The Former Boys Club

The Former Boy's Club

By The Professor

"Aren't you a little old to go trick or treating?"

My mother's voice surprised me. I hadn't heard her come into my room. I had been trying on my dad's old army fatigues. They fit just about right. I was the same height as my dad - six feet - and the same weight that he had been when he was in the army. Of course, he had put on a few pounds since then, but he was as slender as I was when he had been in the army.

"Oh, Jack and Darren and I are just going to have a little fun," I replied. As seniors in high school, I suppose we were a little old to be making the rounds on Halloween, but it had sounded like a lark. After all, this was the last Halloween the three of us would be together, and we had been friends since elementary school, always trick or treating together, except for the year Darren had the chickenpox. Of course, by now, we weren't in it for the candy...

"Well, just be home early," my mother cautioned. "Even though you don't have school tomorrow, there are a lot of mischief makers out there tonight."

"I know." And I did, too. We planned to be some of them. Halloween on a Saturday night was a prescription for fun. Fun was something the three of us knew well. Jack and I had been friends since kindergarten. Then Darren's family moved up from the south when we were all in third grade. We became instant friends. And even began to call ourselves the Boy's Club. The nickname stuck, and people still called us by that name.

"Besides," she continued, "you're going to have to get up bright and early tomorrow and study if you're ever going to get into college like your sister."

"That's right, Little Brother," my sister, Nancy, called from her room. She was home from college for the weekend - just in time to make my life miserable. Her boyfriend, Brad Russell, had gone to high school with her, but his parents had moved to St. Louis. Brad went to the University of Missouri in Columbia while Nancy was a sophomore at a small college not far from Millikin. His grandmother lived in Millikin, so it was a good meeting point for them on weekends. It seemed like they were always together every weekend.

"Mind your own business," I called out to her.

"Keeping you out of trouble is my business, Little Brother," she called out as I hurried down the stairs. The sad thing was that she really believed that.

Dad was more understanding. I think he sowed his share of wild oats when he was my age, but he never talked about it. Actually, dad and I weren't very close, but occasionally, I would get him to the point where he would start to tell me about his presumed misspent youth. Every time he started to, mom would give him the evil eye and he'd shut up. Still, mom wasn't around, so dad was more loquacious than usual.

"I remember Halloween senior year like it was yesterday," he told me. "We soaped all the windows on Old Man Moore's car. You know him, don't you?"

I nodded. I knew him well. He was flunking me in Algebra. Well, not flunking, but I was hovering between a C and a D.

"Anyhow, we got into all kinds of mischief that night," he continued, "finally stopping off at the old Bancroft mansion with a couple of - well, that's another story," He had a sheepish look on his face. He and mom had to get married when mom got pregnant with Nancy. They dated the last year of high school, so I could imagine that went on that night and a lot of other nights as well. I sort of envied him. My sex life was nothing to talk about. In fact, my sex life was pretty much nonexistent.

"Well, I won't be at the Bancroft mansion tonight," I told him. "It burned down last year.

"Not all of it," he corrected. "Only the guesthouse and the stable. The main house is still there. I understand one of the heirs from back east retired and lives there now."

"Well, the Stone mansion is the haunted house of choice now," I told him. Of course, we all called it the Stoner House now, since most of the hardcore dopers hung out there. Millikin was too small a town to have more than one good haunted house, so guys like me and my friends would have to do without one.

Actually, Millikin was pretty good sized. Only the old part could be called small. It was a suburb of Kansas City, nestled in a little river valley east of the city. Over the last twenty years, it had grown from a tiny farm town of perhaps two thousand to a bonafide suburb of twenty thousand or so. We even had our own mall. Of course, most of the town consisted of new housing areas and strip shopping centers. The old farm town was at its center, consisting of a small business district of mostly craft and antique stores and a collection of houses built before the time of Christ or so. The only reason my friends and I had to go into the old part of town was to annoy the local police.

"Well, anyhow, have fun," my dad said with a grin, returning to his paper. "Stay out of trouble. Your mom will be pissed if I have to bail you out of jail tonight."

There wasn't much chance of that, I thought as I heard Jack's aging Chevy pull into the driveway. We planned to do a little tick or treating, soap a few window and teepee a few houses, and have a couple of brews - that is if Darren's older brother remembered to get us the beer. It was an unusually warm fall evening, so we planned to have a good old time.

"Wait!"

I was on my way to the car when Nancy called out to me.

"What?"

"Did I hear you saying something about the Bancroft property?" she asked, an unusually serious expression on her face as she ran to catch up with me.

"What's it to you?"

She thought for a moment, then said, "I just think you should stay away from there. It's private property."

I looked at her carefully. There was something she wasn't telling me. I wondered if she and her boyfriend, Brad, were planning on something up there. It made sense. They couldn't get too carried away at our house or at Brad's grandmother's house. Maybe they planned to do it out on the lawn of the mansion or something. Wouldn't that be something, I thought, if we barged in on them.

"Why would I go there?" I asked innocently.

"Just don't, okay?"

I shrugged. "Okay." I'd go there if I chose to, but there was no sense in arguing with my sister. She could be a little weird sometimes. I turned and ran to Jack's car, an aging Chevy, stopping at attention in front of it.

"Corporal Adam James, reporting for duty, sir!" I barked with a salute as Jack rolled down the window of his car. Jack was dressed in a black sweatshirt and had painted his face with white paint. He had made dark circles around his eyes and painted a trail of red paint down his chin. He looked like an out of work vampire.

"Get in!" he yelled. "Time's a'wastin."

I plopped into the back seat. Darren was already at shotgun, wearing his street clothes. But he did have a cheap Spiderman mask propped up on the top of his head. "You look like General Jerkoff," he laughed.

There we were, three average guys. We all looked enough alike to be brothers. We were all about the same build and height, and all had brown hair cut fairly short. Darren was probably the best looking of us, with a smooth southern manner he had picked up from being a small child in the south. His parents had moved to Millikin when he was in the third grade, but he had retained just a touch of southern manners and accent. Darren was also the best athlete of the group, but still played second string. The coach was threatening to drop him to third string - a real insult for a senior. He just didn't seem to have the desire to excel in sports.

Jack was our ladies' man. He could usually get a date whenever he wanted to. Unfortunately for him, the knack he had for aggressively getting dates failed him when he actually went out with girls. He came across as the class clown, always looking to do something wild. Jack was the wildest of the three of us. As the only one with a car, he tended to be a little more independent than Darren and me. I often thought that without us, Jack would have been a real wild man. We tended to keep him a little more legal than he would have been with other friends.

Don't get me wrong - we weren't bad guys. Although we drank a little beer, we didn't do drugs and we never got beyond the malicious mischief stage in our activities. We were just three average guys with average prospects in life. We played a little sports, although strictly second or third string, and got C's in our classes. Odds were good that none of us would go on to college. Instead, we'd be mechanics or truck drivers or retail clerks for the rest of our lives. We just wanted to have a little fun before we graduated and had to work for a living.

"Let's get some candy before everybody runs out," Darren suggested. "I got a pillow case here we can use to collect it."

"I need a burger first," Jack replied, pulling into the parking lot at Burger King. "I didn't get any dinner."

"Shit!" I interjected. "It's already dark. Let's trick or treat first."

"After my burger," Jack said firmly.

So, okay, I thought. It wouldn't hurt to get something else to eat. Mom couldn't seem to understand that I was a growing boy. My older sister, like most girls, ate sparingly, so my mother hadn't been prepared for my ravenous appetite. Mom and dad were on a diet, too, so as a result, she never fixed enough for dinner. I had to admit I could use a Whopper myself.

"Oh-oh," Darren said as we approached the door.

"What?" Jack and I asked together.

"Cindy Sellers is in there with Peggy and Denise," Darren told us.

I felt like running the other way. I had quite a crush on Cindy, and over the summer, I finally worked up enough courage to ask her to go with me to Brian Bailey's back to school party. Brian was a first string fullback on the football team. He was the most popular guy in the class, and every girl in the school had a thing for him. As might be expected, his parties were always popular affairs, and the back to school party was particularly popular because his parents were out of town and there was going to be lots of beer.

It turned out there was too much beer at the party. I got thoroughly ripped and made a fool of myself in front of Cindy. At least I didn't throw up on her. I did that in Brian's yard after Cindy left in disgust with Peggy and her date. I had avoided Cindy ever since, actually going so far as to duck into my counselor's office when I saw her coming toward me in the hall. That cost me nearly half an hour as my counselor lectured me for testing so smart and performing so poorly.

Well, I had to face her some time. The three of us strolled up to the counter nonchalantly. After ordering, Jack decided to play with dynamite. "Why look," he exclaimed to Darren and me, "it's the three most beautiful girls in the school."

Cindy smiled a sarcastic smile. "Well, well. Adam James, Darren Pool and Jack Haliburton. How are things with the Boy's Club tonight?"

I turned beet red. People had been calling the three of us by that name whenever they wanted to deride us. It was okay when we called ourselves by that name, but no one else should, we thought. Darren and I said nothing, but Jack went on, ignoring her cut. "I'm surprised to find the three of you here without dates tonight. If you'd like, we could escort you to the party." He was referring to the party the high school was putting on to keep jokesters like us off the streets.

"In your dreams," Cindy replied sweetly. "Now go along and play, boys. Our dates will be here any minute."

"Stuck up bitch," Darren muttered when we were seated with our food.

"She is not!" I argued, embarrassed that I was still attracted to her.

"All girls are," Jack said sagely. "They treat us as if we were children."

"Yeah," I agreed. "They keep telling us to grow up." I belched from a combination of Whopper and large Coke.

"But we don't have to grow up," Darren pointed out with a belch of his own. "We have girls to grow up for us."

It was an old joke, but we all laughed in agreement.

Cindy and the other girls finally left as their dates came to claim them. Naturally, all three of them were dating our class studs - football heroes with good grades and bright futures.

"We need to teepee her house," Darren muttered.

"We will," Jack told him. "I have a full twelve pack of toilet paper in the trunk. We'll get all of their houses after we go get some candy.

We began our trick or treating in some of the best areas of Millikin. The take was excellent, and after an hour or so, we were tired of our game.

"It's time to drink beer," Jack declared, back behind the wheel.

"Right," Darren agreed. "Then our reign of terror can begin."

"Give me one now," I suggested.

"Not in the car!" Jack said.

We both looked at him. "Why the hell not?" I asked.

Jack looked a little embarrassed. "I didn't tell you guys, but I got a hefty speeding ticket last week. If I get caught drinking in the car, my license is in the toilet."

"Just great," Darren grumbled.

"Wait a minute!" I said with a sudden inspiration. "I know where we can go to drink."

"Where, genius?" Jack asked.

"The grounds of the Bancroft Mansion," I declared.

"Jesus, Adam," Darren broke in, "haven't you been paying attention? The Bancroft Mansion burned to the ground."

"Nope, just the guesthouse and stable," I said with a look that told them that I knew something they didn't know. "The house is still there, though. One of the heirs retired there. He's probably just some half deaf old fart who won't even hear us."

"Okay," Jack agreed, throwing the car in gear. Darren and I whooped in agreement.

Minutes later, we were disappointed. The house looked like something the Addams Family would live in, but it was well lit, including a spotlight aimed at the grounds.

"It looks pretty lively," Darren muttered. "Whoever lives there will probably hear us."

"Look, I didn't know for sure," I said. I was as disappointed as he was.

Looking back on everything that happened, we should have just quietly driven away and looked for another place to drink our beer, but we didn't. After all, we were young and... stupid.

"Maybe there's nobody home," Jack suggested.

"Then why are the lights on?" Darren asked.

"Hey, it's Halloween," Jack said as if that explained everything. Seeing our blank expressions, he continued, "A lot of people leave the lights on on Halloween. That way, the house looks occupied. It's supposed to keep people like us away.

"People like us?" I asked.

"People who are going to soap their windows," Jack explained, pointing to several bars of soap on the seat beside him.

It had sounded like fun a couple of days earlier when we agreed to do pranks Halloween night, but as I approached the house with my friends, it became less of a good idea. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rising up, and deep within me, there was a sense of foreboding. Jack and Darren said nothing, but I could see their faces in the darkness just enough to note that they weren't comfortable either.

"Maybe this place really is haunted," Darren suggested.

"That story played well when it wasn't occupied. Somebody lives there now," Jack reminded him. "Besides, there's no such thing as ghosts."

I had been trying to tell myself the same thing.

The house was completely quiet, and through the lighted windows, we could see no sign of movement. Maybe Jack had been right, I thought. Maybe whoever was living in the guest house had just left the lights on before leaving. Still, they might be coming back any moment. I wanted to just soap the windows and get away as quickly as possible. I was thankful we had decided not to teepee the place, too. I just wanted to get done with the soaping and find a nice quiet place to drink a beer.

"I'll take the back of the house," I said. Actually, the back of the house looked dark. I wanted to soap the windows where there was the least chance of my being seen. "You guys take the front and sides."

I made my way to the back of the house. It was very dark there, and I nearly stumbled in some dark bushes, but at last I made it. Thankfully, there weren't many windows on that side. I raised the bar of soap to one of them and was ready to start when a voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I nearly jumped out of my skin. I had not heard anyone come around behind me. The voice was that of a woman, young and sweet, but it might as well have been the voice of Dracula. I could feel my heart leaping through my fatigues as I dropped the soap to the ground.

Turning slowly, I was greeted by a woman about my mother's age. She was dressed casually in a long shirt dress which dropped down to her ankles. It was dark in color, appearing burgundy in the dim starlight. Her hair was the color of copper, flowing long and neatly over her shoulders. There was a look of mild amusement on her attractive face. I've never been attracted to older women, but I was attracted to her.

She smiled. "Why don't we go in the house and discuss this?"

"Uh... yes, ma'am." I didn't want to go with her, but somehow, her suggestion seemed to be interpreted by my body as a direct order which had to be obeyed. I followed her into the house.

Darren and Jack were already in the house, sitting together on an overstuffed couch. I sat down between them while our hostess picked a comfortable looking chair across from us. The furnishings looked old fashioned, like a display from one of the antique stores in downtown Millikin. But they also looked almost brand new and very expensive. Our hostess might be a bit out of style, but she obviously had money.

"Now, what brought you boys out here tonight?" she asked pleasantly.

"Uh... it's Halloween," I tried to explain lamely. "You know, trick or treat."

She looked puzzled, but I could tell it was only an act. "I don't seem to remember any of you asking for a treat," she said. "Isn't that the way it works? You ask for a treat, and if I don't give you one, you play a trick on me?"

None of us answered.

She leaned back in her chair. "Tell me about yourselves, boys," she commanded.

I looked at Darren and Jack, but neither seemed ready to speak. "Well, ma'am," I began, "I'm Adam James. My dad runs the Western Auto over in Liberty."

"Are you a good student, Adam?"

I turned red. "No, ma'am. Not really."

"A good athlete?"

I hesitantly shook my head.

"A lover of great prowess, perhaps?"

I didn't even bother shaking my head.

"Well," she purred, "you aren't a scholar, you aren't an athlete, and you aren't a lover. And you don't even appear to be very good at pranks, either."

She looked at the others. "How about you two?"

"Uh... we're just like him, ma'am," Jack said, nodding at me.

"Yes," she said in a low voice. "Of course you are."

Was it my imagination, or was the room getting darker? The lights were bright when we entered, but now they seemed dimmer. I began to get the feeling we were in more trouble than I had ever imagined.

"Forgive me, boys," she said with a wave of her hand. "I'm being a poor hostess. You must all be thirsty." She motioned at three glasses sitting on a coffee table in front of us. I was sure the glasses hadn't been there a moment before. In fact, I was sure the coffee table hadn't been there, either. The glasses were normal eight ounce tumblers, and the liquid in them was not bubbling angrily as I would have expected. It was clear and appeared harmless.

"Please, drink, boys," she said.

None of us reached for his glass. "Ma'am, I don't think any of us are thirsty," I managed, speaking for my friends. "Thank you anyway, but - "

"Drink!"

As one, we reached for our glasses. I couldn't stop myself, and I was sure the others had the same problem. I took a single swallow of the liquid. It wasn't unpleasant. It tasted like... flowers, sweet and succulent, with a slightly spicy aftertaste.

"Do you like your drinks?" she asked.

Dumbly, we nodded.

"Good," she said pleasantly.

I began to feel an odd tingle all over my body. It was as if my skin were crawling. I felt shorter, smaller, but at the same time, my hips were now touching against my friends' hips. There was something tickling the back of my neck, too. Then suddenly, auburn tresses were draped over my shoulders.

"Drink up," she ordered. Again, we lifted the glasses to our mouths, drinking down the rest of the sweet liquid. "It's really very nice, isn't it? It's sweet. There's a lot of sugar in it - as well as spice. In fact, it contains almost everything nice."

I looked down at my chest. Two lumps were growing, as if to cushion the violent beating of my heart. She didn't have to finish her description. I think we all knew what was coming next.

"That's what little girls are made of," she finished in a silky voice.

I turned and looked first at Jack and then at Darren. The strange changes that were engulfing my body were affecting them as well. Jack's brown hair was now a golden blonde, flowing down over newly narrowed shoulders. His breasts were as big if not bigger than mine, prominent even through his baggy sweatshirt. Darren, too, was changing, only his hair was getting darker. It was becoming long and black, with prominent curls. His skin, too, was changing shade, darkening to the color of milk chocolate. His breasts, although not as large as mine or Jack's, were most definitely feminine.

"What are you doing to us?" I managed to ask in a soft soprano tinged with panic

"I think that should be obvious," the she said. "I suppose I should introduce myself while the magic finishes with you. My name is Loretta Bancroft. You may call me Loretta if you'd like. I am the last of a proud family to bear that name. The women of my family have practiced magic for longer than you can imagine. It is my intention to retire here in Millikin - to spend my golden years away from the crowds in the city." Then, her voice rising, she continued, "And I do not intend to have my solitude interrupted by adolescent boys who can't mind their own business!"

"But we didn't mean any harm," Jack whined in a voice that was as soft and feminine as any I had ever heard.

"That is why you are not field mice right now," she countered. "I realize you are basically good, but your boyish pranks would eventually be your undoing. Look at yourselves, and I don't mean the physical bodies I have given you."

She looked directly at Jack. "Look at you, Jack Haliburton. You have significant leadership and interpersonal skills. Yet you waste them to play practical jokes and embarrass people. Well, since you don't want to be taken seriously, you'll be given a body to match. Your name is now Jackie Haliburton, and you are the stereotypical blonde, but not really a dumb one. You have the same fine mind for leadership you've always had, but you'll find it hard to lead when you look like an extra on Baywatch."

Jack - now Jackie - was crying softly, the tiny sobs sounding so intensely feminine that it was difficult for me to realize that she had ever been male.

"And you, Darren Pool," she told the new black girl who sat quaking with fear as she examined her now feminine hands with long, slender fingers, "are you aware that you could have been an outstanding athlete? You could have played any sport you wanted."

"But I've never been big enough," the new black girl said in a sultry southern alto.

Loretta snorted, "Size isn't everything. You were quick and smart as a boy, but you never developed your talents. Well, Darla, now you really have an excuse for not making first string on the football team. I'll bet you throw just like a girl, too."

"Oh my god..." Darren - now Darla - murmured softly to herself.

"And as for you, Adam James."

Oh no, I thought. It was my turn. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Do you have any idea how bright you are?" she asked me. "Your IQ is in the low genius range, and yet you've never made over a B minus in high school."

"I did get an A in Auto Shop," I managed to correct her meekly.

"I mean in any academic subject!" she practically yelled at me. I pushed myself into the back of the couch, feeling my large ass sink lower into the cushions.

"All you had to do was apply yourself and you'd be on your way to college with a good scholarship," she lectured me.

It was true, I knew. I could have gotten straight A's if I had worked at it, but somehow, it didn't seem like a fun thing to do. So here I was, facing a lifetime of low level jobs because I wouldn't be able to get into any respectable college. I felt absolutely lower than shark shit.

"Well, maybe you'll have less distractions now that you and your friends are the wrong sex for pulling all your practical jokes. That should give you more time to study, Amanda."

So that was to be my name. I was Amanda James now. Like my friends, I felt a very unmasculine need to cry. I sniffed softly to myself, my head down staring at my dainty and long fingernails.

"There's just one more thing," our tormentor said to us with a sweep of her hand. "You can't go back outside wearing those terrible clothes."

I felt a soft perfumed breeze flow past me and watched in amazement as my friends' clothing began to shift and change color. Darla's jeans fused and crawled up her legs, becoming a fashionably short red plaid skirt. Her legs were made to look even darker as black knit hose encased her legs. On her feet were patent black slippers, with a tiny hint of a heel. Her shirt had become a black turtleneck, set off with a gold necklace displaying a gold heat-shaped pendant. Under her hair, I could see gold rings, each a good two inches in diameter hanging from her ears. Her face had changed subtly as well, and I realized it was because she was now wearing makeup.

I had been so stunned watching Darla that I hadn't been able to keep up with Jackie's changes. She was now wearing a tight green sweater dress which did nothing to hide her large breasts. Her jewelry and makeup were as feminine as Darla's, and her smooth legs were encased in tan nylon. It's a good thin she was sitting down, because her feet now sported green heels at least three inches high. She looked at her hands, gasping at the bright red polish her long nails were now painted with. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it matched her lipstick perfectly.

I was aware of my own changes as well. The perfumed breeze had wafted around me, too, and I was treated to a slight buzzing sound, almost as if small insects were swarming around my body. I was in a skirt and heels as well, but thankfully, my skirt came down almost to my knees and my heel was very small, only an inch or so. I was wearing a rich brown silk blouse. My skirt complemented it in a tan color which matched my shoes. My nails, I was relieved to see, were long but not painted. A quick exploration of my lips with my tongue told me that I, too, was wearing makeup. As I put my hand up to my ear to feel what had been placed in my earlobes, I heard the tinkle of delicate gold bracelets at my wrist.

"Oh my god!" Darla said again. I didn't know what she was complaining about. She looked incredible. Wait a minute! What was I saying? We all looked incredible, but none of us wanted to be girls.

"Look, ma'am," Jackie began in her sweet girlish voice, "we're sorry if we bothered you, but surely we don't deserve this. Please, change us back. We'll do anything you say, just change us back."

"Why should I do that?" Loretta asked. "I know as girls you will give me no further trouble. As girls, you will have other things on your mind, such as clothes and makeup... and boys."

Now there was a frightening thought. We might be boys changed into girls, but there was no way in the world any of us would ever be interested in boys. We were guys, no matter what our outer bodies looked like. At the sound of the word "boys" Darla, Jackie and I audibly groaned.

Jackie continued, "Ma'am, please. There must be something we can do to get our real lives back."

"These are your real lives now," she told him.

Jackie shook her head, her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders as she did so. "No, I mean our male lives. Isn't there something we can do?"

She appeared to be considering the proposal. For a moment, I actually had a faint hope of returning to my masculine world. Then, as if she had suddenly had a brilliant idea, she grinned. "Very well, girls, I will give you a way back to masculinity. But the road will not be an easy one. Each of you has failed to live up to his potential as boys. As girls, you must show me that you are willing to work hard. As the Army commercials say, you must be all that you can be. Are you willing to try?"

"Oh, yes!" we said as one. What did she have in mind for us? I wondered. Whatever it was, I suspected it would be difficult to accomplish. I was right.

"All right," she said with a sly smile. "I believe I'll take a chance on you. Let's see, Darla, as Darren, you had the talent to be a fine athlete but wouldn't apply yourself. Now, as Darla, I want you to make the girl's basketball team."

Darla grinned. "That's no problem."

"And," Loretta continued, "I expect you to be in the starting lineup before the end of the semester."

End of the semester? That meant Darren would be stuck as Darla until nearly Christmas. I was sure she had a similar time line in mind for all of us. How was I going to be a girl for the next seven weeks?

"But that's impossible!" Darla complained. "Look at me. I'm - what? - five foot five?"

"Five foot six, dear," she clarified.

"Then I'd be the shortest girl in the starting lineup."

Loretta closed her eyes and smiled. "Yes, you would, dear."

There was a moment of silence before Loretta asked, "Do you understand what you must do, Darla?"

"Yes, ma'am," Darla said with resignation. It was obvious from her tone that she now expected to be a girl forever.

"And you, Jackie," Loretta continued, "you had terrific potential for leadership, so that is what you must do to regain your manhood."

"What?" Jackie asked, confused.

"You must lead. In spite of the appearance I have given you, you must find a way to be a leader in your class."

"But... but class officers have already been selected for the year," she nearly cried. "What can I do?"

"That is up to you," Loretta said simply. "You must either establish yourself as a leader by the end of the semester or get used to high heels for the rest of your life."

Jackie's peaches and cream complexion became pasty white at the thought, but she said nothing.

"And you, Amanda."

Oh no - it was my turn. I knew what was coming.

"You had in many ways the greatest potential of all. You should have been an A student."

She was beginning to sound like Mrs. Gibson, the Guidance Counselor. Unfortunately, both Loretta and Mrs. Gibson were right. I just couldn't seem to get myself motivated. I did fine until high school. By then, personal freedom had transformed into freedom to fail. There was always something to do that was more interesting than studying. That something usually involved Darren and Jack.

"Did you hear me?" she snapped.

"Huh?" I said stupidly, shocked out of my reverie.

"I said if you want to regain your manhood, your task will be to get straight A's this semester."

"Straight A's?" I cried. "But I've got all C's. Well, maybe even a D in Algebra."

She scowled. "Don't flatter yourself. Your Algebra grade is currently just above an F. But it doesn't matter. As Adam James, you were a mediocre student, but as Amanda James, you are already a straight A student. This semester, however, you will have high B's in all of your classes. It is up to you to bring them up to A's by the end of the semester."

"But that means I'll have to get high A's from here on," I protested.

"It does, indeed," she agreed, "unless you find that you really like wearing skirts."

I blushed. I had only worn a skirt for a few minutes, and I had decided I didn't like it one bit.

"In addition, you will each live as if you had always been girls. You will dress the way girls dress, speak the way girls speak, and act the way girls act. If you do otherwise, I will know. Is that clear?"

Each of us nodded reluctantly.

"And there's one more condition I have for each of you," Loretta added. "If any of you has sexual relations with a male before we meet again, you will be stuck as a female for the rest of your life."

No danger of that, I thought. The last thing in the world I wanted was one of my old friends playing hide the sausage with my new anatomy.

"That is all, girls," she said, emphasizing the word "girls." She opened the front door for us. "Enjoy your new lives. We will meet here again on the last day of your semester when your final fates will be decided."

We didn't say a word until we got into the car. At least that hadn't changed. Jack's - or rather Jackie's - car was still an aging Chevy, but it was now uncannily clean. Apparently Jackie was neater than Jack had been.

"Ouch!" Jackie yelled when she plopped down behind the wheel. "What did I just sit on?"

"A purse," I told her with a sigh, looking in the back seat where I had been sitting before. "I've got one, too."

"So do I," Darla chimed in.

"Oh great," Jackie muttered, pulling the purse out from under her expanded rear. "Just what I've always wanted. It looks like we're the Former Boy's Club now."

"What are we going to do?" Darla moaned.

"Well, the first thing we're going to do is get something to eat," Jackie said. Some things never changed.

We were back at the Burger King once more, but things had really changed. As boys, we had been pretty much ignored. Only our friends would acknowledge our existence. But as good looking girls, everyone wanted to be noticed by us. Fellow students who barely knew our (old) names would cheerfully wave and try to chat with us. The guy behind the counter even tried to make a date with Jackie. Failing that, he tried with me. Fat chance, I thought, but I got him off my case by telling him I was going steady with a karate black belt.

"This isn't going to work," Darla said, hunching over a Coke. She took a sip. "Ugh! This Coke is too sweet."

"Try mine," Jackie said.

"It's better," Darla replied after a sip. "What is it?"

"It's Diet Coke," Jackie sighed. "I suspect our tastes have changed, too."

"You mean we'll have to eat like girls, too?" Darla asked, shocked. "Nothing but diet drinks and salad?"

"Could be," I said. I was drinking iced tea. Coke hadn't sounded good to me. In fact, nothing much on the menu had sounded very good to me, but I suspected I was just upset at having my entire life turned upside down. Then I noticed that none of us - even Jackie - had bothered to get any food. "I thought you were hungry," I remarked to Jackie.

"I thought I was, too," she sighed, "but when we walked in, nothing smelled right. It smelled... I don't know. Greasy, I guess."

"This isn't starting out well," I concluded, looking around to make sure there was no one within earshot. If the changes in our bodies produced changes in our preferences, where would it all end. Did it mean we would also prefer guys? I shuddered at the thought. No way, man.

"Oh my god!" Darla interjected. "Look at this."

She had opened her purse. In her hand, she held two items. The first was a driver's license made out to Darla Jean Pool. The picture was the typical bad DMV photo, but it showed a photo of the girl Darren had become, a bright happy smile on her face. The other item was even more disturbing. It showed Darla standing next to her parents and her older brother. At least I presumed that's who they were. They looked something like Darren's family, but they were all black.

"The bitch changed my whole family!" she cried.

"Well what did you expect?" Jackie asked, examining her own purse. "Did you figure you would be adopted by a white family?"

"I didn't know what to expect," she cried. "But I didn't expect this."

"Look at your purse, Adam - I mean Amanda," Jackie suggested.

I opened it as if it contained a bomb set to go off. I had no idea what I looked like, except for the auburn hair. Maybe I was the ugly duckling. It was bad enough to be a girl, but an ugly one...

The picture on my driver's license didn't totally reassure me. It showed a girl with eyes too big and a sort of buck toothed grin.

"Let me see," Jackie said, grabbing it out of my hand. She stared at it for a moment and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I demanded petulantly.

"This picture!" Jackie laughed. "It's terrible."

"Okay," I grumped. "So I'm not attractive. So what?"

"Are you kidding?" Darla asked. "You're really very cute." She looked at the picture. "Ooh, I see what you mean. Take it from me, that's just a terrible picture. With that reddish brown hair of yours and those emerald green eyes, you'll have to beat off boys with a stick."

"Do you really think so?" I asked to my own surprise. What should I care about what boys thought about me?

"Let's face it," Jackie said. "We're all dolls. Now look, we've got to come up with a plan or we'll be in tit city for the rest of our lives."

She was right about that. Darla and I both gave her a nod of agreement.

"Okay," she said. "Now each of us has got to learn how to fit in as girls for the next few weeks. I don't feel any magical knowledge about makeup or periods, do you?"

Darla and I shook our heads.

"Then we've got to learn. I'll go buy a couple of books tomorrow at the mall, and we can meet at... Amanda's house about two. That will give us a chance to make sure we're acting the part."

"But why should we act the part?" Darla wanted to know.

"Because, my Nubian princess, if we don't act normal, we won't have a chance at getting our real lives back. Don't you remember what Loretta told us? Either we spend the next seven weeks acting like girls or we'll be acting like them for the rest of our lives."

"Okay," I agreed, "but I don't plan to start dating boys."

"You may have to," Jackie said.

"Why?" Darla and I demanded to know.

"Look, we can't have sex, and I don't think any of us particularly want to have sex as girls, but we're good looking girls and good looking girls go on dates. It's part of being who we are now. Got that?"

Darla and I reluctantly agreed.

"Okay," Jackie said when she realized she had us convinced. "Now let's get out of here before some guys come in and try to take us to the party."

I never felt so alone in my life as I did when I saw my two transformed best friends driving away from my house. In a matter of seconds, I would have to face my family. Oh, I knew they would all find nothing odd about me. To them, I would be Amanda Sue James, just like it said on my driver's license. But when Jackie and Darla were with me, we had each other. Misery really does love company. Now, I was alone.

"Hello, princess," my father called out cheerfully to me from the den when I opened the front door. "It's only ten o'clock. Was the party dull?"

"Oh... uh... yes it was," I managed. "I'm a little tired, too."

"It's not time for your period yet, is it, dear?" my mother asked.

Oh dear god. "Uh... no, mom." At least I hoped it wasn't. I hadn't even thought about that yet.

"Well, I'm glad you got home early," she said. "You told me you had a lot of studying to do tomorrow."

Studying? Well, I had a History quiz, but I had been cruising in that class with a solid C. I hadn't even brought my book home. And as for Algebra, I had an open second period where I could go to the library and get that done - if I could figure it out. I had really planned to copy from Darren's paper. He was good at Algebra. But then I remembered that I was now Amanda Sue James - Super Student. I was sure I would find all of my books neatly stacked in my room. If I ever planned to be Adam James again, I would have to start taking my classes seriously.

"Right, mom. I think I'll start on it now. The guy - girls are coming over tomorrow afternoon."

"Okay, dear."

Apparently "the girls" were more popular around the house than "the guys" were. Mom usually got uptight about having Darren and Jack around all afternoon.

There was no time like the present to turn over a new leaf, I thought, mixing metaphors. I took a moment to examine my room. As I had expected, it was now a girl's room, so feminine I could have barfed. Plus it was neat and clean. Apparently Amanda was much neater than Adam.

With trepidation, I looked at myself in the full-length mirror that hadn't been there before. Jackie was right. I was a doll, just like she and Darla. I fell short of true beauty, but I was well beyond cute. Fair skin, auburn hair and an attractive figure combined to make me a delicious dish of femininity. I had the look of an attractive professional woman in training. My clothes were stylish but relatively conservative, and my makeup enhanced my looks without making me look cheap. I was the proverbial girl next door. Thank god the only boy who really lived next door was only twelve. Even at that, I sighed, he probably had a crush on me.

I decided to get ready for bed and study for awhile. Of course, that meant getting undressed, and I wasn't looking forward to that. Still, I had to do it some time. It might as well be now, I thought to myself.

I locked myself in the bathroom with the least feminine pair of pajamas I could find. They were pink, but didn't have the frills that most of the other pajamas had. And as for night gowns... well, I couldn't even bring myself to think about that. I carefully washed off the makeup as I had seen my sister do so many times before. Then I tried in vain to tie my long hair into something resembling a ponytail. I would just have to go to bed with it loose. At least, I thought, I would now be able to get even with my sister for hogging the bathroom. Of course, she wouldn't realize the irony of the situation.

I had to examine my body - even touch it in a few sensitive places. Hey, I was a child of the nineties and we had a satellite dish. I had seen all the soft porn stuff late at night after my parents had gone to bed. I realized what I would need to do to get myself off, but I had no intention of doing so. Loretta had said no sex with guys, but I didn't want to get started down any road marked "female sex." I was afraid today it would be masturbation, and tomorrow it would be... No, don't go there. I just wanted to... well, see if it was all real.

I stood naked in front of the mirror, thinking sadly to myself what I would have given to get this good a view of an attractive girl just a few hours before. Well, be careful what you wish for. I was all girl, and all attractive girl. Although not perfect, since I had the small moles and other imperfections everyone has, my skin was soft and smooth. My figure was very nice, and I could see I had the sort of hips which would sway provocatively in heels and a tight skirt. My legs were firm without being too athletic, and there was no trace of stubble on them. Either I had just shaved them in this reality or I didn't have much hair. Come to think of it, I didn't have an excessive amount of hair on my legs when I was male.

I tried not to look too much at my ample breasts, and the bushy triangle between my legs merely gave me a feeling of great loss. I wondered if Darla and Jackie were giving themselves similar examinations. I was sure if they weren't, they soon would be.

I tentatively touched my nipples. As promised, they were very sensitive. I could see why the soft fabric of a bra was required for them. I bashfully slipped a finger into my pubic area (I refused to think of it as a cunt, box, pussy, or any of the other things I had learned to call it in my male life) and felt the yielding lips of my vagina. There was a clitoris buried in there, I realized. Did it really work as advertised? I was too frightened to find out. I pulled my hand away, remembering the prohibition on sex. I was determined to get my male form back, and if that meant no sex, then there was no sense in getting myself all worked up. I might find that I liked it. Then where would I be? I'd save self-experimentation until I was about ready to be changed back. Then, by the time I discovered that I liked it, I would nearly be male again.

Washed, teeth brushed, and pajamas on, I settled in for a night of studying at my now feminized desk. As I pored over the American History text, I mused over the fact that I had not expected to spend my last Halloween in high school cracking the books. Well, I suppose if I had spent the entire evening studying, I wouldn't be in the fix I found myself in.

"Hello, Little Sister."

I looked up at the clock. I had been studying for almost two hours. Then I looked at Nancy. "Hi, I didn't hear you come in."

"I tried to be quiet," she explained. "Mom and dad are in bed. How's the studying going?"

"Okay," I sighed, "but I'm getting a little tired of it. I think I'll go to bed."

"Aren't you going to do something about your hair? It will be a mess in the morning if you go to bed that way."

"Oh, sure," I lied. "I'll take care of it. Good night."

Nancy didn't leave. Instead, she sat down on my bed and patted the covers for me to sit beside her. "It's been a long time since we had a sister to sister chat," she remarked.

It certainly had been a long time - like forever. In fact, we really never had brother-sister chats. Like many siblings of the opposite sex, we weren't terribly close. It wasn't that we didn't like each other; it was just that we didn't have a lot in common. Nancy was an industrious person and a good student. She was two years older than me and was attending college partially on scholarships. I was, if the truth be known, a little on the lazy side and would be lucky as Adam to even be able to get into college.

Obediently, I sat down beside her. I supposed that if I was to succeed in winning back my masculinity, I would have to be more like my sister. At least as far as everyone was now concerned, I already was. I would just have to continue doing what I supposedly had already been doing.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked pleasantly.

"Oh, all sorts of things," she said. "How are your classes going?"

"Fine," I replied noncommittally.

"Any boyfriends?"

"No, not right now." Where was she going with all of this?

"Bought any new clothes lately? Tried any new makeup?"

"No and no. What's this all about, Nancy?"

Her benign look faded into more of a devilish grin. "Soaped any good windows lately?"

My heart stopped. "You know!"

She gave me a wider grin. "Yes, I know. How does it feel to be my little sister?"

A hundred questions came into my mind at once, but none of them passed my lips. I felt like such a fool. It was bad enough to have the rest of the world see me as a girl, but the rest of the world thought I had always been a girl. My sister knew who I really was. "But... but how?"

"How did I know?"

I nodded my head.

"Remember, I warned you not to go out to the Bancroft place?" she asked.

"Sure," I replied, "but how could you have known what was going to happen to us out there?"

"I didn't know exactly what would happen," she admitted. "I just knew if you ticked Loretta off, you wouldn't be coming home as my little brother, if you came home at all. What she did to you was actually a pretty mild punishment. She is probably the greatest witch in the country, if not in the world. You're lucky you and your friends aren't out catching flies on a lily pad someplace."

"You seem to know a lot about her," I said, my eyes narrowing.

She was silent for a minute; then replied, "Of course I do. She spoke to one of my college classes last year, and I'm one of the members of her coven."

I moved away from my sister. "You're a witch, too?"

"In training," she clarified. I'm not much at doing spells yet and probably won't be for years. Still, Loretta says I have a lot of potential."

"I thought she was retired."

"She is," Nancy confirmed. "At least, from her business career. She sold out and came out here to manage the family property and do a little consulting and teaching. Of course, she's worth millions. Wait a minute. You don't have the foggiest idea who she is, do you?"

"Should I?"

"She was one of the top businesswomen in the country. She was president of Luxuria Cosmetics. You've heard of them, of course."

I shook my head. "Afraid not."

"Well, you will now," she smiled ironically. "I'll bet half your new cosmetics are Luxuria."

"That's great," I muttered. "I get turned into a girl and my sister is her partner."

Nancy put an arm around me. "Look, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

I told her everything that had happened earlier that night. A couple of times, I almost broke down and cried, which was odd, because I hadn't cried since the fifth grade. I had a sneaky hunch it was my new hormones rising to the surface.

When I had finished, my sister looked at me sympathetically. "She didn't make it easy for you guys, did she?"

"No," I said, trying to keep my voice from quaking.

"So you have to play your parts and excel at your tasks or you're girls forever?"

"That's right."

She shrugged. "I don't know what you guys are upset about. I like being a girl. You might, too. I don't think I'd want to be a boy. It's too much work. You might decide you like it this way."

I threw myself back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Oh, sure, this is a lot of fun. I get to wear greasy makeup, spend hours on my hair, dress in frilly clothes, have periods and maybe babies someday, and put up with fending off guys I used to play baseball with."

"Well, at least I can make life a little easier for you and your friends. When they come over here tomorrow, I'll teach you guys all the things your mothers never taught you. At least I can help you act like girls."

I sat up, feeling a little hopeful for the first time since my transformation. "You'd do that for us?"

She smiled. "Of course, Little Sister. Now let's get that hair of yours tied up so you can go to bed."

"Amanda, wake up!" Light filtered into my closed eyes. Who the hell was Amanda? Oh, that's right, I realized. I'm Amanda. So it hadn't been just a bad dream after all. Slowly, I sat up, disgusted with the feeling of the shifting weight on my chest. To make it worse, I had to go to the bathroom, but the feeling was more intense than I had ever felt in my life. Rather than the insistent feeling I was used to as a male, the entire area between my legs was insisting I go to the bathroom. I now regretted going to bed the night before without relieving myself. It just made the urge all the more insistent in the morning, but I had been revolted at the need to squat to pee the night before. I hoped I had good control of those muscles there, because it felt like I was going to go in my pajamas. What seemed like a gallon later, I was sitting on the edge of my bed again.

Nancy popped in the door. "Come on, Little Sister, mom and dad want us to go to church with them."

I looked at the clock. It was only seven thirty. "But church isn't until ten thirty," I argued.

"That's right," she agreed, "but you're a girl now, remember? That means you're going to need some extra time to get ready. Besides, I'll have to help you with makeup and everything, so come on. Get going!"

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" I growled.

"In a word - yes," she admitted with a smile. "But remember, this is going to take a lot of time since it's your first time getting ready as a girl."

She was right. It took me at least twice as long to shower and get ready. Of course, I had to get Nancy's advice a couple of times on how to wash, and she taught me how to shave the stubble that was already forming under my arms and on my legs. We both ended up eating breakfast in our robes rather than chance getting something on our dresses before church.

It was very weird to have breakfast with my family. No one, even Nancy, acted as if there were anything out of the ordinary. Of course, Nancy did have to send me a couple of nonverbal signals when I did something out of female character. It was extra hard because my mother had always been determined that her daughter be a "young lady" at all times - proper etiquette, no swearing, sitting right, and so on. That hadn't applied to Adam, since I was my father's responsibility, and dad had never had the world's best table manners. But now as Amanda, I fell under my mother's influence.

"Get your elbows off the table, young lady," she commanded as I sat over my breakfast.

"I tried to warn you," Nancy silently mouthed. So that's what she meant when she made a circular motion with her elbow.

I had heard enough of my mother's admonishments of Nancy through the years to understand what was expected of me. Still, it was hard not to act like Adam. I noticed wistfully that my father had his elbows on the table and mother never said a word. I felt a momentary pang of sympathy for Nancy who had been under mother's influence all her life while I was able to do what I pleased - or so it must have seemed to her.

After breakfast, I found Nancy, although willing to help me get through my ordeal, was not above playing a joke or two on me. "Here, wear this," she said, handing me a dress which seemed to be a silky pink material with white lace in every imaginable place.

"I can't wear this," I told her. "It makes me look like a... a..."

"Girl?"

"Well, yes."

"But it's mom's favorite. It will get her off your back for awhile."

"Oh, all right," I agreed reluctantly. A short time later, I was in the dress, complete with white nylons and pink one-inch heels. Nancy was putting the finishing touches on me when mom came in.

"Amanda, I'm surprised to see you wearing that dress that Aunt Lynne got you. I thought we both agreed it was a little too frilly for you. You look as if you were twelve years old."

When mom left, I shot Nancy an angry glance. "I thought you said she would like this."

"Well, I just thought you might like to revel in your new girlhood," Nancy laughed. "Besides, it does look darling on you."

"I just hope none of my old friends see me in this," I muttered. I would have changed, but it was too late.

Of course, all my old friends did see me in it. Girls that I had lusted over all my high school life came up to me to tell me how "cute" I looked. And the boys... well, let's just say that they acted like boys around a cute girl and leave it at that. I was relieved when services began.

One oddly pleasant surprise was my singing voice. I had never had much of a voice as a boy. For the most part, I had been a tenor with a very limited range. My female persona had a very fine soprano voice, though, and I found myself looking forward to the hymns.

When services were over, I hoped my parents would hustle us off to the car and I could get home and slip into a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. It wouldn't exactly make me feel male again, but it might make me feel less like a walking talking Barbie doll. No such luck, though. My parents ran into some friends and my sister started talking to an old friend she hadn't seen since high school. That left me standing there looking like Little Girl Lost. I hoped that nobody would notice me. Fat chance with my looks.

"Hi, Amanda!"

I recognized the voice and tried hard not to cringe as I turned around to face Robbie Miller. Robbie occasionally chummed around with Darren, Jack and me. He was on the football team with us, but unlike the rest of us, he was a starting halfback. I guess even as a guy I would have to say I knew he was good looking with short blonde hair and a build that came from lifting weights for an hour every night. What I wasn't prepared for was how my Amanda persona would size him up. He was handsome. I'm sorry, but there's no better word for it.

I felt like some sort of a pervert, smiling involuntarily at his handsome face and feeling an odd sensation which in the depths of my being I recognized as sexual attraction. I kept trying to tell myself that it was just all the female hormones that filtered my perception, but it did no good. Just my luck. I was becoming somehow attracted to the first boy to really come up and talk to me.

"You really look hot today," he told me.

I'm sure I blushed a little in spite of myself. "Thanks, Robbie. You look nice, too." He did, too, I had to admit. He was wearing a nice Navy blue sport coat and looked like a high school winner. It was a shame, I realized, that his grade point was even lower than my old one had been.

"Hey," he began, "some of us are going into Kansas City to catch a movie. You want to come with?"

I shook my head, remembering my meeting with my friends at two. "Gee, I'm sorry, Robbie, but I've got a study date set up today. Maybe next time, okay?"

"It seems like you're always studying," he said, trying not to sound disappointed. "Hey, I was just thinking. You know, we've got a big Algebra test coming up next Friday. Could you give me a little help?"

"Well..."

"Oh, come on," he pleaded. "You've got a good grade in there. The coach said if I didn't get at least a C on that exam, he'd bench me. The Raytown game is coming up. You wouldn't want me to miss it, would you?"

Actually, I was going to have to book it pretty hard to get my A in Algebra. There's usually no better way to learn something than to have to teach it. I supposed one study session with Robbie wouldn't hurt. But just one. I wanted to stay as far away from boys as I could. If my body was going to get turned on every time a good looking guy said hello, I was going to have to be careful, and I had to admit, staring at Robbie was stimulating in a disturbing sort of way. It figured that Loretta would have put a healthy dose of attraction to the opposite sex in our makeup. That made the prohibition on sex a little tougher than I would have liked.

"Okay, Robbie. Come on over tomorrow after school. We can study until dinner."

He rewarded me with a wide grin. "Great! I'll see you then."

Now what had I gotten myself into? I wondered. Well, Robbie had always been a friend, if not a close one. I'd just help him with Algebra and send him on his way. I couldn't afford any emotional attachments to boys even if I wanted to, which of course I didn't.

Once home, I pulled off my dress and nylons and got into the jeans and sweatshirt I had promised myself. The sweatshirt made me feel almost normal, but the jeans did nothing to make me feel less feminine. Granted, it was nice to not be showing off my legs, but I found to my chagrin that girl's jeans aren't loose and comfortable. Instead, they're uncomfortably tight over the ass and ride higher on the waist. At least the tennis shoes felt right, even if the laces were pink.

I used the time after lunch to start studying Algebra. If I was going to have to coach Robbie, I had a lot of catching up to do since as Adam, I was practically flunking the course. To my amazement, it wasn't too difficult. I was starting to realize that I had always had the intelligence to get good grades, but had simply never applied myself. Maybe some good would come out of this after all. I wondered if I could talk Loretta into leaving my grade point high if - when - she changed me back. When, when, when - not if. I had to think positively. I could do it. I could get my real life back.

Darla and Jackie arrived together, right at two, dressed much as I was. They greeted my parents with a smile and some happy talk. Then, they both came to me and to my surprise each gave me a big hug. There were grins on their faces as they cheerfully said, "Hi, Amanda!" I could see they had cooked up this girlish greeting just to annoy me. It worked, but I didn't let on. I just played along.

"Oh, your room is just so pretty!" Darla gasped theatrically as the girls followed me into my room.

"Okay," I growled, "knock it off, guys."

Darla and Jackie laughed together. In a few seconds, I was laughing with them. We told each other stories of our first few hours as girls, but I told them nothing about Nancy's offer of help. I wanted that to be a surprise. I did tell them about church, and with a little prodding, I even told them about Robbie. This started the girlish prattle again.

"Oh, Amanda," Jackie said, "you're just so lucky. Robbie is such a hunk!" For emphasis, she batted her considerable eyelashes, then laughed loudly.

"Laugh it up," I told her. "It's only a matter of time until the guys are sniffing around the back of your skirt."

Darla thought this was funny. "They already have. We stopped off for lunch at that salad place, Greens, on the way over. Jason Morley hit on her."

That got a big laugh from me. Jason was starting quarterback on the football team and thought he was God's gift to women.

"Maybe I'll really go out with him" Jackie ventured. "I'll get him all hot and then tell him I'm not that kind of a girl."

"And maybe Jason will be too fast for you," I pointed out. "Remember the old joke about the girl who talked so slowly that before she could say she wasn't that kind of a girl, she was."

Jackie grinned. "You know, I almost hate to admit it to you guys, but it might be kind of fun to try. I had a lot of fun during my shower this morning."

I hadn't known a black person could be seen to blush, but Darla did, and I found my face a little flushed, too. Jackie looked at us with surprise. "You mean you guys didn't...?"

Darla and I shook our heads. I don't know what had gone through Darla's mind, but I had just been too overwhelmed by the whole experience of becoming a girl. I hadn't had time to experiment, and frankly, I was a little afraid to do so.. Was I curious? Of course I was. I wasn't a virgin, but only barely. I knew Darla when she was Darren had managed to get a little, too. But it was Jack who had been the most sexually active of our trio. Apparently, there were some traits that were passed through with the sex change.

"No, I didn't," I admitted.

"Me, too," Darla added.

"Look, Jackie," I began, seeing the confused look on her face, "I'm sure we'll get around to... experimenting eventually, but remember what Loretta told us. If we have sex in these bodies, we're stuck like this forever. Do you want to be a girl for the rest of your life?"

"Of course not!" she replied indignantly.

"Then we'd better keep the conditions of our curse in mind," I said. Jackie and Darla nodded solemnly.

Darla broke the dark mood with, "So who called this meeting anyway?"

"I guess I did," Jackie said, sitting in my desk chair while Darla and I sat next to each other on the bed. "I thought we should talk about what we can do to get our real lives back. I'm sure that witch plans for us to fail. I for one don't want to fail. Do you guys agree?"

We nodded our heads.

"Then we have to learn how to be girls before we do anything else."

I smiled. "I can help there. I have a secret weapon." My friends looked at me in confusion. "Nancy!" I called sweetly.

I told them briefly of Nancy's involvement with Loretta. They listened with keen interest, even asking her a couple of questions. When I had finished, Nancy spent over an hour with us, critically examining our hair and makeup and telling us all the things we would have learned from our mothers if we had actually been born female. I could have kissed her for all of her help. In fact, I did give her a very sisterly hug as she left to get ready for her date.

When she was gone, Darla threw herself back on my bed and groaned, "There's so much to keep track of. I never realized girls had it so bad."

"Tell me about it," Jackie said. "It took me an hour to get ready to come over here today, and Nancy said I didn't do the makeup or my hair right. I don't even want to think how long it would take to really get dressed up."

"A long time," I told her. "I had to go to church today in a dress and I had Nancy helping me. It still took forever."

"Look, guys, let's make a deal," Darla said. "We wear pants all the time."

Jackie and I voiced our agreement. Of course, we would still have to do all the other stuff - makeup, hair, and accessories, but somehow, the thought of being able to wear pants together made us feel a little more comfortable.

"Now how are we going to manage the rest of our requirements?" Jackie asked.

"Well, mine are pretty straightforward," I said.

"That's right," Darla agreed. "You just need to study your pretty little ass off."

"Well put," Jackie smiled. "And you, Darla just need to play your pretty little ass off."

"Basketball tryouts are next week," she explained. "I'll be practicing until then. I know I can play good enough to make the squad. As far as starting is concerned, I'll just have to work at it. But what are you going to do, Jackie? Class officers have already been decided. I mean, you're unofficial president of the Former Boy's Club here, but I don't think that will count for much."

"I agree," Jackie said. "However, I'll just have to figure something else out."

We talked for a few more minutes and then adjourned. Each of us had tasks to perform if we were ever going to get our lives back to normal.

I know we each dreaded going to school, so we agreed to go together. When we slipped out of Jackie's car in the high school parking lot, we must have looked like Christians about to be devoured by lions. Happily, we had nothing to worry about. Everyone greeted us as if nothing was wrong. Still, I was relieved when we were finally called to class so I could lose myself among the other students.

In the very first class, though, I realized I was going to have to participate if I was ever going to get my straight A's. Fortunately, the class was American History, one of my favorites, so I was pretty well up to speed. Still, I had taken an hour the night before rereading our current assignment so I could be ready to participate. I could see the teacher was pleased with my answers, and strangely enough, I found I was feeling good about myself.

I wasn't quite as good in Physics. I could see that class was going to be a problem. Still, I was good enough in math (in spite of my Algebra grade) that I was able to keep up. I made a mental note to work on it more, though.

By lunchtime, I had also breezed through English. I was in a happy mood when I joined my fellow transformees for lunch. They didn't look quite as happy. "What's the problem?" I asked cheerfully as I sat down with my tray.

"Remember when we were talking about what other curves our witch friend could throw at us?" Jackie asked.

"Sure," I answered, my brow furrowed. "Did you find one?"

"Look at this," Darla said, producing her class schedule. She was taking a couple of the same courses, but in different sections. What caught my eye was her class right after lunch. All three of us had that as a free hour as boys, often using the time to leave the campus. There, at one o'clock, was...

"Home Economics?" I practically shouted.

"It's on my schedule, too," Jackie told me. "You better look at yours."

Fortunately, I had my schedule taped to my notebook. I looked at it and sure enough - I had Home Ec, too. This was a disaster. Now, I had one more class to worry about, and one that I would have to pick up from scratch. I didn't know how to boil water. As a boy, my chores had revolved around washing dishes and helping dad. I was sunk. To make matters worse, I had been depending on that hour to review Algebra before it met at two. My heart sunk to the bottom of my stomach.

The three of us had our tails between our legs when we entered the class. We didn't know where to go or what to do. I wasn't even sure if there was a textbook for the class. We slumped into the three remaining seats.

We knew who Ms Sherman, the Home Ec teacher, was, but none of us had ever spoken a word to her. She was a stout, short woman of about fifty. She looked at Darla and me. "Ms James?"

"Uh... yes ma'am?"

Is there some reason why you and Ms Pool have chosen to change seats?"

"Oh... no, sorry." Darla and I gathered our things and traded seats to the cold stone silence of Ms Sherman. This wasn't starting out well.

"Now that musical chairs is over, let's begin," she finally said.

It was an hour of pure, unadulterated hell. The class was currently in the middle of learning to cook. Most of the class - all girls, of course - had already learned from their mothers. We were starting from ground zero. I made another mental note to volunteer to help my mother with cooking and other chores. I would have to learn from scratch all the domestic skills most girls my age had learned over their entire lives.

"Ms James," Ms Sherman called out as we were leaving class.

I turned. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"You seemed a bit distracted in class today. Is there something wrong?"

I wanted to say yes, there certainly is. I used to be a boy, you see, and now I'm a girl and I don't know the first thing about how to act. Instead I said, "No, ma'am. Everything is fine. I just think maybe I'm coming down with..." What? A cold? The flu?

"Your period?"

Gee, I hadn't thought of that one. I must have actually blushed, because her gaze softened as she said, "I understand. Just try to be better prepared next time. You have a high B in this course right now, and I'd like to see that you get an A. Okay?"

I gave her my sweetest smile and nodded. My god, I thought, was that how bad a period was going to be? What was going to happen when I actually did have a period? I was a real wimp about pain. Would it hurt? I could remember Nancy complaining about hers, but I didn't pay a lot of attention. I'd have to think about that later, I realized. Algebra was still ahead.

I had planned on using the hour before Algebra to review, but I had actually already studied, so I was fine in the class. There was a pop quiz, and I actually got a low A on it. That made me feel pretty good.

As the class ended, Robbie came up to me. "Do you want to study at your house? I have my car."

"Sure," I said, happy that I would be on my own home turf during my first (and hopefully only) study date.

And study we did. I had worried that Robbie was making a move on me. He wasn't, though, at least not yet. He genuinely need the help in Algebra, and I found that by teaching him, I actually did learn it better myself. As he left just before dinner, I found myself agreeing to another study date the next afternoon. I hadn't really wanted to make the second date, but it seemed to be helping me as much as it was helping him - and he really needed the help. Maybe I was developing a maternal instinct and felt sorry for him. He was trying so hard, but Algebra just wasn't his subject.

"So it's you and Robbie, eh?" Darla grinned the next day.

"No," I protested. "It's nothing like that. We're just studying."

Jackie looked concerned. "Just be careful, Amanda. We're all a little new at this girl stuff. You could end up getting involved before you know what's happening. Robbie's a nice looking guy. Anything could happen."

"Not to me!" I assured her, aghast that she would think I would even consider anything like... like... that. I mean, Robbie was nice looking, and from my new perspective as a girl, I had to admit he was downright attractive, but I wasn't interested in him that way at all.

The three of us managed to get through the week okay. In fact, as we met Saturday morning at my house, we each agreed that we were becoming accustomed, if not exactly comfortable, with our new identities. I was starting to crank out A's as if I had done it all my life. I suppose in a way, I had done it all my life - all my Amanda life anyway. School was actually getting easier for me. Of course, I didn't see as much of my friends, but my grades were already starting to inch up.

The only problem class I had was Home Ec, but I had come up with a solution for that class, too. I had volunteered to help my mother more, learning from her the cooking and mending skills I would be required to know in class. Even that was becoming easier. I must say, I was quite proud of myself. Although I didn't mention it to my friends, I silently kicked myself for having to be changed into a girl before I was able to see what a mess I was starting to make of my real life.

Darla had good news, too. She had made the basketball team. "Of course, I'm not a starter," she admitted, "but the coach said I showed real hustle at practice. I think I'll get some playing time in. When the coach sees what I can do out there, I'll be starting before you know it."

"How about your family?" Jackie asked.

"Oh, they think it's great that I'm on the team," Darla said glibly.

Jackie shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I mean, are things okay with your family changing race?"

Darla was thoughtful for a minute before responding. "You know, it's funny. I never told you guys this, but my family moved up here from the Deep South partially to get away from all the blacks. I mean, I know there's a big black population Missouri, but not like Alabama. My great grandfather I understand was a member of the Klan. Now, here we are - black! Of course I'm the only one who remembers being white, but the rest of the family actually seems happier. My brother is in a rap group and doing well. That's a lot better than being night clerk at a Seven-Eleven like he was before. And mom and dad seem content."

"How about you?" I asked her.

She smiled. "Look, I'd be plaid just to get an opportunity to start on the team. You know, I've played sports with you guys all through high school, and I've never been a starter. I think I'd be pushing to be a starter on the team even if my manhood wasn't on the line."

"That leaves you," I said to Jackie. "Any luck on finding something to show off your leadership skills?" I was most worried about Jackie. In many ways, hers was the hardest task of all.

But she smiled and said, "I've got it figured out. County Government Day is coming up this month, and I'm going to run for County Commissioner."

County Government Day was a mock election where seniors were elected by the student body to shadow their real counterparts for the day. My only concern was that County Commissioner was the top office. Only two students were elected to that job, and they were usually the two most popular students. Loretta had made Jackie an attractive girl, but not exactly the most popular girl. Hesitantly, I told her so.

To my surprise, she laughed, "Don't worry. I have that covered."

"How?" Darla and I chorused.

She gave us an enigmatic smile. "Wait until Monday and you'll see. There's just one little thing. Are the two of you willing to help me get elected?"

"Of course," I said as Darla nodded.

"Good. Then be sure and wear dresses to school Monday. And make sure they're short and sexy."

I frowned. "I thought we had agreed not to wear dresses."

Jackie shrugged. "Sorry, but situations change. I really need for the two of you to be particularly sexy girls on Monday. Now, will you do it for me?"

We reluctantly agreed. With that, the meeting of what we had dubbed the Former Boy's Club came to an end. We each had a strategy to achieve our goals, so we adjourned feeling pretty good about ourselves.

"What do we do now?" Darla asked.

Jackie smiled again. "We might as well do what real girls do on a Saturday morning."

We all realized what she meant. "To the mall!" we cried, laughing together.

I have to admit, I had fun at the mall - we all did. I had never really seen what girls - or guys for that matter - got out of mall crawling. Girls always seemed to enjoy it most, sauntering from store to store, trying on clothes, and generally socializing in large groups. Guys on the other hand seemed to be there just to seek out girls. It was a little like a herd of antelope looking for water while the lions circled. It didn't take me long at the mall to realize I was happier being a lion than an antelope. After several boys, mostly our old drinking buddies, approached us and were gently turned away, the three of us sought refuge in a Dillard's Department Store.

I have to admit that I hadn't been in the women's clothing section of a department store since I was a little tyke, dragged there by my mother on one of her shopping excursions. I was absolutely dumfounded at the variety of clothing we found there. Women must have twenty choices of outfits for every one men have. It seemed as if women had different clothing for everything.

I was just idly looking at the clothing with no particular interest in them. I planned on spending as much time as possible wearing only jeans and simple tops that didn't show off my new boobs. Darla and Jackie had earlier expressed the same goal. So imagine my surprise when I saw the two of them actually pulling outfits off the rack and holding them up for each other, accompanied by laughs and giggles.

"Come on, guys," I said under my breath. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Just blending in with the natives," Jackie laughed, nodding at another group of girls across the aisle who were doing the same thing.

"Sure, Amanda, get in the spirit of all this, will you? If we leave the stores, we're just going to get hit on by our old friends. I know most of those guys, and there isn't one of them I want trying to sniff up my rear."

"Amen to that, sister," Jackie called while holding a particularly feminine dress up to herself in front of a mirror. "How do you think this would look on me?"

I was beginning to think my two best friends had slipped a gear or two. I knew they were just playing a game, but they were playing it far too well for my tastes. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they had been born female.

Then I realized with a little envy that they were enjoying themselves because they felt they had their required tasks well in hand. Darla had made the basketball team, and with her athletic abilities and mind for sports, she could do anything once she applied herself. It would only take a game or two to establish her as a starter.

Jackie was confident, too. Maybe she was too confident. I didn't know what she had in mind, but whatever it was, she felt she had the situation under complete control. I hoped for her sake that she was right.

That left me. I was beginning to think I had the hardest task of all. I had to get straight A's, which meant that every day, every class, I had to be at the absolute top of my game. If I screwed around as I had as a boy, I would end up with a grade point which would put me in nylons and heels for the rest of my life. While that fate didn't seem quite as dire as it would have seemed to me a couple of weeks earlier, it was still something I wanted to avoid.

Jackie actually ended up buying an outfit. It seemed that in our new reality, her father had gotten her a credit card with a modest credit limit. Of course, her parents were a little more affluent than Darla's or mine, so Darla and I contented ourselves with just watching.

We decided to kill off the rest of the afternoon by taking in a movie. Here again, our new femininity seemed to dictate our choice. A couple of movies were rejected because they were too violent. It wasn't that we now abhorred violent movies; it was just that we were afraid too many of our old friends would be in there getting a testosterone rush.

"How about a chick flick?" Darla asked.

Jackie and I looked at her with alarm.

"Hey," Darla said defensively, "I just thought it might be interesting. I mean, we are chicks now."

We settled on a Sandra Bullock film called Practical Magic. Sure, it was a little bit of a chick flick, but what really drew us into it was the irony of the title. I actually found myself enjoying the film, but I was a little disturbed to note that I was getting into the female characters much more than the male. Natural, I supposed, but disturbing none the less.

When Monday, rolled around, good to our word, Darla and I wore sexy outfits. We had both decided to wear short knit dresses with two inch heels. Mine was emerald green and Darla's was a deep red, and Jackie seemed happy with our choices. She was wearing the outfit she had bought on Saturday. It consisted of a peach colored sheath dress and matching jacket. The silky material accentuated all the right parts of her body. I noticed as we got to school all the guys were looking at Darla and me appreciatively, but when they spotted Jackie, the looks turned to longing gazes and heavy panting.

Darla and I were very attractive - there was no arguing that - but when she put her mind to it as she had that day, Jackie was absolutely stunning.

"What now?" I asked as we made our way into school. I was beginning to feel very... exposed.

Jackie only smiled. "Wait until assembly."

Just before lunch, there was an assembly in the school auditorium. This was to allow all of the seniors who would be running for County Government Day offices to make a short announcement and a generally humorous speech about what they would do if they were elected to county office.

Jackie finally told us what our part was to be. "You're going to escort my running mate to the podium," she said.

Darla frowned. "Running mate? You don't have a running mate when you're running for County Commissioner."

"True," Jackie agreed, "but Brian Bailey and I have decided to run together for the two commissioner spots. We've formed our own party - the Party Party - and decided to run on a platform of extending the Winter Formal for one more hour."

I had to give it to her, it was a masterful plan. Many of the students had been complaining that the Winter Formal was too short. After all, it was at the end of the fall semester and just before Christmas, so why not let it go a little longer? Now, she and Brian would be bringing the problem to the school administration's attention while making themselves very popular with the student body. There was no doubt that Jackie was riding on Brian's coat tails, but so what? That tactic had been used in elections for thousands of years.

The assembly was a big success. Jackie was escorted to the podium by two of the biggest hunks on the football team, and Brian was escorted by Darla and me, doing our best to look like two girls who just couldn't get enough of Brian. It felt funny to be holding on to his muscular arm, and realize that I was so much smaller and weaker than him. I mean, even as Adam, I wasn't as big or as strong as him, but I was really diminutive now. I also felt another feeling, holding his arm, and that feeling bothered me.

"What's wrong?" Darla asked me after the assembly was over.

"I'm not sure," I told her, "but I felt funny holding on to Brian."

"Like maybe he's really big and attractive and I'm small and weak, and I wonder what he thinks of me?" Darla asked.

My heart skipped. "That's it exactly," I told her. "How did you know?"

Darla laughed, "Honey, you may be the smartest girl in the class, but sometimes you can be downright dense. You think I didn't feel the same way? It's all those female hormones kicking in. We're girls now, remember? Boys are supposed to look good to us."

"But inside, we're guys," I protested.

"Yes," she agreed, "but our bodies don't know that. They just react the way nature intended."

"Then we've got to be extra careful," I said, looking back at the podium where Jackie was getting a big kiss from Brian to the cheers of the students still in the auditorium. I had a bad feeling that Jackie was going to have to be extra careful.

Another week slipped by. The Former Boy's Club didn't need any formal meetings, for we met often to put together posters for Jackie and Brian's campaign. Also, Jackie and I were in the stands for the first girl's basketball game of the year. Darla came in off the bench late in the third quarter and managed to score eight points - a significant accomplishment in girl's basketball.

Me? I kept plugging away at my schoolwork. I had found to my pleasant surprise that class was actually a lot more fun when you were prepared. American History was a breeze, and I found myself reading material outside class which related to the period we were studying. Physics was still rough, but I had gotten the hang of it and would be able to ace the course. Algebra had gotten particularly easy since I had been tutoring Robbie. Yes, I was still meeting with him after school if he didn't have football practice. He had been a perfect gentleman, too. I had always thought him a bit wild when I was a boy. I guessed he was just a little shy around girls.

The class that threatened to be my Waterloo was still Home Ec. I studied, I helped mom, and I paid attention in class, but everything I did wasn't enough. Oh, I had actually raised my grade to a higher B, but I calculated that I would need over one-hundred percent on the final to ace the course. I had to work out an extra credit project so I could get my A. I asked Ms Sherman what I could do.

"Amanda, your cooking skills are very good. If I had to grade you on that alone, I would give you your A," she told me after class. "It's your sewing skills that need improvement. Here."

She handed me what I had come to realize was a dress pattern. The drawing showed a cocktail dress with a very stylishly short skirt and thin spaghetti straps. It seemed to shimmer in the picture. I found myself wondering what it would look like on me.

"I want you to make this dress," she told me. "Pick the material and have it done by the last day of class. I'd like to see you model the dress, too. Can you do this?"

"Yes, ma'am," I said, more confidently than I actually felt.

"Good. Then I will expect you to wear this dress for me the last day of the semester. Bring appropriate accessories with you. Who knows? If you do a good enough job on it, you can even wear it to the Winter Formal."

Yeah, right, I thought. Dressed in a dress like that, I would be attacked by every boy at the party, assuming I went. I planned to be my old self by then, though, so it wouldn't be a problem.

Before I knew it, I was embarking on my third week as a girl. It was a week I dreaded as well, for Robbie had finally worked up the courage to ask me out on a date. Reluctantly, I agreed to go to the movies with him. When I told Darla and Jackie, they both grinned.

"Now look," I protested, "don't start laughing at me."

"We just thought it was about time," Darla said. "Jackie and I have already been dating guys."

"What?"

"That's right," Jackie agreed. "I started dating Brian last weekend, and Darla had a date with Kyle Morgan last Saturday." Kyle Morgan was a big first string tackle on the football team. He was a handsome black guy, about six three or so. I imagined he and Darla made the proverbial "cute couple."

"But why didn't I know about this?" I asked.

"Well," Darla explained, "we haven't had a meeting of the Former Boy's Club in a few days, and you were busy studying all last weekend, so we didn't have a good opportunity to tell you."

"What... what was it like?" I asked cautiously.

"A little strange at first," Darla admitted. Then, with a smile, "I guess it was a lot strange. I felt like a queer at first, a big guy like Kyle putting his arm around me and all. But after awhile, it felt okay."

"Did he...?"

"Kiss me? He sure did, honey. And it felt good, too. Now, stop worrying. That's all we did. I still want to get back to being Darren. I was just a little curious. Besides, he bought me a pizza and took me to the movies. It was all free for me."

"Anyhow, enjoy yourself," Jackie told me. "When are you going out - Saturday?"

"No, Friday," I replied. Saturday was the other day I dreaded. It was my eighteenth birthday, and I was going to have to celebrate it as a girl. I could imagine what I was going to get for presents. At least Nancy would be there.

Friday night went okay. I tried to think of Robbie as just a friend and tried to think of myself as being Adam again. I was in jeans for our date, so I thought I could keep up my Adam fantasy a little better than if I had worn a skirt. Dinner wasn't part of the plan, so Robbie and I went straight to the movies.

Several new adventure films were just starting to come out, and I expected Robbie to choose one of them. To my dismay, he picked one that had been out for a few weeks called What Dreams May Come. It was a romance about life after death. I had to admit, it was a pretty good movie. I even found myself a little teary in spots. Damned hormones.

We went out for a Coke after the movie.

"You know," Robbie said to me over our Cokes, "I really have to thank you for getting me through Algebra. That B on the last couple of quizzes is saving my bacon. Coach couldn't believe it. He even congratulated me in front of the team last night after the game."

I smiled at him. I was actually starting to like Robbie. He treated me... well, like a lady. "I'm glad I could help," I told him. I was, too. By helping him, I had been helping myself. Robbie got his B on the last two quizzes, but I got the highest A in the class on them.

"Look," he said hesitantly, "How would you like to go to the Winter Formal with me?"

I was too stunned to answer right away. What was I going to do? Then, I remembered that the night of the formal was the night all of us were due to see Loretta. I guessed it wouldn't hurt to tell him yes. If everything went as I hoped, I would be Adam again by that night, and Robbie wouldn't even remember that Amanda had ever existed. If I failed to regain my manhood, well... Who could say? Maybe Amanda Sue James would need a shoulder to cry on then. Robbie's was a good a shoulder as any.

"Sure, Robbie," I replied with a happy smile I didn't really feel. "I'd love to go with you."

We talked for a while longer, mostly about Robbie's ambition to play college football and go on to the pros. I knew a lot of it was male bravado. I had played football with Robbie. He might be able to play for a small college team, but he wasn't good enough to make it to the pros.

When he dropped me off, I let him kiss me. I really couldn't think of anything else to do. Was I attracted to Robbie? Not really, I thought as I got ready for bed, the taste of Robbie's chaste kiss still on my lips. I was relieved that I didn't really feel anything. I didn't want to think about being attracted to a boy. After all, I planned to be one again in about a month.

I was a little worried about Darla and Jackie, though. They seemed to be getting into this girl stuff a lot more than I was. Darla could probably handle Kyle, I realized. He was a real gentleman anyway. Of course, if Darla made the moves, Kyle was bound to respond. Still, I couldn't see her doing that. She was having fun playing at being a girl, but I didn't think she would endanger her chance to return to being both male and white.

Jackie was another story, though. I could see her getting involved with Brian. I'm sure that at first, she just batted those long, thick eyelashes at him to get him to run for office with her. But Brian was a good looking guy, though. Even as Adam, I had known that. As Amanda, I had to ruefully admit to myself that I got a little sexual tingle every time he smiled and looked at me with his big brown eyes. Jackie was risking her masculinity, and I knew it.

"How was your date, Little Sister?" Nancy asked, poking her head in my room.

"Okay," I said noncommittally as I slipped on my pajamas. "Why aren't you out with Brad?"

She sat down next to me on the bed. "I wasn't feeling well, so I came home early," she told me. "My period is a little rough this month."

I winced at the thought of that. I had been a girl now for - what? - two weeks. Some time in the next couple of weeks, I would have to suffer through one of... those. I wasn't looking forward to it.

"You sound as if Robbie isn't exactly the boy of your dreams," she commented.

"There is no boy of my dreams," I told her. "Wait, that's not true. Adam James is the boy of my dreams. I want to be him."

Nancy made a sympathetic face. "Has it really been that bad for you?"

That was a question that had been nagging at me for several days. It was time for me to be honest about it with the one person I was starting to trust with my true feelings. It was funny how close I had become to Nancy since my change. "No, Nancy, it hasn't been that bad. I actually like being a good student. It's made school a lot more fun. I feel like I could do anything - be anything I wanted. It's a great feeling. If I get back to being Adam, I'm going to do my best to keep my grades up. Even with my first three years of mediocre grades, I might be able to get into some college and make something of myself. I'll always be grateful that this experience opened my eyes to new opportunities."

Nancy was silent as I caught my breath and continued, "But as for being a girl, it's just hard to get used to it. I feel as if I'm a transvestite every time I put on a dress and heels, and I feel as if I'm gay every time I'm with Robbie, particularly when I let him kiss me. I guess I'm just not cut out to be a girl."

"Fair enough," Nancy said. She gave me a sisterly hug. "For what it's worth, though, I loved you as Adam and I love you as Amanda. It's been really fun to have a sister, even for a little while."

I lay awake in bed for some time, just thinking about my situation. I had a good chance of making straight A's, but there was no guarantee. Physics was touch and go, and I still had to make a dress for Home Ec - something I had never done before. I found myself wishing I could accept the part of Amanda the way Jackie and Darla had accepted their roles. Darla had even changed race and was coping better than I. I had no doubt they would both change back to male when and if they had the chance, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves now. I wondered if Loretta was aware that her punishment had fallen a little flat, at least with two of the three members of the Former Boy's Club. Well, I thought, drifting asleep, two weeks down and five to go.

That night, I had a new and unsettling experience. I had a dream, but in the dream, I was Amanda for the first time instead of Adam. I was at a party, and there was a boy there. He was with me, I realized, as he gently put his hand around my waist. Music was playing, loud and slow, and the room was fairly dark, accented with colored lights. I had never seen the boy before, but he looked a little like Nancy's boyfriend, Brad. The boy pulled me to him, crushing my breasts against his body, and we slowly drifted around as the music played. Over his shoulder, I could see Darla dancing with Kyle and Jackie dancing with Brian, but both of them were busy watching me, sly little smiles on their faces. I felt myself beginning to smile back...

"Happy Birthday, sweetheart!"

The voices were a chorus, made up of my mother, father, and Nancy. They laughed when they saw my sleepy reaction. Damn, I thought to myself. I was going to have to celebrate my eighteenth birthday in the body of a girl. The only good to come out of it was that I wouldn't have to register with Selective Service. It wasn't exactly an even trade.

"Hurry down," my mom said. "We'll give you your presents over breakfast."

I don't know what I had really wanted for my birthday as Adam. I had asked for a couple of computer games and three or four CD's, but nothing like that was in evidence when I sat down to breakfast. All of the packages were either way too large or way too small.

My Aunt Lynne struck again. She got me a dress that would have made me look like a twelve year old. Of course, she had never been able to buy for me when I was Adam either. I guessed some things never changed.

Nancy gave me an engraved ankle bracelet. It had my initials - or at least my new initials - engraved on the side on a tiny charm. "Thanks, Nancy," I said with a smile I didn't feel.

"I thought you'd like it," she replied smoothly. There was no grin on her lips, but there was one in her eyes.

"Oh, I do! I just love it!" I said, the irony subtle enough that only Nancy and I understood it. We gave each other a genuinely sisterly smile then.

My parents had gotten me a new dress - one which mom thought I had pined over three weeks before. Of course, I hadn't been a girl three weeks before, but she didn't know it. She also got me a new makeup assortment. Oh goody. Just what I needed.

And that was it - clothes, makeup and an ankle bracelet. What a winning combination that was. I could have just cried, but everyone (except maybe Nancy) would have only thought they were tears of joy. Fat chance there.

The other two members of the Former Boy's Club made it worse. They showed up about noon with a birthday card for me. It showed a well-muscled guy with a flat stomach and nice ass with the caption of "We were going to get you this for your birthday..." on the front. Inside, the message said, "... but we wanted to try it out first just to make sure it's safe!"

"Gee, thanks, guys," I growled in the safety of my room as they both smirked. I don't know what upset me more - the fact that they would think to get me such a card or the fact that my brain had somehow labeled the guy on the front as having a nice ass. That was starting to bother me. When I had first been changed, I continued to gaze at the girls whenever I could. Now, though, I found myself looking more clinically at girls to determine how they did their hair and makeup and what they wore. Guys, on the other hand... No, I didn't want to think about it. Whether I wanted to or not, I was starting to look at guys in a different way.

"Oh, loosen up, Amanda," Darla said, looking at the dress from my aunt with a critical eye. "How old does your aunt think you are, anyway?"

"You should see how she dresses my cousins," I groaned.

"Well, this one is nice," Jackie said, holding up the dress my parents had gotten me in front of the mirror. I had to admit, it was a nice dress. It was sort of a dark green velvet-like material, very short, and on Jackie, it would look sensational.

"Look, what's with you guys?" I said in exasperation. "I thought we were going to fight this transformation. You both act like you'd rather stay this way."

Jackie laughed, "Well, not really, but it isn't as bad as I thought it would be. It's actually kind of fun to tease the guys and make them follow you around with their tongues hanging out. Remember Jed Marshall?"

"Yeah," I said. "He was the guy who threatened to beat the crap out of you last fall for coming on to his sister."

"Well you should have seen him coming on to me yesterday," Jackie continued. "I thought he was going to pull it out in the school cafeteria. He even asked me out tonight."

"Are you going out with him?" I asked, planning on not being surprised if she said yes.

"Nope. Brian and I are going to the movies tonight. You want to go, too? You could go with Robbie."

"No," I said, admitting reluctantly, "I went to the movies with him last night."

"So you're Dating, too!" Darla chuckled.

"It wasn't a date!" I protested. "I mean, it was, but there's nothing... serious about it."

"Well, maybe there's nothing serious about Jackie going to the movies with Brian, or me going out with Kyle," Darla pointed out. "Look, none of us are Catholic, so there's no reason to act like nuns. Besides, none of us are going to do anything serious with these guys if we want to get back to our male bodies again."

"And you still want to be male again?" I asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Darla said seriously.

"Sure," Jackie added. Why was it that I thought Jackie was a little slow to respond?

After they had gone, I spent most of the day studying. I had a major paper due in History, and I had a lot of math to catch up on. Mom and Nancy went out with me to select material for the dress. I was happy to have them along, for they had a good idea of material that would look soft and feminine without being too difficult to work on. I knew if I was to get my A, the dress would have to look sexy and professionally made.

We went out as a family to celebrate my birthday. Dad took us to a nice restaurant with a continental atmosphere. That meant dresses and heels, so I wore my new dress to please my parents. I had to admit, it looked really great with my auburn hair.

We had eaten early because Nancy had a date with Brad. She was going to bring him over to meet with the entire family. When I had been Adam, my parents and I had discussed that this guy looked like the real thing for Nancy. Brad was all she could talk about. So we were all looking forward to seeing him again. I figured he was very likely to end up being my future brother-in-law. I only wished that I could talk with him as his future brother-in-law instead of as his future sister-in-law.

None of us changed clothes when we got home. Nancy and Brad were going to a dance at the local country club, so they would be dressed up. We wanted to be, too, or at least my parents wanted to. Me? I would have been happy to get out of the dress, but when in Rome...

When Brad came in, he looked really great. Of course, I hadn't seen him before as a girl. Even though I hadn't been a girl very long, I could tell that Brad was just about the most handsome guy that had ever walked in our front door. He was about six two with wavy brown hair and blues eyes that sparkled when he smiled, which was often. His suit was well tailored and showed off an impressive physique. He was charming as well. When he saw me, he shook hands warmly, looking me straight in the eye without so much as a curious glance at my breasts. I found myself thinking Nancy was a lucky girl.

"Why don't you turn off your car and come in for a few minutes?" my father asked, gesturing at Brad's car which was still running in the driveway.

"Thanks, but I can't," he said. "My brother, Steve, is out in the car. We had dinner with some old family friends tonight, and I'm going to drop him off over at my grandmother's house on the way to the party."

"I think my family would love to meet Steve," my sister said suddenly. There was a twinkle in her eye. What was she up to? I wondered.

I knew what she was up to the minute I saw Steve. He was wearing a suit like his brother's and nearly as good looking as Brad and equally charming. He was also about my age. And he... Alarm bells began going off in my head. My sister was matchmaking!

"Say," she said offhandedly, "why don't Steve and Amanda both come with us to the dance?"

Things moved in slow motion for a moment. I was ready to protest. I was about to tell them that I had a pile of studying to do (and I did), but before I could say it, Steve looked at me and smiled, his blue eyes as easy to get lost in as his brother's. "I'd be pleased to escort you tonight, Amanda, if you'd allow me to."

I had never considered myself a romantic, either male or female, but I suddenly felt a warmth in my breasts. No one had ever said anything so... so... charming to me in my entire life. I couldn't say no. It just wouldn't be polite to say no.

"Well, what do you say, Little Sister?"

"Uh... sure, I'd love to go," I said more awkwardly than I would have liked. "I just need a minute to... to... freshen up." I gave him a smile which must have made me look like the village idiot. I hoped my face wasn't turning red, but I was sure it was.

Nancy followed me upstairs. "This is great!" she gushed. "We get to go out as sisters on a double date. Wouldn't it be something if you liked Steve as much as I like Brad? Can't you just imagine - "

Nancy, slow down!" I ordered when we were in the bathroom. Unconsciously, I pulled a lipstick out of my purse and freshened my lips for the first time since dinner. "I'm not going to marry the guy. I just met him. And besides, you and Brad set this up, didn't you?"

"Well..."

"You did set this up!" I said triumphantly. "I told you I wasn't interested in guys."

"No, you just said there wasn't any boy of your dreams," she pointed out. "And specifically, you said Robbie wasn't the boy of your dreams. I just thought it was time you met someone who wasn't a second-stringer in the game of life."

"You mean Steve."

She smiled. "He's really cute, isn't he?"

I was silent.

"Come on, Amanda," she coaxed. "Admit it now. He's cute, isn't he?"

"I guess so," I replied reluctantly. Okay, I said to myself, he's cute. He's really cute. He's really, really, really... oh, hell!

"Then come on," she said, taking me by the arm. "Let's go have some fun."

It was fun, too - there was no denying that. Steve was everything that Robbie wasn't. Robbie wasn't so bad, but he lacked style. Steve had style. He was an accomplished conversationalist, a great dancer, and cute as cute could be. All right, I had to admit to myself. I was beginning to find boys attractive. I supposed it was unavoidable. I had all the right hormones and plumbing to find boys attractive. It had just taken a little time for it to seep through my brain.

Talking with Steve was easy. He seemed to be interested in everything. He was an A student and seemed genuinely pleased that I was, too. "Beauty and brains," he commented with a smile that could melt lead.

I blushed at the compliment. I had noticed since becoming a girl that many boys were intimidated by smart girls. That had been fine with me. I wanted them intimidated. But for some reason, I didn't want to intimidate Steve. I wanted him to like me. Apparently, he did.

I had never danced with a boy either, and I'm sure I must have been awkward at first, but I got the hang of moving backward on high heels. I was just glad he had his arm firmly around my waist - to keep me from falling, that is. Well, that's not really true, I realized. I just liked having his arm around me.

When Brad and Steve dropped Nancy and me off at the house, I found I was disappointed to find the evening at an end. Brad and Nancy stopped by the front door and melded into a close embrace. That left Steve and me a few paces behind, holding hands. I began to feel a gentle tug from Steve. I suddenly realized the next move would be up to me. I turned toward him, ready to give him the old sisterly kiss, but I found in that instant that I wanted to give him more. I pressed against him, kissing him warmly. There was a tingling in my nipples that threatened to become intense, but I didn't care. I put my arms around his neck and pressed him closer.

The spell was broken when I heard Brad tell Nancy good night. Reluctantly, I stepped back from Steve. "I had a terrific time," I breathed softly.

He gave me another award-winning smile. "So did I."

And then, they drove away.

"Well, Little Sister," Nancy said as we made our way to our rooms, "I assume you liked Steve."

"You assume correctly," I said with a smile. "I guess I forgive you for setting that date up."

I was still smiling as I got into bed. I wondered when Nancy had come up with the plan to have me date Steve. My smile suddenly disappeared. Nancy had said she was part of a witch's coven, but I had seen no evidence of any powers on her part, unless... Was it possible that she had cast a spell on me to cause me to be attracted to Steve?

And what about my initial transformation? Now that I thought of it, how did she know about it? She had walked into my room that first night already knowing that I had been transformed. Wasn't it terribly convenient that my sister was part of a coven led by a woman who transformed me and my friends into girls? But no, that didn't make sense. After all, Nancy had warned me not to go up to the Bancroft place. Why would she warn me unless she wanted to keep me from getting into trouble?

I sighed. It was all so confusing. I would have to sort it all out later. Now, it was time to sleep, so I drifted off to sleep thinking pleasant thoughts about my wonderful evening with Steve.

The next week started out great. I went to school on Monday still thinking about Steve. He had called me on Sunday and we had talked about... well, about everything. When we finally hung up, I realized we had talked for over an hour - yet it had seemed much shorter. The great news was that he and his family were going to be at his grandmother's for Thanksgiving. He wanted to see me again! We agreed to get together on Friday after lunch and spend the afternoon (and possibly the evening) together. That had me in a happy mood on Monday. I had a short school week to look forward to, followed by Thanksgiving, and then a day with Steve. What could be better? I realized my thoughts about Steve were as girlish as girlish could be, but I didn't care. Maybe Darla and Jackie were right. It was time for me to loosen up a little and enjoy a brief girlhood. After all, if things went well - and they seemed to be going well - I would be male again shortly. Then, I would wonder what I ever saw in Steve, so I might as well enjoy it while it lasted.

Things were going well for Darla and Jackie as well. Darla's performance off the bench had earned her a starting assignment in Saturday's game. That meant she would officially meet the first requirement Loretta had given her. As for the second - avoidance of sex - she seemed to be able to hold Kyle at arm's length when she need to. I had to say Darla was well on her way to being Darren again.

As for Jackie, the election was the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and the Party Party rolled over its opponents. Brian and Jackie both won their elections, with Jackie trailing Brian's total by only a handful of votes. Jackie had become a very popular girl, and there was already talk that she would be tapped to be the chairperson for the Spring Formal. Although there was no way of telling for certain, I was sure Jackie had met the first requirement for her re-conversion into Jack. My only worry was the second requirement. She and Brian were practically inseparable. They had become so close that it was almost as if they were the same person. I was very concerned that they would consummate their relationship before we had a chance to change back. I didn't want to see the Former Boy's Club broken up when it became the Boy's Club again.

As for me, my grades continued to improve. I was beginning to feel as if I would get those straight A's. All I needed to do was continue to keep my nose to the grindstone and do a decent job on that dress for Home Ec and I would be there. As for the second requirement, no problem. After an evening with Steve, Robbie was strictly second rate. I spent the week avoiding him as much as possible. My tutoring sessions with him had ended, as he seemed to have caught up in Algebra. I spent most of the week lying low. Whenever, I would see him, I'd either make sure I was in a larger group or duck into an office or classroom.

Wednesday morning, that was how I ended up in the counselor's office again.

"Amanda, I've been meaning to set up a meeting with you," Mrs. Gibson called cheerfully.

The last time I had ducked into the counselor's office, it had been to avoid Cindy Sellers when I was still Adam. Now, ironically, I was in her office again, this time to avoid Robbie. Whoever said the more things change, the more they stay the same may have been right.

"I've been reviewing your transcript," she said with a smile. "It looks like you have a great chance at being Valedictorian this year."

I did? I hadn't even thought of that possibility. This was certainly a change from the last time I had ducked into Mrs. Gibson's office, I told myself. Instead of being told I was the poster child for underachievement, I was being touted as the top student in my class.

"Have you given any thought to where you'll be going to college?"

As Adam, she had recommended that I forget college and learn a trade. Now it seemed the sky was the limit. "Not really," I said honestly.

"Well, you should start thinking about it," she told me. "Many of the best schools fill up fast."

"I don't know that my parents could afford to send me to any of the best schools," I replied honestly.

"Well, they are expensive," she admitted, "and there are always a lot more good athletic scholarships than scholastic ones, but with your record, I think you can get a good one. For that matter, there are several scholarships at the University of Missouri that would pay a significant share of your costs. It's a state university, but it's a very good one."

We talked for awhile, and the more we talked, the more excited I got. I had an opportunity to go to college and be anything I wanted to be. What would I be? A doctor? A lawyer? I could be anything, I realized as I walked proudly out of her office. I could...

No, I couldn't, I realized sadly. When I returned to being Adam, I would inherit my old grade point. Oh, I had learned my lesson, and my grades senior year as Adam would be good, but not good enough to get into the college of my choice, or good enough to earn a valuable scholarship. No, the only way I could catch the brass ring was to remain in skirts, and even the promise of an impressive academic career wouldn't be enough to dissuade me from returning to my male self.

I felt a little sick by noon and thought that it was just my realization that in a few weeks, the sky wouldn't be the limit anymore, but it was more than that. I was really getting to be physically sick. As the day wore on, I began to feel worse, with cramping and a throbbing pain in my right side. Fortunately, classes were out early. Darla and Jackie were going to hang around with Kyle and Brian, so I took the bus home. As I walked to my house, I began to feel worse and worse.

Fortunately, Nancy was in the living room when I walked in. She looked at me with alarm. "My god, Amanda, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," I replied. "I feel awful."

She took me to the bathroom and told me to sit on the toilet. As I weakly sat and peeled off my panties, I was suddenly alarmed by a dark bloody stain on them. I nearly panicked until I realized what it meant. "Nancy," I called nearly crying. "You've got to help me. I'm having my period!"

"You're being such a baby," she commented as she entered the bathroom with a box of Tampax. "I told you about periods."

She had, too, but she hadn't mentioned that I would feel so crappy. My abdomen was cramping, and I felt like I had a nasty case of the flu. She went over again how to apply the "sanitary napkin." God, what a terrible name for it.

"Do I have to wear this?" I whined.

"Well, I could get you a Tampon, but they're a little evasive. I don't think you'd care much for one right now," she explained. "By the way, there's a bottle of Midol in the medicine cabinet. It might make you feel a little more human."

She was right, it did. Still, I went to bed feeling crummy. Nancy insisted I change the napkin since, in her words, I was starting "the heaviest flow." If I had ever harbored any thoughts about remaining as a girl, my first period was enough to change my mind. I managed to fall into an uncomfortable sleep while praying for a quick and merciful death.

I was feeling considerably better by morning. I managed to stumble down for a glass of juice and some cereal. Mom was already starting the Thanksgiving turkey, and Nancy was helping.

"You don't know how luck you are," Nancy said quietly while mom was out of the room. "If she wasn't feeling sorry for you with your period, you'd be in here helping, too."

Oh yes, I realized. Making Thanksgiving dinner was women's work while the men sat around the TV and watched football. That was another good reason to run back to masculinity as quickly as my shapely legs could carry me.

"You'd better get dressed," mom told me. "The family will be here shortly." Thanksgiving was one of those big family holidays at our house. Aunt Lynne and Uncle Dan would be in from St Joe with their two kids, and my grandparents would be there. "And, Amanda, wear that dress your aunt got you for your birthday."

The indignities seemed unending, I thought. First, I was having my period. Next, I would have to help cook while all my male relatives were having a good time. And now, I would have to wear that horrible white dress with white lace that made me look like Alice in Wonderland's best friend.

"I can't wear this," I grumbled to Nancy.

"You don't have a choice," she said. "Try it with white hose and that pair of one inch winter white pumps in your closet. It won't look too bad."

She was right, it didn't, but I still felt like a twelve year old in it.

I had to admit, the day wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. First, I started feeling better. With a little bit of Midol in my system, my period was actually becoming tolerable. Next, I found the skills I had gained in Home Ec actually made working in the kitchen almost fun. I had never realized how creative cooking could be. Besides, I remembered the old family tradition that the women cooked, but the men cleaned up. I was looking forward to relaxing with my female relatives while the men cleaned up.

It was also the first time I had been required to interact with many of my relatives as a girl. I found it wasn't so hard. Aunt Lynne was actually fun to be around, in spite of her poor taste in clothes. My grandmother proved to be a bit saltier than I had realized when just we girls were around. The only negative side of the coin was that my two cousins, one twelve and the other ten and both boys, weren't intimidated by me as Amanda. As Adam, I had always had them cowed.

After all the relatives left, I dragged myself back to my room. I thought maybe I could sleep through the rest of my period. It wasn't to be, though. I got into my pajamas and was just getting ready for bed when my phone rang. Yes, my phone. That was one of the advantages of being a girl, I guessed. I got my own private phone.

"Amanda?" a very tired Jackie asked.

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

"I'm dying." I knew the problem. It made sense. We all became girls at the same time, so our cycles were probably about the same.

"I know the feeling," I told her.

"You know what's funny about it?"

I didn't think there was anything funny about it, but I asked, "What?"

"I'm hornier than a hoot owl."

"Jackie!"

"Oh, don't be such a prude, Amanda. You weren't this prudish when you were a guy."

No, I wasn't, I realized. I think I had subconsciously decided that getting my straight A's would take too much time and effort to be diverted by an active social life. Of course, if I ever wanted to be male again, sex in this body was out of the question. "I'm not a prude. I just don't want to... to get involved."

"I don't blame you," she said. "Robbie's a putz. Why don't you find another guy? Live a little before you go back to being Adam."

We talked for a little longer, but I wasn't really listening. I was too busy thinking about what she had said. We finally agreed to meet Saturday morning, and I hung up.

Come to think of it, Robbie really was a putz. He hadn't been that good a friend when I was Adam, so why had I agreed to date him? I supposed the real reason was that he made a good excuse. That's right, Amanda, he's an excuse. When I was with Robbie, I appeared to be in a normal boy-girl relationship. That meant all the other boys would stay back. Don't bother asking Amanda - she's going with Robbie. It was a reasonable match, too. Robbie was athletic, made decent grades - especially after my help in Algebra - and was probably considered a pretty decent catch. When I was with him, he was always on his best behavior. I had to admit, he wasn't a bad looking guy. The problem was that there was just no spark. When I looked at Robbie, I saw just a friend, and not a particularly good one at that.

The phone rang again. I figured it was Darla. Jackie had said that she was breezing through her period. She was probably calling up to razz me about mine.

"Yeah," I practically growled into the phone.

There was a moment of silence - then, "Amanda?"

Oh god, it was Steve! "Steve, I'm sorry. I thought it was someone else. Please forgive me." Why was I being so damned obsequious? Please forgive me, master!

"Oh, I'm sorry to be calling you this late."

"It's not late," I said sweetly.

"I just wanted to see what time you wanted to go out tomorrow."

I felt like hell and almost told him not to come over, but I figured I would feel better after a full night's sleep. We finally agreed on noon. That would give me time to sleep in. Then, we talked for another half hour. We talked about nothing in particular, but it was fun. When I hung up, I felt better than I had felt all day.

It was a good thing Steve wasn't in high school with me, I realized soberly. I was really starting to like him. I guess part of it was that I had never known him as Adam, so I didn't have that baggage to carry around. I only saw him as a girl would see him, and I had to describe him as cute and sweet.

Nancy would probably marry his brother. That meant when I got back to being Adam, Steve would be her brother-in-law, and I'd probably have to know him as a male. That bothered me. I was really attracted to Steve. He was everything in my mind that Robbie wasn't. I didn't have a gay bone in my body, so what was I going to do when I knew him as Adam? It was going to be as difficult to see him from the male perspective as it had been to see all my old high school friends from the female one.

To hell with it, I though as I began to drift off to sleep. I'd solve that problem when it happened. In the mean time, I would have a great time as a girl with Steven. It might be the last time I had a chance.

"Going somewhere?"

My sister was smirking at me as I was applying eyeliner carefully to my eyes. I was dressed in a burgundy cropped pullover and a pair of jeans that fit snuggly against my trim waist. I had on a pair of low cut black boots with a two inch heel. The necklace I wore seemed to draw the eye down to my considerable breasts. In short, I looked hot.

"Just going to hang out with Steve for the afternoon," I said casually.

"You've spent more time in this bathroom today than you do getting ready for church," she commented. "So what do you think of Steve?"

"He's nice," I said as matter-of-factly as I could, putting down the eyeliner and starting on my lips.

"Just nice?"

I turned to her. "Aren't we the little matchmaker today?"

"If you like him enough to do all this for him, maybe you should stay as Amanda," she said. "It wouldn't be that hard. Just screw up that dress you've been working on and you'll get a B in Home Ec. Then, you can have Steve forever."

The thought had crossed my mind, and it wasn't an unpleasant thought. What would it be like, I wondered, to be a girl forever? I mean, being Amanda and being with Steve sounded like a decent lifetime plan. I could visualize the two of us, still together a decade in the future. We would both be young professionals, our lives filled with interesting work, a nice house, children, and - most importantly - each other. When I thought of it like that, it didn't seem to be a bad fate. What was the alternative? I could be Adam again with limited prospects, no girl friend, and have to look at my sister's brother-in-law and wonder what might have been. No, I had to stop thinking of that. But I couldn't.

Steve was right on time. He really looked sharp in jeans and a leather bomber jacket. I promised myself that if I got back to being Adam again, I'd get a jacket just like it. Adam thoughts took a back seat, though, because the first thing he did when he saw me was put an arm around me and pull me toward him into a strong kiss. I should have objected; I should have pulled away. I didn't, though. My arms moved almost involuntarily around him as I lost myself in the kiss.

Would it be so bad to be Amanda forever? No, I thought dreamily as we held each other. It wouldn't be bad at all. As we embraced, I began to feel a nagging sensation in my nipples and between my legs. I had never experienced anything quite like it, even that first night as a girl when I experimentally touched myself. What would it be like? I wondered in those moments. What would it be like to be lying on my back, my legs spread, a wet, hot sensation between them, waiting for someone like Steve... No, not just someone like Steve. Waiting for Steve to plunge into me. What would it be like?

"Where would you like to go?" he asked softly when we had finished our kiss.

"Well, we could go into Kansas City for the afternoon," I suggested. "It's a nice day. We could go over to the Plaza and see all the Christmas decorations."

"Great," he agreed. "You'll have to tell me how to get there."

The Plaza bills itself as the oldest shopping center in the country. I don't know about that, but it is one of the prettiest. Unlike modern malls, it is actually several blocks of shops whose appearance is very Mediterranean. Surrounded by fountains and parks, it is a beautiful summer sight. In the winter, its Christmas decorations are incredible.

We spent the afternoon together, walking briskly in the cool winter air from store to store, stopping occasionally to get something to drink or to do a little Christmas shopping. It was a magical afternoon, made more fantastic as the winter sun began to set and the thousands of white lights around the Plaza came on. As we finished our afternoon, we stopped at Annie Santa Fe's for dinner, then walked slowly back to the car, holding each other closely - not so much for warmth as for companionship. In that moment, I realized to myself, if Loretta had appeared in front of me and said, "You must change back now or remain Amanda forever," I would have gladly remained as I was. I was content to be a girl - Steve's girl - forever.

"You're quiet," Steve observed as we drove home in the winter darkness.

"Just thinking," I said softly. And I was. I was thinking of my life and what a hash I had made of it as Adam. I was thinking about what Loretta would say if I told her I wanted to remain as Amanda. I was thinking about what the other two members of the Former Boy's Club would say. For that matter, would Loretta allow me to remain? She hadn't meant for my transformation to be a reward - it was supposed to be a punishment.

Maybe if I... I... had sex with Steve, then I would have no choice but to remain a girl. I would have failed one of the conditions. No, I thought, even that wasn't possible. I was still having my period. Granted, it had slowed down to a trickle, but it was still there. I remembered as Adam all the gross stories we told each other about guys having sex with girls while they were still "on the rag." It didn't sound pleasant, and as stupid as it seemed, I wanted my first time as a girl to be very pleasant.

We had agreed to go to a movie that evening, but Steve wanted to drop by his grandmother's house first. "She lives alone," he explained as we drove into Millikin, "and she really doesn't get along with my dad. She says he's too much like his own father. My grandparents have been divorced for years, so my grandmother doesn't like to be reminded of him."

"She sounds like a strong willed woman," I commented.

"Oh, she is that," he agreed. "Wait until you meet her."

I began to have a bad feeling - women's intuition? - as we entered his grandmother's neighborhood. It was in an older part of Millikin, but it was a part of town with which I had become recently very familiar. It couldn't be, I told myself. There were a lot of old houses in the neighborhood. It didn't have to be that one, but it was: the Bancroft Mansion.

Steve's grandmother was Loretta Bancroft.

"Are you all right?" Steve asked as we stopped in front of the large, looming house.

"Oh... yes," I managed. I had to act normal. It was possible - no probable - that Steve didn't know who I really was. Then again, maybe he did. But if he did know, why had he brought me over to meet her? My heart practically stopped as I looked at the house. Maybe he did know she was a witch, and maybe he had brought me to see her so she could lay an additional spell on me - maybe a love spell so I would do anything he asked.

"Then let's go," he said, getting out of the car. "I've told her so much about you."

I suspected she knew a lot more about me than Steve could ever tell her. Reluctantly, I took his hand when he came around the car to get me. I felt like a lamb being led to the slaughter, but what choice did I have? If I ran, Loretta could surely catch me. Besides, what effect would running out on her grandson have on my chances of returning to my old life.

"Granny, it's me, Steve," he called, pulling me inside the house. "I've got someone with me I'd like you to meet."

"Hello, Steven." The voice came from a small study off the main hall. I was sure there had been no one there a moment earlier. The voice was older than the voice I remembered from Halloween night. As she stepped out of the shadows, I could see it was certainly Loretta, but she looked much older now. When I had met her the night of my transformation, she had appeared to be about the age of my mother. Now, she was perhaps twenty years older from all appearances. Her hair was gray, and her skin bore small wrinkles. She moved more slowly as well, but in spite of the addition of twenty years, she still carried herself with the bearing of an important woman.

"Granny, this is Amanda James. She's Nancy's sister."

Loretta smiled. "I'm Loretta Bancroft - Brad and Steve's grandmother," she said in a friendly tone as if she had never seen me before in her life. "I'm so pleased to meet you. I've heard so much about you from your sister and Steve."

I'll just bet she had. I had been set up. It was as simple as that. It was Loretta who had transformed me into the girl I now was, and she had planted the seeds of attraction to Steve. Nancy had nurtured the seeds, making sure I met Steve at just the right time. The only thing I wasn't sure of was if Steve had known all the time who I was or if he was as much of a pawn in this affair as I was. Either way, it wasn't going to work. I knew too much now, and I could resist Steve. It was a shame, because I was really starting to like him. I was beginning to think life as a girl at Steve's side could be all the life I would ever need. Now, though, it could never be.

"Steve, I left my reading glasses upstairs by my bed," she announced. "Could you be a sweet boy and get them for me?"

"Sure, Granny," he said, taking the steps up to the bedrooms two at a time.

When he was out of earshot, Loretta smiled at me and said, "He will actually take several minutes to find them. I have slowed him down in time. If you could see him now, he would be barely moving, but in his mind, time is normal."

"You did this to me just so you could get Steve and I together, didn't you?" I asked pointedly.

"Don't flatter yourself, dear," she replied, changing as I watched her into the attractive forty-something woman I had seen Halloween night. "Steve hardly needs help from me finding a suitable girl. Although I must admit, I'm rather pleased with his choice."

In spite of myself, I was pleased. "Are you going to tell me that meeting Steve and fall - I mean, liking him was just random chance?"

She shook her head with a laugh. "Nothing is random chance, dear. Things that are meant to be simply happen. It's not so unusual that you should meet Steve. After all, your sister and his brother are very close. As for the attraction, you are both vibrant, intelligent, and attractive. It's not so odd that you would be attracted to each other."

"I don't believe you." I also didn't believe myself. This woman had the power to transform me; yet I was bearding her in her own den. I wondered if I would have had the self confidence to do this as Adam. Somehow, I didn't think so.

"I will admit your sister probably had a match in mind. She loves you very much, and she realized that you were struggling with your new femininity. She saw introducing you to Steve, a boy she felt you were sure to be attracted to, was the right thing to do. I wasn't so sure. That's why I asked Steve to bring you here tonight."

I gasped, "You asked him to bring me here? Why?"

She led me by the arm to a couch in the living room, then sat down beside me. Looking straight into my eyes, she explained, "My dear, I know you've probably read a lot about witches and about how evil they are. Some are, that's true, but most of us are not."

"Like my sister?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Your sister isn't a witch. Her tale of belonging to my coven was a little white lie. There is no coven. . She didn't want to tell you the true reason she remembered you being Adam, and I can't tell you. That's up to her. Suffice it to say that I am not evil, no matter what you think. I changed you and your friends to teach you a lesson, and each of you seems to have learned her lesson well. If you are permitted to become male again, you will be better men for it.

"The reason I wanted to see you was to let you know that my grandson has no knowledge of my powers. No male in the family can know. His brother and father are unaware as well."

"But I thought Steve's father was your son," I pointed out. "His last name is Russell and yours is Bancroft. Why?"

"Because I always used the Bancroft name in the cosmetics business. When my husband and I divorced, I retained the Bancroft name.""

I was becoming confused. Was she telling the truth? Was it possible that Steve knew nothing of his grandmother's powers and my transformation? And most importantly: "Why are you telling me all of this now?"

"Because I am most concerned with my grandson's happiness. Did you know that Steve does nothing now but talk about you? It's 'Amanda thinks this' and 'Amanda does that.' I wouldn't think that a boy his age could feel so passionately for a girl who he has met only a short time ago. And yet, Amanda, I sense that you are a very special girl."

"But I wasn't even born a girl," I protested. "You know that. Deep down, I'm as male as Steve. And if my grades are all A's, I will be changed back into a boy unless..." I remembered suddenly the second condition for my retransformation. I could not have sex as a girl. I had taken that to heart so well that I had been afraid even to masturbate as a girl. But if Steve were to ask me, what would I say? "You're going to make me have... have sex with Steve, aren't you?"

She gave me a sad, hurt look. "Of course not, child. Haven't you been listening to what I've been telling you? I am not evil, in spite of what you may think. I would never force you and my grandson into a relationship where the only love was a force of magic. That would, in the end, be a hollow love."

I didn't know if I could believe her or not. Her protest had the ring of truth, but how well did I really know her? I had to distance myself from Steve. It was the only way I could make sure I stayed chaste. I was becoming too tempted when I was with him. I had to... to... stop seeing him.

"I cannot stay this way," I told her softly.

"Assuming you have met my conditions, that will be your decision," she replied. "I want you and your friends to meet me here at four o'clock the afternoon of the eighteenth. I expect for your final condition that you will all three present yourselves to me as if you were ready to go to the Winter Formal."

"But if we're changed back, we won't be going to the formal," I pointed out.

She nodded, "That is true, but as yet, there are no guarantees. That moment lies three weeks in the future. Many things may change by then. Now, I must let time return to its normal flow for Steve. Otherwise, he will sense something is wrong."

"I found them, Granny!" Steve called from upstairs. I heard his feet tromping down the stairs and saw him rush into the room. The moment I saw him, I was torn as I had never been torn before. If I accepted that Steve was an innocent party to this affair, how could I help but... but... be attracted to him? But what if Loretta was lying? What if he really knew? Or what if my feelings for him were the result of some perverted love spell? "What have you guys been talking about?"

"Oh, just girl things," Loretta said with a smile, now back to her older, grandmotherly appearance.

"Well, do you want to go to a movie or something, Amanda?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," I said reluctantly. "I've had a long day. I didn't feel too good yesterday, so I should probably go home." For the first time, I was thankful for my period. It gave me the excuse I needed. I had to get away from Steve, or there was no telling what would happen.

His face fell. "Oh, well, if you need to. Sure, I'll take you home." He looked at his grandmother questioningly. Her face was as impassive as I hoped mine was.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Amanda," she said warmly, rising with me. "I hope I'll have the chance to see you again."

I didn't answer, but only smiled.

In the car, I was virtually silent, responding to Steve only with curt a curt "yes" or "no." The few minutes it took to get back to my house were like hours. I was relieved when we finally pulled up in front of my house.

"Are you all right?" he asked me.

"Yes."

He was silent for a moment. Then, "Look, Amanda, I sense there's something wrong. I hope it's not something wrong with me."

"No, Steve, it's not something wrong with you." It was something wrong with me, but how could I tell him that? How could I say to him that I was really a boy who was afraid I was getting too close to him? There was no way I could explain it.

"Well, I'm relieved," he said. "You see, Amanda, I really like you a lot. I wouldn't want anything to come between us."

There was already something between us, I thought. "Neither would I," I lied.

"Let me walk you to the door."

He held me gently as we walked to the door. The Brisk, sunny day was changing into a cold winter night. I had to huddle against him for warmth. I would miss him, I realized. No matter what happened, I would miss him.

At the door, he turned my head toward his and gently kissed me. In spite of the cold, I felt a warm glow infuse my entire body. There was a tingling at my nipples and between my legs. I wanted so desperately to invite him in... to feel his hands caress my body... but I couldn't. I couldn't let myself get in any deeper. Reluctantly, I broke the kiss. "Good night, Steve. I had a wonderful time today." And I did, too. At least until he took me to meet his grandmother. It was a day I would never forget.

"Good night, Amanda. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Sure," I said, knowing I could never talk to him again.

With that, I closed the door quickly so he couldn't see the tears in my eyes.

My parents were out, but Nancy was still home. Brad had needed to go to Columbia to work on a paper for school and wouldn't be back until late. Her door was open, and I could see the look of alarm on her face as I rushed by her door, my makeup running with tears.

"Amanda, what's wrong?"

I tried to slam my door in her face, but damn it, she was bigger and stronger than me now. "Amanda, I need to talk to you," she said firmly, winning the battle at the door inch by inch.

In frustration, I gave up and threw myself on the bed. "Just leave me alone, Nancy!"

My eyes were closed, so I jumped when I felt her arm on my back. She sat down beside me. "I can help," she said.

"You've already helped enough," I said sarcastically, my voice muffled by my pillow. Damn! I was probably getting soggy makeup all over my pillowcase. I hated being a girl! I hated it! I hated it!

"You've been talking with Loretta," she surmised, rubbing my tired shoulders with her hand. It felt good. I hadn't realized how tense I had become.

"Yes," I said softly. "You lied to me, Nancy. How could you?"

"I didn't mean to," she replied sincerely. I could hear her choking back tears of her own. "I just didn't want to tell you the truth about me."

"About you?"

"Yes. You were bound to wonder how I could know you had been Adam when no one else but Darla, Jackie, and Loretta knew. So I made up that story about a coven. The rest of it was true. I really did meet Loretta when she was teaching a class at school, and she really was a cosmetics executive, but there is no coven. But you knew that, didn't you?"

I turned over and sat up, looking in her eyes. They were wet with tears just forming. "So how did you know?"

"Loretta made it so I would know - so I could help you and your friends throughout that first day. I had warned her that you guys might be coming by her house. I wanted to let her know who you were so she didn't hurt any of you."

I looked down at myself. "This? This isn't hurting me?"

"She did it to allow your better qualities to surface without the macho crap you and your friends had gotten into. You know, none of you were going anywhere. And there was a good chance you'd get in trouble with the law. Remember when the police came by to talk to dad last summer?"

"That was just a warning!" I protested.

"You guys were setting off fireworks on cigarette fuses all over the neighborhood. Somebody could have gotten hurt," she pointed out.

Unfortunately, she was right. The fireworks we were using were big and illegal. If someone had investigated one of them just before the fuse lit, they could have been badly hurt. I realized that now, but it was the first time I had thought about it. Up until now, it had just seemed like an innocent prank. Maybe I had changed more than I realized.

"Besides, she gave each of you a chance to regain your manhood, although why you would want to is beyond me," she continued.

"That's because you've never been male," I retorted.

Okay," she said. "Just tell me - what's so great about being male?"

What a question to ask! Why, the answer was so obvious. Being male was... was... well, it was familiar. I mean, I had been male for nearly eighteen years. How would she know? She had been a girl for twenty years - almost twenty one. She didn't know what it was like to... to...

"Play football."

She frowned. "What?"

"Girls can't play football."

"Sure we can," she said. "We just don't often play it at the competitive level. I used to throw the ball around with you all the time. Besides, how much playing time have you gotten in this year? Not very much from what I hear."

She was right about that. In fact, I had walked the tightrope over grades all year, and if things had continued as they were, I would probably have become scholastically ineligible to play by now.

The more I thought about it, what had been so great about being male? When you got right down to it, I had had more fun as a girl getting good grades and having everyone so proud of me. I hadn't missed much when I really thought about it. But I wasn't ready to let Nancy off the hook just yet.

"And what about your setting me up with Steve?"

She smirked. "Changing the subject, are we?"

"Well, what about it?" I asked defiantly.

"Okay, I did that," she admitted. "I thought you needed to see that there was more to being a girl. The only dates you had managed were with that cretin, Robbie. You deserved somebody better than him."

I challenged, "What gives you the right to decide who's good enough for me?"

"Well," she said, her voice soft again, "for starters, I'm your sister and I love you."

Oh, why did she have to say it that way? I wanted so badly to be mad at her and stay mad. But I couldn't do it. In fact, I could scarcely keep from crying again. Damn these female hormones! I said to myself for the umpteenth time.

She put her arm around me. "Tell me the truth, Amanda, you're glad you met Steve, aren't you?"

I sighed. Yes, I was glad in one way. He had made me feel like a girl and not like a boy disguised as a girl. When I was with Steve, I felt good... I felt feminine - and I liked it. That was why I couldn't see him again. I was afraid being with him would weaken my resolve to return to my male life. Maybe Jackie and Darla could handle acting like girls and still plan to change back, but it wasn't that easy for me. Much more time with Steve and I would be over the edge. It would be skirts and makeup and heels forever, not to mention periods and eventually babies. I wasn't ready to commit to that sort of life, and I hoped I never would be.

"Aren't you?"

"Okay," I admitted. "I like Steve. I like him very much. But, Nancy, I can't continue dating him. I'm not really a girl."

She smiled. "You might be surprised just how much of a girl you are. If you don't want to see him, though, that's your business."

"Do you mean it?"

She hugged me tighter. "Of course I do. I just thought Steve would be your sort of boy. If he isn't, then it's none of my business."

Unfortunately, he was my sort of boy, but I didn't want to admit that to Nancy. When I changed back, I didn't want her thinking I had any sort of lingering crush on her probable brother-in-law.

"Well," she said, letting go of me, "Brad should be back from Columbia any time now. I'd better get ready for him."

"Wait, Nancy," I called, stopping her at the door. "You never answered my question."

"Which question?"

"You never told me why Loretta allowed you to know about me."

"Okay, Little Sister," she said seriously. "I'm swearing you to secrecy. Okay?"

She hadn't sworn me to secrecy since we were both children. "Okay," I replied firmly.

"While only women of blood descent have magical powers in the Bancroft family, women who marry into the family are trusted with the secret," she explained.

"But you aren't..." I gasped in surprise. "You mean you and Brad are married?"

"Since last summer," she laughed. "Remember when I went to visit that old friend in Springfield in July?"

I nodded.

"I was really in Columbia with Brad. We were married there in a little ceremony. We didn't dare tell his parents. I think you know Brad's dad is something of a prig."

"I got that idea," I confirmed.

"Well, he told Brad in no uncertain terms that he couldn't get married or he'd lose his college money that his father was providing. Next year, though, Brad will be part of a team that earned a substantial grant. With that and student loans, we won't need his help. We'll announce our official engagement at Christmas when his family is here and officially be married next summer. Then I'll transfer to the main campus of MU in Columbia and we'll set up housekeeping."

"But for now," I surmised, "you set up housekeeping on the weekends with Brad at his grandmother's home. That's why you told her."

"Very good, Little Sister. Remember now, don't tell a soul."

"I won't."

Nancy turned again to leave.

"Nancy?"

"Yes?"

I gave her my best smile. With the ruined makeup, I must have been quite a sight. "Congratulations."

She smiled. "Thanks, Little Sister."

When Nancy left, I studied for a couple of hours, but I couldn't seem to concentrate. My thoughts kept going back to Steve. Was I being fair to him? Of course I wasn't. It wasn't his fault that I found him attractive. I just couldn't get involved. I had to win back my manhood. That was the most important thing. I closed the book I was studying and got ready for bed. Maybe I would be able to think more clearly after a good night's sleep. I slowly drifted off to sleep still thinking of Steve.

I spent the rest of the weekend studying my cute little ass off. It was all coming down to the wire now, and I was still a little shaky in Physics and Algebra, not to mention Home Ec. Mom helped me some with the dress, though. We had purchased some dark green material, all silky and sparkly, and began laying out the dress on Saturday. Fortunately, mom was something of an accomplished seamstress, a talent I had heretofore not thought much about. I have to admit, it was actually kind of fun, watching the dress take shape under her watchful eye. I was beginning to get a real feel for the skill that was required to make a dress out of just a piece of fabric and a few accessories, like a zipper.

I didn't see anything of the Former Boy's Club over the weekend. Both Darla and Jackie were busy with other things. Jackie had a meeting with some of the other students who were on the Spring Formal committee, and of course, a lot of time with Brian. I was really beginning to worry about that girl. She was leaving herself wide open. I had a sudden thought picture of what "wide open" might mean for Jackie now. It wasn't a pleasant picture.

Darla was actually out of town, visiting her aunt and uncle in Memphis. It turned out that her whole extended family was now black. I wondered how much power Loretta really had. She must have changed dozens of unsuspecting people into blacks just to set Darla up properly. Of course, from what Darren had told me about the prejudices of his family, it was probably a fitting fate.

I didn't talk to Steve again. He did call me, but I refused to answer my phone. Oh, I wanted to talk to him. I felt terrible, but what choice did I have? It was better this way, I thought.

Steve tried to call three times. The first two times on Saturday and twice on Sunday. All but the last time, he just left a cheery name and number, but the last time, he left a longer message. I was poring over my Physics text when he called, listening to the answer machine.

"Hi, Amanda. It's me - Steve. Hey, we're just getting ready to go back to St Louis. I wanted to tell you I had a great time with you on Friday. I can't remember ever having that much fun with any girl before." He paused, then continued, "You know, I've been trying to reach you all weekend, but you haven't returned my calls. I realize something upset you Friday evening. I hope it wasn't something I did, but I'm afraid it was. If I offended you in any way, please let me know. Call me at home or write me a letter - you have my address. Amanda, I really like you, more than I've ever liked any girl. Amanda... I think... I think I love you."

It took all the male resolve still remaining in my female body to keep from picking up the phone, but there wasn't enough resolve left to keep my from crying.

The next three weeks were grueling. I was so envious of Jackie and Darla. Both had presumably reached their goals. All they had to do to avoid remaining girls for the rest of their lives was avoid sex. I still had a grade point to make. Oh, I knew I could do it. I had the brain power and the resolve. It was just that I didn't seem to have much time for anything else. Next semester, when I got my male body back, I resolved to work hard from the start. Now, I was playing catch-up, to lift high B's into A's. Next semester, Adam James would fool everyone. He would get A's on every paper and every test from the first of the semester to graduation.

At least I found that being a girl was getting easier. I survived my first period, even experiencing Tampons for the first time. I had to admit, they were better than the big napkins. Once I got over the reluctance to put the damned thing into my body, I found out it wasn't so bad after all. Also, makeup and clothing selection were getting easier. I was beginning to understand what accessories went with which outfit. I even found myself occasionally opting for a skirt, especially on nicer days.

I also resolved to make friends with some of the other girls. That was tough for me, but I felt confident enough by then in my own feminine habits to not make a stupid mistake that would make me look like a boy in drag. Strangely enough, it was Cindy Sellers that became one of my new friends. Of course, she had no recollection of my being male and getting disgustingly drunk with her at Brian's party. I was just one of the girls now. We were both cute, smart, and didn't seem to be competing for the same guys, so it was natural that we become friends.

The only problem with becoming friends with the other girls was that I was always trying to fine tune my mind for a return to manhood. I wanted to know what they liked and what they disliked so when I asked them out as Adam, I would have a fighting chance. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Instead, I found my mind drifting to what clothes they wore and how they did their hair and makeup. I began to find I was listening to them more out of real interest than out of any ulterior motive.

There was another problem as well. I found that my mental vocabulary was beginning to change radically. Expressions like "he's so sweet," and "what a dear," had been creeping into my conversations. I tried to tell myself I was just using the feminine expressions to fit in, but I knew deeper down that there was more to it than that. I was beginning to actually think with those expressions. It meant that the feminine exterior I was trying to maintain was becoming ingrained in my entire being. I didn't have any idea how to stop it. It was like trying not to think of "rhinoceros." The more you try not to think of it, the more you really do think of it.

Since Darla and Jackie were usually tied up with boyfriends, I began hanging out more with Cindy and her friends. We would go over to each other's houses, try on each other's clothes, and go shopping together. At first, it seemed odd, but as time went on, it actually became more entertaining. Just like the expressions creeping into my vocabulary, my actions were becoming more feminine whether I wanted them to or not.

By the beginning of the week before test week and semester's end, I was trying very hard to look at Cindy and her friends as Adam would look at them. Unfortunately, they did nothing for me. They were just friends. I really couldn't see myself dating any of them. It was odd, but it was as if they had nothing to offer me but friendship - and I was glad for it.

That Wednesday, two things happened that had considerable impact on me. The first thing was Robbie. He managed to corner me alone at school - something I had been avoiding as much as possible. Since our so-so date, I had tried to keep my contacts with him at a minimum. Of course, he was supposedly taking me to the Winter Formal, but since I had no intention of still being Amanda when the party started, I wasn't too concerned. Still, I was shocked when he blurted out what he had to tell me.

"Amanda, I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to break our date for the Winter Formal," he said with downcast eyes.

"Break our date?" I repeated dumbly.

"Yeah," he said, obviously embarrassed. "I've been seeing Becky Marshall the last couple of weeks and, well... it's getting pretty serious. Besides, I don't think we have much in common."

Becky Marshall? I thought. Why, she was ten pounds overweight and had a serious overbite. And the way she did her hair... please! And the way she dressed, with all those yucky browns and... What was I thinking? I was thinking like a jealous girl who had just been jilted by a guy - a guy she didn't even like that much. Was I out of my mind?

"Okay, Robbie," I said, trying to sound civilized about the whole thing. I hoped my face wasn't as flushed as it felt. This would be all over the school by afternoon bell, I realized.

"I hope we can still be friends," he said as gently as he could.

I gave him a smile I didn't feel. "Sure, Robbie. We'll be friends." At least until I catch Becky alone and knock her pantyhose off, I thought silently. No! Wrong thought! Quit thinking like a girl, girl. "I hope you have a good time with Becky." Did I say it sweetly? I hoped that I had.

I was till fuming when I got home. Everybody knew, I was sure. Darla and Jackie had remained silent on the subject as we drove home, but they kept looking at me as if I had contracted some deadly disease. I wanted to tell them it wasn't any big deal. We weren't going to be girls when the party rolled around anyway. But somehow, I just didn't want to talk about it. Now I supposed I would be propositioned at the last minute by every dateless geek in the high school, all hoping against hope to pick up a cute girl on the rebound, desperate for a date at the biggest party of the semester.

The second thing that happened was waiting for me when I got home.

"Amanda, you've got a letter," mom said. Then, looking at me, she asked, "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Nothing's wrong," I mumbled, grabbing the letter in her outstretched hand and bolting for my room.

Throwing my books down on my desk with a loud thud, I looked at the letter, curious who would be writing me. My heart nearly stopped when I looked at the return address. The letter was from Steve! I couldn't help myself; I ripped the envelope open as if it were the most important document I had ever received in my life and began to read:

"Dear Amanda,

"I'm sorry we didn't get a chance to talk after Friday. I'm home now and have had a day or two to think about what happened."

I practically dropped the letter. I could imagine that in the next paragraph, he was going to tell me what an obnoxious person I was and that he never wanted to see me again. I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were already forming. My hand was trembling as I read on:

"I realize that I blurted out on the phone that I love you. I do - there's no denying that. I realize, though, that you may not care anything for me. If that is the case, I understand. I don't want to force my attentions on you. It's funny, because I have a reputation at school of being able to come up with just the right words at just the right time. Now, though, I can't think of anything profound to say. If you care for me even a little bit, please write and let me know. Or better yet - give me a call. I can't wait to hear from you. I guess that's about all I can say. If I don't hear from you, I won't bother to write you again, but I'll always be thinking of you.

"All my love,

"Brad"

I felt sick... absolutely sick. I didn't know exactly how I felt about Steve. Maybe it was love and maybe it was just friendship. I wasn't really sure how love was supposed to feel, especially as a girl. I did know that I had hurt someone I cared for very very much. This wasn't right. I still planned to become Adam again, but how could I leave Steve like this and ever face him again as family, even in an alternate reality? I had to make things right. I would just have to be in control of my own emotions, but I needed to write to him - no - to talk to him and let him know that everything was all right. After all, even if I changed back, he'd be happy until then, and after I changed, he wouldn't remember.

I began to plan before I called him. I would put on an act for him. I would tell him that I returned his feelings. That was it! What would it hurt? By the time he came over to see his grandmother for Christmas, I'd be Adam again, and he wouldn't even remember who Amanda was.

But what if by some quirk of fate, I remained Amanda? It would only take one B and I would be a girl forever. What then? Would I really be interested in Steve? I closed my eyes and tried to think of how Steve looked, what he looked like when he smiled, or what he thought about life. These were warm thoughts... thoughts of someone who was very special. I could learn to love Steve. If I really searched my feelings, perhaps I did already - at least just a little bit.

With trepidation, I picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?"

My heart jumped - Steve had answered the phone!

"Steve, it's me - Amanda."

I heard him gasp with joy. "Amanda! I'm so happy you called. Are you all right?"

"Sure," I replied, a smile on my face that I hoped traveled through the phone lines. I wished all phones had view screens so I could see his face at that moment. "I just got your letter. It's very sweet."

"I hope I didn't come on too strong," he said, obviously a little embarrassed. He had bared his soul, and I had given him nothing in return.

"That's the sweetest part," I said, really starting to get into it. "I think so many guys are so afraid to express their feelings. I was happy you said the things you did."

"Amanda, does that mean...?"

"Steve, I'm not sure," I replied more honestly than I had even been to myself. "I'm a little new at this." Boy, was that an understatement!

"I don't mean to be pushing you for an answer. It's just that Friday was so wonderful. Then, suddenly, it was obvious something was bothering you. I thought it was something I said or did."

"Oh, Steve," I began sympathetically, "it wasn't you at all. It was me. I was having my... well, you know." That would end that part of the discussion. As a former male, I knew the last thing in the world any guy wanted to discuss with a girl was a woman's period.

"Oh."

"And then, Saturday and Sunday, I was so busy studying. I was really worried about Physics, and I just buried my nose in a book and lost track of time." It helped that there was a grain of truth in what I said. I really had been worried about Physics. Steve was a top student. He would understand something like that.

"Then I got your letter today," I went on glibly. I was really getting into this now. I had him eating out of my hand. I could have told him I had just gotten back from Mars (or since I was now female, maybe Venus) and he would have believed me. "I just had to call you. I didn't realize I had been so terrible to you."

"You weren't terrible, Amanda," he said gallantly. "I just wanted to let you know how I felt about you."

I felt so strange. Here a boy was telling me how much he adored me, and I was enjoying every minute of it. I wondered what it would be like, to be with Steve. I mean, to really be with Steve...

"We get out of classes on the sixteenth. Then, on the eighteenth, I'll be coming to Millikin for Christmas. I'll be with my parents, and they plan to leave about noon," he told me. "I'll be in Millikin about six. Can we get together that evening?"

With any luck at all, by six o'clock that evening, I would be Adam again and Steve would have forgotten all about me. Loretta wanted to see us at four, so by six what was to happen would have happened. If I didn't change back, it would mean that I had not made straight A's, and I wouldn't be fit company for anyone - especially Steve.

"I'd really like to," I told him, "but I already have plans for that night. Why don't you come over about noon on Saturday. We can make a day of it, and this time, I promise not to have... a problem."

"That's great, Amanda! I'll see you then," he said happily. "Look, my parents are waiting for me. We were going out."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know I was interrupting anything," I said.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm really glad you called."

"Good night, Steve," I said. I hoped he didn't hear the regret in my voice.

"Until that Saturday," he replied, obviously already counting the hours.

When I hung up, I felt a lot better. I had done my good deed for the day. Steve would stop his moping, convinced that he would see me again. I doubted that he would, at least not as Amanda. I dreaded the moment I had to meet him as Adam, to pretend that I didn't know him and to not be able to be special in his eyes. With a sigh, I pulled out a schoolbook at random and began to study.

My first week as a girl had dragged by so slowly. Even though there had been so much to learn, every minute spent as a girl seemed like an eternity in which someone would laugh and point at me, declaring, "Look at the sissy boy trying to act like a girl." The last three weeks went by like lightning. I had gotten used to being a girl, and found that no one thought of me as a boy pretending to be a girl. They all thought of me as Amanda James - cute, personable, and one of the top students in the class. I also had learned that girls weren't sissies. Sure, they dressed in dresses and wore makeup and smelled nice, but they were just people. I guess that included me and the rest of the Former Boy's Club as well.

Speaking of the Former Boy's Club, we didn't really see much of each other those last three weeks. Darla started going to school with Kyle, and Jackie started riding with Brian. That relegated me to the bus. Oh, we saw each other in class and here and there around the school, but we all had other things to do. We actually only got together one more time before the all-important eighteenth, and that was on the last Saturday before we were to see Loretta.

It had been Jackie's suggestion, of course. She suggested we do one day-long shopping trip as girls. All guys seem to think that girls do nothing but shop. While we now knew that it wasn't true, we had found that girls have more fun shopping.

"I suppose it's because girls have so many more choices than guys," Darla speculated as we drove to the mall on a gray, wintry day.

"Nope," Jackie said, pulling into the parking lot already crowded with cars that had come loaded with holiday shoppers. "Guys have just as many choices if they'd just look around. It's just that a guy buys a large shirt and knows that it will fit a variety of builds. It's the same with pants. With girls, though, you've got to try everything on. A size six from one company might be a size five from another. Or with our more varied builds, clothes fit differently, even though technically we might be the same size."

"Sure," I joked. "My normal sized boobs would be lost in something you'd have to buy, Jackie!"

Darla howled with laughter, and even Jackie grinned. "Envy doesn't become you, Amanda. Now you've got boob envy as well as penis envy."

Darla laughed again, but I just smiled and said, "After next Friday, we can measure that, too. We'll see who's bigger."

Darla stopped laughing. "God! It is next Friday. I'd just about forgotten."

"How could you forget something like that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know. This has all started seeming kind of normal."

My eyes narrowed. "Don't you want to change back?"

"Sure," she replied quickly. "I mean, it's just I've been so busy lately, time sort of got away from me."

"Well, don't be late next Friday," Jackie said, "or you'll be riding the tampon train for a long, long time."

"Oh, I wouldn't miss it!" she assured us.

We did have fun that day. The stores were crowded, but we managed to make a productive day of it. When the day ended, each of us had several packages in our arms. For Christmas, I had bought a nice necklace and matching earrings for Nancy. I doubted if I would have been able to pick them out if I had been Adam, and I hoped they would survive my change back. All of us had managed to buy something for ourselves as well. While we had probably all spent too much, we figured it would all disappear when we became male again.

Darla had bought a really slinky short dress at Dillard's. It had a turtleneck top, but was made of a thin, almost shimmering fabric. Jackie had bought a pair of blue three inch heels to wear with her dress on Friday. Me? I settled for a nice beige suit with a white silk blouse. I planned to look my best on my last Sunday in church as a girl.

After that shopping trip, it was back in over my head. About the only break I got from studying, eating and sleeping was to work on the dress. I despaired that I would never finish it in time and nearly broke into tears Sunday night. Mom was a dear, though, and assured me that with her help, I'd get it done.

She was right, too. By Tuesday, it was finished, and it fit like a dream. I couldn't believe how great I looked in it. If I had been Adam and seen Amanda, I would have pledged her my undying love just for one evening with her. Then, mom unloaded a surprise.

"Dear," she said, "you've been studying so hard the last few weeks, your father and I decided that we'd make it up to you."

"Oh, you don't have to do anything for me, mom," I told her, admiring the fit of the dress over my hips. "Just helping me with this dress was enough."

"Well, be that as it may, I'm taking you to get some shoes to go with that dress for your formal."

"But I've got some black heels that will look fine," I said. I hadn't told her that Robbie and I weren't going to the Winter Formal. I figured it didn't really matter. I would be Adam by then and all of this would be forgotten.

"But we can do better," my mother assured me. "And I've got an appointment for you at Rachel's Friday at noon to get you hair done."

"What's wrong with my hair?"

"Oh, it's lovely," she assured me, "but a new hairdo can do wonders for a girl's confidence on an important night."

I nearly told her that it would be a waste of money, and that I wouldn't be going to the formal, but again, I figured it was not a big deal. Reality would have changed by the time it mattered, so I just smiled and gave her a daughterly hug.

Later, I was glad that I had said nothing. The shoes we found were a perfect match for my dress, and the heels were three inchers, which made my legs look terrific. If nothing else, they would make the dress look even better, cementing an A in Home Ec.

Although school wasn't out until Friday, most of my tests were over by Wednesday. The only actual exam I had after that was American History, and I could have aced that with my eyes closed. Before I knew it, it was Friday morning. My last morning as a girl, I thought.

I got out of bed, stripping off the nightie I wore. Yes, I had been wearing nighties rather than pajamas for the last couple of weeks. At first, I had fought them as being too feminine. Lately, though, I had realized how comfortable they were. Well, I thought, I learned that a little late, for I wouldn't be wearing them anymore.

I showered quickly, taking a few extra moments to soap my body. When I got to my breasts and between my legs, I felt a sudden pang of regret that I hadn't at least masturbated. I was afraid of being trapped by Loretta, though. What if the no sex rule really included masturbation? "Sorry," she would say with a smile. "You knew the rules. You masturbated, so now you can have your little vagina to play with for the rest of your life!" After realizing that she was Steve's grandmother, I no longer thought she was the Wicked Witch of the West. But I didn't think she was the Good Witch Glenda either. Better safe than sorry.

Still, I thought after I had shaved my legs and under my arms, it was a nice body. Most girls would have done anything to have it. I was going to miss it, to be truthful. I dressed my body well that day, wearing a nice Kelley green knit dress, dark pantyhose, and black flats. I took my project dress and my new heels with me in a bag, planning to change just before Home Ec.

Classes were either shortened or canceled that day, with Home Ec about mid morning. I changed into my new dress in the girl's room and wore it proudly into class. Several of the other girls saw me, and there were numerous "oohs" and "aahs" around the room. They came up to feel the material and congratulate me on a great dress. Both Jackie and Darla had wide grins. They knew I had come up with a winner. There was no way I would fail to get an A now. I had already seen my grades in everything except Home Ec and History, and I knew all of them were A's. Only blowing the History test - a most unlikely event - would cost me my A average now.

"It's a beautiful dress," Ms Sherman said, smiling. "Are you going to wear it tonight?"

"Oh, yes," I said. Of course, what I really meant was that I would be wearing it to Loretta's for my switch back to Adam.

"Well, have a wonderful time, dear," she said. "It looks like you'll get your A."

Darla, Jackie and I talked in the hall for a few minutes after classes. I was waiting for mom to pick me up to go to the hairdresser.

"Congratulations!" Darla said with a wide smile as she gave me a hug.

Jackie was right behind her. As she gave me her hug, she asked, "So did you do it?"

"I think so," I smiled back. "I still haven't seen the American History grade, but the test seemed easy."

"I'm sure you did fine," Jackie said. "Why don't we spend the afternoon together? We can get ready to see Loretta together."

I shook my head. "I can't. Mom is taking me to get my hair done. She doesn't know that Robbie broke our date, so she wanted me to have a nice do for the formal."

"You didn't tell her?" Darla gasped. "Why not?"

"Look," I explained, "it doesn't matter, does it? I mean, none of us are really going to be there as girls tonight, so who cares?"

Neither Darla or Jackie said anything. Then, Jackie said, "Well, why don't we pick you up about three thirty? Then, we'll go to Loretta's together."

"Sure," I said, gathering my stuff as I spotted mom driving up in front of the school. We all smiled at each other, but a had an odd feeling that either Jackie or Darla - or maybe both - was holding something back from me. I wondered what it was.

By one o'clock, my hair looked fantastic. My long auburn tresses had been trimmed, curled, and molded into an upswept hairdo that made me look like one of the models in mom's Cosmo that I had taken to reading. Mom was so pleased with the results that after we had lunch together at a nice restaurant nearby, she took me into a jewelry store and bought me a pair of pretty dangling earrings with small diamonds in them. It set her back quite a bit, and I felt badly about it, given that I wasn't really going to the formal, but I consoled myself knowing that the purchase would be wiped out when I became Adam again.

We barely made it home in time for me to change. Mom and I had had so much fun together, I didn't notice how late it was getting. That had been one of the biggest pluses to my new femininity, I realized. Dad and I had never been terribly close and were no more distant since my transformation. But mom and I had become much closer. When Nancy wasn't around, mom had become my model for how to act as a girl. Although she had no way of knowing about my change, she had been very helpful, instructing me in what to wear and how to act. Her admonishments of "Don't do that - it isn't ladylike" had saved me more than once over the last few weeks from doing something out of character.

I rushed to my room and began to get ready. I was actually surprised at how quickly I was managing to get prepared. I now knew what undergarments to select - which ones would look best and not leave an outline in my slinky dress. Makeup was actually easy as I got just the right amount of blush and outlined my eyes with the skill of an artist. My nails and lipstick were a perfect match, and I had actually bought them myself. My pantyhose went on smoothly, without a wrinkle or a run, and I liked the dark shade I had picked, realizing it would make my dark green dress look all the more sophisticated. Finally, the dress - I loved the way it felt as it slipped down over my soft, smooth skin.

I was just about finished when I heard the front door close and heard my mother say, "Nancy, we weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

"Classes were over, so I thought I'd come on home," she explained. "Is Amanda here?"

"Upstairs, getting ready for her formal tonight."

Nancy was in my room in no time. "Isn't this the day you're supposed to see Loretta?" she asked with an admiring glance at me in my new dress. "And is that the dress you made?"

"Yes, and yes," I replied, smoothing out the front of the dress.

"Then why all the formal stuff?" she asked.

"Mom thinks I'm going to the formal tonight with Robbie," I explained. "I never really intended to go, figuring I'd be changed back before the party. It's a good thing, too, because Robbie broke our date. Still, Loretta wanted us to be dressed for the formal tonight when she assesses our achievements. Part of the rules were that we had to act like the girls we became all the time. I guess this is the final exam."

"I guess so," Nancy replied approvingly. "And if you don't mind my saying so, Little Sister, you get an A plus. I can see why Steve is baying at the moon over you."

I blushed. "Have you talked to Steve?"

"No, but his brother has. I'm glad you called him up. He really has it bad for you. At least now, he will think he has a chance up until the moment you change back. But, Amanda..."

I turned away from my mirror and looked at my sister. "What? Is something wrong?"

"In a way," Nancy admitted. "Look, I might as well come right out and ask. Have you given any thought to remaining as Amanda?"

The question caused me to give a little gasp. "No."

"Really?"

I sighed, "Well, just a little. I mean, I've thought about what would happen if I had to remain Amanda, and admittedly, it wouldn't be bad. I just..."

"Just what?"

"I don't want to let the other guys down," I admitted. "They're going to be changing back, and I'd hate to break up the Boy's Club."

"Is that the only reason?"

I shook my head. "No, but I think it's become the main reason. Nancy, to be honest, I've enjoyed being Amanda. I'm grateful for the experience. I've learned that if I put my mind to it, I can do anything."

"'If I had to, I could do anything?'" Nancy smirked. "Isn't that a line from the old Helen Reddy song, 'I Am Woman?'"

I grinned. "I guess it is. But I really can do anything. I'm a top student."

"But you won't be as Adam," she pointed out.

"No, but I can still do well enough to get into some college. Then, I'll decide what to do. Maybe I'll be a teacher. I'd like to save some kids from goofing off in school like I did before."

"Amanda James could do that, too, you know," she pointed out. "It's your decision, Little Sister. I'll love you just as much if you decide to change back, but I didn't want that to happen without talking to Amanda one more time."

"Even when I'm Adam again, Amanda will still be in there somewhere," I told her seriously.

There seemed to be nothing else to say, so we hugged, tears in both of our eyes. Damn! I thought as she left. Now I'd have to fix my eyes again.

When I was finished redoing my eyes and making last minute touches to my outfit, it was almost a quarter until four, but I heard Jackie's car just pulling up in front of the house. Obviously, it had taken them a little extra time, too.

"Amanda, Jackie and Darla are here!" mom called out.

"Be right there, mom," I called, making one more attempt to get my lipstick absolutely straight. Got it! I thought with one last look in the mirror. I took one last look around my room before joining my friends. When I came back tonight, it would be Adam's room again, I realized. The full length mirror I had begun to use all the time would be gone. Maybe I'd get another one. The white comforter, trimmed in lace, so soft and feminine would be gone. The soft pastels and whites would be gone, replaced by more masculine colors. It would be Adam's room again. I should have been pleased, so why wasn't I? With a final sigh, I left the room and went downstairs.

"Oh, my god!" my mother said, looking at me as I came down the stairs. "You look lovely, sweetheart. I hope your father has a chance to see you tonight. What time is Robbie picking you up?"

"Uh..."

"Six thirty," Jackie chimed in. "Don't worry, Mrs. James. We'll have her back by six." She gave me a knowing wink. I returned it with a wan smile, knowing that Amanda would never come home. I hoped mom was equally happy to see Adam. I was going to miss the relationship mom and I had developed. Oh, well...

In the car, the three of us were unusually somber. Finally, it was Darla who said, "I guess this counts as the last official meeting of the Former Boy's Club."

"I guess so," I said softly from the back seat, smoothing out my dress nervously for the fifth time in as many blocks.

Jackie said nothing, but continued to drive mechanically toward the Bancroft mansion. It was getting dark out already. It was nearly the shortest day of the year. Maybe that was why we were all feeling so dark, I thought. We'd probably feel better when all our business with Loretta was over. At least I hoped so, because I didn't feel very good at that moment.

Steve would be getting close to Millikin now, I realized. He would be in the car with his parents, on the way to his grandmother's house. He would be looking forward to getting in and being able to be with Amanda again. Of course, by the time they got within a few miles of Millikin, Amanda would be gone - not even a memory for him. That made me sad. The next time I saw him, I would be Adam. That would be sad. Only I would know, of course, what might have been, but it would be sad.

The Bancroft mansion didn't look like the home of a powerful witch. Sure, it had looked ominous in October, but now, framed in red, green, blue and gold Christmas lights, it looked like just another old house, warm and friendly, basking in the holiday spirit. It was difficult to believe that just under seven weeks ago, our masculinity was taken from us in that same house.

"I feel like we should be singing Christmas carols before being invited in for eggnog," I muttered, shivering in spite of my warm coat. I suspected it wasn't just the cold that was causing me to shiver.

Jackie rang the doorbell, and in moments, Loretta opened the door. It was the younger Loretta we had seen at Halloween who opened the door. She wore a long floor-length dress, gray with a dark red sash, reminding me of the attire of wizards in fantasies I had read. There was a friendly smile on her face.

"Well," she said cheerfully, "if it isn't my three favorite high school girls. And how nice you all look tonight. Please come in." She guided us into her living room, and we dutifully took off our coats, exposing our formal attire, and took our places on her couch, just as we had that fateful Halloween night.

"You're here a little late," she said, not unpleasantly, "and I'm expecting holiday guests. So under the circumstances, forgive me for being a little curt, but we do have to move ahead."

We sat silently together. Then, I felt a hand touching mine. I gripped Darla's left hand with my right. In a moment, my left hand was in Jackie's right. The Former Boy's Club was having one last meeting.

"Each of you were given tasks to accomplish. Each task was designed to force you to grow in some way. For you, Jackie, it was to apply your native skills as a leader. Darla, your task was to overcome your lack of competitive spirit through your natural athletic ability. For you, Amanda, the task was to apply your considerable intelligence toward something besides boyish mischief. In addition, each of you was tasked with being appropriately feminine without getting sexually involved. Also, Darla, although not an assigned task, I wanted to see if you could overcome the long-standing racial prejudices your family had long embraced.

"I'm pleased to say that, for the most part, each of you accomplished your tasks. Only one of you has failed to earn back her former masculinity."

One of us had failed? But, Jackie had proven herself a leader, and Darla had proven herself athletically. That meant... Oh my god! Had I blown the History test? I couldn't have! I must have -

"Jackie," Loretta intoned.

Jackie looked suddenly contrite. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"Although you have done an outstanding job in utilizing your leadership talents, and have shown yourself to be feminine and yet strong, you have failed in your other task."

Jackie had had sex? I knew she and Brian had become very close, but I thought she had more sense. How could she jeopardize her retransformation like that? I mean, Brian was a great looking guy, but...

"Explain yourself, Jackie," Loretta demanded.

Jackie gave my hand one hard squeeze, then stood to face us all. "Please, Loretta, it was just a blow job. It wasn't really sex. I never dreamed it would be enough to count."

Gee, I thought sarcastically to myself, where had I heard something like this before.

Loretta surprised us all, Jackie most of all, I think, when she sighed and said, "Oh, all right, Jackie. I suppose given the coverage on blow jobs lately in the media, you could fall into that trap. And you have done so well otherwise that you deserve to have one little indiscretion set aside."

She raised her hand as if to make a magic gesture, but before she could, Jackie screamed, "Wait!"

"Why?" Loretta asked with mock seriousness. "What's wrong?"

Jackie looked very upset. She looked quickly back and forth at each of us. Then, with a final look at Darla and I, tears in her eyes, she muttered, "I'm sorry, guys." She turned to Loretta and said, "Please, ma'am, don't change me back."

Darla and I squeezed each other's hands at the same moment.

"Jackie!" I cried. "What are you thinking? You don't have to stay as Jackie. You can be Jack again."

She looked at me with a wan smile as she shook her head. "That's just the problem. I don't want to be Jack again."

"Why not?" Darla asked.

"Well, I found I really liked being Jackie. It was as if I was always meant to be this way. When I was Jack, I was probably seen as being too aggressive. When I tried to lead, people became suspicious of me. As Jackie, though, the aggressiveness is still there; it just doesn't seem as bad to people. They tend to follow my lead willingly. I like that. But even beyond that, I know this will sound gay to you guys, but I'm really in love with Brian, and better yet, he's in love with me. We plan to go to college together after high school. We'll probably be married by then. Then, we'll probably start a business together someday."

She sat down next to me. "I'm really sorry, guys. I hate to be the one to break up the old Boy's Club, but I really want to remain as Jackie."

I gave her a hug and a supportive smile. I found I was actually happy for her.

"Is that all right?" she asked Loretta.

The witch smiled at her. "Of course it's all right, if that's what you want, my dear. It takes me far less effort to leave things the way they now are. Are there any other changes you would like?"

"Changes?" Jackie asked.

"Yes. Would you like to be taller or slimmer? A different nose, perhaps?"

Jackie shook her head, her blonde curls swirling merrily. "Oh, no thank you," she laughed. "Brian likes me just the way I am. I like me this way, too."

"Very well," Loretta said primly. "Then it is your turn, Darla."

Darla looked at Jackie and me and smiled faintly. Then, to Loretta, she said, "I think I'll follow Jackie's lead. I'm happy to be Darla, so I want to stay this way."

Now, I was really surprised. Darla had changed both sex and race, and she wanted to stay that way. As Darren, she had been very masculine. Although I hadn't considered it much before, I suddenly realized that Darla was probably the most masculine of the three of us when she had been Darren.

Darla looked at us. "I know this probably surprises both of you, but it's been a real kick being a girl like I am. You two have the same abilities you had as guys, but mine have been enhanced. I could never have been as good an athlete as I am now being Darren. As Darla, I'll probably get a full college scholarship and maybe even go pro someday. You see, maybe some white guys can jump, but I couldn't. I'm a real competitor now."

"And there's Kyle," Jackie offered.

Darla laughed, "Oh, I like Kyle just fine, but I don't know if he's going to be Mr. Right or not. The other reason I want to stay this way is my family. Before, we were kind of a redneck family. Now, though, we're different. My brother actually has a future in music, and mom and dad are a lot closer. I didn't care much for my family before. They were pretty low class, always worrying about the blacks and other minorities getting all the breaks at their expense. Well, we are the blacks now, and although nobody seems to be getting the breaks we thought they were, by leaning on each other, we're getting ahead."

"I should point out to you, Darla," Loretta said, "you really did have the skills as Darren. You could do it. Or if you wanted, I could make you a white version of Darla."

She shook her head with a grin. "No thanks, Loretta. This is who I want to be from now on."

Loretta smiled. "And so you shall be."

She turned to me. "Well, Amanda, I guess that just leaves you."

I guess it does, I thought with a sudden wave of horror.

"In many ways, Amanda your task was the most difficult of all," Loretta explained. "And yet you accomplished it so well that you're already the odds-on favorite to be valedictorian next spring."

That would mean a full scholarship to the University of Missouri, too, I realized.

"Yours was the most fervent desire to return to your male existence."

Was it? I thought. Had I really wanted to be male again that badly? I suppose I had, but I was beginning to think maybe being able to return to my male self was just the equivalent of earning one more A. When I became male again, what would happen to the relationships I had forged over the last few weeks? Would I be as close to Nancy or my mother? How would I react to Steve? With embarrassment - or worse yet - with regret? And now Jack and Darren were lost to me, forever Jackie and Darla, with interests I would no longer be able to appreciate or even understand.

"Therefore, I grant - "

"Wait!" I screamed. There was suddenly silence in the room. All eyes were on me. I smiled at my friends and said, "It would be a shame to break up the Former Boy's Club."

Jackie looked worried. "Amanda, are you sure? I thought you really wanted to be Adam again."

I sighed, "I thought so, too. But now that it's about to happen, I finally realized I'm not that person anymore. Oh, I could be again, but I don't want to. I'm... I'm happy just the way I am."

I turned to Loretta. "I would like to remain as Amanda."

She smiled at me. "I'm very pleased, Amanda." Then, turning to all of us, she said, "Then our business is finished here. I must ask you all to leave now. Merry Christmas to all of you, and remember that you are welcome here any time."

We wished her a Merry Christmas in return and filed out to Jackie's car, pulling our coats tightly against us against the winter chill.

"I wonder if we'll be asked to join her coven like Nancy," Jackie speculated as she started the car.

"There is no coven," I told them, explaining Nancy's secret marriage.

"Well, that's fine with me," Darla said. "I wouldn't want to be a witch anyway."

"Did you say 'bitch?'" Jackie giggled.

I smiled. It was good to be with my friends. Sure, we had changed, but the change was for the better, I realized. Then I happened to think of something else. "Say, we ought to start calling ourselves the Girl's Club."

"She's right," Jackie said. "We may have been boys once, but we're girls from here on. The Girl's Club it is, and I hereby declare our first meeting in session."

"Okay," Darla agreed. "The first order of business is what to do with Amanda tonight."

I shook my head. "Don't worry about me guys. I'm fine." I was, too. I was content with my decision. Now, I had to go home and face the consequences of it. I would have to tell mom my date with Robbie was off. Then, I'd take a nice long soak in the tub and explore the body that was now mine forever.

"Look," Darla offered, "why don't you come with Kyle and me? We'd all have fun together. There'll be some guys there without dates. Maybe you'll find somebody you like."

Sure, I thought. The only ones there without dates would be the real geeks. No thanks. ""I don't want to butt in on you and Kyle," I told Darla truthfully.

Jackie grinned as she pulled into my neighborhood. "I'd offer, too, but something tells me Brian is going to get real lucky tonight."

We all laughed at that. My god, how much we had changed! And yet we were still a team. I loved Jackie and Darla even more than I had loved Jack and Darren, if that was possible.

We pulled up in front of my house. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Jackie asked.

"Never better," I replied. "Have fun tonight, guys."

I walked slowly to the house as they pulled away. I felt just a momentary pang of nostalgia for Adam. There was the tree I climbed when I was eight and couldn't get back down again. There was the Henderson's rose bush next door that I had gotten tangled up in while playing war with the Boy's Club when I was ten. Every glance brought back another memory of Adam. Well, so what? He was still inside me somewhere - at least the best part of him was. I'd just have to start building Amanda memories now.

Mom and dad were eating dinner together when I got in the house. I decided to go straight to my room and get out of my formal dress. I felt very lonely for a moment, but I knew that would change. Tomorrow, I'd see Steve and we'd see what developed.

I was just starting to unzip my dress when I heard Nancy behind me say, "Welcome home, Little Sister."

I smiled and turned around. "Surprised?"

"A little," she admitted, sitting down on my bed. "Not entirely, though. You've changed a lot these last few weeks - and not just physically."

"I suppose I have," I said with a sigh as I looked at the pretty girl I had become in the mirror. "It just seemed as if every day, I had less to go back to. Then, Jackie and Darla decided to remain who they had become. Without them, the Boy's Club would have been a one man band."

"So what happens now?" she asked me.

I shrugged. "I guess I get on with my life. I plan on getting a good education. As for career and marriage and babies, I'll take that as it comes, just like every other girl does."

Nancy came over to me and gave me a big hug. "Well, I'm very happy for you. I think I have the best sister in the world."

"No," I said with a smile. "I do. Now, give me a hand with this zipper, would you?"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting out of this sexy girl outfit and into sweats. Then, I'll take a bath later and go to bed - the same thing every other girl does without a date on a Friday night."

Nancy gave me an impish smile. "Who says you don't have a date?"

My eyes narrowed. "Nancy! What did you do?"

"Oh," she said smugly, "I just made a little phone call to Columbia last night. Steve was staying with Brad for a couple of days. Did you know that? No? Well, I just happened to mention that your date for the prom was off - probably because you lost interest with Robbie after meeting Steve."

"You didn't!"

"Oh, I certainly did. It seems Brad decided to bring Steve up here a little early today. In fact, he ought to be arriving here dressed for the formal any minute now." As if on cue, a car was pulling into the driveway. I rushed to the window to see who it was, my heart beating faster. "Steve!"

I turned ready to rush down and meet him, but Nancy caught my arm. "Sorry, Little Sister, that's bad form. Let mom let him in - then you can make your grand entrance down the stairs. The grand entrance guarantees he'll be in your spell all night. You still have a few things to learn about being a girl."

"But mom doesn't know about my date with Robbie being broken," I protested.

"Sure she does," Nancy told me. "I told her while you were at Loretta's that Steve was taking you tonight."

"But what if I had decided to change back to Adam?" I asked as the doorbell rang.

She shrugged. "Then, as you pointed out before, none of this would have happened. Steve wouldn't remember Amanda, so no harm was done."

I gave her another hug. "Nancy, this does it - you win. You really are the best sister a... girl could ask for."

"Just have fun," she said, handing me my purse. "By the way, I slipped a couple of condoms in there just in case. Don't feel obligated to use them, though."

I wasn't sure if I would use them or not that night, but there would be other nights, hopefully with Steve. I gave her a reproving look over the condoms, but I was smiling.

"I'll be out late myself," Nancy said, "but tomorrow, I want to know all about your date."

"Well," I drawled with a coy smile, "I may not tell you absolutely everything..."

And with a laugh, I turned to go down the stairs and make my grand entrance.

The End

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