"...you are a boy and this is an all-female school."

Sam's mouth hung open. He shook his head and said "Excuse me?"

The secretary stood, brushing a loose curl of blond hair from her face. "I'm sorry. I never introduced myself. I was just caught off guard." She extended her hand. "My name is Ms. Susan Ray. You can call me Ms. Ray."

Sam took her hand and shook it, trying to process what she just said. He would have to take another flight back home. He would have to call Eleanor to arrange it. Eleanor! How could she have not realized that it was an all-girls school? He was so embarrassed. And in front of this young woman, who he was just noticing was really pretty. She wore a casual, slim white pantsuit that complimented her shapely hips. Sam tried to avoid looking at her generous chest.

Ms. Ray said she would be right back, then went to an office labeled "Principal." She knocked and a woman's voice said "Come in." She closed the door behind her. Sam tried to listen to their conversation but all he could hear were their muffled tones. It started casual and low. Suddenly it became a back and forth between loud, unidentifiable questions and soft, hesitant statements. He was pretty sure he heard "I don't know" several times.

The door opened and Ms. Ray popped her head out. "Sam, we're going to call your mom and sort this out. We have her number on file."

"She's not my--"

The door shut.

Sam sighed. He turned around, intending to sit in one of the chairs lined along the wall, and saw a girl standing in the open doorway, staring at him.

"H-hi" she said.

He stared back at her. Sam had never been very good talking to people. And recently he started having a really hard time talking to girls, especially girls his age.

She took a slow step into the office."Who are you?"

She was about his height, with red-brown hair, freckles on her cheeks and blue eyes. She wore a simple, beige uniform consisting of a short sleeve blouse and a skirt that reached mid-thigh, along with a blue ribbon tie around her collar. It wasn't meant to be flattering but Sam thought she looked great in it.

"Well?" she said.

Sam remembered that she asked a question and spoke without thinking. "I'm a new student."

Her eyes widened and she said "OH, my gosh! REALLY?"

He realized that wasn't the best answer and was about to explain himelf when Ms. Ray opened the door again.

"Sam," she said. "Please come in. We have to discuss our situation." She turned to the girl. "Julie, have a seat. I'll be with you in a moment."

Julie practically jumped into a chair while Sam followed Ms. Ray into the Principal's office.

The office was very sparce of decor. It featured some plaques on the wall of degrees and awards, a bookshelf crammed with academic literature, a filing cabinet and a wide, wooden desk. He stood in the center of the room, Ms. Ray next to him. At the desk sat a matronly woman in her late thirties, Sam guessed.

"Hello, Mr. Clark," she said. "I'm Mrs. Doyle, the Principal. How are you today?"

"I'm alright," he said.

"Good, good. Let's get down to it, then. You do understand where you are, correct?"

He shuffled from foot to foot. "This is a private school. Green Hills. But I didn't know it was a girls school."

"Yes, that is part of the problem. What did your mother tell you about this school?" Doyle asked.

"Step-mother. But, um...not much. Nothing, really. Didn't you call her?"

The Principal nodded. "We tried. But it seems she has gone on a trip to Europe and won't have access to her phone for quite some time. If her voicemail is to be believed."

"She what!" Sam said.

"I see. You were unaware," Mrs. Doyle said. "Well, I have...let's call it 'complicated' news. We don't have the means to send you back and, frankly, since there is no guardian to send you back to nor another school of which you are enrolled in, we couldn't send you back anyway."

Sam frowned. "So what happens to me?"

"You will stay here," she said. "Your mother--ah, step-mother--signed all the documents that leave you in our full, autonomous care. You will attend classes and all school activities as scheduled."

Sam swallowed. He was actually going to stay here? Be the only boy in the entire school? That probably should excite him but it just gave him a twisted feeling in his gut.

"I can see that you are nervous about standing out. But believe me when I say that it will only be as uncomfortable as you believe it will be. This is a school. Math, English, Science, Gym...The same routine." Doyle glanced at Ms. Ray. "For the most part. We will need to make some adjustments."

"Adjustments?" he said.

"In addition to Green Hills being an all-girls school, we are, as the name implies, an all-green school. Waste is minimized as much as possible. This school is top-ranked among intitutions with the lowest carbon footprint. Which means that we don't have anything more than we need to teach, feed, house and dress our students and faculty."

Sam didn't follow. "So?"

The Principal sighed. "So you fell through a crack. You are one more student than we knew we had. We don't have the resources to accomodate you. Nevertheless, you are here. So we will have to make do, while somehow maintaining our mission statement of staying green. Ms. Ray and I have a few ideas."

Sam didn't really understand everything she was saying. He was in his own head, trying to figure out how he ended up in this mess.

"That will be all, Mr. Clark. Ms. Ray, please get him sorted?"

"Of course," Ms. Ray said. "Follow me, Sam."

They walked back into the reception area. The girl, Julie, was still sitting there. She perked up.

"Ms. Ray! Is Sam really going to be a student here?" she said.

Ms. Ray gave a nod. "Yes, Julie," she said, making the young girl smile brightly. "Do you two know each other?"

Sam half shrugged. "I just met her."

"There you go, Sam. You're making friends already. Now let's see." Ms. Ray sat before her computer and typed away. "I'm going to assign you a temporary dorm room until we figure out a long-term option. The room number is...189."

She scribbled on a tiny post-it and handed it to him. "Do you know where the dorms are?"

He shook his head.

"I can show him!" Julie said, springing to her feet.

"Thank you, Julie. That will be very helpful. Which reminds me, what are you here for?"

Julie stared. "Oh, right. I came to let you know that my mom emailed my medical records."

"Glad to know that's taken care of," Ms. Ray said. "It's very important."

"Of course I know that," Julie laughed. "I can't believe I forgot it."

"I'll find the email and update your student profile. Now why don't you show Sam to his room." The secretary turned to Sam.

"And don't you worry. Orientation will be starting later. You'll learn your way around the campus soon enough. In the meantime, go to your room and settle in."

She shook his hand, then brought all of her attention to her computer screen. Julie smiled and chirped "Let's go!"

The girl went out the door and Sam hesitantly followed. Either Julie was always a fast walker or she was feeling very energetic. He had to pick up his pace as she power walked along a path that rounded a wide, green field in front of the main building.

"This is SO COOL that you're going here," Julie said. "Girls can be really boring most of the time. But like, what's the deal? I didn't think boys could go to this school."

"Um, it was an accident. They said it was a computer glitch," he said.

"Oh. Well, I think you'll like it. My older sister used to go here. This is a really good school. You know, except they can be real stingy. 'Go Green!' That's the school motto. They're always cutting corners."

Sam nodded along as they approached a long, single story building. The dorms, as Sam had guessed earlier. They walked through the only door he saw and he found hinself in a small lounge area. There were a few couches, some low tables, a corner shelf stocked with weathered boardgames, and a tv hanging on one wall.

"They only put the tv on during certain hours. Electricity, blah blah blah. But you can play the board games as much as you want," Julie said.

They continued down a hallway. Sam idly looked around. They passed a bathroom door on his left, just labeled 'Bathroom.' And directly opposite that was an empty archway lacking a door. The sign next to it read 'Showers.' Sam caught a glimpse of pink tile before snapping his head the other direction. He felt his neck warm, hoping Julie hadn't noticed where he looked. She seemed oblivious, walking on without slowing. He'd have to be careful when traversing this hallway, he thought. He hoped his own shower room had a door.

"Your room is at the end of the hall," she said.

They passed many dorm room doors, the numbers etched into the wood counting upwards. One of them was open, and as they passed, Sam instinctually glanced inside. For a split second, he saw a girl with dark brown hair leaning over a writing desk, reaching for something. She was wearing jeans, apparently not having changed into her uniform yet. Her butt protruded from the desk, tightly clad in thin, blue denim.

Sam shook his head and decided he was just going to look straight until he was safe inside his room. A second later, a door opened just ahead and a brunette stepped out. She was older than him, maybe a junior or senior. Unlike Julie, who was rather petite, this girl was a couple inches taller than Sam, with a womanly shape and full sized breasts. She was wearing the same uniform as Julie, except her collar ribbon was purple.

The girl turned to face them and did a double take. "The hell? Who are you," she said, looking at Sam. She switched to Julie. "Who is he? What is he doing here?"

Julie beamed. "This is Sam. He's a freshman. And I'm Julie, by the way. Thanks for asking. What's your name?"

The older girl made a face. "What are you talking about? There's no boys in Green Hills." Her eyes hardened. "Did you sneak him in here? Is he your boyfriend?"

Julie's cheeks reddened. "No." Her voice was suddenly meek and quiet. Sam nearly had a coughing fit at hearing the word 'boyfriend.'

"You two are in so much trouble," the agitated girl said. "I'm going to tell Ms. Ray what you're doing."

Julie's eyes lit up again, and a small smile curles the edges of her lips. "Okay, why don't you do that."

The purple ribbon girl frowned and suddenly pushed past them. She stomped her way down the hall. Once she was out the door, Julie giggled.

"Oh my god, I would love to see her face when Ms. Ray tells her," she said. "Let's get to your room before she comes back."

They continued and turned a corner, passing a bewildered student going the other direction, then walked down the end of the hall. Room 189 was the last one, beside the dead end of the hallway. Julie gestured.

"After you!"

He was looking forward to some privacy after such a weird day. Sam turned the knob and opened the door. He walked in to find himself face to face with another girl. She was thin and pale, with blue eyes and straight, black shoulder length hair, bangs cut just above the eyes. And she was currently not wearing a shirt. A plain, white bra covered her small breasts.

He froze, his eyes going wide. Without thinking, his gaze went straight to her chest. He had never seen a girl wearing a bra. Well, without something else covering the bra, anyway. The curve of the cups as they hugged her breasts, the tiny bit of cleavage touched with shadow between them, her flat stomach and small navel, the flower-print lining and thin straps that held her exposed shoulders...it was like a snapshot imprinted in his brain.

The shirtless girl, for her part, saw Sam and flinched. Her mouth dropped open. And then she shrieked.

"Ah! Get out, get out!" She lunged for a small mattress and yanked a blanket over her chest. Her small, shaky voice climbed in pitch to a squeak. "Get out of my room!"

Sam stammered over his words. "Uh--oh no, I'm-I'm sorry! I thought this was my roo--"

He looked at the door and saw the number 189 etched clearly into it.

"Huh?"

He double checked the post-it Ms. Ray had given him. It said 189 in neat handwriting.

"Um...they must have given me the wrong room number..." he said, confused.

"Close the door!" she said, clutching the blanket like it might jump away from her.

He slammed the door shut. He stood there dumbly, reading the number 189 on the door several times and checking his note again. It hadn't changed either. He turned to Julie.

"Is there another Room 189 somewhere?"

Julie shook her head. "No, there isn't."

"Then I mean," Sam said, his face red with embarrassment, "Ms. Ray gave me the wrong number."

Julie thought for a second. "Maybe this girl is the one with the wrong number. How do you know she didn't mess up?"

"That's a good point," he said, nodding.

"Let's check," Julie said and knocked on the door, before he could object.

A second later, the door opened a few inches. The girl on the other side was now wearing her beige uniform blouse, without a collar ribbon. Her face was flushed.

"What do you want?" she said. "Why is a boy in the dorms?"

"He's a student, just like us," Julie explained. "The office told him this is his room. One eight nine. Did you take the wrong one? What room are you supposed to be in?"

The skinny girl looked confused. She went to a desk and picked up a thin paper card. Julie walked into the room, pulling Sam's arm along with her. She showed them the card. It was a Green Hills ID, with a black and white printed photo, a student number, the name 'Lauren Wittle' and dorm room number 189.

"So much for that theory," Julie sighed.

"I don't understand," Lauren said, eyeing the two of them back and forth. "Why would a boy be here at all?"

She had her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Sam made a deliberate effort not to look that way.

"It's, um, a long story. I'm pretty much stuck here."

"Not in here, you're not," Lauren said. She seemed to realize that all three of them were, in fact, in the room. "Hey, get out of here!"

Sam started to leave but Julie grabbed him. "You can't just kick him out. What is he going to do, stand out in the hallway? Besides, you're already dressed."

Whatever fervor Lauren had drummed up withered away under Julie's stare. It seemed Lauren was a bit of a pushover.

"Fine," she mumbled. "He can wait here for now."

Lauren picked up a blue ribbon from the bed and began tying it around her collar. Julie introduced Sam and herself, Lauren half-heartedly shared her name as well. He watched her finish the ribbon into a knot.

"What's with the ribbons?" he said.

Lauren glanced at him, then stared at the floor. "It's part of the uniform."

He thought back to the angry girl in the hall. "I saw someone with a purple ribbon. Can they be any color?"

He was just trying to fill the awkward silence. He didn't expect a real answer.

"Blue is for freshman," Lauren said. "Yellow is softmore, purple is junior and red is senior."

"Oh."

Sam looked around the room. It was small with white walls. A little cube of a room. There was a floor cubby, for personal possessions, he figured, a writing desk and a bed. The mattress, like everything else in there, was tiny. He wondered if it qualified as a twin mattress. It looked more like a cot.

"I don't have a uniform yet," he said.

Lauren's eyes darted left and right. "Okay."

Stop talking, he thought.

"Where did you get yours?" he said.

Julie snorted. He turned to see her struggling to hold back a smile as she not so casually gazed at the ceiling.

Lauren pointed. "It was on the bed."

"Cool. Cool," he said.

Oh my god, shut up.

The silence continued for another couple of minutes as Sam struggled not to say anything else stupid. Mercifully, a PA system beeped and they heard a woman's voice, though he couldn't tell if it was Principal Doyle, Ms. Ray or someone else speaking.

"Orientation will begin in the Auditorium in ten minutes. Please be dressed in your uniforms and go to the Main Building now."

Sam sighed in relief. He could find a faculty member and ask where his actual room is. The three of them made their way out the door. They fell in line with a slowly moving procession of young girls. So many girls. Sam felt his throat tightening up. One girl was difficult enough to be around, but this was a whole other level. He must have been surrounded by a hundred girls, at least, in this hallway alone. As they walked, more and more came out of rooms. And more and more began to notice him among them. He tried to ignore their stares and their whispers.

When Sam reached the outdoors, he realized it was even worse. Girls weren't just coming from the building he was in. They were coming in waves from different directions. They were everywhere. He wondered if the campus had other dorm buildings. Maybe the grounds were larger than he had thought. Sam joined the moving crowd, eyeing a sea of beige with sprinkles of blue, yellow, purple and red. There were girls of every type. Tall and short, pale and tanned, thin, curvy, athletic, blondes, brunettes, redheads...girls who hadn't developed much yet and girls who had blossomed into stunning young women. But they all appeared attractive to Sam. Maybe that part was just in his head.

He finally reached the building and tried to make a beeline for the Principal's office. Someone cut him off. He looked up and had to catch his breath. A woman with an angelic face--high cheekbones, glistening lips, piercing brown eyes-- stared down at him. Rivulets of wavy, light brown hair caressed her smooth skin. Her blouse reminded him of something he had seen at a Renaissance Fair. It was off the shoulder, with a frilly fabric that rode low enough to see a strong line of cleavage. Below that, she wore a long, colorful skirt that reached mid-calf. He had seen a partially undressed girl earlier but somehow he found the sight before him now to be more erotic.

"The Auditorium is right through there," she said, pointing behind him. Her voice was naturally low and sultry.

"I, uh...I have to talk to the Principal. Or Ms. Ray--"

"Since both Principal Doyle and Ms. Ray are in the Auditorium," she said, "and are about to host Orientation, I suggest you go in there instead."

"It-it's just that I--my, uh...my dorm--"

"Any questions you have will be answered soon, Sam. But you will need to follow instructions."

He cocked his head. "You know my name?"

She laughed. "Yes, Sam. All of the faculty have been briefed about your little mixup. And a handsome boy like you is hard to miss here."

His face reddened. Her smile widened.

"My name is Miss Golding. I'll see you soon, Sam."

He moved along, following the herd. Out of nowhere, Julie grabbed his arm and directed him to a seat next to her. He hadn't realized they were still walking together.

Students eventually all found their seats. He felt very out of place. The house lights turned down and Principal Doyle took the stage. The Orientation began. It was mostly standard things he'd heard in assemblies before. But she went over some useful information.

Fresh uniforms would be provided to the dorm rooms every morning. Nightware would be provided the same way every evening. Dirty clothes were collected at the same time, so students had no need to keep extra clothing in their rooms, clean or otherwise.

All scheduled meals are taken in the Cafeteria Hall. Breakfast is at 7am. Students are expected to be showered and dressed in uniform before then. Classes begin at 8am and continue to noon, when lunch is served. Classes resume at 1pm and continue to 5pm. Extra-curricular activities are from 5-7pm. Then it is free time with lights out at 10pm.

She spent some time talking about the 'Go Green' mission statement. And then said something Sam didn't expect.

"As you all should know, Green Hills will be monitoring each of your personal carbon footprints over the course of the year. Your green score will have a direct impact on your academic grade. Do NOT treat it lightly."

Great. Another thing to worry about, Sam thought.

"And finally, I have a special announcement to make," Doyle said. "This year we had a system glitch which resulted in an extra student enrolling at Green Hills."

Sam slunk lower in his seat.

"As you can imagine," the Principal continued, "this poses a problem for our green initiative. But I choose to see it as a challenge. An opportunity. The world is always unpredictable and saving it requires ingenuity. The same must be said for our dearest Green Hills. Therefore, I must ask that each and every one of you be willing to sacrifice a little for the benefit of all. Also, I should confirm the rumor going around as I speak. Quiet down... The additional student is, in fact, a boy."

Ohhhh nooooo, Sam thought. The last thing he wanted was a spotlight. Chatter in the Auditorium picked up. It sounded like plenty of students hadn't actually heard about him yet.

"Settle down, settle," she said. "I expect you to treat our new student with the same respect and comraderie that you would treat any other student here. Whether one is a girl or a boy is of little consequence. At Green Hills, you shouldn't behave like children. You should behave like adults."

The Orientation soon ended. They were given a rundown of the campus locations, some points of curriculum and other boring updates. Then they were directed to go to the Cafeteria Hall for lunch.

He figured Julie would try going with him. But she said she had special studies to get to. He wasn't sure what that meant but he didn't dwell on it. Sam was happy to have a moment alone. Or so he thought.

The Cafeteria Hall was huge. High-pitched echoes of a few hundred young girls permeated the space. Long, wooden bench tables were lined in rows. Each student went up to the serving counter and left with a tray holding exactly the same portions of food. But when Sam tried to get on line, a cafeteria worker (a woman, of course) waved him away. She brought him to the front of the room, cleared her throat, and called for everyone's attention.

"Everyone, if you could quiet down a moment? This here is Sam. Sam hasn't been allocated lunch. So I have been instructed to ask that you share some of your food with him. Giving food to those in need is a very important thing to learn. We are all in this together. If Sam asks you for a little food, you should be willing to share. Also keep in mind that refusal may negatively impact your green rating. That is all."

The cafeteria lady smiled at Sam and told him to go ahead and ask a few girls. Then she went back behind the counter. Sam stood where he was. That was the most humiliating thing he had ever endured. And now she expected him to go around and beg random girls for food? The idea terrified him in ten different ways.

Sam sat alone, at the edge of a table. His stomach growled but he just couldn't do it. He decided he'd go for a walk to distract himself. As he reached the exit, however, a cafeteria monitor stopped him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Sam shrugged. "Sure. Why?"

"You haven't eaten anything. Are you sick?"

He didn't care to explain all the ways he didn't want to ask pretty girls for food scraps. So he just agreed that he felt sick. The woman took out a slip of paper and filled it in. It was some kind of form.

"Take that to the Nurse's Office. She'll make sure you're okay. And tell her you weren't up for eating anything."

Sam followed the directions she gave to the Nurse's Office because he had no better place to go. And he was concerned they might find out if he didn't go and get himself in trouble.

He arrived in the Nurse's Office. There was a waiting area with some chairs and a bench for lying down. In front was an observation table. A private exam room was to the left and a bathroom was to the right.

"Hello?" Sam said.

The nurse walked out from the exam room. She was dressed in a traditional nurse's uniform, complete with a white and light blue hat. She was also the youngest faculty member he had seen so far. She looked barely 21-years-old. Her dark hair was tied in a bun and she had a cute, round face.

"Oh, hi there," she said, her voice soft and delicate. "I didn't think you'd walk in here on your first day. I'm Nurse Heather. What seems to be the problem?"

"My...stomach hurts," he lied. Sort of.

She had him take a seat on the observation table.

"Have you had anything to eat?" she said.

"No. I'm, um, not hungry."

Nurse Heather nodded while shining a pen light in his eyes. She checked his pulse and made a few other basic observations.

"Let's take a look at your file," she said as she typed on a computer. "Oh my. You haven't had a medical evaluation. When is the last time you saw your doctor?"

"I'm not sure. A couple of years ago?" he said.

"I see. It's very important that we complete your evaluation, then. Go on into the private exam room..."

Sam begrudgingly started to get up.

"...and take off your clothes."

Sam froze.

"What?" he said.

"Go in and undress. I'll be right there."

Sam struggled to breath. Take off his clothes? No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. He had never been undressed in front of a girl. He had barely been undressed in front of a man. Sam had always had a male doctor and he hadn't needed to take off his clothes in an exam since he was little.

"Hurry up," the nurse said. "You have a busy schedule today."

Sam shuffled along. He went in the exam room and closed the door. Then he slowly took off his shirt. He breathed deeply, removing his shoes, socks and pants. Then he stood in just his boxers. With shaking hands, he lowered them to the floor. As he stepped out of his underwear, he heard the nurse say "Put those away and I'll be right there."

Sam frowned. He wasn't sure where 'away' was but he figured she just wanted him to put the clothes off to the side. He scooped them up, holding the bundle to his chest, about to put them in the corner.

And then the door opened.

Sam looked up.

Julie stood in the doorway.

She held a couple of clipboards in her arm and wore a nurse's cap on her head.

And she was looking directly at his penis.

Sam's body clamped up. He stopped breathing. He stood stock still, the bundle of clothes in his arms.

Julie's mouth slowly parted. For once, she was speechless. She gazed at his flaccid member, not quite three inches long, and testicles, which had recently started to descend. She saw the smattering of light pubic hair. A girl, his age. Julie. Was looking. At. His. Penis. Sam could feel his heart pounding, his blood rushing. And then the worst thing that could have possibly happen, happened.

His penis hardened.

In a matter of seconds, with Julie watching, his penis angled upwards. It climbed, pointing at her for a moment, and continued until it lay upright against his belly. Fully erect at just over four inches.

Her eyes were fixated on his erection. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably about ten seconds, the clipboards slipped from her arm. They clattered on the floor, which seemed to snap her out of her trance. Her head shot up and they locked eyes. That broke Sam free of his own spell, and he (belatedly) covered his throbbing penis with the clothes in his arms.

Nurse Heather walked in. "I meant to put them away in the filing drawer," she said to Julie with a chuckle, "not to put them on the floor."

Julie looked down and then squatted to pick them up.

"Oh, good. You're ready," the Nurse said.

She took the bundle of clothes from Sam and put them to the side. He stood there, with his hands out as if reaching for his lost clothes, like an idiot. He realized he was exposed again and looked down to see Julie. She was still squatting, her hands gripping the clipboards, now eye level with his penis, a mere two feet away.

He snapped his hands to his groin. Julie snapped to her feet. His whole body was burning with humiliation. And as much as he willed it to, his penis would not. Go. Down.

"Now Sam, please lie down on the exam table," Nurse Heather said. "Julie, I could use your help. This will be very instructive for your nursing apprenticeship."