I never wanted to be a girl - Copyright 2001 by Samantha Michelle

Standard warning and disclaimer: All characters are fictional. If you see yourself, buy a new mirror. Contains subjects some people may find offensive. If you are one of them, why are you reading this? Protect your kids. If you are worried about them reading this sort of material, please censor free speech and use a safe surfing program such as net nanny. Or better yet, teach them early and lovingly to understand and accept different lifestyles. Before they learn from bad experiences.

All constructive comments are welcome. Please e-mail to me: Sam@pobox.alaska.net or samanthas_michelle@yahoo.com
Finally, this is a piece of adult fiction. If you are underage, or if you find it offensive, please go elsewhere. Quickly.

 

I Never Wanted To Be A Girl                by: Samantha Michelle

 

I never wanted to be a girl. Really. I was perfectly happy as an abnormal teenage boy. Trying to chase perfectly adorable teenage girls. And fighting the usual hormone battles, the occasional pimple, too-tight pants, and walking into stop signs while ogling some cute thing in a tight skirt.

I was looking forward to the summer before high school as a chance to get to know the local girls better. And there was no better place than the park. Acres and acres of picnic spots, ball-fields, forest, and a huge, wonderful, spring-fed outdoor swimming area. Any girls worth their bikinis would be found sunning themselves on one of the benches or grassy spots. And since in our little town everyone knew almost everyone else, the park was the summer meeting-place for all the kids.

So by the last day of junior high school, I was ready. Long before, knowing I would never be able to compete on a level field with the muscle-bound moron contingent, I went for an eclectic look. Swimming and aerobics (hey, like I was one of three guys in a class with twenty-six good looking girls, so don't knock it) gave me a lean, if not particularly muscular appearance. My hair was down past the middle of my back in a disarrayed , curly mop that seemed to attract girls like magnets. It was awesome to sit and enjoy a conversation while having my hair softly braided by a cute chick. And I seemed to have more fun around them. I hated the constant "I'm bigger and badder" competition that marked most of the guys my age.

I did get a lot of "pretty boy" and "sissy" comments, but hey, the proof was in the pack of girls that were my friends, or at least acquaintances, and messing with me meant messing with them. Which was distinctly bad for someone's social life, not to mention their shins. And I was never without feminine companionship.

It was less than a week into the summer when disaster struck. A group of older high school girls had decided to see how little they could wear before they got arrested, or created a riot. I had bicycled to the park with Tia, who was, in my opinion, the best looking fifteen-year-old girl in town. She was also my best friend, and sort-of look-alike. It was a standing bad joke that we were sisters, I was just the ugly one.

We were near the edge of the swimming area where I was ogling the bathing beauty crew, and Tia was busy dissecting each of their flaws, when I heard people screaming. I looked behind me and saw a huge mowing machine heading straight at us. I managed to shove Tia out of the way just before it hit me. I felt an incredible pain across the back of my legs, and was thrown backwards onto the mower as it plunged into the water. Using my arms, I managed to stay on the surface despite the pain, and moments later Tia dragged me onto the beach.

When I looked down and saw blood everywhere, I fainted. I woke up briefly in the ambulance, and found Tia holding my hand. Then everything got hazy again, and I guess I passed out. The next time I awoke, I was lying on a hospital bed, with both legs suspended in the air, and a nurse holding my hand.

"Just relax and let the anesthetic wear off. My name is Mary, and I'll be here with you until Dr. Sutton decides that you are ready to be taken to your room." I stared at her as what had happened percolated through to my consciousness. As the fuzziness began to clear, I could feel a slight throbbing from my feet, but otherwise I seemed to be okay.

"I was run over by a mower, and..." I had pause to think of a way to describe what I saw.

"And my colleagues and I just finished several hours sewing you back together." I saw an older man come into my field of vision. "Samuel, I'm Dr. Sutton, chief orthopedic surgeon here. I need to ask you some questions, then we will have time to discuss what happened to you." I nodded, and he proceeded to ask me a whole bunch of questions about how I felt, and pulling back some of the bandages covering my feet, he had me try and wiggle my toes, and stuck me in a bunch of places with something to make sure I could feel what he was doing.

As he wrapped my feet back up, he was smiling. "Everything looks great at this point. It appears there is no significant nerve damage and no damage to the tendons in the front of the foot." He looked at the tubes and machines connected to me, and pulled up a chair. "It will be a few minutes before you can be disconnected and wheeled out of here, and into the waiting arms of your family and friends. Are you up to knowing what happened, and what we have done, or would you rather wait until everyone is present?"

My head was almost clear, and my feet were starting to hurt. "Now is fine, but is there something you can do about the throbbing?" He smiled.

"I'll give you some pain medication just before we leave, okay?" I nodded. "Now as to what happened, apparently the mower blades caught the back of your ankles just before the impact knocked you off your feet. You received severe lacerations, and the blades mangled both of your Achilles tendons, which we spent several hours splicing back together." I stared at him. There was no mistaking the sad expression on his face. "There was so much damaged and missing tissue that we had to shorten the tendons a great deal. It will take time and a lot of effort on your part, but I believe that with physical therapy and additional surgery you will eventually be able to walk again."

It must have been the medications, but instead of panicking I slowly nodded. "You are telling me I am crippled?"

"You will be unable to walk, even with crutches, for at least six months, and probably much longer. Once the tendons are strong enough, we can begin the process of stretching them to allow your feet to return to a more normal position. As they are now, your feet are held in casts to keep you from placing strain on the tendons as they heal. When the casts come off, your feet and toes will be pointed down, almost like a ballerinas. From there we will begin the process of stretching the tendons, and when your feet can be flexed enough, you should be able to walk with crutches and special orthopedic shoes." He looked at the tubes and machines again.

"You are ready to make your debut. The nurse will give you a shot, and wheel you up to your room. I will be in to check on you tomorrow." He held my hand in his. "I gave you the straight story. You have a lot of healing and hard work ahead of you. But my personal opinion is that by the time you graduate high school you have a good chance of walking on your own to get your diploma." He left, and the first nurse, Mary, came back in and gave me a shot.

By the time I was wheeled into what was to be my room, I was a bit woozy. I remember getting hugged and cried on by Tia and my sister Anne, and held firmly by my dad as he promised they would do everything possible to help me get back on my feet as soon as possible.

The next morning I got my first lesson in bedpans, and a thorough scrub-down by the nursing staff. And the dubious honor of eating what was supposedly a nutritious breakfast. Yeech. Tia was my first visitor. And she brought real food. A cheeseburger from the local golden starches. After listening to her run on and on about my saving her and being hurt I finally told her to shut up. "Tia, I did what I did because I love you, and you are my friend. So enough already." She looked at me, but managed to close her mouth. "Did the doctors tell you and Dad about what they did, and what my future holds?"

She looked at her feet. "They said that it will be a long time before you will be able to walk again at all, and that there will be more surgeries and lots of physical therapy before, if ever, you can walk normally." She came over and held me. "Sam, it's not fair, I got away without a scratch, and you'll be in a wheelchair and..."

She broke down and I held her till she was shooed out by the nurse who said it was time to change my dressings.

Dad and Anne came by early in the afternoon, and the conversations were very similar. Dr. Sutton dropped in, and after examining me, spent some time discussing my upcoming care. I was surprised when he told me that they would be starting my physical therapy the next day. "But you said I couldn't put any strain on my tendons until they have healed, and..."

"And if you lie here in bed like a potato your other muscles will get soft and flabby, making the whole recovery process longer. And staying in a hospital bed gets old fast. So for at least a couple of hours every day you are going to be working out. By any chance do you like to swim?" I nodded. "Good. Once the wounds have healed, swimming will be the best possible exercise for you and your legs." He checked my chart, and told me that he was going to continue the pain medications for another couple of days, after which I could expect to start expecting more discomfort. I lay there quietly thinking as he left.

I guess the medications they gave me kept me from getting as upset about what had happened, because when they cut back the pain pills I started to get really depressed. Some of it was watching the summer go by outside the window. And watching the other kids, including Tia, moving freely about while I was limited to needing a crane to get from the bed to the wheelchair. The hospital sent a psychologist to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk, which made Dad and Tia upset. They tried to convince me to accept help, and I yelled at them. So it was with a lot of concern and emotion that, after three weeks in the hospital, I was finally sent home to continue my recovery.

It was as I was settling into my new room, which was on the first floor where Dad's home office used to be, that I learned the insurance company for the firm that was operating the mower was going to pay for absolutely anything that related to my recovery while they were working to resolve Dad's claim against them. I wondered how money would help me get my life back together. There didn't seem to be much that could be done.

Tia had other ideas. She and Dad had already set up a contract with a taxi service to provide us transportation wherever and whenever we needed to go. And once I was settled in, where turned out to be a local health club with a big pool. I felt like a complete idiot when two lifeguards carefully extracted me from the wheelchair and lowered me into the pool. After making me put on one of the floatation vests they used for beginning swimmers. But when I was floating by myself, my crippled feet seemed much less important. The special foam and Fiberglas casts the doctor had made so I could swim were slightly buoyant, and allowed my ankles a tiny bit of motion. Tia floated next to me, making sure I was going to be okay.

I was weak, and my muscles were unused to as much motion as they were getting, but I started to swim laps, and soon Tia made me stop because she was afraid I was getting exhausted. "Sam, take it easy. We will be coming here every almost day, all summer."

"I'm fine." I lied. My muscles were screaming, but being free of the dammed wheelchair, and able to move on my own felt too good. "But I am getting a bit tired. So what say we call it a day, and go get some real food?"

"Sounds good. We can do your physical therapy in the evening." I stared at her. "Dr. Sutton had me certified as a special physical therapy assistant. That's why I was always spending so much time at the hospital when you were being worked over. I'm going to get paid a ridiculous amount by the insurance company to make sure you do your stretching exercises, safely, every day. Enough so I'll probably be able to go to college. Now let me get the lifeguards to haul you out of the water."

Soon we were on our way to Papa Pepperoni's, the local pizza hangout, where I got mobbed by kids we both knew. As I munched proper teenage food, a heartburn special with extra cheese, I was forced to tell the story of what happened, and what my future held. "Geez, Sam, that sounds pretty rough. A whole year on your butt." Bobby was not the brightest kid I knew, but he had a good heart, and cared about people.

I nodded, between bites. "And then another year and more surgery, like how are you going to survive that long?" Tia gave him a "Shut up" look. I shook my head and looked at the pizza.

"I haven't tried to face it. I don't know how I'll manage, but Tia here." I hugged her "Says I'll survive or she'll kill me." She kissed me, and a bunch of the kids made disgusting noises. "Besides, it's not like I can run away." That got me groans and raspberries.

When we got home all I wanted to do was drag myself into bed and sleep. Tia was not easily persuaded, so I spent an hour doing my exercises under her very watchful eye, and was sound asleep before she finished tucking me in. The next week was almost a copy of that day. But once I showed the lifeguards that I could swim and float fine without the stupid life vest, swimming really became fun. The odd position of my feet seemed to have little effect on my speed, and by the end of the week Tia was complaining because she could not keep up with me. Except for the flip turns at the ends, and my having to crawl or be lowered into the water, I felt I was swimming as well as any of the competition types spending their summer practicing.

I was ecstatic when Dr. Sutton finally told me I was healed enough to swim at the outdoor pool, and Tia made party plans. When we arrived at the park, almost the entire group of kids we hung around with at school were waiting. I was glad they held off on the picnic until after swimming. I would have sunk like a rock from all the food I ate. Tia still made me do my exercises that evening.

I was beginning to feel like I was going to survive being stuck in a wheelchair when the school district told my father that I was being transferred across town to a different high school, because that was where they could provide services for "special needs" students. Away from Tia and my friends. That started a war. I told everyone I would not go anywhere except to the local school. The district said that I would be truant if I didn't follow their instructions. I got really depressed. Tia organized our friends to picket the school board meeting. The problem, as it was finally stated, was that our school was not handicap accessible, and they were afraid of being sued because I could not safely exit the school in an emergency. Or use most of the washrooms.

"If Samuel was on crutches, it would be different. But in a wheelchair he won't be able to get around. And district rules are clear. East is a much newer facility, and was designed to be accessible. So he will have to go there." It was exactly four weeks before school was due to start. Dad's lawyer, Jerry, filed suit, but Jerry told us that it would be October before we would even get a hearing. I cried myself to sleep that night. After refusing to do my exercises.

In the morning, Dad tried to get me up for breakfast. "Sam, Tia will be coming over at ten, and I have to go to work. I'll talk with Jerry to see if there are any other options."

"I'm not getting up. And I'm not hungry." Dad shrugged and left. When Tia came up to my room later, I was staring at the ceiling..

"Sam, time to get up." She looked at me, and I could see the worry.

"No. I'm not getting up. And I'm not hungry. To them I'm just a piece of defective furniture, and if I won't get stacked with the other broken stuff, as far as they are concerned, I can be thrown away." I rolled over and faced the wall. "You don't deserve to waste your time with me. Go out and find a boyfriend that can take you out without needing help."

"Sam, come on, it's not like that. You're my friend, and I'm doing this because I want to, not because of pity."

"Then be a friend and leave me alone to wither away in peace." I stuffed my head under the pillow. I didn't hear her leave, and finally the tears came and I cried myself to sleep.

When I woke up Tia was sitting there, watching me. "Feeling better?" Her voice was strained, and there were tear-streaks on her face. I shook my head. "You father wants me to take you to the hospital. We're all scared that you are, well, going to hurt yourself." I looked away. I had been considering just that. "So are you going to get up and get going, or do I call the nice men in the white coats to come and get you?"

"They wouldn't want me." She gave me a raspberry. "But I'm not cut out to go on a hunger strike. So for the moment, you win. FEED ME!" She laughed and helped me get dressed. "Hey, I wanted food, not clothes."

"I'm taking you out for lunch. At a real restaurant. And then I'm taking you shopping. You can't go to school looking like a beach-party reject."

"What's wrong with shorts and an old T shirt?"

"A lot if you don't want to freeze when it starts getting cooler. So quit complaining and lets go. I'm starved." Lunch was at an Italian restaurant that we could never have afforded if it wasn't on the insurance company. Tia made me stop before I burst, pointing out that she was planning on my trying on clothes, and didn't want to be embarrassed when I detonated and sprayed processed lasagna all over. I got the hint.

As we were leaving I heard someone shout "Hey T, long time, no hugs!" I spun my chair around to watch Tia launch herself into the arms of, well, someone. She looked like a cross between a hard-core biker and a tattoo parlor. But whoever she was, she was someone Tia knew well, and was very glad to see.

When they finally pried themselves apart, Tia introduced her big friend. "Sam, meet Jody, my former best older adopted step-sister. Jody, meet Sam, my best friend and traveling companion. We shook hands. I immediately decided that arm-wrestling her would be suicide.

"Sam and I are headed clothes shopping. Are you going to be in town for a while?" Jody nodded.

"Got a job, at least for a while, where they're building the new addition to Westfields Mall. Should keep me here for a year or so." She looked skeptically at me. "Um, like that push-cart of hers is kinda skimpy for the two of you. How are you getting where you are headed?"

Tia explained our contract with the cab company. "Heck, I'm headed that way, and she's small enough to fit in my truck between us. I can put her chair in the back." We both stared at her.

"Um, Jody, I hate to break this to you. But Sam is short for Samuel. As in Boy." Jody looked at me, and turned red beneath her over-decorated tan.

"Sorry 'bout that. Its just that, well..." Tia looked like she was about to run away. "See, last time I saw T she, well, preferred girls, and since you look pretty damn good,..." I stared at Tia, who was a rather strange shade of pink.

"Sam, I..."

It was so off-the-wall it hit a nerve, and I started to laugh. A real, honest, let-it-out-laugh. Something I had not done in quite a while. By the time I got my composure back, Tia and Jody were stuffing me into a huge pickup truck. With my chair bouncing around in the bed, we headed across town as Tia explained what had happened to me. And that I often was made fun of because we looked so much alike. Instead of the mall where I thought we were headed, we pulled off into a parking lot, and Jody turned off the ignition.

"Sam, you mean the only reason you are still in that chair is because your feet are stuck like that?" Tia and I stared at her.

"Sam can't walk on his toes, and they can't fit him with even special shoes until his tendons are lot's longer."

"Wanna bet?"

We stared at her. "T, really, sometimes you worry me. Let's detour and get Sammy here on her feet." She refused to elaborate, and I wondered why she still used the feminine pronoun when addressing me. When we were back on the road, I saw we headed off towards the seedier side of town.

"Hicky's is a really great place to shop, just don't go there after dark." Tia gasped, and I gave her a puzzled look. I had never heard of the place. "And they've got the cutest leather outfits that T would just die to wear." T turned bright red, and started squirming in her seat. And nibbling on my ear. Now I was getting really curious.

There was a large thump as we drove over a curb, and up to a parking place in front of what looked like an adult book store. "Don't mind the signs about under 18 not allowed. We're all eighteen, right?" As they unloaded my chair, I pictured myself in handcuffs on the evening news. After gently seating me, they rolled me inside.

On one side was an adult bookstore. The other looked like a boutique. If everything you wore was either leather or rubber. When I spied the collection of chains and restraints, I added steel to the list. I was getting nervous, but Tia seemed, well, almost entranced by the strange apparel. I tried to wheel myself back towards the door when I saw her pick up a leather and metal collar and try it on. Jody quickly grabbed the handles of my wheelchair, and calling to Tia, propelled me towards the back of the store.

Tia was still wearing the collar when we were approached by a big, muscular guy that looked like he belonged running a dungeon. "Jody, T, long time no see!" He easily picked both of them up, one in each arm, and gave them rib-crushing hugs.

He put Jody down but kept his grip on Tia. "I thought you had given up on the scene." He fondled the collar. "But damn you look good like that." She smiled, and I almost swear she purred. He set Tia down and grabbed Jody. "And you, I've missed your bad attitude for too long. And I owe you something from our last get-together." Jody blanched and tried to break free, but in a blink he had her over his knee and was giving her a sound paddling. The louder she wailed, the more he smiled. I wondered what was happening to my peaceful existence. The spanking soon ended, and Jody started doing a war-dance trying to soothe her sore bottom

Tia and I hugged while Jody recovered. The big guy took the interlude to do introductions. "Most of my customers call me Sir, but my real name is Monty." He smiled a gold and silver-toothed smile. "Jody and I go way back. And I've known Tia since Jody rescued her from a couple of street people when she was ten." I perked up rapidly. Tia had steadfastly refused to discuss her history, and I knew she was living in a foster home.

"So I know Tia and Jody, but you're a new girl around here. What brings you to my humble shop?"

I started to mumble an answer when Tia drowned me out, and gave him the whole ugly story. "So Jody brought you to me." He looked at my chair. And my feet.

Jody quit dancing around and separated Tia and me. "Monty, do you still have those incredible high-heel fetish boots that no one could walk in?" I stared at Jody as Monty's face broke into a grin, and he hopped up and headed to the back of the shop.

"Shit, I should have thought about this place long ago!" I stared at Tia as Jody patted her on the head.

"Too much normal living, little one. That'll teach you to forget your old friends." She was smiling as Tia jumped up and hugged her. I heard Monty returning. When I saw what he was carrying, I gasped out loud. In his arms were several pairs of knee-high black leather boots, with towering heels.

"Hey, those are women's boots!" That got me a really strange look from Monty, then a canary-eating grin. "Aha, so Sam is not short for Samantha. I should have figured Jody would be up to something."

"Cool it, Monty, and see if you have a pair that fits her."

"But those are for a woman."

"Do you care if they get you out of that wheelchair and back on your feet?" I stared at her.

"Sam, try them. Jody's right." While I was gaping at Tia, she pulled off the socks that were covering my feet and mangled ankles. Monty handed her a pair of stockings, and a moment later the thin nylon coverings were being tugged into place by both Tia and Jody. They were followed by a pair of the boots that was quickly determined to be too large. The second set fit like they were made for me.

The insides were padded, and I watched in fascination as the boots were laced firmly onto my feet. "Sam, forget what they look like, just support yourself on us and try to walk a little." Tia and Jody helped me to stand, and I felt like I was on stilts. But I was, although shakily, standing. With great care I managed to take tiny steps, finding I had to walk by swiveling and rolling my hips to keep from tripping. I could feel some pain, but it was quickly forgotten as the rush from walking for the first time in months took over.

I stumbled, and as I pitched forward they caught me and carried me to a nearby couch. When I started to cry they were afraid I had hurt myself, until they realized they were tears of happiness. ""I can do it Tia, I can walk and that means I can go to school with you and..."

She hugged me. "And you can quit thinking the world had come to an end." I looked at her and burst back into tears.

When things finally dried out, I looked at my feet. "But these make me look like a, a prostitute, or..."

"So what?"

"But I'm a boy, and boys don't wear..." The expression of mirth on Monty's face made me fall silent.

"I hate to break this to you, but I have a lot of male customers that would give a years salary to be able to wear boots like that. And only a couple of them are gay." My mouth fell open, and Tia started to giggle. "And I bet that Jody has some plans on changing your wardrobe."

Tia snuggled next to me. "Sam, don't worry about what people will think. Monty's right, and well, I am really more attracted to girls, and the idea of my boyfriend in girl's clothing turns me on." She emphasized this by sticking her tongue in my ear and sliding my hand up under her shirt. I rapidly was going into overload, and almost hurt myself when she quivered as my hand cupped one of her breasts. We stayed like that for a bit, until I returned to the present and realized that we were being watched with great amusement by Monty and Jody.

Tia seemed unflustered, but I tried to curl up in embarrassment. "Hey, don't let us interrupt your fun."

"But I don't want to wear girls clothes!" Tia plastered her self against me. And put my hand back on her breast.

"Please?" Between her tongue licking my neck and my valiant attempt to rip my undies, I found myself agreeing to let her do it "just this once."

Twenty minutes later I was regretting agreeing to anything. Tia and Jody decided to "give me the works" straight out of Monty's collection. And at Jody's suggestion, Tia stripped naked and squeezed herself into a similar outfit. Part of me was so horny I couldn't think. The other part was wondering if I had lost my mind..

I was dressed in, or at least wearing, the boots, a long, soft leather skirt that was so tight I had about a foot of knee room. Under that was a funny elastic and leather pair of underwear called a gaff that squashed everything up and out of the way. Then they added some kind of leather corset that was laced way too tight, and that had heavy, cool pads that gave me a girl's chest. Topping all this was a fitted leather blouse that barely covered the corset.. Tia pulled my hair out of the pony-tail and brushed it so it flowed around my face.

When they carried me to a mirror, I almost screamed. There was no indication that I was a boy. A second glance said I was for sale, or at least rent. And I wanted to get to know me better. Which hurt in the strange underwear.

Tia was wearing similar boots with a much lower heel, patterned stockings, and a tightly laced black leather mini-dress that showed her leather panties and garters if she moved too quickly. Monty was eyeing me hungrily. "Where have you been all my life, little girl?" I tried to jump back, and wound up being caught by Jody as I fell over. She and Tia were laughing so hard it was infectious. Tia used my credit card to pay for everything, and they set me in my chair and wheeled me out to Jody's truck. A couple of hard-hats were headed out of the bookstore, and offered Jody five hundred dollars to rent the pair of us for the day. I started to panic, but Jody stuffed me in the truck as Tia gave them a eyeful of undies. Moments later Tia jumped into the truck, and we roared out of the parking lot.

'They thought I, I mean we, were..."

"Two hot pieces of ass." Jody was laughing. And they would have gotten one hell of a surprise when you finally dropped your gaff." I cringed in horror. Tia got close and personal, and it felt so good I quit worrying and concentrated on returning the favor. When we stopped, I saw we were parked in front of a hospital supply place. "Time to get you some crutches."

The young guy at the counter nearly ruined himself trying to provide superior service, and get a date, and an older woman, who was apparently the manager, eyed us like we were preparing to do business out of her showroom. But I was on my own two feet, assisted by a very expensive set of custom-fitted forearm crutches and Tia, as I left the showroom. Jody, pushing my now empty wheelchair, followed us out.

I still was unable to get into the truck without help, and my legs were aching, but I felt like shouting "Look at me", despite the funny clothes. That changed when we stopped at a beauty salon. "Um, Tia, like this is a one-time thing, and..." They set up my chair and rolled me inside. Tia's nibbling on my ear was unfair tactics. Jody whispered something to the woman at the reception desk, and I was quickly rolled to station where three women descended on me. Tia told me to be quite and take it like a woman, which confused me enough that they were able to begin on my hair and nails as I gaped at her. She got the station next to mine. Jody said she was going elsewhere to watch a movie.

I wanted to scream that I was a boy and this was some sort of plot, but looking the way I did I was afraid I would get arrested. Or something. When one of the women started washing my hair and massaging my scalp, it was so comforting that I quickly relaxed, and fell soundly asleep.

When Tia awoke me, she was smiling. "Well, sis, you came out a lot better than even I thought you would." She turned the chair so I could look in the mirror. It was the clothes that finally convinced me that I was the hot babe in the mirror. They had given my hair highlights, and it was a mass of soft, shining curls. Tia's was done up the same way. We did look almost like sisters. After Tia finished trying to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation, I mused more like kissing cousins. I guessed that she had already paid, as she helped me into my wheelchair, and rolled me outside to where Jody was waiting.

"Wow!" She eyed the pair of us. "I better go hide in the woodwork with the two of you around." We both gave her raspberries. "Well, get in, we've still got more shopping to do." Tia helped me into the truck, and soon we were parked in front of the main entrance to Westfields. And I realized that I looked like someone off Baywatch and most of our friends shopped here.

"Tia, I can't do this. If someone recognizes me I'm dead meat. I'll never be able to show my face at school again." She and Jody gave me sympathetic looks.

"Sam, at school the boots are going to get you a lot of strange looks and comments. But without them you won't be able to go to school with me, and you'll be stuck in that wheelchair for months. Besides, you won't be wearing that leather outfit much longer anyway. We're here to get you some normal clothes."

"And if anyone asks, just tell them that when you dress up like that it makes Tia all hot and bothered. That'll confuse 'em." I didn't like Jody's suggestion, but Tia nodded and licked her lips. And then licked mine. Ouch. "Besides, I doubt greatly if anyone will have a clue it's you in that outfit." That I could agree with. I didn't recognize myself. What everyone forgot about entirely was that in the wheelchair, and accompanied by Tia, anyone with half a brain would recognize me. So, carrying my crutches and pushed by Tia, we headed into the mall.

And ran smack into a group of kids our age who were on the way out. "Wow, Tia, hot outfit!" Andy was a jock from our school that was always trying to get between me and Tia. "Glad to see you finally dumped that wimp Sam and...oh... um...oh. Shit." He was staring at me as his voice faded away. I had nowhere to hide, so I simply smiled at him.

He looked like he swallowed a bug. While he was recovering his voice, Jody and Tia wheeled me inside. "If he does anything stupid I'll pound him into paste." Jody was smiling. Sort of. The whole group followed us in.

Erica spoke up. "Er, Sam, like that's a killer outfit, but..." Tia took the lead.

"We found Sam a pair of boots that will let her walk with crutches, which means she can stay at West. And since they looked so cool, we decided to get her a matching outfit." She helped me stand and showed me off like a mannequin. "And like I couldn't let her look better than me, so I got a little black dress myself." She did a vamp and I could hear a couple of the guys whistle, followed by their girlfriends making "touch and you die" comments.

Tia gently helped me back into the wheelchair, then turned to her friend. "And this is my former best older adopted step-sister Jody. So behave yourself or she'll give you a spanking you'll enjoy." Jody was almost as tall as Andy, who was eyeing her warily.

I was trying to fathom why Tia was still referring to me as a girl. But so far I hadn't been creamed. And I sure was in no position to run away.

"Anyway, we're here to get Sam a back-to-school wardrobe. Care to join us shopping?" Andy muttered something about feeling ill, and headed back outside. All of the others except Erica begged off, saying they were shopped out and heading for the park. She also said, as soon as the others left, that Andy was sort of her date, and she was glad to dump him.

"So where are you headed? Stallones?"

"Would you believe the Lingerie Loft, then Gloria's Gear?"

"Wow. This I've gotta see." I felt like I was a complete fool for letting them do this to me. But I was no longer glued to the damn wheelchair either.

It turned out that we needed to get some clothes so we could get some underwear so I could get some clothes. Hunh? Erica and Tia told me not to worry. They just didn't specify what I was not supposed to worry about.

So we spent about ten minutes in a department store getting me measured for a basic blouse and skirt. Which made me look like a very flat girl, since the undies from Hicky's were way too radical. "Don't worry love, you'll have your boobs back shortly." I stared at Tia, and cringed when I realized she knew what I was thinking.

So back to the Lingerie Loft. I had often drooled over the displays in the window, and hinted to Tia that she'd look awesome in some of their stuff. Now I was going to get to see the place from the inside. I had a strange feeling I would be modeling some of the same silky things for Tia.

The first clerk refused to serve us when she found I was really a boy. The owner read her the riot act, and was glad to help. Especially when Tia mentioned that I needed a complete wardrobe.

"Hey, I was just going along with you on this. I need some real clothes for school!" Tia wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Samantha dear, now I've got you in skirts I'm not letting you go." She gave me a kiss that left me twitching, and licked my ear. It was unfair tactics.

"We get quite few men in here buying lingerie for themselves. But you're the prettiest I've ever seen. You're sure you're a boy?" She stroked my hair. This did not help my cause at all. Tia and Jody made suggestions, and the lady played fetch.

The overly tight "shaper brief" that Jody and Tia squeezed me into squashed everything out of sight. And made me hurt whenever I thought about squeezing Tia into some of their more daring outfits. At least they didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a complete bimbo out of me. I wound up with lots of plain cotton stuff that was really soft, and some comfortable sort-of sports bras that would stay in place while holding a pair of silicone breast forms that gave me a figure only a bit less prominent than Tia's. The more I tried to protest, the more racy stuff Tia tried on for herself, causing me serious moral problems. Not to mention pain.

When I was wheeled out of the store, Jody had to take a load of packages out to her truck, and Erica was making debutante comments. The manager gave us a twenty percent discount. Tia was carrying some of her purchases, saying she was going to get something less slinky to wear. We met up with Jody at Gloria's. Here we found several more kids from school catching up on the sales. Sue and her boyfriend ogled us, and he made a bunch of snickering noises. I wanted to hide under the wheelchair.

Sue's "Hey Tommy, I wonder how you'd look in a mini?" caused him to shut up fast. Especially when she made it sound so convincing. This was not a good sign. Jody commandeered a dressing room, and soon I was up to my ears in skirts and sweaters and other things that belonged on Tia, not me. Every time I was rolled out and helped to my feet, it seemed there were more of the kids from school watching. I figured I was going to die of embarrassment before we were finished. I was not that lucky.

When we finally headed out to Jody's truck, it took Erica, Tia, and Karen and her boyfriend Scott to carry everything. Very little of which was Tia's. I was now dressed in a long, soft skirt, incredibly soft cotton turtleneck, and, of course, the boots. I wondered whether it would be Dad or Mom that had the first heart attack. Then I almost had one when we headed for Papa Pepperoni's for dinner. But being able to maneuver, even with help, to our regular spot up on one of the raised platforms made it seem almost worthwhile. I got my favorite bench, with Tia on one side and Jody on the other. It took about ten minutes till our whole crowd seemed to appear from nowhere to join us.

The girls all said I looked good, and one of the guys commented I had a better figure than his girlfriend, which got him slugged. Even if it was true. A loud beeping made Jody curse. Two minutes later she had transferred all our stuff inside, and was headed off to some emergency at work. She was replaced by Jeremiah, who was eyeing me like I was dinner. Which was scary, because Jeremiah was both a football lineman and openly gay.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me, like where have you been all my life?" I felt my world start to collapse just before he lost his straight face and broke out laughing. "Okay, Okay, they put me up to this." He pointed to a couple of Tia's and my friends, who were giggling. "But you are kinda cute..." I stuck out my tongue at him, and barely got it back before he took up the offer. Tia was almost on the floor laughing.

When the pizzas arrived, the harassment stopped, and I was amazed that no one was being really mean. The conversation moved from my clothes to what classes people were going to take, and loud laments that it was unfair to waste our childhood attending school. Tia insisted in calling me Samantha, and by the time everyone was stuffed, I was answering to that name as readily as to Sam.

The guys seemed a bit nervous around me, except for Jeremiah, who asked me for a date. Most of the girls thought it was cool, especially when Tia demonstrated how much she liked the look by getting close and personal. But they all helped us get our stuff outside to load into a cab.

Tia, and Erica, who accompanied us home, had barely managed to get everything into my room before Mom and Dad got home. They were probably the only people in town that didn't know I was being turned into a coed by my girlfriend. So when Tia and Erica announced to them that the "new and improved" Sam was about to make a debut, they were sitting relaxed in the living room.

The girls had updated my makeup, making it look much more wholesome, and brushed out my hair. So with one on each side to catch me if I stumbled, I slowly maneuvered on the crutches into the living room.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a scream as Mom jumped up to hold me "Sam, you're walking..." I had to lean on her for support. Dad was still staring. Tia retrieved the wheelchair so I could get off my feet. She helped Mom lower me back to a sitting position.

Mom seemed unable to say anything. Finally Dad managed to find his voice. "What are you doing in a skirt?" He took a breath. "And why are you done up like Anne for a date?" He was starting to sputter, and I was afraid he was going to blow his cool.

"What's this about me and a date?" Ann came into the living room. And stared at me. "Oh my God! Sam, you've come out of the closet!?" I managed to gurgle, and Dad sat back in his chair with an "Oh Shit"

"He's not gay!" Tia was bright red. "Even when Jeremiah hit on her, she didn't do anything..." She turned redder as she realized she was making things worse.

"THAT Jeremiah saw him like this? He's been out in public?"

"The whole gang had a late snack at Papa Pepperoni's, so relax." Erica added her two cents. "Besides, I think she's cute."

"QUIET!" Mom screamed at all of us. "Everyone shut up and sit down." Dad started to say something, and Mom made threatening gestures. She turned to me. "Samuel, what is going on, why are you dressed like your sister, and why is your friend referring to you as a girl?" I made some attempt to shrug, but she wasn't buying it. "No excuses, NOW!"

So I held tight to Tia, and started at the beginning. By the time I was finished, Dad looked like he wanted to throw me out of the house, or throw up. Anne had laughed herself silly, and Mom was unable to do more than shake her head and state "When your father and I were your age, no one did things like this."

Dad nodded violently. "And you don't care?" I held onto Tia for emotional support. And pulled myself painfully up onto my feet.

"Two months ago the Doctors told me it would be years before I could walk again. Tia and Jody found me these boots. They were right, I'd run around naked, wearing a propeller on my head if it would let me walk on my own." I sank back down in pain. "It is, I think, a bit squirrely to dress up like a girl. But it's comfortable, and my girlfriend says she likes me better like this." I paused. "And I'm going to look and move like a girl in these boots anyway, so I guess it makes some sort of weird sense to complete the outfit."

Dad was shaking his head. "I think the accident has warped your thinking." Mom was shaking her head.

"If she was thinking, she'd realize how silly this is, I mean..." Mom just tapered off to silence. Anne started to giggle.

"Um, Mom, Sam's my brother, not my sister."

"And there is no way I'm going to not wear these boots if they're the only way I can walk. So get used to me looking strange." Tia hugged me.

"Well, I guess since almost the whole school knows by now Sam's gone totally whacko and decided to change sex, I guess I'd better treat her as my sister, so I don't get totally confused." Anne joined Tia. "And what's so bad about dressing like a girl? Mom, Tia, and I do it every day." Dad looked like he was going start beating his head against the wall.

"Doesn't it matter that he's supposed to be our son, and your brother?" He pointed at Tia "Or her BOYfriend." Tia smiled.

"I like her just the way she is."

"What are you, some sort of weird lesbian?" Tia's grinning nods caused Dad to get up and head out of the house. Mom just shook her head, and managed to stand up.

"I'm going to go to bed. Anne, you're in charge. Sam, or whatever you are right now, make sure you eat and do your exercises. And Tia, stay out of her bed. His bed. Never mind. Don't either of you do anything to get pregnant. Goodnight." She staggered up the stairs and we heard a door slam. Followed by a theatrically screamed "Why Me Lord, I've been a good mother..."

"Sam, remember, don't do anything to get pregnant..." Anne was trying to hold a straight face, but soon she was having trouble breathing because she was laughing so hard.

"Um, Samantha, I think your mother just said we could sleep together if we don't..." She had a really friendly look on her face, and I got some interesting twinges in my undies.

"I have to do my exercises."

"I can think of a lot of other fun exercises. So eat lightly, I don't want you to fall asleep too soon." Anne made some gagging noises, and headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

After we ate, and Tia had finished her daily abuse of my feet, she propelled me towards my room. She hollered to Anne "If you hear any passionate screaming, applaud." Anne gave her a thumbs up, and as soon as Tia had rolled me inside, she closed and locked the door.

I woke the next morning feeling incredibly relaxed. Tia was snuggled against me, smiling, and felt so warm and soft... She helped me get dressed in some of my new clothes, and borrowed some for herself. When she wheeled me out the door, Mom, Dad, and Anne were waiting at the table for us. I guess there was no mistaking the satisfied look on our faces.

"I'm jealous. Mom and Dad won't even let me stay out past midnight." Anne was giggling.

"Did you two...?" Mom looked worried.

"Don't worry, Samantha isn't going to get pregnant. And no, we didn't. At least not what you are thinking, did we?" She bent down to give me a kiss, so I pulled her onto my lap and returned the favor.

"Samuel, we have a rule in this house about sleepovers." Dad looked peeved.

"Hey, you let me have girlfriends stay over, why not Samantha?" Dad gave Anne a strange look and clamped his jaw shut.

"Well, breakfast is getting cold." Mom had the right idea. And I was hungry after all that exercise. When we were finished, Mom asked us what our plans were for the day.

"We're going to meet the rest of the gang at the park, and go swimming, and there's supposed to be a free concert later at the town square, so..."

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Anne and Tia jumped, and I spilled some of my milk. "Who said you were going out dressed like that!" Dad was turning a bit purple. Before I could say anything, Tia was in his face.

"Samantha's spent too much time cooped up like a prisoner this summer. Everyone is expecting her. And if anyone makes fun of her, there are a whole bunch of us that will make their lives really unpleasant. Besides, it's looks like a perfect day to show off her new swimsuit." All Dad could manage to do was sputter.

"NO daughter of mine is going to show off a new suit until I have given it my approval." Mom made her point really clear. Then looked terribly embarrassed. So she and Dad argued while Tia took me back to my room and helped me change into the suit. It was a full coverage competition type, with an added skirt that concealed the extra bulges in the crotch. Tia had her purchases with her, so she put on the radical thong and string outfit that had caused me much discomfort in the store.

Anne said she was jealous of Tia's suit. Mom told Anne that if she tried one that skimpy she would be locked in her room, and everyone, even Dad, agreed that my suit was conservative. When he pointed out that I would have tan lines, I shrugged. "So will all the other girls." He looked ill.

"Don't I have some say in all this?" Dad finally whined at us. "I mean he's my...child, and..."

"So give her a hug and your support, and us a lift to the park." Tia didn't bat an eyelid. If she had, I was afraid some of her suit might fall off.

Dad didn't say a word the entire trip. We wore our suits under our clothes, and I carried my crutches. He stayed and watched as Tia wheeled me down to where everyone was gathered. It was a long time before he drove away.

After being looked over by everyone, I wound up watching and drooling as Tia and the others played several games of swimsuit volleyball. And hers was not the most daring suit. Owww.... I was surprised when Jeremiah and Chuck, who I knew was not in the slightest gay, having tried to get my sister into bed several times, came over and sat by me. I wondered if I was safe, but we were in public...

"Sam, you're sure you're not at least a little bit bi?" I shook my head at Jeremiah. "Darn, you'd make a great date. So how did your parents react?" They both listened as I gave a blow-by-blow account, making sure not to leave out Tia's spending the night.

"God, I wish my parents had been that understanding when I came out to them." I stared at Jeremiah. "I got tossed out on my ear and it took three weeks before Dad would even talk to me on the telephone." I didn't know he had been thrown out of his house. "It took six months of counseling for all of us before he accepted that it wasn't something he or mom did, and that I wasn't some sort of pervert." He looked sad.

"Dad's still not okay with what I am, but we've learned to communicate with each other. Mom's better with it, but she still thinks it's something that can be cured." I gave him a hug, which surprised both of us.

Chuck looked me over again "Jeremiah asked me to meet you, after I made some comments that you must be one sick puppy to be dressing like a girl and liking it. But if I didn't know you, I'd never guess, and when he explained about the boots and your being able to walk, well, I guess I owe you an apology." I eyed him warily. "Not all jocks are assholes. Just the fact that you are fighting so hard to get better makes you a better person than a lot of the guys on the team. Most of them would have just given up. Or been too afraid to be different."

He patted Jeremiah on the back. "Like when we pounded on Jeremiah because he was gay, and instead of calling the cops, he came back to the team and proved that gay didn't mean anything about sportsmanship. So some of us are not as bad as we seem."

He stared hungrily at me again. "Damn, you look a lot like Anne."

"She IS my sister."

"Oh, yeah..." He looked like he liked the taste of his own toenails. "Hey, looks like everyone's getting ready to go swimming."

I turned to Jeremiah. "Care to help a girl get out of her clothes?" Both he and Chuck sputtered, and turned several interesting shades of pink.

The two of them basket-carried me down to the pool. And one of them gently pinched my butt. What worried me is I couldn't tell which one. But the water was really warm, and I liked the feel of the suit, so I had better things to do.

It was early afternoon when everyone decided they were either waterlogged or done medium-well. So most of them headed for the showers to change, and Jeremiah used the wash-down hose to rinse me off before he carried me back to where I had left my chair and clothes. I tensed when he held me against him, and he chuckled. "Still don't understand that being gay doesn't make me a psycho rapist? I turned red, and managed to relax. And after all it didn't feel that bad to be held by him.

I think I air-dried faster than the others could towel off. So I was ready for Tia to put my boots back on when she came out of the dressing rooms.

We caught a ride with one of the older kids, and the whole group wound up at the Peanut Gallery. Since I couldn't stand up long enough to play the pinball games, I opted to munch caramel corn and feed some to Tia, who seemed happy to sit on my lap and snuggle. When some older kids we didn't know made a couple of nasty comments about lesbians, I got scared. They got the bums' rush from Chuck and Jeremiah, who were making comments about playing miniature golf with their balls.

Everyone was full of popcorn and hot-dogs and empty on quarters when Erica said it was time for the concert. So it was back on the road again, this time to the town square. The band, which turned out to be from the city, was still setting up. When the music started it got crazy. I think every teenager in the area that liked to dance was there. I felt bad that I couldn't dance with Tia, but she seemed content to stay with me. There was also half the local police department present, which meant that there was very little drinking, and few other problems.

The only attention I attracted was that I was a person in a wheelchair, which made me different. By the time the concert was over at ten, I was thoroughly tired of sympathy. Real or plastic. Anne was there with Dad's car, so she gave us a ride back to the house. She had danced herself into a frazzle, and was too tired to drive and talk, so the only information we got was that Mom and Dad were certain I had lost my marbles. They had thought that several times before, so I figured they'd get over it.

Tia spent the night with me, this time much more quietly. We were too bushed to do more than snuggle. Mom woke us way too early, and made comments about protection when she realized how entwined we were under the covers. "Sam, your father and I agree that you need some help." I cringed. "So we have scheduled an appointment for you with a psychologist for this morning. She wants to meet Tia too, so I will drive both of you to the appointment. We need to leave in a little over an hour, so you both need to get showered and dressed."

Tia and I looked at each other after she left. "Care to have someone wash your back?" We almost ran out of hot water. Mom gave us a "your mother knows what you were doing in there" look when Tia rolled me into the kitchen for breakfast. So we smiled at her. "Guilty as charged." Mom turned red, and muttered something about gray hairs.

At our destination, Mom helped Tia set up my wheelchair, and I was almost able to get out of the car myself. So I was wheeled inside an office building, and we took the elevator to an upper floor. The sign on the door read

"Nagle and Associates

Dr. Cynthia Nagle, MD, PhD."

"Mom, do I have to?"

"It's that or your father is going to wind up in a locked ward. With me following him." We got the hint.

The receptionist asked who we were there to see. "We have a ten o'clock appointment with Dr. Nagle."

The receptionist looked at her calendar. "Are you meeting your son here? The appointment is for your son and his girlfriend."

Mom looked a bit green. "One of them." She motioned to us "is my son." The receptionist gave mom a raised eyebrows look.

"Oh, sorry. Cynthia didn't say anything about your son being transgendered." She looked us over carefully. "Wow. Which one of them is your son?" I didn't know if it was a compliment to me, or an insult to Tia.

Mom walked over and patted me on the head. "This one." She shook her head. "Or he was until a few days ago." The receptionist giggled, and handed Mom a clipboard and a sheaf of papers to fill out.

Mom was still filling out the paperwork when the receptionist told us that Dr. Nagle was ready to meet us. So she escorted the three of us into a large office, where we met Dr. Nagle for the first time. She was quite a bit older than Mom, with long gray hair and a winning smile. "Please, everyone have a seat." She chuckled. "Well, unless you brought yours with you." I grimaced at the joke.

"From what you and your husband said on the telephone, all of a sudden your son's girlfriend has turned him into your second daughter. And instead of objecting, he seems to be enjoying being a girl. Your husband thinks he has lost his marbles, and you think he's snapped from the stress of his accident." Mom nodded.

"So it's safe to assume that Samuel is the girl in the wheelchair, and his girlfriend is the one standing next to him." We all nodded. "Well, Samuel, how do you prefer to be addressed? Your mother says you call yourself Samantha..."

"I don't call myself anything. Tia's got everyone else calling me Samantha, but most of them stick with Sam. Which is what everyone has always called me." She wrote something down.

"Do you object to being called Samantha?"

I shrugged. "It's sort of weird, but dressed like this it makes sense. I really don't care as long as people treat me the same."

"The same?"

"The same as before my accident." She looked thoughtful.

"I think I need to talk to your mother for a couple of minutes. So if you two will wait outside, I'll call for you when I'm ready." Tia wheeled me out of the office.

"Sam, what does transgendered mean?" I looked up at her.

"Haven't the foggiest, but the doctor didn't seem at all concerned about how I'm dressed." The receptionist was obviously listening.

"It takes a lot to shock Dr. Nagel." Her voice was light and friendly. "And you are not the first boy to come in wearing a skirt, accompanied by a parent who thought their child had lost his mind."

Tia and I looked at each other. "So relax. I have some candy here, and there is a soda machine in the lobby." Tia got some change from my purse, and disappeared out the door.

She and I were busy doing a crossword puzzle when Mom, looking totally disconcerted , came out of Dr. Nagle's office, and Dr. Nagel invited both Tia and me inside.

After a half a zillion questions to both of us, Dr. Nagel sent Tia out to wait with Mom, and commenced dissecting me. It was nearly one when she wheeled my remains out of her office. Mom and Tia looked worried, but I was sort-of smiling. She motioned to Mom to come in, and Tia gave me a long and soft hug.

"Sam, what did she say?..." I gave Tia a kiss.

"Other than that Mom and Dad are going to need a lot of counseling?" I stretched. "She says there's nothing seriously wrong with me, but I need to learn about myself and how I fit in with the world."

"But I thought she was saying that you suffered from some sort of disorder that caused a lot of kids to hurt themselves..."

"The kids that hurt themselves are not okay with who they are, or their needs. She says I'm fine with myself, and that my problems are going to be getting others, including my parents, to accept me." I paused to think. "She said that there are a very, very few people like myself that don't really think of themselves in terms of male and female. Which I guess drives most people up a wall, 'cause they can't understand it. People like Mom and Dad."

"You don't look happy."

"She warned me that many parents never accept children like me, and unless they do, I'm going to have a tough time for the next few years. She also said that your being a closet lesbian is part of why you and I have gotten along so well." Tia gave me an inquisitive look. "You weren't looking for a macho type boyfriend. You were looking for someone like yourself who was gentler and more interested in being friends than rubbing hormones together." That got me a lap full of warm and snuggly girlfriend.

We stayed together for quite a while, until my legs started to go to sleep. Tia decided to have me do my stretching exercises while we waited, so I was sitting on the floor while she pried on my feet when Mom and the Doctor came out. I answered the Doctor's inquisitive look.

"Physical therapy. I have to do it every day, and well, we got bored." Tia grabbed my boots and started to lace them on.

As we left, my mom told us, "Doctor Nagel says that you don't really need a lot of help except in learning to live with yourself." She looked tired. "And she wants to see your father and me this afternoon. We also have to stop at a pharmacy to get some prescriptions filled, and I need to take something for a headache." She thanked the doctor, and as soon as I was ready, wheeled me out into the hall.

"Mom, are you going to be okay?" She looked at me, and shook her head, then nodded.

"She says you're both my son and my daughter, and that what you need is your father's and my support. And that Tia is not responsible for your acting like this, even though she got you started." We got on the elevator. "What scares me is that she said that you should go to school as Samantha, and that we are going to have to get a lawyer and a bunch of paperwork together to keep you from getting tossed out the first day."

"No one is going to bother Sam. Heck, like half the kids already know she's going to school as a girl. And anyone that bothers her is going to find themselves as lunch-meat."

"She says the kids won't be the problem. It will be the parents and teachers." The elevator opened and we headed for the car.

"So is there somewhere you two want to go?" The weather looked good.

"The park?" Mom stopped at a pharmacy on the way, and turned a bit red when she returned and handed each of us a small bag. "Doctor's orders." She drove off before we could look inside. So we waited until we were dropped off.

Tia looked first, blushed scarlet, then got a wicked grin. I tried to match her colors when I checked my package. Inside each bag was a handbook on safe sex, and a box of condoms. Tia pulled out a handwritten note. Mine had the same note. "Please don't need these. But the Doctor said that if you two are going to do something, at least you need to understand what can happen, and be prepared." It made for a really good laugh.

"Um, how about tonight..." Tia was licking my ear.

"I can wait till I'm a lot older and ready for that type of commitment. Can you?" She hugged me. "A girl can ask, can't she? I love you." She was smiling. "Besides, lesbians like us have better ways, right?"

We got a lot of disapproving looks from adults as we played tongue-tag in the parking area until one of our friends saw us, and told us we were missing all the fun. I wondered what could be more fun that this.

We should have brought swimsuits. But someone loaned us a blanket, so we were stretched out in the sun, appropriately smeared with sun-block, while we watched the others try and drown themselves. They woke us up when they were ready to head home. So we hitched a ride with someone, and found Anne at home, preparing dinner.

"Mom and Dad are at an appointment, and won't be home till six-something. Tia's step-mom called, and said she wants to confirm she's still alive and well. And I need some help with the spaghetti. Tia made a telephone call while I tracked down a colander.

Tia looked worried. "My stepmon wants me to spend tonight at home. Something about my being a missing person. And she said she's talked to one of your parents, so I hope they're not going to ground me or something like that." I gave her a hug. "I'd better get into some of my own stuff, and hit the road."

We managed a couple more snuggles before she left. Anne looked at me. "Mom was really weirded out, and kept talking to herself. But she said I'd better plan on having a younger sister for a while." She stirred the sauce. "So how did your appointment go?"

We discussed what had happened while I set the table. "She bought you WHAT?" Anne was giggling. "She'd better not complain now if I bring a boyfriend home for the night." She suddenly got a really strange expression. "I think I'm going to put a box of those for me on the shopping list." I dropped a spoon.

"You wouldn't do that to..." She was nodding. She hugged me as we both snickered. It was nice to have a sister I could count on. She headed for the shopping list with a pen.

Mom and Dad arrived just before seven, and Dad headed upstairs without saying a word. Mom looked really beat, but managed to give each of us a hug before she sat down and asked for some water and two aspirin. "Your father thinks the psychiatrist is as goofy as you." I rolled over and held her. "And he wants you to have a complete physical as soon as possible, to see if something is physically wrong with you." She downed the aspirin that Anne brought her.

"He won't agree to us getting a lawyer until he is satisfied that you are not some sort of psychopath." Anne and I groaned. "But he has agreed to leave you alone, and not to interfere between you and Tia until all the medical reports are finished." I hugged mom again.

"So please, don't rub his face in this. He really loves you, but the whole thing is so foreign to us, and it hurts him..." She started to cry, and Anne and I held her until she was ready to continue. "So I'm going to make you an appointment for a physical as soon as possible, and with another psychiatrist for a second opinion." She and Anne quietly ate their dinners, and I nibbled at mine.

It felt strange and lonely to go to bed without Tia. I finally fell asleep later, thinking about school and what could happen if Dad didn't accept me the way I was.

Tuesday Mom woke me, saying I had a call from Tia. "Sam, Mom talked to your father, who said all kinds of weird stuff. Are you okay?" I gave her a quick rundown on what Mom had told me. "Shit, that explains a lot. Mom is afraid that you will get violent or something, and doesn't want me spending time alone with you until she knows more."

"Could your mom talk to mine, maybe that would help?" She said she'd check, and I called for Mom. Ten minutes later it was agreed that I was not a danger to anyone, and all four parents were going to meet on Wednesday to discuss Tia and me and what our relationship meant.

"Mom, what about Tia and I spending..." That caused another discussion. When Mom handed me the telephone, she said Mrs. Allen wanted to talk to me. I managed to swallow my panic, and took the phone.

When I hung up I managed to shout "YES". Mom gave me a funny look. "She was worried about Tia getting in trouble, and I told her that we were not going to do anything that could get either of us pregnant. That got her confused, and then Tia explained I was really a lesbian, which apparently she understood, because she said Tia can stay with me, or I can stay with Tia till this gets straightened out." I paused to catch my breath. "And she threatened that if Tia gets pregnant, she will take a dull knife and turn me into a real girl." Mom looked shocked for a moment, then smiled.

"Well, that would solve a lot of problems..."

"MOM!" she gave me a hug. A long one.

Mom had to head off to work, so Anne helped me get dressed, and I took a taxi over to Tia's. Her mom gave both of us the third degree, and then hugged us both, saying that I was going to need a lot of hugs over the next few weeks. Tia rolled me into their living room, and we curled up under a blanket on the couch to snuggle.

By late afternoon the weather, which had been great most of the summer, turned icky. There was a severe storm warning for the whole state, and from the looks of the clouds, they weren't kidding. Tia's mom suggested that we relocate to their basement, in case the weather got worse. I sort of slid down the staircase, with Tia's help. I was surprised when Tia brought piles of blankets and several pillows downstairs also, and set up a nest in a corner.

"Won't your mother object to..." She was smiling.

"Mom was the one that suggested it. She's not as much of a prude as she sounds. Besides, it's really nasty outside, so she's planning on your staying the night." Tia went and got her portable radio, and a flashlight "just in case", and found us a couple of books. We spent the afternoon camped out reading, enjoying the sounds of the storm outside, and the security we felt being together.

Tia's mom served dinner to Tia and her stepbrother Rick, and Mr. Allen in the basement. Rick gave me the once-over, and said everyone was talking about how cute I was. That made me want to hide, and Tia to claim both responsibility and ownership. I was surprised when Mr. Allen didn't seem upset. It was halfway through the meal when the lights went out.

Tia turned on her flashlight, and her dad told her to turn on the radio. Five minutes later her Mom had set up a bunch of candles, and we were finishing dinner to storm reports and static. It was after Tia and Rick had cleared the dishes, and taken everything upstairs that they announced a tornado warning for our county. So out went the candles, and we all got into a room her dad said was almost a bomb shelter, and listed to the wind. Tia was really scared, and clung to me. But there were no crashing sounds, and about an hour later the radio gave our area an "all-clear."

There was still no electricity, but the rest of her family headed upstairs, telling us to behave ourselves, and get a good night's sleep. So with Tia's help I joined her in and under the pile of blankets. She was still wired from the storm, so we stuck to cuddling each other. She fell asleep before I did.

I had to get her help, and her flashlight, to make a midnight bathroom crawl. I was glad they had one in the basement.

The next morning we woke up to Rick tugging at the blankets. "Hey, it's almost breakfast." He was snickering as we tried to disentangle and return to the present at the same time.

Tia muttered something about her dad being an early riser. She went and got us some clean clothes, and once we were dressed, had Rick carry me up the stairs. He mom and dad were sitting at the dining table, and there was a mountain of pancakes and sausages waiting for us.

It turned out that the power outage was from a tree hitting a substation, and half the town still didn't have any electricity. Mrs. Allen had called my parents in the morning to make sure they were okay, and confirm I was fine. Since both Dad's and Mr. Allen's businesses were without power, and would be until the evening, they were planning their get-together for later in the morning.

"Rick says that the roads are littered with trash and branches, so we want you two to stay put until the city has finished clearing the roads." We looked at Mrs. Allen and nodded. "Rick can give you a lift to meet your friends later. Leave a note saying where you are going." She and her husband got up and headed out.

"You know that you are going to get hassled by the god squad at school." Rick was looking at me and shaking his head. The god squad were the religious holier-than-thou group that made most everyone else sick.

"And probably all the brainless bozos and bigots and whatever. But it's better than being stuck in this damn wheelchair." He nodded. "You know there was another kid sort of like you in the school." Tia and I stared at him is shock, shaking our heads.

"She graduated last year. Most of the kids have forgotten about her, or just got tired of all the fuss. Maybe you've met her. Her name is Carla. Carla Weimer." I had never heard her name, but Tia sure had.

"Bob Weimer's older sister Carla?!" Her brother nodded.

"Oh my god, that's so weird..." We both seemed surprised at her reaction. "I mean, like I've known Bob since fifth grade, and I've met Carla several times, and I never..." Suddenly she blushed. "But Carla is always going out on dates with boys..." Rick smiled. "Oh My God..."

"I'm happy chasing girls. Especially you." I gave her a hug, and she snuggled close. Rick made disgusted noises, and said he was going to rake the lawn. When he hinted that I was preventing Tia from helping with the chores, I wound up on their porch watching them work. By noon they were finished, and I was getting tired of sitting.

An hour later Rick dropped us off at the park, where everyone seemed to be having a community cleanup. Tia tied a small garden cart to the back off my wheelchair, and I wound up playing garbage collector for the afternoon. It was easy to pull, so I was only totally pooped when everyone declared the place, and themselves, finished.

The pool was still closed, as the park people were still fishing leaves and bugs out by the basket-full. I guess it was too close to the end of the month, but everyone decided they were too broke to go out for food, and we wound up hitching a ride back to Tia's with Erica's mom. Mom's car was in the driveway, and I almost screamed, but Tia managed to get me into my chair, saying that we'd have to face them eventually. But I was really shaking when she wheeled me inside.

I was expecting a firing squad. But no one seemed angry, just upset. "Have fun at the park?" Tia described my trash-hauling service, and everyone, even Dad, seemed amused.

"Sam, the four of us have been discussing you and Tia, and this weird choice of yours to switch to living as a girl." Dad was the first to begin. So far I have been told by everyone I have complained to that I should be happy you are healthy and happy and don't do drugs or get in trouble with the law." He hugged Mom. "And they said I don't have to like or approve of what you are doing. Which I don't. I think its warped and it goes against almost everything I feel is supposed to make a boy a boy. Except that you at least like girls.

It is going to take a long time for me to be able to just ignore your becoming a girl, if I can ever reach that point. But I'm going to try to remember that it's you who are my child, and I hope still my son, inside. So if I yell at you, or berate what you have become, remember that it's because I love you that what you are doing hurts me, deep inside." I rolled over to him and tried to hug him. At first he pulled back, then he grabbed me and his tears started to flow.

"I don't want to hurt you, please..." I added my tears to his shoulder.

When we finally separated, Mom came over and held me. "We know you are not doing this" she waived at my clothes "to hurt us. But you need to understand that we don't really understand this very well, and we have our fears to face too." She seemed a lot calmer than yesterday, and blotted my tears. I was surprised when she rolled me over to Tia.

She pulled me out of the chair and onto the couch beside her, and held me close.

"We love Tia very much. So we were really concerned when your father called us and told us what he thought was happening." Mrs. Allen put an arm around her daughter. "But after talking with your mother I realized that we really didn't know enough to make any decision, and Tia made it abundantly clear that she was not going to stop being your friend. That's why we decided to let the two of you be together under our watchful eyes. And found that Samantha was the same Sam that has been her friend for years. A bit more intimate friend perhaps, but if we simply blocked out the clothes and wheelchair, nothing changed."

"And that really surprised us." Her dad took over. "So when we all got together today, I made some calls, and we had a long lunch with a psychologist friend of mine, who was also stuck without power." All the adults nodded. "He confirmed what you had said, that you were the same person. And read us the riot act for letting our own fears, rather than our love for our children, do our thinking for us."

"So whenever we say something that hurts, please, take the time to find out if it's coming from our fears before you decide we hate you."

Tia and I cried all over our parents. Finally they managed to get us some tissues, and suggest that it was getting late.

"Um, Mom, what about, I mean..." Tia was blushing.

"Oh, you mean can you and Sam, or Samantha, keep spending the nights together?" I tried to slide closer to Tia, but Mom had her arm around me. "Well since the doctor prescribed certain items for you two" Tia looked really embarrassed, and my Dad chuckled "and you claim to be lesbians" Her dad snickered "I don't see why not."

Tia managed to get free and hug me. "But Tia is going to be seeing her gynecologist next week, because we have no intentions on having grandchildren yet."

"MOM! We're not doing anything that..."

"Accidents happen. And I don't want one to require baby-sitting. I'm too young for that." Tia tried to disappear into the couch. My mom was giggling.

Tia and I headed back to our house with Mom and Dad, after Tia collected some clean clothes. We went to bed early, and were so stressed that it took us several hours just holding each other to finally get to sleep.

Friday I had a follow-up appointment with Dr. Sutton and the podiatrist. To say they were shocked is an understatement. After examining my feet, and deciding that the way I was dressed was none of their business, they said I was permitted to do all the walking my feet could tolerate. And changed the physical therapy routine. They also sent us down to the physical therapy clinic for an intense lesson on proper use of the crutches. So I left the hospital under my own power, with Tia pushing the now-empty wheelchair.

I wasn't going to be able to avoid the damn thing, but I was not glued to it anymore.

I spent the weekend at Tia's, and on Monday we began the strange process of getting registered for high school. Once the battle over which school I would attend was won, by a combination of the Doctor's notes and my demonstrating that I could, if needed, get out of the wheelchair and move on my own, the gender battle began. Dr. Nagle was right. The problems were mostly bureaucratic. I thought about all the problems, and came up with an idea.

Mom was amazed when I told her I needed to go clothes shopping again. "You've got enough for three girls!"

"I'm going to register as Samuel, and then let them fight about how I'm dressed." Dad, instead of getting upset, said he liked the idea, and took Tia and me to Stallones.

Tia spent a lot of time with eye liner and a brush, but I looked almost like the old Samuel when she finished. The designer bell bottoms were long enough to cover the boots, but I looked a little funny with legs that belonged on a basketball player. So Dad accompanied us to the school, and registration went without a hitch. Well, almost. Andy ran into us and started making nasty comments. Did you know that six-plus inch heels make great weapons? I stomped on his tennis shoe. Then loudly complained that he wouldn't move out of the way as he hopped around, howling, on one foot.

Dad managed to keep from laughing till we were outside. Tia and I had decided to take the same classes, and used the excuse that she was my helper since I was stuck in a wheelchair or on crutches. It worked. Dad seemed really happy when I wore the guy's stuff.

Wednesday I got the most complete physical of my life. Yeech. I preferred catheters and maybe even bedpans.

On Thursday, Tia and I went shopping alone. Or we were alone till we hit the mall. And I got a small number of teenage boys clothes. I looked really funny with big hair and makeup, but it felt good to be wearing jeans again. And the "loose fit" style would slide over the boots.

Saturday was the summer blowout at the park. Tia and I dressed alike, and got a lot of complements. And we both got hit on by the guys that hadn't heard about me. I chalked up having the manners of a monkey as a good reason to not act like a boy. And I managed to stand and join in the communal hugs our group had to commemorate the end of our vacation. I got a few scared looks from some of the guys when they realized I was me. But I felt good about myself, and just smiled at them.

Once we were settled in to the school routine, and Jerry had completed the paperwork to force the school to accept me as either Samuel or Samantha, I discovered that when I wore boy's clothes, people still treated me like a girl. When I looked like a girl, I was treated like a girl. But if I mixed the appearances, I got treated like I was contaminated. Dr. Nagel said that it just proved I was now more girl than boy in my actions.

Jody had been dropping around from time to time, but was working twelve-hour shifts. When Tia asked how to contact her, she said she was staying with Monty. That made both our eyebrows go up.

Tia wanted me to stay in skirts. Dad wanted me to wear nothing but the boy's stuff. The skirts were more comfortable, and I felt more, well, whole in the skirts.

Which caused me a lot of stress, and occupied much of the next couple of sessions I had with Dr. Nagel.

The god squad turned out to be my biggest problem, and it finally took Jeremiah to put an end to their overt harassment. Several of the worst tried to pull down my skirt and undies to "Show the world what an abomination I was." Jeremiah put two of them in the hospital with broken ribs, and the other two couldn't do much harassing with their jaws wired shut, and missing most of their teeth. There were plenty of witnesses, so the police said he was just defending me from an assault. All he got was a warning about unnecessary roughness.

Jerry sent several letters to the school, and soon the principal made it very clear that harassment of anyone for any reason would result in immediate suspension or expulsion. He sounded really unhappy, as he was one of the adults that had been trying their best to make my life miserable. So I got the occasional "freak, fag, or sicko" comment, which was easy to ignore, and as time wore on I guess most everyone forgot that I wasn't really a girl. No, make that I wasn't physically a girl. Even Dad had started to treat me like his daughter, at least when he didn't think about it.

Christmas was great. I guess Mom and Dad had carefully briefed all the relatives, but I got hugs from my aunt and uncle, and Grandpa gave me a beautiful silver necklace. My cousins said I was weird, and made disgusted noises when Tia and I spent a lot of time kissing. But what do you expect from a couple of tweeny-boppers anyway?

Tia and I celebrated our sixteenth birthdays in January. It was a great little party. We got only one present. All four parents pooled their money and bought us a car. Which had the seat modified so I could drive in my heels. And we both managed to pass our driving tests by the end of the month. Jody brought Monty, and gave me a leather skirt. Jody was wearing a full-coverage leather dress, and Monty his biker's leathers. Which got some funny looks from our parents.

There was a second present I was not expecting. My driver's license said Samantha. Anne turned eighteen in March, and two days later she and Chuck rented a cabin for the weekend. I guess he finally convinced her to spend the night with him. Mom fussed over her when she returned, with a contented smile and a funny walk. And Chuck's class ring. I can guarantee she had plenty of protection. Tia and I gave her a whole box just before she left.

Tia and I were pretty much treated like sisters by our friends. And I guess most of our relationship was kinda like really close sisters. Except that we dated each other. There wasn't a lot happening in our lives, school was easy, and I was rarely bothered about being a girl any more. I guess most people forgot. Or just didn't care.

Anne announced just before graduation that she and Chuck were going to room together at college. They both had academic scholarships to the state university. Mom and Dad were able to provide enough money for her half of the apartment, and some expenses. Chuck's parents covered the rest.

At the same time the insurance company finally settled with us over the accident. Most of the money went to a bonded medical fund that guaranteed I would never pay a cent for medical care the rest of my life. And neither would any member of my future family, if any. There was enough left over to set up a really nice college fund, and fill a bank account for me to use as I saw fit. I did some calculations, and realized how much it really was worth. Wow. But it still didn't make up for what the doctors finally concluded.

Even with the stretching, a trip to the University's medical center came back with bad news. There was no way I could grow enough new tendon to walk normally. They could somewhat extend what I had, but the result would be weak. What I had now was super-strong, just short. Tia and I spent a lot of time discussing this with both sets of parents, and Dr Nagel.

And I cried a lot. But Dad was the one that finally got me straightened out. He pointed out that if he could learn to live with me as his daughter, I needed to quit throwing a pity party for myself, and be happy that as a girl I now had an excuse to wear kinky heels. I munched crow for a couple of days, and then visited Monty to order a couple of new pairs. And one for Tia.

She complained they were way too high, and I pointed out that her feet could be stretched the opposite direction from mine. And since her feet were really ticklish...

We spent a lot of that summer with our friends at the park. I no longer needed the crutches, except when it was slippery or I had to spend too long on my feet. And everyone agreed I had the most wicked walk of any girl in the school. Tia was jealous. One reason she agreed to getting herself a set of super-high heeled boots. Jody was due to finish off her work at the mall in September, which really bothered Tia.

I was really surprised when Dr. Nagel and our family physician, Dr. Morrison, set up a joint appointment for Tia, me, and my parents just before school started. I was shocked to find the endocrinologist that had done a lot of blood-work on me during that incredibly detailed physical was also present.

"Samantha, you have spent almost an entire year as a girl, and I think everyone here agrees that you really have no desire to return to being Samuel."

"I'm happy as Samantha. Besides, I really do fit in better, and my girlfriend would be really unhappy if I changed back." Tia gave me a hug.

"Do you remember the paperwork we did to get the school to allow you to attend as Samantha?" I nodded. "Part of what we started back then was called a real life test. In official terms, that means that you were going to test-drive being a full-time female for a year. A test you will, in a few weeks, have successfully completed. And you are now sixteen, which makes several more options available to you."

Dr. Morrison took the lead. "During that special physical your parents requested last year, we measured your hormone levels. And I have been tracking them during those quarterly physicals your parents have been making you get. Have you ever wondered why you still don't have a noticeable beard? Tia and I both nodded. "You have a slight hormone imbalance. No enough to cause you any major problems, but enough to inhibit some of the effects of having a male puberty. The imbalance is definitely not enough to have any noticeable effect on your psychological makeup.

But you are now old enough to consider whether want to begin the process of physically changing into a girl." I could feel Tia tense. Dad looked really unhappy. "But only if you want to. Dr. Nagel says that she does not recommend that you undergo a sex change, but does not rule out other options."

Tia was clinging to me. "I don't want to become a girl, at least not where it counts. That I'm sure of." Tia tried to crush me with a hug. "Someday we may want to have children, and that's, well, kinda impossible if things get cut off." The idea made me shiver. "Besides, we both like what I have." I hugged Tia back, and watched as both mothers made disapproving faces.

"So what other options do I have?"

The endocrinologist took over. "Samantha, it is possible, by changing your hormone balance, to keep you from ever maturing further as a male. And if carefully monitored, we can ensure you remain fertile. The effects of hormone manipulation are very individual, but it may be possible for you to develop small, feminine breasts and change your fat distribution so you have a more defined waist, and larger thighs, hips, and bottom." Tia made some happy noises, and my father looked sad. "If you were ever to decide to change back, the fat would re-distribute itself naturally, but the breast and nipple changes would require surgical attention."

Dr. Nagel broke in. "Samantha, you don't need to decide immediately, but Dr. Morrison says you are showing signs that a late male puberty is beginning. And things like beards and heavy body hair are difficult and painful to permanently remove."

Tia whispered something in my ear. "Um..." I turned red "If I develop breasts will they be as sensitive as a real girls?"

"Of course they will. It is even possible, in some cases, that you could lactate if additional hormones are administered." Dad turned sort of green, but Mom was nodding. She'd said nursing my sister and me was something she'd really enjoyed.

Tia commented aloud "You keep complaining that the breast forms are just excess baggage on your chest, and that you wished they were all natural, and as sensitive as mine." Her mom snickered, and her dad mumbled something that got her mom to whack him.

"How long would it take to, well, grow my own?" Tia hugged me tighter.

"Somewhere between a year and never. You would almost certainly grow feminine nipples, but breast size is impossible to guess. Depending on your genetics, and responses to the hormones, probably a size or two smaller than if you had been born a genetic female. I understand that your sister is rather well endowed." I nodded. "But a lot hinges on your family history."

Mom suddenly giggled. "I'm bigger than Anne, and my sister and my mother, before she passed away, were downright huge." I thought of Aunt Susie. Dad had made comments about her typing a paragraph every time she bent over her keyboard. Which had got him slugged by Mom.

"Then Samantha could wind up with a rather, well, striking figure."

Tia whispered in my ear "Think about my doing to you what I like so much when you do it to me." Things got awfully tight in my undies.

"What are the side effects?" Dad seemed to want to find an argument against the idea.

"At Samantha's age, very few. A somewhat diminished sex drive, some initial mood swings, and a tendency to be more emotional. Thinner and more sensitive skin. Later an increased risk of breast cancer. So she would need breast examinations just like any other woman. But this risk may be offset by a significant reduction in her chance to develop prostate problems, including cancer, or heart trouble" Mom and Dad looked at each other, then at me.

"Um, a reduction in sex drive?" Tia managed to get it out softly. "Like you mean she won't want to..." The endochronologist chuckled.

"If she chooses to go on hormones, she will probably experience a lot fewer unwanted erections. But with the proper stimulation, she will be able to achieve orgasm, it will probably just take a lot longer. Which may or may not be a problem."

Tia wiggled her eyebrows at me. "You mean no more of her falling asleep too soon?"

I turned bright red, and there was a general gurgling sound from our parents.

I stood and pulled Tia to her feet. "Unless someone can give me a better reason than it would be hard for me to return to being a boy, I want to take that option."

Tia kissed me, and all four parents went into conference. Dr. Nagel took me and Tia aside. "Samantha, this is what I would have recommended, but I wanted you to make the decision entirely on your own. I think you will be happy with the results, even if you only grow a little."

It was a few minutes, and a lot of questions from the parents to the different doctor's later, that Dad finally decided it was really up to me. And I had already made my decision.

I had, however, forgotten to ask how they administered the hormones. It was hard to walk or sit for quite a while.

I got a bunch of harassment, again, from the school when I tried to register. Dad called Jerry, and we all went in the next day. The threat of a lawsuit, and other dire consequences won. I felt great when a couple of other registering students, and their parents, told the school types to get a plunger and pull their collective heads out.

And Jody didn't leave when the job was finished. She and Monty announced that they were going to get married. And that their first was due in February. They were both glowing, and Tia cried herself silly.

Tia and I were now in straight honor's classes, which meant a lot more studying. I found I didn't mind not being horny all the time. And Tia didn't seem to mind having to provide the proper stimulation when appropriate. But I had to give blood every month, and a much more personal sample. Tia helped. But it was still embarrassing.

By Thanksgiving, my nipples were so sensitive that I had to get different breast forms to keep from getting irritated. We attended the Christmas prom together. And drew a lot of attention. See, Tia was wearing her new boots, which gave her this incredible sway when she walked. Almost as good as mine. We caused a lot of neck-wrenching among the participants as we wriggled our way across the floor.

Dad still couldn't accept what I had become, but he gave me his support and love, and we realized that some things just would never be perfect.

By March I no longer needed the breast forms, opting for a smaller chest that was all mine. And I was finally noticing I was growing a figure. When my skirts got a little loose in the waist and really tight in the hips. Tia loved how I looked, and I started to enjoy being a pretty teenage girl. And we both got tapped by Jody for baby-sitting. Tia loved it. And pointed out it was good training for me. Oh Joy and diapers.

Tia and I received our honor society memberships just before school let out. So we threw a party at the park for all our friends. And that meant it was a big party. Oh, there were quite a few kids that refused to associate with Tia or me, and the god squad was still a problem. But the more feminine I became, the fewer people seemed to consider me weird.

For some reason, as soon as the summer hit, I hit a growth spurt. I was glad I hadn't yet bought many new clothes. Before, Tia and I were almost the same height. And were working on the same measurements. Over the summer I grew three inches, and put on fifteen pounds. Most of it muscle. The endocrinologist said my hormone levels were fine, and it probably meant I was just catching up on my growth. My chest was not getting bigger, but I was developing killer legs. Tia started to complain she was jealous.

This time registration was much easier. The old principal had retired, and the new one was big into what he called diversity. The god squad started in early, and he gave them one lecture, and the next time they caused trouble, he suspended the whole batch of them for a week. I was not the only one being harassed, the gay kids were also being pestered, and it felt good to have some support from the school.

It was on a Friday night early in October when Tia and I were awakened by a loud pounding on our front door. "Samantha, please, for God's sake let us in. Please, it's Jill, my brother and I are hurt and..." Dad came running down the stairs, and stopped at my room.

"Do you know..?"

"She's one of the girls in our math class at school." He dashed out as Tia hurried to put my boots on so I could maneuver. I heard the door open, and Dad hollered for Mom to help him and get the first aid kit. When we reached the living room Dad was helping a small, weird looking girl to a chair. Jill was standing there, holding her arm at a funny angle and whimpering.

"Close and lock the door, and get me the portable phone." I headed for the door, and Tia went to the kitchen for the telephone. One the door was closed I went and held Jill, who was shaking uncontrollably.

"Jill, what happened, and who is..." I was looking at the other girl. And realized the girl was her younger brother in a dress, with his hair hacked off and his face swollen and scraped.

"Mom and Dad came home and found Art dressed in my stuff, and started screaming and beating on him, and cut off his hair with a knife, and when I tried to stop them Mom hit me with something and my arm went snap and then Art kicked Dad in the face and managed to get the door open and we've been trying to hide from them and they're looking all over for us and I remembered you were really a boy and might not throw us out and..."

"And no one will hurt you here." Dad sounded really angry. "I'm calling the police right now. Are your parents on foot or..."

"They're in Dad's minivan."

Five minutes later Dad was off the telephone, and helping Mom and Tia splint Jill's arm. I was holding her brother, who was sobbing, and babbling that he should be dead because his dressing up got his sister hurt. "Art, there's nothing wrong with wanting to look like a girl, or be a girl."

"Mom and Dad said I'm a freak and a pervert and should never have been born and..."

"And nothing. They can't hurt you now. Not everyone thinks we're sick or strange. Please, let someone help you."

"No one can help me. I'm really a girl and I'm stuck in this awful boy's body and I hate my life and..."

"And you can become a real girl if you really want to, it just takes time." Tia came over and hugged us both. "Sam is both a boy and a girl." Art looked strangely at me, and I nodded.

There were flashing lights outside, and a moment later a police officer was pounding on our door. Mom let him in, and one look at Jill and her sort-of brother had him on the radio requesting an additional unit. "They need to be taken to the hospital. Can you take them, or should I call an ambulance?" Dad agreed to take them both, and Tia suggested I get dressed and go along.

"Your mother and I can follow in our car." I needed Tia's help, but was ready by the time Dad was dressed. Just as we were heading out the door the policeman pulled back up and said he would escort us to the hospital..

Dad took it fast but carefully as he drove to the emergency room. We were expected, but Art refused to let go of me, and they doctors finally agreed to let me stay with him all the way through their examinations. It turned out that he had nothing but a lot of nasty bruises. The orthopedic surgeon they called in to set Jill's shattered arm was Dr. Sutton. Which made it easy for me to assure Jill that she was going to me okay.

The police officer that came by to get Jill and Art's statements, and verify their condition turned out to be Erica's father, who knew all about me from Erica. When Art found that the officer wasn't overtly disgusted with his wearing a dress, Art broke down, then told a tale of abuse that made me sick to my stomach. I wondered how he had managed to survive this long.

Tia wound up driving our car to the hospital, and we convinced Dad that we wanted to stay with Art and Jill, and he should go home and get some rest. Erica's dad took Dad's statement, and Dad headed home. The hospital put Art in a room, and said that Jill would be moved there after surgery. So we camped with Art, and gave him what he needed most. Hugs.

Jill was really out of it when they wheeled her in, and I buttonholed Dr. Sutton in the hall. "Is she going to be okay?" He nodded.

"She will have a couple of scars where we had to go in, and some permanent metal pins, but everything went back together properly. As long as there is no infection, she shouldn't have any lasting problems or disabilities." He looked inquiringly at me. "Is her brother like you?"

I shook my head. "He really wants to be a girl, way down deep inside. I like who I am, but I can be Samuel or Samantha and be happy. But with my feet like they are, I prefer to be Samantha." He nodded, and said he needed to get some sleep.

When the police and the person from the Social Services office came by late in the morning, I was snuggled up to Art in his bed. I was holding him like a stuffed animal, and we were both sound asleep. Tia was curled up in a corner, with a blanket and pillow. Jill was sleeping, and the nurse, before she left around six in the morning, had said Jill was given a sleeping pill and would be out for at least five hours.

So it took a while for everyone to wake up and get coherent, and I called the nurse to get Jill some pain medications. Soon the four of us were looking at the person from Social Services, who seemed, well, disgusted and upset about something. Tia muttered in my ear "She's a first class holier-than-thou asshole. Mom and Dad had to deal with her a few times before Dad threw her out of the house and called the Governor's hot-line to get her off my case."

The officer, who I had never seen before, introduced himself as Detective Collins. "Mrs. Delong, from Social Services" he motioned to the woman" has been assigned as the caseworker for the McGregor children and is going to try and find them a temporary foster home, but she doesn't think anyone will take the boy, Art, if he insists on dressing like a girl."

"It is difficult enough to find placements for older children, and when one is severely mentally ill it..." My hackles rose fast.

"You idiot. She is NOT mentally ill!" I got right in her face. "Her problem is people like you, bigots and bureaucrats who don't know any better." She backed off quickly and Detective Collins was watching me warily. "All she needs is some love and understanding and she will be fine."

"Excuse me young lady, but according to the paperwork and doctors, Art McGregor is a ten-year old boy." Detective Collins was giving me a "keep out of this" look. "And I find it difficult to believe that you are qualified to make a diagnosis about his mental health."

"She is far more qualified that either of you, and perhaps most of the physicians here, to diagnose Art's problems." They jumped when a voice came from the open door. It was Dr. Nagle, who came into the room uninvited. "I am Dr. Cynthia Nagle, a board-certified children's Psychiatrist and a friend of Samantha, the girl you were addressing." I went and gave her a hug. "It was by pure chance I was here today, as I was visiting a friend who just had gallbladder surgery When I heard about what had transpired, I decided to drop in and see if there was anything I could do to help."

Mrs. Delong looked really disgusted. "Do not butt in where you are not wanted, Doctor. These two children are now wards of the state, and you are specifically invited not to participate in their care."

I had never seen Dr. Nagle mad, but she seemed to grow three inches and fangs. "Detective, this miserable excuse for a waste of our tax money, who claims to be protecting their interests, is dangerous to the mental health of these two children. She is incapable of being non-judgmental in dealing with the younger child's problems and will psychologically abuse the child if given the chance." Mrs. Delong started to say something and Tia kicked her in the shin. "And I will bring charges of child abuse against you if you allow her to take these children from this hospital."

"Why you..." Mrs. Delong looked like she was about to punch Dr. Nagel when the officer got between them.

"Enough. Both of you. Mrs. Delong, is there any truth in what the Doctor is saying?

"Of course not. I treat all children the same. Mentally ill or perverted young people, homosexuals and children like the younger McGregor child of course require a stronger hand, but that is my area of expertise." Art started to cry and I went to hold him. When I looked back at the officer, I swore there was smoke coming out of his ears. He turned to face the woman from Social Services. His voice was cold, and extremely tense.

"Mrs. Delong, these children are still under the protective custody of the police department. Until such time as that changes, I am officially directing you to avoid any contact with them or I will arrest you for interfering with police activities." She stepped back like she had been slapped.

"Doctor, do you have sufficient evidence to substantiate your claims she is guilty of child abuse in this or previous cases?"

"I am reasonably certain that if a detailed examination of case records is conducted, and the affected children are interviewed by qualified children's psychologists or psychiatrists, it will be possible to establish a pattern of overt and covert psychological abuse of children who are homosexual, or who have other psychological variations that may be considered by the narrow-minded as abnormal."

"Are you willing to file a complaint in a professional capacity to that effect?" Dr. Nagle took a slow, deep breath.

"Yes."

He turned back to the woman from Social Services. "You are hereby notified that you are being placed under investigation for possible child abuse. I am issuing you a verbal police protective restraining order, effective immediately, which will be followed by a full court restraining order within the required seventy-two hour time period, barring you from contact with any juveniles, other than you own children, if any, in an official or unofficial capacity, until such time as this matter has been investigated to the satisfaction of the police and the Attorney General's office. Because this is a potential criminal matter, I am advising you of your rights." He pulled a card from his wallet. "You have the right to remain silent..."

Mrs. Delong screamed, "I'll kill you for this, you fag-loving bitch!" as she launched herself at Doctor Nagel. And slammed face-first into the floor when Tia tripped her. Detective Collins sat on her and managed to handcuff her while she screamed obscenities. One of the nurses ran in to find out what all the screaming was about, and pushed a panic alarm. And then pinned Mrs. Delong's legs so she couldn't kick anyone.

One thing about hospitals, they have interesting ways of keeping people restrained. The doctor who responded to the alarm went and got a big roll of tape, and soon Mrs. Delong was barely able to twitch. Dr. Nagel was shaking, and Tia held her while the detective called back to his office. He got off the phone and managed a weak smile. "I am charging her with felony assault. The chief wants her placed in the psychiatric unit for evaluation, and if they say she is fit, we will transport her to the jail." He looked really stressed. Two orderlies came in, put her on a gurney, and strapped her down. When she started to scream louder, they did something with a roll of gauze and all that came out were muffled grunts as they wheeled her down the hall.

Art was still shaking as Dr. Nagel thanked Tia, and came over to us. "I take it this is the young person that wants to be a girl?" I nodded. "I haven't done much pro-bono work of late. So if the detective here doesn't mind, I would like to provide a free evaluation and perhaps some counseling to both children." That took a second call, and a consultation with the hospital's staff psychiatrist for approval. The detective again apologized for the problems created by Mrs. Delong, and said the local Social Services Director was in route.

"I have been assured that he is very willing to work with Dr. Nagel to help both children." Dr. Nagel nodded.

"I know of him, and he is said to be a good person." She gave the detective an inquisitive look. "That was a rather fast decision on giving her the boot. Have you dealt with her before?" He shook his head, and whispered something in her ear. She laughed quietly. "Just doing you civic duty to protect the downtrodden, right?" He smiled and nodded.

Art was finally back in control when an older gentleman came in, and introduced himself as Mr. Ritlerki, from Social Services. He and Dr. Nagel and the detective went outside and chatted for a while. When they returned, no one was smiling. He addressed Jill and Art. "I wish to apologize personally, and for my department, for the deplorable actions of Mrs. Delong. As an assist to the police investigation, I am going to personally review all of her cases over the past few years, and do my best to resolve any questions relating to her activities." He took a breath, and continued.

"Unfortunately, she was right in one aspect. Finding placements for children with special needs is very difficult. Before I left my office I checked our listing of available placements, and there are none for Jill and Art together. Or for that matter for Art alone. So I am authorizing the hospital to keep Art under observation until Monday, which will give my office time to contact other offices, and the main office in the capital, to try and locate a placement for you. I wish I had better news. We will try to place you together, but I can make no promises." Art whimpered and Jill started to cry.

"There is one good piece of news." We looked at the detective. "I just received word that their parents were caught retrieving things from their house, and are now in custody. There appears to be sufficient evidence from what was found earlier with a search warrant that the judge is unlikely to let them free on bail unsupervised. And I doubt they will have much luck finding someone willing to take that responsibility when that person hears the charges against the two of them." He stretched. "So I have to go back to my office and start the paperwork to charge Mrs. Delong with assault, and to request the Attorney Ggeneral to convene a grand jury to investigate the child abuse charges." He handed each of us one of his cards, and left.

"Does this mean I won't get beaten any more?" I hugged Art tighter, and nodded. He started to cry, but there was a tiny smile behind his swollen face.

"I will come by tomorrow to talk with Art and Jill. Sam, you and Tia need to go home and let your parents know what happened, and get some rest. Jill should be able to call and tell you want is happening tomorrow." Jill managed to nod at Dr. Nagel, who departed.

As we were saying goodby, something clicked. "Art, when you are not trying to be a boy, what do you call yourself?" He smiled a real smile.

"Ariel. Ariel Megan McGregor."

"Then we will look forward to seeing Jill and Ariel as soon as we know what is happening." Tia and I made it out the door before she started to cry again. When we got home we briefed Mom and Dad, and then went to Tia's to tell her parents what had happened. They were appalled that Mrs. Delong was still a case worker, and wished her the worst of luck in jail. Tia and I were exhausted and upset, and decided to spend the night at her house. We both cried a little as we came to grips with the reality that Art, no, make that Ariel, was going to have a terrible time trying to cope without the support of her family. And poignantly realized how important was the support we received from our parents.

Sunday was a quiet day for both of us. I drove home and collected our homework, and we mostly spent the day writing and snuggling. Jill called us late in the day, and said she and Ariel were both feeling better, but the state still had not found them a place to stay. She sounded really worried. "They have so few approved foster parents that are willing to take on someone like Ariel, and those all have as many children in their care as they can handle." We gave them both verbal hugs and told them to keep us informed.

We discussed what we learned with her parents at dinner. Tia's mom had a strange, thoughtful look in her eyes when she suddenly dragged Tia's dad off for a private conversation. When they returned there was a tenseness that seemed to scare Tia.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

"We just finished talking to Samantha's parents." They never called me Samantha any more, which scared me. "And they agree with us that this situation involves you both intimately." Tia grabbed me. "So when I suggested that we should petition for Tia's emancipation so she could leave our care, they agreed."

"Mom, no, don't, I love you and Dad and..."

"And you can then move in with Samantha, at her house, with her parents blessings." Tia stopped in mid-tear and stared at them. "Which means that we would then be eligible to take on a couple of new foster children..."

Tia and I grabbed each other "Yes, Oh God Yes! Thank you, thank you." I had to silence her with a kiss, and she pulled away and tried to hug both her parents as she cried.

I hugged then with her, and added my tears of happiness to the puddle.

They finally got us calmed down and made us sit quietly for a couple of minutes. "This assumes the state will agree that we are suitable foster parents for your two friends. So don't go getting their hopes up until we actually have the approval from Social Services."

We wanted to call Jill and Ariel immediately, but promised to wait. "And you two have school tomorrow. So we will come by the school if there is any news. Now off to bed. And remember, no grandchildren. Yet."

Tia and I discussed the idea of yet for a few minutes, then fell into an exhausted sleep in each other's arms.

Monday we got a lot of questions about Jill and her brother, because there were a lot of people who knew a little about what had happened, and about her parents being tossed in jail. We didn't say much other than that they had been pretty badly beaten up, and Jill's arm had to be put back together with screws, which grossed out most of the kids.

We were both called to the office just before our last class, and found Tia's parents waiting for us. They were smiling. "Mom, did they?"

"As of an hour ago you are the foster sister of Jill and Arthur McGregor." Tia jumped into her parents arms, and started to cry. "And we didn't have to let you go. The Social Services people said that if you and Jill share a bedroom, and Arthur has his own, they can approve three children. Although I highly doubt that Jill will have a roommate very often." Tia let go of them and grabbed me. Her parents reminded her that we were in a public place, and she reluctantly let go.

"We need to get back on the road. Your room needs bunk beds, and some empty dresser space, and we're picking up Arthur at the hospital at five. So there will be a list for you two to get done before we get back with him." A couple of more hugs and they left. We managed to mostly pay attention during the last period.

When we got to Tia's house after school, the list said to prepare their guest room for Arthur, because Jill was going to stay in the hospital until the next weekend. It took us only a couple of minutes. "Hey, I just got an idea..." Tia looked at me strangely. "Don't you have all sorts of clothes that don't fit you any more?" The light above her head flickered and them got really bright.

"You mean we should?" I nodded.

"Ariel is about the same size you were when you were ten, and I remember us finding boxes of your old clothes in your crawlspace." We almost ran down the stairs.

We finished loading the dresser and closet just as her parents car pulled into the driveway. On the bed was an old, soft flannel nightgown and one of Tia's many stuffed animals. We hurried downstairs to meet them at the door. Ariel's face was a weird yellow and purple mix, but the swelling was going down. She was wearing a pair of oversize jeans, a shirt, and a pair of new tennis shoes that looked silly. But she was smiling and grabbed us and started babbling her thanks.

"Hey, everybody deserves a home and parents that love them." Tia grabbed her Mom and Dad and snuggled against them. I was holding Ariel. "So are you ready to see your new room?" She nodded, and we headed upstairs. I saw Tia whisper something in her parents ears, and they hung back a little. When Ariel saw the nightgown on the bed she spun around and grabbed me and started to bawl like a little kid. Tia's parents, make that Ariel's new parents nodded at me and smiled.

Tia and her Mom made dinner, and I helped Ariel with dressing as a girl. The pleated skirt and blouse fit, as did the ankle socks and silly-looking little girl heels. She almost came apart when she realized how awful her hair looked. I pulled out a scissors, and after seating her on a chair and wrapping her in a towel, told her to close her eyes and trust me.

Tia and I had discussed Ariel's hair, and Tia suggested a radical short cut from one of her teen magazines. So I got things reasonably even, and played with a comb and some styling gel until her hair was all sorts of little spikes. I added some of Tia's old clip-on earrings and a necklace, and told her to stand. I moved her to the mirror. "Remember, you've got a lot of bruises, so you'll look sort of weird anyway.

When she opened her eyes she stared at herself for at least a minute, and softly hugged me as tears leaked out. "You mean I don't have to pretend I'm a girl any longer?"

"Not here, and not when you're dressed up and with us. You need to work with Dr. Nagel about how you will go to school. Can you live with pretending to be a boy at school until you learn how to be a girl?"

"I think so, but I don't ever again want to be something I'm not." I wiped off her tears, and a couple of mine that somehow had appeared, and escorted her down to dinner.

At Tia's suggestion, after we had managed out homework, I spent the night with Ariel. It was a good, warm feeling to watch her as she put on her own panties and nightgown, and hugged herself. She was asleep, holding on to the stuffed animal before I climbed in next to her.

By the Wednesday night she was fine sleeping alone, and her face was beginning to look a lot better. Which meant that Tia and I could do some much-needed snuggling of our own. Tia's Mom took the week off work, and kept an eye on her. When we got home Thursday, Ariel was bouncing and happy as she showed us her newly pierced ears. Tia's Mom said that Dr. Nagel believed Ariel, which she was now calling the little boy-girl, should probably go back to school as a girl, and was already setting the paperwork mill in motion. "It's going to be hard for her, but if she survived the awful treatment she received from her biological parents, the worst she will encounter at school will be easy." Tia and I agreed.

Mom and Dad seemed impressed with how I was handling things, but remarked that they were suffering empty house syndrome. So we promised that we would be moving back into my room in the near future.

On Saturday morning Tia's dad picked up Jill at the hospital, and brought her home. She looked sad, but seemed to perk up when she saw her and Tia's room. When we had some private time, we asked, and she explained that even as mean as her parents had been to her, they were her parents and she felt lonely. So I wound up spending the weekend sleeping with Ariel and Tia stayed with Jill, which seemed to help her a lot.

Going back to school on Monday was traumatic for everyone. Jill's friends swamped her with sympathy, and others with stupid questions. I took the day off and accompanied Ariel to her grade-school, where Mr. Allen and Dr. Nagel paved the way for her returning as a girl. Her teacher seemed to be okay with the change, and the kids that gave her a hard time had to survive both me and the principal. I think I was scarier. But when the day was over Ariel said she was the happiest she had ever been, and would be okay on her own. So it was back to high school for me.

Jill had some real problems with depression for a couple of months, and wound up on medication. But she slowly got her life together, and soon was able to quit taking the happy pills and get on with her life. She was really a good kid, much less, well, sharp than Tia. But Tia's Mom was really happy that she had a new daughter, and Tia liked having a sister, even if she only saw her occasionally.

Ariel was another matter. She was all energy and happiness at being able to be herself. At school she got beat up a couple of times, and was teased unmercifully, but always came home smiling though the tears. She said that being a girl was worth any price. It sort of sounded like my being able to walk being so important in my deciding to become a girl. So we shared some tears and hugs. And like any kid who was different, as time went on she was less noticed as the boy who became a girl, and was accepted by a lot of kids as Ariel.

Their parents never went to trial. They took a plea bargain that canceled all their parental rights, and gave them a sentence of ten years each. All of their assets were sold, and the money put in a trust account for Jill' and Ariel's future. I continued to grow. Tia now was my permanent roommate, which made logistics a lot simpler. And really increased our together time.

At Christmas I was almost six feet tall without my new boots, and had what everyone called an "athletic" figure. Which meant I was still a bit flat, and had too much muscle. But Tia had also done some growing, and was now really soft and curvy. We spent Christmas eve at Tia's with her new siblings, along with her brother and family. Jody, Monty, Anne, Chuck, and Jeremiah all joined us for Christmas dinner at our house. Anne slugged Chuck when he almost tripped watching Tia.

I was no longer seeing Dr. Nagel. Tia and I were inseparable, and I was happy with myself. I guess it was strange, but Dr. Nagel said I was really one of the lucky ones. My parents didn't throw me out, and were trying to accept me for who I was, and I had found a place for myself in school, with friends that didn't care what I was under my clothes. So I had a lot of things to be thankful for over the holidays.

In late January Dr. Nagel obtained permission from the court that oversees foster children to start Ariel on her medical way to being a girl. As young as she was, the endocrinologist said she would develop fully as a girl, with much of the proper bone structure and everything. Ariel was looking forward to when she could start dating boys, which raised several eyebrows and became a major topic between her and Dr. Nagel. I guess she wasn't really gay, since girls normally did want to go out with boys. And she was a girl, regardless of her shell.

By the beginning of our senior year I had quit growing. Tia was a bombshell in a compact package. I was the tall, dark and muscular type. I never did get big on top, but good God they were sensitive. And I think Tia knew every nerve ending. Personally.

The biggest problem we had during our senior year was the way we now looked. Tia was attracting boys like a magnet. She's really stacked, and looks a lot like the old pictures of Loni Anderson, if Loni was only five-four with the same measurements. And had long brown hair. I looked like a female volleyball player who was into weight lifting. But I felt like a tall guy with long hair and small breasts. The hormones, according to the endocrinologist, did what they were supposed to do. Dad said his family were known as late bloomers. But Dad was only five-ten and fairly thin. Mom's father's family apparently had some big, tall women way back when. So that must be where I got the weird genes.

I would have liked staying a twin to Tia, although I was not sure I wanted to have to look around my breasts to see my feet. But at six-one (measured at my heel) and almost one-sixty-five, much of it muscle, I thought I no longer looked feminine. And I wanted to look feminine. Tia said she was perfectly happy with my appearance, and started calling me her princess charming. Our friends said I had turned out awesome. But it still bothered me.

The main reason I didn't get really depressed was I was too busy. Tia and I were both competing for admission to a couple of really good universities. Which meant that our final grades and admission testing were really important. And we were taking mostly advanced placement courses. Both sets of parents made us take two days off during spring break, and party with our friends. We didn't argue loudly. And took a third day to recover from the partying.

Dad finally helped me pull my head out. "Samantha, quit complaining that you no longer look like a girl. Because you no longer are a girl." I almost dropped my soda on the carpet. "You look like a tall, happy young woman who is in charge of her life." I gawked at him. Compliments on my appearance were not something he provided. "And damnit, you are a young woman. I didn't want to admit it, but you're my daughter now, and I'm proud of you." He held me when I started to cry.

"But you said you could never accept..."

"Never is a long time. I still get some pangs that I won't have a son to watch as he finishes growing to be a man." He held me at arm's length. "But you sure make a pretty sight as you grow to be a woman." That got us both crying.

I made quite a sight at graduation. Since my feet had grown as fast as me, I was now wearing over seven inch heels. So I towered above my classmates as I, in my almost patented and most sensual strut, went up the stairs and across the stage to collect my diploma. Tia was wearing her highest heels, so even in the shapeless robes her bounce, jiggle, and wiggle got a lot of whistles. Including mine.

Afterwards, it was party time. I was now a really good dancer, and so was Tia. So we took a chunk of the floor and almost got tossed out of the dance for excessive body contact. By the time we got home, we were thoroughly mussed, and even more thoroughly exhausted. And I guess I looked plenty feminine to the guys from our class. I had to fight them off in droves. Tia had a similar problem. We agreed it was wonderful.

We are packing to leave for college. Mom is complaining about having empty nest syndrome. Dad says he is really looking forward to the peace and quiet. Tia's parents have told Mom they are willing to loan her Jill and Ariel for a few months. The university had some real problems with our rooming together, since I am still legally male, but we solved that by getting an apartment off-campus. Having the insurance money did help happiness along a bit.

It turned out that we both earned complete scholarships, so our accounts are in really good shape. Tia finally decided to study engineering, and I'm working on a pre-med plan, with a specialty goal of abnormal psychology. I want to learn about kids like me and Ariel. And how to help them.

--Finis

 

 

© 2001
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