"That...wow," Ellen said. "Not to sound rude or anything, but that really is more believable than the disease story. So those couple of months, you were trying to come up with a story to tell the school?"
Becky shook her head. "Nope. I just made that up on the spot. Most of that time, we weren't even considering sending me back to school, but I didn't like home-schooling as much as Jenny did."
Laura whistled. "Ellen's right, the magic thing does seem more plausible, but that's not bad for making it up as you go."
Becky smiled. She was almost afraid to ask her next question, but...if she was going to be a girl for life, she'd have to get used to being seen as one and treated like one. "So," she said, "um, what else were you guys planning for tonight?"
Jason had pretty much cried himself dry by the time they got home. Was he really going to be stuck like this? Was he going to have to be a girl for the rest of his life? The tears were gone, but he was still trembling as they walked inside.
His mother sat him down on the couch and gently rubbed his shoulders, saying nothing for a long time. Finally, she spoke. "I just want you to know," she said, "I'll still love you no matter what happens. I can't pretend that this is going to be easy, but we'll get you through this."
"H-how can I get through th-this?" he stammered. "I'm going to be a g-g-girl! I'll be stuck as a girl, and there's n-no way to ch-change back! Am I going to have to start acting like a girl? Wearing g-girl clothes? How can I get through this if I have to do that?"
"You won't," his mother replied. "I'm going to want you to treat your body with respect and take care of it, no matter how it turns out, but I'm not going to make you dress any way you don't want to. Maybe you'll find you like girl's clothing after all, but I promise you that I'll never force the issue."
"Th-thanks, I guess," Jason said. "B-but...how do I get through this?"
"One day at a time, that's how," his mom answered. "Get some sleep, dear."
