Girl 101 for Boys! When I saw that listed on electives in the high school I was about to start I just knew I had to sign up for that. That was so outrageous!
At times I like doing outrageous things. As long as the only damage I do is to pride & prejudice and sense & sensibility, not people & property. I really am a good boy, most of the time and I’m never mean but I like to spice up life every now and then. Girl 101 for Boys sounded like the perfect thing. To be honest I had another reason as well. What I really wanted to do was the computer thing, basically I’m a nerd, and if I signed up for Girl 101 for Boys with the computer thing as the alternative they were bound to give me a place in the computer course when Girl 101 for Boys failed to get the six students that was the minimum.
I was wrong on two counts. The placements did not work as I thought. With the computer course as the alternative I’d never have got into that. Well, as a freshman I had no chance anyway so that was no loss. Had Girl 101 for Boys been cancelled I would just have been dropped into whatever course had a place. What I hadn’t noticed was that Girl 101 for Boys was a new course open for all years. Amazingly six students did sign up. I was stuck. Oh, I could have asked to change within the first week but then I’d have to take whatever they assigned me to. Besides Girl 101 for Boys carried an amazing amounts of credits for the number of lessons. That if anything should have made me suspicious! Just for the record, Boy 101 for Girls was cancelled.
Anyway, there I was the first day in a new school. A small fish in a pond much bigger than I was used to. Not that I had been a big fish in the small pond but being a small fish in a huge pond was daunting. The Girl 101 for Boys class was no less daunting. I said six students had signed up. In my opinion there were only four boys there. The two senior T-girls were girls as I saw it. Perhaps I’m not mainstream in this but as so often I swim against the flow. Last year I had been at camp where there was a T-boy. Since he was shunned by the other boys I just had to befriend him, hadn’t I? He was good kid. A very decent boy. Funny, nice and smart. Not overcompensating by being excessively macho. Too bad I couldn’t say the same thing about the two T-girls. Those two were extreme cases that had to go to the far other end of the spectrum. Those two definitely gave T a bad name.
On the bright side I never had much to do with them. They considered me beneath them. In general their attitude was “Odi profanum vulgus et arceo”. They said so themselves. Fine by me. Then there were two senior louts that somehow had got into their thick skulls that the course had something to do with girls’ bodies and sex. Oh, well. Then there was Gary. A sophomore that had been sent there by his girlfriend to make him a better boyfriend. Gary was not one of the smartest kids in school but always friendly and cheerful. Taking every stumbling block with a smile and then kept going. I came to admire him.
Ms Walker gave a long introduction to the course. Basically the purpose was to give us boys an understanding of what being a girl was like in modern society. The whole spectrum of being a girl, a real girl, not just the stereotypes. The content of the course was partly the classes which would include theory, practice and seminars and partly everyday life. The course ran over one semester and was divided into two parts. The traditional view and the more modern. Then came the bombshell. We had to basically live like girls in school. The first half semester we were obliged to wear only skirts and dresses in school. Girl underwear including bras. Make up when we had learnt to apply that ourselves. The two T-girls were happy. The louts shocked and Gary and I worried.
We were not supposed to use the girls’ restrooms and lockers. Ms Walker had not been able to arrange that. Gary and I looked at each other and the louts moaned. However, if we so desired we could practice with the cheerleader squads and take ballet instead of normal boys’ PE. I went for that option. Coach Schmidt was rather notorious for having a one-track mind and I had no interest in playing with balls, despite choosing Girl 101 for boys as an elective. And it just might be interesting. The T-girls were already exempt from PE and doing something that made them sweaty? No thank you! I was relieved that we didn’t have to switch to traditionally girly classes. I also checked that it was OK to try out and compete as a (boy) sprinter. I was a good sprinter.
Before winding up she told us to wear appropriate clothes not later than two days later.
When I got home Dad was at home. He almost always is. He works from home. One day he decided that he was tired of commuting and office politics and just stopped going to the office and worked from home. There really was no reason for him to be in the office since the work he does requires very little interaction with other people. His boss got a bit annoyed after the first week. He’d be damned if any of his “subordinates” would sit at home in their underwear and slurp coffee. The next online video meeting with him my father had dressed down to his underwear and kept going to the kitchen to get more coffee. His boss blew his top. Too bad for him Dad was more valuable for the company than the (ex)boss. I think I have inherited much from Dad.
Anyway, Dad was interested to hear what Girl 101 for Boys was like. When he heard what I had to wear he closed his computer and got ready to go out to the car. Dad always wear “office casual” when working, to get him into the right mindset so no change of clothing was necessary. However, he was skipping out to the car singing “We are off to see the Wizard”. That song is not supposed to be sung as a solo so I had to join. I do skipping very well..
We started off with the outerwear. Dad brought me to one of the shops catering to teen girls. As soon as we entered a salesgirl pounced on us. Possibly she thought we were a couple of perverts and had to be shown to the door as soon as possible. Dad shone up and said.
“My son is getting his first skirt. Could you help us?”
“Dad, I need more than one skirt. And possibly a dress as well.”
“So, do you want an outrageously short skirt? In that case you have to live with consequences yourself.”
The salesgirl looked shocked. She probably was convinced she had her suspicions confirmed. Dad got more serious at that point.
“Joking aside. What would you like?”
“Shortish, above the knee, pleated, “happy” colors. Comfortable, easy to wear.”
“Right, that gives me something to work with. Let’s see what we can find. Let me just measure your waist first.” The salesgirl finally joined the conversation.
She measured me. Then she made a sweep around the store and brought back a number of skirts for me to try on. I was amazed how well she had translated my rather vague requirements into actual skirts. I liked them. I tried on two of the ones I liked best and modelled them for Dad and the salesgirl. General approval. Back in the changing booth I noticed that the salesgirl had listened to Dad as well. There was what Uncle Sven from Sweden calls a “musician” skirt. Musician => Musikant => Mus i kant => Pussy at edge. That tells you how “long” it was. I couldn’t resist so I put it on, got out and struck a pose. Dad almost fell off the chair laughing.
“OK, I told you that you could get one of those and I stand by my word. However, remember that if you wear it you have to live with consequences yourself. I will not bail you out. And that includes jail.”
Getting the dress was less dramatic. I got one that I could use both in school and at parties. We stopped there as Dad declared that if I needed more I’d have to borrow from cousin Jane. I hoped that wouldn’t be necessary. I dreaded what she’d ask in return. She’s a far too good negotiator. I left the shop wearing one of the longer skirts as well as one of the two soft blouses I now was the proud owner of.
In the lingerie shop we once more were met by a salesgirl. Either we were perverts or potential good sales. This time I started
“Excuse me, Dad and I don’t agree. Would black or nude stockings look better on me?”
At that I stretched out my right leg. This girl were of stronger stuff. Without hesitation she answered
“Black. Definitely black. Thin black pantyhose. I don’t recommend stockings. Pantyhose is more practical.”
“I also need two bras and matching panties.”
Dad, not to be left out
“Get panties with a wide front so there is room for everything. And no artificial additives. Pure product only.”
I understood – no falsies.
Sally, the salesgirl brings me into a changing room to measure me. As soon as we are alone she quietly asks
“Is that really your Daddy or your Sugar daddy?”
“I assured her that Dad really was my Daddy. Hmm, come to think about it I never had seen a DNA test … Sally was relieved. She explained that the situation was a bit dubious to say the least. Then I proceeded to tell her all about “Girl 101 for Boys”. She had a good laugh and then gave her best shot at helping me. I had planned to have two plain non-wired bras. Sally basically agreed but suggested that I pick some nice colors and one more daring bra, just in case. And two sets of matching panties for each. Sally was a brilliant salesgirl. For the “just in case” bra she also had a number of tips how to enhance the “natural product” without artificial additives, only a clip there and an extra squeeze there. When I tried it on using all the tricks I had a distinct bosom. I just had to have it. Not that I’d EVER wear that to school but just the idea, having the possibility…
“I suppose you do this for every boy that comes into the shop?
(laughing) “I do. Well, since you are the first one …”
“So how do you know how to do all this?”
“Part is something every budding girl needs to know and I help them. Part is that I knew that a situation like this would come sooner or later. Only I had expected the “boy” to be a man and much older and not as cute as you are. You are going to break so many boy hearts.”
“Hey, that’s not what this is all about. I told you.”
“I know what you told me but when I look at you, I’m not so sure.”
I was shaken. I was NOT interested in boys. I was NOT a girl. On the other hand I also knew that while I had inherited so much from my father when it came to mind and behavior my beauty queen mother had left distinct traces in my physique, especially in face and those long legs, now extra alluring in black pantyhose.
When I let Dad see what I had chosen his first reaction was
“NO artificial additives I said.”
“This is all me, pure unadulterated me.”
He didn’t believe me. Then I did something no girl would do. I took off my bra (my! bra. Oh my) in front of my father.
After Sally rang up the, substantial, sale Dad and I only had shoes to procure and I tell you THAT was all the procuring I had in mind. I had decided to go for shoes with a small but noticeable heel. The minimum only required.
The shoe store was the first creepy incident of the day. I came across a stereotype that exists in bad sitcoms only – the creepy fetishist shoe salesman. As he helped me put on the shoe his hand glid up my hosed leg. I stopped him before the edge of the skirt.
“You know that I’m a boy. An UNDERAGE boy!
(Leering) “I do! And that’s what makes you so irresistible.”
No sale!
The next shop was just in, find the first possible pair, a quick test without any help and then out. Phew!
When Mum came home later that day she was a bit shaken but knowing Dad and me she didn’t make a big issue of the whole “Girl 101 for Boys” issue with all its consequences. Dad and I had forgotten my new training outfits so my mother (ex-cheerleader and ten years of ballet) was happy.
“And I was so sorry I never had a daughter to follow in my footsteps, or should that be kicks?, as a cheerleader.”
“MUM! I’m not going to be a cheerleader, just practice with them.”
“Whatever” (said with a smile).
I had just started to realize the consequences of what I was doing. Oh, being outrageous can be fun but I was new in high school. This could turn out so bad for me! For the rest of my life! Well, for a freshman the rest of high school is pretty much the equivalent of the rest of life. So what was I doing?! At least I’d take ballet as a boy. So, Mum got me a very masculine outfit - a lavender thong short-sleeved leotard and white tights. Mum can be evil! Or she was just getting her own back on me for going over the top aided and abetted by Dad. For cheerleading it was hotpants and crop top. Thankfully dark blue. Well, the hotpants. The top was hot pink.
The next morning when preparing to go to school it all came crashing down on me. How could I have been so stupid the day before. I was practically committing suicide. People were sure to believe I really wanted to be a girl. My looks and clothes would support that assumption. At least I didn’t have long hair. In theory I could back out and switch elective. I was too much of a coward to do that. Yes, I was more afraid of funking out than to be the laughingstock of the school. I put on my matching underwear, the non-wired variant. At least I wasn’t a narc. A non-musician skirt. A nice cream blouse and the shoes with a one inch heel. That felt strange enough. I’d never understand those who wear really high heels.
I wasn’t wrong. I was taunted in school. Any friends I had imagined from middle school just evaporated. Well, at least they didn’t make my life actively worse. In Girl 101 for boys the landscape was mixed. The T-girls were extremely girly. Gary had hand-me-downs from his sister. She had also helped him with hair etc. He looked ok but not more. The louts were a bad comedy act. Ms Walker tore into them with the result that they stormed out after saying they quit. That worried Ms Walker. If they quit the first week the course would be cancelled. Luckily for her any changes had to be done in person in the office. The louts hadn’t bothered to check that and Ms Walker for some reason kept a low profile. The louts spent the summer school cursing her. Ms Walker commented on my outfit favorably but noted that I was the only one not wearing hose, now that the louts had left.
I knew that I wouldn’t change with the JV cheerleaders. What I hadn’t been smart enough to figure out was that I WOULD change with the JV football team. I was doing the girl thing too well, as opposed to Gary. Nothing physical but not a pleasant experience. Until Chet, a wide receiver, spoke up
“Hey, don’t harass my girlyfriend! Sure he’s cute when he blushes but I don’t want him to have a stroke from the high blood pressure you’re causing the poor kid.”
Shocked silence. Chet walks over to me and hugs me. No kissing. As he hugs me he whispers
“Have coffee with me after practice and I’ll explain everything.”
The first time anyone had invited me to coffee.
I was a bit worried as I made my way over to the field where the cheerleaders practiced. Would they be as bad as the guys? They weren’t. Coach Smed was a good friend of Ms Walker’s and supported the idea of Girl 101 for Boys. She had warned the girls to be nice to me and Gary.
All right, I wasn’t exactly cheerleader material. I’m a sprinter. I compared poorly with the agile and dedicated girls. Coach Smed gave me a B+ for effort though. Very good but she expected that I could do better. For some reason that cheered me up. The cheerleaders didn’t vanish into the locker room immediately but stretched afterwards. Sensible. I approved. I always did after running practice, which reminded me that there would be athletics tryouts later in the week. Cheerleading tryouts as well. The first days it was only the leftovers from last year practicing. Thus no freshmen eh freshpersons. Coach Smed had told them to be nice. She hadn’t told them not to be nosy. I was submitted to thorough interrogation. I told them over and over again that I had no wish to be a girl. Finally they accepted that and we started to talk about other things. Only to have all my work demolished when Chet came over to see what happened to me. He had changed already. He reminded me about his invitation to coffee. No need to tell you how the girls reacted.
Coffee was nice. I usually didn’t drink coffee but a latte with some sugar was not bad. Chet explained why he had declared me to be his girlyfriend. 1) He had recently had a bad breakup and didn’t want girls to try to be his girlfriend. 2) Even if his teammates were shocked at first they’d soon realize that I had no romantic interest in me so he was safer than it appeared. 3) Regardless if I wanted to be girl or just was doing something unusual he thought it was worth his support. I explained once more about why I had chosen Girl 101 for boys and that I had no wish to be a girl. That I had not expected all those problems and taunting but I was not quitting. If he had been a smart person he would have recognized that I was crazy. He wasn’t, smart that is. He only told me that he admired and respected me even more.
I had to cut the coffee session short because I had to get to the dance studio. Tuesdays would be tough with both cheerleading practice and ballet. Each was three times a week but only overlapped on Tuesdays. Chet walked me there. The locker room was less overtly antagonistic but I felt a deeper resentment against me from the three “regular” boys there. I understood them. They probably were tagged as gay by their peers and now we came and made the situation worse for them. Nothing overt as I said. Only that the locker room had people changing at the far ends. At least I had Gary there. Gary had got the very traditional black tights and white t-shirt. Black slippers as well. I stood out.
Miss Smith, the teacher, made a double-take when she saw me. She frowned. Not a good start. I remembered what Coach Smed had said. I really gave it my all. At the end of the class she grudgingly told me that I had done well and to keep up the good work. And could I please come dressed as a normal boy next time? No, I couldn’t. I had realized that it was better to be really weird instead of just a bit unacceptable. Besides, I realized being noticeable made me work harder. I told her that.
“Well, if it works for you I can live with that. But keep up the good work or else …”
And finally, a very long day neared its end. After dinner I was only too happy to get some sleep. Too bad my parents wanted a blow-by-blow account of the day. I resented the way they smiled.
The next morning I made two observations. 1) I had used many, muscles the day before that I had never used before. 2) Since I felt it already I was not in a very good shape. I hoped that I’d do well at sprinter tryouts anyway.
I dressed more or less as the day before, only adding pantyhose. Looking at me in the mirror I had to admit that my legs looked really good in the thin black pantyhose. I was also glad for them arriving in school. One new lesson was that shortish, pleated and rather lightweight-material skirts flare up when it’s windy. Ms Walker gave me an extra point for that observation. Otherwise the day was more or less the same as the day before, for better and worse. Gary was told off to work harder in cheerleading practice. I wasn’t. Chet invited me for coffee again after practice. He’s a quite interesting guy.
Thursday we got the program for Girl 101 for Boys in detail. It included a lot of lectures and seminars on being a girl. I noticed one item and asked if I could be excused from that class. I thought I was too young for “Sex from the female point of view” with two senior girls to give us ALL the details. I was told since that class was PURELY theoretical… And then we started the first block – make-up. The T-girls needed no instruction there, they thought. Ms Walker disagreed. They needed to learn that less is more. Nonetheless, Gary and I took most of her time.
No cheerleading practice that day so I spent the time before ballet in the school library. Of course no practice also meant no Chet.
Well, I was wrong about that. To my surprise he was in the dance studio male locker room when I got there early. We were alone so he told me why. He admitted that he used me He had always wanted to dance ballet but had been too scared of how people would react. Now that he had “this lark” with a girlyfriend he could claim he did it for my sake. I admit I felt better when he was there. Class was good. Not that we did anything spectacular or the second class in my life but I realized that I had never been aware of my body and how it moved. Chet said afterwards that this might be useful for him on the field. Amazing really. I also understood better why so many cheerleaders took ballet. Not in the absolute beginner group of course.
Friday was tryouts day. No cheerleading practice. I carefully made sure not to be anywhere near the cheerleading tryouts. Well, to be honest it had more to do with preparing for the athletics tryouts. I got onto the team. I was happy for many reasons. First of all, I like running like hell. Second, maybe being on the track and field team would make more accepted in school. Maybe that was part of it. Other factors may have been the cheerleaders and football teams soon made it clear that I wasn’t to be harassed (her assed?). For some reason the football teams, both JV and varsity had adopted me as their mascot. I was sort of a cheerleader, wasn’t I?
Next week was much like the first. Things started to settle down. Chet kept inviting me for coffee. He was nice and, come to think about it, rather cute. And kind. I don’t know how things would have developed without him. What about Gary? He sort of just was there. Mostly blending into the background, never exerting himself more than necessary, always with a cheerful smile. Since I had no friends in my year I mostly had lunch together with Gary (we had the same lunch hours) which also meant that I started to hang with his friends. A very relaxed bunch of boys. His girlfriend did not approve of me so I never spent time with them when she was around.
Ballet class had a couple of new girls in it. Two newly accepted JV cheerleaders, one a freshgirl, started beginner ballet. Mary was nice. Stretching after class was fun with both Mary and Chet there. The other boys never stayed to stretch. Stupid of them. And I learnt so much from the other girls there as well. Extra points for Girl 101 for Boys. To be honest teens starting ballet don’t do it because they are committed to a career as ballet dancers. Too late for that. So, the atmosphere was rather relaxed after class.
Don’t get the wrong idea. My life wasn’t all Girl 101 for Boys even if that very much defined my life at the time. I had other classes as well. I did well in them. Some teacher approved of me doing the girly thing, others didn’t but were professional enough not to make things difficult for me. As for running I was accepted and respected for my ability. I was good. I managed to fit in training in between my other activities. I had a rather crowded schedule with running, school, cheerleading practice and ballet.
For the third week Ms Walker had upped the challenge. For one thing she expected us to come to school made up. According to school rules and no clowns. We were also expected to apply it ourselves. The other thing was a bigger and unwelcome surprise. She handed out falsies (B) to Gary and me. The T-girls already had D and DD respectively. I suspect that Ms Walker wanted to give them B falsies as well but she didn’t.
The breast thing was unwelcome for many reasons. I was smart enough to understand the extra burden. Also, I had no bras fit for those. Remember, no artificial additives. When I told Dad he said it was time to visit Aunt Beth and Uncle Sven, or to be more precisely cousin Jane.
Aunt Beth and Uncle Sven are fun-loving people. It’s a mystery how they came to have a daughter that appears not to understand the concept of fun. Jane is nice and always prepared to help anyone who needs help. The problem is that she is so focused and serious all the time. I can’t say I understand her but I like her. I’m probably one of her few friends. Most people admire and respect her but she has few friends. Anyway, Jane had outgrown her B-size bras. To her great dismay she had an ample bosom. Since she had wanted to be a professional ballet dancer that was a problem. Too bad she’d had to abandon that career. She devoted years to that goal. She was the local studio’s star student and had expected to be accepted to one of the famous dancing schools. After the audition she had been told that her technique was magnificent but there was no spark. They couldn’t find any real talent. Hard work and devotion is essential for a ballet dancer but not sufficient. There has to be something more and Jane didn’t have that. Jane was crushed for a week and then decided to put ten years behind her and instead focus on chemistry. She had always been good in school so she had a good ground to work from.
Aunt Beth and Uncle Sven had a good laugh about Girl 101 for Boys. I wore a skirt when we went there. Not the “musician skirt” but Dad told them about it. Uncle Sven almost fell off the chair. Cousin Jane just quietly got up and brought me to her room and took out a bag with old clothes. With an extender (which I had brought) “my” breast felt not too bad. Then Jane asked
“Are you going to move around a lot? Jumping, running?”
“As part of the program I practice with the cheerleaders and take ballet.”
I was a bit hesitant to bring up ballet. We had never mentioned that since the audition.
“You will need a sports bra as well. What do you use for ballet, t-shirt of leotard?”
“Leotard.”
“Tight, sleeves?”
“Yes and yes.”
Jane dug into another bag and brought up a sports bra and a pink and black spaghetti strap leotard with something she called a shelf. And some pink tights and slippers.
“Change into that and then let’s go down to the studio.”
Jane grabbed some stuff of herself and disappeared into the bathroom. The inserts didn’t feel that bad. No jiggling.
Once down in the studio, that had stood unused for a long time, Jane started me going through exercises. Then some jumps.
“Does it feel ok?”
“A bit weird but it doesn’t move around.”
“Good. Now, you are not bad for a beginner but …”
Jane proceeded to give me corrections. It wound up to be a complete class with her.
“So, Peter. Why do you take ballet? Only for the girly course or something else? Do you want to be a girl?”
Sigh. The same old story. Why can’t a boy want to learn about how girls live without wanting to be one?
“No, I’m not a girl. I don’t want to be a girl. I started ballet as part of the course but I like it. I will continue with ballet after Girl 101.”
“Why? You can’t be a professional dancer. You are too old.”
“I just like it. I like the movements. I love diving into the music and get carried away but still be in control of my body. Not that I have that much control yet but I can feel what it would be like and I want to get there.”
“So you mean you dance just because you “like it” because it’s “fun”?”
“Yes, why don’t you try it? Have you ever just let you go and ENJOYED dancing?”
Jane put on some music and started dancing. Slowly at first and then more animated. More and more complex movements. Small leaps, big leaps. Half an hour later I decided to leave her to it and went upstairs. Jane called after me.
“Use the leo next week. The other one will not have place for your boobies.”
Boobies? I had never heard Jane use that word before. On the other hand I had never seen her like she was then either.
“And thank you Peter for showing me how to dance.”
What was she talking about? I didn’t know how to dance. How could I show her?
Well, I changed back into my skirt. Put my new bras and leo into a bag. The pink tights and slippers went in as well. And then Dad and I went home again.
The “Boobie week” was a pain. Not in the ass but in the back. The taunting that had receded for a while found a new life. To make things worse we, that is Gary and I, were supposed to have a proper date that week as well. Gary’s girlfriend set him up with her brother. As soon as Chet heard about it he asked me out. I appreciated not having to ask him.
I had a very nice date with Chet. A play and dinner and then a goodnight hug. Not bad, not bad at all.
The T-girls did what they did every weekend – hanging on their dominant boyfriends’ arms looking pretty while dating.
Gary’s date was equally good. The only thing was that Gary’s girlfriend’s brother kissed him goodnight.
On the next Monday Gary’s ex-girlfriend made the “ex” part very obvious. Gary just smiled and shook his shoulders. Apparently this had been in the pipeline for some time and that kiss was just the drop. Gary told us that she liked to boss him around and for a very long time he hadn’t minded. He just was in love with her. Then it started to happen too often that she blamed him when things she had decided didn’t turn out as she wanted.
“Are you going to drop out?”
“No. Why should I? This way I will learn more about how girls function so I can get a better girlfriend and be a better, proper, boyfriend. And I need the credits.”
He had a point there, or rater two points. Something to think about.
Ballet was a bit of an embarrassment as well since I wore Jane’s leotard and the pink tights. I made very clear it was for that week only. Chet said I looked pretty. For some reason I felt good about that. Mary and I also got closer. Through Mary I also grew closer to the other girls in the JV cheerleading squad. They even asked me to join them at lunch in the cafeteria.
I was relieved when phase 1 was over and I could start wearing more normal clothes. I mean more normal, even if still a bit girly. It was not normal for girls to wear skirts and dresses all the time. I could go easier on the make-up as well. Neither Mary nor Chet was happy the first day I didn’t put on any make-up. After that I did put on some but very discreet. It was a pain in the … to do it with a light touch. The heavy application was easier. Maybe that’s why the T-girls wore lots of it. I occasionally wore a skirt even in phase 2. Chet and Mary kept telling me I have nice legs. I stopped wearing pantyhose though. I never liked those. Tough, Mary and Chet! Most of the other seminars were very interesting. How different things looked from the other side of the looking glass.
I appreciated the greater choice I had now. One day, just for the hell of it, I wore the “musician” skirt to school. To my great relief I was sent to the Principal immediately. That skirt was not easy to handle! I pointed out to the Principal that there was nothing in the dress code against boys wearing short skirts. The Principal informed me that since I took Girl 101 for Boys the dress code for girls applied for me as well. I had missed that. Anyway, I was happy to change out of the “musician” skirt. Fortunately, Mary had a spare skirt in her locker. A cheerleader skirt but still within the dress code. Ms Walker? She was delighted. Probing the limits of what to wear was apparently a very girly thing to do. The sex from the viewpoint of girls seminar was even more embarrassing than I had feared. I could have done without the innuendos about me and Chet as well.
The second half of the Fall semester was rather uneventful. People had got used to Gary and me. Gary dated a lot before settling for a new girlfriend. The new one was really nice. I enjoyed ballet. I worked hard. I improved rapidly. With Mary’s help I also participated more actively in the JV cheerleading practice. On occasion I even filled in for an absent girl. Ballet helped me.
At the end of the semester two things happened. First “my fellow cheerleaders” signed me up for the annual beauty contest. Mary claimed it was because she wanted a friend to join her. Ms Walker heard about it and told me that since I was in it I had to do my best.
“It will come on the test.”
“How can a beauty contest come on a test?”
“I mean that you will get graded on it.”
Oh my, how did I wind up having to rely on how I perform in a beauty contest to get good grades? Wasn’t being graded on your looks frowned upon?
I got lots of help though. Jane and Mary spent hours with me. Chet gave me immoral support, as he phrased it.
“You must win the contest. Just think how much good it will do to my status to have a beauty queen as my girlyfriend!”
Despite our protests, well, at least mine, the school had come to regard us as a couple. Just because we spent time, as friends, doing what many couples do? And so what if Chet paid since he had won a fairly big lottery prize?
Luckily Jane had a gown that fit me. Also luckily there was no swimsuit part in the contest! The judges came from outside the school and didn’t know our names. Only numbers. And I got a pretty little number thanks to Jane.
Now all of you are waiting for me to tell you that I won the contest. I didn’t. I wasn’t even runner up. Only second runner up. No, the judges did not know that I’m a boy. I felt no joy in that. Mary was crushed. She had been eliminated already in the first cut. Mary is cute and fun and smart but she is no beauty.
The second thing that happened was that three JV cheerleaders got measles. One was hospitalized. Luckily the rest was vaccinated. That left a hole in the routines. I was cajoled into stepping (and kicking and jumping) in. Have you ever tried to resist sad puppy eyes from a bunch of pretty girls? I filled in for the three last occasions before Christmas. A short career but at least I could claim that I was a “teenage cheerleader”. And no, I did NOT run onto the field when Chet scored the winning touchdown. Mom and Dad were very proud of their cheerleader son. Mom, the former college head cheerleader, even said I was a true child of hers.
I got an A+ in Girl 101 for Boys. Gary got a B- to his surprise. He and his new girlfriend went out on a special date to celebrate that. I will not tell you what Gary wore. The snooty T-girls passed, barely. Ms Walker told us once again the purpose of the course was not to become girls, no matter the kind, but to get an understanding of what being a girl today means. The entire spectrum, not just one extreme!
Next semester I was pure boy again. Well, pure boy within my new broader definition. I still didn’t like to play with balls so I managed to keep the deal with ballet and cheerleading practice. I stopped being Chet’s girlyfriend. Since he had become a very good friend we kept going to movies, plays, exhibitions together, usually followed by a meal. Dutch! No romantic feelings. NO kissing.
Mary and I started doing things together outside ballet and cheerleading as well. Actually it started with ballet. I had started to go to Jane many weekends to practice ballet with and for her. She had come to love ballet. I can’t say again because I don’t think she loved ballet before. It was more like she felt it was her destiny. As we all know by now destiny isn’t always what it is cracked up to be. One Friday when Mary complained she had nowhere to practice at home I asked if she’d like to join me at Jane’s. I could have asked her home since I had arranged a sort of dance studio in our basement but Jane’s was much better and then there was Jane. Jane just loved that I brought Mary. That session was the most intense either of us had ever experienced. And another thing – Jane laughed!
Yes, Jane had changed fundamentally. Not that she was any less focused. On chemistry now. But she had started to enjoy things. Uncle Sven claimed they had to thank me for that. I couldn’t see how I could have done that.
Yes, Spring semester passed with me doing what school boys do. Study, goof around, spend time with a cute and smart girl (Mary), go to football games to cheer my “boyfriend” (from the stands only of course), practice cheerleading, dance ballet, occasionally wear a pretty skirt …. Just ordinary boy things.
Did I mention that I won 100m sprint at regionals for my year?
Freshman year ended and summer passed. No, I didn’t go to a cheerleading camp. I went to a ballet camp together with Mary. At the camp I was careful to wear the usual black tights and white t-shirt. The camp was too short to educate people on the benefits of thinner and lighter colored tights and leotards instead of t-shirts.
When sophomore year started I once again made the cheerleading/ballet deal. I still didn’t like playing with balls. I did not attend cheerleading tryouts. I did not try to be a cheerleader. I had had my 15 minutes of fame.
I was ASKED to become a regular cheerleader. The tryouts had been a disaster. Not ONE girl was good enough. With me they at least got a full squad. Did I mention the girls’ skill in sad puppy eyes? I became a cheerleader. The only boy which messed up symmetry. In order not to complicate things I performed in the girl uniform. I still changed with the football players, including Chet. For not being my boyfriend I sure had seen him naked many times (and vice versa).
Somehow Gary and I had been good PR for the Girl 101 for Boys. This year there were 9 students taking the course. Even more amazing all did it for the right reasons! Boy 101 for Girls also started this year. I became one of the guest speakers. For which course? Both!
After the cheerleading surprise things more or less just flowed on. I dated girls. Many girls. Always enjoyable. I got a reputation to be the best dater in my year, if not the school. Every single girl came away with good memories. I had learnt so much about girls that I could read them, be it a romance, adventure or horror novel. Always fun and never a spark. I spent time with Mary and Chet, as a friend. Sometimes we did things together. Chet joined what had come to be regular classes with Jane. Jane started having me and Mary do some partnering. Chet never said anything but I think he’d have wanted to do some partnering as well. With Mary I suppose. At the end of the year Mary and I really surprised our ballet teacher. She shoehorned a small pas-de-deux for us into the recital. We were the only ones at our level!
Did I mention that I won 100m sprint at regionals for my year?
Mary went away to France for the summer so I spent more time with Chet. Chet had got a football scholarship to a good university. It was a bit sad that Chet was going away. Mary wasn’t there. We spent evenings by the lake. I suspect that it was Chet going away that lowered our defenses. What everyone had assumed became reality. We fell in love. We became a couple. I became Chet’s girlyfriend. It just was more natural that way. The trigger had been me wearing the “musician” skirt as a joke one evening. Jane noticed at once and soon I was the proud owner of some sexy swimwear as well. We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun. And then Chet went away to college. We both know that that was the end.
When Chet left Mary and I said goodbye to him. Chet turned to me.
“I’ll never forget this summer. I’ll always remember my first love.”
First love? What about the girlfriend he had before?
“I never knew what love was before. Sadly, I don’t think a long distance relationship can work.”
Then he kissed me. Turning to Mary
“Take care of him. He’s such a mixed up boy. I know that you care for him as much as I do.”
“I know. And I do.”
What the hell were they talking about?
That year two boys made the cut for JV cheerleading. This meant that the squad went mixed officially. Not that that changed anything for me. I still wore the girl uniform and changed with the football team. Only it now was varsity in both cases.
And I was a mess. I had not realized how much Chet had come to mean to mean. In hindsight I had fallen in love with him long before I dared admit it to myself, even if we didn’t kiss.
I was fortunate to have a very understanding girlfriend. Yes, Mary and I became a couple. Not at once. Mary was too sensible for that. At first she only supported me. Only when she felt that I really was ready to move on from Chet did she allow it to go any further. Mary kept her word to Chet.
Did I mention that I won 100m sprint at regionals?
In my senior year I was made head cheerleader. The two boys had shown themselves to be very good cheerleaders and were promoted to varsity. And the schedules for cheerleaders and football were not coordinated any longer. That meant it was only cheerleaders in the boys’ locker room at those times. Not me though. Since I was the head cheerleader it was also suggested that I’d change with the girls. I couldn’t really figure that out. When I was supposed to have a boyfriend I changed with the boys, including him. Now when I had a girlfriend I changed with the girls, including her. To be honest I was relieved though. The two boys were very much in love with each other and given the chance they had no inhibitions. I was not comfortable with that and honestly they were more comfortable without me there.
All through high school I enjoyed being outrageous and ignoring societal rules. I had learnt that what is considered girl and boy behavior are just arbitrary rules. After Girl 101 I just went on doing things I liked to do and doing them the way I liked. In college I had a relaxed relationship with girls. No drama. Thank you Ms Walker!
I did wear the musician skirt to school one more time. However, it was to my valedictorian speech so no one saw it under the robe.
Oh I forgot. Did I mention that I was the 100 m sprint state champion?