A Hairy Problem
written by Rachel76m
edited by Don Kaufman

I hope you like this story. There are some aspects here that are personal, some of it is fictional. I have never seen a story here at BC devoted to this type of problem. I hope it spurs some imagination here for you and get some solace that you are not alone with this problem. This is intended to be a Halloween type story. It is not your typical werewolf story. This story is now updated with a better ending.

~~~000~~~
It is another beautiful day. I’m walking home with my girlfriend from fifth Grade. Brianna and I are best of friends. We also kept our circle of friends close to us in our neighborhood. In our little click are two boys and five girls. Our friends have already split and walked to their own homes respectively.

“So, Brianna, are there any plans for the summer before we enter the seventh grade?”

“There are some, Richard.”

“Does it include us?” I smile mischievously at her.

She smiles back, “You know they do, you silly boyfriend. That includes your birthday.”

We squeeze our hands together to confirm our love.

“That’s good. I will be thirteen. Ready to enter the teen era, and that means your birthday is next month.”

“You better believe it, lover boy.”

“Of course it will be interesting to see ourselves change once we reach puberty.”

“Yes, it will be. We get introduced to those facts of life when our hormones kick in.”

We get near her house. We stop and look at each other and smile at each other. We hold our hands together.

“No matter what happens, Brianna, you have been the best friend always. You have shown me a life that I will never forget.”

“I know, Richard. I’ve helped you look your best. Remember what I taught you about grooming habits.”

“Yes, Brianna. It is more than what my mom and dad taught me.” I look down in shame.

“Shhh..... I know they aren’t the best of parents, but you persevered to be the best student and son to them.”

“I know, but their constant arguing doesn’t help. I don’t want to think of the worst situation.”

She hugs me real close, “I know Richard, and have heart and faith everything will work out.”

“I hope so Brianna. Look, it is time for you to get inside. I need to get back to help get dinner ready.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow morning. Take care of yourself Richard.”

“See you tomorrow morning, Brianna. I love you.”

“I love you too, Richard.”

We give each other another hug. We break apart. She walks down the sidewalk to her front door. She turns and waves. She blows me a kiss. I return the kiss as well. I know she is my first real girlfriend G-d. But it’s a start. I really like her.

I turn around and jog back to my house. It is only a block away on the same street. I run up to the door and stop. I catch my breath and then I use the house key to open the door and walk inside.

“Is that you, Richard?”

“It’s me, mom. I’m home.”

“Good, go and put your books away. I need your help in the house before your dad gets home.”

“Yes, mom.” I walk to my room and put the books away on my bed. I walk to greet mom. “So what do you want me to do now?”

“You need to clean up your brother’s room and put his toys away first. Then make his bed. After that, clean up the mess in the living room, I did get the laundry today done at least.”

“I take it Brandon has been a handful today?”

“Yes, he kept interrupting what needed to be done.”

“Where is he now, mom? Is he in the backyard?”

“Yes, he’s in the backyard playing. Once we get done here, get the table set. I’ll then start the dinner. Dad will be home by quarter till six.”

“The newspaper will be sitting in his chair.”

“Sigh…. This is too much, Richard.”

I get close too mom and hug her. She hugs back. “I love you, mom.”

“I know you do, Richard. It is just that the man I married can be difficult sometimes.”

“I know, mom. We’re making the best of it. It hurts me when I hear you two argue.”

“It hurts me too. He seemed so charming when we met. Now I’m not so sure.”

“We can talk about this later. I need to get busy mom.”

“Okay son. Just promise you won’t be like him.”

I smile at mom, “I promise, mom.”

I turn around and walk into my little brother’s room. Brandon is six years younger than me. Mom was hoping to have a daughter, but it did not happen. We have about an hour and a half to get the place ready for dad’s inspection.

I put Brandon’s toys away. Some are in the closet stacked neatly. The rest of them are in the two floor boxes. I then make his bed and lay the sheets out neatly. I put the bed cover over it and make it look neat.

At least my room is already made. I did it before I left for school this morning. There are two weeks until school is out. When summer is over with, Brandon will be in the first grade. This will give mom more time to take care of the place.

I pick up the small pieces of toys, paper, and playdoh and put them where they belong. Dad is very exacting and precise. I would have to be born into a family with a drill instructor for a dad at the nearby military academy. He is expecting me to be there when I enter the ninth grade.

I’d rather be at the same school with Brianna. But, my dad insists on my going to the military academy, I will be better prepared for life and have a better retirement outlook when I finish my service period. Again he is expecting me to serve twenty years. He only served one tour before he had to leave. His knee got injured in preparing for the next deployment.

He was disappointed about the examination and the surgery that followed. He did a lot of searching to find a job that fitted his mind set. He found this military academy that is hiring drill instructors. He convinced mom that this is the place to be.

I was born a year after his retirement from the army. Everything was fine until Brandon was born six years later. Now mom had to tend to both of us at the same time while still getting the house neat for dad’s inspection when he comes home.

Mom had me help around the house once I got home from school. The house chores had to be done first. Then I helped set the table and help mom in the kitchen. After the dishes are clean and put away from dinner, then I finally get to do my homework.

Mom and dad got into arguments all the time when things were not done his way. Usually when I hear that, I try to sneak into my room. Sometimes dad would argue with me when my room is not neat and orderly. Eventually, I learned what he wanted done.

Dad shows up at 5:45 PM. He looks around and sees everything is in order. He smiles that everything is done before his arrival. He hugs mom and gives her a quick peck on the cheek.

Dad looks at me for a second. “Brandon is out back, Richard?”

“He is, dad.”

“Okay, bring him in and get him cleaned up for dinner while I change clothes.”

“Yes sir, dad.”

I walk out the back door to the back yard. I walk over to where Brandon is playing. “Come on Brandon. It is time to get cleaned up. Dad is home.”

“I’m coming, Richard. Please, help me put my toys into the play box.”

“Okay, Brandon.” I help Brandon put the toys into the playbox under the porch as quickly as possible.

Once done with that, I escort Brandon to the bathroom. I turn on the water to the shower to get it warmed up. I help him get undressed and put his clothes into the hamper. He quickly gets in the shower and washes himself down with soap and wash cloth. He gets done in ten minutes. We have fifteen minutes to spare once he is dried off.

He leaves the bathroom and gets to his dresser. He takes out his clothes to wear and puts them on. He looks at his hands. “Richard, there is still dirt under the fingernails.”

“I’ll help you clean them.”

“Thank you, brother.”

We both go back into the bathroom. I take the brush and help him get the dirt out from under his fingernails.

“Ouch, that hurts.”

“I had to do it quickly. You know how dad is on his inspections.”

“I know, Richard.”

Brandon washes his hands again. He sees no dirt under the fingernails We walk into the dining room. We see dad sitting at his chair. We sit in our chairs. Mom puts the food on the table. After we said grace, we have our dinner. Brandon and I don’t speak up at this time unless dad asks us question. This time he doesn’t ask a question at all during the meal. He is in full thinking mode to himself this time.

We get done with dinner precisely at 6:30 PM. He gets up and sits in his chair and watches TV for the evening news. He reads the paper afterwards for another fifteen minutes. Then the three of us clean up the table and the kitchen. I see the look on mom that something is wrong. I don’t know what it is this time. Once the cleaning is done, Brandon and I walk into our bedrooms. Mom joins dad in the living room. I can sense another argument coming. I hope not this time. Brandon plays with some of his quieter toys. I do some homework for school. I get it done by 9 PM.

I change my clothes and get ready for bed. The door opens and I see dad walking in. He closes the door behind him.

“Richard, when classes are over. I having you attend another summer boot camp.”

“Yes sir, dad. I understand.”

He turns around and leaves my room. I lay on my bed and look at the ceiling again with a sad face. I mumble to myself. “I’m not really surprised G-d. He has done this before last year. Oh, well. I’ll break the news to Brianna again tomorrow.”

I get to bed and fall asleep eventually. I wake up at 6;30 AM. I get myself ready for school again. Once I am dressed, I make the bed all neat and tidy for dad. Dad sees it before he leaves. I have my breakfast as usual. Mom hands me my lunch ticket for the day. I get out the door in time and walk down to the bus stop and wait for my friends.

They all see my sad face. “What happened, Richard/”

“Dad told me that I will be going to summer boot camp again.”

“That’s unfair, Richard.”

“Perhaps, but it his way of telling me what is going to happen in the ninth grade. He is going to send me off to one of those military schools.”

“Well you have our prayers that you come out in one piece.”

“I hope so. I really hope so.”

The bus arrives and we get on the bus. It turns out the last two weeks are pretty much the same. We take our last set of tests for each of our classes. I make sure I study real hard for them and get the best grade. It turns out I get three A’s and two B’s.

A week after school, a special bus comes by to pick me up and my suitcase at 7 AM. I get on board. I see other students that look a bit scared. It must be their first time.

The bus drives one hour to outside of town. We all see the compound. I see it is the same one as I went to last year. The places is fenced in. There is a clearing of 200 feet of grass all around outside of the fence to the trees. The bus comes to a stop. We all unload and line up side by side with our suitcases behind us. At least I know to stand at attention along with some others. The new ones look nervous and want to leave the compound right away.

The people in charge greet us. Then we follow our cabin sergeant to our quarters. We walk in and see a barrack type layout. I take the same bed as I had last year. We put our suitcases under the bed and stand at the foot of the bed. We are then given orders to report to the infirmary for our health inspection. When it comes to my turn. I’m given several shots. I was told they are for the flu and another booster shot for my age. The last shot I was told is a vitamin shot. I look at my arm and rub it quickly. I leave the infirmary and report to the quartermaster and the storage building. We are given a set of clothes to wear.

I wish I can give a detailed story of what happened during that summer of ten weeks. It was all a blur of exercising, drills, hikes with packs, etc., etc.. But there is one thing I noticed half way through summer camp. I started to sprout hair on my body. Also my strength seems to increase some as well. I’m sure that will make dad happy. I did noticed some of the first year boys were shaken up by the experience. The drill sergeants yelled in their heads to suck it up and be a man. But, I know personally we are still kids. They expected us to grow up real fast to impress our parents that we have grown up. There were three of them that were in the infirmary at least three days a week.

Once summer camp is over with, we all get bused back to our homes. Dad smiles when he sees the improvement in me. I smile back and salute him. He salutes back.

I get out of the house once dad leaves for his military school. I run over to see Brianna. When I get to her house. I see a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. I walk up to the door and knock. I get no answer at all. Then I see Brenda and Claire walking up the sidewalk to me.

“She is not here, Richard. Her family moved two weeks ago. She did give us her new address and email. Here is your copy.” She hands me a slip of paper.

“Th . . . thank you Claire.”

“She was heart broken to leave so soon. Her father’s job took him to another part of the state.”

“Wow, they are still here in North Carolina.”

“We are crushed as well, Richard.”

“I see you have grown up some, Richard.”

“I know it seems that way. But I think I was a given a shot that bulked me up.”

“If they gave you a hormone shot, that is not right.”

“No it is not, Brenda. I’ll have to watch myself over the next few years.”

“Yes you will, Richard.”

“Well, take care until we meet at school in a few weeks.”

“Same here, Richard. We are still your friends here.”

“Thanks, that means a lot to me.”

We go our ways and back to our homes. The weeks roll on as usual. I start the seventh grade as planned. I go about my usual routine. Then I discover dad had me try out for the various sports at the middle school. Since I am still thin somewhat. I excelled in track pretty good. It must have been those summer boot camps that I went to.

The seventh grade was pretty much uneventful. I did some track races. I came in second or third most of the time. I did get first a few times. I can see dad is very proud of me.

The year goes on as usual. I finish seventh grade with good grades all year long. Dad sends me to summer boot camp again. It is a repeat of the last two years. Again I’m given the same shots. This time I noticed my hair is coming in thicker than normal. I was told everything is fine. I put some more muscle on me again.

Dad is really impressed with how I’m turning out. But I can see from her face that mom is concerned about me. Brandon grows up some more. Soon he learns what he needs to do in the house by himself.

I ended up writing emails to Brianna at school and read her responses there. That is because dad bought me a PC, but no internet connection to get on-line.

I enter the eighth grade and finish middle school. It turns it was a repeat of seventh grade pretty much. I did the track races and performed the same way. As I approach the end of eighth grade, I noticed something different about this time one morning. My muscle mass is shrinking despite all of the work outs I do. I’m even more hairier than the previous year.

Dad doesn’t pay any attention to it. While dad is at the military school one day, I had a close talk with mom before I went to ninth grade boot camp at the military school dad wants me to go to.

“Mom, there is something wrong with me.”

“What is it, Richard?”

“I’m more hairier than ever before. But my muscle mass is shrinking. I don’t know what is going on with me.”

“I agree, Richard. Something is going on with you. You almost have to shave twice a day now. I wish I could take you to a proper doctor for a second opinion, but dad only wants you checked out at the military school infirmary.”

“I have a feeling I’m going to flunk out of boot camp this year.”

“It’s possible, Richard. Just do your best. Hopefully you will be accepted at the end of boot camp.”

“We shall see, mom.”

We hug each other tightly. The following week I report to boot camp on Monday morning. After another physical by the doctors I get ready for boot camp.

It seems my prediction was right. I have no strength at all anymore. The doctors doubled checked my blood. This time they see a huge reduction in my male hormone output. They can’t figure it out.

To top it off, I get chewed out by dad in front of everyone there for being a weakling and not doing my weights. This happens after four weeks at boot camp.

“Sir, I have been doing the weights. But for some reason, my muscle mass is disappearing. The doctors don’t know what is going on.”

“That’s a lie! You are embarrassing me that I have a weakling for a son!”

“I”m embarrassing you? How about my embarrassment that I can’t fill your shoes of your expectations for being your son!”

“Why you insolent...!” He then slaps me across the face.

I touch my hand to face. I feel a dribble of blood down the side of my mouth. I stand straight up at attention, when I see the Captain come in.

My dad stands at attention. “I want you both in my office right now!”

We follow the Captain to his office. We stand at attention before him.

“Before I start this hearing. First of all, Richard has not been able to complete the exercises because of his reduced strength. Therefore he fails boot camp. And you, Master Sergeant, if I see you slap another cadet like that, you will be expelled from this school. Is that understood!”

We both shout. “Yes sir!”

“Richard, I already called your mother. Go to your quarters and pack up. She will be out front.”

“Yes sir. Thank you, sir.” I stand at attention again and salute them both. I leave the Captain’s office and report to my quarters. I get out of my cadet clothes. I take all of them out the locker. I fold them up neatly on the bed. I get into my regular clothes that I wore in on the first day. I put my personal things into the small suitcase. I walk out of the barracks. I see a sergeant walk by, we salute each other when he stops in front of me. I stop as well.

“Are you being let go, cadet Richard?”

“I am, sergeant. I failed the physical aspect of boot camp. For some reason my muscle mass has really shrunk this time. The doctors here don’t know what is going on.”

“I see. You have the aptitude to be a good cadet here. But you need the body strength to be on top.”

“It seems that way, sir. Have a good year with the cadets, sergeant.”

“Thank you, Richard. You have a good year as well.”

We salute again. We go our ways. I walk out to the front part of the admin building. I see mom waiting there for me. I put my suitcase in the back. I get in the front seat. Mom drives me home.

Once we get home, I see Brandon mowing the grass around the house.

“It’s about time you got back. You can do this too, Richard.”

“I’ll do it next time, Brandon.”

Mom and I walk inside. I put my suitcase on the bed. I get out of my clothes. Mom sees that I’m very hairy.

“You are very hairy, Richard. I can almost not see your skin.”

“My finger tips haven’t touched my skin in years. I think I’ve forgotten what it felt like.”

“You’re probably right. But look at the inside of your clothes. You are shedding.”

“I noticed that too, mom. I will have to clean up the bathroom and the bedroom everyday to pick up the loose hair.”

“You will have to, Richard.”

As it turned out, I tried to keep my room and the bathroom neat. But dad sees hair that I missed. He then chews me out for being a hairy weakling. I get the feeling I won’t last long in the house after I get my high school diploma.

Ninth grade starts as usual. It doesn’t take long for a bully to take notice of me. In fact there are two in particular that are after me. One is a guy who is 6'2" and in the tenth grade. He could be on the basketball team, but he refuses to join. He said it is not cool to do sports. He has two girlfriends around him all the time. He has a big mouth so that he sounds important. Yes, you are a jackass Tom.

I try to ignore him the best I can. Most of the time he bumps into me real hard and causes me to drop my books and scatters them making me late for class. I wear long sleeve shirts all the time. But when it comes time to PE, I really get the ribbing from the other students. I get called werewolf, the black hairy ape and a few others not worth mentioning here. I did notice the hair does not get on my forehead and nose. Therefore I know I don’t have that gene problem of wolfish hair growth all over my face and body.

I put up with it all as best I can by ignoring them. I get the grades and pass the ninth grade. That summer, I can see my dad getting madder and madder at me for being a weakling. I can’t do my track speeds like I used to.

The tenth grade proved to be more of the same all around. When I enter the eleventh grade. That is when something new gets introduced. We get a quarterback who is really obnoxious. He came from another school so he can be noticed by the college scouts better. His family moved to be in our school district.

Not only do I get picked on by Tom, I get picked on by Brian Wolford, the new quarterback as well. To earn my points with some of the football players. I signed myself up as one of the tutors for math and science in study hall. Some of the offensive and defensive linemen take me up on it. They soon discover I’m pretty good. They start to get better grades for their classes. One day, one of the offensive linemen asks me a question.

“Richard, when are you going to fight back at these two idiots?”

“I’m not totally defenseless, friends. I had several years of summer military boot camp from sixth to eighth grade. I still remember how to defend myself and take someone down.”

“I would really like to see you take them down, Richard. We’ll be right behind you if they try to back out of it.”

“Thanks I greatly appreciate that. We’ll see how the year goes on. But I need to hear from you on some rumors about Brian. Does he wear contacts?”

“He does, Richard, during the game. He loses them a lot. His dad is the one who put him here for that football scholarship.”

“I wondered why some of his throws are bad and off the mark.”

“He won’t admit it, Richard. He is like his dad in a lot of ways. It his mom and sister who are level headed.”

“Hmm . . . That is interesting. I will need to remember that. Well, let’s continue on. We have a half hour left here in study hall.”

“Sure thing, Richard.”

We continue on with study hall as usual. The football season progresses on. Our record for the year is 9-2 this year. That gets us into the district tournament real easy. The team wins the district title eventually. Then the team enters the regional tournament. We get defeated in the title game.

It was a mixed reaction in the school. We are glad to get that far. If the team had won it, we would be in the final four for the state title. Some were very upset. The most noise I heard came from Brian and his dad. Then the following week, he takes his anger out on me one day between classes.

As I walk down the hallway, I see I’m about to get pinned by Tom and Brian at the same time. I stand real still as they approach me. Then all of a sudden I get shoved and bumped real hard, my books fly all over the place. I’m sprawled out on the floor and hit it hard. They quickly walk away laughing.

I get up and yell at them. “That’s it, you idiots! It is no more mister nice guy to you both! See you in the principal’s office!”

Then Tom and Brian turn around and look at me, “No you won’t, you cujo! You’re a weakling and you know it! There is no way you can take us down!”

“You better not report it, if you know what is good for you, chimp!”

They walk away laughing. I gather up my books and report to class. The teacher looks at me. She signs a hall pass and gives it to me. “Here you go, Richard. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Miss Wilson.”

I get a cheer from some of the students in the classroom.

“Go get them, Richard!”

“Take them down for us!”

“We’re right behind you!”

“Thank you.” I turn around and leave the classroom I walk to the principal’s office. I open the door and walk in and look at the secretary there. “Who do you need to see, Richard?”

“I want to see the Dean and the Principal today. I just got dumped again by Brian and Tom at the same time. It is time to get back at them.”

“Hold here, Richard.”

The secretary gets up, she enters their offices. Soon both of them come out to greet me.

“So, they took you down at the same time Richard. What do you want to do about it?”

“I want an assembly in the gym. Have the wrestling mats put out. I intend to call their bluff and have it out with them.”

“One at a time? Or separate?”

“Hopefully one at a time Dean Miller. I also know the offense and defense linemen are behind me if Brian tries to back out.”

“I see. I know you helped them to get better grades. You have shown you are capable. Are you going to use your fists against them?”

“I hope not sir. It will be take down moves I learned in middle school military boot camp. If they come with a fist, can I use a fist to give them a bloody nose and a black eye? Maybe a swift kick in the male region for good measure as well.”

“You can do that Richard if they come at you like that.”

“Thank you, Principal Jackson. At what time tomorrow sir?”

“We’ll set it for second period.”

“Thank you, sir.”

I leave the office and walk back to class.

~~~000~~~

“He is determined this time Bob.”

“Yes he is, Fred. I hope it works out for him. Normally this is not allowed. But the two kept staying out of his reach. We’ll make sure it is resolved this time.”

“But what about Brian’s dad? He won’t like it when the truth comes out about his son.”

“He’s to blame as well, Fred.”

“Yes he is, Bob.”

~~~000~~~

I get back to my classroom. I sit down in at my desk.

“How did it go, Richard?”

“There will be an assembly tomorrow at second period to resolve this in the gym.”

“All right!”

“That’s cool!”

“Go get them!”

“Class, we still have fifteen minutes left.”

Everyone gets quiet. We finish the day as usual. Soon the rumor mill gets started. When the last class ends, we see the monitors come on. We see the announcement for tomorrow. Everyone is abuzz about the fight in the gym. Soon a lot of bets are taking place on the side. Most of the bets are sodas and snacks. Some do it with a dollar.

When we exit the last class, the students come up to me and give their support to me. Some of them stay clear so as not to cause problems.

I get on the bus to go home. Dad refuses to get me a car. He does allow me to get a driver’s licence at least for identification.

I get home and tell Brandon and mom what is going to happen tomorrow. They are hoping I will stand up for myself and prove to dad I’m not a weakling. When dad gets home he is told the news of the fight tomorrow.

“So what, you will lose anyway. You are still my weakling son. Brandon will take your place at the military school.”

I can’t believe his attitude. But that is my dad. I think his true colors are coming forth finally. I can see in mom and Brandon’s faces that they are tired of it as well.

I get to bed as usual after doing my homework. The next morning, I feel myself getting tense about this confrontation. I try to stay relaxed as much as possible. I go to school on the bus as usual. When I get there, I get greeted by a lot of students. Then I see Tom and Brian standing together side by side staring at me.

“You are so dead, Richard.”

“You will be hauled out on stretchers, cujo.”

“We’ll see when we meet at second period in the gym.”

I walk away from them. They bump into me again and cause my book bag to fall to the ground. Then they open it up and dump it all around. They walk away laughing. This time some students help me get up and put my books and notebooks back into the bag.

“Thank you. I hope I’m the one standing up today and those two are on the mats in pain.”

“We hope so too, Richard.”

We walk to our home room first. It is only for fifteen minutes. The bell rings for first period. This time the period is ten minutes shorter. The bell rings again. We leave the school building and head to the gym. I see people giving Brian and Tom pointers on what to do. I look at the linemen and nod my head up and down and smile. They nod their heads up and down with a smile as well.

Everyone takes their seat in the gym. I stay on the main floor of the gym. I see Tom there standing with his two girlfriends. I see from their faces that they are uncomfortable. I see Brian standing there with his dad by his side. I see his mom and sister sitting on the first row of the gym bleachers. They look concerned as well.

Then Dean Miller and Principal Jackson come to the center of the wrestling mat. Everyone gets quiet to hear them speak.

“Normally this is not allowed here at school. But this taunting has gone on for the last several years. This taunting and bullying will stop with this fight no matter how it turns out.”

“All hostilities will stop. You are students here to get an education and nothing more.” Then both of them look at Brian and Tom.

“If you break any bones in Richard to prevent him from walking, both of you will be sent to the police and arrested.”

Then everyone sees four police officers walk in and stand near the edge of the mat.

“What!? That’s not fair!”

“Not fair, Tom? It is you who started by picking on Richard and making him late for classes. In fact his grade point average is better than both of yours. So, tell me who is smarter than you two?”

“Well, I . . .I . .” Tom looks dumbfounded. The two girls begin to look at him differently now.

Brian looks at his dad. “Brian! What are you been doing here?”

“Uh . . . I’m sorry dad.”

Then we hear some chuckling and giggling in the gym.

“Richard requests one at a time. Do you both agree to that?”

The two look at each other. “Yes sir.”

I walk up to Tom first. “You are first, Tom.”

“Hah! There is no way you can take me down chimp!”

I get into a fighting position by putting them up in the standard position. “Let’s try it, bully!”

Tom looks around and tries to smile and sound important again. You are going to be on the floor first, chimp!” The two girls are starting to see his ego for what it is. They step away from him.

The students start to yell in a frenzy cheering me on.

Tom then turns on me with a round house punch with his right fist. I block it with my left arm. I come in quick with my right fist and hit him the stomach. He doubles over in pain.

“Ooh... that hurt. . . . why you chimp! You’re going down for that.”

He comes in again, this time he comes in with a double punch. I block both arms. I hit him in the nose and cause it to bleed.

We hear a bunch of different voices shouting out now.

“He got you good, Tom!”

“Give him a black eye, Richard!”

Brian and his dad can’t believe what they are seeing.

Tom gets mad again. “That’s it!” He comes in with his feet this time. He swings at my torso. I dodge and roll away from him. As soon as I come up I turn around as he lunges at me. I hit my right fist on his left eye real hard.

A huge black ring appears around his eye socket. “Arrggh... the pain. Why you. I will win yet!”

“Not this time, Tom. This is for the girls you disrespected!” I come in real quick and kick him in the male region. He falls onto the ground and groans in pain.

Everyone cheers when they see that.

‘Nnnn... no... not there...”

The two girls then turn on Tom. “He’s right, little Tom! In fact we are reporting you for having sex with us!”

“That’s right, fortunately we are not pregnant. We are pressing charges against you!”

Then all of the girls in the school stand up and cheer the two girls on.

“That’s right. That’s girl power for you! You go, girls!”

Then two officers come forward to pick up Tom. “You are under arrest Tom, for having sex with a minor.”

Then everyone cheers as he is hauled away in handcuffs. The two remaining officers stay behind and watch the next part. The two girls walk with the officers to give their statements.

I turn and look at Brian. “You’re next, Brian!”

Then his dad steps forward, “You lay a hand on my son, I will sue you!”

“For what? How much will you get from me? I’m not working. My dad intends to kick me out of the house a week after I graduate.”

“I . . .I . . .I didn’t know.” He backs off.

“So come on, Brian. Let’s have at it! Back up your words if you have the guts! Or do you need to hide behind your linemen to protect you?”

The offense and defensive linemen come up and stand behind them. Brian sees them. “Go in there and pummel him, guys.”

“We are not here for that. He has tutored us in study hall for us to get better grades.”

“That’s right, Terrell. If it wasn’t for him, we would not get the scholarships to go to college.”

“What?!”

“You’re on your own here. We are seeing to that.”

“Can’t you see the writing on the wall, Brian?”

Brian looks at his dad real quick. “Gulp!”

“What’s this about seeing the writing on the wall, Brian?”

I look at his dad. “It’s this sir. Your son wear contacts while on the field. When he loses them, he has bad throws, most of them are interceptions.”

Brian is very afraid now. The coach comes out to join the group. “I have seen it, Brian. You can’t be our quarterback if this keeps up.”

Then Brian gets really mad at me. He turns on me and lunges at me. He comes in with a roundhouse punch to the face. I block it, then I hit him in both eyes and the nose real quickly. He falls to ground and tries to recover. His nose bleeds, then two dark circles appear around his eyes.

Everyone cheers me on for doing it. Then a blonde girl comes out. It is one of the cheerleaders. She speaks up, “We are through Brian. You’re an arrogant S.O.B!” She then throws his ring back at him. “Besides you also got me pregnant, twice! Once in the tenth grade and this past year.”

Then the police officers come in and pick up Brian. They handcuff him and take him. Then Brian’s mom and sister come up as well. The mom slaps him and the dad on the face. The sister does it as well.

“We’ll see you in divorce court, mister!”

The Brian’s dad looks at his wife in astonishment. He then lowers his head in defeat.

Everyone cheers the outcome. The Principal and Dean step in the middle again. They stand on both sides of me.

“This assembly is over. Please report to your shortened second period and continue with the day.”

“I will not have any bullying at all on the school grounds and on the internet. If I find it, those bullying students will be taken to juvenile hall at the police department.”

Then everyone comes down from the stands. The linemen come in and hoist me on their shoulders. Everyone claps and cheer me on. They let me down. I get a lot of hugs and handshakes from everyone. We try to make our way back to our classrooms.

The rest of the day was abuzz about what happened. In fact this continued for the rest of the school year. I don’t get bothered by anybody this time. I soon find out, someone used their cell phone and posted everything on the internet. I became a legend the last two years at school and in the year books. Everyone gained a positive outlook on life. The linemen who graduated found themselves with excellent football scholarships. They thanked me many times over. They even invited me into the locker room to have pizza with them.

It was great those two years. However, the reality did set in after I graduated. Dad kicked me out of the house a week after graduation. All I had was my suitcase and my personal belongings. Brandon and mom hugged me a lot the last week. We promised to stay in touch as much as possible. I had no job promised when I got out. I only had one thousand dollars that mom gave me when I left. I got no look at all from dad. I pray for Brandon everyday that he will be all right.

Brandon entered the military school the following year. He was able to go through all four years there. On the last maneuver with the senior class, Brandon broke both of his legs in a fall. He also developed a pinched nerve in his spine. This was during a hike, the loose rubble gave way. He slid down the hillside and slammed into a tree real hard. When he got out of the hospital he finds he can only stand and walk for a short period. He moves around in a wheel chair mainly to make it easier.

I didn’t hear about this until four years later.

Four years later . . . sigh . . .a lot happened during that time for me. I lived in a half-way house for a year until I earned enough money to get an apartment of my own. I had to be careful about the jobs I chose during that time. First of all I had no college education. Because of my transient state, I was not given a student loan to do that.

Once I earned enough money for an apartment, I moved into one. It turned out it didn’t last long. I lost the job six months later. I moved out of the apartment and back into the half-way house. This time I stayed there.

I tried to keep my room as neat as possible. I would get on the internet there and write email letters to Brianna. I gave her the address so she can find me. I couldn’t serve food at the half-way house because of my shedding problem. I grew a beard several times. I got tired of shaving it. Soon I looked like Grizzly Bear Adams from the old TV show.

I would sit in the cafeteria area by myself and away from people. Each time I stepped out of the half-way house to get some fresh air, I would see and hear some people hurling insults at me. That caused me to go back inside to hide.

Then one day after four years I get a big surprise. I’m sitting at my usual spot. I see a beautiful girl walking in. She stops in front of me and sits down.

“Hello Richard, long time no see.”

“Is that you, Brianna?”

“It is me. You remember the last picture I gave you.”

“How can you tell it is me?”

“You still have your eyes that I recognize. Come with me. I have some news to give you.”

“Who are we seeing, Brianna?”

“Your mom divorced your dad last year. Brandon is still in his wheelchair, but his back injury has degenerated. Your dad lost his composure one day at the academy. He is fired.”

“So, he has received his just reward for how he treats people.”

“He did, Richard. Your mom and brother are staying with us as she tries to get her life back together. They are also watching Brandon for his last year or so.”

“That sounds good to me, Brianna. It will be good to see them. Let me get to my room and check out.”

“I’ll help you Richard.”

Brianna follows me to my room. She sees the hair collecting on the floor all over the place. She tries to ignore it.

I get packed up real fast. We leave together and walk over to the admin office. We sign the documents for my release. We exit the half-way house together. As we approach her car, I see some familiar faces following us. We get in the car and leave the city. We get on the road for two hours to where Brianna’s family is living. She parks in the driveway behind the other two cars there. We don’t pay attention to a car that followed us from the half-way house. It parks several houses from us. I stay in the car until it is clear.

Brianna goes inside and tells them the good news. They all come out together on the porch. I see a wave from them. I get out of the car and walk towards them.

The unknown car rolls forward real slow. The window slides down. A gun comes out pointing at me. Brianna and everyone behind her sees it.

She yells, “Down, Richard!”

We hear a shot ring out, “Bang!” I fall to the ground as fast as I can. The bullet grazes my shoulder and it bleeds.

“We got that werewolf! Got him with a silver bullet!”

The driver revs the engine quickly to get away. The grandfather on the porch immediately pushes a button on the porch. Then six sprinkler heads come popping up. It sprays the car with foam. One of the sprinkler heads launches a foam bomb into the car. It explodes and fills the car with foam.

“Quick, get out of here bro!”

“I can’t! The foot is stuck! We’re going to crash!”

The car speeds down the street at an angle. It hits a tree dead on. It comes to stop. The engine is smoking. The men inside are cursing the old man. They can’t move at all. Soon we hear police sirens wailing in the air and getting closer.

Brianna, my mom and Brianna’s mom come rushing forward to see how I’m doing.”

“He’s bleeding!”

“We need an ambulance!”

“Don’t die my son!”

The police show up on the street. A little bit later, the ambulance shows up. The medics attend to me and put me on the stretcher. I’m taken to the nearest hospital. My mom and Brianna follow me to the hospital after giving the initial report to the officers. They will get my statement later.

When I get to the hospital, the nurses discover how hairy I am when they take my clothes off. They shave an area around the injury on my shoulder to mend the wound.

“This hair growth is most unusual. We must do a complete blood and endocrine study on him.”

“Yes, doctor.”

The doctor leaves the operating room. He finds my mom and Brianna holding hands together and in prayer. They look up when the doctor gets near them.”

“How is he, doctor?”

“He will live, ma’am. However, I have a question. Has he seen a doctor for a proper examination?”

“No, doctor. That is the fault of my ex-husband. He was drill master sergeant. He was very strict on Richard. For some reason after seventh grade boot camp, he came back stronger and with hair on his body.”

“That could be puberty.”

“Perhaps, but the following summer, he was very hairy. Also his muscle mass started to shrink at alarming rate.”

“Muscle shrinking? I will need to do a further examination. I have planned a complete blood and endocrine study.”

“He never had that doctor, plus he had no x-rays done at all because of my ex. Richard was kicked out of the house a week after high school graduation.”

“I see. Thank you for the insight. I will do some x-rays as well. We also plan to do some more shaving to get a closer look at his male organs.”

“I would appreciate that. Thank you, doctor.”

Brianna and my mom are breathing easier now. The doctor walks back into the operating room. “We will need a proper examination, x-rays as well. He never had them. Shave the hair around his groin. I have a feeling we will get a surprise when we examine that.”

“Yes, doctor.”

The hours pass during the day. Brianna and mom talk to each other quietly.

“What do you think they will find?”

“I don’t know, Brianna. I hope we find the truth.”

Then the door opens up from the operating room. The doctor approaches them.

“Well, I found out what is going on. Richard is dual gender. He has a set of female organs as well.”

“What?!?!” Brianna and mom yell at the same time.

“He went through two puberties. However, the hormone shot in the seventh grade summer boot camp triggered the male side sooner. If he was not given that, his female puberty would have come on. However, once the second hormone injection took place in the eighth grade summer boot camp, the female puberty came in harder. It was a battle that the male side eventually lost. However, for the hairiness of his body. Both sides contributed to it make it thicker than normal. His male testicles also shrank as well. In fact we were able to save the last of the male sperm that are still viable. Once the hair is removed from his body, he will be a she for all practical purposes once the final surgery takes place on his old male self.”

Then mom faints in Brianna’s arms. “Ooh.”

It takes awhile for mom to come to. She looks at the doctor to answer another question. “Where did this come from doctor?”

“More than likely from the father’s side.”

Then mom begins to laugh. “Hah, hah, hah. . . Now it makes sense. My ex-husband left his house once he graduated from high school. He has a transsexual brother who became a female. He hated him for changing sex. So apparently it was passed on from that side of the family. His parents supported his brother for doing the sex change. So, he had little respect for his parents, as well.”

Brianna laughs as well, “That is so funny. Hah, hah, hah,”

“Well, Brianna, let’s do the right thing and support Richard.”

“Yes we will. We will have to come up with a new name for Richard when this is over.”

“We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

The doctors informed me what my condition is and explained what happened. “Doctor, can I have my mom and Brianna come here please?”

“That is no problem, Richard.”

Brianna and mom come in stand near the bed. “Brianna, I love you very much. I have a big question to ask you before I have the surgery.”

She holds my hand and smiles.

“Will you please marry me?”

Mom and Brianna smile at me widely.

“I would love to marry you, Richard.”

“I would love to go college and get a better paying job.”

“The first thing that will happen before we are married Richard is that hair must come off the body!”

I smile at her, “Yes ma’am! I would love to see this hair disappear from my body. I really do hate it now.”

It took some planning on what to do first and in what order. Once I got checked out of the hospital. We had to take care of the police matter first. Brianna took me down to the police station to give my statement. The detectives appreciated the details I gave in seeing them at the half-way house first. They found the silver bullet that hit my shoulder. It landed in the siding of the porch. Once that was taken care of, I was taken to the grandparent’s house.

As much as we wanted to remove the hair from my body quickly, we had to be slow about it until the trial is over with. It turns out, one of the people in the car for the drive by shooting was a student at the same high school I was. He was a member of a gang locally there. The gang felt threatened by my presence because I took out Tom and Brian. It caused the entire school district to clean up its image. The gangs that were in the school district lost their source of future members quickly. Their numbers became smaller each year.

My mom was able get to court after the divorce to change her last name back to her maiden name. I also took her maiden last name as well. The judge agreed to hear the case when the time is right to change my gender status at the right time.

I started the lasering after the court case on the shooting was concluded and sentences passed. I did my own laundry separate from everyone else in the household. Slowly the shedding ceased as the hair was removed. It took several years to get the hair zapped off the body. The beard proved to be time consuming and patient part. I suffered through the ‘scream sessions’ as it happened. Slowly the body hair disappeared off of me. Once the beard was gone, my face took on a thinner look that took everyone by surprised. It turned out I will be a good looking female once my female self exerts itself on me after the surgery. My chest is already sprouting A-cup breasts.

Brianna and I got married once the hair was finally gone We had our honeymoon at Hilton Head, SC for a whole week. She taught me the pleasures of being attentive to her sexual needs. She also enjoyed tweaking my nipples and seeing my facial expressions change in the erotic euphoria.

During that time of hair zapping I took some classes at the local university. It has been over four years since I was in a class room. It took some time to get my brain back in gear.

After a year from marrying Brianna, I finally have the surgery. Arrangements are made for the court to change my name to Rachel. Also, in a special motion, my marriage to Brianna still stands because of my special circumstances. There was no objections from the state because I was registered with the state as being a genetic DNA male when I was born. They also searched and verified the records that I had no knowledge of my female gender half in me because what my dad did. They did verify genetically, my dual gender came from my dad’s side of the family. There was another relative in their past who was dual gender as well.

The doctor was able to do an in-vitro birth for our children. I gave birth to our first baby girl a few weeks before Brandon died. Brandon appreciated the attention we gave him during that time. We all mourned for his loss in our lives. We pray that he is in a better place now and free from pain. Brianna gave birth to our second girl the following year.

We eventually heard my dad had died in an auto accident. He was very drunk behind the wheel. We only gave it a passing thought when we heard the news.

We visited my dad’s parents the summer after Brianna gave birth to our second daughter and dad’s death. They appreciated the visit very much. Their daughter was there also. We gave a copy of the state DNA reports to them. They are finally relieved to know the truth and why their son became their daughter. They did express their sadness that my dad didn’t share their viewpoint and why they had to support their son’s decision. I learned that my dad, while growing up, was part of a local church youth group. The parents realized the church had some very strict viewpoints on life. The parents soon realized a paradox was forming. They have seen the younger brother behave feminine despite the teachings from the church and the Sunday school classes. Once the younger brother and the parents realized what is going on, they left the church once one of the Elders told them to leave. However, my dad stayed with the church.

I continued taking my classes at the university after getting my BA degree in Physics and a minor in Secondary Education. I earned my Masters in Education soon after that.

I landed a job at the local high school teaching physics. I see my family grow up and be beautiful girls. I kept in contact with some of my former high school classmates that were in our little click back then on the old street. When they saw the new me, they screamed in laughter. We all had a good time remembering those times. But of course this leads to the twenty year class reunion at the high school. It all started Friday night during the summer.

My friends kept their mouths shut as best they can. When I showed up with Brianna arm in arm, everyone wondered who we were. Only one of the classmates knew who I was at the check in desk. She took out a box from under the table. It is a special name tag. It showed my old high school picture and name on it. But it also had under it two pictures showing me giving a black eye to Tom and Brian in the gym.

Once everyone realized who I was, I had to give a speech on what happened after graduating from high school. I explained the details and summarized it the best I could.

“Now that I am a woman, you still don’t want to mess with me. My strength changed to the female side and I still remember those summer boot camp classes I had during middle school!”

Everyone roars with laughter and cheers.

“I am now a high school physics teacher here in North Carolina. Not only that, I’m legally married to my wife here, Brianna. We have two daughters. And yes, I did give birth to one of them.”

Everyone cheers to the announcement.

A lady shouts out loud, “Now you know what we go through, Rachel.”

“Yes I do, Linda. Now that I’m part of the club and paid my initiation fee, I’m ready for retirement already.”

All of the ladies cheer the loudest when they hear that.

“I didn’t know this was happening to me while I was growing up. Some of you might remember my dad and how he was. I did learn I inherited this condition from his side of the family. There was a relative in the past who was fully dual gender like me.. His brother became his sister because he inherited part of it. We live in an age that is incredible. We must continue to teach our children the truth and let them decide what to do with it. Thank you for your support back then in high school, I remember the cheers in the gym. I did find the You Tube recording eventually. I downloaded and saved it to a DVD.”

I open my purse and pull out the DVD and show it to them.

Some one yells out loud, “Play it, Rachel!”

I hand the DVD to the class president. He puts the DVD into the player and plays it. We all smile, cheer and laugh when we see it. We relive that moment in our lives. Because we realized it was a defining moment that changed our school, our neighborhood and the school district. After playing the DVD, he hands it back to me. Everyone stands up and cheers. Even Brianna cheers me on. I walk back to her. She puts her arms around me and gives me the biggest kiss in front of everyone.

Everyone whoops and hollers when they see it. “Oooh... a lesbian kiss!” Yells one of the football players who I didn’t tutor in study hall.

Once we separate, I turn my head my to them and look at Roger. “Only in your wet dreams, Roger!”

They all laugh and cheer out loud. We all sit down in the chairs and quiet down. The president stands back up to continue the class reunion. He goes over the schedule of events for Saturday and the evening program of a dinner and dance tomorrow night. There is a family gathering at the local county park. There is a good size lake on the property. Once the announcements are taken care of, we break apart and continue with our chatting with friends. I give one of my email addresses that is for general correspondence. They appreciated it very much. The webmaster for our school website will put a note with my name and photo that I’m deceased. He will then add my current picture and name along with my bio since I started college. Only we know what it means when anyone sees it.

I did learn what happened to Tom and Brian after high school. Because of their criminal records now, they are having a tougher time to find a job.

Brian lost his football scholarship that was promised to him after graduation. He did continue on in getting a degree. His dad had to find him a company that will accept him. The mom and daughter are doing fine after the divorce.

Tom got into more trouble after high school. He got caught doing several scams on the internet. He is still in jail at this time.

The gangs in our school district eventually disappeared and moved elsewhere. But they soon encountered the same attitudes we created in other school districts. They never did find me or know what happened to me after that shooting attack.

We had several football players have successful seasons at the colleges and the universities they went to. Five of the linemen I tutored went on to the NFL. Most of the other football players did some time in Arena Football around the USA and Canadian Football. Only two of the NFL players are still active after 16 years in the league. They have played smart and avoided the serious injuries that can end a career.

By and large, everyone did okay after high school. We hope and make plans that our children will take what they learned from us and make a better world for their own children. I’m sure my friends here will play that recording many times to their children and grand children. I know I will.