26SCHOOLING IN SKIRTS

hand was shaking and I started spilling orange juice all over the table.

Kathy got a towel and started mopping up my mess. "Once you get more used to looking the part, I'm sure you'll WANT to have a boyfriend, just like the rest of the girls. Now hurry and finish breakfast, we've got to leave." She hurried down the hallway to grab her purse and keys, and practically dragged me out the door and into the car.

When we got to the parking lot at the school administration building, I got out with my backpack and walked across the street to Kennedy High. The first thing I did when I got on campus was to report to the school office with my transfer papers and Dr. Holland's letter. I could feel my heart beating as they doublechecked me on the computer, but apparently Kathy's computer fact-changing had worked, and they accepted the doctor's letter as a valid excuse to get me out of P.E. I was issued me a locker and temporary student I.D. and given directions to my homeroom.

Standing outside the classroom, I saw the one person who could blow my cover, Susan Parker, coming down the hall! Suddenly I realized that alphabetically, we would have the same homeroom assignment ... but I hadn't the faintest idea of I could do about the situation.

"Danni?" Susan asked as she got to the door. "Danni Nichols? I thought Saturday night was a one night arrangement ... I sure didn't expect to see you here this morning!" "It's a long story, Susan," I replied. "Just do me a favor and don't tell anyone who I really am if you want, I'l explain it all to you at lunchtime, O.K.?"

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"Sure, Danni. I had so much fun with you at the dance, I'm just glad you decided to be a girl after all." She turned and waved at a group of girls walking across the lawn. “Hey, Chris!"

A cute redhead with a friendly smile came over. “Hi, Susan, what's up?"

"I want you to meet Danni Nichols ... we went to MacArthur together our freshman year. She just transferred

CONTEMPORARY TV FICTION -27

here. Danni, this is Chris ..." Chris' smile didn't diminish as she responded with a warm "hello". It was the first time since I started high school that I felt like I belonged there.

The rest of the morning was no less remarkable an experience. Not only was the situation a complete reversal of what I'd experienced as Danny at MacArthur High, I found that I wasn't the only male who thought Danni was the most beautiful girl ever. Guys were holding doors open for me and stealing glances in my direction during class. I mentioned my amazement to Susan after fourth period, as we stopped at our lockers to retrieve our lunches. "You know, I never intended to be here as a girl, but my sister complicated matters." As we headed for the quad area where most of the student body ate, I related the whole story of how Kathy had gotten rid of all my boy clothes, then how she had changed the school district records and transferred me to Kennedy High. Finally, I told Susan how my sister's therapist had asked me to continue masquerading as a girl until we could get my sister's mental health back to normal.

Susan listened with a smile on her face. “Well, it COULD be worse... take a good look at yourself, Danni. You're at least as pretty as I am!"

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"I guess you're right," I admitted. "I don't seem to have much of a choice but to dress like this for a while, anyway.' I brushed some crumbs off of my skirt. "At least I look the part."

"That's for sure. You walk and talk like a girl, too. If Chris had doubted for a second that you were female, she would have said something. No, Danni, you're safe ... for the moment, anyway."

By the end of my first week at Kennedy, I had become much more comfortable with my new feminine role. Susan thought it might be because our home economics course had been concentrating on cooking skills all week... an area I'd already been competent in before I started wearing skirts to school. I personally believed it had something to do with a comment my driver education teacher had made after my third day of using the simulator without any "accidents". The teacher was impressed enough to mention that