THE PROM STATEMENT: Chapter 4
By
Nina Adams

In the heat of debate, Clarence makes a Prom
Statement that would change his life forever.

In this chapter Claire experiences the full effect of preparations and the process begins to have a profound impact on Claire’s psyche.

-------------------------------A Trip To The Salon----------------------

On Saturday morning, I came down to breakfast in my new pajamas.

“How is my sleepyhead? Are you well rested, because we have a big day ahead?”

“Is there any way I can talk you out of taking me to the salon today? Last night was just about as much as I can take and having my hair trimmed at a salon seems so over-the-top. With my new pierced ears, I’m afraid almost anything else will make me look like a sissy. Whatever Lulu does, could make me look too girlish.”
“Lulu knows the whole situation. No matter what she does, you will be able to adjust it for school. I am sure it will be more androgynous than feminine. She will probably just clean it up a little bit and give it some body. Don’t worry, I will remind her of what you need.”

“Can I wear a pair of my old clothes so she knows I need to be able to look like a boy?”

“Honey we made a deal last night. I am adding $50 to your summer funds and today you promised to wear dresses or skirts all day long.”

“I didn’t think you meant to the salon! I can’t believe you want me to go to the salon dressed like a girl. I didn’t think that was part of the deal.”

“I said all day and you agreed to it. You will feel much more comfortable getting pampered there dressed like all the other patrons, rather than some out of place boy. You will draw much less attention to yourself if you are dressed appropriately.”

“Lulu is probably going to laugh at me.”

“I will help you get ready so you look just as nice as last night. We will pick out something that makes you look very pretty, and I will help you get your makeup just right. We need to get started soon so we can get there by your 10 AM manicure appointment.”

When we left the house later that morning I was dressed in a very stylish short dress, along with tights and my tall boots. It was a very simple gray dress with short sleeves and was made of a cráªpe material. It was a casual look but with a stylish feel to it. With a touch of makeup on, I was pretty certain nobody would recognize that I was a boy. Hopefully my mother and Lulu would be the only ones who knew my secret.

When we entered Lulu’s Solon, mother asked me to sit down while she made arrangements. The woman behind the counter glanced at me a couple of times and I heard her say they would be ready for me shortly. Mother then told me that she would return later to get a manicure while I was getting my hair trimmed. She was going to run a few errands, but that they knew what I needed and they would take care of everything. This was the first time that I would be left alone dressed as a girl in a public place. I felt very vulnerable at that moment. It wasn’t long before they called me in to start my very first manicure and pedicure.

The pretty manicurist who only spoke a little English began with my hands. From what I could understand from my attempts to talk to her, I think she was originally from Thailand. I had never had a manicure before and did not realize how much was involved. There was not that much for them to cut off, but she made an effort to round off the tips. She trimmed the skin around my nails and pushed back my cuticles. She rubbed oil into my skin and even buffed my nails to make them very smooth. Before she was finished she painted a clear base polish on each of my nails. After the base coat, she took another clear looking polish and spread that on my nails. When I looked at that coat closely, I realized that it was clear with just a hint of pink. Not a significant amount of color, but I could tell that my nails look slightly rosier. She then painted an additional coat of a clear polish on top of the pink. My hands were then put under a dryer for a few minutes.

After about 5 minutes, the same young manicurist brought me over to a different chair and put my feet in a soaking bath. I then looked at my dry nails. My hands looked very beautiful, but they were no longer boys hands. The coloration was very mild, but the finish on my nails reflected a glossy sheen. All I could think was that no boy’s nails were never that shiny. My mother was nowhere to be seen, so I had no one to complain to. While she was working on my feet, I was thinking that at least no one would be able to see them. At school my shoes and socks stayed on my feet and I no longer had any required gym classes.

The process was very similar on my feet to what she did with my hands. When she felt she had sufficiently cleaned up my toenails and the skin around them, she once again began the three-step process of putting polish on my toenails. I really was not watching that closely until she was almost done. On my toes she had not put on the transparent pink, but rather, a true pink. There was no question that my toes were now a deep dark pink shade. Anyone looking at my feet would immediately be drawn to the polish. I kept reminding myself that no one would see my feet. They put a special pair of sandals on my feet with toes spreaders, to allow the polish to dry properly. It was while I was waiting for Lulu to get started on my hair, that my mother returned to the shop.

“Mom they put a color on my feet and hands!”

“They look perfect. Your hands were such a mess before, now you need to take care of them better. No biting of your nails and try not to do anything that might damage the finish.”

“But mom they are pink!”

“I picked out those colors and I think they are just precious. I wish I could have given you the bright pink for both your hands and feet, but unfortunately, I’m not sure you’re ready for that at school yet.”

“Yet! I’m not sure I can wear polish anywhere.”

“I think they’re almost ready for your haircut. I am going to have another quick word with Lulu before she gets started. I will remind her that anything she does needs to be flexible and appropriate for you at school. I told you she’s a magician and you will love it when she is done.”

The next thing I knew I was getting my hair washed by one of Lulu’s assistants. She didn’t say anything to me, but I loved the massage she gave to my scalp. It helped me relax and prepare myself for what was ahead. She dried my hair with a towel and led me over to Lulu’s styling chair.

I felt pretty calm as Lulu approached me from the side. At first I did not know it was Lulu, until she introduced herself. She was definitely not what I expected. My mother, who was in her early 40s, had been going to her for over 10 years. In my mind I had assumed that Lulu would’ve been much older. She was probably in her early to mid 30s, but looked younger. She was extremely attractive, but also had a classy style about her. She had a very unique Bob’s style haircut that sort of curled under more on the left side. She was still twice my age, but not too old that I didn’t think I could relate to her. She was very enthusiastic as she introduced herself to me.

“So you must be Claire. Your mother and I have been discussing your adventurous plans and I think this is a wonderful idea. She told me all about you and how well you have been coming along. From what I can see, she was absolutely right. I hope we can become friends, as I help you through your transformation. I really respect what you are doing and know how much courage it must take. She tells me that your aunt and cousin are also assisting you and providing some guidance. That instruction is going to be very important, because looking like a girl is going to be the easiest part for you.”

“I am sure you mean well, Lulu, but I don’t want to look too girlish when I leave your salon. My mother just wants me to feel more comfortable when I dress this way, but the reason for this unusual idea, is not for a long time. I need to be able to look like a boy when I go back to school.”

“Well then, I guess making you a bleach blonde is out of the question… Just kidding. I am going to give your hair some shape and a lot more body. I would like to bring out the chestnut color a little bit, but maybe I will leave that for a later appointment. The first thing I will need to do is trim a little here and there to give it the proper length to highlight your features. I will then give it a soft perm, which will provide some waviness, and create more volume on the sides. If you don’t want to wear it that way for school, you can always pull it back with a scrunchie and it will not look that much different than before.”

“As long as I can pull it back, I guess it is okay.”

“I am sure that you will really like it and I bet your boyfriend will love it.”

“I don’t have a boyfriend! It’s not like that.”

“Did I hear wrong? Your mother told me that you were doing this so you could go to the Prom with a boy named Max.”

“He’s not my boyfriend. He’s just my friend and we are doing this to make a statement.”

“He’s a boy and he’s taking you to the Prom. You can call him whatever you like, but I think it is very special. I also think it is great that you are making such an effort to look as pretty as you can for him.”

“I am not trying to make myself look as pretty as I can for him. This was my mother’s idea.”

“She did not tell me that she was forcing you to do this.”

“She’s not really forcing me, it was Max and my idea originally. She’s just guiding me.”

“That’s good to hear. So you and Max are going to the Prom, because you wanted to. I will do whatever I can so that your big night will be memorable. For now, I am just going to give you some casual styling. When the big day comes I can give you something a little fancier to suit the mood. Just sit back and relax, you can even close your eyes for a while if you like.”

Lulu began snipping away at my hair at a rapid pace. She was cutting so fast that I almost expected her scissors to overheat. The funny thing was that even with all of the snipping, there was very little hair that was being cut. It was mostly the tips, with a little more off in just a few spots. The actual cutting part of the appointment did not take that long. When she was finished cutting my hair it was still damp and she rolled most of it up onto curlers. They curlers were very large and I felt silly with them rolled up in my hair. She added some smelly chemicals to my hair and sat me under a dryer for a while.

It was around this time that my mother came over to see how I was doing. Lulu told her that I was very sweet and that she was enjoying styling my hair. Mother asked me how I was doing, and I told her okay considering the circumstances. She told me that after today I would feel so much more comfortable with my appearance.

When my hair was just about dry my mother and Lulu led me back to the chair. While I was sitting in the chair, Lulu prepared some sort of chemical and put it on thin strips of paper. Before I had a chance to ask what it was, they stuck the paper onto the edges of my eyebrows. A few seconds later, I felt a painful pulling on my forehead. They had waxed my eyebrows down to a thin arch. I was not told that they planned to do this and I was not happy about it. It was very painful and now my eyebrows looked too thin for a boy. I was now fearful that the earrings and thin eyebrows would be impossible to explain at school.

She plucked a couple of additional hairs that did not come out with the waxing. Lulu then began to undo the rollers and brush out my hair. My back was kept to the mirror until she had finished the job. When she nodded to my mother that she was finished, my mother took out a very small brush and painted a little highlighter onto my now thin eyebrows. It was then that they rotated the chair around so I could see my new look.

When I first saw myself, I could not believe my eyes. My hair cascaded down from the center of my head forming loopy curls to just above my shoulder level. As I turned my head I could feel the bounce in my new tresses. This look was 100% all girl and I looked quite stunning. With my new eyebrows and all of the other makeup I was wearing, the image was beyond astonishing. I felt overwhelmed by what I saw and did not know how to react. It was more than a little scary that I was the girl in the mirror, but I was also taken by how beautiful I had turned out. As a boy, I was very small and plain, but at this moment, I looked like a very desirable girl. I was at a loss for words and a little lightheaded.

My New Hairstyle

“Claire, you look so beautiful. Your aunt Sharon and cousin Rachel are going to be so excited when they see you. You’re going to have so much fun now that you look so perfect. I think we are all done here, so you should go and thank Lulu and give her this tip. I will go and make your next appointment. On the way home we can pick up a few groceries and the two of us can have a nice lunch discussing anything that’s on your mind.”

I felt so different as I left the salon than when I had entered. I now had hair, eyes, hands, and feet that looked so decidedly female. Dressed in my stylish gray outfit and the high-top boots, I no longer questioned how my appearance might be perceived. In such a short time I had changed so much. The physical changes were clearly affecting my psyche. I felt pretty and the feeling was very pleasant. My mother had succeeded in changing me in so many ways. The Prom was many weeks away, but in many ways they had already changed me into the girl they wanted me to be. I could not imagine how my image could be any more convincing than it was at this time.

After a quick stop at the grocery we made our way home and pulled into the driveway. The closer we got to home the more nervous I got that one of my friends or neighbors would recognize our car and see me sitting with my mother. It was nearly 2:30 in the afternoon when my mother and I sit down at the table to have a bite to eat. In all appearances we were mother and daughter. Mom asked me if I enjoy my new appearance and changes.

“I never thought I would feel or look this way. It all feels so strange and pleasant at the same time. I know I am a boy underneath all this, so I really should not like it. I never expected it to go this far.”

“Claire I see very little of that boy underneath. You need to let yourself start thinking like Claire and stop worrying about being a boy. You look so pretty, so just enjoy it a little bit.”

“Mom this all started because of something I said, but I can’t help thinking that you led me down this path. Is this what you wanted?”

“I’m not sure why I so strongly felt you should do this. When you made that first suggestion about going to the Prom, it just made me think about what would make you happy. I will always love you no matter how you want to live your life, but I thought this experience could be very enriching. You started it, and I gave you a great big push, and now its your turn again to find out where you want to end up.”

Before I had a chance to respond to her comment, there was a knocking at the front door, followed by the sound of it opening. “I know you’re home, I saw your car go by my house.”

I was frozen in my tracks. Max had just entered the house and would soon be entering the kitchen. We had been friends for so many years that he typically just knocked before he entered. I was cornered in the kitchen with no way to get out.

My mother looked at me and said, “Claire, now I think you’re ready to meet him.”

I stood up from the kitchen table, just as Max entered the room. I am not sure who was more shocked, Max or I. His jaw was agape and his eyes as big as grapefruits. I was unsure what to say to him, or how to cut the ice-cold chill, so I asked him, “Hey Max what’s up?”

“Hey Max, What’s up?”

Max looked me over from head to toe. He was clearly startled, but his puzzled look quickly turned to a big grin.

“Is that really you Clarence? What’s going on?”

My mother cut in, “That is not Clarence, it is Claire.”

“Okay Claire, why are you dressed like this?”

“You should know Max, we made that stupid prom deal and my mother is having me practice.”

“I just can’t get over how real you look. You look like a hot girl, and are so damn cute. I kind of figured you could pull this off, but I have to admit you even look better than I expected.”

“I wasn’t ready for you to see me like this. My mom, aunt, and cousin have been in a rush to get me ready. This is really the first time that I have looked so complete.”

“Well they did a really good job. If I didn’t know who you were, I would want to get your number.”

“You already have it and if I recall, you’re taking me to the prom. You can stop drooling and don’t get any funny ideas.”

“I just can’t get over it, you look so amazing.”

“What are you doing here anyway?”

“I’ve been trying to text you all day. We made plans to go to the movie tonight. You agreed to go to the eight o’clock Country Strong show, don’t you remember?”

“I completely forgot, and I did not have my phone with me when my mother and I were out. Sorry.”

“You were out looking like this? That is so cool.”

“My mom took me to get my haircut. I did not have much choice.”

“It looks nice.”

“As you can see, I won’t be able to go to the movie with you tonight. I promised my mother I would stay like this all day today, so I am just going to hang out here. If you behave, we can watch some TV or something here.”

Throughout the conversation my mother was pretending as if she was not listening to us. However, when I told him that I could not go out, she chose to interject.

“Claire, I think it would be wonderful if you and Max went to the movie. You need the experience and Max is going to be your date for the Prom. You need to practice being in the presence of a boy and Max is the perfect one to take you out. As part of the pledge, he’s required to do whatever is necessary, to get you two ready for the big night.”

“I can’t go with him, we would run into lots of our friends at the movie theater. There is no way, I can do that.”

“I’m not good enough for you, Claire?”

“Max you know what I mean. I don’t want anyone to see us together. I would never be able to go back to school.”

“I guess it would be kind of bizarre if we ran into some of our friends. But I think it would’ve been fun otherwise.”

“It almost sounds like you really want to go out with me. You’re starting to scare me.”

“What’s the big deal? We are going to do this eventually anyway, and don’t you trust me?”

“It’s just so hard for me to accept all this. But for tonight it really doesn’t matter, since we're not heading over to the theater together.”

My mother just wouldn’t let it lay. “I could drive you to up to Northbrook Court and you could see the movie there. None of your friends would go all the way up there, so it would be just the two of you. You could even have a bite to eat at Stir Crazy or one of the other restaurants at the mall. It would be fun.”

“Your Mom’s got a great idea, come on, Claire let’s do it. I’ll even buy your movie ticket, like on a real date.”

“I don’t know, I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”

“Honey, I think you should do it. You look so nice today, so it would be a shame if you spent the evening here at home.”

“I really did want to see the movie. I guess I’ll do it, but, Max you have to promise to help me. I don’t want to embarrass myself or have anyone else embarrass me. You promise to be on your best behavior?”

“Yes, Claire, I promise to treat you very nicely. Let’s go there at about six, so we have time to eat and maybe hang out at the mall a little bit.”

“I will drive you two and you can call me when the movie is over.”

“Max, I will see you later, I need a some alone time, this day has already taken a lot out of me. We will pick you up later and don’t dress like a slob.”

“I will try and look nice for you and hopefully you will do the same for me. Claire, I look forward to seeing you later.”

-------------------------Off to the Movies-----------------------

I couldn’t believe I was actually going out to a movie with Max, dressed as his date. He was my good friend, but now we were going to hang out as a boy and a girl. I was not certain how I should act in his presence, especially out in public. My mother told me that the only way to do it, was to try and think like a girl. “Let Max hold the doors and have him act like a gentleman.” If I tied to act like my old self it would look strange. It was important for me to try and act or behave as much like a girl as possible. I knew she was right, but it was still tough for me to accept.

I rested up in my room for a while, before I got ready for dinner and the movie. My mother insisted that I change into a different dress that she thought would be appropriate for a first date. I did not get her logic, but at this point, a dress was a dress to me. She picked out a wrap around dress with three-quarter length sleeves, which had a hem that was a little bit longer than the one I had worn during the day. Instead of my high-top boots, she suggested I wear my strap heels. The heels were about the same height as on my boots, but they were much narrower and I found them challenging to keep my balance on.

Dressed for First Date

I felt very vulnerable as I prepared to leave and pick up Max. I knew I looked nice, but I lacked experience in the dating world. It wasn’t like Max and I were a true date, but I had very little experience on regular dates. I had only gone out with a few girls and never really had a regular girlfriend. If we were going to pretend to be out together, I had very little experience to base it on. I just figured, I would stay near Max, so I wouldn’t have to interact with many other people.

When we got to Max’s house I phoned him so that I would not have to get out of car. When he answered, he insisted that I come in to say hello to his mother. She knew what was going on and told Max that she wanted to meet Claire, before we would be seen out in public. I think she was concerned that we might draw some inappropriate attention to ourselves. As much as I did not want to go in, I dashed inside the house to meet Mrs. Rosen. My mother followed behind.

Mrs. Rosen had me take off my coat to provide for her the full effect. She told me that I look absolutely lovely and that Max was right, that I made a very convincing young lady. To my embarrassment, she told Max to be appropriate with me. She pointed out that I had very little experience with men on dates and that he needed to treat me with respect. She said, “this is a first date, so don’t get too frisky.” I was a little concerned by what she meant with her last comment.

Our mothers, both made comments about how cute a couple we made. I just wanted to get out of there and get to the movie. As we were leaving the house Max reached out and grabbed my hand. I wanted to pull away, but I figured, that holding hands would be normal for a boy and girl our age, out on a date. I almost didn’t realize it until we arrived at Northbrook Court, that Max had held my hand all the way there in the car.

We put our name in at the restaurant and they told us there would be a wait of approximately 15 minutes. We walked out into the hallway to kill some time. We were strolling along hand-in-hand glancing into some of the nearby shops. They gave us one of those electric pagers to let us know when our table was ready. Max did not seem the least uncomfortable holding onto his best friend's hand. It was almost as if, I was a new person and he was trying to impress me.

We did not talk about our usual subjects. He was more curious about how I was feeling and if I liked my new self. His curiosity seemed very genuine and there was no negativism in his questioning. He told me that I came across as quite natural. I took that as a compliment.

I told him that it felt nice in a strange way to know that I made a reasonably attractive girl. “I never drew much attention as a boy, and it was kind of fun to know that I could draw some attention as a girl.”

He looked at me, and was very sincere, when he told me I had his attention. Almost instinctively, I tilted my head a little and smiled. The pager went off, interrupting our slightly flirtatious conversation.

During our meal, I told him about all of my experiences this past week, including Friday night at the mall and my salon appointment. He enjoyed hearing all of the details and said all of the effort was worth it. He said he couldn’t wait to take me to the Prom. I was not so sure, but I played along with him.

When our meal was over we strolled over to the movie theater and found a couple of seats near the rear. We sat through six previews before our movie began. Just before the start of the feature film, Max put his arm around my shoulder. I gave him a surprised look, but did not make him pull it back.

The movie was just okay, but we enjoyed the singing. Parts of the movie were depressing. I had a hard time paying close attention to the plot as my mind kept wandering to Max’s arm on my shoulder. It felt very reassuring, but I kept reminding myself that I was a boy and so is Max. My mother had told me to let my feelings go and try and think like Claire, but it was still very hard for me to get out of my mind that I was a boy. I could tell that each time Max glanced over in my direction, he was not thinking of me as a boy.

When the movie was over we both needed to use the bathroom. I almost walked into the men’s room with Max without thinking. Max stopped me and turned me towards the ladies room. It was my first time that I had ever been inside of a girl’s bathroom. I had to wait for a toilet, which took longer than it usually would have in the men’s room. Before I returned, I freshened my lipstick and fluffed my hair. I guess I was becoming a little more vain.

Max wasted no time in reaching for my hand. His grip seemed firmer than before and there was a little more swing in his arm. We took our time walking out into the center of the mall. Max asked me if I wanted anything from the Starbucks and mentioned that his mouth was so dry. We each ordered an iced passion tea and we both giggled about that when we told the order taker. We sipped half our tea before we decided to call my mother to pick us up. We had actually had a fun night and even though it was late, we were not in a hurry to get home.

It would take about 20 minutes for my mother to arrive so we finished our tea and slowly made our way to the exit. We waited in the vestibule looking out for my mother’s car. It was a little chilly in there and I told Max that I was cold. He looked at me and told me that my presence was keeping him warm. I did another one of those silly little head tilts when he leaned over and kissed me squarely on the lips. I did not move and I looked up into his eyes. I think he took my silence as a sign of my approval. This time he kissed me again as he pulled me tight against his body. Unlike the first kiss, this time I was kissing him back. I felt myself getting aroused and didn’t want him to stop. I could not remember ever kissing a girl like that.

We were holding both hands looking at each other, when I heard my mother honk. I was hopeful that she had not been there when we were kissing, but the closeness of our proximity was certain to put some thoughts in her head. She asked us how we enjoyed the movie and we told her we had fun, but thought the movie was just so-so. As we had on the way to the movie, Max held my hand all the way home.

When we got to his house, I thanked him for a nice evening and good conversation. We smiled at each other as he left the car and headed up to his front door. As soon as he entered his house, my mother turned to me and asked me how my first date went. I told her it went better than I expected and that nobody suspected me.

“How are things between you and Max? Was he a gentleman? Did he treat you like a proper girl?”

“Yes mother to all those questions. He was very nice and treated me just like I was a real girl.”

“I saw you to holding hands while you were waiting for me. Was that all you were doing?”

“Mom! We were holding hands so we would look like we were on a date. I told you he was a gentleman.”

“Okay okay, did the two of you set a second date?”

“No mom, but maybe we will do it again.”

“Well as soon as we get home you should probably head off to bed. Your cousin and aunt Sharon are coming over for brunch to see your new hairstyle and the rest of your changes.”

“Tomorrow can I wear some pants? I wore skirts all day today and even real girls don’t do that all the time. I will dress nicely, but I would like to be a little more casual.”

“Claire, you can wear whatever you think is appropriate. I will not always be there to help you pick and choose.”

It was an amazing evening that had changed me in so many ways. I had been enjoying many of the new experiences thrown at me by my mother, but for the first time I began to wonder what I really wanted. As much as I enjoyed my interlude with Max, I was still confused by my emotions. Monday I would be going back to my old self at school, which at this moment hardly resembled the way I looked or felt. For a brief time, I really wished I had been a real girl. I was suddenly in near tears by the emotional roller coaster that I was feeling inside. Did I really prefer being a girl, or did my makeover, and the circumstances just emotionally carry me away? I don’t remember ever questioning my sexuality before and now I felt very unsure. The confusion reached an emotional crescendo shortly before I fell asleep.

To be continued…..

I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ALL FEEDBACK--- MY STORIES ARE PURE FICTION, BUT ARE BASED UPON ACTUAL EVENTS IN MY FANTASIES….