Reluctant Diva 10
Inspired by Lipstick Discipline
Chapter 10 – The movies
The following week was largely uneventful though marred by the inevitable cold stares, taunts and sneers from some of my fellow pupils. I took care to avoid situations where I could be the victim of anything worse and stuck close to the teachers whenever possible. In this I was successful in the main, though it was a near thing on a couple of occasions. The strain of exercising this vigilance day after day was exhausting so that by the end of the week I was wondering how long I would be able to sustain it.

On the Monday when I had been taking refuge in the library after lunch, I was joined by none other than my sophomore friend Dennis himself.
“Hi there, Rob!” His whispered greeting sounded strange in my ears and I had to perform a mental jump to realise that he meant me.
“It’s Jennifer these days, actually!” my words weren’t intended as a reproof but my companion looked crestfallen. To compensate I smiled at him encouragingly. Though the difference in our ages was the other way, it often seemed that somehow I was the senior of the two of us. I had to help him out further, “I’m Jennifer all the time now.”

“Right… Yes... Sandra told me. Well you look fantastic!” He still seemed uncomfortable. “Your hair is amazing for one thing and… well you really make a great girl.”

“Let’s move into the corner so we can talk.” Out of the corner of my eye I could see that the teacher on duty was glaring in our direction.
As we chatted I explained how things had panned out and what had led to my life-style change. “I just didn’t fit my boy clothes any more for one thing. It’s okay, I guess, except that I have to be always on my guard. I have to make sure that I don’t get cornered but so far I’ve gotten away with it. Chris has been brilliant. He’s really taken care of me.”

The boy’s face fell at these last words. “Chris, from the year above me? Football player, Chris?”

“Yes. He’s a real friend. Every ‘girl’ needs a protector!” My attempt to lighten the mood fell flat as a pancake.

“I thought you and me were friends” pouted the sophomore boy. His sulky look made him seem more immature than ever and I found his obvious jealousy tedious. I needed all the allies I could find however.

“So we are too!” I hoped my smile would reassure him, but it seemed that it wasn’t going to prove so easy.

“You really have changed!” he stormed petulantly. “I thought you were special but you’ve become just like every other girl. You only have eyes for the ball players!”

I tried to deny it, but thoughts of Chris intruded and there was too much truth in his accusation for me to be convincing. I wanted to prevent a scene if I could but his eyes were wet and he actually stifled a sob.

“It doesn’t mean we can’t be friends” I put my hand on his arm but he shook it off. “You’re right, I guess, but I can’t help what I’ve become. I am too much a girl, now. Please say you understand.”

The bell rang for lessons at this juncture and we both got up to leave. I grabbed both his hands. “See you around?” I pleaded.

Dennis looked at me reluctantly and nodded. “I guess” he said heavily and I had to be content with that.

Little did I know it but a new challenge was facing me which put my difficulties at school into the shade. It was on the way home from school that Mom dropped another bombshell. It being Friday, we had just left Chris at the Bennett’s house and I had caught myself reflecting pleasantly on the things I liked about him. His interest in me and the care he continued to show for me made me feel more than grateful. This was all due to the vulnerability of my situation of course. Though I hated being this dependent most of the time, I had managed to identify one benefit. My ‘femininity’ seemed more genuine, somehow, and that made me feel more complete as a person. I was trying to make myself take some comfort in this thought when Mom broke in upon my musings.

“Now, I’ve arranged a treat for you tomorrow, Jennifer” she informed me. “I understand how hard this settling in period at school must be for you, so here is something to take your mind off everything. A treat for you. Karen called to say she wants to take you to a movie tomorrow night. They’re showing It Happened To Jane…. starring your idol Doris Day…. You’ll absolutely love it.”

“Er Mom… Sounds nice but… Not with Karen!” My mood of pleasant reverie had abruptly been dispelled.

“Don’t be so down on Karen” she scolded. “She must be one of your oldest friends and you need all the friends you can get right now at that school of yours. I think it’s very kind of her to offer to take you and you should be thankful.”

Mindful of how our last date went, I was still inclined to object. “But Mom. You agreed to let me make my choices now.”

“Some choices, yes” was her retort. “Well okay then. How’s this? You can wear whatever you like tomorrow night. Deal?”

This small concession did nothing to allay my concerns, but I could see the tell-tale narrowing of Mom’s eyes. I was so used to being dictated to by her that there didn’t seem anything I could say to get out of the invitation without starting a conflict I knew from experience that I wouldn’t win.
“I guess” I conceded, reflecting that I ought to be safe enough with Karen in a public place. As always, memories of how nice she could be if she tried softened my resistance. Perhaps I should give her another chance. I would wear a trouser suit that Rachel had lent me, I decided. It ought to prove capable of resisting even her attentions.

My anxiety was pacified by this decision and I wasn’t unduly concerned when we arrived home. However despite our agreement Mom took the first opportunity that presented to ‘influence’ the choice of outfit for my date.
“I bought you something nice, too!” She handed me a package which I opened with some trepidation, expecting the worst. Inside it was a dress, however, and when I held it up I could see it was such a pretty dress that my fears were immediately forgotten. I’m ashamed to admit that I actually squealed with delight, to my parent’s intense amusement and my own consternation.

True it was on the short side and the bust was supported only by flimsy shoulder straps, but it was the sort of thing any girl would want to wear.
Even this kind of girl!!
I ran upstairs to try it on and as I gazed in the mirror, I was immediately lost in a dream. Imaginings of wearing this and being held in Chris’s strong arms floated through my mind. What had happened to me?!
I was rudely awakened by Mom impatiently calling to me and I ran downstairs to show myself off to her.

“Oh Jennifer!” was all she could say as I gave her a twirl and I tripped across to hug her.

“Gee Mom! This is wonderful!” I exclaimed. “Thanks a million!”

“It’s you that looks wonderful” she laughed. “You will certainly turn some heads tomorrow. Karen is sure to approve.”
Hastily she added “If you choose to wear it, naturally.”

My face clouded as I wondered how best to announce that I’d opted for a different choice. “Oh it’s too nice for tomorrow” I eventually stumbled out with. “I was thinking that my trouser suit would be ideal for then.”

“Oh, if only I’d known.” Her face assumed what might be interpreted as a look of regret. “I returned it to Mrs Bennett last week. I’m sure you will find something else, however. There’s plenty of time for you to decide.”

As I gaped at her open-mouthed, I realised that getting my own way was once again going to prove elusive.

The following day was filled with my usual chores in the morning, followed by serving drinks for Mrs Martin’s bridge party in the afternoon. It wasn’t until later in the day that I had time to consider further what I might wear that evening. The weather was unseasonably warm for this time of year so something cool was essential. I would have been happy in jeans or pants and t-shirt but unaccountably Mom had washed both my pairs of jeans and my capri pants that morning so neither were available to me.

With reluctance, as I walked home I came to the conclusion that my new dress was my best bet. No doubt I was influenced by that part of me which was dying to wear it. When I announced the choice I’d made to Mom, she seemed quite unconcerned. That at least was a relief, though as she turned away I had a suspicion that she might have been trying to hide a smile. Unsettling.
I got myself ready in plenty of time. Underneath such a skimpy dress I needed to put on a bra with removable straps lest they should show. I chose a white one which, I decided, would be less visible under the pale fabric of the dress.

I didn’t like the idea of wearing a panty girdle and it always felt special to coordinate my underwear so I chose a garter belt which matched the bra instead. It would have been nice to pick out the corresponding panties from my top drawer but they were nowhere near robust enough. Although wearing matching lingerie was one of the things that helped lessen the feeling that my female persona was a sham, I was mindful of Karen’s ‘attentions’ to me on our last evening out. Her track record was against her. My dress was so short too. I selected some full cut panties with security in mind and under which I’d use tape to tuck everything away. Once this had been resolved on, all I needed was nude hose and white strappy heels to complete my outfit.

Mom came in toward the end of my preparations and silently assisted me with my hair. She checked my makeup and nails then added some finishing touches – earrings, a different pendant on a fine chain and bangles on my wrist. These were followed by a generous spray of perfume – across my chest, behind my ears, on my wrists, my elbows and lastly behind my knees. I would certainly smell good! I glanced back over my shoulder to see my reflection in the mirror. The tightness of the garter belt round my waist served to draw attention to the roundness of my rear end under the clinging material of the dress. As I shifted my weight I was horrified to see that my rear appeared to move of its own volition, unrestrained.

“Mom, I can’t wear this!” I wailed. “It’s way too short and my butt is way too big!” I looked in the mirror despairingly. The dress barely covered the tops of my hose and my thighs looked simply huge too!

She dismissed my protest peremptorily. “Nonsense! It’s just the sort of thing that looks cute on a girl your age.”
A girl my age?!

“Quickly now! You will need to go any minute.”

As I followed her down, I realised that once again, and without intending it, I was absolutely dressed to kill!

I was surprised to see that Mom herself wasn’t ready to go out. She was still in her housecoat and slippers and I would need her to drive me to the movie theatre. This was strange as she hated tardiness but in the event her explanation proved simple enough. “Karen is getting a ride with friends so she will be calling for you.”

I had just digested this information when the doorbell rang and opening it I beheld my ‘date’.

“Wow! You look stunning, Jennifer!” she greeted me, but Karen looked pretty amazing herself. Gone were the boyish outfits she had worn to our previous ‘dates’. Tall and elegant, she was clad in a lacy figure-hugging dress which accentuated her slim figure. Somehow she effortlessly achieved a degree of sophistication which I couldn’t begin to approach, or so it seemed to me. Her makeup was flawless, her hair was perfect and she looked years older than me.

“Have fun! Be good!” called Mom as I closed the door behind me. It was a mild night and I carried my wrap over one arm holding my purse in the other as I followed my ‘date’ out to the waiting car. Karen got in the rear seat and slid over for me to get in beside her. Conscious of the shortness of my skirt I remembered to park my butt on the seat first before swivelling my legs in, to make sure I wasn’t giving anyone a free show. This was all the more important because I was acutely aware that my entrance was being closely watched by the two guys who were occupying the front seats.
Karen did the introductions “Jennifer this is Louis, my boyfriend. Louis, Jennifer.” Her boyfriend!!

I managed to smile shyly at Louis who I’d actually glimpsed with her on the occasion when I was first invited to her house. I’d known he was in junior high, and there and then I’d given up on any chance of being able to compete for her attentions. That seemed ages ago and here I was finally being introduced to him, but as a girl. It sort of sealed the hopelessness of my earlier aspirations to make her mine. He sat behind the wheel, tall, athletic and good-looking and there was worse. On his square-jawed face I caught a knowing grin which he exchanged with a similar one on Karen’s. Instantly I deduced that he was in on my secret. I hadn’t time to swallow this however because in the meantime she had done the honours with the other boy and I had to dig into my memory to recall what she had said his name was.

“Hi… err… Brett” I stammered. “Nice to meet you!”

Brett seemed enormous. He sported a similar crewcut to Louis’s but was several inches taller and much broader. He reached for my hand and squeezed it till it went numb, dwarfed in his great paw. I looked at Karen for reassurance but she seemed blissfully ignorant of my discomfort. We set off and during the drive, she kept up a flow of chatter with me, asking about my makeup, commenting how well my dress suited me and the like. This was fortunate as I felt too nervous to hazard much conversation. Louis was driving and said little and Brett seemed to have nothing to contribute. Clearly he was the strong, silent type!
We were passing through a part of town that was unfamiliar to me when we turned in through a gateway into a huge parking lot and parked up between a pick-up and a large sedan. Confused, I turned to question Karen. “Why have we stopped here? Where is this?”

“We’re at the movies, silly!” and seeing my blank expression pointed though the windshield, “the drive-in! Where did you think we were?”

Finally I twigged. Consternation coursed through me as the realisation that I’d been set up once again took hold. Mom and Karen had doubtless been plotting together and the result was that here I was, in a strange location, wearing the skimpiest of outfits, on a double-date with a couple of huge guys and a ‘friend’ with an undoubtedly mean streak. I was tempted to get out of the car and make a run for it, but instinctively I knew that this would end in worse trouble for me so I sat there frozen to my seat. I wasn’t even sure of the way home.

My erstwhile ‘date’ must have sensed what was going through my mind because she put an arm round my waist and pulled me close to her. She gave me her sweetest smile.
“Don’t be such a baby” she chided softly in my ear. “This is going to be fun!”

She knew just the way to make me feel good. At first it seemed she might be right, and when the waitress came around on her roller skates Louis ordered popcorn, candy and drinks for all of us. It was getting dusk when the movie started and it felt nice to be snug in the back seat, with our favourite eats, watching the film. At the intermission there was a change however. The waitresses came around again and when ours had brought our order, Karen whispered to me. “I’m going to sit with Louis for a while. I can see he’s feeling lonely.”

She slipped out of the car and motioned to Brett to make way for her. He got out and held the door while Karen daintily stepped in and slid over close to her boyfriend. The car was wide enough for three to sit across but instead of resuming his seat he closed the door after her. Next thing I knew the back door opened and the huge guy hauled himself inside. He grinned at me as he plonked himself down on the seat. He took up a lot of room but even so he seemed to be sitting unnecessarily close.
“You’re sassy” he grunted by way of starting a conversation and when I didn’t answer, “You smell real nice too!”

I let it pass and slid farther away to the edge of the seat. It was fully dark outside now and when the second half of the movie came on, the distant screen provided the only illumination. I could just discern Karen’s eyes in the rear view mirror and I could see she was watching me greedily. I was still wondering why when I found myself grabbed by my companion. I tried to push him away but was helpless as he pulled me into a close embrace and clamped his mouth right over mine.

“Aah! Brett! No!” I gasped when after what seemed an eternity we came up for air, only to be submerged again almost immediately. This was awful. His breath smelled none too good and his chin needed a closer shave than it had received that day, but what was really repellent was his free hand which had moved up from my waist and had started to massage my left ‘breast’ vigorously. Screwing my head round as far as I could I tried to catch Karen’s gaze in the mirror to signal for help, but all I saw was a fleeting amused glance from her before she disappeared from view. She had clearly wrapped herself around Louis and from the ensuing sounds some fierce making-out was taking place in the front seat. I had too much to worry about myself to take any interest in what they were up to, however.

The necking I was having to endure wasn’t pleasant, especially when Brett began to explore my mouth with his tongue. What really bothered me though were his hands, one of which had progressed down my body to rub my leg. After contenting himself for a while with running it up and down my thigh, he pushed his fingers under my garter strap and up inside my panties to squeeze my ass cheek. He began to explore further and I was thankful that my private area was so securely taped away. The distaste I felt for him fortunately prevented the least arousal I might otherwise have felt from these attentions. That meant I could single-mindedly focus on ridding myself of my unwanted admirer. Things were getting out of control and I knew I had to assert myself somehow. He was way too strong for me to fight off altogether so in desperation I took the lead. Instead of pulling away from his mouth I started to kiss him back. He relaxed and I took advantage of the respite by fastening my teeth onto his lower lip.

That got his attention! I had the feeling that not too many girls had responded to his advances so forcefully. Seizing the moment, I grabbed his hand and took it from my butt, raised myself on my right leg and jerked my left knee up between his legs as hard as I could. “Euargh!” he grunted, his breath slowly exhaling. It reminded me of a blimp deflating. I was at last able to free myself from his grip and push him away to the other side of the seat.

“When I say no, I mean no!” Suddenly I knew how to take control. “Don’t you know how to behave?”

He looked crestfallen, like a little boy caught with the cookie jar. “Geez sorry” he finally muttered. “I thought we’d have some fun, you lookin’ so hot an’ all.”

“Well you thought wrong! Just sit there and watch the movie!”

Though sotto voce, this exchange had evidently attracted the attention of our car’s other occupants. The sounds from the front seat had become stilled. The silence was uncanny and Karen cautiously lifted her head above the seat back. Her eyes darted from myself to Brett and then back to myself again out of curiosity.

“You guys okay?” she asked tentatively.

I was busy straightening my dress and made no attempt to hide my anger. “We’re fine thanks” I answered stiffly. I reached in my purse for tissues and my lipstick and she watched as I fixed my face. There was just enough light from the distant screen for someone as practiced as I was to perform this operation. When it was completed to my satisfaction I turned my attention back to the movie.

An awkward silence continued for the rest of the show which I did nothing to dispel. I derived considerable pleasure in seeing Karen looking so uncomfortable, interspersing glances at her boyfriend with a pretence of watching the entertainment.

When the film was over I decided I would take charge. “Thank-you Louis, that was most interesting” I coolly remarked. “Please drive me home now.”
The youth was plainly nonplussed and mutely sought guidance from my erstwhile ‘date’, but Karen just shrugged her shoulders and tried not to seem fazed by the chilly atmosphere. During the drive home little was said and that only by the front seat occupants. I still felt too angry to try and make things easy for my companions and Brett remained dumb, in more ways than one. I had him firmly pegged as all brawn and no brain.
When the car drew up outside our house I reached in my purse and retrieved a couple of dollar bills. I handed them to Louis saying “Thanks once again. I can’t let you pay for me, so here. Bye.”

He looked surprised but before he could refuse I slipped out of the car. As I walked up the driveway I heard steps behind me and half-way to the front door, Karen caught up with me.

She pulled me round to face her and trying to act all concerned and innocent, asked what was wrong, but I cut her short. “You set me up with that jerk and you know it. If I want to go on a double date I can choose my own partner, thank-you.”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, it was just a bit of fun.” She tried to carry it off with her usual high-handed manner. “Lighten up, will you?”

“No! I don’t want to lighten up!” I retorted reaching inside my purse for my latch key. “If you want to be my friend, Karen, you need to try a lot harder!”

With that I turned and stalked to my door leaving her standing with a shocked expression clouding her pretty face. She was still stood there when I went inside which gave me some small satisfaction. I was still mad however and not just with my former girlfriend.

As I heard the car drive away, I went through to the lounge and Mom greeted me with her usual curiosity. “You’re back nice and early. How was your date?”

She was all smiles but I didn’t feel like playing along. “Did you know that we were going to the drive-in?”

She looked surprised “Well yes I did as a matter of fact. You would have too if you had looked to see where the movie was showing. Is something the matter?”

“What could be the matter? Did you know that it was a double date with her real boyfriend and some gorilla from the football team?” I managed to keep my voice even but I was so angry with her that I felt like shouting.

“I don’t like your tone, Jennifer. Actually I did know that Karen had found a nice friend for you.” As I should have expected, Mom was going to be anything but conciliatory. “And how did it go?”

“It wasn’t a lot of fun. He wasn’t nice, but I handled it!” I looked at her defiantly. How could I trust her after this?

“You handled it?” she was actually smiling. “Well, well! I thought you would.”

“Mom!”

“Listen sweetie, you need to calm down! Come sit here.” She motioned to a place beside her on the sofa.

Reluctantly I obeyed and she took both my hands in hers. “Why do think I wanted you to go on this date tonight?”

“I dunno. I can’t imagine!” Probably it was some perverse desire to humiliate me!

She was squeezing my hands so tight it hurt.

“Oww!”

Her eyes had narrowed dangerously and I knew that she was teetering on the edge of losing it. She went on in a patient tone, “You told me you are growing up and you want to choose your own friends? Okay, that’s fine by me. Most of the time. But now and then you will make a mistake. It’s going to happen. One of your so-called ‘friends’ will turn out to be… let’s say, not what you expected. I need to know whether you can deal with it.”

I stared at her, trying to make sense of her explanation. “But Mom, the way I’m dressed! I had to fight this guy off wearing just this!” I pulled at the hem of my skimpy dress to illustrate its shortness. “His hands were everywhere. Oh and his tongue… ughh! Well, if I’d known, I’d have worn something different. Why didn’t you warn me?”

“Don’t you see that’s the whole point” she came back at me. “If you expect something to happen you can prepare yourself for it. You need to be able to deal with things you don’t expect. It’s always nice to get prettied up, but you’ll find it can bring out the worst in some of the people you’re with.”
I reflected some more, thinking of not just Brett, but my earlier experiences with the ‘opposite’ sex! I could see that there could be a kind of strange logic to her argument, which minutes ago didn’t seem possible.

“It was horrible, Mom!” was my conclusion. “I still feel kinda dirty.”

“Well we can deal with that too” she said brightly. “Go and hang that dress up and I’ll draw your bath.”

As usual I had no choice but to go with the flow. An hour later I was feeling better, washed and soaped all over and clean "inside and out". As I dried myself Mom called me into her bedroom. Wearing just her nightdress, she towelled and brushed out my hair, while I perched on the edge of her bed in my birthday suit. Next came copious amounts of scented lotion followed by a liberal dusting of powder. I liked her to make a fuss of me this way and when she had done no nook or crevice had been left unattended. The intimacy felt so nice and we seemed so close. Pampering like this almost made up for the humiliation I continually had to undergo. Almost!