Difference - Final episodes, with complete series text

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Here are the last two episodes of "Difference".
I've also included the earlier episodes so this posting can be read as a standalone. Faithful readers can go directly to chapter 4 about halfway down.

Chapter 1

Three 12-year old boys sit in the Headmaster’s office. John, Harry and Tom have come to school dressed as girls as a prank. Not surprisingly their teacher sent them to the Headmaster.

Headmaster (sighing): John and Harry, isn’t this a rather childish prank? I won’t spend time telling you how much trouble you are in now. Do you realise how stupid you look in your ridiculously short skirts? And your make up! Was it on purpose you did it to look like cheap whores? Go home, wash, change and come back. I will contact your parents.

The two boys leave smiling (though they wouldn’t be if they had realised that a severe breach of the dress code on top of their previous breaches of school rules could lead to their expulsion), their underwear clearly visible under their extremely short skirts.

Headmaster: Tom, why are you still here? Go back to class!

Tom: But Sir, aren’t you going to send me home?

Headmaster (smiling): Why should I? Your skirt is within allowed length and you have no make-up. Make-up isn't allowed as you know. Actually, I don’t understand why you were sent here in the first place.

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Chapter 2

Still in the office.

Tom: Uhm, ... Sir, next class is Physical Training and since I kind of expected to be sent home ...

Headmaster: ... you didn’t bring your kit. And that would make it the fifth time you’ve “forgotten”, wouldn’t it?

Tom (looking down at the floor): Yes, Sir.

Headmaster (looking concerned): And Mr Sanderson fails pupils after the fifth time. Hmm. I’ll see if I can help you but only within the rules of course.

Headmaster picks up the phone and dials the PT teachers’ room.

Headmaster: Oh, hello Miss Archer. Is Mr Sanderson there? ... I see ... Have you anything in the “left-behind box”? ... That’s unfortunate ... one smelly sock? No that wouldn’t do... Tom Fooley... Yes, the scrawny little kid that gets into trouble all the time ... well, the only requirements are that it should be completely separate from what is worn the rest the day and appropriate to the physical activity ...so Mr Sanderson is having them do gymnastics? ... That’s all you have? ... Highly unorthodox but it will have to do. Thank you! I will send him to you.

Headmaster ends the conversation and turns to Tom: Unfortunately they threw away all forgotten clothes at the end of last term but there are a few team uniforms that for one reason or another never got used. You could buy one of those. We will bill your parents.

Tom (relieved and with a big smile): Thank you Sir!

Headmaster: Go to the PT teachers’ office. Miss Archer thinks that one of the girls’ gymnastic team leotards will fit you.

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Chapter 3

As Tom walks from his last class of the day he contemplates what a terrible day it has been.

What had been worst?

The laughter and jeering when he arrived a bit late in the gym wearing his leotard? Yes, his leotard! To add insult to injury he’d had to buy it!

Afterwards when changing out of his leotard and into the skirt?

Lunchtime when John and Harry, supposedly his best friends, had come back and led the other boys in taunting him?

The amused looks from teachers when he had to go up to the desk in front, thus displaying the skirt to all, and hand over a note from the Headmaster stating that he, Tom, was “appropriately” dressed?

No, it probably was when he entered the PT teachers’office and the way Miss Archer barely refrained from laughing when seeing him wearing a skirt and asking for a leotard. The way the leotard felt when he tried it on (Miss Archer left the office when Tom changed). The way his very small bulge was visible and Miss Archer’s giggle when seeing him changed and to top it off her offer to join the girls instead. Though, in hindsight that just might have been better, or rather less bad.

Only one thing to do before he finally could slither home. The lists of groups for the obligatory “Free” after-school activity for this term should have been put up now. OK so he’s short but he had ticked Basket on the form since his mates John and Harry had. It couldn’t be any worse than the other options.

Looking at the four different Basket group lists he can’t find his name so he goes into the secretary’s office (and yes, she smiles that amused smile he had begun to hate when she sees him).

The school secretary: A runt like you play Basket? But you didn’t tick Basket and it’s too late to change now. I remember that your selection surprised me. Yes, here’s your form. See for yourself.

From the corridor he could hear John and Harry who, reading the lists, bellowed in amusement and he could distinctly hear his own name and the words sissy and fag.

Looking at the form he could see what had happened. He had made the tick rather quickly and “expansively” and though the point of the tick was in the box for Basket the obvious reading was that he had ticked the box above: Ballet!

It definitely was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

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Chapter 4

Three days later.

A man and a woman enter the Headmaster’s office.

The man introduces himself: Good afternoon. I’m from the Ministry of Education. My name is Smith. This is my colleague Ms Psmith.

Ms Psmith: With a P.

Mr Smith brings up his smartphone and shows the Headmaster a picture of Tom in his skirt: I understand that this boy is a student at this school. Is that correct?

Headmaster confirms with a sigh and thinks that at least they had got one of the good pictures. Social media had been awash with pictures of Tom since that unfortunate day. Fortunately no one had had time to take a picture of Tom in his leotard. This was probably the best picture. The neat skirt and blouse contrasted with his tousled hair, dirty face and legs bruised and with scabs from playing actively. The only thing lacking was the grandiose multicoloured shining Tom is sporting now as a result of the vicious attack from John and Harry. Fortunately that was stopped almost immediately. Headmaster suddenly feels very tired. That was the first time he’d have to expel any of his students. In hindsight he consoles himself with the certainty it had only been a matter of time before they'd had to go anyway.

Ms Psmith: We represent a new Ministry campaign against gender stereotyping and this boy would be perfect as one of our spokesboys.

Mr Smith: The imp in a skirt look is exactly what we are looking for.

Ms Psmith: We have no problem finding girls that play football or cricket and at the same time don’t hesitate to dress up in frocks for parties.

Mr Smith: Unfortunately the boys we have talked to earlier have come over as a bit TOO feminine.

The Headmaster is getting really scared now. He can see the fanatical glint in their eyes. It's not the first time he had met people from the Ministry with a CAUSE. Very seldom had it ended well. He must try to stop this now and here.

Headmaster: Well, he certainly is the quintessential unruly schoolboy. I partly blame his parents. Naming a boy Tom Fooley is just asking for trouble. But while I think you may have found the right tomboys I’m certain Tom the boy is not who you’re looking for. While constantly challenging the boundaries it’s not the gender boundaries he’s challenging. He’s not girly in any way. That day was just a prank for God’s sake!

Ms Psmith: We insist. We must talk to this boy. He just has the perfect look. Where can we find him?

Headmaster: Oh well, let’s look at the schedule. At this time he should be in ... Oh ... ballet class.

Seeing the scary smiles spreading on the faces of the Smithes the Headmaster feels very, very guilty.
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Chapter 5

Some years later.

Tom exits the stage to the sound of wild clapping. His ballet solo at the end-of-the-year performance had been perfect.

As he walks to the dressing room he contemplates on how he got to where he is. That terrible day when he was 12 had really been the best thing that could have happened to him. Strangely the ribbing he had received the next day as he changed into the dance belt, that he had hated at the time, black tights, white T-shirt and the silly slippers had made him determined to do his best instead of goofing off. The fact that the group was small, only five girls apart from Tom, helped. The teacher, who had no previous knowledge of Tom, had been convinced that she for once had a boy that really wanted to learn ballet and supported in him every way. As it turned out he was really good and worked hard. Since he had started barely young enough and with his talent he could have gone on to be a good, perhaps great, dancer if he had dedicated enough effort.

However, even though he liked ballet and did work hard at it he knew that ballet was not his future. With the discipline from ballet and the absence of John and Harry his scholastic results improved and then of course there was all the time he spent on the anti-gender stereotype campaign. Not only had he become modestly famous but he had really grown as a person. Tom smiles remembering how naive and childish he had been. He’d had no idea what he was getting into. For example he had accepted to participate only because that way he could pay off his debt to his parents for the leotard!

But thinking back to when he was twelve it really was the skirt that had made all the difference. What a difference a difference of a few inches can make. Had it been shorter he might very well have wound up as John and Harry, going nowhere fast.

As he gets into the dressing room he greets the girl there. She helps him get off the stage make-up and put on the partying make-up. A little bit later she helps him get into that lovely silk dress that an up-and-coming designer made for him as part of the project. The dress really sets off his legs as well as his strong manly torso. Toms wonders what his fellow physics students at Cambridge will think about it when he goes there in Autumn. Well, a physicist can have a great physique too!

Turning around he kisses one of those future fellow physics students, and future wife.

He's all for gender equality but

VIVE LA DIFFÉRENCE!

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Comments

A very nice ending. I was

A very nice ending. I was actually looking for Tom to be a Prima Ballerina, but being a Physicist is good too. Thank you for all your writing.

Ending

Jamie Lee's picture

Ending was nice, though many years are missing from age twelve to her present. Would have been nice to have read how she progressed to her present life.

Others have feelings too.

Ahah!

Daphne Xu's picture

Nice ending. Again, how did his two "friends" turn out?

I actually wondered why they became his harshest tormentors, having come to school in girls' outfits themselves.

Nice to see him going into physics, too. Although a physics PhD is a horror to go through.

-- Daphne Xu

-- Try saying freefloating three times rapidly.