Tim is chosen to play the part of a maiden in a theatrical dance performance put on by his 6th grade class.
All is not lost since he gets to work alongside Penny as they sew their petticoats and dresses for the production.

by Pamela

 

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Image Credits: Scroll background free for publishing from WpClipart.com, Tim created from Hetalia Dress Up Game, and illustrations

10132551 and

1780212 purchased and licensed for publishing from 123rf.com. Divider licensed free for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com~Sephrena.

Historical Versions: Originally posted at Crystal's Storysite in 2002, and Fictionmania in 2002. ~Sephrena.

Legalities: Archiving and reposting of this story *unchanged* is permitted provided that: 1) You must have contacted the author, Pamela, and have asked permission first and received said permission to host this particular work. 2) No fee be charged, either directly or indirectly (this includes so-called "adult checks") or any form of barter or monetary transfers in order to access viewing this work *and* (3) PROVIDED that this disclaimer, all author notes, legalities and attribution to the original author are contained unchanged within the work. 4) The author of this work, Pamela, must be provided free account access at all times the work is hosted in order to modify or remove this work at her sole discretion.

This work is the copyrighted material of the respective author. ~Pamela

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Part 1
 

Miss Gilliam surveyed her sixth grade class. They were truly her favorite class among all those she had taught since she began teaching ten years earlier. What a nice bunch of kids, well, except for that awful Mary Lou Bogart who not only was unattractive, but was a downright tomboy. Many an anecdote about Mary Lou played out in the teachers lounge about her belligerent attitude, since she had been in the school since kindergarten and every one of her former teachers recalled what a struggle it had been to teach her. It wasn't that Mary Lou was a bully or disruptive. It was that she only did what she wanted to do, and you could never get her to budge an inch. Susan Gilliam had been planning the next class project since the beginning of the school year. It would start as soon as the current section on American naval history was completed; actually, American naval history was mostly about pirates and shipwrecks, the kinds of things that easily held the class attention, well mainly the attention of the boys. After naval history, the class would put on the most wonderful dance theater. There were 12 boys and 12 girls. There would be 12 pirates and 12 maidens. They would form 12 perfect couples, arranged in a symmetric pattern on the stage. In full costumes: exciting pirate outfits with aluminum swords, peg-legs and hooks for the boys and pretty pastel, lace, gowns for the dancing maidens.

How many layers should the petticoats be? She made a mental note to talk about it with Mrs. Bedlam, the home economics teacher who would be teaching the girls how to sew their own petticoats and dresses. There should be enough layers so that the skirts stood out at maybe even a 60 degree angle. Susan Gilliam sighed with pleasure at the vision, and tingled with excitement imagining the beautiful symmetry of the kids as they danced on the stage of the school auditorium, with hundreds of parents present, as well as the principal and maybe even the school superintendent.

There was just a few minutes left before the final bell, but Miss Gilliam wanted to announce the project to the kids, so they could share her excitement. She got everyone's attention, with the exception of Mary Lou who was looking out the window in her usual desperate desire to get out and back to whatever rock she crawled out from. No, that was a mean thing to think. Probably her parents were the problem. They had a reputation for being as hard nosed as their daughter was. Miss Gilliam cleared her throat and got the attention of the kids and then proceeded to tell them about the dance program. There would be five dances, covering five different eras of American dance in the eighteenth century. The boys would be dressed as pirates and the girls as maidens. The boys would make their swords and peg-legs and hooks in industrial arts room, while the girls made their dresses in the sewing lab. As she made the announcement, she saw glee in the faces of 23 kids, and one monstrously foul look forming on one young lady named Mary Lou Bogart.

"Mrs. Gilliam!!" Mary Lou practically shouted.

"Its Miss Gilliam, Mary Lou, as I've told you about 100 times just this week."

"Mrs. Gilliam!" Mary Lou said.

"What Mary Lou?"

"I want to be a pirate!"

"As I said, Mary Lou, the girls are the maidens, the boys are the pirates."

"But there are girl pirates!"

"We did not study any girl pirates."

"But I bet there are. Anyway, I want to be a pirate. Its not fair that only the boys get to be pirates."

Miss Gilliam went to great length to explain the beautiful symmetry of 12 pirates and 12 maidens. And that having 13 pirates and 11 maidens would just ruin the entire effect. Besides, there would be nothing more ridiculous than having two pirates dancing with each other. The class thought that was pretty funny and they laughed along with Miss Gilliam, except of course, for Mary Lou who only scowled.

"I don't care, Mrs. Gilliam. I want to be a pirate."

Just then the bell rang and the kids got up to catch their busses.

Miss Gilliam called out, "we'll finish this discussion tomorrow!"

Lord why have you given me Mary Lou Bogart, Susan Gilliam thought to herself. 13 pirates and 11 maidens would not work. She would die before she gave up her perfect 12 couples: 12 hearty pirates and 12 beautiful delicate maidens. Mary Lou Bogart, curses!!!

Tim Senate couldn't wait to run home to tell his mom and dad about the dance performance that his sixth grade teacher Miss Gilliam had told the class about. He was going to get to dance with one of the girls in the class. He prayed it would be Penny. It would be pirate dances with the girls as maidens. Old fashioned music and magical costumes. He wondered how they were going to make swords. How sharp would they be. And how did one wear a peg-leg, if one had two perfectly good legs?

His mom and dad were pleased that he was excited about the project. It was not everyday that Timmy came home loving school. He was a good student, one of the smarter ones in the class, but he was uneven. He tended to do well in what he liked, mostly the sciences, and not so great in areas he didn't love, like English and most especially that horror or all horrors: language arts. Here was an activity in a realm where Timmy had never shown much interest before. Who knows, maybe it would spark a lifetime interest in music and dance. That would be truly wonderful his parents thought.

That night Timmy thought about dancing with Penny. They would have to be holding hands he figured, and maybe he'd get to put his arm around her. In some dances he imagined that he'd have to twirl her around and catch her. Just before he fell asleep he realized that some poor boy in the class would end up with Mary Lou. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought. Poor boy. He'd have to be careful that she didn't throw him around. He chuckled to himself, and then froze at the thought that there was a possibility he'd be the one stuck with her. No way that I'd be so unlucky. Our last names are so far apart, it would be impossible for us to get together. With that comforting thought Tim fell asleep.

The next morning when Miss Gilliam arrived at school at 7:30 AM there was already a message to call Henrietta Bogart, Mary Lou's mother. Gee, what could this be about Miss Gilliam thought cynically.

"Hello?" the voice on the phone said.

"Ms. Bogart? This is Miss Gilliam, Mary Lou's teacher. You wished to speak to me?"

"Yes Mrs. Gilliam. Mary Lou told me that you won't let her be a pirate in the project you announced yesterday. Quite frankly, I think its sexist and unfair and..."

"You do not understand. The project is just as much about eighteenth century dancing as about pirates and we need to have pirates dancing with maidens. Who will Mary Lou dance with if she is a pirate?"

"I don't care. It is not my problem. Perhaps two pirates could watch the others..."

"I'll see what I can do," Miss Gilliam cut her off.

After hanging up the phone, Miss Gilliam thought to herself, "stand around and watch the others!" How are they supposed to dance in two groups of six for the finale dance, or three groups of four for the allemande? Ridiculous. That woman is an idiot!

Amy Bedlam walked into the teachers lounge and joined Susan Gilliam. "Problems?" she said after seeing Susan's face.

Miss Gilliam explained the situation.

"It is certainly a dilemma, Susan. Can you borrow two girls from Mrs. Edwards class?"

"Thirteen couples Amy? Are you serious? Besides, a class is a class. You can't take kids out of a class near the end of the school year. And worst of all, the classes are in competition with each other for the best show."

Mr. Brakes the shop teacher walked over after hearing the conversation. "Why don't you have one of the boys be a maiden?" he said matter-of-factly.

"Now I've heard everything!" Miss Gilliam said.

"No seriously. Its an ancient tradition in the theater. The Greeks did it all the time. What about Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire? You know."

Miss Gilliam stood in front of the class with considerable trepidation.

"By a show of hands, how many of you have seen the movies, Mrs. Doubtfire and Tootsie?"

Virtually every hand in the room went up. "They're very funny movies are they not?"

The class tittered in agreement. "What do the two movies have in common?" Miss Gilliam asked.

"Boys pretending to be girls," Jacques said.

"Exactly! Do you know that it is one of the great traditions of the theater. It goes back two thousand years to the ancient Greeks who wouldn't let women act on the stage. In fact, only the very best actors got to play women roles! In modern times just look how great Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams are!!"

Minutes later Miss Gilliam formed the class into two lines. One line of boys, the other of girls. She had them line up from shortest to tallest. "We're going to find our partners for the dance show according to height. We want each couple to be as close as possible in height. Now turn and face the girl or boy in the other line and see who your partner is! Sarah, take a pen and paper and please write down the names of the couples." As she watched the kids, Miss Gilliam mentally paired off the couples trying to see who was going to be opposite Mary Lou. Tim Senate! she thought to herself, thank God! An eminently reasonable boy. Intelligent, good natured, and just a tad delicate. Not effeminate, but not barrel chested and muscle bound, either. He will do just nicely.

Tim Senate turned and saw that he was opposite Mary Lou Bogart. Oh yuck and a half, he thought, I have to dance with Mary Lou? He saw that the next girl shorter than Mary Lou was Penny and she was standing opposite Greg. If he had been only a half inch shorter it would have been Penny next to him and not Mary Lou. Greg was the handsomest boy in the class and also a great athlete. Tim wondered why good things always had to go to guys like that.

Miss Gilliam had everyone sit down after Sarah was done recording the names. "Very good. Twelve perfect couples for the perfect dance." Miss Gilliam saw Mary Lou with her hand raised. She ignored it. "There is one small change that I have to announce. For certain reasons beyond our control, Mary Lou will be a pirate in the production. So her partner will then be a maiden."

Mary Lou lowered her hand and blurted out, "Tim is my partner. He's the maiden!"

Miss Gilliam in all her life had never seen a face as red as that of poor Tim Senate. It was red like a thousand roses. Like a lobster in a pot. She made a note to tell Amy about it later. She would get a kick out of it.

Tim had his hand raised.

"Yes, Tim?"

"Miss Gilliam. Its not fair that I should be a maiden. I'm a boy!"

"But Tim. We just got through our class discussion about how only the best boy actors get to play the role of girls. You will not BE a maiden, you will be ACTING the part of a maiden in the same great tradition as Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman!" Miss Gilliam held her breath hoping beyond hope that Tim would take the bait. The thought passed through her mind, 'if you believe this, I have a bridge I want to sell you that runs between Brooklyn and Manhattan.' If she could just get past this next minute, he would be caught. He might jump around a bit on the dock later, but he would be a dead fish, and one lovely maiden in the perfect dance come performance time.

"Everyone will make fun of me!" Tim said with a slight whine of desperation in his voice.

"Who in this room is going to tease Tim?" Miss Gilliam said fiercely. The class remained absolutely still.

"See, no one Tim, they have only the greatest respect for your acting ability. Don't you all?"

There was a murmur of agreement, but not exactly a rousing confirmation of her point, so Miss Gilliam repeated, "we are depending on Tim to put on the performance of a lifetime so that our class can win the best performance award, and then we'll be going to Six Flags amusement park and be the envy of the school!!"

At this there was a great cheer from the kids. Even Tim seemed to be pleased by the thought, though for the rest of the day he brooded. Just before class was dismissed at the end of the day, Miss Gilliam said that tomorrow morning the maidens would be meeting with Mrs. Bedlam to begin planning their dresses, while the boys would meet with Mr. Brakes to start construction of their swords.

Miss Gilliam saw Tim's eyes react like he had seen a vampire. He came up to her after the dismissal bell, and she explained to him with all the kindness and firmness she could muster, why it was that he had to go with the maidens to make his dress the following day.

At the dinner table that night, Tim's Dad asked him how the preparations for the dance performance were going.

"Just great dad," Tim said with no enthusiasm.

"Yesterday you were so excited. What happened? You didn't get to partner with Penny?"

Tim was silent.

"Don't tell me you ended up with Mary Lou?" his mother said with feigned anguish.

"Its not funny," Tim said. His parents both chuckled.

"Worst things have happened, Tim. I'm sure you'll dance fine with Mary Lou."

"Worse things did happen!" Tim said.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that Mary Lou is going to be the pirate and I'm going to be the maiden!"

"The maiden?!" his older sister Lucy asked incredulously. Tim's mom and dad gave her a sharp glance and she said, "how nice!"

Long after Tim and Lucy had finished dinner and gone upstairs to do their homework, Tim's mom and dad were still discussing what, if anything, they ought to do about Tim playing the part of a maiden. Finally they decided to take a wait-and-see attitude. If it became an unreasonable burden on Tim they would intervene. In the meantime, there was a possibility that the experience would be beneficial for Tim. It could develop his character and certainly improve his acting skills.

The next day Mrs. Bedlam welcomed her dozen "girls."

"Our job here is to make your maiden costumes and to start learning your dance steps, away from the boys. I don't suppose that many of you know much about sewing, but you will be experts by the time we're done. The maiden costume will be a very pretty dress about knee length with puffy sleeves, a sweetheart neckline and a sumptuous petticoat. Miss Gilliam and I have picked out a lovely pattern. First you will make your petticoats and then the dresses. Any questions?"

Tina raised her hand, "do we wear stockings?"

"Yes, Tina. The petticoats will be white and the dresses will be different colors. So you'll wear a shade of nude hose. You also need to have white shoes, with one inch heels. We want you to look elegant but still be able to dance."

Tim sat by himself at the side of the room. Petticoats and dresses? How could he ever wear them? Pantyhose? Was Mrs. Bedlam serious? And how was he to get girls shoes?

"Oh, and one thing more," Mrs. Bedlam said, "how many of you are wearing bras already? Raise your hands."

Six of the girls raised their hands. Tim furtively glanced at them feeling nearly overcome by embarrassment. He saw that Penny had her hand raised.

Mrs. Bedlam looked around the room. "About half of you, I see. The dances we will be doing were done by ladies a century or more ago and we need to look at least a little bit lady like. You will have to wear bras and from the look of you most of you will need padded bras, at least an A cup. I'll be sending around a note to your parents." The girls tittered with amusement at the announcement. During the commotion Mrs. Bedlam turned to Tim, "and, of course, you probably don't know the first thing about bras. I can bring one in for you, unless you prefer that your mom buy you one?"

Tim looked at Mrs. Bedlam and she looked at him. "What do you prefer?" Mrs. Bedlam said.

"I guess if you buy me one?"

"It's probably best if your mom does. I'll write her a note and tell her what you need. She'll also have to get you pantyhose, and the shoes of course. That may be a bit difficult. Probably a woman size would fit you."

Tim felt woozy. A padded bra? Girls shoes? Pantyhose? He felt a loud ringing in his ears and fought to keep from crying or yelling or whatever emotion he was feeling.

Mrs. Bedlam looked up at the class, "any further questions?"

"What about our hair, Mrs. Bedlam?"

"Good question Sarah. You'll have to wear your hair up with as many curls as you can coax. I'll distribute some pictures of how ladies wore their hair back then, and your moms or perhaps a beauty parlor can make them up that way a day or two before the performance. We'll have to get a wig for Tim. I have an old one at home, I'll bring it in for him."

"If there are no more questions, then the first order of business is to separate you into buddy pairs. When we begin to teach the dances you will see that they are always symmetric about the middle of the stage. What is done on the right side of the stage is reflected as if through a mirror to the left side. To make it look as pretty as possible we need to have the two shortest couples together, then the next two smallest couples and so forth. For each group of two couples, the two boys and the two girls will have steps that are reflected from one another. Once again, as if a mirror were held up through the center of the stage. Any questions?"

Mrs. Bedlam then proceeded to name the couples. While Tim listened intently he tried to figure out if he and Penny would be a pair. Finally, to his great relief he heard her say, "Tim and Penny will be the fifth pair of girls, coming from couples 9 and 10, and then, Alison and Marge the last pair, coming from couples 11 and 12."

Tim winced at hearing himself referred to as a girl. However, at least one good thing had happened to him in this whole mess. Penny was going to be his partner!

Mrs. Bedlam had the partners stand in pairs and looked them over to make sure they were well matched. Satisfied with what she saw, Mrs. Bedlam said that since there were only six sewing machines in the room, the pairs would work together to make their petticoats and dresses. "That way we can learn from each other. Now take a seat with your buddy at a machine and we'll begin work on our petticoats. They're a lot easier than the dresses and will give you a chance to get some practice before tackling the harder job."

Tim and Penny sat at their sewing machine. Tim was so nervous that he could barely talk when Penny smiled at him and said, "I suppose you don't know much about sewing, do you?"

"No."

"No, you don't or no, you do?"

"Oh, no, no. I can't sew!" Tim said.

"No need to worry since I have a lot of experience."

"Good. Thanks." Tim felt like an idiot.

"I've always liked petticoats," Penny said, "I wore one for my first communion. They're nice because they keep your skirt out wide. That's pretty."

Tim managed to smile at Penny. He was at a complete loss for words. "I haven't worn a petticoat."

Penny laughed. "I wouldn't have imagined that you'd had. Boys in petticoats, thats funny!"

"But I'll have to wear one," Tim said meekly.

"You're just acting. That's different. Its nice that you're helping Miss Gilliam out. She's such a nice teacher."

Penny has the prettiest smile of any girl Tim thought.

"If I can have your attention," Mrs. Bedlam said and waited until the class quieted down. "Here is what your petticoats will look like when you are done." She held up a white petticoat and spread it out to reveal the layers of skirts. "The skirts are nylon taffeta. There are three 11 inch ruffles and 6 tiers of tulle net, and extra tulle for added fullness. There is approximately 140 yards of netting. To get your petticoat to come out as perfect as this one, you must pay strict attention to detail, and have me and your partner check out your handiwork each step of the way. You should find a tape measure on your desks, and your first job is to get accurate measurements of your partner so that they can make the right sized petticoat. They have to fit within one inch of the bottom of your dresses. You'll have to take measurements for both the petticoat and the dress." Mrs. Bedlam demonstrated on one of the girls what measurements she wanted: bust, waist, hips and distance to the knee, among others. "Make careful notes and double check your work. Any questions?"

Sarah held up her hand.

"Yes Sarah?"

"Mrs. Bedlam. If we wear padded bras, won't that change the measurements of our busts?"

"Yes, Sarah, but we're only talking of an A cup. It shouldn't be too important. Though you could give it an extra inch if you really want to make sure you have enough room. OK. Now lets get to work."

Penny took the tape measure which was lying on the sewing machine table in front of her. "Stand up Tim," she ordered and he got up. She took the tape measure and circled his chest with it. It was all Tim could do to not feint with excitement as Penny stood close to him and gently touched his chest. She pulled the tape measure taut and read "32 inches, though we better put it down as 33 since your bra will make a big difference I should think. Maybe even 34 would be better. What do you think?"

"Sure. That's OK."

"34?"

"Yeah, 34."

Penny proceeded to measure his waist which came to 29 inches and his hips which came to 30 inches.

"34-29-30, got it?"

"Yep," Tim said.

"Now its your turn to measure me," Penny said, and handed the tape measure to Tim. "First do my bust."

Tim faced Penny and stepped forward to put the tape around behind her back like she had done for him. "Aim it across my bust and read off the measurement," Penny said. She was wearing a soft cotton, short sleeved, blouse in a kind of salmon color. Her small breasts were well defined. Tim could see the outline of her bra underneath her blouse. Penny stood erect and straightened her posture so her breasts stuck out slightly more. Tim gently laid the end of the tape on top of her breasts and gathered it together. His shaking fingers lightly touched her bust. "34" Tim said.

"Are you sure?" Penny said. "I was a 33 when I got measured for my bra. See if it pulls tighter."

Tim did as she said and he saw the tape push in her breasts slightly. "Thats a 33 now, but I think its squeezing you." Tim let go the measure and stepped back.

Penny gazed at him and smiled. "Then write down 34. Thats great. Now do my waist and hips."

If felt to Tim like Penny was an oven. Really, he couldn't tell if it was he that was so hot, or if it was her. Under her gaze he lowered the tape measure so that it ran around her waist. "27," Tim said.

"That's nice also," Penny said, apparently pleased with the result.

Tim then laid the tape across her rear end. He had to crouch down in front of her to take the reading and he awkwardly fumbled with the end of the tape and was able to read off, "33."

Penny felt around her hips making sure the tape was laid flat, and then leveled it out a bit. "Still 33," Tim said.

"Good. 34-27-33," Penny said and wrote it down.

They must be good numbers Tim thought since they evidently pleased Penny.

At lunch Tim sat with his friends, Jacques, Steve and Leon.

"How's the maiden?" Steve said.

"Hey, Miss Gilliam said,..." Tim started to say.

"I know, I know, take it easy," Steve added.

"Anyway, I got to be with Penny. She's my sewing partner."

The guys suppressed their laughter.

"I got to use a tape measure to find out her figure!" It was clear to Tim that the guys did not find this as exciting as he did. It was best if he did not mention anything more about what was going on with the other maidens. How to make a petticoat was not something the guys evidently wanted to hear about.

That night, when his dad was downstairs watching TV, Tim sat down on the bed next to his mom who was folding laundry in her bedroom.

"Mom, there's something I need to talk to you about."

"What honey," she said, as she carefully folded one of his dad's shirts.

"Mrs. Bedlam, you know the sewing teacher, said I need to wear a padded bra, the same as the other girls, you know maidens. She wants us to look more like grown up ladies."

"A padded bra?" his mom said with surprise."They must really be serious about you playing the girls role."

"So you don't think its too weird?"

"Weird? I don't know. I guess I was thinking from what you mentioned yesterday that you would only have to wear an old dress or something over your street clothes. A padded bra? I don't know. If you say they want the maidens to look older, then I suppose that would really help a lot."

"So its not weird?"

"If you feel too embarrassed about it, I could have a word with your teacher."

Tim knew what Miss Gilliam would say, and the thought of disappointing her made him uncomfortable. "I'm not complaining like that. I'd hate to upset Miss Gilliam. This means a lot to her. I just wanted to let you know about the bra, in case there was something really wrong about it."

"No, I think the only important thing is how you feel."

"Then, I guess its OK." Tim was thinking of Penny when he said that. A little rocking of the boat and he might lose his chance to be her sewing partner. "I also need to get pantyhose and girls shoes, Mrs. Bedlam is going to send a note home about it."

"What about panties?"

"She didn't say anything about them," Tim answered. "Why do I need panties?"

"They're usually worn under pantyhose."

"We also have to sew our own dresses and petticoats, and I had the greatest luck since I get to work with Penny. She's my partner and I got to talk with her today and got to know her a lot better. She's very nice."

"I'm glad to hear that." His mom folded another shirt and appeared to be deep in thought. "When will you need the bra and other things?"

"I don't know. In a couple of weeks when we start to rehearse. I won't have to go to the store to buy a bra will I?"

"No. I suppose I could just buy one for you. But you know your sister might have one that would fit you. Lets take a look."

Tim followed his mom down the hall to his sister's bedroom. After his mom explained to Lucy what they were after, Lucy said, "I don't want him wearing my bras."

"But you don't wear the padded ones any longer," his mom said.

"Still," Lucy said.

"You're being selfish."

"Mom, am I the only sane one around here? How can you allow him to wear a bra?"

"Its OK, mom," Tim said with distress, "maybe you could just buy me one."

"No, Tim. Your sister is going to share, and furthermore who asked her for her opinion about you taking the part of a maiden? Tim is the bravest student in his class. Besides, this is a wonderful opportunity for him to show his acting skill."

"OK, mom, take them!" Lucy said smirking, "but then I don't want them back." She opened her underwear drawer and scrounged around for a few seconds and then pulled out two bras and handed them to her mother.

"Thanks," Tim said meekly. The bras had large, firm, padded cups. One was plain white without ornamentation, and the other was peach colored and decorated with lace across the cups and partially onto the straps.

"The white one is 32A and the peach one is 34B," his mom said as Tim followed her back to her bedroom. "Lucy never much wore the peach one. She got it at the end of the school year and by the end of the summer she didn't need any padding!" Lucy had a prominent bosom like her mom and the other women in the family.

"Lets see how these fit. Take off your shirt."

Tim's mom held the white bra out for him and he put his arms through the straps and she fastened it in the back. It was tight and uncomfortable.

"It doesn't feel good. Is it supposed to be so tight?"

"No, of course not. It's the bra that Lucy wore when she was just 10. We'll try the other one."

"The fancy one?" Tim said.

"Yes the fancy one. Its just a bra like the other one." Without emotion his mom helped him on with the peach colored bra and said, "this seems to fit much better. Is it too tight?"

"No, mom, but isn't it kind of girlie?"

"How can a bra not be girlie?" his mom said. "I think it fits you perfectly. Not too tight, not too loose."

"It feels strange."

"Of course it does to you! Come look in the mirror."

Tim looked at his reflection in the full length mirror behind the door. He was inordinately aware of having two large mounds on his chest. Mounds covered with a peach colored lace. The feeling was like nothing else he had known. There was a faint scent of perfume on the bra. His chest was taken over by the bra and the feminine odor.

"I feel weird, mom."

"What's the commotion?" Tim heard his dad's voice in the hallway. Before he could run away his dad and Lucy appeared in the doorway.

"Jesus Christ!" his dad said. "Tim? In a bra?"

"It was my bra," Lucy said, "I can't believe you'd let the school make him into a sissy."

"Enough of that, it doesn't concern you," his mom said sternly. "This is hard enough for Tim without your lack of consideration. The teachers want authenticity and apparently it means wearing a bra."

"Don't you think we ought to talk it over with Miss Gilliam?" his dad said.

"I've had a good talk with Tim, and I think it really is a matter of what Tim wants. He's uncomfortable, but its to his credit that he's willing to live with that to help out his teacher."

"I hope that Miss Gilliam appreciates how brave you are and how valuable a team player," Tim's dad said.

"I'm sure she does," Tim's mom said.

"To set the stage for the formal dances, the opening scene will introduce the pirates and maidens," Mrs. Bedlam lectured. "It will be very much like the Pirates of Penzance, in case you are familiar with the Gilbert and Sullivan musical comedy. The maidens will be on stage, the pirates will rush in, the maidens will cower in fear, scream in terror and run around the stage. As each maiden is caught by her pirate, she falls into his arms and pretends to faint. Then, after the couples are formed, the pirates vow to become gentleman, and then the maidens have a change of heart and show admiration for the bravery and strength of their partners."

"Now gather together stage left and tremble with fear. The pirates will be facing you on the right side of the stage. Good Tim. See how trembly Lisa is. See if you can do that." Tim held his arms across his chest and shook them as if in great fear.

"Now the pirates are trying to catch you and you're scared. Run around the room! With small steps! Hold your hands palms out, arms bent and fingers spread wide. Like you're scared."

"Tim, you're steps are too big. Run more gently. Look at how the girls run. See how they swish their hips and the delicate positions of their fingers and hands?"

Tim ran behind Penny and imitated everything she did. He felt ridiculous.

"Very good Tim. Its OK to run like a girl here. You ARE a girl, remember? That's much, better! You're a delicate maiden. Girls remember you'll be wearing your dresses and petticoats which will be swirling around you! Very good."

Mrs. Bedlam observed the maidens. "Now each of you run to me one by one and faint into my arms. First, Amy."

Amy ran and stopped in front of Mrs. Bedlam and pretended to faint by gracefully falling back into her arms. Mrs. Bedlam made a few comments and then had the next girl do it. After Penny had done it, she said, "your turn Tim. Remember, be delicate." Tim ran toward her and then stopped, turned and in an exaggerated pose of timidity and fearfulness leaned back as if he was fainting. "That's the right idea, Tim, but not like you're in a silent movie. Imagine you are made of feathers. A delicate angel caught by a mean pirate. You're so scared you faint." Tim did it again. "Better Tim, but I want you to keep on practicing that every day at home."

"In the last part of the intro the pirates will stand tall, flexing their arms and the maidens will swoon with pride at their manliness." Mrs. Bedlam assumed the pose she described and had the girls show admiration for her flexed arm. When it was Tim's turn he ran up to her and tried his best at showing excitement but he knew it wasn't convincing. "That won't do Tim, you've got to believe I'm strong and that you're a pretty maiden in need of protection. You saw how Amy did it?"

Tim tried it again. "A little better. We'll have to specially work on this. But you've had a very good first day."

Tim loved working alongside Penny making their petticoats. She was a skilled and meticulous worker. She showed him how to carefully measure the soft nylon fabric for each skirt layer, and to cut the shapes to perfection from a pattern supplied by Mrs. Bedlam. She showed him how to sew each piece together and to add the trim. The work was delicate and often needed four hands to hold down material while it was cut and sewn. She helped him with his petticoat first, and then they did hers. Penny had him try his petticoat on in different stages of the work, and each time he felt more than a little embarrassed. But Penny remained nonchalant, and once even told him there was no need to be red in the face. "If anything, you look perfectly normal in a petticoat," she said and Tim felt strangely reassured, though he suspected if he were to look in a mirror, he would not come to the same conclusion.

After two weeks the maidens had finished their petticoats to Mrs. Bedlam's satisfaction, and then she began a discussion about the dresses. They were to vary in color. There would be six colors, each pair using the same color. The shorter girls were to be in black, dark-blue and green. The taller girls in pink, yellow and light blue. "I want the six shorter girls and the six taller girls to meet informally and decide who gets which color."

Penny and Tim gathered with the four other taller girls to decide who should get the pink, yellow and light blue dresses. Penny said, "my favorite color is pink. What about the rest of you?"

"Definitely yellow," Amy said.

"I like baby blue," a girl named Clara said, and the two others said they didn't care.

"What about you Tim. What color dress do you want?" Penny said.

What he wanted was probably the black dress, or maybe a dark blue one. The choice in front of him was not the best. "I guess the light blue, but I don't want to take it away from Clara."

"In that case we might as well have pink," Penny said, "OK?"

"Sure," Tim said. Evidently this experience was going to be as traumatic as humanly possible.

Later that day he met with the guys in the cafeteria.

"Man you should see our swords," Jacques said.

"They're really cool," Steve added, "made of aluminum. Real shiny and long."

"Too bad the ends are dull, Mr. Brakes won't let us sharpen them, or even duel with them. He says they're just for carrying around."

Tim listened with envy. "What about the hooks?"

"We haven't gotten to the hooks yet. We started on the peg-legs making them out of leather and wood," Leon said, "and we don't actually cut off our legs. Its just a matter of making a sling to hold our leg while it is tucked back behind us."

"How can you dance in a peg-leg?" Tim asked.

"They're just for the opening scene. Then we take them off and rush around scaring you maidens," Jacques said. Steve and Leon laughed.

"Guys!" Tim said disgustedly and shook his head. "How's Mary Lou doing with her sword?"

"She gave Mr. Brakes a hard time about it. She wanted the biggest one in the class. He practically had to yell at her to shorten it by a foot."

"You're going to have a lot of fun dancing with her. She's bragging about how she's going to grab her maiden with her hook and not let her go," Jacques said. "You won't be able to run away from her. She said she's going to marry her maiden for life."

"Very funny. What did Mr. Brakes say?" Tim said.

"He's so fed up with her, he told her she could do anything she wanted, but that the sword point better not be sharp," Jacques answered.

Tim glumly thought about the reality of dancing with Mary Lou.

"What's new with you and Penny?" Leon said.

Tim smiled. "I'm going to ask her out when this whole thing is over. I think she likes me."

"As a boy or a girl?" Leon said.

"Very funny Leon, you're so jealous!"

"How's your sewing coming along?" Jacques said.

"We're making the dresses now. We finished the others."

"The petticoats?"

"Yeah, the petticoats. The dresses are real complicated. I'm lucky Penny is helping. She really knows what shes doing. I haven't had to do much except help her." Tim thought dreamily about how nice it was to sit next to Penny as they worked shoulder to shoulder at the sewing machine. A dozen times he had wanted to ask her out, but every time he had gotten scared and not said anything. Then he had seen her talking with Greg in the hallway and he wondered if he had waited too long. What was stopping him was the dress, he rationalized. How could he ask her out and then dance with her in the dress? It would not be much longer until this whole business was over with, and then he'd definitely say something to her.

 
Part 2

As Mrs. Bedlam had predicted, the experience gained in making the petticoats was put to good use in making the dresses. Even though they were a complicated affair, with many special tucks, pleats and difficult to reach stitches, it was nothing that fazed Penny. She confidently figured out every operation and with patience helped Tim work on his dress while she did her own. From time to time they would talk about their other classes and about their families and activities outside of school. One Monday morning, Tim told Penny about a home run he had hit in a baseball game that weekend, but she did not seem interested. Instead, she asked him what his mom and dad thought about him being a maiden. "I don't know exactly. They think its a good chance for me to learn acting or something like that." "When I told my mom about us sewing together she was surprised that your mom lets you."

Tim cringed. "She thinks its wrong?"

"No, she didn't say that, but she said she'd never heard about a boy allowed to dress like a girl for a school play."

"That's great so I'm a freak!" Tim asked.

"No. I think its kind of neat. Especially since you're not supposed to look like a boy in girls clothes. I can't believe that you didn't scream when Mrs. Bedlam said you have to wear a bra! I can't picture a boy wearing one like girls do."

Tim said, "you think I'm screwed up!" A feeling of nausea began creeping into his belly.

"No, no," Penny said getting serious, "if you'd screamed you'd have been like any of the boys. But I think you're nicer than that. You saw how much of a pain Mary Lou is to Miss Gilliam and you were kind enough to help out."

Summoning up his courage Tim said, "when the play is over, I'm wondering if..."

Penny looked confused. He must have changed the subject too quickly. He got cold feet. "I mean I'd like to..."

Penny stared at him without saying anything.

"I'd like to..."

He was cut off by Mrs. Bedlam, who was standing in front of the room, "I guess those of us who are talking have finished our dresses. She was looking directly at Tim and Penny.

"We haven't, Mrs. Bedlam," Penny said.

"Then lets concentrate on our work. We've got only one more week until our dress rehearsal! I needn't remind you that I want everyone to have their bra, pantyhose and shoes by then. You won't need to bring your makeup for the dress rehearsal, just the night of the performance."

Tim thought ahead to putting on the petticoat and dress and dancing with the girls. It was already difficult enough practicing his dainty moves again and again for Mrs. Bedlam. He had gotten down the skipping around the stage in mock terror and judging from Mrs. Bedlam and Miss Gilliam who came one day to look at the progress, he was indistinguishable from the other girls. The secret was tiny little steps and keeping his legs together as he ran, and sort of thinking of keeping his hands in a delicate pose. Miss Gilliam had shown them how to take a bow as girls did in the ballet or opera and how to curtsy, as they would have to do at the start of every dance when their pirate came up to them. Curtsying was not hard, but Tim wondered how he would have the nerve to curtsy to Mary Lou in front of an audience.

On the weekend Tim's mom took him to buy shoes at the local mall. She was anticipating that it was not going to be an easy task to find white shoes with a one inch heel that would fit well enough for him to dance comfortably. It was not that his feet were big, they were just a size 8 1/2, but she assumed the male and female anatomies had some differences that would not be easily glossed over. Tim did his best to view the trip as but another necessary consequence of his "acting career" though he was hard pressed to believe that he wanted to get this far into one. The first stop on the excursion was Brandi's Shoes, that specialized in shoes for teenage girls. His mom scrutinized the shoes displayed in the window. Tim glanced in half-heartedly and could not make sense of the maze of delicate high-heeled thin strapped shoes arranged on pedestals of various heights. "This is going to be even harder than I thought," his mom said, "I don't see anything appropriate, unless we want to get you up on two inch heels."

"Oh, no, mom, Miss Gilliam said a low heel!"

"I know. I don't know what I was thinking going here. We'll have to go to a more traditional shoe store. Come, we'll go to the Lady Florsheim."

A long walk across the mall brought them to the Lady Florsheim's and here Tim could see many more reasonable shoes displayed in the window. He followed his mom inside whereupon they were accosted by a salesman.

"What can I show you today?" the salesman asked with enthusiasm. He was stocky with thinning hair and a brown suit.

"We're here to get shoes for my son. He needs to get girls shoes with an inch heel, preferably white. Its for a play at school. He's been given a girls part. Its a long story I needn't bore you with."

The salesman smiled broadly. "Oh, I see, but we may have some trouble. Girls feet tend to be much narrower than boys."

"I realize that, but we may be lucky. Anyway, he just needs to wear them for an hour. I think the main question is can he dance in them or not."

"Let me see what I can do," the salesman said. He had Tim sit down and take off his sneakers.

"Will he be wearing socks with the shoes?" the salesman asked.

"Hose," his mom said.

"Of course," the salesman said and ordered Tim to take off his gym socks. Then he measured his feet. "I'll take a look in back and see what I can see. Luckily his feet are a bit narrow and definitely not too long."

The salesman rushed off and Tim sat next to his mom waiting. The store had been empty when they first came into it, but now a mother with two daughters Tim's age came in and were looking at the shoes displayed near them. Tim wished they would go away before the salesman came back. He hid his bare feet under the chair.

The salesman came back holding two boxes. To the other customers he said, "I'll be just a minute while I take care of this young gentleman." The girls looked at Tim.

"All I found were these. I think they may fit though I'm not so sure about the styles." He opened the first box and pulled out a shoe with a large broad heel that was definitely more than an inch.

"That won't do," Tim's mom said, "he can't dance in that. Not with such a big heel. Other than that its sort of what we had in mind."

The salesman put the shoe away and then opened the second box. "This has an inch heel." It was in every way a nice shoe for what they needed, except for a fancy buckle and bow on the front.

"What do you think Tim?" his mom said.

"I hoped it would be plainer."

"I know, but do you think Miss Gilliam would object?"

"She said to do the best we could."

"Then try it on and see if at least fits," his mom said.

The salesman said, "wear these stockings to cover your feet," and he handed Tim two little balled up stockings.

Tim looked at his mother. "They're peds. Ladies need to wear them to protect the shoes. They go just up to your ankles."

Tim unballed one of them and put it on his foot and then the other. He was conscious of the two girls staring at him. The salesman then put the shoes on Tim's feet. They had a little strap which he put into a brass buckle and tightened. They weren't too tight or too loose, in fact they fit comfortably except for a slight pinching of the toes. Tim stood up and looked down at his feet. The girls near him looked first at the shoes and then at his face.

"They're great," Tim said under his breath.

"Walk around a bit while I help these young ladies," the salesman said.

Tim took some tentative steps.

"They look nice Tim. They're pretty. Are they comfortable? Look in the mirror," his mom said.

Tim walked to a mirror. His feet look convincingly feminine. Just like the way Penny's looked. He walked back to his mom.

"Can you dance in them?" his mom said.

"I don't know," Tim replied.

"Try them out, we don't want you tripping all over the stage!"

Tim hurried back to the mirror as if he were performing his part in the dance theater, and then went quickly back to his mom.

"They're OK. I won't fall."

"Is that how you'll be in the play?" his mom asked.

"Yes, that's part of the opening scene."

"You looked like a girl in those shoes. I never thought that you'd have to move like that!"

"Miss Gilliam and Mrs. Bedlam have been teaching me how to dance like a girl."

His mom shook her head.

"Is there anything wrong mom?" Tim asked fearfully.

"No," she said without conviction.

The salesman came over on his way back to the stock room. "How are these? Comfortable? Too feminine? Let me see you walk."

Tim walked back and forth.

"Very nice effect. Elegant despite the decoration, don't you think?"

"Yes, well, I suppose they're what we had in mind. OK, then, we'll take them."

After the girls and boys had separately mastered their steps, rehearsals involving the entire class were initiated. Tim had been dreading this moment from the start and when it finally arrived he was nearly sick with worry. He was sure that all eyes would be on him and he would be the object of endless ridicule. The coming dress rehearsal was another matter entirely. It seemed impossible to comprehend how he could wear his dress and petticoat in front of everyone, and not only that, run and dance and act as if he were one of the girls.

The rehearsal took place on the stage of the school auditorium. Miss Gilliam had the maidens take their positions on the stage. Tim stood opposite Penny and they exchanged glances. The pirates stood on the right side of the stage looking at the girls. Suddenly, without warning the pirates began running around the stage screaming at the top of their lungs. Tim's heart about leaped out of his body and he took off running around the stage in fear like the other maidens. He saw his friends Jacques and Leon pass with ferocious looks on their faces. One by one the maidens were caught by their pirates and then suddenly Tim was rudely grabbed on the arms by Mary Lou. Her face was frightful and maniacal and Tim felt a jolt of real fear as he struggled to get free of her grasp. Her hands were clamped so hard on his wrists that they hurt and he realized to his chagrin that he was powerless to break free. After all the maidens were caught then one by one they pretended to admire their pirate's valor, just as they had rehearsed in Mrs. Bedlam's class. Tim was disturbed to see Penny fawning over Greg. Then it was his turn to express admiration for Mary Lou. She stood tall with her arm flexed and Tim reluctantly acted like he was enraptured by her. He heard Jacques and one of the other boys laugh. Mrs. Bedlam ran to center stage and clapped her hands.

"The next one who teases Tim will get a call to their parents. Is that understood?"

There was complete silence.

"That especially means you Jacques," Miss Gilliam inserted.

"Yes, ma'am," Jacques said.

Miss Gilliam made Jacques explain to the class why Tim deserved to be applauded and not jeered and, then she said, "Tim, that will never happen again! I promise you. You're doing so fine, just continue as you were."

When the rehearsal was over, Tim went up to Miss Gilliam and said, "what if the audience laughs at me in the performance?"

"Don't worry, when you have your costume on, your pretty dress, your wig and makeup, you'll look no different than the other girls. So long as you act like a girl no one will suspect you to be a boy. You have to remember to let yourself go. Feel like a girl. We've tried to teach you that and I think you understand. Its what great actors do and I'm sure you can do it also."

On the day of the dress rehearsal Mrs. Bedlam addressed the class of maidens. "The dress rehearsal is on the stage in one hour. I want you to get dressed pronto, so we can practice the allemande once before joining the boys. Put on your bra and pantyhose if you haven't worn it to class. Then we'll put on our petticoats and then our dresses and shoes. Tim, you change in this corner and the girls in the opposite corner."

Tim had his bra, pantyhose, panties and shoes in a shopping bag he had been closely guarding all morning. He went to his assigned spot and turned his back to the girls. He had expected that he might have some privacy while he changed, but clearly Mrs. Bedlam had no intention of sending him off to a bathroom or closet. Thus exposed, and hoping the girls weren't looking, he took off his shirt and then took his beige bra out of the bag. He put it around his back like his mom had shown him and fastened the clips. When he swiveled it around to the front he saw that it was upside down. Mrs. Bedlam came over and asked, "do you need help?"

"I guess so."

"Here," she said as she took the bra from him, held it out so he could slip his arms into it and then clipped it behind him.

"Thanks."

"Its a good fit and very pretty."

"It was my sister's bra."

"Do you know how to put on your pantyhose?"

"My mom showed me once, but I think you should help me."

"Step out of your pants and sit down. Its not hard once you get the hang of it."

Embarrassed, Tim step out of his pants so he was standing in his underwear. He glanced behind him and quickly turned away after seeing that the girls were also in the process of putting on bras and pantyhose. "My mom gave me some panties to wear, in case the boys underwear is no good." He reached into his bag and held them up. They were white with lace trim on the leg holes and waist line.

"Well I hadn't thought about it, but I suppose it's better, since if you twirl hard enough your skirts will fly up."

It was clear that Tim was at a loss as to what to do and Mrs. Bedlam said, "I'll turn around and you change quickly."

Partially blocked by Mrs Bedlam, Tim stepped out of his underwear and put on the panties. They were silky and held his waist with a slight pressure. He sat down and Mrs. Bedlam turned back toward him and took the pantyhose out of his bag. "First we roll up one leg," she said as she quickly gathered it into a donut shape, "and put it over your toes and unroll it up your leg. Remember to keep the alignment with the label in the back. Good, that was easy, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Mrs. Bedlam."

"Good, now bend up your other leg and we'll get it on." She stood behind Tim and leaned over him taking the remaining leg of the pantyhose, rolling it up and putting it over his other foot. She had him stand up and then pulled the pantyhose over his waist. "Now you do a little jig to get it up as high as you can." She showed Tim and he imitated her. "Very good." Mrs. Bedlam looked at Tim approvingly. "Very convincing. You're a good sport for doing this." Then she called for everyone to come to the center of the room.

Tim wearing just his bra and pantyhose turned and looked at the girls. They were dressed liked himself on the far side of the room. He saw Penny in her bra and was surprised at how delicate she looked. As his eyes flitted through the girls, he noticed that several of the others also had her thin, feminine grace. A couple of the girls were stockier and he noticed that Brenda had a much larger chest than the others.

"Get your petticoats from the lockers and line up in pairs," Mrs. Bedlam said.

Tim and Penny went to their shared locker and took out their petticoats. It felt more than a little bizarre to be standing next to Penny with both of them dressed only in bras and pantyhose. With his bra on, he felt he had breasts as big as Penny's and he felt intensely self-conscious. He expected Penny to make a joke about them being dressed the same, but she didn't.

He and Penny lined up with the others, six pairs of maidens. "Now put on your petticoats," Mrs. Bedlam said, and Tim stepped into his petticoat and slid it up to his waist. The transformation of the girls was quick as they became 12 little princesses.

Mrs. Bedlam surveyed the scene in front of her and walked through the girls adjusting petticoats here and there. "Very good, very good. You've all done a marvelous job. Now get your dresses, put them on and your dance shoes and reassemble."

Tim and Penny went again to their locker and Penny took out her dress. She gathered up the skirt in her hand and slipped it over her head, and straightened it and turned around and asked Tim to zip her up. He took the zipper and did as she said. "Now your turn," Penny said, and Tim put his dress on over his head while aiming his arms into the arm holes. Penny helped him keep the skirt out as it fell down around him. She went behind him and zipped him up. The dress was a bit snug in the top, particularly now that he was wearing a bra.

While Tim and Penny sat down to put on their shoes Mrs. Bedlam came over carrying a plastic grocery bag. "Here's your wig Tim. It's been done up with curls like the ladies wore in the eighteenth century."

She took the wig out of the bag and pulled it over Tim's head making sure to completely cover his hair. Out of her purse she took a brush and used it gather some loose hairs. "Its from a play that I did in college. Its real human hair. I could never stand that artificial stuff."

Penny observed Mrs. Bedlam's work and declared, "I like the curls Mrs. Bedlam."

"They are pretty aren't they," she said.

"And look at Tim's shoes," Penny said. "Where did you find them?"

"At Lady Florsheim. You think they're ugly?" Tim said.

"No, no, no, the bows are very pretty."

Mrs. Bedlam stepped back to look at Tim. "How cute you're shoes are. They'll do just nicely. I know you had a hard time getting them. Overall, I have to say you look just picture perfect. No one would ever suspect that you're a boy!"

Tim blushed and followed Penny to the center of the room. The girls in the class excitedly swirled around each other offering compliments on how nicely everyone looked and thoroughly delighted to finally be dressed up in the clothes they had been working on for the last few weeks.

"Quiet ladies! My, my, my do you all look absolutely gorgeous. Such pretty dresses! My goodness! Before we meet the boys for our first dress rehearsal, I want us to practice the allemande, one last time. You know the routine, so lets proceed. First get into your starting positions!"

The maidens assembled in a symmetric pattern. Tim and Penny in their pink dresses capped the beautiful display of colors formed by the dresses. The effect of the petticoats was to make a tableau of upside down tulips as the skirts billowed out from the hips of the girls. Miss Gilliam quietly entered the room to watch. At Mrs. Bedlam's signal the maidens went through the formal steps of the dance. Tim felt his dress sway around his thighs and every so often his skirt floated into a collision with the skirt of another girl.

"Hold your skirts if you need to," Miss Gilliam called out. "That's better, gather them in Brenda, very good."

Tim gathered his skirt in his hand and promenaded with the other girls. His petticoat rustled against his legs and the pantyhose and bra forced a discipline against his body which he succumbed to. He saw Penny moving toward him. She smiled at him and he smiled back. The performance was in a few days and Tim was sure that he'd get the courage to ask her out as soon as he got to be a boy again.

Miss Gilliam took it all in and especially watched Tim as he delicately moved through the steps. He's as graceful as any of the girls, she thought. What dumb luck that he was Mary Lou's partner. Miss Gilliam shuddered to think how much worse the performance would be if Mary Lou had not wanted to be a pirate.

When the allemande was done, Miss Gilliam had the girls stop and rest. Tim mingled with them as if he were one of them. His breasts heaved up and down as he tried to catch his breath. Penny and Sarah came up to him and they impulsively hugged each other. "Its just so much fun and we all look so pretty," Penny said.

"I can't believe how nicely the dresses turned out," Sarah said, "at the start I thought it impossible to make such pretty dresses. Especially girls who had never sewn before!"

"And to learn all the steps," Tim said. "The Allemande is so complicated but we learned our parts so well!"

"I just hope the boys don't mess up," Penny said.

"You can say that again," Sarah said and Tim added, "I hope Mary Lou doesn't accidentally rip my skirt off!"

Penny and Sarah laughed. Later, Tim felt uneasy for having said that, particularly to Penny.

Tim lagged behind the other girls as he followed them from the classroom to the auditorium. It was the first time he had left the safety of the room while wearing his dress. He had a growing sense of unease at the thought of Jacques, Leon and the other guys seeing him dressed as a girl. Mrs. Bedlam walked beside him, silently providing moral support. Just before they entered the auditorium she stopped him and turned him toward her.

"You won't be afraid if you really play the part. Miss Gilliam and I are so proud of you. Be a girl and you'll not be self-conscious."

"Thanks, Mrs. Bedlam, I'll try to remember that," Tim said and he walked into the auditorium. The other girls were climbing the stairs onto the stage and Tim walked down the side aisle to join them. The pirates were already on the stage. Tim was amazed at how lifelike and frightening the pirate costumes looked. The swords were longer than he had imagined and the lights reflected brightly off their polished surfaces. The pirates had peg-legs on and it was eerie to see them standing with one real leg and one wooden leg. He saw Jacques looking at him and Leon also, and then he saw that all the boys were looking at him. A smirk appeared on Greg's face. Mary Lou looked like she was about to laugh.

Tim got into his position and closed his eyes. I'm a girl he told himself. I'm a girl, I'm a girl, I'm a girl.

While they awaited the technician to turn on the music, Miss Gilliam remarked quietly to Mrs. Bedlam. "How is Tim?"

"I'll think he'll be fine. I reminded him to believe he is a girl, and he'll be OK."

"He looks so cute in that dress. I can't believe his mannerisms. Where did he learn to be so delicate? I mean his hand and head movements, the way he lifts his skirt."

"Its a mystery to me. It just seemed to come a couple of weeks ago after we completed the petticoats. As soon as he put his petticoat on for the first time, his actions became more feminine."

"I must remember to bring in some perfume. A little on his dress can only add to his feminine aura."

"Good idea."

The music started and Miss Gilliam went center stage to direct the action. The pirates took off their peg-legs and began shouting and the maidens flew around the stage. Mary Lou caught Tim in her vise-like grip and he surrendered to her. "Don't be so hard on me!" he whispered to her. "Wimp," Mary Lou said. "You hurt me," Tim added. "If you don't shut up you'll hurt even more," she said.

Angry, Tim fell silent. It took all his self-control to allow himself to fall into her arms when the time came. It did not help any to remember that if it were not for Mary Lou he would be a pirate also.

During the dances he found that the boys did not look into his eyes. On the other hand the girls gaily smiled at him and he at them as they passed each other. Maybe it was because the boys were embarrassed to be seen dancing. He could not help but feel a little bit glad to be one of the girls in this instance, because the dancing was fun and as a girl he could enjoy it without feeling embarrassed.

Tim and his parents arrived at the school an hour before the show was to begin. Tim held a shopping bag containing his bra, wig, pantyhose and shoes. His mother gave him her lipstick and a compact of rouge from her purse. "I imagine that Miss Gilliam will have any other makeup that you need."

"Thanks, mom," Tim said. He was scared and it must have shown in his voice, since his mom said, "maybe I better go with you, at least until you're dressed." She told Tim's dad to save a seat for her in the auditorium and Tim and her walked down the corridor to a classroom that had been set aside for the maidens to get dressed. When they entered they saw that Tim was one of the last to arrive. A couple of the girls were already wearing their dresses while many others were sitting at desks in their bras and pantyhose putting on makeup under the supervision of Mrs. Bedlam.

Mrs. Bedlam rushed over to greet Tim and introduced herself to his mom. "I'm so glad to meet you. Tim has been such an inspiration to us. Miss Gilliam and I cannot begin to tell you how pleased we are with Tim's perseverance and good will."

"Thank you," Tim's mom said, "I think it has been a good experience for him. He seemed a bit nervous coming over here in the car and I thought perhaps I should stay with him, to give him some moral support."

"How kind of you," Mrs. Bedlam said, "I wish everyone in the audience could fully appreciate how much Tim has sacrificed for our benefit! Anyway, our class is first to perform, so we had better get him dressed. I'm having the girls first get in their bras and pantyhose so they can put on their makeup without getting their dresses stained." She went back to check up on Brenda who was holding up a mirror with one hand and applying eye shadow with the other.

Tim reached in his bag and took out the bra. His mother took it from him and Tim took off his shirt. She helped him on with it and then Tim awkwardly pulled down his pants. He had already put on panties so he wouldn't have to change underwear like in the dress rehearsal. "Mrs. Bedlam showed me how to put on the pantyhose, but I think you still need to help me."

His mom laughed and said, "I've had thirty years of practice and I still have trouble."

Tim held up the pantyhose, found the label and rolled up one of the legs and then pulled it on over his left foot. His mom watched and intervened only once to make sure he had started the right foot correctly. In a minute he was doing his little jig and the pantyhose were on.

"Now for the makeup," his mom said and Tim took a seat at one of the desks near Mrs. Bedlam. Penny had just finished putting on her makeup at the next desk. She exchanged hello's with Tim while she stepped into her petticoat and pulled it up.

"Here's the lipstick you gave me," Tim said to his mom while taking it out of the bag along with the rouge. Mrs. Bedlam came over and discussed with his mom what he needed, and then his mom set to work powdering his face and applying lipstick. "Don't lick your lips!" his mom said.

"I can taste it mom, its sort of seems a little bit fruity," Tim said.

"Just try and keep your lips out in a kind of pout and we won't have to touch it up again later." She got some eye shadow and mascara from Mrs. Bedlam and then set to work on Tim's eyes. It didn't take long until she was done. Mrs. Bedlam came over to inspect and complimented his mom on how nicely she had made him up. Then she reached in Tim's bag and took out the wig. Carefully she placed it on his head until it was sitting right, and she got a brush and touched it up.

Tim could see his mom staring at him. "My goodness, he looks like a young lady," his mom said to Mrs. Bedlam.

"I know, its amazing. I never really noticed how delicate his features are and the roundness of his face until he started acting like a girl. With the wig and makeup, he's looks like the others."

Mrs. Bedlam fetched Tim's petticoat and dress and his mom said, "this is the petticoat he made? And the dress? My god, I had no idea how elaborate! And pink. Its so feminine."

"Penny and Tim are our pink maidens," Mrs. Bedlam said. "I had the girls decide for themselves what colors they would wear and that's what they decided."

Penny, hearing her name called came over.

"You must be Penny," Tim's mom said, "since you've got the other pink dress. Its so nice to finally meet you."

"Hi," Penny said smiling.

"Tim has told me so much about you and what a pleasure it is working with you. He says you did most of the work and showed him how to do everything."

Tim wished his mother would stop. He blushed.

"Tim's exaggerating. He's easy to work with. I enjoyed working with him."

"Now put on your petticoat, Tim, and we'll help you with your dress," Mrs. Bedlam said.

Tim stepped into his petticoat and pulled it up to his waist, as if he had been doing it all his life. Penny and Mrs. Bedlam positioned the dress over him and carefully held it out so his face wouldn't touch it as they lowered it over him. Penny went behind him to zip him up while Mrs. Bedlam helped him arrange his skirt and petticoat.

"Voila. A pretty maiden," Mrs. Bedlam said standing back to admire Tim.

Tim's mom was shaking her head. "Its unbelievable."

"I'm OK now mom. You can go sit with dad," Tim said.

"Good luck," his mom said and left, still shaking her head.

When the maidens were dressed, made up and ready to dance, Mrs. Bedlam surprised them by distributing long dangly, clip-on earrings to wear. Tim had no idea how to put earrings on, but Penny and Sarah came to his rescue. While Penny screwed one on his left ear lobe, Sarah did the same for his right.

"You look absolutely gorgeous," Sarah said.

"Oh, stop it!" Tim said laughing. He felt a growing giddiness like the other maidens. He prayed he would remember all his dance steps.

Miss Gilliam entered the room to check on the preparations and then walked over to stand with Mrs. Bedlam. "They look so darling. Twelve absolutely beautiful pretty maidens. Its just like I envisioned last summer!"

"And we have Tim to thank for that. Imagine Mary Lou as a maiden!"

"I was thinking the same thing myself!"

"I don't know how we'll ever be able to see him as a boy again!"

The teachers laughed and then Miss Gilliam called the girls to attention. "I'm so proud of each and every one of you! I just know you're going to do your best tonight in the performance! Now line up and I want to take some pictures." She produced a camera from her handbag and arranged the girls in various individual and group poses. She took a picture of Penny and Tim together in their matching pink dresses. By the time she was done, it was time to march the girls to the auditorium. Miss Gilliam formed them into six couples and they walked through the corridor to the back entrance to the stage. Along the way parents and kids from other classes stopped to stare. Tim could see no sign that anyone thought him to be anything other than a pretty maiden, and he felt great relief. Behind the stage curtain they took their positions next to the pirates who were already in place. Everyone was nervous as they awaited the start of the music and the rising of the curtain.

The pirates and maidens performed their parts with near perfection. At the end of the show they were treated to a standing ovation. They took round upon round of applause. Miss Gilliam sent out each pair of maidens with their pirates for a special bow, and Tim knew he would never forget the cheers that greeted he, Penny, Greg and Mary Lou as they stood stage center. Penny and he in their pink dresses curtsied several times while Greg and Mary Lou bowed. He caught a glimpse of his mom and dad clapping. His dad even looked like he was cheering.

Miss Gilliam was reduced to tears. Her darling kids had put on the show of a lifetime. After the curtain went down, she hugged everyone of them, pirate and maiden alike, and then led them around to the back of the auditorium where they took seats to watch the other classes perform. Tim walked behind Penny and he was pleased to find himself sitting next to her, but to his chagrin he also noticed that Greg was sitting on her other side.

After the last class performed the judges met to decide which class would be going to Six Flags. In just a minute they said they were ready to announce the winner. "Our job has never been so easy," the school principal said. "Miss Gilliam's class is the unanimous choice of the judges. We thank the 12 pretty maidens and 12 ferocious pirates for their superb dance theater. They are a triumph!"

Tim and his classmates jumped to their feet and clapped with joy.

Back in the dressing room, Tim and the girls took off their dresses and petticoats, and washed off their makeup. Tim got out of his pantyhose and bra and put on his jeans and shirt. Mrs. Bedlam said they should take home their petticoats and dresses. They were theirs to keep.

Some of the girls were crying from the emotional release, and Tim felt no small regret that he would no longer be in sewing class and rehearsals with the other maidens. He and Penny hugged and Tim thought he saw a tear in the corner of her eye.

"Everyone's so sad about the end of the play," Tim said.

"Some of the girls are talking about getting together on Saturday afternoons to keep on dancing."

"That's cool," Tim said. There was a pause and he said, "I was wondering if I could see you on a weekend."

Penny smiled, "sure Tim you're invited too. You just have to bring your dress and petticoat. And probably your pretty shoes and underwear."

"What?"

"It would be great if all the maidens can get together. We weren't sure you'd want to still be a maiden."

Tim looked puzzled. "Penny, I was talking about you and I. Like a date?"

Penny looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, but don't you know about Greg and me?"

Tim fought back tears and turned away.

"Tim, I don't know how to say this," Penny said as she put her hand on his shoulder and turned him so he faced her, "but I've really enjoyed getting to know you. I've loved dancing and sewing with you and I love talking to you. But you're more like a girlfriend to me, not a boyfriend. Greg is a lot different than you so you shouldn't feel bad."

A tear fell down Tim's face and Penny brushed it away. "I would love to play with you as if we were two girlfriends, like we did in class, if you would want to."

Penny fell silent and Tim stared at her for a long minute trying to regain his composure. Finally he said, "Oh, OK. I don't know what my mom and dad would say."

"You let me know if its all right with them."

"I will," Tim said.