There was a heated discussion after our cross-country practice last Saturday and I was guilty of opening my mouth. Sarai said that the girls were deserving more respect as runners. I said, “People respect you but the simple truth is you’re our fastest girl and I’m our third fastest guy and I’m faster than you.”

“That does it, Gary. I challenge you to compete against me at our own Raiders’ Invitational on Monday.”

‘I’m usually running over half of a half-minute faster,’ so to me it’s a no-brainer challenge.

I asked, “I agree so what’s our bet? I thought you’re smarter than that. Is there a catch I’m not seeing?”

Sarai says, “There’s no catch. I’m just fairly sure if you think someone is going to beat you’ll get tense and wear down sooner. And I need the incentive to improve my time. If I win you dress as a girl for a week and again come homecoming week you’ll be my girlfriend and go to the dance with me as well as the football game.”

“And when I win,” I confidently say, “What is my prize?”

She says, “I will date you each weekend from now through homecoming and I’ll even be your practice partner. That is better than the slower group you usually run with.”

I said, “How’s that fair to me?”

She steps closer to me, “One, senior girls don’t usually date junior boys.” She steps even closer and whispers, “Two, this will help you break the ice. It is my understanding that you’ve been so afraid of getting rejected that you still haven’t gone on a date. Win or lose you go on a date.”

“You’re on unless Coach Higgins stops us.” I whispered back, “And my sister Katie’s dead for telling you that.”

Sarai’s friend Neely says. “That’s unlikely, Coach Higgins has made no secret of the fact he thinks you should be doing better… If it provides an incentive for me to better my time; the team is a double winner.”

Showering after practice the needling begins. Matt and Chuck, our two faster runners, start jabbing about other meets that I lost placements from someone overtaking me.

Once we’re home, I get into an argument with my sister Kathleen (Katie). “How dare you tell your friend Sarai that I haven’t gone on a date? You even know it’s not true.”

“I didn’t tell her; it’s a small enough school for someone to figure that out. And your so-called date experience was Aubrie dancing with you last winter. If I heard right it was she who asked you for the dance.”

“Well, I was embarrassed afterward when everyone applauded.”

Mom thought an argument or fight was about to start and spoke up. “So what’s this; you ask a girl to the next dance and then this is all over with.”

Katie offers up, “His dance card is filled with Sarai Duvall; win or lose their bet on Monday.”

Mom asked about the bet and laughed. “You better make sure you win or figure where the additional wardrobe is coming from.” She snickered and then asked, “You are faster than she aren’t you?”

I say, “Mom, it’s a no-brainer, I’m at least a half-minute faster than her best time. She just hoping her being a year ahead of me in school will somehow unnerve me.”

Mom says, “She may be a year ahead in school, but she’s not a full year older. I went to the OB doctor for a second time around the time when Janis Duvall was ready to give birth to her. My getting pregnant with you so soon after Katie was born was your father’s mistake.”

Katie and I both yelled “TMI” and left the room.

Eating spaghetti as usual before a meet didn’t sit as well as usual. It was a half-hour after I went to bed that I got up and took an antacid pill. I slept okay after that but didn’t feel fully rested in the morning.

I was okay the next day; my only problem was the acidy taste rising in my throat. I had a good practice, but Monday a poster greeted me at my locker showing me in a running skirt.

Coach Higgins called both Sarai and me into his office and commented. “I wished you two would call off this bet. Gary even if she’s only ten seconds behind you; it will be a moral victory for her. And if you both tense up and slow down we lose twice if runners place ahead of you two.”

Sarai apologized, “Sorry Coach, but most of the school knows about it. I don’t think we can undo it.”

When I entered school I was blocked by several girls. I didn’t realize they measured my waist nor from my waist to my knees before I knew what was happening. There were more pictures of me in a running skirt and somehow a princess tiara ended up inside of my locker.

Before the Invitation Meet, runners from seven other schools arrived. It became evident that their runners were hearing of our bet. There were several things I could have used as an excuse: such as a group of five girls who got in front of me at the beginning of the race. I could have said I slid on a wet part of the course. But the truth was around two and a half kilometers Sarai passed me, and I was psyched out. I expected her to push in the last kilometer. When she passed by so strongly I expected her to fall back. She wasn’t doing what I expected. Nearing the end in the last kilometer I started to pick up my speed and while I passed some runners I made only a small dent into Sarai’s lead over me.

Matt Crosby and Chuck finished 1 and 12 respectively, and my run if counted would have solidified our first-place finish as a team.

My legs became heavy over the last hundred meters to pass Sarai was impossible. There are two gates at the end of the race one for girls on the left and the one on the right was for the boys. Sarai had already beat me by ten seconds; when I saw Coach Butler waving to the girls’ chute.

She was either joking or waving to a runner a distance away, but I thought she was serious and I ran through it. Sarai was the fastest girl in the meet by over forty seconds. It was a new girl’s school and meet record.

While my time wasn’t terrible. It was a problem in that going through the girls’ chute my time did not count for the guys’ score. Karen Butler apologized, but I knew the mistake was mine and I had cost our guys’ team. Our third runner for the guys came in thirty-first instead of the nineteenth place I would have had. It dropped our team from first to second in the meet results.

Worse a reporter took a picture of Sarai and me and that would make its way into the regional newspaper as well as the local. Sarai was actually a good sport, not rubbing it in. The truth was she didn’t need to between my being despondent and a host of others taunting me, she would have made no difference.

Chuck Avery our number two runner gave a wraparound skirt to me before long. Tanya Avery apologized saying she didn’t know why her brother wanted it. She and two other girls took me out of sight, behind a maintenance building. They suggested I pull down my running pants while they held the skirt in place. Patricia towel dried my hair and brushed it out. Debbie said, “We don’t mean to embarrass you, but for girls, this has been a long time coming. It isn’t that you did poorly, but that Sarai did exceptionally well to achieve this. We’re thankful you’re being a good sport about it… It might not look it but we’re on your side too.”

Going back out to be with others surprised me as it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Girls from our school and others were good-natured in their comments to me. One got me a refreshment, Cindy Miller from a neighboring school offered me a pullover top. It wasn’t until it was on that I noticed a kitten with a ball of thread off to the bottom.

Finally, my sister Katie and my parents came over to me and consoled me. Katie came over, hugged me, and sympathetically said, “If it’s any consolation you actually ran a good race. This was your best time in three meets…” She later asked, “Did you see that while Sarai was exhausted like you, that she was happy. I hope in the coming week you relax and find a way to enjoy running again.”

Katie walked off and I sensed it was to let me consider what she said. That's the side of Katie I appreciate our brother/sister relationship when it is good. ‘Hmm, I knew she’s right. I’ve been worrying too much and getting uptight.

As many others were leaving Sarai came over to me. I’m sorry for the embarrassment this causes you. Apart from the occasional times, you open your mouth at the wrong times I like being around you. I was wondering if we could meet tomorrow at 7:00 to run the country club course. I really do think you and I can be good for each other.”

I asked, “Do you actually think relaxing can help me as a runner?”

She says, “Relaxing is part of it. I think if you can get back to pushing yourself and enjoy running again. I think you could be challenging Chuck for the second-fastest runner. But you can’t focus on beating him. If you can relax in being my girlfriend, you’ll be well on your way.”

I asked, “You’re set on me going through with this? I was hoping it was just for now and again at homecoming. You’re not expecting me to wear a skirt to school or shorts like yours for practice? Plus we have three more meets before Homecoming.”

Sarai looked at me, to my mother and sister, and then back to me. “I can’t make you, but that was my understanding of the bet.”

“Gary, you’ll have our support to go all the way; we kind of expect otherwise understanding how hard it could be.”

I get indignant, “What do you mean this is what you expect of me?” I set my feet and said, “I’m good with my word. I just didn’t expect to lose nor the whole thing. I wasn’t expecting her to date me if I won. I thought she’d probably be upset and refuse or say I shouldn’t have expected it of her.”

Sarai spoke up, “I’m hoping our running together might help you significantly. I don’t have my heart set on it in case you don’t. …But I am glad to hear you say you’ll do it.”

Katie said, “We better get going, or you’ll learn how the air temp changes as the sun goes down.” I had felt a change and I was getting cold but I was not going to give them the satisfaction of knowing that.

Once we were home, my mother ordered pizza and I went to shower. I put my cross country clothes into the laundry. I was getting enough calls and texts that it took me twenty minutes to get into the shower.

Katie finally knocked on the bathroom door to say the pizza would be here in five minutes. She was amused that it took me so long to get in the shower. She suggested that I use her conditioner on my hair.

The fact that we use a joint bathroom is usually upsetting to her; and usually, I dare not touch any of her things such as her conditioner. The fact that she suggested it along with using her shower body wash was unusual.

I didn’t think anything of it as I used them both. When I dried off and my hair stayed full and the fragrance of the body wash and conditioner stayed with me. “Sis how do I get rid of the fragrance?”

“You don’t, you enjoy it,” she said. “It’s not that strong. It will be minimal by morning, you won’t even notice it.”

It was 9:00 in the evening when the doorbell rang and I checked to see who was at the door. It was Sarai with two of her friends Patti and Mandi carrying two bags. We hope it’s not too late to stop in. But we thought we’d bring a selection of clothes that we think will fit you..”

Mandi lifts a pastel blue skirt with straps, “I think this one might be good for the first skirt you wear. I heard one of the boys was going to pull it down to embarrass you in your panties.”

I was ready to say, ‘He wouldn’t get a chance, because I wouldn’t wear a skirt. But I don’t like the idea of the boys turning on me.’ “I should say, no way; but I won’t have them intimidating me. Is Chuck one of the guys, who said that?”

Mandi says, “I may have said too much already. I don’t want you or them in trouble, especially if they back off and don’t do it.”

“That settles it. Give me the skirt and I’ll try it on,” I tell her.

Sarai says, “Wait until you agree to the blouse and underwear.”

I can see Katie smile, “You girls might slow down and limit it to just the blouse.”

Sarai agrees, “Well if he can’t handle it; just the blouse will be okay.”

Trying to act tough, I say, “If I try the bra, I don’t know how to adjust the straps like you girls.”

Mom speaks up at this point, “What if I or Katie help you once you have your panty and skirt on?”

I like the fall satin print blouse that everyone agrees goes well with the skirt. The bra and panty are a pastel peach, Patti says, “They’re slightly used but clean, and should fit nice and snug on you.”

I go to my room, now being invaded with girl clothing. I hesitate as this step is not easy. I take off my clothes and put on the panty. I don’t know the difference between satin and nylon, good or cheap girl material. But these feel nice sliding up my legs and as Patti said snuggly fitting around my bottom. I soon have the blue skirt and I’m ready to struggle to bring the straps over my shoulder. I remember I need my sister’s help.

“Katie, I’m ready for your help with the bra. But don’t you dare laugh or make fun of me.” I hear the door from the bathroom open and Katie comes in. She lifts the bra saying, “Look this is where you lengthen or shorten the straps.” She calls it an ‘s’ hook, and is already lengthening the straps, “Patti’s upper frame is shorter than yours.”

She hands me the bra, saying, “It is easiest to turn it around and hook it and then turning it the right way around, then putting your arms through the straps.”

“I thought all you girls have a knack of doing things behind your backs.”

Katie said, “Try it and choose which way you’re going to do it.” Needless to say, I tried putting my arms through the straps and hooking them behind my back. It took some effort and I ended up hooking the second set of eyes with the hooks.

It felt like an achievement and Katie lightly applauded with her fingers. Those outside my room heard the applause and asked what happened. Katie tells me the straps are tight and would cut into my shoulders as they are. I need to watch in the mirror to see how she adjusted them and showed me how she measured the fit with two fingers under the straps.

She puts a small pad in each cup that she called a cutlet. Each gave a subtle look of a breast.

“Katie, I don’t need those,”

She only looked at me and said, “They’re not much but they go with the experience.”

She suggested I wear one of her camisoles to soften the appearance of the bra. With that on, I then put on the blouse. Both the cami and the blouse were cool and caressing as they touch my skin.

Once the cami and blouse are on correctly, Katie helped me bring the straps of the skirt over my shoulders and fastened in front. Katie said aloud, “We’re done.”

In one second there was a knock and my door began to open. “Wonderful,” yapped Patti! “Very nice,” said Mom. Mandi and Sarai both asked, “Are you comfortable? You look nice.”

I responded, “If you cared about my comfort; I wouldn’t even be dressing like this.”

Sarai acted offended, and responded, “Not true.”

Katie came to her defense, “Gary, you’re hurt I get that, but Sarai cares about you. Look to the extent she is going to help you. Yes, you and she made a crazy bet. You lost and she won, but can’t you see she likes you?”

I said, “This is a crazy way to show it?”

“She wants to help train you by the way you run and to grow up,” Mandi says.

I reply, “Well, I’m not a dog and I don’t train very well.”

Sarai begins to cry and sat on the edge of my bed. “No, this isn’t being said correctly. No, you’re not a dog and I’m not wanting to train you that way… Hasn’t your mother or sister ever said, ‘they love you but!’”

I try to comfort Sarai, “You’re not my mom nor my sister; you’re an upperclassman. Why would you care about me?”

Sarai says, “As crazy as it sounds, I just do. I’ve cared about you since junior high, but you always have to act silly and say things that hurt. Like the other day when we made this bet.”

I flop down on the bed next to her. Mom gets after me, “No, you don’t flop down like that especially when you’re wearing a skirt.” My hands swatted down the skirt as it flew up.

“You like me, but you’re a senior?”

Sarai says, “You say that like it’s an ugly thing.”

I say, “Unexpected, not ugly; and you with me it’s unbelievable.”

Sarai says, “Ever since last year, when you began to tense up as a runner. I felt hurt for you because I was like that. Bev Spires was the one who helped to reach me… Yes, I’m a senior, but I’m not even a year older than you. Despite you being a class clown, you’re sensitive as well as attractive. You tell others and I’ll deny I’ve ever said these nice things.”

Mom broke things up, I’m sorry to break into this but it’s now 10:00 and I believe there’s both homework and sleep before tomorrow.

Mandi, Pat, and Sarai quickly showed three more outfits and left. Mom saw them out and then came back to my room.

Mom said, “You can either change out of that now or wait until you’re finished your reading for tomorrow.”

I got on my computer and read for two classes for tomorrow. My mom folded and hung up the clothes that were loaned to me. She commented as she did so. “You know I like the name Caryn that Sarai suggested. Do you mind if I use it when you’re wearing these clothes? I can imagine you in the skater dress and this one is reasonably long; it would be either to your knees or just above them. What do you think of it?”

I wasn’t listening so she asked me the same question again. “Mom, don’t think of me in any dress. The one I have on I agreed was okay, and I’d probably say the same about that, but don’t go asking me to picture myself in one or how I like it.”

Mom was soon done and left my room. It was hard to concentrate on my studies. It took twice as long…

Story to be continued...