Lies, Deceptions, And Misunderstandings

31. Immersion

A few minutes into his math assignment, Taylor paused. Looking up from his tablet, he glanced around the table at everyone else intently immersed in their own school work.

He was looking at Elayna when she also looked up. She smiled warmly at him and gave a little wave.

It was at that moment Taylor realized he hadn't felt any kind of nervousness over his situation since the introductions. He was feeling pretty confident his secret was safe.

None of them had a clue that the pretty new girl, in her yellow, fitted, feminine polo tee shirt, green and yellow stripped mid-thigh pleated skirt over yellow/green spiraled neoprene leggings and yellow flats with green trim, was actually a boy under those clothes, nor did they have any reason to wonder.

They merely accepted this new girl for who they believed her to be, based on the evidence and information they had in front of them.

This thought helped to put Taylor at ease and a huge grin spread across his face, as he felt a calm wash over him. He knew his biggest task now would be to make sure he did everything he could to ensure nothing in his actions, words, or mannerisms, gave any of them reason to think anything was off about the girl they thought he was. The image had to be perfect.

Taylor went back to his math work, wondering if he would be able to learn everything he needed to know about being a girl by living with Kaylee and Carissa.

Of course I will, he quickly told himself. Compared to the alternative, trying to figure it all out on my own, living with them will be a masterclass in how to be a girl.

Once his math assignment was completed, he went back to his assignment list and a reading comprehension assignment came up, so he began to work on that.

Taylor actually liked to read, but this assignment was about the socioeconomic impacts of the colonization of Australia by Great Britain on the aboriginal people's of the western parts of Australia. A lady on a video explained the point of the reading, how much time he had to complete the reading, and that there would be questions at the end. He started to read and found the writing to be a bit dry. He couldn't focus on the assignment and his mind kept wandering.

Taylor again looked around the room at the other kids, intently working on their own assignments, and marveled at how easily he was fitting in as a girl.

When he awoke this morning he had been nervous and apprehensive about how today would go, he knew it would in no way be as bad as going to a school where everyone knew him already, but he still had worried. By the time they were at the house and about to enter, he had worried himself into a state of near panic, in stark contrast to his present calm.

Mrs. Francis saw Taylor looking around and approached him.

Taylor took his ear buds out when she bent over next to him.

"HI, Taylor, Sweetie. Would you like to assist me in the kitchen with preparing lunch?" She asked quietly.

What was Taylor supposed to say? No? Of course not, his mom and dad had taught him to be polite, besides, he didn't really want to get back to the reading assignment right now, so he accepted the offer and followed her into the kitchen where she handed him an apron to protect his, "pretty outfit," and then tasked him with preparing frozen personal pan pizzas in the oven while she sliced up apples and fried French fries.

As they worked, Mrs Francis asked Taylor questions, trying to help the new girl feel like she belonged here and trying to get to know her better.

She started out by asking Taylor's thoughts on homeschool so far compared to public school, then began a series of questions about football. She seemed genuinely curious about Taylor's interest in the game and experiences, being the only girl on the team.

Eventually her questions turned to Taylor and how life was, being raised without a mom, a female role model, and crucial feminine guidance. Taylor had a hard time answering, but seemed to get through it without arousing any suspicion from Mrs. Francis.

Near the end of the conversation, Mrs. Francis advised Taylor to take advantage of the time living with Carissa and offered to be a source of information for Taylor.

"Seek all the advice on girly matters you can while you have Carissa there and feel free to ask her or even me, any questions you might have about your changing body. You're at an important age in the transition from little girl to young woman. A time when it's important for all girls to have a mom or in her absence, another adult women they can turn to. I don't know Carissa that well, she seems to always be working, but I'm sure she will be there for you. I know I will, okay?"

"Yes ma'am," Taylor replied.

He smiled inwardly as a feeling of confidence washed over him. He knew this conversation meant she really had no question about his gender, and believed him to be as genetically female as herself and her own daughter."

Once the food was ready, Mrs. Francis and Taylor served everyone their lunch with juice bags and while they ate she went over a history lesson with them.

After history they worked on a science experiment and then were allowed to socialize for the last half hour so they could get to know Taylor better.

The others, all but Martin, asked a lot of questions and Taylor answered them, well vaguely enough to keep from giving his secret away.

He briefly told them about the loss of his parents, his history with football, and all about getting chosen to join the all-city team. He also told them more about his brother's automobile accident (what he knew) and how he was staying with Kaylee and her mom, until his brother got well enough to go home.

Around three pm, Taylor and Kaylee were picked up by Carissa. Taylor assumed they would go by the hospital, but they did not. Instead, Carissa took them straight home, dropped them off, and then headed to the grocery store alone.

When Carissa finally returned, Taylor asked her about his brother and if they would be going to see him. She quickly explained that there was no change in his condition, so there wasn't really any reason to show up every day just to get all upset over his situation, again and again.

"The hospital will call us if there's any change." She told him and that was that.

They didn't return to the hospital for the rest of the week. What did happen though, was Carissa planned a lot of activities designed to immerse Taylor in a completely feminine environment and experience, devoid of anything remotely masculine, aside from football practice on Wednesday, and Thursday, and a game on Saturday, but then, even there, she had him in braided hair and convinced him to wear a short little mini skirt over his uniform pants, to, as she explained it, emphasize to everyone that it was definitely a girl they were watching score touchdowns by catching the ball and running faster than any other boy on either team.

Knowing he didn't want anyone to discover his secret, Taylor accepted whatever Carissa suggested. Carissa in turn, didn't see a boy trying to survive, but instead saw a desperate young girl that wanted and craved whatever Carissa could do to help her shed her unwanted male past and develop into the beautiful little lady she was inside.