literature

No Bails TG

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No Bails

Ashley landed flat on his back with his Razor scooter tumbling away from him on the sidewalk. He muttered a quiet, "Shit…" to himself and rested there a moment.

As he hopped up and picked up his scooter, Josh came out of the Carroll & Pearton Books coffee shop with a heavy bag poised at his slender elbow and a small cup of hot green tea in his hands. He gave a nod to Ashley and said, "They didn't have cinnamon-apple tea."   

Arching a thin eyebrow, Ashley shrugged. "Sokay. Almost nailed that trick."

Josh pulled one of the metal outdoor chairs over and sat down. "Yeah…I saw…some of it. Toby back yet?" Ashley shook his head and turned to the eye the small wall he'd just leapt off with his scooter. It was about six feet, pale brown, and had a great, flat top to ride across. It sheltered the carts for the small specialty market next to the bookstore.

Ashley made a move towards the other end but turned around when the white-shirted manager of the market came out. He moved back and forth a little on his scooter and kept his eyes off the wall. The manager waited and fussed with the carts. Ashley knew he would head off eventually. Meanwhile, he looked over at Josh.

Josh crossed his legs tightly against one another and slipped the bag off his arm. He gave a sip of the green tea and told Ashley, "This really stoned-looking dude hit on me in line…even after I told him I was a guy. He thought I was just playing hard to get. Can you believe that?"

Tipping his scooter right, Ashley glanced at Josh. Most people who looked at Josh in passing were convinced he was a girl and Ashley understood why. He had long-and-curly, light-blond hair, which he really took care of, down to the middle of his back. He had rather glossy and somewhat-manicured nails. His voice sounded like he had never been through puberty. He always wore snug-fitting clothes from his black leather boots to his clingy jeans and trim, nearly-sleeveless black tops. And he could never seem to keep or grow much in the way of body hair or facial hair especially. Then there was the natural, reddish blush to his cheeks and those eyebrows…

Ashley smiled and asked, "So, did you give him your number?" Before Josh could scowl, Ashley continued, "I mean…what an ass!" Josh still gave a suspicious look but took another sip.

To Josh, Ashley should've been the one to be confused for a girl, not him. After all, "Ash" wore dark eye makeup and he actually plucked his eyebrows. His long, black hair with blond streaks showed clearly in a fringe out the bottom of his navy, knit cap. And it wasn't like Ash had ever managed to cultivate any manly hair either. Josh hid a grumble in a few bubbles in his tea. He eyed Ash's long, black shirt showing under his collared, blue shirt. Ash even had on a beaded necklace. And he also wore snug jeans which clung to his legs and butt too. It took Josh a moment to realize his looks over Ash might be considered weird. He glanced down and lowered his drink before saying, "I mean…I like how I look. And I'm not deliberately trying for anything. You know that right, Ash?"

Ashley nodded and rocked back and forth on his Razor. "Of course."

Flipping a bit of his hair behind his ear, Josh continued, "But yeah…" And that was all he had to say. He leaned forward a little and sifted through his bag. Ashley noticed Josh's top was a little slack in the chest, giving the impression it was tenting. His hips also seemed to edge out a bit more than normal with the way he was sitting. Ashley glanced behind him and whistled to himself. The manager was gone.

Swiftly, Ashley dashed over to the end of the wall and climbed a nearby cart to the top. Lining up his scooter, he pushed forward and started a trick. But he couldn't get enough movement. He hopped back with the scooter and pushed off again. This time, he turned it sideways like a seesaw and balanced it to the edge. He nearly committed to a ninety-degree turn in the air but just leapt off and landed with an awkward wobble and threw back an arm to keep his balance. He almost kissed his old scar on his elbow. It had happened with a particularly bad landing where a sharp pipe dragged across his skin. He had many little scars like it.

Josh leaned back and bent open a small book from his bag. Ashley crouched and tried to read the title. Josh turned the book but not before Ashley saw enough to know from the cover that it was another romance novel.

Cloaking both ends of the book with his hands, Josh murmured, "My sister wanted it. And she said I might like it." Ashley shrugged and gestured to himself. "Dude, I read mangas for girls. I don't care." Slowly, with his glances settling on those passing by, Josh's hands dipped from around the cover.

Soon, Toby returned. He had a large bag of his own. It was heavy with a few jewel cases and DVDs. He cracked his knuckles, waved to Josh and Ashley, and found a clear spot of pavement near the decorative bushes. He folded his legs underneath him into a lotus potion and smiled as he looked at his bag.

He had on jeans a little looser than either of theirs. His shoes were ancient, black sneakers with soles that looked more like a wrecked top hat. Among the three of them, he had the best success with facial hair. Only a little hair was on his head, cut close and short. Along his chin, his reddish-orange goatee extended full and curly like an afro. But, despite that manly feature, Toby's shirt revealed a full pair of breasts.

He was a big and kinda chubby guy, so everyone he met assumed that was the reason. But his chest was a little on the big side even with that reasoning. Josh felt it was quite comparable to some of the biggest girls in school. He tried not to think too much about that. But Toby never minded when people looked. He'd just laugh. He even wore a bra to school once as a joke. He hummed a random song quietly to himself.

Ashley made his way back to the end of the wall and up again. He was a little more confident this time. He rode to the end and jumped with enough height to kick out his legs to the side before landing on the front of the scooter. A leg down kept him from tipping face-first into the ground. Toby gave a quick cheer and said, "Looked cool!" Ashley thanked him and turned to Josh. Quietly, Josh noted, "Not bad. But you better watch it. I heard this rumor on the internet last night."

After a quiet, snort-chuckle, Ashley remarked, "Reaaaaly? A rumor…on the internet?"

Josh peered over his romance novel and murmured, "Oh shut up…." But he continued, "I'm serious… they say there's a way you can fall and almost hurt yourself and it…uh…it does weird things to your body."

That sounded like something Ashley may have heard before and he said as much out loud before adding, "I'm sure I'll be fine."

Josh shrugged. "None of my business then. So when are we gonna get frozen yogurt?"

Toby tapped out a slow melody on his legs. Ashley checked the roll of his scooter's wheels before asking, "You wanna go now? They're open till later."

A little bit of wind kicked up from behind Josh, flapping at his long hair. "I'm just asking."

Ashley leaned back against the brick wall. "I just want to try a few tricks and chill out. Don't want to hurry back."

Josh nodded. "Of course. I dunno. I guess I'm still unnerved about that guy who hit on me." Toby glanced up a bit and raised his eyebrows. Josh sighed and explained the situation briefly. Toby gave a silent grimace and a nod of sympathy.

Folding his arms on the scooter, Ashley mused, "You ever considered pretending to be a girl for a day?" Josh stared at him but didn't shake his head right away. Instead, he said, "More like people keep thinking I'm pretending all the time. But I'm not. I just like the way I look."

Toby gave a thumbs up and noted, "Looking cool." Josh gave a quick thanks as Ashley cracked his knuckles. He didn't offer a response but he did hurry back to the other end of the wall.

Josh figured that was settled, so he returned to reading. It didn't take long before he heard Ashley's scooter launch again. This time, none of the sounds were positive. He tumbled hard and groaned. Josh frowned but didn't look up. Then, Ashley made a strange sound.

Peering over the top of his book, Josh noticed Ashley was sitting on the ground. With his hands out. He raised an eyebrow. Ashley's hands didn't look scraped up like they sometimes did when he fell. It didn't appear he had any cuts or breaks. And his expression was more one of surprise than agony. Josh glanced to the scooter. It didn't appear broken. All that settled, Josh asked, "You okay?"

Ashley answered, "I feel different. Not too bad though…" Josh narrowed his eyes. Ashley's voice was higher. Slightly but still noticeably. Like he was speaking in a falsetto. "You're talking weird."

After poking his throat, Ashley gave a cough. Still, he couldn't change the way he was talking. He felt around a bit. "I think I knocked my boys inside or something. Doesn't hurt too much though…"

Josh grimaced and said, "TMI, dude! You should go check yourself in the bookstore restroom." Ashley nodded. His hair looked a bit longer around his cap and his top tented but Josh figured that was just from him wearing layers. His lower half poked out a little more as well. While he was gone, Josh tried to focus on the book in his hands but he kept glancing back towards the doors Ash walked through. Toby hummed to himself. Josh rocked his clenched legs a little and brushed back some rogue locks.

When Ashley returned, he stood before the two of them and stated simply, "I'm a girl now. Apparently."

Josh looked up at him and gave an automatic chuckle before saying, "You should believe me when I talk about internet rumors. I didn't say it turned you into a girl though."

Ashley shrugged. "Well, whatever happened…did. I'm surprised I don't feel too stressed-out though. I kinda dig the new padding..." He put a hand to his hips and behind before finding a slight protrusion at his chest. "You think it might be like how endorphins kick in when you break something? I guess I broke something." He chuckled to himself.

Josh sighed. "Oh come on, anyone can stuff their clothes…" Ashley edged down his jeans to show a bit of his hips. Then, he hiked up his shirt enough for Josh to know what was causing the protrusion. Josh jerked back in his chair at the sight. Toby's eyes widened too.

After a moment of quiet shock, Josh shook his head. "That's just not possible. Tell me you're just a girl who looks like Ashley and he put you up to this." Ash shook her head and showed a couple of her old scars. "Oh, it's me."

Josh's eyes wandered down to Ashley's groin area. Ash coughed and noted, "You're not seeing that but it wasn't left out."

People passed by without a second look as Josh tried to find words. "This makes no sense. You don't just fall down and hit…what…your gender bone? It doesn't happen. It's just a rare rumor. It doesn't just happen!"

Ashley put her hands up. "Not like I wanted to do this. Not sure how long it takes to get over something like this. Or I broke it for good. What did the internet say?"

Josh thought back. He knew the article well, word by word. He muttered, "I'm not sure. It said a lot of stuff….I just read it in passing. But it's supposed to be like…a temporary thing because they were mentioning athletes going away for a few days to a few weeks to get over it. But anything is possible. I don't know."

Ashley gave a long breath. "Well, that's hopeful. I mean it's not bad. I don't really feel all that different." She pulled at her cap and her hair fell out even longer by a few inches. Josh noticed that Ashley's facial structure did look a little different. She had the same touch of natural blush that Josh had. Her skin was glossier. Otherwise, it was just small changes. Josh doubted anyone but those really paying attention would notice much.

Toby offered a kind smile and said, "Look cool." Ashley smiled back. "Thanks, bud. Doesn't even feel like I hurt anything."

Leaning forward, Josh asked, "Do you feel any different mentally or anything? Like…do you feel girlier?"

Ashley raised an eyebrow and raised her hands like motioning to a force field. "I sense a great, estrogen aura falling upon me…in short….nothing. I just feel a little…rearranged…if that makes sense."

Josh noted, "It doesn't. You're not freaking out about basically getting castrated?"

Ashley hiked up her pants a little. They were loose and tight in new spots. "It was a bit of a shock to see. But it doesn't really feel like I was cut. I can move around okay. Blame body endorphins again, maybe?"

Josh continued, "And what about your chest?"

Ashley let out a little grin. "Of course, when I get home, I'm going to see more about that. But…uh…fatty, soft, and warm? Doesn't really do anything else."

Josh frowned and Ashley leaned forward a bit, resting a hand on her scooter. "Is this…disappointing to you, Josh?" Folding his arms, Josh frowned deeply. "It's not like that. It's just…you're a different gender. You turned from…well sort of a guy…into a girl." It was Ashley's turn to flash a frown, though a playful one. "Well, sort of a guy to you too. I guess that's part of it though. Now if I was one of those guys who go out for wrestling…I'd probably be more surprised. Maybe I even partly…banged my gender bone before?"

Josh gave a shiver and a grimace. "Dude…err…yeah. I mean don't even suggest that…"

Ashley arched her head up. "Why? You probably got hit in the gender even more than me or Toby. But…if that were the case…it would kinda make sense. You know, with everything."

Josh shook his head. "I've never hit my anything. It doesn't make sense! None of this does! Especially why I…uh…"

Ashley inched closer to Josh on her scooter. "Why you what?"

Josh looked away with a blush on his face and tried to hide it deep under his book. But Ashley persisted till Josh blurted out, "Why I really want to jump on your scooter and do exactly what you did….okay?" His last word shrank to a little squeak with his hand covering his mouth.

He expected a look of amusement on Ashley but she just watched without expression and asked, "You want to be a girl?"

Josh shook his head and said, "It's not like that. It's just…I'm so darn close anyway. It's like it's meant to be…and I'm kinda curious. And that way I can tell off those damn stoners properly. But not for very long…I don't want it for long. Just long enough to you know…get it over with. I feel like I've been holding onto the edge of something for years. Like I need to do something or I'm just gonna fly off and go nuts."

Toby raised his head and said, "That's nothing to be ashamed about, my friend. Plenty of people cultivate a natural curiosity about what it means to be the opposite sex. I have a rare and strange position of having certain qualities of both and I feel much like Ashley in this regard. Human is human no matter how your flesh is pressed. So long as you enjoy life and do the things which bring true fulfillment to yourself…you can definite yourself in any way you wish. I'm sure there's a philosopher out there who can put it far better than I but there it is. Be cool to yourself.…"

A moment of quiet passed among the group while Toby hummed some random song to himself. Shaking his head, Josh sighed and said, "Oh…just give me the damn scooter and let me see if I can break something."

That was the intent, but it took Josh a while to even make his way up onto the wall. He boosted himself carefully but soon began to wobble. He clung to the brick, not wanting to break a nail. Swallowing, he took a breath and tried to balance. He wobbled and had to brace himself again. His heart was racing. Ashley passed the scooter to him and gave him a few quick instructions, including, "Don't be afraid to bail if you have to." Josh listened through thundering ears and tested the feel of the scooter. It was like a slippery seesaw. He mouthed to himself, This is crazy!

He tried to mimic what he'd seen Ashley do so many times before with pushing off but the scooter didn't behave. It rocked back and forth with every little motion he tried to do. Added with his unsteady legs, he was getting seasick. But Josh kept trying to stabilize himself until he overcorrected too much and fell into Ashley.

Josh squeaked as he tumbled but Ashley's arms caught him. They staggered back together but didn't fall. Josh had his eyes shut tight but slowly opened them as he realized what had happened. He looked to Ashley, who stuck out her tongue at him and said, "Not quite like that." Josh cleared his throat and tried to disengage from Ashley. However, she held on a bit and dipped Josh back like they were dancing. Josh gave a panicked squeak and clung to Ashley's grip as she gave a giggle.

Squirming a bit, Josh urged her, "Please don't drop me!" Ashley raised an eyebrow. "But don't you want to fall a bit so you can break something?" Josh opened his mouth but couldn't even come up with a stammer. He glanced away and Ashley slowly raised Josh up so he could stand. Chewing a bit on her lip, Ashley assured him, "It wasn't like I was actually gonna drop you."

Before Josh could say anything else, a few girls walked by further back on the sideway. They giggled a bit and one said something just loud enough for Josh to hear.

"Omagawd…such lesbians…"

Josh gave them a harsh glare but they just laughed. Sighing to himself, he picked up the scooter and eyed the wall again. Ashley put a hand on Josh's shoulder and told him, "You don't have to do this. Why not try it at the park on the way back?"

Josh rationalized it, "You did it here so the best chance is right here."

This time, he tried to get the best grip on the wall with his boots. They were still too glossy on the bottom for a good hold, but he turned them so he had something. Once he was in place, he focused on balance and holding himself there. He took a breath and everything settled down. But he was standing in place. Ashley uttered him to push off. Slowly, Josh shifted his trembling leg to push. The scooter moved an inch. His tried nudging it with his hips but it just scuffed along a bit. Clenching his hands tight and holding his breath, he gave it a strong push which finally started it moving. He reached out to grip the handle. He tried to think of what Ashley always did in those brief moments he had to think.

He leaned and tried to bring the scooter around like he was going to leap it around the edge of the wall. He had no illusions that any of this would go well. Swirling, he turned and pushed off as quickly as he could.

Against all odds, he vaulted from the wall and landed cleanly right on the scooter with both legs. However, the shock of not falling caused him to lose his focus and tumble to the ground over the handle of the scooter an instant later. On his stomach, Josh looked out. His blond hair covered his sight. He gave a grumpy puff to clear it and slowly stood up. A quick self-examination showed nothing had changed.

Ashley was about to ask if Josh wanted another go but, before she could say anything, Josh clutched the scooter and stomped back to the other end of the wall. Sighing, Ashley made her way over to where Josh had been sitting and glanced through his bag of books. There were more inside than she'd seen. Her eyes widened a bit.

Josh's second try was successful in that this time he actually managed to fall down during the act itself. He rolled a bit and cradled the arm he'd fallen on. It stung but was fine. Sitting up, Josh noticed what Ashley was doing. Bolting to his feet, Josh stammered as Ashley looked over a particular passage and started to read aloud a clear and very racy scene from a harlequin novel. He cupped Ashley's mouth and tried to steal the book. He didn't even offer an excuse this time

Smiling behind Josh's hand, Ashley set the book aside. Slowly, Josh took his hand away. Keeping her smile, Ashley commented, "I'm sure your sister will like that one too."

Josh gave a vigorous nod and bolted back to the other side of the wall. With her hands folded in her lap, Ashley watched Josh's next few attempts. They were all different. In some, Josh barreled off the wall and landed forward. In others, he fell on his side. Once, it almost seemed like he was going to miss the ground all together and fly off.

Eventually, Ashley stopped Josh from heading back to the other end of the wall and said, "You should take a breather." Josh immediately shook his head and rushed off. Ashley looked away as Josh took another jump. When he landed, he gave a whimpering, "Owww…" Shaking her head, Ashley looked back. She was about to say something but paused and looked Josh over.

As Josh cleared away hair, he looked to Ashley and wondered what she was looking at. It took him a moment to realize. Then, he drew his legs up like there was a spider on the pavement. His eyes widened. The unusual distortion to his shirt had too much shape to be a mere ripple in the fabric. Taking a breath, Josh pulled the material taut, which only gave prominence to the form.

Other than the chest, Josh's hips were a little wider. Not by much though. He was about the same height but he'd been pretty small to begin with.

Leaving the scooter behind, Josh ran into the bookstore. Ashley picked it up and rolled it over to the seat. With her feet, she rolled it back and forth, looked to Toby, and asked, "You wanna take a try at falling out of being a guy?"

Toby calmly shook his head and gave a smiling thumbs-up.

It didn't take long for Josh to return. She was out of breath. She reached for the tea and drained a bit of it. Ashley looked up. She didn't have to wait long for Josh to say, "I'm….I'm a girl now."

Ashley gave a little clap and announced, "Welcome to the club!"

Josh staggered a bit. "This…this changes everything. I mean…this changes the whole world. I need to post this online! I have no idea what I did though. It may have been that last one…it may have been the whole thing. I mean…this has got to be examined medically. It's gotta be some weird quirk of biology. And I know what you meant about…endorphins. I feel great. I don't feel castrated at all….isn't that amazing?"

Ashley leaned back. "Yeah…that's what I told you myself. Ready for frogurt?"

Half-heartedly, Josh murmured, "Oh sure. But…I wish I had my phone. I need to take photo-proof. And there's plenty to be worried about. You haven't turned back yet. What if you don't? There's all sorts of identity stuff to be concerned about…"

Cracking her neck, Ashley shrugged. "Wouldn't worry about it too much. It's like my granddad says…the government always screws up. Just about every official thought my mom was actually two people of different sex for a while. It's a pain but ultimately simple to clear up. You just take your paperwork and say…hey…this is messed up. Show your fingerprints and they'll make it go away because it's too much of a headache otherwise."

Josh folded her arms. "I guess. But what will my family think?"

Ashley smirked. "You could try seeing how long it takes your family to notice without you telling them. I mean your face is the same. They might think you're just stuffing your chest or something. And you could wear a heavy top to class and no one would know any differently."

Josh put a hand to her face. She hadn't noticed any differences there either. "Gym will be a pain."

Ashley pointed out, "Since when is gym not a pain?" Pulling a metal chair from a ways away, Josh sat beside Ashley and nodded. "So what happens now?"

Leaning towards Josh, Ashley said, "We could go all lesbian…" That earned Ashley a sock in the arm. After a chuckle, Ashley said, "I dunno. Sounds like you have a lot on your mind. So there's really only one thing to do then…a whole lot of nothing. Beginning with some frozen yogurt like you were so eager to indulge in."

Josh wet her lips a little. "This would be a great chance to see if there's really anything to the idea that chocolate…does something special for girls. Assuming we're really…totally girls and such."

Ashley gave a Toby-like thumbs-up and passed Josh's books over to the other chair. "And you can find out if romance novels do anything special as well." Josh glared and then glanced down at the books with a quick blush.

Ashley picked up her scooter and Toby stood up from his spot. The wind, which had settled for a while, kicked up a little, twirling at Josh's long hair and fluttering the band of Ashley's locks. Toby's frotee vibrated slightly.

The sun was deep into the sky but not so deep that its color had begun to wane. Ashley kicked from her scooter and leaned on the bar. Her scooter clacked and squeaked across the pavement with the regular beat of the lines. The metal felt warm. The movement tingled through her. She jumped the scooter up and giggled. Josh grumbled and rushed to catch up. Toby followed methodically behind, smiled to himself, and said only, "Cool…"
From a random idea I had. It kept me sane to write when all the stress was going on. A different sort of idea.

I might reuse Carroll & Pearton Books again. I imagined a lot for the interior of the store actually which I wound up not using.

I'd also like these characters ^^. Just a little glimpse. And a fun little one. Hope you like it.
© 2011 - 2024 majorkerina
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Tman281's avatar
Well done, as usual I enjoyed another one of you're works. You really do a good job in creating and shaping the characters personalities I honestly can't wait to see what idea you indulge in.