Chapter 26

With Dad and Aunt Jessica gone, the house seemed to have taken on an incredible feeling of emptiness. This was very strange since we were only returning to the normal family setting that we were accustomed to prior to July. Carol, Mom, and I went upstairs to organize our things for our return to school tomorrow. Mom looked first through my closet, and then went through Carol's closet, to organize several outfits for me. When I saw what she had selected, I protested.

"Mom, Why do I have to wear these? It's only school."

"Crystal, we've been through this before. You never know who is going to see you and you have to look your best at all times. Besides, this is your first day at a new school and you'll want to make an impression."

"It's the 'type' of impression that I'm going to make that concerns me. That skirt is one of the skirts that you had Barbara alter. It's so tight that I can barely walk in it. And the blouse is so low cut that you can see the entire tops of my breasts."

"Don't exaggerate, dear. It's not ladylike. The clothes are perfect for your first day. You only get one chance to make a good first impression. You want to be noticed, and with these clothes you'll definitely stand out."

"Stick out, is more like it."

Carol started laughing and said, "It's alright, Crys. I'll wear something sexy also. After all, I can't have my little sister showing me up on the first day of school. Come on, let's go do our nails."

Carol and I went into her bedroom while Mom went to her own bedroom to prepare her things for tomorrow. Carol and I spent the next couple of hours talking and giving each other manicures and pedicures, and when we were done, we each had a set of fingernails that screamed to be noticed. If the clothes didn't attract attention, our hands surely would. We had gotten carried away and glued on extensions that extended at least an inch and a half beyond the ends of our fingers. Then we shaped and filed them before putting on the decorative appliques. I had a stars & stripes look, while Carol's nails bore a star-field effect. It wasn't until everything had dried that I realized I was almost helpless when it came to picking up anything small. It was going to take a lot of practice to be able to function normally with nails this long. Carol and I had a giggling fit as we practiced with the new nails. It had begun getting late so we kissed goodnight and I went to my room to get ready for bed. I was more nervous about school tomorrow than I had ever been about appearing in the play or the TV series and it was taking a real effort to appear nonchalant.

The sun was just peeking over the horizon when I woke up, and I hurried to bathe before Carol got up. When I was finished I knocked on her door to signal that the tub was available, and, as if in answer my knock, she opened the door and walked in. The tub had barely finished emptying when she closed the drain and began running fresh water in. She was pouring in the bath oils when I walked into my bedroom to begin getting dressed. I dropped the bath towel that I had wrapped around my body, and pulled on a pair of panties. My padded panty-girdle was the first step towards creating the illusion of my curvaceous body, and I also put on my bra to give me a little helping support and relieve the strain on my chest. Even the 36C bras had begun to feel tight lately. After putting on a chemise, I wrapped my corset around my body, fastened the busk, and did my best to tighten the lacing, but I knew that I could never tighten it to the point that I needed in order to fit into the blouse that Mom had selected for me. Since I would have to wait for Carol before I could finish getting dressed, I sat at my makeup table and began working on my face and hair.

I had completed most of my makeup, and had put my hair up into a ponytail before Carol came in to help me with my corset. When she had laced me down for the first time she said, "Oh Crys, a ponytail will be okay for tomorrow, but today calls for something special."

The something special was a French braid, and when she was done, she laced me down again and then helped me to get dressed. As I had told Mom, the blouse was so tight in the chest that I stuck up out of it, and the skirt was so tight that I could barely get into it. I definitely couldn't bend over to put on my shoes so Carol had to put them on my feet and buckle the ankle strap. At least they weren't the usual 4-inch heels. Mom was allowing me to wear 3-inch heels because I was only going to be in school today. I stood in front of my full-length mirror and sighed as I looked at myself. I would be lucky if I got through this day without having somebody jam fifty bucks into my hand and try to drag me behind the nearest desk. Carol rushed off to get dressed when I was finished, and I put on my lipstick, earrings, watch, bracelets, and a necklace before checking my face again and then going into her room.

True to her word, she was wearing one of the tightest dresses that I had seen her wear since school had let out for the summer. I did her hair like she had done mine and then she worked on her face as I sat on her bed and talked with her.

"Carol, do you think that Mom is being ridiculous about my clothes?"

"No, not ridiculous. Maybe just a little bit excessive. You do look great. Every guy in school is going to be drooling when he sees you looking like that."

"That's what I mean. I don't want every guy in school chasing after me with the idea that he's going to get me into bed."

"Face it Crys, that's the reason that every high school guy chases a girl. You don't think that they're looking for friendship and lasting relationships, do you?"

I giggled. "No… but that's not what I mean. I just don't want everybody to get the idea that I'm a whore that's going to jump into the sack on every date."

"You can't stop people from talking. There are going to be a LOT of jealous girls in school after today. Every one that catches her 'boyfriend' looking at you is going to be jealous, as if that were the only reason for being jealous."

"What do you mean 'the only reason for being jealous?"

Carol stopped working on her face and turned to look at me. She just stared at me for a few seconds before saying, "Sis, look at yourself. You're beautiful. You're talented. And… you're famous. Or at least you're on your way to becoming famous, and you're 'definitely' already famous in this town. It's only natural that every girl in school is going to be jealous."

I looked at her for a few seconds before saying in a hushed tone, "Are you jealous of me, Carol?"

She stood up and came over to the bed, extending her hand to me. When I took it, she pulled slightly and I stood up. Wrapping her arms around me, she hugged me tightly. "Yes, I guess that I am a little. But I love you and I'm happy for your success. I also realize that I will benefit from your talent and accomplishments. I know that you are enduring these clothes so that your acting career will bloom, and that your career will provide the means for us to go to a good college. You're doing it for both of us, and I love you all the more for that." She squeezed me hard one more time before stepping back. "Don't you worry about how people at school will treat you. I'll be there to help my little sister, and you'll have a lot of friends around you also."

Mom entered after knocking on the door. "Come on, girls. We only have a few minutes to have breakfast before we have to leave."

Carol said, "Okay, Mom."

I hurried to my room, grabbed my purse, sweater, and school notebook and walked down to the kitchen, taking extra care on the stairs because of the tight skirt and heels. Mom had made some toast and told me to sit down at the table. As I did she brought me a glass of orange juice. Carol came in, sat also, and Mom brought her a glass of juice, before sitting down with us.

"Girls, since this is Crystal's first day, things may be a little difficult for her. Carol, I know that you will be caught up in the excitement of being back with your friends, but please take extra care to help your sister today."

"Okay, Mom. I will."

"Crystal, if you have any problems, just come to the school office. It's going to be absolutely crazy there today, so just take a seat and I will get to you as quickly as I can."

"Okay, Mom."

"Good, now we have to get going so that we aren't late."

We put our juice glasses in the sink and left the kitchen. Carol and I both checked our appearance in the mirror near the front door and then picked up our things and walked outside. It was a beautiful, late summer morning and the early sun was casting long shadows everywhere. Mom came out and we all climbed into the car for our ride to the high school.

Mom parked in her assigned spot in the faculty lot right next to the school and she went to the office while Carol and I hung out near the front entrance. It was still very early and no other students had arrived yet. Over the next half-hour kids began to arrive at an ever-increasing rate. Heather and Sheri arrived on the school bus and worked their way over to where we were standing. Several other girls joined us and Carol went through the motions of introducing us. Actually, I already knew them, as I did most of the kids in the high school, but that was as Cary. As Crystal, I had to meet them all over again, unless we had met during the summer. By the time that the first bell rang we had a crowd of perhaps twenty girls in our group. Everyone was very friendly but I knew that they were constantly appraising every thing that I said or did. Some of the other girls had dressed very sexy today, but most just looked like average teenagers, and a few looked like complete slobs. There were also a few groups that dressed in their own far out looks, such at the 'Goths', the 'Freaks', and the 'Punks'.

We began to file into the school, heading for our homerooms, so that we could suffer through the annual 'welcome back' speech by the principal. I don't think that anyone noticed that I knew exactly where I was going, because of the general melee of the first day. Most had received their class assignments in the mail this past week, and I knew that Mom would be busy, along with the rest of the office staff, handing out replacement schedules to kids that hadn't received theirs, or who had simply forgotten it and left it at home.

As Cary, I would normally have raced to my homeroom in order to get a seat near the back of the room, but I couldn't race anywhere dressed as I was. When I did get to the room, most of the seats were already taken, so I wound up sitting in the front row. Mr. Rosenberg, the math teacher who functioned as our homeroom teacher, came in just as the bell sounded. He closed the door and walked to his desk, dropping his books noisily on its surface.

"Okay, settle down people," he said as he dug through a folder. "Let's get attendance out of the way." He began to read names from his list and kids would acknowledge their presence. When he got to a name that didn't bring a response he looked around for the first time. As he scanned the class his eyes lingered on me for several seconds before he returned to his list, marked it, and continued on. When he read my name, he didn't even wait for a response. He just continued on to the next name on his list until he had finished. Then he sat at his desk working on the form. When he was done, he said, "Okay, the seats that you are presently in will be your assigned seats for the year. If that seat is ever empty, you will be marked as absent." A chorus of groans filled the room to which Mr. Rosenberg responded, "This is a classroom. You'll do your socializing outside."

As the groans died down, the principal's voice came over the loudspeaker and he began his address. By the end of his speech several students were sleeping on their desks, or at least appeared to be sleeping. The speech had run over into the first period but that was okay on the first day of school since nothing of significance would be covered today anyway. The bell sounded and everyone got up to head for his or her first class.

Mr. Rosenberg said, "Miss Ramsey, would you stay for a minute please."

I waited until the room was almost empty then got up and stood in front of Mr. Rosenberg's desk.

He said, "I just wanted to welcome you to our school. I attended your play this summer and I enjoyed it very much. I thought that YOUR performance, in particular, was wonderful. Most remarkable for a beginning actress."

"Thank you, Mr. Rosenberg. It was a lot of fun."

"When is your TV series starting?"

"In about three weeks, I think. I'm not even sure what channel it'll be on."

"We look forward to seeing it. Well, I'll see you back here for second period. I see that your sister is waiting for you at the door."

"Okay, Mr. Rosenberg."

As soon as I stepped out of the room Carol said, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing. He just wanted to welcome me to the school and tell me that he enjoyed the play this summer."

"Wow. Sounds like an almost automatic 'A' for his course."

"Don't be silly. He's not going to give me an 'A' because he enjoyed my play."

"Maybe not, but you won't have to work as hard as you have had to work in the past to achieve it. Just smile at him, wiggle and jiggle a little, and let him get a good look at your legs during the school year. Rosie is a BIG 'leg' man'. You'll get an 'A' for sure. Here's your next classroom. I have to hurry to get to mine. See you at the end of the period."

"Okay, Sis. Thanks."

Carol hurried off to her class and I entered mine, which was Chemistry. There were only three seats available, and two were right next to pranksters that I knew all too well from prior years, so I took the only other seat, which happened to be in the front row again. This time I didn't have to wait for attendance to be spotted. Mr. Douglas noticed me right from the start and made a point of telling the class how much he had enjoyed my performances. I thanked him hoping that that would put an end to it, and indeed he turned his attention back to the class and took attendance. When he had finished, he had a couple of the boys pass out our textbooks, and for much of the rest of the period he read from the textbook as he stood almost directly in front of me. I was following along in my book but I sensed that his eyes rarely left my chest because he made a number of mistakes and I don't believe that he is that poor of a reader. I was thankful when the period ended, but Mr. Douglas stopped me before I could leave, to ask about the TV series. I gave him the standard answers and he continued to make small talk until Carol showed up. There was no mistaking where his eyes were fixated as we spoke. I excused myself because I had to get to my next class, and hurried away.

In the hall Carol said, "That's two guaranteed A's if you play it right."

I laughed. "Did you see that?"

"Of course. He couldn't take his eyes off your tits. Dougie has a thing for big tits."

"Well, back to Mr. Rosenberg for Trigonometry. At least he didn't gawk at me. And he's not going to give me an 'A' because of how I look."

"You'll see. You'll be the first to know if you are receiving better grades than you deserve."

Carol left me at my classroom door and hurried off to her second period class. I took the same seat that I used for homeroom and began looking through my chemistry book, stopping to examine the Periodic Table of Elements. Mr. Rosenberg came in and began shuffling papers on his desk. When the bell rang, he walked over and closed the door, then began calling attendance. Next he oversaw the distribution of our math textbooks. Unlike Mr. Douglas, Mr. Rosenberg didn't stand over me and read. Instead he sat at his desk and lectured. More than once I realized that he was staring at my legs. I just kept my legs crossed and let him enjoy himself as I pretended not to notice. I spent my time making notes of everything that he said. I had long ago figured out the universally known principle that when preparing papers, you use the exact same terminology that the teacher uses. This convinces the teacher that you were listening and understand the material because you talk in his, or her, 'language'. To accomplish this you must take very complete notes, or have an incredible memory. It helps to have both.

When the bell rang, Mr. Rosenberg quickly assigned the first chapter as reading for tonight, and the class began to empty. He looked at me as I passed his desk and I smiled. He returned the smile and then very abruptly stopped and turned his attention to organizing his papers.

Hallway locker assignments had been sent to each student's home with their schedules, and I located my locker, which had originally been assigned to Cary. It was right outside Mr. Rosenberg's classroom, and my homeroom. Fishing the envelope from my purse that contained the locker's combination, I entered the numbers and then pulled on the handle. The locker opened easily, which was a refreshing change from last year's locker, and I deposited my new books on the shelf. Then I waited just outside the classroom door for Carol to come. No one said anything to me but I received a lot of stares, including some from guys that I had known as Cary. When Carol arrived we headed towards my third period class, 'English' with Mrs. Abbott.

Carol said, "Well, how did it go with Rosie?"

"It was like you said. He spent the entire period staring at my legs."

She giggled. "Just remember to always sit in the front row and you'll sail through his course."

"Stop it Carol. You know that that's not true."

She laughed. "Okay, You won't sail through, but I bet that it helps."

Sheri was coming the other way and we stopped to talk for a couple of minutes. We only had time to discuss where we would meet for lunch before we had to separate if we wanted to get to our classes on time. Carol's classroom was before mine and I told her that she didn't need to walk me to mine and then come back, so she went into her class and I continued on. Many of the students for Mrs. Abbott's class were still in the hallway as I worked my way through the crowd, and I had my choice of seats. I sat down two rows back in the center aisle. Several boys followed me in and took seats on both sides and behind me but not one talked to me. I pretended to be busy with my notebook and never glanced in their direction. Mrs. Abbott came in then and the rest of the class followed her in and took seats.

In a repeat of earlier classes, attendance was taken and the textbooks were handed out. Mrs. Abbott didn't pay any particular attention to me and it was a relief not to be stared at for an entire period. At least, not to be stared at by the teacher. I could see out of the corner of my eye that a number of other students were watching me closely. As the 'new girl' I expected to draw a certain amount of attention, especially the way that I was dressed. At the end of the period the bell rang and everyone scrambled to get out, but I lingered a little to avoid the 'crush' at the doors. As I passed Mrs. Abbott's desk she stopped me with the 'welcome to our school' speech again.

She said, "I was very impressed with your performances at the Community Theatre this summer. I'm happy that someone who can help you spotted your talent, but I'm surprised to see you here. I would have expected you be in Hollywood?"

"I did the one episode of 'Oliver On Board' and then nothing. It may take time to get noticed, but I hope to do more acting work. My agent will call me if anything comes up."

"Since you're new here, you may not be aware that I'm the drama couch. I would love to have you audition for a part in our school play. We're doing 'Irma la Douce' this year."

I knew that Mrs. Abbott was the drama coach. I had tried out for a part in last year's play but I didn't even make the cut for a role as a bellhop in 'Oh, Dad, Poor Dad'.

"Well, I don’t know what my schedule is going to be like. If I were to get a paying job then I would have to back out. I would hate to let down the company like that."

"We would understand completely if that was the case. You would have an understudy who could take over if you had to be away. Please say yes. Your participation could make the play a huge success."

I was caught in the open with this one. The teacher who would grade my homework, paper, and tests was asking me to do something. If I refused, I might not get a decent mark all year. Unlike chemistry or math, scoring in this class was very subjective. I had no choice. "Okay, Mrs. Abbott. I'll agree to participate in the play with the understanding that my professional career takes precedence. I hope that my professional work will pay for my college education, so if I'm called I'll have to go."

"I understand completely, and I agree with your conditions. Oh, I'm so excited. This will be the best play ever. We've never had a professional actress before."

"I have to go now, Mrs. Abbott so that I'm not late for my next class."

"Of course, dear. You go ahead."

Carol was standing outside the door and noticed the expression on my face. "What happened?"

"I just got roped into doing the school play. It has to be MY English teacher that's the drama coach for the school."

Carol laughed. "I thought that it was something bad. You like acting, don't you?"

"Yes, I like acting. But you haven't heard what play they're doing this year.

"No, I haven't. What is it."

I made a scowling face and said, "Irma la Douce."

"What's that?"

"It means Irma the Sweet. It's a story about a streetwalker in Paris who becomes involved with a gendarme. It was a musical that was made into a non-musical movie with Jack Lemon and Shirley MacLaine. It's sort of an involved plot, with the cast consisting mostly of prostitutes, pimps, and cops. I guess that I'll fit right in as one of the whores. I usually feel that way with the clothes that I have to wear."

Carol laughed. "You DO NOT look like a whore. You look like a sexy young starlet. Wait until you see the clothes that you'll probably have to wear in the play. The skirts will probably be split to the waist, with the bottom barely covering your tush. And you'll probably have to wear 5-inch stiletto heels."

"Okay. I guess that my clothes could be worse. But I still feel like a 'ho' sometimes. Maybe it comes from having been part of the background scenery for so long, that I'm uncomfortable with people staring at me."

"Will you have to sing in the play?"

"I don't know. I doubt it. They'll probably do the non-musical version. A musical like that would be an overwhelming effort for a high-school production. And besides, I believe that the original was in French. No one would understand the songs anyway."

She suddenly grabbed me and tugged on my arm. "Come on, we'll be late for our next class. I didn't realize how late it was."

We hurried down the quickly emptying hallway. She didn't have time to walk me to my class so we separated in order to avoid being late. My last class before lunch was French II. Again I was relegated to sitting in the front row because I was last to arrive in the classroom. The teacher, Miss Boyer, smiled at me as I took my seat and then got down to the business of taking attendance and passing out the textbooks. Miss Boyer was only in her second year of teaching at our school. She couldn't be more than twenty-three years old, and I knew that many of the guys had been having wet dreams about her since last year. She was very attractive and usually dressed fashionably sexy. I knew that I wouldn't be getting an inordinate number of stares in this class because the boys were always preoccupied with watching Miss Boyer. Today she was wearing a tight pink sweater with a scooped neckline over a very tight, simple black skirt, charcoal colored sheer stockings and black pumps with 4-inch heels.

Miss Boyer spent our first class period talking about the French language and the basics such as how much of it has its roots in Latin, as do Spanish & Italian. She interspersed French language words and phrases as she spoke and then went back and translated them or explained their meanings. I was so absorbed in her teaching that I didn't even realize that the period was over until the bell rang.

Miss Boyer stopped me as I started to leave and I returned to her desk.

"Hello Crystal. I wanted to welcome you to our school. I understand that you're a bit of a celebrity. I didn't see your play but I did hear several teachers discussing your performance and they all agreed that you were wonderful. And I'm so happy to see a young girl who takes pride in her femininity and isn't afraid to express it. So many of the young girls here seem to be afraid to show off their figures and then wonder why the boys don't actively chase after them. You certainly won't have that problem."

"Thank you, Miss Boyer. I'm happy to be here and I'm looking forward to being in your class. I can't believe how quickly this class period went."

"French is a wonderful language, Crystal. It is the language of romance. I think that you'll enjoy our class, and knowledge of French communicates a sense of culture in a beautiful young woman like yourself."

"Uh, thank you, Miss Boyer. I really have to be going now. My sister is waiting for me."

"Of course. I'll see you tomorrow. Au revoir."

"Au revoir, Miss Boyer"

Carol was waiting in the hallway. She smiled and said, "Getting fashion tips from Miss O'Boy?"

"She's nice. She just wanted to welcome me to the school, and I really enjoyed that class period. I'm looking forward to her class. Besides, the boys were so busy gawking at her that they stopped looking at me for a while."

We stopped at each of our lockers to put our books away before taking a bathroom break, and then we walked to the cafeteria. Heather and Sheri had saved a place for us at their table in the crowded room, and four other friends of Carol were also sitting at the table. The cafeteria was serving its idea of pizza today and I had to admit that it had a reasonable taste. They must have cleaned the ovens over the summer. I decided that I might as well enjoy it while I could, but as always the corset prevented me from overeating, or perhaps I should say, from eating. I was only able to eat half my portion of pizza so I gave the rest to Carol who split it with Sheri. Since becoming Crystal I had lost about 10 pounds off my original weight of 125, but I felt healthy, and even a little fat at times, so I wasn't worried.

Most of the talk at the table had been about classes and teachers when we sat down, but before long it turned to clothes and boys. As the newcomer, and also as a junior seated at a table full of seniors who were also old friends, I didn't participate very much. I just sat and listened until it was time to get up and leave. We all went to the girl's room and the conversation continued there, but once ensconced inside the privacy of the restroom the talk about boys really got hot. I freshened up my makeup as the other girls talked about their summer romances. Since I was supposed to be from out of town I wasn't expected to know whom they were talking about, and was therefore left out of the conversation. Three months ago I never would have believed that the type of conversations that occurred in the boy's restroom, also occurred in the girl's restroom. As other girls came and went, it was became obvious to me that this type of talk was not out of the norm. As the time for the start of the next period neared, I walked to my next class with a new awareness of the 'real' similarities between the sexes.

With all of my college prep courses organized into the first four periods of the day, the afternoons were free for 'electives'. I had originally intended to take wood shop or mechanical drawing this year, but Mom had changed my selections because I would be out of place in these, predominantly male, classes. Instead, I discovered that I was signed up for secretarial science and sewing. Because I was exempted from Gym, Mom had signed me up for the extra course. Counter arguments that 'everybody' could be served by knowing shorthand, and how to sew, had quelled my protests.

As soon as I entered the classroom, I realized that this class was different. First, there was only one boy, Nathan Cardero. Nathan was a very out-going type, who everyone thought to be gay, although he had never publicly announced his preferences. I also noticed that there were no 'Goths', 'Freaks', or 'Punks' in the room. In fact, everyone, except for Nathan, was dressed not too dissimilar from me. Nathan was dressed like a male hairdresser, with tight, black pants, a satin-like shirt, and several gold necklaces. I selected a desk and had just sat down when Miss Wilbur came in. Miss Wilbur was fifty-ish, still attractive, and she made the most of what she had. She was wearing a tight, mid-thigh length, ivory-colored skirt, a light peach colored blouse, and 4-inch ivory pumps. For the first time today I didn't feel out of place in a classroom. I relaxed in my chair as Miss Wilbur called attendance and than had Nathan pass out the textbooks. This first class was dedicated to a lecture on the history and development of shorthand, and the different systems used. I decided that if I could master holding a pencil with the long nails that I wore today, then I should be able to ace this course. Like all of my other teachers, Miss Wilbur stopped me as I was leaving, to welcome me to the school, and she was the second to compliment my appearance.

I thanked her and left for my next class. Carol wasn't outside the classroom and I waited for a couple of minutes more before I walked alone to my next class. My last class for the day, Sewing, was similar to the Shorthand class, in it's composition. Even Nathan Cardero was in there. Instead of desks we had sewing machine tables to sit at. The teacher for this class, Mrs. Lynch, was already in the room when I entered, and was talking with another student. When the bell sounded, she closed the door and took attendance. Our first class was a lecture about what the course would cover, and a discussion about the machines. Mrs. Lynch showed us some pattern books and explained that we would be expected to make a dress from one of them for our final project. She paused for a minute and added that Nathan could make a suit-jacket instead, if he preferred. She walked around the room showing us where our projects would be stored and where supplies are housed. About a third of the very large room was devoted to large tables where material could be laid out and cut prior to sewing. Just before the bell signaling the end of class was sounded, she told us that the room would be open for an hour after classes each day so that we could work on the machines if we wished. We couldn't sign up for space though, until we had been instructed in their use. Mrs. Lynch just smiled at us as we left. She didn't stop me to talk and I was glad because I was tired and wanted to go home.

I waited outside the door for several minutes. Carol showed up and apologized for not making it to my last class. The teacher had held them to copy down their homework assignments and then she didn't have time to get to me AND get to her last class on time.

"It's okay, Sis, I didn't have any problems. I've been going to this school for a year already, so I know my way around," I said.

"I know. Mom just wanted me to walk with you because it was your first day since you became a celebrity."

"Do you want to hang around and wait for Mom, or take the bus?"

"Let's take the bus. But we have to let Mom know first."

We walked to the office, which was packed with students trying to change classes or resolve other problems, and found Mom. She was working the counter, and Carol just walked up and said, "Mom, Crystal and I are taking the bus home. Okay?"

Mom stopped what she was doing, looked up, and said, "Okay, dear. I'll see you both at home" before returning to what she had been doing.

We each made a stop at our lockers to get the books that we would need for tonight and then left the school building. The buses were lined up in the parking area and we found the one that went to our neighborhood without too much difficulty. Sheri & Heather were already seated and we sat in the seat behind them. We talked all the way home and then got off together, at a point about halfway between our homes, and talked some more. When our arms started to tire from the books that we were carrying, we all said good-bye and left for our homes.

I dropped my things on my bed and immediately began to change my clothes. I put on a pair of halter-top shorts, a tee shirt, and tennis shoes. Since my former desk was now my make-up table, I took my books down to the kitchen to start my homework. Before I began though, I went to the refrigerator and took out the chicken that we were having for dinner. I cut up the whole roaster and arranged the pieces in a roasting pan after removing most of the skin and what fat I could. Brushing the tops with egg, I sprinkled on flavored breadcrumbs, placed a cover on the pan, and put it into the oven that I had pre-heated to 350. Then I sat down at the table and started my homework. Mom got home around 5 o'clock, just as I was beginning to cook some frozen mixed-vegetables. Carol had washed and nuked some potatoes and we were ready to sit down to dinner in another ten minutes.

Over dinner Mom said, "I should have told you not to change clothes when you got home."

Carol said, "Why not?"

"Barrett's is having a Back to School Sale with 40% to 60 % off almost everything in the Girls, and Misses departments. We should take advantage of the low prices and use Crystal's gift certificate to get you both some clothes for the new school year. As soon as we finish dinner, go upstairs and get ready."

We cleaned up the kitchen before changing, and even with that we made it to the Mall before 6:30. Barrett’s Department Store was crowded with shoppers when we walked in. We headed directly for the Misses Department passing scores of mothers with their progeny, and even a few fathers. Zeroing in on the clothes racks with the biggest markdowns in an effort to stretch our dollars to the max, we soon began to fill our arms with our selections. We had to wait in line to use the dressing rooms, so Carol and I shared one. We had found a lot of great dresses, skirts, and blouses on the heavily discounted racks. When we had made our final selections, we put our things into a shopping cart and visited the lingerie department where we each selected panties, bras and slips before moving on to the shoe department. As we tried on shoes, I kept picking low heels but Mom nixed them in favor 3 or 4 inch heels.

Mom had been keeping a running total on her calculator as we added merchandise to the cart and informed us that we had used up the certificate money. It was approaching closing time anyway, so we pointed the shopping cart towards the checkout. Before we had even cleared the shoe department a blue-coated security man stopped us and asked if I might spare a minute for Mr. Greening, the store manager. I nodded and we followed him to the back of the store. We left our cart in the employee tunnel leading to the offices as the security man escorted us to Mr. Greening's office.

"Miss Ramsey, thank you for coming up. Hello, Mrs. Ramsey. Hello, Miss Ramsey" Mr. Greening said as he greeted the three of us.

I said, "Hello Mr. Greening. It's nice to see you again. You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Would you all have a seat, please." When we were seated he said, "One of our local television stations has asked if we would like to be a sponsor for the special presentation of your play."

"I don't understand. I am not presently involved in any theatrical productions."

"They're planning on televising the play that you completed last month using the videotape that was shot on the last weekend before the production ended."

"I see. Well, I'm sure that it will benefit the Community Theatre."

"The television station knew that we ran a contest promoting the play and felt that we might like to purchase advertising slots during the show."

"I see. But what does that have to do with me?"

"When I heard that you were in the store tonight I decided that we might like to feature you in those ads. Sort of a tie-in with the play. We might show, say in several commercials scattered throughout the production, that you like to shop at Barrett's."

"I see. It makes sense to use the players in the commercials."

"Would you be interested?"

"Yes, I don't see why not. We do shop here so I wouldn't be lying if I say that I do."

"Wonderful. I'll call the station tomorrow and tell them that we're interested. I'll also get our advertising agency working on scripts for the commercials. The only matter that remains to be settled is remuneration."

Mother spoke up and said, "Crystal is under contract now with an agent. Her contact requires that the agency handle all financial negotiations."

Mr. Greening said, "Very Well. Tell me whom I should contact."

"I have one of their cards with me. Here, you can keep it."

"Thank you, Mrs. Ramsey" Mr. Greening said as he took the card, then "Crystal, I look forward to having you associated with Barrett's again. I'll make the arrangements with your agent and then we can begin work on the commercials."

"Thank you, Mr. Greening. When are going to broadcast the play?"

"I don't know. They hadn't fixed a timetable when I spoke to them. They were only doing a preliminary search for advertisers."

"Thank you. I'm sure that we'll learn soon enough."

Ladies, thank you for your time. The checkout lines are very busy right now. Perhaps I can make up for the time that I took away from you when I asked you to come up here."

He picked up his phone and made a call. "Nancy? This is Mr. Greening. I have some special visitors in my office and I would like them to receive priority treatment at the checkout. Security will escort them to the front of the store. Please open a register just for them and then you can return to your other duties. Thank you Nancy." He dialed another number. "I have several VIP's in my office that need an escort to the checkout. Nancy is waiting for them there. Thank you."

Turning back to us he said, "Ladies, thank you and have a nice evening."

He extended his hand to each of us and we shook it. A knock at the door proceeded its being opened by a security man, and we left Mr. Greening's office as we said our good-byes. Three security men flanked us as we made our way to the checkout area, the cart full of merchandise being pushed by the lead security man. Nancy was waiting in a 'closed' register lane and we bypassed the long lines as we were escorted directly to her. We received a number of stares from people in the lines, and several people tried to follow us in but were turned away by the security people. Nancy rang up everything in a very practiced and expert manner. She glanced up at me when she saw the gift certificate, recognizing me for the first time, smiled, then returned to the business of completing the transaction. Mother had to pay an additional $5.63 and then Nancy placed all of the merchandise in bags. We thanked her and the security men as we took the bundles and left the store.

On the trip home Mom said, "Crystal, did you know anything about them televising the play?"

"Nope. This is the first that I heard about it."

Carol said, "I think its great. The entire county will have a chance to see Crystal."

"In a few weeks the entire country is going to see Crystal when the new TV shows begin," Mom said.

"Yeah, that's true. Hey Crys, I bet that you'll pack the school auditorium when you do that play."

Mom said, "What's this about the school?"

"Mrs. Abbott cornered Crys into being in the school play this year."

"Crystal, you shouldn't have volunteered for that."

"I didn't volunteer, Mom. Like Carol said, I was cornered. Mrs. Abbott is my English teacher and if I said no, I was afraid that it might hurt my grade. I did tell her that I would be unable to participate if a professional role called me away."

"Well, what's done is done. But I'll make it clear to her tomorrow that if anything professional comes up you will be unable to perform, and that she must have a qualified understudy ready to go on."

"Okay, Mom."

When we got home we unpacked the bundles and hung everything up. We probably would have tried everything on again but it was getting late and we hadn't finished our homework. By the time that it was done it was too late for trying on the clothes so we just started getting ready for bed. Mom laid out my outfit for tomorrow and I groaned inwardly. I was hoping that, with the first day behind us, she would ease off a little, but she again selected clothes that would make me 'stick out' in a crowd, or even on a deserted street. Rather than complain I just took solace in the fact that I would at least have eight hours of a loosened corset.

 

(continued in Chapter 27)

I want to express my grateful appreciation to Lynn Jennings for proofreading this story and all of the others in this series, and also to Lynn and J.B. for their editing help and suggestions. 

 

 

 

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© 1999 by Crystal Sprite. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.
Anyone wishing to make comments is welcome to e-mail me at crystal@storysite.org