It's Just A Skirt

by Matthew Potter

  Maybe no one would notice.

  Shoes were no problem. My sneakers were white and looked neither boy or girlish.

  I stopped to look at myself in the mirror. I saw Geo again. She was looking particularly tomboyish, though. I guess I could live with it but it was odd too. It was like George trying to be a girl instead of me just being a girl period. The pants really bothered me, to be honest. It was weird because they never bothered me before but now they felt wrong.

  I cursed. There was nothing I could do about it now.

  Grabbing my wallet, I rushed out the door.

  **************

  The Quad was pretty busy today.

  It was usually pretty packed on Free Days actually. I just never really bothered to pay attention before. Like I said, I hid in my room most of the time. That’s what social outcasts do after all. I got a couple of quick looks when I walked out of Curtis, mostly from the guys lingering by the doorway. I shrugged and ignored them. That didn’t stop the looks, though. Everyone seemed to look my way. It was kind of weird, though. It was like they’d never seen a girl come out of the boy’s dorm before. I tried to ignore them for the most part, I was embarrassed enough as it was. It was one thing to walk around in a girl’s uniform but it was something else entirely to walk around trying to be a girl without it.

  I felt like a fake.

  Thankfully there were a lot of people milling about.

  It was easy to hide.

  I spotted Jade over by the statue. She was sitting quietly on one of the bench’s, nonchalantly kicking her legs back and forth. She was looking particularly girly today too. Dressed in a pale green top and the shortest pair of khaki shorts I’d ever seen. I looked down at myself and felt like an idiot. I almost bailed until she looked up and saw me. Her face lit up with a bright smile and waved. Damn, too late now. I smiled back and waved too.

  “And the elusive Geo graces us with her fine presence,” said Jade with a giggle.

  “Ha ha,” I mocked as I dropped onto the bench next to her.

  She gave me a focused stare.

  ‘You auditioning to be in a rap video later?”

  Damn.

  I shrugged. “I don’t have any shorts”

  “And apparently shop in the boy’s section,” she said then stood up, holding out her hand. “C’mon, let’s go”

  I took her hand and she pulled me up.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My room,” she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

  “Wait…ummm…”

  I tried to think of something but I couldn’t.

  “You want to melt today? I mean it's eighty degrees out here”

  Yeah, it was pretty hot but I never really cared about the heat. I was kind of used to it at school. I mean after all the boy uniforms still had pants even in the warm months. Girls were lucky enough to wear skirts. At least boys got short sleeves I suppose. Then again I was the weird idiot who wore the sweater all year round. So I was used to sweating.

  Jade lived in Margaret just like Cherry.

  Her room was on the third floor, near the fire escape.

  It didn’t take us long to get there.

  “Sorry about the mess,” she said as we walked in. “Tally is a bit of a slob”

  She waved her hand around the overly cluttered room. Tally I assumed was her roommate. I looked from one side of the room to the other. Both sides were a bit cluttered actually. Besides the clothes, there were lots of fashion magazines and comic books. The comic books surprised me, though. Not as much as the posters from some of my favorite movies and video games. They were also on only one side of the room too.

  “Tally likes Space Epic?”

  It was my favorite sci-fi movie series. It was a blatant Star Wars rip-off but they were based on Riley’s best series.

  Jade scoffed. “Tally couldn’t tell a Vedonian from a Blurgon”

  My mouth dropped open.

  “You’re an Epic fan?”

  She smiled real big, dropping down on her bed. I saw the limited edition Jace Freeborn bedspread.

  Holy crap.

  I think I was in love.

  Jade laughed at my expression.

  ‘Hey because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t like this stuff” she said with a laugh then her eyes narrowed. “It's not weird right?”

  I laughed. “Vedonians have three eyes, Blurgons are blob-like sludge buckets”

  This time, her mouth dropped open.

  I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “I knew there was something I liked about you”

  I was itching to talk Epic with her but I realized we were here for a reason.

  “So you didn’t drag me here to talk shop,” I said, hoping to keep her focused.

  Being here made me a bit nervous after all. I’d only been in the girl’s dorms once before and that was the other day. I had to be there for a stupid reason after all. Being here now I was scared I might get busted. Not that I wouldn’t have been busted before but at least then I looked like a girl. Now I was definitely an outcast.

  “Oh right,” said Jade, smacking her forehead.

  She jumped off the bed and over to her dresser. I couldn’t help but smile at the Epic figurines scattered all over the top of it. She saw me look and blushed. She quickly recovered, though, opening the drawers and getting to work. Immediately she pulled out a shirt and a pair of shorts nearly identical to her own. The shirt I noticed was a pale yellow, the shorts white with blue stripes.

  She tossed them at me.

  I grimaced at the shorts.

  “Where’s the rest of them?” I asked, holding them up like they might poison me.

  “Ha ha,” she said, pointing at her own short clad legs. “Do they look good on me?”

  “Sure,” I said “but you’re a…”

  I almost said you’re a girl but stopped myself of course.

  “I’m a what?”

  “Person who normally wears this stuff” I quickly recovered.

  She frowned. “You have a brother right?”

  “Two,” I said “Mike and Charlie”

  She looked at me confused. “What about that other one, you know with the glasses”

  Oh shit.

  She meant me.

  The George me.

  “Oh yeah him,” I said with a laugh.

  Jade put her hands on her hips. Then she stared some more. She was giving me a really scrutinized look. Then she took a step closer. My heart started to pound a bit. All I needed was for her to figure things out then I was screwed. She was really looking me over now like I was some weird science experiment. A second later it was like a light bulb. I saw the look on her face, she had finally figured it out.

  “Oh my God!” she said, her voice a pitch higher.

  “I can explain,” I said quickly.

  “What’s there to explain”

  “Huh”

  “You’re like twins,” she said excitedly. “That’s totally cool. I can see why you don’t like to talk about him, though. I mean it must be totally weird”

  “Yeah almost as if we’re the same person” I quibbled, she laughed.

  "My cousins are like that too' she said with another laugh, she did that a lot. "They're twins too. I bet you and your brother like to mess with people too?"

  "Oh sure yeah"

  Was she that dense?

  “Well, then I’ll leave you alone so you can get dressed. Leave your stuff on the bed. We’ll come for it later” she said and started for the door but stopped when she reached it.

  “You wearing ankle socks?” she asked, turning as she opened it.

  I shook my head. She ran back to her dresser, took a sock ball from the top drawer and tossed it at me. I barely caught it before she was out the door in a flash. I couldn’t help but laugh at her energy. Jade was a conundrum of epic proportions. One second she was cool and collected then a bundle of energy then so dense she was thicker than mud. She was definitel
y the weirdest girl I’d ever met. Well actually the only one I’ve ever met but she was so cool that I didn’t really care.

  The clothes scared me.

  I undressed quick enough but redressing became a bit of a problem for me. Not the obvious reason either. Like I said before, clothes are just clothes. I didn’t really care if I was a boy wearing clothes meant for a girl. The problem with them, however, was how they fit me. Most boys weren’t supposed to be able to put on a girl’s clothes and have them fit without a problem. Ok so not completely without a problem. The shorts were of course way too short and a little too tight. The shirt fit like a glove, though. It did draw a little unwanted attention to my chest region, though. I knew what was happening there, I was an idiot if I didn’t know. The doctors had told me what might happen so I was prepared for it. What I was not prepared for was how much it had been happening already.

  There was definitely bumps there.

  They were real tiny but they were there nonetheless.

  I was a bit scared about it actually. I couldn't help but wonder if they were going to get bigger and if so what that might mean. I was told how all of this worked of course but there were always those few cases.

  A large part of me was very GLAD I didn’t take P.E. with the other boys.

  I was in the process of putting on my borrowed socks when the door to the room opened. I was expecting it to be Jade or even her fashion-obsessed roomie, Tally. What I was not expecting was Cherry. She paused halfway into the room, giving me one good long look.

  Shit.

  “What the hell are you doing?” She practically squealed, closing the door quickly behind her.

  “I can explain,” I said just as quickly and possibly at the same time.

  “Well, you better real fast buddy or else I’m screaming rape!”

  So I did. I told her about running into Jade the first time I tried to get into her room and how it was her sister who dragged me to the church. I was sure she saw the two of us together so maybe she didn’t. Anyways, then I told her about Jade giving my “brother” her cell phone number and how I, unfortunately, here.

  For a minute or so, Cherry said nothing.

  Then she broke into laughter.

  That made me feel real great.

  When she finally stopped laughing, she gave me a real serious look.

  “And my little sis thinks you’re a girl?” she asked, I nodded.

  She scrutinized me a bit too.

  ‘And you’re sure you’re not?”

  I sighed. So I told her that story too.

  When I was done with my second, less embarrassing story for the day, Cherry actually hugged me. I couldn’t remember the last time a stranger had done that.

  ‘So that’s why you look” she said, waving her hand over my body.

  I nodded.

  “That’s gotta be really tough and confusing”

  “Tell me about it”

  “Does Frank and the others know?”

  “No, and I’m glad they don’t. I’d like to keep my head thank you very much. Besides my family, you’re the only other person. Well, maybe some of the administrators and the doctors of course.”

  She nodded but was quiet for a second. “I think you should tell my sister too”

  I nodded. “She’s gonna freak”

  “No, she won’t. Court can be a little flighty and dense at times but she’s not a bitch. She’ll get it. Just tell her what you told me and she’ll be cool. Court is like a swan, she makes friends for life”

  “Don’t you mean mate for life?”

  Swans mated for life so I was confused but I suddenly realized what she did there.

  I’m an idiot sometimes.

  She gave me a look. “You’re not going to date my sister are you?”

  I blushed. “No of course not!”

  She laughed. “I’m only messing with you. You can date whoever the hell you want.”

  Cherry left after that. I’m not even sure why she was there and she didn’t say. I assume she was looking for her sister.

  I finished putting on my sneakers and got the hell out of there.

  Downstairs, I actually found both sisters. They were talking about something when I arrived. Cherry said her goodbyes and vanished, leaving us two girls alone.

  “You look great!” squealed Jade seeing me in her shirt and shorts. “See much better than that tomboy crap you were trying to pull off”

  She really did have a point.

  I felt a bit better too now.

  Definitely, a lot cooler that’s for sure.

  She took my hand after that and told me we were getting lunch. I didn’t argue. I let her drag me to the cafeteria.

  There were two lines in the cafeteria for food. One line was called Express, it was where most people got their food. It was a lot quicker and though the lines were longer, it didn’t take all that long to get served. The only problem was that the food wasn’t so great. The other food line was called Premium. The lines were shorter and the food was fantastic but it was really expensive. A lot of the kids who had trust funds usually used the Premium lines. Most the other kids---i.e. the rest of us---were definite Express lane users.

  Jade was a Premium.

  I suppose it made sense after all.

  Her father was Connor Flynn. He was a big-time real estate mogul, he owned and built half of Dover Creek. The Flynn’s had this great big house on the hill, it was so enormous it probably had its own zip code. My aunt Rachel lived one street over. Sometimes on weekends, my siblings and I would stay with her. We always pass by the Flynn house on the way over.

  We paid for our food in a hurry. I got a small salad because frankly, I couldn’t really afford anything else. Jade gave me a strange look but didn’t say anything about it. When we went to get a seat, though, I headed for my usual table. Instead, though, she steered me away from it toward the one she usually frequented. I longingly looked at my sanctuary.

  ‘Cool kids sit here” she said, taking a seat.

  “Why does it matter?” I asked, taking a seat across from her.

  “I’m not sure actually”

  She looked like I took the wind out of her sails.

  Good.

  I hated labels.

  I hated making her feel bad but only a little. It was wrong to treat people differently like she and some of her friends did. Just because someone wasn’t pretty or as rich as you didn’t mean you should treat them like dirt. Hopefully, if I could achieve anything from being friends with her, it would be to teach her that.

  “I’m sorry” she finally said.

  I shrugged it off. “Its no biggie”

  “Yes it is”

  Before I could say something else, we got company.

  A group of girls---four of them to be exact---appeared at our table. They were all dressed similarly to the two of us. They paused when they saw me, though, giving me strange looks. They smiled, taking the rest of the seats at the table. I recognized all of them of course. Clarissa and Maddie were Jade's two usual friends. The other two were---Britney Donovan and Quinn Waverly. All four them were Premiums of course. Clarissa was a Fitzpatrick, her family was in the high-end shoe business, Maddie was a Clarke, Henry’s younger sister. Her parents were actors. Her Dad was Jensen Clarke, one of the biggest action stars out there right now. Britney’s Mom was a lawyer like mine but unlike mine, she was corporate. Quinn was probably the richest of the bunch. Her father was Duncan Waverly of Waverly Air, one of the biggest airlines in the business right now.

  She was also giving me a conceited look I noticed.

  I gave her one back.

  Stuck Up Blondes always kind of pissed me off anyways.

  “Guys this is Geo,” said Jade as way of introduction. ‘She’s going to be sitting with us today”

  The other girls said “Hey”

  Quinn had other plans.

  “What the hell kind of name is that?”

  I shrugged. “A better one than Quinn�
�

  “Ooh burn,” said Maddie with a laugh.

  Quinn shot me daggers.

  The others laughed.

  A million questions came after that. All the girls wanted to know who I was and where I came from. So I told them. I was from Oregon, my Dad was a Civil Rights lawyer, my mother was dead. That got some awws. When I mentioned my brothers, Mike’s name got all of them blushing. Leave it to Mike after all. He---Like Frank---was pretty popular with the girls. Tall and handsome, I’d seen many a girl swoon around him. Apparently even mentioning his name did it too. I was kind of pissed at that actually. It was unfair a bit that he got all the good genes.

  “So you’re a twin?” asked Britney, when I got done making me “George” my fourth fictional sibling.

  I nodded.

  “Your brother, he’s that little kid with the glasses?” asked Maddie.

  I nodded again. “Yep”

  “Eww,” said Quinn “you mean that little weirdo who always wears the sweater. What the hell is his deal anyway?”

  Wow, this girl really knew how to piss you off.

  “That’s just the way he is,” I said, defending myself.

  “What a freak”

  I got pissed.

  “Well, at least he’s not trying too hard to be noticed. What with your bleached hair, stuffed bra and so much cosmetics you would make a clown frown. George is original. He might be a freak but at least he knows who the hell he is”

  I stood up abruptly, slammed my tray down real hard and stormed off.

  I stomped away fast, not wanting to let them see me cry.

  I was halfway across the cafeteria when Jade caught up with me. She fell in step with me.

  “I’m sorry about Quinn, she’s a real bitch. Especially when she’s threatened by new girls, especially when they’re prettier than she is” said Jade as way of explanation.

  She thought I was pretty?

  No, wait, not getting distracted.

  “If she’s a bitch then why hang out with her?”

  Jade shrugged. “They’re my friends. We’ve always been together”

  I scoffed. “Then get some new ones”

  “I thought I was,” she said sadly.

  Shit.

  “Sorry,” I said, stopping. “Its just people like her and what she said…”