Becoming A High School Girl - Chapter 24

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Friday evening I went out with Laura again. We headed down to Spencer's again. I was getting very fond of that coffeehouse. It was fun being seen as a regular. It was also very special to Laura as she was much more relaxed there. I know she was still dealing with some issues, but then again, who wasn't?

"What do you do when you see someone you recognize here?" I asked as we sat down on the couch.

"It depends. If it's someone from school, then it depends on how they react when they see you. Sometimes there is 'mutual amnesia,' and neither person acknowledges the other. There are other students at Central who are out and some that are still in the closet, more or less. I respect their privacy if they want to pretend they don't know me. For the most part, most people know that this is a safe haven."

"If they come here, how far in the closet are they?" I asked as I sipped my cappuccino.

"Golden Hill is far more tolerant than most of this area. They aren't that worried about their reception here in town. Some people are wary of being 'too out' because they might not be as well-received in other areas. You're lucky that you pass so well. There are have been some bad incidents in the past."

"Cat mentioned that there was something that happened a few years ago with Red Hill. All she told me was that the football team retaliated for something done to some of the contestants."

Laura put down her cup. "It happened our freshman year. Three of the contestants stopped at a fast-food restaurant up near Red Hill. They were attacked by a bunch of guys from the Red Hill High football team. They beat them up in the parking lot, and then they stripped them naked. They nail their wigs and bras on the outside of the press box at their stadium, like trophies of war."

"Why didn't the police get involved?" I asked.

"Their police department said it was just a high school prank. So our team decided to take justice into their own hands, and they decided to raid Red Hill. The goons who made the attack were wearing school jackets, so our guys had a good idea of who to look for. They went up there and tracked them down at some local joint and beat them up. Then later that night, they went by Red Hill High and removed the "war trophies" and replaced them with the jackets of the guys they beat up."

"What happened after that?"

"Both schools met and discussed ways to prevent a repeat of a similar incident. No one ever got in trouble from the incident, although it did create some real bad feelings between our schools," explained Laura.

"You know that Ms. B's nephew was in on the raid. Well, he didn't exactly admit to taking part in it, but he didn't deny it either."

"No one ever admitted to being in on it, but everyone knew who did it. From what I heard, Tom Bell was the leader of the group that went up to Red Hill."

"Do you fail to acknowledge anyone in here now?" I asked, shifting the conversation back to the original topic.

"No, there's no need for it. Everyone in school knows that I am out. Besides, I'm proud of who and what I am. I would like to help others going through the same process that I went through."

I leaned over and kissed her.

"Have you ever run into anyone other than a student that you've known?" I asked.

"Just Coach Chambers. I know it's a stereotype that the girls' gym teacher is a lesbian, but she is really cool. She makes it very clear that she keeps her personal life distant from her students."

"I guess I am pretty clueless about those sort of things. I've been too caught up in my own life to really look at others."

"Don't worry about that. You've had enough on your mind this year. I saw her here a couple of times before I had the guts to talk to her. She helped me a lot like Ms. B helped you."

"It's nice that you had someone to talk to."

"Yes, she has helped quite a few girls with similar issues."

We finished up a second cup and then walked back to the car. Mom was dating Sam again, so we went back to my house to make out a little.

We were lying together on the family room couch, watching TV. It felt good being in Laura's arms. I was very content being with her. It's hard to put down in words, but it just felt right. I would have killed to be with a girl as wonderful as Laura back in San Diego, and I probably would have ruined it by trying to get into her pants. I would have wanted to prove that I was a real man. But as I accepted my true nature and adjusted my frame of mind, the idea of having sex with her as a guy became unthinkable.

"You know that hypothetical offer you made me?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Well, don't worry about it. I appreciate your offer, but the more I thought about it, the less important it seems. Besides, I couldn't do it before when I was looked as a boy; now, I'd be trying to act like a boy to be with someone who doesn't mean anything to me. It is just too complicated and unimportant to me."

Laura reached up and gently ran her hand across my face.

"I believe 100% that my decision to transition is the right thing to do. I truly appreciate that you think so much of me to make this offer, but let's just forget it, okay?"

"I was hoping you'd say that," she replied, and we began to kiss.

"I'd better get going, it's almost 11:00, and I promised my mom that I'd be home early!"

"I understand. Oh, I almost forgot, do you think that your parents would come here for dinner? Nothing fancy, just a few steaks on the grill," I asked.

"Sure, sounds like fun. When do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Tomorrow? It would give them less time to come up with an excuse not to do it," I joked.

"Will your mom agree?" asked Laura.

"It was her idea," I said.

"Cool, I'll call you about it tomorrow. I think this will be so much fun."

I waited up and told Mom that Laura would ask her parents about dinner.

"I wish that you'd given them more heads uptime," smiled Mom.

"I think that it'll be better if they have less time to say no. Besides, the next few weeks are pretty busy between Easter and spring break."

"Well, I have everything if they agree."

"Cool! How was your date?" I asked.

"Good. No, make that great. He asked me if I want to go to Philadelphia for a weekend with him in May. He has a conference there, and he wants me to go with him."

"I hope you said yes!" I answered.

"You won't mind being alone?" she asked.

"You can have Terri check up on me if you want. I think this is so cool!"

"Okay, I'll tell him yes. Thank you for being so understanding,"

"I'm just happy you are happy," I answered. "Besides, you have put up with me all year!"

When I got home from the group, I called up Laura and asked her if her parents had accepted the invitation for dinner.

"You won't believe this, but they said yes!" exclaimed Laura.

"Wow. That's pretty cool!"

"I was stunned when they said that they were looking forward to meeting your mom."

"I can't wait to tell her. By the way, Sam is going to be here too. Mom invited him, just in case your parents said no."

"I can't wait to see him again. I only met him when I was giving my statement during your trial," replied Laura.

"He is incredible. I really think that he's getting serious with Mom. I'm so happy about it."

I went on to tell her that they were going to Philadelphia in May.

"We'll be there around 6:00."

We said goodbye, and I went and told Mom.

I spent the rest of the morning cleaning the house. Mom called Sam, and he willingly agreed to cook the steaks on the grill that night. Mom planned on keeping dinner simple. The dinner would be steak, baked potato, green beans, salad, and cheesecake for dessert. Laura had told us that cheesecake was her dad's favorite.

I decided to wear my long denim skirt and a red sweater. The weather was cloudy and cool, but it looked like the rain would hold off until later. I was really looking forward to warmer weather.

Around 5:30, Sam arrived. I got a thrill out of seeing him and Mom kiss when he walked in. They really seemed to be in love.

"Hi, Erika," Sam greeted as he gave me a hug.

"Hi, Sam, thanks for coming."

"Are you nervous?" he asked as he placed a bottle of red wine on the kitchen counter. Mom had opened the fridge and pointed to a beer, and he nodded.

"Yes, a little," I replied. That was a lie. I was very nervous. This was far worse than when I had met Paul's family.

"So, what can you tell us about Laura's parents," he asked as he took a sip of his beer.

"Both her parents are in real estate. Mr. Adams owns the agency, and Mrs. Adams still works in sales." I was sitting down at the kitchen table, cutting up the beans for dinner.

"Oh, I've heard of him," nodded Sam. "Phil Adams is one of the biggest realtors in the area."

"Nothing through work, I hope," quipped Mom with a laugh.

I gave Mom a mock dirty look.

Sam laughed. "No, I know someone who bought a house from him. Still, do you want me to check up on him?"

"Great idea, maybe we can have the police come by and rough them up too!" I added.

Sam looked at me and took out his cell phone. "What time do you want them here?"

I just rolled my eyes. Actually, I was really enjoying this. I'd never liked most of the guy's Mom dated. Sam already felt like family. I began to fantasize about what it would be like to have him as a father.

Sam went out and started up the grill. Everything was ready; all we needed were the Adams to arrive.

A little after six, I heard a car pull into the driveway. I walked over and saw it was Laura and her parents. I had met her Mom several times, and while she was a bit distant, she was at least friendly. Her dad was a different story. He always seemed to be busy when I came over. I was hoping that it wouldn't be a repeat of the verbal battle that I'd had with Paul's dad.

I met them at the door and welcomed them in. Mom and Sam came out of the kitchen, and we all introduced ourselves.

I could feel Laura's parent's glares when Laura kissed me. She had told me that she had no intention of hiding her affection for me. Mrs. Adams brought flowers, and I found a vase to put them in.

There was some initial tension as we sat down in the living room. I would have preferred to stay in the kitchen, but Mom said that was a bit too casual.

There was some harmless small talk as we sat there. It was too nice and too phony. It took Sam to break the ice.

"I have to put the steaks on the grill; you want to join me, Phil?" he asked.

"Sure sounds good," he answered, and they got up and left for the deck.

That allowed Mom and Mrs. Adams to get social. They hit it off immediately. We soon migrated into the kitchen to finish getting dinner ready. We could hear Sam and Phil laughing out on the deck.

"So, Jill, how long have you and our charming DA been dating?" asked Mrs. Adams as she checked on the beans.

"Just a few weeks, Sue," replied Mom.

"Well, you make a lovely couple," she commented.

Laura and I went into the dining room and set the table. We felt that it was going okay so far. But Laura was still worried about her dad, as he seemed to be ignoring me. We also wondered when our relationship would come up. We took our time setting the table, as we wanted them to have some time alone.

Dinner went well. Everyone was nice to each other, although I was waiting for something to happen. I doubted that the issue of Laura and I would slip by the whole night. Mr. Adams kept looking over at Laura and me and giving us strange looks.

It was during dessert that something happened that shocked me and just about everyone else there. Mr. Adams stated that he needed to say something. I braced myself for the worst, and I felt Laura take hold of my hand.

"When Laura first told us that she... preferred girls, I was, to put it mildly, shocked. I initially thought that it was just a phase that she was going through and that she would grow out of it. Then this year, she told us that she was dating you, Erika. We knew that she was friends with you from school and that you were in the scholarship contest. But when she told us that you weren't just a contestant, but that you were going to have a sex change, it was too much. I thought she was doing it just to make me angry. I wanted nothing to do with you. I thought that if I ignored you that eventually she would wise up and meet someone that would make her really happy." He paused for a moment and took a drink of his coffee.

I glanced over at Laura and could tell that she was just as nervous.

He put down his cup. "I realize now how wrong I've been. She has met someone who makes her happy. Erika, you are a remarkable young woman, and if you make Laura happy, then who am I to say that it is wrong. Laura, I'm so sorry that I've been so closed-minded. Can you forgive me?"

I thought I was in some TV movie. I kept waiting for the sappy music to start. But this was real. Laura went over and hugged and kissed her dad. I could see that she was crying.

The rest of the evening was wonderful. The Adams stayed until almost midnight, and we were all sorry to see them leave. They invited us to dinner the following weekend.

While we cleaned up, I looked over at Mom. "Did that really happen, or is this some strange dream?"

"I'm not sure; ask me in the morning," said Mom. "When Phil started with his little confession, I was ready to jump in and blast him for being a closed-minded ass. I found that I had to push those feelings away when he told everyone how wrong he had been."

"Me too."

"That makes three of us," added Sam.

When we finished, I said goodnight and left them alone. It was one of the most remarkable nights in my life.

Sunday, I was at work when Mrs. Lincoln came by. It was rare for her to stop by on the weekend, other than a special occasion. I saw her talking to Cindy on her way back to her office. Cindy waved me over to her.

"Mrs. Lincoln wants to see you in her office."

"Is something wrong?" I asked.

"No, in fact, it's something good. Now, don't keep her waiting," stated Cindy, who had a big grin on her face.

I walked over and knocked on her office door. No matter how many times I went into her office, I always felt a little intimidated.

"Please come in, Erika," ordered Mrs. Lincoln. "Take a seat, please."

I sat down and waited for her to speak.

"I just had a lovely visit with your mother. I needed to ask her something before I talked to you. I have to go on a short business trip to New York City during your spring break. I would like to take you along as my assistant. We would leave on Monday and be back by Friday. This is work and not a vacation. Would you like to go?" she asked.

I sat there and felt a big stupid smile forming on my face. "I would love to, Mrs. Lincoln. Thank you so much."

"Wonderful! Well, you get back to work, dear, and I'll tell you more later."

I excused myself and went back out to work.

Cindy was waiting for me. "I told you it was something good. I've gone with her a few times and have always enjoyed myself."

"You will have a wonderful time. I went with her a couple of years ago," concurred Mel. "We even went to a Broadway show."

I was walking on air and the rest of the day flew by. I couldn't believe my good luck.

When I got home, I was so excited. Mom thought it was a great opportunity and totally approved of me going.

"Mrs. Lincoln obviously thinks very highly of you."

I also thought that my being out of town might speed up the romance between Mom and Sam.

I couldn't wait to tell both Laura and Cat. They were both very envious.

"I don't get it, you get to work in the fanciest store in town, you get to be in a fashion show, and now you get to spend a week in the city; it's so unfair!" joked Laura.

"I'm just lucky, I guess!"

The week before spring break was hectic. I had several big things to worry about besides just class. I would be seeing the endocrinologist that week. Mom had been able to get my appointment moved up from the following week.

Caroline told me he was very cool. She said that he saw what we were doing as a medical issue that needed to be treated. She told me she'd have to see him every three months as a precaution. I was very excited to see him.

Then there was the fashion show. Saturday was practice, and Sunday would be the show. I was pretty excited about it, even though I had no idea of what we'd be wearing. I trusted Ms. B and knew that she wouldn't let us be humiliated.

But what was really dominating my thoughts was the trip to New York. Mrs. Lincoln said that she would tell me more about the trip this week at work. I felt very honored that Mrs. Lincoln invited me. I knew she really didn't need an assistant, but I would do whatever she asked me to do.

I had to admit that I didn't know a lot about Mrs. Lincoln. Yes, I knew she was a successful businesswoman, but I wasn't even sure about her real age. Judging by the pictures in her office, I guessed that she had to be in her seventies, even though she looked and acted much younger. I also had heard conflicting information on how many times she'd been married. Like most larger-than-life characters, there were so many rumors about her. I was hoping to find out a bit more about her on the trip.

Speaking of mysteries, I had consulted with Cat about who might be the third person about to go into transition.

There were only four others in the contest besides Caroline and me. It really wasn't my business, but I was curious. We sat down one evening and discussed who it might be. For each candidate, there were factors for and against their being the one who was transitioning. Cat then brought up something that I hadn't thought of; that was that maybe the third person wasn't a contestant. I didn't think it was likely, but it did make me think.

That evening at work, I spent much of the time placing the prom gowns on hangers. They really were lovely, and I could understand why the other girls at school made such a big fuss over them. However, they were also very expensive. I really couldn't justify spending that much money on a dress. Luckily, there were plenty of less expensive dresses that were also really nice. I was keeping a mental checklist of what was available. My friends at lunch were counting on me for inside information.

I narrowed my choices down to three or four selections. I tried to calculate the cost, including the dress, shoes, accessories, and my hair, and I saw that I'd be spending a lot of money. Still, I wanted to look beautiful that night and debated on what was my upper limit.

I was eyeing several simple but elegant gowns. There was one style that I liked that was really nice. It had spaghetti straps, and it came in several colors. I thought red was a bit over the top for me and looked more at the pastels. There was a very nice lavender one. I decided that I'd run my selections by Mel and Cindy.

Mrs. Lincoln called me into her office and told me more about the trip. We would be driving, and it would be around a six-hour drive. The good part of this was that it meant six-plus hours in a limo. Mrs. Lincoln didn't like to fly, and she wouldn't think of driving that far herself. She told me that since she had the money, she might as well enjoy it; besides, she could always claim it as a business expense.

We'd be staying in a top hotel in Manhattan overlooking Central Park. She said that we would be sharing a suite, but not to worry, we would each have our own room. She told me that I would be expected to dress appropriately as I would be representing the store. She gave me a list of what I would need to bring. I made a quick check and found that I had most of what she desired for during the day. It was my eveningwear that was lacking.

"Don't worry about the formal wear, my dear. I have some outfits from the store that you can borrow. In fact, I have already selected some for you."

She then went over our schedule. Monday and Friday were traveling days. On the other days, we would be visiting suppliers and making purchases for the store. She also said that we had two parties to attend. They were more business than social, but she promised that I'd have a wonderful time. She also said that she'd like to take in at least one Broadway show, depending on our schedule.

It all sounded wonderful to me. I knew she could sense my excitement.

"Since this is your first trip to New York, I think you should have a memorable visit."

She then dismissed me and sent me back to work. I think that I would have worked for free in exchange for the trip.

Tuesday was my appointment with the endocrinologist. I had to be there at 9:00, so I didn't go to school in the morning. I'd have to go in afterward. The staff in the doctor's office couldn't have been nicer. I underwent a physical, and they drew blood. I also had to fill out a bunch of medical forms. The whole experience was a bit less dramatic than I had expected. The doctor just saw this as a medical condition and that it needed to be treated. We walked out of there with prescriptions for hormones and testosterone blockers. I also made a follow-up appointment for three months. The nurse handed us a lab sheet. She told us that I'd need to come in a week in advance to get blood drawn.

I was a little worried about how we were going to pay for all this. Our medical program would only cover the appointments and not the prescriptions. Mom told me not to worry, that we would get by.

We stopped at the pharmacy and dropped off the prescriptions. Mom said that we would pick them up that afternoon after school. I was a little disappointed, as I wanted to start immediately.

I knew that the hormones would take time to cause noticeable changes. Mom also mentioned that Sam was picking up the necessary paperwork for my legal name change. It was another one of those real moments. This was really happening. I was moving towards being Erika legally. Mom explained that once we filled out the request, it would have to go to the courts for approval.

I was riding a wave of euphoria the rest of the day. I was so happy. Laura said that I was too happy and was bordering on annoying, but I knew she was actually very happy for me.

That afternoon, I picked up my pills. Cat and Laura asked to be there when I took them for the first time. Of course, there was no immediate change or effect when I took the pills. Still, mentally I felt different. I was now entering a new phase in my life, and it deserved to be noted with some sort of ceremony. We celebrated by going to Spencer's and having some cheesecake with our cappuccinos! It seemed very appropriate.

Thursday, we had our latest contestant meeting. I was pleased to see that the Super Six was still intact. Lisa was returning to normal and didn't seem as depressed as before. She told me that Ms. B was helping her a lot, but she was still not sure what she was going to do. I hoped that she would stick it out to the end, but at the same time, I wanted her to be happy.

Denise was her usual offbeat self. She told us that the Downfall of Humanity was now playing strictly classic punk and that they were working regularly in clubs down in the college area. I told her that I'd seen their handouts at Spencer's. However, now they were playing clubs we were too young to go to. I was actually curious if they had really gotten better.

Claire was still quiet. I had hoped that her outburst a few weeks ago had marked a change in her personality. Don't get me wrong, she wasn't a recluse or anything because she was involved in school activities. She played the flute in the band. I was told that she was a wonderful musician and that she played several other musical instruments. I wish I had gotten to know her better.

Ann was also hard to figure out. I wouldn't have expected her to still be in the competition. She had been very open that she was in this strictly for the money. But she had long since paid off the money she owed her sisters. I asked her once why she was still in, and she'd said that it was because the scholarship gave her a ticket out of Golden Hills. But what didn't make sense was how excited she was about the fashion show. I was beginning to wonder if all her protesting was to hide something. Maybe she was the third one.

Ms. B came in and reminded us that there would be a practice session on Saturday from 11:00 to 3:00PM at the Civic Center. Now our town's civic center was slightly larger than most lodge halls. Still, it served its purpose. She told us that, in addition to being shown how to perform, we would also be seeing our outfits for the first time.

"Who is going to be watching us?" asked Ann.

"Women from the Chamber of Commerce and associated women's groups. Of course, your mothers may attend too if they want," explained Ms. B.

"No men?" asked Lisa.

"None have ever shown up before," said Ms. B. "You'll be showing off summer and fall fashions. Some of the women there are in retail, others use these shows as a social event, and for others, it's a fundraising event."

"Summer and fall?" asked Lisa, "But spring just started, why not spring outfits?"

"Stores need time to place orders," I explained.

"Whoa, I see that you are learning something at work," said Caroline.

"Well, I expect to see you all there at eleven sharp, and by the way, lunch will be provided," stated Ms. B.

I walked out to talk with Ms. B. It was my time of the week for a private meeting.

"So, are you excited about going to New York City?" she asked as we entered her office.

"How do you know about that?" I asked. I had planned to tell her about it today.

"I have my ways," she answered with a sly smile.

I thought about pressing the point more but figured that it was useless.

We talked about how I was doing. I told her about starting hormones and the paperwork for the name change. She was very happy for me and also very proud of everything that I had overcome in the past year. Only a fool would have failed to notice that she had a special interest in my progress. At first, I'd thought it was out of sympathy over my attack, but I could sense that it was much deeper than that. I decided to wait instead of asking her about it.