[Patreon Exclusive] GOING THROUGH CHANGES: Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Chapter 6

I didn’t go to school the next day—I still had a few things left to get ready. For starters, I didn’t know how to do my makeup. I had access to a lifetime supply in Aunt Fey’s cupboards and drawers, but I had no idea what any of it was for. And then there was the issue of my hair. Sure, my hair was starting to get shaggy, but it wasn’t feminine. I was going to need a wig.

So I took off for town when Aunt Fey thought I was taking off for school, which was my usual routine. I got to town earlier than usual—apparently I was moving quickly as the excitement tingled through my body. I started my trip at the café, getting my seat in the far back corner. The Internet was slow, but it was good enough to get a few YouTube makeup tutorials loaded up. Once the videos were buffered and good to go, I made my way down to the town’s main strip. I was hoping to find a wig store that was willing to cut me a deal, seeing as I only had forty bucks to my name. But I couldn’t find any wig stores. I guess those aren’t really a thing in small towns.

But I did find a clothing store with a number of mannequins in the front window. One of them had a long, straight strawberry blonde wig. The mannequin reminded me a bit of Taylor Swift, whom I always thought was sexy. So I made that plastic humanoid my target. I casually strolled into the store. It was all women’s clothing, so I quickly felt out of place. The cashier was a young woman with her focus down at her phone. “If you need a hand with anything, just ask,” she said without looking up.

I had to move quickly—but not too quickly. I couldn’t draw any suspicion. I moved towards that window and looked back at the cashier. She was still staring down at her phone. I stepped up onto the windowsill. The mannequin’s pretty hair was within reach. Looked back at the cashier again. Then, I quickly reached my hand out and snatched that hair. It slipped easily off of her head. I stuffed it inside of my coat and then looked back again. She was still surfing the net on her phone.

I walked towards the counter. “Do you sell hiking boots? My girlfriend asked me to pick her up a pair while I was in town.”

She looked up at me slowly. “Hiking boots?” she said. “No—we don’t sell those.”

“Okay. Thanks for your time,” I said. And then I got out of that store quickly, jogging down the street before she realized that mannequin was missing its hairdo.

I ended up running home, cutting the hour and a half hike down to just thirty minutes. I was exhausted when I ran through Aunt Fey’s front door, but I was too excited to take a break to catch my breath. I went straight to Aunt Fey’s room, fetched that schoolgirl outfit, and then I went into the bathroom and started getting undressed. I pulled on that white blouse and then I buttoned up that plaid skirt. I pulled a pair of white stockings up my legs and then I carefully buckled up all of the little straps of those black flats. Next, the wig went into my head. It was a surprisingly snug fit. The bangs hung perfectly over my eyebrows. The colour of the hair wasn’t too different from my natural hair, so it blended nicely with the bit of hair on my sideburns. I shook my head from side to side, watching the hair dance, teasing my shoulders just the way I wanted it to.

I hated that I had three hours of makeup tutorials lined up. I wished they were quicker, so I could get to doing my makeup sooner. I wanted to see the finished product badly, but I knew I had to be patient. Still, I followed along with the tutorials, drawing on eyeliner along with the instructors, and then brushing blush onto my cheeks. I could see the look quickly coming together, and with a bit of instruction and guidance, it was an easy look to pull off. I especially liked the red lipstick, which made my lips look plump and kissable.

I did a little spin in front of the mirror, and then I caught myself smiling. Maybe I shouldn’t have been smiling, knowing that I was cross-dressing and getting myself ready to potentially humiliate myself in front of hundreds of people my own age—but I couldn’t help but feel excited over how pretty I looked. I’d never looked pretty before. I’d never even looked handsome. My whole life, I’d always felt average at best. I’d always felt underwhelming and invisible. But now I felt strangely confident. I knew that I would steal the attention of a few guys before word got around that I was really a guy—if word even did get around.

Maybe I could get through the next few months without anyone realizing my reality. Maybe I would fit in perfectly and have everyone fooled. Hell, maybe I would even like it. Maybe this new feminine guise could be my new me.

A cold shudder ran through my body. Now my mind was getting carried away. I was once again having thoughts that didn’t belong in my head. I was just doing this so that I could pass school without being bullied. I just wanted to avoid a lifetime of flipping burgers—and that’s it. Once I had my diploma in my hands, I would be going right back to being Kenny—where I belonged—back in Toronto. Maybe I would even get that growth-spurt I’d been waiting for by then.

I got myself washed up before the sun started to set. I didn’t want Aunt Fey to see me all dolled up in her clothes and makeup. I kept that schoolgirl outfit stashed under my bed, in my schoolbag. I still wasn’t sure how I was going to get changed in the morning if Aunt Fey was there. I could get my outfit on in the woods on my way to the bus stop—but what about my makeup? Would I have to bring along a mirror and all of the supplies, and hope that Aunt Fey didn’t notice anything missing?

Before she got home that evening, I found a little makeup mirror, so I stashed that in my bag as well. I grabbed the makeup supplies that I needed, and then I spent the next hour practising my voice, right up until Aunt Fey was pulling up in the driveway. I knew it would take a few days before I had the voice nailed down, but I knew that if I missed any more school, I wouldn’t be passing. I already had a ton of catching up to do, so I was just going to have to be especially quiet for my first few days back. That was something I was used to: being quiet in the back of the class.