It's been awhile! For the last few years, life's journey has been taking absolutely everything I have to give it. However, I have cranked out this modern take on the theme of the Fates messing with your life, thrusting you into the kind of situation that makes you feel trapped and teaching you the harsh lesson that control is an illusion. Writing about that metaphorically was a great exercise that I thoroughly enjoyed. I hope you enjoy this story!

THE PRESENT

It was as though the Fates themselves were marching down the hall. Three girls, known to be close friends, paraded down the main corridor of the school, amidst the chattering of students at their lockers, garnering the usual male attention from the crowd. They looked like models from a catalog in their jeans and button front shirts - apart from Regina, the goth in black leather and denim. She would be right at home in a horror movie. I had just turned my attention back to my locker and my business when I heard their footsteps move behind me - and stop. As my eyebrows rose in surprise, I turned around to see who they were looking for.

“Hey there, Kelly. Got some time?” Olivia asked with a pretty smile. The redhead’s two friends, Margot and Regina, flanked her and all three stood there, grinning at me. My embarrassing lack of experience with girls left me at a loss.

“Um… yeah, I guess. What’s up?” I stammered, raising my quiet voice over the hallway din. While they exchanged glances, my hand scratched my hairline and pulled a strand of golden-brown hair behind my ear that had escaped my pony tail.

“We just want to hang out,” she evaded. They want to spend time with me? Normally, they ignore me! Hmmm. Something doesn’t sit right, but these girls have never given me any trouble before, so I can’t imagine why they would now.

“Alright. What do you want to do?” I probed, putting my stuff in my locker, shutting the beige door and padlocking it.

“Oh, we just thought we’d… get to know one another.” She replied, making her friends laugh. “Come on! Let’s go somewhere we can talk.” Her friends giggled as she turned and started walking, leading the way. Uncertain as to what was so funny, I let it go - just like I ignored the gym bag that Margot was carrying, her sports equipment being none of my business.

It was odd having two pretty girls flanking me as we went. I was unaccustomed to the looks of envy from some of the guys as we processed down the hall. Conversation was sparse as we walked past the main entrance to the auditorium and turned right, down the long hallway along the left side. There was nobody about down this narrower passage, as it was the end of the day and the other students were visiting their lockers on the main corridor. I didn’t mind, as it was crowded enough with our little group filling the width of the space. At the far end of the hall, where the hallway turned right along the rear of the stage, Margot unlocked a broad door with a sign on the outside, pushing the door wide open as she entered, holding the door as we followed her in.

Why on earth are we going into the costume storage room? I wondered, glancing at the three aisles of hanging costumes beyond the open space up front. Well, girls often talk in the bathroom in groups. Maybe this is some kind of alternative since I’m not a girl? Once we were all inside the room, Margot locked the door behind her, filling me with the kind of anxiety that might be induced by someone breaking into my home late at night. Oh shit! This is too much privacy! I don’t like this! Regina moved toward my left. Meanwhile, Margot blocked the door, dropping the bag to one side as Olivia hovered close to my right.

“Okay, Kelly,” Regina smirked. “We are dressing you as a girl. Right here. Right now. Start stripping.”

“What??” I blurted. “You’ve got to be kidding!!”

They just laughed as they advanced on me, grabbing my sweater and pulling it over my head. My collared t-shirt followed it within seconds, leaving me naked from the waist up. Okay, you’re not kidding.

“Oh, she’ll pull this off beautifully! She’s even got a bit of hip to show off!” Margot cackled, getting the others started. I glanced at the duffle bag, wondering what the hell they were doing. Oh, my God! It’s full of girls’ clothes, isn’t it! That must be how they brought them in here! With my un-muscular body, long hair, and large, blue eyes, I would have no trouble looking like a girl. Margot was right! The guys teased me every day about looking girly. I need a way out of this! Fast!

As the girls’ laughter faded, Regina reached for my belt buckle. “Hey!! Stop it!!” I batted her hands away. Amazingly, she did stop - for now. They exchanged glances as they caught their breath, plotting their next move.

“Look,” Regina smirked. “Either you remove your clothes, or we’ll fucking strip you right now!”

I must have blanched.

“Tell you what,” she stepped over to one aisle of costumes, “we’ll give you one more chance to strip yourself,” she offered, pulling out a silky, red wrap – or maybe it was a cape - and throwing it at me. “Either way, hon, you’re about to lose your drawers.” She smiled evilly.

Well, shit. There are three of them, all of them taller than me. I can’t win. The best I’m going to get out of this is to preserve some small measure of dignity. I suppose I’d better take what I can get. Sighing, I may have dropped an f-bomb. Something made them giggle.

“That’s right, sweetheart.” Regina rubbed it in, smirking at me. Oh, shut up, you bitch! Defeated, I wound the cape around my waist like a towel, dropped the remainder of my clothing to the floor, and stepped out of it. My, how fast it was all confiscated! I couldn’t see any of my clothing. I wondered if they’d stuffed it in Margot’s bag. Then I was distracted from thoughts of my own clothes by the lavender, lace-trimmed satin panties that Margot pulled out of her gym bag and handed to Regina, who now held them out to me, her face still twisted into that smirk. I was surprised she would ever touch them. Her cross-shaped earrings and black lipstick testified that she wouldn’t be seen dead in those panties!

Knowing that there was no escape - because those girls would tackle me, if necessary - I took the panties from her and slipped them on under the cape - which she immediately ripped away from me, leaving me clad only in a pair of lavender, satin panties. Now Regina handed me the bra to match. Having no choice, I put the thing on, though not without fumbling. Regina almost grabbed it from me to do it right but then I got it on. She did shove a couple of foam falsies into the cups before adjusting the straps. I wondered if she had once used them until she grew out of them - if so, she certainly needed them no longer!

“I like what I see, Kelly!” She chuckled.

You can naff off and drop dead!

Now Margot stepped forward, holding up a lavender, boatneck sweater top and a black, knit skirt. I took the skirt and put it on. It hung to mid-thigh and fit almost tightly. Soon, it was joined by the lavender top, which fit equally well. How the hell did they know - of course! Margot is on the drama committee and works with the costuming for the school plays! A well-developed knack for judging sizes would be invaluable for that! And it’s why she’s got a key to this room, too! With an evil grin, Margot pulled out what looked like a balled-up pair of black knee-highs - until she shook them out and held them by their waistband. Pantyhose?? Now, that is completely unnecessary!!

“I am not wearing those!” I growled.

“Yes, you are,” Regina insisted, all three girls advancing on me. “Even if you run ‘em, we brought extras!” She grinned. “So, do you need help with these?” Regina drawled in a voice that dripped with sarcasm, taking the nylons from Margot.

“Um, yes.” I murmured. I could have put them on myself, but I didn’t want them knowing that.

“No problem. Sit.” She motioned to the wing chair, upholstered in old-fashioned gold-tone fabric, that sat against the end of one aisle, facing the door, when it wasn’t on stage in a production. Now trembling, I did as she asked. She made quick work of gathering up one leg, putting it on my foot, and sliding it up over my knee. Oh, they’re polka dot. Wonderful. Repeating the process on the other side, she told me to stand up. Wondering why I didn’t fight harder - until I remembered that there were three of them and they were all bigger - I did as she asked and watched her finish putting them on, settling the waist band in place and dropping the skirt. Finally, Margot held out a pair of black, patent leather pumps with two-inch French heels. I sat again to put them on, tending to my skirt and crossing each leg as I slid on the shoe.

I noticed the girls exchanging glances and couldn’t resist a petulant defense. “What? It seemed like the easiest way!” Finished with my outfit, I sat in the chair rolling my eyes, with my legs crossed at my ankles and my hands in my lap.

This was not what I expected of freshman year!

“Stand up!” Regina demanded. I stood and felt myself pushed toward a full-length mirror on the side wall that was flanked by makeup lighting and faced the open space. I remembered someone mentioning that it was mostly used to test a costume or a makeup job. Makeup job! I tensed. Oh, dear God!

“Let’s see, what can we do?” Regina murmured.

Oh, please don’t!

“Well, whatever you’re going to do, do it fast. We have to catch Lindsay before she goes home!” Olivia admonished, grabbing my attention.

Lindsay? Not Lindsay Smith! Oh no! I have a huge crush on her! What are they planning to do to her?

“Oh, don’t get your thong in a knot! We’ll be quick!” Regina chortled. She quickly brushed my shoulder-length hair straight back before twisting it at the back of my head and coiling it, securing it with a shiny, black hair clip. I had seen this hairstyle on a few of the girls. It seemed to be a classic style - and one that I loved.

“I’m just saying,” Olivia defended. “Her Mythology class is over soon.” She grabbed my right hand and started adding press-on nails in a French manicure style, filing each one to smooth the edges, while Regina put foundation on me, followed by powder. Well, here we go. Goddamnit! Margot added magnetic, silver teardrop earrings as Regina moved on to mascara and eyeliner, followed by purple and gray eyeshadow, which she smeared with knowledgable fingers. My God! Those are amazing smoky eyes! I almost want her to teach me how to do that - almost.

“Oh, how cute! She’s blushing enough on her own so we don’t even need to add any!” Regina taunted, as she added dark, cherry-flavored lip gloss before stepping back and admiring her handiwork. “Even your eyebrows aren’t bad. They will do just fine. Damn, girl! You do look hot!” She kidded, shaking her head. “If I were a lesbo, I would be all… over… you.” She poked me between the collar bones with each of the last three words while Margot added a silver necklace with a flat, silver heart pendant and a silver claddagh ring - on my ring finger, of course.

“Alright, guys, we need to get a move on if we want to grab Lindsay! We only have a few minutes.”

If only I hadn’t left my cellphone in my locker! Now I can’t warn her - unless I can get by them and run for it - not that I would get very far in a skirt, pumps, and pantyhose. Augh!!

“She’s done, anyway,” Regina smiled. I watched, as they put their stuff back in their bags, trying to find an opening, a way to get by them, but they were soon out of the room. As the door closed behind them, I took a step toward it, intending to peek out into the hall, but then I heard them lock it behind them. It was then that I noticed the double-cylinder construction of the lock.

Oh shit!

I dashed over to the door and tried to pull it open, but it was locked.

“Augh! You bitches!” I complained as I pounded the door one, futile time. I looked around to try to find my clothes, only to find them missing. Then I remembered Margot’s gym bag. That’s where they are! Oh, great. Just great. Now what? I drifted over to the mirror to look at the smoky eyes that Regina had given me. Damn it, I’ll never be able to reproduce that! It’s just not fair! I could see which colors she’d applied and where, but my previous attempts at a smoky eye had been laughable. Growing bored with my makeup, I paced in the open space, deciding what to do next. I might as well have a look at the costume dresses.

Shrugging, I strolled down the center aisle, to pass the time while I thought about my predicament. Damn school needs to be a lot more careful who they trust with the damn keys! I groused, as I pulled out a morbid, black dress that would look right at home on Morticia Addams. Or Regina, I giggled. Putting back the costume, I sent a cloud of dust flying that had me sneezing - and I was allergic to dust. Well, this is getting better and better! Returning my focus to the problem at hand, I got to thinking about what they had in mind for Lindsay, as I pulled out what looked like a medieval queen’s dress. Regina said that I do look hot as a girl. I shuddered at that thought, browsing as I wondered if that had anything to do with my current “incarceration.” Could Regina have been repeating something she overheard, perhaps? "Filthy cows." I muttered, wondering who, then, uttered the original comment.

I spotted a familiar Renaissance dress and took it out for a closer look. I was reminded of the school’s recent production of Romeo and Juliet, in which Lindsay had played Juliet. I had thought that Lindsay had done a remarkable job in the role - and that she had looked insufferably alluring in the tight-fitting Renaissance dress I was now holding. I was sure that it was a tad naughtier than the school would have preferred, but it wasn’t indecent. It was just suggestive - not that I was complaining! Sighing, I realized that Lindsay was about my size. I knew this dress would fit me. But what if they come back? I worried. No, I can’t risk it. If they catch me in this dress, then they’ll know that I like to dress as a girl. This is bad enough already without being outed.

As if on cue, I heard someone coming, though I had no idea who. I quickly put the dress back, sneezing again, as I spun to stare at the door. Damn it, I don’t want to be caught like this - but then again, if I want to get out of here, I’m going to have to walk past whoever that is - unless I want to risk them locking me in again! I listened as the giggling of three girls approached the door - and the grousing of a fourth, making my eyes fly wide open. It’s Lindsay! Oh, dear God, no!! My heart sank like an anchor. Having no other option, I hid among the dresses on the rack, grateful that most of them were floor length. I could only listen as they unlocked the door and walked in.

“You guys, I really have to go. You said you want to show me something, so please do it right now!” Lindsay whined.

They brought her here to show her something? Oh, God! I glanced down at my clothing, with my nose now itching as though I had snorted a burr. Damn these allergies! I’m going to sneeze!

“Keep your panties on! This won’t take long!” Regina cooed. I could hear that damned smirk! “We left you a little present in here, that’s all.”

“A present? Where? And why?” She scoffed, looking around the room, judging from the sound. Then I heard footsteps running, the door slamming, and someone locking it.

Aw, shit!

“Hey! What the hell??” She banged on the door. “Assholes! I have to get to a dance class!” She banged some more and I heard a whimper. Then it sounded as though she slumped against the door and slid to the floor. For a beat, there was silence. Then, she muttered, “Assholes. I’ll fix you!” I could hear her rummaging in her bag and then using an electronic device. “No reception?! Augh!! That’s just beautiful!! No wonder they picked this room!!” It sounded like she flopped her head backward, against the door.

“Being locked in the closet storage room is not my idea of a present! Assholes!” she fumed at the door.

They did not clear the air in here very often - and my allergies would not be mollified. Shit!! I can’t sneeze now! No! No! NO!! In desperation, I went to raise my hand to clamp my nostrils shut, makeup be damned, only to rustle one of the dresses in the process. I dropped my hand again, not wanting to make another sound. Stupid, bloody taffeta!

“Hey! Is someone there?” Lindsay demanded - right before I sneezed.

“Damn it!” I hissed before I sneezed twice more.

“Who is that??” She demanded, stomping a few steps toward me, trying to sound tough - and failing.

The poor girl is clearly unnerved. I’m sure she would appreciate knowing that she is, at least, in safe company. “It’s just me,” I confessed, in the feminine voice I normally used when I dressed as a girl. I was suddenly grateful that it was so convincing; I felt a weak hope that it might disguise me. Though it’s even better if I don’t allow her to get a good look at my face.

“Me who?” She crossed her arms, sounding impatient, yet relieved.

“Just me.” I came out of my hiding place and stood before her, my legs together, staring at my hands as my left one played with the ring on my right. She had her beautiful sandy blond hair in a messy ponytail. A navy-sweater-and-jeans combo flattered her figure while her eyes studied me like a jigsaw puzzle. I couldn’t look at her because I dreaded her reaction to my appearance the way a puppy might fear a rolled up newspaper. Plus, I had messed up my hair and I needed to straighten my skirt. I wasn’t even presentable as a girl! At least my pantyhose aren’t laddered. Pause. That was an odd thought! Bringing my mind back to my present circumstances, I realized that she was still staring at me, no doubt still trying to figure out what the hell was going on. “I think I’m supposed to be your, uh… present.” I pointed at myself, still speaking in my feminine voice. Well, she doesn’t seem concerned for her safety any longer. That’s good, I guess.

“You look familiar. Do I know you?”

I felt my spine stiffen and my brain crash. I don’t know what to say! If I tell her who I am, then she will know that I’m a boy in pantyhose. On top of that, my practiced feminine voice would tend to give away my experience dressing as a girl. Given the inevitability of that outcome, however, I nodded. Then she gasped and her eyes grew wide.

“Kelly?? Is that you?? It is you!!” She marveled.

“In the hose,” I kidded with a rueful smirk, extending one leg. She laughed for a moment - until her brow knitted.

“Wait a minute,” she drawled. “Are you in on this?” she demanded, her brow furrowed, her eyes suspicious.

I stared at her with my own eyes the size of pizza platters. “Oh, sure! I love being locked in - ah-choo - a dusty costume closet, dressed as a girl against my will, right after,” I faltered, “right after a group of girls shows me some attention for the first time, ever.” I wound down. “Yeah, that’s… that’s my idea of a great time.” I let out a defeated sigh. “How about you? Are you having fun?” I rolled my eyes and looked down at my ring as my fingers played with it.

“No, I’m not having fun. I am going to be late for my dance class! I might even miss it, if we’re locked in here long enough.”

“Well, as long as we’re stuck here, tell me something?” I looked back into her beautiful blue eyes. “Would you happen to know why Regina told me that, um,” I glanced at my outfit, “apparently, I look hot like this?”

She blanched, before turning bright red, and covering her face with her hands. “Ohhhhhh, my God!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I groused. Realizing that my hair was still a mess, I went over the mirror to straighten myself up.

“Oh… my fucking… Gawd!” She shook her head, her hands still hiding her face. “Oh, they didn’t!” She slowly moved to join me.

“Um, yes, they did! Look at me!” I gestured from my hair to my pumps before resuming my reparations.

“You mean…” Her eyes widened. “You really didn’t do this voluntarily?” My jaw nearly pile drove through the floor.

“Hell no!” My hands went to my hips as I spun to face her. Here?? At school?? Have you lost your grip on reality?!

“Jesus, those assholes don’t know when you’re kidding!” She barked, stomping over to the door and giving it a good kick as though she were trying to kick it down. Too bad it opened inward, or it might have accomplished something! “I’m sorry. It appears that I may have gotten you into this jam.” She stared at the door, sighing as she studied her feet. “My friend Jeannie… she… God, this is embarrassing, but… it was a few days ago.” She shrugged. “She caught me staring at you a little too long in English class.” She took a breath. “I had to give her some reason for staring at you, and… I noticed your long hair, and… I’m really sorry… I told her that you’d be hot if you were a girl.”

Really? My heart rate accelerated. But she did use the word “kidding.”

She continued, “Don’t worry; I trust her not to spread that around. I also know that she laughed when I said it, so she didn’t take it seriously. I knew she wouldn’t. But those three girls,” she made an obscene gesture toward the door, “started laughing behind us and I knew that they had heard me. And now they’ve dressed you up and locked us in here!” She threw her arms in the air, letting them flop at her sides. We fell silent as she held her head in her hands, still facing away from me.

“Well, it’s not your fault they don’t know a… joke… when they hear one.” I reassured her. A joke. Really? Is that all I am to you? Well, now I need to know! “So you… don’t really…” I was having trouble saying it. I sighed loudly before continuing. “You don’t really think I’m hot as a girl, do you? You were only saying that to Jeannie because she caught you staring?”

I could have sworn that I saw her cringe. Oh, God. She didn’t even mean it after all of this? Well, shit; that’s lovely. This might have turned out to be worth it if she actually thinks I’m hot as a girl - well, being dressed up might have, anyway - but if she doesn’t then… damn this!

“Hey, listen, don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to be hurt if you don’t think I’m hot dressed as a girl,” I sulked. Well, only a little, because I have always thought I look good when I do this at home... and this might be who I really am... and I love you-

“Well, truthfully, I was trying to protect myself--”

“Oh, this is terrific! I’m dressed up as a girl against my will and locked in here over something you didn’t even mean?” I rolled my eyes, shaking my head.

“--but I did mean it!” She took a breath, continuing as though she were reasoning with the door. “Honestly. When I look at you... I don’t know why, really, but... I don’t see a b-boy. I see a girl. And I do think she’s hot.” She still wouldn’t face me. I brightened, suddenly thankful that her back was still turned. I wasn’t sure what she would think of someone who was elated to hear that Lindsay Smith thought that he was hot as a girl.

“Thanks, I guess.” I chuckled. No response. “So… I mean… was it just an observation?”

She rocked her head back, looking at the ceiling, not letting me see her face. My mouth seemed to fill the silence of its own accord.

“Or… is there something more to it?” I slowly walked around her, counterclockwise, to try and stand in front of her, but she rotated her body, keeping her back to me. Finding that she was now facing the mirror, she kept right on turning. I gave up when we had done a complete circle. “Okay, I won’t ask. We can…” I thought for a moment, taking a breath, then speaking rapidly. “We can tell them that you thought I was hot all right and, gee, what a hoot! I should wear this on Halloween, and wouldn’t that be a blast?” I tittered. “You know, we’ll make them think it’s… just a… joke.” And we’re back to that, damn it! “They don’t have to know anything that we don’t want them to.”

For several moments, she was silent. “Please don’t mention this to anyone, but—“

“Never.”

“-what I said was not just an observation. I’m gay. Do you know how much I hate my life?” She murmured. “I always feel so fake around my friends. Every day. Girls our age talk about boys all the time. It’s always, ‘Who do you like, Lindsay? Who would you fuck, Lindsay? Check out the ass on that beefcake, Lindsay!’ I always have to fake it. I hate that.” Her head flopped into her hands. “I feel like I’m lying to my friends all the time. What kind of a friend am I?” Suddenly, she looked at her watch and growled. “Augh! I’m missing my dance class!” She sighed. “All because my big fucking mouth got us locked in here.”

"Life is what happens while you’re making other plans, right?”* That scored a chuckle.

“Yeah, that’s for damned sure.”

Silence enveloped the room again, and unease caressed me with its fingers. She had just been honest with me about her sexuality, and I felt that I should reciprocate with candor of my own. Technically, she could have told me to mind my own business… and she isn’t asking about me… but then again, if I don’t tell her, then how am I ever going to know if she feels anything beyond just… physical attraction. Just then, I realized that I had been speaking like a girl the entire time she’d been present - and I knew just how to broach the subject. “By the way, uh… aren’t you wondering why I’ve been speaking with a girl’s voice the entire time we’ve been in here? Since we both know I don’t have to?”

“Now that you mention that, it does make a girl wonder.”

“I thought that, uh… if you heard a male voice… knowing that you’re locked in here with whoever it belongs to… well, hell, it would scare the shit out of me!” I may have been small, but my baritone voice was masculine - unlike the rest of me. The good news was that I had been blessed with a wide vocal range and my feminized voice had fooled several telemarketers into using feminine forms of address when I’d practiced it on them by pretending to be smashed as a form of petty revenge. I knew that Lindsay would be more comfortable hearing that voice emanate from me. “Of course, uh, that only begs another question, right?” I sighed, gazing at her back, knowing that she would soon put it together anyhow. “Why, exactly, did I care to learn how to speak this way so well? And grow my hair this long? What the hell, let’s throw that in there, too.”

She shrugged and nodded. “I wonder about that, too.”

With another sigh, I glanced at the door, pausing in the silence, before I continued. “Well, I seriously hope they don’t know this, because I would hate to get beaten up after they spread it around. That’s not a joke, in case you’re wondering. Anyway, uh… you know… I know how it feels to be fake every day. What you see is… not who I really am. I always feel like a complete forgery in my day-to-day life, and like you, I only do that to survive. When those girls dressed me up in here today… I had to fake hating that, too. But I didn’t hate it. I loved it - well except for dressing up here, at school, I mean. It’s far more risk than I care for. The truth is… this is not the first time I have dressed up as a girl. That would be the reason I grew my hair this long and… learned to speak like this. So that I could look and sound better as a girl… because I think I really am a girl. Please don’t ever spread this around, but… I’ve been dressing as a girl at home for a couple of months. So I really know what you mean—”

For a moment, she stood frozen, rigid. I knew she was stunned. Now, she slowly turned to face me, wiping a tear. “Please… please don’t mess with me like this.” I was astonished by that reaction.

“I’m not messing with you! Do you have any idea what would happen if anything I just told you got out? My parents might as well book me a slab at the morgue! Besides, I would never do that to you! Th-th-that would be unbelievably cruel!” My voice wavered. “God, if you only knew how I feel...” I trembled as I fought for the courage to speak my mind.

“About what?” her brow furrowed in puzzlement.

“About you. You’re an incredible actress. You’re a good person. You’re smart. You’re beautiful, too. And I care about you a lot. Way too much to ever hurt you.”

“No, you don’t. You’re just saying that to make me feel like less of an asshole.” She turned away.

“I am not just saying that! You are lovely. I never told you that before because... I never knew that you noticed me. I was surprised to hear that you know my name. I didn’t think you’d ever heard of me.”

Nothing. You still don’t know what to think? Very well.

“Seriously, I wish to hell that I were messing with you. My whole life would be so much easier. I don’t fit in out there.” I gestured toward the door. “Or haven’t you noticed me eating lunch alone every day?” She turned back to look at me, her eyes questioning me. “How many of those kids,” I glanced at the door, “do you think are my friends?” She turned to look at me with wide, emotional eyes. “Well, let’s just say that I could count them on my fingers even if you amputated them all. I don’t have any friends.” Slumping into the chair, tending my skirt, I raised my right foot off the ground, watching myself wiggle it around and enjoying the sensation of my pantyhose around my ankle. I felt better about myself this way. I really did look good, and that helped me to find the confidence I needed to continue. “The guys think I’m a pussy, you know… and the girls… just don’t seem to think much of me at all - except that they think I’m nice. A couple of them have told me so. Only they said it like it’s weird.” I shrugged, gazing at her eyes, lowering my foot.

“Other than that, they really don’t even notice me. Unless, uh,” I glanced at my sweater, “unless they want to dress me up and lock me in a closet with my crush.” Wow, she is shivering! I smiled warmly, looking into her eyes. “Oh, and uh, you may have noticed, by now, that I haven’t bothered to remove these pantyhose, which I could so easily do. That’s because I happen to love to wear hose. Hell, I probably don’t even fit in with women, even though I am one.” Her eyes scanned my face as though she was looking for an answer as to what to believe. “So you see, I’m not messing with you. I’m a girl. I know I am. Let’s face it! Who’s more confident?” I stood up and placed my hands on my hips. “That awkward scaredy-cat you see around campus who avoids being noticed? Or me? Er, well... I mean aside from the fact that I was hiding when you came in here?”

“You’re a lot more confident as a girl.” She marveled. “And that confidence makes you even hotter.”

“Thanks,” I smiled.

I could feel my nose starting to run and, remembering the box of tissues next to the mirror, I went over to grab one. Bringing the dispenser over to Lindsay, who had been “leaking,” I held it out to her without a word. She took several tissues, wiped her eyes, and blew her nose.

“So you’re really... a girl? You’re transgender?” she stammered, hesitant to believe it.

“Yes. I am. I’m just... working my way out of denial, really. You can call me Ellie while I’m dressed like this – short for Eleanor. That’s the name I picked out. But it isn’t just this,” I fingered my sweater top. “Guys make no sense to me. Whatsoever. I hate their loudness. I can’t understand their need to compete over everything. I can’t understand why they seem to have such a problem with just talking about things. I’ve always enjoyed just talking! And girls? I understand them right away.

“You know, uh… j-just the other day, Alison Lawton knocked on the guys’ locker room door.” I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought of the guys’ locker room and its foul stench. “I happened to be on my way out. She asked for one of the guys. She started talking about how one of the girls at the school where she’d played a field hockey game drove her stick into Alison’s crotch. I’m not sure how she expected me to react, but I replied with, ‘Awww, what a bitch!’ With real sympathy. No laughing, no joking. Does that...” I sighed. “Does that sound like a guy’s reaction to you?”

She snorted. “No, not hardly.”

“Right - and that’s why she was surprised that I reacted that way. She was definitely not expecting that.”

“Of course not. You know, she’s not normally that crude. She was just being that way because-

“-she expected a guy to find that funny because they always do? And she was only trying to speak the local language, if you will?”

“Yes!” Her eyes widened. “And she expected you to-“

“Laugh out loud and make some crude remark and make fun of her? Just
like the guys make fun of our periods and-“


Lindsay now burst out laughing. “Oh, my God, you really are a girl!”

My hand shot to my mouth as I realized what I had said. Our periods? Oh, Jesus!

“Yes, I already seem to think of myself as a girl, don’t I?” I plunked down in the chair, automatically smoothing my skirt and crossing my legs. Slowly, I looked back up at her. “So you believe me, then? That I’m not messing with you?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yes! I believe you - that you are a girl, anyway. You really don’t have anything to do with our being locked in here? You really do look hot, and it’s hard to imagine they did that so quickly.”

“Well, thanks, but this was all the work of the Witches of Eastwick who locked us in here. They all worked on me at once - and I really wish to hell I could do smoky eyes like Regina!”

“Yeah, did she do that? She is good!”

She giggled as I took her hands and looked at her. “I honestly have nothing to do with us being locked in here. You’re not the only one who has better things to do, you know! Like I said, this was the first time they ever paid attention to me! I’m not friends with them!” Pause. “You know, while they were dressing me up, I heard them mention wanting to catch you before you left. I wish I could have done something-“

“Why didn’t you?” Her smile faltered.

“My cellphone is in my locker - although, I’m actually glad for that. It’s safe from those girls.”

“Well it wouldn’t work in here, anyway. Mine didn’t!”

I took a breath. “Yeah. And I knew I couldn’t get past all three of them to run. They’re all bigger than either of us. They’re Amazons, for chrissakes! Besides, if I had tried, hell, they probably would have tied me to the chair or something! They were not going to take ‘no’ for an answer! I didn’t want to risk it! Do you know that they almost stripped me naked in here, before they dressed me up? And then they left me locked in here while they went to catch you. God, I really wished I could have warned you! I really didn’t want them to do anything to you, because, like I said, I care for you a lot.” I blushed. “But they had me dressed up in here, just waiting for you - unless - oh, my God!” I blurted with alarm. “What if they somehow know about me and that was part of why they dressed me up? Oh, God. If they know, they could out me.”

“How would they know?” She smiled, rubbing my hands.

“Well, if you saw the girl in me, maybe they did, too.”

“Well, did they say anything about having a present for you in here?”

“No, now that you mention it. They only said that to you.”

“Okay, then, the only present was for me,” she smiled, “so it seems that they dressed you up for my sake. Anyway,” she continued to rub my hands, “I think that we can help each other stay in the closet. I mean, uh...” She swallowed. “Since we do have feelings for each other...?”

I grinned in reassurance. “Oh, we do.”

She smiled brightly. “Good. Then, we’ll start dating immediately. I mean, because we want to; don’t get me wrong! I totally want to.” She blushed. “But unless we’re both ready to come out... and I am definitely not... well, as long as they think you’re a boy, they think I’m straight, right?”

“Right,” I nodded, smiling.

“It can work - and if people think I have a boyfriend,” She kissed me long and deep on the mouth. “I can do that whenever I want.”

“And they’ll think I’m a straight boy with his girlfriend.” I kissed her right back.

“Yeah.” We smiled at each other for a few minutes, until my smile began to fade.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I wondered aloud.

“You mean, that we will both have to come out sooner or later?”

“Yeah. If you want to see your new partner very often without a costume, that is. Plus, I was thinking of coming back to school as a girl in the fall.”

“Okay. Well, school is out for the summer in a couple of months. Can it wait until then?”

“Oh, I was hoping it would! It’s just that we will have to come out sometime, is all.” I smiled and kissed her again. “But not for a while.”

“Yeah. Not for a while.” She beamed.

“Feeling better?” I grinned.

“Much.” She kissed me once more. “I don’t even care about missing my dance class anymore, now that we’ve hooked up.”

“Glad you’re feeling better.”

“Thanks.” She smiled. “So. Where were you supposed to be?”

“Oh, I was going to go home and, uh… be myself,” I held up one side of the hem of my skirt. We both laughed. “Just not here! Although... it’s a kind of good thing it did happen here after all... considering...”

We kissed once more, before we heard footsteps approaching. We just had time to fix our lip gloss before the approaching footsteps unlocked the door and ran away.

“It’s unlocked! Let’s get out of here while we can!” Lindsay took my hand, grabbed her purse and led me toward the door. I breathed a sigh of relief as it opened as expected and we stepped out into the corridor, relieved to be free. I knew she wanted to give those girls some eloquent words, but they were just rounding the corner into the main corridor ahead.

“Hey, they still have my clothes!” I started.

“Hmmm. Have you been out and about as a girl before?”

“No,” I admitted, suddenly self-conscious.

“Hmmm. Well, let’s check in front of your locker in case they left your clothes there.”

“Of course. That would ensure that I would be forced to walk down the main corridor as a girl in order to get to them.” She squeezed my hand, perhaps with a twinge of sadness, and I squeezed her back. “Well, come on, then. There’s no other way.”

But Lindsay glanced at the entrance to the auditorium just ahead, on the left. It would let us in near the stage, and I knew what she was about to propose.

“Hmmm. We could cut through the auditorium; that will get us closer. From there, I can go the rest of the way and check.”

I smiled with gratitude, my head tilting to one side. But I need my stuff out of my locker... and I don’t suppose it would be wise to reveal my locker combination on the first date. Although... I can hear the kids in the main corridor from here, so unless I want to publicly come out right now...

“Okay, let’s give it a shot. If anyone comes, I’ll get down between the seats.”

We navigated across the empty auditorium and paused at the entrance on the opposite side, behind the back row of seats, where we parted ways and the door shushed closed behind her. I decided to move to one shadowy corner. From there, it would be easier to sneak between the seats if necessary. My locker was only a ten-second walk from there, and before long, the door opened. It was Lindsay - but I didn’t see a bag of clothes with her! Uh oh. I stepped out of the shadows to talk to her.

“You didn’t find them, did you?”

“No.” She looked troubled. “I guess we’ll have to wait until the kids are gone. The hallway is clearing out, but you know how it is. Sometimes, they’re still in a classroom or an office.”

“Yeah.”

Fresh out of ideas, we were silent for a few minutes, before Lindsay poked
her head out of the auditorium. “It looks clear!”

“Okay, then let me grab my backpack really fast!”

“Alright!” She grabbed my hand, and we hurried down the hall to my locker.

“You’re my lookout, now!” I smiled.

“Got it!” She smirked.

When we arrived at my locker, I spun the lock, but just as I opened the door, a note fell to the floor. I picked it up and looked at it.

“Still clear?”

“Still clear. Is that a note?”

“Yeah... it says to keep the clothes, as I look sexy in them. Signed, guess who?”

“Tweedledee, Tweedledum, and Tweedlegoth?” she joked, making us both laugh. Feeling lucky to have a funny, pretty girl standing next to me, I placed my valuables in my navy backpack, which would have to double as a purse for a while. Just then, we heard a door open and voices emanate from it.

“Shit! Are they in the hall?” I hissed, quickly checking that I had the books I needed before zipping up my bag.

“No.”

“Good. How far away?”

“Seems to be Mr. Grantham’s history room, far end of the hall, past the auditorium.”

“Thank God! That’s plenty far off.” I shouldered my backpack, grateful that it was a navy, school backpack and therefore unisex. I shut my locker, padlocked it, grabbed Lindsay’s hand, and strode for the little-used far exit at the other end of the hall. “They can’t possibly recognize me from that far off! If anybody asks-”

“-then you were my friend Ellie who was dressed up because she was on her way to her aunt’s birthday party, if they must know!”

“Sounds perfect!”

A few more steps and we were outside. It was a new experience for me. I’m sure that my grip on Lindsay’s hand made her tendons complain to her about my nerves. However, since the alternative to leaving the building was to be outed in the school hallway, I didn’t even stop.

When we had put fifty yards between us and the school, I relaxed. “I think we made it!” I tittered.

“Yeah! We did! We’re good from here. I’m sorry we couldn’t find your clothes,” she lamented.

“Don’t worry about that. They probably hid them in a spare locker so I would be forced to walk up and down the main corridor to find them,” I mused, “but I can do that tomorrow, in safer attire.”

“You know, it wouldn’t surprise me if they tossed them in a dumpster somewhere off campus.”

“Nor me.” I sighed. “Oh well, at least I still have my cellphone, wallet, and keys. I can get into my house—”

Oh shit! I stopped in my tracks.

“Uh oh. Problem?” She froze, still holding my hand.

“Two of them, to be precise.”

“Parents?”

“Yup. They’re home until seven.”

“They don’t know about you, then?”

“No, not yet.”

“Are they expecting you?”

“Well, no. I often like to get out of the house on a Friday afternoon and since the school is open until seven, I can stop back at my locker to grab my backpack at around six and then walk home for dinner.”

“Okay, so you have until dinner?”

“Come to think of it, my folks are leaving at six to go to someone’s retirement party at my dad’s office, so I’m not exactly expected at all - though I should be home by the time my parents return from the party.”

“Well, that’s a help. Then you’ll come to my place until six. My parents are out until late,” she offered, with a smile.

“That would be great. I’d appreciate having somewhere to go. Especially with you!” With that, we started walking.

“I’m glad to be there for you. That’s what a girlfriend is for!”

A girlfriend! I have a girlfriend! Yes!!

“And you can count on me for the same!”

For a moment, we fell silent. That was when something came to mind that needed saying.

“So much for waiting for me to come out until summer, huh?” I glanced at my black, polka-dot, nylon legs as we walked. “Well, I guess I haven’t actually come out to anyone but you.”

“That’s right. And you hardly have a choice, do you? We’ll just have to bend the rules this time. Anyway, you do have a really marvelous excuse if anyone bleats about it.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” I giggled. “Well, what are your plans now?”

“I was just going to go home and fix myself some dinner.”

“You’re not doing anything with your friends?”

“You mean the ones I’m always deceiving into thinking I’m straight? I’m in no mood to be a faker tonight! Besides, I’d rather be with you!” She smiled.

“If I had friends, I would choose you over them right now, myself.” I grinned.

THE END