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I want to thank all the people that have helped me edit and critique this story. They are Angel O'Hare, Stacy Miller, Karen Page, Robi, Paula Dillon and especially Maddy Bell for allowing me to join her universe and giving me permission to write in it.

Based on the story Gaby, Book # 4 - Once Upon A Time In America By Maddy Bell

All Characters portrayed in the story are copywrited to Maddy Bell for her Gaby series found at Maddybell.com

Scene 17

Ballet class:

Friday:

“Well, I gathered from yesterday's conversation, that Drew was very special to you; more special than any of the other girls. Judging by your reaction yesterday, when you realized what you had said, I gathered there's something more to this Drew friend of yours? Since Ally is your girlfriend, I know it couldn't be that, and how you said the statement yesterday, ‘how they treated ‘US' it would almost sound like Drew is a special person also. Much like you. Since you tried to back track your conversation yesterday, I'm also assuming that Sandy doesn't know about Drew.”

“I … ah …well, I don't know how to say it.”

“Drew is also a girl like you isn't she?”

“Well, sort of.”

“What do you mean, ‘sort of'?”

“Well I promised I wouldn't tell anyone.”

“Em, it will go no further than me, alright?”

“Well ok. She is masquerading as a girl, and she does a very fine job of it. He is always misidentified as a true girl. He looks very much like his first cousin Maddy. So much so, they could be twins and people think they are; GIRL twins. When Drew is in girl mode, he prefers it if everyone calls him Gaby, although he goes by Drew also. His real name is Andrew, but he doesn't like that name very much, so he goes by Drew. It's just everyone thinks he is Drew as in Barrymore, the female actress Drew. The Walters are his host, and the Walter girls never told their parents that Drew is a boy. They had several pictures of Drew in a skirt while they were in England, so the parents automatically assumed Drew was a girl, and they made a special room for him and his sister Jules, since their house is so tiny. Brit and Deb, those are the two Walter girls that came to the UK, didn't want to lose Drew as a guest, so they convinced Drew to be a girl full time, shortly after we had arrived, before their parents woul've found out.”

“We're both in a girls cheer program back at our home school and our cheer group was invited to go to a Cheer competition here in the US. All the girls in the group want to do it. Drew and I didn't, at the time. So the girls convinced Drew and me to do it also, not realizing what we had agreed to do at the time; but for us to do it, we would have to be girls. This would pose a problem if we came over in male mode, and then Gaby and Em made an appearance at the competition, then disappeared right after it. The girls in the American cheer program would wonder where these girls had been during practice, and why they disappeared right after the competition. This could cause a problem for us, Drew and Rhod, which would follow us back to the home school. So we were convinced that we should do the foreign exchange trip as girls. I saw it as an opportunity to be Em fulltime, but Drew, unlike me, doesn't want to be a girl. Matter of fact he supposedly hates being a girl and being mistaken for one, when he is inmale mode. Drew being taken for a girl by the Walters parents, allows Drew to do the competition, and no one would twig he is anything but what he appears to be, a girl. Drew really doesn't like it, but he is a trouper and he realizes if he doesn't do girl well, he would probably be asked to leave the Walters residence, and Brittany, as well as Debbie, would be in very serious trouble, not to mention the others that have perpetuated the lie for us.”

“Drew is also a UK boy Bicycle racing Champion, he won the over all UK competition for his age group. His mother is the world-renowned Bicycle racer and world champion, Jenny Bond. He is very much like his mother.”

“I have to keep all of this a secret, for if it got out, that Drew and I are not genetic girls, a lot of people are going to be hurt and possibly lose their jobs over it. Drew and I are doing this by our own free will, well at least I am. Please don't tell anyone about this conversation, if it gets out, we both will be ruined, including the teachers and our school back home.”

“I promise I won't tell a soul, Em. Thank you for telling me the truth. I knew something was up when you turned white as a sheet yesterday, when you made that statement. I doubt that Sandy picked up on it. Are you going to tell Sandy and Drew about each other?”

“Eventually, but I need to get their permission to do so, but in so doing, they should be able to figure it out. I just don't know how to break it to them.”

“Well it would be a disservice to both of them if you don't tell either of them. They could help each other.”

Sighing. “Yes I understand what you're saying, and yes I've been thinking about it. I hate to keep this secret from Sandy and Drew.”

We arrived at the school. “Em, don't take me wrong, you need to tell both of them so they can each help each other. Having a support group that is loving, and caring, is most important to your transition, and your own peace of mind. Let me know when you have told them, and bring Drew around to the shop sometime, I'm sure we can do something for HER also. Who all knows about Drew?”

“The same people that know about me.” as I rattled the list off.

“This is good to know, so if there's any trouble, I know who I can go to.”

“Ellen you are so wonderful.” She pulled me into a warm hug.

“Let's get our stuff together and get inside, ok?”

“Yes lets, I'm excited.”

We entered the Grottoes Elementary School and I followed Ellen to the women's changing room. Evidently this building was also used for a Community Recreational Center and the locals had full use of the gymnasium and other things in the school. When I entered the changing room, there were many girls in different stages of getting dressed for the ballet class. Some were in their panties and bras, others were totally in their birthday suit looking for their things in their bag, and others were already dressed in their tights and leotards. I saw Rachael in her knickers only, over in one corner and she saw me. “Em why don't you come over here to change.”

I walked over to her and said, “Hi Rachael, how're you today?” She was quite a dish; I was getting jealous just looking at her athletic body.

I pulled my eyes away from her and looked into my kit bag. I pulled out my kit and laid it on the bench.

“Not bad Em. How're you doing?”

“Oh we went to Richmond today and got a history of the Civil War and went through one of the museums. I'm a bit tired and almost forgot about this evening until Ellen called.”

“Well I'm glad you made it. Hurry and change and I can start you on some warm up exercises.”

“Ok.” I took off my clothes bra and knickers.

“You have a nice athletic body Em.”

“Thank you Rachael, I'm jealous of your athletic body.”

“Why thank you. You know we girls have to work for it, I'm sure yours will be just as good as mine as you get older.”

I continued to put on my tights and leotard. “Rachael is it ok if I wear this wrap around skirt, or should I leave it off?”

“That's a cute skirt Em, why don't you wear it. It won't get in the way. Also wear the Ballet Slippers, not the Pointe Slippers, ok?

“Ok, will do.”

“I'll wait for you to finish and I'll lead you to the room we practice in.”

“We don't practice in the Gym?”

“Oh no, we have a special Ballet room that has all mirrors in it and a balance bar around the room so you can hold on to it, until you get your balance.”

As I finished up, Rachael took my bag and put it in her locker. “There, no one will bother it in here.”

“Thanks Rach.”

“You're welcome Em. Shall we go?”

“Lead on.”

We walked down a long corridor until we came to a room that had full length mirrors all the way around it and a mounted bar about waist high, mounted to the mirrors all the way around the room. “Welcome to the Ballet room Em. This is where we will be practicing.”

I looked around at all the other ladies here and realized there were no boys or men here.

“Do boys or men ever take these classes?”

“Surely you are joking Em. Guys wouldn't be caught close to this room. If they ever did, they would be called sissies and be branded as gay. They would get beat up by the other boys. This town has such a phobia about ballet, it's just so sad.”

I guess I could see that. I'm glad I'm taking this class as a girl then, for I definitely would've been in trouble otherwise. But then again, if I had been Rhod over here, I'd never have considered taking it, or ever met Ellen. There would've been no reason to. Funny how life has a strange way of dealing the cards.

“Ok ladies, listen up.” Ellen stated, “I would like to introduce to you a new girl. She is a foreign exchange student that is visiting us from England. Her name is Mfanwy, and she will be with us for the next 5 weeks. She has never done this before, so please help her when you can. She will be learning from Rachael, so she will not slow any of us up. Ok ladies, let's start our warm up exercises.”

Rachael showed me how to do these warm up routines. One move was to put my leg on the bar, and then lean down to touch my knee with my forehead. They exercises were quite interesting. She went on to explain all of the prime positions and showed me how to do them. Putting my feet together at the heel and having both feet inline with each other, then bending down slowly at the knees then coming back up slowly. All this time she would show me how my arms and hands should move.

She kept saying, “Em, you are too jerky, you moved like a boy. You need to move with a graceful fluid motion. Always move your arms and hands to a predetermined spot, move them slowly and smoothly there.”

Then she showed me how to do the hand and finger movements.

“That's better Em. Soon you will move smoothly and gracefully and it will be second nature. You will leave your boyish movement behind.” as she was smiling at me.

This statement was causing me some concern. Did she figure out what I truly am? All during class Rachael kept after me. I did jumps and leaps, stretches and splits. I didn't know my body could move in such ways. For that matter, I didn't know girl's bodies could move in such ways. I had difficulty with some of the moves. Rachael would look at me close during these periods. She couldn't understand why I didn't move quite the way I should at the hips. But she wouldn't let up on me and I kept up with her tasks. When she thought I wasn't looking, I saw how she kept looking at my body with a puzzled look on her face. I was starting to get worried if I gave myself away?

I was knackered after the two hour class.

“Ok class, everyone did very good today, I'll see you tomorrow morning at ten, goodnight everyone.”

Everyone said goodnight back and we got our towels and gear and headed back for the women's locker room.

By the time I got there with Rachael and Ellen, most all of the girls were in the showers. “Hurry up and shower girls and let us get out of here.” Ellen stated.

I pulled my kit off, and got out my shampoo, conditioner, soap and a towel and headed to the showers with Rachael. I saw Rachael taking glances at me with a puzzled look on her face and then saw she was shaking her head with a disbelieving look on her face, but she said nothing. We carried on a casual conversation about boys, makeup and fashion. Rachael and I walked into the showers with the other girls, no one twigged I was anything but a girl. Rachael kept looking at me though and it was a bit unnerving. I could see Ellen was looking at me and smiled when I noticed her. She gave me a wink and a smile. The other girls wanted to know about where I lived back home, what the boys were like, and what fashions were the present rage in Warsop. Showering with a lot of girls, was really an experience. If I'd have been Rhod in this position, I really would've been excited sexually, now it's like I belonged here. It's just a normal duty and it means nothing to me. I'm just jealous of all the good-looking bodies aound me. I wish my body would look as good.

Rachael and I finished washing up and doing our hair. We walked back to our corner, as we were drying ourselves off. We just had idle chatter as two girls, as we were dressing. Rachael was going to ask me a question, but decided not to ask. She just kept giving me this look that just was unnerving, every once in a while.

“What's up, Rach?”

“What do you mean Em?”

“Well you keep looking me over and have this strange expression on your face, then shake your head.”

“Sorry Em. I didn't mean to stare or give you funny looks. It's just … never mind?”

“What never mind? Come on Rach, tell my what is on your mind.”

“Oh, it's nothing Em. It was just something silly, is all. I'm mistaken and I stand corrected.”

“What are you on about?”

“Well if you must know, during the class, you were really jerky at times, and moved like a boy would, not like a girl at all. You also had difficulty doing the splits that most every girl can do. I just thought, oh never mind it's silly really.”

To be continued:

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