Becoming A High School Girl - Chapter 22

OTHER CHAPTERS | ALL STORY LIST

On Thursday, we had our latest meeting of the Magnificent Seven. Ms. B collected the slips for the fashion show. She told us that next week we would be measured for the show. The show would be in three weeks, and they would need time to make alterations. She reminded us that there would be a practice session the day before, and then the actual show would be on Sunday.

"You'll also get a complete makeover the day of the show hair, nails, makeup, the works!"

I was looking forward to the show. I remembered how much fun it had been to be pampered during Homecoming. Caroline also thought it would be fun. As for the rest, it was a mixed reaction.

Denise was worried that they would make her look too conservative. Ann just saw this as another hurdle and seemed sort of indifferent. Lisa was also indifferent. I was a bit worried about her; she'd been unusually quiet the last couple of days. Claire, as usual, said little and gave little indication of her feelings one way or another.

The only one who seemed against doing the show was Debbie. She thought it was stupid and designed only to humiliate us. Ms. B said that wasn't true.

After the meeting, we were finishing up our lunch. Ms. B walked out to go get some papers she wanted to give us.

"I still don't think they should be able to make us do this; after all, it's the weekend. It's bad enough they take up our school time," Debbie bitched.

"If you don't like it, you can always quit," snapped Caroline. Like me, she was getting a little fed up with Debbie.

"It's easy for you, Caroline. You love this stuff, just like your crazy friend," replied Debbie in a harsh tone.

There was a loud silence in the room as everyone looked at me for my reaction.

"Excuse me?" I replied, trying to hold back my rising temper.

"You heard me. You snapped and went nuts; that sounds like crazy to me. I'm surprised that they let you back into school," continued Debbie.

"You want me to shut her up?" asked Denise, standing up and punching her fist into her other hand.

"No, she isn't worth it," I remarked to Denise. I was really trying to control my temper. I then turned to Debbie. "Yes, I had a breakdown, but I'm getting better."

"You aren't fooling anyone, Erika. I just hope that when you go completely psycho that you don't hurt anyone. I just wonder if you really got raped. Maybe you did the trick, Jason?"

Those were the magic words, and I jumped up and started at Debbie. Thankfully, Caroline and Denise held me back. Ms. B came back into the room and demanded to know what was going on.

"Erika went crazy again, Ms. B; I would have been attacked if you hadn't come in. I think you should get her some help," lied Debbie in a calm, sweet voice. "Her friend Caroline was also threatening me. I think you should kick both of these freaks out of the contest."

"That isn't true; Ms. B. Debbie provoked Erika by calling her crazy and saying that she lied about the assault," interjected Claire. "Caroline and Denise just defended Erika."

I don't know what was more shocking, Debbie's actions or Claire being the sudden voice of reason.

"I see. Is there a way we can resolve this now before taking it up to the front office? I have a good idea of what happened. Erika, will you accept an apology from Debbie?" asked Ms. B.

Before I could speak, Debbie interrupted, "I apologize to her? If anyone should apologize, it is her."

I just shrugged my shoulders.

Ms. B talked to everyone, and they all confirmed what Claire had said.

"Debbie, you need to come with me, please. I'll talk to the rest of you later," stated Ms. B.

Later that afternoon, I was called up to the front office. I was told to take a seat outside Mrs. Lee's office. I waited there for five minutes. The door opened up, and Caroline walked out. She gave me a thumbs-up signal.

Before I could speak to her, I heard Mrs. Lee's stern voice, "Please come in, Erika."

I walked in and found Ms. B was sitting in front of Mrs. Lee's desk.

"Have a seat please, Erika," said Mrs. Lee.

I sat down. I was feeling a little nervous as I thought I might be in trouble.

"We've talked to the rest of the contestants, and we believe them when they said that you did nothing wrong. However, Debbie is facing some discipline. She violated the student code when she said those things about you. I'd like to hear your input on all this before I decide what I will do," explained Mrs. Lee.

"I've calmed down a lot, and I'm willing to forget about it if she apologizes." Thankfully, I'd a chance to calm down. I wouldn't have been so forgiving right after the incident. I'd been lucky that Debbie refused to offer an apology because I wouldn't have accepted it then.

"Do you have anything else you want to add?" asked Ms. B.

"I'm angry about what she said. But I doubt that there is anything I can do to change her opinion. I just want her to stay away from me."

"Thank you, Erika. You may go back to class now," stated Mrs. Lee.

Later that day, I heard that Debbie was suspended for two days. She wasn't kicked out of the contest, but she dropped out on her own. When the suspension was over, it was Dan who returned to school. The first thing he did when he came back to school was to find me and tell me that he was sorry for what he had said.

Dan was very anxious to sit down with me and apologize. He looked very relieved to be out of the contest. He told me that the stress of the contest had been getting to him and that the awful things he'd said to me were said out of anger at his own situation. It hadn't been personal, but he also said that was still no excuse for the vile things he'd said. He was very competitive, and he'd just got too caught up in the idea of winning. He was getting some help now. I didn't have him go into any more detail. It was enough to know he was trying.

He seemed very sincere, and I accepted his apology. I had to admit that I liked Dan a lot more than Debbie. I still consider him a friend today. He wished me good luck for the rest of the competition. I thought about how he'd handled it and wished that Jason had been as levelheaded.

My first night back at work was great. I arrived at 5:45 and found my clothes rack in the back. Technically it was spring now, but it was still cold, at least to me. The outfits reflected the change in seasons, and my outfit for the evening was a light spring woman's skirt and matching jacket. I noticed that most of the outfits on the rack were pastels. I also had to get used to heels again.

Mel told me that we had a few weeks of slack time until the big push for the proms and formal dances. She added that they'd just received their big shipment and that it was being sorted in our warehouse. Once our shipment arrived, we would be swamped.

"Mrs. Lincoln makes it a big event. She will start it on a Saturday morning. The store will be closed on Friday so we can get everything ready. To build up the suspense, we even put up curtains so no one can see in. On Saturday morning, there'll be a line all the way past the coffee stand waiting for her to open the store. It'll be hectic but a lot of fun," explained Mel.

"I'm looking forward to it!" She told me the dates that prom sales would start. I was relieved that it would be the weekend after the fashion show.

"Besides, you'll get first pick. Are you are going to the prom?" she asked.

Mel knew that I was dating Laura. She thought we made a cute couple.

"Yes, we've talked about it. Laura wants to get her dress here too."

"That's good. I'm glad that she won't be wearing a tux," quipped Mel.

"Maybe I'll be in the one in a tux, have you thought of that?" I stated.

Mel just started laughing. "I'm sorry, Erika, I just can't picture that!"

"Here you go, Erika," said Mrs. Roberts as she handed me the doll. "Now you are responsible for its care from now until Monday morning. Treat this as you would a real baby."

She attached the main key to my wrist and showed me how to insert it. Whenever the baby cried and vibrated, we were to insert the key. Our response time would be recorded. She told us that sometimes we might go several hours between the need to put the key in, and other times we'd have to insert it several times in an hour. The key represented feeding, changing, attention, etc. She also told us not to drop or toss the doll, as that would be detected and recorded. She also gave me a temporary key that could be used by someone acting as a babysitter. It could only be used for a maximum of eight hours. That would cover me during my group session and work.

We were given a car seat-type baby holder to carry it around. I knew that this would be a very long weekend.

I got lucky at first. The baby didn't need any attention for the first two hours at school. The first time it started to cry, it startled me so badly that I almost dropped it. It was supposed to sound like a month-old child, but it sounded more like a cat in heat - make that a robot cat in heat. It was loud and very annoying.

Coach Chambers let me stay in her office during PE. I spent my class time entering track data into her computer. I was looking forward to helping her after school. She understood that I was limited in my hours. I would help out on Wednesdays and Fridays starting next week. She also asked if I could be flexible once the meets started. I said I'd see what I could do.

The class was playing basketball, and Coach Chambers came in and asked how I was doing.

"No problems, I'm up to entering in this week's times."

"You have no idea how much this helps me. So, has Robo-baby been peaceful?" she asked.

I laughed. "That's a good name. I was tempted to call it 'smoke detector.'"

"By the way, how do you like Jenny McCall?" she asked.

"She's been a lifesaver. First after the assault, then the trial and my collapse, and now she is helping with my transition."

"She is something. We trained together during college; I'll bet you didn't know that?" asked Coach.

"She mentioned that she knew you, but she didn't go into any details. I can tell she's a runner. We ran together a couple of times while I was recovering."

"Jenny was really good. She could have been a top marathon runner if she hadn't gone into medicine," explained Coach.

Just then, Robo-baby began to screech. I picked it up and inserted the key.

"Sorry."

"That's okay," smiled Coach.

"She was that good?" I asked.

"You bet. I have to go back out there. Have a good weekend."

I suspected that she wanted to tell me something else.

Robo-baby went off two more times that morning. By the time I got to lunch, I was really sick of that screech.

"You are calling your child 'Robo-baby'?" asked Laura with mock disgust.

"That's mild! Wait until you hear it go off at 3:00 AM. I won't tell you what I called mine," growled Kristen.

"I like the name," concurred Tracey. "It's very fitting for the little beast."

"Actually, Coach Chambers christened it." I went on to tell them what happened during PE.

"You still want to go out tonight with it?" asked Cat.

"Sure, we're just meeting the gang for pizza. Guido's is used to us disrupting the place, and we haven't been kicked out... yet."

"What time are you going there?" asked Kristen.

"Sevenish," Cat answered. "You want to join us?"

"I really would. I'll ask Alex and call you later," replied Kristen.

"What about you, Tracey?" I asked.

"Sounds good; it's been a while since we've all been together; besides, if Alex is going somewhere, Mike will have to follow!"

The rest of the school day was okay. The baby seemed to go into a quiet mode for two-hour windows. I knew that this was too good to be true.

When I got home, it went off several times in the first hour. I must admit that calling the doll "it" and "Robo-baby" doesn't sound very nice, but it was tough to get close to a screeching plastic doll.

I showed Mom how to insert the key. She said that she couldn't understand my displeasure, as it didn't look like it was that bad.

"Wait until it goes off," I answered.

Fifteen minutes later, it began to scream. I was pretty fast with the key. Mom walked into my room.

"Was that the smoke alarm going off?" she asked.

"No. That was your grandchild." I got a dirty look for that one.

Sam arrived just as I was leaving with Cat and Laura. He looked at the doll and smiled. "When did you start playing with dolls?"

"Mom will explain. It's a school project. Bye!"

As we drove to Guido's, Cat told us that Kristen, Alex, Tracey, and Mike would be joining us. In addition, to Caroline and Paul were also meeting us there.

I sometimes felt bad that Cat wasn't dating someone. I asked her about it once, and she told me that she really didn't mind. I knew that it wasn't for lack of opportunities. Cat was constantly being asked out. She was just happy not being in a relationship.

Luckily, Robo-baby was well-behaved and only started screeching once, and that was as we were walking in.

It was great just hanging out with friends. Everyone was full of conflicting emotions. We were excited that we had only had a few months until graduation, but at the same time, there was a sense that something wonderful was coming to an end. Mike and Alex were both very excited. They had decided to go to State, even though they'd both had better offers individually.

Paul was surprisingly silent about the doll and me. He told us that if it was even half as hard as the pregnant day was, it would be awful.

I also got some questions about my job and when the prom sale would start.

"Have you seen the dresses yet?' asked Kristen excitedly.

"Not yet, but we'll be getting them into the store next week. I'll give you a review when I see them."

"Cool, I really love the gowns that your boss picks out," added Tracey.

Kristen invited us over to her house, but I declined and went home early. I was afraid that the doll would start acting up, and I had to get up early in the morning for group. Cat said she'd give me a lift in the morning.

All I can say about my first night with Robo-baby was that it completely sucked! Yes, that's a simple word, but there are few other words that so completely describe what it was like. I think the longest continuous time I slept was maybe ninety minutes. It was like sleeping with an alarm clock set to go off at random times. That thing was a great pregnancy deterrent. I think it might have been different if it gave back any sort of emotion.

I was very happy to leave it with Mom when I went to the group. But that was only two hours.

"So how was Robo? Did it behave?" I asked Mom as we came in.

"It hasn't made a peep," smiled Mom.

"Maybe the batteries died?" suggested Cat.

Just then, it went off. "No such luck!" I exclaimed as I inserted the key.

We grabbed a couple of sodas and went upstairs, taking Robo with us.

"What do you think of Laura's offer?" asked Cat, as she sat on my bed.

"I don't know. It may sound strange, but it's like my mind has made the switch sexually. I'm flattered that she thinks so much of me, but it isn't that important to me. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, but I don't think you should be so quick to dismiss it. In less than a month, you'll be on female hormones and testosterone blockers. Once you start on them, you will lose the ability to perform."

"I understand what will happen. I've been doing a lot of research online about hormones and their effects."

"Look, I'm not trying to talk you into something, and neither is Laura. It's just that we want you to go into your transition without any regrets."

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I know that I'm lucky to have friends like you two."

"Oh, one more thing, I am not the hypothetical person that Laura talked about. You are very special to me, but I think that you and I together would make things way too complicated."

"That's true."

"You still love me, don't you?" she asked.

"Yes, but I know that it will never be. I'm content to have you as my best friend and reluctantly accept that that's as far as we will go. But I'll always hold a special place for you in my heart."

"I feel the same way. I just know that it would be a disaster if we ever got together. I don't want to jeopardize our friendship. The minute I met you, I knew that we would be life-long friends. You are my sister, and you know how close sisters are!"

"I can live with that." We sat there in silence.

Robo's screech broke the silence and almost sent me through the ceiling.

I quickly pushed the key in and shut it up. We looked at each other and broke up laughing.

"Anything new in your love life?" I asked.

"Maybe. I met someone on the trip to the crime lab."

"So, tell me about him," I asked.

"He's a college student, sophomore, and we just hit it off. He's studying criminology, and he wants to apply to the FBI after he graduates. He knows that I'm a high school senior, and he doesn't mind. He's only two years older than me. We've been trading e-mails."

"Did you tell your mom?" I asked.

"Yes, she is a little concerned, but she trusts me. This is still in the early stages, and it might not go anywhere."

"Does he have a name?" I asked.

"Yes, his name is Matt," she answered with a smile.

For the next thirty minutes, she told me all about him. He sounded nice. I even ignored the obvious dig that their names rhymed.

"He may come up here during spring break. I told him about you guys, and he said that it sounds like I have some really cool friends."

"Did you tell him that your best friend is a transsexual who's in a heavy relationship with your old lesbian girlfriend?" I asked with a big grin on my face.

"No, not in those exact words. You make it sound like one of those scandal TV shows," laughed Cat.

Laura called and asked what we were doing. Because of Robo, our options were limited. If they hate cell phones in the movie theaters, they will ban us for life if Robo went off. So Laura suggested that we rent a video and hang out. That was fine by me.

I really don't remember the video as I fell asleep once it started. I was jarred out of sleep by another screech. It would be another very long night.