A young surfer goes through a painful transformation that leaves him battered, bruised and changed. As he attempts to cope with those changes and the new life he must now live he also stumbles on a conspiracy that threatens his family, his friends and the township he lives in. As a young girl can she deal not only with a new body and new feelings but also overcome the evil that could destroy her
CHAPTER 1 – Drink the Water
The golden rays of soft summer sunshine invaded my room as my brother Tim stuck his head round the door.
“Hey grom you coming or what?”
“Yeah, yeah I’m there” I said climbing out of bed looking at the clock on my dresser laughing at me with the numbers 6:16am flashing. Stepping on the hard wooden floor I winced, it felt like I was stepping on broken glass. Just lately my whole body had started to feel like it was changing, like my bones and internal organs were moving around inside me, reforming. My Mom said it was growing pains that I’d get over it after all I was only 14 and she was a nurse. I figured she must be right but I sure hoped this phase wouldn’t last long cause it was a real pain.
I stripped off my boxers, it was far too hot to sleep in anything else and climbed into a pair of salt encrusted boardies, picked up a rash shirt and stepped barefoot and bleary eyed into the hallway.
Tim and Jeff were waiting for me. They were my older brothers, Tim was 16 and Jeff was 17 both seniors at the local high school. I was only 14 and the baby of the family but we were a tight group and looked after each other. It was just us and my Mom; my Dad had bailed on us years ago in a fog of alcohol and gambling that had left my family in deep debt. We had lived in the heart of San Diego but were forced to move out of the city to a smaller ramshackle property on Imperial Beach just north of the border with Tijuana. As brothers we didn’t mind we were only a few blocks from the beach so we could do the thing we all loved, surf.
My mom worked at the local hospital and was the main bread winner but all three of us boys had taken part time jobs after school to help out. I knew both Jeff and Tim pretty much gave my mom everything they earned just keeping enough to put petrol into their motor bikes and buy surfboard wax for our boards. I worked at the local surf shop for the owner Dave McIntyre who was a crusty old guy but he had a bit of a soft spot for our family and let me help him shape boards, serve customers and generally hang around talking surfing with all the locals after school. Working there didn’t help me get much homework done but I got tons of surfing information, cheap gear and made some cash that I gave to my mom. For a 14 year old my life was pretty sweet.
Walking onto the deck we picked up our boards and climbed onto the motorbikes. I sat behind Jeff holding both surfboards one under each arm and gripping the seat hard with my legs. Tim had a surfboard under one arm and steered his bike with the other. It wasn’t exactly safe or legal but we blatted the short distance down to the beach and parked up the bikes under some palm trees and near a few cars.
“You all good Jay?” asked Jeff and I nodded although my tummy rumbled as I’d only had enough time to grab a banana off the counter before we came down.
We all stood at the top of the beach looking out to sea, the Pacific Ocean glinted in the rising sun and a long swell was rolling in then peeling off to break perfectly into barrels.
There were about six other surfers already out there so we fastened our ankle straps, picked our boards up and ran for the water.
All three of us were lean and hard with not a shred of fat anywhere on our bodies from hours of surfing. Both Jeff and Tim were bigger, muscular taking more after my dad while I was thinner and scrawnier taking after my mom, well so she reckoned anyway. My smaller stature made me more agile and quicker on the board though and I was able to cut back and respond to a wave faster than either of my brothers. Dave the surf shop owner had been a pro once and he would often surf with us and give us tips on the best way to do tricks or approach a particular wave. He had told me I had a natural talent and if I gave it my all the sky was the limit for me.
What better motivation could a 14 year old kid need to surf?
As we crashed into the water we all looked at each other with huge grins on our faces, dropped belly first onto the boards then paddled hard to get through the breaking sea.
Once beyond the waves we sat on our boards and I soaked in the warmth of the rising summer sun, closing my eyes and breathing in the salt air. For me this was heaven and I knew my brothers felt the same. Another surfer paddled over greeting us with a high five. His name was Pete and he was a friend of Tim’s.
“Hey boys, good to see ya make it out, the barrels are sweet today”
“Yeah, looks awesome can’t wait to catch one” said Tim as he began to paddle for a wave.
“Hey Jay, how’s it going? Got any new tricks?
I smiled at him and said “yeah man, I’ve been working on one all summer, I’ll show you soon.”
“Dude, I’ll look forward to it”
He paddled after Tim but called back over his shoulder, “hey Jay, might want to watch out Morgan’s here.”
Morgan Chapman was the same age as me but his parents were wealthy and that made Morgan think he could throw his weight around although he never tried anything with the older bigger guys. That meant I became a prime target and he would often drop in on me and try to take one of my waves or knock me off my board. We had competed against each other last season in the beginning grommets competition and I’d kicked his butt which didn’t go down well with him.
Part of the etiquette of surfers out here was we dealt with our own problems so my brothers left me to deal with Morgan by myself. That suited me fine, I figured the best way was to surf rings around him and that’s what I did. He saw me as his main competition and Dave figured that was a good thing as it would sharpen my riding and make me more competitive, more often than not though Morgan just pissed me off.
I looked behind me and saw a large wave forming about 100 yards back. Paddling for it I felt the first sweep of the massive power as tons of water gathered beneath me. I timed it perfectly and hit the top of the wave, popped up then pushed forward with my front foot spinning my board 180 degrees then flipping it around again all in one smooth motion. Tipping forward I sped down the face then cut back slid across the top then glided down again as the wave broke around me.
Dropping belly down I paddled out of the surf and back toward open water brushing my hair from my eyes. Like many surfers I had long bleached blond hair that my mom hated but I loved. It fit my image and besides the girls at school liked it, often giving me compliments or running their fingers through it. Of course I never had any objection to this happening for some reason.
I waited my turn as other surfers took waves then spotted the one I wanted. I began paddling for it when all of a sudden sharp pain spread through my abdomen. I coughed and flecks of blood flew out staining the water around me. However I was committed and if I didn’t go I’d be caught in the break zone and be pummelled maybe breaking my board, something I couldn’t afford to do.
Paddling hard my arms felt like lumps of concrete but I pushed through hoping desperately I’d be okay. Cresting the wave I felt rather than saw a blur of movement beside me and the body of another surfer crashed into my legs. I was tumbled off my board and caught up as the wave broke around me. Everything went dark as the water cascaded around and I was thrown under. The orbital velocity spun me in circles until I didn’t know which way was up and which way was down. My board was caught in the momentum of the wave and dragged me by the ankle strap as stars began to pop behind my eyes and I realized I was drowning. Mercifully the strap broke and I floated free but that just meant the wave could take me and slam me into the ocean floor. My whole body was wracked with sharp pain and I couldn’t move. I thought of my mom and my brothers and hoped they wouldn’t be too sad if I died.
The last thing I felt before blacking out was a pair of strong hands reaching under my arms.
I woke to the sound of bleeping machines and looked around at the sterile white walls of a hospital room. I was hooked up to the machines and noticed a needle had been inserted into my left hand pumping goodness knows what into me. The pain in my stomach was still there although much less and my lungs hurt from the salt water I’d breathed in. A hose was stuck up my nostrils administering oxygen so I decided that at that moment pain was good because it meant I was alive and I was hopefully going to be okay.
The door to my room was open and I heard my mom talking. I moved my head to listen better to the conversation she was having with a man I assumed was a doctor considering all the big words he was using.
“So he’s going to be alright?” I heard my mom query and the doctor was saying “yes but….”
“But what?” my mom demanded, she was a lioness when it came to protecting her boys. I smiled glad to have her on my side.
“Well, we did blood tests, to check everything was okay, we were worried because there was blood in his mouth and nose when he was brought in. Anyway we found that Jay has an uncommonly rare condition called chromosomal hyperplasia.”
“What does that mean?” my mom asked and I thought at the same time.
“It means his body is producing a whole lot of new cells, more than he needs, essentially it’s trying to reshape itself from a genetic level up. We need to stabilise him before any damage is done but unfortunately there is no known cure. There is only one treatment that will allow him to live but it is painful and well……..” he hesitated.
“Go on” said Mom
Well, over the period of the next few weeks he is going to cease being your son.”
“What…what do you mean cease being my son, you said he would live.”
“Oh yes he’ll live but not as a boy. You see the hyperplasia will I guess you could say reboot him from his DNA up. He’s going to turn into a girl, the treatment we have will simply speed that process up which will take less of a toll on his body and his mind. Essentially he will turn into your daughter. If it’s any consolation he is only the fifth recorded person in America that this has ever happened to.”
“Let me get this straight, you’re saying my 14 year old son lying in there on that bed is going to undergo changes to both his body and mind that will in effect turn him into a 14 year old girl. Do you mean completely, as in he’ll have breasts, a vagina, ovaries? What about his features will he look like a girl?”
“Well yes, exactly, eventually he’ll think like a girl, even act like one, you’ll have to teach him all about being female. Let me ask you something has he been complaining recently about being sore, pains shooting through his feet or legs, pain in his stomach?”
“Yeeeesss, as a matter of fact he has, is that all related?”
“Yes, you see we’ve done x-rays and well let me show you….”
At that their voices faded away as my mom was led toward the x-rays on the far side of the room. They continued discussing stuff while I lay back and tried to process the information I’d just heard. My whole body had turned traitor on me and was changing, turning me into a……a girl. The only way to save me was to speed the whole process up. Dude I thought, I was still a virgin, I mean far out I’d never even been with a girl now I was going to be one!
Jeepers would I be expected to wear dresses and skirts, what was it like to have breasts and no penis? What about surfing that was my life, there were plenty of female surfers out there but still.
At that point my mom walked in with a smile on her face but her eyes were serious and sad all at the same time.
“I heard mom”
“Heard what darling?”
“I heard you discussing the hyper, hyper…..”
“Hyperplasia”
“Yeah that, hyperplasia, that I’m gonna turn into a girl, that there’s nothing they can do.”
“Oh, um yes that’s right, I’ve just talked it over with Dr Carter, they’ve sought another opinion from a specialist but as a nurse I think he’s correct and there’s nothing we can do. It looks as if I’m going to have a daughter in a month or two rather than a son. I’m so sorry.”
She folded me up in her arms and gave me a huge hug. I buried my head into her shoulder but I was determined not to cry. Our family had been through the ringer lately and the last thing my mom needed was me snivelling and whining about my fate. I didn’t like this news not one bit but I wasn’t going to let it beat me.
“Who saved me mom?” I asked, “Who was it got me out of the water?”
“You’re brother Tim; he saw you get swiped by that little, little….asshole Morgan”
I was amazed my mom never cussed she hated swear words, it revealed a lot about how she felt about what Morgan Chapman had done to me.
“Anyway, Tim saw you go under and he paddled over, he said it was pure luck he found you; that you were caught up in all the white water. He said he just stayed under holding his breath till he got you.”
“He and Jeff are worried sick about you, I need to ring them and let them know you’re awake they’ll want to come up right away and see you.”
“Cool mom, but um can you not tell them what’s happening to me, can you leave it to me to tell them?
“Of course honey, I won’t say a word about that; just let them know you’re okay. I know you surfers deal with your own problems yourselves right.”
“Yeah mom, that’s right, I need to let them know myself that they’re going to have a little sister to look after”
I smiled at her but my stomach was churning, this was easily the biggest challenge I’d ever faced in my life.
“I’ll be with you through this all the way Hun, I mean who knows you might enjoy being a girl, you and I we can do girl stuff together, go out shopping for clothes and shoes, all that kind of thing.”
I know mom was trying to be nice, to be supportive and comforting but that stuff was the furthest from my mind.
“Yeah mom, maybe, let’s gets through the next few weeks first, the doc said it was gonna be painful.”
“WE will get through it Jay, together alright, you’re still my baby, nothing in the whole wide world is going to change that and anyway I think you’re going to make a really cute girl.”
Mom was still trying to be kind so I smiled but I didn’t know if I could do this.
CHAPTER 2 – Broken
The next couple of days went by in a blur, notable only for the conversation I had with Tim and Jeff. They were immensely relieved that I was okay but when it came time to tell them what was happening to me they fell silent and just listened. Mom sat next to me on the bed letting me tell the story without interrupting at all although I knew she would have a lot to say once they got home and they were alone together without me.
“Grom, we’re with you on this, we stuck together when dad left, we work together to pay the bills, we live together, we surf together” said Jeff.
“Nothing splits this family up, nothing, we’ve got your back dude” said Tim.
I couldn’t help it and a solitary tear spilled down my face.
“Thanks guys I love you” I said as I tried to brush the tear away.
“Bro” said Jeff “you are going to get through this easy, anyone who can surf like you this is just a walk in the park.”
Others came to visit too, Tim’s mate Pete came along with a mini surfboard just to remind me of what to look forward to when I got out of hospital, a couple of good friends from school Josh and Sam showed up and sat with me for the afternoon asking when I’d be out and cracking lame jokes. A couple of girls even turned up with a cake and a get well card but they didn’t stay too long saying something about a pool party to go to.
One of them a girl called Jasmine who I got on well with said when I got out she would organise a party for me at her place, invite all our friends and even make it a surf theme. She seemed really concerned for me. My mom had spread the story that because I had nearly drowned that the doctors were worried the salt water had damaged my lungs, that people who had survived drowning sometimes died later from complications.
I was grateful and thanked her for being so kind. I wondered what she would think if I turned up to the party as a girl.
After that the hospital stopped all visits except for immediate family. The treatment consisted of a series of injections into the muscles of my back then injections into my bones that were excruciating. Within a week the first signs of my transformation were showing, my face had taken on a much softer more feminine look while I noticed that my testicles and penis were beginning to shrink and slowly be absorbed up into my body. The doctors decided to make incisions at these points to aid this process and I had to deal with open wounds in my groin. Within two weeks I had grown a pair of A cup breasts and the doctors told me they would continue to grow over time probably to a C Cup although there was no telling if they would grow even bigger. The nurses and my mom were amazing and helped fit me into a bra and would sit next to me for hours talking with me. I was quite frankly fascinated by the whole process of their growth. For natural girls this would happen over a couple of years but for me it happened in weeks. The transition from tiny breast buds to real actual boobs was interesting. Every morning I woke up they had grown a little bit more and I would check in the mirror staring in horror as they grew.
For some of the time the doctors would give me morphine to help with the pain as my body changed before their eyes. It felt like my bones were literally trying to tear my flesh apart from the inside out and I was often forced to sit in my bed rocking or moaning as the pain overtook me. My hips widened and my waist became noticeably smaller while my ribcage shrunk down. The hyperplasia caused cells to grow inside me and one morning when I woke up a doctor confirmed what I immediately suspected. I no longer had a penis, rather overnight my vaginal cavity had formed and my body had grown a womb and cervix while my testicles had become ovaries. I felt a real sense of loss that I had never had the chance to have sex as a guy other than of course by myself alone in my own bedroom.
The doctors constantly took tests and notes and even filmed me as I changed. My whole body was open to them and they poked and prodded me without mercy. The nurses and mom would often come to my aid, shooing them out when they sensed I could take no more. They would also bundle me into a wheel chair and take me for walks around the hospital grounds so I could smell the flowers and fresh air and have some small respite from the white walls of my room.
As for me the hardest part was psychological, trying to deal in my head with what was happening to me physically. I became more and more withdrawn and morose as I dealt with both my pain and my new body. I hated being touched and grew to resent the changes, becoming convinced that this would never end and my life would just be a constant state of pain and suffering. My new breasts were the symbols of that pain and I hated them, the enlarged nipples and areoles along with the mounds of flesh sitting on my chest constantly reminding me of my new status, my new gender. I tried my best but sometimes I lashed out saying things I instantly regretted while all the while wishing that it would probably have been best if Tim hadn’t rescued me and instead let me drown. It felt like I was a prisoner living inside something that no longer belonged to me. My skin was noticeably softer and what little hair I had on my body was finer except for on my head. That became thick and after a nurse washed it I was astonished how shiny it was. As it grew out further it framed my face which was changing too. I was still me but everything was more feminine, my nose; my mouth, even my cheekbones seemed to have changed.
The turning point came when my favorite nurse, a young woman called Fleur bought another young girl in to talk with me. She was about 21 and was beautiful and fragile and I could see in her eyes she had also been through pain. Her name was Danielle and she used to be a boy too. She had identified with being a girl a long time ago and had decided to go through gender reassignment surgery. We sat and talked for hours about her pain as she explained how she had hated being male and the decision that had started her journey down the path of becoming a woman. The hormone treatments, the changes to her body, the acceptance by some of her friends and family and rejection by others we even talked about the final surgery that had given her a vagina. We became firm friends and she helped me see that there would eventually be an end to my pain and that I could cope with being a girl even if for now I hated it. We agreed that when we both got out of hospital we would keep in contact and continue to talk together about our experiences. I think her visits and her openness, the way she treated me helped me turn a really important corner, one that led away from the thought of ending my life and all this pain. I owed Fleur and Danielle a debt of gratitude I would probably never be able to pay back. It started me on the road to accepting in my head that I was really a girl but it was a long road and there was lots more to accept and lots more to learn.
One morning perhaps a week later I woke to the realization I felt no pain. My blonde hair had grown even longer and reached down past my shoulders. My skin was now soft and tanned and my figure was that of a 14 year old girl. I had long slim legs and arms with fine fingers and small toes. To my amazement my bones no longer ached and I was able to stand by myself without pain. I walked to the bathroom and sat unassisted on the toilet. Wiping myself I stood up and looked in the mirror, my shoulders were now slim and my every movement seemed more graceful. I turned and looked at my butt taking in the bigness of it and the feminine lines. Dude I thought you have a nice rear end even if you do say so yourself.
I felt my breasts as they looked back at me now a generous B cup and finally decided that I might be able to come to terms with having them, maybe just a little. I looked at the slit that was now my groin. I hadn’t really explored it at all since it had manifested itself and I looked at it now. What did people call them pussies, twat, fanny, lots of outlandish and rude names? I was tempted to call it a girls’ name like Rapunzel but settled on just calling it my vagina cause that’s what it was. I ran my finger across the outer lips of my labia and felt the tiny electric shock of arousal. I’ll leave that till later, much later I thought then looked at my face. My eyes were still a deep emerald colour but my lashes were long and dark and full. My cheek bones were now high and a light dusting of freckles spread out across my cheeks and nose. It was unmistakably a girl’s face and I had grown used to seeing it in the mirror but for the first time looking at myself without pain I was able to appreciate it. I was still me but the girl version of me. I guessed I probably looked a lot like my mom when she was 14 and decided she must have been a beautiful woman before three kids, an alcoholic husband and all the cares of the world had stolen it from her. Not that she wasn’t a gorgeous woman now but there were lines where there shouldn’t be and cares on her shoulders that shouldn’t have been there. I was fortunate to have her as my mother and decided I would try to help her even more when I got out of this place.
Mom had also bought me some clothes for when I felt better and no longer had to wear the stupid hospital gowns that they forced me to wear. No matter how hard I tried there was always a draughty gap in the back.
I looked through the bag she had brought in and saw a couple of bras and some panties. There was a pair of women’s cut skinny jeans and a pink T-shirt along with a summer dress and a few other girly looking tops in blues and greens. A pair of very short shorts was also in there but I wasn’t game just yet to be seen in those.
I chose the jeans and pulled them on over a pair of plain cotton panties. I was quite adept at putting on a bra by now and put a simple plain white one on then pulled the pink t-shirt over my head. I almost felt human again. Slipping on a pair of sandals I decided it was time to go for a walk. At that moment my mom walked in the room though and just stared at me for a second.
“You’re up then” she smiled and gave me a big hug.
“Yeah mom I’m even feeling better too, no pain. Feel like going for a walk with me, this room is doing my head in.”
We wandered out of the hospital and into the grounds. There was a large garden out the back for patients to walk through; the hospital nurses and doctors had planted it themselves in an attempt to help patients recover faster. As we walked along Mom asked me an important question, one I hadn’t really considered then she asked me one I had.
So Jayden, she only used my full name when she was either telling me off or really serious, the hospital has agreed to change your records to show that you are female, your birth certificate, school records everything that legally makes you well you, will be changed to show that your now a girl, but they asked me what name you wanted.”
Wow that’s a biggy I thought. Few people ever get to give themselves a new name, that was always the privilege of your parents and I needed to think about it.
“Gosh Mom, I don’t know what do you think I mean you gave me Jayden.”
“Well I was thinking you have the most dazzling green eyes and I guess Jayden could easily become Jade. Your middle name is Alex after your grandfather so how about Jade Alexandra?”
She looked at me hopefully and I nodded.
“Yeah dude” I laughed in my best surfie tone, “sounds wicked.”
And that was that decision made. I was now Jade Alexandra Chamberlin.
The next question is important too honey, when do you want to come home? You’ve been here for two months now but we all miss you and Tim and Jeff keep asking and…”
“How about now”
“Now?”
“Yeah now. I miss you guys too, plus schools already started back and my surfboard must have been missing me by now.”
That earned me a soft punch on the arm then another big Mom hug. I could get used to these and so second big decision was made.
Now there was just getting back home, settling back into school and reconnecting with my friends and family all as a fourteen year old girl who used to be a boy. How hard could it be?
CHAPTER 3 – The News
Mom approached the hospital and although they were reticent at first they finally agreed that I could go home the next day but I had to report back weekly for a check-up and tests which in my vocabulary meant ‘give the vampires more of my blood.’
To say I was excited to go home would be a major understatement but I was also very scared. I knew I had the support of my family and that my mom and brothers would shield me from the worst criticism or problems that came along. Still I had to face my friends and everyone else in school because I had decided it was pointless changing to another one. This threw up problem after problem in my mind and more often than not I felt overwhelmed by it all because I knew it was me who would have to deal with it.
Danielle my transgender friend was always on the end of the phone and I found myself talking to her more than anyone about my fears. She was always patient and tolerant with me but we both knew that when it came down to it I was the one who was going to have to face all those people. The best piece of advice she could give was that it wasn’t going to be as bad as I thought it would be. I really hoped not but that didn’t stop the fear.
I hardly slept that night with butterflies the size of elephants fluttering in my stomach. The wait for mom was intolerable but she finally arrived about 9.00am to take me home. Fleur my nurse had kindly organised a little gift that the other nurses and even some of the doctors had contributed to. They gave it to me as I sat on my bed in jeans and t-shirt. It was a small box and inside was a ring with a tiny emerald in it. They said it was to remind me of them but to me it was also a symbol of who I now was. Had I been a guy they would have gotten me something different like soap on a rope or maybe some surfboard wax. For a girl the gifts were different. I slipped the ring on my right ring finger and let them look while offering the obligatory compliments but inside I cringed a little.
I was wearing the same clothes as yesterday which made my mom a little annoyed as I finally fell into the passenger seat of the car, “You don’t want to start smelling of B.O. dear” she commented “you need to change your clothes and stay fresh. I want you to shower every day. I’ve bought you some new soap and body wash plus I got you some cleanser and moisturiser for your face. I’m assuming you’ll want to surf again and you know what sun and surf will do to your skin, it’s more fragile now. You’ll need to use it at least twice a day plus we need to go out and get you a few more clothes including a bikini and I’ll take you to the makeup stand at the mall you’ll need to get some foundation and powder to match your skin type and I guess we should get you a new mascara and lip gloss.”
“Mom, mom stop. Far out take a breath and chill” I said trying to slow her down at least.
“But darling you do understand this is all stuff you’re going to need and I haven’t even started on feminine hygiene products yet or the fact you’re going to need to shave your legs and underarms.” She said the last bit with a really cheeky grin on her face and this time I got to punch her in the arm.
“Yeah, yeah all right I get it you care about me and you want the best for me but mom please can we take this one step at a time cause you are really freaking me out with all this stuff.” I said it half cheerfully but also half fearfully as well. I hadn’t even considered that I might start getting a period or that I was now expected to wear makeup or even shower once a day, I mean what was that all about? As a guy who spent most of his time either in the water surfing or sitting around a beach talking about surfing I usually showered when I felt like it not because I thought I had to so I could smell all fresh, floral and girly. Normally I just smelled of salt water.
I guess reality kind of jumped up and bit me then as I sank back in my seat and contemplated the list my mom had just given me. Although I hadn’t experienced it yet I was going to get a period, that meant I had to become used to using things like pads and tampons. Instead of learning to shave my face I was going to have to shave my legs and underarms. I also knew I actually wanted to do this because I'd seen a girl at school who had decided she wasn’t going to shave and had grown leg and underarm hair. The teasing and cruel remarks would often leave her shaking or crying and the last thing I wanted was to go through that. She probably lasted a month before she started to shave again. I got that a woman’s world was a foreign thing to me and I had a huge amount to learn plus many decisions to make about the kind of image I was going to project to the outside world. I didn’t have the faintest idea what that would be other than I knew I still wanted to surf. But girls who surfed came in all different shapes and sizes, some wore makeup some didn’t many were really girly and loved to wear summer dresses and short skirts because they were at the beach.
My life was never going to be the same and I had 14 years of catching up to do. I decided if I was going to fit in and not be seen as some kind of weirded out freak that my best ally was my mom.
I turned to her and said “thanks Mom, I really appreciate what you’re doing for me, hope I’m not too big a disappointment to you.”
“Oh darling, you’re not a disappointment, these changes you’ve gone through have happened it’s in the past. You’re my daughter now and I love you. I get that you’re scared and nervous and confused but like I said before, we will get through this together. Try not to let it overwhelm you okay”
“Yeah mom, I know you’re right but well……”
She reached over and rubbed my leg giving it a gentle squeeze. “I pity anyone who tries to make you feel less of a person just because of what you have gone through. They’ll have me to deal with!”
We continued driving home and I tried to relax a little. ‘Home’ it was my sanctuary a place of refuge and a place where I could feel comfortable. I couldn’t wait to get back to it and chill out. ‘Suppose I’d better have a shower too’ I thought.
As we drove into our driveway I saw both Jeff and Tim waiting for us. They both crashed through the door down the stairs and pretty much ripped the door off the car opening it.
“Hey grommet awesome to have you home, man the surf has been going off” enthused Tim while Jeff just stood there grinning from ear to ear like a big goof. As I stepped out I was engulfed by four huge arms that literally picked me up and I was carried into the house. Mom trailed after us with my stuff while I was unceremoniously deposited on the lounge room floor.
“Whoa, whoa be careful of her you two, she’s just been through a hell of a time and I don’t want you to break her the minute she gets home.”
“Aw sorry mom, sorry Jay” said Tim with the same massive goofy look on his face as Jeff and I noted he called me Jay rather than Jade which I kind of liked. I had a feeling my abbreviated name would just continue to be used by my brothers regardless of my gender.
I stood there looking at them then kind of quizzically with my head on the side a half grin on my face.
“What you looking at?” said Tim
“Oh I don’t know, I was just wondering if it was me or if you two have gotten dumber while I was away” I said it with a huge grin then scampered off while the two of them roared their indignation and Mom cracked up laughing. I think she was just felt relieved that she had her family back together and the house was alive again.
My room was the same as before, pictures of surfers on my wall, a couple of trophies siiting on my dresser but with the addition of a full length mirror in a corner. Mom said I would need it now. I just shrugged and thought ‘whatever’
Mom had also taken my underwear from my drawers and replaced it with panties and bras in my size. As much as I appreciated what she had done it was strange seeing frilly bras and satin panties where once my old cotton boxers and t-shirts used to be.
“Where are my t-shirts Mom?”
“Just in the bottom drawer there honey, I didn’t throw them away, they’re far too big for you now but I thought till we got you some nighties or pj’s you could probably sleep in them.”
“Oh yeah right, good thinking” I said realising that girls didn’t just sleep in a pair of boxers. I had boobs to cover now.
“We need to get you some clothes to wear for school too Jade, and for going out in plus some more casual wear. I think we need to go out to the mall this afternoon just to get a few things.”
“Um sure mom I guess can we afford it though?”
“Yes dear no problems, your brothers sold a couple of things and have pooled some money together. We have enough for you.”
“Sold stuff, like what?” I asked worried it was a surfboard.
“Nothing major Jade, don’t worry it’s not a surfboard. Sheesh you look like the world just ended.”
“Yeah well not being able to surf is pretty much the same thing.”
“We’ll go after lunch” said Mom and strolled out of my room. “How about you have a shower and freshen up a bit” she called back “and put those clothes you’ve got on in the wash young lady.”
I looked around my room and decided to have the shower. In the bathroom I stripped off and threw my soiled jeans, t-shirt and underwear in the laundry basket. The shower felt great and I probably stayed in longer than I should. I covered myself in some floral body wash and scrubbed everywhere then jumped out. Instantly I had a problem because I hadn’t brought any other clothes into the shower with me and I would have to run down the hallway to get back to my room. Previously I wouldn’t have cared and just sprinted the short distance. Who cares if your brothers see you? Now however I was a girl and that was different. Wrapping myself in a towel to cover up I peeked out the door to make sure nobody was there then ran for my room. It all felt different, running this way, I noticed that with wider hips I stepped differently and that I took smaller steps too.
‘Weird’
Reaching my room I rummaged through my underwear finding a pair of white panties and a bra. Once in them I looked in the mirror and used my towel to dry my hair. Looking back at me was a young girl with long curly blond hair and emerald eyes. I decided the freckles on my face looked cute and although my body wasn’t lean and hard anymore it sported the flowing curves of an adolescent female.
Looking in my wardrobe I saw there was nothing there that I could practically wear. Everything was either too big or just wasn’t going to fit right.
The bag of clothes Mom had bought me was sitting on my bed so I tipped it all out. I had a choice the really short shorts matched with one of the blue or green tops or the summer dress. It had a floral design on it and the skirt part came down to just above my knees flaring out from my waist when I held it against me. The top part had thin straps for my shoulders but it kind of covered more of me than the rest. I hadn’t worn a dress yet and felt pretty freaked out about the prospect but then again the alternative wasn’t much better at least to me.
Fortunately at this time of year it was still really warm so I decided to try on the dress. Stepping in to it I pulled it up over my hips then adjusted the bodice part over my boobs. Brushing my hair out so it wouldn’t knot it fell around my face and down my back emphasising to me just how much of a girl I looked as I gazed in the mirror. If I had seen this girl at school or the beach when I was male I probably would have wanted to get to know her I decided. It felt like my heart was leaping out of my chest it was pounding so hard as I decided to twirl around making the dress flare out. There was something that felt really funky about doing it yet another part of me was asking the question, how could I enjoy this? After all it wasn’t that long ago I was a guy who lived in an old pair of salt encrusted board shorts and a t-shirt. Why did I enjoy this so much? What was it about being so feminine that I was beginning to like?
A soft knock came at the door. “It’s only me” said Mom as she peeked in then stopped as she saw me standing there wearing the dress.
“Oh darling, you look, you look oh my, you’re beautiful” she whispered but I had a feeling she really wanted to say ‘you look just like me when I was a girl’ as her face crumpled and tears began to trickle down her cheeks.
“Aw mom, don’t cry” I said as she came over and just held me.
“I’m not unhappy” she whispered to me, looking into my eyes, “just the opposite.”
“I was just wondering if you wanted lunch now, it’s just sandwiches sorry but we can get something else down at the mall.”
“Food is good” I smiled suddenly realising how hungry I felt but as I stepped out of my room and into the kitchen both Jeff and Tim just stopped and looked. Their jaws dropped at almost the same time and they just stared.
Mom gave a little hurrumph and they both quickly went back to making sandwiches but I understood their looks.
“You’re hot sis” blurted Tim, he was always the one to speak first and say what he thought no matter what the consequences.
“Yeah” said Jeff “I reckon pretty much every guy at your school is going to try and hit on you Jay. I might have to invest in a shotgun.”
I blushed a really bright crimson but the compliment meant a lot.
“Yeah right you guys eat your lunch, if anyone is buying a shotgun it’ll be me and if any guy comes within a mile of Jade they better have good running shoes.” My mom’s inner lioness was coming out again.
“We’re off for a surf after lunch” said Tim completely changing the subject. He looked at me expectantly and I looked at Mom pleadingly.
“Not a chance young lady, you are coming with me to get clothes. Anyway you don’t even own a swimsuit, what were you thinking of doing surfing naked?”
Tim and Jeff guffawed.
“Plenty of waves in the ocean Jay, maybe you can come tomorrow if you get a swimsuit?”
Today was a Saturday so surfing tomorrow was on as far as I was concerned which meant my first point of call at the mall was a shop that sold swim gear for girls.
The shopping mall at Imperial Beach wasn’t far away and we got there quickly. I had slipped on my pair of sandals while mom had gotten herself ready. Before we left she called me in to her room and made me sit in front of her mirror. She applied a couple of coats of mascara to my lashes and gave me some lip gloss to wear. It made my eyes seem to pop and she seemed satisfied with the way I looked. I was just amazed at how such a little bit of makeup could change my face.
“Is this really necessary mom?” and she stared at me.
“It changes your face Jade, makes you look very feminine so if you run into people from school they’re probably not going to recognise you. I thought that might be helpful.”
“Aw okay yeah good call mom” I replied. My mom was the best and once again proved to me how much she cared, plus I had a sneaky suspicion she was enjoying seeing me like this.
As we walked in I spotted a couple of guys, Jordan and Grant, who I knew from school. They stopped as they saw me a furrowed look on their brow which quickly gave way to just open staring as we walked past.
“Ignore them” whispered mom
“They go to my school, I think they recognise me but they don’t know how” I whispered back.
“All they see is two hot chicks” chuckled mom.
I giggled,” absolutely Mom”
We walked on and came to a surf shop that sold swim wear.
“Can we go in here please?”
“Sure honey”
We found ourselves in a rainbow sea of bikinis and one piece swimsuits. Looking at it all I realized just how much of my flesh would be on display at the beach but my desire to surf overcame any embarrassment I might feel. We picked out two bikinis one black and one green that seemed to cover me a bit more and would be okay to surf in. The young shop assistant rang up the sale for us and commented on how nice I looked in my dress.
I blushed and mumbled a thank you as she passed me my shopping bag.
“Have you ever thought of doing any modelling?” she asked “you have a killer figure and that face of yours is beyond cute.”
“What? Really you think so?”
“Yeah of course, in fact I know we’re looking for a model to help sell a lot of the surfing merchandise in the store. I mean this is a chain so you could have your face in every store across the country plus in our catalogue. If you want let me take a pic of you on my phone and I’ll send it through. No harm in trying aye?”
I looked at Mom who just smiled. “Your call”
“Okay then sure” I said “go for it.
“I’ll get back to you soon” she said, “give me your mobile number”
We swapped details and wandered out of the store. I was on a high and Mom looked at me raising her eyebrows.
“Wow Jade”
“Yeah, I know”
“Told you, you were pretty.”
I left it at that but the rest of the shopping trip kind of flew by in a blur. We bought a complete wardrobe of clothes for me. I tended to opt for more practical stuff like jeans and flat shoes but Mom managed to throw in the odd girly dress, some skirts and even persuaded me to buy a pair of high heel court shoes ‘just in case’.
Just in case of what I wasn’t sure but I wasn’t about to argue with her, in fact I was dying to know what it felt like to walk in them.
The experience of being a female in a dress out in public really made me realise how vulnerable I was. I was wearing a piece of clothing that was completely open around my legs. Lots of guys looked at me most of them started at my boobs, then down to my legs then back up to my boobs again. Even older guys did it and I became increasingly uncomfortable. At one point I felt like going over to one guy and asking him what he wanted but it was mom who came to my rescue.
Sitting me down on a seat and making sure I had my legs together she told me the story of how she met my dad. How when she saw him how handsome she thought he was and how he looked at her, kindly and gently. “See all these other guys” she said waving her hand, “they don’t know you, all they see is a pretty girl and they wonder about you and what it would be like to be with you. But you have the final say if you ignore them they’ll just keep on walking and look at another attractive girl. When you find the right one you’ll know darling, until then treat people with respect and expect it from them. Just enjoy the effect you have on them but don’t give them a second thought.”
“Okay Mom, sure, it’s just well its never happened to me before and it’s freaking me out a bit.”
“You’ll get over it” she said getting up. “lets go”
Eventually we headed back to the car laden down with clothes, makeup and shoes.
Loading it all in the car mom then began to head back in to the mall.
“What haven’t we finished yet?”
“Not quite, come with me there’s a couple of things we really need to get”
Heading to the pharmacy mom stopped beside the feminine hygiene aisle and picked out some petite tampons and a pack of pads.
“You’re going to need these hun, it’s part of being a woman, plus I was wondering if you wanted to get your ears pierced?”
The tampons and pads grossed me out a bit but funnily enough pierced ears didn’t.
It only took a couple of minutes and I had an earring in each ear. While mom paid the bill I walked out of the shop and noticed Jordan and Grant from school were still hanging around looking at me.
Grant sauntered over and stopped in front of me.
“Hey cutie, I noticed you before, you look familiar like I’ve seen you before but I can’t quite place it?”
I looked at him, taking in the odd blackhead in his nose and pimple on his chin.
“Do you always use such lame pick-up lines dude?” I asked and it was as if a light went on his eyes. Even with my softer, higher voice he recognised it.
“’Dude’, that’s it that’s how I know you, you’re Jay Chamberlin but I mean what happened to you, you’re a chick.”
His mate came over and stared at me too. ‘So much for the make-up mom’ I thought.
“Well yeah it’s kind of a long story maybe I’ll tell it to you some time.”
“So it is you, shit Jay you are the hottest looking girl now. WTF dude”
Just then mom walked out and saw me talking.
“You ready to go honey?”
“Um yeah, look guys I’ll explain it all at school okay, just help me out on this, don’t say anything please?”
I looked at them pleadingly but it fell on deaf ears. I knew that by Monday the whole school would know I was now a girl.
“It’s okay hun, everyone was going to find out eventually at least this way you can go into school knowing what you have to say and you’ll soon find out who your real friends are.”
“Yeah well I guess, but it sure is going to be a weird day.”
“You’ll get through it Jade, look how far you’ve come already.”
I thought about that and knew Mom was right but the biggest hurdle was yet to come. I wondered what Monday had in store for me.
A young surfer goes through a painful transformation that leaves him battered, bruised and changed. As he attempts to cope with those changes and the new life he must now live he also stumbles on a conspiracy that threatens his family, his friends and the township he lives in. As a young girl can she deal not only with a new body and new feelings but also overcome the evil that could destroy her.
CHAPTER 4 – Wrong Turn
For me Sunday should easily have been the coolest day since my change of gender. Tim and Jeff were going to take me down to the beach after breakfast to surf and there was nothing I wanted to do more. I also wanted to drop in and see my boss Dave. Tim and Jeff had gone over there and explained to him what I had been through and I was desperate to return to my old job. At first Dave had been a little taciturn with my brothers but finally caved in while mumbling something about dang girls working in his shop.
That was Dave but I really hoped he would come round and see that underneath it all I was still the same person.
I stood on the beach that morning looking out to sea. A lone seagull squawked over me and I ducked my head. The Imperial Beach gulls were notorious for dive bombing unsuspecting humans and pooping on their heads. The splat next to me when it came was no surprise therefore and I peered into the sky squinting with one eye as it sailed off obviously very pleased with itself.
The surf wasn’t much today maybe only three foot and choppy. We stood watching it and decided finally that today wasn’t our day. I had worn the green bikini and had put a simple muslin top over it. My long legs poked out of the bikini bottoms and the outline of the bikini top was easily seen through it. I looked down at my cleavage and sighed. Boobs were cool and all but also kind of just there when you were a girl, attached to you, jiggly and all jelly like. I had explored them a couple of times in the shower and the sensations across my nipples were pleasurable to say the least but I still wasn’t sure about having them. Having to wear a bra or bikini top certainly got in the way sometimes and boy did boobs get sweaty and itchy after a day sitting in a bra.
As we turned and started to walk back toward the bikes, surfboards under our arms I noticed what looked like a pile of clothes sitting half buried in one of the sand dunes. As I watched I noticed a movement and a small brown foot appeared, wiggled a bit then disappeared back into the pile. I grabbed Jeff’s arm and pointed.
“Hey I think there’s someone over there in the dunes, hope they’re okay?”
Jeff looked over where I was pointing and veered toward it as Tim and I followed.
When he got to the clothes Jeff peered down and gave them a kick waiting for a response.
The dull thud produced a squeak and a head with long black hair and dark brown eyes blinked back looking up at Jeff trying to make sense of what they were seeing. Finally the human sat up and we all realised that it was a girl probably about the same age as Jeff and very obviously of Mexican descent. She was dishevelled and her hair was a mess falling into her eyes full of knots and tangles. She held her hand to her eyes and we noticed the bruises that ran up her arms along with the needle tracks that matched the bruises.
“She’s just a junkie” said Tim in disgust “should have known”
Like most American cities ours had its fair share of drug addicts but this girl seemed different to me. She looked cultured different to the usual addicts we saw begging down town or lying in the streets. Sure her clothes were nothing special, the blouse was too low and the skirt was too high and she smelled pretty bad but there was a fierceness in her eyes and she held herself straight like she used to be someone.
“What’s your name Miss” asked Jeff
“Jacinta, please can you help me?” was all she could get out her throat closing up as her body was wracked with a coughing fit.
“We can’t just leave her here guys, look she’s sick we need to help her” I said
“You’re kidding mom will kill us if we bring a stray like her home” said Tim but Jeff bent over gently lifting under her arm.
“Come with us” is all he said and helped her toward the bikes. Tim let out a big sigh and picked up two of the boards while I took up the rear. If there was something my family had learned through all of the hardships we had endured it was that helping others who needed it was really important. I knew mom wouldn’t mind helping Jacinta out and we were all really good at making a meal stretch out to include one more. Jeff put Jacinta in front of him on his bike and held her with his body his arms around her holding the handlebars. Somehow Tim and I juggled three surfboards on his bike and we made our way slowly home.
The house we rented wasn’t much to look at, it’s faded blue weatherboards stared blankly out onto the road and weeds grew up around the driveway. The grass was mowed but the old bushes and fruit trees were unkempt and uncared for their autumn leaves giving off a golden hue as the sunlight passed through them. The landlord didn’t do much of any maintenance and we rarely saw him. All he cared about was that we paid the rent on time.
The inside was another story however. My mom kept it clean and neat as a pin and you could eat off the floor it was so shiny. Every surface was carefully dusted and wiped clean, every bed was always made up and the dishes were always washed and put away. Of course all three of us were roped in to help and despite our protests we all appreciated the effort our mom made to bring us up right while holding down her job.
There was a note on the kitchen table when we got in, mom had been called in to work an extra shift, it was something she rarely turned down for the extra money it brought us. Jeff helped Jacinta and sat her at one of the chairs at the kitchen table. She groaned as he helped her sit and one of the sides of her blouse flipped open exposing her bra. Jeff looked at me and I quickly pulled the blouse together for her and did up a button. ‘Hmmm’ I thought ‘wouldn’t have done that as a boy.’
Tim walked over and sat in front of Jacinta while Jeff went and got her a glass of water.
“How are you feeling?” he asked as he placed the tumbler in front of her.
Greedily she drank the water, spilling some down her front and then wiped her mouth. Her face was stained with dirt and her fingernails were black with the grime under them.
“Thank you” she said “you are very kind, I didn’t know what I was going to do.” Her voice was thick with her accent.
“So what happened to you” asked Tim “how did you end up lying in a sand dune with all those bruises and track marks?”
“I was abducted, taken from my home about two months ago by some men. They told me they were going to give me a better life in America that I would be rich. They lied to me; instead I was sold to a terrible man. He made me do things too despicable to mention especially in front of your sister.” She looked at me giving me a wan smile. I smiled back thinking two months. Two months ago I was beginning my transformation into a girl something I could neither control or stop, two months ago this beautiful girl was going through a transformation as well, from someone’s daughter, sister, girlfriend, into what a slave? It was something she couldn’t control or stop either.
“Go on” said Tim fascinated
“Well they gave me drugs got me hooked on heroin then forced me to sell myself and give them the money. But all the time I kept thinking I would get away that maybe they owned my body but they weren’t going to own me. I kept that part from them even when I was high and they were raping me I kept the important part of me inside, secret, unbroken.”
Jeff gave a low whistle, “so I guess there are some guys out there who are looking for you since you probably didn’t show up and all”
“No not yet, quite often the girls don’t come back sometimes for a day or two if their clients want to keep them but they know that eventually we will come back to them, that the withdrawal is too much that we will need their poison.”
Tim, Jeff and I looked at each other, what had we gotten ourselves into? We had brought a sex slave and heroin addict into our home, someone who had been kidnapped, someone who would eventually be hunted by powerful men who probably had guns and very little conscience.
And that was the problem, our mom had brought us up with a conscience, she had taught us not only to look after each other but also the people around us who needed it, but this, this was completely out of our league.
“I’ll fix you some food and Jade can you find Jacinta some better clothes to wear maybe, I don’t know you’re a girl can you figure something out?” said Jeff “and she needs a shower too.”
“So what you just ran away? What are you going to do when the withdrawal starts do you think you can deal with it?” asked Tim.
“I don’t know I guess it’s going to hurt, lots, but I don’t want to go back to them, I don’t want to sell myself anymore.”
I had dealt with pain recently and more than my brothers I had an inkling of what this beautiful girl with the long dark hair and soft brown eyes was going to go through.
“You’ll get through it” I said “we’ll help you, stay here our moms a nurse and we can hide you till you come through the worst of it. Nobody knows where you are you’ll be safe here.”
“Yeah” said Jeff looking over his shoulder as he made a sandwich for her, “stay here.”
Tim just sat there saying nothing which was very uncharacteristic of him but his eyes were soft and his jaw was set. I looked at my brothers and felt a pride welling up inside of me for their compassion and the decision that we had just made.
Surfers often take huge risks with their lives in big surf especially they are used to taking their own lives into their own hands. Today we had made a decision to take someone else’s life into our hands. For my part I knew it was the right decision to make.
I turned and went off to my room to see if I could hunt down some clothes for Jacinta. Considering her state I figured I’d probably be the one who had to help her take a shower too. This whole girl thing was really getting interesting and I still had school to start tomorrow.
I was right about the shower and as I helped her with her clothes I felt a little self-conscious looking at another naked girl. She was all curves with full breasts and a waspish waist her hips flaring out to beautiful long legs. Her skin had that golden glow most Mexican women had while her dark hair fell almost down to her waist. She seemed completely comfortable with my presence as she stepped into the hot water the vapour rising around her in waves of steam. I looked at her toes painted a delicate shade of blue and how totally feminine she was. I felt a little jealous at her beauty but also worried at how frail she seemed, her very life essence seemingly drained by the drugs she had taken.
I wondered what mom would say when she got home; boy was she in for a surprise.
CHAPTER 5 - Talk of the Town
When mom got home I stayed right out of it just sitting curled up in a chair in our living room while she discussed things with the boys.
“How are we going to help her, what are we going to do if we are all out at work or school while she is here going through withdrawal? Have you ever seen someone go through heroin withdrawal, I have and it’s not pretty, who’s going to clean up after her because I’m not?”
Mom was on a roll but I knew she had lost before she even began. She had that hard exterior of a nurse but the golden liquid interior too. She would help we all knew that and she would make sure Jacinta got through this.
It was Jeff who pleaded her case which didn’t surprise me because he had been the first to help her. I had noticed him looking at Jacinta and seen how she responded to him. Bit of a spark there I wondered.
“And what about your sister and all she has been through and is going to go through have you thought about her?” demanded Mom but I had the answer for that, it made Jacinta’s case.
“Don’t worry about me mom, I’m the one who suggested she stay in the first place. We’re just doing what you taught us and besides considering what I’ve just been through I’d be more than happy to help out, we can all take turns being with her. You were there for me when I needed you most, you still are, how can we turn her away after what we’ve been through?”
Mom sighed and we all looked at her.
“Alright, but we take turns okay, it’s going to be a rough week for all of us, especially you” she said turning to Jacinta “this is not going to be a walk in the park, you’re going to feel like someone’s ripping your insides out then shoved them back in again, backwards.”
“I know Mrs Chamberlin and believe me I appreciate all you and your family are doing. I have no way of paying you back but I promise if ever I can I will.”
“Yes well” Mom huffed “call me Michelle, that’s my first name, you can stay but when you can you pay your way by helping out round here, doing dishes, cleaning up okay.”
“Of course, thank you so much”
And so it was settled, I wasn’t sure if it was a fun thing to settle but Jacinta was staying. I think Jeff was the most happy about it but we were all determined to help. I got up and gave Jacinta a hug. I was really beginning to like how girls could just do that.
My next concern of course was school. Mom took me aside and led me into my bedroom and I sat on the bed next to her shoulder to shoulder.
“You ready for tomorrow?”
“Nope, but I’m going, I’m guessing everyone knows about me by now or at least all the ones in on the gossip will.”
“Hmm, probably, I’ve made an appointment with your Deputy Principal, Mrs Shirley just to fill her in on everything. I’ve got all the paperwork you’ll need. We see her at 8.30am sharp.”
“All good Mom, thanks” and I meant it.
“So what do you want to wear tomorrow, you really need to start out how you mean to go on.”
“Yeah I was thinking about that, I figured just jeans and a t-shirt, you know it’s pretty much what I used to wear all the time anyway.”
“Yes but Jade you’re a girl now and a very pretty one, how about a nice dress?”
“Aw mom on the first day come on that’s just not gonna happen”
“Alright how about a skirt and a nice top you can wear those strappy sandals I got you at the mall you would look so cute.”
I sighed but finally we agreed on a skirt and the sandals although I insisted on wearing a t-shirt with capped sleeves and a surf logo on it. That way I would keep at least a part of my identity. Mom picked out a pleated dark blue skirt that came about half way down my thighs and teamed with the sandals I had to admit it looked pretty cute. I also decided to wear the ring I had been given at the hospital. It had become an important symbol of my journey so far and I had become really attached to it.
“Now remember you have to keep your legs together when you sit wearing a skirt okay, none of this legs apart let them see your panties stuff and if it gets windy you have to hold the skirt down so it doesn’t blow up and embarrass you. Oh and don’t fool around with your bra in public, go to the restroom and adjust it I just hate seeing girls do that.”
“Yes Mom” I said looking at her with my best exasperated look.
“Well this is your first day back; it’s all going to be new.”
I laughed, “that’s for sure”
The next morning came quickly, it was autumn now but where we lived in Southern California the temperature was still pretty warm and so I didn’t bother with a coat or jacket.
Mom had pulled my hair back in a ponytail and I had put mascara and lip gloss on. I knew girls at school weren’t really meant to but no one ever really said anything.
Picking up my bag mom drove us both into school. I didn’t know Mrs Shirley that well she was about 55 I guessed and about 5’ 4” tall and about the same wide. She had huge boobs that kind of were in your face and she seemed to have this restless energy that made me feel like she was going to suddenly jump up and start dancing on her desk. I tried to keep the smirk off my face as I thought about it.
“Yes well Jay, Jade” she corrected herself “nice to have you back. I’ve read your file and I must say you’ve certainly been through an ordeal. I must say though you really seem to have come through it all rather well, you are just stunning young lady.”
‘Why did middle aged women always insist on calling me young lady’ I mused ‘and “I must say” honestly what was up with that?’
“Thank you Mrs Shirley” I mumbled tempted to say ‘old lady’ but Mom was beside me and I didn’t want to risk a quick clip around the ear.
“You’re timetable is still the same and I see you have Geography first up with Mr Hendricks. How about you tootle off and I’ll just finish all the paperwork with your mother.”
“Yes Miss” I said and giving Mom a quick hug I threw my bag on my back and headed out into the school grounds. The last thing I heard was Mrs Shirley saying “My look at those beautiful long legs, do you think she’d consider trying out for the cheer leading team?”
Fat chance I thought more like the surf team.
I enjoyed Geography, Mr Hendricks was funny and made the subject enjoyable. He would often talk about the ocean and the coast which always had my interest and besides Josh, Sam and Jasmine were all in the same class so at least I had some friends. Unfortunately Morgan Chapman was there too so I would have to deal with him.
I got to class as the first bell rang and walked in. The class went silent, I mean really quiet like you could hear a pin drop. Several of the boys just stared with their mouths open and I thought they would start drooling. Neither Josh, Sam or Morgan had arrived yet but Jasmine was there and she waved to me indicating a free seat next to her. Mr Hendricks didn’t use a seating plan and just let us sit anywhere so I walked over and sat down.
“Wow, Jayden is that you?”
“Yup it’s me but I’m Jade now. As you can see there have been a couple of changes.”
“A couple to say the least, so what happened, the last I knew you were in hospital after nearly drowning then I heard on the weekend that you’d had a sex change. I didn’t believe it till now. I mean wow”
“It was a disease” I explained and the whole class was silent listening to our conversation, “really rare I didn’t so much have a sex change like you’d think but my body was changed completely from my chromosomes to well everything. I’m just like you I have you know, ovaries and stuff, I can even have a period.”
Jasmine looked at me wide eyed “Really? That’s incredible so you’re completely a girl?”
“Yup, completely no going back fully one hundred percent female” I replied smiling.
Jasmine just hugged me then and pulled out her exercise book ready to start work.
“What that was it, you just accept me?” I said.
“Of course silly, actually I’d always had a thing for you, I’d always hoped you’d ask me out but you never did. Now you’re a girl well I just hope we can be friends, maybe we can hang out do stuff together, you know, if you want?”
I looked at her and one of the guys sitting behind me piped up. “Yeah Jade, you’re the coolest chick, any time you want to hang out that’s all good with me. We all heard about what happened to you but no one believed it. We all thought it was lies but seeing you now and how you’re handling it all. You were always nice to everyone you met from the first day you got here and we all knew how much you loved to surf. Far as I’m concerned dude or chick we got your back.”
Murmurs of consent went around the class and I looked at everyone tears in my eyes.
“Thanks” was all I could get out but then Morgan Chapman walked into the room and stared at me.
“So it’s true aye Chamberlin, you’re a bitch now. How ironic, specially since I was going to kick your butt in the comp this year, but I guess you’ll have to compete with all the other little girls in their competition.”
“Hello Morgan” I said staring him down, “who knows what competition I’ll be in but there’s one thing I know for sure I’d kick your ass whether I was a boy or a girl and you know what every other girl surfing out there would too. Oh and one other thing I am nobodies ‘bitch’”
The class was dead silent listening to this exchange wondering how Morgan would react. He had a reputation for having a short fuse and he looked at me grinding his teeth.
“Just cause you’re a little girly girl now doesn’t mean I won’t smash your teeth down your throat” he hissed
“Yeah, just try you half-witted little dick” I said glaring at him.
At that moment Josh and Sam walked in and spotted me sitting next to Jasmine. They walked over sensing the tension in the room. Although Sam Gibson was a pretty normal 14 year old Josh Sayers wasn’t. He played line backer for the school football team and even at his age a couple of colleges were interested in him and were involved in his coaching. When I first got to the school after we had moved here Josh had kind of adopted me. With my easy going attitude and the fact he saw me as another athlete albeit a surfer, we kind of just clicked. We were mates from then on and as far as Sam was concerned any mate of Josh’s was a mate of his so it was kind of a two for one deal. Josh stood at about 5’ 11” but everyone knew he was going to get huge. He had broad shoulders already and was easily the strongest kid in school.
He came over and looked down at me, “That you Jay” he enquired.
“Yup it’s me” I said, “okay with that?”
“You’re smoking hot now dude, chick, whatever. Damn I’m okay with that.”
He sat down next to me and pulled out his books just looking at Morgan.
“Sit down Chapman you’re fat ass is blocking my view” said Josh and at that the tension in the room vanished.
Jasmine leaned over toward me “that’s the bravest thing I’ve ever seen another girl do”
“Yeah well” I grinned at her “I hate people swearing”
She giggled and squeezed my arm. Josh looked over at me and did that guy flick of his eyebrows. Mom had already shown me how to pluck and shape mine so they were girls’ eyebrows but I did the same back at him and we grinned together.
Mr Hendricks walked in saying sorry he was late and immediately began the lesson by calling out the attendance. When he got to my name he read it out “Jade Chamberlin”
“Yes sir” I answered and he looked up at me. “Really nice to have you back Miss Chamberlin, you were missed.”
“Thank you sir”
And with that we got on with some Geography. I knew eventually things were going to come to a head with Morgan and I also knew he could be both dangerous and malicious especially when he was with his friends but as long as I had my own friends and my family I felt I could deal with him. Time would tell.
CHAPTER 6 - Good People
After Geography the day kind of went smoothly with only the odd bump in the road. I mistakenly walked into the boys bathroom at one point and caused a minor ruckus when one boy rushed too fast to pull up his fly and got his penis stuck in the zipper. I went beetroot red and backed out of there pretty quickly. When I told the story at lunch both Josh and Sam laughed so hard they just about couldn’t breathe.
Jasmine bought four of her friends over to introduce to me and all of a sudden I found myself included in the group. They were all nice girls and I felt that Jasmine was making a special effort for me. I wasn’t sure if it was because of her previous crush but I found myself embroiled in their discussions and gossip about who was hot and who was not, what teachers were cool and who wasn’t, was this new singer Lorde just the best new artist out there her lyrics were soooooo deep and so on.
Jasmine was the unmistakable leader of the group and by the end of lunch I had been roped into going to a sleep over at her place on Friday night with the other girls. Since I’d never been to a sleepover before in my life Jasmine gave me a bit of a run down of what to expect.
To me it seemed like everyone was just going to sit around and cry at a chick flick, eat really bad food, talk more about boys and do it all in pyjamas. Jasmine just laughed at that and said “Yup, pretty much”
“Sounds good then” I quipped “I’ll be there” and I think that cemented our friendship. I was now officially part of the girl’s in crowd.
Toward the end of lunch I excused myself from the group and went off by myself. I wanted to text Mom that I’d be late home. I was going to catch a bus down to the beach and talk with Dave McIntyre about my job and working at the shop. I hadn’t had the chance the day before because of all the drama with Jacinta.
Dave had kind of been a bit of a father figure to me before and I was anxious to see if his attitude was different toward me now I was a girl. It would mean I’d have to walk the four blocks back to our house but I didn’t mind it would be a good time to just think and reflect about a few things.
Mom texted back saying it was okay but also saying I had to stay in the open and I had to make sure I was home before it got dark; it wasn’t safe for young girls to be walking around then, something I had never really thought of as a boy.
At the end of the day I said my goodbyes with the obligatory hugs and waves while Josh and Sam gave me the big eyebrow flick heading down to football practice. This time I just waved back and smiled at them deciding it wasn’t quite lady like to mimic their actions.
The bus was full of school kids but I found a seat near the back and pulled out my iphone and started playing a game while listening to some music through my ear phones. A little boy from the local elementary school with a back pack nearly the same size as him came and literally plonked himself next to me letting out a huge sigh. He had the biggest brown eyes and looked up at me until I took notice of him. Putting down my phone and pulling out my ear phones I said “Hey little dude what’s your name?”
“Tyler” he said as he just continued to stare at me “I’m six what’s your name?”
“Jade, so how was your day at school?”
“Oh it was alright but my teacher got grumpy at me, I think it was cause I farted in class.”
I stifled a giggle and tried to look serious but it wasn’t happening.
He grinned up at me then. “Your eyes are green” he remarked “do you think I could get green eyes like yours they look cool.”
“Aw nah Tyler, I don’t think so everyone gets to keep the eyes they have when they’re born. Anyway your eyes are really awesome just the way they are”
“Oh, really? I think we should be able to change them whenever we want. I’m gonna talk to God about that tonight before I go to sleep.”
I smiled down at him “Yeah dude you should do that I reckon God always listens to children.”
“He does you know” he said with a serious look on his face.
I felt his little hand slip into mine then and he looked at me smiling. Resting his head on my arm he continued to talk to me about all the stuff in his life, his favourite toy dump truck, how his Mom never lets him stay up after 8.00pm, who his best friend at school was but all I really felt was this little hand in mine. He felt safe with me, secure. This was one of the most wonderful feelings in the world I thought.
“You’re really pretty” he said to me out of the blue “can we be friends, I don’t have many friends who are girls?”
“Sure Tyler, I’d like that, we can be friends.”
“This is my stop and that’s my house over there the white one” he said pointing “you can come over to play whenever you want I’ve got a tree house out the back.”
Jumping up he gave me a little wave and started to walk toward the door.
“See ya”
“See ya” I said
Looking out the window I saw a woman probably in her late twenties standing by the gate waiting for her little boy to get home.
For the first time ever I’d fallen in love with a boy and all he’d wanted was to just be my friend.
“If only life could be that easy sometimes” I muttered under my breath.
Getting off at my stop I straightened out my skirt and adjusted my bra in public.
‘Dammit girl you just broke one of your Mom’s rules’ I was thinking as I walked through the front door of the shop.
There were a couple of guys looking at surfboards and they both stopped and looked at me as I walked in.
“Wow” one mouthed to the other as they turned back to looking at the boards.
Dave was behind the counter and glanced up as I walked toward him.
“Help you miss? He asked
“Hey Dave, it’s me Jay” I said and he looked up and gaped at me.
“Jay? Wow, shit, oops sorry, far out, is that really you?”
“Yeah it’s me, I was kind of wondering if we could, you know talk and all, about me still working here?”
One of the guys looking at boards spoke up saying “Dave, bra, if you let her work here I can guarantee you’ll double the number of male customers you get within a week.”
Dave glowered at him “Hey Rich, don’t you talk like that okay, this girl here she’s like a daughter to me so show some respect.”
Rich looked properly subdued saying “sorry Dave, sorry Miss” to me then turning away. I smiled brightly back at him replying
“Only double huh?”
Looking back at Dave
“So that’s a yes then?”
“Yeah well” Dave looked sheepish, “your brothers and your Mom came in and talked to me and explained it all and well, shit, oops I mean far out, dang it all will I have to stop swearing if you come back?”
“No” I said “I don’t want a single thing to change, in fact I need a bit of stable in my life at the moment and this place well it’s…….” I trailed off “anyway what do you mean I’m like a daughter to you?”
Dave looked down and up again “You were like my son before Jay, now you’re like my daughter, simple as that.”
Relief flooded through me and I felt tears welling in my eyes. I didn’t want to cry in front of Dave but I didn’t think I could hold them back.
“Stupid hormones” I whispered and he came around the counter to give me a huge hug.
“Hey fellas” he said to the other two “piss off for a while will ya, Jay and me we got things to talk about.”
We stood like that for a minute or two then Dave stepped back and held me at arms length.
“Still gonna surf?”
“Do bears poop in the woods?” I answered “do one legged ducks swim in circles?”
“Good there’s a girl’s comp coming up soon we could enter you in that.”
“Actually I was thinking of entering the next boys comp. I want to smash Morgan Chapman out of the water.”
Dave grinned, around here girls could enter the boy’s competitions but boys couldn’t enter the girls. It was kind of a fairness thing and I really wanted to enter.
“We’ll have to train pretty hard, get your core strength up, work on a few more moves.”
“Anything it takes”
“Start tomorrow?”
“Deal” I said “I better go gotta walk home”
“Want a lift I can drive you.”
“No thanks I have a few things to think about, the fresh air will do me good.”
“See you tomorrow then and I will give you a lift home after young lady cause I doubt you’ll be able to walk after I’ve finished with you.”
There was that young lady thing again but I grinned at Dave and gave him another hug.
“See ya tomorrow”
“Looking forward to it”
I walked out of the shop feeling like a million tons had been lifted from my shoulders and began to head for home.
About half way there I heard a loud car coming from behind me at speed then suddenly skidding to a halt about five metres in front of me.
Looking at the car three guys and a girl piled out and stood in front of me.
Shit Morgan but this time he was with some skanky looking girl and another two of his mates Mark and Brett. They were older than Morgan and the car was theirs, both were losers and only hung around Morgan because he had his parents’ money.
“Well fuck me look who it is, little Miss freak”
“What do you want Morgan?” I rounded on him “leave me alone”
“Yeah well we aren’t finished bitch not after this morning in class.”
“I told you I’m not your bitch” I said it calmly but inside I was feeling that fight or flight thing and began to shake.
Morgan wanted to show off for his friends and reached for his crotch pretending to shake it at me. “Bet you’ve never had a real guy yet bitch, you could suck this.”
“Well” I looked around “show me a real guy and maybe I’d be interested.”
Morgan’s eyes became slits and he looked frighteningly dangerous. Without warning he struck out and slapped me hard across the face. I wasn’t ready for it and gasped at how strong he was or rather how much weaker I had become. I dropped to my knees on the ground as tears came to my eyes and my cheek stung. Morgan stepped toward me and kicked me hard in the side and I grunted in pain as his foot connected with my ribs. My eyes blurred and I lay undignified and panting on the ground my skirt up around my hips.
“What do you fucking say now bitch?” he whispered in my ear as he leaned over me.
I tried to move but the pain in my side held me there then all of a sudden a tiny shape, a body came flying toward me and stood over me. I heard a little voice high pitched and angry scream out.
“Leave her alone, she’s my friend”
Peering up I saw a six year old boy glaring menacingly at Morgan his fists clenched his mouth set.
Just to my right was a white house with a tree hut out the back.
“What the hell?” said Morgan then Tyler’s Mom rushed out screaming, “Leave her alone you little thugs I’ve called the police”
Morgan and his mates looked at each other then beat a hasty retreat jumping in the car and roaring off while Tyler fell to his knees and cradled my head in his arms. Tears flowed down my cheeks as his Mom ran over. She pulled my skirt down to give me some dignity then helped me sit up.
“Are you all right, what did those little punks do to you? What did they want?”
“It’s kind of a long story” I said “we go to school together”
“You weren’t his girlfriend or anything were you he’s just a horrible little boy”
“No” I tried to smile but my lip was split and it hurt.
“Come inside and we’ll clean you up, Tyler seems to know you somehow.”
“Yeah we met on the bus after school, he told me about his day”
“So your Jade, Tyler couldn’t stop talking about you as soon as he got in. He said he’d met an angel who had green eyes and had been kind to him, that you were his friend.”
“Well I’m not sure about the angel part but yeah we became friends” I said looking down at my little saviour. “That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen dude” I said to him
He looked up at me and once again his little hand slipped inside mine. We walked like that into his home while his Mom carried my bag.
After cleaning me up Tyler’s mom, her name was Jean, gave me a lift home. Her husband wasn’t home from work yet so Tyler had to come with us sitting in his car seat, chatting away back there in a non-stop one way conversation.
It wasn’t far to my place and Jean stopped outside.
“Would you like me to come in and explain what happened to your Mom?” she offered
“No it’s okay I can explain it all. My Mom knows about Morgan. She’ll understand although I have a feeling she’s going to want to talk to his parents.”
“Yes well any little thug that can go around hitting girls like that should be arrested.”
“Trust me, after my Mom gets through with him he’s going to wish he had been.”
Saying goodbye to Jean and waving to Tyler after planting a big kiss on his cheek I grabbed my bag and walked toward the door. Evening had fallen and light spilled out from our house onto the weed strewn driveway. As I walked in the overpowering smell of vomit hit me like a sack of cement between the eyes.
It looked or rather smelled like Jacinta was well and truly going through her withdrawal.
A young surfer goes through a painful transformation that leaves him battered, bruised and changed. As he attempts to cope with those changes and the new life he must now live he also stumbles on a conspiracy that threatens his family, his friends and the township he lives in. As a young girl can she deal not only with a new body and new feelings but also overcome the evil that could destroy her.
CHAPTER 7 – Middle Man
As soon as I walked in the door Mom grabbed my arms looking at my face. I winced holding my ribs as she inadvertently twisted me.
“What happened?”
“Morgan Chapman happened” I replied and recounted the story to them, how I had dropped in to see Dave at the shop and what had happened after that.
Tim and Jeff were furious and were ready to jump on their motor bikes then and there and head up to Morgan’s place.
It took both Mom and I a good five minutes to talk them down before they saw reason.
“There’s no point in going over there angry boys, you’ll just do something we’ll all regret, they’ll call the cops and it won’t be Morgan who’s in trouble then”
Mom had a good point and I really didn’t want my brothers to get into any trouble over this I mean hey I needed them, who else was going to give me rides to the beach?
“Leave it to me” she said “I’ll talk to his folks tomorrow and threaten police action if they don’t do something about their boy. This is a pretty vicious assault”
Bruising had started to show on my cheek and my lip was fat. I ran my fingers along my ribs and although they hurt I didn’t think anything was broken. It could have been much worse.
“Go and have a shower Jade and I’ll have your dinner ready when you get out, go on scoot” she said. “I’ll show you how to use some makeup to cover the bruises later too.”
I wondered how she knew about things like that. Maybe Dad used to hit her as well. I hoped not, Mom didn’t deserve that.
Jacinta was in our back bathroom with liquids coming out of both ends so I was forced to use Moms. Hers always smelled sweet and feminine in comparison to the one we three siblings used. Mom had said I could use hers now any time I wanted and I appreciated the offer.
When I got out I threw on the short shorts for the first time and my long legs were completely on display. I didn’t bother with a bra and wore just a singlet with spaghetti straps finished off with one of my old plaid shirts with the sleeves rolled up. I didn’t realise it but I looked sexy as hell with my wet hair falling behind me and my dark eyes. I didn’t try to look anything but me but I guess my body had other ideas. I suppose I was just innocent about it all but boys would notice.
Mom certainly did and angrily whispered “go and put a bra on Jade” to me
“Why what’s wrong” I asked looking confused. Mom grabbed my arm and marched me into my room and stood me in front of the mirror.
“That” she said and sure enough when I looked I could see my nipples sticking out from the singlet material very suggestively.
“Oh! Sorry I didn’t realise” I said feeling shamed.
Mom smiled “you’ll learn Jade, you’ll learn”
While we were alone I took the opportunity to fill my Mom in on what Dave had said to me and how I was going to train for the boy’s competition.
“Good for you Jade, you know Dave has a real soft spot for you and now you’re a girl I have a feeling he may care even more”
“What do you mean?” I queried my eyebrows furrowing.
‘I’ll tell you the story one day but not now. Like I always tell you treat people with respect and especially Dave right now. It’s going to affect him every time he sees you”
“Sure Mom, that’s an easy one” but I was left wondering.
We both went back to look at Jacinta. She was doing it rough as she went through the craving stage while her body was attempting to empty itself of everything inside it. She sat on the toilet moaning while Jeff held a bowel for her to vomit in although by now it was just dry retching. Her hair was slick with sweat and she shook like she had a fever. There was no dignity in heroin addiction.
“How long will this last?”
“About a day or two, then she will begin to come out of it all but it will be at least a week before she starts to feel better. She’s a brave girl going through this. Your brothers have been amazing with her.”
I nodded and went out to eat my dinner before taking a turn on ‘the bowl’. Mom and my brothers had decided I wasn’t to take any time off school and because of my age I had to be in bed by a certain time. I reminded them I would be turning 15 next month which wasn’t far away and that senior high school was looming for me.
“Exactly why you’re going to school every day Jade and why there isn’t going to be any argument about it” my Mom wasn’t about to negotiate although my angle was obviously that I was getting older and should have more responsibility.
Funny how parents turn everything around like that.
About 9.30 I was curled up on my bed finishing off some math homework when my phone rang. A picture of Jasmine popped up with the name ‘Jaz” as the phone vibrated beside me.
“Hey Jaz” I answered cheerily “how’s it going?”
“Jade hi, good thanks, have you asked your Mom about Friday, I talked to my ‘rents and it’s all good, they really want to meet you, all the other girls are coming.”
“Uh no sorry I completely forgot I kind of got waylaid from school this evening and beaten up but…”
“What! Beaten up what happened” yelled Jasmine down the phone and so for the second time that night I recounted what had happened with Morgan.
“That little punk, so your Mom is going to talk with his parents tomorrow?”
“Yeah, we had to stop my brothers from heading over to his place and beating the crap out of him.”
“Yeah I’d have let them, but you know what I have a much better way of getting revenge on him”
And so for the next half hour Jasmine and I talked about how we would pay back Morgan for what he had done. At the end of it I thought ‘wow, I never realized just how much power girls had, after this I doubted Morgan would ever be able to show his face at school again’
“So do you think your Mom will be okay with the sleepover then? I really hope so it’s going to be soooooo much fun.”
“Yeah I don’t think it’ll be a problem”
“Coooool, so how’s your brother, Tim, does he have a girlfriend or anything” Jaz inquired coyly
I smiled to myself, just this morning Jasmine had mentioned she’d had a crush on me, now she was switching allegiances to Tim. I didn’t blame her I mean I was definitely more than unavailable and Tim was really hot. He’d had a couple of girlfriends growing up but his first love had always been surfing and not every girl could fit into his lifestyle. I figured this was my initiation into how girls used sisters to get introduced to hot brothers.
“Nah’ he’s single” I said “wanna meet him?”
“Well, you know, if it was possible” Jasmine came back, I don’t think she was ready for my up front response.
For my part I really liked her and she was really cute with her long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Tim was a big boy now and if he didn’t like her well he’d just say. My brother was anything but shy and after all he was 16 and she was already 15. Next year we would all be together at Senior High so how logical was that?
“Leave it to me” I grinned down the phone, this whole playing cupid thing might be a bit of fun.
We chatted on for a few more minutes and I yawned. It had been a long day and I was beat so I said my goodbyes and promised to meet Jaz outside school in the morning.
“Wear something really cute, revenge starts tomorrow” she said.
Tuesday dawned bright and clear, pretty much as always in this part of the world. I got up early and listened to the silence outside other than the odd bird song or chirp. Looking out my window I contemplated my new life. I didn’t notice but I stood with my arms folded under my breasts and my legs together. It was the way a girl stood not a boy. I was changing quickly without even realizing it. Danielle had been right about how my fears were over exaggerated and that I would be accepted much more than I thought. I hated to admit it to myself but being a girl was becoming more and more natural to me. I wanted to fight it, to somehow believe that I could return to my old body but deep inside I knew that wasn’t going to happen. My own happiness was up to me now, I could easily mope around in the quagmire of self-pity or I could embrace the changes. I figured right now I was about somewhere in the middle.
I pulled out the dress I planned to wear today and lay it on the bed. Although I had told Mom I wasn’t about to wear one anytime soon this was different. It was a figure hugging creation by Billabong Australia and we had picked it up from the surf shop in the mall. It was short and also showed off my shoulders and back. The material was kind of a cream color with flecks of black and blue running through it. Combing out my hair and leaving it to fall freely down my back I rubbed in some conditioner to make it look really healthy and shiny. I applied some moisturiser and foundation today, partly for the look but also to hide the bruising on my cheek. I added mascara and a hint of eyeliner to my bottom eyelid that really brought out my green eyes. Finishing off the look with a necklace and bracelets I looked super hot just the way Jaz and I had planned. She and the other four girls in our group Chloe, Sarah, Debbie and Lauren were all going to look amazing. Jaz had said she would ring them as soon as she hung up with me to fill them in.
I ran my finger along my lip, the swelling had gone down but it still hurt. I didn’t feel overly sorry for what we were about to do.
Poor Morgan didn’t know what was going to hit him.
Little did I know it but I was also going to get a phone call today that was going to change my life plus I had to do fitness training with Dave after school.
I looked at the little emerald sitting on my finger “Let’s do this” I said to it, picked up my bag, slipped on some cute sandals and got ready to catch my bus.
CHAPTER 8 – They Do, They Don’t
We all met together outside of the school getting looks from everyone who walked past. The other girls looked incredible with short skirts and revealing tops. I wasn’t going to be involved with the first part of the process and was feeling more and more worried about whether this was really the right thing to do. Despite my beating I wondered if we were perhaps going a little too far with our retribution.
Chloe had agreed to be the one to entice Morgan and had left a note slipped into his locker asking him to meet her near the girl’s toilets at recess. He had always had a thing for her and had asked her out on a couple of occasions. She to her credit had always rejected him.
Sarah, Debbie, Lauren and Jaz would act as back up and make sure the restroom was free of anyone else while my job was to record everything on my iphone ready to go up on You tube, Facebook and Twitter. At the end of second period Jasmine and I concealed ourselves figuring if Morgan saw us he would instantly suspect something wrong. Sarah and Debs locked themselves into a cubicle and right on cue Morgan turned up looking both anxious and yet eager. He wasn’t actually an unhandsome guy with tousled hair and a fresh looking face. Like most surfers he was lean and ripped but his aggression and mean streak meant most of the really nice girls at school didn’t want to know him. The fact that Chloe was both really nice and incredibly hot made her very attractive especially to players like Morgan.
She met him by the door and smiled all come hither and suggestive. It didn’t take long for them to slip inside while Jaz stood nearby and wouldn’t let anyone else in. About four minutes later Chloe came sauntering out holding a pair of jeans and boys underwear and within 10 seconds piercing screams and cries of “get out” and “you sick pervert” came from the toilets. Jaz, Chloe and I stood outside iphones ready as Morgan came crashing through the door trying unsuccessfully to hide his erection with his hands. He had no pants or underwear on and since he couldn’t stop he ran straight into the opposite wall. Students everywhere stopped and stared, girls pointing with their hands over their mouths while guys started to laugh. Jaz stepped over and grabbed Morgan by the hair and whispered something in his ear. Wild eyed he looked at me then looked around at all the students watching him. Many had their phones out recording his humiliation as he picked himself up then stumbled down the hallway to try and find the relative safety of a classroom or office. A lot of students rushed after him recording his every move while we girls regrouped.
“Job done” announced Jaz “he won’t bother you again in a zillion years, promise”
I felt massively bad for Morgan and what we’d just done to him. By tonight most of the student population of Imperial Beach would have seen the footage of him running practically naked down the corridors of the school after being caught in the girl’s toilets. Rumours would fly around and he would be lucky to still be attending here by the end of the week. Some would say justice had been served but I wondered if the punishment suited the crime. I made up my mind to try and put a few things right between us and visit him at home before the week was out.
As we split up to go to our respective classes each of the girls gave me a hug and told me how sorry they were I’d been beaten up the night before. They hoped I was okay and if I needed them they were just a text away. Thanking them I was glad to have friends who looked after each other but before we left a voice from behind us said “Girls we need to talk”
Mrs Shirley stood there her wide frame filling the corridor while her boobs announced her presence to all and sundry.
“Do you have any knowledge of what happened to Morgan Chapman and more importantly did you have anything to do with his, shall we say, lack of attire as he ran down the hallway just now?”
I’m sure I went bright red and looked as guilty as it was possible to look.
Chloe and Jasmine tried to vigorously deny anything but Mrs Shirley had been around the block with a thousand more students and just eyeballed us until we all became silent and looked at our feet.
“Hmm as I thought, all of you to my office please and wait outside I’ll be along shortly. Oh and while you’re waiting I want you all to have a good think about what it means to be truthful and what the word integrity means.”
She was good and we all looked at each other guiltily then made our way to sit quietly outside her office. She left us there to stew for a good 20 minutes then bustled up with a slight frown on her face.
One at a time we were led into her office and interviewed. I was left until last and by the time Jasmine came out her eyes red and tears leaving black mascara streaks down her face I knew my goose was well and truly cooked.
“So, Jade. What was your part in this whole sorry saga hmmm?” Mrs Shirley asked peering over her glasses and looking like the classic school mistress that she obviously was.
I looked at my hands spread out on my lap, my knees together just like my Mom had taught me and thought carefully about what I should say. The last thing I wanted to do was get my friends into any-more trouble than they already were but because we had been interviewed separately, I had no idea what each person had said or whether they had contradicted each other. I decided the best course of action was mostly the truth except I was going to take the blame for our actions. I started with the argument in Geography the day before, my visit to Dave and what had happened with Morgan after that.
Mrs Shirley looked very angry and asked me to show her the bruising down my side. I felt a little embarrassed pulling my dress up to show her but there was no one else to see it and she made me pull it down quickly after taking a look.
“So who’s idea was it to take the situation into your own hands and deal with Mr Chapman in the way you did?”
“Mine Mrs Shirley. I guess I was so upset and well I suppose I thought he deserved it.”
“Oh he deserves to be punished alright and punished he has been my girl but here’s my problem. By taking revenge on him it’s going to be very difficult for me to also punish him above and beyond what you’ve already done. You see you hadn’t been home when he did this to you which means legally you were still our responsibility and since Morgan is a student at this school he was also our responsibility and what he did falls under the school’s jurisdiction.”
Before I could say anything she went on.
“The funny thing too Jade is that every one of your friends out there has taken responsibility for what happened. Each one has said it was their idea. Now that leaves me in somewhat of a quandary because I have just punished each one of them after tearing a strip or two off them about taking revenge on another student in such a degrading way”
I felt the prickle of tears behind my eyes as I sensed how torn up about all this Mrs Shirley was. She was on our side and I felt the sympathy she had for me regarding the ordeal I had just been through but she also had to be seen to be just and fair.
“Whatever their punishment is I’ll do too”
“And how can I do that hmm. You are just as much a victim here as Morgan. Do you know each one of those girls out there cried not because of the telling off or because of the punishment I gave them but because they begged me not to punish you. Jasmine was even willing to do double the punishment so you didn’t have to do any.”
I hung my head while tear drops splashed over my hands and fingers staining my dress.
I couldn’t say anything as I sat and thought about what my new friends had just done for me.
Mrs Shirley got up and went over to her door. Opening it she ushered all the girls back in and closed it behind them. Jaz stood beside me with her hand on my shoulder as we all looked at our Deputy Principal.
“Girls I’ve had a think about this situation and I’ve decided that each one of you is just as responsible for it as the other, including you Jade. However I cannot deny that there were quite extenuating circumstances so I’ve also decided to change your punishments.”
Jaz began to protest but Mrs Shirley cut her off swiftly with a raised hand.
“I’ve decided instead of the two weeks of after school detentions you were going to get you’ll each be here every lunchtime this week to work as a team under my supervision and come up with a scheme to raise money for a charity. You will then execute that scheme and will raise as much money as you can for it. The person who will decide which charity the money will be donated to will be…”
She looked at me “Jade”
I heard a collective out take of breath as each one of us thought about what Mrs Shirley had just said.
Two weeks of after school detentions would have meant the involvement of our parents. I wouldn’t have been able to work at the surf shop or train with Dave for the competition. It would have meant the money I got from him wouldn’t have gone to my Mom.
This way we got to work together as friends and do something positive.
In unison it seemed we all said thank you to Mrs Shirley together looking suitably humbled by this wise woman’s compassion.
“Right then off to class with you, your punishment starts tomorrow” she said “and I don’t ever want to see any of you in trouble like this again, are we quite clear.”
“Yes Ma’am” we all said and hurried out of that office as fast as we could. Splitting up I followed Jaz and gave her a big hug.
“Thanks, Mrs Shirley told me you offered to do double the detentions so I wouldn’t have to do any” I said softly
“Wouldn’t be fair for you to do them would it” Jaz was grinning from ear to ear as she hugged me.
“Well I’m so glad to have you as a friend. By the way what did you say to Morgan before he ran off?”
“I told him to look at you, how incredibly beautiful you were and that if he ever laid another finger on you again I’d organise to have his nuts chopped off”
We both laughed and hugged again. I loved how girls could do that so easily
“See you at lunch”
“Yeah we have to think up some money making scheme”
“Could be fun”
Jaz wandered off toward her class as just then my phone began to buzz in my bag.
The number wasn’t one I knew so I answered it simply saying ‘hello’
“Hi is that Jade?” came a girls voice.
“Umm yes”
“You don’t know me but my name is Bridee Gordon, I work for Human Resources at Chances Surf. Anyway your photograph was submitted to us yesterday by one of our employees and we really liked what we saw. I was wondering if you might be available to come in to our San Diego office next week after school for a photo shoot. We’d like to consider you as one of our models for our new line of swimwear coming out next spring along with some of our clothes. It may mean having you in the water on a surf board though, think you’d be up for that?”
“Really? Honestly?” I said “on a surfboard yeah that would rock”
“Yup it pays good money plus if you’re chosen there’s a chance of a contract and who knows where that might go.”
“Umm look I’d love to can I talk to my Mom and get back to you, I mean I’m only 14?”
“Of course but don’t leave it long. Can you let me know by tomorrow?”
“Sure” I said
We swapped details and she hung up.
Wow I thought what a ride, life was getting crazy.
A young surfer goes through a painful transformation that leaves him battered, bruised and changed. As he attempts to cope with those changes and the new life he must now live he also stumbles on a conspiracy that threatens his family, his friends and the township he lives in. As a young girl can she deal not only with a new body and new feelings but also overcome the evil that could destroy her.
CHAPTER 9 – Banana Pancakes
School dragged after that but finally the bell went at the end of last period and I rushed to get to Dave’s. I wondered if Tyler would be on the bus today and sure enough he climbed on board and spotted me. His face lit up and he ran to take his seat beside me.
“Hey Jade, how are you, I’m good, Mom said I was her little hero, whatever that is but I got some chocolate last night.”
“Hi Tyler, really that is awesomely wicked. Did you eat it all up?”
“Yup” he said his eyes wide as saucers as he recounted the tale.
We talked non-stop all the way to his house as he held my hand. At times he would jump up and tell a story and at others he sat quietly listening.
“Will you be here tomorrow?” he asked
“Sure will”
“Cooool see ya tomorrow”
“Say hello to your Mom”
“Okay” he said then it was his turn to plant a big sloppy kiss right on my lips.
As he disappeared I gently touched my lips with one finger and in some small way I began to understand how a mother loves her child. I wasn’t free of the self-pity quagmire yet but a little six year old boy was sure doing his best to dig me out. I waved to him out the window and he waved back his school bag swaying. His Mom saw me and waved too mouthing “Hi Jade”
I mouthed back “Hi” before the bus roared off in a cloud of diesel fumes.
Jumping off the bus at my stop I walked toward the store noticing a black car out the front and two guys in there talking to Dave. One was massive and moved slowly yet his eyes looked left and right quickly like a cat while his partner was thinner dressed in a pair of black pants with black fancy boots that came to a point with a silver tip. His shirt was white and open at the neck where two or three gold chains hung. He had a pointed face too, like his boots and a thin moustache and slicked back hair. His eyes were black as coal and he didn’t smile. They weren’t white guys but neither were they black, somewhere in between, Mexican or Puerto Rican maybe.
They were showing him a picture and he was shaking his head.
As I entered the store they were turning to leave and the thinner one grabbed me by my upper arm his hand completely encircling it. He wasn’t rough but he wasn’t gentle either.
“Hey girlie you seen this person?”
He held the photo up to my face and I instantly recognised who it was. I pretended to scrutinise it then shook my head.
“Nope never seen her in my life, why what’s wrong?”
“Aw she’s my boss’s daughter and she’s gone missing. He’s really upset about it so he’s got all us out looking for her”
He wasn’t a very good liar but I continued to pretend although inside I was scared to pieces.
He produced a card with the lettering ‘Melville Imports’ on it and a mobile number.
“If you see her give that number a ring okay. There’s a reward of a thousand bucks if she’s recovered”
“Yeah sure” I said taking the card and carefully putting it in a side pocket of my bag.
He didn’t say ‘found’ or even ‘located’ he said ‘recovered’ like a possession rather than a daughter.
As they left I knew Jacinta was in big trouble if she was found by these gorillas. When I got home I’d let my Mom know what had happened. Maybe it was time to involve the police.
“You okay” asked Dave looks like those guys really shook you up.
I decided not to tell him anything yet so just said “Oh yeah all good” but his look said he didn’t believe me. I obviously wasn’t a very good liar either but he let it drop.
“Go get changed” he said “and does that dress have to be so short?”
I laughed.
“You sound like a Dad”
He smiled sadly at that and I wondered what I’d said wrong.
Hustling off, I changed into a bikini and rash shirt. True to his word Dave put me through the workout from hell and by the end of it I lay panting on my back in the sand barely able to move.
“Well that was a good start but we have to get you doing more and faster. It looks like you’ve lost some of your speed and power Jay but you make up for it with better co-ordination and grace”
I looked over and poked my tongue out at him. He grinned at me and once again I saw that flicker of sadness. Getting up I wobbled over and just gave him a hug.
“Thanks for doing this for me, I really appreciate it”
“I’ll give you a ride home” he said gruffly.
Dave’s car was one of those old jalopies with more rust patches than paint and saggy seats that didn’t let you look out through the windscreen without craning your neck. It probably belonged in a museum somewhere but Dave loved it and everybody knew that for him the trappings of success didn’t come so much from what you owned but what you did for others and how hard you worked on a surfboard.
He did something no one had ever done for me before and opened the door for me to get in. I thanked him and jumped into the seat as he walked around to the driver’s side. I guess you could call Dave nuggety when you looked at him. He had a craggy face that had the wrinkles around his eyes of someone who spent hours in the sunshine while his body was all sinew and muscle from paddling his board through wave after wave. As soon as you met him you couldn’t help liking him and everyone within about a ten mile radius could hear him when he laughed. He was always straight up with everyone, never told a lie if he could help it and expected the truth too.
Which is why he looked directly at me before we drove off and said “You know who she is don’t you?”
“Yeah, sorry I lied before but I didn’t really think I should talk about it. Her name is Jacinta and she kind of fell into our lap. She’s been staying at our place for a few days now getting over her heroin addiction. She told us she’d been kidnapped from her home in Mexico and made to work as a prostitute here. I guess those guys were part of the gang that controlled her.”
“So she’s at your place with your Mom and the boys and you’re what, helping her get over heroin? Shit Jade do you know what could happen if she’s found, what they would do to you and your family?”
“Well what could we do no hospital was going to take her without any citizenship or insurance and the cops would probably have thrown her in a cell to dry out alone and in agony and then just thrown her out into the street again.”
“You could have left her where she was and just kept on walking, that’s what you could have done and not risked your lives for some strange girl.”
“Come on Dave, can you really see any one of our family ever walking past someone who needed our help and besides three of us found her so she had no chance she had to come with us”
He graunched the car into gear and moved slowly off toward home. The sky was turning that evening color of indigo mixed with oranges and yellows and blues far out on the horizon. I guess Dave conceded defeat at that and asked me another question.
“So how are you coping with all the changes, is it weird?”
It was a question I had a feeling he would ask in one form or another and I wanted to be truthful with him.
“Yeah of course it’s weird, it’s something I never ever in a million years thought would happen to me and I’d probably jump at the chance right now if someone told me I could go back to my old life.”
“It must be hard for you and your family coming to terms with it all, but I guess when all is said and done at least they still have you, your alive, they still get to be with you whenever they want and you can still do the things you want to do. Being a girl could be seen as a blessing.”
“That’s one way of looking at it Dave I suppose and yeah being a girl definitely has its advantages I mean breasts are cool, but it’s like every morning I wake up and it’s the first thing on my mind. I can’t get past this new body.”
“Jade that’s gonna happen day after day you’re going to wake up and it will be at the front of your mind but I can promise you one thing”
He looked over at me and I looked at him in the eyes.
“One day you’re going to get up and it will be the second thing you think about”
He reached over and rubbed my arm and smiled.
‘Another step out of the quagmire’ I thought.
We pulled into the driveway and I noticed a single bulb was turned on valiantly fighting the gloom lurking around it in the little carport that the boys kept their bikes in. I saw Tim crouched over his motorbike a spanner in his hand as he adjusted something. Dave swung out of the driver’s seat and walked over to him peering down at what Tim was doing.
I walked toward the door and thanked Dave for the ride. He waved his hand and said
“You working tomorrow?”
“Yup if you need me”
“See you there”
If I ever had to pick someone to be my Dad I knew who would be at the front of the line.
As I walked in Mom was working at the stove while Jacinta stood at the bench chopping something up. Although she was still pale she looked a whole lot better and I felt glad for her. She still looked thin and frail though.
“Hey Mom, I’m home and Dave’s out there just talking to Tim if you want to say hi.”
“That’s great honey, can you go out and tell him to come and see me when he’s finished with Tim?”
“Sure Mom”
As I wandered back out I ran straight into Jeff and just bounced off of him.
“Hey watch it ya big heffalump” I joked and he ruffled my hair.
“Careful boy” I said “takes me ages to style that” although it was a mess after my workout.
“Yeah right grommet, looks like it” he smiled as I skipped off to give Dave, Mom’s message.
“Hey Dave Mom wants to chat with you when you’re finished out here.”
He looked up and said sure thing so I went back to my room and quickly changed into some comfortable clothes. Brushing out my hair took a little more time as I worked to get the knots out. Girl’s hair sure took more effort especially when it was long.
When I got out to the kitchen Dave and Mom were sitting at the table laughing while Jeff and Jacinta were standing together putting the finishing touches to our dinner. Tim wandered in wiping grease off his hands so I plopped down beside Dave and put my head in my hands looking around with a big smile on my face. It felt warm and cosy all together and the atmosphere was like a big woolly blanket that wrapped us up securely. The windows in the kitchen were dewed up and little rivulets would run down every now and then. It meant it was cool outside but warm in and I felt the happiest I’d been for a long time. Dave stayed for dinner, he even made banana pancakes for dessert and we all enjoyed the banter and talked about surfing, school, more surfing and maybe a little bit more about surfing. I laughed till I cried as Dave regaled us with stories and Jeff or Tim would add their bits to what he said.
Jacinta leaned against Jeff and I could tell he was loving her closeness to him. It was a magic night and none of us wanted it to end while the spectre of Jacinta’s hunters was forgotten for a short while.
About 8.00pm Dave leaned back in his chair and excused himself saying he needed an early night at his advanced old age. We all laughed at that and Mom got up to walk him out to his car. We all said goodnight and I gave Dave a hug beaming at him.
“This has been the best night” I said
“Yeah it felt…..good” Dave replied
Jeff and Jacinta got up too announcing they planned on having a stroll around the block and did anyone else want to come.
“You should go too Jade, it’ll help work out the lactic acid from your muscles after this afternoon” said Dave as he left.
“Would that be okay guys” I asked
“Sure Jay, you know you’re always welcome” said Jeff so I rushed off to get my coat.
I heard Dave’s car clunk off and Mom walked back in her arms folded over her chest.
“Don’t be too long it’s cool out” she announced as we walked through the door.
“No worries Mom”
We got to the end of the driveway and turned left walking toward the ocean and the distant crashing of the surf. The closer we got to the beach the more expensive and modern the houses became. As we walked I asked Jacinta what it was like to be owned by the gang.
“It’s horrible Jade, you have no say about anything in your life you can’t go out to the mall shopping when you want, you can’t even pee without permission. They make you do things when they want you to do them and you have to sleep with the men they tell you to, sometimes up to four or five men in a night.”
“Really” my eyes were wide as she spoke.
“There was one guy who I thought was really weird he used to take me up to the edge of the airport runway over there” she said pointing “He’d want to fuck me while a plane was overhead and just as it went over us he would scream and come all over me.”
I gasped this was more than I had ever heard about sex and it both fascinated and sickened me.
As we rounded a corner and about to head home I noticed the glint of a car parked on the side of the road. Normally that wouldn’t be anything to worry about but I noticed that it was black under the street light and there were two guys sitting in the front. One was huge while the other guy seemed to be thinner. I wasn’t sure but the thinner guy might have had a moustache and coal black eyes.
CHAPTER 10 - Enemy
I stopped dead still, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. Jeff and Jacinta looked at me startled.
“Those guys in that car up there” I whispered it even though there was no way they could hear me “they were asking about Jacinta this afternoon……in Dave’s shop”
Just then both of them climbed out of the car looking at us, trying to make out our features in the gloom one smaller guy, one huge.
We turned around walking away from them as quickly as we dared but I heard a car engine start and the smooth noise of it slowly moving toward us.
Jacinta’s eyes were panicked; I could see she was scared out of her mind. She was also in no fit condition to simply run away. We needed to find a place to hide.
“This way” whispered Jeff “in here”
We ducked into someone’s driveway and behind a big fibreglass boat with a huge motor attached to it. Behind that was a garage that had a narrow gap between it and a fence that separated it from the neighbours.
Sidling down it, Jeff helped Jacinta over the wooden palings then watched as I pulled myself over. I felt his strong hands around my waist steadying me as I swung over the top. He disappeared for a second then quickly followed as we found ourselves in the back yard of another home. As he thumped down on the grass we heard running footsteps and knew they weren’t far behind us. Somewhere in the distance a dog barked as we crouched by the fence. We laboured to control our breathing fearful that we were making too much noise and would be heard.
“Whatever we do we mustn’t lead them back home” Jeff said in a hoarse whisper “there is no way we can let them know where we live”
Jacinta and I nodded, understanding exactly what Jeff was saying.
“We need to stick together Jeff; Jacinta is weak and isn’t going to be able to outrun those guys”
“Yeah, we have to find a place to hide somewhere they won’t find us”
“I could always give myself up” said Jacinta a resigned look in her eyes “it’s me they want or actually it’s what I stole from them that’s important”
“Stole from them” said Jeff a look of surprise written across his face and which I’m sure my face also mirrored.
“What do you mean?”
The clatter of a metal dustbin against the garage, one that Jeff had just put there, interrupted us and we scurried across the wet grass slick with evening dew. Dim light filtered across the lawn from a distant street lamp while the flickering of a television screen behind a curtain lit up our faces in garish colors. We crept around a corner into the darkness. Adrenalin was coursing through my body and I felt myself shaking but not from the cold air. Jeff was the same as he put a comforting arm around Jacinta’s shoulders, the veins standing out in his arm. Creeping to the front, sticking as much as we could to the shadows and as quietly as possible we saw the silhouette of the black car parked across the road. The thinner of the two gangsters was in the driver’s seat and we knew that it was the bigger guy behind us.
“What are we going to do?” Jacinta asked.
“Go back” said Jeff “we’ll climb the side fence into that next house then make our way parallel to the road. If we do that we can head our way down to the beach and hide in the dunes.”
I calculated the distance in my head and how fragile Jacinta was.
“We’ll never make it Jeff, it’s too far. What if he head across to the park and hide out there?”
“Maybe Jade, but we’ll be in the open across all those houses and yards before we get to safety. Think we can do it?”
Jeff looked worried; Jacinta looked drawn and pale in the cold light.
“If we stick to the shadows along the edges, go as fast as we can, I think it’s our best chance.”
We heard a thump as the big guy made his way down the gap between the fence and garage. I wondered that nobody came out to check on the noise but then remembered this was America, people were more interested in their television programs.
It was now or never and we headed deeper into the shadows to cross the side fence. Jeff literally threw me over and I sprawled in a heap on the concrete on the other side. It brought home how much smaller my girly body was. I weighed so much less now and I rubbed a skinned knee as I jumped back up ready to help Jacinta over.
We could hear the big gangster getting closer to us and the fear spurred me on.
Jacinta came over slowly and I whispered under my breath almost crying with frustration “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry” as Jeff helped her.
Jeff leaped across and we leaned against the fence catching our breath for all of a full second then picked ourselves up and skittered from one house to another. Ultimately however we had no choice and had to emerge onto the road. I looked around the corner and saw the car hadn’t shifted but it was facing toward us and for a few seconds we were going to be in full view before we could disappear into the park. We would then have to run blindly into the shadows behind some trees then into an area of mangroves and mud. If we could make it into there we had a chance but what were the odds, Jacinta was tiring quickly and I knew there was no way we would even contemplate going without her.
“Can you make it” Jeff asked her and she nodded her head, “I’ll try I promise”
We waited as long as we dared letting Jacinta gather her strength for the effort. We were bruised and bloodied from climbing over fences and crawling on all fours. Jeff had run straight into a concrete post and his nose was bleeding profusely while I nursed my bloodied knee and my bruised ribs ached from where Morgan had kicked me. I could only imagine how Jacinta felt after the withdrawal she had been going through.
We took a breath and reached deep into the last of our reserves. Sprinting onto the road we ran as hard as we could toward the darkness. It felt like running through treacle and each second felt like an hour. The lights of the car came on and the motor screamed as it became a race between us reaching the park and the car reaching us. I ran as fast as I could while Jeff grabbed Jacinta and practically dragged her along. We reached the edge of the park as the black car screamed to within a few feet of us skidding to a halt. I made for a line of trees and their relative safety, falling behind one. The lights of the car highlighted Jeff and Jacinta as I looked back and I could see she was tiring too fast. My brother was a big guy, his shoulders broad with powerful legs honed by his hours on a surfboard.
For years he had been my hero, the big brother every little kid aspired to be like. I watched as he turned and simply picked Jacinta up into his arms and ran with her for the safety of the trees. The car door opened and it was like slow motion as Jeff ran and the thin man got out, a pistol in his hand. I held my breath as the distance between Jeff and the tree grew smaller and the gun came up as the thin guy took aim. I could tell Jeff wasn’t going to make it by a fraction of a second.
Scrabbling around I felt a rock under one of my hands and without thinking stood up and threw it. Pure desperation was all that drove me and I swear I threw it with my eyes closed. My sore ribs shrieked but it hit the driver’s side window shattering the glass causing the shards to fly up into the gangsters face. He fired high and the crash of the gun was so loud I screamed. The thin man clutched at his eyes as we all ran straight into the mud and fell, pulling ourselves along and through it with our arms. Jacinta held on to Jeff’s neck as he pushed with his legs and pulled hard, wildly, into the darkness. As we did so we heard the man screaming Jacinta’s name.
“You bitch, we’ll find you, he won’t give up, and you know that! He wants his money back Jacinta, hear me, he wants it back you fucking bitch” His voice rose an octave as he held his bleeding face.
“Give it back and we might let your friends live girl, understand, you’ve got two days or we will hunt you down. I’ll make you watch as I cut your boyfriend up and you know what we’ll do to the girl.”
We lay there listening and I felt chilled to the bone hearing his threats and what could happen to us. We were covered from head to toe in mud and our breath came in huge ragged gasps.
“Lay still Jade” said Jeff his hand on mine trying to both comfort and calm me. We lay still in the darkness covered in slimy, sticky, smelly, all concealing, beautiful mud.
Eventually we heard the car drive off, stop, heard a door slam then speed into the darkness.
We waited for at least 15 minutes listening hard for the thugs to return. I began to shiver from the cold and Jeff put his arm around me pulling me close.
“Let’s go” he said and we worked our way through the mud and out onto the park edge. Carefully we made our way home using the most circuitous route we could. Jacinta was spent and Jeff carried her the whole way in his arms. He didn’t stumble or falter nor did he say one word as he held her. I led the way and we stumbled through the kitchen door an hour and a half after we left.
We must have been a sight covered in blood and dirt as we fell inside, both Tim and Mom leaping up as we came in the worried look on their faces changing into one of real concern.
Tim took Jacinta from Jeff seating her gently on a kitchen chair while I fell into Mom’s arms sobbing. She held me close cradling me and looked at Jeff.
“What happened?” she asked as Jeff slumped tiredly into a chair next to Jacinta.
“Lots to talk about” he said “the cartel that owns Jacinta just found us. Jade saved our lives; if she hadn’t been there I don’t think we’d have made it”
I stood there being held by my mother. The feel of her breasts against mine, the fact that I was filthy and she didn’t care even though her clothes were now covered in mud. My lank wet hair dripping dirty water on to her shiny floor meant nothing. At this moment all that mattered was I was in her arms and I was safe.
I felt the saltiness of my tears on my tongue and looking into my mother’s eyes I saw tears there also, streaking her cheeks and mixing with the mud I had inadvertently rubbed onto her.
She took charge “Jeff take Jacinta and get her in the shower to clean up then you do the same. Clean up the blood then I want her in bed before she has a cardiac arrest on us. Tim can you find them some fresh towels please”
She looked at me tenderly, gently brushing the hair from my eyes “I’m going to look after my daughter”
She led me to her bathroom and carefully removed my clothes. I stood naked shivering on the cold floor as the shower warmed up. Mom did the same and stripped off her dirty clothes.
Looking at my mother standing there naked I should have been embarrassed, as a boy it would have been creepy but now it just seemed……natural. We were just two women, mother and daughter.
Despite the fine lines in her face and the difficult past years she still had a beautiful body and I thought if I looked like that when I got to her age I’d be doing pretty well. Her breasts were larger than mine but still shapely, beautiful mounds on her chest with large areolas and nipples. Since we shared the same genes I guessed I still had a bit of growing to do in that department. My smooth long legs and womanly hips matched hers; the downy fuzz formed at the V between our legs was the same color. The only real difference between us was my younger skin and perfect 14 year old complexion.
“My god you have the sexiest backside” she commented and I blushed, high praise from my Mom.
She hummed as she soaped down my body and I recognised it as a lullaby she used to sing to me when I was about five years old. I was too exhausted to even help her as she carefully scrubbed me over trying not to hurt me too much when she came to my bruised ribs although I grimaced when she got to the grazes on my knee. She gently washed shampoo and conditioner through my hair, using her fingers to knead it through, taking her time making sure it was done properly. As she did this she suddenly stopped, looking at my leg as a streak of blood diluted with water dribbled down it.
“Well honey, I wondered when this was going to happen ever since you became my daughter. Welcome to truly being a woman.”
I looked at her uncomprehendingly for a second then looked down at my leg and the blood.
It originated from me or more specifically from my vagina and instantly I knew what was happening. My body was once again confirming my femininity, the fact that I was completely and fully woman. I shook as I was flooded with emotion, with the realization that I wasn’t a boy child any more but rather a young woman, one who could bear a child of her own now, one who someday could become a mother herself just like my own who had borne me.
Mom held me as we both cried together, both bonded by blood and the love that only a mother and daughter can share.
I didn’t care that we were naked or that it was late at night, all I cared about was being there, close to her. For the first time since the Hyperplasia I felt comfortable in my skin, comfortable with who I was. In the most visceral, primal way I identified with being female, with the ability to create life and nurture it within me. It was every woman’s birth right and now although I hadn’t been born a girl it was my gift too. I felt like every girl who had gone before me and would come after. This period, this unyielding cycle of womanhood had started in me, only ever broken if I became pregnant.
Mom hopped out of the shower leading me by the hand. Throwing a towel at me she went to a drawer and pulled out a pad. Expertly placing it inside my panties she gave them to me and I put them on after towelling myself dry.
“You’ll need to wear a pad for the next few days Hun although the first couple of periods for a girl are often spotty and irregular. We’ll leave the whole tampon thing till later” she smiled.
Not for the first time I appreciated my Mom the nurse.
I yawned as I pulled one of my old boy t-shirts over my head, they were really coming in handy as nighties and looked cute on me and then she was all business again.
Combing out my hair as we sat on the bed legs folded up underneath me in only the way a girl can she then tucked me in securely and ran her fingers through my hair, leaning over me.
“I’m proud of you my darling precious Jade, you’re not just my gorgeous girl on the outside but the fiercest most exquisite on the inside too. I’m not sure if you’re ready to hear this yet but I’m so, so glad you’re a girl, my girl, and I love you.”
I squeezed her hand
“You know what Mom, I’m glad I’m your girl too. I love you so much”
The darkness of sleep overtook me but it was filled with dreams of running and men with guns.
In the morning Jacinta was gone.
CHAPTER 11 – Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
We sat around the kitchen table discussing the situation we found ourselves in.
“You look nice today” Tim had commented to me as I walked out so I did a little curtsy with a smile in return.
I didn’t feel nice after last night. My legs and arms were all scratched up and I had my first period. I felt blah and had really just thrown on a pair of jeans to cover up all the cuts and grazes. The fact that the jeans hugged my figure and emphasised my long legs, small waist and rounded butt was lost on me.
“We need to find her” Jeff was saying to Mom as I sat down with a bowl of cereal looking at everyone questioningly.
“Jacinta’s gone honey” Mom said to me by way of explanation.
I slopped milk into my bowl and thought about the news that had just been presented to me.
In one way I wasn’t surprised by it after the threats the skinny gangster had breathed last night. I figured Jacinta had probably laid awake thinking about them for a long time. I knew that she and Jeff had formed a close friendship over the short amount of time they’d known each other and that the attraction they each felt was about as obvious as a pimple on a teenager’s nose. She and I had also formed a friendship based on our experiences plus I just really liked her she was, as far as I was concerned, an awesome person. The fact she was incredibly sexy and classically beautiful wasn’t lost on Jeff either. She must have felt an agony of guilt for dragging our family into this whole mess.
But she wasn’t what she seemed either, she’d stolen money from a cartel of gangsters who obviously specialised in kidnapping and prostitution and goodness knows what else.
So the question was……….what else didn’t we know about her?
I gazed out the kitchen window lost in thought as the other three talked round and round in circles about what they should do. The sky was grey and threatening this morning with low clouds sailing slowly past in a sullen and intimidating march. It didn’t often rain down here in Southern California but when it did it was like the heavens opened and angels poured colossal buckets of water out that drenched and swamped everything. Water would run inches deep down the roads, overrunning the drains and flooding neighbourhoods. As a little kid in San Diego I’d love those days and we would go out and play in the storm waters coming home soaked to the skin, much to our delight and our Mom’s disgust. To her credit though she never stopped us, always letting us have fun and play together. She knew it was forming the bonds of love and friendship that made us the family we were.
“My heart always said people were inherently good, but my experience says otherwise” Mom was saying to the boys when I cut in.
“I know where she is right now”
“Aye, what?” Tim said
“I know where she is, I can take you to her”
“Where” demanded Jeff
“Up at the airport, at the end of the runway, that’s where she hid the money”
“And how do you know that Jade?” queried Mom with a frown on her face.
“Well when I was talking to her last night she was telling us, me and Jeff, about this freaky guy who used to take her up to the end of the runway and fu… umm have sex with her while the planes flew overhead.”
“Yessssss” go on said Mom
“Anyway she knows that area really well cause he did it with her lots. Plus when we found her in the sand dunes she had dirt all over her even under her finger nails but she was in a SAND dune. She had obviously been somewhere before that and I figure she’d been digging with her hands. Who would ever think to look for a sack of money at the end of an airport runway?”
They all looked at me incredulously at first then comprehension dawned.
“I’m going up there” said Jeff
“I’m coming too” Tim replied jumping up from his chair.
“Me three”
“No” said Tim a hard look on his face
“Why not?”
“Because you’re too young Jay I don’t want to see you get hurt, there could be trouble”
“What if I insist” I snapped back fire in my eyes
“Then I’d insist back”
I knew I had lost and I sat back in a huff, pouting.
Mom chuckled and I looked at her angrily
“What?” I blurted
“I’ve never seen you pout before Jade, you look absolutely gorgeous”
I couldn’t help it and a half smile came to my face
“They’re right you know, what if something happened to you? They could never live with themselves.”
“Yeah, well I looked after myself pretty well last night”
“That’s different Jade, and you know it. It was a situation you just fell into. Let the boys go up and get her, you have to go to school.”
The high pitched ‘barp’ of the boy’s two stroke trail bikes shattered the morning stillness and they took off in a cloud of blue smoke. I had to stay now anyway.
“Make sure they text me and let me know if they find her, please Mom” I pleaded
“Of course honey, now go and finish off getting ready for school and pack a coat it looks like rain”
“Sure Mom” my mood was as dark as the clouds hanging over our house.
School was about as boring as it could possibly get that day although I couldn’t concentrate on much of anything anyway. I must have seemed like the quintessential sullen teenage girl and I suppose if I was being honest that’s what I was. Jaz and the other girls asked if I was okay and I blamed it on having my period. That involved about 15 minutes of advice and giggling over all the names girls give our peculiar monthly visitor. ‘Fred the Red’ instantly became my favorite.
About half way through Period two during Math my phone went off in my bag. I was in an agony of indecision knowing if I pulled it out and looked at it I risked having my phone confiscated for the rest of the day. We had Mrs Revell for Math and she was a stickler for the rules but my curiosity won in the end and I just had to know.
I tried to get the phone using all my teenage ninja stealth tactics while the class was working quietly on a problem and Mrs Revell had her head down doing something at her desk. Leaning over my long blonde hair got in the way and I brushed it behind my ear. That caused the girl beside me to shuffle in her seat and I froze. Nothing happened so furtively I reached down and held the phone inside my bag as I read the text.
All it said was “Got her, talk tonight. T”
I breathed a sigh of relief that was short lived as a beautifully manicured hand was held out in front of me. The long nails were perfectly shaped and painted a deep crimson color. I looked up into my teacher’s face and tried to smile but none was returned.
“Miss Chamberlin, you know the rules. You can pick your phone up from the school office at the end of the day.”
“Aw Miss please” I begged but it was futile, I was losing every argument today.
I dumped the phone into her hand and she walked away giving me the obligatory “get on with your work” line. She was a young teacher only recently married. Tall and slim with a great body and long silky hair, every boy in the school lusted after her. Today she was wearing a tight pencil skirt and high heels that made her backside sway very, very sexily. All the boys in the class had looked up and were following her every move with greedy eyes. I understood what they were doing with my mind and I knew that as a boy I would probably be trying to hide a very involuntary erection about now. But as a girl although I could appreciate another woman’s body aesthetically it did nothing for me sexually. Just as my body had changed I knew that my mind had too and was still changing. As slowly I embraced who I was as a young woman I knew it was boys that I was becoming attracted to.
Two things happened at lunchtime, firstly it began to rain. Like always big fat raindrops came down one by one. To me it always seemed like a naughty little boy was throwing eggs as they splatted individually against the concrete then it would get faster and faster until a curtain of water would appear before your eyes almost like magic and rivers of water would pour through the drains with little bubbles on top being carried away to oblivion. It was the kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. I was mesmerised by the rainfall; I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world.
Second we girls had to congregate in Mrs Shirley’s office to organise the charity scheme that was our punishment. I had noticed Morgan wasn’t at school today and I had determined I would try and catch a lift to his place to chat. He lived in a house right on the beach with a swimming pool and large reflective glass windows that looked out toward the ocean. Sometimes I envied the wealth and privilege he’d been born into but if I was truthful I wouldn’t have given my family or my life up for anything.
We haggled and laughed together as we discussed who we should give the money to and how we should raise it. Mrs Shirley sat at her desk pretending to work but now and again would throw a suggestion of her own in that would steer us in a whole new direction and I suddenly realised that she was really enjoying these crazy, happy girls all talking and laughing at the same time and bringing her office to life. By the end we had brought it down to two options and about three schemes. I was swayed toward giving the money to an organisation that fought the sex trade of young girls in South East Asia and especially in Thailand while a couple of others wanted to organise to raise money for water tanks in villages in Tanzania. We went away agreeing to come to a decision the next day and as I looked back I noticed Mrs Shirley gazing down at her desk a big smile on her face. Looking up she waved to me and I waved back. There was a lot I could learn from that woman I thought as I skipped along the corridor to my next lesson my grumpy mood of this morning forgotten.
The end of the day finally arrived and I rushed off to pick up my phone from the office so I didn’t miss my bus down to Dave’s. Walking out of the office I bumped into Lauren one of our group. She was easily the quietest of us all but also the highest achiever. Tall with long, straight auburn hair cut with bangs and big brown eyes, she had the body of a dancer which is what she was. She was walking with a guy, taller than her with dark hair and carrying a camera. His eyes were a deep blue and I instantly recognised him as Lauren’s brother Phil. He was a photographer for the school newspaper and had earned the nick name ‘Peter Parker’ after Spiderman’s alias and if truth be told he did look a lot like Andrew Garfield the actor who actually played Spiderman in the movie.
His real passion was photographing landscapes and the ocean however and I had often seen him down at the beach in the water taking pics of surfers and waves when I was a boy.
“Hi Jade hey do you know Phil my brother?” Lauren asked introducing us and I looked at him noticing for the first time how handsome he was from a girl’s point of view.
“Hi” he said sticking his hand out to me and looking at me in the eyes. His look didn’t waver he didn’t run his eyes down my body or look at my breasts he just stared into my eyes.
“Umm hi” I answered staring back at him. Shaking his hand felt like a jolt of electricity right through my bones.
“How are you?” I asked
“Really well thanks” he kept looking into my eyes and I felt that at any second I was going to melt into a little jelly on the floor.
“Still coming to the sleep over Jade?” Lauren asked and it broke into the moment and I looked at her
“Ah yeah, absolutely can’t wait, hey gotta go” I added “gotta get to work down at the surf shop. Really nice to meet you” I said to Phil and he smiled shyly
“Nice to meet you too Jade, hope to see you later”
“Yeah, that would be nice” I replied skipping off noticing how strangely wet I felt.
For the next few hours, okay for the next couple of days, I couldn’t get his face out of my mind. I hoped we would run into each other again soon. There would be a few questions asked of Lauren on Friday night I decided.
I didn’t notice but she was digging him in the ribs as they walked off and he kept staring back at me for a long time.
Jumping on the bus we drove through the pouring rain toward my stop. Tyler wasn’t there today and I hoped he wasn’t sick or something. Maybe his Mom had just decided to pick him up because of the weather.
Unsurprisingly there were few customers in the shop today so I busied myself tidying stuff up and making the place look neat. Maybe I took after my mom a bit after all. Dave sat in his little office out the back doing the books so I went in and plonked into a chair facing him.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure, anything” he said
“I’ve noticed that sometimes when you look at me you kind of look sad and I was wondering if I’ve done something wrong?”
Putting his pen down he hung his head for a second then looked up at me taking a deep breath.
“You’ve done nothing wrong Jade, nothing at all it’s just that, well when you came into the store the other day and every time I’ve seen you since you’ve reminded me of my own daughter.
“I didn’t know you had a daughter, I mean I haven’t even met your wife”
“Yeah well there’s a reason for that you see about 10 years ago before I even knew you or your family, my wife was involved in a car accident. Actually it was a day like this pouring with rain and she was driving home after picking our daughter up from school. She would have been about your age at the time.” He choked up a bit but kept going.
“Anyway my wife was killed instantly, the other driver had crossed over into the wrong lane, couldn’t stop, hit them head on. My daughter survived, they cut her out of the wreckage, took her to hospital, then called me. When I got there she was pretty banged up so they let me just hold her. We talked for ages about stuff, you know things young girls like, what she wanted to do when she got out of hospital. I just held her Jade, I prayed like you wouldn’t believe but I guess it must have been around two in the morning I felt her go. She died in my arms.”
“Her name was April, it was the month she was born in, she had long blond hair and she loved to surf so you see when I saw you that first time……” He stopped a single tear ran down his cheek. I didn’t know what to say so I sat there, quietly, collecting my thoughts.
The rain had stopped and all I heard was the drip, drip, drip of the spouting as water ran off it.
“I know I’ll never replace your daughter Dave” I said finally “but I do know one thing, I love you like my Dad and I love surfing with you and hanging out together and working for you so you know if you ever want to yell at me or treat me like your own daughter…..”
“That’s just it Jade remember I told Rich that you were like my daughter?”
“Yeah” I answered
“Well you see I meant it.”
No more words needed to be said we understood each other utterly and completely.
“And there’s another thing, I really like your Mom, in fact I was thinking of asking her out.”
Dave took me home and when we got there he came in. Jacinta was sitting at the table with Jeff and Tim, Mom was standing over them. In the middle was a stack of money.
“How much is there?” I asked in wide eyed wonder I’d never seen that much in my life.
“800,000” Jeff said
Dave let out a low whistle.
We all sat together me on one side of Dave, Mom on the other. It felt good to have him there; his strength and wisdom would be needed.
It was time to go to war.
CHAPTER 12 – No Other Way
After school the next day I decided to go to Morgan’s place and talk with him. I wasn’t really sure how it would pan out but I was determined to put a few things right with him and ask him to come back to school.
The night before had been interesting to say the least, Jacinta had run off to retrieve the money and had wanted to give it all back to the gang. As I had suspected she had gotten to the point where she just didn’t want to put us in danger anymore and had decided to give herself up to them despite the consequences, which for her would mean having to sell her body again, heroin addiction and eventually a slow and agonising death.
I thought of that decision as I walked down the road toward Morgan’s and how Jacinta was willing to sacrifice her life and happiness for our family. What was so special about us that would make her do that? Not one of us wanted her to even go there, not even in her dreams and we all confirmed that vehemently, even Dave told her she was being silly which earned him a swift look from Mom. I thought she was going to flick his ears but instead she smiled at him with her eyes and my heart leapt. I could only imagine what my mother was like when she was younger, she must have melted the hearts of many young men with her kindness and beauty. Dad was a real fuckwit for leaving her I thought.
Mom had wanted to go to the police lay the whole story out to them which I agreed with but Dave and the boys had reservations. They argued that the police would need names, dates, facts and details and places. The testimony of an ex-heroin addict prostitute who was also at the moment an illegal alien wasn’t going to cut it in any court of law. Unless we could give them the rest, all they would do is take the money, put it in storage and basically cut us loose. Maybe they might be able to catch and arrest the two hoods who chased us but gangs like that had plenty more to take their place. The police couldn’t protect Jacinta or us forever and we all knew that this was an amount of money that they would kill us for to get back. I guessed they would probably kill us for revenge and to make a point to anyone else foolish enough to cross them too. Even if the police were investigating these people it would be on-going and take a long time to get convictions and break them up. In the meantime we would be on our own.
Finally we decided to hide the money and hide Jacinta. The easiest place to do that was at Dave’s, as he lived on the other side of town about as far away as you could get from gangs and trouble or so we hoped. When things cooled down Dave reckoned we could somehow give the money back and if we were lucky the gang would go away. Jeff, Tim and I would continue on at school as normal and life would go on.
If that didn’t work and they got violent Mom had asked and Dave just said “Leave it with me” The way he said it was chilling, I hadn’t heard him talk like that before. There was more to him than I thought.
Dave had asked Jacinta what she remembered when she was taken, where she was kept.
“Not much really, I was handcuffed and they put a hood over my head. I know their distribution center is big, it’s where I was taken first, there were cells where they kept the girls like me, they had no windows except in the doors so they could check on us and it was dry but musty you know and there was always this sound a drone like air conditioning.”
We nodded and she had gone on.
“They had drugs there and money lots of cash, it’s where they got the girls hooked on heroin or whatever they wanted really. They preferred drugs that didn’t wreck our skin, kept us hooked but they wanted us to still be pretty for the clients. They never gave us meth for that reason, I’m glad that stuff is really evil. After a while I figured out we were underground and there were numbers on the walls which puzzled me for ages till I figured it out.”
“An old military establishment” Dave had said, “long abandoned and long forgotten by now most likely.”
Jacinta had nodded yes then told us how she had then been bundled into a van, once again handcuffed and hooded. She had counted the seconds in her head as they drove then added up the minutes until they reached San Diego where she had been dropped off at a place, a brothel, where she had been put to work. She thought the whole trip was no more than an hour maybe an hour and a half from start to finish and it was windy, lots of corners at first but then they hit a freeway and it was fast and straight. That’s all she remembered. It left us thinking.
Mom had insisted that I should go to the sleepover with the other girls and asked Tim if he would drop me off as she had to work. He begrudgingly assented after I smacked him over the arm. He then effortlessly picked me up and dumped me on the living room sofa and began to tickle me mercilessly. This led to Jacinta jumping on top of him then Jeff jumping on her. I think I was flattened to the size of a pancake as Mom and Dave just laughed at us while I squealed and yelled like a girl, which is exactly what I was now.
Morgan’s house was huge with one of those solid front doors with a brass knocker thing that no one used because it also had an electronic bell to push. Mrs Chapman answered the door and I introduced myself.
“Hi I’m Jade, I was wondering if Morgan was home, we go to school together”
“My” she said “you are a pretty wee thing aren’t you. Of course, he’s in his room, come in.”
With that she led me into the house, which had some pretty impressive views of the ocean. I noticed some surfers riding waves out front of the place and wished I could be out there too.
“Morgan! There’s a girl from school here to see you”
I heard a door open on the floor above us and Morgan came out looking over the balcony.
Seeing me he sullenly said “What do you want?” with a sour expression on his face.
“Don’t be rude Morgan!” His mother said “come down here and have some manners”
He stomped down the stairs, his whole body language telling me I was the last person on the planet he wanted to see.
“I’ll get some lemonade for you two” Mrs Morgan chirped “please sit down Jade”
I sat demurely as possible saying thank you and giving Mrs Chapman a smile.
‘What a lovely lady’ I thought ‘I wonder what happened that made Morgan such a bully?’
I sat with my knees together and leaned forward toward Morgan. I had worn a short skirt today with a top that showed off some of my cleavage, I had wanted to look as girly and feminine as possible. I wore makeup and had even put nail polish on for the first ever time, well I had Mom do it anyway. It was a cool shade of dark metallic green.
I wanted Morgan and his parents to identify with me fully as female and by the looks I got all day at school from the boys, I guessed I’d been successful, at least with them.
Mrs Chapman brought out two glasses of lemonade and placed them on a table in front of us. Making an excuse she walked off toward the kitchen leaving us alone.
“So” said Morgan “what do you want Jade”
‘Hmmm good start’ I thought ‘at least he called me Jade’
“Well I guess first off I wanted to apologise for the other day. What we did to you was mean and I feel really awful about it, so sorry. Secondly I wanted to ask you what I’d done to make you hate me. It’s not like I’m really going out of my way to try and hurt you, I mean we hardly know each other and third I was hoping you’d come back to school”
Morgan looked down at his feet. I knew he was thinking about his answer and probably how open he wanted to be with me then he took a deep breath.
“As soon as you turned up, you know as Jayden, you were popular with everyone. You were handsome with the blond hair and green eyes and all the girls were ga-ga over you. You had the cool big brothers and you all had that surfie vibe going on. You all turned up on those trail bikes with the boards under your arms and you were tight, like nothing in the world would ever tear your friendship apart. I don’t think I’ve ever been so jealous of anyone as much as I was with you. I have no-one like that; I’m the only child in this family, my parents stopped after me. Do you know what I’d give to have what you have?”
I looked at him as sympathetically as I could. I wondered if I’d still been a boy whether we would be having this conversation right now. As a girl he was opening up to me, sharing his feelings, but I was remembering my beating.
He went on “now look at you a real babe. I can’t win Jade, you even beat me in the surfing comp and you’re probably right you’ll beat me as a girl in the next one as well. When I saw you at school the first time, you know in class, all I wanted to do was ask you out, yet I felt so angry that you had turned into well you. I attacked you instead”
He looked at his feet
“I’m really sorry but I don’t know how to make it right.”
“Come back to school” I said “learn to be kind especially to girls instead of hitting them. You don’t have to be a player Morgan; lots of girls would go out with you if you just changed your attitude and stopped trying to be some kind of macho gangster. You know thinking about it I have just the group for you to join to help you do just that. It’ll be a bit embarrassing at first, you’ll be the only guy but it might just help.”
“Doing what? Why would I want to? If I did would you come out with me on a date?”
I sighed, he really didn’t get it. All he was doing was making excuses and feeling sorry for himself.
Standing up I moved to the window looking out. Morgan followed and stood behind me, I felt his breath on my neck. Suddenly I felt his hand on my bottom moving down my skirt and toward the hem. I grabbed his wrist but he was way too strong for me. I realised that in my naivety I had dressed not in a feminine way like I thought but far too sexily, in a way that just turned Morgan on. As far as he was concerned I was a conquest, a girl for him to win.
“No” I said but he kept his hand on me, moving it up the inside of my skirt toward my panties. I was helpless to stop him so I twisted, turning to face him our noses nearly touching. He pressed me against the cold glass of the window and leaned against me. His fingers reached the edge of my underwear while I tried desperately to stop him.
“Come on Jade, I know you want it, why else would you come over here?”
“To talk Morgan, that’s all, to let you know I was sorry, don’t you get it? Get off me or I’ll scream”
His eyes went cold and he backed off
“Fine, you might as well leave then.”
“Alright” there was no argument from me at all and I headed for the door as quickly as I could.
Mrs Chapman came out from the kitchen
“Oh you’re leaving already?”
“Yes, thank you for the lemonade Mrs Chapman but I have to go, homework and stuff you know” I smiled at her
“Well come over again whenever you like dear, I’m sure Morgan would love to see you again”
“Yes right” I said as I walked through the door vowing that returning was about the last thing I would ever do. Some leopards really don’t change their spots I thought as I practically ran all the way home and threw myself on my bed. I had come face to face with one of my greatest weaknesses as a girl. Had we been alone together Morgan could have done whatever he wanted to me and I would have been powerless to stop him.
I had begun to accept myself as female, had enjoyed dressing and feeling sexy, the friendship I was developing with Jaz and the girls was fun and exhilarating and the relationship with my Mom was getting better and better. Being a girl was becoming normal for me, being a piece of meat for any random guy especially low life’s like Morgan was not. I was determined never to get myself in that situation again.
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Friday evening came around quickly and the situation I had found myself in with Morgan was semi-forgotten as I prepared for the sleepover. I was unusually excited and viewed this as yet another initiation into girlhood. Tim had Mom’s car as she had taken the bus to work and I jumped in beside him.
“Thanks for taking me”
“No problems sis” he smiled over to me as he put the car in gear and drove off.
Jaz’s home was located further back inland at the foothills of the San Diego Wildlife Preserve and was nearly as flash as Morgan’s place. It stood two stories high and had a swimming pool out the back sparkling blue as the sun began to set behind us in the west.
I jumped out of the car and Tim got out too.
“Gotta see you to the door” he said and walked beside me as we approached. To say I felt safe and secure in the presence of my brothers was an understatement. They were my greatest friends and biggest heroes. As a girl they had protected me, accepted me and continued to love me through everything just as they said they would.
The door opened before we even got to it and Jaz bundled out stopping still when she saw Tim. She was a tall girl but only came up to Tim’s shoulder but then again so did I. He had wide shoulders tapering down to a narrow waist which always caught the eye. His wild brown hair fell down to his shoulders and was kind of curly like mine not tight curls but loose and long. He was trying to grow one of those goatee beard things which Mom hated but I thought looked really funky, not that I’d tell him that.
It was his eyes though that was his most amazing feature. Whereas Mom had said I’d inherited my grandmother’s dark green eyes Tim had inherited Moms. They were a deep blue and whenever he looked at you it was like a laser beam had been turned on and he was looking directly into your soul.
He turned them on to Jaz and smiled.
“Hiya” he said “I’m Tim”
To her credit she composed herself, just, and reached out her hand.
“Hello I’m Jaz”
They touched and I smiled, I recognised what she was feeling. I think she probably hid it a little better than me though.
We walked to the door and I gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek.
“See ya tomorrow Jay”
“Yeah tomorrow”
He wandered back to the car while Jaz stood at the door watching him. We both waved but she didn’t move until he had driven off.
“You really like him?”
She glanced at me and smiled.
“Yeah I really do”
“You know he’s one of the good ones Jaz, he’s loyal, funny, kind. If you want him I won’t stand in your way but you have to promise me, like really promise me that you won’t hurt him”
“I promise Jade, with all my heart I’d never hurt your brother”
“Good”
“And besides did you see his ass when he walked off OMG!”
We laughed as we walked inside. I was the first one there and was introduced to Jasmine’s mother and father. They were both jovial and friendly and I was quickly made to feel like I was part of the family. Before long I was sitting at their breakfast bar chatting to Jaz’s Mom while a glass of orange juice sat in front of me just waiting to be sipped.
As the others arrived the house filled up with girls and excited giggling and chatter filled the lounge room. Jaz had decided we would all sleep in there on some big foam mattresses so we could lie down, watch a movie and eat pizza together. Her parents were a great couple and gave each of the girls a hug as they walked in; everyone obviously knew each other well.
Once we had settled in and Jaz’s parents had been banished she turned to me and said
“Jade we know you’ve been through a pretty tough time and we wanted to do something for you. We’re all really glad that you’re here and our friend so we want you to come to my room cause well just come with us”
They all smiled and clapped their hands in front of them as girls do and Jaz took my hand leading me to her room and made me sit down.
She began to comb out my hair as the others watched and then Sarah and Debs took turns to work some magic on it that I didn’t understand twisting and turning my hair until it was pinned into the most striking shape. It’s called a ‘chignon’ said Lauren as I looked at myself, my long neck emphasised by the beautiful hair-do they had created. Lauren and Jaz then went to work on my face giving me what they called a smoky eye that darkened the lids and made my eyes look exquisite. They did my make-up foundation, bronzer, blush but left my lips nude just adding a little bronzer with gloss over top.
Lauren stood behind me her hands rested lightly on my shoulders as Jaz pattered over to her bed where a large box tied with a green bow sat. Calling me over she said open it and as I did a dress was revealed. It was a deep green color with silver sequins sewn onto it, thousands of them near the top fading to just a few on the skirt. The bodice was sleeveless while the skirt flared out from my waist made of organza with a satin under skirt. It reached to the floor and I gasped.
“It’s for you” said Jaz as tears prickled my eyes. No-one had ever given me a gift as expensive as this before and I was truly touched.
“You’re not allowed to cry you’ll ruin your makeup“ said Sarah as they helped me out of my clothes and into the dress.
Jaz leant me a pair of her very high heels and I put them on then looked at myself in the mirror.
Her parents had tip toed in and were watching from the door way as tears filled my eyes and I thanked each of them.
“You are gorgeous” her Dad said, “Jaz told us what happened to you and how you were beaten up by a boy at school but also how you wouldn’t let it get you down and well this is our way of saying we care about you. We hope you’ll wear that to the dance coming up at school.”
Her Mom chimed in “Jade you’re more than gorgeous you are stunning my girl, can we take some pictures?”
I didn’t have much choice and so I stood there posing as they snapped away with their digital camera, some as a group and some of me individually. I wobbled around on heels much to everyone’s amusement and decided I needed to get used to walking in them.
Jaz took the camera and connected it to her laptop and downloaded the photos. We sat as she made a slide show and played them on the screen. I was amazed at how I looked I didn’t recognise myself with the dark eyes and sculpted cheek bones.
She then opened her Facebook page and before I could protest she uploaded a few pics onto her timeline. Within seconds a ton of people had ‘liked’ the photos and comments were being made asking who the girl in the green dress was.
She laughed delightedly and simply answered ‘Wouldn’t you all like to know’
I changed back into my comfortable clothes but decided for the time being I liked my hair and make-up this way so didn’t change it.
We had pizza and watched a weepy movie and I relaxed in the company of my friends. It was an awesome evening and I appreciated all they had done for me. Saturday morning came all too quickly but Mom finally picked me up and after talking for a little while we headed home with a large box sitting on the back seat and a green bow around it.
I didn’t know it but another little present had been slipped into my bag with a little note. One I would find later that day.
CHAPTER 13 – Crying Shame
Mom seemed really happy on the drive home and we chatted away about things. I enjoyed how much closer our relationship was and that Mom and I could talk so openly together now. It was one of the benefits of being a girl and one I appreciated. The topic of the modelling offer from the surf wear shop came up, I had told Mom about it earlier and she had been supportive of the idea at the start so I had phoned them and said yes. I had to be at their San Diego office at 10.00am this coming Wednesday so Mom had offered to drive me. It meant a day off school but when Mom had phoned and talked to Mrs Shirley she had been really supportive of it all with only one condition that I catch up on any work I missed for the day. Something I was happy to do. Mom had commented on just how nice our Deputy Principal was and how much she seemed to like me. I had blushed at that thinking about the times in her office and how much we were enjoying our little project with her. It was always something I looked forward to and I practically rushed to her office at the start of lunch just so I could work on it. We had all agreed to raise money to support a women’s group who were raising money to fight the trafficking of sex slaves in Thailand, something that was now close to home for me considering our recent ‘adventures’ with Jacinta.
“So do you really want to do this whole modelling thing Jade?” Mom was asking and it shook me out of my daydreams.
I thought about it and said “Yeah, I do Mom why?”
“Well you’ve been through a lot recently, I mean far more than the average teenager and well this just seems to be kind of a major distraction when really you should be settling down to your new life and getting on with school don’t you think?”
I knew Mom was testing me but I had thought it through and come to my decision.
“Mom you’ve always taught us that one of the most important things to do in life is to make memories and this is an opportunity to have a big adventure that’s going to do just that, plus I’m going to make some money that’s going to help us all out. Besides you’ll be there with me so it’s kind of a chance to have some time, just you and me, so I was kind of really looking forward to that.”
Mom looked over at me and I knew I’d won.
The road was windy from Jasmines house and she concentrated on driving but the smile on her face told me she was looking forward to having some time alone with me too.
As we rounded a corner a large black car swooped past us going the other way. Seated in the front were a couple of guys, one large, one skinny. I turned around quickly in my seat as they wooshed past and said to Mom,
“That’s them, that’s the guys who chased us the other night, Mom turn around we need to find out where they’re going.”
To her credit Mom didn’t argue, much, and slammed on the brakes doing a quick U-turn on a straight stretch of road. Her old blue Toyota wasn’t made for hot pursuit but she managed to catch up enough to keep the black car in our sights. Both of us knew that if these guys were out here they were more than likely heading toward their ‘Distribution Center’ and if we could find that we could go to the police with some concrete evidence. That would mean freedom for Jacinta and for us from this evil gang.
We followed them for perhaps another 15 minutes as we wound our way into the foothills behind San Diego. As we rounded a corner on to a straight stretch of road we stared perplexed the black car had disappeared. Slowing down Mom continued and I noticed just to our left an old gravel road. Dust was slowly settling back down as if a car had just passed over it and Mom stopped. We looked up the road then at each other
“What do you think?” Mom asked
“We have to find out Mom, if this is where they took Jacinta then it’s also where they keep and probably manufacture their drugs. If we can confirm it’s there then….”
We both knew we had to go up that road but we were both frightened, it was a dire risk, if we were caught……
Mom made her decision and swung the car onto the gravel. It was rutted and shook us around as we negotiated the corners. Mom drove slowly fearful that we would stumble on to the gangsters at any turn.
After about five minutes we came upon an old faded sign on the side of the road stating
‘SLOW DOWN’
‘San Diego Military Academy’
‘No entry except to authorised Personnel’
Just around the corner was a large fence.
We stopped and Mom carefully backed the car until she could turn facing back down the road. We climbed out and I looked up. A ridge ran to the west of the fence and I figured if we climbed that we could get a view of the compound and I could take some photos of the place with my iphone. We weren’t really dressed for hiking in the wilderness or climbing but we were determined to get as much information as we could. To me it felt eerily still and every noise seemed to be amplified as we made our way up the hill. It was a decent climb and we were breathing heavily when we suddenly popped up on to the top. Dropping on to our bellies we looked down onto the fenced off area. I was surprised to see it was really only a fence that stretched in a square about 20 metres by 20 metres. In the middle was a low concrete building grey and forbidding with a rounded metal roof that sprouted air conditioning vents like mushrooms. A heavy steel door was set into one wall. The building looked old but both the fence and the steel door were shiny and brand new.
Sitting beside the building were three cars, two were black and new, one of them was the one we had just followed, from where we were we could hear the ‘tink, tink, tink’ of the hot motor as it cooled off. To the side and closest to the door was an old car its faded roof seemed to have more rust than paint on it and I knew the front passenger seat was saggy because I’d sat in it just the other day.
All of a sudden the steel door opened outward. It didn’t make a sound as it swung on its heavy well oiled and brand new hinges. A man I’d never seen before stepped out, he was a white guy, heavy set with a middle age paunch. He sported a beard and moustache and was wearing an expensive suit. Behind him following closely was a nuggety figure shading his eyes from the bright sunshine. They were talking quietly and neither Mom nor I could hear what they were saying as we watched them. I took some photographs with my iphone as they spoke and I looked over at Mom. There was pain etched in her face, exactly the same as my own father had caused when he had left us all those years ago and my heart went out to her.
“Mom we gotta go, our car is parked on the side of the road, Dave will recognize it when he drives past.” I whispered.
I was scared out of my wits, all I wanted to do was get out of there and I figured Mom was feeling exactly the same. We backed off on our stomachs as quietly as we could then when we thought we couldn’t be seen we turned and ran. We rushed down the slope, round trees and over ditches, bashing shins and praying we wouldn’t twist an ankle hoping that Dave and the strange man would talk for a little longer, give us time to reach the Toyota and get away. The forest seemed to taunt us as we ran forever and I almost sobbed with joy as we reached the bottom and spotted our little car sitting patiently there for us. We sprinted for it throwing any caution or need to be quiet to the wind.
Stumbling in Mom started the old girl up and I breathed a sigh of relief. Dave was nowhere in sight. Mom mashed the accelerator and we took off. She drove as quickly as she could on the gravel then accelerated sharply once we reached the safety of the tarmac.
She kept looking in her rear vision mirror but there was no sign of any pursuit. Tears were in her eyes as she drove and I could only imagine what was going through her mind.
It was a quiet trip home each of us lost in our thoughts. We were on our own again just our family and Jacinta.
Jacinta! The thought came to me, she was at Dave’s supposedly hiding out.
“Mom” I said “Jacinta”
“I know honey” she said quietly.
CHAPTER 14 – Bubble Toes
We got home and Mom pulled into the driveway shutting down the motor. She sat back in her seat and rubbed her eyes wearily.
“What are we going to do?” I asked tears in my eyes this time, events seemed to be spiralling out of control.
“Let’s go in and talk with your brothers. The first thing we have to do is go get Jacinta then we have to go to the police. We have photographs this time surely they will listen to us.”
Jeff and Tim were sitting at the table when we walked through the door both were bare chested, wearing a wetsuit but with it open dangling at their waist. They’d just polished off a big plate of bacon and eggs and looked set to go off surfing.
We sat down and they both noticed the worried look on Mom’s face.
“What’s wrong?”
Mom filled them in on what had just happened while the boys sat quietly listening. The problem of Jacinta dawned on them quickly and they made plans to head over to Dave’s to get her. We figured Dave would be headed to his shop, rather than home, to open up for Saturday morning trade and Jacinta would be alone at his place. That is if he hadn’t already taken her back to their facility by now and that’s why he had been there in the first place.
“You know it all kind of adds up” I mused “it kind of explains a few things like why those gangsters were in his shop asking about Jacinta. I thought they were asking around but really they knew Dave, were probably pushing him to use his contacts to find her. Then she just fell into his lap with us. Then when we were talking he didn’t want us to go to the police remember, he said he’d deal with it and we even let her go with him to his home with the money. We trusted him. The only thing I can’t figure out is why? Why would he get involved with scum like that?”
“There could be lots of reasons” Mom said reaching over and placing her hand over mine. I noticed my green nail polish was chipped and messy. I wanted to take it off and re-do it. Funny how the little things can get to you in times of stress.
“Go and get Jacinta” Mom said to the boys “Leave a note for Dave, tell him she’s gone surfing with you, that you don’t know when she’ll be back and not to worry about her. That will buy us some time.”
Turning to me “Jade when they get back I want you all to go surfing, take Jacinta, get her into the water maybe, in a crowded spot where there are lots of people, surfers too. We need witnesses that see you all, can testify that you were all together. While you do that I’ll go to the police and show them the photos you took. Can you download them to your laptop and print them off for me please?”
“I can go one better than that Mom” I smiled. Pushing some buttons on my phone the printer in my room began to buzz. “Bluetooth Mom, they’re printing now, welcome to the 21st Century”
She smiled and kissed me on my forehead.
“Where would I be without my girl?” she laughed
“Probably stuck somewhere in 1999” I smiled back I liked being her girl.
The wait for the boys however was interminable.
I helped Mom clean up the house while we waited for them. I cleaned up dishes and helped with laundry. I noticed that I had more of the mannerisms of a girl now, quite often I’d push my hair back behind my ear or adjust my bra strap across my shoulder. When I walked around the house I walked like a girl, my hips swayed more and my breasts moved inside my bra always making their presence felt. I didn’t have to try to be like a girl I just was one, it was becoming as natural as it was when I was a boy. I didn’t think about wearing a skirt or a dress it just seemed to be part of my normal everyday life now.
Unpacking my stuff from the sleepover I threw some of my clothes into the laundry and felt something heavy in the bottom of the bag. Reaching in I pulled out a box about 10 inches long wrapped with a pink ribbon. Undoing it I pulled some wrapping paper off and held a vibrator in my hand. I was stunned, a little note was attached that simply read ‘Have fun’
No signature or anything
‘Jaz’ I thought ‘the little minx’
Carefully placing it into the drawer that held my panties I sat on my bed and thought about myself and my new sexuality. I had ‘explored’ myself sure, checked out my new girl parts and felt inside my vagina with my finger experiencing the pleasurable feelings all women have. I had touched and played with my clitoris bringing myself to an orgasm in the shower one evening which had led to me losing my balance, falling over on my backside and nearly breaking everything. I had giggled too loudly as it happened and Mom had knocked on the door asking if everything was okay. It was hard to think up an excuse but I had managed to squeak out “I’m alright” as I sank down in the shower under the warm water in a fit of hysterics. Mom had walked off probably shaking her head and muttering something about young girls.
I had stared in wonder at my arousal one night and how the lips of my vulva had spread open like the petals of a flower as I rubbed my finger across them and become oh so wet. That full length mirror had sure come in handy. But I’d obviously never been penetrated before and I wondered what that would feel like and I determined to find out that night in bed with my little ‘gift’.
My sexual awakening as a female was only really beginning and I found myself more and more curious about who I was now not just as Jade the girl but as Jade the woman.
The jury was still out but every day was bringing new revelation and insights into this feminine world, helped along by my friends and family. I fantasised about making love not with another girl but with a boy and what it would be like. It’s not that I was in a rush to actually experience it I think in many ways it scared the hell out of me but I knew in due course it would happen. Like most girls – I know I saw myself as one now - I believed in the notion of romance and love and forever but I had fought some hard battles so far both with myself and with the world. I had seen and experienced first-hand how cruel people could be to each other and as I began to cross the threshold into being a woman I wasn’t stupid enough to think that everyone I met had my best interests at heart. I knew I had been remarkably blessed with an amazing family and the start of friendships with a bunch of girls that I hoped would last a lifetime. These were gifts I wasn’t about to take for granted and I knew I’d do anything for my brothers and my mother.
My reverie was interrupted by the faint sound of two stroke motorbikes in the distance. I leapt off my bed and rushed outside to see if Jacinta was with the boys. Long dark hair blowing in the wind was the first thing I saw and the graceful long slim arms of a Mexican beauty holding on to Jeff’s waist. At least she was safe.
I rushed over to her and hugged her neck. She returned it then stood back and looked at me.
“How’s my ferocious Jade?” she asked in her sexy accent
“Much better now you’re here, you wouldn’t believe how worried I was about you”
“Ah dear Jade with your love and your wildness I missed seeing your beautiful face, if not for you I’d probably be dead now or back living as a prostitute in some other part of this country. Tonight you and I are going to cook dinner for everyone; I’m going to teach you how to make my mother’s secret recipe Enchiladas, but you must promise never to tell anyone else especially your brothers, that way they will always come back to you begging you to cook for them”
We laughed gaily together and walked inside hand in hand while Tim and Jeff just looked at each other and grinned. The way to a man’s heart truly was through his stomach.
Mom was inside and we talked more about what we were going to do. We had no idea how Dave would react to Jacinta’s return to our home. We needed to keep her safe but we couldn’t just up and leave for another part of the country, we had made a life here. The boys had also left the money at Dave’s place, strangely it was still there which was baffling as we had assumed that was the reason Dave had gone to the gang’s compound, to return it.
Going surfing this afternoon was the easy part, we got the reason for taking Jacinta along and introducing her to the surfing community. Like all communities of surfers around the world it was tight and close. We had been accepted into it immediately and as our mother, my Mom had become their Mom. She fed them, gave them shelter when they needed it, a shoulder to cry on or a word of encouragement at just the right time. Often over the past couple of years we had surfers of all shapes and sizes stay and enjoyed some pretty off the hook parties. If Jacinta was part of us then she would be a part of them also. I guessed rightly that she would be seen as Jeff’s girlfriend and that meant instant acceptance for her although I figured there’d be a few broken hearts amongst the girls too.
I pulled out my wetsuit and threw on a bikini. It was still a little weird putting one on instead of a pair of boardies but looking at myself in it made me smile.
“You sexy beast” I said pouting to myself in the mirror.
We headed off to the beach and especially to the pier where most of the surfers would be today. It was a classic wooden design with barnacle encrusted posts that ran right out to sea with a restaurant called ‘The Tin Fish’ at the end of it. Thousands of people walked it every day or would go there to fish, enjoy the views or have a meal. It was one of my favourite places on the beach and I had spent many an afternoon fishing for mackerel with my brothers when we weren’t in the water surfing. Sometimes you could catch a mackerel a minute, we only had one fishing rod between us so we’d take turns reeling them in and we would laugh and jump for joy when we caught one.
Seals and dolphins could often be seen playing in the water around the pier and one of my most treasured memories was an afternoon when a dolphin came right up to my board and blew water all over me. I had been alone at the time so had dropped off my board and just floated as she swam around me. I had reached out to touch her but she remained just out of my reach, then she would swim in and turn just in the nick of time as I laughed and splashed. Her grey and white sides were without blemish so she was young and she seemed intent on just playing with me. I knew she used sonar and could literally see through me. Some scientists even speculated that dolphins could read our emotions. If this one could read mine she would have known my excitement and joy. For months afterwards I had told anyone who would listen that I wanted to be a marine biologist studying dolphins and had researched all about them on the net.
The surf was pumping today and at least 20 to 30 surfers were already out there. We introduced Jacinta to everyone as we stood on the beach getting ready. A number had heard what had happened to me and came up to see if I was okay. Most were just curious or concerned while a couple poked me in the arm to see if I was real. That is until they saw the looks on Jeff and Tim’s faces and backed off. I even had a couple of guys ask me out on dates but of course that is until they saw Jeff and Tim’s faces and backed off.
“Hey” I said to them “they were cute”
“Not on our watch” Jeff had said and Tim just nodded. No one messed with their sister without their permission. I felt kind off half pissed off with them and half all warm and fuzzy at how protective they were.
The girls that we knew were mostly welcoming to both Jacinta and I although some of the more skanky ones just looked down their noses at us.
Jacinta had much more experience with bitchy girls than I did and simply turned her back on them then smiled at the others and started talking about how she liked one girl’s hair and how another girl did her eye makeup and would she teach her. She was an instant hit and I thought to myself, ‘hey I’ve got a built in big sister now. She could teach me a lot about getting on with other females’
I was included in the conversation too and before I knew it I was having my hair discussed while other girls were either pondering what the best makeup look and colors suited me or trying to set me up on a date with their brothers.
As much as I enjoyed the conversation, and believe me I did I mean what girl doesn’t like to be the center of attention now and again, the lure of the waves became too much. Picking up my board I excused myself and ran for the water. The waves had been built by a storm out to sea over the past week then the wind had turned offshore making the waves peak and turn into barrels.
I duck dived under and paddled as hard as I could to get out of the break zone then sat up on my board squinting out to sea. My long hair hung behind me wet and glistening in the sunlight and I felt at peace.
I managed to catch a couple of good waves dropping off the lip and into the pocket then speeding out of the barrel while I trailed my hand along the wall. I tried to kick up off the trailing edge of my board and launch myself into the air then come down still on balance just as the wave would overtake me. I had seen my surfing heroes like the Brazilian Gabriel Medina, Australian Taj Burrow and especially the world number one Kelly Slater, who was my all-time favorite, do this and like every young surfer I wanted to emulate what they did. I was in awe of what they could do on a board.
As a girl I noticed my leg strength wasn’t the same but my natural anticipation was still there and I could read the wave in the same way as always. What I didn’t notice was how much more fluid and graceful I was. Although Dave had told me about it I was able to move more elegantly through the water on my board. My center of balance was different being a girl but this actually lent itself to my style of surfing and I was really enjoying myself.
I glanced back to shore and happily saw Jacinta sitting in the middle of a bunch of girls all animatedly talking and laughing together. The crowd protected her and she seemed to be enjoying the company.
I paddled over to Jeff and Tim who were sitting together. We made a triangle in the water and they looked at me as salt water glinted on their faces and drops sat at the end of each strand of hair held their magically by surface tension.
“I’ve been watching you” Tim said “you don’t even know how really good you are do you? Those drops and jumps are awesome Jade.”
“Yeah Jay, honestly I gotta say you rock that board, I’m really jealous. I think now as a girl you’re even better than you were as a guy. The way you move on the board and can just change direction at will is awesome. I’ve never seen another girl do that except for maybe some of the pros like Laura Enever or the Hawaiian Malia Manuel” added Jeff.
“Really you think so?” I asked this was something my brothers hardly ever did and they never gave praise unless you earned it.
“Yeah we really do” Tim said “actually I can’t wait to see you compete”
“Aw thanks guys, but you know what, I reckon the best thing is just being out here doing this with my brothers, especially when I catch more waves than you cause you’re so fat”
They roared with mock laughter and Jeff launched himself off his board dunking me into the water.
When we came up Tim looked pensive.
“Hey look” he said nodding toward the shore.
On the road next to his car, hands in his pockets, stood Dave. He was looking right at us.
We continued to surf not ready to hit the beach just yet but we all kept an eye on Dave who continued to wait.
As I caught one wave and dropped into the pocket, the middle of the wave where you actually do the surfing bit, I noticed a head in the water holding a camera.
Who the hell would be filming me I wondered as I spun off the back and sat down on the board.
The cameraman swam over, I could tell it was a guy by the way he moved in the water, then he popped up beside me.
“Hey Jade, shit you’re good”
I looked at him, recognition slowly dawning and instantly I felt self-conscious.
“Hey Phil, fancy seeing you here?”
‘Shit’ I thought ‘what a lame thing to say’
“Yeah well it’s kind of my hobby, filming in the water. I have a few favourite surfers I love to take pics of. Actually I now have a new super most favourite of all surfer I like filming, easily the best on the beach”
I must be thick “Oh really, yeah cool, who is it?”
He tilted his head to one side and looked at me with those eyes. Slowly he held his camera up to his face, protected by its waterproof casing and clicked.
I felt stupid as I realized who he was talking about.
“Oh me then” I babbled “I like your photos, they always look awesome in the school newspaper you’re really talented”
‘Honestly Jade pull it together, how can this boy turn your brain to mush so easily come on girl’ I felt like slapping myself.
“Thanks, it must be the mutual admiration society meeting right here. Look I’m gonna be straight up with you, I know you’ve been through a lot of shit but ever since I met you the other day I can’t get you out of my head”
‘Neither could I’
“I’d really, really like to get to know you better, you know if you’d like to that is” he stammered a pleading look in his eye.
We looked at each other “You look pretty pathetic begging like that, but my god you’re cute when you do” I answered.
He splashed in the water and floated on his back smiling.
“That’s a yes then?”
“Yeah, I guess it’s a yes then”
“Sooooo can I come over tomorrow maybe, we could go for a walk, chat, maybe get coffee or a shake or well anything you want actually”
“I’d like that”
“Say about one o’clock?”
“Sweet az” I said
“Umm mind if I hang around do a bit more photography get some more pics?” he asked
“Sure, get my good side” I joked
“Every single one of your sides is good, my god every side is perfect” he didn’t seem to be joking.
Despite being in the water I felt hot, flushed. Was this love or just lust? I wasn’t sure but it felt good.
I didn’t surf that well for the next little while but Phil clicked away regardless. He was now my favourite photographer.
Dave was still waiting as we exited the water.
I guessed it was time for a serious talk.
He approached all four of us, Jacinta included, as we dried off.
I decided it was time for some very hard questions to be asked. It was probably dumb but I felt brave with my brothers next to me.
“Ahh yeah gidday guys” he nodded his head and I wondered if he was turning Australian.
Jeff and Tim did the old eyebrow flick, neither friendly nor unfriendly. I simply remembered how Dave had likened me to his daughter.
It was now or never time for the truth.
CHAPTER 15 – Sleep through the Static
“So how’s things?” Dave asked
“All good” said Tim.
“Just all good?”
“Could be better you know aye Dave, lot’s been happening” Jeff added “don’t really know who to trust these days and who’s gonna stab you in the back, you understand”
Tim and Jeff stood there large and intimidating, I could see the conflict in their eyes. They were seeing a man who had supported them and made them welcome in this community, someone they thought they could trust with their lives but now someone who had ripped all that away from them in just one morning. I decided to end the agony.
“I saw you this morning”
He looked at me with a frown on his face
“Really Jade? Where?”
“At an old military place right out the back of San Diego you were there talking to some guy”
Dave just stood still, he didn’t move, didn’t even blink.
Then he seemed to deflate, like a football going flat and he sat down on the sand his knees up by his chin looking out to sea. His face had gone pale almost ashen so I sat next to him, leaned against him.
“Remember how you told me about your daughter how she died in your arms was that a lie?”
“No of course not why would anyone lie about something like that?”
“Remember how you said I was like your daughter and how much I reminded you of her remember how I saw you as my Dad, someone I could trust, someone I could look up to”
He nodded
“So what’s the truth?” I asked
Jacinta and the boys sat next to him waiting as he composed himself. A light wind was blowing from behind us and I shivered. Tim put his arm around me and I snuggled into his chest, he felt warm, safe.
“After my wife and daughter died I changed” Dave began “for a long time I wanted to die too, suicide was on my mind constantly, I’d dream up scenarios of how to do it in my head, at one stage I came really close. I was hurting in a way no man should ever have to hurt it was an ache that started in my heart then just kept going it never stopped even when I was asleep I felt it. I’d lost the two most precious people in my life. It was at that point I guess I sought out relief, a way to forget and lose myself all at the same time. I met a guy who knew a guy, you know how it goes and before long well I had a needle and a bag in front of me and I didn’t care. The road to addiction didn’t take very long and before I knew, I was in so much debt I thought I was going to lose my business. The gang, the same ones who took you Jacinta, also owned me. I had nowhere to go and nowhere to hide. Anyway I was an addict for about two years then two things happened that got me off the drugs then after that another thing happened then well a fourth thing that pretty much turned my life around”
“Go on” said Jacinta, gently, kindly she’d been in his place not that long ago
“First I decided to go for a surf one day. It was rough and I was a bit strung out but I needed the head space. I went alone and the surf was broken and big no real pattern to it. Anyway I was out the back when I saw a monster coming. It was like a train and reared up so high it was one of those freak waves you get every now and then you know……..”
We nodded we had all seen them, monster waves that come along ever so rarely but if you could catch them it was like catching a tiger by the tail, once you were on the ride you had to see it through to the end or risk a mauling.
“Anyway I came off the lip and just went straight down the face looking to hit the bottom then sweep back up, you know how it goes but I wiped out dug the front of the board in and just went over. I remember going under, being dragged along smacking up against the sea floor, hitting my head, my ass, everywhere I was just tumbled like a toy. I must have blacked out for a couple of seconds then when I woke I was just floating and I thought this is it, the end, no more Dave McIntyre. In a way it kind of felt like a relief like I didn’t have to fight anymore that all I had to do was just give up and I could be with my wife and daughter. It felt like the easiest decision in the world. Little stars were exploding in my head, behind my eyes and I was pretty close to just blacking out for the last time.”
We all sat there, the cool wind, the sand beneath us forgotten as we listened to what it was like to die. I continued to cuddle into Tim, he seemed to really like it, like he was protecting me, I liked it too. I listened to the steady rhythm of his heart it felt strong. No one said anything just gave Dave time to continue. It was the strangest thing but I was feeling his story not just listening to it. I could feel his emotion as he spoke and I guess what I was experiencing was empathy but it was more than that. It was raw and powerful but it was also gentle and feminine. I think I was feeling what every woman feels when someone pours out their heart. It was a mixture of compassion and love. If this is what it meant to be a woman then the tide was turning. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go back anymore.
“I woke up some time later, I was lying on the beach as the swash of the waves just broke around me, my lungs and the back of my throat were burning. I don’t know what happened or how I got there but I swear at one stage I felt hands around my ankles like I was being helped some way. You guys know I’m not religious but something was there that day or someone I don’t know but my time on this planet wasn’t over, there were more waves to catch”
He smiled ruefully
“After that I had a new sense of life like it needed to be lived not wasted, people around me mattered again”
“Go on” Tim said but we all could have said it, time was forgotten.
“Well second I met someone who said something to me that was like a light bulb turned on in my head. He was a little English guy, kind of rounder than he was tall and he came into my shop looked at boards and stuff and we got talking. He ran a business and he said he’d never had an employee ever quit because they were unhappy and he’d never had to fire anyone. I was intrigued I’d never heard of anything like that, I asked him what his secret was. His answer blew me away. He said that one of his personal values was always to believe the best about someone. That the reality was that around him you could screw up and it doesn't bother him. He said that he would just make sure that his opinion of someone goes to a higher level anyway because he thought that is what life should be like. That we should give each other space and grace to become better. He believed the best way for that to happen is when someone sees you better than how you see yourself because then you have something to step into. From that time on I was determined to make that me. I had a reason to live again. That’s why I agreed to train you for the surfing competition Jade.”
He looked at me and I looked back steadily into his eyes, like I cared, which I did.
“Third well that was easy I met a family who knew how to love”
“Fourth one of that family became like a daughter to me and ever since I met her I’ve felt like a Dad again. That’s why she needed to be protected, why I was up at the Facility, that’s what they call it, ‘The Facility’ like they’re in some kind of spy movie. Anyway I’d come off the drugs but I still knew these guys, they are like leaches. I talked to the head honcho a guy by the name of Warren Melville. He’s a spineless piece of shit but he’s cunning. Gets others to do his dirty work for him but he makes all the money, doesn’t lift a finger to help anyone but himself. I told him I could get his money back and if I did would he be willing to call it quits just let you all walk away”
“So he knows about us?” asked Jeff “knows who we are?”
“He knows about you, knows that a family is sheltering Jacinta but he doesn’t know your names or where you live although he knows the general vicinity. His goons told him about the run in they had the other night, how you got away. They weren’t flavor of the month after that I’ll tell you. It would just be a matter of time before they found you though”
It was a sobering thought knowing that these guys knew about us. That we were on their radar, that we could be found at any time.
“What would they do to us if they found us?” asked Jeff
“They’d have no use for you guys or your Mom, you’d be lucky to be left alive after they got their money but they’d take Jacinta back and Jade, get them hooked. Probably relocate Jade to another part of the country, New York, Miami, Chicago. She’d be another young junkie working for a pimp.”
Scratch the sobering thought now it was terrifying.
“So what did this Melville dude say?” Tim demanded, he was angry.
“He wants his money above all else, all of it back. But he gave no promises said he’d think about it. Asked me how I could get it for him. I just said I had contacts in the community and that I could act in the middle, get it back, that the people involved were frightened just wanted it to all go away but that they would be protected by every surfer out here and was it a fight he really wanted. He agreed he needed me as the negotiator and he didn’t want the attention especially if the police got involved. All I can say is I’m hopeful”
“So we can give the money back and if we’re lucky we get away with our lives, if we’re not we could be killed and two of the people I love most in this life could be sold as prostitutes and forced into drug addiction” said Jeff.
Jacinta looked at him, two of the people he LOVED most. His statement wasn’t lost on her or on me either but then again I knew he loved me as much as I loved him. We were family after all.
“Pretty much” said Dave
“Fuck them! Fuck them all, no way am I living like this. They think they can frighten us, scare us into submission no fucking way!” I’d never seen Jeff like this, it kind of scared me but it also made me proud. My real Dad was gone my oldest brother was stepping up.
He continued
“We know where they are now and what they do. They infest our community with their drugs and make girls their slaves. Now they’re threatening my family. Whose side are you on Dave, will you help us?”
Dave looked him in the eye then over at me.
“Your side, I’ve always been on your side, I’ll protect you guys with my life”
“Yeah” said Tim “but we need help and time to plan”
“We have to go on like nothings’ happening, till everyone’s ready.”
‘How the hell was I going to concentrate on school now, on being a model on Wednesday when all this was going on’ I wondered.
CHAPTER 16 - Hope
When we got home I’ve never seen my mother so relieved as when we told her what Dave had said. She beamed for the rest of the day and even broke out into humming that little lullaby again as she sat and mended a pair of Tim’s shorts. She had been to see the police, had given them the photographs but all they said was we had some photos of a couple of guys and a building. Unless they had ‘just cause’ to search the building there wasn’t a hang of a lot they could do. Mom had suggested they do a stakeout like in the movies but they just laughed.
“This is real life lady” the officer had said and threw the photos into a tray that was already full to overflowing. Mom had shrugged her shoulders and left wondering what had happened to our justice system.
Dinner of course was spectacular, the Enchiladas Jacinta and I had made weren’t eaten by Jeff and Tim as much as they were inhaled. I had so enjoyed making them with her and we had laughed and squealed and giggled all the way through the process. I was becoming really close to her and she kept calling me her ferocious little sister. The boys of course had been kicked out of the kitchen while Mom pottered around looking over our shoulders offering the odd suggestion. As a boy I hadn’t really thought much about cooking, to me meals just magically appeared at just the right time and my job was to help clean up the mess afterwards. As a girl making a meal and cooking was curiously therapeutic and I enjoyed it greatly. Perhaps it also had something to do with my fellow chefs.
I rang Jaz after dinner and filled her in on all the gossip but didn’t go into any details about what was happening to our family. We talked about boys (Phil) and hair and movies and makeup. We squealed and giggled and she told me what she thought of him. It felt good to have a friend to chat with and hey we were 15 year old girls, well nearly 15 anyway. As I put the phone down Mom came in and picked up a hair brush. She had gotten into the habit of brushing my hair at night and I had fallen in love with her doing it. She had a knack of getting the knots out easily and by the end my hair looked and felt like spun silk. Over the two and a half months since my transformation it had grown very thick very quickly and fell down my back.
“Mom do you think I’m pretty” I asked her as she pulled the brush through my hair.
The brush stopped and I could see her looking at me in the reflection of my mirror. She had one of those expressions on her face that said ‘are you stupid of course you are.’
“Don’t be silly Jade, you’re not just pretty you’re beautiful”
“Yeah but Mom, honestly”
“Jade every young girl goes through this, they all wonder if they’re attractive enough, whether they’re too fat or just right. It’s just natural I did it, you’re doing it and if you have a daughter she’ll probably do it”
A daughter, I hadn’t considered that. I might actually have a daughter or son or even both. I’d heard about childbirth in my health ed class but now as a girl it was real, one day I’d be going through it, I put the thought out of my head. Although actually I kind of hoped if it did ever happen one day I’d have a kid like Tyler. I wondered how he was I hadn’t seen him for a while. Mom kept brushing.
“Thanks I guess it’s just this is so new to me and I know I can’t go back to my old life anymore so I just need to know I’m going to fit in, that I actually you know look like a real girl.”
“How many times have you been into a women’s restroom now?”
“Ahh I don’t know heaps”
“Has any other woman ever told you to leave that you don’t look ‘female’ enough to be there?”
“No, never”
“You look like a real girl Jade, trust me” Mom was so logical. I giggled
“If you could go back would you?” Mom asked “back to Jayden”
“Actually I was thinking about that just today in fact and you know what Mom for the first time the answer was no. I don’t think I would. I kinda like being a girl, its cool.”
“I’m glad darling, you’ll find there are huge advantages to being female Jade, the world is opening up for women, you can be anything you like, be who you like. I don’t suppose’ She cleared her throat “you’ve thought about boyfriends or ummm girlfriends have you?”
“I like boys Mom, actually there’s ummm a boy who kind of likes me, he wants to take me out tomorrow for coffee or a soda or something”
“Really!? That’s…..nice. What’s his name?”
So I filled my mother in on Phil, how he was Lauren’s brother, how he was a photographer blah blah.
She ummed and ahhed as I told her while she brushed my hair out then proceeded to give me advice on boys as if I didn’t already know I mean I had been one. She repeated herself at least a million times (no exaggeration) about what boys really want and to be careful while I assured her I wasn’t even going there.
“We’ve just met Mom we’re just friends”
“That’s what all the girls say Jade. Just try not to be alone with him tomorrow, please, for me, go to the Mall or something”
“Sure, of course”
She got up to leave and gave me a big hug after putting the hair brush away
“Just off now honey, gotta go out”
“Huh go out now, what for” I asked with a frown it was late
“Just have to go buy that shotgun I was talking about the other day”
I fell back on my pillow and laughed my hair cascading around me, my mother would probably do that too.
CHAPTER 17 – Fortunate Fool
My date with Phil went too quickly, we went to the mall like Mom suggested after I introduced him to her. He had this little scooter thing that sounded like a sewing machine but we both fit on it and we zoomed off in a cloud of smoke zipping between cars.
Fortunately I wore jeans but I’d decided to put on the sexiest top I had, it was low cut with spaghetti straps and made of silk that was a baby pink color. It only came down to the top of my jeans so my midriff was exposed now and then. Matched with a black cardigan that sparkled in the light and with jeans that emphasised my rear I looked super hot or so Jacinta said when she critiqued me.
We had chatted over a soda and laughed about the same things. He didn’t take his eyes off me or even attempt to look at another girl. He made me feel……good.
All too soon it was over though and as we walked through the mall I felt him slip his hand in mine our fingers lacing together. He gave my hand a little squeeze and I smiled to myself.
‘Yup I’m a girl’ I thought as I squeezed back
When we got to his scooter he smiled over at me.
“That was fun, I love being with you” he said
He seemed shy, maybe a little nervous. I didn’t get it until he leaned over and kissed me. It took me by surprise at first then I responded and kissed him back. It was gentle our lips just pressed together, I closed my eyes and felt his breath tickle my cheek. We held the kiss and I opened my eyes to see his looking straight at me. He put his arms around me and pulled me close, I felt his warmth and put my arms around him gazing into his eyes.
“I could get used to this” he said
I smiled at the cliché but in a funny way it felt right.
“Yeah me too”
“I guess I should take you home”
“I guess” but I didn’t take my arms from around him, this date was getting better and better.
He laughed “You know if I don’t get you home I’m going to have to answer to your brothers and your Mom. There is no way I’m risking that”
I kind of did a mock sigh and chuckled thinking about Mom and her shotgun. My uncle had told us stories of how he and Mom had lived by orchards out east and that as kids they’d raided the apple trees. The orchardist had shot at them with a shotgun full of salt peter to scare all the kids away. I had this mental image of my mother shooting Phil in the butt.
“Let’s go” he said and I slipped onto the back of his little scooter and snaked my arms around his waist holding him tight leaning my head against his back. He was right I could get used to this.
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“Grom, its October 6th next weekend that’s your birthday got any plans?”
“Umm no why” I asked Tim curious
“Cool don’t make any”
“How come?”
“Thought you might like to go surfing up at Blacks Beach with a few of us, maybe stay the night sleeping in the dunes.” Tim was sitting playing with his motor bike again as I watched. If he wasn’t surfing he was working on the darn thing. He’d usually look at Mom and go “Homework? What homework?” then go back to tinkering whenever she asked.
“Really you mean it?” I was over the moon I’d never had the chance to go on one of these adventures with my brothers I’d always been either too young or doing something else at the time and Blacks Beach was one of the top surfing spots in Southern California. It was bounded by huge cliffs about 300 feet high and the waves were legendary, really fast and really big as they jacked up after moving over an underwater canyon.
“Yeah, thought we could all go in Pete’s Kombi, take a tent, cook some sausages up for dinner. Ummm I was kind of wondering if your friend, Jasmine, wanted to come too. You know keep you company, Jacinta’s gonna tag along with Jeff. It would be fun. A few of the other guys were talking of coming as well. Might be a bit cool but hey this is California”
I ran over to him and squeezed him as hard as I could then did this little dance in front of him that probably looked really girly, but I didn’t care. I had a feeling this was going to be the best birthday ever.
“She likes you, you know”
“Aw yeah I figured as much I umm wouldn’t mind getting to know her”
“I’ll ring her now”
I skipped off to my room and rang Jaz explaining the invitation to her and who would be on the trip. I think Tim heard the squealing outside as he worked on his bike. Jaz had to do a bit to persuade her parents but finally they relented since both Jacinta and I would be there. The three ‘J’s’ I thought Jacinta, Jasmine and Jade. We were now officially the three Musketeers for this coming weekend.
We still had to get through the week but I didn’t mind, I could see my friends and Phil at school, we were still working on our charity project plus I had the modelling opportunity coming up. Morgan Chapman had returned to school a much more subdued and quiet guy. I hadn’t told anyone what he had tried to do to me at his home and I intended to keep it just between him and me. He steered clear of me and I kept away from him so it all worked. I continued to work a few days a week at Dave’s shop and would train on the days I didn’t. I even saw Tyler on the bus most days and he excitedly asked me if I could be his ‘fishal babysitter’ I told him I’d talk to his Mom and if she wanted me to babysit and I was free then sure I’d love to make it ‘fishal’. He’d grinned manically and just about tripped over his feet in his rush to tell her that Jade was his new babysitter. She waved and I held my fingers to my head like they were a phone mouthing “I’ll call you” She gave me the thumbs up as the bus chugged away.
I loved my little group of friends we were tight and getting tighter. I’d known Josh, Sam and Jasmine since I’d started and the other girls just seemed to fit together perfectly plus Phil had ‘joined’ the group which didn’t worry me in the slightest although I wasn’t too sure how Lauren felt about her brother hanging around so much. We sat together, talked and laughed together. Life was getting back to normal.
CHAPTER 18 – Inaudible Melodies
Jacinta and I walked through the mall looking for the shop we had come there for.
I wanted to spend some of my savings on some very intimate and sexy black lingerie and had persuaded Jacinta to accompany me to buy it.
The shop assistant walked over to us eventually. We had found the store, it was lined wall to wall with every piece of intimate girly underwear you can imagine from push up bras to lacy panties and boy shorts. They even had a section with corsets. I was drawn to the beautiful baby doll sets however and held the filmy material between my fingers wondering what it would feel like to wear one of these. Jacinta was no better and we spent a good 10 minutes enraptured with just looking and touching.
“Is there anything you’re interested in?” the girl said
“Um yes I was wanting to buy a black push up bra and um some matching boy shorts please, sexy ones” I was half embarrassed half freaking out excited.
The shop assistant looked me over and smiled, leading me to a rack of bras. She sorted through them and finally found what she was looking for.
“What cup size are you?” she wasn’t talking to herself as much as to me, looking me over assessing my size.
“Let’s try a C cup I think” and she handed me a selection of three very lacy, very sexy underwired bras. “Go and try these on see what you like then we’ll find some matching panties”
A C cup I was astonished, really, I looked down at my breasts, wow I thought.
Walking in to the changing rooms I quickly pulled my top and bra off. Trying on these bras was somewhere between exhilaration and a spiritual experience. They pushed my breasts up and gave me cleavage. I was gobsmacked looking at myself in the full length mirror. The assistant knew what she was doing; I wanted to buy all three. Finally however I decided on the two I liked best and wandered back out. It took another 15 minutes to decide on the panties but I was soon walking from the store with two matching sets of rather sexy lingerie. Jacinta and I strolled along giggling like school girls, which I suppose is exactly what we were.
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The big dance was coming up and I couldn’t wait, I had the most beautiful dress to wear. It was Wednesday recess and I was walking to my locker with Jaz. Aside from Jacinta she was the closest girlfriend I had and we shared everything together.
Coming to my locker we noticed a flower had been taped to the door, a red rose, but it was dead, curled over and wilted, the green leaves now dry and brittle. Slipped inside the locker was an envelope, just plain, white. I looked at Jasmine as I opened it. We both stared at the writing:-
I LOVED YOU
WHY COULDN’T YOU LOVE ME BACK?
A genuinely large shiver went up and down my spine.
The main corridor of our school was like any school lined with lockers and punctuated by doors that led to classrooms or laboratories. Students were sitting inside some listening, some with heads bowed concentrating on the work given others laughing and talking. Jaz and I hurried along not seeing any of it. We needed to see Mrs Shirley and show her the note. Was it for real or was someone pranking us and who could it be? This was not making my day. Additionally Jaz and I had skirts on that were probably far too short so not only were we going to get advice and help we were probably going to get told off as well.
Knocking on her door very timidly we stood outside waiting, trying to pull our skirts down so they kind of looked a bit longer than they actually were. I rubbed a little of my lip gloss off too and tried to make a sweet innocent face although in reality I was feeling pretty freaked out by the note and just looked scared.
Mrs Shirley came to the door and looked at us smiling.
“Come in girls, is something wrong, what’s the matter?” she always got straight down to business.
I showed her the note and the flower that had been taped to my locker. I think she noticed my hand shaking as I passed it to her. I saw her looking at my skirt but she said nothing about it. For her it was compassion first, justice second. I knew I’d get the telling off but it wouldn’t be now.
“Sit down girls and fill me in” she looked at the note again as we sat on seats in front of her desk. I pressed my knees together and put my hands in my lap. It wasn’t done consciously I just did it.
“We found this on Jade’s locker” Jaz indicated the rose “and then we found the note slipped inside. It freaked us out, what should we do?”
“Well the first thing you must do is not panic ladies and you’ve already done the second thing and that is to bring it to me. Now Jade is there anyone you know who might send you a note like this a, ahh, jilted lover shall we say, not that you would have a lover at your age but you know what I mean”
“Well I did go on a date with a boy, Phil Thomas, he’s in the same grade as me and I um kissed him”
“And that’s it?”
“Yes ma’am that’s right”
“And you were straight up with this boy, you haven’t two timed him or anything?”
“No ma’am I have enough trouble keeping up with one boy let alone two” Mrs Shirley chortled at that for some reason.
“Yes well be that as it may I think I’ll call young Phillip in and have a bit of a chat with him and see if we can’t get to the bottom of this. See if he knows anything. Don’t worry girls I’m sure it’s all very innocent, maybe a boy with a broken heart. I have a feeling you are both going to break a few in your lifetime”
We both blushed looking down at our toes.
“If only we could have a TARDIS Jade and be able to go back in time and sort these messes out before they start hmmmm”
Jasmine’s eyes shot up while I looked perplexed. What was a TARDIS?
“You watch The Doctor Mrs Shirley really?” Jaz was beside herself.
“Of course Jaz, all cultured intelligent people do, isn’t Matt Smith divine and that David Tennant wasn’t he just gorgeous?”
This led on to a protracted discussion about Time Lords, Daleks, Cybermen and Weeping Angels. I sat there in a daze as they talked and chuckled together about some British television program and which episode was their favorite. Jaz looked over at me.
“Oh Jade you don’t know what you’re missing Doctor Who is just the best TV program in the world. You are so coming over one night and watching it. I have all of them.”
I nodded giving her that fake smile that said ‘Yeah right sister’ but I had the feeling I had no chance and would soon be initiated into ‘The Doctor’. The letter was forgotten, for now.
“Now since you’re both here you might as well help me. What class are you supposed to be in now?” said Mrs Shirley
We were both meant to be in Math but missing that would be sensational.
“I’ll let your teacher know. Now the school has decided to introduce a school uniform”
We looked aghast ‘Uniform!!!’
“Don’t look like that, it’s not going to be worn all the time, we simply want to introduce a dress uniform for our students when they represent us at something. For instance if you did hockey and went as a team to play another school you would all wear it and look very smart before changing into your playing uniform. For the girls it would consist of a nice black blazer and a white blouse and a black pleated skirt, not quite as short as the ones you are wearing now though” she looked pointedly over her glasses at us, there was the telling off.
“The blazer would have our school crest embroided onto it. What do you think?”
I actually liked the idea and thought it would make us look very smart and nice.
“I like it” I said
“Good because you two are going to be our girl models. I want to put some photographs on our school website and into a newsletter home to parents to let them know about it. Any objections to doing a little modelling?”
We had none especially if it got us out of Math.
“Can you suggest a couple of boys who might be willing to help us with modelling the male version at all?”
I had just the two.
“Josh Sayers and Sam Gibson they’d make lovely models”
“Right go and get them” she looked them up on her computer and gave us a slip of paper to give to their teachers.
We skipped off to get the boys. This was going to be fun.
Assembled back in Mrs Shirley’s office we were all smiles and laughter as she handed out the clothes. We were to get changed in our respective restrooms and come back quickly with the emphasis on quickly. Doing so we admired each other standing there waiting for the photographer to organise himself. Jaz and I had been given skirts that came down to just above the knee. Too long we thought so we did what all girls do who have to wear a uniform skirt. We rolled the waist band to make them shorter. Being pleated they flared out from our tiny waists and showed off our legs. The blouses sat outside the skirt and then the blazer over that. We looked really snobby and flash.
Josh and Sam had long dark trousers and a white shirt with a tie. The blazer was cut for a man and I had to admit the boys looked really handsome other than Sam’s mess of hair. Mrs Shirley sent him off to comb it and when he came back we were led off to the front of the school outside the administration building and beside the school flagpole where the American flag fluttered. Josh was paired with Jaz and Sam with me. We took pictures standing together or separately which reminded me of the surfing shoot. The photographer said Jaz and I had very photogenic faces and seemed to take an awful lot of us. For one shot Sam had to put his arm around my waist and seemed really reserved.
“Come on Sam I won’t bite” I grinned at him “We’re friends remember”
Tentatively he reached his arm around me and held my side. I could feel his whole arm shaking and when I reached around to hold his hand he was sweating.
“Are you okay?” I asked genuinely worried for him, maybe he was sick.
He glanced at me then away
“I’m fine, let’s just get this done then we can get changed”
He was on edge, unusually so. I decided we needed to talk.
After that the photographer seemed to take a never-ending time. How many did he need for a school newsletter and a website I wondered but finally it was over and we could get changed. Mrs Shirley thanked us and looked pointedly at our skirts before we left. We got the message loud and clear, she appreciated modesty from the girl students and it was the school rules that our skirts had to be a certain length. We took that as a first and final warning. Longer skirts tomorrow or face the consequences. Before we left though Mrs Shirley told us she’d tried to get a hold of Phil but he wasn’t here at school today. She’d rung home and his Mom had confirmed he was there sick. It didn’t look like he was the mysterious letter writer.
I caught up with the boys and walked next to Sam, he was quiet
“Everything okay you seemed really nervous holding me today”
He stopped and waved the others to continue. When they were out of earshot he breathed out noisily.
“Yeah look about that, sorry but every time I’m close to you I get that reaction.”
I looked puzzled “How come?”
“Have you looked at yourself lately? Ever since you turned up to school as a girl every guy has gone gaga over you. Haven’t you noticed the stares or how guys open doors for you or offer you things?”
I thought about it and acknowledged that perhaps Sam was right but I hadn’t really noticed; it just seemed to be part of my day. Didn’t guys do that with all the girls?
“Jade!” he seemed exasperated “you’re beautiful, gorgeous, stunning how else can I put this? Whenever I’m around you I can’t think I can hardly breathe and you don’t even notice me. Shit my heart stops when you laugh or smile.”
I smiled
“See like that, honest I can’t take it any-more, other than perhaps Jaz who maybe comes close to you and your brothers got her, you’re the most beautiful girl in school. I’m just Sam I have no chance”
“Sam if I wasn’t interested in someone else and you asked me out. I’d say yes. I think you are kind and gentle and considerate. You’d make a fine boyfriend for any girl in this school and beside you’re not bad looking, specially when that hair of yours is combed”
He didn’t seem convinced and a dark look came over his face.
“Yeah well its okay for you to say” he stomped off in the direction of his classroom but the bell rang for lunch. Students poured out of the doors of each room and he was quickly lost to sight. I stood there jostled a bit by the thronging masses wondering about our conversation. Turning on my heel I made my way to my locker. Jaz was standing there looking at the door taped to it this time was a yellow carnation wilted and dead like the rose. Jaz held her iPhone in front of her looking something up on the net. She looked at me.
“You know how a red rose symbolises love and affection?”
“Yeah”
“Do you know what a yellow carnation means?”
“No” I dreaded the answer
“It means rejection and disappointment”
I opened my locker wondering if there was a note in it……..there stuck to the side sat an envelope.
“I think I know who it is” I said to Jaz
CHAPTER 19 - Flake
That night Mom told me to pack an overnight bag.
“Huh, what for?” I’d asked
“Well if you must know” she said hands on hips and a huge smile on her face “We’re staying overnight in San Diego in a flash hotel then on Thursday you and I are going to get some pampering. Since you won’t be here on your birthday I’ve decided this is your present, just a bit early and no questions about whether we can afford it okay”
“Okay sure wow, umm what do you mean by ‘pampering’”
“Just trust me Jade you’re going to love it, pack a bikini too you’re going to need it”
Tim walked past and smacked me playfully. “Pampering huh” he commented. I kicked him in the butt and instantly got a lesson in how much weaker I was now.
“I’m glad you’re on my side” I said breathlessly to him after he had dumped me on my backside
“Always and forever sis” he said over his shoulder as he sauntered out toward his motorbike “Always and forever”
I rushed off to pack a bag.
Wednesday dawned calm and clear and we jumped in the little Toyota early to beat traffic and make our 10.00 am appointment. We sailed up the freeway singing along to the radio and giggling at some of the antics radio DJ’s got up to. It didn’t take too long and we were soon in the vicinity of the offices we needed to be at hunting around for a car park. San Diego is a diverse city with a vast disparity between rich and poor. Some of the mansions in the hills or near the ocean are massive while the homeless can be seen living under bridges or in alleys. I always felt sad seeing them. The city itself was huge and growing bigger. Massive skyscrapers stood in the Central Business district located down near San Diego Bay and it was home to the U.S. Navy who had shipbuilding and submarine yards there, aircraft carriers, destroyers and so on. As you can imagine you could find a sailor on every corner.
Today was a different story though and I was both nervous and excited as we entered the office. A beautifully dressed and made up receptionist met us and asked us to wait. She wore a dark purple dress that fit her like a glove emphasising her small waist and long legs. Her makeup was perfect with dusky smouldering eyes, complemented by her dark red lips and smooth skin while her chestnut colored hair fell in waves around her face and down her back. I was in awe.
In due course Bridee Gordon came out and I began to wonder if Chances only employed incredibly attractive women. She had high heels on with a dark blue dress that said corporate and sexy at the same time. She had brunette hair cut in a bob that fell to her shoulders and perfect makeup complimenting her classically beautiful face.
She smiled warmly at us with a set of perfect white teeth and shook our hands.
“My Jade you are quite the rare beauty” she said looking me over while I blushed. This from a woman who could be in ‘Vogue’ magazine.
Ushering us through we walked to a private elevator and up to a large floor that had a studio, dressing rooms and a makeup room with mirrors and lights. I felt like I’d stepped onto a Hollywood movie set.
“You have just the look we’ve been searching for Jade, thank you so much for agreeing to come up here to do this.” Bridee gushed “I have a feeling you’re really going to enjoy today, you’ll be working with some other surfers as well plus we’ll be doing some individual shots of you for next year’s spring catalogue. It’s just still photos today but if our marketing manager likes what you’ve done we’d like to invite you back at a later date to be involved in shooting some advertisements for TV. Oh and we probably won’t have time to do any action shots down at the beach today so we’ll have to leave that till later”
“Jade can you go with that lady there” Bridee said “I’m just going to talk with your Mom about all the legal stuff since you’re so young. She’ll take you and get your hair and makeup done then fit you into a bikini for your first shoot. After that we’ll redo your hair and so on then get you to pose in some of our clothes with the others, then a few by yourself.”
She was like a machine gun rattling off instructions while I just stared in wonder around me as I was led to get my hair done. The stylist made me sit down and began brushing out my hair then did a plat down the front left of my face. It looked really cute so I got her to show me how to do it so I could copy it later at home.
Next was the makeup artist who cooed and enthused over my cheek bones and ‘gorgeous’ eyes. By the time she had finished I didn’t recognise myself. This wasn’t young girls playing around with makeup, this was a professional and I can honestly say I felt beautiful when she was through with me. The bikini I was asked to put on was a royal blue that clung to my boobs, showed off my nipples and was so small I felt I was naked. Walking out I spotted the other models being used today and just stood still. My stomach went into overdrive as I was introduced to both Anastasia and Gabriel two of the top female and male surfers in the world. Chances had done a sponsorship deal with them and part of that was they would model swimsuits, boards and clothes for them. I was star struck as I was introduced and just about peed my bikini when I shook Gabriel’s hand. They were both incredibly nice to me as I stammered out a hello. The other surfer/model I didn’t know but had heard of. His name was Nick Kelly and he was a rising star around San Diego and was tipped to go places in the surfing world. He was tall and wide with a shock of dark hair on his head. He always seemed to be laughing and his eyes creased up as he told jokes and kidded around with us. The photographer and another guy who kind of directed us around were all business like and soon we were being bossed into all sorts of poses and positions. At one stage I had to sit on Nick’s shoulders while he held a surfboard. Anastasia and I cycled through bikini after bikini together and I became fast friends with her. We laughed and chatted as we posed especially at Nick’s never ending one liners and jokes. After the others heard that I actually surfed and wasn’t just some model pulled in for the shoot they opened up, encouraging me and asking if I’d like to go surfing with them some time soon. I was over the moon and realized that this was a fairy tale come true. I also couldn’t help noticing that Nick would seek out my company whenever we had a break and would sit next to me shoulder to shoulder his leg touching mine. It didn’t help that he was handsome and funny and kooky and just plain likeable either but I felt conflicted. Here I was attracted to one of California’s top surfers and someone who was obviously attracted to me while at home was the sweetest kindest guy who just a few days ago I had kissed for the first time.
‘Damn it’ I thought ‘I really didn’t need this right now but oh my god he’s beautiful’
We shot picture after picture and I got to wear all the new clothes the shop was bringing out next Spring. After one set they’d take us girls in and change our hair and makeup then give us new clothes to put on then send us back out. I went from sultry and sexy to girl next door and back again. By the time we were finished I was exhausted, famished and ready to stop.
This whole modelling stuff was way harder than it looked.
Nick wandered up to me and put his arm around my shoulders, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He was nothing if not cocky yet he got away with it because of his humour and just downright sexiness.
“So are you doing anything this weekend?” he asked
“Umm it’s my birthday and my brothers are taking me surfing at Blacks Beach, we’re camping overnight in the dunes”
“Your birthday, cool how old are you 19, 20?”
“No just 15” I said blushing he must think I’m just a baby.
“Really, wow you look older, I mean you know with all the makeup and stuff, I didn’t mean……”
I smirked, girls have so much power if the boy likes you this was so cool.
“No offence Nick I’ll take it as a compliment, so how old are you then 40, 41?”
He laughed at that and any tension we felt evaporated. “Nah just 17 it’s all these wrinkles though”
I felt comfortable and at ease with him, we smiled easily together.
“I’m not doing anything this weekend so would it be okay if I met you there, kind of tagged along? I’ll bring a present”
“Sure, but you don’t have to go out of your way with a present, I’m not a materialistic girl, maybe just a Ferrari or a Porsche. Nothing expensive” I giggled and he grinned.
“I love your laugh” he said
‘I love your smile’ I thought but in the end I said nothing. Was I being disloyal to Phil with this flirting? I didn’t know after all surely we were just friends even though I’d kissed him. ‘Argh’ I thought ‘boys!’
Mom walked in at that moment and smiled at Nick.
“You finished hun?” she asked
“Think so, I was just talking to Nick. Oh um Mom this is Nick Kelly, he’s kind of been my partner today. He surfs too”
He turned the full force of his smile on my Mom and she smiled back.
“Nice to meet you Nick I’m Michelle” they shook hands
“Pleased to meet you ahh Michelle, you have an amazing daughter”
Mom looked at me “I know, more amazing than you’d ever believe”
Saying our goodbyes after swapping mobile numbers Mom led me out. A security guard rode down with us and let us through the door. It was already dark and cool and the night seemed to press around us. A couple of young girls in really short skirts and low tops were standing on the other side of the street. They looked at us then looked away, we weren’t potential clients. I studied them as we walked past they looked about 18 or 19 but could easily have been older or younger it was hard to tell. Their eyes darted around not only looking for clients but also potential threats. They seemed haunted, that could be me.
“He seems a nice guy” Mom commented stirring me from my thoughts
“Yeah” I said a dreamy look appearing on my face and Mom laughed.
“Let’s go to our hotel, we can grab a bite to eat on the way and freshen up. Do you want to do anything tonight?”
I was exhausted “Watch a movie in our room and fall fast asleep after a nice hot shower” I suggested.
“You young kids these days, no stamina” Mom laughed as we walked to the car our arms around each-others waists.
Thursday was pampering day and I awoke looking out the window of our 20th storey room with the most stunning views of the Bay and the Pacific Ocean. From this height I could see the curvature of the Earth as the sun reflected off the smooth sea turning it a deep blue. A couple of ships sat on the horizon floating between sea and sky one of them bristling with antennas and satellite dishes heading off to guard our borders while the other was loaded down with cargo containers heading in to port with electronic stuff from Korea maybe or cars from Japan.
I was wearing a beautiful soft lavender nighty that only barely covered my rear and did little to hide my breasts. My long blond hair fell down my back messed up by my sleep. I stretched luxuriously forgetting I had no panties on. The nighty lifted and had anyone been around they would have had a good view of my shapely legs and butt. It spoke still about the innocence I had of my developing figure and ignorance over what I looked like and the effect I had on males.
I thought too about both Nick and Phil and felt queasy in my stomach. Life had just got a whole lot more complicated after yesterday. I didn’t really get it at this stage but I was going to have to break one of their hearts.
After dressing and a light breakfast, we girls had to watch our figures you know, we headed off to the spa. It was nestled in one of the more up market neighbourhoods in San Diego and was flanked by green lawns and fancy houses. Driving in we parked in one of the spaces and wandered through the large doors that opened silently as we approached them.
A young receptionist greeted us wearing a white smock but like all receptionists in San Diego was gorgeous and friendly.
We were led into a room where we changed from our street clothes into the most sumptuous bath robes that were baby pink and had the name of the spa stitched on to them in fancy lettering.
Next we were led into a studio where two women who looked to be Japanese began to work on our backs and legs massaging and kneading the knots out. The oils they used smelled heavenly and after half an hour we both felt exceptionally relaxed. Next came these hot stone things that were laid along our spines. At first it almost felt like we were going to be burnt but in actual fact after another ten minutes I was so relaxed I wanted to fall asleep.
However we were roused from our slumber and led to another room where we sat down and were given facials that left our skin smooth and glowing.
“I could get used to this ‘pampering’ Mom” I quipped
“Me too honey, me too” she said as she let the woman apply more cream to her face.
‘If only my brothers could see me now’ I mused
Finally came the manicure and I was given the choice of gel nails or a shellac finish. I chose the shellac in a cool soft mauve color that the manicurist raved over. After having my nails shaped and cuticles taken care of along with some tut tutting and strict instructions about how I should take care of my hands I looked down at what were now my really funky fingers.
“Thank you” I gushed “they look amazing” I was now a nail polish addict and wanted to go out and buy about 20 bottles of nail lacquer. “Get good stuff” suggested the manicurist “OPI or China Glaze, Sally Hansen or Zoya are tops” I made a mental note of the names and decided before we headed home I would be visiting a store that sold those brands.
Around 3.00pm we were in the car and headed home. I had bought my nail polish while Mom had bought some more cosmetics and a few new bras for both her and I. She seemed to enjoy shopping together with me and for my part I simply liked being with her. There was probably still a bit of boy in me because I just went in bought the stuff I wanted and walked out. I had a feeling though that may change over time as pretty clothes and shoes called out their siren song to me.
Arriving home the boys were about as interested as doorstops in our experiences so we raved about it to Jacinta who joined in to our enthusiastic talking then started on dinner. Pete, Tim and Jeff’s friend, turned up in his Kombi van and we chucked some of our stuff in it ready for tomorrow. It was a burnt orange color with widened rims and could carry up to six people easily. Minted in the early 1970’s it was a real classic. Almost everyone in the community recognised it instantly and loved the old school surf feel it gave off. We were all eager for the trip and spoke loudly and excitedly to each other. After a couple of tents and some sleeping bags were thrown in and our surf boards were strapped to the roof we relaxed in our kitchen and chatted over our food.
Plans were made on where we would meet, what time we would leave, whether we would get a surf in before it was dark and what food we would need to bring. If Mom, Jacinta and I had our way it would be more than a few sausages and a slice of bread. None of the boys argued about that surprisingly. They thought taking girls on the trip was all positive and no negatives so long as we filled their bellies. As I was now officially on the girl’s side we laughed at their trash talk and made fun of how much richer women made their lives. It was funny how my life had changed so drastically but it also felt warm and comfortable.
Tim and Jeff also shared an idea they had about starting a business together with Pete once they had finished school. They talked about opening a surf shop that sold surf wear and all the accessories but they also wanted to branch out and shape their own boards. They would have a range of different lengths from long to short, basic to competition.
“And where were you thinking of getting the money for all this?” Mom asked
“Well we’ve saved a bit of money and we could sell our bikes plus Pete has some cash. There are a couple of empty shops down by the waterfront and we could lease one of those.”
“Plus Mom from all of what I did yesterday with the modelling and maybe the television commercials they could use that money.” I added
“No way hun that money is going into your college fund” Mom retorted
“Yeah Jay, there’s no way we’re gonna take that money from you but we were wondering if, well, you wouldn’t mind if we called the boards ‘Jade’” said Tim
“As in ‘Jade Surfboards’ we thought it had a cool vibe” Pete continued
“Plus we were going to call the shop ‘Jade Surfboards’ as well, the logo would be in a cool metallic green color, plus you could be in the promo pics and in our catalogue” Jeff said “Women’s Surfing Champion Jade Chamberlin on a Jade surfboard, wicked aye!”
I was speechless and just scratched my chin blinking at them plus I guess blinking back the tears.
“You mean it really you’re not just pulling my leg?”
“Nope, no way we’re deadly serious” Pete said “and besides we’d have the hottest looking, best girl surfer on the coast doing our advertising for us for free. How can we lose?”
I looked up at Mom, she had tears in her eyes and then over at the guys.
“Deal!” I exclaimed and flung my arms around their necks and kissed their cheeks, Pete went bright red.
Not a lot of sleep was had that night but there was a ton of talk and planning and laughter.
CHAPTER 20 – Do You Remember
In autumn the temperatures stay warm in Southern California so I lay in bed wearing just my chemise reflecting on events.
Someone had a crush on me for some reason and thought I’d rejected them. The weird thing was I didn’t know what I’d done to make them think that except for the conversation I’d had with Sam. He was a really nice guy but he’d never shown his true feelings toward me since my transformation. How was I to know he felt like that? I wondered if he really was the one leaving dead flowers in my locker, it really seemed so out of character and besides he had been with us at the photo shoot for the new school uniform when it had all been planted. I wasn’t sure if I actually would have gone out with him in all honesty but I had never gone out of my way to hurt him either. Was he correct about how boys perceived me, was I really that pretty? It was hard because as a girl you tend to look at yourself in kind of a harsh light and not as the world sees you. You look at all the little flaws and try to hide them sometimes forgetting about all the good things too.
My recent experience with Morgan had also helped me understand my vulnerability as a girl. I was physically weaker than most guys and some of them took that as a right to dominate or control the women in their lives. I’d already been through enough to see how it all worked. But I also had fantastic role models in my life women that showed me how my actions and words would dictate how others might treat me. I wasn’t about to let all this negative stuff determine who I was or how I responded to it but that was easier said than done.
That brought me back to whoever it was that seemed hell bent on freaking me out. So what was this person’s intention for me? Did they want revenge or to scare me, how far would they go?
Suddenly my phone went off and I think I left my imprint on the ceiling it gave me such a fright. It was Jasmine who had yet another idea to catch the culprit.
“We need to spy on your locker!”
“What do you mean spy on my locker, are you mad how are we going to do that?” incredulity dripping from me
“We need to make a spy hole across the corridor from your locker, the girls toilets are there we just have to drill a hole so we can spy through the wall”
I was amazed, the girl wanted to drill a hole in the wall of the school so we could spy on a locker, she really was mad. This was not only why I loved her but also looked forward to every day. She turned life into an adventure although I pitied anyone who got on the wrong side of this girl except Tim of course.
“What the heck” I said “let’s do it” and so for the next ten minutes we discussed how.
As she outlined her plan I threw some of my own suggestions in this time, it was important no public humiliation happened. Mrs Shirley had taught me well on that score. We would also let whoever it was go knowing we knew who he was. I hoped that would be enough to make him stop and leave me alone.
Jaz agreed although she wasn’t too sure about the letting him go with just a warning part even though I was.
The house was still and silent after we hung up. Mom had worked a late shift last night and was still fast asleep and I heard nothing coming from Jacinta or the boy’s rooms. This was always a special time of day for me, most teenagers slept in as long as they could but since becoming female I would wake up quite early. Most mornings I would usually lie in bed, look at my phone or maybe read a book. Currently I was crying through ‘The Fault in our Stars’ and wondered how anybody could have the heart and courage to write such a story.
Today I decided to get up and enjoy the morning before I had to go to school. I threw on some panties some old track pants and a thin sweat shirt. I had no bra on and my nipples poked through the material rubbing sensually as I walked. I had to roll up the arms so my hands could poke through and I marvelled at how small they were now, my fingers long and feminine, my nails painted.
I felt my breasts bounce as I moved; it was the most feminine feeling, one that every woman identified with and no man ever could. Walking outside my breath turned to vapour in the still fresh air as I stood in the grass and revelled in the cool dew between my wiggling toes. My nipples were instantly hard and I folded my arms around them, hugging myself keeping me warm. The sound of the distant surf crashing against the beach filled me up with its beauty and rawness while pink and yellow light played around my feet turning even the ugly old street lamps into works of art as the sun rose wrapping everything in its warmth. Behind me the old blue weatherboards of our house turned into silver slivers reflecting the light making me squint if I looked at them. I loved this old place it was home.
As the world around me slumbered I had those fleeting minutes to soak in my world and feel one with it. I thought of Nick and of Phil, my life up to this point and the amazing people in it. Especially I wondered what would happen to us and how we would get through all the craziness.
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I met Jaz as early as I could that morning. We locked ourselves into a cubicle in the girl’s toilets opposite my locker and climbed onto a toilet seat balancing precariously. Jaz produced her dad’s cordless drill from her bag with a big drill bit in it to make the hole. It looked huge in her delicate hands.
“Did you charge the battery?” I asked
She cocked an eyebrow at me as if to ask ‘Do I look stupid?’ then grinned as she tweaked the trigger making the drill turn.
“Of course sweetie” she giggled then looking around she began work making a hole in the dry wall. It took seconds and we had a hole to spy through just high enough to see everything without having to tip toe. I walked into the corridor and looked up. The hole was almost unnoticeable amongst the grime high on the wall. All we needed to do now was cut classes, stand on a toilet seat and spy on my locker. I felt like I was in one of those horror movies where there were eyes in a painting looking at the unsuspecting victim. Except I was the eye and my stalker was the victim.
For those who have never tried it standing on a toilet seat looking through a hole is hard work.
"Was that you?" I asked at one point
Jaz looked over her smile a mixture of wicked pity.
"Macrobiotic diet" she simply stated
"Lucky I love you sister" I retorted back grinning
Jaz and I took turns but nothing happened for two hours. At recess we took a break and stood around in the corridor talking with friends. Sam hurried past me at one stage and I caught him by his shirtsleeve.
“Can we talk please?” I asked “we really have lots to discuss.”
He looked bashful and wouldn’t meet my eyes but mumbled a yes. I was glad.
When the bell rang Jaz and I slunk back into the toilets and waited until the corridor cleared. Suddenly I heard a sharp intake of breath as Jaz squinted through the hole.
“No!” she exclaimed “look!”
I jumped up on the seat and watched through the hole as another dead flower was taped to my locker door and a note slipped inside. I couldn’t believe who it was.
Jaz and I looked at each other amazed and dismayed.
“What should we do?” I asked
“I have no freaking idea” Jaz responded “This is way out of my comfort zone”
We exited the stall. While Jaz packed her bag I leaned against the door staring into space. So this was the person who had a crush on me, who thought I’d rejected them. It was the last person I’d have ever thought of. I needed to talk to them but how, what could I say?
I didn’t have the courage to do it not yet and I swore Jaz to silence.
We went out to my locker and I carefully removed the flower. The corridor was deserted as we read the note. It didn’t really matter what it said we both knew who my rejected admirer was. There were only two words;
UNDYING LOVE
The flower was a pink carnation.
CHAPTER 21 – You and Your Heart
We all gathered at our place straight after school, I especially wanted to forget all the stupid dramas there. Jaz had brought a bag to school and then caught the bus with me. Tyler had jumped on too and sat between us chattering away and without even trying had won Jasmine’s heart as well. I could only imagine how many girlfriends he would have when he got older.
Pete eventually showed up with his girlfriend Elley who we had known for a little while and all liked. She was shorter with one of those bubble butts, large breasts and long dark hair. She adored Pete and he adored her and as far as he was concerned it was a match made in heaven. Packing the Kombi took no time as we threw in pillows and bags of food that would probably feed an army plus anything else we thought we needed.
Mom gave us all a kiss and told us to be careful as we clattered off, the Volkswagen motor roaring its air cooled message to the world.
Black’s Beach wasn’t that far away and we parked in the car park then lugged our stuff into the dunes. We kept to the northern end of the beach because the southern was the most popular and also got nudists although at this time of the year we didn’t really think there would be that many. The boys kept commenting on ‘shrinkage’ because it was cooler, thinking they were hilarious.
The guys erected the tents behind a dune while we girls laid a large plastic sheet on the ground, set up chairs and dragged an old log over for a seat and began to prepare a meal. It was too late to surf by that time so we sat around a little camp fire we had made munching on slabs of bread filled with salads, salami and cheese. We kind of fell into a natural order where Pete and Elley sat together, Jeff and Jacinta and Tim and Jaz who made a very cute looking couple in my esteemed opinion. She adored him, her loyalty to him had no bounds and he treated her like a princess. Well a princess who would have to put up with motorbikes, surfboards and grease. Secretly I knew she would absolutely love being part of his world, I certainly had no objections; I’d get to spend lots of time with her.
Although I didn’t have anyone as far as a guy I wasn’t made to feel left out as we talked and cackled together.
The topic of Jacinta and the money came up though and for a while we were serious.
“How come Dave hasn’t given the money back yet?” Tim contemplated
“Maybe he just wants to keep it” said Pete in between mouthfuls of bread
“Nah I don’t think so, he’s not like that. He knows that this Melville dude wants it and thinks Dave is negotiating to get it back. I figure they’re putting some serious time into trying to find it themselves but they also know Dave’s probably their best bet on getting it back so they’re playing the waiting game.” Jeff spoke with authority and we all listened “Dave knows the money is his only bargaining chip and if he gives it up there is no guarantee that they still won’t come after us and try and take Jacinta back.”
“They have to find us first” Tim said grimly
“Yeah true, so Dave’s walking a fine line between how long they’ll wait and how much he can get from them to protect us. All that’s really keeping us safe is that they don’t know he actually has the cash.”
As they spoke I looked into the fire meditating on their words. I was sitting on a log next to Jaz and had involuntarily scrunched closer to her without even knowing it. She held my hand as I realized she probably didn’t know what we were talking about. ‘Better fix that’ I thought and whispered a hurried explanation into her ear. Her smile became a serious frown as she looked around at us. The gravity of our situation thundered in like a freight train. We huddled together resolute and determined. Us against the world.
The morning dawned clear and calm with a slight breeze coming in from the east and blowing down across the dunes and out to sea. I knew it would pick up throughout the day and the waves would jack up and be spectacular by about mid-day. I sat alone on the fore dune looking out to sea wrapped in my sleeping bag as the sun’s rays crept relentlessly across the beach then onto the ocean. A lone surfer was out there making the most of his solitude and the fact he had every wave to himself. He was really ripping it up turning and twisting his board like a pro. Looking closer I noticed he had a shock of black hair and was tall and wide. Recognizing the figure I got up and raced back to the tent and threw on my wetsuit picked up my board and sprinted for the ocean. I was breathless as I hit the cold water but paddled hard through the break zone and came up my hair streaming while I spat out salt water.
Nick Kelly sat on his board about 25 metres away watching me. As recognition dawned he tried to look nonchalant but couldn’t keep the huge grin off his face. Paddling over to me he was all power and the muscles in his shoulders writhed like snakes under his thin wetsuit. I was wet with arousal and could feel my body pulsate as he drew closer.
“You came then” I said smiling
“Wouldn’t miss a certain girls birthday for the world” he said “Happy Birthday”
“Thanks” I breathed as he kissed me softly on the cheek. I’d never felt like this about anybody else in my entire life and I ached to have him close to me.
“Can’t waste these waves” he grinned and for the next hour we surfed together just he and I. I noticed he let me have all the best waves and whenever I surfed he watched me, as I sat on my board he watched me. When he surfed I marvelled at his skill and power. That hour alone with him was incredibly special and something I knew I’d remember for the rest of my life.
As we walked out of the water through the swash and backwash of the waves his hand sought mine. We walked hand in hand up the beach and if he had wanted to take me somewhere alone I knew I would willingly give him my body and my soul. I also knew that without a shadow of a doubt he felt the same about me.
We got to where he had left his stuff and he knelt down to pick up his towel. I thought he would use it to dry himself but instead he put it around me and rubbed my back while he stared into my eyes. Leaning back down he pulled a small box from his bag and offered it to me.
“For you” he simply said
I opened it and sitting inside was a delicate piece of green stone carved into the most exquisite shape. Like a figure eight but the top part of the ‘O’ was smaller than the bottom and it twisted together. It was held by a fine gold chain. He picked it out and put it around my neck as I held my hair out of the way for him.
It’s greenstone, or Jade. There’s a little country way down in the South Pacific called New Zealand. Their indigenous people are called Maori and their name for it is Pounamu. That shape means ‘infinity’ to them or ‘forever’ hope you like it”
Like it, it must have cost a small fortune and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen.
“Thank you, I um I don’t know what to say, it’s beautiful. I love it” I really did. Softly I kissed him on the lips.
We strolled across the sand dunes to our little camp and I introduced him to everyone. The boys already knew of him and welcomed him like a brother shaking hands while the girls all raved over my necklace.
We surfed together for the rest of the day and Nick hardly left my side. He constantly gave me encouragement and praise for my surfing while the crowds that eventually turned up made way for him like he was royalty. Which he was, surfing royalty and therefore by extension I became his Princess. I felt like one all day and decided this was by far the best day of my life so far bar none.
To my delight Nick decided to stay the night with us and threw some gear he had in his car into the boy’s tent. ‘Funny he just happened to have a sleeping bag in his car’ I thought and as we sat around our little camp fire again that night the circle was complete. We fit like hand in glove and as Nick told jokes and we all laughed and chattered our problems seemed a long way behind us.
They came for us that night. It was a little past midnight when they turned up their footfalls making no sound in the soft sand. All three of them carried guns, I was fast asleep.
CHAPTER 22 - Adrift
The first I knew of what was happening was a hand over my face and a soft voice whispering in my ear.
“Someone’s here” whispered Jacinta.
I shot up then took a few seconds to realise what was happening.
“What the fu……”
“Shhhh” whispered Jacinta “I said someone’s here they’re over by the boys tent”
We peered out of the tent flap. The moon was casting an eerie glow across the dunes, silhouetting the grasses and plants that grew in them reminding me of ghostly fingers sticking up as if from a graveyard.
Three dark figures were standing near the tent that the guys were sleeping in moving slowly and carefully, trying not to trip over all the paraphernalia we had left lying around. I roused Jaz holding my hand over her mouth and shhhing her as she woke, her eyes wide.
I recognized the three immediately, they looked menacing and dangerous especially with guns in their hands.
I watched as the flap at the back of the boy’s tent, furthest away from the men was drawn open and Tim’s head appeared. Without warning he began to yell
“Girls, run, get the fuck out of here; Jacinta, Jade run take Jasmine!”
It was like a switch was turned on and we shot from the doorway like it was on fire. Turning left away from the men we tracked along the side of the tent then started to climb the soft sand of the dune.
No bullet came
My legs felt heavy, dead as I scrambled, pushed in absolute dread.
No bullet came
We reached the top of the dune falling in a heap together, sobbing as panic set in, scrabbling then tumbling down the back face to the bottom; legs, arms, bodies everywhere
No bullet came
We lay there our breath coming in huge rasps, Jacinta moved first and we followed and we ran, crouched into the darkness circling the campsite as three beams of light from three high powered torches held by three men with three guns began to strobe around, looking for us, hunting. We ran into bushes and through the spongy sand that clung to us, held us back like grasping hands, whispering to us that we wouldn’t make it, we kept running.
Then all of a sudden the lights went still. We climbed a dune opposite from where we had disappeared, it overlooked our camp, we lay still, watching.
What I saw made my heart stop. My brother was held upright, the huge gangster holding him by his hair, blood pouring from a cut in his head, mingled with his hair matting it making it look silver in the light of the torch. His face was bruised, one eye already closing but he looked defiant, unbroken just yet.
“Tim” I whispered
The one called Warren Melville spoke first, he was obviously the boss.
“Come in here boys and girl” he sneered gesturing with his gun “I want all of you to sit on that log just there”
The five left did as they were told, sitting together, drawing strength from each other.
“Who the fuck are you?” demanded Nick and received a back handed smack across his cheek from the skinny guy.
“Shut up mother fucker and listen or I’ll shoot a fucking hole through your kneecap”
I lay there terrified clutching Jacinta’s arm. She rubbed my hand and moved closer to me. I could see his face was already bruising up in the torch light but he held the gunman’s stare.
“How did you find us?” asked Jeff his eyes also betraying his anger and loathing of these men. The big guy pointed his gun at him cocking it, I was genuinely afraid he would pull the trigger but Melville pushed his hand down.
“Your mate Dave McIntyre told us” his smile was sinister, evil. I knew we had little chance of mercy from him.
“I don’t believe you” Jeff answered back
“It wasn’t easy getting it out of him believe me, I mean we broke every one of his fingers on his hand and he wouldn’t talk”
I took a sharp breath in choking back the tears as Melville continued “Then Carlos here” he nodded to the huge guy “broke a few teeth but still nothing.” My terror increased tenfold. If they were prepared to do that then what would they do to us?
“It wasn’t till we brought Mrs Chamberlin in, Michelle isn’t it? Then he started to talk”
Both Tim and Jeff stood up, flexing their hands their bodies rigid, ready to fight despite the fact they had no chance.
“Sit down boys, he’ll live and we didn’t harm your mother” Melville smirked; I wanted to punch his face in.
Melville turned, speaking into the night, talking to us as his goons held their guns on the others.
“I know you’re out there girls, listening to this. Are you scared? Don’t be I don’t intend to harm those pretty little faces. But…..” he hesitated then carried on “if you don’t come in right now and sit next to these others I’m going to have Carlos and Luis start on the girl first then move on to another then another. You can watch your friends be hurt, maybe lose some teeth, perhaps we might break some bones. It’s your choice girls you can simply walk on over here or you can lie out there watching us hurt them. It’s the noise you know, that’s the worst part, hearing bones snap or teeth shatter………” he left the words hanging in the air. We had lost and he knew it. He stood there arrogantly, his gun held down by his side his face shrouded in shadow as we stood, walked dejectedly toward him. Jacinta led she knew this man, she was amazing only 17 but she showed no fear and we drew strength from it. Jaz and I followed holding each-others hands. Jacinta stopped in front of him, held his gaze, no fear.
I rushed to Tim hugging him my tears running down my face splashing onto his chest.
“I’m okay Jay” he tried to smile his teeth and lips were covered in silver blood.
“Take me” Jacinta was saying “I’m the one you want, leave them alone, all they did was help me, show me compassion”
“Ah yes well you see that’s the problem right there Jacinta” Melville looked down on her, he was easily 6’2” or more, his gut hung over his belt “we can’t have people thinking they can get involved in my business. That’s a bad thing” he emphasised the word ‘bad’
He went on “Lessons need to be learnt, pain needs to be felt so…… they are going to lose that which is most precious to them”
He looked over at me “Take the sister too”
Carlos the huge goon came, roughly dragged me over to stand in front of Melville. He grabbed my face held it tightly in his hand turning my head from side to side shone his torch in my eyes.
“Fuck me, she’s a pretty one. I’m going to make a lot of money out of you” I shook, petrified by his words but Jacinta’s warm hand slipped into mine and I looked him in the eyes into his soul, it was dead.
“I’m not afraid of you”
“Well maybe not yet” he said then went over to the others and squatted in front of them.
“If you try to follow us I’ll kill them, if you look for them, I’ll kill them. Do you understand?”
They stared back at him, I knew they would look, I also knew they knew where we were being taken. There was a window of time to reach us before we were moved on. I drew confidence from that.
The others said nothing just looked at Melville steadily, no emotion.
“DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!” Melville screamed
“Yeah we understand” Jeff said quietly “we understand perfectly” He wasn’t looking at Melville, he was looking at us trying to convey his message. We got it; my brothers would never stop looking, they would come.
Jacinta and I were pushed along, up the pathway to the cars, stones bruised our feet and we stumbled. Melville’s goons held us, helped us along, roughly holding on to our arms. In the streetlight I saw three cars their paintwork glinting, the Kombi and another vehicle, Nick’s car, an older 4x4, raised up, chrome bullbars plus a black car off to the side sitting separately. The front tyres were slashed on the other two, flat, they wouldn’t be following us tonight unless they had spare tyres.
We were pushed into the back seat, the big goon, Carlos sat next to us the other two in the front. Hoods were secured over our heads.
“Be strong little sister” Jacinta whispered to me.
Darkness fell.
CHAPTER 23 – Losing Hope
We drove along the freeway in silence then hit the windy parts until finally we came to a sharp left corner followed by a rutted gravel road. I knew where we were and where we were going. The car stopped and I heard a fence slowly rolling back then we moved forward and stopped again. The motor was turned off and we sat in complete and utter quiet, all I heard was my breathing inside the hood.
“What do you want done with them boss?”
“Throw them in a cell; inject them tonight they’ll be ready to do whatever they’re told by the morning.”
“Sure boss, anything else”
“Yeah actually hold off on the heroin; let’s see what they’re like in the sack in the morning, both of them together, boss’s privilege. Then we can hook them up after that”
They climbed out of the car while we were pulled out by our arms and led through the large steel door. Once inside our hoods were removed and we were shoved into an elevator. It plunged down about 20 or 30 meters then the doors hissed open. A huge cavern opened before us. I stepped out quickly before I was shoved and stood looking about. The walls were concrete and stretched about 50 meters back into the earth to my right. The ceiling of the cavern was high with huge lights illuminating it reaching all the way back. Rooms had been built inside the cavern with bare framing and no ceilings to them. Cubicles really, I guessed it was where they manufactured and sorted their drugs. In the far reaches of the place I could vaguely make out doors and a windowed office; the gangs living quarters. On my left and about 10 meters away was a set of large double doors with a truck parked in front of them. Obviously there was more than one way into and out of this place. A row of cells was set back into the wall and we were led toward one near the end. Each cell had a window and as we walked past I looked in. Every room had a girl or two lying on a bed. They had lank hair, greasy and unkempt, their eyes were unfocussed and I could see the track marks up their arms. They were all in some state of undress most staring vacantly into the middle distance. A couple were obviously new here and stared at me pleadingly in the throes of their first heroin high. A guard with an automatic rifle wandered around inside keeping an eye on everything but I saw no one else. It was a vision of hell.
We walked into the cell and the door was locked behind us. It was a typical cell with a single bed on one side and a toilet on the other next to a wash basin, nothing else.
Looks like we would have to share the bed but at least it would help keep us warm I thought.
Jacinta checked the window in the door then squatted on the toilet releasing a stream of urine. I looked away trying to give her privacy in a place that afforded none.
“Sorry Jade” she said
“Don’t worry” I smiled “you’ll be watching me soon enough. So what are they going to do with us?”
“It sounds like Melville wants to rape us both in the morning. Once he has had his fill of us he will then give us over to his men to have more ‘fun’. After that I’m so sorry but they will inject us and we will be on the road to addiction. More than likely the both of us will be split up and moved once they have us hooked.”
I knew the rest I’d seen the girls on the street corner in San Diego. I was still a virgin, I had imagined I would give myself to the man I fell in love with, not this. I felt numb.
“Why do they do this, I mean we could easily be their sister or cousin”
“Slavery has been around for hundreds of years Jade, do you think just because we live in the 21st Century that it has been abolished? Sure we don’t keep African people to work on plantations anymore instead it is now young women who are the slaves and pimps use them to make money. One pimp with a stable of a few girls can bring in up to 2000 dollars per night per girl. Do the math, he keeps most of that money too or it goes to the cartels that operate the sex trade in this country. In America alone these cartels make over 1 billion dollars a year”
“But it’s wrong; we’re human beings what kind of men could do that?” I was distraught, not at my own fate but at the callous way a man could do that to women, to girls no older than me.
“Some men are like that, they are not all kind and loving, like your brothers” she said it with so much sadness I think she had fallen in love with Jeff. I could see how easy that would be to do.
“So most of the girls are like us just teenagers, forced to sell themselves every night?”
“Most of the girls are under 18 and you have seen what lengths these men will go to, to recover their ‘property’ if we try to run away, so yes we have to sell ourselves”
“How do you know most this?” I frowned
“Google” she smiled forlornly, “doesn’t take a genius to look it up, just someone who cares.”
I sat on the bed huddled together with Jacinta, contemplating, thinking, planning. I could see no way out but I was determined to find one, I wouldn’t give them my soul even if they tried to take my body. We fell asleep like that cuddled together to keep warm but also to find security in each other, comfort.
It was maybe 4 o’clock in the morning when I heard a key in the door, the smooth mechanism slipping open and I saw a figure enter the cell. At first I thought I was dreaming that it wasn’t real then I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking us awake.
I looked at the man and drew back in horror; it was the tall skinny one Luis standing over us looking down as we crouched in fear. Was he here to hurt us? Squatting beside the bed his eyes watchful, flicking between us and the door he began to speak in hushed whispers.
“My name isn’t Luis its David, David Manual, I’m D.E.A.”
Our eyes shot up, D.E.A. that was Drug Enforcement Administration, what was he doing here?
“I’ve been working undercover for a few months trying to crack where the drugs are coming from and how they distribute them around the country. You girls were low priority for me, my main mission was the drugs but I couldn’t let them fuck you up like the others. I’ve had enough of seeing young women passing through here like cattle being turned into zombies just for a man’s few minutes of pleasure”
We were dumbfounded; I think I felt my chin hit the floor.
“So you have been working here pretending to be a thug but really you are a police man?” Jacinta asked
“Kind of, I’m more a federal agent; we’ve known about these guys, their drug business; prostitution and stuff for ages. These are some really dangerous fucked up individuals here” he looked worried, anxious “Sorry about before, but if I wasn’t believable they would never have taken me on”
“Would you have shot us?” I whispered angrily
“Probably if it meant getting the drugs off the street, yeah I guess I would, sorry” he looked sad, conflicted “We need to get you out of here, I have a way”
“Not without the others” I looked him squarely in the eyes
“Others, what others?”
“The other girls, the ones in the cells, them”
“Are you crazy? There’s at least another eight or ten of them”
“Your plan was to get us out using the truck I bet so why can’t we take them with us?”
“No actually I was just going to take us up in the elevator, I didn’t consider the others. Besides we don’t have enough time, everyone’s asleep right now, there’s only one guard on and I can take him out but it will take a long time to get those girls awake and on to the truck, it’s a huge risk. Once those doors start to open people are going to start to notice. There’s another four guys back there if you include that fat shit Melville and it’s all going to hit the fan. Do you want to take the risk?”
Jacinta and I looked at each than back at David. He was the real deal, a man who cared, who was putting his life on the line for a couple of girls he hardly knew.
“Yup” I said
He sighed exasperated but nodded his head.
“Alright we have to work fast. I’ll take out the guard then I have to find the truck keys and get the doors opened. Once that happens it’s going to make a huge noise and all hell is going to break loose. We have to have all the girls loaded in the back and ready to go before I open the door. That’s your job; you have to get the girls into the truck before I hit that button. If you don’t we go anyway and leave them behind understand?”
We nodded together. I was determined to set them free despite the risk.
“Okay here’s the key to the doors, it’s the same key for every door. The hard part is going to be waking them up and getting them into the back of the truck quietly. I want you to wait here for me and count to one hundred, slowly” he emphasised “I should have taken care of the guard by then. You need to move fast after that, I’ve got to get to the end of the building near the sleeping quarters. The truck keys are kept in Melville’s office. I have to find them and get them back here. Can either of you drive a manual transmission?”
“I’ve ridden my brother’s motorbike” I volunteered “that’s manual”
“Not quite the same kid but it’ll have to do. I’ll get you the keys, you’ll have to start the truck and drive it out of there after I go back to open the doors. I’ll be running my ass off to catch up with you and jump in so don’t go too fast okay” He smiled, it made me feel confident, I nodded yes.
“Let’s do this then” he said “Ready?”
We nodded again; I was scared to death but determined, I could see Jacinta was the same, a mixture of fear and determination etching her face, he disappeared out the door. I began to count under my breath; slowly.
CHAPTER 24 – Better Together
Once I’d made it to 100 I peered out the door. There was no sound, no movement.
We didn’t know if David had been successful or not but we had to go. We crept out of the cell and turned, looking about us, we silently began to open doors. Once we had done that Jacinta ran over to the truck and opened the back tail gate. It screeched as it swung and we froze looking around waiting for a reaction. None came. Scampering back we went first into the room of the two girls who seemed to be new here like us. They were asleep but fitful, twitching and moaning my heart went out to them. I gently shook them and they woke bleary eyed and terrified.
“Shhhh” Jacinta whispered as they looked at us through wide frightened eyes. “We’re here to get you out”
They clung to each other, assessing the situation, probably trying to clear their heads and think straight. We grabbed them and pushed them through the door, all the while I was counting in my head, one minute; two. Jacinta led them to the truck while I went into the next cell. The other girls were much harder to rouse, we had to shake them hard, put our hands over their mouths.
‘Three minutes, four minutes’
We had all but three girls crouched in the back of the truck. These last were the most difficult, almost comatose, we couldn’t wake them.
‘Five minutes, six minutes, seven minutes’
David appeared beside me carrying a set of keys. He threw them at me, then simply grabbed a girl over his shoulder and carried her to the truck throwing her roughly in the back. The two newer girls took her and sat her up against the side. He did the same for the other two, by the end he was sweating, droplets falling from his hair; his shirt soaked outlining his hard body.
In the meantime I had scrabbled and picked up the keys, hurried to the driver’s door and climbed in. David stood beside me looking through the window.
“Don’t try and start it yet wait until the doors start to move, its fuel injected so it will go straight away even when it’s cold. Do you know how to start it?”
“Just turn the key” I stated
“No it’s a diesel you have to wait a few seconds then start it” He turned the key on and a little squiggly orange light came on in the dash.
“You can start it when that light blinks off understand?”
I nodded staring at the light willing it desperately to go off. Pushing in the clutch I selected first gear on the stick shift. I’d never done this before but thanked Tim silently for teaching me how to ride his bike and prayed I wouldn’t stall it.
David ran off, he had to run the length of the doors to the button mechanism that rolled them back along the wall on rails. 20 seconds later he was ready. The little light had gone out and I turned the key. The motor wound over a couple of times and caught, billowing a cloud of black smoke as it roared into life. David hit the button and the doors moved, screeching and grumbling, ever so slowly, the gap growing wider. In the corner of my eye I saw him sprinting for us his arms and legs pumping furiously but I also saw lights go on in the living quarters at the end of the cavern, movement reflected in the windows, a door opening.
The cavern doors kept moving slowly, agonizingly finally there was enough room. I let out the clutch and pushed hard on the accelerator, the truck screeched forward, lurching, hopping then picked up speed. It didn’t stall. Jacinta was sitting next to me; she rubbed my arm encouragingly as we headed for the opening as we both breathed a sigh of relief.
The sound of the gun was monstrous in the enclosure of the cavern. The big guy Carlos was pointing his pistol toward us but he was too far away, the bullets zinged off somewhere, harmless. I kept driving, David was sprinting, oh so close, Carlos was running too, he was fast for a big guy.
I lifted my foot and the truck slowed dramatically, David was able to catch up to us and crashed against Jacinta’s door holding on, then opening it forcing his way inside, Jacinta made way for him.
“Okay, go hard kid, drive get us the fuck out of here”
I pushed hard on the accelerator, changed into second gear the transmission squealing its dismay at my rough handling. I didn’t care. It was pitch black and Jacinta flicked the headlights on for me as I concentrated on driving. I had to turn hard right in the gravel and the back slewed around before correcting itself. The girls in the back screamed. The road we were on was a spur connecting to the main gravel road with a gate at the end.
“Drive through it” David yelled as the truck continued to accelerate. I struggled hard with the steering wheel changing into third and smashed through the gate, posts and wire flying everywhere. More screams.
‘This would be fun’ I thought ‘if it wasn’t 4.30 in the morning and we weren’t being chased by a gang of psychopathic criminals.’
I sped along the gravel as fast as I dared keeping the truck in third gear revving the crap out of it. The others kept looking behind us for lights but there was nothing……yet. The truck was hard to control it felt like a wild animal intent on killing us as I fought the steering wheel, keeping it on the road almost by the force of my will. I concentrated on the pencil thin beams of light as we careered around corners. Coming to the tar sealed road I swung on to it the truck rocking dangerously as we took the corner. We all screamed as a wheel lifted from the ground then crashed back down.
David grinned over at me “Gonna have to change my undies after that one kid”
“Where should we go?” I yelled at him
“Head toward town, toward the hospital, I’ll phone ahead” he produced a cell phone from his pocket, there’ll be a shit load of cops waiting for us” I didn’t hear him say “I hope” under his breath.
“Why the hospital and not the police station?” Jacinta yelled
“We’ve got to get those girls help” he answered “plus they’re going to need to dig this bullet out of my back”
We looked over startled as the truck thundered on. I noticed the back of David’s seat was slick with blood. Jacinta held him forward ripping some material from the hem of her skirt and pushed it against the wound stemming the bleeding. There was no exit hole; the bullet must have been near the end of its trajectory and travelling slowly.
I drove as fast as I dared then I saw lights appear in the rear view mirror accelerating fast but still quite a way behind us.
“They’re behind us” I screamed “coming really fast”
We were nearly at the freeway on ramp as the pursuing car caught up. There were no other cars on the road and I was able to push the truck as hard as I could control it but the other car was newer, faster, more powerful. We didn’t have a chance of outrunning it.
We ran down onto the Freeway the motor of the truck grumbling and clattering as I put my foot flat to the floor. The whole truck shook like a giant hand had grabbed it but it still wasn’t enough.
I noticed lights in the distance coming toward us, some cars but they were on the other side of the road. As we drew nearer I noticed it was more than one car, in fact quite a few, a little blue Toyota in front, a couple of trail bikes and an orange Kombi van a few other cars behind those, some new, others with surfboards on the roof. I opened my driver’s side window, flashed my lights and tooted the horn. I waved as hard as I could; a head on one of the motorbikes turned, looked then kept on riding.
They didn’t see me!
“We need to get David to a hospital Jade he’s not well” said Jacinta he’s losing a lot of blood.
“Keep pressure on the wound” I yelled over the engine, I was channelling my Mom the nurse.
We raced on for another couple of minutes the black car now only seconds away right behind us trying to pass, I wouldn’t let them, weaving over the road my eyes fixed on the rear vision mirrors.
All of a sudden as if by magic, two motorcycles appeared one on each side of us. One came right up beside my window, a head encased in a helmet looked at me, his eyes were like flint.
He screamed something at me but I couldn’t hear him.
“What?” I mouthed
“Slam on your brakes and hold on” Tim shouted again
I nodded at him and screamed as loud as I could into the back
“HOLD ON”
I grabbed the steering wheel and mashed my feet down as hard as I could pushing in both the brake and the clutch pedals. Smoke streamed from the tyres as the nose of the truck dipped precipitously.
The black car with four bodies in it couldn’t stop in time, smashing directly into the back of the truck. Its hood crumpled up and white air bags went off encasing the occupants. The two bikes came to a skidding stop and my brothers hit the engine kill switches and jumped off just letting the bikes fall to the ground.
Tim took a baseball bat from the side of his bike held there with a bit of rope, Jeff swung a metal bar. They walked quickly past us toward the car. I jumped out ready to follow.
Tim’s voice was quiet, commanding; deadly serious.
“Stay there”
He approached the driver’s door as it swung open Carlos lurching out he looked huge but he was also dazed from the collision while smoke and steam billowed from the bonnet of his car. He held his gun but he wasn’t as fast as my brother. Tim swung the bat connecting with the big man’s wrist. Melville was right the sound of bone snapping was hideous, I jumped. Carlos screamed his voice high like a woman’s. Tim swung again with all his strength fury in his face as the bat connected with the side of Carlos’ head. He dropped like a stone.
Cars, all these cars suddenly appeared people tumbling from them running, stumbling.
Melville charged from his car his gun up, he pointed it at…….me, aiming, squeezing the trigger; I felt like a rabbit caught in headlights, blinking, time slowing down.
But he was no match for Jeff. This time the metal bar connected with an elbow and the gun sailed from his hand clattering onto the concrete. Melville slumped to the ground in agony clutching his arm I could see the white of the bone poking through his sleeve and I felt like vomiting. Jeff stood over him, his chest heaving as he raised the bar again this time aiming for his head. The muscles in his arms stood out like ropes.
A slim figure rushed toward him jumping at him clinging to him her arms locked around his neck tears streaming down her face.
“Don’t do it please don’t do it” she begged “I need you”
It felt like forever as Jeff stood there the bar raised then it was as if all the emotion, the rage just seeped out of him and he sagged, dropped the bar put his arms around Jacinta and just held her. I’d never seen him cry before but at that moment he buried his face into her shoulder and sobbed.
The other two thugs were dragged from their vehicle and easily disarmed; the fight had gone out of them when they saw their boss lying on the road. They sat against the car their hands on their heads.
Tim stood there then turned to face me. He pulled his helmet off and his head was swathed in bandages. He looked like a mummy. His face fell and the baseball bat slipped from his fingers when he saw me. I must have been a sight, my face pale I was splattered with Agent Manuals’ blood. I shook violently as the effects of the adrenalin worked their way through my body. He started to run but he was overtaken by a figure sprinting toward me. She swept me up into her arms and held me so tight I couldn’t breathe. Tim was a second behind her and I felt his strong arms encircle us both holding us up.
‘Group hug’ I thought ‘awesome’
Other figures came running too, Dave was there grinning with a tooth missing but miraculously his hands were okay. I found out later Melville had lied to us; he’d never broken his fingers. Just the threats to my Mom were enough. She had been visiting Dave at the time the gangsters had turned up, seems it had been a little embarrassing; they had to get dressed rather quickly. Carlos had smacked Dave around afterwards just for the sake of it. I didn’t feel sorry for that thug in the slightest.
Dave was concerned “Did those fuckers hurt you?”
“No” I replied
Mom told him off “Dave no swearing around my daughter”
I giggled hugging her even harder. He looked sheepish so I hugged him too.
Jasmine was there with her dad, how she persuaded him to get involved was beyond me but she sidled up to us and put her arm around Tim’s waist. He looked at her and smiled shyly.
Finally a lone figure stood a little apart watching us a smile on his face. I reached up and felt the cool jade stone around my neck. It was still there.
“Mom there’s a DEA agent in the truck, he’s been shot and needs help; his name is David” I said remembering
She disentangled herself from me and shot around to help him. That was my Mom she’d stop a thousand cars to help a little old lady across the street.
I stood alone then; looking pretty pathetic I guess but glad to be alive. We walked together and he wrapped me into his arms. This time the kiss was real, passionate I melted into him, felt his lips; the salt of our tears mingling.
“You know next time we go surfing together I get to choose where we go”
I leaned my head against his chest and chuckled
“Deal”
Jeff walked toward us
“Looks like you’ve got yourself a date for that dance Jay”
I looked up into Nick’s eyes as they reflected the red and blue lights of some approaching police cars.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world” he said
CHAPTER 25 – Sexy Plexi
It had been two weeks since we had escaped from Melville and his gang. Most of the bruises were beginning to fade, cuts knit together
and a dentist had even been able to save Dave’s tooth which meant he didn’t look like a pirate anymore. Officer Manual had come close to death but had pulled through after being rushed to hospital in a rescue helicopter and the abducted girls had been returned to their family and friends after suffering through heroin withdrawal but at least they were free. Court dates were being prepared and we were all expected to testify, something that didn’t thrill me.
The most contentious issue had been what to do with the money. The boys saw it as a life changing opportunity which could buy us a house and help them start their business. Mom had argued that the money wasn’t ours and should be handed in to the police and besides it was money that was gained through the suffering and misery of others. They both had compelling arguments for and against. As for me I just sat there and enjoyed their company or would get up and potter in the kitchen. I was enjoying cooking more and more and had begun looking at recipes that Mom had or were on-line. It was something I’d never really had an interest in when I was a boy but now as a girl I was having fun learning. The decision about the money was in my Mom’s hands though and we eventually decided to return it to the police.
Obviously Jacinta’s needs had also become a priority and to no-one’s surprise Dave came to her rescue. Between him and Mom they agreed to sponsor her to stay in the country and he even gave her a job at his store. She stayed in our guest bedroom which was right next to Jeff’s. He was over the moon and one night on a trip to the bathroom I happened to see her sneaking in to see him. I grinned to myself and never said a word to anyone. I understood the depth of feeling they shared.
I had recently visited the hospital for more tests and had amazed the Doctors. It seems the Hyperplasia was more invasive than they thought. The cell regeneration had completely rewritten my DNA and had changed not only my features and sex but they confirmed what I already knew in my heart. I had changed from being XY to XX plus the oestrogen was having a significant effect on my brain development. One specialist had suggested that nature was correcting a mistake and that I was always supposed to be a girl. I wasn’t prepared to go that far but if I was being honest with myself I felt far more comfortable in my skin now than I ever did as a boy. Not only that but I was also aghast to learn that I was not really interested in being a tom boy. In fact both Jacinta and my mother went to great pains and had a lot of fun reminding me how girly I was becoming. I would refuse to leave the house without some makeup on and with Jacinta’s help had begun a regime to look after my skin. I was never seen without nail polish both on my fingers and toes and often chose to wear a skirt or dress over wearing jeans. I was determined to learn how to walk properly in heels and often wore them around the house or out to the mall. I loved playing with hair and learnt about up-do’s, chignons, what to do to straighten curly hair and how to plat, I guess I just loved pretty things.
I’d also had a long and difficult talk with Phil and had explained how much he meant to me but that at this moment in time Nick owned my heart. Although he was really upset he told me he understood. I wasn’t too sure though because he withdrew from my circle of friends and we hardly saw much of him after that. It was easily one of the hardest conversations I’d ever had and I’d cried myself to sleep over it all that night.
The fact I cried more easily and felt more deeply surprised me too but in a good way. I was enjoying the new me and even Jeff and Tim were noticing. They were gentler with me, very protective and kind. We hugged more and laughed more. They always made a point now of including me in their plans and in their lives. We had even been on a date together with our respective other halves Nick and I, Tim and Jaz and of course Jeff and Jacinta. We had so much fun going Ten Pin bowling and out for dinner we all decided we would do it more often. Jaz and Jacinta had even agreed to learn how to surf much to the boys delight.
My relationship with Nick was growing. He lived an hour north of Imperial Beach but in a very short space of time I think he could drive his old pick-up between his place and ours in his sleep he did it so often. I had been introduced to his parents, Glen and Rose and his sister, Emily who was older than Nick and in her second year at College. They had accepted me instantly and I was welcomed into their family.
It was Saturday evening, Nick and I lay on a Japanese futon in the back of his pick-up truck overlooking the ocean. It was cool so we were covered in a blanket snuggled together eating Chinese takeaways. As far as I was concerned it was the perfect date.
I was contented sitting in the back. I didn’t have much money but as far as I was concerned I was rich. The sun was setting over the rolling, heaving ocean, the light played off the water turning it a deep mysterious blue; sunsets in this part of the world were spectacular and we were alone.
Nick turned on his side and looked at me. I was lost in my thoughts looking out to sea, appreciating how fortunate I was.
“You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and you scare me to bits.”
“Scare you how come?” I was genuinely dismayed turning toward him, until he said;
“Because you reached into my chest and ripped my heart out of me and it’s horrible. For the first time ever someone holds my heart and it’s your choice. You can hold it or crush it and all I can do is trust you.”
This boy certainly knew what to say, I looked into those deep blue eyes and saw he was serious. I instantly melted inside, I knew I felt the same but how do you find the words to even begin to express teenage love? It was something physical, that delicious pain in my heart whenever I thought of him.
I leaned over instead and gently caressed his lips with my finger, touching every part of them as I looked into his soul. We kissed and in it I tried to let him know just how deeply I felt. His hand touched my side working its way up caressing, embracing then holding my breast. I gasped as the sensations shot through my body, I was instantly wet.
I knew where this could lead “Do you think we should?” I asked
“It’s completely up to you; I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do”
I loved him even more. I felt his tongue in my mouth and I sucked on it greedily. He let me lead him as I lifted my arms and he removed my top.
“That is one very sexy brassiere” he laughed. I was wearing the new push-up I’d bought. He leaned down and pulled the side of the bra down flicking his tongue over my nipple. I shut my eyes tightly as my head fell back. It was as if a jolt of electricity had flown between my breast and my groin. I couldn’t hold myself up and fell, lying in the crook of his elbow looking up at him. He could do anything he wanted with me right now, I couldn’t resist. He kissed my shoulders and neck as he held me and I moaned. His fingers found my wetness and he touched me, fondling my clit, he brought me to the edge. As I looked at him with hooded eyes unable to speak, it became unbearable and I slipped over into the first orgasm a boy had ever given me. I convulsed in his arms as wave after wave washed over me and through me. As the feeling subsided I rolled into him, burying my face into his chest a single tear washing across my nose. I didn’t feel like a girl anymore but a young woman, I felt complete. I reached over, feeling his erection underneath the denim of his jeans. He was hard, ready; I wanted so desperately to give back to him what he had just given me.
“Not yet my darling, but soon when the time is right, when everything is perfect” he whispered gently in my ear.
As far as I was concerned the time was right, it was all perfect but I trusted him, we were young, we had all the time in the world. We stayed cuddled together like that for a long time. He held me until the stars shone and the moon rose; just a sliver like a smile beaming down just on us.
CHAPTER 26 – Same Girl
The school dance was coming up quickly and at lunch each day the girls discussed everything from dress colour to dress length, makeup looks to hair styles and what color nail polish would complement our dresses. The guys of course discussed football.
I found myself as enthusiastic as all the other girls and particularly loved talking about colors and fashion. My interests had changed a lot as a girl I realised, although my passion for waves was still the same. My training and preparation for the upcoming competition had continued right throughout the last few weeks plus the advantage from all this was that my body was lean and toned especially my long legs; while remarkably I still maintained my C Cup breasts.
The last flowers were taped to my locker on Friday. I came upon them at lunchtime but had no idea what they were. This time it was a bunch, white with fine red detail on the petals and red stamens. I took them to a biology teacher who told me they were Mountain Laurel, both intricately delicate and beautiful but also deadly poisonous to animals including humans. That was a little scary considering I knew who had left them. The flowers this time were a warning and a signature, the note simply said: Tomorrow.
I guessed the dance would be where something would be said or done to bring this all to its little conclusion. I was determined to deal with it first before it all got out of hand but the preparation was going to take up most of my time or so I found out. Mom and Jacinta first took me to get my nails done. I got long gel nails with a white French tip that were as gorgeous as they were totally impractical.
“How am I going to pick things up?” I protested to which Mom replied
“You’ll get used to it”
I shrugged and laughed they did look elegant after all.
Then came makeup and hair. Mom and Jacinta fussed over me, braiding my hair into an adorable style that I loved. I got them to do cat eyes with ultra-long mascaraed lashes for my makeup; they looked wicked. By 4.00pm I was ready other than putting on my dress, something I wasn’t allowed to do until after I’d eaten just in case I spilled something on it. I was too nervous to eat anyway so just moped around sipping on a juice and texting Jaz. She was feeling exactly the same and raved about her dress which she assured me would complement mine perfectly and we would make all the other girls jealous and the boys would all desire us. I giggled to myself nervously thinking about making boys desire me. Oh how my life had changed. I felt a small twinge of sadness deep in my soul for what I’d lost but in reality I loved who I now was and the person I had become.
By the time Nick arrived I had my dress on along with my new lingerie. I had also worn my little jade pendant and it looked exquisite snuggled into my cleavage plus Mom had lent me a pair of her diamond earrings. To say I felt totally feminine and completely girly would be an understatement. None of my family had ever seen me like this and they were all lined up as I came out of my room balanced perfectly on my high heels. I walked gracefully one step in front of the other, practiced and ladylike. I would have loved to walk down some stairs like a movie star but our old house didn’t have any. The dark green dress swished as I moved the sequins twinkling in the light. Mom had tears in her eyes while Jacinta just beamed, holding on to Jeff’s arm as he stood there with his mouth open.
Tim and Nick were both wearing suits as they were both obviously going too, they looked handsome and broad shouldered. Tim’s tie was purple to match Jasmine’s dress while Nick’s was dark green to match mine.
“Fuck” said Tim as he watched me and got a quick smack on the arm by Mom.
“Sorry” he said “but honestly just, I mean, look at her; what else can you say?”
Nick walked toward me this look in his eyes that said everything he was feeling. I was lost in the moment as we stood in front of each other looking into each-other’s eyes. I smiled shyly, nervously as he gently kissed my lips careful not to smudge my lipstick and gave me a single white rose to pin onto my dress.
“There are no words to describe how perfect you look” he said
I looked him up and down and suppressed a shiver at how handsome he was.
“You look soooo amazing” I said it quietly just for him to hear. At that moment it felt like just he and I were in the room.
“Come on you two time for some photographs” Mom broke the spell and promptly began setting us all up together as she clicked away with her little digital camera. We laughed and giggled through it and I especially loved feeling Nicks arm around my waist holding me close.
Finally we jumped in the car and Nick drove us the short distance to the venue. This was a special event, one that Mrs Shirley had thought of and organised because she felt young people needed to be exposed to more formal occasions in their lives. Although not the official prom it was seen by most of the student body as just as important. It was unique to our school and a tradition everyone loved. It wasn’t held in our school hall but rather at a local convention center. As young people we all felt both awed and honored to be treated so well by our local community.
Nick parked and rushed around the front of his car to open the door for me. I had nervous butterflies as he held my hand and we walked toward the entrance. Jaz was already there with Tim while all the other girls were milling around holding their date’s hands or squealing at each-others dresses. Josh was there looking massive, he had asked Sarah to be his date and she looked stunning in a blue knee length satin dress that clung to all the right places. They both looked happy and relaxed together and I thought they made a fantastic looking couple. Sam however wasn’t there and I felt sorry that he felt he couldn’t come. He wasn’t my stalker and my heart went out to him. I hoped we could still be friends although I knew how guys felt when they were relegated to the ‘friend zone’ by a girl.
As we walked in a spotlight zoomed in and held on each couple for a few seconds then moved on. I was temporarily blinded when it happened and stood there until my eyes cleared. When they did I saw Lauren standing at the other end of the center looking straight at me. She was beautiful in a baby pink dress that fell to the floor with a plunging neck line that showed off her stunning breasts. Our eyes locked for a second and in that moment she knew that I knew who she was. She bowed her head then looked back up at me holding my eyes in a challenge I was ready to meet. I held her gaze until she looked away. We had things to discuss her and I.
Nick took my hand and led me out onto the dance floor. It was a Black Eyed Peas song so we shook our booties and laughed together. Dancing in heels was surprisingly easy I found and was silently grateful I’d done so much practice. A slow song came on next and Nick held me close. I leaned my head on his shoulder and listened to him breathe as we moved together as one. I wanted to make this moment last forever but eventually we made our way over to our table and plonked down beside Tim and Jasmine. She leaned over and hugged me her long slim arms encircling my neck.
“Just because you’re my best friend” she whispered then let go and put her hand into Tim’s lap his giant one closing over hers. I once again saw the adoration in her eyes, she was a lucky girl and he was a lucky guy.
I did the same and put my hand into Nick’s and rested a while just chatting over the music and saying hi to people. A number of guys came over to ask me to dance and I ended up in huge demand until Nick rescued me chuckling something about having a super model for his girlfriend. Eventually however the need overcame me.
“I need to pee” I whispered to Jaz who like all good girlfriends grabbed her bag and we wandered out to the bathroom together giving the boys a wave. I found a stall after waiting in line and sat down. This was one of the disadvantages of being female but I guess it was a small one in comparison to all the advantages I felt I’d gained.
Once I’d finished I made a beeline to the mirror and stood next to Jaz. We primped, touched up our lip gloss, checked our hair and generally did all those things girls do that drives guys mad while they’re waiting. Doing it all with much longer finger nails took me a bit longer but I was getting the hang of it. I just didn’t want to scratch my own eye out.
Lauren was waiting for me as we exited. Jaz wanted to hang around but I said it was okay and followed Lauren to a quiet place.
Once there I turned and looked her straight in the eye. I couldn’t deny how beautiful she was, her dark brown eyes looking through thick lashes, her full lips and high cheek bones. She looked ravishing in her dress all curves exuding sensuality and sexiness.
“Hi Jade” she whispered “you look amazing, there are no words to describe just how hot you look tonight”
I blushed mumbling a thank you. “You look gorgeous yourself Lauren”
There was a moment of awkward silence so I launched in
“Why did you put all those notes in my locker, all the flowers?” I asked “what was that about?”
“You know then, I thought you did. Was it the flowers?”
“Partly, but also the fact I kind of saw you doing it as well. I spied on you from the toilets”
“Oh” she remarked
“So why did you do it?”
“Why do you think? I’ve had a crush on you since the first day you came back as Jade. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen and I guess the fact you were once a boy just turned me on like crazy.”
“So you like girls then?”
“Well both really, girls and boys but if I was forced to pick then yeah I like girls and I wanted you”
“It’s kind of a funny way of showing it”
“Got your attention didn’t it” her smile was ravishing
I studied her face, the intensity of her eyes how set her jaw was, she was telling the truth she really was attracted to me. Part of the boy inside me rose up intrigued by her confession but in the pit of my stomach I knew I could never love her as a boy, I could never satisfy a woman as a man. There was no stirring between my legs, no teenage erection and there never would be again. If I was going to ever love another girl it would have to be as a girl and I wasn’t sure I could go there. But then again I didn’t think I could survive a day living as a girl and look how that turned out.
“Do your parents know?”
“I doubt they’d understand, I mean they’re both pretty old school you know, a woman’s place is in the home blah blah. I can’t imagine them ever accepting that I’m a lesbian”
There it was the L word, I thought about Nick and then about Lauren. I looked at her, really studied her. Nope I thought she still had two eyes a nose and a mouth she looked pretty normal to me.
“Surely you’ve thought about it Jade. I mean you were a boy once, you liked girls didn’t you? Do you think you could like me, maybe even love me?”
“I don’t know I mean if I look deep in my heart then yes once upon a time I did like girls and if I was still a boy and you were talking to me like this I’d be so flattered and I’d say yes to you in a second but…”
“But you’re a girl now and everything’s changed and you have feelings but not for me, for Nick right?”
“Yes for Nick, I’m attracted to him; as far as a teenager can I think I love him I want to know what it’s like to make love to him one day. I mean, I have no problem with your choices and that you like girls, gosh look at us we’re pretty damn lovable no matter who we like” I grinned trying to make her understand but she just looked heart broken.
“Aw Lauren please don’t cry” I hugged her as a tear rolled down her cheek. I had no words.
Slowly she pulled back and then carefully gently almost without thought our lips met. Hers were softer, more searching, more sensual in every way and I felt myself respond as her tongue touched mine, probing, reaching out. Was this happening was I really kissing another girl?
Suddenly the kiss became harder more passionate as she reached around me, pulled me close, my body said yes to her while my mind screamed in both lust and confusion.
‘What about Nick?’
Our breasts touched and our dresses slipped against each other, I was wet with arousal, this felt so right yet so wrong.
I pushed away from her breathing hard my head swirling in a miasma of conflicting emotions. Looking over I saw Nick just standing there.
How long had he been there? What had he seen?
“Nick please” I called but he shook his head and walked away. I ran after him pulling at his arm.
He turned “Hey Jade I can’t compete with that, if that’s what you want……”
“No honest it was just a girl thing, it’s not what it looks like please……I love you” I emphasised the ‘you’ I wanted him so much.
“You love me?” he searched my eyes looked into my soul “don’t mess with my heart Jade honestly I can’t take it, the moment I first saw you I loved you. I got lost in your eyes and I’ve been lost ever since so make a decision cause I’ve already made mine.”
I grabbed him and pulled him to me throwing my arms around his neck, kissing him hard my tongue thrusting against his teeth forcing its way into his mouth. He pushed against me, I felt his hardness the muscles under his shirt his animal strength as he held me. Yes this is what I wanted, who I wanted. I held on to him with all my strength, my chest heaving.
“I’m sorry, there can never be anyone else but you, please” I gazed up at him
“And how can I resist those beautiful eyes” he smiled as he held me close.
“Let’s go home”
I walked with him arms around each-others waists close together.
“I’ve entered the surf competition you’re in” Nick said non-chalantly as I picked up my clutch and said goodnight to everyone “the winner and runner up get a special invitation to the Junior World champs in Hawaii next month. It’s an opportunity I can’t turn up”
“Good” I smiled “I can’t wait to kick your butt”