Thank you for reading. I enjoy hearing your suggestions. This is the second half of chapter three. It's funny how it's much easier to write half a chapter at a time.

Terry picked up the phone. He smiled, seeing that Jenn was calling.

“No!” It sounded to him like she was laughing.

He decided to play it cool. “Well, hi, Jenn. How are you doing?”

“Fine, Terry. No, no, no.”

“Three no’s. I think you’re trying to tell me something.”

“Stop being a smart-ass! I just got your photo. You certainly look beautiful, but you need to have your head examined.”

“Why, Jenn? I thought you said it’s a casual place. What’s wrong with my outfit?”

“First of all, you don’t go into a restaurant with an exposed midriff. It’s like a sanitary thing, you hoochie momma. No bare feet, no bathing suits.”

“Hoochie? I’m insulted. Here I was trying to look nice.”

“Terry Nelson, you’re doing a good job of trying my patience and making me laugh at the same time. I commend your moxie for jumping into the deep end of the pool. But that’s not how you greet your friends.”

“Why? Isn’t that me now? Shouldn’t I embrace who I am?”

“Certainly. But you’re making me feel like I’m your mom and saying, “You’re not going out dressed like that!”

Terry laughed at the sound of her voice. She did sound like a mom. “OK, mom. So why not?”

“You need to garner respect from your high school friends. If you show up all decorated and on display, they will all respond to you like you’re working in Hooters.”

Terry laughed aloud. In a put-on voice, he said, “Hey, I guess this is the new me. The old high school Terry has evaporated into thin air. What everybody used to imagine he was, well, news flash - he never was. Old Terry spent his life disguised, trying to look like a boy. The old Terry was never a boy! And I think this is a great outfit to wear to his funeral. But, OK. I see your point about going into a restaurant dressed like this."
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“My point is you have to think about what your horn dogs would think if you showed up decked out like Tasha does on stage. Tasha is a two-dimensional puppet, like an imaginary figure, like a character in a movie. She’s the stripper side of you and strippers wear everyday clothes, too.”

“Interesting. You’ve gone from calling me a hoochie mama, to Hooter’s girl, to stripper. Well, Jenn. We’ve covered a lot of ground in a few seconds.”

“Well, either way, Rock Star, you need help. I know Jersey Girl will send you anything you ask for. You need to get some stuff to wear around the house for the next month.”

Terry was grinning and shaking his head. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about how rock stars dress at home and kinda came up blank. Duh.”

Jenn started laughing. “Duh? You’re living with four rockers twenty-four, seven. Do the Cats dress up like they are going on the stage every day?”

Terry suddenly felt like he’d been pushed into a cold shower. He looked at himself and opened his eyes. The clouds parted, and he thought about his bandmates and how they dressed. “Good point, mom. What do you suggest?”

“I suggest you come downstairs and greet me in the driveway. I’m here.”

When he reached the entrance hall to the house, she was waiting there. He quickly looked her over and smiled. Jenn was wearing Jenn clothes: dressy black capris, a pretty white knit top, and a Phillies team jacket. Her hair was in a high ponytail, and she wore mascara and lipstick. She was beautiful in a perfectly Jenn way.

She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. “Oh, my God! You’re a sexy, beautiful doll, and I want to take you upstairs and ravish you. But instead, I’m going to take you upstairs and dress you all over again.”

“Aw, no time for a ravishing?” Terry followed Jenn up to his bedroom.

“Mmm. You’re right. We should always take time for ravishing. Strip down, and let’s see what you’ve got on for underwear. You are wearing underwear, right?”

After Terry stripped down, she playfully ran her hand across his butt. He shivered with her touch and moaned.

She slapped him hard. “Keep the jeans look, they’re nice.”

Terry was pleased to see her tossing him a new top but sad that it covered the tattoo on his upper arm. When she threw him a new black satin hoodie from Jersey Girl, he hesitated. It was a sample they were looking to sell as merchandise on their upcoming tour. There was a large, colorful Wildcat emblem stitched across the back, but the whole jacket was piped in bright pink. He slipped it on and modeled the outfit in his mirror. He frowned. It was a woman’s cut and fit him perfectly. He was pleased it didn’t have Tasha’s name embroidered on the breast.

He reached for his black leather Jordans.

Jenn laughed. She saw him frown as he was staring at his image. “What’s the matter, lover? Too boring?”

Terry shrugged, “I guess not. But I’m still making a statement, aren’t I? I just look like me. Isn’t everyone looking for Tasha? Isn’t everyone expecting to see a rock chick?”

Keeping him facing the mirror, Jenn reached around and held him tightly so he continued to stare at himself in the mirror. She nuzzled his ears and bit an earlobe. “You are the real Terry, not your stage fictional character, Tasha. You can still be a rock star without all the trappings. You’ve been wearing these clothes every day since you started with the Wildcats. You’re not making a public appearance to sign autographs or take pictures with fans. This is just a dinner out with friends.”

He nodded. “Okay. I’m starting to understand your point. It’s obvious that I still need guidance to get this right.”

“Honey, you’ll meet your friends as the new Terry. Let them buy Tasha’s poster if they need a fantasy to moon over. New Terry wears bras and thongs because he has to. New Terry wears a touch of makeup because it looks nice. New Terry has curves. You don’t need to score points or make it all more than it is. Your boys will stand on Sid Mack’s Allentown Music roof when you do another concert. They can see Tasha and all the Wildcats dressed in their Jersey Girl finery. But there’s no stilettos in the band house.”

Terry didn’t have to think for a minute as he took Jenn into his arms. “You are the best. I don’t know what I’d do without you. Marry me and have our babies.”

Jenn laughed. “Nah. I enjoy being the mysterious lesbian girlfriend of a Wildcat. I’m the woman in the shadows who everyone wonders about. I like it that way. But it would be cool to be a pregnant teen. So radical. I think I’d make the best parent!”

“You’re already helping me get it all straight. And you know, before Frankie knew who you were, she described you as an exotic looking beauty.”

Jenn thought for a minute. “Sure. Almond eyes, thick straight hair. I can see that. But my mom and I are different. There’s a lot of Cossack blood running through my body. And I’m certainly not a tea-pouring Geisha. You might say I have a temper.”

“I agree that you’re not a geisha, but you’re not a Klingon either.” He sighed and looked at his phone. I see that we have a problem. We don’t have to be at the restaurant for another hour. Isn’t there a way I can show my appreciation to the most beautiful woman I know?”
Jenn giggled and pulled his hand towards the bed. “Yep. I could use a sex slave right now.”

An hour later, they were walking into the restaurant, and the guys were standing up to greet them. Brian, Don, and Tony all wore collared shirts and clean jeans. Each looked like he’d showered and taken the time to brush his hair. Terry could smell too much Axe body spray.

He inwardly smiled. As he looked at his buds, he realized he was checking out their broad shoulders and upper body strength. Why was he noticing this for the first time?

Jenn grabbed his upper arm and whispered in his ear. “Do you like what you see, Rock Star?”

“Did they notice that I was staring?”

“Nah. Try to remember that boys are tupid.”

Terry didn’t have to respond. He blushed bright red and made a choking sound. “Oh, my God,” he thought! “I’m sizing my old friends up as potential boyfriends. Jeez, what’s happening with my mind?” But the guys moved towards them before he could discuss this issue with his girlfriend. He stood back behind Jenn to see how they greeted her
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Jenn lifted her right arm up in the air and gave them each a quick hug, ending with a straight left hand to the chest moving each guy backwards. Terry admired how she could do this in such a casual manner without making it look stiff. What should I do, he thought?

Tony answered this dilemma by reaching over and grabbing him in a big bear hug. He chose not to return it by pushing his arms against his chest and separating himself from his big friend. He marveled at how solid he felt. It was like he was carved out of stone. For a brief second he felt his heart beat increase.

Don and Brian chose to stay back and just give him smiles without contact. He was relieved because the simple contact with Tony had him reeling. The man was big and strong. The first thought that came to mind was that he wanted to stay in his arms for a lingering moment. But fortunately, he heard the warning bells going off inside his brain. Terry realized he obviously was not in control when those thoughts took over. He made a note to talk to Grace about acting like a love-sick girl.

Brian was smiling and talking. Terry had to quiet his mind to concentrate. He watched his face, noting his nice lips.

“Dude, you have such a life. I’ve become your biggest fan. I taped the Tonight Show and have already watched it many times. And, yeah, I admit I did that for the Ellen Show, too. Those women are exciting to watch.”

Terry kept grinning, thankful Brian was drawing a line between the cats and him. He even called him dude. He briefly thought about Brian watching the band play in the privacy of his room and got a cold shiver running through his body. His blood pressure was going down, and the pulse in his ears stopped pounding. He just didn’t want Tony hugging him again.

Don was nodding his head and waiting his turn. “I never knew you could shred the guitar as you do. You are the best musician in the band. Pretty amazing.”

Terry realized that this was going to be OK after all. He wasn’t going to have to talk about his surgery or his changing body. It wasn’t going to be about him after all. And when Tony interrupted and said, 'Anyone else hungry?’ everyone’s thoughts turned to the menu. When the waiter arrived to take their order, Terry almost slipped and ordered at Singha, forgetting he was eighteen, not twenty-two. He listened to what everyone was talking about.

He realized that Jenn had hardly said a word. She seemed content to simply listen to what everyone said. Terry learned she was playing the same game Tiffany and Zoe had done with their admiring fans. She was asking questions, encouraging the guys to talk about themselves.

When the tables turned towards him, Tony looked straight into his eyes, saying, “What’s up, dude?” Terry was more than ready to respond with a question: “Tony, I really want to hear what you guys have been up to." It worked, and the guys were happy to talk until their dinners arrived. He chuckled when Don pointed at him and said to their server, “The rock star’s gonna pay for our meal.”

After everyone seemed to have eaten too much, they were content to just sit around, grin, and make small talk. Terry deflected all their questions until Don finally asked about the Wildcat’s schedule.

He summed it up with a brief summary. “We’re working on our album right now. Then we’re doing a weekend at the Rendezvous and another rooftop concert downtown at the music store. Finally, we’re headed to Atalanta for one more show before the record drops at the beginning of June. We’re going out on tour after that.”

Tony was smiling. “Oh, wow. You guys are really busy. Can you get us up on the roof again for your concert? I don’t think I’ve ever been close to so many beautiful babes.” He stopped suddenly when he realized he’d included Tasha in his beautiful babes category.

Terry ignored it and simply nodded. “Sure. We can get you up on the roof again. That’s no problem. I’m sure Jenn can get you passes from Richard.”

He deflected the rest of the comments, enjoyed listening, and occasionally made eye contact with Jenn. He’d never noticed how little she had to say.

Then suddenly, Don turned to her and asked, “What’s it like to have a rock star for a boyfriend?” He blushed and looked back at Terry. “Well, I mean.…”

Terry held his breath and didn’t say a word.

Jenn dove in quickly. “Terry is the best lover you could ask for. I’m the luckiest woman in the world.”

He thought about pronouns. The guys were fumbling, trying to figure out whether Terry was a him or a her. He just smiled and decided to let it go until next time. When would Teri be called a she? Thinking about that, he decided that once they were on the road, Tasha was going to move to the forefront and Terry with step back into the shadows. Since Tasha was a she, he figured that Teri would emerge as female.

As they walked out together, Terry stopped to pay the bill. Each guy patted him on the arm or the small of his back, thanking him for the dinner.

Brian sounded sincere when he nodded and said, “Hey, thanks, dude. It was great seeing you. And I am so happy for you. I can’t even imagine what your life must be like compared to slugging it out in the muck with the rest of our Senior class.”

Terry grinned while he was signing his receipt.

Don was listening in. “Yeah, speaking of that, dude. Have you thought about walking for graduation? You know, cap and gown and all that stuff?”

Terry was caught off guard. The first thing he thought about was trying to figure out whether he’d wear the guy’s red robe or the shiny, silky white robe all the girls wore. He also thought about the dress and stilettos he’d be wearing underneath. “Uh, I don’t know. We’ve got a lot to cover in May, and I can’t commit to anything that slows the band down.”

As they were driving away, Jenn whispered. “You’d look cute in a white satin gown, a mini, and bright red heels. And man, would Tony love to wrap you in his strong arms again. Oh, my God. Just think, you’d be close enough to feel his throbbing!”

Terry blanched and sputtered. “Uh, c’mon, Jenn! He caught me by surprise, and well, I wasn’t expecting my insides to turn to a jelly. Do you think anyone noticed?”

“Nah, baby. I saw your pupils get big and then glaze over. I do think it’s good you pushed away when you did before you started rubbing yourself all over him and sucking his face.”

“Jenn! That wouldn’t happen!”

“Oh, honey. I’d love to do a threesome with you and Tony. I bet he’d die in horn dog heaven having the both of us. And you’d get to wear your silky white robe and your stilettos! Maybe we can fulfill his every fantasy with you wearing a garter belt and stockings!”

He thought back to the first weekend when Zoe wore a baby doll and stockings. But the thought of Tony in bed with the two of them turned his stomach. “And what would you be doing while I’m being mugged?”

“Oh, I’d be taking videos to show our kids when they were old enough to watch. You know, ‘when mommy got it on!’”

“Jenn, that can never happen. I don’t want that! A mommy? Is that what I’m going to be?”

“Sure. Our kids are going to have two mommies. Baby, you know you want everything; you’re just too afraid to admit it!”

“Do lust for those guys?”

“Hardly. But I will tell you who I lust for.”

Terry held his breath, waiting to die.

“I want Gina and I know you’ve been there, and I’m jealous.”

Terry was at a loss for words.