Reluctant Diva 29
Inspired by Lipstick Discipline
Chapter 29 – Party time
In the week leading up to the start of my second year at high school, I was busily immersed in all the preparations that were needful. There were materials to buy, missing items to find and outfits to get ready not just for myself but for Tom as well. Overlooking all the labour that was involved, my mother found numerous additional chores for me as if to ensure I hadn’t too much, or in fact any, free time. By the end of that last week of the vacation, our house was so spotless it literally shone, thanks to my efforts. I fell into bed at the end of each day tired out.

On the Friday I had removed my clothes and after strapping on my night time corset I lay across the bed exhausted. Next thing I knew I was being wakened by Mom shaking me and telling me it was past midday. How could I have overslept so much? Drowsily I lay still until it came to my mind what day it was. Today was Madeleine’s birthday, the day of her long-planned party, with its bizarre theme. Nymphs and Satyrs!

I was instantly wide awake. In panic, I recalled that I hadn’t been able to find a suitable present for my mature friend. Fortunately just then my mother came to the rescue. She showed me a curious diamante chain which would serve as a fitting gift. How and where the various strands of it fastened I couldn’t quite fathom but I saw that it was both pretty and unusual. That was enough for me.

I dimly remembered that the arrangement was for me to get changed into my party outfit at Madeleine’s house. Once I’d arrived and been greeted by Maria, she showed me up to the daughter’s room. There what I was to wear for the occasion was laid out on the bed. In no time, my day clothes were removed and my waist was corseted to the smallest circumference before I was helped into a full skirted gown.

It was in a delicate cotton lawn material and its design was unusual. There were delicate lace sleeves and voluminous folds of material supported by a multi-layered petticoat, which formed my only other undergarment. The front of the bodice was open apart from a piece of chiffon which afforded scanty covering to my breasts. The effect was to display rather than hide them, but there was no time to protest and I would have to be content. Thus attired I was led down to the room where the party was to take place. Numerous filmy drapes had been hung to divide up the available space into several secluded sections so that the effect resembled a forest glade. A goblet was pressed into my hand and though I sipped the drink cautiously, my head began to swim. I wandered from one scene to another looking for my hostess and as I did so, I kept coming face to face with some of her circle of friends, along with others I didn’t know. All were costumed to represent characters from Greek myth, with only the scantiest covering for their bodies. Nymphs, fauns and satyrs were in abundance.

As I searched I encountered Roddy, inevitably attired as a satyr. He grasped a lyre in his large hands and was bare-chested. While he was absorbed in playing this instrument I found myself staring at the front of his hairy pants where his endowment was even more evident than usual.

At length he noticed I was there and gave a triumphant cry. When he came toward me with a look of lust across his face, I fled in alarm. The idea occurred to me that an absurd scene similar to those depicted in Madeleine’s collection of art was being re-enacted; a nymph trying to escape a pursuing satyr! I began to giggle as I realised I was the fugitive nymph!

Twisting in and out of the drapes to escape, finally I came upon Madeleine. Though I felt safer now I was in her presence, I was astonished to see her own costume which was dramatic in the extreme. A jewelled band encircled her head, piling up her hair. A drape of white silk hung from her shoulders barely covering her nakedness. She greeted me warmly while I wondered which character she represented.

The goddess Artemis! The answer to my unspoken question came unbidden into my head but meant little to me. Awkwardly, all I could think to do was present her with my gift. She exclaimed with pleasure as she took it from me, but after holding it up to admire it, instead of laying it aside or putting it around her own neck she smiled triumphantly and fastened it around mine. There were two chains hanging down one on either side terminating in clips. To my consternation, Madeleine snatched away the flimsy piece of chiffon that preserved what little modesty my costume provided and clipped the ends there, causing a thrill to shoot through me.

My little member, fortunately hidden by the folds of my gown, responded by stirring from its quiescent state while in disbelief I could only stand there as if frozen. My limbs seemed to have lost the power of movement. After stepping back to admire the effect, Madeleine stretched herself onto a couch and then pulled me toward her by those same chains. I couldn’t have resisted if I had wanted to, not that I did. With a proud gesture she swept her scanty covering aside and pulled me closer. To be desired by this exotic woman was intoxicating and I wanted nothing more than to take possession of her body, but my traitorous little member had other ideas, and remained in the semi-aroused state which was all I had come to expect of it. I could have wept with frustration.
Then I felt my skirts being lifted and pushed aside from behind me, baring my naked butt. In my state of immobility I couldn’t offer any resistance. Something hard and hairy was pressed between my thighs. Nooo!! The thought flashed through my mind that it could only be Roddy!! A wave of desire swept through me, then I felt another tug on my breasts. My attention was demanded by Madeleine once more. At these stimuli my erection grew to its fullest extent at the excitement. I looked into her eyes which were filled with expectation. I knew that I would now be able to enter her at last. Finally...!!

I awoke!!! I was sprawled across my bed in my own room, breathing heavily. What…? Where…? There was no party; no Madeleine; no…! It had all been a dream; or was it a nightmare? Part of me didn’t want it to end. I closed my eyes to try and recapture the moment but it was gone.

I was bathed in sweat and trembling with suppressed excitement. Mystified, I turned on the bedside light and discovered that the sensations which had been so vivid in the dream could easily be explained. My legs were wrapped around the bedpost and tangled in a feather boa. This item was a cast-off which Mom had passed on to me and I had carelessly wound it around the wooden post for want of a better place for it. Its tickling strands were clearly the source of one sensation. My own fingers were squeezing my bare nipples, causing the pressure I had experienced there. With all these stimuli, it perhaps wasn’t surprising I had experienced the first erection I’d had in months. That part was real. Aargh! I could have laughed out loud with relief, or was it frustration?
After a hasty bathroom break, I covered myself with the sheets and blankets and tried to lose myself in sleep once more. It was some time before I could settle but in the end I must have drifted off. The next morning, I slept later than usual. When I surfaced, the events of the dream seemed as vivd as ever. As I bathed and dried myself, what had taken place kept coming back to me and one thing in particular stood out. Yes, that was the correct expression! At that moment my mother’s voice calling me from downstairs broke the spell.

I called back guiltily “Just dressing, Mom!”

“Well, you’re taking your time. I’m about to leave for work.” Thoughtfully leaving me a list of chores to be getting on with, she departed with Tom who was spending the day playing at a friend’s house.

Although I wouldn’t be working at the salon until the afternoon, there was no chance of respite; the list was long. I was still in a daze as I tackled my various jobs. When I’d finally got through them there was just time for me to change, eat a piece of toast which served as both breakfast and lunch and fix my hair and make-up. I desperately needed to see someone before starting work. Hurrying as much as I could, I arrived at the drug counter of Rachel’s store just as she was about to take a break.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes! Wow!” She looked me up and down approvingly before taking me through to the cafeteria.

I smiled with pleasure at her praise. I was proud of my growing skill with cosmetics and her recognition of what I’d been able to achieve was most welcome.
My friend sat me down at a quiet table while she fetched a coffee for both of us.

Concerned for my well-being as ever “Have you eaten?” was her first question. Although I was able to answer in the affirmative, she insisted on my sharing her lunch. I was ravenous after my busy morning. My mind was still fixated on the dream and I must have been staring vacantly into space as we ate.

“Well?”

“Sorry, Rachel.” I pulled myself together. I knew I didn’t have very long, so I got straight to the matter that was troubling me. “Last night I had the weirdest dream.”

I started to run through its events quickly but wasn’t making much sense, so she stopped me.

Gently and slowly my friend teased out all the details – the outlandish attire, the theme of the supposed party, what had seemed to be happening. Then the images began to fall into place and I started to understand.

“But why…?” There was one question still uppermost in my mind. “Why did it have the… you know… effect it had on me?”

Rachel regarded me gravely. “I think I have an idea, though I can’t be sure. With all the meds you have been on and over such a long period, it’s safe to say your body is just as female as anyone’s.”

I nodded in agreement. That had to make sense.

“So your brain has to cope with all those bodily desires which accompany that.” She continued in a whisper “It wants a man!”

I stared at her wide-eyed.

“You yourself, however, are attracted to girls… women, but your body doesn’t back that up. To turn you on completely, it takes something else, like how you feel about someone, or, in this case the combination of what it needs and what you are attracted to. That’s what I think happened.”

I couldn’t disagree. “I guess.”

“It’s just my view and I’m no expert. I don’t think there are any experts. You have to admit you are pretty exceptional.” She smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I think you are just amazing!”

I sat gazing into her lovely eyes, full of concern for me. I could have stayed there for ever but my time was nearly up. She led the way back from the cafeteria and we took leave. I walked on towards my place of work with some trepidation. After my bizarre dream I wasn’t sure I would be able to look my employer in the face!

School started back the following week and as before, my journey there was on two wheels. I had toyed with the idea of taking a chance and travelling on the bus but rejected it. The bike would be better, at least until the weather deteriorated and the nights drew in. My inclusion in Shirley’s ‘sisterhood’ was a confirmed fact, thankfully. We shared many of the same classes and taking part in our cheerleading practices after school knitted our little group tightly together. On the days when there was no practice, I was glad to have the companionship of Kyle and Peter on my journey home. After the first couple of weeks of settling in to our new teachers and new subjects our routine became established and the school year began to stretch out interminably ahead of us.

Apparently I had been generally accepted as Jennifer by the end of the previous school year, but it became noticeable now that I was more often on the receiving end of an occasional snide comment from other students. They were girls usually and outside of my immediate circle. It was a rude awakening from the complacency which had crept in to my thoughts over the summer. As a result I became wary again and by my vigilance I managed to avoid any physical bullying. The best recourse I found was to stick even more closely to the company of my circle of friends, or to stay near the teachers. The cause of this unpleasantness was undoubtedly my inclusion in the cheer-leading squad. In that respect it was doing me no favours.

My experiences in the squad itself were more positive, however. Cheerleading was then considered a lady-like way of supporting our male peers in sport and any visible departure from that standard of behaviour would have been dealt with severely. The amount of work put into building a solid cheer squad and the pressures of performing for a crowd of fans knit us closely together and I found I could count on friendship where I would not have expected it. Supporting each other through difficulties and applauding each other's accomplishments was expected of us and made us develop from individuals into a cohesive team. I was glad to be part of it.

There were many occurrences which were memorable, some funny and some not so. There were occasional injuries though thankfully none of them too serious. The acrobatic element of cheerleading wasn’t such a feature in those days. Once when we were engaged in performing handsprings at a basketball game, one of our number’s shoe flew off and, travelling through the air, landed in the opposing team’s hoop! The ensuing laughter stopped the game and the girl’s face was crimson with embarrassment. No it wasn’t me; though I did once suffer the mishap of throwing a pompom unintentionally into the stands. The crowd were sympathetic on that occasion and cheered all the louder!

One further significant change took place in my life around this time and it was all my own decision. It was regarding my boyfriend. Ove the summer, I’d recognised that the relationship wasn’t going anywhere and out of fairness I knew I needed to do something about it. So the next time I met up with Marty, I dressed with particular care for the occasion. I needed all the moral support I could get. Wearing my most feminine attire might provide enough willpower to go through with what I had made up my mind to. Underneath a pretty dress I had chosen one of my favourite lingerie sets to wear. The knowledge it was there somehow made me feel more complete and gave me confidence.

After trying to greet him as warmly as usual, I heard myself nervously utter those fateful words. “Marty, we need to talk.”

Breaking up actually proved easier than I’d expected. We happened to have come to the same conclusion independently and I found we were regretfully agreed that our relationship had been fun while it lasted, but should go no farther. We parted as friends but as I walked away, I could feel a tear rolling down my cheek. I didn’t understand myself. Further tears coursed down before my walk was over and they brought home to me that something had ended which I had come to value in my life. The thought made me feel much older. Wiser? Well that remains to be seen.