Embarrassment

Alicia showed me upstairs. “The bathroom’s there, but just before you take your shower I’ll show you some things I’ve got ready for you to put on afterwards,” said she, opening the door of a gloomy spare bedroom and smirking just a little.

I went in after her, not much liking the sound of this. Alicia didn't have any brothers, so I couldn't think of any reason these would be boys’ clothes. On the other hand, I was going to need something clean to change into because my school uniform was smelly and damp with sweat from this hot day. That of course went double for socks and underpants. I knew I couldn’t put any of it back on when I was clean...but not even that could stop me groaning at my first sight of what Alicia had laid out for me.

“That’s a pink tutu!” I bawled.

“No it's not!” Alicia retorted scornfully. “It’s just one of my old ballet dresses, and I can’t help it being pink, they all are!

Not only was pink, it also had short sleeves and a round neckline as a tutu did. Moreover, the flared skirt was around the same length, which meant right up to the underwear. Speaking of which, the worst was yet to come.

"Now," Alicia continued, plucking from the bed what looked like some plain and quite full-fitting white underpants, “these are PE knickers, they’re out of my reserve kit because we had to wear our orange ones for netball today. Don’t fret about getting all bouncy and bothered down there, they’ll hold you in just as well as boys’ ones!”

I turned very red at this.

"And here are some socks of mine too," Alicia finished sweetly. "So you’re all set!”

I glared at the white ankle-socks. “They’ve got little pink pom-poms on!” I protested.

“That’s because they’re for girls, and it just so happens they were the first ones I picked up out of my top drawer,” said Alicia briskly. “And you know you’re not allowed in my bedroom until I say so, so don’t try going in there to get different ones. Anyway the pom-poms match the dress, so you’ll look ever so cute!”

Her pretty eyes twinkled, and I just knew the socks weren’t an accident, and she’d deliberately chosen the most embarrassing girlish things she had for me to wear. However, pout as I might, I knew I was defeated. So I thanked the girl as sincerely as I could then stomped through to the bathroom, to shower and escape Alicia's smug and knowing smiles.

After drying myself I walked timidly back to the spare room, to put on the most embarrassing outfit I’d ever seen.

First I tugged up the PE knickers, pulling a face as I did so. Alicia had been right that they were full enough to hold me in place – they did call them “boy-cut,” after all – but nevertheless these were pants for girls and they were a long way from the kind of underwear I was used to. For one thing they were much too tight, having never been intended to hold anything that hurt when squeezed, and the fabric felt prickly and scratchy to a boy. What was more irritating still was that I simply could not get them to go right at the back – they insisted on sitting underneath my bottom. I remembered Alicia had told me once PE knickers were meant to go like that because it was what felt most comfortable for girls, but I had a distinct feeling it would drive any boy crazy. On top of all that, and even though the things were fresh and clean from the tumble-dryer, I knew well enough I’d only ever be restless and fidgety wearing underpants that she'd had on. Their fabric had been right next to the parts I most desired of her whole tempting body.

I shifted around. I was never going to feel comfortable in these. Sighing, I resigned myself to the inevitable and grabbed the pink ballet dress, putting it on by stepping in through the neck. That was probably the wrong way to do it because it took me forever to get it to fit properly, and when it finally did I was even less relaxed than before. The awareness that Alicia's form had been inside this same tight bodice was even worse than it was with the knickers, because her dress, though also clean from the wash, was utterly suffused with her. My feverish senses could detect her girl-smell, plus a hint of the socky quality I knew from rare chaperoned ventures into her room, and even something of the pricklish perfume she always wore. It was tantalizing, even agonizing, to be around that scent every second and unable to escape it.

I heaved a huge sigh, and sat down to put on the detested pom-pom socks and then my sneakers. Getting up, I saw I’d have to be careful of this bodice riding up under my arms too. If there’d been anyone in the spare room just now they’d have had a great look at my bottom and the white gym knickers snugly wrapped around it. Blushing with shame, I hiked the skirt back to panty-skimming length and fanned my hot face with both hands.

So it was that in my bobby-socks and PE underwear, which were matching white and just perfect for a pretty girl, I was soon blundering down the stairs with my cheeks the same shade as the short ballet dress I had to wear. Alicia was waiting for me outside so I took a deep breath and stepped into the sunshine, deeply hoping the neighbours hadn’t had the same idea.

THE END