For Chris, the last few days at the beach were a lot of fun. But the desire to remain as “Debra” into the next school year wouldn't go away. There were many reasons this was a terrible wish. But the irony of him being the one who made the cheerleader squad and rubbing it in Sloane Underwood’s face was so enticing. Just thinking about wearing the Wheaton cheerleading uniform made his body tingle with excitement.
Of course, left unresolved was whether Debra would agree to keep the swap going.
The two were lounging at the beach working on their tans one day when Tara dropped a bombshell. While looking at her phone, she suddenly jumped up.
“Deb! Oh my gawd! I know why the Wheaton Cheerleader coach never emailed you back!”
She had mentioned the other looking into the subject. “You do?” He was skeptical.
For some reason, Tara was smiling ear to ear. “Turns out I have an inside source. Mrs. Sanders didn’t reply to your email because she moved out of town right after school ended. It seems her husband got an awesome new job”
“How did you find this all out?”
“The local cheerleading community is tight knit. I guess it also helps when the new Wheaton coach is the former assistant coach of my school’s squad” she said coyly. “Ms. Hall is really into teamwork, and I can tell you she won’t put up with any crap from Sloane”
This news gave even more impetus to his desire. “So, you’re saying I have a real chance to make the squad?” he whispered.
Tara spontaneously hugged him “When I’m done teaching you, I can almost guarantee it”
The seemingly impossible was becoming probable. His heart beat rapidly in anticipation. “I’d love that. Could you maybe come by my house a couple times before the end of summer for more instruction?”
Tara quickly agreed so he then asked for another favor “I have a friend who also signed up. Her name is Cheryl and she’s kind of an introvert. If she could make the team, it would do wonders for her confidence. Can you work with both of us?”
Tara was only too happy to help. Based on what her ‘cousin’ had said about Sloane, she relished the opportunity to help bring the bitch down a peg or two.
*****
When it came time to return home, Chris was the one who drove the first leg of the journey. This simple act made him feel empowered. Ken Burns was in the front passenger seat offering helpful advice while Anna was in the back on her phone. She had volunteered to search the website of the state’s motor vehicle dept.
“I see an open slot for next Thursday afternoon to take the street test. What do you think Debra?”
This was the last step in obtaining a driver’s license. He looked over at Ken who nodded his head in support. Chris told her to go ahead and book it. But conflicting thoughts immediately began swirling around in his mind. After assuming Debra’s identity, he chomped at the bit for the swap project to finish so he could get his money. Now these many months later, he didn’t want it to end. Debra had two great parents, had all the material things she could ever want, and a core group of true friends.
Was he being too selfish in asking her to keep the swap going?
*****
On Sunday afternoon, Anna Burns decided the whole family should go to the park and support their daughter’s boyfriend. The band concert, which ‘Chris’ helped organize, was the first of its kind and having lots of people there would help convince the town council to do this more often. Chris was happy to have them along. But it did leave him with a pressing issue to figure out first.
How much effort should he put into his clothes, hair, and makeup?
Dress up or dress down? Part his hair down the middle or on the side? Go heavy on eye makeup or light? Wear heels or earrings? While the number of permutations wasn’t infinite, after two hours of preparation Chris still wasn’t close to ready. Noting the time to leave was soon approaching, he compromised on everything. A multicolored skort would look really cute yet also be practical for sitting on the grass. A sleeveless blouse and sneakers completed his outfit while nicely showing off his beach tan.
As soon as Debra saw the family arrive at the park, she ran over and enveloped Chris in both arms. The kiss was so passionate he practically wilted in her embrace. Despite the presence of dozens of onlookers, she exhibited no hesitancy with this very public display of affection. Upon pulling away, she grasped his hand and said:
“C’mon. I’d like to introduce my girlfriend to the mayor.”
He could tell by the gleam in her eye she was making light of their identity swap. He humored her and acted even more ‘girly’ when introduced to the town dignitaries. With each passing day, Chris loved the idea of being the girlfriend in their relationship. The mayor heaped praise on Debra extolling all the hard work ‘Chris’ put into organizing the planned events. While he knew some of what she’d done, Chris was suitably impressed by all that Debra had accomplished.
When the mayor said “It was a pleasure to meet you, Debra. You must be really proud of your boyfriend here.” Chris smiled and squeezed her hand tightly
“I truly am. 10 out of 10. Best boyfriend ever.”
*****
The next morning, Chris got ready for another week assisting Ken at the engineering firm. The beach vacation had been an awesome experience but he was so happy to be back in business attire
Perhaps it was his subconscious at work, but he decided to wear the first dress he’d ever purchased. A green sleeveless sheath he wore to the Burns family celebration. After a final inspection in the mirror, he grasped both elbows and hugged himself tightly. The months of denying how much he enjoyed this were gone. Never to return in fact. He adored wearing women’s clothing. It was such a thrill to get his long hair looking just right. To make his eyelashes lavishly long. To walk around in high-heeled pumps.
‘Gawd I love this all’ he thought.
*****
As was his custom, on Wednesday evening Chris stopped by to watch Debra’s soccer game. She didn’t score this time but what he saw convinced him that she was already nearly good enough to take his spot on the Men’s team in the Fall. Debra looked and acted just like any of the other guys on the field.
The feasibility of maintaining the status quo of their relationship was growing.
*****
The next day, Chris and Ken Burns left work early so he could take the road test. All the practice and tips paid off. As Chris expertly backed the car into a spot next to the curb, the inspector opened the door to check. A quick ‘thumbs up’ signal indicated he’d passed. Less than an hour later, ‘Debra Burns’ exited the driver’s bureau with an official license with ‘her’ name and picture on it.
He couldn’t help but feel there was some symbolism at play here.
*****
On Saturday afternoon, Chris made plans to borrow one of the family cars. Ostensibly so ‘she’ could visit Chris and show off the new driver's license. But his real objective was to talk with Debra about staying the way they were. He thought back to that time a couple months ago when Anna Burns grew quite distraught when her ‘daughter’ had an unsupervised visit with a boy. The funny thing was, she now thought highly of ‘Chris’ and expressed no reservations.
Now that was an interesting idea. After all, they would be alone for a few hours. He buried those lustful thoughts away for the time being. It would happen between them when the moment was right. During the trip over to his former house, Chris played out different scenarios in his head on the ideal way to open a discussion about continuing the swap.
She welcomed him with another toe-curling kiss. Debra stepped back to admire his outfit “That’s cute. Is it new?”
Chris had chosen to dress with a casual flair for today. The faded denim mini skirt was old but the large sweatshirt which hung off one shoulder was a new purchase. It had a beach scene stenciled on the front.
“I bought the top on vacation. Do you like it?”
Her fingers interweaved with his and led him inside the house “Especially what’s inside it”
They took a seat on the couch and talked about the driving test while looking at the new photo ID. As it turned out, Debra provided the opening he needed by commenting: “Your hair looks wonderful but it's getting so long. I bet you’ll be relieved when it comes time to cut it in a few weeks”
Chris reached over and ran the tips of his fingers through the short hair on the side of Debra’s head. Not exactly how he planned it out, but he decided this was the moment. “About that. What if I didn’t cut my hair?”
Her expression was a mix of amusement and confusion. The seriousness of his question contrasted with its absurdity.
“Umm, I’d say our parents and classmates would seriously question how your hair suddenly grew to be as long as your girlfriend’s.” The tone of her voice suggested an assumption he was joking.
He looked down at his lap summoning up the courage to express his desire. It would be such a relief to finally let Debra know how he felt.
“They wouldn’t say anything if we stayed exactly as we are.” he said softly
She was still confused. “Huh?”
He spun toward her and stared deeply into her eyes “I’m saying when school starts up, you’ll be Student Council President Chris Jackson.”
He licked his lips nervously ”and I’ll be your adorable girlfriend Debra Burns”
How does Debra respond?
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