Chapter 4 Made Over

I crossed my arms which made me aware of my boobs so I put my hands down to my hips and balled them up. “You just can’t leave it running!”

Alyx stared me down. “You didn’t have to push through us to shut it off!”

Being defensive wasn’t my usual but I couldn’t let it go. Not with the shit, I went through growing up.

“Why do you care if the fan’s on anyway?” Joy asked.

“If there’s no one in the room the fan doesn’t need to be on. That’s all,” I said.

Alyx leaned in. “Ask us to move or something next time.” She backed up and shook her head. “Jesus H.”

I put my head down. They didn’t understand.

“Let's just go back upstairs,” Joy said.

“What about pizza?” Alyx asked.

“Shit.” Joy pressed her fingers against her eyes and then removed them. “I’ll go talk to the other girls and you two go back in there.”

In protest, I leaned against the wall and looked away.

Alyx didn’t wait and walked down the hall toward the dining room.

Joy joined me. “You know, that was really rude.”

“What?” I asked.

“We were talking an—”

“It’s important!”

“Why, why is it so important? It's just a fan, Walk—”

“It just is, okay!”

Joy put her hands up. “Can you at least wait in the dining room with Alyx?”

The thought of going back into the room with her parents and Alex made my stomach churn. “Can I go with you?”

"Whatever, let's go,” Joy said.

She led us to her room where Lacey, Gina, and Sam were sitting on her bed.

“Hey,” Joy said.

The girls turned to us.

“You okay?" I asked. I knew what Sam was going through and if Joy was telling the truth then the girls here felt the same way.

Sam squinted at me. “Like you care. You’re probably laughi—”

“Sam,” Joy said.

“He doesn’t know what I’m goi—”

“Yeah, I do,” I said.

“As if,” Gabby said.

“Yeah, as if,” Lacy copied her.

“What do you mean, Walker?” Joy asked.

I took a step toward Sam. “None of the clothes I want to wear fit me.”

“Your clothes fit fine or at least they fit me fine,” Alyx said from the door.

Joy and I turned to look at her.

Alyx, Joy, and I were around the same size so I got what she meant. She was still wrong though. “Those are girls' jeans,” I said.

“Really?” Joy asked.

I nodded. “I had to get the shirt two sizes too big or else these show.” I pointed to my chest. “So, just like her, I have t—”

“So your clothes are custom made?” Sam asked.

“Some of them.” I pointed at the pile of my clothes. “Like the binder.”

Alyx cleared her throat and looked at Joy. “Oh, your parents wanted us to come back downstairs.”

Joy let out a sigh. “You okay to go back down?” she asked Sam.

Sam shrugged.

Trying to pass as a girl was making my stomach a mess. Not like it's been that hard, I told myself and then regretted it.

I lifted my hand to my forehead and took a deep breath.

Joy put her hand on my shoulder. “You two can stay up there if you want?”

“I’m still hungry,” Alyx said.

Sam’s and my eyes met. She stared at me for a moment and then got up.

With that, the rest of the girls got up and we all went downstairs.

***
We sat at the dinner table again. Joy’s parents had vacated the area, luckily. Her dad was in the living room, and her mom disappeared somewhere in the house.

“After you’re finished, your mom and I have something we want to show you,” her dad shouted.

A yell came from down the hall. “You don’t have to yell, Mark.”

“Sorry!” he yelled back.

I laughed along with some of the girls. Joy rolled her eyes.

Sam was at the table and eyeing her pizza, too afraid to eat it. Her eyes shot up and she reached over the table and grabbed the pile of napkins. She opened up several of them and lay them across her lap and stuffed them in the top of her nightgown.

That’s one way to keep your clothes clean, I thought.

I was still a bit nervous but was keeping my mouth shut so I didn’t have to do the weird high-pitched voice. My pizza sat there. I poked a finger into it, testing the temperature. Cold.

“Wanna warm it up?” Joy asked.

I nodded.

She pointed to the kitchen. “There’s a microwave right there.”

The microwave controls were pretty standard. The only real difference was that it looked really expensive.

All of the girls were pretty quiet which was the opposite of how they had been most of the night.

When I got back to the table Joy put her hand on my leg and smiled at me. I put my hand over hers and smiled back.

“We going to play some more games tonight?” asked Lacy.

“Depends,” Joy said.

Alyx leaned back. “Depends on what?”

“If Wal—” She paused for a moment and cleared her throat. “If Kennedi wants to join us,” Joy said.

I made my face express. “What the heck?”

Joy squeezed my hand and whispered, “You’ll just have to wait and find out.”

I sneered at her and stuck my tongue out. She did the same back.

“Get a room,” said Gina.

A thump came from under the table, then another.

I had to see what was going on so I took a peek. Joy and Gina were kicking at each other.

Joy hit Lacy.

“Hey!” Lacy said.

My hand instantly went over my mouth to cover my smirk.

“Don’t laugh!” Lacy said.

I felt something hit my nightgown. I tried to spread my legs but my clothing was getting in the way, so I turned toward Joy. “Fancy meeting you here,” I said to Joy as I revealed my face.

A quick glance in Lacy’s direction told me she wasn’t happy. I grabbed my pizza and took a big bite.

Joy rolled her eyes and giggled.

As I finished the slice of pizza I caught a glimpse of Sam eating hers. Her bites were so small and she used both hands.

For some reason, my mind pulled up an image of someone breaking my binder so I couldn’t use it anymore and shivered. My stomach was pretty full or I was nervous because I didn’t feel like eating anymore.

Alyx, Lacy, and Gina had one more piece and they were finished before Sam was. No one tried to hurry her. Joy on the other hand didn’t have another slice she just finished the one she had leftover like me.

“Are you gonna tell me what we’re gonna play?” I asked.

Joy smiled and shook her head.

Alyx stared at me.

I threw my arms up.

She tapped her throat.

I’d completely forgotten about talking like them. I nodded at her and mouthed, “Thank you.”

She smiled, which threw me off a little.

“Done,” Sam said.

The wooden chair I was sitting in made a rubbing sound as I scooted back to get up. The girls' chairs made the same noise.

“Hey, are you all done?” said Joy’s dad. He’d somehow gotten into the dining room without me noticing.

“Yup,” Joy said as she picked up her plate and put it in the garbage.

“Heather!” Joy’s dad yelled down the hall. “She’s ready!”

“On my way!” came her mom’s answer.

The girls and I took the time to throw away our plates too.

Joy’s mom came striding in with her hands behind her back.

“Shoot, can you hold on a minute? I forgot that I need to call someone,” Joy’s dad said.

He pulled out a small device and opened it up and tapped on it.

What the heck is that?

Something behind Joy’s mom started ringing. She pulled her hand forward and flipped open another device that looked just like Joy’s dads. “Hello?” she said.

I glanced at Joy and her mouth was stuck open.

Joy pointed at her mom. “She gets one!” she screeched.

“Oh, I’m sorry I think you have the wrong number,” Joy’s mom said and tapped on what I figured was probably a cell phone.

She made several quick taps on the phone and another ringing sound came from behind her. She pulled out a third device and walked over to Joy. “I think it’s for you.”

Joy screeched and ran in place for a minute. When she finished she grabbed the phone and hugged her mom. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she said and then ran over to her dad giving him a hug. After she let go she clasped the phone against her chest and gave me a big smile.

I was jealous. My family didn’t even have one cell phone, let alone three. Heck, I was lucky to have a PC. My dad was a heavy equipment operator and worked at a landfill. We lucked out two years ago after a big earthquake hit. The local mall’s ceiling collapsed and they had to throw everything away, including new PCs. Dad brought home some parts and used them to build a couple of computers.

I was supposed to get a new line in my room next week so I didn’t have to run a phone cord across the house. The things I do to get on the Internet.

For a while, we only had one PC. It was older than dirt and I had to insert a disk just to use it.

“Happy early birthday,” Joy’s mom said.

“My birthday’s not for like another four months, mom,” Joy said.

Joy’s mom shrugged and smiled at her.

The girls surrounded Joy, trying to get a look at her present. I followed but kept my distance. Getting that close to Joy’s parents made me nervous.

“Let's go upstairs!” Joy said and darted off toward the stairs.

The girls chased after her, and I was left alone with her parents. Joy’s dad shifted his head in the direction of the stairs.

I got the hint, and took off after them.

***
When I got in the room, Joy was on her bed screeching as she beat her legs against the mattress.

I stood in the doorway for a moment and tried to feel happy for her.

My parents barely got by and both worked full-time jobs. The only time I got presents was on my birthday or Christmas.

Mom had a lot of brothers and they usually got me something. With so many family members around, I always felt spoiled on those days.

Joy eventually calmed down and showed the phone to her friends. “Come look, Kennedi!” she said and waved me over.

She had called me Kennedi when she didn’t have to, which made me a little uncomfortable. I closed the door hoping she wouldn’t call me that anymore and walked over to her.

The girls moved out of the way so I could join them. Gina looped an arm through mine and clenched. I looked down at her and she looked excited which meant she wasn’t trying to hurt me.

She looked up at me and bounced a little. Her smile was infectious and soon enough, she had me smiling. She made me feel included and that felt really good.

Joy had her hand out showing off the phone. The phone was smaller than any cell phone I’d ever seen before. Normally, they were the size of a chocolate bar but like four times as thick. This one fit in the palm of her hand. It was branded with “StarTAC” on the front. She flipped it open and we peered at it. It had all the standard buttons and some extra ones on the bottom.

“What are those?” I asked, pointing at the extra buttons.

She went through all the buttons telling us what they did. “Daddy got one last month as an early preview and he told me all about it.”

“If I steal it you won’t be mad, right?” Alyx asked.

The phone went directly to Joy’s chest as she covered it up. Then she squinted at Alyx.

“Kidding!” Alyx said and then mumbled something I couldn’t hear.

“It’s so cool!” Gina said.

“I hope my dad will get me one!” Lacy said.

“H-how much is it?” I asked.

Joy put a finger to her cheek. “I think a thousand.”

“Dollars? Holy shit!” Alyx said.

I gasped. “Is there gold in that thing or something?”

Joy rolled her eyes.

“It looks so small,” Sam said.

“That’s what she said!” Lacy quipped.

Sam glared at Lacy obviously unimpressed.

“So, what game are we going to play?” asked Alyx.

“Hmmm,” Joy said as she got up.

She was staring at me. Gina let go of my arm and backed off.

“Well… I wanted to finish what we were doing earlier,” she said with a smile.

I swallowed hard. “W-what did you want to f-finish?” I asked.

“I… uhm, set the clothes you were wearing aside,” Joy pointed at a pile of clothes on her dresser. “And wanted to do a full makeover.”

“You want me to pass out again don’t you?” I asked but it wasn’t a question.

Joy swung over to my side and put her arm through mine like Gina had done. “I promise we’ll give you some space.”

I was already in a bra, panties, and a nightgown. If she was being honest about giving me some space I could probably do it. “One condition,” I said.

“What?” Lacy said.

“Put a sign on the door saying for them to knock first before coming in. I don’t like being surprised.”

“Done.” Joy said.

***
“But whyyy?” I whined.

“Because it’ll look weird if you don’t!” Joy said.

“Fine.” I stormed into the bathroom and slammed the door.

“Just grab a new razor from the bottom drawer,” a muffled sounding Joy said.

“I better get sex for this,” I grumbled.

***
“See isn’t that so much better?” Alyx said.

I glared at her.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who agreed to do it,” she said over the hairdryer.

Gina aimed the hairdryer at the back of my neck getting all of the little hairs. She was combing my hair as she dried it out. I’d never had anyone comb and dry my hair before. The barbers were usually pretty rough with me but Gina was delicate, making the whole experience enjoyable.

“Annnd done!” Gina said as she shut it off.

She immediately grabbed one of my hands and pulled me over to the closet mirror. The other girls came over to the mirror and joined us.

“See, now your hair’s not all oily looking,” Alyx said.

She was right but I didn’t have to like it. It looked really soft, softer than I’d ever felt it before. I was only in a bra and panties because Joy didn’t want me to get the nightgown wet.

I looked down at my legs, it was weird seeing them hairless. I didn’t have much down there to begin with but it still felt strange especially when my legs rubbed together. “Can I put clothes on now?” I asked.

“Should she wear the same thing or something different?” Lacy asked.

The room was suddenly a blur of girls running back and forth putting different garments up to me and making comments. Weirdly it made me feel less naked.

“How about the black one?” Alyx asked. She pulled a black skirt from Joy’s closet.

Joy gave it a once over. “That could work.”

Lacy brought out a yellow top. “Would this go well with it?”

Gina sneered. “Eww, not unless you want her to look like a bumblebee.”

They kept calling me she and her but they ran back into the closet to find something new every time I tried to bring it up. I gave up after trying and failing to tell him about four times.

“This white one is nice,” Gina said after displaying it over my chest.

Alyx made a feminine swish with her hand. “That is a good one!” She shoved the clothes into my arms. “Put on this one and this one.”

I stood there for a moment holding them.

“Oh,” Joy said as she pulled the skirt from my hands and handed it to Alyx. “Put the blouse on first.”

The hanger was in the way so I took it out and tossed it behind me. Gina and Lacy giggled. It was a bit smaller than the top I had on earlier and I heard the stitching snap somewhere. “I think it’s too small,” I said.

Joy pulled my arms up. “Keep your arms up and I’ll pull it down.” She slid the blouse down and over my chest. It was really tight and didn’t completely cover my stomach. Instinctively my arms covered it instead.

“Now put this one on,” Alyx said as she handed me the skirt.

I slowly removed the hanger and dropped it. The skirt was short and it felt as if I was stepping into a small tube.

When I pulled it up to cover my belly Joy slapped my hand. “No. It goes down here on your hips.” She pulled it down so my stomach was showing. “You don’t want people to see your crotch.”

I’d never worn clothing that showed any skin. Other than the more conservative outfit they’d had me in earlier.

I turned to them. “Can’t I just wear pants and a t-shirt?” I was pretty sure I had seen a baggy flannel in there as well.

“This first, then you can try the grunge girl look,” Alyx said.

Any ‘girl look’ wasn’t something I wanted to be wearing but at least grunge was closer to something I might wear at school.

“Put these on,” Joy said as she stuffed what looked like large socks into my hands.

“What are the—”

“Stockings. Over here.” She led me over to the bed where I sat down. “Ball them up first so you can get your foot in easily.” She took one of them from me and demonstrated. “Like this. See?”

I nodded, did what she asked, and pulled it up my leg. The fabric was sock-like, but thinner, and gave me that weird feeling like when I rubbed my legs together.

She handed me the other one still bunched up. The second one went on easier than the first one but I spent a little time straightening them out.

When I was finished I looked up at Joy.

Joy pulled my legs together. “Close these.”

“Wh—”

“So people don’t see you down there,” she replied.

I tilted my head in confusion. “But you’ve all already se—”

“When you’re in a skirt that’s just what you do okay?” She smiled at me.

Before I could say anything she had my hands and helped me up. She led me back to the closet where the girls were still looking through Joy’s clothes and putting them up against themselves.

“Is this the one?” Gina asked.

I looked at Gina. “One wh—”

“I think so!” Lacy interrupted.

“We could probably do better but she looks good in that,” Alyx said.

“Good enough,” Joy said.

“Come sit over here,” Sam said.

The girls led me to the vanity with a mirror. On top was a big case with a bunch of makeup in it. Sam pushed me down into the chair. “I’ll do your makeup.”

“Wait I didn’t agree to makeup!” I screeched. I wasn’t sure if I was more surprised that I screeched or that I actually got a complete sentence out.

“What did you think a makeover was?” Alyx asked.

“I don’t know…” I shrugged. “Not makeup?”

Alyx pushed my shoulder. “Sweetie you have so much to learn.”

I looked to Joy for sympathy.

“Don’t worry. It’s all just for fun,” she said.

Maybe she had misread my face or something because I wasn’t having fun at all.

“Now close your legs and let Sam work some magic,” Joy said.

They turned me around so I couldn’t see what I looked like. That in itself was a small torture. Sam’s directions were simple: close my eyes when she asked, look up when she asked or turn from side to side. She, of course, annoyed me by tying up my hair above my head.

It seemed like it took forever for her to apply it all. When she got to the lipstick it was like this was all suddenly real. “Wait,” I said.

Sam uncapped the lipstick. “This is the la—”

I got up, pulled the band holding my hair up off, tossed it on the vanity, and went directly into the bathroom. Gina was in there putting on makeup. I pushed past her, climbed into the tub, closed the curtain, and covered my ears so I could drown out the complaints.

***