The Monstrous Regime

by

Heather Alexander

 

To us it was all just history, what do they say that history is written by the victors.

I wasn't one of the victors, I was cursed, born male in a society where to be born female was to be given a winning lottery ticket, they were smarter, taller bigger and far more aggressive then us poor boys. Oh how I hated that phrase, 'poor boy.' It really got up my goat but here I was looking into the mirror. I pulled my long black hair into a ponytail and fastened it with a black band by pulling my hair back I had revealed my ears which had a single hole pierced into each ear, I picked up the small gold earrings and threaded them through the hole first on my right ear then my left. They had been present from my parents on my last birthday my sixteenth.

The earrings were in contrast to the rest of my face, unmade-up, I rarely wore make-up, unlike most of the boys at my school who would never venture out without there 'war paint', as some jokingly described it, they liked to be looked at by the girls so would hate to be seen by a girl un-natural as it were, in case the illusion was shattered and the girl actually got to see what they were really like.

I finished getting dressed black knee length socks, a black skirt whose hem came to below my knees so hiding the tops of my socks and sensible black shoes as directed by the school handbook. White blouses not at all see thru and a black cardigan buttoned up along with the school tie in solid red with the school crest in gold in the centre.

Not for me the short pleated skirt that didn't cover the tops of those thigh high stockings or high-heeled shoes and the black sweaters that were far too tight and a little short and the white blouse that was not tucked in and that showed under the hem of the sweater and above the top of the skirt that was worn around the lower hips, all extremely non-regulation but they were never ever pulled up for it, oh why should I be bothered after all the head teacher a woman who spends most of her day ogling these boys so was far to busy enjoying herself to pick them up for something so mundane as a non-regulation uniform.

This was the uniform of a certain type of boy at school the type referred to by both sexes as the sluts. Every school had them I see them around the town in the afternoons after school came out. The only thing that ever seemed to change was the school ties if they wore any.

I slipped on my red school blazer and headed down the stairs to get breakfast before heading off to school.

My sister Laura was already down joining my Mum and Dad, Mum was sitting at the table drinking her coffee and reading the paper before going to the office. Dad as always was standing by the cooker preparing breakfast.

"Hi sweetie," he said as I entered the dinning area he was looking up from the cooker. My father was dressed in an ankle length white dressing gown he wouldn't get dressed till after we had left the house.

My mother was dressed in a conservative black suit with a white shirt and blue tie.

Laura was dressed in her usual red sweatshirt and white polo shirt with school chest of the left breast and black jeans and black trainers the latest expensive type worn by some basketball superstar I can't quite remember her name. Who's paid a fortune by the company to endorse their shoes so that they can rip off the parents of these heroine worshiping teenage girls? While their produced in third world sweat shops by people who are paid less than a dollar a day

"Hay bro," she said as I sat down at the table she was smiling at me but it wasn't a pleasure smile it was a smile of sarcastic satisfaction.

Dad brought over my breakfast and put it down in front of me it was porridge, oh I hated porridge but Dad made so I would eat it.

"Okay I'd better be off," Mum said putting down her cup and got up she picked up her briefcase she then gave Dad a kiss before she left the house.

"You two better be getting on your way or you'll miss your bus," Dad said. We got up and picked up our bags and left the house and headed for the bus stop.

 

I was sitting in class, listen to the teacher as she went on about the superiority of women, I turned and looked out of the window, when the door to the class opened. The teacher stopped downing on and turned to speak to the young man who had entered.

"Robert," she said, looking at me. "You are to go to the headmistresses office right away."

I got up from my seat and walked to the front of the class, where I joined the young man and then left the classroom. We walked down the hallway towards the headmistress's office

Arriving outside the office, he left and I stood there waiting, the door opened and the headmistresses let me in then she closed the door.

She walked around me and sat down then she looked at me. "Sit down," she said. I sat down across the desk from her she started to read through some papers that were sitting on her desk in front of her. "I've sent for you because it has been reported to me that you have been seen handing out illegal material on behalf on certain men's rights groups. I want to warn you that any further incidents of this nature and I'll have to expel you from this school. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"Off course headmistresses," I replied.

"Good you understand me now you can return to your class."

I stood up and walked out of her office and back to my classroom. The teacher spotted me and nodded so I went in and sat down at my desk.

 

"So what did the headmistress have to talk to you about?" Paul asked me at break time.

"She was just warning me about passing masculine propaganda in the school, if I get caught doing it again then I'll be out," I replied.

"She can't do that, can she?" Paul replied.

"She can do anything she wants to she's the headmistress," I replied, just I spotted a couple of school prefects coming towards us they were looking directly at us.

"You'd better go, I'll see you later Paul," I said.

"Okay, I'll come round tonight," he said then he got up and walked away.

The two prefects walked over, "Well, well who have we got here then," one of them said.

"I think, we have that little boy who thinks that men are equal to women," the other one said.

"Are we right do you think that men are equal to women?" No1 said.

I looked up at them, "Yes, I do," I replied I wasn't going to back down to them.

"Well you know what we should do with him," No1 said.

"What's that Diane?" No2 replied.

"Well Rachel, we should get him married off, have him squeeze out a few puppies and he'll be too tired and needy to spout all this masculine equality crap," Diane said.

"Yea that would do it, he'll be dependent on a woman and he's have all those hormones running through his body that would really fuck him up. Not to mention that he's grow as big as a house and we all know what slaves to their body image men are, he'd never want to leave the house. So that's what we'll do," Rachel said.

"Unfortunately Rachel, who would want him now after all this?" Diane said then they walked away laughing. I tried not to cry so I got up and walked into the school and went into one of the boy's toilets.

As the door closed behind me, I saw him standing there in front of a mirror he was fixing his make-up. John Andrews, whom the girls refer to as the school bike, he was my nemesis, he was everything that I detested. He worm a very short tight skirt, stiletto heeled shoes, long blonde hair, heavy make-up and a tight blouse to show off his cleavage. Whenever a woman was around he started flirting with her, batting his long eyelashes and making out that he's an airhead, which of course he is but he really puts it on whenever women are around.

He saw the reflected in the mirror out of the corner of his eye then he smiled and turned his head to look right at me.

"Well, have you been spreading anymore that that equality nonsense lately?" he asked.

Then I knew he had told them, I knew that some of the boys were too far gone to want it to change but I didn't expect that they would have turned me in.

I walked over to him, putting my hand on his right shoulder I pulled him around so that he faced me. "It was you wasn't it you turned me into the headmistress?" I said.

He brushed my hand away from his shoulder and turned back to the mirror to work on his make up. "Why would you think that I would do that?" he said smiling.

I had to stop myself from slapping him silly, "you don't want change, and you don't want men to be seen as anything other than weaker. Cause if that happened you'd have to do something instead of getting women to protect you," I said.

He stopped what he as doing and turned around to face me and smiled. "You know, your right. See this body," he said putting his hands on he hips and giving them a little shimmy and jutting out his bust. "This body is designed for just one thing that's pleasing women I like the way that they look at me, whenever I walk past them, there eyes follow me. In classes I can even make the teacher stutter simply by crossing or uncrossing my legs. That is real power Robert," he said smiling.

"Your, just a slut and you drag the rest of us boys down with your antics," I replied.

"That's your problem you can't get the girls to even look at you. Why don't you let me give you a makeover, your not that unattractive, a bit of make up do something with your hair and you'll never know you could even get a date," he said with a cruel smile plastered on those red lips.

I wanted to smash his face in but I just stood there as he finished his make-up then turned and walked out of the toilet.

Watching him go I went over and rant eh warm water tap then washed my face, trying to hide the tears.

I walked out of the toilet and joined the school and walked along to my next class, as I did so I saw John go all boyie on a girl, he started to touch her arm and bat his eyelashes and go all coy, then she said something and he burst out laughing and he threw his head back with his long hair flying over his shoulders.

I just walked on heading to my next class the one I dreaded most Gym class, I walked into the changing room and sat down on the bench. The other boys in he class slowly arrived, like me most boys hated gym class.

Part Two

 

Eventually I had to get changed and I opened my bag and took out my gym clothes and placed them next to my bag. I took off my uniform and put on the white T-shirt and red pleated gym skirt and slipped my bare feet into the white trainers.

Then I joined the rest of the boys and we walked out of the changing rooms and entered the gym, we sat down and waited for the teacher to come.

He eventually arrived, he was young just out of teacher training college, he was dressed in a white sweatshirt over a black pleated gym skirt and white trainers with white ankle socks. His long black hair was tied back into a long ponytail that reached halfway down his back.

"Okay class gather round."

We all sat around his feet as he took the attendance, ticking off our names on a sheet that he held on a clipboard.

"We'll start on netball today. So up and I'll split the class into tow teams."

We stood up and he numbered us either one or two, then we split up into the designated teams and started to warm up at either end of the gym, which had netball hoops attached to the wall.

The teacher designated our roles in the team and then blows his whistle to start the game.

I have to sat here that team sports are not my thing and predictably I was a disaster I was caught twice for running with the ball and my passing was lets say off target at best most of the time, I was constantly being shouted at by my team mates I just wanted the game to be over, which thankfully it was when he blows the whistle after what must have been ten minutes of play.

"Robert, sit down. Marcus your on," he said pointing to one of the other boys sitting on the bench as there were too many boys for the proper teams there were three substitutes per team, so I was being benched. I felt both humiliated and relived, as I was so bad the teacher had to take me off and I was relived to be off the court. Sitting down I watched the rest of the game, my team still lost but were much better without me.

After gym I got dressed in the uniform and went and went to the library I found a seat and sat down and opened my books and started to read through my English homework.

"How was gym?"

I looked up and saw Paul standing there he pulled out a seat and sat down.

"As bad as ever."

"Do you want to come over this weekend?" Paul asked.

"Sure."

"Great. So how's the homework coming?"

"Okay nearly finished how about you?"

"Not even close."

"Here copy mine," Paul said and handed over the homework to him. They worked for another thirty minutes then decided that it was time to go home. As they walked out of the of the school they saw John and one of his friends they were with a group of girls and they were being pawed by what looked like the leader John was all over this girl. They tried to get away without being seen but just as they made it to the school gates John shouted over, "There goes the homos. So how's the girl this relationship? Why don't you come over here and I'll have Stacy and Amy show you what it's like to be with a real woman."

"Just ignore him," Paul said as I turned to go over there.

I was fuming all the way home I ran up stairs to my bedroom and crashed on to the bed. Picking up the remote control turned on the TV I don't know why all the men are just bimbos and the adverts just play up to this stereotype of the male as a sexual plaything or that of house proud fathers. I mean there one for a new car it a sport car and what have they got selling it but a man spread over the bonnet wearing nothing but a bikini. The shows are just as bad men are relegated to the role of whore, mother or girlfriend. Two examples Baywatch and Star Trek the men are simply there as eye candy wearing next to nothing. In Baywatch its all thong bikinis and being helpless in need of rescue by the leading woman. As for Star Trek they look like some kind of cosmic cheerleaders and the male aliens seem only to be there so that they can get off with the captain she's always got at least two men on the go at once. I suppose if that's what men see can I really expect anything to change is it me that's wrong to want something different?

I flicked through the channels not really looking when I can across the thing I really despised it was the Mr. Europe beauty contest it was being televised in prime time. There were competitors from all the countries that made up the European Federation.

They were all lined up dressed in swimsuits and heels all with the same fake smile plastered across there perfect mouths showing their perfect teeth as the camera gave a panned close up of each as the voice over gave us some details about each of the contestants. The camera stopped at the picture of a stunning blonde dressed in a yellow bikini and the sash across his chest read Mr. Sweden. On his wrist was a disc that read 14

"Erik Petrason is twenty-four years-old and a secretary in Stockholm, his hobbies include swimming, reading and horse ridding, he hopes that he can work with children and prays for world peace." The television commentator said.

The camera then moves down the line to the next contestant the contrast couldn't me more stark, he was wore the sash of Mr. France he was a tall black man with long glossy black hair that hung way below his shoulders his skin contrasted with the red of his bikini as well as the sash he wore a number 15 on a wrist band.

"Jean Teagan is a twenty-three-year-old student from Paris he's studying fashion and design, his parents are from Senegal and his hobbies include panting and writing poetry."

The camera lingered on him for a second then moved on to the next one number 16 he was Mr. Germany another blonde wearing a green bikini.

"Michael Voss twenty-one-years-old a trainee teacher from Bavaria, his father was Mr. Bavaria 1978. His sister is the international football star Inga. His hobbies include aerobics and reading. He hopes to become a primary school teacher."

After the swimsuit section there was a evening gown section then their was the first set of eliminations Germany France and Sweden all made it through to be joined by Ireland, Spain, England, Scotland, Russia, Finland and Greece. There was a national costume section another evening gown and finally the second swimsuit section before the final set of eliminations the finally four were Sweden, Scotland, France and Russia.

The woman who was acting as MC, an older television news anchor who was very much in her element surrounded by all these young attractive men dressed in very little.

The MC walked over to Mr. Russia he was shorter than most of the competitors left he was dressed in a royal blue bikini. "Mr. Russia was Aleixi Puskin a eighteen-year-old with long dark hair. He was formally a student with the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg now an airline steward. His hobbies include ballet and gymnastics." The television commentator said

The last of the four was Mr. Scotland he was a redhead with piercing green eyes he was dressed in a green swimsuit he was number 29. "Mr. Scotland was James McAllister, twenty-years-old nursery nurse who works with disabled children in Edinburgh. His hobbies include cheerleading and keep fit."

I watched with growing uneasy partly due to the competition and partly due to my need to watch as these young men paraded round for a group of judges made up of women who are loosely considered celebrities.

The television commentary ramps up the tension as the time ticks away for the decision to be unveiled.

All four-finalist line up now dressed in evening gowns the camera pans down the row as they stand there waiting for the decision to be announced I could see the tension on their faces even though they were trying hard not to show it.

The MC came to the front of the stage.

"The results will be announced in reverse order so third runner up is…Mr. Russia," the MC said. There was an explosion of applause as he burst into tears and started to hug the other competitors then he walked forward and collected his tiara and flowers from one of the judges a faded singer in her early fifties.

The camera returned to the MC, "The Second runner up is.." The camera pans across the remaining competitors they were all holding hands. "Mr. Scotland." Again there was an explosion of applause as he hugged the others and walked forward to be presented with his prize from another judge, another old television variety presenter.

"First runner up and if the winner cannot carryout the duties of Mr. Europe then he will step up to the tile.."

Again the camera focuses on the too people they were in an embrace as they would find out how has won the title as well as the first runner up.

"Mr. Germany."

There was a momentary look of disappointment on the face of Mr. Germany as he was hugged by Mr. Sweden then he regained his composure and walked forward to collect his prize.

The camera returns to the face of Mr. Sweden who was now full of tears as he comes to terms with his victory.

"This means that the winner of the title of Mr. Europe is Mr. Sweden."

He finally walks down to the front of the stage and is seated in the throne where he was joined by the regaining Mr. Europe Thomas Elenberg he was dressed in a beautiful white asymmetric dress that hugged his body like a second skin on his head was the diamond tiara. He helped him to remove his sash and replaced it with the Mr. Europe sash and placed the tiara on his head he was crying again as the other contestants gather round the chair then he stood up and did the winners paraded down the stage to where the ranks of photographers were placed I saw the bright flashes as the cameras went off, he was beaming as he moved over to the front of the stage so that the audience could have a better look at him.

He was then interviewed by a woman from the television he was going on about his surprise at winning the title and what his plans for his period as the reigning Mr. Europe. I switched it off and lay in my bed staring up at my ceiling.

I found my self standing on a stage dressed in a pink bikini that showed off a rather larger cleavage than I remembered and my hair was longer than I was used to and hanging freely around my shoulders I could feel the stands brushing across my bare skin it felt good then I heard the sound of the audience and I looked down I had a sash like the contestants on the beauty pagent across my body and I looked at my wrists I had a disc with the number 7 on it. Looking around I could see both Paul and John they were dressed in similar outfits Paul was dressed in aqua blue his disc had the number 9 on it, while John was dressed in a red bikini if you can call it a bikini it was more like a couple of stings strategically placed to cover his modesty he wore a disc with the number 1 on it. He was standing with his friends who were not in the competition and he was giving Paul and I a quick look and they were giggling at us.

"He thinks he's got it in the bag."

"We'll, doesn't he after wearing that, that piece of cloth he's calls a bikini if I wore that my mother would ground me for ever."

"Me too but he's just loving the attention that he's getting from everyone did you see the judges they were practically drooling as he walked across the stage."

Next we were standing on the stage still dressed in our swimwear when the MC the one from the competition stepped forward to announce the results.

"Second runner up is Paul."

We hugged and he stepped forward, "that means that the winner of the title is John Andrews."

He turned and looked at me and smiled a gloating sneer as he walked forward to collect the winners sash and the crown. I suddenly awoke almost jumping out of bed I looked over at the clock on my bedside table it read 5.30am. I rolled back over and tried to get to back to sleep.

My alarm woke me at 7.50am I managed to pull myself up out of bed and staggered through to my bathroom and jumped into the shower and let the warm water wake me up.

Getting dressed I studied my face maybe I should wear a little make-up just to hide the dark circles under my eyes. I finally decided not to use any but got dressed and went down the stairs and entered the dinning room to get breakfast after which I headed for school.

I was sitting in the class watching the teacher as he wrote on the board. There was a noise of the door opening, they all turned and looked as Ms. Duncan stepped in followed by a girl she was gorgeous, short black hair and green eyes, all the boys stiffened as they walked into over to the teacher.

"Morning David sorry to disturb you but we have a new student to introduce to the class, this is Melissa Seale she's a transfer student," Ms. Duncan said.

"Hello Melissa, I'm Mr. Scott please take a seat," David said.

She walked up the back and found an empty seat as she moved all the boys watched her intensely I followed her with my eyes, until I found John Andrews he was a bit of a tart he was staring at her I could tell the thoughts that would be going through his small mind would be, how to get her to notice him. For the first time I really hoped that she would be different from the other girls and see right through him.

I started to get a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach when I though of her with him. How could that be I didn't know her but I wanted to really get to know her, for the rest of the class I couldn't concentrate, it was all a daze.

I felt a release when the bell went to end the class I collected my things and left the classroom.

I could see her walking along alone done the corridor, part of me wanted to go up to her and introduce myself but I didn't really know what to say and before I could move I watched horrified as John went up to her and introduced himself.

I was nearly physically sick as I watched him go through his usual routine, I'd seen him perform it on a countless number of girls but what was this. My heart jumped a little Melissa had just brushed him off and was walking away from him.

I knew it she was different, John just stood there looking dumbfounded at what had happened I couldn't remember when it hadn't worked so I could understand the shock that I suspected that he was feeling right at the moment.

However I was feeling the sense of exhilaration, what could be happing to me why should a complete stranger's rejection of the school bike make me feel great?

Could I be in love?

No I've never even spoken to her but I couldn't get her out of my mind. I spent the rest of the day thinking about her and watching her. Every so often I would glance backwards to where she was sitting with all the other girls.

"God she's hot," Paul said as we watched her standing outside. We were at a window looking out.

"What do you think Robert?"

"Yes, she's very good looking."

"I hear she's tried out for the basketball team she's supposed to be very good I ever heard Clair Dolan saying that she'll easily make the squad this year. If she does I'll be going to watch the games what about you?"

"Suppose I'll go along."

"Yea, right your like the rest of us drooling over her, don't try to say otherwise Robert remember I've know your entire life."

"Okay Paul, I'll admit it I fancy her but let's face it she's well out of our league."

"Speak for yourself," and he hit me on the arm.

"Come on do you really think she's ever go out with one of us where there's John and his like around. All shorts skirts and big tits."

"Maybe she's got better taste than that."

"Please she's a jock aren't all jocks the same. They chase skirts and drink too much."

"Maybe she's different."

I just looked at him. I hoped that he was right about her but my dealing with other jocks weren't all that positive.

I was sitting in my bedroom trying to do my homework but I couldn't concentrate on it instead I was doodling little hearts on the paper and thinking about her. I had seen her practice with the basketball team and they were right she was good in fact she was the best on the team. There was hope that maybe this year we could win the district championship, which we haven't won in over ten years.

A couple of days later he was sitting in the back of the stands watching as she went through her paces with the rest of the team they were right she was by far the best player on the court.

  

  

  

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