The girls on the squad were too busy chatting and changing their own clothes to form a good wall between me and the other girls. Again I looked over my shoulder and saw Sandy looking at me with a strange expression.
Suddenly, Sandy leaped towards me, eyes wide and she pointed towards me. In a breathy voice, she uttered, “You’re a guy!” Then louder she exclaimed, “You’re a fucking guy! Everyone, Chrissy is a guy!”
* * *
Chapter 6
“No! I’m not crazy! Chrissy is a guy!” screamed Sandy. The other girls in the room started squealing and shouting. As Dad would say, it was Katy bar the door.
“Stay cool,” Mandy whispered in my ear. “Like, play dumb.”
I was absolutely in a panic. Just what the hell could Sandy have seen? I didn’t see anything hanging out when I pulled up my jeans. I had my back to her. How could she have seen anything?
Mandy shouted back to Sandy, “Like, what are you talking about, Sandy? Why do you say Chrissy is a guy? I mean, like, don’t you think we’d know if she wasn’t a girl?”
“You’re probably in cahoots with her… uh him!” countered Sandy. “I saw his ‘thing’ for cryin’ out loud!”
I held my tongue. For some strange reason, denial always seems to create suspicion, even when the accusation is ridiculous. Instead, I just shouted, “How can you say something so stupid?”
Sandy yelled, “Take your panties off! Let’s see!”
Mandy stepped between Sandy and me and shouted, “Take yours off first, bitch!”
Sandy suddenly looked worried as all eyes turned towards her. “N… No! I’m not taking my clothes off in front of all these people. Besides, I'm not the one pretending to be a girl!”
Mr. Watson and his assistant came running into the room. “Girls! Girls! What’s going on in here?”
A girl I didn’t know pointed towards me and said, “Sandy is saying that girl over there, Chrissy, is really a boy.”
Sandy, back in control, said to Mr. Watson, “That’s right! She… er… he should be disqualified. I’ve read the rules… you have to be a girl to win!”
Mr. Watson, looking dismayed that his model contest was being embroiled in controversy stared at me with disbelief. As he walked up to me, he asked, “And what do you have to say, Miss Davis?”
Trying to look incredulous, I said simply, “I think she’s nuts!” I could hear the sound of voices rising outside the store. Apparently word had gotten out.
“Make her prove she’s a girl, Mr. Watson!” demanded Sandy. “Make her prove it!”
Several of Sandy’s toadies struck up a chorus of “Make her prove it!” until Mr. Watson told them to be quiet.
“I’m not taking off my clothes!” I said.
Mom and Dad had managed to worm their way through the crowd. Mom asked, “What is going on here, Honey?” Dad’s eyes were twitching like crazy. I quickly filled them in.
Mom turned towards Sandy and said in her best ‘Angry Mom’ voice, “How dare you say that about my daughter! You should be ashamed of yourself. I don’t care if your father owns half the town! You don’t have the right to say such things!”
“I certainly do if they’re true!” countered Sandy. “I know what I saw.”
Mom said, “You don’t think I’d know if I had a daughter or not?”
Waving her arms, Sandy said, “It’s obviously a conspiracy! I know what I saw.”
Mr. Watson, not used to controversy and obviously upset asked, “And what exactly did you see?”
Sandy gestured wildly, “I saw his, ah, thing. You know… his uh… penis. It was just hanging out there. You couldn’t help but see it.”
That couldn’t possibly be true, I thought to myself. She has to be lying. Does she know something? Has she suspected all along?
Mr. Watson frowned and said, “And yet, no one else saw it?”
Sandy said, “Mr. Watson, if you pull down her panties, I guarantee you won’t like what you see!” Judging from his mannerisms, Mr. Watson probably would like what he saw…
From behind me, I heard Jeff’s voice say, “Chrissy’s my girlfriend Sandy. Don’t you think I’d notice the difference?”
Looking smug, Sandy said, “It’d be a great way to disguise liking boys, wouldn’t it?”
Jeff started to push his way through the crowd. “Why you little bitch!”
Some boy in the back shouted, "Make them both take off their clothes!" A chorus of laughter and cheers rose up from the front of the store.
This was getting way out of hand and there was only one way to diffuse it. I waved my arms in the air and shouted, "Stop! Knock it off everybody!"
When it didn't quiet down, Jeff, who was taller than most of the people in the store and made in imposing figure shouted to the crowd, "Shut the hell up a second!"
When the noise level had dropped to where I could be heard, I said, "No one's taking their clothes off today. Sandy just wants to win. It doesn't matter what it is, whether it's Homecoming Queen, Class President, or prom dress model and she doesn't care how she wins. Since she can't pay people to vote for her here like she does in school, she'll say or do anything."
Angrily, Sandy shouted, "How dare you say that!"
"Winning isn't that important to me. I withdraw from the competition. Congrats Sandy. You won. And even though your dad could buy every dress in this store, the prom dress is yours. Enjoy." I spun on my heel, turning my back on a stunned Sandy and quickly pushed my way through the crowd.
I walked quickly, but with my back straight and head up, towards the movie theater. As soon as I walked in, to Gwen's stunned expression, I hurried to her office and shut the door behind me. I collapsed in one of the chairs and the tears began to flow. I cried and cried and took little notice when Jeff sat in the chair next to me. He softly stroked my hair.
From the doorway, Gwen asked, "What's going on?"
All I could do was cry.
* * *
What a wasted weekend. After Saturday's humiliation, I'd spent all day Sunday mostly in my room, sulking. The phone had rung a lot Sunday too. Most of the calls were from girlfriends asking if I was okay. But then there were those from friends of Sandy's or just plain jerks who called to ask if it was true I was a boy.
Monday morning I could barely drag myself out of bed. I was on autopilot as I dressed and put on my make-up. Mom and Dad were in the kitchen having breakfast when I slowly walked in.
Dad's eye twitched as he said, "Good morning, Princess." He looked up at me and said, "You don't look like you slept much last night."
"No, I didn't. Can I call in sick today? Please don't make me go to school today."
Mom shook her head. "You have to face the kids at school sometime. The sooner you get it over with, the sooner it will be behind you."
"Mommm!"
"Listen to your mother," admonished Dad. "She's right. I know it will be rough today because I'm sure Sandy has been having fun all weekend with this."
"Yes, she has," I said dourly. "I shouldn't have walked away. It resolved nothing."
Dad frowned. "Neither would have staying. I'm glad you left. The kids were starting to get rowdy. What if one of Sandy's friends had gone ahead and pulled your pants down. Then you'd have a problem."
"Nobody would do that!" I objected. "Sandy just wanted to win."
"Honey, Sandy buys her friends. To win her favor, there's no telling what they'd do." said Dad before taking a sip of his morning coffee. "You did the best thing by just walking away from it."
I sat down and fought back the tears. "But it doesn't resolve anything. I'll have this cloud over my head forever."
Dad took a bite of toast, and then looked at me, eye twitching erratically. "Only if you let it, Chris. Yes, the next couple of days could be really difficult. But, if you go about your day with confidence of who you are, the issue will just fade away."
"I hope you're right, Dad." I had a nagging feeling that this would come back to haunt me.
&nb
sp; Just then the doorbell rang.
Mom looked up and said, "Oh, that's probably Jeff." I gave Mom a questioning look and she continued, "I called him and asked if he'd come pick you up. I thought you'd want his support."
"Thanks Mom!" I got up and hugged both Mom and Dad. Then I went back to the living room to retrieve my book bag.
I opened the door and there was Jeff. "Are you all right, babe?"
I closed the door behind me and stood on the porch with Jeff. "No, actually. I'm scared to death to go to school today."
Jeff put one arm around me and lifted my chin up with the other hand. "You'll be fine, Chrissy. All your friends will be there too. There are more of us than them. I promise." He bent his head down and kissed me.
* * *
Jeff walked me to my first class. It was so embarrassing. Most people stopped talking as we walked by. Several girls came up to hug me and tell me what a bitch Sandy was. Most kids, if they said anything, just said 'hi' or asked how I was.
As we rounded one corner, a couple of guys were talking by the lockers. They spotted us and one walked up and said, "Hey, Jeff! Cute boyfriend! Is it true that he's 'bigger' than you?" The two guys starting laughing hysterically. There were a few scattered chuckles from the kids around us.
Jeff steps up to the jerk that spoke. I was afraid he was going to rip them both apart. I said, "Jeff, don't..."
The smug little ass said mockingly, "You better listen to your little boyfriend, Jeffie. You don't want to get expelled or anything!" He and his friend laughed again.
In a low voice that I could barely hear, Jeff said slowly, "After school. The empty field behind Freddie's. Be there, or apologize to the lady."
"I'm not saying I'm sorry, and I'm not showing for your stupid fight."
From somewhere, someone shouted, "Fight him, Bart. Don't be a chicken."
Bart turned around and said to someone behind him, "Shut up, Pete. I can't fight him."
Another kid said, "Fight him or you're out!"
Bart was beginning to sweat. He looked at Jeff whose fists were clenched, then to me and back to Jeff. He knew Jeff would pulverize him. He looked back to me and said, "I... I'm sorry Chrissy. I wa... I was just kidding, okay?"
"You suck, man!" shouted a boy behind Bart.
A teacher came around the corner, took a look around and demanded, "What's going on here?"
Jeff glanced at Bart, then to the teacher and said, "Nothing sir. Nothing at all."
Frowning, the teacher said, "Are you sure that group isn't trying to start something?" He looked over at the punks standing by the wall behind Bart.
"Everything's cool here, sir," Jeff said. Turning to Bart he said, "Ain't it?"
Bart looked at Jeff and said, "Cool man, we're cool."
The teacher stood there as we proceeded down the hall.
* * *
As I left my first period class, I was met by Mandy. As she handed me a piece of paper, she said, "Here's a note to give to your second period teacher. Ms. Thornapple wants to like, see all of us in her office. Like right now."
I got there as soon as I could, but as usual, I was the last one to arrive. I looked around and all the conspirators were there, including Jeff.
"It's about time you showed up," growled Ms. Thornapple. "We need to decide if we have a problem on our hands or not."
Coach Renwick asked, "How much do you think Sandy saw? Are we all screwed?"
I just stood there in front of Ms. Thornapple's desk. I shrugged and said, "I honest to God don't think she saw anything at all. I think she was just being an asshole so she could win."
Stephanie said, "She's saying you caved so you wouldn't be forced into showing you're a guy."
Brandi said, "She also says she has an old elementary school picture of you as a boy."
Mandy said, "She's also telling all the other football players that Jeff is gay and that they should watch their backsides in the showers after P.E."
Jeff said, "And to top it off, she said that Chrissy was her father's favorite cheerleader, and now he's dropping his sponsorship for the cheerleaders."
I suddenly felt dizzy. I sat down on the edge of Ms. Thornapple's desk and exclaimed, "This is a disaster!"
I was on the verge of tears when I suddenly stood up in a fury. Pointing with an all encompassing arc I said, "I told you! I told you all this wasn't a good idea!"
Mandy shouted, "Oh shut up! That doesn't help at all. You love being a cheerleader and you love Jeff. Are you saying you wished none of that had happened?"
I looked down at the ground. "No. Not at all. Cheerleading is the second best thing that's ever happened to me. Jeff is the best thing. I don't wish that none of that happened. And I really don't want to throw it away now."
Brandi looked around the room. "So what do we do? What's the answer?"
Stephanie said, "Let's put a contract out on Sandy."
Coach Renwick said, "Let's get serious. What are our options? The reputation of the school and the cheerleaders is riding on this, along with mine and Ms. Thornapple's careers. Not to mention Chrissy's whole life!"
Jeff stood up and said, "I say we do nothing. It doesn't matter what Sandy claims. She's counting on us to blink first. If someone says something, just blow it off and act like they're the one that's nuts. Everybody loves Chrissy. Nobody likes Sandy. That's why she has to buy her friends."
I nodded, "My dad said pretty much the same thing this morning. He said to ride it out and in a few days it'll be old news."
Ms. Thornapple buried her face in her hands, "God that sucks that that is our best option." She looked up and glanced around the room. "Hell, it's our only real option at this point."
Pointing at me, Brandi said, "I mean, look at her. Who in their right mind would believe she's a boy?"
Jeff stood next to me and brushed his fingers through my hair. "Certainly not me."
Ms. Thornapple groaned, "Okay girls. It's all up to you to provide plausible deniability. Just act like the joke is on Sandy."
Stephanie laughed, "That won't be hard. Sandy is a joke."
* * *
The cheerleaders all entered the lunch room as a group, Mandy in the lead. We started to pass by the table we usually eat at -- the table where Sandy and her closest toadies sit.
Sandy called to Mandy, "Hey, where're going? The table's here."
Mandy gave Sandy a 'are you kidding me?' expression and said, "We don't want to sit next to you. You're lying about our friend."
Sandy said, "Hey, I don't have anything against you guys. I just don't know why you put up with a boy as a cheerleader."
Mandy frowned and said, "Why don't you just put a sock in it, Sandy. You had your fun. You got your dress. The joke is over."
"Joke? You think this just a joke?" shouted Sandy. "Chrissy is a guy and you know it!" Everyone in the lunch room was looking at us.
"You worthless little shit," hissed Mandy. "Just because Daddy couldn't buy you a spot on the squad you think you have to tear us down. Well, it's not going to work." Mandy started to turn her back on Sandy.
"Slut!"
Mandy spun around and shouted, "Cunt!"
Sandy tossed what was left of her salad onto Mandy's chest. Mandy dumped the tray she was carrying on top of Sandy's head. Sandy jumped up and pushed Mandy back. Mandy grabbed Sandy's hair and pulled as she slid to the floor, dragging a screaming Sandy to the floor as well.
Several guys in the back started chanting, "Girl fight! Girl fight!"
The rest of us just stood there in shock as a couple of teachers rushed in and separated the two girls before any blood could be spilled.
* * *
The whole squad was called back into Ms. Thornapple's office. She closed the door after the last of us filed in.
"What is the meaning of this?! I thought I told you girls to ignore what Sandy says." Ms. Thornapple was fuming.
Mandy was crying. Her clothes were a mess. "I'm sorry, Ms. Thornapple. She's just so irritating."
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Scowling, Ms. Thornapple said, "I understand that. But fighting isn't going to change that. I'm sorry, Mandy, but you have a week of detention, starting today. So does Sandy."
Mandy jumped up and exclaimed, "A week?! That little slut started it! Why should I get a week?"
"Because you're supposed to just walk away from it," Ms. Thornapple said flatly. "You knew fighting would only get you into trouble."
"I'm sorry," said Mandy as she stared at the floor.
Ms. Thornapple softened slightly as she said, "Go home and change and get back here as quickly as you can."
* * *
"Oh I wish I could have been there to see it!" exclaimed Diane. We were both sitting on my bed as I told her about the day's events instead of doing my homework.
"Sandy was pretty pissed," I laughed. I just wish that Mandy hadn't gotten into trouble."
"Yeah, that sucks," agreed Diane. She looked thoughtful for a moment, then with a little hesitation, she asked, "How's Jeff taking all this?"
I shrugged, "He seems to be taking it all pretty well. He's stood by me every time."
Diane watched her finger as she idly ran it across the bedspread. “You are so lucky to have him.” She looked up at me. “Seriously. He’s a great guy.”
I smiled and said, “Yeah, I know I’m lucky. I thank my lucky stars every day for him.”
There was a pause in our conversation as I stared wistfully out the window and Diane casually glanced through my homework papers. She snatched up one paper and studied it.
"Hey, what's this?"
I looked up and she waved the paper in front of me. "Oh, that's the information about the cheerleader contest coming up in March sometime."
"Cool! I loved going to the contest. Intense competition." Diane sighed and her eyes focused on some distant object.
"Yeah, I can't wait to go. I understand the squad didn't get to go last year because it couldn't raise enough money." I looked up from the text book I was trying to read. "This year, we're going for sure!"
Diane started reading off the requirements to attend. Suddenly she said, "Uh oh..."
The Reluctant Prom Date (The Reluctant Series Book 4) Page 7