All of the original situations in this story are mine, the rest is the intellectual property of Maddy. Cat is a fictional character, any similarities to anyone living or dead is purely my warped mind in action.
This part is written from Drew's perspective.
My busy week continued after our ride at Tuxford, the highlights included me trying to convince Brit that I was Drew - a boy. Then going to Sylv for a plain old haircut and ending up with a unisex style and a peach tint.
After I'd seen the stuff that she did for Cat I had dared to think that I might get the same simple treatment, no such luck. <sigh> So it's two steps forward and one step back, or is it the other way round? Sometimes it feels like it.
It wasn't until late in the week that things finally calmed down. With the Americans off on their own to Manchester it was just the usual suspects again. It would have been the perfect opportunity to have Cat come over so I called her up. I had expected her Gran to answer the phone but not to find out that she had gone home. I must have missed that the last time we met up. Shame, she was fun, the rest of the gang liked her too.
Instead we ended up playing badminton, I started off badly because my mind was on Jules' birthday trip to Milan to meet up with Mum. I'll admit that part of me was jealous but it also reminded me how much I miss her. It was Mad who made me think how hard it must be for her, at least me Jules and Dad have each other for support. Mum is pretty much alone on the team. She might know the language and get on with all the other girls but they have family there with them. Thanks Mad, I needed that perspective.
My game did pick up a little until Rhod had to go to prepare for his weekend with his dad. Something seemed to be up with him but I couldn't work out what. He seems to be getting on ok with his exchange partner, not that there's anything wrong with Brit it's just the thinking I'm a girl that bothers me. At least Rhod will never have to worry about Dan making that mistake. Maybe he'll tell me what's bothering him when he gets back.
Could it have stayed simple once Rhod had left? Of course not, maybe if Cat hadn't been at home 150 miles away then I might have escaped my fate. The girls got me into Gaby gear and playing badminton that way, stranger yet, I was doing a lot better than the normal me at it. Give that one to the scientists and see what they make of it, if they can come up with a half decent explanation I would gladly use it because it doesn't make sense to me. At least I can take some comfort in the fact that Drew is the better cyclist.
With that little episode out of the way I had hoped things would get back on track, but over the next few days I managed to get myself into more trouble than I could ever have imagined. Then as if that wasn't enough there was the race at Newark Fair. For a change it didn't involve Gaby, well not to begin with at least.
I was doing pretty well on the tight street course despite the wet conditions, running at the front with just one main rival to worry about until the last corner when we both came a cropper. I must have had auto pilot on as I managed to get up first and make it across the line to win the race but I left chunks of me on the streets of Newark.
Dad assessed my injuries, the damage to my side was enough that trousers were completely out so I weighed up the options and made a decision to ask the Walters girls for a skirt, much to Dad's amusement.
We hung around for the prize ceremony for the race and when they awarded them I accepted my prize in the garment that the girls had found for me which wasn't bad as skirts go, long and not too tight on my side. It really freaked out the guy I beat and I must have an evil streak developing in me because for once it was me getting a warped pleasure out of someone else's discomfort.
It was some time after the ceremony when Cat's friend Karla found me. I was still in my skirt, but it now made me almost as uncomfortable as my injury. Maybe she wouldn't say anything about it.
"Hi, err Drew?" she said.
"Hi Karla, I guess you're here for the fair."
"Yes but I did get to see the aerobatic display team." she said.
"I must have been concentrating too hard on preparing for the ride, I didn't see the Red Arrows doing this show!" I replied.
"No I didn't mean them, I was thinking about you and your friend on the bikes. Or rather off them."
The penny dropped.
"Good one Karla. Most of the time I do stay on the bike, honest."
"I hope so, I don't think my body could take that kind of punishment
over and over."
"Nor mine, many more of these and I'll be Drew of Borg." I said.
She giggled.
"So what's the deal with the skirt?" she asked.
Oh well I suppose I was kidding myself to think that she would ignore something so obvious.
"You saw what happened, there's not much left of my skinsuit and trousers wouldn't be any better, especially not my jeans." I replied.
Karla gave me a look of disbelief.
"Well so far apart from your skinsuit thing I've seen you in Maddy's playsuit and now a long skirt. Were you injured at Tuxford too or is there something you need to tell me?"
'Great,' I thought to myself, most of the damage was to my body but I wasn't in the best state to do this, not that I had any option.
I wondered what Cat might have told her. Should I play the girl angle? I thought about the stuff she had seen last week and decided that straight was the way to go.
"Tuxford was a mistake, I didn't take a change of clothes, this is purely for comfort. I can show you the wound if you really want to see it."
"No, that's ok, I was near the corner where you crashed so I saw it all. You're going to have to convince me that the dressing up deal is as simple as you say though."
I sighed, I knew that this wasn't going to be easy.
"When Cat first mentioned you I thought she was exaggerating." Karla said.
"Oh? What did she say?" I was curious now.
"She told me she had ran into this boy who was a really good cyclist, who made her look like she was riding a unicycle."
I had to smile, running into me was a pretty good description of how we had met. I don't think I made anyone look quite as bad as she had suggested though.
"At the time I had no idea about you or your mum but recently it's been Drew this and Drew that. I did a bit of research and found out about her success as a pro so far - talented lady. Then the day you were going to do that time trial thing she told us you were a regional champion so we all came to see what the fuss was about. I'm no expert but you looked pretty impressive to me, Maddy was shifting too."
I must have been blushing.
"So are you going to join us on two wheels?" I asked trying to cover my embarrassment.
"I've got a mountain bike, I ride it to school and also for fun but I don't think I could race."
"Why not?" I queried.
"I enjoy the riding but racing doesn't sound like my idea of fun, especially not when things like that happen." she said pointing at my side.
"You could always try time-trialling like Cat and Maddy do." I suggested.
"Maybe I will sometime." Karla paused for a second then changed the subject.
"I really don't get you, you're dressed that way but here we are making smalltalk. No other boy I know would do that and so far cycle gear or girl's clothes are the only things I've seen you in . I'm beginning to wonder if you are a boy at all."
I was definitely blushing now - out of embarrassment. It was bad enough that the Walters sisters were convinced that I was a girl, when will this end?
The only easy way out of this whole situation was to let Karla make up her own mind, let's face it I've not been too successful convincing anyone so far and I'm not in the best frame of mind right now.
"Believe what you want." I said shrugging.
I guess she saw something else in my reaction than the "couldn't care less" attitude I'd intended.
"Drew, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hit a nerve. You can't exactly blame me for being confused though."
Much as I hated to admit it she had a point, if I had seen what she had then I would be confused too. In fact I was confused.
"I guess so." I responded. "But please, whatever you're thinking, keep it to yourself though. I'm having enough trouble as it is trying to convince Brit and Deb that I really am a boy."
I got a sympathetic smile out of her.
"The skirt doesn't really help does it?" she said.
I looked at my feet, or at least I would have if I could have seen them beneath this extra-long skirt that Deb/Brit had found for me.
"I was trying to play along with the girl thing. I had thought they would see me in a skirt and realise..." I replied, "Heck, I don't know what I was thinking. All I do know is its not working. They're even more certain that I'm Gaby." I shifted and winced in pain as the skirt grazed against my wound. I knew that trousers would have felt far worse.
"Gaby! Who is Gaby?"
Oh shit, me and my big mouth, how am I going to get myself out of this one. Think Drew, think.
"She's this girl at school, she looks a bit like Maddy and because I do too and we've not been seen together they think I'm her."
How's that for thinking on my feet? It doesn't happen very often but there are odd times when I scare myself.
"Is there anything I can say to them that might help?"
I hoped there might be but with the way I had just lied to her I should probably try to keep them apart.
"It's messy enough now, I don't want to get anyone else involved."
That was true enough, add to that the way Deb and particularly Brit were chipping away at me I was almost at the point of questioning my own gender but I did my best to push any doubts I had to the back of my mind.
"I wanted to have another word with Brit anyway. Back in a bit." Karla said as she made her way over to where my two American 'friends' were.
This wasn't looking good. With my panicometer almost off the scale I hurried after her as fast as I my injuries would allow and caught up with them mid sentence.
"...interesting websites with lots of tips and stuff, thanks Brit."
"No problem Karla, I hope you can find a squad near you."
Ah so it was cheerleading they were talking about. Pretty soon the whole country will be cheering. Was there some secret plan for world domination through spirited dance moves or was it my overactive imagination?
"So I see you found Gaby then Karla." Brit said.
I could see Karla getting ready to say something, so without Brit or Deb seeing I made gestures to tell her to leave that subject alone then when they turned my way I made out I was brushing something off my top. I got away with it, but only just.
We chatted on for a few minutes then went our separate ways. As Karla disappeared into the crowd I did wonder just what would tell her parents. I would just have to be a bit more careful in future.
It was at times like these that I'd realised how much I had got used to Maddy's support, I wished she had been here to look after me. I couldn't even show her my war wounds after I got home, I was so tired that I went straight to bed, it had to wait until the next day.
I woke and eventually made an appearance downstairs.
"You missed a phonecall." said Dad.
"Not Mum?"
"No, not your Mum. It seems news travels fast, your friend from down south heard about your accident and wanted to make sure that you were ok."
"Cat?"
"That's her."
“Karla must have called her.”
I wonder just how much she told her. I would have to wait until later to find out though, we were due over at Maddy's and what with everything else going on I hadn't charged my mobile phone.
Once I had shown Maddy every detail of what I'd try to do to my body we went for a walk with the rest of the gang and found ourselves outside Rhod's place just as a car was dropping someone off. It was bombshell time again and for once it wasn't me standing at ground zero.
We guessed that the girl we saw was the mysterious Mfanwy so being a friendly lot we thought we'd say hello. When we met she was kind of like a deer caught in the headlights and there was definitely something familiar about her I just couldn't put my finger on what. We followed her inside where it took a few minutes for me to put it all together before I realised , Mfanwy was the alter ego of my best mate Rhod!
We sat there amazed as we got the full story I don't think there was anyone in the house who didn't feel sorry for him. I thought my life was complicated enough. All of a sudden lots of things made sense, his feelings towards his dad and especially about his weekends to see him. This went a lot further than any of the things that I had done, if Rhod hadn't morphed into Mfanwy for his father's visits then there was a chance that he would have got custody and I would have lost my mate for good!
Then just when we had thought things couldn't get any worse they did. You would have thought I'd have known better by now.
You're wondering what was the problem this time? Well Dan was back and there was no way for Rhod to escape. I've wished for my own personal teleporter a couple of times now, but this time it would've been him that I would have beamed out of harm's way.
It took Dan a little longer than the rest of us to work it all out but once it had got through his thick skull everything went pear shaped.
He reacted badly, first he lashed out at Rhod and then at poor Sab when she tried to calm him down.
I felt so helpless and judging by the looks on their faces I'm pretty sure that the rest of the gang felt the same way. We had to leave them to it (not by choice) so we were all left wondering how it would resolve itself. I wanted to do something to try and help, I mean he is my best mate, but it was pretty clear that this was out of my league.
We left Mad and co and hurried back home, Jules was due back from the airport with Dad and I wanted to find out about Mum.
There was no sign of her when we got home so I took a chance and returned Cat's call.
"Hi Mrs Birch, it's Drew, is Cat there please?"
"Good evening Drew, I'll just get her."
After a short pause I heard a familiar voice on the other end of the line.
"Hiya Drew, I heard all about your exploits yesterday, how are you doing?"
"I'll live, it's just a few bruises and grazes, nothing too serious." I replied.
"That's ok then, the way Karla described it sounded pretty spectacular."
"The crash was, so I'm told," I couldn't exactly watch it could I? "luckily the damage wasn't."
"Okay, glad to hear it. Although I think it's reinforced my parent's decision not to let me race."
"That's a shame, it's not going to stop you time trialling I hope."
"No I'm still ok doing that." she replied.
"By the way Karla mentioned something about Gaby when she called but it didn't sound like she had all the facts, what's going on?" she continued.
So I took five minutes to explain my little mistake and the cover story that I had used to spare my blushes.
"Poor Drew, you don't make it easy on yourself do you?" she said, "You can trust Karla, but I understand why you didn't tell her. The less people know the less they can tell, right?"
That's right, I guess Cat has been there too. Hmm, I wonder.
"Does Karla know about you?"
There was a pause. Had I crossed the line? Before I could retract the question she spoke.
"Yes, she knows. I didn't tell her at first, there was no point."
I felt guilty for asking so I decided to leave it at that and change the subject to the goings on with the gang.
"I've got something to tell you about Rhod, you have to promise to keep it to yourself though."
"Like there's anyone I could tell." she shot back.
"I know, but I had to say it, you know the score."
"Yep, true. So what's up, he's not in trouble is he?"
I gave her the abridged version of what happened when we had discovered Rhod's secret identity.
"Poor Rhod. What I went through was tough but at least I was doing it by choice." she lamented.
Secretly I was hoping she might be able to help Rhod but when I mentioned it she quickly put me straight, everybody is different. She may know how she had felt but Rhod's situation was a another matter.
"Ally is probably closest to Rhod how much does she know?" she asked?
"She's got to know everything, certainly more than the rest of us because she's known what had been going on for weeks." I said. It explained a lot of their behaviour too.
Cat said, "OK, I don't know how much I can do but I'll give her a call and see what she thinks. I like Rhod, he's a good laugh, but I doubt he's ready to talk about it to someone he's only met twice. Even if we do seem to have something in common."
I liked that plan so offered to give her Ally's number but it seemed that she had it already. I must be missing something.
Dad and Jules chose that moment to arrive, I made my excuses to Cat and went to find out how things had gone with Mum. So much for my plans for an early night, it was late when we headed to bed and even later when Jules let me settle down (she made me give her an explanation of why I was Gabyfied then I told Rhod's tale of woe a second time).
Maybe tomorrow will be an average day. No shocks, no surprises, just ordinary.
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