Tom pushed open the door to the bathroom only to find it empty. What was he expecting a group of people to come rushing out to him asking him why was he going into the bathroom in the first place? No that was stupid he thought to himself as he made his way inside.
Outside in the hall, Susan, Jody, and Jane had stopped at the door to the cafeteria. “Thanks, girls for making me feel welcome here. It's always difficult starting a new school.” Jane told the other two girls with a smile on her face. “Why did you change schools so far into the school year anyway?” Jody asked the new girl. “My dad had to move because of his new job and thought it would be better me moving with him that waiting for months and staying with my aunt until the end of term,” Jane answered Jody.
Meanwhile in a bathroom not that far away.
Tom had finished with what he needed to do and left the stall. He had turned to face the mirror to see if he could see what everyone saw that shouted girl at them. True he had longish hair that between the style his mother and the girls on the bus had put in to did look more like a girl than it did usually. He could still see the remains of the makeup that the girls on the bus had put on his face that morning. Maybe that was it? Even just the hint of makeup on his face made others think he was a girl.
As he stood there contemplating this the door to the bathroom opened and leading a group of students was Jen and at two of the other girls, he had met on the bus that morning. Tom only noticed that he had company when Jen opened her mouth and said, “Hi new girl.” Tom noticed that she had the same smile that had been on her face when they had parted ways that morning. Tom panicked and started to pick up his bag to leave the bathroom as fast as he could. The last thing he wanted was for someone to recognize him in the girls' bathroom. As he went to reach for the bag, he dropped it and sent the contents spilling all over the bathroom floor. Instead of being angry at him for being a boy that she had caught in the girls' bathroom, Jen looked over at him with concern on her face.
“Hey, it's ok. Everything is fine let me help you with your bag.” She said with a tone of voice that somehow made Tom feel a lot less nervous. “Wow, I thought you were jumpy on the bus this morning. What is wrong?” Jen asked the cross-dressed boy. Tom did not know what to say to her in reply and then after a few seconds said. “This is all so new to me.” “Not to worry Hon we have all felt that way at one time or another,” Jen replied to him with a gesture to showed him that she was including her two friends standing behind her.
Tom looked at the other two girls who were nodding in reply to Jen’s statement. “Come on let us get your stuff back in your bag,” Jen said smiling at him as the three girls started to pick up the things he had dropped. Tom thought about running for the door while everyone was picking things up but decided against it. These girls were being nice to him. He wondered if they would have been as nice to him if they knew the truth. For the time being, he had decided against telling them who he was. Honesty was not always the best policy despite what his mother told him. If he let them know he would only get himself into more trouble and besides, he still remembered what had happened to Bob the last boy found in the girls' bathroom.
