I Never Was A Girl - Part 1

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PARTS - PART 2 | PART 3 

 I never wanted to be a girl. Really. I was perfectly happy as an abnormal teenage boy. Trying to chase perfectly adorable teenage girls. And fighting the usual hormone battles, the occasional pimple, too-tight pants, and walking into stop signs while ogling some cute thing in a tight skirt.

I was looking forward to the summer before high school as a chance to get to know the local girls better. And there was no better place than the park. Acres and acres of picnic spots, ball-fields, forest, and a huge, wonderful, spring-fed outdoor swimming area. Any girls worth their bikinis would be found sunning themselves on one of the benches or grassy spots. And since in our little town everyone knew almost everyone else, the park was the summer meeting-place for all the kids.

So by the last day of junior high school, I was ready. Long before, knowing I would never be able to compete on a level field with the muscle-bound moron contingent, I went for an eclectic look. Swimming and aerobics (hey, like I was one of three guys in a class with twenty-six good looking girls, so don't knock it) gave me a lean, if not particularly muscular appearance. My hair was down past the middle of my back in a disarrayed , curly mop that seemed to attract girls like magnets. It was awesome to sit and enjoy a conversation while having my hair softly braided by a cute chick. And I seemed to have more fun around them. I hated the constant "I'm bigger and badder" competition that marked most of the guys my age.

I did get a lot of "pretty boy" and "sissy" comments, but hey, the proof was in the pack of girls that were my friends, or at least acquaintances, and messing with me meant messing with them. Which was distinctly bad for someone's social life, not to mention their shins. And I was never without feminine companionship.

It was less than a week into the summer when disaster struck. A group of older high school girls had decided to see how little they could wear before they got arrested, or created a riot. I had bicycled to the park with Tia, who was, in my opinion, the best looking fifteen-year-old girl in town. She was also my best friend, and sort-of look-alike. It was a standing bad joke that we were sisters, I was just the ugly one.

We were near the edge of the swimming area where I was ogling the bathing beauty crew, and Tia was busy dissecting each of their flaws, when I heard people screaming. I looked behind me and saw a huge mowing machine heading straight at us. I managed to shove Tia out of the way just before it hit me. I felt an incredible pain across the back of my legs, and was thrown backwards onto the mower as it plunged into the water. Using my arms, I managed to stay on the surface despite the pain, and moments later Tia dragged me onto the beach.

When I looked down and saw blood everywhere, I fainted. I woke up briefly in the ambulance, and found Tia holding my hand. Then everything got hazy again, and I guess I passed out. The next time I awoke, I was lying on a hospital bed, with both legs suspended in the air, and a nurse holding my hand.

"Just relax and let the anesthetic wear off. My name is Mary, and I'll be here with you until Dr. Sutton decides that you are ready to be taken to your room." I stared at her as what had happened percolated through to my consciousness. As the fuzziness began to clear, I could feel a slight throbbing from my feet, but otherwise I seemed to be okay.

"I was run over by a mower, and..." I had pause to think of a way to describe what I saw.

"And my colleagues and I just finished several hours sewing you back together." I saw an older man come into my field of vision. "Samuel, I'm Dr. Sutton, chief orthopedic surgeon here. I need to ask you some questions, then we will have time to discuss what happened to you." I nodded, and he proceeded to ask me a whole bunch of questions about how I felt, and pulling back some of the bandages covering my feet, he had me try and wiggle my toes, and stuck me in a bunch of places with something to make sure I could feel what he was doing.

As he wrapped my feet back up, he was smiling. "Everything looks great at this point. It appears there is no significant nerve damage and no damage to the tendons in the front of the foot." He looked at the tubes and machines connected to me, and pulled up a chair. "It will be a few minutes before you can be disconnected and wheeled out of here, and into the waiting arms of your family and friends. Are you up to knowing what happened, and what we have done, or would you rather wait until everyone is present?"

My head was almost clear, and my feet were starting to hurt. "Now is fine, but is there something you can do about the throbbing?" He smiled.

"I'll give you some pain medication just before we leave, okay?" I nodded. "Now as to what happened, apparently the mower blades caught the back of your ankles just before the impact knocked you off your feet. You received severe lacerations, and the blades mangled both of your Achilles tendons, which we spent several hours splicing back together." I stared at him. There was no mistaking the sad expression on his face. "There was so much damaged and missing tissue that we had to shorten the tendons a great deal. It will take time and a lot of effort on your part, but I believe that with physical therapy and additional surgery you will eventually be able to walk again."

It must have been the medications, but instead of panicking I slowly nodded. "You are telling me I am crippled?"

"You will be unable to walk, even with crutches, for at least six months, and probably much longer. Once the tendons are strong enough, we can begin the process of stretching them to allow your feet to return to a more normal position. As they are now, your feet are held in casts to keep you from placing strain on the tendons as they heal. When the casts come off, your feet and toes will be pointed down, almost like a ballerinas. From there we will begin the process of stretching the tendons, and when your feet can be flexed enough, you should be able to walk with crutches and special orthopedic shoes." He looked at the tubes and machines again.

"You are ready to make your debut. The nurse will give you a shot, and wheel you up to your room. I will be in to check on you tomorrow." He held my hand in his. "I gave you the straight story. You have a lot of healing and hard work ahead of you. But my personal opinion is that by the time you graduate high school you have a good chance of walking on your own to get your diploma." He left, and the first nurse, Mary, came back in and gave me a shot.

By the time I was wheeled into what was to be my room, I was a bit woozy. I remember getting hugged and cried on by Tia and my sister Anne, and held firmly by my dad as he promised they would do everything possible to help me get back on my feet as soon as possible.

The next morning I got my first lesson in bedpans, and a thorough scrub-down by the nursing staff. And the dubious honor of eating what was supposedly a nutritious breakfast. Yeech. Tia was my first visitor. And she brought real food. A cheeseburger from the local golden starches. After listening to her run on and on about my saving her and being hurt I finally told her to shut up. "Tia, I did what I did because I love you, and you are my friend. So enough already." She looked at me, but managed to close her mouth. "Did the doctors tell you and Dad about what they did, and what my future holds?"

She looked at her feet. "They said that it will be a long time before you will be able to walk again at all, and that there will be more surgeries and lots of physical therapy before, if ever, you can walk normally." She came over and held me. "Sam, it's not fair, I got away without a scratch, and you'll be in a wheelchair and..."

She broke down and I held her till she was shooed out by the nurse who said it was time to change my dressings.

Dad and Anne came by early in the afternoon, and the conversations were very similar. Dr. Sutton dropped in, and after examining me, spent some time discussing my upcoming care. I was surprised when he told me that they would be starting my physical therapy the next day. "But you said I couldn't put any strain on my tendons until they have healed, and"

"And if you lie here in bed like a potato your other muscles will get soft and flabby, making the whole recovery process longer. And staying in a hospital bed gets old fast. So for at least a couple of hours every day, you are going to be working out. By any chance do you like to swim?" I nodded. "Good. Once the wounds have healed, swimming will be the best possible exercise for you and your legs." He checked my chart and told me that he was going to continue the pain medications for another couple of days, after which I could expect to start expecting more discomfort. I lay there quietly thinking as he left.

I guess the medications they gave me kept me from getting as upset about what had happened because when they cut back the pain pills I started to get really depressed. Some of it was watching the summer go by outside the window. And watching the other kids, including Tia, moving freely about while I was limited to needing a crane to get from the bed to the wheelchair. The hospital sent a psychologist to talk to me, but I didn't want to talk, which made Dad and Tia upset. They tried to convince me to accept help, and I yelled at them. So it was with a lot of concern and emotion that, after three weeks in the hospital, I was finally sent home to continue my recovery.

It was as I was settling into my new room, which was on the first floor where Dad's home office used to be, that I learned the insurance company for the firm that was operating the mower was going to pay for absolutely anything that related to my recovery while they were working to resolve Dad's claim against them. I wondered how money would help me get my life back together. There didn't seem to be much that could be done.

Tia had other ideas. She and Dad had already set up a contract with a taxi service to provide us transportation wherever and whenever we needed to go. And once I was settled in, where turned out to be a local health club with a big pool. I felt like a complete idiot when two lifeguards carefully extracted me from the wheelchair and lowered me into the pool. After making me put on one of the floatation vests they used for beginning swimmers. But when I was floating by myself, my crippled feet seemed much less important. The special foam and Fiberglas casts the doctor had made so I could swim were slightly buoyant, and allowed my ankles a tiny bit of motion. Tia floated next to me, making sure I was going to be okay.

I was weak, and my muscles were unused to as much motion as they were getting, but I started to swim laps, and soon Tia made me stop because she was afraid I was getting exhausted. "Sam, take it easy. We will be coming here every almost day, all summer."

"I'm fine." I lied. My muscles were screaming, but being free of the dammed wheelchair, and able to move on my own felt too good. "But I am getting a bit tired. So what say we call it a day, and go get some real food?"

"Sounds good. We can do your physical therapy in the evening." I stared at her. "Dr. Sutton had me certified as a special physical therapy assistant. That's why I was always spending so much time at the hospital when you were being worked over. I'm going to get paid a ridiculous amount by the insurance company to make sure you do your stretching exercises, safely, every day. Enough so I'll probably be able to go to college. Now let me get the lifeguards to haul you out of the water."

Soon we were on our way to Papa Pepperoni's, the local pizza hangout, where I got mobbed by kids we both knew. As I munched proper teenage food, a heartburn special with extra cheese, I was forced to tell the story of what happened, and what my future held. "Geez, Sam, that sounds pretty rough. A whole year on your butt." Bobby was not the brightest kid I knew, but he had a good heart, and cared about people.

I nodded, between bites. "And then another year and more surgery, like how are you going to survive that long?" Tia gave him a "Shut up" look. I shook my head and looked at the pizza.

"I haven't tried to face it. I don't know how I'll manage, but Tia here." I hugged her "Says I'll survive or she'll kill me." She kissed me, and a bunch of the kids made disgusting noises. "Besides, it's not like I can run away." That got me groans and raspberries.

When we got home all I wanted to do was drag myself into bed and sleep. Tia was not easily persuaded, so I spent an hour doing my exercises under her very watchful eye, and was sound asleep before she finished tucking me in. The next week was almost a copy of that day. But once I showed the lifeguards that I could swim and float fine without the stupid life vest, swimming really became fun. The odd position of my feet seemed to have little effect on my speed, and by the end of the week, Tia was complaining because she could not keep up with me. Except for the flip turns at the ends, and my having to crawl or be lowered into the water, I felt I was swimming as well as any of the competition types spending their summer practicing.

I was ecstatic when Dr. Sutton finally told me I was healed enough to swim at the outdoor pool, and Tia made party plans. When we arrived at the park, almost the entire group of kids we hung around with at school were waiting. I was glad they held off on the picnic until after swimming. I would have sunk like a rock from all the food I ate. Tia still made me do my exercises that evening.

I was beginning to feel like I was going to survive being stuck in a wheelchair when the school district told my father that I was being transferred across town to a different high school because that was where they could provide services for "special needs" students. Away from Tia and my friends. That started a war. I told everyone I would not go anywhere except to the local school. The district said that I would be truant if I didn't follow their instructions. I got really depressed. Tia organized our friends to picket the school board meeting. The problem, as it was finally stated, was that our school was not handicap accessible, and they were afraid of being sued because I could not safely exit the school in an emergency. Or use most of the washrooms.

"If Samuel was on crutches, it would be different. But in a wheelchair, he won't be able to get around. And district rules are clear. East is a much newer facility and was designed to be accessible. So he will have to go there." It was exactly four weeks before school was due to start. Dad's lawyer, Jerry, filed suit, but Jerry told us that it would be October before we would even get a hearing. I cried myself to sleep that night. After refusing to do my exercises.

In the morning, Dad tried to get me up for breakfast. "Sam, Tia will be coming over at ten, and I have to go to work. I'll talk with Jerry to see if there are any other options."

"I'm not getting up. And I'm not hungry." Dad shrugged and left. When Tia came up to my room later, I was staring at the ceiling.

"Sam, time to get up." She looked at me, and I could see the worry.

"No. I'm not getting up. And I'm not hungry. To them, I'm just a piece of the defective furniture, and if I won't get stacked with the other broken stuff, as far as they are concerned, I can be thrown away." I rolled over and faced the wall. "You don't deserve to waste your time with me. Go out and find a boyfriend that can take you out without needing help."

"Sam, come on, it's not like that. You're my friend, and I'm doing this because I want to, not because of pity."

"Then be a friend and leave me alone to wither away in peace." I stuffed my head under the pillow. I didn't hear her leave, and finally, the tears came and I cried myself to sleep.

When I woke up Tia was sitting there, watching me. "Feeling better?" Her voice was strained, and there were tear-streaks on her face. I shook my head. "Your father wants me to take you to the hospital. We're all scared that you are, well, going to hurt yourself." I looked away. I had been considering just that. "So are you going to get up and get going, or do I call the nice men in the white coats to come and get you?"

"They wouldn't want me." She gave me a raspberry. "But I'm not cut out to go on a hunger strike. So for the moment, you win. FEED ME!" She laughed and helped me get dressed. "Hey, I wanted food, not clothes."

"I'm taking you out for lunch. At a real restaurant. And then I'm taking you shopping. You can't go to school looking like a beach-party reject."

"What's wrong with shorts and an old T-shirt?"

"A lot if you don't want to freeze when it starts getting cooler. So quit complaining and let's go. I'm starved." Lunch was at an Italian restaurant that we could never have afforded if it wasn't on the insurance company. Tia made me stop before I burst, pointing out that she was planning on my trying on clothes, and didn't want to be embarrassed when I detonated and sprayed processed lasagna all over. I got the hint.

As we were leaving I heard someone shout "Hey T, long time, no hugs!" I spun my chair around to watch Tia launch herself into the arms of, well, someone. She looked like a cross between a hard-core biker and a tattoo parlor. But whoever she was, she was someone Tia knew well and was very glad to see.

When they finally pried themselves apart, Tia introduced her big friend. "Sam, meet Jody, my former best older adopted step-sister. Jody, meet Sam, my best friend, and traveling companion. We shook hands. I immediately decided that arm-wrestling her would be suicide.

"Sam and I are headed clothes shopping. Are you going to be in town for a while?" Jody nodded.

"Got a job, at least for a while, where they're building the new addition to Westfields Mall. Should keep me here for a year or so." She looked skeptically at me. "Um, like that push-cart of hers is kinda skimpy for the two of you. How are you getting where you are headed?"

Tia explained our contract with the cab company. "Heck, I'm headed that way, and she's small enough to fit in my truck between us. I can put her chair in the back." We both stared at her.

"Um, Jody, I hate to break this to you. But Sam is short for Samuel. As in Boy." Jody looked at me and turned red beneath her over-decorated tan.

"Sorry 'bout that. It's just that, well..." Tia looked like she was about to run away. "See, last time I saw T she, well, preferred girls, and since you look pretty damn good,..." I stared at Tia, who was a rather strange shade of pink.

"Sam, I."

It was so off-the-wall it hit a nerve, and I started to laugh. A real, honest, let-it-out-laugh. Something I had not done in quite a while. By the time I got my composure back, Tia and Jody were stuffing me into a huge pickup truck. With my chair bouncing around in the bed, we headed across town as Tia explained what had happened to me. And that I often was made fun of because we looked so much alike. Instead of the mall where I thought we were headed, we pulled off into a parking lot, and Jody turned off the ignition.

"Sam, you mean the only reason you are still in that chair is because your feet are stuck like that?" Tia and I stared at her.

"Sam can't walk on his toes, and they can't fit him with even special shoes until his tendons are lot's longer."

"Wanna bet?"

We stared at her. "T, really, sometimes you worry me. Let's detour and get Sammy here on her feet." She refused to elaborate, and I wondered why she still used the feminine pronoun when addressing me. When we were back on the road, I saw we headed off towards the seedier side of town.

"Hicky's is a really great place to shop, just don't go there after dark." Tia gasped, and I gave her a puzzled look. I had never heard of the place. "And they've got the cutest leather outfits that T would just die to wear." T turned bright red, and started squirming in her seat. And nibbling on my ear. Now I was getting really curious.

There was a large thump as we drove over a curb, and up to a parking place in front of what looked like an adult book store. "Don't mind the signs about under 18 not allowed. We're all eighteen, right?" As they unloaded my chair, I pictured myself in handcuffs on the evening news. After gently seating me, they rolled me inside.

On one side was an adult bookstore. The other looked like a boutique. If everything you wore was either leather or rubber. When I spied the collection of chains and restraints, I added steel to the list. I was getting nervous, but Tia seemed, well, almost entranced by the strange apparel. I tried to wheel myself back towards the door when I saw her pick up a leather and metal collar and try it on. Jody quickly grabbed the handles of my wheelchair, and calling to Tia, propelled me towards the back of the store.

Tia was still wearing the collar when we were approached by a big, muscular guy that looked like he belonged running a dungeon. "Jody, T, long time no see!" He easily picked both of them up, one in each arm, and gave them rib-crushing hugs.

He put Jody down but kept his grip on Tia. "I thought you had given up on the scene." He fondled the collar. "But damn you look good like that." She smiled, and I almost swear she purred. He set Tia down and grabbed Jody. "And you, I've missed your bad attitude for too long. And I owe you something from our last get-together." Jody blanched and tried to break free, but in a blink he had her over his knee and was giving her a sound paddling. The louder she wailed, the more he smiled. I wondered what was happening to my peaceful existence. The spanking soon ended, and Jody started doing a war-dance trying to soothe her sore bottom

Tia and I hugged while Jody recovered. The big guy took the interlude to do introductions. "Most of my customers call me Sir, but my real name is Monty." He smiled a gold and silver-toothed smile. "Jody and I go way back. And I've known Tia since Jody rescued her from a couple of street people when she was ten." I perked up rapidly. Tia had steadfastly refused to discuss her history, and I knew she was living in a foster home.

"So I know Tia and Jody, but you're a new girl around here. What brings you to my humble shop?"

I started to mumble an answer when Tia drowned me out, and gave him the whole ugly story. "So Jody brought you to me." He looked at my chair. And my feet.

Jody quit dancing around and separated Tia and me. "Monty, do you still have those incredible high-heel fetish boots that no one could walk in?" I stared at Jody as Monty's face broke into a grin, and he hopped up and headed to the back of the shop.

"Shit, I should have thought about this place long ago!" I stared at Tia as Jody patted her on the head.

"Too much normal living, little one. That'll teach you to forget your old friends." She was smiling as Tia jumped up and hugged her. I heard Monty returning. When I saw what he was carrying, I gasped out loud. In his arms were several pairs of knee-high black leather boots, with towering heels.

"Hey, those are women's boots!" That got me a really strange look from Monty, then a canary-eating grin. "Aha, so Sam is not short for Samantha. I should have figured Jody would be up to something."

"Cool it, Monty, and see if you have a pair that fits her."

"But those are for a woman."

"Do you care if they get you out of that wheelchair and back on your feet?" I stared at her.

"Sam, try them. Jody's right." While I was gaping at Tia, she pulled off the socks that were covering my feet and mangled ankles. Monty handed her a pair of stockings, and a moment later the thin nylon coverings were being tugged into place by both Tia and Jody. They were followed by a pair of the boots that was quickly determined to be too large. The second set fit like they were made for me.

The insides were padded, and I watched in fascination as the boots were laced firmly onto my feet. "Sam, forget what they look like, just support yourself on us and try to walk a little." Tia and Jody helped me to stand, and I felt like I was on stilts. But I was, although shakily, standing. With great care I managed to take tiny steps, finding I had to walk by swiveling and rolling my hips to keep from tripping. I could feel some pain, but it was quickly forgotten as the rush from walking for the first time in months took over.

I stumbled, and as I pitched forward they caught me and carried me to a nearby couch. When I started to cry they were afraid I had hurt myself, until they realized they were tears of happiness. ""I can do it Tia, I can walk and that means I can go to school with you and..."

She hugged me. "And you can quit thinking the world had come to an end." I looked at her and burst back into tears.

When things finally dried out, I looked at my feet. "But these make me look like a, a prostitute, or..."

"So what?"

"But I'm a boy, and boys don't wear..." The expression of mirth on Monty's face made me fall silent.

"I hate to break this to you, but I have a lot of male customers that would give a years salary to be able to wear boots like that. And only a couple of them are gay." My mouth fell open, and Tia started to giggle. "And I bet that Jody has some plans on changing your wardrobe."

Tia snuggled next to me. "Sam, don't worry about what people will think. Monty's right, and well, I am really more attracted to girls, and the idea of my boyfriend in girl's clothing turns me on." She emphasized this by sticking her tongue in my ear and sliding my hand up under her shirt. I rapidly was going into overload, and almost hurt myself when she quivered as my hand cupped one of her breasts. We stayed like that for a bit, until I returned to the present and realized that we were being watched with great amusement by Monty and Jody.

Tia seemed unflustered, but I tried to curl up in embarrassment. "Hey, don't let us interrupt your fun."

"But I don't want to wear girls clothes!" Tia plastered her self against me. And put my hand back on her breast.

"Please?" Between her tongue licking my neck and my valiant attempt to rip my undies, I found myself agreeing to let her do it "just this once."

Twenty minutes later I was regretting agreeing to anything. Tia and Jody decided to "give me the works" straight out of Monty's collection. And at Jody's suggestion, Tia stripped naked and squeezed herself into a similar outfit. Part of me was so horny I couldn't think. The other part was wondering if I had lost my mind..

I was dressed in, or at least wearing, the boots, a long, soft leather skirt that was so tight I had about a foot of knee room. Under that was a funny elastic and leather pair of underwear called a gaff that squashed everything up and out of the way. Then they added some kind of leather corset that was laced way too tight, and that had heavy, cool pads that gave me a girl's chest. Topping all this was a fitted leather blouse that barely covered the corset.. Tia pulled my hair out of the pony-tail and brushed it so it flowed around my face.

When they carried me to a mirror, I almost screamed. There was no indication that I was a boy. A second glance said I was for sale, or at least rent. And I wanted to get to know me better. Which hurt in the strange underwear.

Tia was wearing similar boots with a much lower heel, patterned stockings, and a tightly laced black leather mini-dress that showed her leather panties and garters if she moved too quickly. Monty was eyeing me hungrily. "Where have you been all my life, little girl?" I tried to jump back, and wound up being caught by Jody as I fell over. She and Tia were laughing so hard it was infectious. Tia used my credit card to pay for everything, and they set me in my chair and wheeled me out to Jody's truck. A couple of hard-hats were headed out of the bookstore, and offered Jody five hundred dollars to rent the pair of us for the day. I started to panic, but Jody stuffed me in the truck as Tia gave them a eyeful of undies. Moments later Tia jumped into the truck, and we roared out of the parking lot.

'They thought I, I mean we, were..."

"Two hot pieces of ass." Jody was laughing. And they would have gotten one hell of a surprise when you finally dropped your gaff." I cringed in horror. Tia got close and personal, and it felt so good I quit worrying and concentrated on returning the favor. When we stopped, I saw we were parked in front of a hospital supply place. "Time to get you some crutches."

The young guy at the counter nearly ruined himself trying to provide superior service, and get a date, and an older woman, who was apparently the manager, eyed us like we were preparing to do business out of her showroom. But I was on my own two feet, assisted by a very expensive set of custom-fitted forearm crutches and Tia, as I left the showroom. Jody, pushing my now empty wheelchair, followed us out.

I still was unable to get into the truck without help, and my legs were aching, but I felt like shouting "Look at me", despite the funny clothes. That changed when we stopped at a beauty salon. "Um, Tia, like this is a one-time thing, and..." They set up my chair and rolled me inside. Tia's nibbling on my ear was unfair tactics. Jody whispered something to the woman at the reception desk, and I was quickly rolled to station where three women descended on me. Tia told me to be quite and take it like a woman, which confused me enough that they were able to begin on my hair and nails as I gaped at her. She got the station next to mine. Jody said she was going elsewhere to watch a movie.

I wanted to scream that I was a boy and this was some sort of plot, but looking the way I did I was afraid I would get arrested. Or something. When one of the women started washing my hair and massaging my scalp, it was so comforting that I quickly relaxed, and fell soundly asleep.

When Tia awoke me, she was smiling. "Well, sis, you came out a lot better than even I thought you would." She turned the chair so I could look in the mirror. It was the clothes that finally convinced me that I was the hot babe in the mirror. They had given my hair highlights, and it was a mass of soft, shining curls. Tia's was done up the same way. We did look almost like sisters. After Tia finished trying to give me mouth to mouth resuscitation, I mused more like kissing cousins. I guessed that she had already paid, as she helped me into my wheelchair, and rolled me outside to where Jody was waiting.

"Wow!" She eyed the pair of us. "I better go hide in the woodwork with the two of you around." We both gave her raspberries. "Well, get in, we've still got more shopping to do." Tia helped me into the truck, and soon we were parked in front of the main entrance to Westfields. And I realized that I looked like someone off Baywatch and most of our friends shopped here.

"Tia, I can't do this. If someone recognizes me I'm dead meat. I'll never be able to show my face at school again." She and Jody gave me sympathetic looks.

"Sam, at school the boots are going to get you a lot of strange looks and comments. But without them you won't be able to go to school with me, and you'll be stuck in that wheelchair for months. Besides, you won't be wearing that leather outfit much longer anyway. We're here to get you some normal clothes."

"And if anyone asks, just tell them that when you dress up like that it makes Tia all hot and bothered. That'll confuse 'em." I didn't like Jody's suggestion, but Tia nodded and licked her lips. And then licked mine. Ouch. "Besides, I doubt greatly if anyone will have a clue it's you in that outfit." That I could agree with. I didn't recognize myself. What everyone forgot about entirely was that in the wheelchair, and accompanied by Tia, anyone with half a brain would recognize me. So, carrying my crutches and pushed by Tia, we headed into the mall.

And ran smack into a group of kids our age who were on the way out. "Wow, Tia, hot outfit!" Andy was a jock from our school that was always trying to get between me and Tia. "Glad to see you finally dumped that wimp Sam and...oh... um...oh. Shit." He was staring at me as his voice faded away. I had nowhere to hide, so I simply smiled at him.

He looked like he swallowed a bug. While he was recovering his voice, Jody and Tia wheeled me inside. "If he does anything stupid I'll pound him into paste." Jody was smiling. Sort of. The whole group followed us in.

Erica spoke up. "Er, Sam, like that's a killer outfit, but..." Tia took the lead.

"We found Sam a pair of boots that will let her walk with crutches, which means she can stay at West. And since they looked so cool, we decided to get her a matching outfit." She helped me stand and showed me off like a mannequin. "And like I couldn't let her look better than me, so I got a little black dress myself." She did a vamp and I could hear a couple of the guys whistle, followed by their girlfriends making "touch and you die" comments.

Tia gently helped me back into the wheelchair, then turned to her friend. "And this is my former best older adopted step-sister Jody. So behave yourself or she'll give you a spanking you'll enjoy." Jody was almost as tall as Andy, who was eyeing her warily.

I was trying to fathom why Tia was still referring to me as a girl. But so far I hadn't been creamed. And I sure was in no position to run away.

"Anyway, we're here to get Sam a back-to-school wardrobe. Care to join us shopping?" Andy muttered something about feeling ill, and headed back outside. All of the others except Erica begged off, saying they were shopped out and heading for the park. She also said, as soon as the others left, that Andy was sort of her date, and she was glad to dump him.

"So where are you headed? Stallones?"

"Would you believe the Lingerie Loft, then Gloria's Gear?"

"Wow. This I've gotta see." I felt like I was a complete fool for letting them do this to me. But I was no longer glued to the damn wheelchair either.

It turned out that we needed to get some clothes so we could get some underwear so I could get some clothes. Hunh? Erica and Tia told me not to worry. They just didn't specify what I was not supposed to worry about.

So we spent about ten minutes in a department store getting me measured for a basic blouse and skirt. Which made me look like a very flat girl, since the undies from Hicky's were way too radical. "Don't worry love, you'll have your boobs back shortly." I stared at Tia, and cringed when I realized she knew what I was thinking.

So back to the Lingerie Loft. I had often drooled over the displays in the window, and hinted to Tia that she'd look awesome in some of their stuff. Now I was going to get to see the place from the inside. I had a strange feeling I would be modeling some of the same silky things for Tia.

The first clerk refused to serve us when she found I was really a boy. The owner read her the riot act, and was glad to help. Especially when Tia mentioned that I needed a complete wardrobe.

"Hey, I was just going along with you on this. I need some real clothes for school!" Tia wiggled her eyebrows at me. "Samantha dear, now I've got you in skirts I'm not letting you go." She gave me a kiss that left me twitching, and licked my ear. It was unfair tactics.

"We get quite few men in here buying lingerie for themselves. But you're the prettiest I've ever seen. You're sure you're a boy?" She stroked my hair. This did not help my cause at all. Tia and Jody made suggestions, and the lady played fetch.

The overly tight "shaper brief" that Jody and Tia squeezed me into squashed everything out of sight. And made me hurt whenever I thought about squeezing Tia into some of their more daring outfits. At least they didn't seem to be in a hurry to make a complete bimbo out of me. I wound up with lots of plain cotton stuff that was really soft, and some comfortable sort-of sports bras that would stay in place while holding a pair of silicone breast forms that gave me a figure only a bit less prominent than Tia's. The more I tried to protest, the more racy stuff Tia tried on for herself, causing me serious moral problems. Not to mention pain.

When I was wheeled out of the store, Jody had to take a load of packages out to her truck, and Erica was making debutante comments. The manager gave us a twenty percent discount. Tia was carrying some of her purchases, saying she was going to get something less slinky to wear. We met up with Jody at Gloria's. Here we found several more kids from school catching up on the sales. Sue and her boyfriend ogled us, and he made a bunch of snickering noises. I wanted to hide under the wheelchair.

Sue's "Hey Tommy, I wonder how you'd look in a mini?" caused him to shut up fast. Especially when she made it sound so convincing. This was not a good sign. Jody commandeered a dressing room, and soon I was up to my ears in skirts and sweaters and other things that belonged on Tia, not me. Every time I was rolled out and helped to my feet, it seemed there were more of the kids from school watching. I figured I was going to die of embarrassment before we were finished. I was not that lucky.

When we finally headed out to Jody's truck, it took Erica, Tia, and Karen and her boyfriend Scott to carry everything. Very little of which was Tia's. I was now dressed in a long, soft skirt, incredibly soft cotton turtleneck, and, of course, the boots. I wondered whether it would be Dad or Mom that had the first heart attack. Then I almost had one when we headed for Papa Pepperoni's for dinner. But being able to maneuver, even with help, to our regular spot up on one of the raised platforms made it seem almost worthwhile. I got my favorite bench, with Tia on one side and Jody on the other. It took about ten minutes till our whole crowd seemed to appear from nowhere to join us.

The girls all said I looked good, and one of the guys commented I had a better figure than his girlfriend, which got him slugged. Even if it was true. A loud beeping made Jody curse. Two minutes later she had transferred all our stuff inside, and was headed off to some emergency at work. She was replaced by Jeremiah, who was eyeing me like I was dinner. Which was scary, because Jeremiah was both a football lineman and openly gay.

"Hey, why didn't you tell me, like where have you been all my life?" I felt my world start to collapse just before he lost his straight face and broke out laughing. "Okay, Okay, they put me up to this." He pointed to a couple of Tia's and my friends, who were giggling. "But you are kinda cute..." I stuck out my tongue at him, and barely got it back before he took up the offer. Tia was almost on the floor laughing.

When the pizzas arrived, the harassment stopped, and I was amazed that no one was being really mean. The conversation moved from my clothes to what classes people were going to take, and loud laments that it was unfair to waste our childhood attending school. Tia insisted in calling me Samantha, and by the time everyone was stuffed, I was answering to that name as readily as to Sam.

The guys seemed a bit nervous around me, except for Jeremiah, who asked me for a date. Most of the girls thought it was cool, especially when Tia demonstrated how much she liked the look by getting close and personal. But they all helped us get our stuff outside to load into a cab.

Tia, and Erica, who accompanied us home, had barely managed to get everything into my room before Mom and Dad got home. They were probably the only people in town that didn't know I was being turned into a coed by my girlfriend. So when Tia and Erica announced to them that the "new and improved" Sam was about to make a debut, they were sitting relaxed in the living room.

The girls had updated my makeup, making it look much more wholesome, and brushed out my hair. So with one on each side to catch me if I stumbled, I slowly maneuvered on the crutches into the living room.

There was a moment of silence, followed by a scream as Mom jumped up to hold me "Sam, you're walking..." I had to lean on her for support. Dad was still staring. Tia retrieved the wheelchair so I could get off my feet. She helped Mom lower me back to a sitting position.

Mom seemed unable to say anything. Finally Dad managed to find his voice. "What are you doing in a skirt?" He took a breath. "And why are you done up like Anne for a date?" He was starting to sputter, and I was afraid he was going to blow his cool.

"What's this about me and a date?" Ann came into the living room. And stared at me. "Oh my God! Sam, you've come out of the closet!?" I managed to gurgle, and Dad sat back in his chair with an "Oh Shit"

"He's not gay!" Tia was bright red. "Even when Jeremiah hit on her, she didn't do anything..." She turned redder as she realized she was making things worse.

"THAT Jeremiah saw him like this? He's been out in public?"

"The whole gang had a late snack at Papa Pepperoni's, so relax." Erica added her two cents. "Besides, I think she's cute."

"QUIET!" Mom screamed at all of us. "Everyone shut up and sit down." Dad started to say something, and Mom made threatening gestures. She turned to me. "Samuel, what is going on, why are you dressed like your sister, and why is your friend referring to you as a girl?" I made some attempt to shrug, but she wasn't buying it. "No excuses, NOW!"

So I held tight to Tia, and started at the beginning. By the time I was finished, Dad looked like he wanted to throw me out of the house, or throw up. Anne had laughed herself silly, and Mom was unable to do more than shake her head and state "When your father and I were your age, no one did things like this."

Dad nodded violently. "And you don't care?" I held onto Tia for emotional support. And pulled myself painfully up onto my feet.

"Two months ago the Doctors told me it would be years before I could walk again. Tia and Jody found me these boots. They were right, I'd run around naked, wearing a propeller on my head if it would let me walk on my own." I sank back down in pain. "It is, I think, a bit squirrely to dress up like a girl. But it's comfortable, and my girlfriend says she likes me better like this." I paused. "And I'm going to look and move like a girl in these boots anyway, so I guess it makes some sort of weird sense to complete the outfit."

Dad was shaking his head. "I think the accident has warped your thinking." Mom was shaking her head.

"If she was thinking, she'd realize how silly this is, I mean..." Mom just tapered off to silence. Anne started to giggle.

"Um, Mom, Sam's my brother, not my sister."

"And there is no way I'm going to not wear these boots if they're the only way I can walk. So get used to me looking strange." Tia hugged me.

"Well, I guess since almost the whole school knows by now Sam's gone totally whacko and decided to change sex, I guess I'd better treat her as my sister, so I don't get totally confused." Anne joined Tia. "And what's so bad about dressing like a girl? Mom, Tia, and I do it every day." Dad looked like he was going start beating his head against the wall.

"Doesn't it matter that he's supposed to be our son, and your brother?" He pointed at Tia "Or her BOYfriend." Tia smiled.

"I like her just the way she is."

"What are you, some sort of weird lesbian?" Tia's grinning nods caused Dad to get up and head out of the house. Mom just shook her head, and managed to stand up.

"I'm going to go to bed. Anne, you're in charge. Sam, or whatever you are right now, make sure you eat and do your exercises. And Tia, stay out of her bed. His bed. Never mind. Don't either of you do anything to get pregnant. Goodnight." She staggered up the stairs and we heard a door slam. Followed by a theatrically screamed "Why Me Lord, I've been a good mother..."

"Sam, remember, don't do anything to get pregnant..." Anne was trying to hold a straight face, but soon she was having trouble breathing because she was laughing so hard.

"Um, Samantha, I think your mother just said we could sleep together if we don't..." She had a really friendly look on her face, and I got some interesting twinges in my undies.

"I have to do my exercises."

"I can think of a lot of other fun exercises. So eat lightly, I don't want you to fall asleep too soon." Anne made some gagging noises, and headed to the kitchen to make dinner.

After we ate, and Tia had finished her daily abuse of my feet, she propelled me towards my room. She hollered to Anne "If you hear any passionate screaming, applaud." Anne gave her a thumbs up, and as soon as Tia had rolled me inside, she closed and locked the door.