This tale is part of the continuing tale of the Nerds and their
adventures with Bikini Beach. Earlier installments define the
characters, which are very loosely based on Revenge of the Nerds.
The cast is repeated here for convenience.
Cast of Characters:
Brandon - a nerdish type who fits the stereotype to a tee,
and Robert's best friend and roommate. Robert and Brandon
grew up together. Brandon is a computer genius, but is very
awkward around girls.
Robert - Not quite as nerdish as Brandon, but still awkward
around others, especially girls. His talents lean more
toward the sciences such as Chemistry and Physics.
Bertram Smythe - Robert and Brandon's other roommate. From
Britain, Bert is an ardent chess player. He is often rather
contemplative, and has a sharp wit.
Fred - A sixteen year old early graduate from high school.
Very gifted, but socially awkward.
Arnold - He was late to be recognized as gifted, and as a
result, got into trouble in high school because he was
bored. Now he uses his talents and sense of mischief to
help the gang.
Chuck - A Navy veteran and electronics genius. Chuck spent
time as a soundman in submarines, where he honed his
electronics skills. He is looked up to as kind of a mentor.
Like Arnold, he is prone to pull pranks just for fun,
although his pranks tend to be more sophisticated.
Greg - Anya's boyfriend, and long-time friend from 'back
home'. He's studying entertainment architecture at the U,
and did a project for the old woman for an expansion of the
park. He helped the nerds with a photography project, and
they accepted him into the frat.
Paul - A small, bookish lad with thick glasses, he's a
stereotypical nerd. His success with dating is very poor,
although he is very good with computers and electronics.
Dean Livingstone - A long-time educrat, the dean actively
supports fraternities, with the exception of the nerds. His
reasons for this profound dislike are unknown. He is known
to be an honorary member of the Alpha Sigma Sigma frat, and
their faculty advisor.
Bikini Beach: Nerds - Holiday Queen
By Elrod W
The flier couldn't have been less inconspicuous; brightly colored
and large, it dominated the bulletin board in the student union,
attracting attention as it had been designed to do. Robert eased
past the sorority girls clustered in front of the board, ignoring
their disdainful snorts and comments, and took a closer look at
the flier.
45th Holiday Luau
Our Annual Celebration
of
Sun instead of Snow!!
To Robert, it looked like a good idea; as a southern city, there
wouldn't be any snow to deal with, but sun and fun. The flier
further detailed the events. The student union board sponsored
the games and food - all seemed to have tropical themes,
including the pig roast luau - and it was free. Then Robert read
the last lines and his heart sank. The event included the annual
Holiday Queen pageant, where the fraternities sponsored the
entrants. Even as he stepped away from the bulletin board, Robert
knew that the Nu Rho Delta fraternity, his fraternity and the
newest on campus, was going to have to sponsor a girl.
As Robert walked back to his room, he felt the pall of his social
status darkening what should have been anticipation of a fun
event. By the time he got to the old gym, the new fraternity
house of the NRDs, he was almost depressed. He shuffled through
the lobby, ignoring the construction workers rehabilitating the
old gym into his frat's house. He tossed his books on his desk
and slouched into a chair.
Bert heard the crash of the books and lifted his head from his
pillow. He rolled and stared down from the top bunk, searching
for the source of the interruption to his nap.
"Oh, it's you," he said through a yawn as he spotted Robert. "I
say, you look a bit down." Bert's British accent was
unmistakable; he was the only member of the fraternity from the
UK.
Robert glanced up, and then slumped back in his chair, his eyes
fixed on nothing in particular. "Yeah, I guess." He sounded
completely without enthusiasm.
Bert twisted and leaped from the third bunk. Originally, their
room was part of a makeshift dorm in the old gymnasium. But since
the fraternity had been started, rooms had emptied; after all,
not everyone wanted to be part of a nerd fraternity. It was no
longer necessary to have triple bunks; in fact, some of the guys
had single rooms. But Bert had bonded with his two roommates, and
after a quick council, they had decided to remain in one room.
The Brit yanked open the refrigerator and pulled out a couple of
cans of Coke. One he handed to Robert; the other, he opened as he
sat down. "So," he said after a long swig of cola, "what's the
problem this time? The Dean trying to get us again?"
Robert glanced up, and then shook his head. He popped open his
own can and took a long swig. "No. I think he's laying off us for
a while. I think we make him nervous."
Bert tilted back his head and laughed heartily. "I can understand
why." That the Nerds had used the magic of Bikini Beach to
effectively blackmail the dean into accepting their application
as a fraternity was a very closely guarded secret. Though they
didn't know precisely why the dean disliked them so much, they
knew not to trust the man.
"Holiday Luau," Robert answered Bert's original question. He took
another sip of his pop.
Bert frowned. "What exactly is a 'Holiday Luau'?" he asked. "It
sounds like some type of celebration."
"It's a great big party," a voice answered from the door. Both
boys' heads nearly snapped as they spun to see who had come into
their room. It was Brandon, the third roommate and Robert's
lifelong best friend. Brandon's eyes were aglow with excitement.
"It's a big Hawaiian style party, with games and contests. Most
girls dress in bikinis and grass skirts." He sat down on the
modest sofa. "Oh, and there's a big pig roast, too!" Brandon's
eyes lit up. "It's going to be great! There's even a beauty
pageant."
Bert shifted his glance between Robert and Brandon. The contrast
between the way these two were taking the same news couldn't have
been more striking. He looked at Robert. "So what's the problem?"
Robert shook his head. "The problem is that we, as a fraternity,
have to sponsor a girl as an entrant in the pageant."
Brandon didn't seem to really comprehend Robert's concern. "So we
find a girl to sponsor. No big deal, right?" He hadn't lost any
of his enthusiasm.
Robert shook his head, and he saw Brandon's face fall. "So, we're
nerds," he said bitterly. "How are we going to find a girl to
sponsor?"
***
Brandon and Chuck sat at the table, facing an array of sofas and
chairs pulled around them in the 'lounge' area. In reality, the
lounge was just another section of the basketball court, but
devoid of the temporary partitions, which constituted the rooms.
Little light filtered in through the large windows on one wall;
it was late, and there was no sunlight. The dim light came from
the few remaining bulbs in the ceiling fixtures, diminished in
number to save the college electricity costs, and a couple of
floor lamps flanking the table. The table itself, in an ironic
twist to the nerds' interests and lack of sporting skills, was
situated on the free throw line of the court, the faded paint
lines still visibly marking the original purpose of the facility.
Even more ironically, laptop computers and personal digital
assistants were prolific in the room, including a laptop on the
table, obviously for organizational purposes.
Brandon pressed a key on the laptop, and then banged a gavel,
formally initiating the procedures and silencing the murmurs of
the membership.
"This meeting is officially called to order." Okay, I'd like a
motion to dispense with the formalities and get right to the
business at hand."
Six voices immediately called out, "so moved," while the matching
hands shot in the air. "Second," rang out almost immediately
afterward. And in keeping with their normal and quite informal
way of conducting business, the membership shouted out their
"Aye," votes without waiting for Brandon to call for them.
Brandon tapped his gavel again. He glanced at a screen, and then
pressed a couple of buttons. This part always screwed up the
voice recognition system they used for minutes, and as usual, he
had to clear the jumble. A couple of deft keystrokes replaced
that which the software couldn't recognize with their standard
'start of meeting and dispense with formalities' template.
"Okay guys," Brandon began, "I checked and we are supposed to
sponsor a girl for the pageant." He glanced at Robert, who looked
glum. "This shouldn't be a problem. Being the Holiday Queen is a
social goal for all the sorority girls; they should be anxious to
be sponsored." He picked up his PDA and tapped it a few times.
"I've compiled a list of sororities and other women's
organizations, like the Society of Women Engineers." He glanced
over the list. "Everyone has an assignment to contact the girls.
We'll have interviews here next week. Okay?" With little
additional to-do, the meeting broke up.
***
"I don't understand it," Brandon said again, sitting at the table
in the lounge and glancing around the room. None were present
apart from the nerds sprawled in their sofas and chairs, and this
fact seemed to be Brandon's concern. He glanced at Chuck. "You
made all your calls, right?"
Chuck nodded. "Even the Tri-Delts." He shook his head forlornly.
"Looks like even the triple-nipples are no-shows."
Brandon shook his head again. "I don't get it. This is the social
highlight for the women. They should be here for the auditions."
He glanced at Robert. "You got the ad in the student paper,
right?"
He didn't wait for Robert's answer; they'd all seen the
advertisement for their interviews for a Nu Rho Delta sponsored
entrant. Brandon glanced at another member. The nerds had taken a
considerable amount of ribbing about the ad; none of the other
student organizations had advertised for candidates, let alone
posted an ad with the 'nerdy' criteria for their candidate -
including GPA.
"And we all saw the fliers, right?" He shook his head, a
genuinely perplexed look on his face. "I just don't get it."
The sound of the doors creaking open brought a ray of hope to
Brandon's face; all heads spun toward the doors. Then the hopeful
countenances fell as they recognized the newcomer. "Hey, Greg,"
Brandon said unenthusiastically.
Greg, the newest member of the NRDs, slid easily into a vacant
chair. "Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late." He glanced around. "So did
you already pick one?"
Bert shook his head. "Not exactly. No one showed up."
Greg's face fell. "So what are we going to do?" He glanced at
Arnold. "You talked to some of the independent girls, didn't
you?"
Arnold finished the swig of soda and let out a small but vocal
belch. "Yup." He shook his head. "Only a few told me no, but the
rest didn't sound too enthusiastic." He winced visibly. "And some
of the no's were quite explicit."
All the guys flinched at Arnold's words; as lifelong nerds,
they'd all experienced the stinging rebuke of uninterested girls.
As such, they sympathized with his pain.
Greg sighed. "And the sororities are off limits, too." His words
caused a stir, a wave of disbelief coursing around the room. He
nodded for emphasis. "Vicky, down at the park, told me that the
sororities have basically dictated that their members can't be
sponsored by us. Except for the triple nipples."
He glanced hopefully at Brandon and Chuck. They were shaking
their heads, letting Greg know that the Tri-Delta girls had
turned them down, too. This was stunningly bad news; the Tri-
Deltas, better known as the triple nipples, were the most
outgoing bunch of girls on the campus. They had even dated nerds,
as long as they got some sex out of the deal. If the Tri Deltas
had turned down the guys, there was no way in hell they were
going to get a girl to sponsor.
Fred, the youngest of the group, suddenly perked up, his eyes
illuminated with an idea. "What about your girlfriend, Greg?
Anya? Why can't we sponsor her?"
A buzz filled the room; it was the first truly hopeful thought of
the evening. The hope lasted but a few seconds; as the guys
murmured about the possibility, Robert had been furiously tapping
his PDA. Using the wireless connection to the campus intranet, he
retrieved some information.
"Uh," he cleared his throat, silencing the guys instantly, "no
good. She's not a student."
This was but a minor setback as far as Brandon was concerned. "No
problem. We can enroll her in a continuing Ed class. Something in
the Business College. I'm sure her grandmother would like that;
it would be a plus for the park and for Anya. And if we picked up
the cost, it's be nothing out of her pocket." His enthusiasm had
bubbled up anew; his thoughts were spewing forth almost faster
than he could speak them. "And if we get her in a night class,
something that's once a week, then it shouldn't have any impact
on her work at the park." He turned to Greg. "What do you think?
Would she go for it?"
Greg leaned back, his eyes staring at a blank wall, clearly fixed
in thought. "Hmm," he mumbled. "She might..."
"No joy," Robert interrupted, killing the renewed hope. "The
rules specify full-time students only. Anya's not eligible."
Chuck nodded, his expression grim. "How about the other girls at
the park? Vicky, or Marta? There are some who work and go to
school full time, aren't there?" He was desperately groping for
some kind of answer.
Greg sighed. "Vicky - you don't want to ask her. She's got some
pretty strong opinions about these kinds of things." He shook his
head. "And Belinda, Marta, Holly, and Norma are all in one of the
sororities. They wouldn't defy their sorority for anything."
Chuck and Brandon glanced at each other, and then nodded. "Okay,
I guess that's it. We don't have a candidate to sponsor." Brandon
reached for the gavel, to officially close this depressing
meeting.
Before he could bang the gavel down, Fred stood up. "Wait a
minute, guys," he interrupted. His eyes were lit with a curious
fire, some brainstorm of an idea, which he couldn't contain and
had to share. "Who says we don't have a girl to sponsor?"
Brandon's eyes narrowed. He swept his arms wide, sweeping the
room. "Look around," he said disgustedly. "Do you see any girls?"
Fred's smile broadened. "Not now. But there's plenty of potential
girls here." His smile turned into a full-fledged grin.
It took a few seconds for the implications of his words to sink
in. "Bikini Beach," Robert muttered, his eyes aglow with hope. He
returned to his PDA, fingers flying as he sought more information
about the pageant and the surrounding events.
Anticipation returned to the group. And with it came a little
dread. Arnold cleared his throat. "So one of us would have to
change? For how long?" He voiced the unspoken fear of all.
Brandon shrugged. "A couple of days for the pageant, right?" He
glanced at Robert hopefully.
Robert stood, shaking his head. "Not quite. According to the
schedule of events, there are events scattered over three weeks,
with pretty much full-time events for the last week."
Chuck nodded his understanding. "And given the administration's
view of us, you can bet they'd be giving our candidate some
thorough scrutiny. So it will probably be three solid weeks."
A nondescript member rose, adjusting his thick glasses that
seemed to teeter on the end of his nose. "So whoever changes is
going to be a girl for three weeks? What if she wins?" His
squeaky voice wavered as he voiced a new fear.
Eyes widened as silence descended over the room. No one had
considered that possibility. All heads turned toward Robert, who
after a moment of stunned inaction, returned to his PDA.
He looked up after a few seconds, biting his lower lip. "Not
good, Paul," he answered the wiry member. "Not good."
Paul sat down slowly. "Define 'not good'," he squeaked.
Robert took a breath. "By tradition, the Holiday Queen and her
court ride in the New Year's Day parade." He glanced up. "So if
she wins..."
Greg nodded with the rest of the gang. "...she's stuck as a girl
until after New Year's Day." He winced. "Guys, this is getting
complicated. If we're still going to do this, I'd better give
Anya a call."
***
The meeting was reduced to the executive council - Brandon,
Chuck, Bert, Arnold, and Greg - with Anya, all seated around the
table. A few guys had drifted into the lounge, driven by deep
curiosity, but they obeyed protocol and stayed silent as they
listened.
"Okay," Anya nodded as she glanced at the notes she'd taken.
"Let's see if I've got this straight. You want a member to be
changed into a girl as your representative for the pageant,
right? And the change is only temporary?" She frowned. "And you
expect the dean to do some thorough scrutiny, so the change has
to include a complete background?" She thought a second. "After
the change back, you guys want everyone to remember the girl, and
that you sponsored her, right?"
Brandon nodded. "No sense doing this if no one remembers."
Anya nodded her agreement. "But you'll have to preserve the
memory of whoever changes, too. Otherwise, when he changes back,
class records and such will be pretty fouled up." She sat back,
biting her lip as she stared into space. "Sheesh, you guys don't
ask for much, do you?" She stared for long, agonizing minutes,
and the guys could tell that she was in deep concentration. The
clock ticked with painful slowness. Finally, she looked at
Brandon, a faint smile on her face. "I think I can do it. It's
going to be tricky, but I think I can handle it." She gave Greg a
sideways glance. "And if I need help, I've got a friend who'd
love to work on this one." There was a twinkle in her eye that
made Brandon suddenly feel nervous.
Within moments, news had spread from the lounge, and the call to
a meeting was a mere formality.
"Good news," Brandon announced as soon as the guys had all been
seated. "Anya said she can do it."
Anya gave Brandon a nudge. "So now do you guys draw straws?"
Brandon grinned. "Not quite." He pulled out his PDA and stood up,
and saw the guys mimic his movement. He glanced at Robert. "All
logged on?"
Robert nodded. "All set." He pushed a button, and instantly, a
computer somewhere in the building began communicating with all
the PDAs. Random patterns began to flit across the screens as a
randomizing program began to run. For several seconds, each guy
had his eyes fixed on his PDA, watching the screen with dread and
anticipation. Finally, the patterns ceased, and a simple word
displayed on each PDA. All but one displayed the word 'NO'. The
remaining PDA displayed 'YES'. Sighs of relief echoed through the
lounge. One after another, each guy whose PDA said 'NO' sat down.
Finally, only one guy was left standing.
Paul glanced at his PDA, then back at the head table where
Brandon and Anya were sitting. His hand trembled slightly.
"Okay," he said, acknowledging his fate with that one simple
word.
***
Anya was bent over the computer in the Bikini Beach ticket booth,
concentrating intently on her task. Outside the booth, the wiry
little Paul stood between Greg and Brandon; it wasn't clear if
they were present to support him or to keep him from running
away. It was early on Friday morning; that afternoon, the
entrants in the pageant would be formally introduced. So this was
the latest that they could change Paul if he was going to enter.
After several minutes, Anya came out carrying a card. "Let's make
sure we have this correct." She was talking to Paul. "Height,
five four?" Paul nodded slightly. That was only three inches
shorter than Paul's current height. "Weight, one fifteen?"
Another nod. "Dark hair?"
Paul looked down and nodded. "I've always liked dark hair," he
muttered. In his mind, he thought how nice Anya's brunette hair
looked - long and slightly wavy, held back in a ponytail. He
wanted hair like that; it was the kind of hair he liked.
Anya's eyes twinkled. "Thanks," she said, as if she'd read his
mind. Greg smirked, but Brandon and Paul stood confused. "36, 22,
33, right? And a D-cup?" Paul flushed crimson, and he nodded
hesitantly as Anya revealed the data. She looked at Paul.
"Anything else?"
Paul thought for a moment. "I can't think of anything."
Anya smiled. "I've got a suggestion, if you don't mind." She
waited, but Paul said nothing. "I can make you a touch, um,
exotic. Say one quarter Hawaiian?"
Paul thought for a moment. "Okay," he finally said. "I guess." He
didn't sound at all enthusiastic. "But what would I look like?"
Anya smiled. "I kind of figured you'd take the suggestion." She
unfolded a piece of paper and handed it to Paul.
Paul stared at the photo, or very nearly a photo, of a girl. She
was slender and athletic looking, with dark wavy hair framing her
face. She looked tanned; on closer look, Paul realized that she
had some Island blood in her, and her skin was lightly browned.
"Wow!" he exclaimed softly, his eyes locked on the girl in the
picture. Finally, he looked up at Anya, confused. "What...?"
Anya smiled. "It's a computer generated image of what you'll look
like."
Brandon and Greg peered over Paul's shoulders at the picture. "No
way this is CGI," Brandon finally said. "There's no software good
enough to do this."
Anya smiled. "Actually, it's magic software. My friend works in a
store that sells things like this. She lets me use this. It
really helps for a guy to know what he's going to look like after
he changes."
Brandon looked at the picture again. "If I didn't know how you
work here, I wouldn't believe it." He smiled. "I'd sure love to
have a copy of that software."
Anya smiled enigmatically. "Trust me, you wouldn't. Not unless
you use magic. Or enjoy being a bimbo." The boys gulped; they
knew of the magic in the park, so it wasn't hard for them to
imagine that what she said was true.
Anya's smile faded. "There's one problem, though. To keep your
memories intact, I can't just give you all the, uh, feminine
skills you'll need for the pageant."
"Why not?" Paul said, his eyes furrowed in concern.
Anya sighed. "If I gave you those skills, it would alter your
mind. The change would be slight, and very subtle, but it would
be changed. To pull all of this off, you have to keep all your
memories."
Paul glanced between Brandon and Greg, then back at Anya. This
was getting far more complicated than he'd bargained for. "So,
what you're saying is that I'll be a klutz? A guy in a girl's
body?" He wrinkled his nose in confusion. "That's going to be
confusing, isn't it?"
Anya shook her head. "No, I can give you all the lower-level
skills, the things that are almost reflexive. You know - walking,
going to the bathroom, those things. But higher skills, those
that you learn later in life - well, you're going to have to
learn those for yourself."
"Skills - like what?" Paul was starting to feel nervous.
Anya tried to avoid an outward sign of concern. "Makeup. Walking
gracefully. Things girls start to worry about during puberty."
Paul mulled things over for a quick few seconds. "So how do I
learn?"
Anya smiled. "I've already taken care of that. You know Vicky,
one of the staff here, don't you? You're going to be her
roommate, and in return for helping you learn what you need to
know, you'll tutor her."
Brandon got a concerned look. "Tutoring? In what? Women's
studies? Nursing?"
Anya scowled, fighting the urge to shake her head. "She happens
to be a dual major studying pre-law and electrical engineering,"
she said through clenched teeth. "You can help with the
engineering."
Brandon cringed. "I guess I deserved that." He glanced at Paul.
Paul shrugged. "Okay, I guess that'll work."
Anya smiled. "Well, then let's get started." She gestured toward
the entrance gate.
Paul started to walk, then halted. "So I just shower? Like...
Anya smiled. "Right." She knew that he'd been one of the guys
who'd been purposefully changed into big-busted bimbos to get
revenge on the Alpha fraternity. There wasn't any point in
specifying exactly which event; it was obviously embarrassing for
all the guys who had been through that change.
***
It was Paul that emerged from the locker room, Greg and Brandon
reminded themselves. And yet, it wasn't Paul. Paul was a five
foot seven wiry kid with thick glasses. This was Paul's mind in a
stunning container.
Anya elbowed Greg. "Reel in your tongue," she hissed.
It was easy to forgive Greg for his gawking. Paul had been
transformed into a lovely girl, five foot four, with a shapely
figure and ample bosoms. Her hips were wrapped in a decorative
floral print sarong, and a matching band concealed her breasts.
Her bare midriff displayed a flat tummy and shapely waist. Her
long hair had just a touch of wave in it; she was wearing it
parted, sweeping back behind her ears and down off her shoulders.
For effect, Anya had added a flower behind her ear; with her
light brown skin and the sarong, she looked like a picture from
the islands. All that was missing was a floral lei.
"Wow!" Brandon mumbled. "You look... great!"
Paul blushed. It was obvious that he felt a little self-conscious
in this body, and Brandon and Greg's leering didn't help. "Anya
said my name is Melanie now," she said, surprising herself at the
soft, melodic tone of her new voice. "Melanie Keilani Lewis."
Anya interrupted the staring. "You guys have to get her to her
room, so Vicky can start teaching her the finer points of
behavior and grace."
Melanie shrugged, and then started across the asphalt toward the
car. She walked with an awkward, clumsy gait, but still, with her
wider hips and altered center of gravity, her hips swayed in a
seductive manner. Greg and Brandon caught themselves staring at
the girl, and then forced themselves to remember that this lovely
creature was really Paul.
"Uh, Melanie?" Anya's question caused Melanie to stop and turn,
yet another awkward motion. Anya winced inwardly; there was a
long way to go to turn Melanie into a refined woman. "You're a
woman." She saw the confusion on Melanie's face. "You forgot your
purse in the locker room."
Melanie blushed, and then strode in a most unladylike manner back
to the locker room. When she emerged, she was carrying the purse
like it was a grenade. This time, Brandon and Greg winced. As
Melanie walked back toward the car, with Anya at her side, Greg
leaned closer to Brandon. "She's got a long way to go to be a
lady," he whispered.
Brandon nodded his agreement. "You think we can pull this off?"
He watched Melanie walk. "She's walking like a guy."
Greg grimaced. "Yup. I wonder if Anya bit off more than she could
chew with this one."
***
"You must be Melanie," the girl at the desk called without
looking up. "Anya said you'd be here this afternoon."
Melanie opened the door fully and stepped into the room, glancing
around nervously. "Hi," she said meekly.
The girl at the desk looked up, then she grinned. "Don't be so
shy," she admonished. "After all, it's just us girls here for the
next few weeks." There was something in the way she spoke the
words that made Melanie a bit nervous.
Melanie tossed her handbag on the vacant desk and sat down. The
girl smiled at Melanie's clumsiness. "Well, dear, it looks like
I've got my work cut out for me, huh?" She extended her hand.
"I'm Vicky."
Melanie shook her hand. "Hi." Then she blushed. "I guess I said
that already, huh?"
Vicky managed, barely, to stifle the guffaw. "Look, Mel. Is it
all right if I call you Mel?" Without an immediate reaction,
Vicky assumed she had permission. "You don't have to be so
nervous."
Melanie bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry. It's just that, well, I've
never, uh, that is, I've..."
Vicky grinned. "You've never been alone with a girl in a girl's
dorm, is that it?" She laughed aloud. "Look, Mel, you're a girl
now. A girl." She made it really clear that she knew of the
magic. "Tell you what," she suddenly said, then stood and pulled
off her blouse. Mel sat rigidly in her chair, her eyes wide and
fearful and fixed on the well-filled lacy bra Vicky was wearing.
Vicky smiled again, and then fumbled with the bra, unfastening
the front hook. She slipped her arms out of the straps and let
the bra drop. Her boobs were bared for Mel to see.
Mel's eyes were riveted on Vicky's firm breasts. She glanced up
at Vicky, then her gaze dropped again of its own accord.
Vicky spread her arms, the motion causing her boobs to lift
slightly. She turned a bit one way, then the other. Finally, she
dropped her arms. "Okay?" She sat down on the chair, her chest
still bare. "Tell me what you were feeling."
Mel swallowed, feeling very nervous. "I, uh, I, well, it was
interesting."
Vicky laughed. "You're a virgin, aren't you." She watched as Mel
glanced down, blushing. "I mean as a guy. Aren't you."
Mel looked up, and then nodded in embarrassment. Then her mouth
dropped in shock. Vicky knew. "You... you know I'm... I was... a
virgin?"
Vicky smiled. "It wasn't too hard to guess, not the way you
reacted." She fetched her blouse and began to pull it on.
"Anyway, tell me what you felt when I was taking off my bra."
Melanie swallowed again. "I..." She halted, and then frowned. "It
wasn't what I expected!" she complained softly.
Vicky smiled, and then put her hand on Mel's shoulder. "Look, you
were expecting to get aroused from my little show, right?" Mel
turned, confused, and looked in Vicky's eyes. "You still have
your guy memories, and in the back of your mind, you think my
little titty show should get you horny, right?" She smiled
gently. "You're not a guy right now. When you got changed, you
got the basic package of girl instincts and hormones. So my bod
doesn't do anything for you." She smiled. "Your body and your
mind are out of sync right now. I bet if you saw a gorgeous man,
you'd start getting the feeling you thought you'd get from me."
Mel looked down, embarrassed. "I hope not," she said softly.
Vicky smiled. "I guess that's good enough for lesson one. From
what Anya told me, you've got a lot to learn before the pageant."
She spat the word 'pageant' as if it were disgusting to her. "But
right now," she turned to her own desk, "I'm working on a problem
and I could use some help."
Mel's features softened. This was something she could handle.
"What course?" she asked softly. The comfort of a familiar
discussion let her true voice ring out, soft and mellifluous and
carrying just a touch of an Island accent.
Vicky picked up her book. "Circuit theory 201."
Mel's eyes lit up at the sight of the book. "Hayt and Kemmerly!"
she cried excitedly. "Good intro book."
Vicky stared, and then a smile crept onto her features. "You know
something, kid? This could be the start of a beautiful
friendship."
***
"Okay, guys," Brandon announced, hoping to get some silence in
the lounge. "Guys," he implored again. This time, the noise
dropped dramatically. "I'd like to introduce our candidate for
the Holiday Queen, Melanie Keilani Lewis."
At Brandon's words, Melanie strode out of the hall into the
lounge. She blushed at the gasps and catcalls directed her way;
she had clearly made a big impression on these guys and it
embarrassed her. She walked, still with Paul's ungainly stride,
to the front, where she turned, nearly tripping and falling, and
then she smiled sheepishly and shrugged.
The white shorts she wore displayed nearly every inch of her
shapely brown legs, perfect with not an ounce of fat. Instead of
the sarong band, she now wore a floral print shirt, tied beneath
her bosoms and open on top to display some cleavage. Her hair had
been rearranged by Vicky into a neat ponytail. In a word, she was
breathtaking to the assembled guys.
"Remember, that's Paul," Brandon cautioned his fellow nerds.
Inwardly, he wondered how long it would take for these guys to
forget that Melanie was really Paul.
"Paul never looked so good," an unknown member called from the
rear. He said what was on everyone's mind; as a girl, Paul was a
knockout.
"Yeah, well I'm not going to let you guys forget," Melanie said
with a scowl. She wasn't sure if she enjoyed being treated like
this. On the one hand, the attention was great. On the other
hand, she felt very self-conscious. And even as she tried to warn
her frat brothers, her voice oozed with a feminine charm that
added to her allure. Sure, her words were crude, and her speech
pattern was rough, but the potential was there for a thoroughly
sexy woman with a wet-dream voice.
Brandon sighed. He was starting to think that this was going to
be a long three weeks.
***
"Like this?" Melanie asked as she wrapped the towel around
herself, hiding herself from mid-thigh to just above her bosom.
One loose end she tucked between the towel and herself, forming a
tight wrap.
Vicky smiled. "That's it." She, too, was wrapped in a towel and
was preparing for her shower.
Melanie scowled. "I can't do this," she complained. "It's not...
right!"
Vicky sighed for perhaps the hundredth time in as many minutes.
"Remember our lesson this afternoon? Everyone else here is a
girl, right?" Melanie nodded slowly. "So what's the problem?"
Mel sighed, and then nodded slowly. "Okay, I guess. Let's go."
The pair walked from their room down to the bathroom, Vicky
leading confidently and Melanie trailing nervously. As Vicky
opened the door, a girl, hair wrapped in one towel and body in
another, stepped lightly out into the hall. "Hi, Mel," she sang
sweetly.
"Oh, hi," Melanie answered. She felt confused; the girl obviously
knew her, but she didn't know the girl.
Vicky nonchalantly hung her towel on a hook, and then strode
naked into the shower. Mel gulped, then glanced around. It was
hard to think like a girl; she was in a girl's body, in a girl's
dorm, about to step into a girl's shower, but she still had lots
of male thoughts. She stepped into the shower and turned on the
water.
As she lathered her hair, Mel heard another shower turn on. She
felt her cheeks redden, but there was nothing she could do. She
finished washing her hair, and then began to rinse it. Finally,
with all the shampoo gone, she brushed the hair back off her
forehead and opened her eyes.
Mel felt her heart stop. In the same shower with her and Vicky
was Terri Preston, the head cheerleader and one of the most
gorgeous girls on campus. Mel gulped; the water ran down Terri's
long blond hair and cascaded off her boobs, those perky round
orbs that guys drooled over, including nearly every guy in the
nerd house. And Mel was seeing them up close. Terri was at least
four inches taller than Mel, and was well built. Trim and sexy.
Mel found herself making a serious comparison. Terri wasn't at
petite; her waist wasn't as narrow as Mel's, and her rear was
less rounded. She looked more like an athlete.
Mel felt a nudge, and she glanced at Vicky. For some reason,
Vicky was grinning. Vicky handed her a bottle, and Mel glanced at
it, confused. Cr?me rinse? She wrinkled her nose, and from the
corner of her eye, saw Vicky grin again. Mel opened the bottle
and dabbed some on her hand, then rubbed it into her hair. Vicky
smiled as Mel finished rinsing a second time. As she wiped the
dripping water from her face, gathering her hair to the back, Mel
saw Vicky jerk her head toward the door, indicating that they
should leave. Melanie handed Vicky the cr?me rinse, then gathered
her shampoo and soap and shut off her shower.
Terri finished wetting her hair, and she opened her eyes. "Oh, hi
Mel," she said sweetly. "Vicky." Her tone toward Vicky was far
less sweet; a sudden thought slammed into Mel's brain that Terri
was somehow jealous of Vicky. "I saw you're entered in the
Holiday Queen pageant." Again, her voice was overly sweet.
Melanie reached outside and grabbed her towel. She began to pat
her hair dry, wondering for a brief second how she'd known to do
that. "That's right," Mel answered. "I'm being sponsored by the
Nu Rho house. And you're being sponsored by the Alphas, right?"
Terri smiled, flexing her back slightly, an act that made her
boobs seem to jut out more. "Len insisted," she cooed. "Well, I
guess we'll be seeing lots of each other during the pageant
activities." She glanced at Vicky, and her eyes seemed to turn to
daggers. "Those of us lucky enough to be sponsored, at least."
Vicky stiffened imperceptibly as she stepped from the shower. Mel
was right behind her. Something Terri had said was irritating to
Melanie, and she struggled to identify it. What was it? She
finished drying, and then wrapped the towel around her hair. The
second towel went around her body, and she walked down the hall
to their room.
Vicky came in on her heels. "Bitch," she snarled. It was more
than obvious that Vicky hated Terri. Then Vicky's face lightened.
"How did you walk like that?" she asked.
Melanie frowned. "Like what?"
"Like... like you did coming down the hall." Melanie's confusion
showed on her face. "Oh, come on!" Vicky complained. "It was
so... graceful!"
Melanie concentrated, and then she shook her head. "I don't know.
I wasn't thinking about it."
A dawning light of recognition filled Vicky's eyes as she got her
nightie out of her closet. "So what were you thinking about?"
Melanie scowled, concentrating, as she dropped her own towel. She
opened her closet, only to find that her choices of nightwear
were a lace teddy and a girlish nightshirt. "Great," she
muttered. She grabbed the shirt, then turned back to Vicky. "I
was thinking about... the contest. And how much I hope that
stuck-up witch doesn't win!"
Vicky grinned, then laughed aloud. "I like your taste in girls,"
she said when she could talk again. She leaned closer to Melanie.
"You know, she's not a natural blonde." Her voice was hushed,
like they were in some conspiracy.
Melanie started. "No, I..." She halted, and she remembered the
shower, the dark brown hair of Terri's pubic patch. Melanie's
eyes widened, then she started giggling.
Vicky smiled through the giggling. Melanie was making good
progress. If only she could stay focused. And Vicky now knew the
perfect way - remind her that if Melanie didn't compete well,
then Terri would win.
***
"Okay, try again." Vicky set down the washcloth and watched.
Once more, Melanie leaned forward, toward the vanity mirror. In
one hand, she held a small case of eye shadow, and in the other,
she held a small brush-like instrument. Carefully, she rubbed the
brush on the makeup, and then she leaned even further forward,
trying desperately to keep the one eyelid shut while holding the
other one open. She shifted the brush to her other hand, and
began to gingerly wipe it on her eyelid. After rubbing a bit, she
transferred the brush to the other hand and repeated the awkward
process on her other eye. She leaned back from the mirror and
peeked at Vicky.
Vicky stood shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "No," she
admonished slowly. "You're not painting a barn." She turned Mel
back to the mirror. "Is it even?"
Mel glanced, and then dropped her gaze. "No," she admitted. "This
is hard."
Vicky grimaced and nodded. "Yes, it is," she acknowledged.
"You're going to be doing things for this pageant," again she
spat the word distastefully, "that require you to do your own
makeup." She handed Mel the washcloth. "So let's keep going until
you can put on makeup without looking like a hooker."
A knock sounded at the door; Vicky opened it. "Oh, hi."
Brandon slipped past Vicky. "Hi, Melanie. How's it going?"
Melanie turned, shrugging her shoulders. "Okay, I guess."
"Makeup?" Brandon exclaimed in disbelief as he spied what the
girls were doing. "Isn't that going a bit overboard?"
Vicky snorted her disgust. "You want her to look nice for this
thing, right?" She grabbed Brandon's arm and pulled him toward
the door. "So shoo. Go. Leave. We've got work to do." She shoved
Brandon into the hall, and pushed the door shut against his
protests. "Sheesh!"
Mel grinned. "He means well," she defended. "But sometimes, he's
so...na?ve! So geeky!"
Vicky's mouth dropped in astonishment. "Geeky?" She shook her
head. "You are, too!" she exclaimed. "Or rather, you were."
Mel laughed, and then swept her arms open, revealing her feminine
curves and charms. "Not any more, from what I see!"
Vicky joined the laughter. "Okay, so you're not quite so geeky."
She handed Mel the brush that Mel had dropped. "Now let's try for
not quite so slutty, too!"
Mel giggled, then began yet another attempt at eye shadow. Vicky
sighed aloud. This was but one of many items of cosmetics that
Mel was going to have to learn, and judging from her progress, it
was going to take a lot of practice.
Melanie finished and turned, already wincing from the expected
tongue-lashing.
It didn't come. Vicky slowly nodded. "Okay, that's not bad." She
grinned. "It's not good, but at least you don't look like a five-
dollar whore."
Mel leaned back against the vanity. "Can I ask you something?"
Vicky shrugged. "Shoot."
"You don't like the pageant, do you?"
Mel saw the muscles in Vicky's jaw tighten, then slowly relax as
Vicky let out a deep breath. "They aren't my thing," she said in
a practiced, deliberately cool voice. She turned back to put away
the cosmetics. "We'll take a break from this. Besides, you need
to help me with LC tank circuits, remember?"
Mel knew that there was something there; something that Vicky
didn't want to talk about. And her tone left it clear that the
subject was off limits.
***
"We're going *where* for the pictures?" Mel's voice was
disbelieving. Beside her, Vicky's mouth hung open.
Greg and Randy glanced at each other. "I understood you," Greg
said, "so you must have been speaking English. Funny, though,
that they don't seem to understand."
Randy shrugged. "Temporary insanity. Or amnesia." He turned back
to the girls, two in a pack of nearly twenty. "I said," he
repeated, very slowly and careful in his enunciation, "we're
going to do the photo shoot at Bikini Beach. Bi-ki-ni Beach."
Tiffany crossed her arms over her bosom and snorted in disgust.
"You guys think you're clowns, huh?" She half-turned to some of
the other girls. "This is going to be such a waste! I mean,
couldn't they have at least gotten decent photographers instead
of Nerds?"
Another girl hissed, loudly enough that Greg and Randy couldn't
help but hear, "Like I'm supposed to be in a bikini in front of
nerds? Yeah, like right!" The sarcasm dripped from her voice like
venom.
Greg heard, he just gave a quick wink to Randy. "What say we
really show them?"
Dean Livingstone and Coach Fielding both glanced at the two boys,
then the Dean spoke. "This is a real coup for the university, to
be able to do the Holiday Queen photo shoot at Bikini Beach." He
was barely concealing the lust in his voice. "There were certain
conditions, however, and so we are forced," he paused, glaring
sideways at the nerds, who pretended not to notice, "to use these
two young men as photographers."
The girls weren't mollified; they stirred and chattered uneasily.
Coach Fielding raised his hands, commanding silence. "Look,
girls," he barked, "I know you're not happy about this. But we
are providing daylong passes for you after the photo shoot. While
I've never been to Bikini Beach, I understand that the park is
one of the best, so I'm sure you'll have a good day."
The girls quit protesting and started filing onto the bus for the
short ride. Greg gave Randy a wink, and the two started walking
toward their car.
From nowhere, the dean appeared, latching firmly onto the elbow
of each boy as he strode between them. His jaw was firmly set and
his eyes narrowed with anger. "I don't know how you little twerps
swung this deal, but I know you're up to something. I know what
you little perverts are thinking," he snarled, "and I'm warning
you - keep your hands off those girls." He abruptly dropped their
elbows and stalked to his own car, leaving the boys standing
dumbfounded.
"Definitely an anti-social type," Greg muttered. He slapped
Randy's arm and resumed the short walk to his car.
The guys had their plan; they beat the bus to Bikini Beach by
nearly ten minutes, and they'd showered and changed by the time
the girls started to step off the bus.
"Okay, girls," Randy and Greg directed, totally female, shapely,
and clad in short shorts and scoop-necked short-sleeve shirts,
"here are your passes. Go stand over by the ticket booth,
please." Randy handed each girl a card as she exited the bus.
More than one girl stared jealously at Randy and Greg as she
strutted by, thrusting her own chest outward to emphasize her own
bosom. Randy elbowed Greg and giggled; they'd asked Anya to
become very shapely girls, more attractive than any of the girls
in the pageant, and with much curvier bodies. Just their little
gag to tweak all the 'in crowd' girls.
The Dean's attitude toward them was definitely changed. Instead
of glaring at them, he kept peering into Randy's and Greg's vast
and inviting cleavage. "Okay, where do we go?"
Randy ignored the Dean. "Swipe your card at the gate, then go in
the locker room and change. Anya will be waiting to lead you to
the where we'll be setting up the cameras." Anya raised her hand
and waved to identify herself.
The Dean stepped toward Anya, drawing himself to full height and
thrusting out his chest in what he believed was a manly display.
"And where is my pass, young lady?" he asked boldly. "As Dean of
Students, I must insist that they have an official university
representative as chaperone at all times. After all, this is
official university business." He got a smug, self-important
smirk on his face.
Anya gave a quick sideways glance at Greg, and caught his warning
frown. She smiled to herself; she didn't need Greg to understand
what this pompous ass was up to. Her magic had given her a very
clear picture of the deviant things running through his mind. She
crossed her arms firmly. "I'm sorry, Dean, but the conditions
allow for only one chaperone, and the coach was the person
specified in the contract."
The Dean started to sputter. "But, see here, young lady..."
Anya didn't bother to listen; she'd already turned toward the
gate. Most of the girls were already in the locker room changing,
and Greg and Randy were scurrying toward the camera sites. Coach
Fielding was standing beside the gate, holding his pass like a
treasure. Anya paused a moment. "Just swipe the card, then change
in the locker room," she instructed. She swiped her own pass and
went through the turnstile, then turned. "And be sure to shower,"
she added quickly. "Health department regulations."
The coach grinned, then swiped the card and practically dashed to
the shower. Behind him, the Dean glowered; why should Fielding
get all the action when *he* was the Dean?
***
Barb Fielding blew her whistle, annoying Randy yet again. "Come
on," the coach barked in a commanding voice, "get moving here!
We're almost out of time!"
Terri frowned at the coach, then scurried out of the way,
replaced almost instantly by another girl. As the girls primped
and preened themselves, getting ready for the photos, Randy gave
Anya a nudge. "You didn't have to make the coach such a bitch,"
he whispered.
Anya grinned. "I didn't. It's his personality with a woman
coach's memories and body." Coach Fielding was, if anything, more
attractive than any of the girls, but in a much different sense.
She didn't have the big boobs of a stripper, or the hourglass
figure of a movie starlet; instead, she had a power and grace of
a well-toned athlete. Her hair was short, in a low-maintenance
and sassy style, so it wouldn't interfere with any sporting
activities. Tall, at almost six feet, her tanned skin betrayed
not a ripple of fat.
"Well, she's a *lot* better looking, but her personality could
have used some improvement." Randy turned back to the models. His
experience took over, and he began to issue directives to the
model - turn this way, swing your head that way, flare your hair,
pout, smile, look toward the water longingly, and on and on went
his commands as he snapped picture after picture of the girls.
"Melanie! Get your ass ready!" Coach Fielding called angrily.
Mel practically leaped from the bench; the other girls around her
smiled. "Back in a bit," she sang to her compatriots as she
scampered toward the coach.
Randy smiled as Mel stepped in front of the camera, but she
glared back at him. His smile froze, and then he narrowed his
eyes and hoisted his camera. "Okay, now turn. No, a little more.
More."
Mel glared at Randy. "Don't be so bossy," she hissed softly.
Randy froze, taken aback by her tone. Of all the girls, Mel
*should* have been the easiest to work with; after all, she knew
what Bikini Beach was all about. He glanced at Anya; the puzzled
frown on her face made Randy's stomach knot up. He gulped, and
then turned back to the camera. "Can you try to cooperate?" he
asked in a softer tone of voice.
After what seemed an eternity, Randy put down his camera. "Okay,
coach, that's all at this spot." He smiled at Mel, but she glared
back at him. Then, curiously, she thrust out her chest and
marched back toward the bench, to where the gaggle of contestants
was chatting happily.
Randy shook his head. "Something's wrong here," he muttered to
Anya.
Anya nodded slowly. "Yup."
"I mean, you saw how she acted, right? Like she didn't like me
being around or something."
"Uh huh," Anya answered as she started to take down a flash
reflector. "And did you see how she stuck out her boobs?"
Randy paused, then nodded. "Like she was jealous of my body or
something?"
Anya laughed. "Well, if you and Greg hadn't gone overboard..."
She folded up the reflector then tackled its tripod. "You realize
that I'm going to have to put up with a boyfriend who looks
sexier than me for the rest of the day, don't you?"
Randy laughed aloud. The coach had already herded the girls to
the next spot, and he and Anya were racing to catch up. "And I
suppose you think it was my idea?"
***
Randy's eyes were watering, he was laughing so hard. Or rather,
she was. For he and Greg still were the gorgeous girls they'd
changed into for the photo shoot.
"And then the Dean tried to hit on Coach!" Greg howled. "Right in
front of all of us!"
Brandon had to hold his side, he was laughing so hard. The guys
were just trying to picture the Dean fawning over the coach,
albeit the female coach. "And she turned him down?"
Randy wiped his eyes. "She was pretty cold, too!" he added, still
laughing. "All but said she wasn't interested in perverted old
men."
Randy's words started Greg laughing anew. "She said she liked her
men young and with lots of endurance."
Chuck nearly spit out his soda. "So was she, like, going to run
off to the Alpha house and get laid or something?" He glanced at
Rob and grinned. "That sounds like something the old coach would
have done!"
Greg laughed, "That's about what she implied." His eyes were
tearing, he'd been laughing so hard. "I asked Anya if she'd, you
know, given him a boost. She said it was just Coach's libido in a
new package!"
Brandon grinned to Rob. "Too bad you lost the connection to their
webcams," he said regretfully.
Rob perked up. "We didn't lose it." A few guys glanced at each
other, and then they sprang clumsily to their feet and raced
toward the rooms and Rob's computer.
Brandon watched them go. "So what else..." He was interrupted
when the door opened. "Oh, hi Mel," he called out
enthusiastically.
Melanie walked cautiously into the lounge area, glancing around
as if monsters waited to grab her. "Hi," she said softly. "Vicky
said you wanted to see me?"
Brandon's face lit up. "Yeah! We're having a party tomorrow
night. We want you to be there."
Mel looked nervous. "Uh, not tomorrow night," she said quickly.
Too quickly, she realized belatedly. She looked down at the
floor, shuffling her feet as she stammered, "there's a faculty
reception tomorrow night, and I have to go."
Randy glanced at Brandon, his features clouded, and then he
looked back at Melanie. "Well, I guess you have to go to that,"
he said, trying to sound sympathetic and not judgmental.
"Yeah," Mel echoed. Then she stiffened when she saw Randy and
Greg, still in their sexy female bodies. Mel's jaw visibly
tightened, and she straightened up, thrusting her chest out a
bit. "Look," she said, turning away from Randy and back toward
Brandon, "I've got to get back to the dorms. I've got to help
Vicky study for a test tomorrow." She turned stiffly and strode
quickly out of the lounge, her gait far more graceful and
feminine than the guys expected. Nor had they noticed; they were
all stunned by the manner in which she'd left, and especially her
attitude toward Randy.
***
Meet-the-media was going well, or at least to Mel. She was
clearly having a good time, laughing and chatting with the
reporters and photographers, and sharing jokes with the other
contestants.
To Brandon and Chuck, on the other hand, the event was a total
bust. They felt like intruders, surrounded as they were by the
'in crowd'. As Mel's sponsors for the contest, their presence was
required, but it seemed that everyone resented the presence of
the nerds. They sampled the hors d'oeuvres - when they could get
a waiter to actually pass near them - and sipped their punch, but
no one really seemed to want to talk to them.
Mel, on the other hand, had no problem attracting attention. She
seemed to be enjoying it whenever a photographer corralled her
for a picture, or when a reporter shoved a recorder in her face.
She happily talked and laughed with some of the other fraternity
sponsors, including the Alphas. And the one time that Brandon had
a chance to talk to Mel; he tried to confront her, to see what
was going on. Her words left him and Chuck chilled; she dismissed
their concerns as jealousy of the attention she was getting.
After all, this was just a part of the pageant, and she had to
act her part.
***
"Come on," Mel said pleadingly, "let's go!" She stood in the
doorway to her room, her sweater tied around her shoulders and a
purse draped over her shoulder.
Vicky glanced up from her book. "I've got to study," she
protested again.
Mel frowned. "Come on," she cajoled. "You've got that stuff down
cold. Now let's go."
Vicky stared at the book for a few seconds, and then she flipped
it shut. "Okay," she relented. She grabbed her purse and sweater,
and then followed Mel. Mel had borrowed Chuck's car, and they
climbed in and drove quickly.
"We're going to... the mall?" Vicky's voice had an edge, like she
was nervous.
Mel didn't notice Vicky's unease. "Yeah," she answered with a
grin. "I need to get a couple of new outfits."
The entire time in the mall, Vicky seemed nervous. Mel, on the
other hand, was clearly enjoying herself. The 'couple' of outfits
turned into two new dresses, a skirt, a couple of tops, and a
side trip to Victoria's Secret. And almost five hours time.
As they drove back, Vicky finally turned to Mel. "What's going
on?" Vicky asked simply.
Mel glanced at her roommate. "What?" she said, wrinkling her brow
in confusion. She turned her attention back to driving and pulled
into a parking spot. "What are you talking about?" she asked as
she shut off the car.
Vicky frowned. "The whole thing," she said. "Aren't you going a
bit overboard?"
Mel glanced at Vicky, and then laughed. "I figured, 'what the
hell?' I mean, most guys never get this chance, so why not enjoy
it?" She opened the back door and retrieved her bags, then kicked
the door shut with her foot and began trudging toward their room.
When they got back to the room, Vicky tried to study, but she was
distracted by Mel's primping. Curiosity, or concern, finally got
the better of her. "Okay, what gives? Are you okay?"
Mel set down the bottle of nail enamel she'd picked up, and then
turned her chair toward Vicky. "Yeah, I'm fine!" she protested.
"Why is everyone asking me that?" She turned away, pouting, upset
by the implication that she *wasn't* okay. Then she turned back,
her eyes widening with recognition. "You're jealous," she accused
softly. "You're jealous that I'm in the pageant."
Vicky felt her jaw tense, while at the same time she fought the
impulse to laugh at Mel's ridiculous accusation. "Jealous?" she
finally sputtered. "Jealous? Of you? Of that stupid... pageant?"
She couldn't keep the anger or scorn out of her voice. "You're
full of shit if you think I'm jealous!" She turned angrily back
to her books, her face red and her jaw clenched in fury.
Mel sat silently, wondering what she'd said. After a long few
seconds, she spoke again, much more softly. "I'm sorry," she
said. "I just don't understand." She set down the bottle of nail
polish. "Like this afternoon. I thought you were jealous of me
getting new outfits for the pageant."
Vicky took a deep breath, and then exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry,
too, Mel." She turned slowly to face her roomie. "It's not your
fault. I guess... I just don't like shopping very much."
"At the mall?"
Vicky started, then her eyes softened and she nodded slowly.
"Yeah, I haven't really like that place since..." Her voice faded
to a bare whisper.
Mel sensed that Vicky had some personal demon haunting her. "And
you don't like beauty pageants very much, either, do you?" She
saw Vicky's shoulders stiffen, and knew she'd hit the truth. "I
don't get it," Mel said softly. "You're pretty. You should be a
shoe-in to be sponsored for the pageant." Mel frowned. "You're a
natural."
Vicky reached up and wiped a tear. "Thanks," she said quietly.
"But I wasn't always..." She looked down at the floor, as if
ashamed of what she was saying. "A couple of years ago, when I
was a senior in high school, a friend and I decided to pull a
prank. The girls always had a beauty pageant, kind of a clique
thing. And we decided to enter, to dress in drag." She sighed
heavily, and wiped tears from both cheeks. "I found a little shop
in the mall that had some costumes and such, and I thought they'd
be perfect for the gag." Vicky took a tissue and wiped her eyes
again. "It was a magic shop. Spells something-or-other. The
costume worked, only a little too well. I won the contest, but
I've been stuck like this since."
Mel's eyes were wide. "You were...?"
Vicky dabbed her eyes again. "I was a guy. Until I went into that
damned shop! And all because of a stupid pageant!" It seemed that
she was torn between lashing out in her anger and breaking down
in tears.
"I'm sorry," Mel said softly. "I didn't know."
"Well, that wasn't the worst of it," Vicky finally added,
breaking the awkward silence. "Jim got it worse. He's a...
bimbo!" She was fighting back the tears. "I think it was
something in the wig, because when he put it on, he turned into a
blond airhead. He... she... turned into a sex machine. She's even
got a kid now." Vicky turned away from Mel, staring into a blank
spot on her desk. "I guess I got lucky; I didn't like the blond
wig, so I borrowed one." She wiped her eyes again, then her nose.
"But I'm still stuck." Vicky turned back toward Mel. "I got
angry, and rebellious. I got in a lot of trouble." She looked
down. "I got busted for vandalism."
Mel watched her roomie. "So how did you get a job at Bikini
Beach?" she finally asked.
Vicky laughed. "Ironic, isn't it? The place turns guys into
girls. Only they were too late to change me, huh?" She laughed
bitterly. "A few guys and I broke in one night. You know - to
have some midnight fun? Well, we caused some damage to the pumps
and stuff, and we have to work off our debt. The guys got it
worse, I guess. They're stuck as girls until the debt is paid."
She shook her head. "Funny, I thought I was going to get it
worst, with my juvenile record and all. But the boss seemed to
know what had happened to me. I think she went easy on me because
of what I've been through."
The duo sat in awkward silence for a long time. Mel realized that
Vicky had said much, much more than she'd intended. "Do you still
hate being a girl?" Mel finally asked.
Vicky snapped her gaze up from the floor. Her eyes betrayed an
inner sadness that seemed to permeate her very being. "I guess
so," she answered half-heartedly. "At least, it's not as bad as
it was. Not at first." She laughed again. "I miss football and
sports, though." Vicky watched Mel's reaction. Then she returned
the question. "What about you? Are you enjoying this? The
attention, being popular?"
Mel let her mouth drop open, and then she turned away from Vicky
so her roomie couldn't see the turmoil in her eyes. No answer
came.
***
Brandon lifted his hand from his knee. He sat in his chair,
leaning forward like a hawk over the chessboard, his eyes focused
and narrow. He reached gleefully for his rook. With a flourish,
he moved it deep toward Bert's side of the board. "Aha!" he cried
gleefully. He knew he had Bert in a tough spot.
"Guys?" The interruption came from the doorway. They turned and
saw Randy standing in the opening.
"What's up?" Bert asked quickly. This distraction had halted
Brandon's excessive gloating.
Randy's frown gave away the fact that he had bad news. "You guys
talk to Mel lately?"
"Paul," Robert corrected from his bunk. "It's Paul, remember?"
"Yes," Bert echoed. Then he put his finger on the heart of the
matter. "But does Mel remember that she's really Paul?"
Randy nodded. "That's the problem. I think this is going to
Paul's head."
Brandon leaned back in his chair, his face wrinkling with
concern. "Yeah," he echoed. "I saw her between classes yesterday.
She acted like she didn't want to be seen around me."
Randy sighed and slid into an empty chair. "I'm afraid this is
getting out of control. I'm afraid Paul is getting to like being
Melanie a bit too much."
"She was hanging around the Gamma girls yesterday afternoon,"
Robert observed. "Stuck-up snobs!" His distaste for the Gamma
girls was surpassed only by his dislike for the Alpha fraternity.
Both groups were exceedingly snobbish, especially toward the
nerds.
Bert looked at the chessboard, and then tipped his king. "So what
are we going to do?"
Brandon glanced sharply at him, then at Robert and Randy. "I
think we need to have a chat with Mel," he said softly.
Brandon and Randy rapped lightly on the door. Though it was open
hours in the girls' dorm, they didn't want to give any girl any
excuse to complain about them being noisy. The door opened a
crack, and Vicky stared out. "Yeah?" she asked simply.
Brandon smiled pleasantly. "Is Mel in? We need to talk to her."
Vicky frowned. "No," she said quickly. "She's... um... at the
library."
Randy glanced at Brandon, then back. It was clear that he didn't
believe Vicky's little fib. "No, she isn't. I was just over
there."
Vicky sighed. "Okay, I really shouldn't lie, should I?" She
sighed again. "She's out on a date. With Ron Pike."
Randy's jaw hit the floor only a microsecond before Brandon's.
They stood, dumbfounded, for several seconds. Finally, Brandon
stammered, "He's a... football player!" The disbelief in his
voice was plain for all to hear.
Vicky nodded slowly. "She asked me not to tell you guys," she
said s