Breakfast in bed

You are awoken by a knock at your bedroom door. The late morning sun fills your eyes as you slowly open them.

"Are you awake Natalie?" your mother asks.

There was your daily reminder that you were now inhabiting a female body. For a moment you think back to a movie you saw where a woman would lose her memory as she slept every night, forcing herself to re-learn the facts of her life each morning. Would there come a time for you when waking up in a woman's body would no longer come as a surprise?

"I've brought you some breakfast." Your mother enters carrying a tray with fruit, yogurt, and juice.

"Do you remember going to bed last night sweetie? I think I might have let you go a little overboard on the wine."

Before you have a chance to answer your mother places two reddish brown pills in your hand, "Some ibuprofen might make you feel better."

"Thanks Mom," you say, downing the pills with your juice. You do feel a little worse for wear. Perhaps your **** tolerance has changed you think, not that you had much to begin with.

Jane sits at the foot of the bed and you two talk about this and that while she watches you eat your breakfast.

Once you've finished, your mom takes the tray and sets it aside.

"How are you feeling about things honey? I know its only been 24 hours since you changed, but I hope you are starting to adjust. Is there anything I can do to make things easier on you?"

"No, I guess I'm doing okay Mom," you reply, unsure of how well you were 'adjusting' as your mother put it.

"I'm glad to hear that sweetie," she says, your answer seeming to give her a bit of relief.

"We do need to talk about a few important matters. There are still a few weeks of summer left, so we should talk about your friends and your job at the convenience store."

You perk up at the mention of your friends. There was Chris, Josh, and a couple of other guys that you didn't know as well. They hadn't crossed your mind at all since yesterday, but the three of you had been hanging out a lot this summer, and having a pretty good time. You also think of Lauren, the cute girl whose house was over on Lake street. Of course a moment later you realize why your mother is bringing this up causing you to frown slightly.

"I've went ahead and talked Chris and Jake's moms already. I've told them that you received a last minute offer to attend a small private school of out state and that they requested that you arrive as soon as possible in order to fill in some gaps in your prerequisites with summer classes," she explains, apparently having put some thought into her lies about what happened to you, or to 'Nick', you think.

"I also told your work that you had to leave town, they'll be mailing your last paycheck to the house."

"Thanks Mom," you say, sarcastically.

She continues after pausing for a moment, "I haven't told anyone that Natalie is staying here yet."

She continues, "I'm not sure it would work out for you to see Chris and Jake, but maybe I can introduce you to some girls your age to hang out with. I know that may not sound like much fun, but I think it would be a good idea for you to start socializing with girls your age."

The normalcy with which she speaks about this kind of thing is totally bizarre to you. She just expects me to get rid of all my former friends and start hanging out with girls all time? And how I am supposed to act natural around other girls? There's no way I can fit in, I'll slip up and get caught!

"Now why don't you go take a shower and I'll lay out an outfit for you on your bed, okay honey?"