Catfish - An X-Change Story

To start, a big thanks to KenjiSaito who took on the task of editing this story. Kenji, I very much appreciate you and your willingness to improve the writing of this community!

This is actually the first story I had written in first person, not the first published, it has taken a little longer to fully form. I started this story because I wanted to put a twist on the X-Change stories I've enjoyed from many other authors. I wanted to do something other than the traditional-- person finds pill, swaps, sexy time-- story. I want there to be a reason for the swap that is more than just a little fun. I am also motivated by the way stories are told over a number of posts on a certain social media platform. I've tried to tailor the story to fit this aesthetic. To go with that, each chapter/post has a song that goes with it. While you don't have to listen to the song mentioned, I have found inspiration in the tone, if not the words, in the song.

There are quite a few conversations that happen in text between some of-age teenagers. I have taken the liberty to translate these conversations into plain text for ease of reading. All text messages will be in italics

I have based the story in a location I have never visited. Therefore, I have either made up places or used locations that are popular with both tourists and locals.

As usual, all characters engaging in sexual activity are consenting and over 18.

My apologies to those that prefer a shorter story, this is not that, the sex takes a while to get to. Hopefully you enjoy the journey on the way there!

Catfish an X-Change Story

______________________________

How it started...

It was a joke, at least it was supposed to be. Maybe you'd call it attempted petty teenage revenge. Whatever you would want to call it, I never expected the result.

Future Nostalgia

I was hanging out with a few friends from high school at the State's Burger downtown. It was a cold night at the start of February and there was only one other person in the restaurant the entire time we were there. We started by stuffing our faces until all the fries were gone, and there was nothing left but finger streaks through the ketchup. Like any normal meeting of mainly high school boys, the conversation turned into a stupid game. Fuck - Marry - Kill. Sure, Jane and Izzy joined in too, even gamely playing along when they were given lists that included themselves and other girls we knew. Jane was curating our playlist on her phone, which was just quiet enough that no one was complaining.

One name kept coming up. Orion and Jamie started adding him to every list. Oliver caught the hint soon after and made sure the name came up so it would hit the kill list every time. Even the girls joined in.

Aiden Harrison. The undisputed king of our high school. Sure, he wasn't on the football team, but that didn't matter. He was everywhere else. Co-captain of the basketball team, straight-A student, vice president of the student body, state champ in swimming, three-time homecoming king. He even was on the debate team. To top it all off he was beautiful, not just handsome, but capital-B beautiful.

It didn't matter that I was a straight guy, I could acknowledge when another guy was really good looking. I was never attracted to him, but guys know when another guy is beautiful, in a totally different weight class, the kind that got inundated by girls who just couldn't seem to get enough of him. The definition of riz.

I was pretty sure that Izzy and Jane actually wanted to put Aiden on the fuck or marry list, even if they were just playing along. Jamie threw out Mr. Gunderson (the morbidly obese German teacher), Ms. Rogers (the crone-like algebra teacher, who, rumor had it, had been working there since before the principal was born), and Aiden. Jamie looked at Izzy to indicate it was her turn.

Before Izzy could answer I stopped the game. "Guys? Why are we killing Aiden every time? I heard he is actually a pretty nice guy."

Orion snorted, "Fuck that guy, man, he's a stupid little bitch."

"Yeah," mumbled Jane.

Izzy nodded, but said nothing.

I gave Orion a hard look. "A what?"

"You heard what I said, a STUPID LITTLE BITCH," Orion blurted.

The lone woman across the restaurant turned, and gave us a very dirty look. Jamie didn't weigh in.

Oliver nodded. "Yeah, man, he is that and worse. You should have seen what he did to Orion the other day."

The table was quiet. Nobody chimed in to tell me what had happened.

Finally, I broke the silence. "So? What did he do?"

"He stole Orion's girlfriend!!"

Everyone else nodded.

"Orion doesn't have a girlfriend. How did he steal something that doesn't exist?" I gave Orion a silly grin.

I knew who they were talking about. Orion had been nursing a huge crush on Kelly Johnson for years. She was, and always had been, out of his league and totally disinterested in Orion. She was only interested in poetry and hanging out at local bookshops. Rumor had it that she had published two poetry books under a pseudonym, and they were selling really well. No one knew if it was true though, and Kelly wasn't telling.

Orion glared at me. "Man, you don't even know! I was this close." He held up his hand with the thumb and his finger almost touching. "This close to getting her to go out with me. I had the perfect plan, and he ruined it!"

"What was your plan?"

"So, you know how I'm taking a creative writing class this semester?"

"Kind of." I honestly hadn't been paying that much attention to his classes this semester.

"Well, Kelly is doing a student teacher thing for my class. The first segment is poetry. I've been working on my poem since before the class started..."

Jane giggled, "Don't you mean since last year when you found out Kelly was going to be helping with the class?"

Orion sputtered and then continued his story. "Whatever. I had the perfect poem. It was about Kelly and what an amazing writer she is. I knew she was going to love it so much; I could ask her out right after, and she would have to say yes. I had flowers in my bag and everything. And then, before I got to read mine in front of the class, he ruined it." He paused, waiting for something.

"Orion, I wasn't there. What did he do?"

"Fuck him man. He read his poem." Oliver looked outraged

"So? Wasn't that the assignment?"

"Yeah. Well, no, I mean... He read his poem, and Kelly couldn't shut up about it and how good it was. When I got up to read mine, she wasn't even listening. She was so excited about Aiden's that she said she had to call someone and ran out of the class. She wasn't there and the whole class laughed at me. To make it worse, when it was time to go, I tried to go talk to her and read it to her. But Juan R. knocked my bag out of my hands and the flowers spilled everywhere and got stepped on. I was fucking humiliated." He fumed for a moment.

"Uh, Orion? That doesn't sound like he did it on purpose."

"No. It was totally on purpose. Aiden's poem was about a guy asking a girl on a date. It was obvious he stole my idea. You know how girls flock to him."

I did know, I'd seen it, the guy seemed to attract girls like flies to a dead body, he couldn't help it.

Jamie changed the subject smoothly, "Bro. This semester sucks without you there. I can't believe they let you graduate early. I'm so jealous. No homework and no Aiden."

The others joined in, lamenting my good fortune and the months they had left before they graduated. Aiden was forgotten for the moment.

--

Let me explain for a moment. My name is Geoffrey, Geoffrey Rebecca Friis. Yeah, my name is pretty unusual, but then, so am I. What my friends were complaining about was that I was allowed to graduate five months early. I had all my classes done and the final semester would have been a joke. I had no core classes left to take, and I already had admission to Rhode Island Design School, RIDS, for their printmaking program.

It helped that I graduated with a 3.85 GPA and had an internship lined up for the spring and summer before school at RIDS. I turned eighteen at the start of December and the school had allowed me to graduate early and even lined up a local community college to give me college credit for my internship.

More about that later.

--

"Bro. Bro, you must have so much time on your hands. No homework, and isn't your internship just four days a week?" Oliver injected.

It was four days a week, but it was ten-hour days. The only reason it wasn't longer was because another print maker rented the equipment and space on Friday and the weekend. Not everyone could afford the kind of equipment the little company I was working for had. I was still not sure how Amanda, the owner, bought the big paper cutters. Maybe that was why she rented everything out on the weekend.

Orion turned the conversation back to Aiden and the 'double-cross', as Orion had come to refer to it. I just rolled my eyes and joined in on the bashing. Sometimes, you just have to support your friends until they get over the petty slight that seemed like the end of the world.

Finally, Jamie changed the subject again.

"Geoff. Man. You're missing out. They have this new app this semester. It's like a school-wide, private Whats'Upp. They group you by class, so teachers can give out assignments and you can ask questions. People are mostly just using it as a chat or social media kind-of-thing. The whole thing is restricted to students only and it's encrypted or something, so teachers can directly send you your grades and stuff."

Jamie was our friend group's tech guy, the one you handed your phone to when it got glitchy, or wanted to make sure your parents couldn't find out about the porn your friend linked you to. He was excited about the new system at the school because, of course, he was.

Oliver jumped in. "Somebody just posted Orion's poem. They tagged Kate, you know, the weird but cute one who is really into ceramics?"

Izzy snorted. "Whoever posted it probably thought it was about her because of the 'The K in Kelly's name, like fine china...' line. Orion, you know your poem was cheesy."

Orion got defensive. "I worked on that for weeks. It's in perfect iambic pentameter. Somebody should post Aiden's. It was just as cheesy. Probably get some girls private messaging him to ask if it was written for them."

Jane giggled. "He probably gets tons of private messages anyway. Have you seen the pictures of his abs from the swim team photo last year? The guy has a ten pack!"

Jamie looked up from his phone. "Is that even possible? I thought it was called a six-pack."

"No, it's definitely a ten pack."

Jane pressed next on her phone, and Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia came on.

Izzy chimed in, "Definitely washboard."

Oliver's face soured. "Whatever."

Then he started smiling. "Guys, guys! I just had a great idea! You!" He pointed at me excitedly.

We all waited for him to continue.

"You are not on the school message service, right?"

I nodded the affirmative.

"But you still have a school email, right?"

"Yeah, so?" I had no idea where he was going.

"Okay so, you can sign into the service with your email, put in a fake name, and you can message A-douche!"

I was totally lost. Everyone looked expectantly at Orion. They seemed just as lost as I was.

"A-douche? You mean Aiden?" I asked.

"Yeah! You can message him. Pick a girl's name and I don't know, act sexy. You can catfish him and then drop him! Break his heart!" Orion looked around excitedly.

"You want me to pretend to be a girl, message Aiden, and get him to fall in love with me?"

"Yeah! It's the perfect revenge!" He smiled triumphantly. "You're all artsy, guys like that stuff, it'll be easy. I bet there are UTube tutorials on how to catfish. It'll be fun."

Izzy and Jane looked intrigued. Jamie was nodding. Oliver didn't look convinced. I kept quiet. Sure, I could probably sign up for any account, but catfishing? I had no idea how to do that.

Oliver broke the silence. "Uhh, am I the only one that thinks this is a horrible idea? Don't people get put in jail for catfishing?"

Orion jumped on that. "No way, bro. You're just pretending to be a non-existent high schooler. If anyone asks, just say you are from South and they messed up your account. There was a whole class of them at the start of the semester that were assigned to the wrong school. It's perfect."

Oliver looked like he was coming around. I wasn't convinced.

"Okay, that part could be okay. But I'm not a girl. I don't like guys. How am I supposed to act like a girl that he would like? I can't even get a girlfriend." I grimaced.

Jane and Izzy nodded sagely.

Orion wouldn't let it go. "No way, you got this! Guys are easy, girls are hard, nobody knows what they want." He chuckled. "Just send him a boob pic and he'll be hooked."

He looked around the table. Jamie and Oliver were nodding. Neither had ever had a girlfriend, so, of course, someone sending them a picture of their boobs would be an instant hit. They would probably follow that person to the ends of the Earth, catfish or not.

I looked over at Izzy and Jane. Izzy was giving Orion a dirty look. Jane looked thoughtful.

Jane spoke up. "Guys do love boobs... I mean you all could barely function at the water park last year when I wore that bikini. Pretty sure any of you would have bought me a car to get me to flash you."

Izzy turned her dirty look on Jane. Jane had always been more casual about her body. She wasn't wrong, though. Jane was the classic skinny girl who wore comfortable loose clothing, so you couldn't really see much of what she was working with for most of the school year. Last summer, we had all realized she had far surpassed Izzy in the breast department. The bikini she wore to the water park had left all of us, including Izzy, slack jawed.

Izzy was probably jealous, she had more of a slightly overweight body type and had developed before most of the girls in our class. Self-conscious about her extra weight and overly generous curves, she, too, generally preferred loose clothing. I knew from the time we drank a bottle of her mom's wine that she longed to be able to show off like Jane had the previous summer. Izzy and Jane's friendship had been a bit rocky after the water park, but seemed to heal right around the first cold snap when hoodies came back into everyday attire and Jane's goods were once again well hidden.

Orion looked at me intently. "So? You'll do it?"

I looked at Izzy. She was the only other person who seemed to think this was a bad idea. She just shrugged, "It's a dumb idea. It's not going to work, but it can't hurt anything."

Orion shot her a dirty look, then turned his pleading eyes to me. "Please? Just try? I know it will work, and you can't let your best bruh down!"

I thought about it for a moment. Izzy was probably right. Nothing would happen, and if it was my account, I could make sure Orion didn't say anything that could actually get me in trouble.

"Fine. I'm in. If this starts to go sideways, I'm out. I'm dropping it all on you."

"Sweet! You're not going to regret this! You're the best." Orion gave me a reassuring look.

The next few minutes were spent getting the app and signing into the account.

I logged in with my middle name, Rebecca, as Geoffrey didn't exactly scream girl. We worked out my cover story for why I was in the wrong group. Finally, there was much debate -- wait until another day to respond, or to start right away. Orion was obviously in for the immediate start. Izzy suggested the delayed option. The debate was solved when Orion snagged my phone and typed, "Hey you," and hit send.

He dropped my phone in the middle of the table, and we all stared at it like it was a snake. No response, no acknowledgement, no nothing. We all stared, quietly, our food long gone. Waiting for something to happen. Nothing did.

Orion argued that we should say something else, something a bit more salacious. The rest of us told him he was an idiot, and I snatched my phone back and stuffed it in my pocket.

"Orion, I said I'd do it, you said it would be easy. Just let it marinate, it'll be fine. It'll work, or it won't." I was quite sure this was totally pointless and wouldn't work, but if it made Orion feel better, I could play along.

Orion gave me a slightly hurt look. "It had better work. He needs to know what it's like to lose your soulmate."

I rolled my eyes and snorted. I searched for a moment for something to distract him. "Zendaya, Hailee Steinfeld, Olivia Rodrigo."

"What?" He gave me a puzzled look.

"Fuck - Marry - Kill. Zendaya, Hailee--"

He cut me off. I knew he had a serious thing for Hailee Steinfeld, she looked a lot like Kelly. I wasn't sure which crush had started first, but they had become inextricably linked.

"Olivia, Hailee, Zendaya. Definitely."

The rest of the evening went back to normal. A little Aiden bashing, but no more mention of the catfishing.

--

I should probably tell you a little more about me before we get too much further.

As I said before, my name is Geoffrey Rebecca Friis. I'm the son of Karl and Astrid Friis. My parents were both born in Denmark, but met here in the States during college. My dad was here for his master's in architecture and my mother was on a semester abroad.

Something drew them back to the States after my dad finished school and started work. Maybe it was a chemistry PhD for my mom, where she could be close to the semiconductor industry, which she still works in. Why they decided to settle in California when they could have gone home to one of the happiest countries in the world, I'll never know.

I was born here in the States, and despite frequent trips back to Denmark, I have had a pretty typical, I think, American childhood. School, cartoons, friends, learning to drive at sixteen. No, we don't travel by bike all the time, nor do we buy all of our furniture from stores that stick to a Danish aesthetic. Sure, my parents generally go for clean minimalism, but my dad is an architect. Architects tend to do that anyway.

I generally look like most kids of Danish heritage -- trim build, medium height, blue eyes. I ended up with my dad's sandy brown hair, instead of my mom's classic blond. I honestly don't look like anything special. Just a normal skinny kid, who dresses in what most Americans would say is too many turtlenecks. I may have inherited my preference for them, but there are a lot of artists who wear turtlenecks.

My parents say I inherited my artistic streak from my great Aunt Freya. I never had the chance to meet her before she passed away in a bicycle accident with a bus. Ironic, I know. Unlike most American kids I know who aspire towards the arts, I have always approached it very practically. I knew I wanted to make art, but I also knew I had to do it in a way that would actually make money and let me do something I loved.

My art is not the wild, free-spirited type you see teenagers trying before they find their style. I tend towards clean lines, crisp white backgrounds, the kind that let the textures tell their own story. It's how I got into printmaking. I started by making some invitations for family, simple designs that leaned heavily on the quality of the paper to announce their elegance. I guess a little of that Danish minimalism did end up rubbing off on me. I ended up begging a local shop to teach me to use their press and then let me make some of my own prints with their equipment. That experience and the relationship I developed with Amanda, the owner, led to my internship.

My relationship experience has been limited to a few awkward dates. I had tried going on a date with Izzy once. That was an utter failure. We both ended up laughing at each other over a very awkward dinner after an equally awkward movie. Sure, I've crushed on a few girls, Kelly included -- don't tell Orion -- but have never gotten any further than second base. That was with Kendra at art camp, right before the counselors found out about our secret game of spin-the-paintbrush.

It was camp, we didn't have any bottles, and who wants to play spin the can when you can play spin the brush?

I should get back to the story.

--

Don't Start Now

A week and a half went by. Aiden hadn't responded. Orion co-opted our Whats'Upp chat to get group updates on the catfishing attempt. Every time he asked, the answer was still, "No." No, he hasn't responded; no I haven't come up with a catchy line that would get him to respond." 'Hey you' was still the best we, as a group, could come up with and still seem authentic.

My week was busy. We were printing custom cards for Valentine's Day. Yes, some people are sappy enough to order bespoke cards for their loved ones. Since many of them were one-offs or small batches, my week was full of setup and tear down, which if you didn't know, was a pretty tedious process; I loved it, but it took a lot of time.

I was so busy with making things for other people, I didn't even realize when the day came around until Orion messaged me directly.

-

Orion - Dude! It's your chance, you need to make a move!

Me - What are you talking about?

Orion - He who must not be named. You need to message him.

Me - Uhh? What are you talking about?

Orion - Shit, you wouldn't know. Jennifer broke up with the douche today. Super publicly. It was awesome! But now's your chance, he's going to be alone on singles awareness day!

Me - Ok, what should I say?

Orion - Dude. How should I know? Just text him a pic of boobs and say "thinking about you tonight..."

Me - Wow. Umm. No.

Orion - Come on! Just do it!

Me - Where am I going to find a picture of boobs? Not like I have a pair handy.

Orion - I don't know, just copy from Insta-spam or porn or something

Me - You know they don't let you post boobs on Insta' right?

Orion - LOL. If you know how to look, they do!

Me - Whatever.

Orion - So, you'll do it?

Me - You owe me.

Orion - Sure, sure. Let me know how it goes!

-

What I did next, I am not proud of.

I was never the type to keep a stash of porn. Yes, I was a teenage boy and yes, I'd looked at porn. It wasn't something I did often, but when I had the chance, and if my parents wouldn't find out? Guilty. I was a teenage boy with the associated sex drive, I had needs, and who hadn't wondered what a set of E-cups looks like?

I did have one picture of boobs stashed away on the cloud. No, it wasn't from the Internet. It was from my cousin Anna.

No, she didn't send them to me on purpose or anything, there was no kissing cousins stuff. She lived in Denmark, I was here, besides she was five years older than me. I got the picture from a family chat on Whats'Upp. She apparently was trying to send it to her boyfriend and accidentally sent it to the family. Everyone thought it was pretty funny; to be honest, most of our family had probably seen her topless at some point on a family holiday.

Being raised in America and not being exposed to topless women, I saved it to my phone. Yes, I knew it was the wrong thing to do, but I did it anyway. Chalk it up to repressed American puritanical society, she had nice boobs, and I had a picture.

Saving a picture of my cousin was one thing, sending it to someone was totally another. Yes, I crossed that line, but in my defense, she sent it out to a bunch of people, nobody cared. It wasn't like I was posting it to the Internet with her name or anything. Thinking back on it, it was a bad idea, one that I never should have followed through with, but I did it anyway.

I quickly cropped the picture to take out her head. Anna was pretty stacked. If I had to guess I'd say D-cups, at least. Other than that, the picture looked a bit like me if I'd been a girl. Pale skin, slim frame, we even have a mole below our right shoulders in a similar place.

I sent it to Aiden with the caption, "Thinking about you on Valentine's Day."

I told Orion I had sent it and waited. I admit I was so anxious about what would happen next that my parents noticed I was being weird. They suggested that I stop checking my phone every thirty seconds and put it away. Mor (that's mom in Danish) told me that whoever she was would respond when she had the chance. I'm pretty sure she thought I was waiting for a message from a girl I liked.

Orion texted four times asking for updates. I jumped each time thinking it was from Aiden. I just texted, "Not yet," every time he asked.

Just before nine, my phone pinged with a new noise, not my usual text or Whats'Upp Whats'Upp tone.

-

It was Aiden. All he said was...

Aiden - Who is this?

I probably should have guessed he would lead with that.

Me - Rebecca.

Aiden - Rebecca who?

Crap, I hadn't thought of an alias beyond using my middle name. At least the app only showed the name you put in.

Me - Rebecca F., Remember?

Aiden - I don't know a Rebecca F.

Shit, what was I supposed to say to that? I had been expecting him to comment on the picture. I scrambled.

Me - Wait! This Isn't Aiden Walker?!

Aiden - Nope.

Me - Oh, shit, oh shit. I'm sorry!!!!!!!! Please delete that picture! Please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There was a pause. He didn't respond for a few minutes. Then...

Aiden - Deleted

Me - I'm so sorry. I was trying to send that to my ex-boyfriend.

Aiden - Why didn't you text him?

A totally valid question.

Me - Umm, he blocked me. Right after he broke up with me yesterday, I found out he cheated on me. I called him out.

Aiden - That sucks. Sorry.

Me - Not your fault. Sorry I sent the picture. Please don't tell anyone.

Aiden - Who am I going to tell? I don't know you.

Me - Thanks for deleting it.

Aiden - No problem, anytime. I get the not wanting to feel alone on Valentine's. Sucks.

Me - Yeah. Hopefully you have a special someone so it's not singles awareness day.

Aiden - LOL, I don't but thanks.

Me - So, who did I text?

Aiden - Aiden Harrison.

Me - Oh crap! Looked up your FB. You don't even go to my school!

Aiden - LOL, guess not. Which FB profile is you?

Me - It's private.

I hadn't thought of that. I'd have to make one. How the heck was I going to do that? I'd have, like, no history.

Aiden - Oh. K.

Me - Yeah, was trying to get rid of my social media a while back, I made it private and turned it off.

That should cover why I would have no history.

There was no response for a while. I started to think he wasn't going to message me back. So, I tried to reinitiate.

Me - Hey, thanks for being so nice. Sorry about the mistake.

He texted back a moment later.

Aiden - No Problem

That was pretty non-committal. So, I figured I'd give it a nudge.

Me - It was nice to talk to someone tonight. Thanks for listening.

Aiden - Sorry, was doing HW. It was nice to talk to someone tonight. Nice to see some boobs too... I've always been single on V-day.

Me - Ha! I doubt that. I saw your FB pic. You're probably swimming in girls. [winking smiley face]

Aiden - Kind of. But not really. They just want to say they are with me. I feel like an accessory. A girl broke up with me this morning because it was part of her master plan for senior year.

Me - Oh, wow that sucks.

Aiden - Yeah.

I honestly wasn't sure what to say next. So, I just ended the conversation.

Me - Thanks for being a nice guy. Night Aiden.

Aiden - Good night, Rebecca.

-

I sent the conversation to Orion, who was ecstatic. He was positive that this was going to work. Aiden would fall in love with Rebecca in a week and then break his heart. I wasn't so sure.

Before going to sleep I made a BookFace profile for Rebecca. I, again, used a picture of my cousin. I Photoshopped it into a photo I'd taken on a sunset hike last summer, and made her face so dark that you could only make out that she was a girl and had medium-length hair. I set her location as formerly from Denmark, currently living in the East Bay area. I set her high school to South, like Orion had suggested, and made the profile public.

-

The next morning, I was surprised to see a message from Aiden.

Aiden - Hope today is much better than yesterday. Try not to show anyone else your assets today.

I sent back a [Squinting Face with Tongue emoji, Baby Angel emoji].

Around noon, I got another message. The loud chirp punctuating the Dua Lipa song Don't Start Now, while I worked on a piece I wasn't sure was going to come out the way I wanted.

-

Aiden - Why are girls so weird?

-

I read the message and actually laughed out loud. My friends and I had asked each other that a hundred times. Izzy and Jane just shrugged every time we asked.

Jane once suggested boys were weird, to which Oliver simply stated one word, "Boobs."

Jane laughed at him and asked, "You want to have your own boobs?"

Oliver had turned red. "No! I, umm... you know what I mean."

"You sure you don't want your own pair? You said last week you'd never stop playing with them if you did..."

This was the conversation that played through my head every time someone asked, "Why are girls so weird?" or if they said, "I don't understand girls." You might be surprised how often a similar phrase was uttered by high school guys; it was probably true for almost any guy.

-

As I chuckled at Aiden's question, I typed back an answer. My mom, actually, was the one who gave me this answer when I was fourteen and pining over a girl from my art camp, who didn't seem to know I existed. The answer was just to sort of tease that would keep him on the hook and would make Orion happy.

Me - Do you want to know the secret that women don't want you to know?

Aiden - Yes

I almost typed 'they' but corrected it to 'we'.

Me - We don't know what we want either.

Aiden - That's not an answer!

Me - It's true.

Aiden - What about all the scheming plans girls make up?

Me - Those are for other girls, but for guys? They just don't know what they want. So, they make it up on the spot.

I was then past the girls-don't-know-what-they-want advice Mor gave me. Teasing Aiden was becoming fun.

Aiden - F---. That makes sense. Why can't they just be honest?

Me - Where would the fun be in that? Guys need to be kept on their toes.

Izzy had once told me that. She didn't really date, though she sort of went on that one with me, but not really. I was not sure where she had learned that.

Aiden - Girls are annoying.

I totally agreed, but I was pretending to be a girl.

Me - Hey! Don't call me annoying!

Aiden - Sorry, you know what I mean.

-

Just like that, we began to message back and forth almost every day. It was mostly just friendly banter. Complaining about school and fake girls from him and me being supportive and trying to be funny. Nothing that deep. I started to really look forward to when he would message. His messages had a genuine quality to them. While I didn't air my problems, he genuinely seemed to care what I thought. I was pretty sure we were becoming friends.

The fake BookFace profile slowly filled out with 'friends' from South, who I didn't know, but asked to be Rebecca's friend anyway. I started taking a few random photos of things around town. A flower blooming here, fun lighting in the evening at a park-- things that people who don't post pictures of themselves on BookFace post. I posted a few prints I did in my spare time when we had extra ink, simple stuff. Kind of like stencil street art, but on scrap rag paper. It wasn't edgy, usually it was with a pattern from a print I had saved-- a street bench, sailboat, something simple.

One day, Rebecca got a friend request from Aiden on BookFace. Of course, I said yes. By the next morning, he had commented on all my posts. There weren't that many. Maybe fifteen. But he had commented on them all.

Of course, I teased him about that.

-

Me - Hey! Why did you comment on all my posts?

Aiden - Because someone needed to. They felt lonely.

Me - [Tongue-out emoji, Red Heart emoji, Folded Hands emoji] Thanks for the pity party.

Aiden - Hey! No pity! I thought they were great. Especially the art. I've never seen anything like that before.

Me - Oh... Thanks.

Aiden - Are you an artist?

That hit like a ton of bricks. Of course, I was. It was what I was born to be. I'd taken every art class I could (except ceramics-- I tried, but it was not for me). I was pretty sure venting the frustration I was feeling wasn't the best idea.

Me - I'd like to think so.

Aiden - Oh. Sorry. I didn't know. Do you have like a portfolio or an Insta with your work?

Me - Yeah but it's not online or anything. AI steals all that stuff.

Aiden - I'd love to see more of your work to be honest.

Me - Really?,

Aiden - Yes. Totally.

-

That was how we started talking about art. It turned out he was really into architecture and was planning to be an architect. I knew from experience with my dad how much architects and architecture buffs love to talk about it. A few hints from what I already knew, and we had something new to talk about.

Cool

After a month of talking, if we didn't message each other at least twice a day, it started to feel weird. My friends started to notice that I wasn't messaging them as much. Orion was asking about the catfishing less and less. He was back to trying to win Kelly's attention. He had found out that she had been accepted in an accelerated Master's of Fine Arts for poetry program next year and he was afraid if he didn't make his move soon, he would never have a chance. Aiden was by then pretty far down his list of priorities.

Then one day, Aiden surprised me.

-

Aiden - Hey, do you want to go on a date sometime?

-

The plan was to have him fall for me, well Rebecca. But there was never a plan for if he asked me out. I scrambled to message the Whats'Upp group.

-

Me - Aiden just asked me out! WTF do I do?

Izzy - Lucky

Oliver - Dude why did he ask you out?

Jane - ROFL

Orion - Fire! Plan it and dump him via message right before.

Izzy - Are we ghosting him now?

Jamie - Did he ask you out or "Rebecca"?

Me - Rebecca. Seriously what do I do? If I ghost him the whole plan falls apart

There was a part of me that was so totally over this whole catfish thing and was fine with dropping it. The bigger part of me didn't want to lose the connection. I liked talking to Aiden. I'd started to share things with him that I hadn't shared with any of my friends. Places I wanted to go, art I wanted to see. He was so supportive. In return, he told me about the architects he admired, the famous buildings he was planning to see.

Jane - I'll pretend to be Rebecca

Oliver - Hmm, we don't want to ghost him. Just play hard to get. That always works. Drives guys crazy.

Izzy - You would know.

Jamie - Orion would know. Kelly always plays hard to get, and he can't get enough

Jane - We sure I can't go on the date?

Orion - No! What are you trying to get in his pants?

Jane - Who says I'm not?

Oliver - No sleeping with the enemy!

Jane - He's Orion's nemesis, not mine.

Jamie - Olli is right, play hard to get best option.

Jane - I think I'll ask Kelly if he's any good in bed.

Orion - Nooooo! f- that and f- you!

Jane - LOLOL

-

The conversation degraded from there into the usual banter, and an agreement to meet up on Thursday for late-night burgers.

I turned my focus back to Aiden's message. What was I going to say? Play hard to get. But don't make him lose interest. I wasn't ready to stop whatever this was.

-

Me - Why would you want to take me out?

Aiden - Why not?

I think I was hoping for a better response than that.

Me - You don't even know me.

Aiden - We talk every day.

Me - So? Who says I'm not some guy catfishing you?

Aiden - LOL, you have the biggest boobs of any guy I've ever seen.

Me - Hey! You said you'd never say anything about that!

Aiden - I said I'd never tell anyone, and I haven't. You already knew.

Me - Did you delete that pic?

Aiden - I wish I hadn't.

Me - Why?

Aiden - Because it's the only bit of you I have ever seen.

Aiden - Why don't you ever post pictures where your face is visible?

Me - Because

Aiden - Because why?

Me - Is that why you want to take me on a date, so you can find out what I look like?

Aiden - No

Me - Then why?

Aiden - So I can talk to my favorite person in real life.

Me - So what I look like doesn't matter?

Aiden - Nope. But... with boobs like that...

Me - Oh, so you only like me for my breasts?

Aiden - No. But they don't hurt...

Me - So you'd still want to go on a date with me even if I looked like a dog, so long as I have those boobs?

Aiden - I'd still want to go on a date with you even if you looked like a dog and didn't have any boobs.

That was a good line. I admit that I got butterflies from that. I was not even attracted to guys and that was enough to make me feel a bit weak in the knees. I needed this to stop before I got in trouble.

Me - I' don't think I'm ready to meet in real life

Aiden - Ok, no pressure

Me - Thanks

Aiden - How about this. I don't know what you look like. How about this Saturday we both go to MOMA. There is this new exhibit on classic printmaking methods opening. We go as separate people. Then we can talk about it after.

Wow. Well, either he was going to be eyeing any girl with boobs as big as Anna's, or he was just genuinely trying to just connect with me. I was planning to see the exhibit anyway, so I thought I might as well go.

Me - Ok. I think I can do that. I'm not telling what time I go.

Aiden - Me either. I'm going to be there no later than one. But I won't say exactly when.

Me - You're just hoping to see me.

Aiden - I don't know what you look like, remember?

Me - Just don't look at too many dogs with boobs trying to find me.

Aiden - LOL scout's honor. Woof Woof

Me - You're a boy scout?

Aiden - Nope. Never was, maybe I should have been. See you Saturday. Don't forget the farmers market at the ferry building is that day too.

-

Cool

I had to admit that the thoughts of the coming weekend and my, actually Rebecca's, not-date kind of consumed the rest of my week.

Amanda, my boss, was the first to notice. "Geoff? Geoff? Earth to Geoff!"

She interrupted my train of thought, which was thoroughly focused on which ferry I should take across the Bay on Saturday. I was trying to figure out which one Aiden would take.

I looked up. Amanda was giving me an incredulous look. I blankly followed her gaze when she flicked her eyes toward the ink plate.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

I could immediately see what my inattention had caused. I had put at least three times the amount of ink needed onto the plate. The result was that the menus I was printing had far more ink than was necessary and it was causing the letters to run slightly on the delicate rag that they were printed on.

The menus in question were for some serious foodie event happening on the grounds of a former nuclear plant south of Sacramento that had been turned into a giant solar farm. All the food was foraged or recycled. I didn't really understand food people, but the organizers had been adamant that we were to use a recycled ink, and this rag paper that was allegedly made from the recycled cloth napkins thrown away at a laundry up in wine country.

I quickly started cleaning up. I had set up Amanda's one-hundred-year-old press over a hundred times at this point. The inks usually weren't this runny. I had been on autopilot, not stopping to test a few prints before I started the run. Luckily, Amanda walked over to check on everything when I was only a few, okay, at least ten, prints in.

"Geoff, are you okay?" Amanda looked concerned.

"Yeah, sorry. I should have realized this ink wasn't as thick as usual. I just spaced out."

I gave her a look of chagrin. This wasn't like me. When I was making my own art, it was different-- I tested new things, used ink that might mix or run. But when I was working on something for Amanda, I was usually focused. Each print was practically perfect. It was what she deserved. Most artists or aspiring artists wouldn't get an internship right after, let alone one while still in high school that pays, and pays well.

Amanda gave me a little half smile. "So, girl or boy?"

I must have given her a slightly shocked look because she gave me an even bigger smile.

"Thought so. You are usually so with it, I thought it had to be something like that."

"How'd you know?" I felt like a kid with a hand caught in the cookie jar.

"The look in your eyes. You look like you're daydreaming. You've been checking your phone a lot more often than usual. When you do, sometimes you have this goofy smile on your face."

She hopped up so she was seated on the worktable opposite me. "Tell me about them."

--

Amanda is an amazing person. She is the nicest, least judgmental person I've ever met. I don't know how she does it, but she deals with all her clients in a caring way that leaves them feeling like they got exactly what they wanted. Even the bride-zillas and their mom-zillas, who are crazy about something they want changed at the last minute, or a font they must have, seem to end up loving her. I'm not saying that her clients are always right, more often than not they are wrong, but she has a way of drawing out what they really want or what the real problem is and finding a compromise that fits their needs. She doesn't always keep every client, but even on the rare occasions she gets fired by a client, they always feel like she took care of them. Even if getting fired was her idea.

Amanda had been running her little print shop for twelve years. At first, it was as a side hobby when she was still a man, started in her garage in Ohio. Yes, cute little five-foot-two Amanda was once a man. If the pictures on the wall are anything to go by, she was a big manly looking guy, too. She once told me that she always knew she was a woman. Her wife knew, too. But they married anyway, had two kids, and when X-Change was released, the way she told it, the day it came out she went and bought a Plus that would change her into who she had always known she was, popped the pill and promptly burned all of her male clothes, leaving her nothing to wear. She said she had to go shopping in her wife's bathrobe.

After the change, Amanda, with her wife, who had declared she was still Amanda's soulmate, and their two kids had picked up shop and moved to California to start over. The print shop, as it is now, had been born. If you ask her what she did before the print shop, she just responds, "I was a man, duh!" and gives you a big smile. She's in her early fifties now but looks much younger. She was one of the lucky women who X-Change gifted not only a smoking body, but it also seemed to take a few years off, too. Maybe that was due to the simple fact that she was now her authentic self.

--

"I, I don't know where to start..." I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"How about at the beginning..."

As she helped me clean and reset the press, I told her everything. Orion's vendetta, the initial messages, the catfishing. I would admit that I left out the little detail of the picture that baited the hook. She asked a few clarifying questions that caught me off guard. I ended by explaining the not-date on Saturday.

"Well, you are going on the date, right?"

"Yeah, I was planning on it."

"Are you going to talk to him?"

"No. I mean I can't. He's going there with Rebecca, not Geoff."

"Are you sure they are not the same person?"

"Yeah. I'm Geoff. Rebecca is made up."

"Geoff. So, in all these conversations, did you make up a backstory for Rebecca?"

"Yeah. She goes to South and accidentally messaged him."

"And...?"

"And what? That's it."

"So, everything else you told him, about being an artist, your likes and dislikes. The places Rebecca wants to go. Everything else you said. That was all you, wasn't it?"

She looked thoughtful as she placed the first test card.

I pulled the lever, the rollers rolled up over the ink plate, down over the type, back up and then the menu was pressed firmly to the type. I tried to figure out where Amanda was going with this, but I couldn't.

"So what?"

"So, it sounds to me like you were just yourself. You showed him not a fake person, you showed him you. It's pretty clear that this boy likes you, and that you like him. If you didn't, you wouldn't be obsessing over this date."

I released the lever and pulled the menu out, and looked at it critically. It was perfect. Just the right amount of ink, no running into the rag. It seemed like Amanda was always spot on with how much ink to use, how much pressure to apply.

It hit me like a mallet.

She was right about Aiden, too. I did like him. Not like a friend, but I like-liked him, and I think he like-liked me, too.

Crap.

I protested immediately. "No, no way. I can't like him. I like girls, like, I really like girls. All my crushes have been girls. Guys don't do it for me."

I didn't note that all the porn I'd ever looked at had been women, I had avoided anything with a guy, like the plague.

She threw out a simple question that rocked my world. "Do you think, that even though you are straight, that there might be someone out there of the same sex that might be your soulmate?"

"He's not my soulmate."

"I didn't say that he was. Just asking what if? What about platonic same-sex life mates? Do you think they love each other?"

"Sure. But they don't have sex."

"Love doesn't have to mean sex. Are you thinking about having sex with him?"

I was appalled; sure, people could love each other without sex. I'm not homophobic, love is love, but she had hit on something that I wasn't comfortable with. I was associating liking Aiden with sex. Why?

I took a deep breath and took a beat, while I ran a few more menus through the press. "I wasn't thinking about sex with him, at least I didn't think I was."

"So. Let me sum this up. This started as catfishing, as a cruel joke on the behest of your friend. Now, you have reached the point where he likes 'you' enough to ask you on a date. You could now reel him in and end the joke. But... somewhere along the way, you started liking him, more than as just a friend. You just now realized that you are attracted to him in a potentially sexual way. How am I doing?"

We were both quiet for a long time as we plowed through the menus. I puzzled over what Amanda had said. She was usually right about this stuff. Years of self-introspection on her part had likely made it easy to see through people's facades and see the heart of the matter. It was probably why she was so good with customers.

"Amanda? Am I turning gay?"

"Are you still attracted to girls?" She looked at the menu we had just printed, tossed it in the reject pile and made a minute adjustment to how the paper was held on the platen.

"Yeah. Honestly, I've never even thought about having sex with a guy, just girls."

"That doesn't sound gay to me."

"Then what am I?"

"That's up to you to find out. But don't let your preconceptions stop you from being with someone that you're attracted to. You never know. You might like it a lot more than you think."

We finished the print run in silence. Well, it wasn't quite silent, a letter press, especially one that's as old as Amanda's, was pretty loud. The rhythmic click and thump noises it made were soothing. I tried not to think about everything Amanda had challenged me with.

Of course, I was still going on our not-date. That was a given. What I still needed to process was my attraction to Aiden. In our conversations, he came across as such a normal person, genuine, honest, and very up front with his feelings. It was so far from the pedestal I had put him on as the "King of the School." I was obviously attracted to his personality, there really wasn't a question about that any more for me. What I needed to then figure out was, was I physically attracted to him? It wasn't like I actually spent any time with him when I was still in school, I was going to have to go to the museum when he was actually there.

As we cleaned up, I finally resolved to find out where this was going. I didn't think it was going anywhere long term because Aiden liked girls. At least, I was pretty sure he did. I'd never asked. I'd always just assumed. If he was attracted to guys, I was going to have to make some big decisions about what I was comfortable with.

"Amanda?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for talking me through this. I think I crossed a line somewhere. I didn't know how to do this catfish thing, so I was just myself. I got caught up in it and now I have a lot of thinking to do."

"You're welcome. You have a lot of thinking to do, you need to decide if you are going to do this favor for your friend, and break this boy's heart and potentially your own, or if you want to follow this through. See where it goes."

"Yeah."

"Do you know what you're going to do if you want a real relationship?"

That thought was kind of horrifying, what would I do? Wouldn't coming clean destroy any chance I might have of a relationship? Was I really thinking that was something I wanted?

"I have no idea." I really didn't.

"Well, you'd better figure it out before someone else figures it out for you."

That night, I asked Aiden to switch how we communicated to a private messaging service. He readily agreed. I told him that it was so that we could keep talking after school ended. Really, it was because I wanted it to be away from the school-related platform. If this all crashed down on me in the end, I didn't really want to involve the school and have it affect the diploma they hadn't actually handed me yet.

Saturday morning came, and I was a ball of nerves. I felt like it was a real date. I went over to the ferry terminal in Richmond, hoping that Aiden would choose to take the ferry instead of taking the train since he had mentioned the ferry building. It just seemed like more of a date thing to do.

I was ready to ditch my ticket five minutes before departure, when I saw him show up to buy a ticket. I fled into the ferry so he wouldn't see me. The people I sat near must have thought I was running from something. They all gave me concerned looks and looked for someone that might be a threat.

Aiden didn't sit in the same section as me. It was both a blessing and a curse because he started messaging me on the way. It would have been suspicious if he had heard my phone going off each time he messaged.

-

Aiden - Hey, on my way to our date. I know I said I wouldn't say when I was going but you already know what I look like. Took the ferry, you already there?

Me - Nope, took the train. Should have taken the ferry. Much better views.

Aiden - Too bad. The Bay is really pretty today.

Me - [Squinting Face with Tongue emoji, Eyes emoji] If I was there, you'd just be looking for my chest.

Aiden - No. I'd be looking for the most beautiful girl on the boat.

Me - What would you do if you found her?

Aiden - Share my coffee with her while we looked out over the Bay.

-

He was right. The view looked amazing. A few fluffy clouds, no fog, when we got past Angel Island, we would be able to see the Golden Gate. It was honestly a great day for a date. I didn't respond to Aiden, and instead, sat in my seat and daydreamed about what would be happening right then if I was actually a girl on a date with Aiden.

We'd share his cup of coffee, and he'd put his arm around me. We'd go to the windows, and he would lean over and give me a kiss when I got excited to see the Golden Gate in the distance.

A kiss? Did I really want that?

My daydream kept going and before I knew it, we had made it to the ferry building. I watched Aiden as he got off the boat. I hadn't noted what he was dressed in earlier. A smart gingham-print white and pink shirt that looked like it was tailored to look good untucked, a pair of khaki corduroys and some new-looking black and white sneakers that I didn't recognize. Again, I'm not attracted to guys, but if I had been Rebecca, that would have been the perfect spring day outfit for my boyfriend to wear.

I was having weird thoughts. Boyfriend? Kisses? I was getting too invested in this date.

I followed Aiden at a distance into the ferry building and had trouble seeing where he went in the crowd. I thought I saw him for a moment at one of the chocolate shops, but was jostled by the crowd. When I failed to track him down, I started down Market Street towards the museum. I figured he was somewhere ahead of me. I was a few blocks away from the ferry building when I got a text.

-

Aiden - Do you like Chocolate?

I didn't know anyone that didn't like good chocolate, and I knew from experience that the shops at the ferry building were just as good as any fancy European chocolatier.

Me - What girl doesn't?

Aiden - Good I bought you some.

Me - Why?

Aiden - Because we are on a date, and I forgot flowers.

This guy was dangerous. I honestly didn't know how he didn't have a girlfriend. Maybe he did and his conversations with me were just a side thing.

Me - Thanks. Hope you don't eat them all.

Aiden - Never...

-

At the museum, I bought my ticket and slowly wandered into the exhibit. The pieces on display started with hand carved woodcut prints. Some were local, others were from printed publications after newsprint became widespread, a few were on loan from larger European museums. The prints became more complex as the timeline moved into the present, new methods like screen printing took over, allowing for much larger pieces of work. I was so absorbed that I bumped right into Aiden.

"Sorry!" I looked up into his face.

He just gave me a kind smile and waved it off. "No problem. The art is a little distracting."

"Yeah..."

I stared at his face for a little too long. I didn't feel any physical attraction. I wasn't getting turned on. But there were still butterflies in my stomach.

"Well, enjoy the exhibit!" He moved on to the next piece, leaving me standing there awkwardly.

I tried to surreptitiously watch him as he walked around. He was really good looking for a guy. Toned, strong jaw that wasn't too much. Plenty of muscle visible even through his loose shirt, especially on his back. I saw a few women look him up and down. I didn't feel attracted to him, not sexually, but there was something else, something I couldn't put my finger on.

Eventually, I wandered towards the exit and stopped to look at a large, very colorful print. It was at least six feet tall and looked like it must have been screen printed. I couldn't help but stare. The action was so vivid. It jumped off the wall at you. Movement was felt in every corner and my very core somehow resonated.

The print was very obviously of a man making love to a woman. Her form dripped ecstasy, and her position suggested that she was in the middle of an incredible orgasm. Why I knew this, I wasn't sure. But I felt what she was going through. The man immediately reminded me of Aiden. Tall, athletic, confident, wide shoulders. Somehow, I saw in him a caring, a drive to please the woman. Not just for sex, but because he deeply cared for her. I finally pulled my eyes away and noted the title of the piece. "The Joining." No other description. Just the artist's name and the year it was created.

Aiden walked into the room, and I walked out. I didn't want to be caught staring at the very graphic print. As I left, I couldn't help but put Aiden in the place of the man in the print. Could he make me feel like that woman? Soaring on another plane of pleasure? Suddenly, as I imagined myself in the woman's place, I realized I had an obvious tent in my pants. I ran to another exhibit and sat on a bench while I calmed myself down. What had just happened?

Aiden messaged a few minutes later.

-

Aiden - Hey I need to head back. Swim team stuff. I hope you enjoyed the date. I don't know if you're even here. I hid your chocolate behind a planter shaped like a boat on the west wing of the second floor. Hope you enjoy it! Next time I hope you'll actually join me, no pressure. We should talk about the exhibit later, some of the pieces really spoke to me.

I quickly messaged him back.

Me - I really did. I saw you at the exhibit. You didn't seem to be looking for me. You seemed to be just taking in the art. That was really cute. Let me know when you're done with swim team so we can talk.

Aiden - Will do! I wish I saw you too, but I don't know what you look like. I'd love a pic, only if you're comfortable of course.

Me - I'll think about that.

Aiden - Thanks.

-

I slowly walked to the west wing where he had hidden the chocolate. I was sure I looked a little silly looking back over my shoulder every few steps. I wanted to make sure he was actually gone, and not trying to sneak a peek. No one was in the exhibit he had hidden the chocolate in. Probably why he had left it there. As promised, there was a little black box with yellow ribbon and a small card with 'Rebecca' written in neat handwriting.

I walked to a secluded corner and opened the card.

--

Rebecca, I had a great time today! I was thinking about all the things we would have talked about on the way here on the ferry. I know you would have made me laugh when I first reached out to try to hold your hand. You'd try to pull away and then squeeze my hand tight. They way your hair would get blown by the wind as we took in the bridge from the railing. I wish you'd seen how pretty it was on the bay today.

I hope you like the chocolates. I wanted to get you something, but flowers seemed like a weird thing to hide. I picked out a few I thought you'd like. They even have little prints on them.

The exhibit was amazing! I had no idea there were so many types of printmaking! Some of them looked like they and been painted and not printed. Have you ever tried anything like that? I want to go again so I can talk with you about each piece.

Next date can we go in person? Yours, Aiden P. S. XOXO

--

The letter was sweet and sappy. His writing got a little cramped at the end. It looked like he had written it in a bit of a hurry and hadn't planned out what to say. I closed the card and realized what was on the cover. The erotic print from the end of the exhibit. It wasn't quite as visceral as the larger version in the gallery, but it immediately got me thinking. What would it have been like being Rebecca, to hold Aiden's hand, to hug him, to kiss in the bay breeze?

I felt my hard-on returning and quickly put the card away. I wandered through a few more exhibits trying to distract myself, but that didn't work. My thoughts kept going back to Aiden and the print. I couldn't deny there was some kind of physical attraction, it didn't seem to be there when I was standing next to him, or even when he looked at me. I puzzled at it for a bit, until I found myself standing in front of a portrait where the left half of the painting appeared to be the face of a woman, and the right half appeared to be that of a man. They shared the same nose, but everything else was subtly different.

It suddenly dawned on me. Every time I felt sexually attracted to Aiden, I was imagining myself as a woman. What did that mean? I needed to work this out.

I headed out of the museum and almost ran into a large display situated in the center of the exit hallway. The display was a comparison between an original work by a human artist and a series of AI reproductions that borrowed heavily from the original piece. The display attempted to start a dialogue about unlicensed skimming by AI training software.

I had heard a lot about this and it's why I didn't post my work online. The part about the AI reproductions was intriguing. Could I use one of those AI programs to create a picture of me as a woman? I'd have to get some help to make me up like a woman as a training image, but then I could use it to make reproductions. It didn't have to look like the real thing, it would be a picture of me as a woman. I texted Izzy as I walked to the nearest underground station to take the train back home.

-

Me - Izzy, I have a favor to ask

Izzy - What?

Me - It's about that catfishing thing

Izzy - Oh? Is it about the date thing? Orion is so excited about that.

Me - Yeah. He asked for a pic.

Izzy - What are you going to do?

Me - I was thinking, what if you helped make me up?

Izzy - Yeah. You're not going to look like a girl.

Me - No, I mean make me up and then feed it into AI to make some pictures.

Izzy - Oh, that could work. You want me to make you up?

Me - Yeah. You're good at that stuff.

Izzy - What about that app?

Me - The one that shows how you'd look as the opposite sex? I heard that got shut down. Rumors about it magically turning some people into the opposite sex.

Izzy - Oh darn. Now I can't catfish Jane, that would have been some good bait. I'd probably look like some buff football guy.

Me - You'd be so hot that Aiden would look like a four.

Izzy - Ha! When are you coming over?

Me - Forty-ish?

Izzy - Cool, mind if I do your hair too?

Me - I guess? Nothing permanent.

Izzy - Green it is.

-

I arrived at her house about forty-five minutes later. As she ushered me upstairs, she mentioned that her parents were out for the evening at some fancy restaurant on the other side of the Bay and unlikely to be back until much later.

That was a bit of a relief for me. I'd been over what seemed like hundreds of times, we had been friends since we were six, but this was new. Sure, we had played dress-up when we were younger, that was more knights and princesses, or cowboys and Indians, it didn't matter who dressed up as what, so long as we had fun.

I was pretty sure that Izzy putting makeup on me and doing my hair for some pictures was a little out-of-the-box for our current ages. I wasn't sure that I wanted them to know, they might tell my parents and then I'd end up telling them the whole story. I wasn't ready for that.

As we walked into her room, Izzy turned to me, "Take off your shirt."

I stopped in her doorway. "What?"

She turned and looked at me with a slightly sassy look. "I need a canvas. Your turtleneck, well it's very you and if you had large enough breasts, it might be fine, but you don't. So..."

She motioned me into the room.

Inside, she had several blouses that she held up to my chest in quick succession.

"No, no, no, yes, no, maybe, no."

The extras went into the bed, and she held the two that didn't get NOs up once more.

"Hmm, this one," she said, throwing the last reject onto the bed.

The winner was a simple black blouse with a V-neck. Izzy told me it was a silk V-neck with cap sleeves. I tossed my shirt on the bed next to the rejects and carefully pulled it over my head. It settled on my shoulders and draped loosely over my chest giving the slight illusion that there was something more than my flat chest.

Izzy nodded approvingly. "Okay, sit here."

She patted a swiveling chair that was placed in front of her desk. Hair products and makeup were arranged on her desk. She grabbed her phone and started a playlist. The first song to come on was Dua Lipa's Cool.

I sat and she looked me over as the song started. "So, how far do we need to go with this? I mean how much do we need to do to get the AI to do the rest of the work?"

"I don't know. I tried a couple filters on the way home, they just looked so cartoony."

"Yeah, I could see that. How about we get rid of the wisps of beard you have, and I'll do your face, and we will see where it goes there."

"Sounds good."

She pulled out an electric razor, which I guessed she had borrowed from her father, and went to town on my face. I didn't have much facial hair, but there was always some there. It was fine and blond. I shaved maybe once every other week. I didn't think of it much as facial hair yet. It was just another grooming thing I did when I had to.

Izzy, however, decided that it all needed to go. She had to have used the razor before because she, somehow in a few minutes, made my face feel baby smooth and pronounced me ready for makeup.

I wouldn't pretend to know what she did to my face. Izzy had always, well, since middle school, been a master at makeup, never overdone, but I think it was kind of her mask. A mask of perfect makeup that she hid her extra weight behind. Her face had never carried the hallmarks of extra weight her torso did, no extra chin or chubby cheeks.

She spun me so I could see my face. It was still me. Just softer. A bit of pastel here, a tiny bit of blush on my cheeks to highlight my cheekbones. Whatever she did to my eyes made them look larger and rounder. My lips, which were pretty average, had a bit of shine on them and looked plumper. More kissable, maybe.

While I was staring at my made-up face, Izzy was starting to play with my hair. She lifted various sections and held it up in various positions. My hair wasn't long by any means, just longer than most guys. It covered my ears enough that I often brushed it over them and out of my eyes in a little bit of a left part.

She sighed and pursed her lips. "Okay, well I can't do a whole lot with what you have. We could do something edgy if I put a lot of product in it. Do you want to go that direction?"

I honestly had no idea. I frowned for a moment. "I don't think Rebecca is edgy. She's an artist, but not edgy. Maybe more girl next door?"

Izzy nodded thoughtfully and left the room. I sat there, wondering what she was going to do next when she came back with a wig. It was a darker brown than my natural hair, but not so dark it would look unnatural.

She placed the wig on my head and set about making sure it was in the right place and pinned down before she started styling it. I saw none of the process since I was turned away from the mirror. When she was done, she spun me around to see her handiwork in the mirror on her desk.

I wouldn't pretend I looked miraculously like a woman, like some complete transformation that made my jaw drop. I looked like me. Just a bit more girlish. The medium brown locks framed my face and made it look a little rounder. Between the hair and the makeup, there was enough of a change in my look that people that had met me once or twice, people like Aiden, wouldn't recognize me.

"All right. Picture time," she crowed, with a smile.

I looked over at Izzy, who already had her phone ready.

"Move over there." She pointed to a corner of her room that had fewer things on the wall. "It has the best light."

When I thought about it, I realized that this must be where she took most of her pictures for social media, the muted pastel tones of the walls looked familiar. She had me face her in several ways before stopping me and making me relax. She said my jaw was too tight and my smile too unnatural.

"Stop looking at me like I'm something you want to eat and look at me like I'm something you're happy to see, like I don't know. Kittens?"

"I'm looking at you like I want eat you?"

"Well kind of. Your look was so intense. Like you're focusing on this too hard. You need to relax; you look like a lion about to eat something."

She smiled at me, giving me a comforting look, like she was looking at something cute she wanted to cuddle. I tried my best to relax and not concentrate on this so hard. The AI was going to change things anyway. Why did I care what I looked like so much?

"Okay, that's a little better. Here. Do you think these will work?"

She handed me the phone. I flipped through what she had taken. The first few were pretty good. Anyone that knew me would see right through the makeup and the hair. The ones she had taken before she told me to relax were just as she said. I did look like I wanted to attack something. My expression made it much more obvious that I was a guy. The softer expression made me look a lot more androgynous.

"I think those are good. Let's upload them and see what they look like."

Izzy went downstairs while I quickly uploaded a few of the better photos to one of the photo AI sites. I asked the generator to take the pictures and make it look more womanly.

The first one came out looking like some matron from the seventeenth century. I tried again. I asked it to make the picture look like a picture from 2024, make the face more feminine and add breasts.

This one came out with breasts that would make an anime character blush, and a cyber-punk futuristic background.

I tried again.

Make this photo more feminine, the background should look like a normal teen's bedroom, the picture should look like it was taken in 2023.

This one was much better. I still looked like me. It gave me a modest chest and looked like I'd used a SnapCat filter. I added two more with other filters. Each looked like a pretty typical teenage girl, just with features close to mine.

Izzy came back and looked over my shoulder. "Looks good. Why does it look so much like you?"

I didn't have an answer. "Why not?"

"Well, isn't the point to catfish him and then break his heart? What if he sees you some time and recognizes you?"

"I'm not a girl."

"Yeah, but it still looks a lot like you. You probably could have gotten a similar result with some of the AI filters some of the better apps. Or you could have just taken a few BookFace pictures of girls from South and asked the AI to blend them. Not like he would ever know."

"I didn't think of that." I saved the photos and closed the browser. "Should we take this off?"

"If you want. Or... we could go clothing shopping." She gave me a sly smile.

I sputtered. "Go out looking like this?"

"If you want to look the part for Aiden, you're going to have to wear something other than a turtleneck..." She threw a pointed glance at my shirt hanging from her door.

I looked at my shirt and then down at the blouse I was wearing. I gave her a look that I assumed reflected how I felt. Helpless and a little lost. But, clothing, to show off for Aiden?

Izzy collapsed in a fit of giggles. Between her laughter, she managed to ask a question. "OH! Your face just now! You have no idea what you're doing, do you?"

When she finally stopped laughing, she looked at me for an answer.

I was pretty much at a loss. I really had no idea what I had been doing. I'd just been kind of floating along and seeing where it went. There was never really any plan from the start. Just to see if Orion could get even or something. This was starting to seem like a colossal mistake.

When I didn't say anything, Izzy gave me a nudge.

"Hey. You, okay? I didn't mean anything by it. I'm just saying, all this, for a stupid grudge, for Orion?"

She gave me a look, that to me, said she knew more than she was letting on.

"The pictures and stuff. It was fun, but are you sure you want to use those? You don't have to. You know you could stop this any time. Just tell Orion he ghosted you. Problem solved."

I nodded slowly. She was right, I could do that at any time. What was I doing? I nodded to let her know I heard what she was saying and was processing it.

She gave me an understanding look. "Think about it. You don't have to do it for Orion. I mean what are you getting out of it? Here, let's clean off that makeup."

She removed the wig and started to wipe off all the makeup. I watched in the mirror as the accent on my cheekbones disappeared and the harder line that defined my chin reappeared. It was a little surreal to see how much my face had changed with just a little paint and powder.

I pulled off her blouse and helped her clean up as best I could, which wasn't much. I thanked her again and left, promising I would give it some serious thought before using the pictures we had made.

As I walked away from Izzy's house towards the nearest bus stop, I gave some thought to what she had said. Why was I doing this? At the start, it had been grudgingly to get Orion off my back. Then it had been fun, I enjoyed talking with Aiden. But today? The dynamic had changed. When we planned the 'date', it had seemed harmless, but after talking to Amanda, I started looking at the whole thing differently. It wasn't her fault or anything, she just asked me to look at what was going on the inside my own head. Izzy had done the same thing.

The pictures were all my idea. He hadn't bugged me about them, really. He had given me a gift today and I wanted to give him one back. Just well, not pictures of the Geoff me, pictures of the Rebecca me.

There was a part of me that wanted to be her. So I could go on a real date with Aiden. Sit next to him on the ferry. Talk about the art at the exhibit. Maybe hold his hand as we walked. I felt a warmth in the pit of my stomach as I sat on the bus, thinking about it. This led to what Izzy had said about shopping. What would I have worn today? I mean, girls wore turtlenecks all the time, right? I could have just worn one of my customary black ones. I'd seen girls in a pair of high-waisted jeans and a tight turtleneck. It was actually pretty hot. I decided that this would be Rebecca's style. Maybe it would be a sleeveless turtleneck.

On my way home, I got a text from Aiden.

-

Aiden - Hey. Just got done with the swim stuff. It ran long. I have an hour until some debate team practice. You have a few min?

Me - Just walking home. I think I can text and walk.

Aiden - Good. No tripping and hurting that beautiful face.

Me - You don't know what my face looks like.

Aiden - Don't need to see it to know it's beautiful.

Me - [Tongue-out emoji, Squinting Face with Tongue emoji]

Aiden - You make a print of that, and I'd buy it.

Me - Liar.

Aiden - Totally would. Anyway, how was the rest of your day?

Me - Good I got you chocolates and the note. It was really sweet. I haven't tried the chocolate yet.

Aiden - Let me know if they are any good. You do anything fun on the way back?

Me - Stopped at a friend's and got my hair and makeup done for a photo shoot.

Aiden - Ohh... And...

Me - I might send you one.

Aiden - Just one?

Me - Don't push your luck. The chocolates might have bought you one...

The banter continued until I arrived home.

Me - Well I'm home. Got to go check in with my parents. Message me after debate.

Aiden - Definitely.

Me - [Face Blowing a Kiss emoji]

-

When I got back to my house, my parents were just starting dinner. We said the usual hellos. Hello-and-how-was-your-day conversations were always in Danish at my house. Most dinners were in Danish, as well. I probably should have worked harder at it; I could talk to my cousins easily enough, but to a Danish person I'd never met? They would know in a moment I wasn't a native. I won't bore you with our family conversation, but Mor did bring up something important after dinner when she saw the box of chocolates.

"Honey. I don't know if you have a special friend that you haven't told us about or not. But, I know prom is coming up at the end of April, and I wanted to let you know that Far (that's dad in Danish) and I will both be away on business. Far will be in Denmark and I'll be in New York. Do you need anything for that weekend, or are you planning to go to prom?" She smiled at me knowingly.

I hadn't even thought about prom, to be honest. I'd been so wrapped up in work and messaging with Aiden that it hadn't crossed my mind. Even though I hadn't thought about going, but since I was still technically a student until May, I was probably invited.

"Mor, I totally forgot about it. I don't know if I'm going to go." I gave her a reassuring smile to tell her she didn't need to worry about me.

"You sure? I know it's a big thing and you have been texting so much with someone. I just thought you might want to go with them?"

Mor was always too observant. Had I really been focused on talking with Aiden that much? I tried not to do the teenage whine that comes out when moms interfere.

"Mor! We haven't even talked about it! We haven't gone on a real date or anything. We're just talking."

"There is 'talking' and then there is 'Talking.' You have definitely been Talking to whoever she is. Didn't you go on a date today? You brought home chocolate. Did it not go well?"

I almost blurted out that Aiden gave me the chocolate, not the other way around. This was too complicated. I had to be careful, or I'd be having one weird talk with my parents.

"It wasn't a date, Mor. We just went to the museum SEPARATELY. So, we could talk about the exhibit. We just happened to go at similar times, so... "

I had to make a decision. Did I shade the truth, or did I have a conversation about why I went on a date with a guy. Both of them would be supportive, but that was a conversation I didn't want to have.

"So you like boys?"

"No. Well, only when I pretend, I'm a girl."

Yeah, not going to happen.

"She left me some chocolate hidden in one of the other exhibits. I think it was to see if I really went. You know. No faking and just looking up the art."

"You'd never do that. You like art too much!"

"I know, but you know, someone I've just messaged with doesn't know that, though."

"You sure this isn't some predator who's going to abduct you?"

"No, Mor! It's someone from South high school. Orion knows them. He hooked us up. It's not some weirdo."

If anyone was the weirdo in all of this, it was me. I was the catfish here. I had a weird feeling in my stomach about it. Was I a predator? I didn't like that thought. I reminded myself that I had taken real pictures of myself today and just touched them up. I wasn't going to send something entirely fake.

"Okay, so long as you're safe. If you think anything seems strange, let us know right away, okay?"

"Okay, Mor. Thanks." I actually meant it.

Physical

I went up to my room to hide and think things over. Before I could really get started, Aiden texted.

-

Aiden - Hey, sorry debate went long.

Me - No problem

Aiden - So about the exhibit, which one was your favorite?

I debated lying. Would he think I was weird for liking the erotic one most? I almost lied and then thought about what Morhad just said. I didn't want to be fake for him. I'd shown him a lot of the real me and he seemed to like it.

Me - I'm embarrassed to say...

Aiden - Don't be its art...

Me - Fine. It was the really colorful sexy one.

Aiden - The one at the end?

Me - Yeah

Aiden - That was mine too. It was really vivid without showing much. It provoked my imagination.

Me - Really? What did you imagine?

Aiden - Not to sound like a horny guy but... That it was, me and you...

Me - No way! You don't even know what I look like! I could look like a horse!

Aiden - That wasn't what I was imagining...

Me - What were you imagining?

Aiden - Well you and me and some heavy petting leading to something a bit more serious...

Me - You were imagining fucking me weren't you...

Aiden - Guilty...

Me - Don't worry, I was imagining the same thing...

Aiden - I knew it.

Me - I mean, staring at that print, it was hard not to imagine it. I could see all your muscles through your shirt...

I sat and debated mentioning I had to go to another exhibit to cool down. After a moment, I decided it was an admission that I wasn't sure I wanted to make. Should I take the next step and send a picture? Screw it.

Me - [PICTURE]

Aiden - Wow, you're even prettier than I imagined. I definitely did not see you at the exhibition. I have no idea where you were hiding. I would have noticed someone that beautiful.

Me - That was not the reaction I was expecting.

Aiden - What were you expecting?

Me - You to accuse me of touching it up with AI.

Aiden - Well it looks like you did a little retouch, but don't girls do it for just about every social media post?

I didn't, but I knew that most girls used filters a lot.

Me - Yeah, I guess so...

Aiden - So, what was it about my muscles?

Me - Oh those... Umm well you with no clothes.

Aiden - What was I doing with no clothes?

Me - Umm kissing me.

Aiden - and?

Me - I was naked.

Aiden - Anything else?

Me - We were having sex, like the picture...

Aiden - Oh really... Was I good?

Me - I don't know, I think so.

Aiden - You don't know?

Me - I've never you know... So I don't know. I mean I'm pretty sure it was epic, and you were ravishing me.

Aiden - Ravishing?

Me - Yeah, that's the right word, right?

Aiden - I guess, sounds like you have a vivid imagination.

Me - What?

Aiden - I mean I guess you've never done it; nobody says that.

Me - Oh and you have?

Aiden - Yes, not bragging or anything.

Me - So the rumors are true...

Aiden - Actually they aren't

Me - No?

Aiden - No the rumors are that I sleep around. I don't do that. I just let girls say they slept with me, so they get the social status. It's kind of frustrating actually.

Me - Oh. Ummm...

Aiden - I know. I don't know why I let them start.

Me - So if you didn't sleep with all those girls... What's your number?

Aiden - It's just four. One was a swimmer at a summer training camp. She was older and my first.

Aiden - The second was on a rival debate team. We saw each other at all the events. They were both really special. I learned a lot from them.

Aiden - The big one, she was a senior last year, we dated for four months until she broke it off in the middle of the summer. She went to school on the other side of the country and didn't want to commit to anything long term. She was the only one from school I ever actually slept with.

Aiden - Then there was girl at swim camp last summer, she was kind of a rebound, it was only two weeks, but it was pretty intense.

Aiden - They all really knew what they wanted.

Me - So. What do you think I want?

Aiden - Me.

Me - Cocky much?

Aiden - LOL. I think you'd like to start with some soft kisses while I held you gently. Gentle caresses around your neck and ears until you were ready for more.

He was right. I had imagined him doing that to me, the Rebecca me. Our conversation had me already a little turned on, but this sealed the deal. I felt like I was ready to burst. In my mind, Aiden was kissing a girl that looked a little like me and a lot like my cousin. My breathing started to get a little heavy and my palms got sweaty as I thought about it.

Me - How would you know when I was ready?

Aiden - Your breathing would change.

Me - How did you know my breathing changed?

Aiden - Because when you're ready it gets heavier and deeper.

Me - Ok, I'm ready.

Aiden - I'd gently help you out of your shirt and help you unbutton mine.

Me - You're wearing a button up?

Aiden - I was... Now I get to gently lay you down and kiss my way down your chest across your breast and to your stomach until you giggle and ask me to take off your bra.

I felt goosebumps rise on my skin, as I imagined his lips cross my body.

Me - It's off.

Aiden - That's no fun! I wanted to take it off you.

Me - That's what you get for making me giggle...

Aiden - Well I'd have to make it up to you. Gentle caresses under your breasts until you thrust them up into my face and I was forced to give each nipple a kiss.

Me -...

Aiden - Then I'd find all the secret spots around your breasts until you couldn't hold it in and begged me to help you.

Me - Help me with what?

Aiden - You know, the little problem in your panties.

For a moment, I thought he knew the truth that I wasn't Rebecca at all. I took a few breaths and calmed down. He was thinking about what was next, girls get turned on, but they don't get hard, right? What could be the problem? I realized that if I was as turned on as a girl as I was right then, I'd probably be really wet. Maybe that was the problem.

Me - Oh? You think you turned me on that much?

Aiden - I know I did. Would you like my help getting those tight jeans off?

Me - Yes please. But only if yours go too. It can't be that comfortable in there...

Aiden - Good point.

Aiden - I gently pull them down your hips and down your long legs, do you want to help with mine?

Me - Sure, just don't let that thing out yet. Keep your underwear on. I want to be surprised.

I realized I was really getting into this. I wanted him to do this to me-- to Rebecca.

Aiden - With just my underwear on, I don't think there will be much of a surprise...

Me - Oh... what if I run my fingers along it? What do you think will happen?

Aiden - You're such a tease. I think I'll just slide your panties down too. What kind are you wearing?

Me - A black thong.

Aiden - That's hot, you don't mind if I take these off do you?

Me - Only if you work on my little problem once they are off...

Aiden - Don't worry, I'll put my fingers to good use.

Me - Don't forget about your tongue. Are you any good with it?

Aiden - You'll just have to see...

Me - Oh! you are good with it!

Aiden - I've yet to have any complaints...

I'd been hard since he had 'started with these soft kisses'. I began to imagine that I really was Rebecca, and that Aiden was down between my legs doing things I'd only see on the internet or read about. I started rubbing myself through my jeans as I texted one handed. My imagination ran wild, as Aiden proceeded to describe what he was doing to me.

First, his tongue. Gently teasing me. Exploring. Then gentle attention to my lady bits, and then his fingers. Again, exploring. First one finger, then a second. Curling, teasing. I shivered when he first reached my clit. I almost came right there, imagining it. Then how his fingers felt inside me. How they curled up to a sensitive spot inside me. How he gently applied more pressure and more attention to that little pressure button.

Suddenly, I came. Hard. Harder than I ever had from rubbing one out. Heat flooded my underwear, and I could immediately feel the growing wet spot. My thumb barely was able to type it out, as I kept rubbing and my orgasm kept running through me; shivers of pleasure rippling down my spine.

Me - Oh fuck. I'm cumming.

Aiden - Do you want me to stop?

Me - Not yet...

Aiden - Just tap my head when you're done...

It took me a few minutes to recover. The wet spot was starting to get cold on my leg by the time I felt like I could continue.

I saw the little dots pop up a few times as Aiden started writing and then stopped.

Me - You can stop now. That was amazing.

Aiden - You're welcome.

Aiden - You really came didn't you...

I debated on playing it off, but decided to tell the truth. He had earned it.

Me - Yeah I did...

Aiden - Wow. That's hot.

Me - Did you?

Aiden - Not yet.

Me - Is it my turn?

Aiden - Maybe next time. I want your first time to be special.

Me - Thank you.

Aiden - You're welcome. Now I think I'm going to go take care of a problem of my own.

Me - It's not little is it?

Aiden - Not little...

-

I dropped my phone and got myself cleaned up. I tried not to imagine what Aiden was doing and failed miserably. I distracted myself by re-reading the text string. It only made me want to experience his touch for real. I could feel that something had changed. I couldn't put my finger on it, even after re-reading our messages. It wasn't until several days later that I realized what it was.

Our first time 'sexting' had been like we'd really had sex for the first time. Everything, even little text exchanges suddenly seemed more intimate. Aiden seemed more sincere; he started to tell me about his plans after he graduated. He also got funnier. Something about our intimacy was allowing him to open up. It was mostly puns and other jokes you'd expect from the captain of the debate team. They were witty, almost too witty for me to retell in my friend group.

In exchange, I opened up more. I still kept the pretense that I was Rebecca. I told him that I had been accepted to RISD and that I was starting in the fall. I would have to admit that when he told me he was going to Browns in the fall as well, I was really excited, he'd be just a few minutes away.

My giddy attitude led to another sexting session. This time, I took the lead. I had been reading up on both the lady bits I was supposed to have, as well as how to please a man. I felt a little conflicted when I started reading about it. Was it gay to be reading about how to give a blowjob? I had to admit it fired my imagination. I had more than a few dreams that I was with him, largely giving him a blowjob, but also him on top of me, thrusting away while I moaned out his name.

Our second sexting session was less tame than the first and I came much earlier. I just kept the session going; after all, Rebecca wouldn't have made the mess I did. She could have just kept going. So, I did, too. This time, Aiden announced that he came, right as I was getting into describing how much I was worshiping the nice thick dick I was sure he was packing. I was proud of myself. It didn't hit me until after that this wasn't 'normal.' In the moment, it was just playacting, but I'd really gotten off on it. I'd even anticipated getting off on it, I'd made sure I had a towel handy, and caught my mess before it could spoil my boxer briefs.

The next morning, I started feeling conflicted. Rather than let it get in the way, this time, I asked Amanda about it while we were unpacking some new materials for a big wedding we were making the invitations for.

"Amanda. I have a question for you."

Her eyebrow went up. "Is it about that boy?"

"Yeah."

"How was that date? Did you talk to him?"

"It was good. I mean, I did talk to him, but only because we accidentally bumped into each other." My cheeks started to color, remembering what had happened. "He bought me chocolates."

"That was nice. So, you didn't really talk to him?"

I answered pensively, "I guess not."

"Too bad. Seems like you really like him." She paused, and looked at me for a while, obviously expecting a reaction.

I was quiet for a while. She just let me sort out my thoughts. It took me a few minutes to realize that I'd never even asked my question. She had just given me a better one. Did I really like him?

I took a deep breath and tried to ignore what was becoming increasingly obvious.

"Aiden and I started sexting."

Amanda raised an eyebrow.

"No! I mean not like that. I mean like chat sex, but you know, messaging."

"Is that how 'you kids' are doing it these days? Seems like a boring way to have sex."

"What? I mean no. I just..." I had planned to ask if it was wrong. I screwed up my courage and my face in a grimace. "I feel weird about it."

"Then why are you doing it?" she asked, softly.

There wasn't any judgment in her voice. But that was what I should have been asking myself. Why was I doing this? I certainly didn't owe anything to Orion. He had never asked me to go this far. It wasn't like I was doing any of this for Orion.

I was doing it for me, for Aiden.

"Oh..." the sound dropped from my mouth like I'd just dropped a mic on a big stage. A big thud and then quiet.

Her eyebrows raised again. "Oh?"

"I think I answered my own question."

"What was the answer?"

"That I actually like him."

"I think you already knew that. I think the question is supposed to be, are you sexually attracted to him?"

I mumbled a little.

She held out her hand for the box cutter. I took my time handing it over. If I wasn't attracted to him, then why did I get off so much on the sexting? I tried to sort that out for a moment.

Amanda finished emptying the box and hopped up on to the table and swung her crossed legs back and forth.

"Geoff, would you feel this conflicted if you were a girl?"

"No."

"Do you think there is something wrong with a boy being attracted to a boy?"

"No. Not really, I'm just, it's..."

"Don't worry about that part, if you like him that way, you like him that way. Pretty simple."

I was quiet again while we prepped everything for the big cutting machine. The problem was, as Geoff, I didn't find him attractive that way. It was when I was pretending that I was Rebecca. That's when I imagined being with him. It wasn't boy on boy, it was boy on girl.

"Amanda, I think I'm only really attracted to him when I pretend to be a girl. I like him as a close friend all the time, but when I pretend, I'm a girl..."

I turned a little red in the face as I admitted it. Amanda finished the cut she was doing and turned to me.

"Have you ever considered being a girl for a day and finding out if what you think you feel is real? Stop hiding behind your phone and actually talk to the boy in person?"

I blinked at her and my mouth dropped open a little. She noted my response and went back to work. I spent the next twenty minutes just helping. Not talking. Just trying to process what she had said. I hadn't considered it. I was just me, and behind the phone, I was Rebecca. But actually, being Rebecca? Even for just a day? I hadn't even considered it. I had even more to think about.

The next two weeks were a bit of a blur. Work heated up, and so did things with Aiden. We were talking even more than we had been before we became virtually intimate. I got to know him even more. How funny he could be. How he would have dropped basketball if it meant he had to quit debate. Not that anyone had ever asked, but he would have. The king of the school was actually kind of a nerd at heart. It was totally endearing.

He even started calling me Becca. Even though it was the most obvious nickname for someone named Rebecca, it made me feel that much closer to him. I loved it.

Of course, the now that box opened, a lot of our conversations veered towards sex. I confessed my inexperience, which didn't seem like it bothered him at all. I'd ask questions about what things were like and he'd do his best to describe it. It seemed like he'd done an awful lot with those four girls. I had to admit, I was jealous. I wished I had been in their position.

Then there were the dreams.

In every one, I was Rebecca.

They would start in pretty normal ways. Aiden and I would be in class, or at a burger place, once it was in the museum. Then things would get hot and heavy quickly. Our clothes would disappear and suddenly all those things we pretended we were doing in our messages were so vividly real.

I'd suddenly be sucking for all I was worth, trying to get him to cum in my mouth. I'd I could almost feel him between my legs, pumping away at my dream vagina. Each of these actions felt incomplete, I didn't have the personal experience to bridge the knowledge gap, so my mind just made them up.

The only thing that felt real at all was when he would go down on me. I could vividly feel the pressure and the rubbing on my clit. It felt foreign and somehow just like masturbating as a guy. I was a little embarrassed to admit it, but I had a few wet dreams reliving all the things we had talked about.

The third week of April snuck up on me. I was sitting in the print shop, doodling some potential designs for a client that had come in earlier in the day. They wanted some custom cards for a baby shower. They were having a boy and wanted everything to be train themed. It wasn't a design we had done before, but that would usually only make it more fun. I say usually, because I was trying hard not to daydream about what I had actually dreamed about the night before.

It was hard, mostly because it was actually plausible. I dreamed I got one of those twenty-four-hour X-Change pills and had become Rebecca. Aiden and I had gone out for ice cream and a movie. In the theater, I had gone down on him while he rubbed the back of my head. I'd woken up with an almost painful hard-on, while I sucked on my tongue for all I was worth. I'd immediately closed my eyes and grabbed my dick and pretended it was Aiden's.

A little rubbing while my imagination finished my dream for me, and suddenly my underwear was as wet as if I really had been Rebecca. I was long past wondering if it was weird for me to have those dreams, or worry about who I was in them. It didn't seem to matter when I was talking with him. I just slipped into being Rebecca and the fantasy became almost real.

My phone dinged, Aiden. I greedily grabbed it. It was a link to a TikTalk. I clicked it.

The video showed two empty lecterns in front of a white board and the song Kiss Me More came on. One by one, people filled the screen, each wearing a maroon blazer. Each stood at the lectern and lip-synched to the song as though making an argument. I realized that it must have been the debate team. Aiden appeared at the start of the second verse. His face stern as he appeared to mouth the verse as an argument. He turned as the verse finished and walked to the white board and wrote in large letters.

WILL YOU GO TO PROM WITH ME

The rest of the debate team joined him for the chorus, and each added an underline on the white board. The sound faded out before the third verse and Aiden walked up to the board and wrote the name 'REBECCA' above the first line and then a very squeaky question mark after 'ME'. Turning back to the camera, he smiled, and dropped the marker like it was a microphone, before walking out of the frame.

I played it two more times. Amanda walked over and watched with me the last time. She gave me a questioning look after it finished.

"So. What are you going to do now?"

I stared at her for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you either have to dump him, or ghost him and your friend is happy or..." She smiled at me.

"Or I what?" I inquired, when she didn't immediately finish her sentence.

"Or you go to prom with him, you dummy!"

A big grin lit up her face. She crossed her arms under her breasts and gave me that look that said she knew she was right.

I stared at her stupidly, then it finally hit me that Aiden hadn't just sent me that clip. He had asked me to prom. Me.

"How would I do that? I can't!" I started panicking.

This was going to be the end of our relationship. What was I going to do? I had been avoiding thinking about what would happen if this ever got to the point where I had to ghost him, or if he found out. This was arguably worse than the other two options.

I couldn't go. No amount of makeup from Izzy was going to get me to prom with him.

My derailed train of thought was stopped when Amanda put her hand on my shoulder.

"You, okay?"

"No! How would I go? I can't! He would know I'm a boy right away!"

She furrowed her brows the same way she did after a customer asked for a total change in the order at the last minute.

"What do you mean? You'll go as Rebecca."

Her statement took a moment to sink in. My brain told me that wasn't possible for a moment and then, staring at Amanda, I realized what she meant. There was a simple answer to this.

I quickly liked his message and typed back.

Me - YES!!!!!!!!!!!

That simple answer was what Amanda had suggested weeks ago, that little pill known as X-Change.

----

There were a few good reasons that I hadn't just popped a pill after Amanda mentioned it the first time. Everyone knew about X-Change. You had to have been living under a rock to not know about it. It had a massive boom in popularity when it first came out. The company who made it, made literal billions overnight. It was the most popular party drug anywhere. Amanda was a perfect example of the reason it became so popular. It could turn a big hulking man into a petite woman with curves in all the right places with just one simple pill and vice versa.

Then there was the downsides. People taking revenge by using pills, random 'pilling' at parties and bars. People's lives changed in an instant at the whim of someone else. States and local municipalities tried their best to police the situation, but convictions from 'pillings', as they became known, were rare and cases extremely hard to prove. Most were just reported, and people moved on with their lives as best they could. The pharmaceutical lobby was too strong for anything to really change. It simply made too much money to be stopped.

Then, seemingly overnight, that invincibility changed. It started with the kidnapping, assault, and murder of a senator's son. He was a frat boy who was dosed with a Pink X-tra Strength on a night of drinking. Rumor had it that it had all started as a hazing ritual gone wrong. Or that he had taken it himself to get back at his father. Whatever the case really was, the issues around X-Change and the potential for exploitation exploded. The parent company that made X-Change was locked down and everything still on the shelves worldwide was confiscated and destroyed as the scummy underbelly of human traffickers and crime syndicates that dosed and transformed unwilling people and sold them into slavery was aired in public.

An avalanche of legislation happened overnight. Anyone who was caught selling or buying pills that had escaped the cull was sentenced to at least five years.

The transgender community, who had largely used the pills to become who they had always known they should be, came out in force against the crackdown. This was a part of human evolution they argued, it had become a human right. It was the great equalizer-- no more wondering if a trans-woman had an edge in sports; no more long, risky courses of hormones; natural children for every trans-person. They all agreed that something had to be done to prevent it from being misused, but at least the twenty-four-hour version had to be available, and without a prescription.

In the end, new laws were passed and the pharmaceutical giant that had made it came up with a solution. There were now only three types-- Regular, X-tra Strength, and Plus-- for each type of gender swap. But none of them would work without a separate catalyst. Catalysts were tightly controlled and could only be administered by a licensed professional. Getting anything other than a twenty-four-hour required that you pass a background check and go to a designated clinic and get the shot. Regular twenty-four-hour versions were available at most pharmacies, but still tightly controlled. Each part of the drug, the pill and the catalyst, was useless without the other. Identity while on the pill had to be provided-- to both track users after their change, and prove they had used their pill.

The new rules weren't perfect. Occasionally, there would be a crackdown when someone at the end of the supply chain would sell to a criminal element. All of the catalysts were tracked, so any shipment that didn't end up at the government-filed location were quickly found and the perpetrators arrested. The rumors that the catalyst had Nano robots that tracked the recipient so the government could track criminals and their victims were encouraged. The official line that all doses of the catalyst and pills were tracked did nothing to reassure those concerned with the rumors.

The new rules and the tracking were a huge damper on the popularity. It was no longer the go-to party drug, and because of the new laws requiring the transformations it caused could only make you look like you would have if you had been born the target gender. No longer did it only create sexy, stacked women and men who looked like well-endowed fitness models. You got what nature might have given you and that's it.

The studies on the cultural impact of recreational users said that even with the new rules, thirty-two percent of the population under 25, regardless of sex assigned at birth, would try being the opposite sex at least once between the ages of 18 and 25. Thirty percent of that population would try it at least ten times, and fifteen percent of that population would spend six or more total months of the time between the age of 18 and 25 as the opposite sex.

---

I was about to join that thirty-two percent. I was going to risk being tracked by the government and corporate pharma for the rest of my life for the boy who had asked Rebecca to the prom. For the guy, who appeared to think she was better than any girl in school, even though he had never met her in person, or seen a picture of her that wasn't an AI-created version of me as a woman.

Once I had made that conscious decision, I started panic planning. Aiden helped out by immediately offering to go to group dinner with a few of his friends and their dates. Dinner would be at six PM. Prom started at seven-thirty. He would pick me up wherever I wanted to be picked up.

Amanda helped immensely. A few calls later, she had an appointment with a shop that specialized in high-end event dresses who could tailor a rental dress for me, a lingerie shop who would make sure I had properly fitted and appropriate underwear for my dress, and a salon that would do my hair, nails, and makeup.

It would be tight, but if I moved quickly, I could get the catalyst shot, take the pill, get a dress, hit the salon, and be ready for dinner by six. It wasn't ideal, and at least I didn't have to try to do all the prep myself, I had only the barest idea of what to do from when Izzy made me up to take some material for the AI picture.

As I planned getting ready, I tried to rationalize, I was only doing it so he wouldn't be alone. It was so I wouldn't break his heart the way Orion had wanted. I tried to avoid the real answer, deep down, that part of me that had been pretending to be a girl for him, had started falling in love with the funny, smart, vulnerable, driven, architecture-crazy boy who had somehow made me wish I was the girl I was pretending to be.

It felt like there should have been more thought about if I should do this, but there wasn't. It was the obvious answer.

I was practically giddy thinking about it that night, as Aiden and I messaged back and forth. All the plans I had made with Amanda, the thought that I'd gotten to be the girl on his arm, instead of all those girls who had dated him just for the status.

To get my mind off everything, I was kind of watching some streaming dramedy about some high school friends when it happened.

Orion messaged me.

Orion - Hey, I heard Aiden got a date to prom. Please tell me he asked you!

Over the past few weeks, I'd kind of forgotten how all of this started. The fantasy had taken over.

Orion - This is so great!

Orion - I know it has to be you.

Orion - The rumor from school is that it's some girl from South that nobody has ever met! I can't believe you hooked him this bad!

Orion - He's going to be so crushed!

Orion - Don't worry you don't even have to do anything. Just lead him on and tell him some fake place to pick you up.

I read his texts, but didn't respond. He would have my read receipts. I didn't have to say anything. I didn't want to.

Oh fuck, this was bad. My mood crashed hard. This was it, I had to make a choice. Orion hadn't mentioned anything for weeks. I was half-hoping he had forgotten. I then had to make the choice of going with Aiden, or doing what one of my best friends wanted, following through with the reason I had started all of this.

It took a few minutes for me to realize that the show had been paused. I was so lost in my own thoughts. Mor actually walked between me and the TV and waved her hand in front of my face before I swam to the surface of my thoughts.

"Geoff? Are you okay?" Her face was full of concern.

When I just opened my mouth and nothing came out, she sat down next to me and put her hand on my legs.

"Geoff. I was going to ask if you needed anything before Far and I go on our work trips. I'm starting to wonder if I should stay."

I blinked a few times and shook my head.

"No, you can go. I'm okay. Just sorting through a few things."

"Like what?"

I wasn't sure how to answer. She surprised me by being too observant again.

"Is it about prom? Are you debating on going with your mystery girl?"

Mystery girl, that was me.

"Geoff, you know, if you want to go, you should. Far and I will pay for a tux, flowers, whatever you need. If you are worried about it just talk to me."

"Mor... I..." A dozen things ran through my head. What to say? Lie? No, that was just going to get me deeper, I could tell the truth, kind of.

"I got asked to prom today."

"That's great!"

"Yeah..."

"Don't you want to go?"

"Well, yeah, but it's complicated." More than I wanted to admit.

"How complicated can it be? You want to go, then go!"

"But my friend, he doesn't want me to go."

"Why? He wants to go with your girl?"

I laughed at that, Orion going with his arch enemy. "No, not that, he just doesn't want me to go... with... her."

I winced a little as I shaded the truth, still mostly true, but I was the 'her'.

"He can't be that good a friend. Does he know how much you like her?"

"No."

"Did you try telling him?"

"No."

"Well, what's the problem? You were asked and she wants to go with you. He doesn't want to go with her. He can just go with someone else."

That ticked the back of my mind a little. I knew who he really wanted to go with.

"He has this girl that he wants to go with, but he would never ask her."

"And you think he would leave you alone if he went with her?"

"Probably."

He'd be so over the moon he wouldn't notice that Aiden was in the same state, let alone with a date that no one had ever met.

"So, if the girl you like asked you, why can't the one he likes ask him?"

Mor was like that. So straightforward. She was the one who had asked Far on their first date.

The tickle became a little thought. What if he did go with Kelly. How could I make that happen?

"I don't really know her."

Mor laughed, "So, do you know anyone that knows her?"

I did. Aiden. She knew him, she liked his poetry, he was in that class. Maybe...

"Geoff, I know you. You will figure it out. Just let me know if you need anything. Far leaves on Wednesday, I leave on Thursday. I'll leave some cash for dinner and anything else, let me know if you need a credit card for a deposit for the tux."

She patted my leg. She had done what she needed to. She knew I needed some time to process this but was obviously sure I was going to be fine.

"Make sure you text Far and I to let us know when you are back home after prom. Be safe and have fun!"

She smiled at me and left the room.

Yes, for most kids my age, their parents wouldn't be half as trusting as mine. But I'd earned it. I was about to bend their trust a little, but not break it. I would text and let them know I was okay. I wasn't planning anything crazy, just dinner and prom.

I thought about how I could get Aiden to convince Kelly to go to prom with Orion. There had to be a way.

I flipped the TV back on and watched halfheartedly. I wasn't paying much attention until one of the characters started outlining a long, scheming plan to engineer a breakup with her boyfriend and then engineer a breakup of another couple so she could ask the second guy to a dance.

The scheme was so convoluted that I had trouble following the logic, but one part stuck with me. The guy helping with the scheme was supposed to read one of the girls a poem to win her over.

I was suddenly sure that Orion had written some poem to Kelly asking her to prom. Knowing him there was no way he'd ever read it to her. What if...

-

Me - Hey, this is random but I met this guy the other day...

Aiden - I hope he didn't ask you to prom too!

Me - [Squinting Face with Tongue emoji, Face with Tears of Joy emoji] No, nothing like that. He just said he knew you and was in one of your classes.

Aiden - Oh, which one?

Me - Creative Writing.

Aiden - Dang, I was kind of hoping you didn't know about that class so I could write you some epic poem to convince you to run away with me.

Me - [Melting Face emoji] Not before prom! What about my dress?

Aiden - Can't wait.

Me - Anyway, this guy, he really likes a girl in the class but he said he can't figure out how to ask her out.

Aiden - Oh, that's totally Orion.

Me - Wow, is he that obvious?

Aiden - Well, he told you about it didn't he? He's not subtle.

Me - Well he seemed really nice, he had this poem to read her to ask her to prom...

Aiden - And?

Me - Well, I don't know, you just did such a good job asking me, do you think you could low key help him ask her?

Aiden - Such a sucker... Bleeding heart much? What do I get out of it?

Me - Me. And a kiss, at prom.

Aiden - Done.

Me - Wait, you'll do it?

Aiden - Yup.

Me - All I had to do was promise to kiss you?

Aiden - Yup.

Me - Wow, what else will you do for a kiss?

Aiden - Anything that's not illegal, and only for you.

Me - Thank you.

Aiden - I hope you are a good kisser, otherwise...

Me - Otherwise what?

Aiden - Otherwise I might have to go with the limo driver.

Me - Some old guy?

Aiden - Women drive limos too...

Me - You might have to buy her a dress!

Aiden - I might wear a dress.

Me - Are we really taking a limo?

Aiden - Yup, it's more of a bus, but it's still a limo. A bunch of our parents got it for the group.

I was suddenly a little nervous. Dinner with a bunch of people was one thing, but a party bus?

Me - What if your friends don't like me?

Aiden - They will, but don't worry, it only matters if I like you and if it isn't obvious. I really do.

It suddenly dawned on me that we hadn't discussed anything like this before. Neither of us had ever brought up either of the 'L' words. But it was true. I really did like him or Rebecca part of me did, she was probably past liking him and would have dropped the big L word the right moment.

Me - Ok, that will have to be enough for me.

Aiden - Hey what color is your dress? I have the option to get a matching tie.

Amanda had said she would take care of it. The dress shop owed her a favor. I really hadn't put any thought into it. I quickly searched for what the popular colors were for the year. Hot pink popped up as the top trend. I made a face. That was very much not Rebecca.

Me - I think I'd like to surprise you...

Aiden - Alright, hot pink it is!

Me - [Face Vomiting emoji]

Aiden - Well then, I'll have to surprise you too!

Aiden - What about your corsage? That should match right?

I had to look that up, I hadn't gone to my junior prom. I'd gone to New York with Mor that weekend to see an art exhibit.

Me - Good point. Well hot pink is out. What about white? That goes with just about everything.

Aiden - Not red?

Me - Nope, too many kinds of red.

Aiden - White it is. Unless they only have pink...

Aiden - Well homework calls...

Me - Ok. Dream about me.

Aiden - Every calculus class...

-

We're Good

The next two days seemed to drag by. I was alternately excited and nervous about Friday. Amanda invited me over to help me after I took the pill and to drive me to all the appointments she had set up. Her kids were both in college and her wife Jennifer was going to be at a work event across the Bay. I wouldn't have anything to worry about. She had everything planned. If I was doing this by myself, I would have failed miserably. She even had me drop off some sweatpants and a loose shirt to wear after the change. Who knew if any of my clothing would fit. She was thinking about just everything.

Wednesday afternoon the group message exploded.

-

Orion - You are not going to believe what happened today!

Izzy - Did you finally admit you don't look a thing like Harry Styles?

Oliver - Did you finally Zenmo Jamie that thirty-five bucks from dinner three months ago?

Orion - Nope so much better.

Jane - He got a prom date.

Izzy - No way? You going with him?

Jane - [Middle Finger emoji] Never. He doesn't have enough money to pay me to do that.

Oliver - I would have gone with him if Izzy hadn't asked me first. Did he ask Geoff?

Me - Nope, if he did, I'd tell him he had to wear the dress.

Jamie - LOL. [Smiling Face with Horns] I thought the whole school knew.

Jane - Just spit it out.

Orion - I'm going to prom with Kelly.

Izzy - No Fucking way!

Jamie - It's true. I heard from Alexa, she's in their class.

Jane - I have no words.

Oliver - Wait, last I checked hell hadn't frozen over. There is no way you asked her.

Jamie - He had help. Orion you going to tell everyone or should I?

Orion - I uhh...

Orion - Sure, you go ahead.

Jamie - So the whole class helped him.

Jamie - Aiden somehow arranged it so Oliver swapped poems with him for editing and put it in a giant gift box sitting on the teacher's desk.

Jamie - When Kelly came in the teacher just pointed to the box and let her open it in front of the whole class.

Jamie - She read Orion's poem and cried. Like good cried. Then she looked at Orion and said 'Yes.' The whole class clapped and Kelly asked to be excused to fix her makeup.

Oliver - Wow.

Jane - That times two.

Izzy - Seriously? You waited until three days before prom to ask her? Do you know how hard it is to find a dress last minute?

Jane - Oh that, times a million.

Orion - She already has a dress, she was going to go with some friends. The guys who asked her, she didn't want to go with.

Izzy - Wait, wait. So Aiden helped? He who must not be named?

-

At that moment, I got another message. This one from Aiden.

-

Aiden - Guess who got Orion that date!

Me - You did!

Aiden - Totally! It was easy. There was a wrapped giant present in the swim gear closet that we used last fall to hide a freshman in so he could ask his girlfriend to homecoming.

Aiden - I admit I did a little swap to get his poetry journal. Like you thought, there was a poem in there asking Kelly to prom. It was actually pretty good. Probably his best work all year.

Me - Was he excited?

Aiden - I don't think he heard a word the teacher said all class. He looked like he was daydreaming the whole time.

Me - I think I owe you more than a kiss.

Aiden - A kiss was the deal and I intend to collect. At least twice.

Me - I'll be sure to brush my teeth.

Aiden - You better. Let me know where to pick you up on Saturday. Dinner is at six.

Me - I'm going to get ready at a family friend's house. She lives closer. I'll send you the address on Friday morning.

Aiden - Great.

-

I had missed quite a few messages from the group chat, in the few moments it took for me to message with Aiden. I skimmed the first few and then jumped in at the latest one.

-

Izzy - So does that mean that he isn't enemy number one any more?

Orion - Don't get me wrong, he is still a girl stealing dick, but its ok.

Me - So what does it mean for the catfishing?

Me - I mean I can't just ghost him now. He helped you with Kelly.

I stared at those bouncing three dots for a few minutes as Orion typed something, stopped and started again.

Orion - I guess, I mean its not like he would have a hard time finding another date. Jane said she would go with him.

Jane - I did not. I just said I'd go on the date and pretend to be Rebecca. Besides I have a date.

Jane - You know that.

Me - Ok, so no more catfishing, right? It's over?

Orion - Sure

Me - Good I'm done.

Izzy - You're just going to leave it like that?

Me - Like what?

Jane - With no date dummy.

Jane - He thinks he is going with the catfish.

Me - I'll figure it out. He doesn't deserve to be ghosted.

Oliver - I thought you hated him as much as Orion.

Me - I never hated him. I don't think Orion did either.

Me - Did you?

Those three dots appeared from Orion several times. Jane broke my staring game with those three dots.

Jane - Then why did you do it?

Me - Because my friend begged me to.

Orion - Sorry I made you do that. I shouldn't have asked.

-

I put my phone down and walked away to distract myself with work until the end of the day. I should have felt light, like a weight had been lifted. The catfishing was over, I could go to prom as Rebecca, and Orion wouldn't be mad. He probably wouldn't even notice. It was Orion's and Oliver's messages that had me on edge. Did everyone think I had hated Aiden all this time? Orion's admission that he should have never asked me to do it nagged at me. Other than my internship, my relationship with Aiden, fake though it was, was the best thing that had happened to me all year.

The nagging of my conscience said I should fess up. Tell him what was going on from the start and beg for forgiveness. The part of me that I had invested so heavily in Rebecca over the last few months said no way, go to prom, get the guy and then tell the truth.

Amanda noticed my agitation and asked me to put my phone down in the middle of me watching someone's TikTalk breakup video where they danced and lip-synched to, We're good by Dua Lipa. She suggested we sit down in her office.

"Getting cold feet?"

"Kind of."

"Why?"

"Orion called off the catfishing. I asked Aiden to help him ask out his crush. The one he thought Aiden was out to steal. Orion is now going to prom with her."

"That seems like a good thing. Now you don't have to worry about disappointing your friend or leading Aiden on."

"But that's just it. I am leading him on. I'm not Rebecca."

She was looking me up and down. "Maybe not outwardly. But..." she leaned forward and placed her hand above my heart, "I think in here, you are. Probably more than you are ready to admit."

I looked down at her hand. In my imagination and my dreams, I'd been nothing but Rebecca for the last month. There was a big part of me that was Rebecca. Not that I could admit it to anyone, but Amanda.

"Maybe."

"She doesn't have to be all you are, you know? You were always part her. It's in your name. Geoffrey Rebecca Friis." She smiled at me. "You don't have to go, if you don't want to. It's a huge step to go to prom your first time as a woman."

That thought had crossed my mind. Sure, some people popped a pill and set foot on stage in front of thousands of people a few minutes later. I'd heard about a band who did it as part of the act. But I'd never done it. Not even in private.

"I can't disappoint Aiden."

"You know you might even if you go. People are fickle, he might just hang out with his friends the whole time."

"He wouldn't do that. He asked me, remember? He's never even seen me. He isn't the kind of guy to ask someone just to have arm candy."

"Good. You think you can be a girl for a few hours?"

"I don't know if I can."

"Well, you will be. You just won't act like most other girls."

"I don't act like most guys, either."

"Then what are you worried about? If you hate it, you don't have to do it ever again. If it doesn't work out, no big deal. Problem solved."

"Yeah, I guess." I wanted it to work so badly.

"Your only problem is after."

"Yeah, after."

"But that isn't a problem until you decide to take this further. If you want to date him as Rebecca. Then you need to solve some problems. Until then. Just go with the flow."

I breathed out air I didn't even realize I was holding in. "Okay, just need to make it to Saturday."

"Yep. The only problem is, the shop is closed tomorrow and Friday. You are going to have to find something to do."

"Oh..."

That turned out to be one of the hardest things I've ever done. All of my friends were in school all day and I had nothing but time on my hands. Time I'd usually use to work on a piece. Study up on some new techniques. Something useful. But Thursday, I was a mess, I ended up spending half my day watching videos on how to walk in high heels while trying to walk in some of Mor's that I didn't quite fit in.

At least, I slept well. After a nice conversation with Aiden, I went through a few of our sexting sessions in my chat log. It didn't take me long to explode imagining what it might be like to be Rebecca, leading to a blissful night's sleep.

Hallucinate

Friday, I went down another rabbit's hole, well two, actually. One was how to fix makeup. I had no idea how to do that. After watching way too many tutorials I gave up. I didn't even know if I'd be taking any with me. The second rabbit hole was on how to kiss. I'd looked up just about everything sex related from a girl's point of view for our sexting sessions, but how to kiss? We hadn't gotten into that. The few experiences I had probably weren't up to Aiden's standards.

For some reason, I was really worried about kissing Aiden. Probably because I promised him one and I wanted it to be good. I slept so poorly that I woke up well after my alarm on Saturday. I didn't even have time to shower before grabbing a ride share to the pharmacy closest to Amanda's house.

During the ride share, the song Hallucinate by Dua Lipa was playing. Part of the way through the song, I realized that I felt like this was all a hallucination, like I was being controlled by someone else. The experience of riding there, getting in line and spending all of what Mor and Far had left me for prom and some of my own money just to pretend to be someone else for a day seemed so strange, I wondered if I wasn't still dreaming.

I signed the forms, had my ID scanned into the database, and proved I had downloaded the app to add a picture of my face so my ID would still be valid when I was Rebecca. The pharmacy tech used a little gun and gave me the catalyst shot with dispassion. They didn't care at all who was doing what. The shot stung a little, but I didn't feel anything else. No tingling all over my body or crawling skin like some people had described.

A woman dressed in baggy jeans and an oversized yellow flannel shirt got the shot right behind me, while I waited patiently for the little bag that would make me Rebecca.

The woman's name was called first and she grabbed the offered bag and vanished into the store without saying thank you.

As I waited, I started to panic. I could still back out. I could tell Aiden I was sick, that my dress got ruined, that, that...

"Mr. Friis... Mr. Friis?"

The pharmaceutical tech called out in a monotone voice.

I looked up slowly; he was holding out a non-descript paper bag.

"Mr. Friis?" He paused. "Ms. Friis?"

I walked up and slowly reached out to take the bag. The tech didn't let go for a moment as he offered me a few printed sheets.

"Don't forget your paperwork. Make sure to update the ID app within an hour of taking the pill." He gave me a solid look for a moment. "Read all your paperwork before you take it."

"Okay," I mumbled.

I felt like it was someone else's hand holding that bag.

I started walking toward the exit still in the same daze I had been since the ride share, the words from the song echoed through my head.

"I hallucinate when you call my name, got stars in my eyes..."

It was like, somehow, I could hear Rebecca calling me.

My daze was interrupted when I bumped into a man in a yellow flannel shirt and jeans at the front door. He backed off and gave me a dark look. Then his gaze softened a little when he looked at my face and the little brown bag I was holding.

"First time?" His voice seemed to boom out of his chest. "Don't worry, you have nothing to worry about."

He laughed. "I remember my first time, I was probably more nervous than you! Just don't watch that first change, or better yet, lie down when you do it."

He grinned at me and walked out of the store.

I collected myself and walked outside. The man was nowhere to be seen. I started walking away from the pharmacy towards Amanda's. It didn't occur to me until a block later that the man in the yellow flannel had been the woman that had received her pill before me. It was so surreal.

The feeling that I was hallucinating persisted, as I made my way to Amanda's. The interaction with a man that had been a woman only moments before was disconcerting. How many people had I met that had swapped genders for a day? For a month? I knew Amanda had done it, but she was a woman, she was supposed to be. It was...

I found myself standing in front of Amanda's door, finger poised to press the doorbell. Amanda opened the door while I stood there. She took one look at me and pulled me in.

"Oh my gosh, Geoff, are you okay? Did something happen?"

"I, uh, no?"

She stepped back, "Did you sleep last night? Are you nervous?"

"I, well kind of, I just had a lot on my mind."

She sniffed. "Did you shower this morning?"

"No, I slept through my alarm and..."

"Here, quick, upstairs, shower and then take the pill. We need to get going, we have the appointment at the shop to get you a dress in an hour, we need to hurry."

"Okay..."

She ushered me upstairs and guided me into her bathroom.

"Here, don't worry about your hair, it'll change anyway and they will wash it at the salon. Here is some soap and a loofa, the towel is by the sink next to your sweats. Feel free to use the deodorant on the counter."

She left me alone in the room with the shower running. I undressed and stepped in. The hot water helped clear my head, I washed up with the floral smelling soap and dried off with the fluffy purple towel by the sink. I grabbed the sweatpants to put them on, a pair of black panties slid off the top of the pile and fell on the floor.

I picked them up and looked at them. These were obviously for me, they even had a little tag still attached. I looked down at the brown bag I had dropped by the clothing I had taken off. It was time.

I opened the bag and popped a little pink pill from the single blister pack and placed it on my tongue. There was an empty glass next to the sink, I filled it up and looked at my reflection in the mirror. "See you tomorrow, Geoff," I thought.

I took a sip of the water and swallowed.

I didn't know what I expected to happen. I kind of expected it to be instantaneous. It wasn't. I glanced over at my reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. It was just starting to clear up from the steam from the shower.

My lean legs were visible with fine very light brown hair starting above my ankles becoming sparser as it reached the top of my thighs. I wondered if that would change. The mirror started clearing more rapidly. My penis and balls rested in a messy clump of pubic hair the same color as the hair on my head. "That's definitely going to change," I thought.

My lean stomach that had little in the way of muscle definition, my eyes moved up glancing at a hairless chest that widened to a pair of broad shoulders. I wondered what my boobs would look like. It would be strange to have something hanging from my chest.

The face I'd always known came into focus as the last of the fog disappeared from the mirror. I tried smiling and wondered if I would be able to recognize myself after I had changed.

The mop of sandy brown hair on my head looked darker than usual, still wet from the shower. It just covered my ears. I tucked the right side back and wondered how long it would be...

I felt something. A shiver. It started in my stomach and ran up my spine. My skin felt like it was crawling. Then a deep ache in my bones. Something was happening.

Then a sudden pain in my fingers. I looked in the mirror to see if I could see any changes, my hand seemed to be shrinking. I held it up and watched as each finger seemed to get shorter and slimmer. I felt woozy. I looked in the mirror as my body leaned to one side as it happened to my feet as well. "That's weird," I thought. I looked down at my shrinking feet and a dizzy, out-of-place feeling hit me hard. It felt like I wasn't part of the body that was changing anymore. I couldn't look up. I couldn't move.

I woke up to Amanda's voice.

"Geoff? Geoff?"

She gave a sigh of relief when my eyes opened. "Oh good. I was afraid you hit your head."

My head was in her lap and she was looking down at me. I felt like a fog was clearing out of my brain. For the first time since the trip to the pharmacy, things felt clear, focused.

"What?" I breathed out, noting my voice was higher than normal.

"I found you passed out on the floor. I think you fainted during the change. I..."

"Did it work?"

Her eyes softened. "Yes. Of course, it worked."

I swallowed. "You sure?"

"Take a look..."

She helped me up and turned me toward the mirror.

The first thing that caught my eye were my breasts. They were big, bigger than I thought they would be. Not gigantic but big. I found my hands on them as if I were making sure they were real. Then I looked up at my face, there was a bit of me here and there, same eyes, smaller nose, more elfin chin. I still looked similar, but it was like someone had looked at a picture of my cousin and repainted my face while looking at her picture.

My damp hair framed my face, stopping just below the tops of my breasts. My shoulders looked much narrower than before. I glanced down. Long legs with sparse fine blond hair ending in a pair of narrow but girly hips, with a thick triangle of dark blond curls through which I could see my new bits. Girly bits. One of my hands slowly made it down between my legs and I cupped the emptiness. It felt so weird not to have a handful of what I had been born with.

Amanda smiled at me. "Geoff, or should I say Rebecca. You are beautiful."

"I am?"

"Yes, now, could you get dressed? We need to get you a dress..."

"Oh, okay..."

"Here." She handed me the black panties. "I'll let you dress yourself." She gave me a quick glance and a pointed look at my hand between my legs. "Try to be quick, you don't have time to explore, you can do that later. After prom."

She left me alone in the bathroom. I pulled the panties up my legs, it felt a little weird pulling them up tightly until the fabric snuggled up just touching my new parts. It was like a gentle hug, I grabbed the sweatpants and found that they were a good length on my legs, but I had to roll up the cuffs once since they were too loose at my waist and seemed to want to settle low on my hips. I pulled on the shirt and found that my breasts got in the way as they jostled back and forth with the movements of my body. I had to pull the shirt over each one individually. My hair was tucked into the collar, and I had to gather it up and pull it out. It felt unruly, like I needed a hairband or something to keep it tamed.

I looked in the mirror once more. I looked like a teenage girl planning to do nothing but hang around her house all day. The shirt was over-long and made my breasts obvious as the loose material tucked between them.

I started downstairs, where I assumed Amanda would be waiting, only to suddenly feel a pressure in my lower stomach. I couldn't quite put my finger on the feeling until I saw Amanda by the door with keys in her hand. It felt different, not the pressure at the base of my penis I was used to, I realized I really needed to use the bathroom.

Amanda must have seen the look on my face.

"You have to pee, don't you?"

I nodded.

"Quick, use the powder room. There are some sandals by the door, I'll be in the car. Don't forget to wipe!"

Of course, I pulled down my pants to stand like normal. As soon as I reached down, I realized my mistake. I would have to think it through each time for the next twenty-four hours-- no men's rooms, sit down each time. As I sat and let it flow, which wasn't much different than usual, I wondered how hard this was going to be in a dress.

I remembered to wipe thanks to Amanda, washed my hands, found the gold-colored thong sandals and met Amanda in the car.

"Thanks..."

She pulled out of the driveway and took a right.

"No problem. Sorry you didn't have more time to get used to it. We need to get the dress place quickly, after that, you will have more time. I want to make sure they have enough time to do any alterations." She smiled at me.

"I know it's a lot at once. I had been waiting for it all my life and got to enjoy it. You are going to get the quick tour. No rest stops for you!"

"Thanks..."

"For what?"

"Everything. I mean, helping, and I don't know just being there for me."

She smiled widely. "Absolutely! Although, I didn't expect to find you naked on the bathroom floor..."

I felt my cheeks turning red. I had been totally naked when she had found me. Amanda was the first person to see me naked, even before I did!

We made small talk and joked about how annoying seatbelts were with breasts until we got to the dress shop.

Amanda parked at the curb, and we walked in. It felt like a foreign planet. Going into a dress shop as a guy was one thing, but here I was going in, and I was supposed to wear one of these things. I felt overwhelmed.

Amanda walked right past what appeared to be a young woman and her mother looking at colorful dresses towards a woman standing at the back. They embraced when Amanda got to her.

I missed the start of their conversation, but I heard the last bit as I got closer.

"... Yes, this is Rebecca, the young woman who I made the appointment for. Sorry it had to be at the last minute."

"No, I totally get it. I have Jamie here to help customers today, I can get right on it when we find her a dress." She looked me up and down. "Rebecca? Follow me, we need to take your measurements so I can see what might fit you best..."

She motioned for me to follow her into a large fitting room where she pulled out a cloth tape.

"Would you mind taking off your sweats? It would be best if I can get these without all the extra fabric..."

I started to pull off the shirt and then realized that I would be only wearing the panties if I took everything off. I stopped. She was going to know I was really a guy. Maybe she already did.

"Umm, miss? I uh, I'm not wearing a bra and..."

She glanced at me and half-smiled, "Don't worry I've seen everything you have before. But if it makes you feel better, you can do just the pants, and I'll measure you over the shirt. It might be better anyway since you might not be able to wear a bra with your dress."

"Thanks..."

I took off the pants and suddenly felt very vulnerable. The panties were much smaller than my usual boxer briefs and here I was, half-naked, AND a girl, standing in front of someone I'd never met.

She quickly took measurements of my inseam, out seam, and hips. She had me hold the bottom on my shirt up so she could cinch in on my waist. She took quick measurements from my shoulders and then from my neck down to the top of my panties. Lastly, she took one from right under my breasts and another around my breasts. Her movements were quick and professional, seeming to barely touch me as she went.

"All right, pants on, I have everything we will need. Let's pick out a dress."

As we walked out to the racks of dresses, I wondered what all the measurements were for.

"Um, Miss? What did all those measurements tell you?"

"Call me Beth. They tell me what you already know. You're tallish, busty with slim hips, long legs and an average waist. You'd look good in something A-line that might have a little extra fabric around your hips to accentuate your curves. You've got enough bust that you don't need something low cut to show off some cleavage. I'm sure we have something that would look great on you and only need a little adjustment!"

"I see..."

"Here have a look at the measurements."

She handed me the paper filled with her notes. It had the outline of a woman printed on it and lines pointing to spots on her body. I didn't know much about the measurements other than to look at the bust, waist and hips. Thirty-eight, twenty-five, thirty-four. I wasn't sure what that meant. I noted that she had put down I was five foot six-- I had lost five inches. I handed the paper back.

The next twenty minutes were a blur. She picked out ten dresses for me, with a quick yes or no. I chose mostly by color. I didn't want anything too bright, and definitely not bright pink. The last dress she grabbed was a pale golden yellow. I said no when she pointed to it, but she gave me a look, and added it to her collection anyway.

Back in the dressing room, I had to lose the shirt as well as pants. She asked if I wanted to try them on myself, but I shook my head.

"I think I need help. I don't..."

"No problem! Give me a moment."

She came into the dressing room with me and started helping me. Part of the way though putting on the first dress she stopped me.

"Hold on a moment. Do you have a hair tie?"

I shook my head.

She pulled the one off her wrist. "Here," she moved behind me and quickly gathered my unruly hair up into a messy bun at the back of my head. "That will keep your hair out of the way..."

We tried on each one, the first one I felt so awkward in that Amanda laughed when I spun at her request. We set two aside. I wasn't sure what we were looking for. Each felt easier to get into than the last, it was almost fun. When we came to the final one that I had said no to, I looked at it and looked at Beth.

"Do I need to try that one on? It's so, um, glittery..."

"It is, but I think you'll be surprised. But it's up to you..."

"Okay, but I think I like that light blue one."

Everyone had liked the blue one. It fit well, and wasn't too 'poofy' in my opinion. It would definitely work, not too showy.

I tried on the last one. It was pale yellow gold and Beth had to help me with the top. It zipped up under the arms, but had a few laces in the back to tighten up the corset part under my boobs. As she helped me into it, Beth described the dress.

"I know you said no to this, but I think you'll really like how you look. It's an A-line with a corset top with built in bra cups, it has a sweetheart neckline to show off the girls really nicely but has more coverage than a lot of the popular dresses; the tulle skirt starts right at your natural waist and gives you a bit of extra curve at your hips. The skirt has a slit up to mid-thigh, which is really popular right now, it will show off your legs nicely. You'd need a medium heel for these, but I really think you'll love how it looks. The appliqué pattern is subtle but adds a nice glitter, and I love the green-mirrored pieces, they catch the eye without being too gaudy."

She finished tightening the last of the laces and let me walk out to the three mirrors.

Amanda held her hand to her mouth. I could see her smile from behind her hand.

When I looked in the mirror, I saw something different than I had in the other dresses. My stomach fluttered a little. This one didn't make me feel like I was just putting on something pretty. It made me feel... lighter, like I was a princess or something. My hips looked more symmetrical with my shoulders as the dress flared out from my waist. The corset part didn't push my boobs up too much, like one of the dresses had, it just gave me more of an figure and felt nicely supportive. The slit did give glimpses of my leg; frankly, I thought it looked kind of hot.

I took a few deep breaths to make sure I could breathe; one the dresses made me feel like I was going to pass out. The material was stretched tight, but didn't feel too tight. I spun. It felt light, the skirt didn't lift too much. I caught myself giggling. I'd never felt like this trying on clothes before. The green and gold appliqué glittered under the lights, adding a bit of sparkle to the dress.

When I turned towards Amanda and Beth, I smiled.

Beth nodded. "Thought so..."

Amanda said, "I like this one the best."

I pushed down the skirt with my hands, and looked down at the material. "Me too..."

Beth clapped once. "All right, that's settled, now let's get it off!"

"What?" I looked up confused, I didn't feel like I was ready to take it off.

"It needs a little tailoring before you can wear it, not a lot, but there are a few things I need to do to it, and Amanda tells me you have a lot of other things to do today..."

"Okay, I guess."

I started to walk back to the dressing room.

"Hold on a second, I need to pin a few things."

From seemingly nowhere, Beth pulled out a box and started working her way around me. Loosening the ties at the back, pinning material in a few places and then she pronounced me ready.

I was almost sad when I put my sweats back on. I thanked Beth and followed Amanda out of the store. Back in the car, she put her hand on my thigh.

"You had your first real girl moment in there, didn't you?"

I looked over at her questioningly. "What?"

"You felt it, you felt like Rebecca. In that dress. I could see it in your face. The way you felt when you saw yourself in that dress."

"Oh, yeah. I, I really liked it."

"Good, it looks great on you! Okay, now that we know what your dress looks like, it's off to get some underwear."

"I need underwear? I thought...?"

Amanda laughed at me. "You can't wear those to prom! Those are just to wear until you get some that will go with your dress. It's a special occasion. You need special underwear!"

Amanda drove a few minutes, until we made it to a street lined with shops. She led me past a few boutiques to what was obviously a lingerie store. The mannequins in the windows were posed with hands on hips wearing lacy bras and panties. She led me inside.

A friendly saleswoman came up to us. "How can I help you ladies today?"

I swallowed, I felt like I was sneaking into the girls' locker room.

Amanda gave me a little push. "Rebecca needs something special to wear to prom."

The saleswoman smiled. "Oh! Great. What kind of dress?"

"I, um..."

I looked back at Amanda and she leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "Just tell her the color and the cut, describe it as best you can."

"Okay, it's yellow, gold, and... umm."

The saleslady laughed, "Does it have straps or strapless?"

"Oh, no straps..."

"Corset or..."

"Oh yeah, it does!"

Amanda stepped back and called from the door. "I'll be back in a few! Have fun!"

She left me with the saleslady, who led me through a series of questions. Ending with asking if I knew my sizes.

"So, what bra and panty size do you usually wear?"

"I, um, I don't know? It's..."

"Still growing?" She looked at my chest in the loose shirt. "No problem, we can measure you, if you like."

"I, uh, yes please."

She led me back and for the second time that day, I was left in a pair of panties with a woman taking my measurements.

"Okay, small or extra-small underwear, and that's a 34-D bra. I guess you don't need the bra today, but..."

She led me over to racks of underwear and pulled out a few pairs.

"You could go with a thong if you want, but since it's prom, I'm thinking something more fun, not too much color, just in case it can be seen through your dress, did you notice if it has a built-in slip?"

"I didn't."

"No problem." She laid out a few options, mostly in colors close to nude. All of the options were lacy and would show a lot of skin.

"I'd go with the Brazilian or the tanga, they feel like they cover more than an average thong, but both lie flat, so you don't have any visible lines."

I held them up and looked at both. It seemed like so little material.

"Can I try them on?"

"Yep! Just remember to keep your panties on when you do."

"Okay." I hadn't thought of that. I was glad she mentioned it.

I tried both on, the Brazilian seemed to go too high for me, making me feel like it was riding up. The tanga felt more like what I was used to at my waist.

I walked out and handed the Brazilian to her. "I think I'll keep these."

"Good choice! Now, we have a matching bra if you want one, it's over here..."

She brought me over to a rack of bras and pulled one off the shelf. It was the same color and had the same pattern in lace.

"Silk, demi-cup with nice support, the straps are a little wider, so you won't feel it cut into your shoulders. The cups are lightly lined, and the lining feels like heaven."

She held it up. I looked down at my boobs and thought about all the times that day that they had felt loose and unruly, like they had a mind of their own.

"Do you want to try it on? If you are going to buy the bottoms you could try the set without your panties on to get the full effect..."

"Sure..."

In the dressing room, I took my shirt off and realized I had no idea how to put a bra on. I fumbled with it for a moment before realizing I needed help, or I was going to take all day.

"Excuse me, miss? Could you help me?" I fumbled for a reason why I needed help. "I, mostly wear sports bras and the clips..."

She opened the door. "Sure, has anyone ever told you to try clipping it in the front?"

"What?"

"Here..."

She reached around me and pulled the clips together in the front, showing me that I could see the clips between my boobs. She spun it around my body and helped me put her straps on and adjusted them.

The change in weight was instantaneous. I felt like I had been slouching all day. It felt so good I thought I might have goosebumps. I had my second 'girl' moment when I looked in the mirror. I felt like I looked. Like a girl-- like Rebecca. I followed the saleswoman's advice and tried on the lace panties without the black pair. They hugged my skin perfectly, like they had been made for me. I spun and looked at the full effect over my shoulder. My narrow hips also meant I didn't have much in the butt department, but the lines of the panties outlined my cheeks nicely. I smiled at the effect. Aiden was going to like how I looked. I didn't look like some dog. I really was pretty. Not like model pretty, but next-door and then some pretty.

I took off the bra reluctantly, doing the reverse of how I had been shown. I took the new panties off and slipped on the black ones. They fit, but somehow, they didn't feel as comfortable as the lace and silk pair. They just didn't conform to my curves the same way. I giggled a little, apparently Rebecca liked her undies lacy.

It had been a few hours and the oddity of being a girl was starting to wear off, or maybe I was getting used to it.

Whichever it was, I was starting to enjoy it.

When I got back out of the dressing room, I handed the bra back to the saleswoman.

"Thanks, but..."

"It doesn't fit?"

Amanda walked back into the store with a shopping bag in her hand.

"It fits really well, but... Well, I can't wear it with my dress so..."

"I understand."

Amanda walked up. "Find anything you like?"

"I did," I held up the panties, "these." My eyes drifted to the bra.

Amanda took the panties from my hand and offered me the bag. "I got you something to wear." She looked over at the saleswoman. "Would it be okay if she changed in the dressing room?"

"Absolutely, if you are done, I'll get you checked out?" She looked at me.

"Yeah. I think that's it. Thank you."

"Welcome," she smiled at me.

I took the bag into the dressing room. Inside, were a pair of jeans, a black sports bra, and a black sleeveless turtleneck. I slid the jeans on first. They fit tightly, like a glove. The waist was higher than I was accustomed to, but made my hips look a bit wider. The bra slid over my head with nothing to clip. The fit was tight but comfortable. It eliminated the wobble that had plagued me all day. Last came the turtleneck. I'd never owned one without sleeves before. The shirt was immediately comforting despite that it was far shorter than I was used to, stopping just below the top of the jeans.

In the mirror, I saw Rebecca for the first time as me, well the other me. It wasn't some girl there that I'd become, she was the girl me. I was the girl me. I smiled at myself.

While I was smiling at myself, I realized I had never taken a picture for my ID app. I quickly opened it and took the required pictures. Something about the process made me feel more settled, like I could finally calm down and just be Rebecca. I stuffed my phone into my back pocket and wondered how girls stored anything in their pockets with pants this tight.

When I walked out, Amanda was waiting with a pale pink bag in her hand.

She gave me an appraising look. "Looks like everything fits?"

"Yes, really well, actually."

"Good, do you like it?"

"I really do!"

"Great, we need to do some shoe shopping and get lunch before the salon."

The saleswoman called to us, as we were leaving, "Thank you! Come again!"

I turned back and smiled. "Thank you!"

I was completely out of my depth in the shoe store. Amanda and the saleswoman did everything. I ended up with a pair of gold wedges with a peep toe that actually looked really nice on my feet, and Amanda assured me were a lot easier to walk in than a lot of the other options. I loved how the saleswoman treated me like just another girl. I couldn't quite keep up with her banter, but it felt good nonetheless.

On Amanda's advice, I wore the heels to lunch so I could get used to them. Amanda gave me little hints about how to point my toes and how to roll my hips to make it easier to walk. By the time we got to lunch, I was feeling a lot more confident.

Amanda chose a little café down the street from the show store where we could sit outside in the sun. Our waiter assumed that we were a mother and daughter and neither of us corrected him. I just giggled and called her mom for the rest of the meal.

When our food came, Amanda lifted her glass of water. "To your first day as a girl, I hope it exceeds your expectations in every way!"

We tapped glasses and I offered a second toast, "To the best 'prom mom' there is, thank you for everything today! I don't know how much all this cost, but I promise to pay it all back."

She tapped my glass for the second time and smiled, "You don't have to and you know it. It's my pleasure. You can think of it as a bonus for being such a good worker. But you know, since I only have boys, I never got to do any of this for them. None of them took after me. It's fun getting to pretend I have a daughter for the day."

After we were finished, I sat back, enjoying the sun warming me through my turtleneck.

"What's next?"

"The salon. It's going to take a while. When you are done, you're going to look like a princess!"

"What are they going to do?"

"Your hair, your nails, makeup-- the works. I promise, you'll feel like a new woman, well, you know what I mean. Speaking of that, I got you something else."

She pulled a small bag from her huge purse and handed it to me. I opened it slowly wondering what it might be. It was a black-and-white-gingham pattern, and looked like a short top with wide straps.

"It's a button-up bralette. You can't wear your turtleneck or sports bra after they do your makeup and hair. It might ruin it. So when you are ready, you can change into it before putting on your dress."

I held it up. I wasn't quite sure I could pull it off.

"Don't worry, it'll look great on you!"

We basked for a few more minutes, and I soaked up the feeling of being Rebecca. It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. There were a few things that were weird-- the shifting of my boobs each time I moved; The way I walked seemed to have changed; not having anything between my legs was still a little weird, but the way my pants and underwear fit felt really comfortable, even though it was a lot tighter than I was used to.

Amanda waved for the check and I started feeling that pressure that I had this morning.

"Hey, I'm going to use the bathroom..."

"Okay, see you in a few." She smiled at me.

I walked past the kitchen and without thinking went into the first bathroom I saw. I didn't realize that I had automatically gone into the men's room until I almost bumped into a young man a few inches taller than me.

"Sorry!" I said, surprised, and tried to step to the side.

When he didn't move, I looked up at him. He was staring down at my chest. I looked around and realized my mistake. I felt my cheeks get hot and I backed up into the door.

The young man finally stopped staring at my chest and looked me up and down. It gave me a creepy feeling like he was thinking about if he should have me for lunch. I fled to the women's room and ran into an open stall.

It took me a minute in the closed stall to compose myself. The event hadn't been that out of the ordinary. I, a girl, had walked into a men's room by mistake. The guy hadn't given me crap, he'd just looked at me like I was a good-looking girl or maybe a steak. I know I'd been guilty of staring at a woman's chest for too long. I mean Jane in that bathing suit last summer, it had been really hard not to stare. I hoped when I had looked that it hadn't felt quite so predatory.

I did my business and met Amanda outside. We made a quick exit while I confessed my mistake. Amanda laughed and told me a silly story about the first time she did that in the Midwest. Let's just say that it was a lot more awkward than my interaction when the guy tried to interrupt her date with her wife to buy her a drink and try to convince her to come back to the bathroom.

The trip to the salon seemed to fly by, and Amanda walked me in and talked to the receptionist while I looked around. There were a few women and one guy waiting on some comfortable-looking chairs. I couldn't tell if they were waiting to go back, or waiting for someone to finish.

Amanda turned to me and motioned me over to the check-in desk.

The receptionist looked up at me. "Hi! Rebecca? We have you booked for a full new-girl package and a prom package, okay?"

"I guess so?"

I looked at Amanda, who nodded.

"There is a little overlap there so you get a little discount. It looks like you need to be done by... four-thirty. Oh! We'd better get you started right away!"

Amanda gave me a smile. "Try to enjoy it, it's going to feel like a lot, but it'll be worth it!"

"Thanks, I guess I'll see you at four-thirty?"

"Then it's back to pick up your dress, Beth said she is already done. What time did you say Aiden is picking you up?"

"Five-thirty, I think."

"Wow, that will be tight, I hope we have time for some pictures!"

"Pictures?"

The salon receptionist took my hand and started pulling me towards the back.

Amanda just smiled and waved.

As the receptionist pulled me into the back, she started going through what my package included.

"So, we should start with hair removal, that's usually the first thing in the new-girl package. Your mom told us that this is your first time as a girl. That's so fun! I'm glad you get to get all dolled up! So, is this a one-day thing, or do you get to spend the month?"

"One day..."

"Too bad, I think a month is better. It's hard to experience everything in a day, you'll just want to try it again! Well, with a day you have to make a choice, remember that when you change back, anything you do to your body hair will stay..."

"Wait, what?"

"I mean, it's not like the old pills that got rid of your body hair, the new pills don't. They make the hair on your head shorter if you were a girl and longer if you were a guy. They don't do anything to the body hair everyone has. If you had it, you have it; if you didn't, you don't. So that said, whatever you do to it today will still be the same tomorrow."

"Oh, I didn't know."

"So, you have a couple of choices. One, we can shave your hair with an electric, which will grow back fastest. Two, a razor, second fastest. Or three, you can opt for a wax or sugaring which has the best result, but your hair won't start to grow back for about three weeks. We do legs, arms, your pubic area, arms, pits, face, pretty much everything. You probably don't have time to do everything... but I'm sure we could get the important areas."

"Umm, I hadn't really thought about it, what do you recommend?"

"Well, for prom? Depends on what you are wearing, but pits definitely, we could do a little eyebrow shaping and your upper lip, legs are a must, bikini line, and if you are planning to have a little fun with your date, you might want to consider a Brazilian."

She looked at me expectantly, and she paused for the first time at a door.

When I didn't respond, she smiled. "My first time I did the whole thing, it was amazing!"

"Uhh, sure, I guess?"

"You guess what?"

"All the stuff you said?"

"Brazilian?"

I thought I knew what she was talking about. "That's trimming my pubic hair, right?"

"Yes."

"Wax or shave?"

"Ummm..."

"Do the wax, I promise you won't miss the hair when you change back!"

"Okay."

"Great!"

The next thirty minutes were not what I had expected. I didn't realize how much body hair I had. Or how much effort it took to get rid of it all. The technician tried both wax and something called sugar, and determined that sugar was better for my skin. Then it all came off, pits, legs, she reshaped my eyebrows, did my upper lip, and then last, that unfamiliar region between my legs. I thought they were just planning to do a little shaping down there, but apparently, a Brazilian meant everything. It felt weird when she was done, every air current felt cool.

But, when I pulled my underwear back up my legs after she rubbed me down with lotion, the smooth feeling of the soft material gliding across my skin made all that pain worth it. The feel of fabric right on my lady bits was a bit distracting, at first, but I quickly grew to enjoy it.

After dressing in the jeans and the bralette, it was off for manicure and pedicure. I chose not to do the fake nails, those would be a lot harder to hide or explain to my parents when they got back from their work trips. A simple, sparkling gold paint on my nails and toes to match my dress and I was off to hair and makeup.

They did my hair first. A quick look at a style book and they helped me choose a braided style that would keep my hair up and out of the way for the night. A can of hairspray and a plethora of bobby pins assured that it wouldn't be going anywhere. They topped it off with a green butterfly pin to match the appliqué on my dress.

I knew that most girls used creams and powder and stuff like that, but when I said this was for prom, the stylist brought out an airbrush. I felt like a painting. Mascara, green eyeshadow, a hit of blush on my cheeks, a matte red for my lips. They blended it all down my neck so it would look like I wasn't wearing any makeup at all.

When they gave me the final look, I didn't recognize the girl in the mirror. She was much better looking than me, much more mature. Her eyes popped and the bits of light blonde in her dirty-blonde hair shone. I couldn't help but grin. This was so much better than I had imagined. I had just wanted to be Rebecca for the day, just once to get to be the person I had pretended to be for months, I felt like I was getting more. Seeing all that she could be.

I had been planning to just hide in the background, in case anyone recognized me. But nobody was going to see through this. I could just be me, no more pretending.

They had me out in the waiting room, at four-twenty-three according to the art deco clock on the wall. Amanda was already there. Her eyes lit up and then teared up, as she quickly guided me to her car.

Back at the dress shop, Beth had me try on the dress one last time, she walked around, nodding approvingly.

When she was done, she gave me a gentle but stern look. "Rebecca, I know this is prom, and things happen. But, I'm lending you this dress as a favor to Amanda. This dress retails for over a thousand dollars. Please be careful. If something happens, something happens. But, please, make sure that nothing happens. I have someone coming in from Sacramento to see this dress on Tuesday. If you can, I would love to have it back on Sunday, so I can clean it and have it ready. Can you do that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good, now off with the dress. You need to get home. It's your night, time to show off."

She paused for long enough for me to wonder if she was going to say more.

"It's almost too bad."

"What is?" I wondered.

"The dress, if she hadn't asked for this one specifically... well, let's just say I think that you look far better in it than she will."

I was left thinking about what she had said, as Amanda drove me back to her house to finish getting ready. I wondered who 'she' was and why I looked better in the dress.

What took all day to get ready, only took a few minutes to finish. Dress on and tight, feet in my new heels, a simple gold chain around my neck with a little stamp charm, another gift from Amanda, and a green clutch to put my phone and a few 'necessities' Amanda had tucked in.

I practiced walking as we waited for Aiden. I started to get nervous, pacing the floor. Five minutes after five-thirty, I started to panic. What if it was all a joke and he didn't want to go with me? What if he wasn't coming?

Levitating

The doorbell rang.

I rushed to the door, but Amanda beat me.

She opened it, and standing there was a prince. My prince.

Aiden looked amazing, his tux looked like something James Bond would wear, his hair looked perfect. A mix of effortless grace and charisma seemed to pour off him.

When he saw me, he just smiled. "Wow, you were worth the wait!"

My smile hurt. My stomach felt warm and my attraction to him doubled. Oh man, I was in trouble.

He turned towards Amanda, "Mrs--"

She cut him off, "Amanda, please. Come in! I know you have to go, but I would love to get a few pictures!"

He grinned at me. "Absolutely."

He pulled a clear plastic case I hadn't noticed he was holding from behind his back, inside was a corsage of white flowers surrounding a single yellow bloom.

"I asked for all white, but this is what they gave me. Told me it was their mistake so I could have it for free."

He pulled it from the box and offered it to me. "May I?"

I nodded, and held out my left hand.

His fingers touched mine and a little thrill shot through me like electricity. His eyes flicked up to mine when we first touched as if to ask if it was okay. I wanted nothing more than to lean into his arms and kiss him.

Suddenly, that thrill was gone and the corsage was left in its place.

Amanda caught my attention and handed me a small clear plastic box. Inside was the twin of the yellow bloom in my wrist.

I opened it and tried to hand it to him, but he pointed to his lapel.

"Would you mind?"

"No, I..." I managed to breathe out, as I stepped close to him.

I managed to pin it on without stabbing myself. It was tough going for a moment. I could feel his warmth up close and he smelled fresh, like soap and sandalwood. I breathed deeply and sighed.

Yes, I, Rebecca, was undeniably attracted to this man; any fleeting thoughts I had about my decision to be Rebecca tonight vanished.

Amanda held up her phone and motioned us together. Thinking back on it, one would have expected a lot of awkwardness, as we'd never actually met, never touched before he put the corsage on my wrist. There was nothing like that. We just slid together like we had practiced it, and his hand reached around my waist to gently pull me close.

I felt like I belonged there. I hadn't realized how tall he was, even with the two-inch heels I was wearing, he seemed so much taller. I leaned in closer and he just pulled me in like I belonged there. I felt like I was floating.

Amanda had us do a few quick poses. My favorite was chest to chest, me looking up at his smiling face. I was having a hard time deciding which I should be looking at, his green-flecked brown eyes or his lips, which I was wishing would lean down and kiss me.

When he looked at his watch, Amanda stopped taking photos and pulled me aside.

"Rebecca, remember. If you need me to come get you for any reason, call. I'll come. No matter what."

She leaned in and whispered into my ear, "You only have to take this as far as you want to." Then a little louder, "Don't let handsome here sweep you off your feet too much..."

I glanced over at Aiden. To my surprise, he gave me a shy smile. That heat blossomed again in my stomach. He was so cute!

Amanda ushered us out the door, and Aiden led me to a vintage-looking Mercedes convertible with the top up. He opened my door, and waited for me to get in. It was a little harder to get than I thought it would be, between the low seat and my dress. My leg almost completely came out of the slit in my skirt and Aiden helped me with the bit of my skirt that didn't make it in the car.

Once he was in and had started to drive, he glanced over at me and started with, "Soo... Nice to finally meet you..."

"OH! I mean, yeah... You too, it's not too weird, is it?"

"Not at all, I mean other than I didn't really know what you looked like until ten minutes ago."

"Were you worried I was going to look like a dog or an ogre?"

"Well, I mean, I can't say it didn't cross my mind. You could have been an art-loving ogre with great boobs and a pretty face. I mean that's all I had to go on."

I suck my tongue out at him. "Well, this is what I've got, ogre or not!"

He laughed, this felt just like one of our messaging conversations. The easy teasing, the comfort.

I looked over at him. "You look really good, too. I mean, even better than at MOMA."

He looked over at me. "Well, I definitely didn't see you there, no hot ogres in sight..."

I giggled. "Too bad, if you had seen me, it was probably while I was hiding under a bridge."

"Don't trolls hide under bridges?"

"Sure, but they don't hang out in art museums, the sculptures make them uneasy."

He laughed. I loved it. So much better than reading 'LOL'.

We parked in a hotel parking garage, where he pulled out a parking pass and hung it from the mirror.

"Come on, we have group pictures around the corner. Then to the limo."

I'd forgotten all about the limo.

"Group pictures?"

"Yup, the parents hired a professional to take some of all the couples going to dinner. By the way, just so you know, a bunch of the guys had a bet that you didn't exist. So if they give you crap about it, don't worry."

"Why did they think I didn't exist?"

"'Cuz they'd never seen you and I never showed them a picture. They had a pool going betting that you were a catfish."

I felt my cheeks get hot and I stopped walking.

Aiden reached out his hand and took mine. "Becca? You okay?"

The concern in his eyes said that he never had any doubt, I had always been real to him. I decided that I was going to prove to him and his friends that I was real, that the girl he had been talking to for months wasn't a catfish.

Pictures were quick, Aiden made it easy. One or two of the girls gave me dirty looks when Aiden put his arms around me. The limo was a riot, so much banter from the guys, the girls sat in little cliques between the groups of guys. Aiden never left my side.

Dinner was at an upscale place filled with prom couples. We had a huge table in the back. I learned something about Aiden I'd never known before. He was left-handed. I found out because he sat to my left and after one of the guys commented about how he was surprised I existed, he reached over and grabbed my hand and held it while we ate. I don't remember what I had for dinner. All I remember was holding Aiden's hand. Someone's parents had paid for dinner, Aiden smiled when I tried to pay. The guys just laughed.

Back in the limo, we took the short trip to the venue which overlooked the Bay. The trip was quieter than on the way to dinner, each couple seated next to each other, talking quietly.

The venue was amazing. I don't know what the theme was but it was decorated tastefully. It didn't look at all like some sappy movie. A DJ was set up on a short stage on the wall away from the windows facing the Bay, and was playing a mix of current and early-2000s hip-hop and popular music that had a good beat to dance to.

Aiden and I skipped the photo line and made our way out to the floor, which was about a quarter full. We stood there, awkwardly, for the first time that evening. I didn't know what to do next. Should I ask if he wanted to dance? Should I take his hand and walk him toward the windows to take in the view?

Aiden broke the silence, "I have a confession to make..."

I looked up into his eyes. His lips were set in a half smile and his eyes smiled.

"I can't dance. I'm horrible."

I giggled. "Me either, I've only been to two school dances ever. I have no idea how to dance."

I hadn't even thought about how I would dance. The only dancing I'd done was with Izzy when we were kids. We would come up with dumb dance routines to songs her parents loved; often, while dressed up in costumes. I suddenly missed Izzy; we probably would have gone as friends if all this hadn't happened and I hadn't graduated early.

Aiden took my hands in his. "What about taking in the view and avoiding the dance floor for a while?"

I glanced at the huge floor-to-ceiling windows and then back at him. "Mister I'm-good-at-everything is going to avoid the one thing he can't do?"

I giggled, when he grimaced. "I'd love to."

Aiden made a face at me and squeezed my hand. On our way to the windows, I saw my friends come in as a group. I felt a little jealous. I knew they were going as a group, all except Orion and Kelly. None of them had invited me, and since I had graduated early, I hadn't been given my own invitation. Jane had brought a guy she'd been dating from her church, Izzy and Oliver were a couple for the night, Jamie came with a girl from his German class as a friend, and she split off immediately to go hang with her friends.

I sighed. It would have been fun to come with them.

Aiden looked over. "Everything okay?"

I looked up into his face, as much as I wanted to hang out with my friends, this is where I wanted to be more than anywhere else. I pulled his arm to my chest and snuggled into his side.

I looked up again, "Yup, I'm right where I want to be."

I caught him staring at my chest which was being pressed up out of my top by his arm.

"You like these?"

His eyes flicked back up to mine. "Yup, they were the first part of you I ever saw. They look better in person."

I squeezed his arm tighter. "You can look, if you want..." I grinned at him. "Woof," I said softly, and he chuckled.

He glanced down again for a moment and then back up at my face. "I can think of something better, don't you owe me a kiss?"

"Um, at least two you said..." I quietly replied.

"Oh good..."

He leaned down and everything I had read during my trip down the rabbit hole fled. I just looked up, closed my eyes and waited.

His touch was gentle. His lips gently pressed into mine. Our first kiss was over in an instant, but I could still feel the lingering heat from his lips on mine. I couldn't help but smile.

When I opened my eyes, I moved back into that pose I liked so much when Amanda had taken our picture. I wrapped my hands around his neck and he naturally put his hands around my waist.

"That was so much better than in a message..."

He grinned at me. "Totally..."

"We might need to do it again, just to be sure..."

"Only if we have to."

Our second kiss was longer, deeper. We didn't move our lips much, but something inside me soared. I felt a little dampness start in my lady bits and realized the building heat I felt down there was me getting turned on. It felt both similar to what I was used to and foreign, almost like I was yearning for a feeling I didn't understand.

Our moment was broken when two of Aiden's friends came up and grabbed our hands and pulled us onto the dance floor which had begun to fill up as more people arrived.

Aiden and I tried to dance and both failed. In the best way possible. I was having so much fun I didn't even realize I started doing it until Aiden started cheering me on. The DJ was playing Fleetwood Mac's Dreams and I was doing the dance that Izzy and I had made up when we were twelve. After a few of the girls got the routine of the simple moves, we ended up with four of us doing it. I was starting to feel like part of the group.

At a natural break in the dancing, where none of us knew how to dance along to the song, one of the girls announced she needed the bathroom and I followed along.

Using the bathroom in the dress was new, but the thigh slit made it easy. While I was finishing up, I heard one of the girls in the room say my name.

"... can't believe Aiden came with that Rachel girl. I mean who is she?"

"Did you see her boobs? I bet he paid her to come!"

"Why would he pay her? I would have come with him for nothing, and then gone home with him too..."

"That dress though..."

The girls left the bathroom and I left the stall to wash my hands. I didn't realize until I looked into the mirror, but I was clenching my teeth. I took a moment to relax while I pretended to examine my makeup, which I would have had no idea how to fix, even if it needed it. I took a deep breath, left the bathroom and bumped right into Izzy.

As I took a step back and tried to catch my balance in my heels, Izzy reached out and grabbed my arm.

"Whoa there, first time in heels, Geoff?"

"Thanks, Izzy, it's..."

I looked up into her face to see surprise and pursed lips that meant she knew something I didn't. I stopped mid-sentence, realizing that she had just called me Geoff and I had called her by name. I started to pull away in a panic, but she held onto my arm.

"We need to talk, not here, follow me..."

She tugged me towards a corner near the photographer, who was then breaking down her backdrop.

We stopped and I spoke first. "How'd you know?"

"The dance to Dreams, the one we made up to my dad's record. I saw you doing it. Then I heard one of the girls call you Rebecca."

"I should have..."

"This was your way of not ghosting Aiden wasn't it...?"

"Kind of."

She smiled. "Did you have something to do with Aiden helping Orion?" She glanced over to where Orion was dancing with Kelly, obviously having the time of his life.

"I asked him to help, the rest was all him."

Aiden waved at me from the dance floor.

"You okay with this?" She motioned to my body and the dress.

"Yes, it's just for tonight..."

She gave me a knowing smile. "You sure? I saw you kissing him."

My cheeks turned red. "You did?"

"Half the school saw, why do you think some of the girls keep throwing you dirty looks?"

I looked around; a few girls who weren't dancing, were looking our way. I had been having so much fun, I hadn't noticed.

She laughed. "You really like him, don't you? I got the feeling that something was going on when I did your makeup that day."

It was time to come clean. "Yeah, I do. But it's complicated. I don't 'like' like him when I'm Geoff, but low key, when I pretend to be Rachel..." I couldn't help but smile, thinking about holding his hand.

"Wow, girl. You got it bad..." Izzy giggled. "Your secret is safe with me! You'll just have to tell me all about it later."

I looked over at Aiden, who was starting to walk our way. The DJ ended the song and started to make an announcement.

"Would the candidates for Prom King and Queen please report to the left side of the stage?"

Aiden stopped in mid-stride, and mouthed, "You, okay?"

I nodded and waved. Aiden turned around and followed the DJ's directions.

The next few minutes were the typical cheesy high school moments of announcing the prom royalty; each candidate did a little dance up toward the stage. Aiden's was by far the most awkward which, of course, garnered the most cheers.

On stage to no one's surprise, Aiden was crowned King and Jennifer, the girl that had broken up with him on Valentine's Day, was crowned Queen.

The DJ had them do the obligatory slow dance, which was incredibly awkward to watch while Aiden made it obvious, he both wasn't the best dancer, and had no interest in cuddling up to Jennifer. He used stiff arms at an utterly appropriate height on her waist, actually holding her at a distance while she tried to lean in. At the end of the song, he grabbed her hand and spun her around. Everyone cheered and the DJ announced the first slow song of the evening. Couples surrounded the king and queen, making it hard for me to see Aiden.

Izzy turned to me. "May I have this dance?"

I laughed, "Sure!"

We made our way out onto the dance floor. One of the few same-sex couples on the dance floor, we were laughing as we held each other close and shuffled around. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the middle of the dance floor. Izzy and I paused to see what was going on. Jennifer was yelling at Aiden in the middle of the dance floor. Aiden was standing there, taking it without saying a word.

"... came with that nobody when you could have come with me. Everybody knew who was going to be king and queen. You were supposed to ask me! This was supposed to be my big moment, the best part of senior year. We break up on Valentine's and then get back together at prom. I told you the morning after we broke up this was the plan."

Aiden just shrugged. The DJ, realizing that most people had stopped dancing to watch the fight, turned the music down a little.

"Now you won't dance with me. I saw you kissing her." She pointed at me, "And..."

Aiden took that moment to slide through the crowd of people and pull me to his side. Jennifer's face turned red with anger. Aiden took her moment of silence to step forward, still holding my hand and snatched the crown off Jennifer's head. He deposited it on Kelly's head who happened to be the closest girl aside from me. He then took off his own crown and placed it on Orion's head.

Jennifer looked furious. She started to open her mouth to scream at Aiden.

Aiden cut her off with a firm voice, "No problem. The king is dead. Long live the king!"

He stepped back and grabbed Orion's hand and lifted it in the air. Someone started clapping. One of the guys on the swim team started chanting, "Long live the king! Long live the king!" Other people started chanting, too. Jennifer stormed off the dance floor and one of the teachers started to mount the stage to stop the scene.

Everything quieted down and the DJ grabbed the microphone, "Everyone, a round of applause for the new king and queen!"

There was a smattering of applause as the DJ spun up a new song. September by Earth Wind and Fire. The tense vibe slowly changed as people remembered why they were standing on the dance floor.

Izzy made her way up to me, grabbed my hand, and gave me a conspiratorial wink. This was one of our favorite songs to dance to. I gave Aiden an apologetic look as Izzy dragged me into an open pocket and started our dance. It was pretty simple for all that it had taken us hours to make it up. Imagine an eleven-year-old boy and girl trying to make up a dance together. It was chaos, but it sure was fun. Like earlier, after just a few iterations, we had a few other people, all girls, join us and by the end of the song, people had mostly forgotten the scene that had preceded it. As they danced or watched us dance.

The music dissolved into Shout by the Isley Brothers and the dance floor was suddenly full. Aiden found me and as we danced, me trying to jump without feeling like my breasts were going to escape my top, Aiden asked me about Izzy.

"Hey, do you know her?"

"Yep, we used to hang out at her house and make up dances."

"Oh! That explains why you both knew that dance!"

"Yup!"

We danced, poorly but enthusiastically, until Levitating by Dua Lipa spun up. We moved closer and as I started lip-synching to the song, Aiden joined me and I really did feel like I was levitating. Time flew by, I felt light on my feet. I literally danced my ass off, well not literally, but you know.

As people started to filter out and we gathered our things, Izzy came up to me.

"So, you're coming over this week to talk right?"

"Sure, so long as you find your dad's vinyl!"

"Deal. Don't have too much fun tonight!" She gave me a quick hug and then turned to join Oliver.

I heard Oliver ask her who I was. She glanced over her shoulder and grinned, "Oh, just a girl I did hair and makeup for once..."

Pretty Please

Aiden and his dinner crew headed for the exit, with me right on his hip. The squeeze of his hand on my waist was doing things to my girl bits and I was hoping we could find time for another kiss before the night was over. I spotted Jennifer near the entrance as we left, looking like she wanted to kill someone. Two tall guys from the basketball team appeared and acted like bodyguards, preventing her from doing anything as we left.

The limo was lit in blues and purples, a few of the couples shared a kiss or two on the way back to wherever we were going. I wanted to kiss Aiden, but I wasn't sure how to get started. Izzy's comment about half the school seeing our last kiss rang in my ears. In the end, I just snuggled close and held his hand.

The limo stopped at the hotel, where we had parked Aiden's car. Everyone poured out. Some of the parents, who had been at the pictures, were waiting in the entrance.

The large group made their way to the elevators and took turns filling them. When it was our turn, everyone else got off at the sixth floor. I started to follow, but Aiden grabbed my hand and pulled me back. The doors slowly closed. Aiden pressed the button for the seventh floor, turned and swept me in for a kiss.

The first two had nothing on this one. I melted into him, letting him take the lead. His tongue teased my lips, and I let him in. If I thought I was floating before; at that moment, I was flying. The elevator dinged and Aiden pulled away.

"I know you only owed me two, but I had the feeling you wanted to kiss me the whole way here."

"I did, but you know. You could kiss me more..."

"I'd love that, but maybe we should wait a little."

He led me to a room, pulled out a key card and opened the door. The room was nice, but normal-- bathroom, king bed, windows facing the street.

"I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, or like I'm pressuring you into anything."

He motioned to the closed door to the adjoining suite. "The parents who pitched in for the limo also got hotel rooms. The parents are supposed to be in the suites next door. They got eight rooms, four for the guys and four for the girls. One parent for each room. After-prom is right across the street, and they figured this would be the safest way to get us back from after-prom without any 'bad decisions'."

I nodded; it made sense.

"My parents were planning to have dinner close by, and stay in the adjoining room next door just for fun, so they got a separate room for me so I could have my own bed."

He took off his jacket and hung it on a hanger in the closet, and started to loosen the buttons on his shirt and cufflinks.

"But at the last minute, they had to run to my aunt's in Sacramento to help with her kids. My cousin decided he could fly and jumped off the roof and broke his ankle."

He shook his head as he undid the rest of the buttons on his white shirt. "So I got a room to myself with no supervision, while they help out with her kids."

He gave me a sweet look. "I'm going to change, I noticed you didn't bring any other clothes, so I assume you weren't planning to go to after-prom. I'll change and then take you back home or to Amanda's. If you want, we can kiss a little before I take you back."

I stopped watching him unbutton his shirt, and looked up into his eyes. Such a gentleman.

"I'd like that."

"See you in a minute."

He grabbed a stack of clothes from a bag I hadn't noticed, and walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message to Amanda, saying that prom was over and that I'd be on my way back soon. On a whim, I found Levitating on my phone and hit play. I couldn't help but start to dance around the room. Aiden came out of the bathroom in jeans and another gingham-print button-up shirt. We tried to dance the way we had at prom -- close, lots of small shoulder movements.

As the song began to end, I looked up into his eyes and he leaned forward to kiss me. His hand was reaching around to gently hold the back of my head, while I tried my best to follow his lead again. This one had more passion and lasted past the end of the song as Dua Lipa's Pretty Please came on immediately after.

As he held me, I started imagining the things the song talked about. "Exactly where I want me, underneath your body..." The warm feeling in my stomach flared up and the feeling, which had seemed just out of reach when we'd kissed previously, grew.

The image of that print we had both liked bloomed in my mind. I wanted more, I wanted what we had messaged about. I wanted to feel what the woman in that print felt. I'd started today because it seemed like the thing to do, and I'd pretty much gone with the flow. Letting, first, Amanda guide me and then I followed Aiden throughout the night.

In that moment, I made the decision to make the most of it, to see if I could experience some of what Aiden and I had messaged about. All the things I'd been imagining and dreaming about. It wasn't about just experiencing them-- it was about doing all those things with Aiden.

I moved his free hand, which had been at my waist, to the zipper on my top. He pulled away and started to ask a question. I leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss.

"Pretty please?"

His fingers fumbled for a moment on the zipper. I gently pushed his hand down, starting the zipper's path down my side.

Aiden paused. "You sure?"

The song finished with just the word, 'Please'.

I nodded. "Yes, please..."

The zipper came down just a little and then stuck.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "I think you might have to loosen the laces in the back..."

Aiden reached around with both hands and found the top of the laces. He fumbled a bit before undoing the bow slowly, and I felt the tightness of the corset start to release. He moved his hand back to the zipper and slowly pulled.

Aiden was gentle, as he helped me stand and guided me slowly out of the dress, absorbing each inch of exposed skin as the dress slid down my body. Obviously, I wasn't wearing a bra and he stopped to take it in when my breasts appeared.

I smiled at his reaction. "I told you that you were welcome to look at them..."

"They just look better in person..."

Once the dress was off, I stopped him before we went any further. "Could we hang it up? Sorry!"

He just smiled and took it to the closet. I used the moment to grab my phone, reset the song, and to text Amanda.

-

Me - Change of plans, staying here. Safe. Text you in the morning. You Only Live Once.

Amanda - Make good choices... Don't have too much fun! [Smiley Face emoji]

-

She texted back immediately like the was waiting for me to send the message.

Aiden came back. I suddenly felt a little nervous. We'd talked about all of this so many times. Here I was, Rebecca, standing in front of him wearing only heels and some lace panties. I took a deep breath and stepped forward pressing my chest against his. Looking up into his eyes, I made my plea again.

"Pretty please?"

He responded by kissing me hard, his strong hands hot on my waist and back. We slowly shuffled back to the bed, our lips never coming apart. The heat between my legs flared and I felt the need to be touched. I guided one of his hands between my legs.

Things were so much different than when I was a guy. My arousal would have been so obvious. Aiden cupped my sex for a moment before I pushed his fingers between my lips causing my panties to fold into the wetness that had gathered there.

He took the hint. His hand slid back up and then under the silk and lace that had been separating his fingers from my skin. We made it to the bed and flopped down on it. Our kissing continued while he gently started to play with me. Just like he had teased in our messaging, he knew what he was doing.

Gentle motions, circling my clit, a little up and down, the tips of his fingers teasing the opening I knew I had, but hadn't explored. It all felt amazing. Then he changed his pattern and I let out a moan into his mouth. I'd never felt anything this intense. Aiden took that moment to pull back, move his hand down and slide one finger into my entrance.

I gasped.

The needy feeling I had experienced when we pulled close by the windows expanded, and I suddenly needed more. I pushed forward, his finger slid in deeper, and I panted into his mouth, breaking our kiss.

Aiden used the break in kisses to catch his breath and pulled his finger from inside me.

My eyes had been closed and I opened them to see him looking at my face.

I bit my lip. "More. Please."

Aiden smiled at me. "Yes, please."

I tried to keep my eyes open, but I had to close them again. So much was happening, it was hard to focus. His kisses remained firm and responsive. His hand on my back pulled me in, and his fingers between my legs started to hit more spots. I had to take more breaks from kissing to catch my breath. It felt like an itch, a good itch, the kind that feels better the more you scratch it. All I needed was for his fingers to keep doing what they were doing.

I couldn't help but push my hips into his hand, desperate for a little more pressure. Whatever was coming, seemed to be just around the next corner. I could feel my heart racing in my chest and the fabric of his shirt dragging against my hard nipple. Nothing I had read or wrote in our messages could have prepared me for the onslaught of sensations.

Suddenly, I jerked. My legs pulled in involuntarily, I stopped kissing him and let out a moan I couldn't control. The itch wasn't fully satisfied, but the increasing feeling of gentle pressure somewhere between my hips seemed to explode and race outwards. I jerked as his fingers slowed, my stomach tensing over and over as my breath caught in my throat.

Aiden gently extracted his hand from my underwear and laid me on the bed. When the intensity of the racing feeling finally slowed, I opened my eyes to see Aiden with a half-smile watching my face.

He raised his eyebrows, "So..."

I reached up and pulled him into another kiss. This one was slow. My tongue teased its way into his mouth. I savored the taste of his lips, as the echoes of my first orgasm as a woman faded, but the associated glow didn't completely go away.

I released his neck and looked up at him critically. "I think you might miss after-prom." I stage whispered.

"What makes you think that?"

"You're wearing entirely too much clothing," I teased.

"How does that relate to after-prom?"

"Because you are going to take off that clothing and ravish me." I smiled.

He grinned. "I told you; nobody says that."

"I have a vivid imagination..."

"You sure you want to do this? I know it's your first time." His voice carried genuine concern.

"I know. But we've already done it in our minds so many times." I sat up so I wasn't quite so exposed on the bed.

"True," he said, thoughtfully, "I don't want to push you into anything."

"Maybe it's me pushing you. You okay with that?" I smirked.

"Is this why you didn't bring any clothing for after-prom?"

I laughed, "I totally forgot about after-prom. I guess we will just have to have our own. Now about those clothes, are you going to take them off, or should I?"

I'd imagined this so many times in our conversations. This was so much more fun. The scent of his body, the heat I felt as I ran my hands across his chest. I felt like I was intoxicated. I wanted this, I wanted to know what I'd been missing. Geoff was yesterday, Rebecca was now.

"Becca, I'm in if you want to, but I don't want you to feel like just because we have this room and it's prom night that you have to. Remember, we just met in real life today..."

"I don't feel pressured at all and I feel like we've known each other for months." I lowered my voice a little, "I want this."

I fiddled with the buttons on his shirt with one hand and let my other brush the tent in his pants.

"The only thing I don't know is what's really inside your pants. You've seen pretty much all of me. I think it's only fair..."

"You asked for it..."

I looked up into his eyes and batted my eyelashes like I'd heard girls do it get their way. "Pretty please?"

He pulled me in for a kiss, while I started working on the buttons of his shirt. The bed sank as we kneeled on it and I fumbled my way through the buttons. Once his shirt was off, I tossed it to the floor and looked pointedly at the bulge in his pants.

"Looks like someone wants to play."

He groaned, "You are so sappy!"

"What? Would you have said something better?"

"How about, pants off, mister?"

"Okay. Pants. Off. Mister."

"As you wish, Becca," he teased.

He stood and unbuttoned his pants and kicked them off. I sat on the edge of the bed and removed my heels, one at a time and then stood. I grinned. I knew what I'd like to see right then if I were Aiden. I pulled my panties down to my painted toes and kicked them over on top of his shirt.

When Aiden turned around wearing only his boxer briefs, I was waiting, completely naked. Despite that I had only taken off only one more garment, Aiden's eyes opened wide.

I knew how he must have felt. I'd never seen a girl as naked as I was at that moment in real life, but I knew what I would have been thinking. I looked between his legs to gauge his reaction, I never thought I'd be excited to see another guy's junk, but I'd been wondering what he had since that first sexting session. I wasn't disappointed.

It didn't matter how it stacked up against Geoff, there was no contest here, I was fully embracing my response as Rebecca. The outline was obvious, the shaft looked thick leading to a nice bump at the head. I was excited to see it without the thin fabric hiding it.

"So ready to ravish me now?"

"I think we'll take this slow, can't waste your first time, right?"

He stepped up, and picked me up in a princess carry. I squealed in appreciation and surprise, and he laughed as he took the few steps to the bed. He set me down and proceeded to do exactly what he said he would do the first time we talked about sex.

He started with kisses at my neck and worked his way down to my breasts. Gently touching and kissing around my breasts as my breathing sped back up. I could feel a fresh wave of heat between my legs. I bit my lip while he made me want to beg him to touch my nipples. I never had to. Right before I started to say the words, his tongue brushed one. Then the other. He breathed across them, the cool air making me shift my shoulders back and forth against the bed, as I squirmed away from the cool air. He gently kissed each before nibbling, making me squirm under his touch.

He looked up at me and smiled that cute half-smile. I watched him kiss his way down my stomach, slowly making his way down between my legs.

I could see his broad strong shoulders flex as he gently moved my legs open to give him access. The first touch of his tongue on my folds brought a quiet moan to my lips. His fingers had been firm and insistent. His tongue was soft and teasing. I wasn't sure if I was more sensitive after my orgasm, but every touch seemed elevated from those before.

As his tongue gently explored my folds. I imagined where it must be going. I knew they were there. I'd had them all day, but knowing they existed and how it felt when someone touched them-- were two entirely different things. Top to bottom and then back again. His fingers brushed gently down my thigh as if letting me know they were coming into play as his tongue found its way back up my folds.

First one finger, then a second. Curling, teasing. I shivered and my legs pulled together as the sensation of his tongue on the skin around my clit and the pressure inside me, made me involuntarily twitch. I felt the need-to-satisfy-the-itch come back, I knew where it was going this time, and shifted my hips to give him better access with his fingers.

Something about that second finger inside me made me want more and made things build faster this time around. Or, maybe it was the way his tongue worked the folds around my clit. Whatever it was, he knew what he was doing, and this time, with my hand was his head, the other holding a breast too large to completely cover, my hips bucked into his face as I came a second time.

"Aiden..." I panted, "Oh, my... Aiden..."

His name escaped my lips as I thrust my chest into the air with heavy, short breaths.

The real thing was just so much better than I had imagined. The crest of this orgasm started somewhere deeper than the tips of his fingers, the waves built as he continued moving his tongue. He gave my clit a break by moving further away and focused on his fingers adding a thrusting motion that matched the shuddering of my hips. My fingertips tingled and I felt hot, both in my chest and between my hips. I panted as I shuddered from wave to wave. I couldn't tell if my orgasm was only one or several strung together. I could feel my vagina trying to grip his fingers, squeezing movement I had never experienced before.

I lifted my hips to force them as deeply as they would go. Aiden stopped and waited for me to come down from my high. When I let my hips drop and the comforter met my bare cheeks, he slowly pulled both digits from me and lifted his face from between my legs. He gently rolled off the bed and left me breathing heavily.

He came back a moment later, wiping his hands and face with a towel. He plopped down on the bed next to me, smiling.

"Looks like you enjoyed that."

I took a big breath and rolled towards him. I'd gotten used to being upright with breasts, but lying down with them was a new feeling. The shifting weight as they moved on their own felt strange. Thinking about them led me to a quick decision. I reached out and brought his hand to my exposed breast and placed it there. He gently cupped my breast, avoiding my still hard nipple.

"I did. You weren't kidding when you told me you knew what I wanted."

"I just did what seemed right. I had some good teachers."

"Apparently. Real life just hits differently. Over messaging, it just didn't have the same..." I bit my lip thoughtfully. I wasn't sure what word I was looking for.

"Tongue?"

I giggled, "That, too."

I looked down at his boxer briefs, noting for the first time that they were black, just like his tux was. The tip of his dick was just pushing its way out the top of the band.

"So, should I do something about that so you don't get blue balls?"

He laughed. "Only if you want to... You believe that myth?"

"I thought boys needed to get off or it would get uncomfortable if they were hard for too long?"

"Never happened to me."

"You've probably never had to wait long enough."

"Not true, but if I don't have to find out, that's okay, too."

I reached down and touched the tip. I think I was expecting to be freaked out, but I wasn't. The tip was warm and spongy just like I expected. It was hot too, maybe hotter than I'd expected. I gave it a little squeeze and giggled. This was more fun than I had anticipated.

More of the tip slid out of his boxers. I pushed my fingers under his waistband and wrapped my hand around his shaft. I'd held my own more times than I could count, but something was different. I realized it felt thicker than I was expecting, it might have been because my hands were smaller or because he was bigger than Geoff. It didn't matter. I just wanted to hold it for a little bit. Enjoy that he was hard for me, that Rebecca turned him on.

We shared a few little kisses while I tightly held on to it, enjoying the heat in my hand, the feeling of his pulse through the shaft.

Aiden enjoyed my breasts, gentle squeezes and caresses that felt nice, but were never too much. I'd thought I was mostly used to them after spending the day with them, but just the fact that I could be touched like this was still exciting.

Aiden's phone buzzed. He ignored it. It buzzed again.

Aiden stopped giving me the little kisses and looked down at my breasts. "I have a confession to make."

"What's that?"

"You know that picture of your boobs you sent me?"

I gave his penis a little squeeze, "Yeah..."

"Well before I deleted it..."

I squeezed him harder assuming that he was about to confess to rubbing one out to them.

"Yes..."

"I kind of added it as the picture for your contact info..."

I squeezed him harder causing him to jump a little.

"You what?"

"Yeah, it was just as a joke at first. I mean who knew we were going to end up like this..."

I couldn't help but laugh when he said he thought it was a joke at first.

"I also kind of moved it to your new contact info when we switched services. Don't worry I'm the only one who sees it."

"So, you see it every time I message you?"

"Yeah..."

I giggled as his phone started to buzz over and over.

"We really should change that."

"Probably. What about one of our prom pictures?"

"I didn't take any, did you?"

He thought for a moment and laughed, "Nope, not one! How did that happen?"

"We could ask Amanda or... We could take one now..."

"You want to put your clothes back on and take one now?"

"No! I'm sure my hair is all messed up and I have no idea how to redo my makeup!"

I gave his dick another nice squeeze, enjoying that I still had it in my hand and reminding him just where we were.

"How about here in bed, you know from my boobs up..."

"Sure, but I'm going to have to get my phone..." He looked down between us...

I caught the drift. "I don't want to!" I whined.

"Well one of us has to get their phone."

"Fine but come right back!"

I released him and he quickly grabbed his phone and brought it back, obviously checking messages on the way.

He lay down and we snuggled into position, shoulders and heads touching. The selfie was cute and, despite that nothing was captured below my upper breasts, it was pretty obvious that we were on a bed, unclothed.

When the selfie had been taken, he quickly swapped the photo, I saw the picture of my cousin's boobs and smiled. They did look a lot like mine. That little mole we had in common had made the transition with me.

Aiden checked a few more messages and sat up.

"Hey, I hate to do this, but... One of the parents noticed I didn't make it to after-prom. The swim coach is super strict and has kicked guys off the team for funny stuff at prom in past years. I've got to go."

"Are you sure? I mean we didn't even get to the best part?" I tried not to whine.

He leaned over and kissed me. "I know, and I want this with you, I really do, but you know..."

"I get it. What if you didn't want to go, you know, too tired?"

"I still need to check in."

"And if you checked in and then came back to me?"

"Coach knows my parents are in Sac, he'd want to check my room."

"You have your parents' key?"

This isn't something I'd usually do. I was the kid parents trust, who made the good, boring decisions. But something about this night, about Aiden and me. I just wasn't ready to give it up. I only had the one night; what if I never had the chance again?

"Yes..."

I could see the wheels turning as he thought through my plan.

"I guess if you moved to their room and we hid your clothes over there..."

He rolled off the bed and started looking around. I stood up and followed him. There wasn't much to move. Then I had a thought. We had been doing stuff for a while in here, his coach was looking for funny business...

"What if you just said your parents' room was yours?"

He thought about that, looking around at the bed that looked pretty messed up, and my panties and heels strewn across the floor.

"Oh..."

He turned towards me. "Just to make sure, you're not going to tell anyone about tonight right? You know, what girls say about me..."

I made the motion of zipping my lips. "Nope, well maybe one person, but she would never tell anyone if I asked her not to. I promise, I'm not like those girls. I'd be happy keeping it between us. I've never told anyone about the stuff we message about."

He looked me in the eyes to be sure. It made sense, we'd never met in person before and he didn't want to blow up his life over some girl he took to prom.

I pulled him in closer, and gave him a kiss. "I promise."

He nodded. "Okay, here is one of their room keys; would you mind moving my stuff over? I'm going to go over there for fifteen minutes tops and let them know my plan..."

He fished in his bag and handed me a key to each room. He started getting his clothes back on, while he brushed his teeth. I watched him from the bathroom door for a moment. His willingness to do all this for me seemed like something far more than he would do just to hook up with a girl. He had gotten me off twice and hadn't even asked for anything for himself.

A thought crossed my mind that had been teasing me since he asked me to prom.

"Aiden? Why did you ask me to prom? From the sound of it, you could have brought any girl in the school."

He spat out his toothpaste and looked up at me. "Maybe, but I didn't want to invite any of them. You saw how Jennifer reacted. They all think I'm some prince or something."

"King, actually," I interjected.

"Yeah, that. Nobody sees the side of me you know. There is just... there is no pressure to be that person with you. It's just easy. You and I talk. About real things, not just high school things. I wanted someone that wouldn't mind when I danced badly, someone I knew would be fun... someone I actually like... no added pressure."

That warm feeling in my chest came back like a raging animal. The one I always felt at the end of an intimate conversation with him. The one that I was pretty sure meant that Rebecca was falling in love with him.

I stepped forward, kissed him, and then dropped to my knees. His pants still weren't buckled and I pulled his waistband down until his still hard dick popped out into my face. It seemed huge up close, but I didn't hesitate. I wrapped my lips around it and tried to slide it as deeply as I could.

I had to stop quickly, I couldn't take it that far. But what I wanted had been achieved. All those dreams about sucking his dick. Even if he never came back, I'd at least gone this far.

I sucked for a second and then released it, tucking the then-wet member back in his underwear.

"Just to give you something to want to come back to. I think I know what I want to try next..."

He stared at me, as I stood.

I grinned impishly. "Oh, and I have a little confession of my own to make. The picture I sent you of those boobs wasn't of me."

He looked confused for a moment. "Who was it? I mean they looked just like yours!"

I shrugged and his eyes glued to my chest.

"My cousin, we look a lot alike. You think I'm the kind of girl who sends guys pictures of her boobs?"

"Well, no, but..."

"But I am the kind of girl that, for the right guy, might let him take a picture of his own... Just don't use it as my contact picture..."

He smiled, shook his head and laughed. "You are some kind of girl..."

He pulled me in and gave me a kiss.

"Back in twenty, thirty tops..."

"Don't take too long! I might turn into a pumpkin..." I smiled at him again.

He shook his head, "Nobody says that either."

He stole another kiss and left me naked in the entry of the room.

I spent the next few minutes gathering his things, found a bathrobe, and moved it all over to his parents' room. I tried to make it look like he had changed there, cufflinks on the counter, his toothbrush by the sink.

After that, I slid under the covers back in his room, with the bathrobe still on, and started reviewing to give a good blowjob. As a guy, I probably would have stopped being turned on by the time Aiden got back, but as a girl, it never seemed to go away. A low-level buzz seemed to always be there; reminding me of what I hoped was going to happen when he got back.

After reading a few guides, I rescued my clutch from the entryway and refreshed a little of the red on my lips to add a little-extra visual impact to make up for my inexperience. I noticed some of the necessities Amanda had included might make things easier later in the evening.

I got a text from Izzy, asking if I was going to come to after-prom. I texted back saying I was already in bed. I got a string of emojis back showing her displeasure.

After about forty minutes, I heard voices out in the hall and the door unlock to Aiden's parents' room. Someone even checked the doors between the two rooms.

A moment later, I heard a deep voice, "Goodnight, Harrison, see you on Monday."

I heard the door close and everything was quiet. After a few minutes, I heard the TV turn on and then the door between the rooms open and a quiet knock on the door on my side.

I dropped my phone and rushed to open the door. Aiden was waiting on the other side, stripped back down to only his underwear.

I grinned at him and wrapped my arms around him, savoring his heat and scent.

"So, are you in for the night?"

"Yup. 'In' for the night. Coach Bryant was a little surprised I didn't want to stay, but then Jennifer made a big scene. Coach decided it was probably best if I didn't stay there and came over to make sure I was actually planning to stay in for the night."

"So, I get you all night?"

He laughed. "I don't think I can go all night. I'm going to have to sleep at some point!"

I looked up at him and smiled.

"So where were we?"

I sank back down to my knees planting kisses down his chest as I went. When I got to his underwear, I slipped my fingers under the band and started pushing them down. I looked up to see him watching me. I smiled back up at him remembering the guides I had read. The key to a good blowjob was enthusiasm.

Before I revealed my prize, I looked up to make sure he was watching. "Can I take it out?" I asked.

"I won't stop you."

"Good!"

I grabbed the band and pulled it down to his knees. Like before, his dick popped out into my face. This time, I took a moment to look at the whole package. He had a tuft of hair just above the base of his dick. The rest of his equipment appeared hairless, and I realized his legs as well. Swimming, I realized. His dick was mostly smooth with just a few veins visible. The tip was cut; Geoff's was uncut, so this was something new for me.

I cupped his smooth, wrinkly balls and gave them a gentle squeeze while I wrapped my other hand around his shaft. He hadn't been totally hard when I'd pulled down his underwear, and I got to watch it grow as I gave him a few experimental pumps. The head seemed to bulge as it finished growing, flaring out a little from the shaft. The smell seemed stronger than I had noticed earlier. I took a deep breath through my nose and found that the musky smell excited me. I licked just the tip.

I looked up to see if he was enjoying what I had done so far. He gave me an encouraging smile.

I wasn't sure why, but I was really excited to try this, it was what I had dreamed about most.

"I've never done this before," I breathed out. "Let me know..."

He reached down and gently lifted my chin.

"No pressure, just do what feels right. One hint, no teeth..."

"Okay." I pumped it one more time and opened wide.

I hadn't had the chance to really taste it when I'd stuffed it in my mouth earlier. I took a moment to acclimate and enjoy the full feeling in my mouth. The taste was similar to the musky smell with the added flavors of salt and skin.

I gently sucked and was rewarded with something salty and slippery on my tongue. I reflexively swallowed while I realized that it was a little pre-cum. The thought excited me and I let out a little hum of delight.

I started doing anything I could remember from the guides I had read. Keeping my teeth behind my lips, gentle suction and using my tongue to provide lots of contact with the underside of his dick, as I gently pumped my hand up and down the base for the part I couldn't fit in my mouth.

Aiden groaned above me and I looked up. He looked like he was enjoying what I was doing.

I released him from my mouth and continued pumping him with my fist.

"Is it okay?"

He groaned, "Ummm, yes."

"Anything I could do better?"

"Maybe move a little faster in and out?"

"Okay."

I tried moving a little faster, realizing I had been focusing on doing so many things that I had missed that motion. I continued for a minute and then added a hand to gently play with his testicles. They were so warm. His dick twitched a few times when I squeezed. I paused to take a breath. The in-out motion was making it a little more difficult to breathe while doing everything else.

"Better?" I asked.

"Yeah. I'm starting to get close."

"Oh good!" I smiled. "This even more fun than I thought. I'm really enjoying this. Let me know when you're going to cum. I want it in my mouth."

I didn't wait for his response, I dove back in. The idea that he was close was exciting. I could feel my own excitement making itself known between my legs. It was tempting to stop playing with his balls and tend to myself, but I wanted to finish strong.

Aiden's hips tensed and I could see his abs contract. Above me he groaned again.

"I'm cumming..."

I looked up to watch his face. I had been expecting a flood, but it was more a few gushes. Warm, sticky, salty, squirts of cum squirted into my mouth. I sucked in, as more jets hit my palate, accompanied by twitches of his dick tapping my teeth.

The flavor was earthy and musky under the salt. Not something I wanted to drink, but if it was accompanied by the look on his face, I would swallow that a million times. I continued the gentle suction as I let the shaft slide out of my mouth, until just the tip remained. When I was sure there was nothing left, I gave his balls a gentle squeeze and let his dick drop from my hand and mouth.

The shaft drooped a little as his erection started to fade.

I sat back and stared at it in fascination. Dicks were weird. Balls, too. After a day with girl bits, guy parts seemed so out there, so weird. But fun- so much fun. I tapped the tip with my finger and watched it bounce as it grew more floppy.

I glanced up to see Aiden watching me.

"Having fun down there?"

I grinned, the movement reminding me of what I had just done as a little of the flavor of his cum made its way across my tongue.

"I was. That was much more fun than I thought. I mean I thought it was going to be but..."

I stood and cuddled in. I could feel his junk pressing the bathrobe into my stomach.

"Did I do okay?"

"You did great!"

"You sure you're not just saying that?"

"Nope. It felt good. You made it look like you were having a great time, and I came. What could be bad about that?"

"I don't know?"

I could feel the color rising in my cheeks. Just thinking about it had me hot. Was it weird that I liked it so much?

I kissed him on the cheek and saw him sniff the air a little.

I giggled. I supposed I would have felt a little weird if a girl that had swallowed my cum tried to kiss me right after. It was only fair. He had done the same for me.

"Be right back. I'm going to rinse out my mouth."

"Thanks," he said quietly, as if a little embarrassed.

I shed the bathrobe while I was rinsing my mouth. My lipstick was wearing off a little and I wondered if I had left some on his dick. My hair was starting to look a mess, but I had no idea how to fix it. I'd have to take it all down, but I didn't want to try right then. I just wanted to press my body against his and get under the covers.

It was like he had read my mind; he had flipped the covers on the bed down and was fluffing the pillows and putting them up on the headboard. I walked up behind him and pressed my breasts into his muscular back. I wrapped my hands around his chest and ran my fingers across his pecs and down his abs. A stray thought ran through my head-- he might really have a ten pack. I squeezed.

He put his hands on mine and we just stood there for a moment. Something about the way he smelled had turned up the heat again between my legs. He slowly released me and turned around to give me a sweet, lingering kiss.

"So, I need a few more minutes if you want to go further... Anything special you want to do while we wait?"

I thought for a moment. I looked into his eyes and for some reason bit my lower lip.

"Would it be weird if I asked you to use your fingers again? You know, kiss me and..."

"Nope, happy to!"

He picked me up, one hand under my butt the other wrapped around my back and lifted me up to place me in the center of the bed. He climbed on after me and gave me a quick kiss before moving his head down to place his mouth at my breast.

This time, he was less gentle and teasing. He devoured my nipples with his lips before sucking on each. I tried to grind my hips up in response. He lay next to me and nibbled on one, while his hand danced across my stomach and then down my hip. I shivered. I could feel my clit respond to what he was doing to my nipples and anticipated where his fingers would go next.

A flat palm across my stomach, he slid down between my legs and placed his middle finger just to the side of my labia. He moved his mouth back up to mine and used his free arm to pull me in to a deep kiss while his finger started a slow, firm circle around my clit.

I melted.

I couldn't get enough contact. His hand needed too much space to continue its work. I just wanted more of my skin pressed into his. I could feel his erection coming back slowly, as his dick grew against my leg.

I couldn't help it; I moaned like I had no control of my body. The circles changed to swiping across my clit. The speed or pattern changed each time we moved our bodies. I felt it coming, the crest of that itch getting scratched. The only thing missing was his fingers inside of me.

I imagined what his dick would feel like inside me. Would it fill me there like it had my mouth? How deep could I take it? I breathed deeply and he pressed harder with his finger, and my hips shook. I came and came hard. I couldn't kiss anymore. My abs contracted and I clapped his fingers tight between my thighs. He stopped and let me rest. When I relaxed, he took another swipe across my clit. I had to close my eyes and bite my lip to not cry out.

He gave me a gentle kiss and when I opened my eyes he was smiling at me.

"You know. You are really pretty."

I felt embarrassed. "You're just saying that."

"Nope, it's true! The way you squint your eyes when you cum..."

I wanted to hit him. In a flirty way. "Thanks, I think..."

I snuggled in and just enjoyed his body against mine. We lay like that for a few moments, just enjoying the contact. He ran his hands across my head and I listened to his breathing. This was amazing. All the anxiety over the last week had been for nothing. Everything had turned out perfect, well almost everything. I still had one more thing to try.

I reached down and found that his dick was nice and hard again. I ran my fingers along the length enjoying the softness of his skin. He jumped a little when my nail caught on the flare of the head.

I decided it was time. This was it. I wiggled out from the bed and grabbed my clutch. I fished my fingers inside past my phone and grabbed one of the necessities from inside. A condom. Amanda really had thought of everything.

I removed it and tossed it at Aiden who reflexively caught it. He looked up at me.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I want it to be with you..." I smiled reassuringly.

My phone buzzed. It was Mor.

-

Mor - Hey remember to let us know when you are home from after prom.

I had forgotten all about that. I hadn't said anything all night. I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't have a cover for spending the night in a hotel with a boy.

I quickly texted Amanda and asked her to cover for me.

Me - At Amanda's going to bed.

-

I dropped my phone on the nightstand and looked over at Aiden. While I had messed with my phone he had slipped on the condom. It was strange seeing the thing I had just wrapped my mouth around tightly encased in milky-colored latex.

I crawled back into the bed and lay next to him, not sure what to do next.

Aiden broke the ice. "Since it's your first time. How do you want to do it?"

Pretty Please came back into my head.

"Under you..."

We shuffled. He positioned himself between my legs. He looked up to make sure I was okay and lined up at my entrance. I felt him start to push, and I let out a breath I didn't realize I'd been holding. The tip felt so much bigger than his fingers. He slowly pushed and then paused.

"You, okay?"

"Yeah," I breathed.

He pushed a little further, I felt something inside me pull. It wasn't bad, just a little tug and suddenly there was no resistance. His hips met mine. I wrapped my legs around him and waited until I was used to the feeling.

It was like nothing I'd ever felt before. Warm, full, connected. The needy feeling that his fingers had partially sated then made sense. I wouldn't say I was satisfied, but I was proud of myself. Something felt right about being under him and so full.

Aiden gave me a kiss. "You ready?"

"Yes."

I breathed deeply and tried to focus on the feeling of him pulling out and then slowly sliding back in. I couldn't have imagined how it felt. The feeling of emptiness and then being filled over and over was like receiving a message you had been waiting for. You knew it was coming and when it did that just made it that much better.

His lips found mine and I had more to focus on. I didn't know what to do with my hands. Did I pull him in each time, or should I just let them lie on the bed? I reached down to prove that this was really happening. I split my fingers on each side of his dick and moaned into his lips. The feeling of him sliding between my fingers and into me was so erotic.

As I withdrew my hand I brushed my clit. It felt like an electric shock. I had to try it again. Two fingers and small circles caused muscles on the inside of my thigh to twitch and my heels to dig into his back.

The sensation overwhelmed me and I panted into his mouth as I came. I had to move my hands away from my clit. Aiden started to slow.

"No... Don't stop," I panted. "Keep going..."

I lay back and took deep breaths as he continued his steady pace. To calm down, I tried to imagine what he was feeling, but I couldn't get over the friction and the jolts of pleasure I felt with each thrust. I suddenly understood why sex was such a big deal. The connection I felt to Aiden was so intense; add to that, the pleasure he was giving me. I would have done just about anything for him in that moment.

I felt something new build low in my stomach. It could have been the L-word, but as I thought about it, it felt more like that print, the one we had both liked at the museum-- the passion, the depth of joy. What I'd felt pouring out of that piece was what I felt right then. I relaxed and embraced it.

I found my hips moving to meet his. Small movements, but I couldn't help but want more each time he withdrew. I looked up and he was smiling at me with a big, silly grin. I smiled back. I knew what he was feeling. I put my hands around his neck and told him what I wanted.

"Aiden... do it. Cum for me..."

"Becca." He closed his eyes, "I..."

I felt him twitch and the something new suddenly started spreading through my body like a building heat. I knew it was going to be something different, better than before. It built and built as Aiden thrust harder. When his angle changed slightly, I felt a little pressure build and I couldn't stand it anymore.

"Aiden, it's... oh shit... I'm cumming. Don't stop, I'm cumming..."

This was more than focused on my clit. The heat in my body pulsed and I came hard, I pulled him in as I cried out. I needed him as deep inside me as I could. He kept thrusting and I just wanted more. I'd like to claim I felt him cum as I rode the waves of joy I was on, but I missed it.

His hips slowed and he panted.

I kept my legs wrapped around him for a while, my face buried in his shoulder as the echoes of our joining faded.

Eventually, we released each other and took turns in the bathroom to wash up. When we finished, we cuddled under the covers. We didn't have to say much. He knew what I was thinking.

I was that woman from the print, I felt like I was glowing.

After he fell asleep, I dared to put into words how I felt.

"Aiden, I love you..."

FEVER

I gathered up my things quietly. Aiden was completely out. He slept like the dead. I guessed I would have too, if I had done what he did the night before. I came five times. Five! The guy was obviously good in bed. I could still feel the glow in my cheeks that attested to it. I slipped back into my dress and awkwardly zipped it up as far as I could. I wished I had brought something to hide my braless breasts. Their movement seemed so much more pronounced than any time in the last twenty-two hours. Maybe it was because the laces were still loose from when Aiden had untied them the night before. Whatever the case, I felt a little exposed.

On the elevator, I called a rideshare. This was going to be my first-ever 'walk of shame', but I didn't feel ashamed at all. I felt excited. I wished I had brought something else to wear this morning and something to remove my makeup. I hadn't imagined that I would have ended up losing my virginity, and as a woman no less, on prom night. But it had been perfect, maybe more than perfect, and Aiden had been the perfect gentleman.

The woman working the front desk glanced my way as I found a seat in the lobby to wait for my rideshare. Her look said everything. She knew what had happened and she judged me for it. I smiled back at her, and she looked away. I, Rebecca, had gone to prom with the king of the school, the boy I'd more than fallen for over the last three months. I had finally gotten to spend time with him in person. It had been a magical day. I thought it would be more awkward being a woman, but maybe it was as simple as the fact that for Aiden, I had played the girl so long that I felt like a girl with him. I wanted to be a girl with him. Actually, becoming one had just been the next logical step.

My phone pinged, my ride was here. I hitched up my dress, and grabbed my clutch. I glanced at my phone and was relieved to see my driver was a woman.

I slid into the sleek-looking electric car with ease. My driver politely said hello and I responded, but didn't push for more conversation. She glanced in the mirror a few times as we rode as if she wanted to ask, "Why the walk of shame in such fancy clothes?" I replayed the previous day's events in my head.

At the pharmacy, I had been so nervous. Passing out in Amanda's guest bathroom. Amanda waking me up. The dress fitting where I had that first girl moment. The salon, that had been wild. I walked in feeling like a man in a mask and walked out feeling like a woman. I could still feel how smooth my legs were as they brushed the fabric of my dress; the feel of my panties against my smooth pussy lips was a thrill. The sticky feeling I got when I rubbed my thighs together, reminded me of pulling them off and tossing them on Aiden's shirt.

Lunch with Amanda had been wonderful. How she had shown up at the lingerie shop with the high-waisted jeans and a black sleeveless turtleneck. I didn't know how she knew, but ever since the day of the not-date, I had been thinking about that outfit. I couldn't stop looking at my reflection in the store windows as we walked, Amanda constantly coaching me on walking in heels along the way.

Then it was back to the dress shop to put on the fitted dress and then to put it all together. Dinner with Aiden had been romantic, despite his friends going with us. I loved holding his hand while we ate.

The dance was one big blur, to be honest. The only thing that was really clear in my memory was the kiss in front of the windows and the dance to Levitating; I replayed those over several times.

The car pulled up in front of my house which stopped my reminiscing before I could make it to the hotel room. I thanked the driver and headed inside.

On the counter, there was draped the bag for my dress and the bag of clothing I had been wearing before the change. Folded neatly next to them were the jeans and turtleneck, black panties, bralette, and a fancy-looking yellow box tied in white ribbon.

I set down my clutch, kicked off the sparkling heels, and tried to slide onto the bar stool. It was a bit higher than I was used to, given my loss in height, and my dress started to catch on the edge. It was only a few hours until my height returned, and the little problems I'd had with this body would be gone. But I would miss a lot of the other things I had really enjoyed being a girl. I unzipped the dress and carefully put it into the bag before standing on my tiptoes to get on the stool. The cold leather was a bit shocking against the exposed skin not covered by my panties. I felt my bare nipples harden and goosebumps rise on my arms and legs.

I shivered and then reached for the package. Inside was a short note.

--

Rebecca,

I hope your evening was amazing and even better than you had ever dreamed! I wanted to let you know you looked really beautiful in your dress. I hope my granddaughters look even half as beautiful as you when they are finally old enough to go to prom, that is, assuming my boys give me any granddaughters... You looked so comfortable in your outfit at lunch, I wanted to give you something, in case you felt like spending more time as Rebecca. Somehow, I think you probably will.

-Amanda

--

I opened the box and inside, wrapped in sparkly white tissue paper, was the pale pink silk bra that matched my panties. It wouldn't have worked at all for my dress, so I had passed on it yesterday, but the feel on my skin had been electric. It was almost like it had been made for me. I didn't even have to think twice. I clipped it around my chest and spun it around like the woman at the lingerie store had taught me. The cups felt so good once the straps were in place. I sighed in contentment. Something about being a woman just felt right. I felt my stomach turn in a little knot at the thought of going back to the normal me in, I looked at the clock-- one hour and forty-seven minutes left as Becca.

My phone buzzed.

-

Aiden - Hey where did you go? I didn't dream last night, did I?

Me - Nope not a dream. I have to return my dress before it turns into a pumpkin, it was a loaner. Sorry I left before you woke up, you looked so cute I didn't want to wake you. Thank you for a wonderful evening and night!

Aiden - You're welcome! Too bad the dress was a rental; it looked like it was made for you. But you know, you look really good without it too...

Aiden - You were amazing last night! I mean before the hotel you were amazing. The hotel, last night... I wouldn't have wanted to spend it with anyone else. You doing anything today?

-

Yeah, I was. I was going back to being just Geoff, shoving Rebecca back to my middle name.

I opened the bag of Geoff's clothing and looked at the paperwork. I was pretty sure that X-change only worked for twenty-four hours, but I might as well check.

I read through the dosage twice. Twenty-four hours was printed everywhere. I sighed and dropped it on the counter. A page not printed in the tiny font of the warnings and drug information slid out to the side with a letter I had grabbed from the mailbox before I had left for Amanda's the previous day. I picked it up.

--

Attention: The shot you have been given today is a new dosage just approved by the FDA. It remains in effect for up to 48-hours allowing you to choose when to take your pill. In addition, you may elect to take a second pill within the 48-hour window so long as the effects from the first pill have completely reversed to prevent any unwanted side effects. See your pharmacist for additional information.

--

Holy crap. I could be Rebecca again for another day. No need for another shot. No dropping another two hundred dollars. The pills were comparatively cheap, I'd pay a hundred dollars in a heartbeat to spend another day with Aiden as Rebecca.

I flipped the paper over to see a coupon for fifty dollars off my next purchase of X-change. I found myself wondering if I should be saving the coupon for the next time Aiden asked me on a date.

As I went to set the paper down, I noticed who the letter, I had forgotten I was holding, was from. RIDS. I tore it open with curiosity. I had been expecting a letter confirming my dorm for next year any day. I was really hoping for a single suite in the new first year building.

--

Welcome to First Year housing!

As you know, housing at RIDS is limited due to the age of some of our buildings. You have requested a North Hall Single Suite as your first choice for housing. At the time of this letter, this option is unavailable, and your second choice has been selected.

Because you selected a Single Suite as your first choice, the Housing Department wanted to inform you of a new program RIDS student life is trying this year. There is a growing population of students who are transitioning gender, or temporarily transitioning gender, during their first year away from home. To support these students, RIDS has set aside a block of rooms as well as a support program for students in transition as they spend their first year on their own. If this applies to you, please let us know as soon as possible, so that we can add you to the program. All students in this program will have access to onsite counseling and a safe space in their block of rooms. Contact transitionstudenthousing@RISD. edu if you would like to apply for the program.

Sincerely,

RIDS Housing/Student Life

--

I read the letter twice.

Support for students transitioning or temporarily transitioning. Did I want to be Rebecca for my freshman year? Aiden was going to Browns and would be right next door. I looked again at the note from the pharmacy. I could be Rebecca again for one more day. Did I want to be Rebecca for longer?

I took a deep breath and texted Aiden.

-

Me - Sure. Want to get lunch at that little crepe shop near at Berkeley Point, make it a date? I need to take a shower and drop off the dress so maybe 12:30?

Aiden - I'll be there!

-

That would give me enough time to clean up, stop at the pharmacy to get another pill, return the dress and drive there in plenty of time if I borrowed Mor's car. A date with Aiden sounded like the best way to spend my Sunday. I thought about it for a moment and the thought of his lips on mine popped into my mind. I could feel a fresh wave of moisture between my legs seeping into my panties. I needed to wash them if I wanted to wear them again to match my bra. I slid them down and enjoyed the feeling of my fingers as they glided down my smooth hips. These needed to get in the wash ASAP. I needed to get ready for my day with Aiden.

But first...

I bit my lip, closed my eyes, and slid a finger between my legs. I let out a big sigh. I needed to get off, memories of the previous night and Aiden's kisses were flooding my mind. I had some big decisions to make, but they could wait until later.

How it's going...

I'm currently lying naked on my bed; my fingers following the patterns Aiden's fingers had shown me the night before, the Dua Lipa song Fever playing on my phone. Memories from the hotel room playing on a loop in my head. I knew I was going to cum soon, no need to worry about tissues for cleanup. Being a girl is kind of great.

As I lie here exploring my feminine side, I have realized something. Most guys probably would have spent their first day as a girl doing just what I am now, in bed exploring, not spending the day actually living as a girl. I took that leap to be a girl for Aiden and found that I enjoyed being her so much that I was excited to do it again the next day. The sex had been amazing but that was not the part I immediately wanted to repeat. I am not going to be a girl just for Aiden, not anymore. Yesterday, I lived as a girl just for Aiden, but today, I am going to be a girl for me. I want this. Aiden may have been the catalyst to me taking the plunge, but I am enjoying this way too much. I had never even thought about being a girl before all this, and now I am thinking about trying it for longer. Much, much longer.

Aiden is great, I honestly think I could see myself getting married to a guy like him, or maybe just him. I'm really excited to go on an actual date with him today. I'd be lying if I say I'm not hoping he will ask me to be his girlfriend. I'm ready for more commitment than just messages. I think Amanda had been right, there really could be someone of the same sex for me. I had just needed to be Rebecca. No that's wrong, I had just needed to find Rebecca to learn the world was bigger than I'd ever thought it could be.

This had all started as an attempt to catfish Aiden, but I think I'm the one who got hooked...

As always, thank you to reading! I would love it if you'd leave a comment and rating for this story and let me know you enjoyed it. If you decided that this story deserves less than a four I'd love to know why. Shoot me a DM if you don't want to comment in public view.

Your comments, positive or constructive, push me to be a better writer.

Part two of this storyline is in the editing process, or if you are reading this after it has already been posted, is out. Initially I felt that this was going to be a one off, but I decided, if only for me, that I wanted there to be another chapter to see where things went.