Emmas First Love free porn video

Emma's First Love This story is based on the E-Book 'Emma' (retitled 'XX/XY'), by Felicia Gabriel. I've tried to keep plot themes, personality traits and character names consistent, while inserting my own black belt martial arts background and residential history and applying it to what Emma would do and experience as a 14 year old transgendered girl in a small Texas town and especially in the high school. Emma's Life The pretty fourteen year old girl stepped from the bus and nervously made her way to the entrance to Martinsburg, Texas High School. Part of her nervousness was due to the fact that she hadn't actually attended school in person for over two years, due to some major changes in her life, and a particularly ugly incident that could have ended in her death as a result of it. The rest of it was due to those changes and the manner in which her new schoolmates would react to them, plus the natural nervousness of a teen going into high school finally with all the academic and social changes that implied. Emma wished she had taken her big brother Garrett's offer to drive her at least on this first day, but she felt that she had to face this challenge on her own. So he had taken his Jeep Wrangler (a VERY masculine vehicle, to match her brother's personality) the few blocks to her BFF Becca's house to pick up Becca's older sister Angela, the girl he had been dating for almost two years, and another of Emma's closest friends. Emma Smith-Abrams desperately wanted to fit in to the school, so she dressed stylishly but somewhat conservatively, not wanting to give any of what she called 'neanderthals' any opening that she didn't have to. There was already enough for the closed-minded and bigoted born-again people of her small town, in addition to the general run of ignorant redneck types to hold against her. While she looked and dressed just like any normal fourteen year old freshman girl (today she was wearing an above the knee black skirt and a pink pullover top with black flats), there were several things different about her, one of which in particular could get her shunned, harassed or in some cases (such as the incident when she was twelve) killed. Happily, much of that was somewhat unlikely, as she had a very close circle of girlfriends, and her brother Garrett was one of the best liked-and largest members of the school football team, and was known to be extremely protective of his little sister. He had stood up in church and rebuked adult members who had used unbelievably crude and insulting language in referring to her, and he had cowed two members of the JV team as a freshman who had done the same thing at Dino's Pizza (the town's most popular teen hangout, especially after games) after a pep rally, where Emma had gone with some new girlfriends. He had done this without raising a hand or threatening, just his tone of voice convinced Jason and Julio that harassing her was not in their best interest. Of course, HIS two best friends Jack Thomas and Chad Cole had been backing him up. As all three were extremely large and athletic, no one wanted to try tangling with them, then or ever. The greatest example of Garret's love for and protective instinct towards his sister came when their house was attacked by over twenty bigots, intent on kidnapping and torturing his little sister and possibly killing the rest of the family. They were being protected by a four person (three men and one woman) special operations team, but by sheer numbers some attackers got to the room where he was stationed to guard her, armed with a Glock 9mm pistol, which had somehow been 'lost' by one of the guards. He killed three attackers, two with the pistol, and one by tackling him down the staircase, breaking the criminal's neck but severely injuring himself in the process. The result was that he was out for the rest of football season, but was just fine for basketball. The last attacker standing managed to kidnap the terrified little girl, and was preparing to molest and then torture her to death before a large internet audience. Even then, Emma had been courageous and alert, and though her hands had been bound behind her back managed to kick the rapist in the groin, and then in the head when he went down. The second kick caused a major head injury, and as a result he was in a coma, probably permanently. She was rescued by both the local police and her security team, due to her having the presence of mind to call 9- 1-1 on a cell phone so that her location could be traced. Things went much better for her after that, and she could be said to have an extremely happy and satisfying life. So what could possibly be the reason for such hatred, harassment and violence towards a cute pre-teen girl? In a word, Emma Smith-Abrams was (wrongly) considered to be transgendered. She had been born a boy, Jeff Smith, to an extremely macho army officer, who was somewhat sexist and chauvinistic, though actually a wonderful man prior to his first deployment. These attitudes served him well as a combat officer, but left him ill-equipped to deal with a child such as Emma. At her birth, her gender had been somewhat inconclusive, as she suffered from a rare genetic disorder called CAIS, an inability of her body to accept or use testosterone, including that produced by her own body. Most children with this disorder are recognized at birth and are raised as girls, due to the fact that they will always be small and feminine looking, with non-functioning male genitalia, (with many actually having non- functioning female genitals also) though her chromosome type was XY. Unfortunately, her father with his macho attitudes refused to consider what was best for his child, and insisted that the baby be raised as a boy, causing poor Jeff a lot of misery, though his relationship with his mother helped somewhat. He might have lasted his entire life in this depression except for two life-changing incidents. On his third tour in the Iraq/Afghanistan theaters of operations, highly decorated Captain (Major Designate) Randy Smith was killed by the explosion of a roadside IED. The family moved from Fort Hood family housing to the nearby small town of Martinsburg, where poor Jeff endured harassment from some local bullies due to the perception that he was gay, which in fact he was not. He was beaten by one boy so badly that medical treatment was required, where his condition was diagnosed after a battery of tests. It was decided by him and his mother Gina, that he would henceforth be raised as a girl named Emma Diane, which immediately both raised his spirits and caused a reaction from the born-again conservative Christian faction of the town, directly giving rise to the violence that almost took her life. In the aftermath though, several positive events occurred. First, Emma's grieving mother found love again, with Jim 'Tank' Abrams, a member of her professional security team. While it was too soon for her to remarry at the time, their love deepened and after a year of dating, they did finally marry in a somewhat liberal Lutheran church, that had no issues with the birth gender of the bridesmaid (Emma of course!). Jim had been an officer in the Navy Seals, in addition to being a Black Belt holder in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was deadly in hand to hand combat, especially with knives. Second, Emma became close friends with other members of her security team, such as Gia 'Spider' Coretti. While conservative (she listened to Rush Limbaugh!) in many ways, she was open-minded on many social issues, including gender identity. A woman who could easily be a fashion model, she was an expert in several areas that made her a valued member of the team. She was matchless in the areas of electronics and computer programming/hacking, and was capable of setting up electronic traps and tracing computer servers anywhere in the world, since she knew the darkweb like the back of her hand. In addition to her considerable firearms prowess, she was both a competition level gymnast/free runner and most importantly to Emma, a sixth-Degree Black Belt in the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do. Another member of the team, Ben 'Ice' Blackwood was former Marine Force Recon operator, and a master of the art of Ninjitsu. After the kidnapping, Emma had determined that she would never again in her life be a victim, and would learn to protect herself as well as possible. With these three in her life and willing to serve as instructors, she enthusiastically took advantage of the offers with all the dedication she could muster. She was now not really afraid of much in high school though she wasn't arrogant or foolhardy. Since her surgery almost two years ago to correct things, she had trained daily, and now held a Blue Belt in BJJ (rare at her age) and a senior Brown Belt in TKD-and hoping to earn a Black Belt by her sophomore year. Ben's training in Ninjitsu allowed her to pick up almost any object and employ it as a weapon if necessary. And so we come to Emma's first day of High School. The scene in the office was ugly-which on the first day of school was the last thing the principal needed. He had several hundred students to worry about, many freshmen lost in the halls, transfers who didn't know anyone or where anything was, schedules misprinted with students being in the wrong classes, many of which they weren't eligible for (one luckless boy was scheduled for Cosmetology when he had actually signed up for Auto Shop!) And of course, there was poor Emma, which is what the current scene in his office concerned. The Reverend Billy-Joe Tomkins of First Baptist Church was irate. "How can you let that abomination in this school? HE's an affront to the laws of God and Nature. He was born a boy, and no matter what anyone says, that's what he is! He should NOT be prancing around in dresses and makeup, and you certainly cannot allow him to use the Girl's Locker Room and bathrooms! I won't allow it, and neither will this town!" Principal David Caruthers really didn't want to deal with this, as he knew Pastor Tomkins was powerful, and had a large following. However, Caruthers knew the law and had a job to do. He also did NOT want to deal with Emma's attorney, a fabulously wealthy and very well connected woman named Brianna Marshall (nee DiMaggio), who had the State Governor, all of the federal judges in the state, all of the members of the Texas Legislature, all of her state's US Representatives and both senators, plus many other public officials on speed dial. Since she owned the proceeds from the sale of DiMaggio Oil to Exxon-Mobil (with investments currently worth over 13 billion dollars!), she called all of those worthies by their first names too-while many of them called her Ms. DiMaggio (or Mrs. Marshall)! Bree was not only Emma's attorney, but also a close friend and mentor (she was transgender herself) and married to Jon Marshall, the head of the security team that Emma's stepfather was a member of (and a former University of Texas football star until he was injured, and also a former pro football player and FBI agent-who still had connections). "Pastor, I appreciate your position. I am aware of your religious beliefs, as well as those of your congregation. But they have no bearing here. Emma-a girl, has been legally declared to be female and was only considered male due to a birth defect. She is no threat to anyone in the girl's facilities, as she has had corrective surgery. She wouldn't have been before then either, as her genitals were non- functioning and male hormones simply did not react with her body. She should have been diagnosed at birth. She's a 14 year old girl, and will be treated here as such, no more and no less! And I will NOT tolerate any harassment of her by the children of your followers or anyone else. The state-and this district have anti-bullying policies, as does the federal government. They will be followed. And if any of your youthful members choose to disregard this warning, I'd suggest you remember who her brother is-and who his friends are. I daresay that if any boy chooses to harass little Emma, Garrett would take action-which he has done before. And you know of course, that due to her training, she is more than capable of taking on any of the girls who might be so foolish as to attack her!" "I consider this a violation of our religious rights to have our children forced to attend school and for our girls to use the same bathrooms and locker room with HIM! We will sue if we have to, and perhaps run for school board at the next election and put things to rights, in accordance with God's Law. And I expect you to protect any of our members who are attacked by Garrett or 'Jeff' or Emma as you insist on calling him, for exercising THEIR religious rights. This isn't over, Caruthers!" The extremely angry and hate filled 'minister' stormed out of the office muttering to himself that he would see that the abomination was removed from school so that 'normal' children wouldn't be contaminated by sin! "That's all I need-a ticked off fundamentalist pastor and his church! He expects his kids to be protected when they bully someone, but won't see that they shouldn't be harassing her in the first place! But nothing I can do-Emma is a girl and she deserves an education and protection, and that's what she's going to get!" While this drama was playing out, other events were unfolding. Emma was walking through the hallways with two of her best friends Becca and Britt. Becca was one of her only friends from her Jeff days, as was her older sister Angela. Britt was a girl she had met on her first outing as a girl (wearing a skirt for the first time around people she knew!) when they were harassed by the very same bully who had put Jeff in the hospital. Since he had continued on after being asked to leave them alone and had actually pinched one girl's butt, Emma had kneed HIM in the groin, taking him out. After that, Emma was accepted by the entire group of girls as one of them, they had enjoyed a sleepover together and had become fast friends. A lot of the students knew who Emma was, some of them were happy to see her (mostly girls) some were actively hostile though they didn't try to bother her-they were too afraid of Garrett! Others couldn't have cared less about her, or really didn't understand the situation. But it was easy to see where the most hostility came from-the small group of students from 1st Baptist, or a few churches like it. Many of the kids from those churches went to a private school that didn't provide much in the way of education, especially in science. Some of the others were homeschooled, a situation that provided even less learning, except in religion. Only a few, who either couldn't afford private school tuition or both parents had to work or were from a single parent household attended the public school. Pastor Tomkins had made waves about Sex Ed and teaching Evolution in science class in the past also. Emma knew that if she was to have any problems, it would probably be from this group. But aside from some pointing and a few snide comments, very little occurred. That is, until Billy Compton approached her. Next to Wayne Jackson, the boy who had beaten her so viciously and started her journey to girlhood, Billy was the LAST person in school she wanted to see! "Jeff, just what the hell are you doing? I know you're a boy-we used to play together at Hood. My dad was even your dad's exec in the tank company during their first Middle East deployment! Stop this idiocy and get back into boy clothes-and maybe someday people will forget about this crap!" "Billy, leave me alone! This isn't a joke or a game-I was born with a medical condition that prevented me from being a real boy. My dad wouldn't accept it, and I really don't care if you do or not! My family and real friends do, including my grandfather, the General. Oh by the way, did I tell you he's currently the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, and has been nominated for his FOURTH star? If he accepts me, shouldn't you? Or as I said, I don't really care if you do or don't! Either you accept me as Emma-or get out of my face and leave me alone. Though I gotta tell you, with that attitude, not a lot of the girls in this school will give you the time of day!" "Screw you, you freaking faggot! You're a boy, and someday somebody's gonna teach you what that means! It ain't cool to hit a girl, but you ain't one. You're fair game-though fighting in that skirt could be tough. But that's your problem. Oh-or are you gonna depend on your big brother Garrett to protect you? Or his friends? Just as I figured, little sissy faggot can't fight his own battles. And I cannot believe your grandfather supports you-a freaking sissy who's a disgrace to his father! The REAL girls in this school don't have a problem with me either." Becca and Britt were seething at this exchange, and couldn't keep quiet any longer. "And just what do you think WE are you troll? Emma is our friend, she's a girl, and that's it! Go play with your hand, it's more than any girl in THIS school will EVER do for you! Especially after this gets around-now go screw yourself!" "Yeah right sluts-don't like men so you hang out with a faggot. Guess you're dykes yourselves-you and all your friends!" The circle in the hallway grew, as did the muttered comments. "Holy crap, is he nuts? Wait till Garrett or Chad hear about this." At that moment, the teacher on duty in the hallway broke in, "Ok, break it up. Ladies, Mr. Compton, I know it's the first day and you freshmen are probably lost, but at least try to find the right room and get to class." The circle melted away along with Billy, and the girls turned to each other. "Emma, don't worry about a few backwards bigots. Most of the kids here either don't care or are on your side. See you at lunch-whoever gets there first saves a table for whoever shows up." The three girls gave a quick group hug and separated to their classes. Meanwhile, in the far wing of the school, another little situation involving several of the aforementioned participants was starting. Garrett Smith (He chose to keep his father's surname even though Jim had adopted him) was walking arm in arm with his girlfriend Angela. As previously stated, Angela was one of Emma's close friends, one of her first actually, even from before she became Emma and was still Jeff. She was also Becca's older sister. It wasn't complicated, as all the teens-and several others in their group-were extremely close and protective of each other. As they were walking, another of their close friends (Garrett's best friend since he had moved to Martinsburg), Chad Cole approached. Chad had been one of the boys who had backed up Garrett two years ago when other freshmen had insulted Emma just after her transformation. Back at their table, he had mentioned that he thought Emma was cute, and Garrett had jokingly mentioned that he could "whip Chad's ass." Garrett had thought he was just kidding around though, and almost completely forgot about the exchange. "Hey Garrett, can I talk to you for a minute? Kind of important." "Sure dude, but why so formal? Never been like that before in Lo, these many moons that we've been best friends and the best sack team in the state." "Well, this is different. It kind of involves your sister. And Angie, I'd appreciate it if you could keep this quiet, and not pass it on to either Becca or Emma, Ok?" The teen couple replied almost simultaneously "What's the matter with my sister?" "What do you want me to keep from Becca and why?" The two were talking at once and Garrett, especially was troubled, since he knew how vulnerable and open to harassment little Emma was. "Garrett, she's fine as far as I know. This is just kind of-personal, you know?" "No, I don't know Chad, and you know I don't know so out with it. We're best buds, and I don't think you'll say anything to change that, will you? But you know how close the two of us are, and I won't allow her to be hurt in any way if I can do anything about it, YOU know?" Chad took a deep breath, and thought about how to say what he wanted to. If it came out wrong, after the season, Garrett could actually dismantle him-at the least, they wouldn't be friends anymore, and their chemistry on the field that allowed them to make so many sacks and runner stops would be affected. "Garrett, remember back at Dino's a few years ago, when we kind of racked up Jason and Julio for insulting Emma?" "Yeaaah-I kind of do-but they've been perfect gentlemen since then, haven't bothered her, only spoke to her when totally necessary, though I think Julio has a class with her this year. We'll see how that goes. Sooo-just what do you want to say about that?" "You remember that I said she was kind of cute, and you-jokingly I hope- threatened to whip my ass?" "Well, yeah, but you know I really wouldn't-just sticking up for my 12 year old sister. Which you did too, even though you really didn't know the situation, and I'm still grateful for that." At this point, Angela broke into the conversation. "I think I know what's coming Chad, don't I? And I also think you should go for it. All Mrs. Abram's requirements have been met, right?" Garrett picked up on that-quickly. "So out with it dude, if it's what I think it is, I'm cool, but it really isn't up to me. Take it up with her!" "Thanks Angie. Ok Garrett, here it is. Your mom said Emma could start dating when she got into High School, right? And only with guys she and you knew? And most importantly, knew all about Emma's special- circumstances? Well, I've been over your place with Jack lots of times, and Em and I get along, and I think your mom likes me-at least she doesn't throw me out of the house, right? So-just to make sure, I wanna know if it's cool with you if I ask Emma out to the movies or something? I know she had some bad times, and is sometimes really nervous around guys, but I think she'd be ok with me. And you know I wouldn't do anything to hurt her, worst that could happen is we didn't click, so no harm no foul, right?" "Wow that came out of the blue. Like I said, I may be her big brother and would certainly pound the crap out of anyone that hurt her, and would pretty much take apart any guy that tried to get fresh with her. But-I don't control her social life. Like I said, ask her, keep things simple, don't hurt her and I'm cool. Wow, my little sister is growing up!" All three teens giggled at that one. Angie piped in again "guys, bell is gonna ring in about two minutes-gotta run, and so do you. Later guys." At this she reached up and kissed Garrett squarely on the lips, something that was most definitely against school rules. For most of the students in Martinsburg High School, the first day of classes passed normally-with the usual schedule screw-ups, teachers calling roll, giving out books, freshmen being late, often due to not being able to handle a combination lock for the first time. For one young lady in particular, things were decidedly not normal. Emma walked into her Algebra I class, and looked for a seat, thinking that seats would probably be assigned, so she shouldn't get too comfortable. She also wondered how many trolls would be there to make her life miserable, and how the teacher would handle it. Or if he was one of them. She couldn't tell anything about that from the room, though she did recognize the pin he wore on his lapel. As a former army brat, she certainly recognized the ribbon for the Purple Heart, awarded to military personnel wounded in a combat situation. Given the large number of veterans living near to Fort Hood, with its excellent medical and commissary systems, the fact that her teacher was former military really wasn't surprising. "Hello class, my name is Mr. Greenwood, former Master Sergeant, BS in Math from the University of Phoenix. I'll be your math teacher this year, and I hope we have a productive one. What we'll do today is take roll, assign seats, hand out books and go over classroom rules. Number one, and the greatest is that everyone is deserving of consideration and respect, and in this class is certainly going to get it. I served with men and women of all ethnic groups and religions in my 25 year career, and all of them were first rate people. I won't tolerate any insults or discourtesy for any of those reasons. Any questions?" A boy in the back raised his hand and was called upon. Emma recognized him as one of the church kids that really hated her. She winced as he started his little speech. "Mr. Greenwood, you said men and women of all backgrounds? What about someone who is a male, but pretending to be female, in violation of God's laws? Do we have to show courtesy to it? My pastor says IT'S an abomination and needs to be run out of town. I consider it a violation of my religious rights to have to sit in a class with it!" "Young man, you obviously didn't hear what I said! I said ALL members of this class, and I do know what you are talking about. I know of your pastor's views, and I certainly believe that he-and you have the right to your religious beliefs. But-there will be no harassment in my class or anywhere in this school as that is NOT your right. This isn't ancient Israel with its theocratic government, it's the United States of America! A secular nation, which respects religious beliefs. But you will find nowhere in the constitution that it says this is also a theocracy, or that any religion's beliefs must be followed by the rest of the population, nor that you have the right to commit crimes in furtherance of them. Today is the first day of class, so you get your one and only pass-is that clear?" "Yes, Mr. Greenwood, it is. But I think you're wrong, Pastor Tomkins told us that the Supreme Court even said that the US was a Christian nation, so it's our duty to ensure that it remains one and that everyone follows Gods Laws." "Okay, son-do you know the name of the case, the year it was decided, what the issue before the court was? Or even who wrote the decision, and what the decision went on to say about that? No? I didn't think so. In any event, we're done. The point is that you will not-nor will anyone else bully or harass anyone in this class because they don't meet your religion's standards of what a person should be. And now back to class." Emma was amazed and gratified that a teacher would so vigorously defend her and put another student in his place, especially in a small basically conservative town like this one. But she got on with things, got through Algebra and continued her day. Period 2 was History, then came English and then Spanish 1(living in Texas, a knowledge of Spanish was practically a necessity, plus she was part Mexican in ancestry and wanted to learn something of her heritage). Period 5 was PE, which was a problem. Even though today was an orientation day, in the future she would have to change in the locker room with about 40 other girls, and she didn't know how that would turn out. She thinking that maybe she could get a medical excuse from PE and count her workouts with her stepdad and Gia instead-she'd heard of things like that happening. The athletic woman taking roll introduced herself as Ms. Alvarez, the girl's PE teacher. She was a graduate of Baylor University in Waco, and coached girls soccer, basketball and softball. Surprisingly, she didn't do cheerleading, another woman who had been a college cheerleader had volunteered to coach that. She frowned when she looked at her roll "Abrams, Emma? Hmm-ok, see me when we're done." She showed the girls the locker room and the private shower stalls, where the office was and procedures for getting a PE excuse during a girl's 'time of the month' if necessary (which for Emma obviously wasn't). " Just don't abuse the privilege ladies, remember I was a varsity athlete back at Baylor and didn't get a pass, nor do they give passes over at Hood for female soldiers during their periods, and women have competed in the Olympics at all times during their cycles. If you're really sick, that's one thing, but I will not tolerate malingering over it, understand? You might get away with it with a male coach, but not with me." After the tour/orientation/lecture, Emma went up to Ms. Alvarez and received a surprise. "Hi Emma, it's nice to meet you. Here's a welcome bit of news that most kids would jump for joy at-you ARE excused from PE. You get a study hall during the class, so you can catch up on your homework. Your grade will be given by a Ms. Coretti, who I understand is training you in Tae Kwon Do? Great art, I have a 2nd degree in Okinawan Isshinryu Karate myself, so I know how rigorous the training can be. Anyway, here's a pass to study hall, and I guess I won't see you much, unless you go out for a sport." Emma was stunned by that news-Bree must have pulled a few strings for her, she knew everybody. Of course, working out with all the girls might have been fun, but not getting all sweaty in school was a positive point also. She got to the study hall room and handed in her pass and class change form, and was directed to a seat. She picked up the rules sheet she was given and began to familiarize herself with the procedures until the bell rang. And then came lunch, period 6. She made her way to the cafeteria and saw Becca at a table saving several seats. Not all her friends would be in this lunch, as there were two seatings, but enough were that she had a place to go and most importantly, people to watch her back when necessary. And then she saw one very welcome junior football player making his way to their table, which considering they were all freshmen, was not exactly a common occurrence. Chad Cole took the seat next to her and greeted the group. A quick look from Emma to Becca and Britt convinced them that they wanted to go up for some ice cream, leaving Chad and Emma alone for a few minutes. "Um Emma, something I wanted to ask you." "Yes Cole, I'm here, what's up." Well, your mom said you could start going out when you got to high school, and if she knew who you were going with. Well, both conditions have kind of been met, and I was wondering if you'd considering going to a movie or something with me?" "Really?" Her eyes lit up and she practically squealed "yes yes yes. If my mom says ok, I'd love to." She pulled out her phone and called home, smiling as she did so and hoping that her mom would think she was old enough finally. And who safer than Chad-who knew all about her, liked her, and was big enough to protect her if necessary. And Garrett's best friend. "Chad, mom says sure-what night and are you driving? Well, she trusts you anyway, and so I guess so does Garrett-oops, Garrett. What's HE gonna say about this, he still thinks of me as a kid you know." "Well, gotta admit, Garrett knows. Yeah, I know you're all grown up and want to make your own decisions, but he does look out for you. Out of respect for him and our friendship I did talk to him first." "Ok, anyway Friday Night? Becca and Britt, who are coming back now you know, have a mall crawl planned for Saturday, we need some new clothes for school now that we know what everyone's wearing. Plus makeup, nail polish and a trip to Claire's of course." Chad smiled at her outburst, not particularly caring or wanting to know about female shopping habits. Chad left to go sit with some teammates (for now, who knew what the future would bring) and the girls came back to the table. The expected giggling and "omigod" comments of course ensued while they ate lunch and waited for the bell. Naturally, like high school girls everywhere, after lunch they took the opportunity to freshen up their makeup, mostly mascara, blush and lip gloss. Lunch ended, and Biology I and Art followed with no real problems, though one girl from 1st Baptist in her Bio class insisted that she wasn't going to learn anything about "Evil-lution" as she called it. The exasperated teacher (who had seen this before and was tired of it), promptly informed her that she was free to believe anything she wanted, but on tests she would answer in a manner that demonstrated her knowledge of the subject. She would not go into a religious rant off the topic, or she could transfer out to the church school or wherever she wanted. This was class not a church service. The girl seemed to be shocked that her declaration of her religious rights was not instantly respected and kow-towed to, and she started in on the 'War on Christians' tirade so common to many conservative religious groups. This time she managed to get in a dig at Emma, and promised to wait for her out of school and "take care of the heathen pervert." This got her the distinction of being the first student in the school sent to the office for discipline, specifically 'making a terroristic threat", which was also a violation of the criminal code, though the school chose not to pursue that course as yet. Actually, Emma wasn't really afraid, even though the bigoted girl was a little bigger than she was-her training from her stepdad and Gia stood her in good stead, she was confident that in a one-on-one she could take care of herself against almost any girl in the school. The rest of the week passed in much the same manner as the first day- Emma knew a lot of people, a lot of people knew her as Garrett's little sister, many others knew of her special circumstances though most of them didn't care one way or the other about it. Emma was a girl, most of the guys thought she was a total babe, and most of the girls figured they really didn't need any more competition but aside from that, almost nobody really had anything against her. Her girlfriends were jealous that she had landed such a major hottie so soon in the year, but they couldn't wait to help her pick out what to wear, how to do her hair and what makeup to apply. "Hey Emma, want Angie and I to sort of tag along with you and Chad, kind of like a double date since it really is your first?" "Sorry, big brother, but you know Chad and we both know you can trust him to be a gentleman with me. Plus, I gotta put on my big-girl panties sometime and venture out, you know?" She laughed as she said the last part, as did her brother. "Ok, but you do have my number on your phone, right? Call me if you need anything." "Garrett, everything is going to be fine. We just decided to make it a movie and then stop for a soda or something afterwards on Friday, since it's the last weekend before the season starts. Shoot, maybe even Dino's. Who's gonna bother me with Chad there?" "Ok little sis, have fun. But remember I'll be worrying about you even more than mom or Jim will be." Emma had spent the week talking with Britt, Becca, Lisa, (who was a senior but deigned to help) and even Angie. She finally decided to wear her black denim miniskirt, bare legged since August in Texas is still really hot weather. She chose her peach camp shirt with a melon camisole under it. She let her hair hang loose rather than a braid or bun, but kept it back from her face with her silver hair clip. She decided on a pair of Mary-Janes with a two-inch heel in black. Jewelry was of course silver, several rings and bracelets, dangle earrings and two necklaces, one a simple silver chain and the other with a small pendant. She planned her makeup to look a little older than a fourteen- year old, but not garish or cheap looking. She started with a sheer foundation (which she rarely wore except for special occasions, which a first date SURELY was!) and set it with a light translucent powder, followed by a powder blush stroked on her cheekbones for contrast. For her eyes, she went with a tannish eyeshadow with a lighter shade to highlight. Liner on her upper lids only, plus her Maybelline mascara in the ubiquitous pink and green container. "God, I wonder how many tubes of this stuff they sell every year to high school girls? Enough to balance the national budget" she laughed. For her lips she picked up her favorite Revlon Raisin Rust to match her eyes, and then brushed a deep plum polish on her finger nails. She didn't bother with her toenails since her shoes had a closed toe. A spritz of Narcisse cologne in strategic points and she was ready to go. "Hey princess, someone at the door for you" she heard her brother's voice from downstairs. "Jeez, I know Chad's always over and they kid around a lot, but he could be a little more-thoughtful just this once." Emma picked up her purse, checked herself one more time in the mirror and walked down the staircase to the living room, where Chad awaited her. Garrett stood there also, so she gave him a look which meant "Get out of here, Chad's here to pick ME up tonight, not watch a Cowboys game with you." Garrett got the message and excused himself. Her mom and stepdad were out of sight, they knew Chad and also knew that Garrett had things well in hand. "God Emma, you look absolutely gorgeous!" "Thanks Chad, I wanted to look as nice as possible, this is really a special night for me you know. And I'm honored that you chose to spend your last 'free' Friday night with me-next week you'll be crushing quarterbacks with Garrett and Jack' she laughed. "Shall we go? I was figuring on something light like 'Intern', I don't think you'd be interested in 'Scorch Trials'." "Anything, Chad, I'm just so happy to be spending time with you." They walked out to Chad's pickup, he opened the door for her and she got in, carefully keeping her knees together and swinging her legs in after she got seated. Chad closed the door and got in himself, then they drove to the Multiplex near the mall. They kept the conversation light, Emma was really nervous, because even though Chad was a friend, and she knew him well, being on a date with him was a whole other thing. They got to the theater, they got out and got into line. Chad bought their tickets, sodas and a giant popcorn to share. They sat down and waited for the film to start. After suffering through endless ads and previews, the comedy began. It was extremely funny, and Emma especially couldn't stop laughing at some parts, with a retired Robert DeNiro working for a female business owner a third of his age, since he didn't want to spend the rest of his life doing nothing. At some point, she snuggled closer to Chad and put her head on his shoulder. "You know Chad, I'm your date, not Garrett's little sister tonight." Chad may have been a lineman, but he wasn't slow, and placed his arm around Emma's shoulders. She was fairly bubbling over the attention that the high school junior was showing her, and it made her so happy to be a girl, and the recipient of it. "Can't wait to tell my girlfriends about tonight-I am having so much fun!" she thought to herself. After two hours, the movie ended and they left. "So, Emma, Dino's Pizza for enders?" "Love to Chad-they make the best." They got to the pickup, and Chad drove the several blocks to the town's most popular pizza place, especially among the school 'jocks'. "Scuse me Chad, but gotta go hit the Ladies Room. Powder my nose, you know." "Un huh-anything in particular you'd like?" knowing that she absolutely loved pepperoni. "Chad, you know my favorite-pepperoni slice and a diet coke." She left for the girls room while Chad ordered their snacks There were the usual several girls in the room when Emma got there-she waited patiently for a stall. Happily, none of the 'trolls' as she called them were around, so she could relax a little. The other girls knew her slightly, but all considered her a girl just like they were, greeted her and that was it. Emma went into the first open stall, did her thing, then came out to wash her hands and fix her makeup, just like every teen girl in every high school in the nation. By the time she had rejoined Chad at the table their slices and drinks were there. Chad had ordered three large slices with everything (of course!) while Emma was content with only one of just pepperoni. While a few of the teens in the place objected to her, mainly on 'religious' grounds, obviously worked up by their fanatical and bigoted pastor, they all remembered the incident of two years ago, and no one wanted to tangle with Chad, since it was plain to see how much he liked her and that that they were definitely on a date. The two of them talked about everything and nothing at all-like all teens on a first date. No one bothered them, but they did get a few "Hi Chad, Emma" comments from some of their friends, even the ones who did know about Emma's past. Eventually though, her curfew started to creep up and it was time to leave. Chad walked her to the car and helped her in, then drove to her house, where of course Garrett was waiting at the door. When Emma got out of the car, after thanking Chad for helping her exit, her next words were to Garrett "Hi big brother, I had a great time, everything's fine, go away." Garrett took the 'hint' and went inside. "Chad, I really want to thank you for such a lovely evening, I really did have a wonderful time." "Me too Emma-I'd like to do it again sometime, if you'd like?" The 240- pound linebacker who was a terror to quarterbacks all over the tri county area was timid about asking for another date with a shy 14 year old girl, and she could tell. "Chad, I'd love to-whenever you can. I know next week the season starts, but I'll be in the stands with my friends cheering all of you on, and maybe see you after the game?" "Really Emma? I'd love that. I've never had a girl in the stands cheering just for me. You're the most wonderful girl I have ever known, and I really like you. I know that you have plans with your friends for tomorrow night going mall crawling-you might even buy something!" Emma started laughing at that "Of course we might-now that we know what the girls are wearing to school this year." The conversation continued in that light vein, and then Emma instinctively knew what to do next, even with Garrett obviously on the other side of the front door listening. She snuggled into Chad's shoulder and turned her face towards his, moving closer. He leaned down and their lips touched. She gave him a VERY passionate good-night kiss, but didn't use her tongue, nor did she prolong it, just long enough to let him know she really wanted to kiss him and that it was for real. "Good night Chad, and thank you again for a lovely evening." "Good night Emma and I had a really great time tonight." The two teens turned, one to his car and one to open the door to her house, where of course her mom, stepdad and older brother waited for her. "Cripes, everybody, you know me and you know Chad. We went to a comedy, laughed our heads off, and went out for pizza. We talked a lot, he asked me out again, drove me home BEFORE curfew I might point out, and walked me to the door, where my big brother was waiting for me. And yes, I did kiss him goodnight, in a ladylike manner. Any more questions?" she asked in a laughing tone. She loved her family, and knew the reason for their perceived overprotectiveness, and didn't really make too much of a fuss over things. "Ok hon, just wanted to make sure it wasn't too much for you-or that nothing unpleasant happened anywhere." "Nope mom, with Chad as my date, just who do you think is going to do anything? And I'm not really afraid of any of the other girls, you know." "Ok baby, give us a hug and then off to bed, it is after 11 you know. Still hitting the mall with your girlfriends tomorrow, right?" "Of course, mom, and you did promise me the reasonable use of a credit card, right?" "Yes, $250, so don't waste it. Night Emma." They all said goodnight to each other, she and Garrett went to their respective rooms, and got ready for bed. Emma took a few minutes to compose an e-mail to Becca and Britt and promised to fill them in tomorrow on the phone or at the mall. Martinsburg wasn't that big of a town, so it was easy for Emma, Becca and Britt to meet and walk there together. During the walk, they all giggled and 'ohmigoded' as Emma regaled them all about her first date with Chad, a junior and one of the hunkiest and handsomest members of the football team. Her friends were unbelievably jealous that she had managed to hook such a catch for a boyfriend, and 'oohed and aahed' when she described her first real kiss from a boy. "He's not really my boyfriend-yet. We only had one date though he did ask me out again. I did say I'd be cheering just for him in the stands starting next Friday night when the season starts, and he kind of blushed at that. Tough as he is, he is a real sweetie." Since this was a real shopping trip for new school clothes, and not a social 'mall crawl with their girlies', the girls were dressed somewhat casually and comfortably, rather than in the skirts and low heels they would normally have worn for such an outing. Emma was wearing a women's cut 'Houston Texans' t-shirt (for her favorite football team, and to lightly hassle her brother who was a Cowboys fan) and a pair of comfortable, as opposed to skin-tight jeans, plus a pair of flats. Naturally all three wore makeup, but not what they would have worn on a date or even to school. Each girl had a parent's credit card with strict limits as to how much she could spend. Emma was limited to $250, plus some cash of her own that she had in her purse. Since they now knew how the older girls dressed (though Becca already had Angie to give her hints), they were ready to hit the mall and do some major damage in various teen girl stores (Wet Seal, Deb, Claire's, American Eagle, Aeropostale, etc.). Unfortunately for them, once they got to the parking lot surrounding the mall and prepared to cross it to the entrance, the trouble started. A group of about ten kids, all from the conservative churches (mostly 1st Baptist under Pastor Tomkins) moved towards them in order to intercept. All of them were angry and believed that poor Emma was causing all the other teens in town to fall into sin, and disobey what they considered to be God's Laws as revealed in the Bible. Though they seemed to read verses no one else could find, and seemed to ignore a lot that other people had no trouble locating. "The little sinner is a boy- she should have short hair, the Bible says so. And perhaps the other harlots should be taught a lesson too!" They surrounded the terrified girls and began to move in on them, brandishing scissors (obviously the attack had been planned, somehow they had heard about the girls' mall trip). In the lead was Billy Compton, Emma's former friend from Fort Hood and a recently converted member of the church. "All right you little fag-now you're gonna get yours. I told you this would happen, but you wouldn't listen. God's laws can NOT be broken with no punishment!" Other comments from the other bigots, some from the public school, others from private school or homeschooling followed, leaving no doubts as to their intentions. They either didn't know Garrett and his friends, or somehow felt that their version of 'God' would protect them from the forthcoming retribution. Or maybe that Pastor Tomkins would look out for them. They were wrong in all three assumptions. Emma had long since decided that she would never again be a victim and this was her first chance to demonstrate that. "Though 10 against 3, we don't have a chance-but I'm going down fighting!", the young girl thought to herself. "And maybe I can scare them off if I take out one or two of them." "Billy, back off and take your friends with you. You know this is against the law, and you also know I will file charges against all of you-and sue you to boot." "Do your worst sinner-the pastor told us he'd take care of us and no judge or jury in this town would convict us for insisting on our religious rights. And that includes driving you out of the entire state if we can, at least out of Martinsburg. Billy then came at her with the scissors, when his world came crashing down on him. Emma was experienced in kneeing males in the groin, she'd done it twice to protect herself and her friends. This was different, and she knew some much more effective methods of defense now. Billy's arm was outstretched, "big mistake on his part" Emma thought to herself. She grabbed his extended arm and spun on her heel, circling his waist with her other arm. When she had turned 180 degrees, she extended her right leg and pulled him off balance, over her leg, in a perfect 'Tai-Otoshi'. "Hmm, I know that's a Judo throw, but I'm glad dad taught it to me, it's a great takedown-and it works too!" she thought. Billy felt himself flying through the air and landed on his back-hard, with the wind (and the fight) knocked out of him. As a matter of fact, he was practically unconscious. The tall girl who had been sent out of science class was next. She rushed up and tried to punch poor Emma, who really hadn't done anything mean to her or anyone. But at the punch, Emma dropped into a guarding stance from TKD and threw a middle forearm block to stop it, catching her attacker's inner arm with a knuckle strike, causing a LOT of pain!). When she connected, a hard front snap kick to the girl's stomach followed up by an elbow to her head knocked her out also. Unfortunately there were several more bigots eager to continue until they 'taught the sinners a lesson'. Emma knew she couldn't take on that many, and her friends were terrified and totally vulnerable, she couldn't really protect them from the vicious mob of teen bigots. Incredibly however, help arrived from a totally unexpected source. From the back of the mob, two large strong boys began throwing the attackers left and right out of the way. Some of them were stunned, others saw who the two were and decided that leaving was their best chance of staying healthy (at least until Garrett, Chad and probably Jack caught up with them) though they didn't get far. Amazingly, it was Jason and Julio, the two older boys who had insulted her two years before, and been so thoroughly humiliated by Garrett and his friends for their pains. "Emma, girls are you OK? We saw what was going down and just couldn't stand by, we had to help." "And I love you guys for it-thank, you thank you, thank you!", the girls were in tears, but were SO grateful to their rescuers." At this point mall security and the police appeared and took the teen's statements, plus cell phones were pulled out and parents were called. A lot happened after things were finally straightened out. The teens lying on the ground, put there by Emma and the boys, were taken into custody and faced numerous charges, including weapons (for the scissors) and hate crimes. For instigating the attack, Pastor Tomkins was also arrested, loudly shouting that he was a victim of persecution. Of course, with Bree DiMaggio Marshall overseeing the actions of all the public officials involved, the wheels of justice for Emma and her friends began to move rather quickly. She managed to secure a Federal Indictment against the church, the elders as the board of directors, and especially the pastor. Since several crimes had been committed with the church as a hub, the indictment included a violation of the RICO Statute, usually meant to curb the activities of criminal gangs but useful in this instance. For the duration, the church was padlocked and its assets (such as the bank accounts) were frozen. Bree mentioned to the head of their denomination that under a strict interpretation of the Civil Liability laws, they could be held responsible for those crimes and the entire denomination and sued or even charged with various felonies, and have RICO applied to them, especially if any OTHER congregations ever acted in a similar manner. The President of the denomination moved quickly to disfellowship the entire congregation (though anyone innocent of charges could join another one), and remove the church from denominational rolls. He also ensured that Pastor Tomkins' ordination was vacated. While the various criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits would wind on for years, the power of the so-called 'church' was broken. And while little Emma wasn't completely safe, word of her prowess had gotten around, and the few kids who still hated her decided that leaving her alone was probably their best choice of actions. With Garrett, Emma's boyfriend Chad, Jack, Jason and Julio (the latter two completely forgiven and now a part of Emma's circle of friends) and her own skills, no one wanted to tangle with her in any way. On a more immediate note (for teen girls anyway), the mall trip was obviously postponed, since all three girls and the two boys had to give statements at the police station. But they still needed clothes, jewelry, new makeup and other feminine sundries. Jim volunteered to drive the girls the next day to a mall an hour away where probably no one would know them, and they could shop to their heart's content. And since most malls in the US had basically the same stores, there was plenty of familiar merchandise to choose from, and they would still fit in with the other girls at Martinsburg High. Becca and Britt began dating Julio and Jason, and the five couples made plans to attend the Winter Ball and reserve a 10 seat table just for them. "Hey Emma", Becca started, "you know, you were fantastic back there. I didn't know you were so good. So, do you think that maybe you could show a group of us 'just a few moves' to protect ourselves in case some guy gets really fresh, and we won't take no for an answer!" "Becca, I'd love to. But just a few moves won't really do it. I've been training almost every day for two years with Gia, my dad or Ben. It takes a long time and a lot of effort to get good enough and confident enough to use unarmed combat skills. If you want to train, I'd suggest finding a good school-there are several in the area, you know, and start." "Emma, why couldn't you teach us? You're pretty good, and you'd be better for us than someone else-you're a girl too!" Emma thought about it, came to a decision, and promised to try to get the necessary permissions, while her girlfriends got the ok from their own parents, plus a liability release. And thus began the rest of Emma Smith-Abrams' freshman year in high school and the beginning of her career as a martial arts instructor. Of course, she always stayed totally girlie and feminine away from the mats. But again, that's another story.