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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from Istockphoto.com . ~Sephrena

Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Chapter 2 - The Beginning of the End (Of My Current Life)

"What do you mean he thinks you’re a girl?" Emily asked incredulously.

"Well, he did call me a 'young lady' in the hall, remember."

"Yeah," she said dismissing the observation. "But he surely asked for your name, right? Didn't that set him straight?"

"Well..." I started. Emily just stared at me, waiting for my answer. "Not exactly."

Emily looked aghast at my revelation, and Ethan let out a laugh from the driver's seat.

"Why?" he asked before Emily had the chance. Her stare bore down on me harder now.

"I was in shock," I told her, but it definitely didn't satisfy her. "I thought it would be better to play along."

"Megan Campbell," Emily said sternly. She'd heard the name enough to guess which one I had given him. "How could you do such a thing? This could be your one chance and you might have just blown it. He'll find out eventually."

"I know," I told her weakly. "But it seemed like the right thing to do at the time. I'll have to tell him the truth tomorrow anyway, when my parents sign papers and stuff."

She just shook her head at me.

*  *  *

Eventually Ethan pulled his car into my driveway. In excitement, despite any downer I may have brought to the news, we jumped out of the car and ran inside.

"Mom!" I said, finding her in the kitchen. "You'll never believe what happened!"

Exasperated at our energy levels, she stopped working on the cake she was making and turned toward us. "What is it, honey?"

"WellwewenttothepartyandEmilyandEthanmademesingandthen..."

"Whoa," she said while placing her arm on my shoulder. "Slow down a bit."

I nodded, and took a deep breath. "We went to the party, right?" she nodded.

"Emily and Ethan, the meanies that they are, made me sing!" I looked at them smartly, but I couldn't really be mad at them after the results it had produced.

"Go on," my mom said. Her excitement level had also risen a bit.

"Johnny's dad wants me to make a demo CD tomorrow!" I practically yelled the news.

"Oh honey," she said while stepping forward and wrapping me in a hug. "That's great news! I always told you that you had a nice voice."

She had said that, like everyone else who had heard me sing. But I hadn't believed her either. I mean, I'm an alto!

"Tell her the bad part," Emily said behind me, ruining the awesome buzz I was sharing with my mom.

"Right," I said when Mom released the hug and looked back at me, worry in her eyes. "Well, he thinks I'm a girl."

Mom rolled her eyes at that statement. It wasn't any shock to her. Half the time I felt like she thought I was a girl.

"Is that what you want?" she asked me. Frustrated, I sighed. My mom had asked me that question way too often. Moms weren't supposed to ask their sons if they wanted to be girls, right?

Sighing, I tried to put my thoughts together. "I don't know," I told her truthfully. This had been on my mind for years now, ever since the accident. Lately, the issue seemed to be coming up more and more often. I knew that growing out my hair and wearing androgynous clothes would lead me to this point repeatedly, but it was still a big decision. I had been seeing a therapist for a few years, and I was not sure if I would have done it if she didn't think it was such a good idea.

"I promised Mary that I would try it. Maybe this is a good time," I explained. Mary was my therapist. She often said that if I was truly going to make an informed decision, I needed to know how both sides lived.

"Honey," my mom said with deep concern. "I don't know if this is exactly normal. She wanted you to try living a normal life as a girl, not as a pop star."

"Maybe," I told her. "But now is as good a time as any."

Mom nodded at me and then wrapped me in another hug. "You know we'll be happy with whatever you decide, but I'd bring this up with Mary at your appointment in the morning. See what she thinks."

"Okay," I told her. "I will."

*  *  *

The following morning found me in Mary's waiting room, thinking about the turn of events that my life had taken.

My dad had also been excited to learn about my singing opportunity, until he had heard my plan. He agreed with my therapist about needing to make an informed decision in theory, but he didn't seem to be ready for it to happen in practice. I think he still felt guilty about the accident.

My brother seemed irritated about my decision. I guess that's understandable. I don't think he wanted to have a sister.

I stood up and entered Mary's office when her receptionist said she was ready to see me.

"How are you doing?" she asked when I had taken a seat on her soft sofa. She liked to sit in a harder chair for some reason.

"Good," I said noncommittally.

"Anything exciting happen since our last visit?" she asked. I saw her every other week now. I was getting to the age where I needed to make the decision, and she increased our visits hoping to help.

"Yeah," I answered. "I got offered the opportunity to make a demo CD for a record label last night."

She obviously wasn't expecting anything quite that exciting. She looked stunned for a second before continuing. "That's great! Are you going to take it?"

"Yeah, but there's a slight issue."

She raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything, waiting for me to continue.

"The guy I talked to, he kinda thinks that I'm a girl."

Mary was good, but she couldn't hide everything. I saw the corners of her mouth curl ever so slightly at this news. "What are you going to do about it?" she asked.

"I thought this might be a good time to try the other side," I told her truthfully.

She looked at me for a second. She always made sure that she knew what she was going to say before she actually did. It made her good at her job.

"I'm not so sure that's what I had in mind," she eventually said. "I was thinking about something more normal."

"I know," I replied. "But after thinking about it last night, I think Mr. Crawford may not want me to do the CD if he knew I was a boy."

"You'll have to tell him eventually," she interjected some logic.

I nodded before replying. "Yes, but if I'm willing to stay a girl he might not care so much."

She looked wary of my logic, but didn't seem to disagree. "And if he doesn't?"

"If he doesn't," I said, and then sighed. "If he doesn't, then I could lose this awesome opportunity. But who is really going to want to listen to a boy who sings with an alto voice?"

"Your gender shouldn't matter," she said.

"I know, but I think I'd be more popular as Megan, and it is something we agreed I would try."

Mary was quiet for a few minutes, and I knew she was formulating an action plan. These periods of silence had been unnerving when I first started seeing her, but now they seemed to be the calm before the storm. Usually just a small storm though, with the type of rain that you love.

"How about this," she said eventually. I was listening carefully. "You're a Hannah Montana fan, correct?"

I nodded. It was embarrassing to admit that as a 16 year old boy, but I couldn't deny it.

"What if we took a page from the show's book?" I gave her a confused look before she continued. "What if we create you a stage persona, but leave Megan to live your normal life. That way you can get, as the show says, the best of both worlds. I'll feel happy that you'll get to experience the normal side of living as a girl, but you'll still get to have a chance at a music career too."

It was an intriguing idea. This was why I liked Mary. She was always thinking about my best interests. "That sounds like a good idea, if Mr. Crawford will go for it."

"You're just making a demo CD, right?" she asked. At my nod she continued. "We can worry about the logistics if you get a contract, but I think it's a good idea."

All I could do is continue to nod.

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