Mommy Stop This Feminization Part 1 - Crossdressing Stories

Chapter 1.

The white dress was flowing in the warm breeze as I was running across the meadow. The wind now and then blew my hair around, making it covering my face so that I had to wipe it away again with my fingers. It was a sunny day in spring, and the first flowers had just opened their blooms. After a while, I reached a large tree surrounded by soft green moss around its root, and I sank down out of breath, sitting on the soft moss, leaning my back against the tree. Butterflies were surrounding me while looking through the leaves into the deep blue sky.

"Houston, we got a problem." The sharp voice and the roaring laughter of my classmates made me wincing hard as I hastily opened my eyes, staring directly into the narrowed eyes of my teacher. "Damn it!" I had dozed off again.

"You do not by chance know the answer to the question I have just asked." The ticking noise of her heels on the floor as she walked around my desk made me wincing again. "Um, what was the question?" My classmates's laughter got even louder and my face flushed to a deep red as I tried to evade the staring eyes around me. I looked down and could feel my heart pounding heavily while my head felt like a glowing bulb.

"Is my class that boring today? Again? Monday morning and you are already tired again. Hard weekend, Alan?" She inquisitively asked while looking daggers at me.

"No. Um I I am sorry." I swallowed hard and cleared my throat. "It will not happen again. I promise, Ms. Meyers."

"I promise you will come to me after class. We need to talk, Alan."

"Why? Yes, M. Meyers. Of course." Melinda Meyers sighed and looked down on me. Slowly, I looked up again, turning my head a little to my right to face her, biting my lips and feeling tears of embarrassment welling up. In a hurry, I lifted my left arm, wiping them away with the sleeve of my sweater, hoping that no one had noticed.

She stood there right next to my chair, her long blonde hair going down to the middle of her back. Her dark blue dress, the hem shortly below her knees, allowed a good view on her nylon clad legs that ended in matching heels. I swallowed again and just kept looking into her blue eyes, unable to speak, trying to suppress the welling of more tears. I had been caught daydreaming many times now, not only by her, and I feared the consequences of someone informing my parents about it, and the humiliation I felt didn't improve my mood either.

After another close look, Melinda Myers turned around and walked back to the front of the classroom, asking questions to all of us again. Luckily, she didn't address me during the remaining time because I wasn't really attentive while constantly looking around trying to get a clue if someone had noticed my tears before. But it seemed that no one gave me any further attention after that incident. Instead, everyone seemed to be focused on the attractive teacher who was very popular among all of us, including me, which was another reason for me to be even more embarrassed and even a little angry with myself.

At the moment when the bell rang, everyone but me jumped up. It was the last class for today and everyone wanted to spend the rest of the day outside enjoying the warm sun on such a nice late April day. I packed my things together and slowly approached Ms. Meyer's desk. She waited until the last of my classmates left the room, closed the door, and came back looking at me.

"Take a seat, Alan." She pointed to a chair that she had moved next to hers. She waited for me to sit down and took a seat herself, carefully smoothing her dress before elegantly sinking into her chair. "Now, would you be so kind to explain me what's been going on in that head of yours for some months now?" she said with a firm but sympathetic tone in her voice.

She was someone who people seemed to trust easily, and I felt the same, but I was too scared to tell her the truth. "It's not the first time you are being caught daydreaming, Alan. I got word from other teachers who caught you as well."

"I I don't know. I am sorry, ma'am. Really sorry. I will take care that it won't happen again, but please do not." I swallowed hard. "Please don't talk to my parents. Just don't." I felt tears welling up again and hoped she would not notice.

Without hesitation, she opened her small purse and extended her arm, offering me a tissue. Damn, she noticed. My face became red again. But I took the tissue and thanked her, wiping my eyes.

Suddenly, she turned her head, startled by a noise, and sent a very cold look towards the door, where Mark, one of the most popular guys in my class, had pressed his nose against the window, grimacing when he saw me crying. Quickly, I looked down, avoiding his gleeful look. I heard laughter when he withdrew from the door and strolled away with his bunch of dumb followers. I felt my stomach cringing, thinking of what would happen in the moment I left the room.

"Alan," she said now in a very soft voice. "You went from an A to A D student and I am just wondering why. It makes me worrying. Young man, is there anything you want to tell me?" Her tone was free of accusations, rather sympathetic and honest.

"Ma'am, I I" I stopped for a moment, pondering if I could actually pour my heart out, but I didn't find the courage. "Not now and not here. I It's nothing. I will do my best to get better again and to avoid future situations like this."

"Okay." She sighed silently inside and looked at me again, obviously a little disappointed. Then she smiled warmly and nodded. "All right, Alan, but the next incident will make it necessary to talk to your parents. The principal wanted to do that already, but I will ask him to just not do it yet."

"Thank you, Ms. Meyers. Thank you so much. I really I will do my best." I exhaled and felt a little relieved, but the tension came back immediately. I still had to get out of the building before I would be safe.

She nodded with a smile and motioned with her hand that I was allowed to leave. I saw how she watched me standing up and slowly walking towards the door. Something in her look told me that this wasn't over yet. I opened the door and took a quick peek left and right and relaxed a little. The hallway was empty. It seemed that most of the students had already left the building.

I went to my locker to put some of my stuff inside for the next day when I felt a strong fist punching heavily against my upper arm. "Hey, you no good." I winced and another powerful stroke hit me. I swirled around looking directly into the grinning face of Mark Sanders. His gray eyes seemed to pierce me and after the third punch, I felt my eyes becoming wet and did my best to ignore it.

"Is that all you are capable of? Dreaming and crying." Mark landed another heavy hit and it did hurt so much that I could not hold back my tears any longer. In a reflex, I tried to defend myself despite not being strong enough to even think of having a chance against him, the great football star. My defense and counterattack was literally a joke. And he laughed as he easily blocked my arms. And several others who had gathered around us joined in and laughed at me as well.

"Come on, you little girl. Fight like a man. Show me what you got. Like this, you won't ever become one of us." The next punch went straight for my stomach, making me cringing and going down. He was just about to kick me when an angry voice echoed through the corridor.

"Mark, stop that. Immediately. No such violence inside this school." Reluctantly, he let go of me and smiled a devious smile.

"Yes, ma'am. But he provoked me, attacking me and calling me names. Right, lads?" He looked at his minions who surrounded him, and they all agreed to this outright lie in an instant.

In the meantime, Ms. Meyers had approached us and looked at me, worried, then narrowed her eyes, focusing on Mark. "What the hell is going on here? You know damn well that fighting isn't tolerated. What would your dad say about an exclusive invitation from Mr. Stafford, Mark Sanders?" Her voice sounded quite angry.

"I am sorry, Ms. Meyers. Um, not necessary." Mark lifted both his hands up as a sign of peace and to show that he was calm again. "Really not necessary, but it was pure self-defense. Ma'am, I swear, and my friends here can confirm it, right?" His eyes wandered across Joe, Drake, and Bill, who nodded frantically.

"Is that true, Alan?" She began and frowned while bending her upper body to help me up, offering me a hand. "Hard to believe that you."

"It's true. Joe chimed in convincingly. I saw it, too. We all saw it." I only looked down and remained quiet. I was alone and it was them against me. Nobody would believe me anyway. Without any real friends, I had nobody to take position for me. Meanwhile, a large crowd of students have gathered around us. I didn't really paid attention to them, but I heard the murmur of voices.

"See, he even lost his voice now. Or shall I say she?" Mark triumphantly yelled, imitating my shoulderlength hair while running away, laughing with his friends after Melinda Meyers had motioned her hand, sending them off.

I thanked my teacher, grabbed her hand, and got up. My arm was hurting as hell, and my stomach didn't feel much better. The humiliation also did not improve my situation, and so all I wanted was to get home. I turned and left the building through the side door, not being aware that several eyes had a close look at my bum, where the upper hem of my trousers had been dragged down a little.

The drive home was quite uneventful, and when I got home at about 4:00 p.m., I opened the door and went straight to my room, knowing I would be on my own until at least 9:00 p.m. So, plenty of time to get some relief. It would be the last opportunity before the weekend that I would be alone in the house, and I intended to make good use of it.

After throwing my school bag into a corner in my room, I pulled my sweater over my head and rubbed my upper arm where Mark had hit me several times. There was a throbbing pain, and I was sure my skin would show off a large bruise very soon. "Like this, you won't ever be one of us." I stifled a laugh as I opened the girdle, stepped out of my trousers, and threw them over the chair in front of me, revealing the pink satin panties I had been wearing beneath them all day. As if that was something I would ever have wanted to happen. I ran my fingers over the soft material of my panties. There would still be a few hours left before I would have to wear my boy undergarments again.

I walked over to the sideboard standing at the wall and opened the lowest drawer. Under a pile of my boy clothes was a small bag. I dragged it out and opened the zipper. It contained a yellow summer dress, a black skirt, a blue blouse, three pair of tights, and another few panties, black, white, and two other pastel pink ones. I pondered for a moment and opted for the black panty hose I recently borrowed from my mom, the skirt, and the blouse. Carefully, I laid down the precious clothes on my bed, and went to the bathroom, holding the used panties in my hand. I wanted to shower and to remove my body hair before dressing up and needed to wash the panties as well. I didn't dare to throw them into the hamper.

Almost an hour later, I returned to my room, my skin smooth and hairless, surrounded by a fresh spring-like scent from the ingredients I had added to the water. I attached the wet panties to a thin cord behind my desk and moved my books back again, completely covering it from sight. I checked the clock. 5:30 p.m. Still plenty of time. I took some fresh panties and started to dress. I loved how the silky material felt on my smooth skin. After tucking away my boy parts, I grabbed the panty hose. Carefully, I rolled them up my legs. I had become pretty good in that. After making sure it had a snug fit, I slipped into the blouse, buttoning it, and finally stepped into the elegant skirt. They were just simple pieces of clothing and not necessarily matching well, but they had been cheap when I got them. And since I did not have much space in my room to hide them, and not much money either, they were all I had. The years my dad had been unemployed had brought us close to bankruptcy, and only in the last moment before losing the house, he had found a new job. So, I only had a very small allowance. And being a single child, I didn't have a sister to borrow clothes from. The clothes of my mom didn't really match me, and I didn't really dare to wear them anyway. The risk of being found out was just too high. Borrowing some panty hoes from her was one thing. She had so much she for sure had never noticed yet, and would probably never notice in the future. But the other clothes I just didn't dare to touch. I had done it once only to find out they didn't match and that it had been so difficult to return them without leaving a trace. And so I protected these few I had like a treasure because that's what they meant to me.

Despite the trouble I had at school, wearing my girls clothes did put me at ease almost instantly. I relaxed and walked through the house, almost jumping around joyfully, and even forgot about the pain in my arm and stomach. Several times, I checked out my reflection in the numerous full-sized mirrors and smiled happily. I didn't really pretend there was a beautiful girl looking back at me from the mirror. I didn't look at my face, rather more at me as a whole. And I just loved how I looked in these clothes, and I loved the soft breeze that I felt around my legs when taking each step. I literally danced around heading for the kitchen to get me something to eat and to drink. A snack and a water was all I needed. I had eaten enough already at school. After checking the clock again, with still more than 2 hours alone, I decided to sit on the sofa in the living room watching TV for a while. I switched it on and zapped around a bit. There was a nice documentation about animals, and while watching it, I now and then brushed my fingers over the delicate material of my clothes. If only I could be wearing them all the time. If only I was a girl. It felt so nice. And after a while, I closed my eyes and started daydreaming again.

I didn't get far, though. With a loud slam, the main door fell back into place. "Hi, Alan. We are back." My mom yelled. "Come down, please, to help us unloading the car, would you?"

"Damn! No way to get to my room without running into them." Panicking, I grabbed the blanket that was always laying on the sofa and pulled it over me up to my chin, trying to hide completely under it.

"I am I am in the living room," I stammered as my voice almost broke.

"Are you okay?" Mom peeked inside with a worried look on her face.

"Yes, all fine. I am just freezing." My dad grinned and quickly approached me. "Hey lad, it's spring outside and even now in the evening it's still so warm. You don't need that." He grabbed the blanket and was on the verge to pulling it away.

"No!" I screamed and desperately retained the blanket from beneath. My voice must have sounded dramatic because he instantly stopped looking at me puzzled.

"Okay. Okay. Jeez, calm down. Not that I was about to hurt you." Dad shook his head, bewildered by my strong reaction. Mom placed her hand on his shoulder, looking at me with her dark brown eyes.

"Leave him be, John." She softly said and smiled to me. She came closer and bent over, taking the blanket in both her hands. I shivered and silently screamed inside, panicking. But my mom just pulled it up again a bit, making sure it covered me completely. For a moment, she looked at me and I prayed she had no X-ray eyes.

"It's fine, Alan. Just relax. Okay." She fondled my cheek with her fingertips and turned. "Come on, John. We have to unload the truck. Would you be so kind to help me?"

As soon as I heard the door closing again, I jumped off the sofa and raced up to my room. My heart was beating like a drum and I did what I could to undress as quickly as possible without ruining the panty hose. After carefully putting back the clothes to hide them away, I changed into my sports outfit and dashed back down again back under the blanket. Not a moment too soon, because in the very moment I pulled it up, I heard them returning. I sighed in relief and wiped some sweat from my forehead.

"Are you getting sick?" Mom sat down close to me on the sofa and laid her hand on my head. "You look so pale, as if you are scared to death even. What's up, Alan?"

"I am okay, Mom. I am just tired is all." She didn't appear to me as if that convinced her, but luckily she didn't insist on questioning me any further.

"Maybe you should go to bed early today then."

"Yes, mom. That's what I will do."

"And what about exercising today like you said yesterday?" Dad asked a bit annoyed. "It's about time you start doing that. I want you to be part of the new football team next season. Mark the captain of the team is looking for new players because some will leave the team and his dad will be generously sponsoring all the equipment for all the players. That is your chance Allan."

"I I am not feeling well enough. Dad, I am sorry and you know that I am not really int."

Mom interrupted me. "It's okay dear. Don't worry. There is more than enough time to start with that." Her head turned towards my dad, if at all. She sighed and focused on me again. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"No, I am fine, Mom. I already had something when I got home."

"Okay, dear. Then off to bed with you. See you in the morning for breakfast. Sleep well, dear. And sweet dreams."

"Yes, mom. Thanks." I gave her an honestly thankful and relieved smile while standing up. When I pulled away the blanket, she frowned but remained quiet. I hugged her and waved towards Dad.

"Night, Dad." I gave him a smile, too, but it was obvious that I wanted to get past him quickly. He took his breath. "Good night, Alan." But Tom were shu. Mom silenced him and I continued heading to my room very quickly. I closed the door behind me and didn't even care to change my clothes again. I just fell onto the bed, pulled up the blanket, and closed my eyes.

Melinda Meyers sat in her living room and poured some wine into a glass. Something was going on with Alan. He seemed so absent, depressed. It must have been such a long time ago since she saw him smiling. And then that scene in the hallway when he left. She was sure she saw him wearing panties. Panties? Even pink ones. She sipped the wine and visualized him. Alan's brown hair was about shoulder length and he had beautiful dark brown eyes. She wondered if he was aware of that. He wasn't particularly athletic. He appeared rather slim and not that tall. Alan didn't look very girly, but on the other hand, not very manly either. How big was he? Probably not taller than 5'6", and compared to Mark, his weight could not be more than 110 lb, 120 lb at best, whereas Mark had maybe about 170 lb and was for sure larger than six. And his face already featured a beard that Mark used to show off as a three-day beard. Allan instead most likely didn't have to shave yet, and his voice was a bit higher pitched compared to the other guys who had already entered puberty, but that was something that didn't really stand out. His voice would be altered soon as well. All in all, probably an average guy or not. She couldn't get that scene in the hallway out of her mind. Why didn't Allan even defend himself when she asked him about what had happened? Why did he remain silent? Could it be that Mark had been right, that he caused the whole incident in attacking and mocking Mark? No, she discarded that option. That wasn't Allen's style. She made a mental note to find out more about him. Something didn't feel right, and she was determined to solve that puzzle.

"Good morning, sleepy head. Time to get up." The knocking on my door and the soft voice of my mom dragged me out of my dreams. "You are already a little late today, so get dressed quickly and come down for breakfast." I heard mom walking down the stairs again and yawned. Was it already so late? I had slept like a log. If I had any dreams, I could not remember them.

I chose to wear the panties under my trousers once again. They were still almost like new since I had worn them only for about 2 hours the previous evening. Ouch. My upper arm did still hurt a lot when I tried to lift them up to put on my undershirt. A look in the mirror confirmed my suspicion. A large bruise decorated my skin. It would be a lot bigger even within a few hours. I tried to ignore the pain and finish dressing, then went downstairs to meet mom in the kitchen for breakfast.

"Any interesting things going on at school, Alan?" Mom asked while fixing my breakfast.

"At school? Oh no, Mom. You know the usual crap."

"The usual crap? Yes." She sighed and came to the table carrying my breakfast. After placing it in front of me, she tenderly stroke my upper arm, which caused me to wse. Of course, she noticed. She looked at me, frowning, but to my relief, didn't say anything.

"Will you start exercising today after school?"

"You know, Dad, I need to go, Mom. The boss will be here shortly." I had finished breakfast rather quickly and grabbed my stuff.

"I know, sweetie. Have a great day and take care of yourself, okay?" She fondled my cheek and smiled. I could see the worry in her eyes, but there wasn't any time left to talk. I climbed into the bus, found an empty seat in the rear, and looked through the stained glass, thinking of what this day would have in store for me.

The drive was boring and after dismounting, I managed to get into the school building quite unnoticed and went straight to my locker to fetch the things I would need today. Just when I was about to close it again, I got another heavy punch out of nowhere. And of course, on the arm that was already hurting like hell, my head turned around and there stood Mark again, grinning deviously. I hardly managed to suppress my tears. His blows were just so hard.

"Good morning, weakling." He laughed at me, tugging me at my hair. His minions, Joe, Bill, and Drake, joined in. Of course, they did. They followed Mark like his shadow. "It's way too long, your hair. No surprise, you are behaving more like a girl." Another hit and laughter from his friends made me gritting my teeth. "That must be so disappointing for your dad. But really, if you want to be part of the team, you have to be able to stand that. Or what do you think is happening on the pitch? We for sure aren't petting each other there." Another blow maybe to make you getting used to that. He laughed at me again and leaned over to kiss Tanya, his girlfriend, who had just joined them together with her friends Sharon, Deborah, and Kimberly. The four were quite popular, and Tanya for sure had to be proud being the girlfriend of the school's best football player, who in addition was, at least in the eyes of most of the girls, very handsome.

"Hey." Bill stabbed Mark with his fingertips. "Stafford not far away." Reluctantly, Mark stopped but punched me one last time just when he turned around. My whole arm was hurting so badly now that I couldn't hold my school bag any longer, letting it dropping down to the floor. Deborah and Kimberly giggled, whereas Sharon rolled her eyes and bent down, picking up my bag. Tanya gave Mark a somewhat disapproving look, then turned her head towards my direction. I returned the look, hoping she wouldn't see the tears that had been welling up. For a moment, our eyes met. Tanya was a beautiful girl. Her long, dark brown hair reached the mid of her back, and she had very soft features and a smile to die for. Her eyes were a mixture of brown and green. Physically, she was athletic but slim with the right curves at the right spots. Her girlfriends were equally beautiful, though, just that Kimberly had blonde hair and blue eyes, and Deborah brunette hair and green eyes. All the four girls wore their school uniforms, consisting of a gray pleated skirt with a plaid pattern in various shades of gray and a white blouse. The white shoes had low heels, and all of them wore nude panty hoes. The mornings were still quite cool.

I could have gazed at Tanya for ages, but it only lasted a few seconds because Tanya got turned around when Mark took her hand, dragging her with him. As I watched all of them leaving for class, Sharon tenderly poked me and gave me my school bag with a gentle smile. Sharon's hair was even darker than Tanya's and her eyes almost black, and she was looking at me with a worried look that showed honest compassion.

"Here, Alan." She still smiled when I took my bag and in this moment I noticed that her smile was as lovely as Tanya's.

"Thank thank you Sharon." I stammered feeling insecure. I had not expected that.

"Very welcome Alan. See you in class." She chirped and turned around quickly following her friends.

When I turned around myself to head to class, the scene replayed again and again in my head. Aside the fact that Sharon unexpectedly gave me back my bag, something else was bothering me without really being aware what it was. I could see Tanya and Sharon each day during class. And while I had always been drawn towards them, I had never dared to get closer, let alone talking to them. They were out of my league anyway, perfectly integrated as it seemed to me. And in addition, Tanya was the girlfriend of that bully, Mark. I doubted that I would ever have a girlfriend at all. Not the way I was, and especially not someone like them, and they did not seem to notice me either. But something about them was different today.

When I reached my class and opened the door to enter the room, I hesitated and looked at Tanya and Sharon again, who were already sitting at their place. I watched them for a few seconds, hoping Mark would not notice. I'd be dead neat if he did. The seconds felt like eternity, and I forced myself to let go. Heading to my seat, I placed my bag close to my chair and sat down. Just when I started to unpack things, Mr. Robert's boring voice already filling the room. It suddenly began to dawn on me. Unlike all the rest, Tanya and Sharon both had not laughed at me.

The rest of the day went by quite uneventful. I had tried to secretly get a glance of either Tanya or Sharon during the breaks, but they had always been surrounded by friends and even worse, Mark and his minions. So, I just had remained around my desk. During lunch, I had been outside, sitting on my favorite bench under a tree in the yard, eating my sandwich. Sadly, no trace of Sharon or Tanya, but I would not have known what to do or say anyway.

After the last class, I managed to get out of school unharmed, something I was very thankful for. Mark had been busy all day with his girlfriend and his dumb minions, ignoring me completely, something that was a bit suspicious, too. But I was just glad about that and didn't further question it.

When I entered the bus for the drive home, I had to think about my parents. Mom had started to behave a bit strange lately and dad had been quite rough and sometimes even maybe even insulting or I had become too sensitive. But then there had also been days when everything seemed to be fine, as fine as things could be for me anyway. I did my best to fit into what my parents seemed to expect from this 14-year-old boy, but deep inside I knew that I would probably never be able to satisfy them. And that was something that made me a bit sad because I was so thankful having them. They had adopted me at the age of two and had always treated me as if I was their biological child. I even had my mom's eyes and so nobody had ever even thought of me being an adopted child. However, Dad's expectations about me, especially about joining the new football team that was about to be put together for the coming season, were way too high. My only tries at football had all been disastrous. Nobody had wanted me to be in their team. And when I had finally found a team, always being the last assigned player, if that team had lost, it had of course been my fault. I loved sports, but not football. I simply wasn't made for football. Instead, I enjoyed running through the forest located not far away from our house, enjoying nature while doing so. My dad considered that a waste of time, doing only running without additional exercising with weights to get a more muscular body that would be much better suited for playing football. I would have to make him understand that I would never want to play football. Mom was different in this regard. She had never pushed me into things I didn't want to do. But that was something my dad had always despised. He always said that a boy like me needed a firm hand to become a self-confident and successful male later. Oh, how much I hated that. Such a male was the last thing I ever wanted to become. But how could I ever prevent that from happening? Nevertheless, mom had always treated me so nicely, and we were very close. I trusted her completely, but I had not found the courage yet to talk to her about what bothered me most, and I wasn't sure if I would ever get that courage. The fear of disappointing and maybe losing just these two people who had included me in their family so heartily was just too big.

The white dress was flowing in the warm summer breeze as I was once again running across the blooming meadow. Another girl following me close up. And again, we reached the large tree that was surrounded by that soft green moss around its root. Butterflies and birds were surrounding us while we were once again sitting there looking through the leaves into the deep blue sky, holding hands. In that moment, I was happy beyond words.

Slam. The ruler hit my desk with brute force, making me flinching instantly. I blinked a few times and looked into the grim face of my teacher. "I've got enough of you now, Alan Carter." Mr. Robert's usually boring voice sounded sharp and upset.

"Sorry, Mr. Rob," I began, but he cut me off. "Enough of your apologies, young man. Damn it. You had enough warnings and also enough chances to improve it. Yet I caught you daydreaming again. What the hell is going on with you?"

"Please, Mr. Roberts, please. I will." My face turned red and I looked down, avoiding the stairs of my classmates. Their laughter was already bad enough. Were Sharon and Tanya also laughing? I didn't dare to look.

"You don't want to tell me? Fine. I am sure Mr. Stafford will be very eager to hear it from you then." He turned a little. "Everyone please start with your homework while Allan and me will go for a walk now." He motioned his hand prompting me to get up and follow him. I did what he said and jumped up almost running after him when he turned around and headed for the door with fast steps.

The principal's office wasn't far away and so we reached it within 2 minutes. Mr. Roberts knocked on the door. "Come in." A loud dark voice was being heard from inside and we stepped through the door. I was first and Mr. Roberts followed and closed the door behind us.

"Sit down, Allan." Theodore Stafford, the principal of the school, requested me to sit down right in front of his desk. I did as he said and felt like a culprit as I sank into the large chair looking at him. His gray hair and the glasses he was sometimes wearing gave him a slightly grim look and even Mark usually showed some respect. He had however a reputation of being firm but fair.

"Allan," he began and his voice softened a little. "I can guess why you are here today with Mr. Roberts. In fact, I had expected you earlier. Oh, Alan, once you were such a great student, but your performance has become really bad even across all classes. Alan, what's going on with you?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Stafford. I It's nothing really. I am sure that soon my performance will become better."

"And something is wrong, Alan. It's not only me who can easily notice that your teachers and I mean all of them have confirmed it to me multiple times now. You have to tell me what the problem is, Alan, or we have to inform your parents and try to figure it out together with them." I palded and swallowed hard.

"My parents, please. No, Mr. Stafford, please. My dad will." I paused and looked down.

"Then tell me what's wrong, Alan." He paused for a moment. His eyes seemed to pierce me. "Listen, Allan, I cannot allow you to risk your graduation, young man. It's your first year here with us and you started as an A student and now you are a D. If you are already struggling in your first year, what do you think will happen later on?"

"I I can't, Mr. Stafford. It's nothing. It's I just can't." Tears were welling up in my eyes, and I looked down, wiping them with the sleeve of my sweater.

Theodore Stafford looked at me for a while, then took a deep breath. "It's Wednesday today, and I want you to think about it for the rest of the week and over the weekend. And by Monday, I want you to tell me or I will call your parents and we will discuss this together. Is that understood?"

"Why? Yes, Mr. Stafford. Thank you." I I gulped again. "May I stand up now?"

"Yes, Alan. Use the time wisely and think about it. I will leave it at that for the moment, but there will have to be disciplinary measures if I will not hear a good explanation next Monday."

"Yes, Mr. Stafford, and thank you." I stammered as I stood up and followed Mr. Roberts out of Mr. Stafford's office again. It took only about 2 minutes. When we arrived at the door to our classroom, Mr. Roberts opened it and we moved inside. On the way to my desk, I crossed the area where Debbie and Kimberly, and behind them, Tanya and Sharon each shared a desk. Whereas Debbie and Kimberly, like the rest of the class, laughed and giggled, looking at me quite amused. Sharon appeared rather thoughtful and quiet, same as Tanya. The slight smile in Sharon's face seemed to be honest and rather encouraging, not quizzical. I managed to smile back, but I didn't dare to keep my eyes on them longer, and I headed for my desk. Just when I got there, the bell rang, and so I grabbed my stuff and my school bag and hastily left the classroom without looking back.

"Hi, I am home." I closed the door behind me and looked around a bit puzzled since I didn't get a response despite the car being in the garage. "Mom, Dad." I peeked into the kitchen, then into the living room. Nobody around. I shrugged and climbed the stairs that led up to my room. I opened the door and threw my bag onto the bed, then went downstairs again to look for my parents. I found them behind the house on the veranda, sitting around the table, discussing. When they saw me, they went silent and stared at me. Immediately, my inner tension rised.

"Mom, Dad, what's wrong?"

"I hope you could tell us, Alan." John Carter cleared his throat. "Sit down. We have to talk." I felt a lump in my throat and did as he told me, looking at him, then at my mom. She was a beautiful woman and had just had her 38th birthday. Her shoulderlength hazel hair surrounded a pretty face, and her dark brown eyes and red lips were simply outstanding. Yes, despite being an adopted chili, I had the eyes of my mom. She was a little overweight, but not very much. You could still say she was a beauty. My dad looked pretty handsome as well. At least in my eyes, he did. His once black hair showed some gray strands already, but it didn't disturb. It rather went very well with his dark gray eyes. Despite being in his late 40s, he still had a well-trained body. It could easily be seen that he had exercised a lot in his life.

"Alan, yesterday evening, I had an interesting phone call with Mr. Sanders, Mark's dad." My dad continued.

"Mr. Sanders." I pald. "Mark's dad."

"Yes. And I don't like what he said. We talked about the new football team they are building up with his help and he was honest with me and said, 'There isn't any chance you could be part of it.' I also heard Mark laughing in the background, stating you could become a cheerleader instead." My dad gave me a firm look. "But even more, Mark mentioned you would be daydreaming at school. Now, would you be so kind to explain what he meant?"

"Mark is an Dad." The words blurted out, and I instantly bit my lip afterwards, but I did not really regret it.

"Allan," Dad became angry. "You know damn well that he is the best player out there and extremely popular whereas you are deeply lacking friends and you are too lazy to exercise. I mean exercising something different than your waste of time when running through the forest. No surprise they don't want you in the team."

"Dad he stop talking about him all the time. I am rather interested in you. Why aren't you exercising? You keep wasting your time running around in the forest. That will get you nowhere. And what about that daydreaming? Is that true that you are daydreaming instead of focusing on your classes?"

"John, come on. Alicia, there must be a reason for him not having any friends. Honestly, since Linda's family moved away, he hasn't had any new friend. And Linda had been a girl and had been his only friend for years. And what did that get him? Savior of bugs, they called him. You know, he loves all animals, John. And that isn't bad at all. It's even wonderful." Mom defended me.

"What was going on here?" Dad growled. "Yes, you got a point. But see, what is he doing at school? Can't he just behave and be a normal guy, friends, and football?"

"I have enough." John Carter stood up instantly, flexing his biceps. "When I was young, I was a good player. Can you see that?"

"Yes, Dad. Show me yours. Come on now. I want to see what you got."

"John, not now." Alicia "Alan, you will remove your sweater now and show me your muscles. I want to see for myself if you are eligible for the team or not."

"But dad, I now" his voice left no doubt that he insisted on it. He was in one of those moods that just didn't allow a no. I knew I had no choice but to remove my sweater. I pulled it over my head and flexed my right arm. The slender shape didn't show any biceps at all.

"You do look like a girl, Alan." Dad sounded grim and disappointed. I winced and bit my lip.

"Oh god, Alan. What is that?" Alicia Carter tenderly touched my left upper arm with her fingertips, making me squirming.

"John, what?"

"Alicia, there look, there's a giant bruise on his arm. Oh, sweetie, what happened?" I swallowed and looked down, unsure what to say. My dad, meanwhile, had joined my mom on my left side and had a close look as well.

"Alan, can you explain that to us?" His voice had a much softer tone now, and I thought it sounded even worried. "Please, Alan, what happened? Who did that to you?" Mom was deeply afraid now.

I took a breath and gathered all my courage. "Mark. Mark Sanders. He has been bullying me for weeks now." Dad's eyes widened and Mom covered her face with her hands.

"Allan, but why? And why haven't you told us? Did you provoke him?"

"Provoking him? Is that what you were thinking? Why else should he? Because he's an Sorry, Dad, but he is. I haven't done anything. I swear he just finds it funny to mock me, to bully me, to hit me and to hurt me, and to humiliate me in front of his friends because I am not even slightly looking like him or his minions." I felt tears again in my eyes. "And just so you know, I am not interested in football. Dad, look at me. It won't ever happen, and I don't like it anyway. Is that so hard for you to understand?"

Silence. My mom was clearly shocked, whereas my dad scratched his head, trying to cope with what I just said.

"May I go to my room now?" I begged.

"Yes, Alan. We will talk later." My mother fondled my cheek and wiped my tears away with her thumb. I turned and headed for my room. I could hear them talking on my way up and I knew that this could mean lots of trouble now for me depending on what they would do be doing now. It was the first time that I had clearly stated my opinion about football. I just hoped my dad would not hate me now. If he did, how much more would he hate me once he might find out about the rest? Would my mom hate me too? And would they maybe even regret having adopted me?

"What a weakling." Kimberly laughed heartily and Debbie giggled. "Yes, unbelievable. I mean, he is a guy, isn't he? I haven't ever seen such a weak guy." She adjusted the hair tie that fixed her ponytail with a big grin on her face. "Oh my god, yes, and I swear it. I saw tears."

"Kim couldn't stop laughing. Tears. Are you sure?"

"Yes, I think so. God, what a fail. No surprise he doesn't seem to have any friends. And I bet he will never get a girlfriend either. I mean, who would want to spend time with such a deadbeat?" Kimberly offered her hand for a high five, twirling around, making her dress flowing a bit.

"What's your opinion on it, Tanya?" Debbie asked across the room. Tanya looked up from her conversation with Sharon Bradshaw, her best friend and neighbor since early childhood days.

"My opinion on what?"

"Your opinion on that weakling Allan. Tanya, you are so quiet today. What's up?" Kim and Debbie went to the other side of the room where Tanya and Sharon were lounging on the old comfy sofa, one of their favorite spots in this popular youth center where they often spent time together after school.

"It's not right," she began.

"I mean, what's the point? Oh, come on. Not you as well, Tanya." Kimberly gave Sharon a disfavoring look and Tanya frowned. "Isn't it already enough that Sharon here played the good Samaritan fetching Allen's bag?" Sharon only stared at her, visibly annoyed.

"Why are you defending him, Tanya? Are you nuts?" Kim laughed again and Debbie chimed in. "Did he bewitch you? Come to your senses, Tanya. We are talking about Alan. Alan Carter, the lame duck."

Tanya briefly smiled, but it was a false smile, and it quickly faded again. "I don't know. Something's not right."

"What do you mean not right? Didn't you notice? I swear he" Tanya paused as Sharon laid her hand on Tanya's shoulder.

"What?" Kim and Debbie both looked quite confused, facing Tanya and Sharon.

"Nothing. It's nothing. But it's not right treating him like that. I mean, what do we gain? Does it make us feel better making him suffer like that? Even hurting him physically? It's not right."

"What do my ears hear?" The strong voice of Mark Sanders made Tanya wincing a little. He approached her and kissed her. She returned the kiss a bit reluctantly, something that didn't

go unnoticed. What is my girlfriend suddenly on the side of that? Stop that, Mark. I am sure he isn't gay. He? How else could you describe him then? And why are you suddenly defending that lousy daydreamer? You are my girlfriend. My girlfriend? Got it? I expect you to be loyal, Tanya. Yes, Mark.

Tanya gave him a kiss while Sharon rolled her eyes and Mark triumphantly turned and joined his friends again to give it another shot at the billiard table. Of course, he wanted his third victory in a row.

"Are you crazy, Tanya?" Debbie joined Tanya on the sofa while Kimberly took the chance and followed Mark to the billiard table, visibly adoring him for his strength and handsomeness.

"Why, Deb?" Tanya looked puzzled.

"Mark, hello." Debbie looked aghast. "Tanya, you openly answered him back. And not only that, even more because of that loser Allan. What's going on with you? Go on like this and you are risking your relationship."

"Damn it, Sharon. Say something."

"I am out. Deb, you know I can't stand him. Sorry. I won't for sure defend him and his actions." Sharon snuffled, then smiled to Tanya. "In my eyes, Mark is an... Sorry, Tanya. God knows you are my best friend, but he is."

"My relationship. Yes." Tanya looked at Sharon and returned the smile. She knew about Sharon's opinion on Mark and that had never caused any trouble among the two close friends.

Tanya sounded thoughtful. "I am calling it a day, Deb." She looked back, seeing Mark being busy boasting about his last shot and stood up. "If he will be asking for me, tell him I am not feeling well and had to leave."

"Okay." Debbie's eyes widened. "You are leaving without saying goodbye."

"Shoo." Tanya looked over to Mark, but he didn't hear anything. At least he didn't show it. "Yes. Yes. I can't stand him right now. Deb, I am sorry. Please distract him so that I can slip out unnoticed."

Tanya hugged Deborah and hurried towards the exit. Sharon following her. Debbie went over to the billiard table, engaging Mark in a conversation. He didn't see Tanya leaving.

"Is she nuts? What the hell was she thinking?" Mark was furious. He threw away the billiard queue, almost hitting Joe's head. "Who does she think she is?"

Joe tried to calm him down. "Mark, please. She said she wasn't feeling well if I understood it correctly. Right, Debbie?"

"Yes, that's what she said." Debbie shrugged. "I am sure she..."

"Damn it. That is nonsense and you know it. It's because of that..."

"Didn't you notice her disapproving?"

"Yes, of course, but she isn't worthy." Kimberly laid her hand on Mark's shoulder and looked at him. "She isn't worthy of your love, Mark."

Mark Sanders frowned and returned the look. "What do you mean? She is your friend, isn't she? Why would you say something like that about her?"

Kimberly tilted her head. "See, Mark, she kind of stabbed you in the back even, and now she just left without saying goodbye. I mean, is that what a loyal, thankful girlfriend would do?"

Joe and Drake both looked at Kimberly, surprised, but then nodded. "Yes."

Drake began to speak. "I think Kim is even right. You could maybe teach her a lesson."

Kim blurted out, making sheep's eyes at Mark. "Think about it." Her voice was sweet as honey, and her fingertips ran over Mark's huge biceps.

Mark was confused. "Damn it! Damn it!" He took a deep breath and exhale, then forced himself to calm down. Tanya had left without talking to him again, even without saying goodbye, and he was extremely hurt. But what exactly got hurt? His heart or his pride?

As an answer, he pulled Kim in and kissed her on her lips. It was a deep, long kiss. And not only Joe and Drake looked aghast at first before they finally smiled again. It was Mark's decision who he kissed, and they would not even try to judge him.

"You are right. A lesson she will have to learn. She can't do that to me without consequences. And that as well. He will soon curse the day he was born. I swear." Mark laughed and kissed Kim again. Somehow he loved the taste of Kim's lips.

Debbie looked away and shook her head when she witnessed the kisses. She didn't really understand why Tanya suddenly had answered Mark back about Allan, but what he was doing right now was for sure a no-go. And what was Kim thinking she was doing? She took a deep breath and waited for a moment only to leave quietly at the next unattended moment. She directly headed home. She had some phone calls to make.

"Come in, mom." I was laying on the bed as I heard my mother knocking on my door. She quietly opened the door, closed it again, and walked up to me. She sat beside me, and started to stroke my hair. "Oh, sweetie, what's all that going on with you? You make us worrying a lot, you know."

Her soft voice calmed me down as it always did, and I took a deep breath. "Mom, I..." I felt tears running down my cheek and lifted my upper body, leaning into my mom, crying. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in, making my head resting on her chest. My tears stained her blouse, but she didn't care about that. She just held me there and fondled my back while waiting for me to speak.

I so desperately wanted to tell her about me, about how I felt. I knew I could trust her, but I was scared she could maybe reject me after hearing about the true origin of my problems. I had heard it so often and read it on websites that people like me got rejected even by their own families. I could not and didn't want to risk that in that moment. "Mom, I... I need just hold me please."

"Yes, dear." She squeezed me and looked at me. "I am here to help you. You know that, right? And that you can talk to me about anything. You know that, too."

I returned the look and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Yes, Mom. I know, but I am scared."

"Scared? Why, Alan?"

"Scared of Mark?" Alicia Carter frowned and deeply looked into my eyes. "Yes. No, it's not only about Mark. He is an... Yes, but I am not really that scared of him. I just refuse to fight him. Mom, I would not stand a chance anyway, so I just let him do his thing. But the pain is terrible."

"His thing, sweetie, he is beating you. You have to defend yourself. You cannot let him do all this to you without resistance, dear. He will never stop if you..."

"Mom. If I would strike back, he would beat me to a pulp. I am sure he is just waiting for that opportunity to justify that. I would only attack him to defend a friend or so and would fail anyway. But here it's only me. So only you, Allan. You are important. I am worried about you my love. You do not deserve that. Nobody does. Actually we should inform the principal. Mr. Stafford."

"No. Please, no. Mom, in the moment I would leave school, I would be dead. Mr. Stafford is able to protect me in school, but after school, when we leave the area, it's him against me again. It would make things only worse, Mom."

Alicia Carter pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "You are right, Alan. It would probably not help you much. But if it is not only about Mark and we have to find a solution for that, what else is bothering you so much? Please tell me. I can't help you if you refuse to talk to me."

"Mom, not yet. Okay. I... I need to think about it and how to tell you. And dad, he will hate me. He hates me anyway now."

"After your dad will never hate you, Alan Carter. Stop even thinking of that." Mom sounded a bit wrought up. "Why on earth would you even think that, dear?"

"Mom, you know him. He is already annoyed that I will never be part of the football team. He so wants me to do that. But look at me. I am not made for football. And I don't like it even."

"Yes, Alan, I know. Don't worry about it. He just... he has always wanted you to be like him. You know, you are his son."

"I..." Winston nodded slightly. "Yes, Mom. I am his. But give me a little time, please. I promise I will tell you, but I need some time, Mom."

"Okay, my dear. One last thing. Yes, that daydreaming dad mentioned what is it? Is it true?"

"Mom, tell me, Alan, is that true? And if yes, what's behind it?" I squirmed a bit, then nodded with a sigh. "I am thinking a lot these days. I have to. And... and sometimes my thoughts are drifting away, you know."

"And during your classes?"

"Yes, Mom."

My mother didn't answer immediately. She rather looked at me for a while, then gave me a warm smile and kissed my forehead. "I am waiting, my dear, for you to tell me. But please don't wait for too long. And don't worry about dad, okay? Let me take care of him." I thankfully squeezed her tightly, and she could feel my relief despite there were still some things left open.

After mom had left my room, I started to undress the dreaded school uniform. I didn't hate it because it was a school uniform. I hated it because it was a uniform for boys. I stood there in my pink panties and took a deep breath before undressing them as well. I needed to wash them so they would be clean again. I had only three of them and I took great care of that. I wrapped a towel around my lower body and went to the bathroom to take a shower and to wash my panties. It was late already, about 10:00 p.m., but I wanted to do it before going to sleep.

After hopping into the shower, I applied my washing lotion and let it acting on my skin for a few minutes before using the warm water to rinse it all off. After the shower, I used a lotion to moisten my skin and make it smell nicely. I felt a lot better after that. Washing the panties in the sink was an affair of a few minutes only. And so very soon I went back to my room where I needed to hang the panties on that cord again to let them dry, exchanging them with the dry ones.

Just when I moved my books to the front, revealing the cord, I found it empty. I frowned. I could swear the other pair of panties must have still be on the cord, but of course I wasn't sure. Nothing looked as if it would have been touched. All the books perfectly placed as I had left them. I shook my head and attached the panties to the cord, carefully covering the cord again with my books. Then I opened the dresser to check on my clothes. I dragged the bag out and opened the zipper. Everything was still in place. I let out a sigh of relief and wanted to close the zipper again before suddenly pausing. I could feel the heat rising in my head and a familiar lump in my throat. Something was wrong. There were the tights and also the panties, the skirt, the blouse, the dress. They were all there, all perfectly in place. Too perfect. A closer look made me shiver inside. Someone had ironed and folded them.

"Breakfast is ready, sweetie." Mom's soft voice dragged me out of my sleep. "Come on down, Alan. It's late again. Didn't you hear your alarm?" Mom's hand stroked my head and I noticed her sitting on the bed. "My..."

"Whit."

"Sorry, Mom. I must have forgotten to turn it on."

"It's fine. Just don't take too long to get down to the kitchen today. Okay."

"Yes, mom. I will hurry." I took a deep breath, inhale, and jumped out of bed. It took me a few moments to be able to think clearly. My ironed girl clothes still dominated my thoughts. Must have been mom for sure, but if so, why didn't she mention it? Why didn't she hate me now? Absent-mindedly, I packed my bag for today and slipped into the school uniform I so hated. The pink panties I was again wearing beneath gave at least a little bit of comfort.

When I arrived in the kitchen, mom and dad were both sitting there already. I almost choked seeing my father, who usually was on his way to the office at this time of day. "Morning, Dad." I gave him a smile and quickly sat down to have my breakfast, my mind racing.

"Morning, Alan." he replied and continued reading the newspaper again, not particularly paying attention to me, which I found suspicious.

"Um, why are you still here, Dad? I mean..."

"Oh, there are some important things I need to get done this morning, Alan, and I will go to the office later then. That's why I will be home late tonight."

"Aw." I smiled at both and finished breakfast quickly, not really sure if this was good or bad. "Well, I need to run. The bus will be here shortly. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad. See you after school then." I jumped up, grabbed my bag, and left the house.

Nothing spectacular happened during the drive to school that usually lasted about 40 minutes. I was just about to climb the stairs leading to the main entrance when I felt a tender touch on my left arm.

"Alan, wait a moment, please." Instantly, I stopped, startled by that touch and the girly voice talking to me, and turned my head directly looking into a pair of blue eyes. "Kimberly, what?"

"I need to talk to you, Alan."

"Talking to me? But why, Kim? I mean, I don't um mind you talking to me, but..." I bit my lip annoyed of myself for not being able to get out a clear sentence anymore.

"Listen, Alan. Tanya and Sharon want to talk to you after school. Tanya cannot talk to you here because Mark is always around her." She smiled sweetly and tilted her head. "My mom will drive us to Tanya's home and afterwards someone will drive you home. Do you think that's possible for you to do?"

I frowned, not really believing what Kimberly was telling me. But then I nodded. All in all, it sounded logical, although I wasn't really aware why they wanted to meet me at all. But then again, Sharon and Tanya had not laughed at me. Did they want to friend me? "Okay." I returned her smile shily.

"Just trust me. My mom will pick me up here after school. I will be waiting here for you then." With a giggle, she ran up the stairs. I took a deep breath and scratched my head. This was such a strange situation. Behind me, I could see Tanya and Sharon advancing towards the stairs. I wondered if I should talk to them about this, but also remembered what Kim had said about Mark, who for sure wasn't far away. And so, I just acted as if nothing had happened. I sauntered to my classroom and could not wait for this day to pass by. As I suspected, I didn't get a chance to talk to Sharon or Tanya. Sharon was always close to Tanya, and Mark or one of his gang was always somewhere near Tanya. I really didn't want to cause an incident in trying to get near them, so I had no choice but to wait for school being over.

"Here we are." Kimberly waved and I raced down the stairs. I was curious as hell. I quickly peered but couldn't see neither Tanya or Sharon, nor Mark or his minions.

"Hi, Miss Winthrop. Nice to meet you." I smiled at her.

"Hello. Um, Alan, it is right." She returned the smile and after a friendly shake hands, we headed for the car.

"Yes, Mom. Alan." Kim rolled her eyes and opened the back door. "I told you he wanted to visit Tanya, didn't I? Oh, and did you call your parents, Alan, so that they know that you will be home later?"

I nodded. "Yes, I did during the lunch break. They were not at home, but I left a message. It should be fine. They might even pick me up in the evening then, I guess."

"Great. Hop in and let's go." Kimberly waited for me to get in, closed the door, and took a seat herself in the front of the car. "Mom, please drive us to Tanya's home. You know where that is, right?"

Kim's mom laughed. "You were acting as if I had not brought you there already more often than I can count. Oh, and Mom, on our way there, please stop at Stacy's for a moment. Mom, I need something again."

"We went there yesterday."

"Sure, but I forgot something important. Girls," she laughed again. "Do you have a sister, Alan?"

"If so, then you might know."

Alan shook his head. "No, ma'am. I am a single child."

"Ah, I see. Well, it for sure has its advantages. Right, my dear. Kimberly is a single child as well." I had to smile and looked out of the window during the drive. We were heading to the other side of town. The stop at Stacy's took us about 15 minutes. Finally, we got to the area where the Evans family lived, but close to their house, we had to stop. From this direction, the road was closed due to some road works.

"Oh, damn." Kim's mom said, "We have to drive around the block and enter the road from the other side to get to their house."

"No, it's perfect here, Mom. I mean..." Kim cleared her throat. "Only 200 yards down the road. We can walk from here, right, Alan?"

"Of course, sure thing," I replied, looking around through the window. I had not been here yet, or if so, I didn't remember. "Bye, Mom. I will call you when you can pick me up again."

"Okay." Kim hugged her mother and opened the door. "Bye, Ms. Winthrop, and thanks for the ride." I also opened the door and dropped out of the car myself. I watched her driving away and Kim pointing to the left.

"Tanya's house is over there about 200 yd from here. Be careful to walk on the left side of the road or you will get really dirty." I noticed the road works and nodded in agreement. "By the way, why are you here with me anyway? I mean, I could have walked to their house alone. Do you want to join me talking to Tanya and Sharon? Or rather, Tanya and Sharon talking to me? And will they even be here already? I mean, we finished school together. And sure, they are here. See, we needed more time because of the stop at that shop, remember? So, don't worry. Everyone will be just where they are supposed to be." She smiled brightly. "And see, another friend of mine lives just around the corner. So, I just took the chance to show you where Tanya's home is. Alan."

"Oh, I see. Yes, that's kind of you." I returned the smile and went all to the left side of the road to avoid the dirty roadworks area. We walked for about 150 yards. Then, suddenly, I got a push from behind that almost made me falling over.

"Hey, you! What are you doing here? Secretly sneaking up to my girlfriend. Huh?" Mark's voice gave me the creeps and I paled while Kimberly laughed at me. I turned my head and saw Mark, Bill, Drake, and Joe standing there right behind me. Mark slowly walked by and joined Kimberly, who was a bit ahead of me, while his friends stayed behind me. To the left was a huge fence and to the right the road had been dug up about 3 ft deep. Because it had rained during the day, there was quite a lot of muddy water inside. I was trapped.

Before I could say something, Mark hit my left arm with a powerful stroke. He knew damn well where he had punched me before and aimed for the same spot again and again. "I don't want to see you here, you little..."

"Got it." Another hit and my left arm hurt like hell again. In a reflex, I raised my arms. "Hey, did you see that? He attacked me."

Mark laughed. "Listen, you should not have attacked me, you little swab."

"Attacked you?" But I glanced at him, then at Kimberly, and back at Mark, confused, my arm hurting, and suddenly feeling embarrassed as it dawned on me. The whole thing had been set up to fool me, and I had walked blindly into their trap.

"Oh, and you are a liar, too. We have just come to visit my girlfriend, Tanya, and what do I see? Alan's sneaking around here, and then he even attacks me. Everyone could see you attacking me, right?" Mark gestured towards his friends.

"Yes, we all saw it." Joe cheered from behind and they all laughed. I bit my lip and decided to remain quiet. What else could I do against all of them?

"Mark, Kim, and Joe, and what?"

"Alan, what is going on here? What are you all doing here?" Sharon, come. I could hear Tanya's voice from behind and looked around. I could see Tanya approaching and Sharon just coming around the corner.

"Alan here." Mark pointed into my direction. "He attacked me. We are just teaching him a lesson to stay away from me in the future and also from you. He is not welcome here."

"He what? That's not true." I was starting to fly into a rage over all these lies.

"Kim said to me, 'Tanya and Sharon would want to meet me after school.'" And I glanced at Tanya, who had come closer now, followed by her friend Sharon, then at Mark and Kimberly.

"Tell them, 'Kim, you but Allan.'" Kim cut me off and giggled. "Why should Tanya and Sharon wanted to see you? Have you been daydreaming again? Wasn't it rather you who begged me to bring you here?" Her voice was covered in sugar.

"No, it wasn't me because I would have never." I paused, looking at Tanya, who stood there and gave me a puzzled look. Sharon had joined her in the meantime and narrowed her eyes, openly disapproving what was going on here.

"You are such a coward, Allan. Geez." Kim snorted and leaned against Mark's strong body.

"You are the cowards, all of you." Sharon chimed in. "Does that look heroic? Five against one."

Just when I turned my head to Mark and Kim again, someone pushed me from behind and I stumbled and fell directly into Mark. I tried to avoid any contact, but I was totally unbalanced. And so I crashed into him and grabbed his chest to get a hold.

"Get off," he hissed and punched his fist into my stomach, then threw me down into the muddy excavation. I felt a hard flap at my shoulder and found myself lying in the dirty water. Mark, Kimberly, and his other friends stood at the edge of the sidewalk and laughed. The pain shot through my body, driving tears into my eyes as I looked up. Tanya and Sharon shook their heads in disbelief.

"I am truly ashamed of you, Mark Sanders." Sharon disced contemptuously. Tanya nodded in agreement. "We are through. I have finished with you. Go and look for a different girlfriend because I am no longer yours."

Both stared at Kimberly. "And you, Tanya, shook her head again. Such a devious lie from you. I am shocked, Kim. Seems you want him for yourself, huh? You have my blessings. Take him and get out of my sight."

Kimberly shrugged. "It's as we told you. He wanted to come and he attacked us. We only defended ourselves. What's wrong with that?"

"Be gone, all of you." Tanya was furious now.

"I guess I'll call my dad." Sharon added.

"Let's split." Mark grinned and they all strolled away laughing and making fun of me.

"Hi, Debbie. It's me, Kim. Oh dear, such a pity you didn't join us after school. You missed the most fun I had for months. Photos." Oh, yes. Of their voices faded as they turned right at the end of the road.

I took a breath and rolled over slowly getting up on my feet. On the edge of the walkway were Tanya and Sharon, still shocked. I waited through the muddy water and reached the edge where the girls were standing. Without hesitation, both offered their hands to me and pulled, helping me to climb out of that pit. My clothes were soaking wet and muddy. Even my hair and my face were covered with mud.

"At least they cannot see my tears," I thought, gazing at the two girls. "I need to get home," I murmured and shivered while trying to clean myself a little bit. It was quite a cool, cloudy, and windy day. and standing here in my soaking wet clothes painfully reminded me of that.

"You are going nowhere."

"We..." Tanya began, but Sharon interrupted her. "Alan, you are bleeding."

"Bleeding? Where?" I frowned and checked myself.

"There, your shoulder." Sharon looked closely at me. Tanya checked it out and nodded. "Yes, Sharon is right. God, such..." A closer look at my shoulder confirmed it to me. Blood was slowly seeping through the sweater.

"Damn, I need to..."

"All you need now is help, Alan." Tanya softly whispered, and without further ado, she took my hand.

"Please not. You will get filthy." for an answer. She held my hand even more firmly and almost dragged me behind her. "We are going to our house. It's right over there. You need a bath and we need to clean and bandage that wound and you need dry clothes, too."

I blushed and could feel my stomach cramping. New clothes. Oh dear, my panties. I paled and shuddered some more, partly from the cold and partly from the thought of having to undress and change clothes in Tanya's home. Not even a minute later, we stood at the entrance of Tanya's home.

"Mom, we're back." Tanya cheered after opening the door. I hesitated on the doorstep, not wanting to soil their home. Tanya noticed and dragged me inside, and as a support, Sharon gently pushed from behind.

"Hi girls. I heard a voice answering and a moment later a beautiful friendly looking woman appeared. Oh, you are three. So who? Jesus." Tanya's mother covered her face with her hands. "What in all the world happened to you, dear?" She looked me up and down and shook her head. "M... you were Alan. Alan Carter, if I remember correctly."

"Yes, Miss Evans."

"Hell, mom. He is bleeding." Tanya interrupted me, pointing to my shoulder. "And he needs a bath and dry clothes. He wanted to go home, but I didn't allow him to. Not like this." Tanya released my hand and smiled at her mother, hugging her.

"Good girl. You did so right." Miss Evans returned the smile while hugging Tanya. Then she focused on me again, pondering. "All right, Alan. We will care for you. Don't worry. The only problem I see is..." she hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand. "Doesn't matter. We will have a look at that later. Alan, come with me to the bathroom. We first need to look at your wound and then you can undress and have a bath and I will put your clothes into the washing machine."

I blushed again and tried to avoid the inevitable while shivering again. "Um, Miss Evans, I really don't want to cause any ink on nonsense, Alan."

She cut me off in a friendly but resolute tone in her voice. "Stop even thinking that now. be so kind and come with me before all that mud will be infiltrating my floor and you need a bath and dry clothes urgently now before you were catching a cold." She looked at me again and went down on her knees quickly but cautiously removing my shoes while the two girls were supporting me to not lose my balance. I bit my lip and followed Tanya's mother into the bathroom. It was upstairs and I felt terrible thinking of the trail of mud behind me while I felt the water dripping down. It had all happened so fast that I had not even had the opportunity yet to properly say hi to Tanya's mom. The girls followed close up and within a few moments we all stood inside the bathroom.

"Lift your arms if you can, Alan. I have to remove your sweater." I did as I was being told and managed to get my arms up. My left arm and my right shoulder did hurt like hell, but I gritted my teeth, and a few moments later, I stood before them with my naked upper body.

Sharon gasped as she saw the wound on my shoulder and the bruises on my other arm. "Oh, God, Alan, did Mark..." She looked at me and I slowly nodded. I didn't want to whine and say something bad even about Mark, but it was simply the truth, and I also didn't see a reason to not tell them. It was more than obvious anyway. They had seen him doing it to me at school anyway.

"I can't believe that I was such a fool thinking he would be a great boyfriend." Tanya was furious again. "He will pay for that. I swear."

Tanya's mother cautiously cleaned my shoulder and checked the wound. Luckily, there wasn't any major damage, only a small flesh wound that had almost stopped bleeding, caused by a sharp stone inside that excavation. "First, you need to clean up, Alan, and then I will bandage it. Is that okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you so much. And... and I am sorry for all this for causing you."

"If you won't stop apologizing, Alan, I will undress you right here and now in front of the girls and will clean you up myself. Understood." She looked sternly at me and I nodded again. "Yes, Miss Evans. I am s..."

"Okay. Good. Then we girls will all leave the bathroom now. And you, Alan, you will undress and give me your clothes after you finished cleaning up while I will go and try to find some dry clothes for you. And we have to call his parents." Sharon suggested.

"Oh dear. Yes, of course. I almost forgot about that. Thanks for reminding me. That's very attentive, Sharon." Joy Evans complimented her and motioned the two girls to follow her. "All right, girls. Let's give poor Alan the privacy he needs."

"Mom, couldn't he wear Julie's sports outfit? Mine are a bit small, maybe, but hers might fit him." Tanya suggested, and her mom shook her head. "No dear, I had just cleaned all the sports outfits earlier today and they are still wet. I will have to find something else for him. But whatever it will be, it shouldn't become a problem as it's an emergency. Now, let's get going, girls."

I blushed as I watched the three leaving the bathroom and closing the door behind them. I could hear them chatting outside about which clothes to give me, but the voices soon faded. What to do now? I could not give her my panties and Tanya and Sharon would see them too. I am dead, I thought as I started to undress my lower body. While I sat down on the edge of the tub to get out of my trousers, I noticed a plastic bag near the hamper. Quickly, I finished undressing, including my pastel colored panties, and checked it out. It was empty. I decided to put all my clothes in this bag. Maybe I could just take them home in it. I mean, she could not really object that. It would even save her the washing. Yes, that was a great idea.

I decided against a full bath as that would take much too long. Encouraged by my idea, I stepped into the shower. The hot water did me so good. And for a short while, I only stood there, my eyes closed, the steamy water running down my skin, warming me up. Luckily, the water didn't hurt too much on my shoulder. Reluctantly, I switched it off and looked for something to clean me up. Several bottles stood in the corner of the shower. I browsed them briefly, unsure which one to use. Obviously, they all were made for women. I frowned, but then chose a white creamy lotion. Soon, the scent of lavender filled the air. I deeply inhaled and enjoyed the shower. My arms did still hurt a lot, but I managed to clean up, always taking care to not get any lotion directly into the wound on my shoulder. After another hot shower, rinsing off the lotion and all the rest of the mud and dirt, I stepped outside and grabbed the next best towel to rub my hairless skin dry. I had to admit that I already felt a lot better.

"Are you all right inside there?" Joy Evans knocked on the door. "She cleared her throat with the help of the girls. I found you some clothes. Let me know when you have finished, Alan. Will you?" Her soft and friendly voice reminded me of my mother and instantly made me trust in her. So far, none of them had made any jokes about me, but the worst was yet to come.

"Air."

"Yes, I've finished, M. Evans." I... I wrapped the towel around my waist and instantly the familiar lump in my throat was coming back as the bathroom door swung open. Joy Evans came closer, carrying a small pile of clothes, smiling reassuringly at me. "My, you look so much better already, Alan. Now, let's bandage your wound and get you dressed up. I called your parents, but they are not at home, and I didn't have their mobile number, so I left a message for them to call me back when they will be home. I hope that's okay for you." She laid the pile onto a desk and opened a drawer beneath the sink, taking out some bandage material.

"Yes. Um, yes, I guess that is fine, Miss Evans." I swallowed hard as I watched her fumbling around with the bandages. After inspecting the wound closely, she opted for a large band-aid. "It has stopped bleeding, Alan. So, a larger band-aid should be fine. I don't think it has to be sewn. It doesn't look that bad anymore now that it stopped bleeding and all the mud around it is gone." Tenderly, she applied some germicide and then the band-aid. I waited for some pain and was surprised I didn't feel any.

"Thank you, Miss Evans," I quietly said and thankfully looked at her, even smiled a little. Strangely, I felt safe and cared for in her presence, and surprisingly not embarrassed.

"You are so welcome, Alan, and call me Joy, please." Oh, and has anyone told you yet that you have gorgeous eyes?" She smiled and fondled my cheek. I blushed and bit my lip. "Oh, really? Thank... Thank you."

"A mess."

"Mom is absolutely right." Tanya chimed in. I had not even noticed the two girls returning. "Yes, so right. Not to forget your lovely hair, Alan," Sharon added and gave me a warm smile. The girl's comments made me blushing even more, and I shily returned the smile, then looked down on my toes.

"Where are your clothes, Alan?" Joyy's question got me startled. "Um, I shoved them into that empty plastic bag over there. I thought I could just take them home in it and then you don't have to wash them, you know."

"Oh my, you are so considerate, Alan. But I do have a machine full of dirty clothes right now anyway and yours fit right in. I am sure your mom won't be angry with me for washing them." She giggled and turned around. My heart sank and I just stood there watching her, unable to speak.

"We are heading down preparing dinner. Mom..."

"Alan must be hungry and we are too." Tanya said and grabbed Sharon's hand and without further ado, they jumped out of the bathroom and dashed downstairs. Joy Evans smiled and opened the washing machine, took some of her own clothes from the hamper, shoving them in. She grabbed the plastic bag and turned it upside down. kneeling on the floor with her back pointing towards me. She unfolded my clothes one by one and threw them inside as well. I tensed up, waiting for a comment, something about my panties. But she remained silent. After closing the door and starting the machine, she got up and turned around, smiling at me.

"Now, Alan," she cleared her throat. "Not sure if you knew it, but we have only girls in our household. My husband deserted us many years ago, and I am afraid I didn't keep any of his old stuff. Not that his things would have been a good fit anyway."

"Oh, I see. It's fine. I can."

"You can do what?" Joy cut me off.

"Wearing your muddy clothes. Too late. remain naked. I am sorry, Alan, but you need to dress." She got the pile of clothes and held it in front of me. "Here, this should be about your size. The clothes belong to Julie, Tanya's older sister. She isn't here yet. She went to town with a friend, but she might be back soon. Oh, and don't worry, she won't mind." She added with a smile.

I nodded and gulped, looking at the clothes I was now holding in my hands. My emotions started to run riot. Here I was standing almost naked in the bathroom of my classmate Tanya in front of her mother, who was just offering me girl clothes to wear.

"I hope the panties won't be too small, Alan." I took the largest I could find. "I will leave you alone now. Join us downstairs, please, when you are dressed up, will you? And don't worry about the clothes, Alan. We all know it's an emergency and nobody will exploit your situation. I promise. You really don't have to feel embarrassed. After all, they are just that clothes." She caressed my shoulder and left the bathroom, closing the door.

I watched her leaving, unable to say anything, and sat down on the edge of the tub, placing the pile of clothes next to me on a small chest of drawers. I had no choice but to get dressed in these or going down naked, which wasn't an option. So, I decided to just dress, and the less fuss I was making about it, the better I thought. After all, these were just clothes, right? In addition, I didn't want to back down now. Probably I was being seen as a coward in the eyes of most at my school. And while that didn't bother me too much, Sharon's and Tanya's opinion was very important to me.

The panties were a light blue, also a pastel tone. They felt so delicate in my hands. The material was very soft and silky. I blushed and pulled them up, tugging away my boy parts and looked into the full-size mirror on the wall. I had to admit that I liked them. They felt wonderful on my skin, but at the same time, I had a strange feeling. For the first time in my life, I was wearing girl clothes that were not mine, not even mom's. Like if I was a girl and my friend or sister would have borrowed me her clothes. I thought and felt a deep pain inside that this for me wasn't meant to just be normal thing. A matching undershirt completed the set of underwear, at least for me. She had omitted the bra, of course. Next came the sweater, a sky blue one with a white dove embroidered on the chest. Tanya's mom was right. It did fit me very well. How could she know? Last was a pleated kneelength dark gray skirt that also fitted surprisingly well, except that my hips should have been a bit wider to fill it out properly, but that didn't really matter much. It looked acceptable enough to me. I slipped my feet into the white slippers that were standing beneath the sink. They had a small heel and were very comfy and warm. I turned and looked into the mirror again. The figure I saw staring back at me could indeed be at first sight mistaken for a girl, I thought. My shoulderlength hair and the girly clothes did a lot. I liked the thought and stood there for a little longer than necessary, examining myself closely. Despite being a boy wearing girl clothes, I liked what I saw and almost forgot about the fact that these were the clothes of Pa's sister. I took a deep breath, inhale, and sighed, thankful for this unexpected short moment of bliss.

"Alan, dinner time." I heard Tanya shouting from downstairs and took another deep breath. With trembling hands, I opened the bathroom door. Sharon gasped when she saw me coming down the stairs. She couldn't help but staring at me for a moment. She noticed me blushing and looked down. "Sorry Alan, I didn't want to offend you, but I... you look um beautiful. You really do. You know that, right?"

"Why?"

"Thank you, Sharon. I..."

"Oh my god, she is right." Tanya blurted out, causing her mother turning her head as well. "I didn't expect that, but..." The three came closer and Tanya's mom laid her hand on my shoulder. "See, I told you. Nothing to worry about. Now, let's sit down and let's eat something. Okay." She felt me shivering a little as I nodded and frowned. "Are you all right, Alan?" She eyed me up and nodded when she noticed my bare, hairless legs. "Wait, let me get you something." I looked at her puzzled while Sharon and Tanya already took a seat at the table.

"We didn't have the time to prepare a huge dinner, Alan, but I hope you like some spicy stew with meat and vegetables. We still have enough left from yesterday and figured a warm stew would just be good for you. Air what? Oh, yes, Stew." I stuttered when I saw Joy Evans returning here, Alan, a pair of semi sheer nude tights. They are quite warm and are matching the rest of your outfit very well. After all, you should be looking good, emergency or not. They are almost your skin tone, I guess. Or do you prefer black?" She asked with a smile, offering me the tights.

I was totally perplexed and took the panty hose from her hands. "I... No, they are fine, I guess. Thank you. But no butts. You are wearing a skirt and tights are best to go with a skirt. Put them on and join us for dinner, Alan. I will fill your plate in the meantime." Joy went over to the table and took a seat herself. I nodded and joined them at the table, pulling my chair towards me and sat down. Absent-mindedly, I unfolded the tights, curled them like I had done so many times before, and then skillfully rolled them up my legs one by one up to the middle of my thighs. I stood up, lifted the skirt, pulled them up, and made them fit around my hips and waist. Just when I let my skirt falling down again, I noticed all of them looking at me in astonishment.

"Your legs are nicer than mine. That is not fair," Sharon said joyfully. And there wasn't any mocking tone in her voice. I blushed instantly.

"And how skillfully you put them on. I mean, even me being a girl struggled when I did that for the first." Tanya blurted out.

"Oh, girls, come on. Let him eat. He must be dying of hunger." Joy chimed in as she noticed me blushing even deeper, interrupting her daughter, sensing that this could lead to an embarrassing situation for me. "Alan, help yourself and enjoy. I hope you'll like it."

"Sure, he will. This is my favorite stew, Joy," Sharon said with a smile while she took her spoon and started to eat. "It was about time for me to be able to enjoy this once again. I should visit even more often around dinner time." Sharon giggled and Tanya joined in.

"I thank you. I am sure of that, Miss Ev..."

"Joy."

"Joy. It smells wonderful." I returned the smile and started to eat myself, feeling hungry indeed. I hoped that they would not pick up that topic again. I cursed myself for missing out on thinking of that. How could I have been so thoughtless putting on the panty hose like this? They must know now that I have been doing this for a long time. And Tanya's mom saw the panties. Dear God. Despite my thoughts running wild, my plate was empty in no time. And I even agreed to eat a second one.

"This stew is marvelous. Really. Thank you so much, Alan. I am so glad you like it. Eat as much as you want. There is enough here for all of us and even for Julie when she will be home, which should be very soon, in fact."

"Very soon." Oh. My body tensed up a bit hearing the name of Tanya's sister, whose clothes I was wearing.

"I told you not to worry about her, Alan. It's fine now. Please relax, will you?"

"Yes. Joy." I forced myself to focus on my stew and emptied also the second plate. The girls and Miss Evans had already finished.

"Hey, why don't we go to my room while waiting for your parents, Alan?" Tanya suggested and Sharon nodded in agreement.

"A wonderful idea, Tanya." Sharon got up and grabbed my hand. "Come, Alan. Let's go." Joy Evans smiled and I stood up myself, half being dragged up by Sharon. "Thank you again for this amazing stew."

"Oh, Alan, you are so well." In this moment, we all heard the doorbell. Our heads turned as we stopped and Joy headed for the door to open it. My jaw dropped as I saw my mom standing there together with Julie, Tanya's sister.

"Miss Carter, please come in. Hi, Julie." Tanya's mom hugged both my mother and her daughter. "Hi, Mom. Julie smiled happily. I have just returned and Miss Carter here. And he coincidentally turned into our street in the same moment. There is some stew left if anyone is hungry, she asked with a"

big smile and motioned them to come in. "Hello, Miss Evans. Nice to meet you. If I remember right, we last met at school some months ago." My mom asked, and they all stepped through the door and spotted us. Me standing there in Julie's clothes while Sharon was still holding my hand. Tanya two steps behind us. I would have wanted to hide beneath the floor in this moment. My head, for sure, looked like a glowing bulb again.

For a moment, both Julie and my mom stood just there, unsure what to do or say. "Alan, my mom softly said, evidently caught off guard. She blinked a few times and walked up to me. "Dear God, for a moment I even didn't." She swallowed hard. Joy Evans smiled confidently. "Yes, it's Alan. As you can see, we had kind of an emergency."

"Hi, Mom. And hi, um, Julie," I stuttered with a quiet voice.

"Oh my, you look beautiful, Alan. I mean," she hugged me tightly, and I noticed that I was still holding Sharon's hand. "You have to tell me what happened. I first heard your message, then Miss Evans left one as well. I was so worried."

"Hi, Alan," Julie began, still staring at me. She obviously wanted to say something, but Tanya motioned her to remain quiet, grabbed her hand, and dragged Julie into the kitchen while Sharon and Tanya's mother kept standing close to me and my mom. I felt Sharon laying her hand on my shoulder. Countless thoughts somersaulted wildly in my mind. How could I come out of this now without becoming the laughingstock of school, of the whole city, even?

"I am so sorry, Mom. I can explain it, I guess."

"Really?" I shu.

"Allan. It's fine. Sha." My mom just held me in her arms. In this moment, all my defenses crumbled down like a house of cards in the wind, and I started to cry. I didn't care about who was around and who wasn't, and that I was a boy who wasn't probably supposed to cry like that, and that I was a boy standing there in Julie's clothes. I simply could not do anything else but crying. All the lies, the strain from constantly trying to suppress and conceal my true self for so long now. Mark's bullying and violations, the humiliation, the constant fear of being found out and what had just happened outside. It was way too much for me, and I cried without restraint, my face hidden in the chest of my mom. I felt her holding me and also Sharon's hand on my shoulder trying to comfort me.

For a while, nobody said anything. And when my tension started to melt away, Joy Evans led us into the living room where I sat down on the sofa together with my mom on my right side and Sharon on my left side, who stayed as close to me as my mom. Tanya and Julie, who had meanwhile returned from the kitchen, moved the other sofa a little closer and took a seat there together with their mom, facing us. They all looked at me, worrying. Mom had wrapped her arm around me and I felt Sharon tenderly stroking my left thigh. For some strange reason, I liked that in spite of this precarious situation I found myself in.

"Oh God, I am sorry. So sorry." I looked down, unsure what to say.

"It's okay, Alan. You are safe now," Sharon quietly whispered, still fondling my thighs. "Tanya and me and also some of the other girls will keep an eye on you from now on so he will not dare to bully you again."

I looked at her and smiled a thankful smile. I was very thankful indeed. I had not expected such a level of solidarity from those around me in this moment. "Thank you, Sharon. Thank thank all of you for everything. But it's..." I tried to clear my throat from the lump that was omnipresent in my throat again. "But it's not just..." I paused, unsure if and how to continue.

"What, my sweetie?" My mom looked at me.

"Please, what is it? I want to help you, Alan. We all want to help you, dear," Joy added, and the three girls nodded in agreement. I felt tears running down my cheek again. "It's not just Mark, it's... I. I have always wanted." My voice failed and I bit my lip.

In this moment, all my fears and all my hopes and dreams caused an emotional chaos inside me. The fear that they all, my mom, my dad, just everyone would reject me, laugh at me, mock me, desert me, probably even hate me. And also the hope that they would just accept it, and that I maybe even had a future. So often before, I had thought about this moment about how to confess this to someone, about how it would happen, what to say, and to whom. And now I was here surrounded not only by my mom but also by Joy Evans and her daughters and Sharon. It was so easy to say it, wasn't it? But here and now with all of them being around, could I really say it? Sharon and Tanya and Julie. What would they do? How could I go back to school tomorrow? Would they tell everyone and I would be beaten and harassed again? Even more so now. Not them. No. But Kimberly had also fooled me today. What if they would do the same to me? How could I ever look into their eyes again without feeling embarrassed and humiliated? On the other hand, they have been so kind and friendly to me. They are my friends, aren't they? Do I even have friends? And if I really wanted that to ever come true, wouldn't I have to face the world anyway?

Finally, I could not hold back any longer. "I want to be a girl."

Chapter 2.

For a few seconds that appeared like eternity to me, nobody said anything. I could hear some quiet gasps and breathing. And while looking down on the floor, I could literally feel five pair of eyes piercing me. I was sure my head was again glowing like a bulb. My stomach cramped and the familiar lump in my throat was omnipresent. Yet there was a certain relief as well. I did it. I confessed it. Now I was in a way ready for the storm that was about to come.

"I know, sweetie," Alicia Carter's soft voice broke the silence. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I turned my head, facing my mom, looking at her flabbergasted. I cleared my throat. "You know, Mom?" But I still looked at her, puzzled. Tanya and Julie first looked at me and then at my mom, also visibly weirded out, whereas Tanya's mother and Sharon kept her eyes focused on me. Without further ado, Sharon gave me a short, heartfelt hug and everyone turned their head towards my mom, their eyes showing both curiosity and astonishment.

"Yes, I know. Or better say, I have been suspecting that for quite a while now." My mom gave me a warm smile and pulled me in, wrapping her arms tightly around me.

"But how, Mom? I I have never done anything wrong, have I?" I didn't know what to say.

"Oh dear, no." She squeezed me tightly. "But before talking about that, would maybe someone lighten me up about what happened to you today and why you are already wearing these lovely clothes?"

"Yes, Mom, let me," I began blushing, but Joy harumped, interrupting me. "I fear the outfit is my responsibility. You know, Miss Carter, Alan's clothes were soaking wet and muddy when the girls brought him here, and he needed dry clothes. We don't have male clothes here in our household since my husband deserted us years ago." So Joy smiled at me. "But I would dare to say my choice wasn't completely wrong, was it, Alan?"

I blushed again and nodded reluctantly. "I I was a bit scared, but how to say? Let me put it this way. You were scared, but you were also glad to be given this opportunity." Joy Evans looked at me reassuringly.

"Yes, Miss Evans. I have to admit, after finding the courage to actually put them on, I have been enjoying it very much wearing these clothes you gave me. I was also scared about the fact that they are Julie's clothes," I quietly said. Julie and Tanya listened without saying a word, and Sharon put her hand on my thigh again. I quickly smiled at her, feeling so grateful about this love and support I was experiencing.

"That's fine by me, really, Alan. Don't worry." Julie assured me with a warm smile and she quickly got up, walked the three steps over to me and hugged me. "I am even surprised how nicely they are looking on you, Alan." She hopped back onto the sofa and Tanya smiled.

"However, when I had a look at his bleeding wound," Joy continued.

"Bleeding wound?" My mom covered her mouth with her hand. "Dear God, what on earth happened to you?" She frowned and looked at me and then again at Joy, deeply appalled.

"Oh, nothing too serious. Don't panic, Miss Carter. Just a flesh wound, really. Let us show you. Alan, could you please remove your sweater?" Joy kindly asked me.

I nodded and stood up, then pulled the sweater over my head, standing before them in Julie's pastel blue undershirt, exposing my arms and shoulders. Julie gasped, seeing the bruises for the first time, and Mom looked at me, seriously worried. The bruise on my arm had become even bigger, and around the band-aid there was a light swelling.

"There are some more bruises around my stomach here," I quickly lifted the undershirt. "I told you yesterday, Mom, that Mark and his friends have been doing this to me for weeks now." My mom shook her head in disbelief.

"And this today, it all started this morning at school when Kim..." I began, but Sharon interrupted me.

"Those threw him into that excavation out on the street into the muddy water," Sharon blurted out.

"That's terrible and so cruel," she whispered and bit her lip. "I didn't want him to go anywhere like that. He was muddy, wet, freezing, and bleeding. And so I took him home to us." Tanya continued, "Which was the right decision, love?"

"And yes, it is terrible, Sharon," Joy sounded serious. "Ms. Carter, we have to do something about that. It has to stop." She turned her head a little, facing all of us. "However, when the girls brought Alan to our home, he was indeed dirty and soaking wet. I looked after the wound on his shoulder and told him to get a bath first. And of course, he needed dry clothes afterwards. Then it was merely a coincidence that we do only have females in our household."

"I see. Yes." My mother took a deep breath, slowly calming down again. "I have to thank you all so much for what you did and how much you helped him." She smiled and I sat down again on the sofa between her and Sharon who leaned her upper body against mine.

"But Mom, please now tell me how you I mean." I looked up at her. Feeling Sharon leaning on me comforted me more than I had expected and gave me some confidence. And I had to admit to myself that I deep inside even enjoyed it.

"Well, dear," Alicia Carter cleared her throat. "I just I had my suspicions. You had started growing out your hair and there had been more things I had noticed." She took a breath. "For example, I found your hm clothes last summer."

"Girl clothes?" Sharon and Tanya asked in unison.

"Um, yes," I admitted, my head deeply red. "I just had to. I mean, what else could I have done to?"

"And Mom, you you have known it all the time. But I had no idea. I thought, I mean, you haven't ever said anything and even since last summer. That's shortly after I got them. But I thought I did hide them." I blushed.

"Yes, you did hide them very well, but I noticed anyway. I am sure you have already wondered about them remaining so clean and orderly. I am your mom, you know. In addition, since you started wearing panties, I haven't had as many briefs as before in the hamper. And don't you ever think that I would not have noticed my stock of panty hoes going down rapidly." Her last comment made everyone laughing, and Joy just winked at me when my mom mentioned the panties, which made me blushing again.

"And you should have seen how skillful he did put on the tights," Tanya commented cheerfully.

"Indeed, very skillful," Joy confirmed. "See, Alan, hard to conceal such things from a mother." Joy added with a big smile. Sharon just giggled softly and caressed my nylon clad thigh once again.

"I wasn't sure about it, you know," my mom continued. "And I didn't want to embarrass you, confronting you with a mere suspicion. I didn't know why you had these clothes. I had only guessed and it seems I have always been on the right track. I am very sorry though, Alan," she softly whispered and wiped a tear from her eye.

"Sorry? But Mom, it's me who?"

"No, Alan, it's me who has to apologize. I should have listened to my intuition and should have talked to you much earlier, not waiting for your pain to become that unbearable. That alone is already too much to go through on your own. And you also had all that bullying at school. I am very sorry, Alan." Mom squeezed me and Sharon caressed my thigh a bit firmer even without any comment. Tanya and Julie jumped up and hugged me as well. Then both returned to their place, still visibly touched by all these emotions.

"You aren't alone any longer, Alan," Joy Evans smiled a warm and encouraging smile. I turned my head around, looking at them in disbelief and astonishment, my cheeks shiny from my tears that started falling again as the feeling of relief fully overwhelmed me. I smiled shyly. "I don't know what to say. I have always feared this moment so much and now thank you. Thank you all. Does that does that mean that you do not hate me now?"

My mother kissed me tenderly on my cheek. "Oh, darling, of course not. Don't you ever think such stupid things again. Okay." Sharon hugged me once again and this time even tighter. "Nobody here hates you, Alan," she whispered softly and Tanya nodded vigorously.

"You are so brave. You know that, right?" Julie laid her hand on my knee, tenderly, fondling it. "I can only imagine how hard it must have been for you, hiding this for so long. And now finding the courage to confess this here in front of us all. Wow." She caressed my leg encouragingly before returning to her place on the sofa.

Joy nodded her head. "Yes, that's extremely brave, Alan. We are all proud of you, and you can be sure we all will do what we can to help you."

"Yes," my mom softly said, "We will help you to become the girl you have always wanted to be, my darling. Or maybe even have always been inside, but couldn't show it."

I could not really believe it. They didn't hate me or reject me. Instead, I received so much love and affection and help and support. I almost feared that there still was something to come, something that would wake me up, something to unleash that storm that I had feared to close in on me.

"And just so you know, we are your friends now," Sharon smiled reassuringly.

"Yes," Tanya smiled brightly, "and we will show you everything you need to know. And oh, I have so many ideas already." I had to smile as I felt a warmth inside I had not felt anymore for a very long time.

"I really don't know what to say."

"Then just be quiet," Sharon laughed and looked at me. "By the way, has anyone already told you that you have a wonderful smile, Alan?" She asked joyfully, causing me to blush again.

"Sharon is so right, dear," Mom agreed. "And it's been a very long time now since I saw you smiling like this, Alan. It must have been so hard for you. I really should have taken action much earlier."

"Oh no, we've got a big problem," Tanya suddenly blurted out and all eyes focused on her.

"Oh, don't worry. Nothing too bad. But..." her eyes wandered around and remained focused on Joy. "Mom, if Alan, I mean, if he is a girl from now on, we can't continue to call him her. Alan, right?"

"Yes, Tanya is right," Joy said while still looking at me, and my mom nodded in agreement. "Indeed, she is. And if you really are serious about this, then you will have to undergo more changes now than just exchanging your clothes."

"I am serious, Mom. Somehow I have always felt like a girl inside. I mean," I blushed again and swallowed hard. "It's hard to explain, and maybe you think I am crazy or so, but I have never really felt comfy in my body. It just it just does not match."

"You are not crazy, Alan. And we all know that you are not the only boy feeling this way. It's just how you are," Joy Evans smiled reassuringly. "Yes, and you are our friend. But how do we call you from now on? Alan?" Tanya asked curiously. "Do you have a name in mind already? I mean, when you have wanted to um to be a girl for so long, you might have one."

"Not really, Tanya. I h what to say? Of course, there are some names I really like, but I haven't really expected this to actually come true, you know. I didn't dare to think that far because I thought..."

"Elena," my mom chimed in and smiled at me. "That's how we would have named our daughter." For a moment, my mom had a sad look on her face before smiling at me again. And obviously, it was only me who had noticed it.

"What do you think? That's such a beautiful name. I love it," Sharon cheered before I could say anything, and Julie and Tanya agreed instantly.

"Elena, it is then," Joy laughed. "Don't you think we should first ask Alan before making such a decision?"

"But Mom, it's a great name and it fits him. Um, her," Tanya insisted and smiled. All eyes turned to me again.

"What do you say, Elena?" Sharon giggled, high-spirited.

"I air." I swallowed. "It's a lovely name indeed. Yes, it's just, you know, this is so how to say real. Suddenly, I have always dreamed about this and now I can hardly believe it. But yes, it's a wonderful name." I made a mental note to later ask my mother about that look in her eyes. "Elena it is." Then my mom took me into her arms and held me.

"Oh, will you then come to school tomorrow? As Elena?" Sharon suddenly asked.

"You could borrow my second school uniform until you will have one yourself," Julie instantly suggested. "My clothes seem to fit you very well, so that's not a problem." My eyes widened. School. I looked at my mom, suddenly slightly panicked and insecure.

Alicia Carter could see the unsettledness in my eyes and pondered for a moment. "I am scared, Mom. I am scared going to school tomorrow at all. Mark and his friends for sure will exploit what happened today out on the street and will give me a hard time anyway. And if I will show up there in girl clothes."

"I will take care of him. Be sure of that," Tanya got furious. "And Kim, that devious liar," Sharon added. "And besides Sharon and me, we are very sorry," Tanya continued. "Mark was my boyfriend and I was even proud once that he, the big football star, chose me as his friend. But I should have listened to Sharon," Tanya quietly whispered. "I had often seen what he and his friends did to you and also to others, but never had the courage to interfere. I cannot believe that I once even loved him." Sharon nodded her head. "Yes, I am sorry too. Really, I could not stand Mark from the start. He seemed to be nice, but what he did to you and others is just not acceptable. However, I didn't stand up for you. I hope you can forgive us for being so stupid and faint-hearted." Sharon looked at me. I returned the look and just smiled. "Please, there isn't anything to forgive. Rather, what you did for me earlier today, I have to thank you so much for that. And even more so, for all your love and support now that you know how I feel. I really don't know how to thank you or what to say."

My mother shook her head again. "This bullying is I am shocked. I don't know yet what to do about this, but what I do know is that you won't go to school tomorrow. I will call you in sick. And now, please dress again, dear. I will have a closer look at you when we will be at home. It's become late anyway, and I think we really should finally be going now." She stood up and waited for a few moments. Then she smiled at me as I still sat there unsure, hesitating.

"Oh, so you want to leave the house in your undershirt, Elena?"

"Um, no." I blushed, feeling a twinge in my stomach, hearing Elena, and slipped into the sweater while standing up. "It's just, I mean, leaving the house like this." I looked down on me on my nylon clad legs and the skirt.

"But of course, Elena, don't worry. People will see a girl walking to the car with her mother. Even I had to look twice," after Joy had opened the door. "She's beautiful. She really is," Sharon blurted out and smiled. "Maybe a nice makeover, the hairstyle, the brows, and a bit of makeup, and you are ready to go." I blushed again and wished I would share their confidence.

"I am not sure. It feels strange. I am scared about the reactions when I meet people who know me. And and what about dad? Will he not hate me or be mad at me now?"

Mom looked at me for a moment. "He will be very, very surprised seeing his daughter coming home in the evening when his son left the house in the morning. That's for sure. But he won't ever hate you for that. I know he loves you. He will have to get used to it, though. We all have to, but I will take care of him and explain things. He won't be home until after midnight today anyway, and I will tell him about everything while you will be sleeping. You have been through more than enough today." She fondled my cheek with her fingertips. "However, I fully understand your feelings, and that is why we have to take care of many things now, Elena, and the sooner we will start, the better." She pondered for a moment, then continued with her soft voice, and everyone looked at my mom. "From now on, you are Elena fulltime 24/7. You cannot switch back and forth between Alan and Elena. So, there will be many changes for you now. And we have to make sure to do it right. I want you to be happy as a girl, not living in constant fear of being rejected or harassed for who you are. And you will need a whole new wardrobe, too. And there have to be physical changes."

"And physical changes? You mean my body?"

"Of course," Mom smiled at me. "That's why we have to be sure that you are serious about it. If you really want to be a girl, it's not just about wearing girl clothes. You know, to live as a girl, you will need the body of a girl as well. Or how do you think to just to name one attend gym at school? For sure, you would not want to use the boy's locker room, would you?"

"Oh dear, no." She was so right. "I will see if my gynecologist will have some time for us tomorrow. Then we will go there right away. She will know what to do now."

"To your gynecologist. But that's a dock for women."

"Yes. Elena," Joy smiled. "What did you expect?"

"I um yes, it's just..." I gulped, looking at Sharon and Tanya, who simply smiled at me. I had fantasized about that in my dreams. Was this really about to come true now?

"Unfortunately, we cannot afford all the things at once that you will need now, but I will see what we can do tomorrow for a start. And she can have some of my clothes, Miss Carter," Julie bubbled forth. "Sorry, I didn't want to interrupt you, ma'am. And some of mine, too, if they fit her," Tanya added triumphantly, and Sharon nodded with a big smile on her face. "And please, can we come with you when you will be going to the mall? We want to help dressing her up," Sharon cheered.

I swallowed hearing all the comments and they all had addressed me as she. Was that really happening?

"Oh, girls, that's so kind of you all. And please, all of you call me Alicia, okay?" Joy smiled. "And you, Alicia, please call me Joy. And please don't ever hesitate to ask if you need help. We all will be there for you. I know there's a lot to do now and if we can be of any help, just let us know."

"Thank you, Joy," Alicia Carter stood up and gave Joy an affectionate hug. "I really haven't expected this to happen today when I came here, but I am so grateful for for everything you've done." She turned towards the girls. "And you, too. Thank you all so much. What you all have done today is simply incredible." My mom gave each of the girls a tight hug and looked me over. "You look great in this outfit, my darling, but you need some shoes. You are still wearing the bath slippers."

"Try mine," Julie said and quickly headed for the shoe cabinet, browsing its content, and returned with two pair of shoes, a pair of flats, and a pair with a nice 2-in heel. "These go well with this outfit, and they should be about your size." I looked at her and took the shoes, trembling a little. I felt like being in trance.

"Go on. What are you waiting for? Try them," Julie gave me a hug. "Don't be shy. You are one of us now." I blushed, but then started to smile and put them down on the floor, moving my feet out of the slippers. I chose the flats and tried to put my feet in. They felt a little narrow at first, but the panty hose made my feet easily sliding fully in. I walked a few steps and Julie happily clapped her hands. "Wow, that's a great match." Julie smiled brightly. "You can keep them until you will have your own, Elena."

"Oh my, thank you, Julie. I really don't know what to say." I hugged her tightly and Sharon and Tanya joined in also hugging me. We were standing there like four girls. Alicia and Joy both just smiled, watching us. My mom cleared her throat. "Come on, girls. You will have enough time to hug again tomorrow. We really need to head home now. Come, dear."

Will you? I nodded and the girls released their arms.

"What do you think? Shall we all go to the mall together tomorrow after school?" Joy suggested.

"Yay!" Sharon and Tanya cheered. "May I join in as well?" Julie asked with a smile. "But of course, Julie, please. That would be so great to have you with us," my mom smiled. "I am sure we will be back home as well by then. Would you all like to come over and meet at our home to head for the mall together then?"

"Perfect, Alicia. That's what we'll do," Tanya beamed happily, looking forward to this. "And don't worry, Elena. We will not tell anyone at school yet," Sharon explained. "And when you will go to school again next week, we will be by your side. Okay." I nodded thankfully and gave Sharon another quick hug.

"Thank you so much. We will see about next week. Maybe you will stay at home for another few days. I don't know yet," my mom replied. "I first want to prepare everything before you will have to go back to school and face those mean guys again."

"Oh, thank you, Mom. But, Mr. Stafford, I need to report to him on Monday with a good explanation for my daydreaming," I swallowed. Mom frowned and I continued. "It didn't really bother me anymore now. Often I had fantasized about being a girl, you know, and in my dreams I had been so happy and then I just dozed off."

"I see," Alicia Carter pondered for a moment. "I really should have noticed earlier. However, I will take care of that. I think you showing up in his office as a girl will be a sufficient explanation for sure." Tanya giggled. "I would love to see his face then." Sharon laughed in agreement and I had to laugh myself. What a funny thought.

"All right, deal then. Tomorrow after school," Joy said. "Oh, and I will give you back Alan's school uniform then tomorrow as well. Dry and clean." Alicia Carter smiled warmly. "Thank you, Joy. I will take it right back to school then next week. She will need a different one now."

We were just about to leave when Julie called us back. "Hey Elena, don't forget your second pair of shoes. Here, I put them in there for you." With a smile, she handed me a bag containing the 2-in heels. "Thanks so much, Julie. I would indeed have forgotten them." I returned the smile and Julie gave me a quick hug. "See you tomorrow, Elena." She waved her hand and disappeared inside the house. My mom took my hand and we stepped through the door, leaving the house of the Evans family. It was a strange but wonderful feeling. My first moments as a girl outside my own home. The small path leading from the main door through the garden to the road where mom had parked the car wasn't very long and we got there within a minute. Just when we stepped onto the walkway, someone crossed our way and greeted with a smile. "Hi ladies." The man nodded at us and walked on. My mom had greeted him back whereas I just stood there looking at my mom.

"See sweetie, he didn't have a clue. I told you," she smiled and fondled my cheek. Then she opened the car and we jumped in. A few seconds later, we were on our way home. We didn't talk much during the drive. Most of the time, I was looking out of the window, deeply in thoughts. As I was again looking at my legs, sliding my hand over the delicate fabric of the panty hose, my mom looked over and smiled. "Admiring your legs, sweetie. They are hands down indeed beautiful," she softly said, making me blush.

"I um thank you, Mom. This all is still a bit unreal to me."

"I bet it is, Elena, but you will get used to it and hopefully become a very happy girl." I just smiled and finally we got home. Mom parked the car in front of the garage and looked at me. "Time to get out, dear. I will leave the car outside for now. Your dad moved things around in the garage this morning, and I cannot really get in."

"Oh, okay." Reluctantly, I opened the door, still feeling very insecure.

"Come on, girl. I don't want to wait all night for you to come in. Our neighbors will soon see you like this anyway." She smiled and opened the door. I did the same and hurried to the front door. She followed me, smiling, and I was glad when we had stepped through and closed the door behind us. Exhausted, I headed over to the living room and just laid down on the sofa as I had always done. Mom watched me and frowned a little. "Young lady, you will have to pay more attention to your skirts now. They will all get wrinkled in no time if you do not smooth them a bit before sitting down." She smiled and went to the kitchen and got herself something to drink.

"Are you thirsty or hungry?"

"No, I already had that incredible stew Tanya's mom had made before you came."

"Oh. What? I don't have a clue where my school bag is. I must have lost it either in that excavation or I forgot it in the car of Kim's mom or at school. I don't remember." I bit my lip.

"Oh, don't worry. It will reappear somewhere sooner or later, and you won't need it tomorrow anyway." My mother joined me again in the living room. "All right, then. Let me look at your wounds and then off to bed with you. Best. Let's go to the bathroom."

"Okay, Mom." I took a breath and got up again. I was really becoming tired now. This has been a very long day for me. My mother motioned me to sit down on a comfy chair that was placed in a corner of the bathroom and helped me undressing the sweater and the undershirt. My arms still hurt a lot, and there were bruises all over my upper body, most at my arms, though, where Mark had always hit me, and some from the fall into that excavation. She cautiously lifted the band-aid a little and peeked underneath, looked as well at the bruises, and then nodded slowly. "Okay, good. Joy did a great job. Seems it will just take a few days to heal. Luckily, nothing too serious, and the other bruises will disappear as well in time. Oh, why haven't you said anything before? I am still shocked that they had been doing this to you for so long now."

I took a deep breath and sighed. "I just hate fighting, Mom. And what could anyone have done against it? If they want to get me, they surely will. At school or afterwards."

"Yes, I know it's a problem, but we have to do something against it, but now we have to focus on different things first." Mom fondled my cheek and quickly left the bathroom, returning with a night gown. "Here, try this. It should fit you." I widened my eyes and cautiously took it from her hands. "Oh, wow. This looks so beautiful. Is that yours?"

"No, actually it's yours. I bought it a while ago when I noticed that you had not stopped wearing bro clothes. I wanted to give it to you in a good moment, but as I said earlier, I wasn't sure and didn't want to embarrass you." I jumped up, hugging her tightly. "Oh, Mom, I was so scared you would hate me."

"Oh, no, dear. Never. I love you and it doesn't matter if you are my son or my daughter. I thought I have had a son for 14 years now, but probably I have had a daughter already for a long time. And now that wonderful girl won't have to hide any longer." She kissed me softly on my forehead and kept holding me close to her body.

"I love you, Mom," I whispered, crying tears of happiness and relief.

"I love you too, Elena," my mother replied softly. And so we stood there in the bathroom for a while just holding each other.

"Mom," I shily asked after a while. "Yes, dear. May I ask you at Tanya's home when you when you said my how to say my new name for the first time, Elena? You said it was the name you would have given your daughter and you looked kind of sad for a moment. Why, Mom? Were you disappointed with me?"

"Oh, God. Sweetie, no. No, it's just..." She paused for a moment and took a breath. "Before we adopted you, I had been pregnant with a girl. She..." Mom paused again and wiped a tear away as she continued. "She had died in my belly long before she would have been born. Complications. The doctors had said she was a girl and Elena. Elena would have become her name."

"Oh, I didn't know that. Mom, you have never told me. That's so sad. I am sorry for asking."

"Please, dear. No apologizing. I should have told you already, but well, however, your daddy he how to say. After these complications, I could not get pregnant anymore. And so we decided to adopt a child and that was you then. Your daddy wanted a son. Maybe because he wanted a child that would one day be like him. That's it basically."

"But then..." I gulped. "Then he will hate me now for sure. I mean, now I am everything he didn't want to have."

"Please don't ever think that again. Okay, dear. I know how much he loves you. He will be shocked probably at first. Yes. But you are still that wonderful person you have always been. Your heart and soul have not changed, my darling. And in the end, that's what defines you. And if you feel you are a girl, then you shall live as one. And we will do our best to support you in that and be there for you. I love you, Elena. And your dad does, too. Please never doubt that."

"Okay. Thank you, Mom. Thank you." My voice trembled. "And And what about you, Mom? What do you mean?"

"I mean, when you adopted me, wouldn't you rather have wanted another girl then?"

"Oh, darling, not rather. No. I mean, I really felt indifferent about that. All I wanted was a child, a child to raise, to love. And I am so happy about having you, my dear. And anyway, I do have a daughter now, a wonderful daughter." She kissed me on my forehead again. "Now, let's get ready for bed, sweetie. Tomorrow will be a long day for you. We will have a lot to get done tomorrow and I want my girl to be fit enough for that."

I smiled and nodded my head, starting to undress my panty hose. The panties were fresh, so I just kept them on and slipped into my first night gown. It felt amazing on my skin, and after brushing my teeth, I literally jumped over to my room and headed straight over to my bed. My mom followed me with a smile and tenderly covered me with the blanket. "Good night, sweetie, and sleep well and have sweet dreams," she whispered and kissed my cheek.

"Good night, Mom," I replied and looked at her. Despite the underlaying fear about the reaction of my dad, I could not be happier than in this moment. "And thank you, Mom, for everything." She smiled at me, waving her hand. After leaving my room, she closed the door behind her. And for a very long time, I just laid there in my night gown, still dazzled and overwhelmed by what had happened. I could not wait for Friday to come.

"Wasn't that great? What a jerk." I still see him laying in that pit. Drake Milbour laughed heartily, and Joe Hartford, his best friend, smiled brightly. "Oh, yes, an epic scene. I am so eager to see the photos Kim hopefully took. Tomorrow at school we will have fun with them. No doubt about it." Joe grinned and took some more of the peanuts that were placed in front of them in a bowl on a small table. Drake used the remote to zap around. "Better than all the TV shows together. Only crap here tonight."

"Yes, but in a few minutes that football match will start." Joan lunched and grabbed another bottle of beer, his second one already. "Right," Drake chuckled and did the same. "Great idea. I am thirsty anyway. What do you think, Drake?" Joe tilted his head a little. "Should we do something on our own?" Drake looked at him puzzled. "Could you please explain that?"

"Silly. Mark has had all the fun so far. Most of the time we only watched from a distance."

"Yes, that's true. But he is the captain of our team. And and what?"

"He hasn't got any power over us outside the pitch and outside school. Aside from being our friend, of course. H."

"And that means we don't need him to have fun with Allan," Joe beamed. "I already have some ideas. We can start right tomorrow." Drake chuckled. "You're a bad boy, Joe Hartford. Don't even think you are better than me. Drake Milbour." Joe gave his buddy a high five and they zapped into a different channel again. "Football time."

"I am home. Mom, Dad." "Hi, Mark." Miss Sanders shouted through the kitchen when Mark closed the door behind him. His dad just came down the stairs. "Hey, Captain." He patted Mark's shoulder and then smiled. "What have you been up to, my son? All fine at school. You are late. I have just come home myself. A complicated surgery that took longer than expected."

"Yes. Yes. All good, Dad. We had some fun after school."

"Yes. Oh, and what did you do, if I may ask?"

"Nothing important, Dad. Just um just some fun with a fellow student."

"I see. Well, I am trusting you to be good example for your school, your class, and your team. It's what is expected from a captain and nothing less." Mark cleared his throat. "Of course, Dad. Of course."

"By the way, have you already thought about who you will include in the team next year? You know that you will still need about four players."

"Yes, Dad. I know, but I am not sure yet. We want to win the school championship next year, as you know. So, I am selecting carefully."

"As it should be. You might remember that I had Alan Carter's dad on the phone lately. A friendly guy, John Carter, but I really do not see a realistic chance his son Allen will be part of this team. And that's what I had told him." He scratched his head. "However, I feel we should include Allen somehow if he really wants to be part of this team. It's not only about winning, Mark. It's also about team spirit and friendship and the ability to guide and help evolving others." Mark coughed a little while listening to his dad. "What do you mean including him? Allan? Are you serious?"

"Well, Alan might want to join your team. At least his dad wants it badly. I will talk to Alan in the near future to hear his opinion about this. And I want you to be present as well then. And if he proves to be as dedicated as his dad is, we could give it a try. I think you could do some tests with him and once he will be in the team, let him play now and then against weaker opponents so he does not feel left out. He's a good runner. I heard." Mark looked as his dad, confused. "Um, I don't think that. First, let's meet Allan. Then we can talk to him. And maybe he even does not want it. But if he does, I want you to give him a chance. I only want to help you. And I am paying for all the equipment, so I think I deserve to at least make some suggestions now and then."

"Yes, Dad." Mark forced himself to smile. "I'll be in the kitchen. I need a refreshment now."

Kimberly Winthrop sat in her room, staring intensely at a pencil drawing she found in Allen's school bag. After returning home, she had indeed spotted his bag in the back of the car and took it with her, promising her mom to give it back to him the next day. The drawing featured a beautiful girl in a long dress sitting on a swing that was hanging down from a strong branch of a huge tree. A dove was sitting on the girl's shoulder, and a squirrel was peeking from behind the trunk. It was such a lovely scene that got her fascinated.

"What is that, Kim? Did you draw this? It is amazing." She heard the voice of her mother from behind. It got her startled. "I uh God, you scared me, Mom."

"Sorry, dear. The door was open and I wanted to call you for dinner. You got home late and so I waited for you." Elaine Winrip smiled and also had a closer look at the drawing. "Magnificent. I didn't know you could draw that well, Kim."

"Um, it's it's not mine, Mom. It must be from Alan, the guy who we gave a ride to Tanya earlier."

"Oh, Alan Carter, right? My, he is a talent. This is one of the nicest pencil drawings I have seen so far. Hands down. I don't really know him, but he must be a very nice boy if he has such a talent." Kim choked and cleared her throat. "Allan. Oh, well. Um, yes, maybe. I I don't really know him. He is a loner."

"A loner? Oh, I see. Maybe he is just shy. Why don't you invite him some time? Say for dinner."

"For dinner, Alan? But Mom, why should I do that?" Kim frowned and shook her head. "I haven't even talked to him much yet."

"Yes, but you said he's a loner. Maybe he would like that and is just too shy to get friends. He seemed nice to me."

"Air. Yes, he is nice. Kind of." Kim bit her lip.

"I am not trying to convince you, Kim," Elaine Winthrop laughed softly. "But when we had been new at this town, you also got invited by Joy Evans, if you remember. It had helped you. You had been shy and lonely as well back then."

"Yes, but that's different, Mom. Why would he even want to come over? And anyway, Tanya is a girl like me and Allan is a guy."

"Well, he's a guy and I don't see a problem in that. He gave the impression that he knows how to behave. He was a lot friendlier than those no goods Drake Milbour and Joe Hartford, and both of them have been here already."

"Yes, Mom. I promise I will think about it. Okay. All right. Come into the dining."

room then. Dinner is ready. Yes, mom. Right away.

Kim was just about to stand up when her phone went off. Oh, hi Debbie. Oh, yes, the photos. No, I am not sending them right now. What did you say? Why not? Well, I Oh, yes. dinner time. Maybe later. Okay. Bye, Debb.

Kim pressed the red button, ending the call. She had another long look at the drawing, then carefully put it back into the folder where she found it. She opened the bag and inserted the folder, closing the bag afterwards. "Kim, are you ready?" her mother yelled. and Kim jumped up, dashing to the dining room. Here I am. Oh, and Mom, please remind me to not forget the bag tomorrow. I want to give it back to Alan. Now, let's have dinner. I am hungry.

Tanya and Sharon jumped down the stairs, leaving the school bus. It was a sunny morning, but still quite chilly. Parts of the ground were still wet from the rain they had the day before. And obviously it also had been raining during the night.

"Why did you say your mom couldn't drive us today, Tanya?"

"I don't know, Sharon. She didn't really tell me. She just said she had important things to get done and asked us to use the bus today. I am sure she will tell us in the afternoon."

"Yes. Oh, Tanya, I am so looking forward to dressing up Alan. I mean Elena. I am still kind of overwhelmed by all that."

Tanya smirked and poked her friend. "You really like him her, don't you?"

Sharon blushed a little and nodded. "Yes, I do. I don't know. I don't have an explanation actually though. But when I had given back his her school bag the other day, our eyes had met. And well,"

Tanya giggled softly and wrapped her arm around Sharon's shoulders. "You two looked cute together on the sofa yesterday."

Sharon stuck her tongue out and laughed joyfully.

Suddenly, Tanya stopped. "Oh dear, Mark and his minions over there ahead of us and Kim and Deb. I am still so mad on them."

"Yes, me too. That was so mean," Sharon replied. And they both waited for a few moments before walking on, watching the small group from a distance.

"What shall we do?"

"I am not sure yet, but Sharon, no word about yesterday. Nothing about Elena. For them, he is still Allan. Okay. Yes, of course. He she had enough to bear already. We will have to guard her once she will be back."

"True that we will have to." Tanya rubbed her nose. "Julie will help us too and her friends might be on our side as well."

"Did Julie already talk to them?"

"No, of course not. She said she wanted to ask Elena first. But I think it would be a good idea if we could introduce Elena to them too before she will return to school. The more support she will have, the better."

Sharon grabbed Tanya's hand. "Okay, then let's go." They both took a breath and crossed the wide courtyard, heading for the stairs that led into the building. It didn't take long for them to come close to Mark and his friends who had gathered under a huge tree in the middle between the bus stop and the stairs.

"Hey, if those two aren't the good Samaritans." Drake Milbour cheered and Joe Hartford laughed, pointing at Sharon and Tanya who were approaching them.

"Good Samaritans?" Debbie frowned and looked at them.

"Yes. Yesterday they seemed to be very worried about that Allen and even helped him. Unbelievable actually," Joe began.

"Hi everyone," Tanya smiled a quick smile but it wasn't a smile coming from her heart.

"Hello guys," Sharon added and stayed close at Tanya's side.

"Indeed. Unbelievable," Drake nodded his head and offered his hand for a high five with Joe. Bill Haynes joined them from the other side and patted both on their shoulders.

"What did I miss?"

"Hey, Bill. Drake smiled. Not much yet, actually. Mark, what's your opinion on our two guardian angels? And where are the photos anyway? Kim, you told me you took some." Debbie giggled.

Sharon noticed Kim looking down to the ground, apparently embarrassed. "At home, I forgot my phone," Kim quietly said, still looking down.

"Right, the photos. I am so looking forward to see them." Drake was all smiles as he turned to Tanya and Sharon. "Where is your foster ling?"

Sharon narrowed her eyes and Tanya spit out. "Very funny. You should be so ashamed of yourself, all of you. Are you celebrating your heroic victory over your mighty opponent?"

"He attacked us," Joe commented and smirked.

"It was self-defense."

"Correct, Mark." All eyes focused. Mark. "Um, yes, of course," he replied.

"You know damn well that this is an outright lie, Mark Sanders." Tanya looked at Mark with anger in her eyes.

"I'll lie. Alan would never attack you and you know it."

"But we have all witnessed his actions, haven't we?" Drake grinned. "He should not have been that stupid messing with us. Serves him right. He only got what he deserved. Where is he anyway? You two came with the bus today. Shouldn't he have been in it as well? He probably is too scared now to go to school."

Tanya narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Thanks to your tender treatment, he will not be here today." She turned her head facing Mark. "Shame on you. Being the captain of your team, you should act like an example to others. Your behavior is just so hideous. How could I have fallen for you? How could I have been so blind?"

"Tanya, I" Mark began, but Tanya turned away, grabbing Sharon's hand. "Come Sharon, let's go. I am getting sick here." Without looking back, she started moving and Sharon stayed close by her side.

Shortly before they reached the entrance, Sharon felt someone poking her arm. "Tanya, Sharon, I." The girls stopped.

"Kim?" Sharon frowned.

"Shouldn't you be with them?" Tanya asked, an annoyed look on her face.

Kim quickly looked around and nodded slightly. When she noticed the others still standing out of voice range, she faced the girls again. "I know you hate me. And" Kim bit her lip. "You have all rights to hate me. I don't know why I" She stopped and held Alan's bag in front of her, offering it to them. "Here, this belongs to Alan. He forgot it in our car yesterday. I wanted to give it back to him, but you said he won't be here today. And since you helped him yesterday, I thought maybe you would." She looked down.

Sharon grabbed the bag and tilted her head a bit, her eyes resting on Kimberly. "Thanks, Kim. We will make sure he'll get it back. Thank you."

"Hi." For a moment, it seemed Kim wanted to say something, but then she turned around. "I must go." She avoided looking at the two girls and quickly hurried back to Mark and the others.

Tanya and Sharon watched her leaving. "Have you seen the look in her face, Sharon?"

"Yes. As if she regrets what happened. And when she gave me the bag, it looked like she wanted to tell me something. I wonder if she only acted or if it was sincere. That look in her eyes. I mean, I don't know, Sharon. I don't know. Come, let's go in. I don't want to be late."

"Hey, wake up, sleepy head. Time go get up." I blinked a few times and saw my mom standing next to my bed, smiling at me. I rubbed my eyes. "Oh, it's you. What? So early?"

My mother giggled. "Early? It's already 9:30 a.m. Seems someone has been sleeping very well last night."

My eyes widened and I was fully awake in an instant. "9:30. That can't be."

"I Trust me, it's true." She opened the roller shutter and instantly the morning sun fell through the window making me blinking again. With a smile she sat down at the edge of my bed. "How are you feeling this morning? Any pain in your arms or shoulder?" She softly asked.

"Um, no. I guess it's okay, Mom." It took a few moments for me to fully be aware of my surroundings and the fact I had indeed slept in a night gown. When I looked down on myself, my mother tenderly caressed my shoulder, noticing the expression in my eyes. "Yes, it's really true, dear. You are not dreaming. Want something for breakfast?"

"Oh, yes, I am hungry."

"I thought so. Then come. Breakfast is ready. Just come as you are. I will help you dressing up afterwards." She stood up and left my room and I jumped out of bed and quickly followed her. I loved how the night gown felt on my skin when walking to the kitchen. My mom pointed me to have a seat and placed two plates on the table. "I thought you might fancy an omeolet today. I felt like having one and made enough for us too."

"That's great, Mom. Thanks." I beamed and just when I took my place, my mom stopped me. "Get up again."

"What? But why?" I looked at her with a puzzled expression and stood up again.

"No sitting down without smoothing your dress, young lady. I already told you yesterday. Dresses, skirts, you will have smoothed them before sitting down or they will look very wrinkled in no time. Would not really have been necessary with the night gown, but I want you to get used to it."

I swallowed and nodded. "Yes, Mom. Sorry, I am still."

"I know, Elena. You will need to learn a lot. But you said you were serious about it. It's not just a masquerade for you. Is it a masquerade?"

"God, no. Mom." I smoothed the night gown properly and sat down again.

"Good girl." She laughed and walked back to the stove to get the omelets. "What about Dad?" I asked her and looked around, a little terrified.

"He isn't here, dear. He came home after midnight and left already very early. He will not be around for the coming few days. The company sent him to their other office to get some work done there, and he had to take the plane very early. He will eventually return maybe end of next week."

"Oh, what did he say? I mean," I looked at my mom, feeling a lump in my throat.

"Don't you worry, dear. Okay. I didn't have time to talk to him yet. I just told him that we will have to tell him some very important things after his return. Of course, he was curious, and at first I wanted to tell him right away, but then I decided against it. There wasn't enough time, and besides, I want you to be present, too, when he will get to know this. And I want him to see Elena then." She smiled at me. "Just a moment. I will bring you the Oh, my phone. Wait, maybe this is the call I have been waiting for. Yes, it's me, Miss Carter. right now. I think we can be there in about an hour. Would that be all right? Fine, thank you. We are on our way." She turned around. "Get up, dear. No time for breakfast now. My doctor has time for us due to a canceled appointment and we have to take that chance."

"But mom, I am hungry."

"And no butts. Now, let's get you dressed up real quick. And it's even good for you show up there without having eaten or drunk anything before."

"But why that, Mom?"

"They might even want to test your blood. And for that, it's usually a prerequisite anyway. Now, let's head to your room and get you dressed."

"Yes, Mom." I sighed a little, thinking of the yummy omelette, but it would still be there on our return. And a few moments later, the excitement took over. We entered my room and I went to my cabinet to take out my clothes.

"No, dear. You will be wearing Julie's clothes again and put on panty hose. It's still quite chilly outside."

I looked at her a little bewildered. "You want me to go to town in Julie's clothes? But what what if someone sees me there?"

"Listen, darling. They will be seeing you anyway from now on, or do you want to hide in your room for the rest of your life?" She smiled and watched me undressing my night gown.

"No, but" after hesitating a few moments, I grabbed a pair of nude tights and started to dress.

"Very skillful indeed, young lady," Mom said with a smile on her face. I blushed and returned the smile and continue to dress. "No need to blush, and I mean it. You must have been doing that for a very long time now, right?"

"Yes, Mom. It's fine, dear. No need to hide anymore. You can be yourself from now on. There will be some things to overcome and for sure some difficulties, but I will be by your side and your dad too and your friends. You will be fine, I am sure." When I finished dressing, she hugged me tightly and eyed me up closely. She used her hands to arrange my hair and nodded. "Okay, let's go. Your hair looks nice already and no time left for makeup. We will do that later. We have to hurry to get to the dock in time. That is more important than a perfect look. We'll have time for that afterwards."

I slipped into the nice shoes I got from Julie and mom opened the door. My heart started to pound heavier. Having worn girl clothes for so long now was one thing, but leaving the house in them together with my mom was something completely different. The wind was indeed chilly and I was glad wearing the panty hose. My skirt moved a little and I enjoyed how it all felt. But at the same time, I was very nervous. My mom really wanted to take me to town looking like this and I still could not really believe that she was so supportive and understanding. A few moments later, we reached our car and were on our way to town.

"Here we are, dear." My mom drove into an empty parking lot and pointed to a tall building. The drive had been quiet. I had been in deep thoughts and mom didn't talk either except looking at me now and then with a warm smile. She opened the door and I did the same. Instantly, I looked around after leaving the car. I was nervous as hell. There were a few people on the walkway and I expected to be spotted and found out instantly, but none of them seemed to give me special attention.

"Come, Elena, let's go in. With a bit of luck, she will be available already, and we'll have some more time then. There's quite a lot to discuss." She took my hand, and we walked across the yard like mother and daughter. It was a wonderful feeling. The door to the building opened automatically and a few moments later we stood at the elevator. It was crowded here in the entrance area of what was obviously a large commercial building. There were many signs on the wall advertising at least 12 offices and apparently a large percentage of them were doctors. The elevator opened and we stepped in together with a dozen other people.

"A there Dr. Greenwood, fourth floor." Mom pressed the button and smiled. I returned the smile and looked around again. Again, like when I had left the car, none of the people around us seemed to particularly notice me. Some smiled at me and others ignored me completely. Didn't they notice?

Only a few seconds later, the elevator stopped at the fourth floor and we stepped out. Apparently the rest of the people wanted to go somewhere different because nobody followed us. We walked along a hallway and finally reached a large door. Dr. Miriam Greenwood gynecologist endocrinologist was written there in large letters. This door opened automatically as well and we entered the practice. The reception was only a few steps further.

"Good morning, Ms. Winthrop. We got a call for an appointment with Dr. Greenwood," my mom said with a smile and my jaw dropped. I was staring directly at Kim's mother.