Unexpected Chapter 5: Boardshorts are better

    "Masoooon, wake up sleepyhead." a voice cooed into my ear, a voice I was not conscious enough to recognize. "Masooooon, if you don't get up I'll just get to eat all the bacon."
My eyes shot wide open at the mention of the breakfast food. "BACOOOOOOOOON!" I roared in as deep and growly a voice as my new effeminate voicebox could muster, but my beast-like behavior was interrupted when I did not catch even a whiff of the meaty goodness upon my nostrils. I turned my head towards my left where Lilly sat on her bed with a mischievous smile. "You, are a very evil woman."
Lilly maintained her smile and proudly answered with an "I know!" followed by a cheerful giggle. "I am simply waking you up as if you are to be a member of the brigade you are expected to participate in our little traditions."
"Alright, Miss Suzumiya, what 'tradition' requires I wake up early?"
    "Why, swimming of course!"
I deadpanned, "What?" I asked with a flat nasal voice.
    "We go down to the pool to go swimming every morning, well we try at least."
My mouth turned crooked. Swimming. I had known this was an inevitability, I had come to a private academy in Florida after all, but I was not yet prepared to face that eventuality. The eventuality which was wearing a girl's swimsuit. "Ummmm, I'm not so sure about that."
"Why not? You're not shy about wearing a girl's swimsuit are you?" Lilly teased.
In all honesty, I was a little shy about it. When I had gone swimming before it was like I was just diving into the water without a shirt on, and I spent a lot of time without a shirt on in the summers. A bikini (Which would likely be the only thing that Lilly would let me wear) is like going out in public in my underwear. I cannot be sure if girls feel that way, as I only turned into one about a week ago, but with guys' fashion being much more conservative than girls' I certainly did feel that way. "And what if I said I was, Lilly?"
Lilly grinned her typical mischievous grin, "Weeeeeeeeeell..." She got cut off from the sound of the door opening followed by the sounds of flip-flops.

"Lilly, we're ready to go!" Sarah hollered from the entry corridor.

"Hold on just a moment! I'm getting our newest addition out of bed. Come on in!"

    The sound of flip flops began once more and stopped when Lucy and Sarah walked int view. Lucy was wearing a pure white one-piece that nicely accentuated her petite figure and had a orange inner tube hooked under her right arm while Sarah who stood next to her wore a dark purple bikini and bore a halter-style top that was a tinge-bit too small for her generous bosom, a possibly purposeful immodesty that had me briefly taken aback. 
I had anticipated Sarah rudely barging into the dorm again so I stopped my habit of going to bed dressed like I did as a guy. I still wore my old boxer-shorts but today they were accompanied by a yellow spaghetti-strap tank top. "Good morning." I greeted with a sloppy wave while rubbing sleep out of my eyes.
Sarah answered my greeting with little more than an antagonistic scowl, possibly thinking how arrogant I was when I had been welcomed into their group to hold them up by sleeping in but Lucy met my salutation with a small hand raise and responded with a simple "Morning"
Sarah glared angrily at Lucy who met it with her own half-lidded stare, "Oh give it a rest, Sarah, She's new and has had a busy week." I made a silent thank you for the petite girl speaking in my defense. Lucy then turned to Lilly, "We'll go down ahead of you two while you get ready."
Lilly smiled and nodded, "That's fine, we'll be down there in no time!" And waved goodbye as Lucy grabbed Sarah's wrist and dragged her out, shutting the door behind them. Lilly briefly stared off into space in the direction where her two friends had been standing.

    While she stood there, I got myself out of bed and pulled open the drawer Lilly had said she put my swimsuits she bought in when we went shopping the other day. As I suspected, nothing but bikinis.
"You didn't think I'd buy more conservative swimwear with you having a body like that, did you?" Lilly cooed into my ear causing me to yelp in surprise from not having noticed she moved.
"As a matter of fact I didn't. I have figured out how you operate in the brief time we've known each other. Truth be told it is quite predictable, choose the most feminine extreme to conflict with my masculine mindset and watch me squirm. Tell me, how has that worked out for you, Lilly?"
    Lilly frowned, "not too well, actually. I haven't gotten much amusement from you, it's almost like you enjoy living as a girl."
I sighed and grabbed a bikini top and bottom that matched, the top being blue with white stripes and the bottom being a solid blue, then walked into the bathroom. "I don't enjoy it at all." I began to respond while undressing out of my 'pajamas'. "I am simply dealing with it. As it stands right now I am faced with the possible reality that I will be stuck like this for the rest of my life. We had this conversation when we met, remember?"
    "Yeah, I do, but I thought you might have thought you were tolerant of it but in reality found it very discomforting."
I slid the bikini bottom up my legs, "Back to the point, I don't find this enjoyable at all and it is my hope I can figure out how I ended up like this so I can change back. Yeesh, never realized how tight these were. Boardshorts are definitely better than this."
    "Well, string bikinis give your legs a bit more breathing room..."
"No way, not doing that...Speaking of strings, THIS IS WORSE THAN TYING ON A LAB APRON IN SCIENCE CLASS!" I exclaimed as I fumbled with the strings to my top.
    Lilly poked her head in the doorway, seeing the sorry state I was in. "Would you like my help with that, princess?" she teased.
"Yes please, and give me some crumpets while you're at it!" I ordered sarcastically.
    "I'm sorry, but we're fresh out of crumpets, Milady. Here, turn around."
I did as told and turned to face the shower curtain, relinquishing hold on the strings of the top to Lilly's hands, "it's not uncommon for girl's to get their friends to help them tie their bikini tops, you know that right?"
I sighed, "yes, I know. I was trying to do it myself so you wouldn't play any tricks on me."
    "Geez, what kind of person do you take me for?"
"One that has tried to cause me discomfort ever since I came here," I answered bluntly.
    "So what you're saying is you don't trust me." Lilly spoke now with a slightly offensive tone to her voice
"Quite frankly, I don't wholly trust anybody, not even my own parents."
    "What happened to make you so distrusting of others?" there was a soft sound of fabric rubbing against itself "There, done."
I tugged at the knots to make sure they were tight enough. I did not want to be a subject of ridicule from my top falling off. "Nothing major, but a thousand shallow cuts can have just as much weight as a single deep one." I turned around to look at Lilly only to find her almost completely undressed. She had only a bra on and was halfway through sliding her panties down her legs. My face grew bright red and I immediately turned back around with a high-pitched "Meep!"
    A giggle erupted from behind me. "Oh my gosh! I have never seen a face so red!"
"Shut up!" I mumbled, rather bashful from what I just witnessed. "I didn't know you were going to change immediately after me."
    I felt the soft touch of Lilly's hands on my shoulders as she leaned in to coo into my ear "So tell me, did you get a decent show out of it" She was so close I could feel her now bare breasts pressing against me making my face all the more beet red.
"I-It happened so fast I didn't really get a good look, I swear." I stammered, my mind racing from all the stimulation. My body may have become female but its reactions to the situation pretty much confirmed that I was still very much a teenage boy on the inside, and thank God no longer on the outside or I would have to worry about more than just my face being red.
    Lilly leaned in even more, "Come on, admit you liked what you saw." She teased in an almost seductive voice.
"Okay yes I did see and I did enjoy it now please put your swimsuit on!" I exclaimed with eyes clenched shut.
    "That's all I needed to know," Lilly chimed, backing away from me with a bubbly giggle.
I sighed with relief. This chick is dangerous I was overcome with feelings of shame and embarrassment. Okay, yes, I like boobs, but I would not call myself a pervert. In light of that, the fact that I was put in such a stimulating situation made my sense of decency feel shattered. 
    "I think I finally found your weakness, Mason!"
"You're terrible." I whined, folding my arms across my chest.
    "Yeah, I am. Anyway, you can turn around now I'm done."
I turned around to face Lilly. She had donned a bikini with a bandeau top in a floral design of various blues and greens.
    "Sooo, how do I look?" 
"If you expect me to answer that question after what you just did you have the wrong idea about me."
    "Oh poo" Lilly pouted, jutting out her lower lip.
I began to walk out, flicking Lilly's forehead as I passed by her then paused at the door and turned my head back to look at her with a worn expression, "Lilly, my world has been turned upside down. I am stuck in a body that is completely different than the one I knew with no apparent explanation. Despite how easily I seem to be taking it I am not happy. I want my body back to the way it was, not because I absolutely abhor being a woman but because this body just isn't mine. Sure it bears many resemblances to my appearance as a man but it's not the same. This shouldn't have ever happened, I still aspire to one day be a father and husband. Now, despite the trouble I'm going through you think it fit to continue to harass and tease me even though you said you'd help me. Am I a friend or a plaything? Consider that question." then I walked out the door shutting it behind me without even taking a second glance

I made my way down the hall to the elevator and from there left on the commercial facing entrance and took a right where I had saw the fencing of the pool the other day when I started my job. I stopped at the gate realizing there was a code to get in. "Yo, Sarah, Lucy, it's Mason, mind letting me in? I didn't know there was a code." I hollered over the gate.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Lucy answered and a moment later the gate opened with Lucy standing behind it, her hair surprisingly dry aside from the back ends.

I bowed my head slightly, "Thank you, Lucy."

"No problem" and she turned to walk away.

Once Lucy moved out of my view my jaw immediately dropped at what came into my field of vision. The pool was absolutely gorgeous. Nicely decorated with waterfalls and fountains set up around the edges. But the aesthetic was not the only thing that made it impressive. It was HUGE.

"What are you gawking at?" I looked down to see Sarah treading water a few meters away from the edge "Well?" She asked again.

"Oh, I was just surprised at how nice the pool is." I answered nervously.

"Oh please, this is barely tolerable." Sarah scoffed.

"Not everyone comes from a family of wealth, Sarah." Lucy refuted, floating by on her inner tube.

I blinked, "Sarah, you're rich?"

Sarah tilted her chin up with a pretentious air, "of course, my father is a very successful realtor in beachside real estate!"

"You're not going to say your dad is Donald Trump are you?" I teased.

Sarah lost her rhythm and flailed her arms in the water leaving Lucy and I laughing before she regained her composure, "of course not! How could you even insinuate such a thing!?"

I smirked, "Ooooooooooh no reason." covering my hand to hide a giggle before stopping because I realized how girly I looked.

"I'm heeeere! You guys are getting along I hope?" Lilly's voice

"You know, Lilly. I was optimistic towards your new roommate but she is turning out to be an absolute boor." Sarah declared with certainty.

I felt my mouth tilt slightly downward at that. I have been called many things, but a boor I have not. It seems a certain someone will need to learn a lesson. "Is that so, Sarah?"

"Yes, Mason. I find it suiting you have a man's name because you have all the manners of one."

I smirked. "Well then..." I turned on my heel and jumped into the pool swimming up and surfacing behind Sarah hooking hands under her arms and...

"Eeee-hehe-stop it-hehe!" Sarah gasped in laughter as she got tickled.

"Not unless you take back what you said!" 

"No!" Sarah shouted in between giggle fits. "I will never go back on my words!"

"Wrong answer." I chimed and stepped up the intensity.

Sarah howled in laughter, "Okay, I take it back you're not a boor now please have mercy!" she cried out.

I unhooked my hands from under her arms and let them fall to my side. "Glad we could come to an understanding."

Sarah labored for breath, "Please never do that again."

I smiled, clasping my hands behind my back. "Whether I do or not is completely up to you."

Sarah folded her arms across her chest and spun around with her nose upturned. "You're insufferable."

I shrugged, "I am what I am." Though the truth to that statement is somewhat nebulous

Lilly snickered, "I didn't figure you to be so persuasive, Mason."

"I second that" Lucy floated by on her inner tube with her deadpan expression.

"What can I say, I know how to convince people." I wiggled my fingers in the air.

Lilly and Lucy laughed and Sarah stared at the water, her face beet red.

Once Lilly stopped laughing she looked towards me. "By the way, you forgot a towel so I brought you one and lookie here it's your favorite color!" She held up a hot pink beach towel.

She didn't... Did she forget how I hated that color? No, by the sadistic grin on her face my enmity towards pink is precisely why she brought that towel.

"Your favorite color is pink?" Sarah turned her head to look back at me with a raised eyebrow.

I scoffed. "No, I hate pink. My favorite color is purple."

Sarah's facial expression brightened, "It is?! Looks like you have some good taste after all, Mason!" She exclaimed with excitement, putting her hands on my bare shoulders.

I smiled, I had finally won her over it seems but... I never even had a favorite color before, I mean I did enjoy a very vibrant deep violet but I usually only appreciated the color in some video games, and I never considered it my favorite color. I guess it doesn't matter right now, I finally garnered some points with Sarah. I decided then that I'd worry about my sudden decision on what my favorite color is later. "Well I guess we do have some things in common, huh?"

Sarah beamed, "It seems that perhaps we do after all. Truth be told, I figured you too tomboyish to have purple as your favorite color."

I shrugged, "I also like blue if that helps you re-align your picture of me. Contrary to your belief I'm not a rebellious sort of tomboy trying to 'break gender roles'. It is just who I am." And who I am is a boy who suddenly woke up as a girl and ran away from home.

"Well, I guess I can respect that much. I suspected you were one of the individuals that try to distance themselves from everything traditionally regarded as feminine just for the sake of 'breaking gender roles'."

"Yeah, that ain't what I'm about." I reaffirmed. "Let's break away from the talk of "gender roles" because I have a few qualms and opinions regarding the subject."

"Like what?" Lucy asked, continuing to float about.

"I said let's break away." I snapped. "I could write a small essay regarding it, so I'd rather not bother y'all with a long-winded speech." 

"I agree with Mason on this one. We're here to relax and I doubt discussing social politics is anyone's idea of relaxing." Lily said.

"Fair enough" Lucy acquiesced.

"So Mason" Sarah started, taking initiative on shifting the conversation elsewhere. "You were getting along with Krystoph rather well, what do you think of him?"

I tilted my head to the side. "He seemed like a nice and sincere guy."

"And? Anything else?" Sarah prodded

"Just to clarify, Sarah, Mason is a lesbian." Lilly chimed in, slipping into the pool. I hadn't thought of it until now, but I was still attracted to women and as of right now I was a woman so I guess that did make me a lesbian. 

Sarah grew bewildered, "What? But her hair is long and not dyed weird colors, and she's not fat either!"

Wow, stereotype much? Well, can't say I blame her considering nearly all of the lesbians I've met have actually been what she described. "Well, consider me one of the exceptions." It had occurred to me that Sarah was a person who put too much stock in certain stereotypes and generalizations, regardless of whether they had some actual veracity to them or not.

Sarah sat there with an unsure look on her face, she likely had had up to date very little face to face experience with any non-hetero individuals.

"Sarah has had a sheltered life before she came here, so don't take it personally." Lucy spoke this time.

"Oh no, it's fine. It is actually pretty hard to offend me, I'd like to think. So long as Sarah doesn't suddenly hate me for it we'll be peachy."

"No, you're fine Mason. It was simply something I didn't expect." Sarah spoke. "But Lilly weren't you teasing Mason about Krystoph the other day?"

"Well yeah, I did it because she's a lesbian. Mason is a fun person to tease."

"Yeah, she gets a real kick out of teasing me" I affirmed with a grim expression.

"You should take it as a compliment, Mason, Lilly only teases those she takes a particular fondness of. She simply often goes overboard." Lucy reassured.

"Yeah, she's done that a couple times now." I shifted a critical eye in Lilly's direction. "What about y'all? Any romantic interests."

"Lucy and I both have boyfriends. Lilly does not, and has turned down many a male in maintaining that status." Sarah explained.

I looked over at Lucy, while the girl was definitely pretty her "loli" appearance found picturing her with a boyfriend rather awkward. "What's Lucy's boyfriend like?" I blurted out.

Lilly suddenly squealed. "You should meet him, Mason, he's so adorable! Him and Lucy are such a perfect fit!"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yes, very informative, Lilly."

"It's kind of hard to describe him, to be honest." Sarah began. "He's like Lucy, short and not all that developed. He's very intelligent and well-mannered, but also a bit of a nerd but in a way that's almost endearing."

I looked towards Lucy, "You don't have any input?"

Lucy shrugged. "I got nothing to add. He's my boyfriend and I am content with him."

Sarah brought her hand up to her chest, "My boyfriend on the other hand is..."

"Someone I am pretty sure I already have a pretty good idea of." I finished, heading into a deeper section of the pool.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Sarah pouted

"Well, Sarah. I think we all know there is only one type of man who meets your qualifications." Lilly explained with Lucy nodding in agreement.

I dove my head underwater and lifted it up only to be met with a mop of hair in my face. "Hey, who turned out all the lights?" I jested, acting like I was feeling my surroundings in pitch darkness.

Lilly burst out laughing while Lucy and Sarah both let out small chuckles, "I thought you too serious and sarcastic to joke like that, Mason." Lucy admitted.

I pushed my bangs out of my face, "Please, I'm not that boring."

"I dunno, Mason. You are kind of a stick in the mud." Lilly argued.

"Coming from the person who has an addiction to causing mischief." I retorted.

"She got you there, Lilly." Lucy pointed out.

Lilly simply pouted and folded her arms across her chest. "I am what I am!"

"And I am what I am" I replied bringing my arms up in a lighthearted shrug.

"You know what Mason, you really need to wash off that attitude." Lilly advised.

"And what would you mean by - BLARGHLGHLGHL" I got interrupted as Lilly dunked my head under the water. 

"There, don't you feel much more clean now?" Lilly inquired with a ne'er-do-well smile spread across her bubbly face.

"Oh, you are so gonna get it!" I threatened playfully and started swimming towards Lilly in chase and thus began a lengthy bout of water rough-housing between Lilly, her friends, and I for well unto the Afternoon. We played so hard that for the rest of the day we didn't feel like doing anything. Lilly and I went back to our room and played video games and Sarah and Lucy went back to their room. I have to say though, if I could look forward to more days like today maybe being a girl won't be so bad...