1.

About twenty minutes after my big bathroom puke session, I was up in my room, switching out of the clothes I wore to school (since they smelled like puke) and getting ready to take a shower. I slipped into a pair of shorts and a tank top so that I wouldn't be running between bedroom and bathroom in just my bra and panties. Melanie had done that a few times and caught some absolutely hilarious hell for it from Dad.

As I was washing my legs (no shaving tonight, because I did that this morning), I came upon what was once Little Adam, and was now Ms. Amanda. It was done, totally, completely, I didn't have boy parts anymore. I couldn't believe it. It was done. I touched my... Deep breath here... Vagina lips (and that was weird to say to myself) for the first time and it felt super weird.

I shuddered. The internet can only teach you so much. Should I take my first plunge and discover what masturbating as a girl felt like, or save it for later? Would it feel squicky? Dammit, dammit, dammit...

I finished my shower, dried off, and got dressed. A simple pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt, nothing too fancy considering I was just going to see a movie with my best friend.

Best friend who was now my boyfriend, that is.

2.

"Two for Jurassic World, please," Steve said when we got up to the ticket counter. He looked at me and smiled for whatever reason (maybe because he was the one asking this time, when it was usually me), and I smiled back. He was happy about something. If I was lucky, it wouldn't be that he was secretly planning on kissing me at some big semi-romantic moment (because, let's face it, most action movies have semi-romantic parts).

We got our drinks, our popcorn (popcorn, yeah!), and then made our way to theater 12, where our showing was. Luckily, the place wasn't packed, and we picked a spot in the back, away from everybod - and I know where this is going.

"Did you bring me back here so you could cop a feel with nobody looking?" I asked.

"No!"

"Really?"

"Really. Tell me one time I've copped a feel on you back here before. We sit back here all the time."

"Tell me one time I was your girlfriend all the other times we've come here."

He sighed. "Okay, good point, but, seriously, we've always sat back here. Why should us as boyfriend and girlfriend be any different?"

"You mean other than the fact that it's not gonna look weird if you reach over and kiss me?"

"Good point, again. Look, it's a date, but not a date date, okay?" He gave me a light peck on the cheek. "We're just here to enjoy a movie as boyfriend and girlfriend for the first time, that's all."

"Stop it."

"What?"

I slouched in my seat. "Stop being cute. It makes it harder not to kiss you."

He smiled. "I wouldn't mind."

Somebody shouted, "Shut up back there!" I sighed.

3.

"Eh... The first one was better," Steve said as we left the theater. He was holding my hand, and I was enjoying it.

"I liked the second one better."

"Why?"

I hit the crosswalk button when we got to 3rd and Perez. "Because I don't care how ridiculous it is, a T-Rex rampaging through San Diego is awesome. After all, Sea World gets boring after awhile."

"How would you know? You've never been to Sea World."

"Because fish bore me, no matter how big, that's how."

He smiled. "Fine. So, you want me to take you home, or wanna hang out some more?"

"Nah, walk me home. I need to finish my homework for History tomorrow."

"Oh, your flag thing?"

"Uh-huh. I still don't know which flag to go with."

"Want me to help?"

I shook my head. "No, I gotta do this myself. It's a feeling, y'know?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll do great on it, though."

I smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

4.

Melanie was waiting for me at the front door when Steve dropped me off and walked to his place. “Nope,” was all I said to her when I passed her and walked inside. She looked like she was gonna burst. It was adorable.

“Why not?” she asked, following me into my room. I unzipped my pants and wiggled them off me. “If I were dating your best friend’s brother, I’d tell you everything.”

I stuck my tongue out at her. “I’m not you, sis.”

“Hey, you should so be playing by my rules, seeing as you wouldn’t even be dating Steve if it weren’t for me.”

“For you and Stephanie. You’re just lucky I’m no worse off this way than I was as Adam, otherwise I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad would disown you for ruining their child’s life.”

“So, are you saying you’re better off than you were as Adam?”

I shook my head. “Um, periods, bras, people calling me tranny or shemale, not to mention shaving my legs and armpits. No, I’m not better off, I’m just a girl when I used to be a boy. It’s different, but neither one is better.”

“But, you’re happy now.”

“I wasn’t unhappy before. Granted, apparently I was closet gay and didn’t know it, and I’ve been transitioning pretty well despite the enhanced crazy around me. I’m not saying I was right as Adam, but I wasn’t wrong, either.”

“Well, that’s good.” She turned around to leave the room, then stopped and shut the door. Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t realize that the door was open when I was taking my pants off. Um… Wow. “Hey, Amy, can I tell you something?”

“Yeah, of course you can.” I pulled on the shorts I’d worn earlier when I took my shower. I would put a nightie on, but I still had homework to do.

“This whole thing, changing you and setting you and Steve up together, most of it was Stephanie’s idea.”

“So what?”

“Well… The two of us were…”

“Mel, so what?”

“Huh?”

I plopped down on my bed and grabbed my tablet. “Is it really gonna change my life if I know which one of you decided to do this to me first? I’m Amanda now, I love being Amanda now, as much as I loved being Adam before, nothing about anything is different. You have a little sister instead of a little brother, it’s no big deal, I’m still the same person with the same likes and dislikes, so stop worrying about owning up to a mistake you didn’t make. The only mistake you did make was not telling me sooner.” I laid down. “Now lemme do my homework, okay?”

She smiled. “Yeah.”

5.

I woke up, sat up, stretched, and yawned. I was halfway through my shower when I realized I’d had no dreams the night before. Well, no curse-induced dreams, that is. I had a normal dream, which involved me running naked through a forest and then riding on a polar bear, but nothing involving me and Steve, or me and Dean, or me and Ms. Malski.

I was finally free.

Granted, I’d been free the whole time, considering there was little I could actually do and nothing was hurting me physically, but the curse was over now.

There was a knock on the bathroom door. “Come in!” I said.

In came Melanie, pulling open the shower curtain and holding out two dresses. One was pink with little hearts all over it, the other was yellow with flowers. She was smiling way too much. “Pink or yellow?” she asked.

“Um… I’m not wearing a dress to school.”

She laughed. “No, stupid, it’s for the year end dance after school. Or did you forget we have a year end dance?”

Oh, goddamnit… “Do I have to wear a dress?”

“What’s the big deal? You wear nighties to bed, this isn’t really any different.”

“Except that I’d be wearing it around people!”

“That’s no big deal. Dresses are nothing to be scared of. So, pick one.”

“No.”

“If you don’t, then I’m just gonna hand you one after school and not let you leave the restroom until you change.”

“Nope.”

“Steve would like to see you in one, I bet.”

“Actually, Steve says I’m cute no matter what I wear.”

“Amanda Richards, you’re wearing a dress and that’s final!”

“You’re not Mom.”

“Mom! Amy won’t wear a dress to the dance today!”

“Shut up, Melanie!” Dad shouted back.

“I said ‘Mom’, not ‘Dad’!”

“And I said shut up!”

I started giggling. This was hilarious. “Will you get outta here and let me finish my shower, please? If you’re gonna force me into a dress I guess I’ll take the yellow one.”

“Great! I have the perfect pair of heels to go with that!”

Oh, for fuck’s sake! “Seriously? It’s bad enough I’m wearing a dress, now you’re gonna force me into heels?”

“You can’t wear tennis shoes with a dress, silly.” With that, she turned around, left the bathroom and shut the door. Oh, Christ, today was gonna be annoying.

6.

“She’s making me wear a dress,” I said as I doodled a picture in Homeroom.

Unfortunately, the only one I had to talk to in Homeroom was Dean, who was busy filing his nails. “At least it’s just your sister making you wear stuff, something you can actually persuade otherwise. I make me wear stuff, and it’s all because of that witch.”

I sighed. “You don’t know Melanie that well.”

“I should, she and I have a similar taste in clothes.”

“Either way. She’s not the most persuadable person.”

“That’s not a word.”

“Yes, it is. Pay attention in class one of these days.” I looked up from my picture. “So, why are you even talking to me? I figured you’d blame this whole thing on me.”

He shook his head. “It’s not your fault that, it’s the witch’s fault.”

“Seriously? You don’t find at least a little blame in what you did?”

“You mean a harmless prank? Panty raids don’t hurt anyone, Richards.”

“You’re wearing panties right now, you sure you still believe that?”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine, you’ve got a point.” He looked like he had something else to say after that, but he didn’t.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Seriously, what? Don’t forget, I’m like the only person who’ll talk to you anymore.”

“It’s not important.”

I sighed. “Fine. If you say so.”

“I do.”

“Fine.”

“Stop it, Richards.”

“I’m not trying to guilt trip you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” I really wasn’t, even though it sounded like I was. It was kinda funny, actually.

“Did you want to be a girl before you were cursed?”

What?! “What?”

“I know you tell everybody that, since it’s easier than telling the truth, but did you actually want to be a girl?”

I shook my head. “It really doesn’t matter whether I did or not. I am now, and I don’t mind it.”

He hugged his knees to his chest. “That just means you were gay.”

I sighed. “I’m actually pretty sure now that I was, but that’s beside the point.”

“You, too, huh?”

That caught my attention. “Wha?”

His face turned redder than it already was (he was wearing way too much blush) and then he looked away. “Nothing. Just forget I said that.”

Something seemed very off about that…

7.

“Your final assignment of the year is to draw anything,” Mr. Pendergast said, writing the word ANYTHING on the board. “Anything at all. You have the entire class to get as far along as you can, but I want it to be as detailed as you possibly can, shoot for nothing less than the best you can do.”

“Oh, for crying out loud!” Johnny said when Mr. Pendergast walked back into his office. “Anything?! I can barely draw anything!” He looked over at me. “What are you drawing, Richards, lemme copy off you.”

I covered up my paper with my arms and glared at him. “No.” Steve started laughing. “How would you even copy me anyway? The only thing you could do is trace me, and Mr. Pendergast would know.”

“C’mon! I’m gonna flunk if I don’t!”

“No.”

He turned to Steve. “Burke, tell your girlfriend to let me trace her drawing.”

Kimberly nearly spit out her drink. “No way, those two are dating?!”

I nodded. “We haven’t exactly telegraphed it, or anything, but yeah.”

Steve said, “Well, she doesn’t telegraph it. I had her name tattooed on me.”

I smacked him in the back of the head. “No you didn’t.”

“Wait,” Johnny said, “you two really are dating? Shit, man, I just guessed.” He held up his hand for a high five. “Good job scorin’ the trannie, man, that’s just awesome.”

Kimberly elbowed him. “Shut up, dumbass. Amy’s not a trophy, even if she is still somewhat a boy.”

“Um, I’m not, actually,” I said, sheepishly.

“You mean you had the surgery?”

“Yeah,” I lied. “I had that done awhile ago. I just started the hormones recently to get the rest of me caught up.”

“But, genetically, you’re still a boy, right?”

“Um… Yeah.” Not really.

“See, so you’re still somewhat a boy, like I said.”

I groaned. “Fine.”

Johnny said, “Look, none of this settles the problem of Richards letting me copy off of her drawing.”

Steve responded, “She said no, so I’d take that as your final answer.”

Johnny slammed his head down on the table, making my pencils go flying. “Dammit! I’m gonna fail this class!”

I sighed. “See that wall behind me?” I asked, pointing to the very basic wall behind me. “Draw that.”

He looked up at the wall and then his eyes lit up like he’d finally found religion, or something like that. “Richards! You’re a goddamn genius!”

I just rolled my eyes.