Becoming A High School Girl - Chapter 2

OTHER CHAPTERS | ALL STORY LIST

At breakfast, Mom asked me if I had made up my mind. "Honey, any decision you make, I will fully support you."

"Thanks, Mom." I paused for a second. "You'll have to promise not to laugh at me when I'm in a dress."

She smiled. "Just remember, I'll be laughing with you and not at you!"

Mom gave me a hug and told me she would be there for me. She then looked at her watch and told me that we could talk more at dinner. "I really appreciate you doing this, dear!"

"I know how much you've sacrificed for me, and I want you to know that I'm not ungrateful," I said.

"I know that honey," she replied.

"Still, this contest is going to be expensive. Can we afford it?" I asked.

"I think so. I look at the costs as an investment," stated Mom. She then glanced again at her watch. "Well, I need to get going. Don't want to be late my first day at work."

As I watched her drive away, I saw Cat walking towards our home. She came up to the screen door and called in. "Good Morning!"

"Hi, Cat! Door's unlocked; come on in. You want some orange juice?" I asked.

"Sounds good," she replied as she sat down at the table.

"What time do we need to be at the school?" I poured a glass of juice and handed it to her.

"We should leave soon. It will take a couple of hours to complete the check-in process," she explained, "longer if you decide to go for the scholarship."

I looked at her, and she was smiling at me.

"Well? Are you going to do it?" she asked. "Come on, it'll fun!"

"I'll do it. I figure that it's the least I can do for my mom," I answered.

Cat leaned over and gave me a huge hug, "Oh, Erika, we're going to have so much fun winning this!"

"So, when do I have to start dressing like a girl?" I asked.

"First off, you won't be just dressing as a girl; remember you'll be living as a girl, at least until the last competitor drops out," she explained. "School starts in two weeks. Officially, you don't have to change until then, but many of those who are entering have already started so that they are more used to doing their makeup and hair."

"Oh, I forgot about all that. I guess it would make sense," I remarked. The full impact of what I was about to do began to sink in.

"Don't worry, Erika, between our moms and I, we'll whip you into shape in no time! You might not want to change back!" exclaimed Cat enthusiastically.

I picked up a dishtowel and threw it at her.

As we walked to the school, Cat went over a list of everything we had to do. She used her cell phone to make an appointment with her hairstylist.

"You're in luck, Erika; they can get you in this afternoon. Fortunately, your hair is long, so you won't be stuck wearing a wig," she stated as she ran her hand through my hair. "Wow, you have really nice hair. I'm glad to see that you've taken care of it."

"This afternoon?" I moaned. I was hoping to delay the inevitable.

"Hey, you might as well start today. Besides, it's rare to get an appointment with them at such short notice. There aren't that many good salons in town," she explained. "This isn't California."

I ignored the easy cheap shot reply.

Cat continued with her list. She told me that once I registered for the scholarship, they would give me a discount card. This could be used at most stores in the area, and it would save me lots of money when buying my new wardrobe. I really wondered what I getting into. It was like I had entered a river, and the current had grabbed me. I no longer was in control of my destiny.

We arrived at the school and went into the main office, where I was given a stack of forms to fill out. A secretary confirmed that my transcripts had been received and everything looked good.

As I worked on the forms, Cat excused herself and left. Twenty minutes later, she returned and introduced me to one of the counselors, Ms. Bell. She looked like to be in her mid-thirties and was very attractive with short brown hair, blue eyes, and a very nice smile. I liked her immediately.

She greeted me in a friendly manner. "Well, Erika, it's a pleasure to meet you. Cat has told me that you are going to try for the scholarship. I think you have an excellent chance of winning."

I started to blush. "Thank you, Ms. Bell. I'm sorry, I'm just not used to being called Erika yet."

She smiled at me. "It'll take a little time, but you'll adjust. I can always spot the ones who have a real shot at winning."

"How many are in this year's contest, Ms. B?" asked Cat.

"With your friend Erika, that brings the total up to forty-two, our biggest class ever!" she stated. "But don't worry, half will be out before the end of the first week of school. When they get finished with you up here, come by my office, and we'll get you registered."

"Thanks, Ms. Bell," I replied.

Ms. Bell and Cat walked back to her office.

I went back to filling out the paperwork. There were several forms that I had to read and sign. One was for computer use and privacy. Then there was a human rights statement that stated the punishment for various forms of harassment and bullying. I noticed that gender, or perceived gender, was specifically protected. Reading that made me feel a little better.

Cat returned as I was finishing the final form. "What do you think about Ms. B?"

"I like her; she seems pretty cool," I replied, looking up from my stack of paperwork.

Cat nodded in agreement. "She is. She's the perfect person to run the competition!"

We walked down to Ms. Bell's office. She had another set of forms for me to fill out and sign. Additionally, she gave a rulebook. It contained the entire dos, don'ts, and requirements for the competition. She told me that each year the book was revised to include any loopholes and account for changes in fashion and any problems that had arisen in the previous year. I was told to read it thoroughly. She told me that many people got disqualified for not knowing the rules and that ignorance of the rules was no excuse.

She told me to take my application up to the front office and that she'd be back there in a few minutes.

"They really cover everything in this book," I commented. "There're sections on grooming, dressing, makeup, behavior, and even dating. You're right, Cat. I just don't think that I can go on a date with a guy."

Cat smiled. "Hey, look at it as a chance to see life from a different angle."

I ignored Cat and read more about the rules. The only person I wanted to date was sitting next to me, and she wanted to see me in a skirt! I found that I could be inspected at any time during the school day for clothing violations. They even checked underwear. I then read something that made me shake my head in disbelief.

"They can't be serious!" I exclaimed, showing the passage to Cat.

"They want you to experience life as a girl, and that is something we have to deal with," answered Cat with a smile. "Be thankful they don't make you use a tampon."

The passage stated that for three days a month, I would have to wear sanitary pads.

"So, would they inspect to see if I was wearing one?" I asked Cat.

Ms. B walked back in and spoke. "Yes, that's right, Erika, and each time we do that, we disqualify several contestants."

She handed me a piece of paper. It was my new class schedule. Most of my classes were pretty standard. She has put me in the same homeroom as Cat. I then saw that I was enrolled in Home Economics.

Ms. B must have been reading my mind, "Don't worry too much about Home Econ. It may seem a bit sexist, but the district still requires it. The alternative was to put you in the Child Development class."

"I'll stick with Home Economics, thank you," I replied.

"Now, if the competition goes into the second semester, you'll have to take another elective. But hopefully, we'll have a winner by then," she explained. "For PE, you and the other 'scholarship girls' will be in the regular girl's class. You'll have a different locker room, of course."

Before we left her office, she handed me my temporary school ID and my discount card. Both had my new name of Erika Walters, printed on them. I stared at them with a sense of disbelief. Was this really happening?

The rest of the morning was spent getting a tour of the school. It was much smaller than my old school, but it seemed okay. There were two bathrooms that were designated for use by the "scholarship girls." It was one of the few restrictions that separated us from the regular girls. The last thing we did was to stop by the textbook room to pick up my books.

It seemed weird signing my name as Erika Walters.

We dropped the books off at my house. Cat said she would treat me to lunch downtown, but she had to first pick something up at her house. I waited out front, and she came out with a gym bag. I didn't ask, but I figured that it contained my wardrobe after having my hair styled.

We ate in a small restaurant near the salon. I had many questions, and Cat was very willing to answer them.

"I know that I'll be safe in school, but what about the kids who don't go to our school. They have to know all about the competition," I asked as I took a bite of my salad. Cat felt that I needed to lose a few pounds.

"Don't worry. The guys at our school take special pride in protecting the scholarship girls. Initially, they were forced to do it," reassured Cat.

"How? Were they forced?" I asked with a smirk.

"Sort of they were told that, if they wanted dates, they'd better ensure that the girls in the competition weren't harmed," she explained. "But now they do it without the blackmail. In my freshman year, a couple of 'girls' got beat up by a group of guys from Red Hill High. Then it got pretty nasty. Almost our entire football team went up there and pounded them. That put an end to that."

I just shook my head. "It's kind of funny, but everyone seems to think that California is so weird; you guys have them beat by a long shot."

For the rest of lunch, Cat asked all kinds of questions about California. We joked about driving out there after graduation. She looked at her watch and told me it was almost time.

The salon staff was waiting for us. They did their best to make me feel at ease. I was told that they had helped many make the transformation before me.

Cat told them to give me the works. They asked for my discount card. I was tempted to ask if any boy not in the competition ever tried to get a discount on leg waxing, but I decided not to.

They had me go into a dressing room and strip down and put on a robe. This was for my comfort and also made their job easier.

Waxing my legs came first. I didn't have a lot of hair on my legs, but it had to go. The woman doing the treatment explained to me how much better waxing was than shaving or hair removal creams. The hair that grew back would be softer and less coarse than if I shaved. The process actually sounded worse than it felt. I was amazed at how smooth my legs felt after the waxing. I couldn't keep from touching them; they felt so sensitive. She examined my back, chest, and arms and saw that I was almost hairless. The only areas I'd have to shave would be my underarms and face.

She asked me how often I shaved my beard. I hold her once every week, sometimes longer. She smiled and said that I'd appreciate that in the coming weeks. She gave me a moisturizer that she said would slow down my beard growth even more.

Next came my hair. My natural color was basic brown. Karen, the stylist, decided to lighten it a bit. She was pleased with the length of my hair; it gave her a lot of options.

The smell from the dye was pretty bad, and it had to stay on my head for thirty minutes. While I was sitting there, the manicurist came in and started on my nails. Luckily, she decided to keep them short. She said that I would need time to adjust before going for long ones. She worked on my cuticles and cleaned up the ends. She selected light pink for the color. With flawless timing, she finished just as my hair was due to be rinsed.

As my hair was cut and styled, I just sat there soaking it all in. The manicurist returned to give me a pedicure. Before today, the longest I had been in a barbershop was twenty minutes. I was kind of getting into the whole "being pampered" mode. Karen also waxed and shaped my eyebrows, making them much more feminine.

Karen wouldn't let me see the final style just yet. She wanted to do my makeup first. As she worked, she explained what she was doing and why. She told me not to worry, as I could always come back and get a refresher course. Karen went on to tell me that the salon loved getting girls like me there.

When she finished, she stepped back and took a look. She asked me if I wanted my ears pierced. I figured why not, considering everything else that had happened in the past 24 hours. In a few short minutes, I had a gold stud in each ear.

Karen then turned me around to see myself. I was shocked when I looked in the mirror. I saw a really pretty girl looking back at me. She had light reddish-brown hair in a short feminine style.

"I love the look on their face when they first see themselves!" exclaimed Karen. "Now hold still, Erika; I need to take a photo."

I wasn't going anywhere. I was mesmerized by my feminine image. Maybe I could pull this off. I saw Catwalk in behind me, and she, too, was blown away by my appearance.

"Wow, Erika, you're beautiful!" she exclaimed. "Come on, I'll help you get dressed. We've got some shopping to do!"

She had laid out an outfit for me, consisting of a bra, panties, short denim skirt, sleeveless green t-shirt, and sandals. She also put a silver chain around my neck and a silver ring on my right hand. As I got dressed, she handed me a box. Inside were two silicone breast forms.

"Just slip them in your bra," she explained. "They're B cups. If you decide to continue running or get into any other sport, you won't want anything bigger."

It was strange hearing Cat or anyone for that matter; refer to MY bra!

"When did you get this outfit for me? We're not the same size," I asked.

"I had a hunch that I could talk you into participating in the competition. I guessed your sizes from the photos you sent me," explained Cat.

When I stepped out of the dressing room, I felt a little silly. I was shocked to see the entire staff of the salon waiting for me. They all applauded me as I walked out. I felt my face getting warm. They had me pose for a few more shots. On the way out, I noticed a board above the receptionist. It had photos of other teenage girls. It was their gallery of the past eight years of helping boys becomes girls. I noticed that three of the images were marked with a gold star. They said that these were past winners of the scholarship. I felt strangely honored as they put my photo on the board. Before we left, they handed me a bag of makeup, moisturizers, shampoo, and conditioner. They said that it was their gift to a new client.

"Come on, girlfriend, we've got some shopping to do!" said Cat, as she led me out of the salon. "By the way, you look pretty cute when you blush!"