Kara is the first to be dropped off, and then Lucas, Jack and me. Jack says goodbye and walks up the street while we walk down the street toward our house. As we do, I ask, “Did Sam say anything to you about me?”

“Why?”

“Because the other girls were saying that he liked me and that I was flirting with him.”

“Hmm… He was quieter than usual when we were walking back from lunch, and he was nervous on the bus. I didn’t understand why, but now, I think I get it.”

“I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, do you like him?”

“No! Maybe. Hell, I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t even know what it meant to like girls when I was a boy. Now I’m the girl, and I’m more confused than ever. Honestly? I don’t know if I do or don’t.”

“You might want to talk to mom about this.”

“Yeah, I know, but this is so embarrassing.”

We walk in the door, then Lucas heads up to his room while I make my way to the kitchen, slide my backpack off, and take a seat at the table.

Mom turns and looks at me, “How was your first day back?”

I shrug and rest my chin on my hand. “Mom, can I talk to you about something?”

“Sure, Sweetheart. What do you want to talk about?”

“It’s kinda personal, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell Dad.” She sits down across from me and waits for me to continue. “Mom, I need some advice about boys. I can’t truly remember anything about being one, and I was never interested in girls when I was a boy. So, how can I tell if a boy likes me?”

“Do you like him?”

“That’s just the thing, I don’t know. I might, but I’ve only been a girl for a few days, and I’m still learning about being a girl. Plus, I’m probably too young to date. The whole thing has me confused.”

“I will agree with you on that one, though your father and I discussed this already, and if you go out as a group, we’ll be alright with it. So, tell me, how do you feel about boys, in general?”

“They’re not all gross.” What the hell? Why did I say that? I used to be one! “I mean, they’re okay. Although I have no idea about the kissing and all that other stuff. I felt the same way as a boy.”

“But, you think he likes you?”

“No, everyone else is telling me that he likes me, and that I was flirting with him.”

She nods. “Alright, so who is this boy?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“Is that because I know him?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, well, here’s my advice. Take it or leave it as you will. Go out with a whole group of friends, him included. Spend time together, and get to know him better. That should help you decide how you feel. Oh, remind me that we have to have ‘the talk’ soon.”

I cringe inside at the thought, but reply, “Okay, Mom.”

　◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Thankfully, today is Friday, and I’m very sure that by now, everyone in the school knows that James is now Beth.

By the way, Lucas and Sam sat behind me, again. Jack and I walk to my locker, and see that ‘fairy’ that was spray-painted on it. Growling to myself, I open it, and there was a note that was absolutely disgusting, so I won’t be relating what it said.

I took it straight to Mrs. Lynn. It was upsetting enough that I was almost in tears. She said that she’d look into it, but it would be hard to find out who did it since my locker was in a blind spot for the cameras. She also said that she would have my locker cleaned off and that she would watch it in the morning to see if anyone went near it. I then told her about the name calling. She asked who they were and if they ever got physical. I told her the truth that they hadn’t, yet. I told her who they were, and she promised to have a talk with them. She also said not to wander around alone and to stay with the group I trust.

As I was leaving, she asked me a question. “Monday, I’m having a talk with your friend, Jack. Would you be willing to be here when I talk to him?”

“Yes, I’d love to help anyway I can.”

“Good. I was hoping you would.”

I rejoin Jack in the hallway, and we make our way to the classroom. After taking our seats, I’m approached by several boys, who ask me questions such as, ‘Does it feel different? Do I like boys?’ I answered them as honestly as I could and couldn’t help but wonder about how many of these boys would be girls before the year was out.

At least none of them were making fun of me. Well, except for a couple of them. I occasionally hear them calling me a fag, fairy, or some other less than kind names.

Recess came along soon enough, and we’re sitting at a table outside, chatting when Kara mentioned how angry they still were over what happened this morning. Then the conversation turned to Jack and why he was here. I told them, “Jack is my best friend, but I was about to tell him that Mrs. Lynn wants me to come with him for ‘the conversation’ on Monday.”

Both of them nod, and Kara says, “Yeah, we’ll be doing the same thing when Mrs. Lynn thinks they’ll need support.”

So, I’m going to skip ahead to lunch. It’s our usual crowd at our table: Jack, Kara, Sierra, Sam, Lucas and me.

While we’re eating, Sam leans over to me and whispers, “Would you like to go see a movie with me this weekend?”

I think about what Mom advised me to do and tell him, “Sure, but we’d have to go as a group. My parents won’t allow me to go on dates alone.”

“That’s cool with me. We can all meet in front of the Elite 20 at 2 on Sunday.”

I smile and say, “Sounds like a plan.”

Sierra of course simply had to say, “Sam likes Beth.”

I give her a dirty look, mixing in a fair amount of exasperation. “Look, I’ve only been a girl for a short time, so would you please, cut me some slack? I didn’t know if I liked girls when I was a boy, so how can I possibly know if I like boys now?”

Right then, the bell rang, ending lunch. The rest of the day went by fast, and then it was time to head home.

Lucas brings up the subject of the whispers in the hall and my locker being painted on the bus. He states, “If I find out who wrote on your locker, I’ll beat them to within an inch of their life.”

Sam pipes up, “I’d be more than happy to help, too!”

Sierra and Kara giggle and whisper to each other. I know why they’re giggling, although Sam looks clueless. They think he likes me, and at this point, I have to admit that they’re probably right. I don’t know if I like him or not. I wish I did.

Sam gets off the bus with us. I look at Lucas questioningly as the three of us walk, and he says, “Sam is staying over because we’re having a game night.”

I merely nod in response.

　◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

I wake up at 6:30 in the morning on Saturday. No one else is up, so I don’t bother changing out of my nightgown, and make my way downstairs to the living room. I turn on the TV and turn it down. Then, I go make myself a bowl of cereal. I fold my legs under me when I sit down on the sofa and eat as I watch a Rom-Com, something that I’ve really gotten into lately.

Right after I finish eating, Sam comes downstairs and sits down next to me. I cover my breasts with a throw pillow since my nipples would be obvious. A silk nightgown, plus high sensitive nipples, equals pokies. My boobs may be very small, but that doesn’t mean that I want to show them to him.

He cheerfully says, “Good morning, Beth!”

“Morning, Sam. Hey, while no one is around, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Do you like me?”

“Sure, you’re a great person.”

I’m a bit frustrated that he didn’t get my meaning, so I frown and shake my head. “No, I mean, do you like like me? I’m getting teased, saying that you like me, and I just want to know.”

Sam blushes as he opens and closes his mouth several times, and then he finally says, “Yeah, maybe I do. I don’t know for sure, but I think I might.”

I said, “Sam, I’ve only been at this girl thing for half a week, and I don’t know how I feel about boys. I do like looking at some of them. For that matter, you are pretty handsome yourself.” A smile lights up his face. “Maybe sometime soon, I’ll figure out who I am and what I like. I’m still trying to figure everything out.”

“Beth, I get that. I really do. I might come off as an idiot, but I’m really not. That’s why I agreed to a group date. I’d never want to make you feel uncomfortable.”

I smile at him. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

He nods and gets up, grabs my bowl off of the coffee table and heads off into the kitchen. Apparently, he has the same idea I had and comes back with a bowl of cereal and eats as he watches the movie with me.

Once it’s over, I’m looking for another movie and say, “Sam, please don’t stop being my friend. I’ll get this figured out, eventually.”

I see him nod out of the corner of my eye. “Don’t worry about it. Trust me, I get it.”

The rest of the family came down about half an hour later while we were watching some cheesy old sci-fi flick from the 1950’s. Trust me, we had a good time laughing and pointing out how campy it was. Lucas seems to be surprised to see Sam and I watching TV together and joking around. Him laughing, and me giggling. What can I say? Sam is a sweet guy, and he’s fun to be around.

Lucas motions for me to come to him, and quietly asks, “What’s going on with you and Sam?”

“Nothing, we’re just watching TV and having fun.”

“Well, you two looked pretty comfy together on the sofa.”

“We had a talk and figured things out, so, for now, at least, we’re just going to be friends. If something more develops between us, that would be great. And if not, we can still be friends.”

“Fine. Just do me a favor and don’t break my friend.”

I smile at him reassuringly. “I’d never hurt anyone, if I could help it. Anyway, Sam’s super sweet. So, why would I do that?”

He rubs my head as he says, “Just remember that. Sam may be tough on the outside, but he’s got a big ol’ heart of gold. He’d give someone the shirt off his back, if he thought they needed it.”

I grin wryly and quip, “No thanks. His shirt would look like a dress on me.”

Trust me, it would. He’s a big guy compared to me. Of course, I’m the shortest person in my class. I’m barely 4’3”, so most people tower over me, and I’m around 65 lbs soaking wet. Like I said, I’m very petite.

A bit later, Mom pulls me aside. “So, I saw you and Sam being really friendly on the couch. Is he the boy you were talking about?”

I smile. “Yeah, that’s him. He said that he might like me. I told him that I don’t even know who I am, much less whether I like boys, or not. Although, I think I do. I told him that I was still trying to figure things out and to give me some time.”

Mom grins. “Okay, we probably need to have that talk sooner than I thought.”

Later in the day, I’m in my room surfing YouTube and watching makeup tutorials when someone knocks on my door.

Mom comes in and pulls out a beautiful jewelry box from behind her back. She hands it to me, and I open it to find that it’s filled with quite a bit of jewelry.

“These were mine when I was a little girl. My mother gave it to me, and now, I’m giving it to you. When you have children, I hope you can pass it on to your daughter as well. I have no idea how he found this when our house was destroyed, but my father did.”

Sam, Lucas and I spent the rest of the day just hanging out. I even watched them play a first person shooter. I’d have to say that they work well together since they blew away another team in no time flat. They offered to let me play, but I wasn’t even the least bit interested. Watching them kick other teams’ asses was enough for me.

That evening, Mom and I made pizzas for dinner. Afterward, Sam went home. Lucas and I watched another movie, and then we went to bed because tomorrow is Sunday, which means church.

The next morning, mom wakes us up bright and early. We’re Catholic, so we have to go to church. Today is my first time attending as a girl. The priest is going to ask all of us that changed to come up to the altar to get rebaptized, just like he does every Sunday.

Now, you might think that the church would be totally against changing boys into girls, but the Pope gave a special dispensation. At least, I think that’s what they call it. So, they welcome us, and celebrate our change by rebaptizing us under our new name, which means I have to make sure that I wear something pretty.

It’s kinda cool this morning, but sunny. So, I pick a cream-colored dress that’s trimmed with navy blue lace. A pair of sheer white pantyhose, my black pumps with 2” heels, and a cute navy blue beret. Yes, I have a lot of berets since I like the way I look in them.

Once I complete my preparations, I go downstairs into the living room to see if I meet my parents’ expectations, which, of course, I do. I’ve gotten quite adept at coordinating my outfits.

Smiling at me, Dad stands, tells me to turn around and close my eyes. I feel him clasp a necklace around my neck. When he tells me 'You can look now,' I see a gorgeous gold necklace with a small, diamond encrusted, cross pendant. I hug and thank him. Then we all jump in dad’s car and head for church.

When we get to church, Dad has me sit by the aisle, where he usually sits.

The priest gives his sermon, we sing some hymns and finally, we reach the portion of the service where we get baptized again.

The priest announces, “We have someone here who volunteered for the change not long ago, and we’re very happy to welcome her back into the fold. I would now like to invite her up to be baptized under her new name. Would Bethany Anne Keeling please come to the altar?”

Well, this is it. Why did we have to sit in the back pew? Sighing to myself, I stand, paste a pleasant smile on my face, and begin my long walk while everyone watches me. When I reach the altar, I genuflect, then walk over to the baptismal font, and the Priest asks me to remove my beret.

He says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” as he anoints my forehead with oil. Then he has me lean over the font and asks, “Do you believe in God and reject Satan?”

I answer, “I do.”

Normally, he would pour blessed water over my head, but today, he just dabs it on my hair, not just once but three times. Believe me, I’m grateful that he didn’t.

I put my beret back on, and the priest leads me to the altar. “Everyone, please join me in welcoming Bethany Anne Keeling to our flock.”

Everyone claps, and then I’m allowed to return to my seat. After that, there was communion, the final prayer, and we left.

Dad asked, “Does anyone want to go out for brunch?”

Of course, we all said yes.

The rest of the morning was fairly boring. Soon, it’s time for me to change clothes to go to the theater. I pull out the aqua blue dress we bought for me. It’s an off the shoulder style with short cap sleeves. I believe I’ll look amazing in it.

I add a pair of nude hose, my dark grey ankle boots with 2” heels, and a dark grey beret. Once I’m dressed, I apply my makeup, the blush-colored lipstick, and apply gloss over it. After I check myself over in the mirror, I head downstairs to find Mom and Lucas waiting for me.

Mom smiles and says, “You look adorable, Sweetheart!”

Lucas nods in agreement. “Mom’s right. If Sam’s jaw doesn’t hit the ground, I’ll be surprised.”

I smile, curtsy, and reply, “Thank you very much.”

Of course, Mom just had to take pictures of me. Lots of them, as a matter of fact. Then, she takes us to the theater, drops us off, and tells us, “Call me when you’re ready to be picked up.”