they can’t produce any more. It lasts for about six months. It beats having to take a pill every day."

Perfect, Renie thought to herself.

"How about implants, breasts? What did Peter say about them getting implants?"

"A few of his patients already had them when they started seeing him. They found doctors that were willing to do them for a price." Carol tried to imagine a guy with tits. Heather would be the exception. On him they’d look natural.

"How much?"

"Peter didn’t know. None of them would volunteer the doctor’s names. They were afraid he’d get in trouble and they didn’t want that."

"That’s understandable." Renie wondered how she could find a doctor’s name?

"He did say that if they went to a reputable doctor it would cost about five to seven thousand dollars." A lot of money she thought to herself.

"Did he say anything about where Heather could go to meet some of his patients?" Renie and Carol had concocted this story about discovering the boy, masquerading as a girl and felt sorry for him. They became friends and wanted to help him because he was so unhappy with the way he was. His depression worried them and they told him they would try to help. He was too afraid of being discovered to go directly to Peter yet so they were acting as go betweens.

"Yes, Peter understood about how the boy was probably feeling. All alone with no one to talk to, afraid no one would understand what he’s feeling." Carol referred to her notes. "He gave me the name of a bar." She found the reference in her notes. "Sammy’s, over by the bay."

Renie had never heard of it but she’d find it. "What else did he say?"

"That was about it. He offered to give Heather a free consultation if he wanted to talk to him. He was really understanding." Carol had never really talked to her girlfriend’s husband before. She was really impressed by him.

Renie had the answers to a couple of her questions. She and Carol would go to this bar, Sammy’s, and find the name of a doctor. She hoped she could get the pills she would need to castrate the boy. Maybe she could figure out a way to get him to give the boy the time release hormones too, instead of him having to take the daily pills she planned on giving him. If he was unscrupulous enough to do what he did to people, he shouldn’t have a problem with that.

"The only issue left is to get the money for the implants. If the average plastic surgeon normally charged five to seven thousand, one of these doctors the transsexuals went to probably would do it for a lot less."

"That makes sense." Carol agreed. "So where do we come up with the money?" Carol certainly wasn’t laying out any of her hard earned money.

Renie had the answer. "We get it from his parents."

That surprised Carol, "How?"

She hadn’t thought it out completely yet, but, "We tell his mother and father that, not only did he break into the house but he also did some mischievous damage. Maybe some spray painting on the inside and outside of the house. Maybe he stole some jewelry that we couldn’t find on him when we caught him? What do you think?"

"I don’t know?"

Renie and Carol spent the next hour throwing ideas around. They figured they would need about four thousand dollars to do what they wanted and to buy him some new clothes. Clothes that would better suit his new lifestyle.

"Alright, I’ll call his parents this afternoon, after I get back from the police station." She was sure that a police report of the break in and robbery would be enough to convince the parents that it was serious.

"And I’ll get Robert to give me some of the insurance forms we’ll need to show the boy’s parents." Robert was one of Carol’s old boyfriends. He was a claims adjuster and would have the kind of papers they’d need. She could talk him out of a few blanks, she was sure of that.

Renie was excited. "Ok. We’ll meet back here at two, fill out the forms and make the call. The sooner the better. "That leaves us with tonight to check out Sammy’s and get the name of the doctor."

She caught Carol by surprise. Carol had no intention of setting foot in a gay bar, besides, she had a date with Ray tonight. "Can’t go tonight. I have a date with Ray. He’s taking me out to dinner."

Damn, Renie thought to her self. She didn’t want to go to this place alone. Well, it appeared that she’d have to. She wasn’t about to put off her plans. "Alright. Get hold of Robert and get your hands on the forms. See if you can get back here by two.

"Everything was coming together. The transformation of Walter, into Heather, was going to take a little longer then she had anticipated but it was going to happen. That’s all that mattered.

 

(continued in Part 2)

 

This author welcomes all reviews and comments. (Actually, it's what I live for.) JackiPett@netscape.net

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