The Class Project - Chapter 8 free porn video

Author's Note: It's been nearly 8 years since I posted Chapter 7 of this story. Many of today's readers may be unfamiliar with the original 7 chapters I posted in 1995 and those that are may no longer remember the story. For that reason I've recently posted a slightly updated version of the original so everyone can bring themselves up to date. A lot has changed for me since I started this story. I have a different point of view than I did back then. But I've tried to keep the same tone in this continuation. And I'm working from the original outline I made back then. Although the completed story often has a tendency to veer off the path laid down in the outline I'm doing my best to remain faithful to my original concept. So for those out there who've wondered how this story would turn out here's the next chapter. I'm currently working on Chapter 9. Although I can't make any promises on when it will be posted I certainly hope it won't take me as long as chapter 8 did! Enjoy! Janice The Class Project by Janice Dreamer Chapter 8 Robyn slumped crossways in an armchair, her back propped against one arm and her legs dangling over the opposite side. Her newly petite body was nearly swallowed up by the large chair. All she was wearing was a pair of socks and a tee shirt she had liberated from Brad's bedroom just before he kissed her and took off for his fraternity. Alone now, she felt edgy and more than a little whiny. Her hair was still damp and chilled her where it lay on her skin, just another minor irritation to add to her already fragile mood. For the fifth or sixth time in as many minutes, she wished Brad hadn't had to rush off so early. She half-heartedly fiddled with her hair, trying to work the snarls out of it. The only comb she owned was a small pocket sized one and it was all but impossible to work it through her luxuriantly thick tresses. How could she be expected to deal with this mess every time she washed her hair? She had only the vaguest idea what the average woman did to maintain long hair. She always thought long hair on girls was sexy but she didn't relish the thought of having to waste so much time on it from now on. She made a mental note to pick up a blow dryer and an assortment of combs, brushes, and other hair essentials as soon as possible. She'd also have to remember to ask Cathy for some tips on hair care and grooming. A haircut would be the simplest solution except Brad had made a big deal over how much he loved her long strawberry locks during their lovemaking last night. Would he still be attracted to her if she got a more low maintenance hairstyle? Oh Lord! What was she thinking anyway? She suddenly realized she was worrying about staying attractive for a man! Acting just like an insecure and codependent gum-chewing teenager. Why was she thinking this way? In answer the image of Brad's face as he bent down to kiss her arose unbidden in her mind. She sighed. It was only ten minutes since they'd parted and she was already driving herself insane missing him. Her thoughts were in a giddy whirl, going over and over every aspect of the time she'd spent with him. Everything seemed so much more fun whenever he was around. He seemed to add an extra dimension to life. As if his very presence turned up the brightness control on the universe. What they shared together had been unbelievable. But she needed to get a grip. It wasn't as if she were going to remain a woman forever. She needed a distraction. The prospect of facing the day alone filled her with ennui. She knew she should get busy working on reproducing the demon-summoning program but she just couldn't get her mind off Brad. The thought of him made her smile and sigh once more. Was it wrong for her to relish the memory of the past two days? Their short time together already felt like the most fascinating string of events in her life. Brad was an intelligent, witty person; he always knew just what to say to keep her laughing and intrigued. She just wished she'd been half as witty and intelligent as Brad had been. It was so disconcerting -- no, downright embarrassing! - how her mind turned to mush around Brad. Mentally replaying their conversations, she realized she acted like a spacey ditz around him -- the typical airheaded bimbo behavior she'd always despised in certain women. But try as she might, she couldn't seem to control herself; somehow Brad managed to exert a powerful effect on her with just a smile. Bob had been a social outcast for the most part, so she had little experience in normal everyday banter to draw on, much less the complicated dance of flirtation and seduction between men and women. She found herself flattered and titillated by nearly everything Brad said. Occasionally after some compliment or witticism, she would blurt out a brainless reply, but mostly all she managed was flustered laughter. Laughter, she ruefully admitted to herself, which came out sounding exactly like empty-headed girlish giggling. She wondered if natural-born women had the same kind of feelings when men flirted with them. If so, they seemed to handle themselves better than she had managed so far. In fact, it had always been her impression that women were in control in virtually all interaction between the sexes. Even the airheads seemed capable of manipulating any situation so that they got just what they wanted. What Robyn had no way of knowing was that all those other women had spent years honing their social skills in the cutthroat arena of adolescent girlhood. What appeared to come naturally to the women Robyn envied was the end result of a great deal of heart-wrenching experience gained in the crucible of junior high and high school: woeful gazing into mirrors obsessing over every tiny perceived flaw, extreme embarrassment over minor faux pas, and endless phone discussions about the most inconsequential minutia of the day. Robyn's problem was that she had been suddenly thrust into a very hormonally active female body without the benefit of growing into it. Put quite simply, she was experiencing the very intense emotions of a teenage girl's first crush -- but after living her first 23 years as a male! She resolved to not act like a silly fluff-brain the next time Brad was around, or any other attractive man for that matter. With a little twitter of embarrassment, she realized that she was thinking of Brad as an "attractive man". Well, why not? With just a touch of defiance she thought, he is rather attractive, after all. Then with a sigh of longing she corrected herself and whispered, "No, he's more than just attractive, he's *wonderful*!" She was growing horny just thinking of Brad and suddenly realized she'd been dreamily stroking her left breast, imagining it was his hand upon her flesh. How embarrassing! This just wouldn't do, she thought to herself. With a considerable effort of will she jumped out of the chair and wandered about the apartment, busying herself by straightening up the mess left over from the infamous Tuesday night experiment. God! It seemed nearly impossible to her that only three days ago she had been a man. Most of the wreckage was completely unsalvageable. Her computer resembled an abstract art sculpture more than a working machine. She yanked up the burnt cables where they'd been stapled to the floor and dumped the remains of her computer in a large box for the garbage. Thankfully the rest of the damage wasn't too bad. She took a mop to the scorch marks on the floor and was relieved to discover they were only superficial and cleaned right up, leaving almost no traces in the wood. As she finished cleaning she caught sight of the video camcorder sitting on a bookshelf in the corner of the room. They had positioned it to get the entire room in the camera's field of view and left it running to record the summoning for their project. In all the excitement of the past few days, Robyn had forgotten all about it. Oh wow! With any luck they could piece the spell together from the videotape! She wouldn't have to spend endless hours researching occult books in order to reconstruct the spell. Yes! Now she'd be able to change back to a man in almost no time at all! The memory of Brad's fingers, feather-light as he stroked her cheek, came to mind and she felt a pang of dread. Oh no! Now she'd be able to change back to a man in almost no time at all. Reluctantly, as if it were a snake, she went over to the camcorder and inspected it. It appeared to be undamaged. When she'd cleaned up the mess, Robyn had already discovered that the damage had been isolated to the computer and the area around the pentagrams. The television, stereo, kitchen appliances and other electronics all seemed unharmed by the power surge triggered by the demon. So probably the camcorder hadn't been affected either. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? She popped the tape out of the camera and inserted it in the VCR. With a peculiar sense of deja vu she watched the recording start up. On the TV was a clear view of the apartment just before they started the summoning ceremony. From somewhere off-camera she heard her former self's masculine voice saying, "...We know how the laws of physics work and we know how to control them, so there's no reason to worry about demons and all that." God, was I that much of an asshole? How could Bob have been so infuriatingly sure of himself? Then her former body walked into the picture - shit was he ever fat! As Bob, his mind never fully associated his *self* with his gross body. She well remembered how Bob hated seeing himself in pictures or video. It always came as an embarrassing reality check to see himself as others did. And now, after just two days, she was finding it even more difficult to picture herself as the person -- the *guy* -- in the pictures. She had a clear memory of everything happening on the tape but it was like watching a stranger. That couldn't have been her! Could it? She watched as Bob guzzled a beer just before it was time to start. Such a slob! And so smugly sure of the superiority of his own "scientific" worldview. He didn't even consider the possibility that there might be something to what he derisively labeled silly superstitious nonsense. Drinking the beer was a gesture of intellectual snobbery. Thumbing his nose at Cathy's insistence that they take the ritual seriously. It was a wonder she hadn't walked out of the project and refused to have anything further to do with him. Bob and Cathy situated themselves inside their pentagrams. The computer started droning out the sounds of the spell - "words" just didn't seem to describe them. Nothing much happened for a few minutes, but then Robyn noticed something strange. Faintly at first, but with growing intensity, the air around the two people and the computer began to glow. It looked like a shimmering curtain was hung from floor to ceiling following the outline of each pentagram, almost like a sci-fi movie force field. Robyn was reminded of footage of the Aurora Borealis she'd seen once on the Discovery channel. As the shimmering phenomenon increased in intensity, the audio track acquired a fuzzy static. The sounds from the computer, already unintelligible as any form of language, grew ever more distorted. That was odd, she thought. In Robyn's memory the singsong sounds of the summoning spell had been clear and distinct throughout, even though her mind had wandered into a hypnotic sort of trance state. Something else was different from her memory of Tuesday night. On the video the lights remained strong and bright but Robyn remembered how they grew steadily dimmer until it was quite dark. Even though the room was still brightly lit the glowing air around Bob, Cathy and the computer was now so sparkly that only indistinct outlines of their figures were detectable. As more time passed snowy interference developed and grew steadily worse, making the picture harder to see until everything was all but washed out. Concurrently, the sound grew so fuzzy that it was completely unintelligible, nothing but 'white noise'. The interference pattern seemed to wax and wane in time with the volume of the blurred sounds on the audio track. Eventually the distorted sound track rose to its highest volume and suddenly went dead. At the same moment the picture totally disintegrated into snow. After staring at this nothingness for a bit, Robyn hit the fast forward on the remote and zipped through nearly twenty minutes of interference until a clear picture suddenly returned. Without any warning, a bright flash of light blossomed on the screen and the video returned to crystal clarity just in time to show two people -- two *women* -- slumping to the floor, unconscious. Now the tape showed nothing but the two women lying on the floor, surrounded by tangles of faintly smoking computer cable. The computer was a smoking ruin of melted plastic. Everything was just as it had been when Robyn awakened two days ago. She zipped through the rest of the tape and verified that nothing else happened, except the smoke trails curling upward eventually petered out. The tape ran out after six hours of recording time with neither Robyn nor Cathy having stirred. Robyn sighed. There wasn't much that could be useful on the tape, she realized. All the important parts of the spell were garbled by interference. She assumed some kind of magnetic field or something similar had affected the camcorder. She wryly thought of other "genuine recordings" of paranormal occurrences she'd seen. All of them were blurry or very vague. As Bob, her scientific training and logical mind had made her a total skeptic when it came to the occult. Bob always laughed about those "actual video images" of alien abductions or ghosts or whatever that cropped up in the media from time to time. He'd been convinced they were nothing but hoaxes deliberately made as vague as possible to fool the gullible masses. Now she wasn't nearly so certain. However she retained enough of her former realism to know that nobody would accept this tape as "proof" of anything. Oh the tabloids might print her story, maybe even pay her for the tape, but they would only do so because nut cases meant big sales at the check-out counter. With a sigh of resignation, she ejected the tape and put it up on a shelf. Unbelievably, she felt relieved that the tape was worthless. She rationalized in her mind that she was relieved because she was terrified of dealing with the demon again so soon. Worried that she'd screw up again somehow and maybe end up worse off than she was already. But, with a rueful flash of honesty, she knew that she wouldn't have to make a decision about herself and Brad as long as she was "stuck" as Robyn. Robyn flopped back down in the armchair and wondered what she should do now. She was just beginning to imagine herself cradled in Brad's powerful arms when the phone rang. With a little squeal of elation she jumped up and grabbed the handset before it had a chance to ring a second time. "Oh Darling! I'm so glad you called..." "Robyn, it's me, Cathy." "Oh... " Robyn sighed. She felt a wave of disappointment. After a moment's pause she continued, trying to put a smile in her voice but knew it sounded forced. "...umm... Hi Cathy! How's it going?" "I'm okay, how about you?" Cathy asked. Darling?, she thought, what has Robyn been up to? After a tiny hesitation, she added, "Sounds like you were expecting somebody else to call?" "No. No, not really. I just... well... it's not important." Robyn felt her eyes misting over and there was a slight catch in her throat. Damn! She didn't know why she felt so emotional. Her mindset was still male enough to be embarrassed by her seeming lack of control. She tried to cover up by clearing her throat and affecting nonchalance. "So. What's up? You're calling awfully early." Cathy almost asked her what was the matter but decided not to push it. At least not over the phone. She'd wait until she could see Robyn's face before she tried to get her to open up. Instead she continued with the original purpose of her call. "What's up, she asks? Don't you remember? We're supposed to be going shopping today. Get you something more to wear. It's almost 9 and the malls are probably already jammed, Robyn." "Oh. Yeah, right," Robyn paused a second to think. She almost decided to blow Cathy off, but then thought better of it. She always hated shopping for clothes. But the distraction would probably do her good. Get her mind off Brad. And maybe she could talk to Cathy about everything that had happened. "Sure. So do you want to meet somewhere or what?" "I'll come by and pick you up. When can you be ready?" Robyn glanced down at herself. She could hardly go out in just a tee shirt. The jeans and sweater she'd worn last night were still heaped in a pile on the sofa where she'd dumped them. They weren't really dirty -- she hadn't worn them that long. But she didn't really want to take off Brad's shirt. She could still smell a lingering trace of his cologne... With that thought she wished again that he'd been able to stay instead of rushing off. She could hardly wait until the next time she was in his arms. Was it just last night they'd made love? God, she couldn't believe how fast things seemed to be moving in her life! "Robyn? Are you still there?" Cathy's voice from the phone brought her back to reality. "I can be ready in five or ten minutes, I guess." She figured she'd just wear the same clothes again, not that it really mattered anyway. "Although I wonder if my hair's ever gonna dry." Cathy laughed. "Sometimes you still act so much like a guy, Robyn! No self respecting female would even consider going shopping with a wet head." "I'm STILL a guy!" she snapped. Her protest was automatic and she tried to soften it a little. "On the inside I am, anyway..." Although to herself she added, at least I think I am. Then she remembered the taste of Brad's skin as she lovingly ministered to his cock. Would a guy do THAT? "We'll see, Robyn." Cathy said softly. "Anyway, since you're all set I'll be by to pick you up in about ten minutes. See ya then!" "'Kay. Bye Cathy." Robyn gathered up her discarded clothing and went into her bedroom to change. She glanced around the room, distastefully taking in the chaos. What a slob she was! She draped her jeans and sweater over the back of her desk chair and picked up the piles of dirty laundry at the foot of her bed. Tossing the male clothes into the trash bag she used as a laundry bag, she put it in the bottom of her closet then straightened her pillows and smoothed her comforter. As soon as she had a bit of free time she'd have to give this sty a good cleaning. But that would have to wait for now. Somewhat reluctantly she pulled Brad's tee shirt over her head. She held it up to her face and inhaled deeply, drinking in his scent. Then she folded it neatly and laid it gently on her pillow. Next she sorted through the clothes Cathy'd purchased Wednesday and came up with clean panties and socks. She quickly pulled her jeans back on then hesitated a couple seconds, eying the bra she'd worn yesterday. Decisively she shook her head and slipped the sweater over her head without a bra. She caught sight of the scrunchie she'd worn the other evening and used it to pull her hair into a semi-neat ponytail. There, she thought, satisfied with herself, ready to roll in less than five minutes. Who says girls have to take forever getting dressed? Robyn figured if she were going shopping she'd need to get some cash. Automatically she reached for her hip pocket to check her wallet. But all her hand encountered was smooth denim stretched over her firm ass. "Oh. Right," she said out loud to the empty room. She looked at the tiny evening clutch purse lying on her desk and frowned. Girls didn't carry that kind of bag on a shopping trip. She found the simple shoulder purse Cathy bought for her and slung it over her shoulder experimentally. She probably couldn't fit her wallet in the tight pants anyway. She'd have to transfer her cash and cards to the purse. Robyn found her old wallet on her dresser and started looking through it. The license and student I.D. were worthless as long as she was a girl and she set them off to the side. What else did she have? Not very much cash. But Bob had gotten a couple credit cards -- hell, nearly every college student had them; the credit companies sent them out like drug dealers giving out 'free samples' in hopes of getting somebody hooked. There was also the debit card for her checking account. She stood staring at what she'd removed from the wallet and considered her resources. There was a little money still in her checking account. It was maybe enough to take care of her rent and other essentials until January or February. Bob had a scholarship that covered his tuition and books. He supplemented the scholarship with a job as a Teaching Assistant for several introductory programming classes and also had a NSF grant for a research project he was working on under the aegis of Professor Smithfield, the Comp Sci department head. He was far from rich but he got by rather nicely for a college student. However that would change very quickly unless Bob reappeared at the Bursar's office to sign for his scholarship money, and reapply for his spring semester research grant and continue the T.A. work. She didn't even want to think about how she'd manage then. How long could she stretch her cash? She owed Cathy for the clothes she'd already bought for her and she hadn't even figured out how much yet. Briefly she considered backing out of the shopping trip due to lack of funds. But if she found a way to change back to Bob then her money troubles would be over. And if she were stuck living as Robyn for any length of time then she definitely needed some more clothes -- a couple outfits and a dress were hardly a complete wardrobe. She knew she'd have to find some way to bring in cash soon but that was in the future. For now, she'd deal with one problem at a time. There was always the good old American way -- pay on credit! She looked at the credit cards. They were all in the name Robert Wilson. She didn't even consider using them. With her luck some store clerk would think she'd stolen the cards. She didn't even have any ID for herself as a female. Of course, she could use them for online purchases. But that didn't solve her cash problem today. She supposed she could use them at an ATM machine to get a cash advance. But she'd keep that option as a last resort for the time being. Fortunately, her debit card was in the name of 'R. Wilson'. She figured a store clerk wouldn't know if the R stood for Robert, Robyn, or Rosencrantz. She glanced at Bob's scrawled signature on the back of her debit card. Experimentally, she signed R Wilson on the back of an envelope and frowned. Her much smaller hands and finer muscle control resulted in a neat, loopy script, not at all like her previous signature. Even such an ordinary thing was completely different in this new body of hers! She sighed and picked up a blank sheet and began consciously trying to imitate her former handwriting. After filling nearly the whole page she felt reasonably sure she could produce a close approximation of her male signature. But she'd need to be constantly on her guard since her natural inclination was to sign in her new feminine hand. Well, cash and debit card it would have to be, at least for today. That limited her somewhat but she'd make out. She opened the little shoulder purse and dropped cards, money and keys into it. "You only live once. Bankruptcy here I come," she giggled as she strode out the door to wait for Cathy in the parking lot. * * * * * Robyn leaned against a pillar at the entrance to her apartment complex's parking lot. She glanced down the street in the direction she expected to see Cathy arriving. The crisp November morning was chilly. She blew into her hands to warm them then crossed her arms under her breasts, hugging herself. She couldn't understand why she felt so cold; she'd often spent the entire day outside wearing just a flannel shirt in much colder weather than this. Briefly she thought of going back to the apartment and waiting inside but she refused to give in to this new weakness. Impatiently she looked at her left wrist then swore when she realized for the third time today that she didn't have a watch. One more item to purchase, she thought, irritated. What was taking Cathy so long anyway? She hugged herself tighter and bounced slightly on the balls of her feet trying to fight the cold. Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of her chest and was horrified to see her breasts jiggling with her every movement. Even worse her nipples were tautly erect in the cold air, and quite obviously so. When she'd decided to skip a bra she hadn't considered how exposed she'd be. She'd thought the heavy sweater would hide her new assets. Unfortunately she'd thought wrong. Self-consciously she shifted her arms to conceal the telltale tent pole effect as best she could. "Whooo! Don't hide 'em baby!" a male voice taunted from across the parking lot. She felt herself blushing crimson and glanced around guiltily, searching for her tormentor. "Oh shit," she muttered as she caught sight of the football player she'd had so much trouble with at the Mousetrap the other evening. "Double shit!" she hissed as he caught her eye and began swaggering over in her direction. "Well, well. Pretty little Robyn. We gotta stop meeting like this, Cutie; people will talk," he smirked as he slowly ran his gaze over her body, finally settling on her chest. Robyn fought to control her emotions. She was afraid and she hated herself for it. Her reaction was conditioned from years of abuse. Bob had been a favorite target of bullies like Johnson all through High School and had learned to keep a low profile to avoid conflict. It never occurred to Robyn that, looking as she did now, Johnson wasn't interested in torturing her at all, or only a little - if that's what got her hot. Her eyes darted about, searching for any possible source of help. No way will he pull something here in broad daylight, she thought logically. But she wasn't convinced; she knew from horrible experience that bullies didn't worry about possible witnesses when they set their mind on tormenting someone. Johnson moved in closer, obviously enjoying himself. "What's a pretty little thing like you doing hanging out on street corners? Looking for someone to fulfill your fantasies?" Holy shit! Robyn thought. The big ape is trying to flirt with me! How was she going to get out of this? She screwed her face up in an imitation of a smile. She couldn't show fear or things might get ugly. "Um... hi..." oh shit, she thought, what was his name? "Um... hi Johnson," she caught a flash of annoyance in his face as she stumbled over his name so she hurried on to cover up the awkwardness. "I... I'm just waiting for my friend to give me a ride. She should be here any minute." The huge man stepped even closer. He loomed over her like a giant. She felt the warmth of his nearness. If it weren't for her mounting terror she would have been grateful for the shelter he provided from the chill wind. She involuntarily tried to take a step away but felt her back pressed into cold concrete. Johnson planted his hands on the pillar, one on each side of her, trapping her in a far too intimate position. "You can call me Tom, Babe. That's what my buds call me. And the ladies who know me best call me *big* Tom," he said, smoothly confident in his own sex appeal despite having to remind her of his first name. He leaned down with his lips a hair's breadth from her ear and whispered, "Why don't we ditch your friend and go hang out? I promise you won't regret it." Robyn suppressed a shudder. She was trembling now and fighting back an irrational urge to scream. "Wha... what about Brad? I... I thought you were friends. Fra... Fraternity bro... brothers?" Johnson's face momentarily lost its self assured bravado and twisted in disdain. "Franklin? He won't give a shit. You two aren't serious or he'd have brought you around to the house by now. Besides, he'd never even have to know a thing." Then his lewd smile returned, even wider. "Or we could invite him along if that's what you're into. We *are* fraternity brothers, after all. We can certainly share..." Robyn's mouth dropped open. Was this idiot for real?! She felt anger building, displacing the fear that had frozen her in place. His comments about Brad stung her to the quick even as she rejected it all as total bull. What did he know about Brad's feelings for her anyway? The big jock! Without thinking she raised her arms and pounded both fists against his chest. She felt the force of impact all the way up to her shoulders. But, for all the fury behind her attack, Johnson never budged. This just added fuel to her fury. She screamed, "Back off!" And proceeded to pummel his chest repeatedly. Johnson jumped back, a look of shocked bafflement on his face. "Jesus!" he snapped, "Chill! I was just having fun. I didn't mean anything by it." Robyn was far from mollified. She went on the attack. Immediately she stepped forward and swung wildly at the hapless jock. Johnson reacted automatically; raising his arms up to block her punches. Then after avoiding a few ineffectual swings he managed to capture her wrists and hung on, waiting for her to calm down. Frustrated, Robyn wrenched her arms but his grip was unbreakable. She felt so helpless and that angered her even more. Why did this big ox think he had a right to lay hands on her like this? Since physical force wasn't an option she resorted to verbal attack. "You big jerk!" she screamed, "How *dare* you talk about Brad like that! What the hell do you know about anything?! Your idea of romance is big blunt and brainless! 'Big Tom' my ass! Big ego is more like it. Go back to your cave, you Neanderthal!" "Why you little bitch. If you weren't a girl I swear I'd..." Johnson's eyes flashed with anger. He literally shook with the effort of restraining it. "Oh what's the use? A stuck up little Barbie like you... you're all alike. You think your shit don't stink. You drool over Brad cause he's got the bucks. But he's nothing but a wimp. What you need is a *real* man to teach you what's what." "Well that let's *you* out!" Robyn hissed with venom in her voice. She twisted her arms around but was still hopelessly trapped. Unable to use her arms she lashed out with her foot, attempting to kick him in the groin. "Christ!" Johnson yelled as he narrowly avoided getting his balls smashed. He released her wrists with a vicious push that almost knocked her back on her ass. He used the moment she took to recover her balance to take several quick backwards steps, putting a safe distance between himself and the wild woman. "You're *crazy*! You don't know what you almost did to me! Keep away from me or I won't be such a gentleman anymore. You're one sick bitch." Cathy arrived just as Johnson let her go. She'd obviously seen some of the altercation as she approached because she pulled up at high speed, honking the horn and slammed on the brakes with a screech. Then she reached over, pushed open the passenger door and called out, "Robyn! Come on! Let's get out of here!" Robyn paused for a second, breathing heavily, undecided whether to continue the fight or quit while she was ahead. She was amazed at her own audacity. She could hardly believe that this enormous mountain of a man was backing down. Bob's practice had been to never resist because it only made things worse. But she'd fought back like a pit bull. It was wild! She may have hit like a girl and been totally overpowered but she'd actually beaten the bully at his own game! She walked slowly towards the car, showing no fear. Just before she slid into the passenger seat she gave Johnson a scathing look and said contemptuously, "I may be one sick bitch, as you put it, but I'm not crazy enough to want *you*. Go find one of your brainless football groupies cause they're the only ones crazy enough to have you!" "You don't know what you're missing, bitch. But you'll find out! Once the rich boy's had his fun you'll be out on your ass. Give me a call when he's tired of you. I don't mind taking ol' Brad's sloppy seconds!" Robyn's stomach lurched. She couldn't show how much Johnson's barbs affected her. She tossed her hair, looking just like the stuck up beauty queen he thought she was, and said in a saccharine sweet voice, "Yeah, well that's all you'll ever get is Brad's leavings 'cause you're not half the man he is!" She slammed the door on Johnson's retort. Robyn was shaking. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins. She was exhilarated! "Oh my God!" she shrieked, "Did you *see* how quickly he jumped back? That asshole was *afraid*! Of *me*!!" Cathy glanced in her rear view at Johnson shaking his head as she drove away. "What the hell was going on there Robyn?" "That *jerk* came on to me while I was waiting for you," Robyn said, catching her breath. "I was just standing there and he came up and started hitting on me. Can you believe it?" Cathy cut her eyes at Robyn and said sarcastically, "He hit on you?! Wow! Imagine that. And you were just hanging around looking bored with no bra on? Hello? He's a *guy*. Of course he hit on you. Duh!" Robyn gasped in surprise. She thought her friend would support her or at least sympathize. "Wait a minute!" she snarled, "Are you saying this was *my* fault? I thought you women blew that 'she was asking for it' rape defense out of the water decades ago." Cathy sighed dramatically. "No, I'm *not* saying it was your fault, Robyn. But I am saying that the way you look now you need to expect that guys will react to you differently. And you need to plan to keep yourself out of situations that encourage jerks like him. Like why didn't you wear a bra today? And why didn't you wait for me in the apartment?" "So there's a law I have to wear a bra now? I didn't feel like it, okay? And I waited outside 'cause I thought I'd save a little time," Robyn said sullenly. "You don't have to wear a bra if you don't want to, Robyn. But if you go bra-less you have to expect to bounce and, like it or not, guys tend to take that as an invitation. Most guys will probably just indulge in some innocent flirting but some misguided jerks like your friend back there are so sure of themselves that they carry it too far. You're perfectly right, it's not your fault but you need to be aware of how guys will perceive you now and be prepared for it. And you weren't really saving much time -- it wouldn't have taken two minutes for me to walk to the apartment. You need to start using your head. You're a girl now - a female. Get used to it." Cathy saw how Robyn's expression had gone from to defensive righteousness to embarrassed contrition. She smiled in understanding and dropped her sharp tone as she concluded, "Okay, I'm climbing down off my soapbox for now, Robyn. Sorry for the lecture, I just want to help you try to adapt to your new circumstances." "I *am* trying. It's hard, okay? Harder than you can imagine," Robyn said quietly. "I know it's hard, Robyn. You're right. I can't even begin to understand all you're going through," Cathy replied consolingly. "And I don't mean to be bitchy about it. I'm only trying to help. It's so easy to forget you weren't born a woman; you look so natural. So tiny and cute. You're truly gorgeous, chickie. I can barely believe you were Bob Wilson three days ago." "It's okay. I know you're just trying to teach me," Robin said, feeling a little guilty for snapping at her earlier. She was secretly thrilled by Cathy's compliments, she wasn't used to people saying how nice she looked. And she, too, was having trouble remembering her old self. She blushed hotly as she confessed almost in a whisper, "And sometimes I can't believe I'm still a guy either." Cathy dimpled impishly as she said, "But then you do something *so* male! Like wearing the exact same outfit two days in a row. Haven't you ever heard of changing your clothes?" Robyn blushed even brighter. "Um... yeah. I guess I didn't feel like picking out new clothes. I did put on clean underwear though." "Well thank the lord for that!" Cathy hooted. "Give me a break, okay? I had other things on my mind." "Other things?" Cathy asked suspiciously. "When you answered the phone this morning you sounded like you were expecting somebody else. Who were you calling Darling?" She arched her eyebrow inquisitively. Robyn was stunned into silence at this turn in the conversation. She picked at a piece of lint on her chest. She glanced out the window nervously. Finally, with a little sigh she said in a tiny voice, "I guess I thought it was Brad on phone." "Brad?!" Cathy knew she'd gotten shrill but she couldn't help it. Damn! She'd been afraid that Robyn was falling under Brad's spell. How could she stop her friend from getting tangled up with him? He was such a player but Robyn didn't see it. She was so new at being a woman; and so very na?ve. What was she going to do with her? She spotted a donut shop and, on impulse, swerved into the parking lot. "Let's get a cup of coffee before we hit the mall, okay?" * * * * * They settled at a tiny table in the corner, dropping their purses into an empty chair. Cathy'd been carefully avoiding the questions burning in her mind while they'd ordered. She chattered idly about coffee and shopping and how much she was looking forward to new clothes for her new look. Now that they were seated she took a calming sip of her black coffee. Across from her, Robyn halfheartedly sniffed the hot chocolate she'd ordered, saying coffee tasted too strong to her now. Robyn had kept mostly silent, dreading the inevitable inquisition. She knew Cathy didn't particularly like Brad - she'd warned Robyn not to get involved with him. She wanted to avoid a confrontation but she was nearly bursting with the need to talk about her feelings for him. Nervously she avoided meeting Cathy's gaze. She hunched over her cup, cradling it in both hands, enjoying the warmth, and blew gently into it to cool it. "So," Cathy said, breaking the silence, "You and Brad? What's up with that?" Robyn blushed. She hesitated a moment, trying to decide if she should open up to Cathy. How much had she guessed already? Everything? Was she that transparent? Cautiously she said, "He's... just... a friend. I like him. I wasn't really expecting a call from him. Just... well, I sort of hoped it was him." "Oh?" Cathy said noncommittally. 'Just a friend' and she calls him Darling? She thought to herself. But aloud she tried not to jump to conclusions. "Have you seen him any more since that night at the MouseTrap?" "Yeah. We... ummm... we had Thanksgiving dinner together." Robyn muttered, her embarrassment mounting. She lowered her eyes and fumbled with her cup. "Dinner together? Oh Robyn, are you sure you know what you're getting into?" Robyn snapped her head up and stared straight into Cathy's eyes. She felt a sudden flare of defensiveness. "You've got Brad all wrong, Cathy. He's a really good guy. He was so... so *wonderful* to me! We... we..." she trailed off, afraid she'd said too much. "You what? Robyn? What?" Cathy asked, forcing herself to keep her voice calm. Robyn felt her emotions all twisted together. It was just too weird. She could sense Cathy's disapproval as if it were a solid wall; it made her wary and unsure of herself. She couldn't explain it but she was vaguely ashamed of what she'd done, as if she'd let Cathy down somehow. But she also felt Cathy's real concern for her and desire to help her as a friend. And she was heady with excitement about what had happened between her and Brad and wanted to shout it to the world. But the words of that asshole, Tom Johnson, echoed in her mind. He didn't know what he was talking about. Brad cared for her; she just knew it! Unwanted tears welled in her eyes and slowly spilled down her cheeks. She felt her chin quivering. God, she was being such a baby! Cathy reached out and took Robyn's hand. "You can tell me, Sweetie. I'm your friend, remember?" Finally the truth burst forth in an explosive little breath, "We... did it together, Cathy!" Then, as if the initial admission opened the floodgates, a torrent of justification followed. "And, oh my God! It was just so unbelievable! I can't... oh God! The way he made me feel... The way he touched me... You don't have any idea how incredible it was for me!" Robyn was crying and laughing at the same time. Her face shone with an inner glow ignited by the memory of being made love to by Brad. For a moment Cathy's body stiffened and she frowned. She was sure Brad was poison. But Robyn's obvious infatuation pulled at her heartstrings. She knew all the feelings of a first love. She'd been through the giddy whirlwind of love. And survived the conflicting emotions, the pain, doubt, and insecurity, when a relationship ended badly. She'd leaned heavily on her friends through those good and bad times - she wondered how she could have survived without good friends to support her. But Robyn had no one else to turn to, to share her feelings with. Cathy was afraid that the relationship was doomed to a bad end but she'd only alienate Robyn by saying so. She hesitated, seeing Robyn staring at her hopefully, silently asking for her support and approval. Her hesitation lasted only a few heartbeats, then she gave in to the inevitable and resolved to do what she knew Robyn needed most: Cathy leaned forward and took the smaller girl into her arms in a hug. Robyn clung to her fiercely, as if she was afraid to let go. "Oh Robyn, I'm so happy for you," Cathy lied. * * * * * The mall was extremely crowded. Cathy circled the parking lot looking for a space. Meanwhile, the announcer on the car radio seemed to take glee in incessantly reminding the whole world that today, "Black Friday" -- the Friday after Thanksgiving -- was the "busiest shopping day of the year". Robyn was edgy; they'd cleared the air in the donut shop and the awkwardness between them was gone but now she wanted to be alone - she wanted time to think. If she heard that stupid newscaster predicting record crowds one more time she thought she would rip the radio out of the dashboard. She was beginning to wish she had invented some excuse to get out of this shopping trip. She would have much preferred spending the day just hanging out with Brad. Instead she was about to be buffeted by crowds of holiday shoppers and felt her temper on the verge of flaring at every minor irritation. After quite a bit of searching, Cathy finally found a parking place and they made their way toward the mall. "Geesh, do you think we could've parked any further away? We must be at least two miles from the nearest entrance." Robyn groused. "We were lucky to find any spot at all, Robyn. It's the first day of the Christmas shopping season." "What about that spot up in the second row that somebody was pulling out of?" "No way! Didn't you see that yuppie Mom in her SUV? She had that spot staked out. Bet she has two kids to find gifts for, not to mention a husband and all their extended family. There would've been nothing left of my poor Honda but a grease spot if I tried to cut her out of that space. Believe me, there's nothing more cutthroat than women facing off over a prime parking slot on Black Friday - unless they're fighting over the last Liz Claiborne size 6 in burgundy." "Well then why the hell are we out here fighting all the crowds?" Cathy gasped theatrically, then stopped in her tracks and looked at Robyn with open-mouthed mock astonishment. "Such heresy!" she teased, "Robyn, Robyn, Robyn. You really do have a lot to learn. We fight the crowds 'cause today we can find the best bargains. Later on everything will be picked over. So lighten up okay? Trust me, this *can* be fun. But if you start out with a bad attitude you're bound to have a horrible time." "Fun? Yeah, and they say a beating can be fun too -- for a masochist." "Can this be the woman who just lost her virginity last night? Oh just give it up and stop trying to think like a guy. Take a look in the mirror, girlfriend. We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto." Cathy laughed and locked arms with Robyn. She used her larger frame and greater strength to drag the tiny woman until she was skipping along beside her. "C'mon Robyn! We're off to find the bargains!" she sang out in imitation of Judy Garland as Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. * * * * * The two women strolled into the Junior's Department in one of the big anchor stores. Rather than make all Robyn's decisions for her, Cathy thought it might be helpful if Robyn picked out some clothes on her own so Cathy could gauge her taste in fashion. "Why don't we split up and just look around for a bit, Robyn? We can both pick out some things to try on, okay?" Cathy suggested. "Then we'll head for the dressing rooms and check out each other's choices. Take your time, there's no rush, we've got all day." Robyn felt totally out of her element. An alien visiting a strange planet. As short as she now was she felt like a lab rat in a maze as she threaded her way through the racks of clothes. She'd never expected this semi-claustrophobic feeling since previously she'd always been a half head taller than the highest racks and had no problem taking in the entire store. Now she felt almost like a small child and was a bit afraid of getting lost. "Cathy?" she called nervously when she realized she'd lost sight of her friend. "I'm right over here Sweetie," Cathy called from the next aisle over, waving her hands in the air so Robyn could spot her. Feeling foolish Robyn swallowed in her dry mouth and said, "Okay, just checking." "Okay, I'll just look around a bit, but I'll find you when I've got some stuff to try on," Cathy said. "'Kay," Robyn replied. This was silly, she realized, there was nothing to worry about. She began looking at some of the clothes on display, running her hands over them to feel the fabric. There were so many different styles and colors to choose from. She looked at some of the prices and was rather pleasantly surprised at how many of the items were marked down to a relatively affordable price. Maybe she could try this shirt; it felt nice and soft against her skin. And that skirt would probably show her legs off; Brad would probably like her in that. Bob had regarded shopping for clothes as a necessary chore that was best accomplished as quickly as possible. About once a year or so, he'd replenish his wardrobe. He'd go to a Big and Tall store and buy an armload of shirts and some jeans and that would hold him for another year. He never cared about styles or colors as long as they fit. He just grabbed the first things he found in his size, and was usually out the door in less than thirty minutes. Now Robyn was discovering that shopping might be fun. She always knew women had more choices in clothing but she had no idea how much more. The selection was almost overwhelming! She was looking at things with an eye to how Brad would like her in them. She wanted to appear attractive and sexy but she didn't want to cross over into slutty. Not to wear out in public, anyway. Then with an impish grin she said to herself, well not *too* slutty in public. Cathy noticed the change in Robyn. They met after a half hour or so and compared their finds. Cathy had expected her to go for the baggy jeans and sweatshirt look but Robyn had picked out several provocative skirts and dresses to try on. "Those are really sexy, Robyn," she commented, "Are you sure you'll feel comfortable in them?" Robyn bit her bottom lip and blushed, feeling so weirded out by the whole experience. She shook her head yes then hesitated a second and shook it no then giggled like a nervous schoolgirl. "I don't know! I wonder how I'll look in something like this. I also think Brad might like me to wear some of these styles. But a part of me says that I shouldn't want to wear these things and I definitely shouldn't care what some guy would like or not." Cathy smiled. It was intriguing watching her friend trying to come to terms with being a woman. "It's okay if you want to wear something feminine, Robyn. Nobody knows your history so who's going to judge you? Or if they do it's because they're jealous of how you look. I'm looking to kick up my own look too. I think it'll be fun to turn a few heads for a change." She looked over the items Robyn had selected. Most of them were the wrong size. Robyn must still have an extra large mental body image she realized. A couple of the blouses just wouldn't work with Robyn's coloring. But she couldn't straight up veto everything, she'd have to show her why they were inappropriate. "Why don't we see if they have this one and this one in extra small, Robyn," she said, "Then we'll go try everything on." "I don't know, Cathy," Robyn said doubtfully. She held one of the medium skirts up to demonstrate. "These seem awfully small to me as it is." Cathy merely smiled and said, "Trust me." After they'd picked up the additional items Cathy suggested they brought everything to the dressing rooms. A sales clerk counted their items and gave them each a plastic tag with a number on it. Robyn initially felt self conscious as they walked through the archway. She was invading a female sanctuary, but no one took any notice whatsoever. There was a small common area with three-way mirrors strategically placed here and there and little changing booths spaced along the longest wall. Women were popping in and out of the booths to see how they looked in the mirrors. It quickly became apparent to Robyn that virtually everyone was with someone else, some in groups of three or four. This was so different from the few times she'd been in the men's dressing rooms in this same store. Men didn't shop in groups and certainly didn't accompany each other into the dressing rooms. But Robyn kind of liked the feeling of camaraderie. She was growing to appreciate the way women were so openly supportive of each other. At least with their friends. She had yet to experience the vicious cattiness that women were capable of. Robyn looked skeptically at the saloon style swinging doors on the changing booths and whispered to Cathy, "We strip down in there? Those doors barely hide the top half of your body." Cathy grinned mischievously. "So what? Ain't nobody here but us chickens. This is luxury compared to the discount stores. Besides, *I'm* not the one who'll be standing around topless." Robyn blushed. She was feeling very uncertain about this but refused to give Cathy the satisfaction of showing it. She stuck her tongue out at her then raised her chin haughtily. "No problem. As you said, it's just us girls back here anyway." They began modeling their choices for each other. Robyn immediately saw that Cathy was right about the things she'd picked out. She was so petite now that even medium sizes were baggy on her. Women's sizes were a mystery to her. The ones marked small, medium, large were okay but what were the ones with numbers like 3, 5, 7? She pulled on a thin sweater and skirt set with a black and white diagonal stripe pattern that was marked size 0. It was one Cathy had selected for her and it fit like a glove. The material was a super soft knit fabric and felt wonderful against her skin. "Oh that looks *great* on you," Cathy enthused when Robyn stepped out of the dressing room to show her friend. "Turn around so I can see how it looks from behind." "You think so?" Robyn preened slightly at the compliment. She twirled about and looked at herself in the three-way mirror. She liked the outfit too and it was nice to have her opinion backed up by her friend. Cathy shook her head affirmative. "That's a keeper, girl. Now remember, you need to look for sizes like zero, double zero, one or three, nothing larger. Or small and extra small but medium's too big for you. You can't be sure which will fit best 'cause everything's cut differently." "What's the deal with all these different sizes anyway? Some are numbers and some are small medium and large?" Robyn groused. Cathy just shrugged her shoulders. "Who knows? That's just how they are. It's part of being a girl. We just learn to deal with it. Besides you have to try everything on anyway to make sure it fits right so what's the difference?" Then she frowned in thought and said, "But we've got to get you into a bra... unless you intend to give a thrill to all the guys in the mall?" Robyn shot a look at herself in the mirror again, focusing on her breasts. Her nipples had puckered the thin material of the knit top. "Oh my God!" she gasped, her former bravado vanishing, "I didn't even realize..." "It's *okay*, Robyn," Cathy laughed. "Happens to everybody. Sometimes they just stand out. You'll get used to it. You just need to keep it in mind is all. And sometimes you might even *want* to draw attention to them. Now go change and we'll head over to the Intimates department and buy a hammock for those puppies." Cathy lowered her voice dramatically on the word 'Intimates' and Robyn smiled in response, the little joke raising her spirits somewhat. * * * * * "Thank you, Miss. Come again," the sales lady said mechanically as she handed Robyn back her debit card. Robyn collected her shopping bags and moved to the side to let Cathy complete her purchases. Both women were overburdened with shopping bags stuffed full. Robyn wondered how she'd manage to make it through the day weighed down with all this stuff. "Whew! This stuff is heavy!" Cathy said when she was finished at the register. She glanced at her watch. "Why don't we run these out to the car and head over to the food court for some lunch; I'm starved." The mention of food elicited a gurgle from Robyn's stomach. She hadn't had anything but a cup of coffee and some hot chocolate since yesterday. "I'm so glad you mentioned food, Cathy! I swear I could eat a horse." "Good. I hope you don't mind but Greg said he might swing by to meet up with us for lunch," Cathy replied. On the way to the food court it seemed like there was some sort of neon sign over their heads. Robyn felt guys' eyes tracking her progress every step of the way. Up until now they'd been in the women's sections of department stores and surrounded mostly by other women who basically ignored them. But now it seemed every male they saw nearly tripped over his own feet as they approached. What could they all be staring at? Her breasts were securely cradled by one of the new bras she'd bought this morning so she didn't think she was jiggling too much. She looked out of the corner of her eye in the store windows as they passed, trying to see if there was something wrong with how she looked. "Cathy?" she whispered, "Do I look okay? Nothing unbuttoned or unzipped?" "You look fine, girl. Beautiful in fact," Cathy replied after giving her a quick look. "Well then why is everyone staring at us?" Cathy laughed out loud. "Oh Robyn! You're just too much! They're checking us out. And you might as well get used to it. We're a couple of really hot chicks." "Get out! I know we look good, but not *that* good," Robyn protested. "Look around. I don't like to brag, but we're the best looking girls in the mall." Robyn had to admit to herself that she had yet to see another woman who came close to Cathy's beauty. And she knew her own appearance was stunning. She should be, since she was her own male sex fantasy made flesh. But it was such a strange experience to be the center of every male's attention. They finally arrived at the food court. Robyn mentally tallied in her head the number of guys who'd smiled at her on the way here. The figure was amazing. They'd even been approached by a couple of guys who asked to join them for lunch while they were waiting for Greg. She wondered if she'd be able to go anywhere without drawing undue male attention from now on. It wasn't a comforting thought. "Oh look! There he is!" Cathy sang out gleefully when she spotted Greg. She waved her arm until he saw her. "Greg! Over here!" Robyn felt like a fifth wheel for a brief moment as Cathy and Greg hugged and kissed. Then Greg turned to her and smiled. "Hey Robyn! Nice to see you again. How you doing?" he asked. "I'm okay, Greg. You're looking good today," she said shyly. They chatted a few minutes about the shopping and the crowds and what they wanted to eat. Robyn was inclined to order a big lunch with multiple cheeseburgers and French fries but Cathy insisted that they both order grilled chicken Caesars from the Salad Masters counter. Greg opted for a Cajun steak sandwich and onion rings from the Bourbon Street Grill. Greg proved himself a true gentleman by including Robyn in the conversation during lunch. They talked about all sorts of things. Cathy went off on one of her Professors who was giving her a hard time about her Senior thesis. Greg complained about the politics of getting into law school. He also drew Robyn out about what kind of music she liked, what her favorite movies were and if she thought she might transfer to the university. And he cracked them both up with a really killer imitation of Adam Sandler. Once again Robyn found herself speculating on what a relationship with Greg would be like. He treated Cathy as an intellectual equal. He seemed genuinely concerned with her opinions, and appeared to relish the give and take of a lively discussion. She wondered if she and Brad would ever become that close. So far they'd had amazing sex but outside of bed had all seemed one-sided. Brad flirted and joked and steered their conversations. For her part, she'd been all flustered and overwhelmed, giggling like a brainless bimbo. That was the antithesis of her personality as Bob. He loved nothing more than a rousing debate among friends. Why did she turn so passive around Brad? Cathy certainly had no problem asserting herself with Greg. She mentally reviewed the times they'd shared. Brad was always in charge. He directed their conversations, both the topic and the tone. He initiated all intimacies. And he was always the one to draw the line where things would stop. Robyn was buffeted by the force of his personality, simply amazed that such a man would have anything to do with her at all. She remembered the nasty jibes Johnson had tossed out about Brad not caring for her. Did he just see her as a hot body? He had to care something for her or he wouldn't keep coming back, would he? Cathy and Greg, on the other hand, appeared to be co-equals, much more comfortable and assured in their friendship. She could see that they had a friendship first, that built upon itself into a more intimate relationship. "Hello? Wake up Robyn, nap time's over," Cathy teased, waving her hand in front of Robyn's face. Robyn shook her head and wiped the far away expression off her face. "I'm sorry, guys. Guess I zoned out there." Greg smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "It's okay Robyn. How's the weather in that alternate universe of yours?" "You mean the one where I'm boss of the world? It's great, thank you very much." She replied pertly. "Well it's time to come back to Earth," Cathy said. She gestured at the salad Robyn had been absentmindedly picking at for the last five minutes. "Are you finished?" Robyn looked down at her plate. Cathy had known what she was doing when she made her order a salad. From long habit she'd wanted a much bigger meal but her stomach was full now and she'd barely eaten half of the salad. She pushed the plastic dish away and patted her tummy. "I'm stuffed. Yes, let's hit the sales." "You ladies have fun," Greg said, while collecting all their trays and dumping them in the trash. He gave Robyn a little wave then leaned over to Cathy. He hugged her and gave her three quick kisses. "See you this evening?" Cathy nodded, her eyes shining in anticipation. "MmmHmmm. Sounds great. I'll call you when we finish up." "Cool. I'll be waiting," he said. He kissed her on the forehead and turned to leave. Watching the little parting scene Robyn felt a brief pang of jealousy. She quickly pushed it aside and reminded herself what a great friend Cathy was. She and Greg made a good couple. She just wished Brad were here with her instead of at his stupid fraternity. "Let's go, Robyn," Cathy said. "As somebody once said, We have not yet begun to shop!" * * * * * Robyn was busily looking through an assortment of blouses and wondering if Brad would like her in any of them. It was already after dark but she'd barely even noticed the passage of time. She never would have believed it but she'd been shopping the entire day and she had to admit that she was having a good time. When you had the body of a petite little sex kitten it was actually enjoyable to try on clothes. Robyn was amazed to see how she could subtly change her image from little girl innocence to wholesome niceness to wanton sexuality with just a few minor changes in wardrobe. No wonder women spent so much time dressing -- they had to go for just the right look for the occasion. So far they had made several trips to the car to drop off their purchases. Robyn winced slightly when she thought of the dent she was putting in her remaining resources but she kept reminding herself that it was a necessary expense if she was to function as a female for more than a few more days. Besides she still had plenty left for her share of the December rent payment. She and Cathy had varied their routine throughout the day. Sometimes they would stick together helping each other pick out items. Other times, like now, they would separate and then meet up afterwards to try on the things they'd picked out independently. Often Cathy would also have some things she'd seen which she thought particularly suited Robyn. And once Robyn had shown Cathy a sweater which she had thought was perfect for Cathy. She'd practically glowed with pride when Cathy had agreed with her choice and bought the sweater. Eventually she finished looking through the rack of blouses. She selected several and set out to find Cathy and ask her opinion. An older lady looking through the next rack of clothes glanced at her then did a double take and drew in her breath sharply as she walked by. Robyn stopped and looked at her questioningly. She felt a brief flash of paranoia, could the lady somehow tell she was a guy? "Oh you poor dear! You've got your visitor," the woman said while making clucking sounds of sympathy. Robyn stared at her in confusion. She looked around to make certain the lady was speaking to her then asked, "Excuse me?" The woman said in a stage whisper, "It looks like your monthly friend's come a bit early. It's okay, dear. We've all been caught off guard a time or two." Robyn's face remained a study in total incomprehension. "I'm sorry... I don't think I..." "Oh, honey, you're *spotting*," the lady said with emphasis on the last word, and inclined her head and very pointedly directed her gaze at the front of Robyn's jeans. Robyn still didn't completely take her meaning, but the woman seemed to be indicating a problem with her pants. She glanced down but all she saw was the swell of her breasts, so she turned to one of the many mirrors scattered around the store and looked at herself. "Oh my God!" she gasped. The entire crotch of her jeans was covered with a rusty brown stain. It looked like someone had poured a quart of red-brown paint on her. Reflexively, she reached down and felt the front of her pants. They were damp. Suddenly she became aware that her entire genital area was soaked with a warm, wet, sticky fluid. She hadn't even b