When he'd gone to bed the previous night, it was slightly under the influence. He couldn't actually remember getting changed let alone getting into bed. It was still dark, the clock read 3.05, and Sam needed to pee! He clambered out of bed and pulled his pj bottoms down from their scrunched up position and somehow made his way to the safety of the toilet.
For some reason he had a strange desire to wee stood up but that was being silly, only boys do that and he was a girl, right? Bladder relieved, he returned to his bed and was soon snuggled up again. Comfortable once more, Sam was soon back in the land of Nod, his mind returning to the interrupted dream.
The dream was really weird, disturbing even. It started at the cottage, well no; it was actually at his bed-sit. In essence it covered the weekend at the cottage, the drive up, dinner with the girls, playing strip poker and later the fire. In fact everything up to that point. No what was really weird was that it wasn't Samantha doing all this but a lad named Sam.
Sam sprung up and blinked his eyes open. A quick check confirmed that he was indeed all there, two boobies and no extra bits. So what was the dream about? Penis envy? A boyfriend? Nah, I'm sure it's just some sort of dream brought on by the concussion. Reassured, Sam once again pulled the covers up and tried to sleep.
"Rise and shine Sammy" Emma's voice calling from the doorway roused him from slumber once again.
"You want an omelette? I'm cooking,” she offered.
"I think I'll pass thanks"
"Well don't say I didn't offer. And don't forget that we're going shopping today"
"How could I?"
Emma disappeared leaving Sam to get himself organised. His bladder was shouting for release again so first stop was the bathroom! Immediate needs attended to, he returned to 'his' room only to pause before his long mirror. ' Hmmm, these PJ's are quite cute' he turned this way and that to check out how he looked. 'These shorts really are great, maybe I can find some more later' he mused.
Sam wasn't really sure why but for some reason that he couldn't quite put his finger on, putting a bra and panties on just didn't seem, well right. Whatever, Emma suggested that he wear a simple skirt and top, something easy for the changing rooms.
Em was well pleased, Sam seemed to have turned a metaphoric corner and although he still needed some hints, he'd dressed on his own this morning and not given any argument, just wait till the others find out!
As usual the bus was late so the others were waiting when Sam and Emma got off the minibus an hour later.
"Hi guys"
"Hi Mand, Julie"
"Hiya Sam"
"Okay Emma?" Mand enquired
"Fine, the bus was late again, it's still easier than using the car though"
"If you say so,” Julie mentioned, "where first, Gap ?"
Being a poor student, shopping for Sam was usually restricted to Netto, for food and the occasional trip to Matalan. It had never been the 'entertainment' that girls seemed to use it as. So it was no surprise really that going 'shopping' seemed a strange concept and just a little bit odd to Sam. The concept of 'shopping' in the girl sense was a slightly alien concept.
The three girls kept up a constant stream of all the way up the High Street, a conversation that Sam struggled to follow for much of the time.
"Erm, what are we shopping for?" Sam enquired in the first lull in the conversation since the bus station.
"For?" Emma queried
"Yeah, you know, like 'for' a pair of shoes"
"Well you need a new dress for the weekend for starters" Julie quickly put in. “when I spoke to my olds this morning they were so upset that you lost everything in the fire that they are paying for today, Dad's already transferred the dosh to my account."
"Cool!" Mand mentioned
"Why didn't you say earlier Jules?"
"Well I only just found out before I met you, when I rang Mum with my new mobile number."
"You could get that dress you were looking at last week Sam" Emma suggested.
"That white one?" Mandy asked
Sam was more than a little vague about the dress, he couldn't actually remember looking at any dresses last week. His expression of bemused confusion prompted Emma to continue.
"You remember Sam, that Jaylo one, like she wore on telly the other week?"
Now Jaylo was someone he knew all about! He searched his memory and there it was, Jaylo on Channel 4 in a sexy little white frock.
"I remember now"
"That knock to your noggin must have affected your memory" Julie suggested.
"You might be right, I can remember some stuff but not everything"
The girls exchanged a look.
"What? I've done something embarrassing haven't I? Tell me!"
"Stop panicking" Em suggested, "you haven't done anything"
"You would tell me?"
"'Course we would" Mandy agreed perhaps a little too quickly.
"Stop yammering you lot, there's shopping to do" Julia pointed out, indicating the store beside them.
Without further discussion Sam found himself herded inside the store.
It being mid week the store was fairly quiet; the schools went back on Monday so the only other shoppers were bored housewives. Sam and his girlfriends headed straight to the party frocks. In truth Sam couldn't remember shopping for clothes being this intense, or for that matter, fun. The girls were like locusts, attacking each rack in turn and gathering their prizes.
Sam gamely tried to keep up with the others as they felt fabrics, compared colours and discussed styles. It all seemed quite alien, the fact that he couldn't remember doing anything like it before was a bit disquieting, maybe he should get that check up after all.
"Come on Sam!" Julia tugged at his arm.
"Where we going? Are we finished in here?"
"Dur! To the changing rooms? We've got to try stuff on dummy"
"Oh right. Of course, what am I thinking?"
"Here, bring this" a hanger was thrust into his hand as he followed his friend to the changing rooms.
Mandy and Emma were already inside by the time they got there and the girl waved them through pausing only to count their booty. Once inside Sam felt decidedly weird. The others were already divesting themselves of their outer layers but Sam was, well he wasn't really sure. It was like he shouldn't be there.
"Come on slow coach" Emma broke his reverie.
"Sorry, daydreaming"
"Blondes!" Mand sighed
The nagging feeling of trespassing wouldn't go away though. It wasn't shyness that had him blushing when Emma's knickers went south with her jeans! He knew that he looked just like the others when he was naked but... It just didn't seem right being here with the girls. With a little cajoling, much laughter and not a little contortionism they tried on not only their own selections but most of everyone else's too.
After his initial reservations, even Sam started to have fun. In fact by the time they had made a second foray to the racks, he was enjoying it as much as the others.
For their part, the girls were surprised by the change in their friend's attitude, from shy teenager to bubbly young student in about fifteen minutes. The fact that he did actually look very good in some of the outfits, one might even say better than the real thing, was quite perplexing to say the least!
They eventually left Gap after flexing Julie's plastic just a little. Having overcome his initial reservations Sam was only too happy to repeat the process in Top Shop , Next and a smaller boutique that was a bit more adventurous than the big High Street chains.
"Slow up Sam, I need a cuppa" Mandy grabbed Sam in a bear hug as he set off back up the high Street, "we don't have to go in everywhere today"
"Just when I was having fun. Okay but we've got to go back to Teen Queen for that dress!" Sam allowed.
And so the pattern for the day was set. Sam was turning out to be a regular shopaholic and by the time they called it a day had added not only the Jaylo dress to his wardrobe but a pair of hipster jeans, a gypsy style top and a pretty layered off the shoulder dress, plus a pair of strappy heels.
"We going out tonight?" Mandy asked as they walked back towards the bus station.
"I'm knackered,” Julie mentioned.
"We could just go down the 'Admiral'" Sam suggested.
"You just want to flirt with the barman,” Emma stated.
Did he? There was so much he couldn't remember; did he fancy 'this' barman? Nah, that didn't seem right, but does that mean there is someone 'special'?
"Tell you what then, me an' Sam will meet you down there" his roomie finished.
"Here's our bus" Sam told his friends.
"Okay guys, see you later" Julie and Manda each air kissed the other two before they scurried off to join the bus queue.
'Maybe this whole thing has gone a bit far' Emma mused as their bus bumped its way through the town. 'Sam seems to be enjoying himself, in fact he's acting girlier than some real girls I know, its just so weird' she glanced over to where Sam was flicking through a copy of Vogue with obvious interest.
"Hey Em, maybe I should get my hair done"
"You only just did"
"I did?"
"Before the weekend?"
"Oh right"
"So you wearing your new dress tonight?"
"Nah, I thought I'd save that for Friday. I think I'll wear my new jeans and that gypsy blouse I got"
"You little flirt!"
"Am not"
'Yes maybe it's gone too far - that outfit will have all the guys drooling!' Em mused.
Sam collapsed onto his bed, today had been exhausting! But it had been fun, not hindered by Julies rents supplying spending money! That really had been a bonus, he probably wouldn't have bought anything otherwise and where's the fun in shopping without getting some prizes! Where did that thought come from?
Within a couple of minutes of lying down, Sam was asleep.
"Sam? .... Saaa-maan-thaa!" Emma's voice broke into his dreaming.
"Ungh?"
"Come on sleepy, wakey wakey, we're going out remember"
Sam shook his head, that was one weird dream! He slipped his shoes back on and made his way to the kitchen.
"Shake a leg girl, we've only got an hour before we meet the others"
"Loads of time"
"You are kidding right? You haven't started to get ready yet"
"Coffee first" Sam pleaded
"I'll make the coffee, you go and start getting ready,” Em ordered.
"Okay" Sam groaned
"Scoot!"
Sam returned to his room and started to undress. Once he was down to bra and knickers he headed for the bathroom. As he washed up, his mind went back to that peculiar dream.
'Hey Sam, pass the ball then'
'Coming through!' Sam belted the football at James who then volleyed it at the wall.
'Yeeeeeeeesss! What a goal!' James yelled as the ball thumped against the wall.
The dream went on in a similar vein with Sam and James kicking a ball about before retiring to watch the girls across the other side of the rec.
"Sam!"
"Er yeah, coming" Sam once again was snatched back into reality by Emma's voice, that dream is definitely weird!
"Come on, you not dressed yet?"
"I had to wash and stuff"
"Well get a shift on, I've put your coffee on your desk."
"Thanks, I won't be a jiffy"
He found the coffee and was, after a swift change of underwear, quickly dressed in the new top and jeans. It felt a bit odd, the tight denim taut across his crotch, somehow different to what he remembered. He smoothed the material out and preened in front of the mirror before going to join his flat mate.
"Sexy!"
"Do you think so?"
"Definitely, now sit down and I'll do your makeup"
‘The Admiral' was a strange combination of student pub and friendly local, on one hand they played some good tunes but not so loud that you couldn't talk. It was often the starting point for an evening of student frolics, the Pajama Jump and St Trinians events started there and a lot of the students live close by too. It was no real surprise that when Emma pushed Sam into the bar the place was abuzz with young people.
“What do you want to drink?” Emma asked as they maneuvered towards the bar.
For some reason Sam wanted to ask for a pint of ‘Old Welly', but that didn't seem right.
“Er, dry white wine please”, not exactly hip but at least palatable.
“Hi Sam!” Julies voice carried across the room causing a few of the curious to look around.
Sam felt a little uncomfortable at that, more so as a few of the lads looked for a little longer than is polite!
“Looks like you pulled Sam” Em mentioned over his shoulder.
“Have not!”
“We'll see. Oh hi Jules, what're you drinking?”
Sam wasn't sure how he felt at the prospect of ‘pulling', something wasn't right with that scenario, something he couldn't quite put his finger on!
Emma handed the drinks out and the three of them found a table to sit at while they waited for Manda. Sam took the corner seat and while his friends started talking he was soon tapping the table in time with the ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers'. Mandy arrived and joined their little hen party, Sam continued to hum and tap sort of at the edge of the conversation.
“Er excuse me um miss”
“Hmm?” Sam looked up
“I er, that is I sort of wondered” it dawned on Sam that it was a lad talking to him, “well if you er might like to um dance?”
“I er….”
“Course she would, she'll be with you in a mo” Julie answered for me.
The lad headed for the tiny dance floor.
“What did you say that for?” Sam hissed at Julie
“You'd have only hummed and aahed, you always do”
“Go on Sam, I said you'd pulled” Em told him standing up.
“Leave your bag” Mand added as somewhat hesitantly Sam got up.
“Go on” Jules shooed him towards his ‘date'.
Somewhat reluctantly and with more than one accusatory glance at his friends, Sam made his way to where his dance partner waited. ‘Goldy Looking Chain' finished and ‘The Scissor Sisters' started.
“Josh” the lad leant over and said in her ear.
“Sorry?”
“I'm Josh”
“Oh right, Sam” he allowed
“Nice meeting you Sam” Josh managed. “My mates said you'd never go for it”
“Go for what?” Sam tried to act calm and managed a girly sway to the beat.
“Dancing”
“Oh” well given a choice he was right there.
“So why did you? Agree that is”
“Truth?”
“Yeah”
“My friends – I think they're trying to pair me off or something”
“Fair enough” Josh sounded a bit deflated.
“Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound that harsh”
“It's alright, finish the dance?” he enquired
“Sure”
Well one tune stretched to two, then three, Sam and Josh seemed to get along pretty good, almost as if they already knew each other. It was Josh's mates that broke things up, they were on a pub crawl, strictly stag and Josh was going like it or not. After a somewhat stilted farewell, Sam returned to where the others were guarding his bag and drink.
“You well pulled there,” Mand stated
“It wasn't like that”
“What was it like girlfriend?” Julie enquired
“Josh was put up to it”
“Josh is it? You seemed to be getting along really well,” Em added
“We were just talking!” Sam started to colour up.
“Leave her alone guys” Mandy defended for him.
“Its early yet” Em stated with a devious look.
In truth Sam wasn't sure how he felt about the situation. It was good to be up and dancing but it just felt a little odd dancing with a fella, not bad but not quite right either. He was sure he had but he couldn't remember dancing with a lad before, when he danced with the girls later it felt a lot more natural and comfortable.
The crowds flowed in and out of ‘The Admiral' as the evening wore on, occasionally Sam thought he recognised someone but no one seemed to see him and squeezed into the corner he couldn't easily go say hi himself. The four of them drank and danced the evening away, the whole evening in fact, last orders was called before they gathered their stuff to leave. Sam was a little confused and a little merry when the taxi they shared, dropped him and Em back at the flat. Emma made them both a nightcap of chocolate malt Horlicks before a very tired Sam retired for the night.
Maddy Bell 08.03.05
© 2005
More of this tale soon! Watch this space!
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