On day two of the protest, it was hard to find a boy wearing pants. Some of the meeker souls were encouraged by the number of boys who were ‘en femme’ on the first day. During first period, again I once again got a ‘summons’ and went to the office expecting detention or worse. Imagine my surprise when Principal Hammond gave in.

“Girls … I assume you want me to call you girls, given the way you’re dressed … I’ve decided to change the dress code. Shorts are OK, as long as they’re not too short. I’ll put out a letter giving more details. You can pass the word apparently better than any letter of mine. Oh, Chris.”

“Yes, sir?”

He hesitated and looked at me a few seconds, the waved his hand, “Never mind. Back to class!”

We walked out of his office in shock. Ashley, one of the students who worked in the office whispered to us that the principal had checked and found out who my mom was. Once he found that, he was intimidated enough to give in. So it was my mom who actually made the protest work. I thanked Ashley and she gave me a beautiful smile and a “thumbs up”.

Jody was relieved. “It will be good to get out of this dress. I’ll bet Hammond was gonna compliment you on your looks.”

“Please!”

“Seriously! You didn’t notice the way he looked at you. He called you ‘Chris’ instead of ‘Mr. Davis’. He can’t help but compliment a girl when she looks really good. Maybe he forgot you’re a boy? It’s easy to do!”

I wondered about that myself. Everyone said I looked good. I wondered what I could get out of Hammond with my looks. A little pout and, “Mr. Hammond, pleath have the air conditioning fixed! If you don’t, I’ll have to wear an even shorter dreth tomorrow!” Oops! That would doom me to increasingly shorter dresses until I was coming to school in just a blouse and panties. That would get me called to the office all right; for a private conference with the principal? I shivered at that thought.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to wear the next day. I would certainly catch a lot of flak if I wore a dress, but it wouldn’t get any easier. It was hard enough to concentrate on schoolwork while wearing a dress. Now I had another worry; what would I wear tomorrow? I had read some about the transgender subject online and realized I was lucky to have the support of my mom and sister, but that was probably just about the only support I would get.

When I got home, my sister already had another outfit set out for me.

“Claire, the protest is over. Hammond gave in.”

“I know, but aren’t you up to something new?”

“I don’t know if I can do it.”

“Try it a few days and see how it goes.”

When Jody came by for the walk to school the next day, he seemed as surprised by my looks as he was the previous day. “Damn, baby … I mean … Chris, you look better every day, but the protest is over. What are you up to?”

“I don’t know. I kinda like … you know … dressing like this. Do you like me like this?”

“Well, you’re pretty, but ….”

“But what?”

“Chris, you’re a boy!”

“Are you sure? Look at me!” I stuck my lower lip out just a bit, tipped my head down slightly, and looked up at him. “Don’t you like me just a little bit, Jodeee?”

“Come on, Chris! Don’t do that to me!”

I reached out and touched his hand. He didn’t draw it back but stood there holding my hand. His palm was wet. “Jody, you’re sweating! What’s the matter?”

He put his other hand behind my head and pulled me closer. He was going to kiss me … he really …. My head was swimming and my whole body was tingling. I opened my mouth and let him explore with his tongue. I reached up and he was so tall that to put my arms around his neck I had to pull my body right up against his. I could feel the wonderful warmth of his body and I was ready to enjoy his comforting embrace forever. Finally, he pulled away. “Jody, I like that.”

“We can’t … we just ….” But he pulled me to him and kissed me again. He quit trying to hold back.

I relaxed my body and let him take control. My knees were too weak to support me, so I was hanging from his neck and he was actually holding me as if I were a rag doll. He gradually eased his hold and I managed to stand on my own. After the kiss, I whispered in his ear, “Jody, I want you to make love to me.”

“I can’t Chris. You know I can’t. Please … let’s get to school.”

I held back the tears. “You do like me?”

“Yes, just as a friend!”

I reached down and felt the bulge in his pants. “Your body says you like me more than that.”

“Oh, God! Chris, I’m not gay … I don’t ….”

“No way! We’re just a boy and a girl who like each other!”

“No, you’re my best friend!”

“Isn’t it nice having a girlfriend who’s your best friend?”

“Yes … no … aw crap, I don’t know! Please stop this, Chris!”

“It’s ‘Chrissy’. OK, let’s get to school.”

As we started walking, I reached for his hand and he took it. We walked hand in hand toward the school. “Chrissy, we can’t keep holding hands when we get close to the school.”

“I know, Sweetie.”

“Don’t call me that!

“Honey?”

“No!”

I decided to put all my cards on the table. I stopped walking, turned to him and said, “Jody, don’t you realize that I’m not just your best friend. I love you and I always have. You haven’t felt that? Remember our sleepovers? When we went to bed I would hold your hand and you were ok with it. Remember in the morning when we woke up I would be snuggled next to you? You never said anything! Were you leading me on?”

“No! Chris … Chrissy, it’s not like that. But you were never like other guys. You’re so much smaller, and with your long hair, it was kind of like you were a child or … a girl? That’s why I never thought that much about it. You wanted to hold hands and snuggle and it was kinda like a little kid who wants security. You’re my best friend, and there was no way I was going to say ‘don’t touch me’. It didn’t feel wrong, and no one else had to know. I guess I felt like it was just ‘our thing’. You’re still small, and you don’t have body hair like most guys. Now, instead of getting big and more like a man, you’re getting prettier. Still, I always thought of you as my best friend. I can’t just flip a switch like ‘click’, and say, ‘Now you’re my girlfriend’! Are you gonna get a sex change?”

“I think so.”

“Seriously? Wow! OK, this is hard to take in!”

“My mom has been giving me medicine that keeps me from going through puberty. When I tell her I want to go through with a sex change, she will start giving me hormones so my body will develop as a female.”

“So, you’re gonna be ‘Chrissy’. This is not gonna work out at school. Not one bit.”

“My mom and my sister are gonna support me. Are you gonna still be my friend?”

“Oh, wow. It’s not gonna be easy for you. I’ll still be your friend. I wouldn’t be much of a friend if I bailed out on you now.”

“Thanks, Sweetie!”

“I said ‘friend’, not ‘girlfriend’!”

“OK, Honey!”

“Stop! Hand holding time is over, Chrissy Baby.”

“I like that!”

“I know.”

He smiled when he said that! I know it wasn’t much, but I was willing to take any encouragement I could.

We got to school. Incredibly, hardly anyone noticed me. The protest was over, so most people assumed I was one of the girls. By third period, however, word had reached the principal that there was still a dress code problem, and I received another summons.

“Mr. … or Ms. Davis … as the case may be. I see you continue to dress in an inappropriate manner despite my gracious capitulation to your demands regarding the dress code. What is your point?”

“Principal Hammond, approximately half of the students in this school dress the way I’m now dressed. What the problem?”

“You’re dressed the way the female half of the school population dresses. That is inappropriate.”

“Is there a prohibition in the dress code against wearing dresses?”

“No, but no one who wrote the dress code could foresee that a boy would want to wear a dress to school.”

“Sir, I’ve decided that I like dressing this way and I want to continue. I might even consider switching to the other ‘team’ so to speak.”

“Oh, really? Do it! However, don’t expect me to protect you every time you encounter resistance from your fellow students.”

“So you’re saying that the ‘no-bullying’ policy wouldn't apply to me?”

“I’m not saying that! I just can’t have someone protect you during the entire school day when you purposely invite ridicule by what you wear. Also, you will use the boys’ restroom and you will continue to take physical education with the boys.”

“Thank you, sir. Is that all?”

“Yes, you’re asking for trouble, that’s all.”

“Well, I expect the same protection against harassment that any other student receives.”

“Oh of course, but I can’t guarantee your safety completely. Now, have a nice day.”

“You too, Principal Hammond.”

I saw Jody at third period. “Jody, I need you to organize a protest.”

“What do you want to protest now, Chris … Chrissy?”

“I don’t want to protest. I want you and all the other guys protest me coming into the boys’ locker room.”

“What?”

“Look, I don’t want to go to gym class and have to take off my dress and have all the boys see my bra and panties. So, I think the boys should protest having a girl come into their locker room. Now, when it’s time for our gym class, you go a little early and tip the boys off. Have them prepared to block my way when I try to come into the locker room. I’ll make sure I don’t get there too early so you’ll have time to get it set up. Will you do this for me?”

“Anything for my best girl!”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, I’ve done some thinking. Let’s talk after school. I have something I need to do, then I’ll come by your house. OK, Sweetie?”

“Thanks, Honey.” I discretely blew him a kiss as we parted, and walked on air to my next class. In my mind, I pulled petals off an imaginary flower as I whispered to myself, “He loves me … he loves me not ….”

Sure enough, when it was time for P.E., I got to the boys’ locker room to find my entranced denied.

One boy complained, “We don’t want no girls in here!”

“That’s right. Go to the girls’ locker room.”

Some were smiling about this. Everyone was having a good time. They knew, of course, that I was the culprit that arranged this. Teen-aged boys love a good protest. The coach came to the door to investigate the problem.

“Coach, we don’t want any girls in here. This is a boys’ locker room.”

“Boys, you know this is Chris Davis and you know that he’s a boy!”

I spoke up, “It’s ‘Chrissy’, coach.”

“What? Chris, what are you gonna come up with next? Just go to the library for this period until we get this straightened out.”

The boys all cheered and I gave them a subtle “thumbs up” as I left. I knew, however, that this was just the beginning of this conflict. I also knew that I might not get as much support in the long run as what I had received that day.

After school, I didn’t see Jody, so I went home and waited for his promised visit. He said he had something to do first, and promised to “talk”. It was beginning to get dark outside before he showed up. I opened the front door, and he said quietly, “Let’s go to your room.” When we got to my room, he pulled a tiny gift-wrapped box from his pocket. The wrapping paper had a very feminine flower theme.

“Open it!”

I opened the tiny package to find a pair of heart-shaped stud earrings. “Jody, they’re beautiful, but they must have been expensive!”

“Not really. They came with a pack of bubble gum.”

“They did not, you silly goose!”

“Chrissy, I really … like you. I’ve known for a while that something was different about our friendship. When you went on vacation last summer with your mom and sister, I missed you a lot. I thought there was something wrong with me, but you’ve never been like … like a guy! There were times I thought I wanted to kiss you, but I thought it would end our friendship if I did. I didn’t ….”

I put my arms around his neck, pushed him back on the bed, and kissed him passionately. I could feel his body responding. “Jody, you don’t have a gun in your pocket, do you?”

“Chrissy, you don’t know how frustrating this is for me.”

“Yeah, I can feel your frustration. I guess I make it hard, right?”

“Do you get hard sometimes?”

“No. I don’t know what it’s like. The medicine stops that from happening.”

“Well, that’s good. It would be weird if we both … you know.”

“Yeah. Look, relax Baby.” He laid back and I gave him a massage in his “response” area. “Jody, I’m sorry. I seem to be making matters worse!”

“You’re driving me crazy, that’s all! You really don’t understand this, do you?”

“I’ve heard locker room talk, but it seems so strange. You can’t control it? I wonder what it would feel like if it happened to me.”

“Oh my God. Sweet, innocent little Chrissy! You’re actually being honest!”

“I love you, Jody. I’ve always loved you. I can’t show it like you do, so I have to tell you. Let me ask you something, Jody. How long have you known my ears were pierced?”

He began to blush. “One time when you were spending the night at my house, I was watching you sleep. You looked like a pretty little girl. I brushed your hair back and saw that you had both ears pierced. I think It kinda helped me understand you a little better. You were so pretty then I almost kissed you, but I was afraid that would be a disaster."

“You were wrong. There were times when I wanted you to kiss me, but I didn’t dare ask. I could sense the times you wanted to kiss me, but you backed down. I guess we were both cowards.” I pulled my hair back on both sides to show him my earrings. “Look!”

“You look nice.”

“Thanks, Baby.”

“Don’t ever call me that when someone else is around!”

“You don’t have to say that every time. I’m not that stupid!”

There was a knock on the door of my room. “Chrissy?”

“Come in Claire.”

She came in. “Oh, Hi, Jody! What are y’all doing?”

Jody touched his ears and spoke up. “Show her Chrissy!”

I pulled back my hair. “Oh, those are pretty! Where did you…?”

“I gave them to her,” Jody volunteered.

Claire’s eyes got wide. “Oh! So y’all are …?”

“Chrissy’s my girlfriend, Jody volunteered, then turned to me, “right?”

“Yep, I’m Jody’s girlfriend.”

“Well, I’m happy for both of you, but I assume y’all don’t want to make this public knowledge for a while.”

I thought a few seconds. “No. We’ll have to keep it a secret. I don’t know how long. I just ….” My voice broke and I put my face in my hands. I felt my sister’s hands on my shoulders. I decided to be brave. “Jody, this is gonna be hard for me, but I’m afraid it will be harder for you.” I smiled, “I mean ‘more difficult for you’. See, it’s bad enough for me, but if you’re my friend, the other kids will imagine what we’re doing in private; more than that, they’ll make up stories about us. You don’t deserve that. Please let’s just pretend to not be friends until some of the worst blows over.”

“Chrissy, I’m your friend. I don’t care what ….”

“Jody, listen,” Claire broke in, “he … she’s right. You know you love each other, but that will just be ammunition for others to ridicule both of you. Please, Jody. I know you want to be brave, but I agree with Chrissy. The two of you ‘split-up’ for now … at least publicly. It’s probably gonna get worse than either of you can imagine.”

“But I like Chrissy!”

“If you like her, make it easier on both of you!”

“Whatever y’all say.”

Claire turned to me. “Chrissy, if you keep showing up for in a dress, eventually, people are gonna realize that it’s more than just a way to agitate the principal. I’m afraid the kids are gonna turn on you.”

“But Claire, there is a lot of resentment toward Principal Hammond. Maybe I can use the fact that Principal Hammond doesn’t like what I’m doing to get support.”

“Yes,” Jody added, “I can work on the guys to keep them on your side. I don’t have to be your boyfriend to do that.”

“I think it’s actually better if you’re not my boyfriend to do that.”

Claire thought a little. “It might work. It can’t hurt. I’ll work with the girls. They all like Chris, anyway. Maybe they’ll like Chrissy just as much. Tomorrow is Friday. Let’s get you something to wear, Chrissy, and this weekend we need to go shopping to get you some clothes of your own.”

“Hammond knows who your mom is now, and he’s afraid of what she can do legally. Clue her in about your plan so she can be ready to step in if she needs to.”

The plan was starting to sound good to me. “Let’s order pizza and have another fashion show. When Mom gets home, we’ll get her up to speed. I think she’ll like it. She never has liked Hammond, even when they were in high school together.”

So the fashion show began. I was amazed at the number of dresses, skirts, tops, shoes, and other things my sister had. I began to wonder why we needed to shop at all, but she assured me that the quantity she had was about average for a girl. It seemed to me that she could wear a different outfit every day of the school year and not wear the same thing twice. I settled on a reasonably conservative dress. I didn’t see any need to give the principal ammunition by wearing something too revealing.

When Mom got home, we told her plan and she loved it. She said she would have papers ready should Hammond gave her a reason to file something in court. With that, we were on our way.

Saturday morning it was time for shopping. I got dresses, skirts, tops, pants, bras, panties, pantyhose, socks, shoes. After the clothing, we went and shopped for jewelry. I got pretty much anything and everything a girl wears. I enjoyed it, but Mom and Claire had as much fun as I did or more. I told Claire, “Sis, I’m gonna kind of miss having you set out my clothes for me.”

“No problem. I’ll keep it up for as long as you want me to. I like doing it, and you will always be fashionable.”

“Thanks, Claire.”

“Actually, Chrissy, picking out your clothes is something you could do for yourself, but there’s something you won’t be able to for yourself. I’m ready to volunteer when the time comes.”

“What’s that?”

“Chrissy, you don’t know? Think!”

I stared at my sister. I’ve always been a pretty fast learner and I couldn’t think of anything I would need her help to do. “Claire, I give up! What is it?”

“Have babies!”

Mom overheard. “Whoa there! I’m not so sure about that! You’re talking about something that could cause problems down the line! I don’t think what you’re talking about will work out at all.”

Claire and I didn’t see what the problem was.

“Claire, imagine going to visit Chrissy and her family. When you carry a child for nine months, you bond with that child. It’s hard enough when a mother gives a child up for adoption and never sees the child again. It will be much harder if you see the child a lot. The child you bore will be calling her ‘Mommy’, and that’s gonna hurt every time you hear it. Also, there will be times you will disagree about the way the child is raised. Are you gonna be able to keep quiet? You can’t even keep quiet if you don’t like the shoes Chrissy’s wearing!”

This put a new light on the situation. Claire summed it up. “Chrissy, old people are wise. We should listen to them.”

That got a dirty look from Mom, but she was able to keep quiet.