Standing Up to Life

Chapter 22:

WE ARRIVED AT the Hancock's house at 11:50 or so. I had no sooner walked up to their door before it was flung open and I was pounced on by Amy. "You look so pretty Tiffany!"

"Thanks," I choked out, somehow managing to not drop my box of photos.

She released me and we walked into her house. "Mom told me you looked pretty today, but she wasn't kidding!"

"Thanks."

"Hold on a sec, I'll be back down in a couple minutes!" She said running upstairs for something.

"Tiffany, are you happy with what we worked out?" I heard Mrs. Hancock's voice behind me.

I turned around and faced her. "It was better than I hoped for... I wish I could really be Tiffany on the trip, but I'll definitely settle for what I got." I replied to her.

"I know you're not going to be as obviously Tiffany on this trip, but I want you to be really careful on this trip – don't leave one of our sides. Your parents, us, Amy, and the other girls should be able to keep you safe... But I could see something going wrong if the boys discovered that you were wearing panties for instance." She said looking somewhat grim.

"I know... but this is me, they're going to have to come to terms with it sooner or later." I said, a little teary eyed.

She came over to me and gave me a hug. "Yes they are. And, no matter what they say or do please know that we'll always be here for you okay?"

"Thank you Mrs. Hancock."

"You're very welcome Tiffany." She hesitated for a second then said, "Tiffany why don't you call me Melanie instead of Mrs. Hancock?"

I felt very awkward right then... "Why?"

"Well... I can't ask you to call me Mom, although I think of you as my second daughter – that would be wrong. But, I think Melanie would be okay." She told me.

"Um... okay Melanie, thanks." I replied. I sat there and talked to her for a few more minutes before I heard feet pounding down the stairs. I turned around and saw Amy in her jumper that was like mine.

"So what do you think?" She said as she came up to me.

"Well, I don't think we'll be confused as twins... but you never know!" I told her giggling.

"Well let's get to scrapbooking!" She said and led me to their formal dining room. In there I saw tons of scissors, paper, pens, and other stuff. For a while she spent some time showing me what all they had – and how to use it.

From there she handed me several stacks of pictures that she said were mine. The stack of photos was mainly from the ski trip and the slumber party. There must have been six dozen pictures though from those two things, and that didn't even include some other miscellaneous photos of the two of us that I didn't even know Mrs... I mean Melanie had taken of me. Pictures like one from the first time I went swimming in Amy's swimsuit. When had she taken it? There were also several clippings from the newspaper about our project.

The two of us had been working hard on scrapbook page after scrapbook page for the better part of an hour when her mom came in and asked if we were hungry. I had completely forgotten about lunch – I'd been too busy with everything else.

We sat down at their breakfast counter to eat the macaroni and cheese her mom had made for us.

"So Mom said that they decided you have to go on the trip as Brandon?"

"Yeah... unfortunately." She looked as downtrodden as I did. "But they said I could be Tiffany with my friends! And they said I can wear girls' clothes when I'm in the room, and I can wear panties underneath my clothes... They also told me I could wear a girl's pair of shorts one day, and tops that are girls as long as they're not too girly..."