26 TV FICTION CLASSICS

SANDY THOMAS ADV.

Like Paul, he was wearing nylon panties, a bra with padded "B" cups, and a silky camisole. At the time, he was submitting to having his eyelashes curled with an eyelash curler, and his shoulder length hair was wound up on his mother's hot rollers. Because he had two "helpers" in his mother and sister, they had the time to even shape and polish his nails a demure shade of pink. . .which was about to be matched with the same shade lipstick.

"I think you should get your ears pierced tomorrow." Maureen said as if the procedure and its implications for a boy were as simple as buying a pair of shoes.

"Have my ears pierced?!" Sam exclaimed. "That's going too far! This crazy bluff wasn't even supposed to go this far, and now, you want me to have my ears pierced? Boys don't pierce both their ears, that's for girls!

Maureen pretended to be offended by his outburst. "Oh, I see...it's okay for girls to go through that kind of stuff, but it's wrong for a boy? Well, you're wrong! There are lots of guys who have both ears pierced, and you don't even have one!"

"Maureen's right Sam," Joanne said, taking her daughter's side of the argument. "Many men have pierced ears, and unless they're wearing earrings you can't even see the holes. Anyway, it would make your appearance much better next week.

"I still can't believe that I'm supposed to saunter into school dressed as a girl next Monday!" Sam complained.

"It's too late to back out now," Maureen countered, getting on 'the soapbox'. "We can't let Carlson beat us that easily. Anyway, everyone at school is expecting you to wear a dress, and it's not the big deal you think. All the girls, except the contestants, think having guys competing in the contest will be a lot of fun. They're smart enough to see this contest for the disgusting exploitation of women it is! After the initial novelty, I think the student body will accept and support what we're doing. Then, the teasing will just die down, and you'll be respected for your courage.. .you'll

see!"

As Sam sat in a daze after Maureen's diatribe, she did his makeup that included lipstick, blush, mascara, and eyeliner. Meanwhile, Joanne began removing the clips and rollers from his hair and watched as the curls sprang back

BLONDE & BLONDER -27 against his head. With all the rollers out, he looked like a little girl with a Shirley Temple hairdo. Joanne; however, took a brush and soon had his locks brushed into a wavy pageboy that curled under a shoulder level. She then took two hair combs and put them in just above Sam's ears pulling his hair up and back so that it cascaded behind his ears in a very feminine way. A mist of hair spray set the style and both women stepped back to look at their creation.

"Stand up, , and let's have a look," Joanne directed to her feminine appearing son.

Doing as he was asked Sam stood and took a few steps across the room to a full length mirror, and the full impact of the women's efforts made his knees weak. The smart pants and jacket outfit combined with his makeup, the increased height due to his heels, and his thick brown hair that was pinned back with combs on the sides and rested in waves on his shoulders accented his appearance elegantly. To his surprise, he looked older than his sixteen years, and even though he knew the answer in his own mind, he asked the question. "How do I look?"

"Awesome!" Maureen replied sincerely. "I wish I looked that good."

"Oh, you're beautiful," Joanne Miller said as she came over and hugged her son. "I'm so proud of what you are doing.

"What? Dressing up like a girl?" Sam asked, pretending naivety.

"No, standing up for a principle. . .to a principal! You know, now that I see how good you look, I really believe Carlson has met his match this time." The doorbell rang. "Oh, that must be Emma and Paul. Let's go downstairs." Joanne said rushing her son out the door.

Sam had to take the stairs slowly as he wasn't accustomed to the height of his heels. By the time he reached the landing, his mother had already opened the door. As Emma Wainwright walked in followed by the transformed Paul, both boys stared at each other, obviously shocked at what they saw.

Paul's face had the perfect subtle makeup for a casually dressed young woman, and he looked closer to eighteen than his true age. His long, blonde hair had been pulled up high at the back of his head, fastened into a long ponytail, and