Princess For Hire: The Second Semester Part 8

Printer-friendly version

Princess For Hire: The Second Semester
By Melanie E.

Part 8: The Littlest Princess

-----

-22-

I had thought my experiences in the Princess Program had prepared me for anything.

I had thought that, surely, there was nothing that could challenge a mind that had wrapped itself around the concept of gender being mutable.

I was wrong.

"Beckyyy, come play with meee!"

"I'm coming, sweetie!"

Two weeks. Two weeks since Mr. Uchiha had talked Stewart into heading the school's GSA and so many things had changed. It had started small, with only a student here or there opening up about joining, but it wasn't long before all of us in the Princess program were talked into joining, and the Protectors, and after that, it snowballed.

Two weeks, and the GSA was the largest organization at the school, and Stewart was suddenly popular.

He said he hated it, but every time someone would look up to him with respect, it was obvious he was growing to like it.

"Beckyyy!"

"I'm here, Rosie, I'm here!"

"Aaaaaaahhh! Hehehehe!"

"Hey! You little sneak, get back here!" I yelled after her as she skipped behind the jungle gym and out of my sight again.

So how is that all related to me chasing a five year old through a playground in a dress?

"Don't forget me!"

Oh, yeah, and Sarah too.

"This isn't helping, Sarah!"

"No, but it's fun!"

Stewart's parents were so proud of him that they had set up a weekend off as soon as they could to come and visit him. Their plan was to spend a day with him, take him out to eat, and generally celebrate his coming out of his shell, if not necessarily coming out, since they already knew.

But there had been a problem.

She was three feet four inches tall, had curly hair, and as I was discovering, had a compact nuclear reactor hidden somewhere inside her to be running around as much as she was.

And no babysitter.

Another town pass in exchange for watching her for a few hours had sounded good on paper, and I had been expecting to have a lot of fun playing with her. With Sarah's help, what could go wrong?

"Ooof... Hey!" The dirt clod had come out of nowhere, smacking me squarely in the ear and nearly knocking me down.

"Sorry, my bad!"

"Sarah!" I called angrily, but it was too late, she had already disappeared again.

As I was discovering, Sarah liked children largely because she was still five years old at heart herself.

On the plus side, with St. Patrick's day being the following weekend things should settle down for a while after that, and there was no force in Kingston Academy or the world that was going to drag me out of bed the next day.

On the downside, now I had grass and dirt stuck in my hair.

With a defeated sigh I found a convenient log and sat down, taking a much-needed breather. We had already been out here for an hour, and I was the only one in the least tired.

"Gotcha!"

"Eeeek!"

I would have been embarrassed by my squeal if it weren't for the fact I was supposed to be a girl. As it was, the surprise hug from behind was enough to send me to the ground, rolling with a still-giggling Rosie holding onto my neck.

"I got you Becky!"

"Yes, yes you did," I said, laughing myself as I watched the pure joy on her face as she scrambled up from the pile of leaves she had knocked me into. "But Rosie, I'm really not dressed for this."

"Why not?"

"Well," I said, thinking carefully how to explain it to her. "Princesses usually don't go rolling around in the dirt when they're wearing pretty dresses."

"Why not?"

"Because they get dirty?"

"So?" She looked at me with honest confusion.

"*sigh* Never mind. You'll see when you get bigger," I said, picking her up and tickling her, illiciting another round of frantic giggles from her as I carried her toward a nearby bench.

"Hey, you're supposed to be finding me too!"

"You're big enough to find yourself, thank you very much," I said without turning around as I heard the telltale sound of Sarah's sneakers crunching across the pine needles behind us.

True, babysitting Rosie had been much more aerobic than I had been expecting, but as she wrapped me in another hug I couldn't say that It was something I didn't enjoy.

I checked my watch discreetly behind her back as she held me, surprised to see that we had actually been at the park for more than two hours, not the one I had thought. Time truly must fly when you're having fun, or being run silly by two little girls.

"Whadda you two say we go get some cocoa or something?" I asked when Rosie finally let me go, holding onto her shoulders to keep her from disappearing again. It might be March, but it was still chilly this far north, and I could imagine quite clearly how pleasant it would be to wrap my hands around a nice hot mug of cocoa.

That made me think of hot apple cider, which made me think of Andrew, which was somewhere I really didn't want to go at the moment. Luckily, two squeals of glee were enough to keep me distracted, and with smiles on all our faces we headed toward the entrance to the park.

-23-

"I still can't believe you turned down the wedding dress."

"It was hideous, Sarah. You know it."

"Well, I thought it was nice."

"Would you wear it, then?"

"Well, no..."

I simply gave her a steady look over my steaming mug of cocoa, one she refused to return.

"What dress?" A curious little voice asked, tugging gently on my sleeve. Rosie had decided to have chocolate milk instead of cocoa, and apparently the joy of blowing bubbles with her straw had finally worn off, as she was looking up at me with another one of her beautiful smiles.

It was time I had a little fun of my own this afternoon.

"Sarah's been being mean, and thought it would be funny to stick me in an ugly old green dress for the parade next weekend knowing I'd have to wear it in front of everyone in town."

"Hey!"

"I like green."

"You wouldn't have liked this," I said, giving Rosie a very serious look. "It made me look like an upside down cabbage."

"It wasn't that bad!"

"It had gold sequins sewn into the lacy things under the skirt."

"Petticoats."

"Petti-whats?"

"Like a fluffy slip, sorta. And they really weren't that bad!" Sarah was fighting to keep her face looking indignant at my slighting of her taste, but she was having a hard time of it.

"Yes they were! The whole thing was awful, and it looked like it would weigh a hundred pounds!"

"Just you wait 'til I get married, I'll make you wear it instead of a bridesmaid's dress."

"You wouldn't," I said, realizing only too late that I had virtually agreed to being a bridesmaid when Sarah eventually got married.

Things would have heated up from there, if not for the rather sharp cry of "Girls!" from above our booth.

"Mommy!" Rosie yelled happily, jumping up from her seat in our booth and catapulting herself across my lap to wrap her arms around Mrs. Davis, who gave us a mischievous wink when both Sarah and I looked up at her.

"Now, what is this I hear you two arguing about?"

"Uh, nothing," Sarah said, gaining her voice first.

Rosie wasn't having it, though. "Sarah wanted Becky to put on a wedding dress, but Becky says it's ugly."

At her questioning look, I answered simply "Green." She glared at Sarah like she had just beaten her child.

"It's not that bad!" Sarah said again, defending the dress to the death, even though Rosie was now joining me and her mother in our Glare of Doom. "Oh, alright!" With a flail of her hands Sarah gave in, laying her head on the table. "It's just a stupid Saint Patrick's Day parade, anyhow."

"Oh?" Mrs. Davis asked, now looking at me.

I shrugged. "I've gotta ride in the float we're making for the event, and after that I'll be heading up our booth at the fair. Hostessing."

"What kind of booth?"

Me and Sarah exchanged a wicked glance before we both burst out laughing.

"Oh, dear."

"It's not what you think," I said, wiping a tear of laughter off my cheek and only then noticing the dirt still covering my face from Sarah's dirt clod earlier. "Some of the guys were trying to get us to do a kissing booth, but since it's only us Princesses who are working it we decided that would be too weird." Mrs. Davis nodded, urging me to continue. "So, since our school just put together the group that Stewart's leading, we thought it might be a good idea to do a Pride and Acceptance booth instead."

"Pride and Acceptance booth?"

I nodded. "We'll hand out those little pink triangles, and rainbow bracelets, and things like that. We'll also have some of those glowing bracelets and necklaces, too, since those are rainbow-striped, and have pamphlets for anyone who's curious."

"That seems like a strange booth for a fair, especially for an all-boys school. And princesses," Mr. Davis said, walking up behind his wife and correcting himself at Rosie's glare.

I didn't have a chance to respond, since that was when the waitress showed up to escort them to their table.

"Can I eat with you and daddy and Stewart?" Rosie asked, refusing to let go of her mom's legs.

"But aren't you having fun with the Princesses?"

"It's great! But I wanna see my big brother too!"

Stewart, who none of us had noticed, came up right then. Gone was the nervous, quiet boy from so recently, replaced by a much happier young man who smiled as he bent down and picked up his giggling little sister. "Of course you can eat with us!" he said, tickling her lightly and causing her to giggle and squirm even more.

It was his next words that shocked me the most, though. "Becky, would you and Sarah like to join us?"

I glanced over at Sarah, and she gave me a shrug, telling me it was my choice. "I don't think so," I said, giving him an apologetic smile. "I think we've got enough money for a cab back to school, so unless you need us to stay...."

"That's alright," Mrs. Davis said with a smile.

"You're leaving?"

I looked up into Rosie's frowning face, and almost changed my mind; but seeing Stewart had made me ready to face something I had been avoiding for over a week, and I knew if I didn't do it soon, I would lose my nerve.

"I'm sorry, Rosie, but it's time," I said, standing up and giving her one last hug, followed by Sarah, before we both waved and made our way for the doors to the diner.

It was shortly after calling a cab that Sarah finally turned to me and asked, "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

There was no need for me to ask what she meant, just like there was no need for me to tell her what I was going to do. I just gave her a nod, and a smile, before we stood there in silence waiting for our ride to arrive.

-24-

I hadn't spoken to Andrew for eight days.

It had been eight days since the fight. Eight days since he had scared me so badly I hadn't known if I would be able to talk to him again.

Eight days that I had felt more miserable than I had since before coming to Kingston, with nothing to look forward to but Rosie's visit.

Now, that was done and gone, and here I stood in my same smudged dress and dirty hair from the day. If I had taken the time to clean up, I would have lost my nerve. That was why as soon as we had paid our cab fare Sarah had walked me to his door, giving my hand a gentle squeeze before leaving me to my fate.

I knocked on his door once, twice, softly.

I hesitated.

My hand was poised for the third knock when the door was pulled open, and Bobby's familiar face stared back at me. He waved me in, and then closed the door behind him as he left.

I stood there alone in the room with Andrew, looking into his sad eyes, and I forgot everything I had wanted to say.

The forming of the GSA had been a bit caused quite a stir in the school. At first it had seemed that everyone would accept it gladly and easily, with its numbers swelling quickly the first couple of days, first with the Protectors, then with us Princesses, and then the slow but steady flow of students who weren't afraid to stand up for what they thought was right.

But not everybody had agreed with it. While our school might be a lot more tolerant than most, it still has its own small club of bigots who would do whatever they could to prove their own views right.

The first official meeting of the club had been the first Friday after its formation, and it was that Friday that they decided to strike.

I still couldn't -- didn't want to -- remember all the details of what happened, but even now it pained me to look at Andrew and see where his eye still held the outline of the bruise from being punched in the face. We had all fought back, and for the life of us none of us could give any details of who had attacked us, me, Andrew, Stewart, Bobby, and Jules, but the next day six students whose names I refused to think about were gone from the school, and Andrew was the only one of us with any lasting marks.

I had been in a good mood all day, thanks to Rosie. Now I felt like the floor was going to swallow me as I tried to get over my own shame.

After all, I was the one who had hurt Andrew.

The initial conflict was short and to the point. We survived, they got away, end of story. At least, if it weren't for me being a self-centered bitch about things. Andrew had tried to comfort me, but I had angrily pushed his arm away as I had soaked in my self loathing.

"Get the fag and the fairy first," had been the only words we had heard before they had attacked, and those words were still ringing in my head even now as I stood before him again.

I had punched him. Hard. He had only been trying to comfort me, and what did I do? I punched him.

Why?

Because I wanted him to hate me. After all, if it weren't for me he wouldn't have been involved in any of this, right?

And after that, after nearly falling over and having to be steadied by Bobby and Jules, first thing he had done was try to comfort me again.

That was when I had ran.

"Becky..."

I looked into his eyes, and I hated what I had done. Not just the punch, but putting him in the situation that led to being attacked. I still didn't even know what I was doing, and here I was endangering someone else, all because of something that I couldn't help.

"I'm sorry..."

I tried to say more. I had planned so much more. I had planned to say how he was better off if we stopped talking, how he didn't have to be part of the protectors, how he had done enough already.

How I had hurt him enough already.

But I never got to say any of that. As I felt the tears burning in my eyes, for the third time I felt him come to me and try to wrap his arms around me, to comfort me.

This time, I didn't resist.

For eight days, I hadn't said a word to Bobby, or Jules, or Andrew, and only enough to Stewart to learn when I would be watching Rosie. I had even avoided talking to Sarah about it any more than I had to, though she had been worried about me. That all fell away as Andrew held me, and leaned down to kiss my tears away.

For the first time in our relationship, I didn't let myself dwell on it, and simply let myself enjoy it.

(End of Part 8)

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Wow. It's been nearly a YEAR since I posted anything on this. It's hard to believe, and I hope that it doesn't hurt anyone's enjoyment of the story too much.

Just know that I'm trying to do better with this stuff. I'm getting back into writing a bit more -- as evidenced by cranking out this last night -- and... no, I'm not gonna make any estimations on when more will be out, since I'd just break them.

Instead, I'll end with my normal phrase for this story: IF YOU COMMENT, MORE WILL COME.

(Not necessarily soon, but it will.)

up
242 users have voted.
If you liked this post, you can leave a comment and/or a kudos! Click the "Thumbs Up!" button above to leave a Kudos

Comments

It's a shame....

Andrea Lena's picture

...that kids even in this day and age need 'protecting' from ignorance and hatred.

I had punched him. Hard. He had only been trying to comfort me, and what did I do? I punched him.

Why?

Because I wanted him to hate me. After all, if it weren't for me he wouldn't have been involved in any of this, right?

But also, it's a wonder and a nice feeling to know that things change, and that Becky is able to finally feel safe enough to feel...safe?

...That all fell away as Andrew held me, and leaned down to kiss my tears away.

For the first time in our relationship, I didn't let myself dwell on it, and simply let myself enjoy it.

A welcome return. Thank you!

  

To be alive is to be vulnerable. Madeleine L'Engle
Love, Andrea Lena

Princess for Hire

Melanie; why do you say a year it's only been 11 months (Last post was 10/27/2011) just kidding with you, Ha! Great chapter though and I hope it's sooner then 11 months!

Richard

See,

Angharad's picture

I knew it would be all right.

Keep 'em coming, Mel.

Angharad

Angharad

Now

We just need the next chapter of "Princess for Hire: The British Kid" to come out????

I second that!

More PFH:The British Kid!

Wren

YAY!

Jemima Tychonaut's picture

You had me very worried there towards the end that Becky wasn't going to reconcile with Andrew, particularly with the 'drama llama' comments in your blog! Luckily, things with Andrew and Becky seem to be heading towards better again. :-)

Great to see the return of this story Melanie.



"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

I Just Love the Romance

As Becky transitions, in her head, to be a het girl. Andrew's really a great guy for just seeing what was in front of him and not worrying that Becky wasn't "complete" or that she didn't even know if she was a girl or not. Andrew just loved her and had faith in her.

Becky's still having trouble getting used to her transition; her mind must be hyper and easily confused. She became scared, her thoughts got twisted and she made a big mistake. It seems that she hurt herself as much as she hurt Andrew. The reunion and knowledge that all is forgiven, love triumphs and they are happy once again, was just wonderful!

Hugs and Bright Blessings,
Renee

Just glad to have it back

I have feeling once this story is done, doubt there would be much follow on for this universe. I may be wrong but your particular voice is part and parcel with what makes this story work and it is hard to find it working quite as well otherwise. Only time will tell.

Kim

I am commenting because

I don't want you to stop writing. You have a lot of chapters planned and I can't in my non-writers imagination see how the story can go on that long. This is one of the stories I look for every day. It is definitely one of my favorites. I think my own background makes me especially empathetic with Becky. I lived some of it. It may sound selfish but please keep on writing because I miss it so much when there are long interludes. It is beautifully written. Thank You.

Very Pleasantly Surprised!

I'm glad to see more of this! I really enjoy this story, and I enjoy reading about Becky and Andrew!

Wren

Very Pleasantly Surprised!

I'm glad to see more of this! I really enjoy this story, and I enjoy reading about Becky and Andrew!

Wren

Very Pleasantly Surprised!

I'm glad to see more of this! I really enjoy this story, and I enjoy reading about Becky and Andrew!

Wren

Comment comment comment

Had read it before and had not seen any new chapters. So when i seen you had continued it I went back and re read all the previous chapters before reading the new one. I was relieved that you had not quit on it. It is a great story line and I am enjoying it greatly. Please Please Please continue, and since Your pay is so great when you write take your time if you need to but please continue. Love the story and love you.

Thanksssssssssssssssssss.
Hopefulgirl

yeay! I love this series

yeay! I love this series :--)

And I hope my comment will help in more chapters ^^!

grtz & hugs,

Sarah xxx

I have also did what hopefull

nikkiparksy's picture

I have also did what hopefull girl has done and re-read all these chapter's and it has reminded me what a great story this truly is.
Becky still has much too learn and accept about the lifestyle that is now being lived and will look forward too how you resolve the dilemma.
Great story looking toward's the next chapter with glee:).

Anxiously awaiting the next installment.....

D. Eden's picture

I just read both Princess for Hire, and the Second Semester all the way through. I actually fell asleep reading at 5:30 this morning, and to get up at 7:30 to get cleaned up and sit down to work. I managed to finish the rest just now while taking a break from work.

Wow! What a fantastic story! I know how tough it must be to write these, especially when you have to fit it in with work and having a life, but just so you know, reading your work has really given me a lot to think about. I am 52 years old, and have hidden my true self away for as long as I can remember; 4 years old being my first memory of knowing that I was really a girl, and not what everyone said I was. Unfortunately, I didn't know enough, or didn't have the courage to face my parents and tell them the truth.

Anyway, now I find myself a miserable, unhappy, depressed fake. I have forced myself to be what I am not for so long that I am not sure that the real me inside has survived. I have been in therapy four times in the past 25 years, but at least this current time I have not only admitted to myself what the true issue is, but also had the courage to admit it to my therapist. Where it goes, I don't truly know as it will unfortunately impact others greatly and I am not sure if I can do that to them. You see, I am married with three children, so the question becomes whether or not it is better to be the real me, or to bury her deeper inside and spend the rest of my life trying to make those I love happy.

Anyway, to the point of this long, drawn out comment - your writing let's imagine what my life could have, should have been like. I can easily put myself ito Becky's shoes and skirts - oh how I wish that I had the chance to join a Princesss program at that age! I look forward to being able to live my life vicariously through Becky. Please don't stop writing this story now!

Just as a thought as an idea for a story....... A 52 year old man who has been denying his true nature for over 45 years wakes up and he's suddenly ten years old and lying in bed at his parents house. He realizes that somehow she was granted her one real prayer - a chance to go back and change his life. He does whatever it takes to make his parents understand who he really is, becomes that girl, and lives his life as a complete and content person - using the talents and gifts that God gave her to help people instead of squandering them because of being miserably unhappy throughout the years.

I'd like to write that story all over my life.

Anyway, I love this story and look forward to the rest of it.

Dallas

D. Eden

Dum Vivimus, Vivamus

The continuing saga of Becky

Pamreed's picture

I think I understand what Becky was feeling. There were times when
I first transitioned, where I wondered how my actions were hurting
people I loved!! It made it difficult, except I knew I had to keep
going forward!! Otherwise I could not keep going anywhere!!! It did
get better and those I loved came to maybe not understand but accept
that this was who I was!! Of course the biggest hurdle was getting
myself to accept what I had to do!!! Becky is approaching that point
I think!! It is sort of a tipping point in a MtoF or FtoM life. I know
I was not really able to be truly happy before, but I am now!!

Melanie don't worry about this story, I am sure there are reasons
for the time lapses. Your life is more important, take of yourself!!

Hugs,
Pamela

So I’ve been a boy and I’ve been a girl and, trust me, being a girl is better!!!!!!

Coming up on another year...

This is such a fantastic story, well written and with a unique plot line to boot. Though it started off with inspiration from Princess Princess it's really come to life on its own and forged its own path. I like it. That being said, now that we're coming up on another year with no new posts, can we ever expect this story to continue? Or at least have a nice little conclusion? It seems a shame to let something this nice die a lonely, forgotten, death. Would it help if I begged a little?

I AM still here, I promise!

More writer's block struck, but DallasF has helped me with it a bit, so there's that.

Still no promises on when the next part's out yet, though I promise it isn't abandoned!

Melanie E.

There are lots of possibilities left

What is Becky going to do about Professor Swift?

There is the St Patrick's Day activities, parade and booth. What could happen there? Prospective students and princesses and others.

The bullies are gone. Or are they all gone? Swift is still there.

Becky is moving in a direction of femininity. She needs to acknowledge it.

What other tricks is Jules going to try?

Do these ideas help? We want more obviously. And only you can do it.

Much Love,

Valerie R

Beware - This story is addictive..

I started reading this story a few days ago. I had not heard of the Princess Princess Manga before, so I looked it up and checked out some of the comics and Anime - end even the live action versions. I have them bookmarked now so I will enjoy them later. :)

I'm so glad you drew inspiration from them for this tale. Like I say I started reading this a few days ago and read the first 5 installments. Today it is Saturday and I have a long list of jobs to do. My big mistake was to start reading this story again today though, as I became transfixed by it. The jobs are still waiting, as I have just read the last installment (so far). This is a real page-turner (or would be if it was printed..)

It is obvious the story has not ended, and as it is two years since the last posting, I am hoping the story will continue soon..

"IF YOU COMMENT, MORE WILL COME." :D

More will, indeed, come

I've been stuck sleeping on my parents' couch for the last two months, and I can't really write well without privacy, so not a lot of progress has been made on my stories because of that, but I AM working on more PFH :D

As for being a real page turner as an actual book, well, I AM cleaning the entire thing up for publishing too, so there's that!

Melanie E.

Eagerly awaiting more

That's great news to hear you are just taking a pause. I can understand that it is difficult to write without the right conditions. At least it gives you a chance to plan more about where the story should go. I for one will look forward to the next parts :)

sniff, sniff

sweet stuff

DogSig.png