This is a continuation of The First Day of School; where Melissa Andrews began her first day attending school as a girl. Her day had ended with being selected to become a varsity cheerleader at Morris Academy.

 

The Slumber Party

Part II of
Melissa Goes to School

by :
Karen Anne Summerfield
© November 2001

 

Thursday morning, Brad was much more of a gentleman than during our previous encounter.

"Good morning, Melissa," all cheery and smiling.

"Brad," I coolly acknowledged.

"I heard you made the cheer leading squad. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"I'm sure you'll make a fine addition. The first game is Saturday. I'd like you to be my date for the homecoming dance, please?" He was certainly going about things in the right way, but I was not prepared to date guys and doubted I would be any time soon. Brad looked into my eyes and not at any other part of my anatomy while speaking.

"I'm flattered, Brad, and I'll keep you in mind for the future. I'm just not ready to date anyone right now, but thanks." Brad bit his lip.

"Well how'd everything go yesterday?" He changed the subject and was really trying hard. "Find it different than at your old school?"

"That's an understatement. Just about everything is at Morris, but my uniform has got to be the biggest change. I'm used to baggy jeans and sweatshirts."

"You look really cute in it." He smiled, but still hadn't stared or even seemed to notice the rest of me.

"You're just saying that 'cause I'm showing off my legs," I giggled and he stepped back for a good look.

"You do have great legs," Brad complimented.

Well, he was really being nice and gave me no excuse to be rude. Despite my feelings, I even let him sit next to me on the school bus.

That lunch period, I again sat with the other cheerleaders.

"Hey, Mel', after the pep rally tomorrow afternoon, we're all going to spend the night at Teniesha's, you're invited," Kitten offered.

"Great, thanks, I'll have to ask my mom," I told them and, then I started to panic. Could I really get away with being at a pajama party? What would happen if they found out?

It turned out that the all the girls had dates for the homecoming dance, all but me that is. Being as they were all attractive and cheerleaders to boot, almost guaranteed that they were popular choices with the boys.

"Who you going with, Melissa?" Samantha asked.

"I wasn't planning to go," I answered. I didn't want to lie to my new friends or make up some lame excuse.

"Who's asked you, so far? It won't be any problem getting you a date."

"Thanks, Cathy, but I really wasn't going. Besides, I've nothing to wear," I answered.

"No sweat Melissa, you and I are the same size. After practice today, you can come home with me, my brother's picking me up, and, I'm sure, Theo would be more than happy to give you a ride home." Jasmine was being even more persuasive than the others and I was rapididly running out of reasons to say 'no'.

"Lucky girl," Teniesha snickered. "Theodore is a real kewl dude. Maybe you could persuade him to take you to the dance." My mind questioned if this was some sort of test. Dare the white girl to date a black guy and see if she is horrified by the thought, kind of thing. The truth was I was horrified at the thought of being with any boy, black or white. I still had to admit to being a bit prejudiced; dating a black guy was far less appealing to me.

"What a great idea! Tomorrow, let's fix Melissa up to look like a vanilla Jazzi!" it was Kitten. "We could even do her hair like Jazzi wore hers last year."

"You're over looking something, Kitten; mine was nearly this long then too," Jasmine pointed out."

"Not a sweat," Judy shrugged off that major difference. "My mom got me a red wig, almost the same shade as Melissa's hair, that I was thinking of using this Halloween."

It was as if my thoughts and objections were of no importance while my friends plotted my fate. Everything seemed to be discussed, decided and agreed to. I didn't even know then the full extent of what their plan was.

Jasmine glued herself to me and even used her own money for me to call mom at work then get her reluctant permission to go over Jasmine's house after practice, but not permission to attend the pajama party. She hung up with, "We'll discuss this more when you get home later, Melissa." Mom sounded more concerned than upset.

When we'd gone to the mall to buy my sneakers, I also picked up some sports bras and thongs. The thong I'd bought the evening before was even more effective in concealing my anatomy and far les conspicuous under the white tights and high-legged leotards we changed into for practice.

We practiced outside and started by jogging four laps around the track, paired off by height. This left Jasmine to set the pace; which was a brisk one. By the third lap, I was ready to quit.

"Come on Melissa, don't give up!" It sound like Kitten's tiny voice from the back; encouraging me when I started to fall back. Soon the whole squad was cheering; spelling the letters of my name then shouting it. Really strange? Their cheer helped tremendously. But, that's what we cheerleaders were supposed to do - encourage the team.

I was abreast of Jasmine the fourth time we crossed the line, but near to collapse. They weren't going to have any of that either. Jasmine's arm grabbed me around my chest and another hugged from the other side.

"Just walk. You can do it Melissa." It was Pam helping to hold me up. "Nice slow breathing. Don't hyperventilate." Gradually, my body recovered so I could walk on my own. When we turned, I saw the other new girls being similarly supported by our teammates. It was great to have won such good friends so quickly.

Rather than change back into my school uniform, I just slipped into a denim mini and joined Jasmine.

"Hi, Sis." The big guy who greeted Jasmine in the parking lot was a very handsome man, not a boy by any standards.

"Theo, this is my friend, Melissa Andrews," Jasmine introduced.

"Melissa, this is my brother, Doctor Theodore Jade." Doctor? He extended his hand to greet me. I guessed him to be at least six foot six and maybe twenty-four years old.

"Very pleased to meet you, Melissa.

"Ready girls?" We walked on either side of him towards the cars. Near a huge Mercedes, Jasmine told me to ride in front.

"Melissa's coming to our house to pick something from my closet wear to the home coming dance Saturday," Jasmine explained.

"Who's the lucky guy to catch you, Melissa?" he gave me a warm, complimentary smile.

"Actually, I don't have a date yet," I started to explain.

"Me and the girls were thinking of fixing her up with my brother," my friend interrupted.

"The girls and I, Jas', not 'me and the girls'. How many times have I told you that you need to speak properly if you hope to overcome the race barrier?"

"I talk just like the other kids," she argued back.

"Doesn't matter. You're as black as I am and that's ten strikes behind before you even start." He turned his head to smile at me.

"How would you feel about dating a black man?"

"That's not a fair question." I stated.

"In what way?" he questioned.

"Because, no matter how I phase my answer it sets me up to search through any bigotry, racism or whatever in me, my friends and my family." His look was questioning. For a moment nothing was said and I felt a need to continue.

"Yesterday, this tall girl made the effort to be my friend. Certainly I noticed what she looked like, just as I noticed the other cheerleaders. Helen's a blonde with skin much lighter than mine. Kitten's eyes are shaped differently, her hair is black too and her skin tone is different again. Yes, I guessed what part of the world their ancestors originated in as well as yours and Jasmine's.

"It wasn't a question of could I date a Russian guy or a Chinaman, just as it is not a question if I could date a Nigerian man (Jasmine had told me her father had been born in Nairobi)." He chuckled at my way of phasing it.

"I think my little sister has very good taste in picking her friends.

"Would you like to be my date, Saturday for the dance, Melissa?" I don't know why, but I wanted it. Mom was going to be a problem, I knew it, but not because of his skin tone - because I'd be dating a guy.

"Yes, I think I'd like that very much," I gave him a big smile as I answered.

Jasmine didn't live in a house - she lived in a palace! I knew the houses around the lake were mansions, but I'd never known anyone who lived in one of them before. Then too, we'd always lived in another town anyway.

Ted, he'd asked me to call him that, let us out in front then drove around back to park. A very pretty, uniformed maid opened the door for us. Jasmine introduced her as Suzi then led the way upstairs to her apartment.

"You're going to like my family, I'm positive they are going to really like you. If mom and dad are home, Theo is telling them all about you right now." I was a bit flattered and overwhelmed. Jasmine had a gorgeous apartment.

She was showing me cocktail dresses in the walk-in closet when there was a soft knock on the door.

"Jasmine, may I come in?"

"My mother," Jasmine whispered.

"Certainly, mom. We're in my closet!" she called.

"She's coming to check out the white chick I brought home," another whisper.

"Hello, I'm Stacy, Jasmine's mother."

"Pleased to meet you," Mrs Jade," I even curtseyed.

"Stacy," she told me.

"May I help? Jasmine, I see your brother wasn't exaggerating one tiny bit - how beautiful she is." Stacy Jade was quite attractive herself, reminding me of Vanessa Williams.

"See? I told you what he was doing." Jasmine chuckled.

"Sure, mom."

We searched for a few minutes then Jasmine's mother handed me a black silk sheath and an identical white one to her daughter.

"I'd like you to wear those down to dinner.

"We'd like you to join us for dinner, so we can have the opportunity to know you better, Melissa, please?"

"Don't worry, Melissa, I can assure you you'll like whatever our cook concocted for dinner. Just mind your figure," Jasmine said.

"Mrs Jade? Stacy?" I corrected myself. "I need to call my mother and have her permission before I may stay for dinner."

"Certainly. How thoughtless. I just assumed you could. Use the phone in Jasmine's bedroom."

With its king-sized, canopied bed dominating it, her bedroom was totally unlike any other teenagers' that I could imagine. I sat on it and just gaped at all the antiques decorating the room.

"Mom, said it would be fine, but asked for me to be home as early as possible, please?" I told them when I returned.

"We will.

"How do you like this, Melissa?" Mrs Jade held up a beautiful green dress of velvet and taffeta. It was absolutely adorable.

Jasmine and I were putting on our makeup when the maid announced that dinner would be ready in five minutes.

"Thank you, Suzi. That will be all," Jasmine dismissed her.

"Bet you expected her to be black or Hispanic," Jasmine joked.

"Jasmine, I really prefer not to be constantly reminded that our skin color is different, please?" I didn't like how uncomfortable it made me feel.

"Get used to it, Melissa, "just like all of us must. It goes with being black." I just let it go as we walked down together.

With all the obvious wealth surrounding me, I expected to be led to a huge dining room. Instead we went out on the porch where her parents, brother and a brassy blonde haired girl were gathered by the table.

Ted introduced his father, George, and his sister.

"And this is Tina, our little rock star."

"Tina Jade! Wow!" I blurted out! She was one of the more popular singers of the past two years and I had two of her CD's.

"Yup, that's me! Hi, Melissa." Tina was nineteen and the only member of their family less than six feet tall; their father, I guessed, was six foot eight, being even taller than Ted.

I was seated at the opposite end of the table from Doctor Jade with Jasmine and Tina next to me. Ted sat opposite their mother.

Mostly the conversation was centered on me and I was very pleased when our racial differences weren't discussed. I was asked about my school grades, hobbies and interests to begin with.

"What do you think you'd like for your career, Melissa?" Doctor Jade asked. He had been educated in England and graduated from Oxford, so he spoke with a very cultured accent.

"I'd like to get into fashion design, sir." Unlike Jasmine's mom, he'd not invited me to address him by his first name.

"Any certain aspect of it that you aspire for?" he asked.

"Haute couture, that really interests me."

"That is a very tough field to break into," Tina offered. "In fact, it's almost easier to be a rock star than a successful designer.

"Have you started a portfolio, yet?" she asked.

"I've made a lot of sketches and developed some of them. I even sewed a dress from one of my designs, but it didn't turn out to look like what I wanted it to," I explained.

"Why do you think that was?" I turned my attention to her father.

"My ignorance, sir."

"In what regard, Melissa?" He seemed genuinely interested in what I was talking about.

"I had developed my design from a steel plate engraving, it was from La Grand Epoch. I was ignorant about the proper materials, their characteristics, where to obtain them, their cost and the techniques which were used." I shrugged then went on. "I substituted with what I found and could afford, also by not using enough material to do things like the bustle and draped over-skirt.

"Polyester is not a good substitute for taffeta," I giggled. "Well, despite the lesson costing me over a hundred dollars, my dress was a disaster.

"Still, I think I learned a lot for having made the attempt. That is when I selected FIT as my school of choice."

"Ambitious," he nodded and turned his attention to the wine the maid silently offered.

It was only a little before nine when I said 'good-byes'. I felt I had been accepted and warmly received by the entire family.

"You going to come with us, Jasmine?" I really hoped she would, as I was more than a little apprehensive about riding home alone with Ted.

"No. I've got to get to homework, as do you. I'll see you in school. Have a good night." Jasmine gave me a nice smile.

"Melissa?" I turned to look at Ted, as he started the car. "It's not going to be like you're thinking, in some ways it's going to be worse than in others."

"Huh?" I was seated about as far away as I could on the bench seat of his car. I couldn't think about what he meant.

"First, are you sure you want me to take you to the dance?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Was I really? For whatever reason I felt safer with Ted than the likes of a Brad Wilson.

"Then get your honky white ass over here and start acting like my girl friend!" He said it in such a way that I knew he was kidding and his low chuckle reinforced it. I bit my lip, thought all of it through then slid over, close to him. "Good girl."

"You've never dated have you?"

"How ... how'd you know?" I stammered.

"Lucky guess." We were quiet a few minutes.

"You can move away, if that will make you feel safer with a big black dude."

"Don't start the racial crap again!" I felt strongly about this and stated it so. "I don't think it should matter and I don't want you to ever remind me again." He stared, questioningly, for a moment, and then returned his attention to the road. "Please?" I added.

"Think this through. How are you going to explain dating a man who's thirteen years older than you are?" I had thought on that, but not known we were that far apart!

"I don't need to explain it to anyone else, but my mother. I need to first explain dating a guy." I needed to explain that better. "I've convinced her I'm a lesbian."

"Are you?"

"I don't know. I'm still virgin and. ... I don't know. Guys never did anything for me and girls do, but I've never had any experiences." I was calm and felt we could talk.

"Don't take me home yet. Find somewhere to park, Ted. I want to talk with you." I again got that look.

"Are you attracted to my little sister, Melissa?"

"No. Jasmine is a very good friend." I opened my purse, extracted a dollar and placed it in his hand.

"Please, put that in your pocket and then I'll explain." Though I'm sure Ted didn't understand, he did as I'd asked.

"The dollar is yours now, right?"

"Yes?"

"Good, I'm invoking a doctor - patient rights thing. I forbid you from ever saying anything about what I tell you." His arm wrapping my shoulder and drawing me to him, I didn't expect, but it didn't frighten me either. It felt nice.

"I'll not tell."

"The kids at school already have me labeled as a queer, just 'cause I turned down the Captain of the football team. Ted, I don't know what I am. I just want to be a girl and grow up learning all there is about that." He hugged me tighter.

"I've always thought, growing up, that being with another girl was natural while the thought of a boy ... in me, is more than repulsive." He just let me talk. I went on, but never hinted at what was hidden in my panties.

"I suppose we should go home. Mom's probably worried silly by now." Without saying anything, Ted started the car then put it in gear.

"Please come in so you can meet my mother?" It wasn't that late, just five past ten.

"Hi, mom!" She came to the hall when I called.

"Mom, this is my friend, Jasmine's, brother, Ted. He brought me home after dinner." She seemed relieved. His appearance had startled her.

"Hello, Ted," she greeted then seemed to look at me to say more.

"Mom, please don't be upset? Ted is taking me to the Home Coming dance on Saturday." Her mouth dropped open, but just for a second.

"That's nice. I'm sure both of you will have a great time," mom sounded sincere.

"It's late, Melissa. Kiss your boyfriend good night and come upstairs." Never did I expect that! She didn't leave either, but stood, waiting for me to do it.

I turned to Ted and opened my arms. Though I smiled, I felt very ill at ease. Ted accepted my invitation.

Pulling me in a hug, we kissed. It was not the instant nausea I'd thought it would be. His kiss felt good!

"Good night. Melissa. I'll pick you up at eight on Saturday."

"Good night. I'll look forward to it." I initiated a light kiss on his lips and let go with my arms.

"Please don't be upset, mom." I said, as she followed me to my bedroom.

"There is only one thing I'm upset about and you should be too, young lady." Mom took Jasmine's dress and hung it in my closet.

"How many times today, starting with when you called me, have you referred to me as your mother, when I'm supposed to be your aunt? That was what you wanted to help hide your past, Melissa."

"Oops."

"Oops is right. The damage is done, just no more lies." Mom sat on my bed.

"Now, tell me about your boyfriend and everything else, while you get ready for bed." She turned all cheery and warm.

"Best to start with the slumber party, Melissa."

Brad was nice and sweet at the bus stop and pressed for a date again. That turned to ice cold when I told him I'd accepted another invitation. He was so full of himself that it must have been very hard to accept me rejecting him for some lesser specimen of masculinity than he thought himself to be.

We didn't sit together on the bus. I had to giggle; hearing I was again the topic of conversation. Brad couldn't keep his mouth shut! The other kids were telling how I wasn't a lesbian after all, if I actually had a date for the dance. That all changed when one boy suggested that my date was probably another lesbian and Jasmine's name was offered as my choice. That really hurt me deeply! Kids can be so thoughtlessly cruel!

"I hear you and I are lovers, Melissa," she joked, as we changed into our uniforms for the pep rally.

"That seems to be the hot gossip," Teniesha offered. "I heard one of the runners suggest it when you two left together after practice yesterday."

"Well, as pretty as Melissa is, we're not lovers. Just wait 'til you lay your peepers on the handsome hunk that landed her for tomorrow night. You'll eat your heart out, Teniesha," Jasmine quipped. I just giggled at our inside joke.

We went all out for the pep rally and the work out left most of us exhausted. The kids in the bleachers loved all of us and it felt great to hear their enthusiasm over our performance!

Jasmine and I rode to Teniesha's in her dad's Caddy with Kitten.

"There are three showers. Jasmine, use the one in my parent's room. Kitten you have that one next. Melissa, guest bath is upstairs on the left.

"Rules are nothing but nightwear until we suit up for the game tomorrow morning. My parents will be here, so I hope what you bought is appropriate.

"Oh, you two," Teniesha pointed to Jasmine and me. "Just brush out your hair, but leave it wet after your shampoo. As you know, you both are getting new hair do's later."

"I thought I was going to wear a wig," I was having a blonde moment, I guess.

"Not exactly," Kitten giggled along with my other friends. "Go take your shower."

Clean, I put on a fresh thong, good bra then the baby doll set I'd made for myself. It's green paisley cotton one trimmed with narrow, black eyelet ruffles. Mom had told me to wear a pair of bulky white socks and not to wear shoes for the party. Knowing the other girls were waiting to use the bathroom, I vacated it as soon as I was dressed. With Jasmine and Teniesha, I knelt in the family room to do my makeup.

"No, don't paint your nails, Melissa," Teniesha stopped me when I started to shake the red polish. "In fact, take off the polish you have on. You'll be getting nails like Jazzi’s when we do you hair later.

"May I borrow your polish?" Jasmine extended her hand for it. I admired the long nails my friend had and looked forward to my own.

Teniesha's folks were great! They bought five pizzas, more than enough for the twelve of us. While we ate, they stayed and enjoyed it too then her father started taking pictures. He'd do that until we finally bedded down for the night and promised all of us a full set.

"OK, let's get started on our two sisters," Aliesha got the squad's attention. Jasmine and I were seated, facing each other about eight feet apart. Teniesha and Alieshia started on my hair, Katy and Helen began to work on my manicure.

"What are you doing to my hair?" They had clipped most of it over to one side and rewet the little remaining with a spray bottle containing a strong smelling liquid.

"Braiding your hair and adding the extensions so it will be the same length as, Jazzi's when we're finished," Aliesha answered.

"I thought you were going to use Judy's wig?"

"We are," Teniesha showed me a handful of long, red hair that had been separated into thin hanks, each held together at one end with a twist-tie. "As we separate your hair, we're braiding in one of these to extend it." It took me several minutes of watching what the others were doing to Jasmine before I realized exactly what was going on.

"You're giving me cornrows?"

"Yes," they answered in unison.

Cathy and Judy helped, once Aliesha and Teniesha had done the tight, narrow cornrows with the hair extensions braided in.

"Be sure the beads are all at the same height as you put them in," Teniesha advised. To complete all of the braids with all of the silver beads spaced along their lengths, took the four of my friends almost three hours. My one inch long fingernails required almost the same amount of time to be finished.

"Almost done. Sit still while we clip the bells on the ends." I felt and heard these being added. "They're removable so you two don't give the teachers fits like Jazzi did last year until they threatened to cut her hair if she didn't take them off."

"You look really super kewl, mama," Jasmine teased when we faced each other. She had tiny yellow, black and white ribbons sticking out, about an inch apart from each cornrow on her head. I didn't like those at all, but I assumed they were given to mine too. A touch confirmed this.

"I need to see in a mirror." She followed me - bells jingling and the beads clicking loudly, into the lavatory.

'Yikes! This is going to take some getting used to. How do I undo it all?"

"You don't. All on your head has been glued." Aliesha giggled.

"We decided you'd want to undo all that work, once you saw it, and collectively we decided that both of you are going to keep that look 'til the end of football season, at least." Helen explained.

Aliesha already had her hair like ours without the ribbons and she was working on Teniesha's, who was seated where I'd been.

I worried about what mom was going to say.

Most of us didn't have sleeping bags, though a few did. Teniesha's dad had established a twelve o'clock curfew. When it was time for lights-out at midnight, I set up my blankets and pillow next to Jasmine's. With all of us sleeping in the family room together, I felt safe that no one would be playing games.

Wrong! Well, at least it wasn't the sort of games that I worried might expose my anatomy. During the early hours of the morning, I wakened, feeling someone pulling my braids.

"Stop already," Jasmine mumbled. When I reached around to push, whoever, away from pulling my hair, my hand contacted hers and the padlock!

"Wha...?" The girls had braided a metal ring at the ends of each of our braids to hang the bells from. Through a half dozen of these on each of us, one of the others had threaded the shackle of a padlock and closed it.

One of the girls giggled in the darkness and several more joined too. Jasmine saw the humor before I did and joined their laughter over the practical joke, which had been played on us.

"I need to tinkle," she said as she started to rise. I was given no choice when Jasmine pulled me to my feet then towards the toilet. I panicked!

Well, we both managed without my getting caught when neither of us felt the need to turn on the light.

The lights were on as everyone decided that six hours sleep was enough.

"OK. Who's got the key? Great joke, but we need to get going." I said.

"Teniesha's got it in her bedroom," Cathy explained. Jasmine grabbed her pillow and motioned for me to do the same then she retrieved two of the large soda bottles from the trash. With all the others following us, we went to the kitchen to cut the tops off the plastic containers and fill them with cold water.

We were lucky, our friend hadn't locked her bedroom door and we entered together. I stopped our advance when I spotted a likely key on the dresser. It fit. Very carefully, I passed the shackle trough the rings that Teniesha now had on her own hair. As soon as I closed it with a spindle of the headboard between the braided strands, Jasmine upended both containers on to her sleeping face.

"Hey!" Teniesha sputtered and her head was jerked back when her hair pulled tight. Both of us started to wallop her with our pillows. The others, crowding the doorway erupted with laughter. All of the fun ended when her parents came out to investigate.

Teniesha's dad's anger over being awakened ended with laughter, seeing his daughter's plight. Pouting, our friend just lay on her soaked pillow and glared at us.

"Alright girls, fun's over. One of you tell me what's going on?" We all started to tell him at once and he silenced us.

"I played a practical joke on Melissa and Jasmine, Papa. They were just getting even. I'm OK." Teniesha met our eyes and smiled.

"No hard feelings, Melissa - Jazzi?"

"Nope," I said then walked over to unlock the padlock. I couldn't resist tickling her first, before I used the key. "No hard feelings." She squirmed and giggled.

 

 

 

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© 2001 by Karen Anne Summerfield. All Rights Reserved. These documents (including, without limitation, all articles, text, images, logos, compilation design) may printed for personal use only. No portion of these documents may be stored electronically, distributed electronically, or otherwise made available without express written consent of the copyright holder.