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STARTING OVER -or- I CAN'T GO BACK TO YESTERDAY, BECAUSE I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON THEN "Ladies." The Drama teacher clapped her hands to call the class to order. The girls had all been working in small groups to this point. "Ladies, please!" She clapped again and the girls all became quiet and turned their attention towards the teacher. "Thank you, ladies. I want to introduce a new student who has just moved here from Worcester, Massachusetts. This is Miss Bianca Foley." The girls applauded politely. "We usually do a little Q&A when a new student arrives, Miss Bianca," the teacher explained. "Do you mind if the girls ask you a few questions to get to know you?" "Not at all, Miss Stephanie," John smiled, "but, please, call me Bebe." The girls all seemed to like that better. John was dressed exactly the same as every other freshman girl in the class - every other girl in the school, in fact. A light blue, short sleeved, Oxford-style blouse tucked into a grey, wrap-around skirt that ended just above the knee, a pair of white knee socks and a pair of comfortable, black shoes with one inch block heels. That was the uniform and the Head Mistress made it very clear that no student could deviate from that uniform for any reason. A girl raised her hand. "Miss Ella?" the teacher prompted. "Thank you, Miss Stephanie. Hi, Bebe. I'm Ella. Welcome to Notre Dame. Did they have boys at your old high school?" The girls all laughed and jostled Ella for bringing up boys. John smiled. "Yes. I went to a regular, old, public high school. Boys and girls." "Oh, Miss Stephanie!" Another girl raised her hand. "Mary-Katherine," the teacher acknowledged the girl. "Thank you, Miss Stephanie. Hi, Bebe. I'm Mary-Katherine, but I go by MK. Anyway, why did you move to Beverly Hills?" "I don't actually live in Beverly Hills," John said with a shrug, not knowing if this admission might make him a social pariah. "I moved here because of a TV show. Right now, I'm living with my cousin and a friend an apartment in Los Angeles. We're looking for a house, or a condo, or something." At the mention of a TV show, some of the girls became more interested, while others figured that there'd be no point in getting to know this new girl. She'd be gone in a month, anyway. "So, your cousin is going to be on a TV show?" a girl asked without raising her hand. "Yes, but so am I." John smiled at the reaction that got. Even the aloof girls were interested, now. "What show?" "Who's in it?" "Network?" "Cable?" "Streaming?" "Girls! Girls!" Miss Stephanie calmed them. "Miss Bebe, why don't you tell us about the show." "Oh, ok. Well, it's a new show on ABC. I think it starts airing in November. My cousin, Rose, and our family friend, Ed and I are going to be on it. It's called 'Civil Disobedience' and I play Don Ferry's youngest daughter. My cousin plays my older sister." "Oh, Wow!" the girl named Ella shouted. "There's a sophomore girl named Kylie who goes to school here. She's going to be on that show, too!" "Have you met Miss Kylie, Miss Bebe?" Miss Stephanie asked. "Yes, ma'm," John replied with just a hint of the Bianca curtsy. Rose had been telling him to tone that down if he could, but it had become a habit over the summer. "I meet Kylie at auditions. We've been texting since then." The teacher gave a somewhat sympathetic smile as she corrected her new student. "'Ma'm' is very polite, Miss Bebe, but at Notre Dame, we always address our teachers as 'Miss' or 'Miss' and the teacher's name. So, I am Miss Stephanie at all times, do you understand?" "I do, Miss Stephanie. Sorry, Miss." "That's fine, Miss Bianca. It's just a sign of respect that we insist on." "Yes, Miss." He gave her another quasi-curtsy causing the teacher to smile again. The questions continued for a few minutes more. Mostly, the girls wanted to know if Don Ferry was as handsome in real life as he was on TV. Was he nice? Was there anyone else famous on the show? How did she get the job? Finally, Ms Stephanie stopped the Q&A session and said, "Right now, Miss Bebe, the girls are all working on a project involving a play and a movie. Are you familiar with the movie 'Ten Things I Hate About You?'" John nearly laughed. "Very familiar, Miss. It's based on 'The Taming Of The Shrew' by William Shakespeare. The reason I'm a little late starting the school year here is because I just finished playing Bianca in a production of Shrew." "Oh, my! A children's theater production of 'Taming Of The Shrew!' That's pretty ambitious." "No, Miss. It was a regional theater production. It was directed by Maureen Weldon. That's how I ended up auditioning for 'Civil Disobedience.' Ms Weldon recommended me for it." The teacher gave a double take. "Maureen Weldon!? THE Maureen Weldon!?" "Yes, Miss." "Oh... well... anyway, the girls are looking at different Shakespearean plays and trying to adapt them into modern formats. Miss Ella, what play is your group working on?" "Hamlet, Miss Stephanie." "Oh, good. Your group is small, so, I'm going to have Miss Bebe join you, ok?" "Yes, Miss Stephanie," Ella replied. "Now, go join the girls." She indicated that John should walk past her, but as he did, she cautioned, "Oh, and Miss Bebe. I encourage you to take this class seriously. Regardless of your theater experience and your TV job, you'll need to do all of your work in this class to receive a good grade." "Yes, Miss." John curtsied his little curtsy and nodded, but he realized that his resume had made this teacher a bit uncomfortable. He'd have to win her over. The project was an easy one for John. He'd done dozens of exercises like this before in high school and college. The girls had already decided to set their version of the play in a family owned business with Hamlet's father being a CEO of the company. John coyly guided them through improv exercises to work out their presentation, while simultaneously trying not to attract the attention of Miss Stephanie. They were the first group done and they presented before the end of the period. Despite the ease of the classwork, John had a great time with the girls. As he'd found with Annie and Cassie, these girls had boundless energy and enthusiasm when they were doing what they loved. When the bell rang and the girls guided him to his next class, he was completely drunk on youth and the female hormones emitted by the young population. Ella and MK became his guides. They were both charming, pretty girls. Ella was small, like him, and MK was a little taller and more developed. Both were blonde, as was the majority of the school, and had perfect teeth and noses, as did the majority of the school, too. He had a Math Class and then a World Religions Class before they went to lunch. The entire time that they were together, MK and Ella spoke pretty much continually, bringing John up to speed on the other girls in their class. One was the daughter of a record producer, another the daughter of famous designer, still another the daughter of an actress from a classic TV series. Everything was interesting and exciting to these girls. John loved their energy. At lunch, which provided much better food than his public school had, fresh salads, sushi, a variety of sandwiches, Ella said, "So this weekend is Home Coming at St Matthew's. Are you going?" "Going? Going to what? The football game?" John was a bit confused. "Well, no, not the football game. The dance." "Dance?" The girls looked at each other and giggled. "Yeah," MK said, "The Homecoming Dance. Didn't they have those at your other school?" "No," John's high school had a policy against dances. Not for the high- minded 'Footloose' reasons, but to avoid litigation. Frankly, when he thought about it, the entire school system he'd attended before seemed to be set up to avoid litigation rather than provide education. "Is it a big deal?" "Yeah," the girls laughed at John's naivet?. "It's a really big deal." Ella was shocked that this question could ever have been uttered. "It's like prom! Pretty dresses and hunky boys in suits. They have a live band, a photo booth, a sit down meal and everything! You have to come." "Oh..." John stuttered as he searched for an excuse to not attend, "... but doesn't a boy have to ask me to the dance? I mean, I just arrived. I don't know anyone in this school, except you guys and I don't know anyone at all at St Matthews." "No problem," MK said, "we know a ton of boys at St Matthews. Most of them went to middle school with us. We'll set you up." John felt a frightened warmth crawling over his body. Less than half a day into this deception and he was already in a bit of a free fall. He had only expected to do his time at the school and go home. Maybe make a few friends and since it was an all girls school, everything would be fine. He hadn't considered the social aspects of high school - maybe because he hadn't really participated in them the first time he'd gone through. "Ummm.... Well, I think I need to talk to my cousin about this, 'cause... see, I've never really dated before..." "What!?" The girls were incredulous. "You're shitting me, right?" MK asked, wide eyed. "I'm what...?" "You're kidding," Ella clarified. "I mean, you're pretty luscious. Why haven't you dated?" John glanced at his small, developing breasts in confusion. When he thought of a 'luscious' woman, it was a well developed woman with big breasts. Obviously, the girls didn't mean that. Both Ella and MK looked much more developed than he did and he knew that most of his appearance was the padding in his pretty training bra. "Luscious? What do you mean by 'luscious?'" "She means 'cute,' silly," MK giggled. "I thought that you came from Massachusetts. Don't they speak English there?" He giggled with the girls, this time. "You don't say 'luscious' in Massachusetts?" Ella smiled sweetly as she asked. "Well, yeah, we do, but it means..." He gestured to indicate large breasts. "So... I'm not 'luscious,' that's for sure!" MK almost spit out the Fiji Water she was drinking. "O-M-G!! No!! It just means 'cute,' or 'dateable,' not 'boob-a-licious.'" Ella laughed, "No. You are cute, though, and you have a different look, too. We don't have a lot of dark haired girls here." "I've noticed that," John giggled. "Does everyone in Beverly Hills have blonde hair?" "Eventually," Ella laughed. As their last class ended and MK and Ella lead John to the 'pickup area,' their conversation returned to the St Matthew's Homecoming Dance that weekend. "You have to come!" "Talk to your cousin!" "If she says 'no,' call your mom and ask!" "Oh, you know who'd be a perfect date for her!?" MK announced with a burst of excitement. "Blaine Hazelton! He's really cute, a little shy, he's not dating anyone, and I saw him the night before last and he was planning on going stag." Ella agreed. "Great idea! Oh, Bebe, he's a sophomore and he's about six feet, maybe six foot one, really nice hair and his dad is super rich." "Ok, ok, ok!" John laughed at their persistence. He had finally figured that, if he could just get through the day and get home, he could make up an excuse to not go to the dance and they'd be fine with that. "I'll talk to my cousin and let you know." Just then, a town car with a placard reading 'Fielding Productions' pulled up to the loading area. "That's my ride. I have to go." He started to go, but each girl grabbed him in turn and hugged and kissed his cheek. He smiled. "Bye." As he grabbed for the handle, a voice said, "Oh, sorry, but I think that's my ride." John turned to see Kylie, the stressed out, red headed girl from the last audition. "Bebe!!! When did you get here!?" Shocked, John accepted her hug. "Kylie! I just got here, today!" He was thrilled to see another familiar face. "Just a second," Kylie pulled away from John and ducked her head into the town car. "Who are you picking up?" "I think I'm picking up both of you, Miss," the driver said. He held up a clipboard. "See, I'm supposed to bring Kylie and Bianca to a wardrobe fitting." "Great! Please pull up and wait over there for us. I need a minute." "Yes, Miss." Kylie took John's hand and guided him back towards the school building. "He's here for both of us," She told him, "but I have to introduce you to someone." Gathered by a shady overhang was a group of teachers, several of whom John had met through the day. Kylie made a beeline for Miss Stephanie, the Theatre teacher. "Excuse me, Miss Stephanie," she said. The teacher turned and looked at the girls. "Hello, Miss Kylie, Miss Bebe. What can I do for you?" "Oh, you've met?" Kylie beamed. "This is the girl I was talking about in class, Miss Stephanie. The one who got me through the audition for the TV show." "Oh, my," Miss Stephanie smiled. "Miss Kylie has told us all about what you did, Miss Bebe. What a remarkably generous thing to do. I'm very impressed by that behavior, Miss Bebe. I hope that you continue to show that kind of camaraderie to the girls at Notre Dame." She smiled and patted John's cheek. "Thank you for showing a kind spirit, Miss Bebe. You may have changed Miss Kylie's life by doing so." "Thank you. Miss Stephanie." John gave her one of his modified curtsies. "I'll do my best at Notre Dame." "I'm sure you will." John noticed a strange, dismissive smirk from the teacher, which irked him, just a bit. John followed Kylie to the town car wondering if Miss Stephanie was truly impressed or if she was even more leery of John than before. Kylie spoke nonstop as the car proceeded towards the TV studio. She told John about her friends at her old school and how they'd reacted to her getting the part and then having to go to Norte Dame, about her visits to the set to meet the cast and anything else that came into her head. "You know, Bebe, I met your sister and her friend, Ed. They said that they never would have gotten cast if it weren't for you, and that goes for me, too. I am really happy that they finally cast you, too. I'm really looking forward to working with you." John smiled. "Thanks, Kylie, but I think you're all exaggerating a bit. I'm sure that you'd all have been cast without me. And, just so you know, Rose isn't really my sister. We just call each other sisters. She's my cousin, but she's as close to me as my real sister." "Oh, that's so nice. And is she your guardian while you're out here?" "Yes, Rose and Ed are both my guardians." "That must be cool! They're so young. I still live with my mom, of course..." "Excuse me, ladies." The voice of the driver came through a hidden speaker, surprising John, but Kylie was obviously used to it. She pushed a small button on the wall. "Yes?" she asked. "Just checking, Miss. My instructions are to take you to wardrobe for four o'clock, but we will be arriving well before that. Would you like to make any stops along the way?" Kylie flashed a smile at John. "Have you ever had an In-N-Out Burger?" "No..." John had heard about this West Coast chain of fast food restaurants, but he'd never been to one. Kylie pushed the button, again. "I'm sorry. What is your name?" "I'm Oscar, Miss," the driver said. "Well, tell me, Oscar, if we make a quick stop at In-N-Out Burger and I treat you to lunch, would anyone at the studio need to know?" The driver chuckled. "No, Miss. No one will find out." "Excellent, Oscar. Let's go get some dinner, then!" They arrived at wardrobe ten minutes early and full of 'Combo Number 1: Double-Double, Coke and fries.' The burger was so big, that John barely ate a third of it. The same with the fries, but Oscar helped out by eating most of those for him. Oscar, as it turned out, was a man in his late thirties or early forties who was at least six-foot-five, pale, blonde and balding. He had obviously been athletic, but not for a while, and by the time they arrived at the studio, the girls knew that Oscar was divorced and had three daughters aged thirteen, fourteen and sixteen who he only saw on the weekends. Kylie whispered that he was probably being so nice to them because they were the same age as his own girls. Julia was waiting for them as they entered. "There are my girls!" She greeted Kylie with a friendly kiss, but hugged John tightly. "At long last, huh? I'm so glad that things worked out for you, Bebe." "Thanks, Julia." "Alright, ladies, the year is 1962 so get used to dresses, dresses and more dresses. I've chosen a slew of things for you to try on, so get into your skivvies and let's see what looks pretty!" The next hour consisted of trying on one dress after another. Everyday dresses, dresses with matching cardigan sweaters, plaid dresses, solid dresses, shirt dresses, party dresses, dresses, dresses, dresses and each required its own set of antiquated undergarments. Kylie, being a bigger girl than John, needed more foundation garments than he did, Julia did provide John with some very interesting and somewhat pointy bras for some of his outfits. Pictures were taken and comments were made and the next dress was buttoned up his back and the process was repeated. "Alright, girls," Julia smiled as the girls put their school uniforms back on, "I think we're done for today. They've got another hour or so on the set. Would you like to watch and see what the process looks like?" John and Kylie did, so Julia accompanied them to the soundstage. It was brightly lit and exciting. There was a mock up of a living room in one area, a kitchen in another and the interior of a police station in another. All the activity was in the area of the police station set, so they headed in that direction. They passed a young woman with her hair flipped out who was wearing a straight, white skirt with a green lines circling it and a light weight, white sweater over her shoulders. As John and Kylie passed the woman, she whispered, "Bebe!" When he looked at her, it took John a moment to realize that the woman was, in fact, Rose. She looked very different in makeup and her 1962 era shoes gave her a different posture. He hugged her and could feel the unnatural shape of the somewhat pointed bra under her stretchy top. "You're pointy," he whispered and smiled. "I know!" She giggled. "Be grateful that you're too young to be dressed like this. It's not all that comfortable. Hi, Kylie." Kylie waved and smiled. It was nice that Bebe's cousin cared so much for her. Rose held her arm around Bebe's shoulder and Bebe leaned on Rose's shoulder and breast. Being an only child and older than her cousins, she didn't have an 'older sister' in her life. It must be nice. "Ed's in this scene. He's rehearsing with Don in his dressing room. They're still setting the lights and sound. How was school?" "It was school," Kylie said. "Different day, same stuff." Rose smiled and patted John's head. "How about you, Bebe? Did the first day go well?l "It was fine. The girls were nice, I guess and the teachers were ok." "Did you make some friends?" He shrugged. "I think so. I met a girl named Ella and another named Mary-Katherine. They showed me around and seem like nice girls." "Good, good. Are the teachers nice?" "I guess. You have to call them 'Miss' all the time. They're pretty formal. The call me Miss Bianca or Miss Bebe and I have to call them 'Miss Evelyn' or 'Miss Stephanie.' There's a lot of 'Miss-ing' going on." Rose giggled. "'Miss Bianca,' huh? I like that. From now on, I want you to call me 'Miss Rose,' ok?" Now John giggled. "In your dreams." Rose smiled and kissed the top of his head. He'd been letting her braid his hair at night so that it was wavy during the day. She liked it this way. It was young and pretty and kind of playful. "Anything else happen?" John snickered, "Ella and MK, that's what Mary Katherine calls herself, want me to go to the Homecoming Dance at St Matthew's this Saturday night. They wanted to set me up on a date and everything." "Oh," Rose said surprised. This aspect of high school life hadn't occurred to her. "What did you say?" "I told them that I never dated or went to a dance before, so I didn't think I'd be able to go." "What!?" Kylie said. "You've got to go! These girls have certain events that are really important throughout the school year. Homecoming at St Matthew's is the first big one of the year. It took me two weeks to find a date! If you don't go, you'll be a social leper for the rest of the year!" Rose looked at John and raised her eyebrows in concern. "A social leper, Bebe. That's pretty bad. I don't think you should risk being a leper, do you?" He shrugged and spoke to Kylie. "I'm sure they'll be other things that I can attend, right? It's just that... well... I'm not even settled in, yet, and I've never been to a dance - I hardly even know how to dance - and I don't know the boy..." "You've never been to a dance!?" Kylie was shocked. In truth, John had been to two proms, but he definitely didn't know much about dancing, other than those dances in which he'd been choreographed for a play or two. "Bebe, I guess that everything I've heard about how repressed everyone is in Massachusetts is true, but out here a high school dance is EVERYTHING to a girl! I'm not kidding, Bebe. You NEED to go!" "What do you say, Beebs? A nice night out in a pretty dress, or social leprosy? It's your choice." John looked at Rose. Not only was she serious, but dressed as she was in those 1960s clothes, she looked almost motherly. Suddenly, he realized that she wasn't just playing along with Kylie; she was seriously encouraging him to go to a dance - with a boy. "Umm... I don't know. Could we, maybe, put this on hold and talk about it at home, with Ed?" "Sure, sweetheart." Rose smiled, but John didn't feel comforted by it. "Oh, here come Don and Ed, now." The stage area went silent and Ed and Don Ferry performed a scene that lasted less than four minutes. Them they did it two more times for camera-shot coverage. Then Ed and Rose were released for the day. "I don't think we should force him to go to a dance if he doesn't want to go," Ed was on John's side. The conversation was taking place around the dinner table at the rented condo they were all staying in. They'd picked up Korean take-out on the way home and were sitting around the way-too-big table in their dining room. "Listen, Ed, there is no 'he' involved in this conversation. We all agreed that 'John' is not part of this conversation anymore. We are talking about Bebe, now, and I don't need you to be thinking like 'John's Pal,' I need you to be thinking like Bebe's guardian - like you were her 'Uncle Ed.' She is in a new school and needs to be a part of that school's social scene. She is going to that dance with that boy because it is the logical thing for a girl in her position to do! Heck, I went to dozens of dances when I was her age and many of them were with blind dates. It's part of growing up as a girl." "Rose, I'm nearly the same age as you, remember?" John was frustrated with being left out of this conversation. "Argh... Bebe's age, then!" Rose snapped. "Come on, now. You agreed to this arrangement. I'm just trying to make you follow through on your promises. Don't make me into the bad guy here!" There was an aggravated and frustrated silence. Finally, Ed said, "I think your cousin is right, Bebe." "Ed! She's not my cousin! You know that!" Suddenly, Ed became much more stern than John had ever seen. "According to the agreement we all signed, Bianca, she is and she and I are your guardians. We are responsible for not only your safety, but insuring that you adhere to the terms of your agreement. You agreed to live the life of a fourteen year old girl, Bianca, so that's what you are going to do. Now, this is just the first of many social obligations that you will need to fulfill, so I think that you should text those two girls, what were their names?" "Ella and MK," John sulked angrily in his chair. "Ok, Ella and MK," Ed continued in a decidedly paternal attitude, "and tell them that your guardians have agreed to allow you to attend the dance and could they, please, contact that boy and set up a date." "Thank you, Ed," Rose smiled at Ed's decision to support her. "No need to thank me, Rose. You were right. I was thinking like John's pal instead of Bebe's guardian." "Well, I won't do it," John folded his arms and stared at the table. Rose stood and started clearing the table. "Alright, missy, you listen to me. If this is going to work, then there are going to be some rules that we all need to follow around here. RULE NUMBER ONE, Ed and I are the adults and you are a child. You will do what we say, when we say it, or we will send you right back to Worcester. A lot of people bent over backwards to get you on the show and we are not going to sacrifice our careers because you are having second thoughts. Is that understood?" John remained silent. "Answer your cousin," Ed said as he drummed his fingers on the table. "This isn't a joke, Bebe. You dragged us into this charade with you. We all have to live up to the agreement that YOU made." It took a moment, but John finally nodded. "Yes. I understand." "Good," Rose calmed a bit, but continued. RULE NUMBER TWO, when we get home at night, no matter what time it is, the first thing you do is change out of your school uniform and you hang it up so that it is neat and ready for the next day. You're slouching in that chair, wrinkling your skirt and blouse. You're not going to school looking like an unmade bed. Understood?" "Yes." RULE NUMBER THREE, If you have homework, I want it done as soon as possible. If you're on set and you're not getting ready for a shot, then you're doing you're homework. High school isn't like college. You need to get up early and be prepared. You can't blow off the work you agreed to do. Work and School share the highest priority. And no matter what, you're in bed by 10:00 on week nights. Understood?" "Yes, Yes, Yes. I understand." "Good. Now, first I want you to text your little friends and set up that date, then, go change and hang up your uniform, then I want that World Religion homework done by 8:30." "May I ask a question?" John sighed as he picked up his phone to type the message to Ella and MK. "Of course, you may ask a question," Ed said. "A little less attitude would be appreciated, though." John nodded, "Won't I still be an outcast if I go to the dance and have no idea how to dance? I only slow danced at my proms and I just kind of clung to my date. I don't know how a girl dances at all, but I know that they dance in groups. I can't do that." "We'll teach you," Ed said, surprising both John and Rose. "You know how to dance?" John asked, sounding more doubtful than he intended. "Yes, I can dance," Ed said with some defense. "I took two semesters of Ballroom Dance for PE credit in high school. Now, go get changed and do your homework. It's almost 7:30. Your cousin wants you done with your homework in an hour." By 9:15, John was done with his homework and he'd showered and was coming back out into the living room to watch a little TV with Rose and Ed, but before he entered the room, instead of hearing a television show playing, he heard music. It was a song that he knew because his mother liked awful songs from the 1970s. It was a schmaltzy song by the band Chicago called 'Color My World.' Wearing a simple, white cotton nightie with tiny bouquets of blue flowers scattered all over it, he peeked around the corner and spied Rose and Ed slow dancing, quite well. It surprised him, and the fact that they looked nice together, made him a little jealous. When Rose spotted him, she slowly separated from Ed. She smiled at John. "That nightie fits you nicely. I'm glad. Between your diet and the hormones, you've lost so much weight, lately. I wasn't sure of your size, but I really liked it in the store." "It does fit well and it's very comfortable. Thank you for getting it for me," John was trying to put the awkwardness of the early evening behind him. "Good news!" Rose smiled and indicated that John should come to her. "Your Uncle Ed really IS a good dancer. Come here. He'll teach you how to slow dance. I'll teach you to fast dance tomorrow night after we go dress shopping." John stood facing Ed with his back to Rose. "UNCLE Ed?" He asked. "I think it's probably for the best, baby," Rose rubbed his shoulders as she guided him into Ed's arms. "Now, just follow his lead." 'Color my World' ended and Elvis' 'I Can't Help Falling In Love With You' started playing. Ed took the little man into his embrace and smiled down at him. "Ready?" "Yes, UNCLE Ed," John rolled his eyes. Ed started guiding John around the room. "Now, don't fight me, Beebs. Just follow me. Let me do all the work." It wasn't easy at first. What little experience John had had with dancing involved him being the leader, but, eventually, he began to enjoy giving up the lead and allowing himself to be manipulated by his bigger, stronger partner. "Most little girls learn how to follow a man around a dance floor when their small enough to stand on their daddy's feet." Rose watched and spoke from the side of the 'dance floor.' "Even if my dad had been around, I doubt that he would have taught me to dance." John laughed. "Just put your head on Ed's chest and close your eyes. Let Uncle Ed lead you around the floor" John placed his head on Ed's chest and closed his eyes and surrendered his will to Ed's movements. It was nice. He could feel Ed breathing, his heart beating and then Ed started singing, quietly, "Take my hand. Take my whole life, too. 'Cause I can't help falling in love with you." It all seemed so warm and intimate. It was nice. When the song ended, Ed stopped swaying and kissed John's damp hair. "See, you can do it. Just be a girl and let the boy lead you and you'll be fine. Ok?" John nodded and smiled. "Ok." Ed kissed his cheek. "Good. Now go with Rose and she'll get your hair ready for bed." "Ok." "I love you. 'Night." Rose took his hand and led him towards her bedroom and her vanity. "Tell your Uncle Ed you love him, too." "Love you, too," he called back. She sat him in her vanity chair and took a moment to separate his hair into three sections and she braided it, using a scrunchy to secure the end. Then she led him to her bed and told him to sit for a minute. "We need to have a little chat," she said. "I'm sorry about being a little pushy, Beebs, but you do understand that this is all necessary, right?" John nodded. "I do. I just never considered having to date a boy or anything like that." "I know," she ran her finger along his smooth arm. "I'm sorry, but it is what we all signed on to do. Please, don't be mad at me, ok?" He nodded. "Ok." "Now, tomorrow is Wednesday and I'm called to the set at 7:00am. So, the studio is sending a car for you to take you to school. I'm done by 1:00-1:30, so I'll be in the car that picks you up. Since Kylie is going to be in the car with us, you probably should invite her to go shopping with us. I'm sure she'd have a good time and it's kind of the girly thing to do - you know, inviting your girlfriend to go shopping with you." Just then, John's phone buzzed, indicating a text. He picked it up and shook his head in resignation. "What?" Asked Rose. "It's from MK. That boy, Blaine, he's excited to be taking me to homecoming. She him sent a picture, of me and she says that he says that I'm pretty. She sent me a picture, too. ." He held up his phone with the image of a handsome boy, with olive colored skin and spiked hair with bleached tips. He was alone in the selfie, but by the height of the photos on the wall behind him, she could tell that he was pretty tall and he obviously had an athletic build. "Oh, he's cute!" Rose put her arm around him. "You'll have a nice time with him, I'm sure!" John just shrugged, but when he did, the front of his loose nightie hung a little lower, revealing a glimpse of his developing 'buds' to Rose. She smiled. She liked him this way - small and feminine - and she was looking forward to him developing over the next couple of years. She adjusted the nightie for him, but let her hand linger. "You're becoming quite the little lady, aren't you?" She smiled mischievously. He glanced from Rose's hands to her face, wondering what she really thought about him. He didn't need to wonder for long. Rose let one of her fingers wander down to one of his nipples and softly fingered it, causing him to suck in a deep shiver of breath. "Feels nice, doesn't it?" "Yes," he whispered. "It'll only get better, sweetheart, so learn to enjoy it." He leaned his head on her shoulder, offering no resistance to her finger. So, she took the initiative and became more aggressive, rolling the nipple between her fingers, then kissing and licking his neck and ear. "You smell nice, baby. And you're so soft. I'm so glad that you're finally here with us, to be our little girl. You like that, too, don't you?" John was too focused on this new sensation to really focus on anything that Rose was saying. He just grunted in agreement. Rose giggled, then whispered, "If you liked a nice, gentle nipple rub, then wait till you feel this." Suddenly, Rose's hand was working at an amazingly quick speed, shaking, rubbing, pulling, groping his little, young nipple, and sending sensations he'd never felt all through his body. His breath caught in his throat and his eyes rolled back in his head. If he'd not been seated, his pelvis would have been thrusting wildly. Instead, though, within seconds, his body stiffened and then shook violently and Rose knew that she'd accomplished something she hadn't ever thought possible - she'd brought a boy to orgasm without touching his sex organ at all. When his body relaxed, again, Rose pulled her head back, smiling. "Good, right?" He nodded and smiled as he reoriented himself to reality. "Good," she kissed his cheek. "Why don't you go take off those dirty panties, wash your 'dinky' really well so that you don't smell naughty at school tomorrow, and get into bed. I'll be in in ten minutes to tuck you in." He did as he was told and he was fresh smelling, wearing clean panties and climbing into bed when Rose and Ed came in. Rose tucked in the covers and sat on one side of the bed, Ed sat on the other. "You're going to be ok as Bebe, right?" Ed asked as he patted John's shoulder. "Yeah, I'll be ok." "Good," Ed smiled. "I don't want to be the jerk all the time, you know. I'm not really built for it." John smiled at that. Ed was one of the sweetest people he knew. Being 'The Man Of the House' couldn't be an easy role for him. "I need to be on set real early tomorrow," the big guy continued, "so I won't see you in the morning. I guess you'll be on your own till the car comes. If you need anything, just call. Have fun at school and enjoy your shopping trip with Rosie. I hope you find what you need, because Thursday is your first day of work. Are you excited?" "Very," John said with a big smile. "That's what all of this is about, right?" Ed smiled. "That's right, Bebe. Sleep well." He kissed John's cheek. "Good night, E..." corrected himself "... Uncle Ed." Ed smiled. "Atta girl." He stood and headed for the door. "Good night, Angel," Rose kissed his other cheek. "Sleep well." John's school day started with English class, which was a breeze - just some discussion of 'To Kill A Mockingbird,' a book he'd read twice and loved both times. He participated at a lower level than he wanted to, but he didn't want to be a showoff or make the teacher suspicious. Second period was his science class. He had never loved Biology, but his Bio teacher, Miss Karen, was very pleasant. Theater was third period. The groups that hadn't presented on his first day, presented today and the girls in the audience had to offer constructive criticism. Still feeling as if Miss Stephanie saw him as a threat, John just enjoyed the presentations and took copious notes. He kept quiet in the hopes of not antagonizing his teacher. When the last group had completed their presentation, Miss Stephanie said, "Thank you for your input, girls, but, Miss Bebe, I noticed that you did not offer any critiques. A good deal of your grade is class participation. I expect input from everyone." "Yes, Miss Stephanie. I'm sorry, Miss, I didn't realize. I was just trying to... get the feel of the class." The teacher nodded. "I noticed that you were writing quite a bit during the presentations. Would you like to share some of that with us, Miss Bebe?" John looked around at the other girls. Some were sympathetic that he'd been put on the spot. Others seemed to wonder what he'd written about them. "I'd rather not, Miss. This is all a little new for me." The teacher smirked. "Miss Bebe, please pass your notebook to Miss Amanda in front of you." He did. "Miss Amanda, please find Miss Bebe's notes on 'The Tempest.'" The girl flipped a page, then looked up at the teacher. "Are there any notes, Miss Amanda, or just doodles?" "There are notes, Miss." "Then, please, read them for us, Miss Amanda." Miss Stephanie's eyes never left John as she spoke. It was plain to all that Amanda felt very much 'put on the spot.' She glanced at John sympathetically, then started reading. "The Tempest. Setting: In a closed Rocky Mountain resort. Offers nice options for Shakespeare plot. Characters are well developed. Some Shakespearean English is mistranslated, but they're usually pretty close. Nice projection and diction..." "That's enough, Miss Amanda. Pass that to me, please." The teacher took the notebook and looked through the pages as the bell rang. "Class dismissed," Miss Stephanie said without looking up, "except you, Miss Bianca. Please stay. I'll write you a pass." "Yes, Miss," John sat and watched her read his notes while the other students left. "We'll see you in World Religions," MK whispered. After a couple of uncomfortable moments, Miss Stephanie looked at John with a suspicious eye. "How old are you, Miss Bianca?" "Fourteen, Miss." "And what do your parents do for work?" "My mother is a college professor, Miss. I don't know my father." "Hmm. That might explain it. Your writing is very advanced for a fourteen year old, Bebe, and your insight is... well, impressive to say the least." "Thank you, Miss." "I'm going to be honest with you, Miss Bianca. I find you to be a bit of an 'odd duck,' if you catch my meaning." John was at first taken aback by her bluntness, then a little insulted. He sat and contemplated an appropriate response, but Miss Stephanie closed his notebook and handed it back to him. "I'm keeping my eye on you, young lady. You're obviously a very talented writer and the fact that you're here because you're an actress tells me that you're gifted at acting, too. Just because ABC hired you, though, doesn't mean that you're getting a free ride in my class." "No, Miss, Stephanie. I never expected that I would. I'll participate more, Miss. I promise." "I understand that you're not going to be in class tomorrow, correct?" "Yes, Miss. It's my first day of filming." "Well, make sure that you're signed into my class website so you don't fall behind. If you're out for work, you are still responsible for your school work. I am uncompromising on that, Miss Bianca, just ask Miss Kylie. She's been out for work three times already. I don't care if you win an Emmy on that show, you'll fail my class if you don't keep up with the work." "Yes, ma'm." "I beg your pardon?" "Oh, I'm sorry, Miss. I meant, 'Yes, Miss Stephanie.'" The teacher wrote on a small piece of paper, then handed it to John. "Here's your pass, now go straight to World Religions. I'll see you on Friday." "Yes, Miss. Thank you, Miss." "So, What did Miss Stephanie want?" Ella asked as they sat at the dinning tables in the cafeteria. "She wants me to participate more," John said as he put his little purse back into his backpack. "Whew!" MK wiped her forehead, dramatically. "I thought you were in real trouble." "Me too," John spread the dressing on his salad. "She doesn't seem to like the fact that I'm going to be out tomorrow because of the show." Ella nodded. "She's funny about girls who have acting jobs. She's envious, I guess." John had had the same thought. "So, about Saturday," MK said. "Are you excited?" "Kinda, I guess. To tell you the truth, I'm a little scared, too." "Don't be," MK waved him off, "Blaine is really sweet." "And he's a hottie, too," Ella laughed with a mouthful of sushi. "Do you have a dress?" MK pulled out her phone and showed John a picture of a very pretty, very short, pink dress. The picture was obviously taken in a dressing room at a retail store. "This is my dress. My mom and I bought it last weekend." "Very pretty," John acknowledged. "My cousin and I are going shopping after school. I think that Kylie maybe coming with us." Both of the girls became wide eyed. "Can we come, too!? Oh, we know all the right stores and what Blaine likes, too! We can help a lot!" John was a bit surprised by the question. He wasn't sure how to respond. "Oh... well... I'd have to talk to my cousin, Rose..." "Well, text her!" Ella nearly jumped out of her skin with excitement. "I'll text my mom." "Me too!" MK grabbed her phone. "Oh... ok..." John sent Rose a text - LOOKS LIKE MY FRIENDS ELLA AND MK WILL BE JOINING US TO GO SHOPPING. I CANT SEEM TO DISSUADE THEM FROM COMING. Moments later, a text came back - ISN'T THAT SWEET!? THEY WANT TO HELP MAKE YOU PRETTY. THAT'S GREAT. ILL REQUEST A BIGGER CAR. "My mom says, 'Yes!'" Ella shouted. "So does mine," yelled MK. It was all set, then. The Beverly Hills boutique that the girls insisted was 'THE ONLY' place to go dress shopping, looked more like a coffee shop than a dress shop. There were no dresses on display. It was a moderately large space done in very pretty Patel's. The proprietress was a bit annoyed that Rose had not called ahead for an appointment and also because the dance was just three days away, making any necessary alterations difficult to schedule. Luckily, Ella had several older sisters, so she and her mom were frequent customers of the boutique, so, when the proprietress saw her, her attitude changed considerably. "Do you have any ideas? Colors? Styles? For the young lady?" "As for styles," Rose thought, "nothing too revealing. She's not all that well developed yet." John was mortified to hear her saying this to a total stranger! What was the point of wearing a padded bra if everyone knew he was flat-chested? But the other girls didn't seem to take any notice. "She'll definitely need to wear a bra, so something that masks the straps. She always looks pretty with a little bit of a petticoat-style. Girls, is there a color code for the dance?" "No," Ella announced, "but I just text Blaine and asked him what his favorite color is. He says it's red." "Well, then, let's start with red," Rose smiled. The sales lady spoke to another woman and within minutes, a rack of red dresses appeared at the other end of the room. Each was a work of art. Silks and laces and every shade of red from burgundy to pink. Everyone oohed and ahhed, even John and Rose. Very quickly, though, John honed in on the one he liked the best. He pulled out the hanger and showed the dress to every one. "I really like this one." "What an excellent choice," the saleswoman said. "That's a beautiful dress and it has a short, built-in petticoat, too! You'll need some help lacing up the back, I'm sure. Would you like me to help you?" John looked to Rose. "Each of the girls shouted in unison, "I'll help her!" Rose smiled at them, remembering how exciting shopping for a special dress was at that age. "That's ok, girls. She's shy. I'll help her. We'll be right out." The red, lace dress was covered in different styles of lace and brocade, with a scalloped, V-neck, tiny cap sleeves, a fitted top and a skirt that blossomed in layers of lace and extra fabric. In the back, his skin was visible to the shoulder blades, then a V-shaped panel allowed the dress to be laced tightly to him. With his padded training bra, it snuggled him tightly when laced and the skirt, which ended couple of inches above his knees in the front and mid-calf in the back, tickled his legs delightfully. From the moment he put the dress on, he adored it. "You like it?" Rose asked. "I do. I think it's perfect." "I do, too, but you're no fun. A girl is supposed to spend hours trying on dresses. You're buying the first one." "I have a good eye, I guess." He smiled as he swayed in the mirror. This was one of the best things about being a girl. The pretty dresses. He loved them when they were like this - pretty, lacy, designed to dazzle. "I like the little pearls sewn into the fabric." He ran his hands along the fabric, feeling the textures of the laces and the decorations. "Let's go show your friends." The girls praised him as he entered the sales floor. Their fingers immediately touching and caressing the material. He really enjoyed their appreciation of the dress and the way it fit him. "An excellent choice, Miss," the sales lady praised John. "How much is that?" Rose asked, expecting it to be in the area of a couple of hundred dollars. "One thousand, four hundred and sixty two dollars, madam." The woman didn't even flinch! They certainly could afford it, but the price still shocked Rose. She nodded as she regained the use of her tongue. "We'll take it. Do you sell shoes?" "No, madam, we don't, but there is an excellent shop, two doors down. I'm not absolutely sure, but I think that there is still enough time to have a pair of shoes dyed to match the dress, if you'd like." "Excellent," Rose smiled as she pulled out a credit card. They picked out the shoes just as quickly as they'd picked out the dress, and they were equally over priced. Since it was still early, Rose told the girls that she'd treat them to supper. They dropped the garment bag with the dress off at the limo and invited Oscar, the driver, to join them for dinner. He agreed, happily. She phoned Ed and told him she'd bring him something, but he said not to worry, so they headed for a shopping mall and for what Rose hoped would be a quiet meal. It wasn't. The girls headed straight for the Dave and Buster's and it's banks of arcades and pub-grub. Just a tad disappointed, Rose and Oscar sat and took charge of the girls' discarded backpacks. "This is a wonderful age for girls," Oscar smiled as he watched them playing the video games. "How so?" Asked Rose. "Oh, they're still children, but young women, too. So bright and beautiful. My daughters are this age, as well. It is a wonderful thing to watch them become women." She certainly couldn't argue with that, so she just smiled and watched the girls. "But you're still young yourself," Oscar said. "You'll see when you're older. One day they're little girls and the next... they're all grown up." Rose thought of last night, John's little breast-buds and how small he felt next to her. "No, Oscar. I do love them at this age, too." ACTING ON TV -or- THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS "They need you on set, Ms Foley," the production assistant waited till the hairdresser let John out of the chair, then accompanied him to the set, where a mock up of a kitchen was well lit and waiting for actors to arrive. "Is this your first time acting on TV?" She asked John. "It is," John was more than a little stressed. He was feeling a bit lightheaded with anticipation. The PA smiled comfortingly, "Well, Don't worry. Everybody here wants you to do a great job, so just relax and do what you do best. Ok?" "Ok," John smiled back at the woman. "Here's your chair." She showed him to a 'director's chair' that had the words 'Civil Disobedience' written across the top of the back and the name 'Bebe' printed below that. "Wow," John ran his fingers along the embroidery. "Cool, huh?" The PA smiled at John's reaction. "Very cool." He smoothed the skirts of his dress as he sat. The dress, a classic, young girl's shirt-dress of the early 1960s, was dark blue plaid with squares of darker blue beneath the white and black intertwining lines. It had short sleeves that came well down his upper arms and it had silver buttons up the front that buttoned all the way up to a very small collar. The skirt had enough material to flounce out a bit, but also had deep pockets on either side, which John liked quite a bit. Instead of the padded bras that he'd tried on when he'd visited the set on Tuesday, John had been given a basic, training bra from the period. With his hair curled and his makeup almost nonexistent, he looked young, indeed. 'Like a dark haired Patty Duke,' Julia had said. He was uncertain as to who Patty Duke was. The one item that he did not care for was the nylon slip he'd been given to wear. The skirt of the slip was narrow and ended at his knees, creating a slightly hobbled gait when he tried to hurry. He also found it just a bit binding and cutting where it fit below his armpits. "Bebe!" The director appeared beside John, surprising him. "Are we all set to start?" John stood and gave the director a small curtsy, "Yes, sir, I am." "Good, Good. Come with me." He called out to the dark area, "Can I have props in the kitchen and can someone find Marion? I want to rehearse this scene." The props woman appeared and handed John a dish rag and placed a pile of wet dishes on a dish rack. She smiled at John and the director and asked, "Anything else?" "I think we're good," the director nodded. "Where's Marion?" "I'm right here," and older woman who John had seen in literally dozens of TV shows stepped into the kitchen set. "Hi, darling," she smiled at John, "Are you playing Alex?" John said he was. "It's an honor to meet you, Mrs Reynolds. I admire your work." The woman chuckled at the precocious child. "Just call me Marion, honey. We're all pretty relaxed on a TV set. How old are you, dear?" "I'm fourteen, ma'm." "Really, dear? Is this your first job?" "On television, yes, ma'm." "Oh, that's wonderful. Congratulations, dear. I had my first television role when I was just your age, too. Of course, mine was just a small role. I played a patient on a show called 'Marcus Welby, M.D.' I died of a rare cancer forty minutes into the episode, but I got to meet James Brolin - Oh, he was so handsome, back then." John smiled at her reminiscing. "He is still a very handsome man, ma'm." "Alright, child, let's knock off the 'ma'm' stuff, ok? I'm old enough without you making me feel ancient. Just call me Marion, or Nana, if that's easier, dear." "Yes, m... Nana," John smiled apologetically as he adjusted his dress. "Is you dress uncomfortable, dear?" She asked. "If it is, I'll call the costumer over." "Not the dress, really. I like the dress, but the slip is a little... binding... I guess." Marion smiled knowingly. "Oh, they've given you a period piece, huh. I remember those slips. They squeeze your boobs down to nothing and pull on you every time you move." "Yeah," John adjusted everything once again. "Don't worry, honey," Marion laughed at his fruitless efforts to make himself comfortable, "you'll get used to it. We all did, back in my day." She reached out and adjusted John's little collar and smiled at him, maternally. "You're a very pretty young lady, Bianca..." "Bebe," John interrupted, involuntarily. Marion smiled even more broadly. "Ok, Bebe... you are a very pretty thing, Bebe. If you need anything while we're working together - if someone is bothering you, if you don't know where the ladies room is, if you have a question about the scripts - anything at all... you come see Nana and I'll help you with it. Ok?" "Ok," John beamed. "Thank you, Nana." "Ok. Ladies," the director focused them. "Alex is helping her grandmother cleaning up after dinner. Nana, you're chastising Alex for acting up in school and being a tomboy, playing ball with the boys, getting dirty... that kind of thing. Alex, throughout the scene, you're wiping dishes and putting them into this cabinet and getting frustrated with your grandmother. Easy-peas-y, right? Ok, let's run it." They rehearsed the scene twice with the director giving John some very technical direction about turning this way, or that, in order to keep the scene lit correctly. Then they called in the camera, light and sound people to record it. They ran the scene twice with the cameras in a wide focus, then they ran it twice more doing closeups on the actresses. "Ok," the director said, "I want to try one more thing. Let's do the scene once more, but this time, forget the script. Alex, I want to see more of a desire to be an independent person and Marion, I'd like you to try to encourage her to just be a good girl and do what's expected of her. Ok? This is going to be the primary focus of Alex's character throughout our first arch. She's mourning her mother's death and trying to figure out who she is in a male dominated world. Get it? Here we go, people. Action!" The scene started as before, then Marion took a turn off of the page, "Its just disgraceful, Alexandra. You're a girl, and you need to take on the responsibilities of being a girl. Someday, you're going to need to know how to be a good homemaker. A good mother. Your father is going through a lot right now, and he needs you to be a good girl. So, knock off this nonsense" "Nana," John picked up the flow, "I am a good girl. I just don't always want to do 'girl' things. I'm not perfect and pretty like my sister. I'm just an ugly little thing. I like to play ball and run with the boys. Why can't I keep doing that? There's nothing wrong with it." "There is, though, Alex. Girls don't behave that way - playing baseball and running around in a dress... Boys aren't going to respect you if you're dirty and sweaty." Suddenly the actress was playing with John's curled hair. "And you're not ugly, Alex. How can you say that. My heavens, girl, you look exactly like... your mom at this age. She was... unconventional, too. But we don't have that luxury right now, sweetheart. From now on, I need you to think before you go running around a ball field. Think about your father and what he needs you to be. Think about me and what I am asking you to do, and think about your mother and what she would have wanted you to do - to help your father. Be a pretty little girl, Alex, please. That's what your mother would have wanted." John clung to a plate while the character processed this demand, then he turned to the grandmother, rage and hurt blazing on his face and said, "My mother loved me as I am, Nana. She never made me feel guilty about being me and I miss her, Nana, I miss her like crazy and I miss daddy, too and he's never here, Nana. He's never here!" Then he dropped the plate back into the sink and he stormed out of the kitchen, leaving the grandmother watching him leave, blinking in confusion. "And cut!" The director called. "That was great, ladies!" He turned to the assistant director and whispered, "This kid, I'm telling you, she's a complete game changer. We've got something very special going on here. Wait till she works with Don. He's going to love her." After lunch, John did some scenes with Kylie, who had been in school until noon. Several scenes took place on a back porch, so they filmed it on a set on the back lot. Kylie did great while they were on script, but the director wanted to try a little more improv. Kylie couldn't do it, though. It was all new to her, so they stuck with the script for the remainder of the afternoon. "Is your homework all done?" Rose asked as she and John loaded the dishwasher. "Yes. I only had Bio and Theater. The Bio was a chapter summary. I did it during a break on the set. Theater was to compare two versions of the same character in different versions of the story. I did Tom Buchanan from 'The Great Gatsby' - Bruce Dean in the 1974 version and Joel Edgerton in 2013. I passed it in on the website on the way home. Rose giggled, "Isn't 'The Great Gatsby' a little sophisticated for a high school freshman? Shouldn't you have chosen, I don't know, maybe two different version of Spider-Man or something like that?" "Oh, maybe. Sorry." She kissed his head. "No need to be sorry, honey. I just made a suggestion. You'll impress your teacher, anyway." "Maybe, but I don't think she likes me much." "Really? Why?" "I don't know. I just don't think so." As they spoke, music started coming from the next room. It was Christina Perri this time. "Heart beats fast Colors and promises How to brave How can I love when I'm Afraid to fall..." Ed appeared in the doorway. "Is my dance partner ready?" He bowed as he had in his Shakespearean role and offered John his hand. John rolled his eyes. "Go on, now. Dance with Uncle Ed." Rose smiled at the two of them. "I'll finish up in here and join you. We'll do some fast dancing, too. Before you go to this homecoming dance, you'll be a pro. I promise." Christina Perri led to Fleetwood Mac to Frank Sinatra to Sam Smith to Barry Manilow. Then Rose took over with Beyonc? which led to The Supremes to Amy Winehouse to The Beatles to Bob Seger to The Black Eyed Peas to Lady GaGa and, finally, to bedtime. As Rose braided his hair for bed, she asked, "Have you spoken to your mystery date, yet?" "Just texts." "Does he seem nice?" "I guess." "Do I need to arrange a car to get you there?" "I don't know. MK and Ella were talking about all of us going together, but I wasn't in school today, so... I don't know what's going on." Rose fastened a scrunchy to the end of the braid and kissed his cheek from behind. "How about I arrange for a limo for the three of you? How does that sound? Maybe Kylie could join you, too. Maybe I could even get Oscar to drive, that way I'd know that someone's watching out for you." John smiled. The girls would definitely enjoy a limo - not that a limo was all that unusual for them. They did live in Beverly Hills, after all. "That sounds good." "Ok," Rose kissed him again, then guided him to lay down so that she could tuck him in. "You talk to the girls and I'll take care of everything else. Love you." "Love you, too." "Cool!" Ella shouted at lunch when John made her aware of Rose's plan to arrange a limo. "I'll text my mom and tell her that we don't need her to drive." "It'll be much cooler showing up a limo than in a Toyota Sienna," MK joked. "MK and I are getting our hair done tomorrow morning at 10:00 at the salon my mom goes to. You want to come, too?" Ella was enthusiastic. "Oh, I can't," John was actually disappointed. He would have liked to spend the morning with the girls. "I have to work in the morning. We're filming a baseball game scene at some high school. I am slated to be working till 2:00." "2:00!?" Both girls exclaimed. "When will you get your hair, nails and makeup done!?" Ella was astounded at John's lack of planning. "I... I don't know... I guess I'll have to ask my cousin for help." "Bebe," MK took a very serious tone, "this is a big deal for you, you know. It's kind of like your 'coming out' into Norte Dame and St Matthews society. If you come looking like your hair was done at home, then, for the rest of your life, you'll be THAT girl! The one who didn't have her hair and makeup done for homecoming!" John was a little amused by their belief that this was really all that important, but a part of him did believe that, if he didn't look perfect, then he'd have to deal with it for the next four years. "I'll... I'll text Rose. She'll figure it out for me." "I hope so," Ella said. "Don't be mad that I said those things, Bebe," MK said. "I only said them for your own good." "I understand," John said as he sent Rose a text that read 'S.O.S. THE GIRLS SAY I NEED MY HAIR, NAILS AND MAKEUP DONE PROFESSIONALLY, BUT THERE'S NO TIME BECAUSE OF THE BALL GAME SHOOT. HELP!' Moments later, a photo came through with a text. The photo was of Julia and four other people all holding tools used for hair, nails and makeup. The text read, 'DON'T WORRY. JULIA AND HER STAFF ARE EXCITED TO GET YOU AND KYLIE READY! JUST WORRY ABOUT SCHOOL. LET ROSIE WORRY ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE.' John showed the girls the text and picture. "Oh, thank God!" The girls said. "Are you Bianca Foley," a girl from the senior class interrupted their conversation. "Yes," John replied, wondering how the girl knew his name. "Are you done with lunch, because Miss Gabriella wants to see you in her office." "Umm... Yes, I'm done." He gathered his trash on his tray and followed the senior class girl out, dumping his trash on the way. John had met Miss Gabriella only briefly on his first day. She was the Head Mistress of the school and seemed like a pleasant lady at the time. He wondered why he was being summoned, though. In the four years he'd spent in high school the first time, he'd never even met the principal until the day he graduated. "You're new, right?" the girl tried to make conversation. "I mean, you just started here this week, right?" John acknowledge that she was correct. "Your accent is north eastern, right? New Hampshire? Maine?" "Massachusetts." "No kidding!? I'm from northern Connecticut, one town south of Sturbridge, Massachusetts! My name is Autumn - stupid name, I know, but my parents think it's cute. How did you end up in Beverly Hills," John told her about his job, etc. As they reached the Head Mistress' Office, Autumn turned and told John to stop. "Turn slowly for me." "Ok," John said, confused. He turned slowly as Autumn inspected him. "Ok. You look good. Miss Gabriella is really picky about the uniform. When you go in, she'll probably have you spin around for her, too. Just look confident and you'll be fine." "Oh, Thanks. Do you know why I was called down?" "No idea, sorry, but we better get you in, quickly. She's impatient." Autumn knocked on the door. "Come in," came a voice from inside. "Good luck," Autumn whispered as she held the door open for John to enter. "Ah, Miss Foley, please come in." The Head Mistress was in her late fifties or early sixties, it was a little difficult for John to gage the age of women in California. Most had had some cosmetic surgery and the Head Mistress was no exception. She wore business suits and when she stood as John entered, he saw that she was wearing a startling sage-green suit, today. "Turn around slowly for me, please, Miss Foley." He did as she instructed and when he'd completed the turn, she said, "Very good. The first step to being a successful young woman is being well dressed and presentable." "Yes, Miss Gabriella,. I'll remember that, Miss." John did wonder if, in fact, that was the correct first step. It sounded suspiciously old fashioned, like the scene he'd done with Marion the day before. Miss Gabriella took a deep breath, then spoke with a serious tone, "I have just had a conversation with Miss Stephanie, Miss Bianca, and I have to say, I am a bit concerned. For a girl that has only been in this school for four days, you have made a rather profound, negative impression upon one of my most trusted educators." Unaware of any problems with Miss Stephanie since their conversations on Wednesday, John was confused. He stifled the impulse to say that the only problem that Miss Stephanie had was jealousy, and instead said, "I don't understand, Miss Gabriella. I promised Miss Stephanie that I would participate more when we give critiques. I was just nervous to criticize girls that I didn't know. That is the only problem I was aware of. Did I do something else that upset her?" "I should say you did." She picked up a note from her desk and showed it to John. "Does this look familiar?" It didn't. It was a note written on a piece of small notebook paper. In big letters it read, 'Miss Stephanie is a cunt. Fuck her.' "No, Miss Gabriella. I have never seen that before." "Oh, really, because it was given to Miss Stephanie by a girl in your class and she said that you had written the note. Are you denying that you wrote it, Miss Bianca?" John was pale. This was bad! In the real world, this would be a stupid prank, but in this world, the world in which fourteen year old girls had no power at all and a world in which he WAS a fourteen year old girl, this was very, very bad! "Miss, Gabriella, I swear that I did not write that. I spent all of second period working on the scene that Miss Stephanie assigned. You can check with the other girls in my group." "Oh, I intend to, young lady, believe me. I intend to." "Besides, Miss, here is my binder and you can check my locker - I don't have a notebook that size and I only have two pens with me. One is black and the other is a red one that is required for Miss Kary's class. That's written in purple." The Head Mistress took his binder and looked through it. "Hmmm, well, either you used someone else's notebook and pen or you're telling the truth. For now, Miss Bianca, I want you to report to the nurse's office and wait there till I call for you. I will interview the other girls in your group and check your locker. If you're innocent, then we'll go back to the way things were, but if you're guilty, then I promise you, young lady, you will be looking for another school to attend and you can forget about that homecoming dance tomorrow night." John just stood there feeling desperate and weak. He'd forgotten how awful grownups could be to children. She wasn't even listening to him. "Now, go see the nurse and wait there till you are called." She pushed a button on her desk and, within seconds, the nurse appeared and scowled at John as she guided him to her office. As she closed the door to her little clinic and pointed to a chair in which she wanted John to sit, she grunted, "You should be ashamed of yourself." "I didn't do anything, Miss," John tried to defend himself, but she closed the door, leaving him alone. He wanted to yell and go back to the Head Mistress' Office and take control of the situation, but he knew that no fourteen year old girl would do that, so he sat. Then, he wanted to cry, but he didn't want anyone to see him cry. He was too angry to let that happen. He wished he had his phone, but that had been in his pencil bag which was inside his binder and Miss Gabriella had that. Then he noticed that there was a phone on the desk next to him. He had no idea what Rose's phone number was, but he'd known Ed's for years. So, he picked up the phone and dialed, but a busy signal began part way through the number. Then he remembered using the phone at his mother's office at Holy Cross. You always had to dial '9' to get an outside line, there. So, he tried again, dialing '9' first. It worked! 'Hi, this is Ed. I can't come to the phone right now. Please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can. Thanks!' The tone sounded, and John whispered, "Ed, it's... Bebe. I'm in trouble at school, I didn't do anything, but I'm being blamed for writing a note about a teacher. They're making a huge deal out of it and threatening to throw me out. Right now, I'm locked up in the nurse's office until they've talked to everyone. I could really use some help. If you could call and stick up for me, that would be great. Oh, don't call my phone. The Head Mistress has it. I'm using the nurse's land line right now. Gotta hang up. Sorry and thanks." Then, he sat and waited. According to the clock on the nurse's phone, he'd been waiting fifty- four minutes when the door swung open and John could hear the nurse's voice saying, "I'm sorry, sir, but we take these kinds of things very seriously at Norte Dame..." "So seriously that you lock my innocent niece up like a common criminal?" Ed's head stuck into the office and John could see how annoyed he was. "Come on, Bebe. Are you ok?" Relieved, John walked over to Ed, who hugged him, tightly. Despite his efforts, feeling Ed comfort him lead to some tears - not a lot, but more than John wanted. They walked to the Head Mistress' Office where Miss Gabriella and Miss Stephanie were standing and talking while a student sat with her head down. John didn't recognize the student, but he assumed that she was responsible for the note. "Well, Miss Bianca," the Head Mistress said, "it appears that we were misinformed as to who wrote the note. You can return to class, now. Thank you for coming in, sir, but, as you can see, it was unnecessary. We have everything under control here and..." "Alright, just stop," Ed demanded. "I beg your pardon?" Miss Gabriella was surprised by his tone. "I said, 'just stop.' You accused my niece of something vile and threatened to throw her out of school. You locked her up, left her unsupervised and didn't allow her to call me, her mother or her cousin. What the hell kind of a school are you running here!? The studio is paying you more than eighty thousand dollars a year to educate my niece in a safe and supportive environment. Does any of this seem safe or supportive to you!?" Who was this guy? Ed? Ed had never spoken to anyone like this in his entire life! Now, here he was - John's knight in shining armor, standing up for him and protecting him! Where the heck do that come from? "I'm sorry, Mr Foley..." "McNeal." Ed spoke with authority. "I'm sorry?" "My name is McNeal. Ed McNeal and I share custody of Bebe with her cousin Rose, and I swear that if anything like this happens again, you will have a very expensive, very public law suit on your hands." "Umm, Mr. McNeal," Miss Gabriella spoke. "Perhaps we could send Miss Bianca back to class and have this conversation in private." Ed looked from her to Miss Stephanie to John, then he squatted down so that his head was lower than John's and he said, "What do you want to do, Beebs? Do you want to go back to class or call it a day and go home with me?" He held both of John's hands as he spoke. John found it comforting. "If it's ok, I'd rather go back to class." John refused to look at the Head Mistress. "Ok, then," he kissed John's cheek, "you go ahead back to class and I'll make sure that you're ok here before I leave." He kissed him, again, then picked up his binder and passed it to John, giving him one more hug and a wink of his eye before he headed back to class. Holy cow! Ed really did love him as an uncle. Life had certainly changed. Ella and MK had been talking nonstop since he'd returned to class. There'd been questions about the note and they knew that John, or Bebe, hadn't written it, but they were sure that he was going to be punished. They'd even sent a text to Blaine, just in case he needed to get another date. They'd also sent a text later, telling him to relax - everything was ok. They were outside, waiting for their rides, when John's phone sounded. He glanced at it and was shocked to see that it was Blaine. Ella and MK saw it too. John just stared at it for a few moments before Ella grabbed his phone and pushed the 'answer' button. "Hi, Blaine! It's Ella!.... Yeah, she's right here... No, she's all set. They found the girl who did it... Ok, she's just a little shy. Here she is." John shook his head 'no.' He knew that he'd have to talk to the boy at some point, but he was hoping to do so when he was alone. Not in front of these two, excitable girls who seemed to have his future with Blaine planned right down to the names of their seven children. "Just say 'hi,'" MK whispered as she pushed the phone into his hands. "Hi." John's voice was tentative. "Hi. This is Blaine. I just thought I should at least say 'hello' before tomorrow night." His voice was lower than John expected and he had a strangely hypnotic drawl to his voice. He was obviously not from the LA area, either. "I'm excited to meet you tomorrow." John smiled. He could tell that the boy was feeling just as awkward as he was. "I'm looking forward to meeting you, too. Thank you for inviting me. Oh... and for calling... that was very sweet." MK and Ella were bouncing around, excited. "Tell him his voice is sexy." "Tell him he sounds older." "Tell him you think he's handsome." "I can hear your friends. They're pretty excited about the dance, I guess." "They're pretty annoying, actually." Ella slapped his arm. "Hey! We set this up! We have a right to be annoying!" "Yeah!" MK joined. "She's got pretty lips, Blaine! Practice kissing before tomorrow night!" "Oh, my God! Shut up!" John was horrified! "Haha, I'll let you get going," Blaine was very polite. "Have a great night and I'll see you tomorrow. Text me when you're arriving. I'll be there early, setting up. I play LaCrosse, so I'm not playing in the football game. I'll come out when I get your text." "Ok. Thanks for calling, Blaine. I'll see you tomorrow." He hit the 'end' button and turned to the girls. "You're both horrible, you know that!?" The girls were almost uncontrollable with laughter. "Oh, we're going to have so much fun!" MK chortled. "Bebe!" Kylie shouted from the door to a town car. "Time to go!" "Ok!" John shouted, then turned to his friends and said, "Gotta go. We'll be picking you up at around 5:30 tomorrow." "Ok!" Ella and MK said in unison, followed by another unison chorus of "Love you, Bebe!" "Love you guys, too!" John smiled as he hustled to the car. "Hi, girls," Oscar looked over the back seat and smiled. "Buckle up. Hope you had a good day at school." "Actually," Kylie whispered to John, "I heard your's was pretty tough." He shrugged. "It's over, now and, thanks to Uncle Ed, I don't think that Miss Stephanie is going to accuse me of anything else. I don't think she likes me." "I think she envies you," Kylie said. "I mean, you're fourteen and you've played a major role in a Shakespearean play directed by a major director and you have a TV show." "It was just summer stock." "Yeah, summer stock with Maureen Weldon! Anyway, I'm glad it worked out. I would have hated for you to miss homecoming. I'm really excited about it, aren't you?" "I guess. Mostly, I'm just excited about wearing my dress. I really like it. I kinda wish that we could just get all dressed up and have a dance without the boys." "Haha, you're just nervous 'cause it's your first boy-girl party. You'll love it." "Are you ladies talking about the homecoming dance?" Oscar called over his shoulder. "Big night, huh? I'm going to driving you, you know. I'm going to be wearing my best suit!" Kylie smiled and laughed. "You're always the most handsome man in my life, Oscar." "Yeah, well see that it stays that way!" He teased. "Two little beauties like you will make those St Matthew's boys faint. Make sure that I'm the only man in your life when I take you home tomorrow night, too." "Don't worry, Oscar," Kylie giggled. "You're our guy." Per John's request, Rose made bacon and egg sandwiches for dinner that night. That was followed by two hours of dancing lessons with Rose and Uncle Ed. Finally, at ten o'clock, Rose said, "Well, I think it's time for our little lady to get to bed. You have a car scheduled to pick you up at seven o'clock tomorrow morning, then a very big day before the dance. Go put on your nightie and I'll be in to braid your hair in a few minutes. Kiss Uncle Ed goodnight." He hugged Ed tightly. "You were great today, Uncle Ed. Thank you for coming to my rescue." "It's what I'm here for, little girl. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you, so, whenever you need me, I'll come running." John kissed his cheek and hugged him tightly. "I love you." "I know you do, honey. I love you, too." "Things aren't... weird for us, now, are they?" "Not at all. You've always been my best friend and my favorite person in the world. Now... I just get to show you. That's not weird, at all - just different. That's love. Now, go to bed before Rose gets upset with us." John turned to see Rose tapping her foot and pointing at her watch. He smiled at her and bounced off to his bedroom. When Rose entered, John was dressed just in his plain white panties. His nightie was spread , face down on his bed and she watched he slipped his arms carefully under the hem and slipped the pretty little item over his head. She stood in the doorway with a hand behind her back and she watched him and she smiled. He was the perfect little girl, which made him, for her, the perfect little boyfriend. John pulled up the covers and laid down on the mattress, pulling the covers back over himself. Rose sat on the side of the bed and smiled at him. "You had a tough day, today, huh?" John shrugged. "It wasn't great, but Ed... he was unbelievable. He really stood up for me." "He loves you, Bebe, just like I do. We'd do anything for you, just like a real mom and dad." He smiled. "Thanks." Rose took her hand out from behind her back. "I was saving these for tomorrow, but... since you had a bad day, I'll give them to you, now." She placed two small pieces of clothing in his hand. They were both red. A very pretty, very lacy, padded bra, and a matching pair of panties. "A pretty girl in a pretty dress needs pretty undies to make her feel beautiful." John smiled. Just looking at them was a little exciting. He couldn't wait to wear them tomorrow. It was awfully nice of her, but unnecessary. "Thanks, Rose. They're beautiful, but no one will see my panties tomorrow night. "Well, see that no one does!" She laughed as she scolded him. "They're just to complete your outfit, baby, and look..." she turned the panties inside out and showed him the gusset. "Julia sewed a gaff in so that your 'dinky' doesn't rub up against your boyfriend while you're dancing." John smiled and blushed. "That would only happen if I was dancing with you." "Oh, you'll see. A handsome boy holding tight... you'll love it." She took the lingerie from him. "I'll put these on your dresser. Time for you to get some sleep." She tucked him in and kissed his forehead. As she shut off the light she said, "Sleep tight, baby. I love you." "I love you, too, Rose. Sleep tight."