Rent or Forfeit 09

Chapter 9: The Social Butterfly

Tommy looked up slowly, his eyes meeting those of his sisters, who loomed above him with amused smiles. "You can't be serious! These choices are awful," he exclaimed, his voice cracking.

"Come on, Tammy! Are you sure you're not secretly loving this?" Sarah teased, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she playfully rolled them. "You've plenty of chances to find a job.”

"Of course, I'm not loving this!" Tommy responded sharply. "I've been looking for a job, I really have. But it's not easy when I look like a freak. And now you expect me to wear dresses and skirts? I'll never get a job!"

"You don't look like a freak," Monica interjected softly, her voice soothing. "In fact, you look quite pretty. Why not make a job profile as Tammy? Who knows, it might open up some new opportunities."

"And if you don't want to wear a dress, choose the other option. It's only make-up. Lots of guys wear it these days," Sarah added encouragingly, nodding to emphasize her point.

Tommy's shoulders dropped as he let out a deep sigh, the reality of his situation sinking in. "Okay, I guess I could try. But will you help me? I have no idea what to do," he murmured meekly, his plea for assistance revealing his vulnerability. “I don’t want anyone to recognize me.”

"Of course, we'll help!" Sarah exclaimed, her voice filled with enthusiasm. "That's what big sisters are for, right?" She then lowered herself down to Sit next to Tommy, who looked so different from the little brother she once knew, noting his recent compliance and submissiveness. The observation solidified her belief that a part of him was actually enjoying his transformation into their sister, Tammy.

The following afternoon, after a restless night, Tommy found himself teetering in front of his bedroom mirror. He was perched atop a pair of towering white heels that Monica had once braved at a bachelorette party and vowed never to wear again. Squinting his heavily made-up eyes, enhanced with beautifully curled eyelash extensions, Tommy gulped nervously. The person looking back at him was undeniably a woman - Nothing about her reflected the boy he once was.

Having worn a little makeup before on his forced trips to the salon, Tommy thought he was prepared when Sarah told him to 'relax' and began working on his face. However, the experience was far from relaxing. Watching his features morph into those of a pretty girl with each brushstroke was almost otherworldly - as if his masculinity were being erased bit by bit.

Sitting still as brushes tickled his skin and powders filled his pores tested his patience to the maximum - Every male cell in his body urging him to jump up and run away. But with nowhere to go, he had endured the suffering. By the end, he could only stare in disbelief at the stranger in the mirror. His face, caked with foundation, featured dark and light shades that contoured away his masculinity and accentuated a newfound femininity. Eyeliner and gold shadow complemented his theatrical lashes, making his eyes pop dramatically. His lips, outlined for fullness and glossed with a sticky pink, shimmered under the bedroom lights.

Feeling overwhelmed by the entire process, Tommy offered no resistance as Monica began to paint his fingernails and toenails a vibrant pink. She then warmed up a curling iron and expertly styled his extended hair into big, bouncy curls, giving him the appearance of someone ready to step onto the stage of a 1980s beauty pageant.

By the time his sisters had finished with him, the young man's entire outward appearance had undergone a drastic transformation - but he wasn't the only thing that had changed that day. Before starting the makeover, his sisters had revamped his room into a makeshift beauty studio. They moved his bed to one side to make space for shelves overflowing with beauty products and specialized equipment. Besides these, they set up a makeup station complete with a large mirror and an adjacent tripod, ready to record his practice sessions and snap pictures for the daily uploads to Tammy's newly created social media account. The final touches included a chic painting of multicoloured lips above the bed and a plant in the corner, lending a feminine flair to the room.

After hours of work, Sarah and Monica finally left, leaving Tommy to try and come to grips with his new look. Slowly, he pushed himself up onto his tall, Mary-Jane-style pumps and plodded over to the full-length mirror, feeling his ankle ligaments stretching nearly to their breaking point by the highest heels he had ever managed to balance in for more than a few seconds.

His pink lips pursed in a frustrated frown as he observed his reflection.

“Why have they done this to me, Russell?” he moaned to his silent bear companion, blinking rapidly to clear the sensation of something in his eye, only to realize it was just his eyelashes.

For the next few moments, Tommy stared on while twisting and turning, examining his feminized frame from all angles as his thin white tights shone.

Suddenly focusing on his outfit - a gleaming white, lacy, off-the-shoulder top that made him feel uncomfortably fairy-like, and what looked like a skirt, even though Monica insisted it was shorts due to the two leg holes - a wave of nausea washed over him. He worried about the pictures his sisters had taken, capturing multiple humiliating poses of him in this girly ensemble.

(See image 09)

The following week flew by for Tommy, filled with the challenges and small victories of mastering makeup. He spent countless hours engrossed in online tutorials, his fingers fumbling awkwardly with brushes and pencils, often leaving him looking more like a clown than the polished influencers on his screen. However, despite the frustrating slips and mishaps, his persistence paid off. Gradually, his techniques refined, driven by the desire to present a credible image online and avoid being recognized.

By week's end, Tommy had not only significantly improved his skills but had also grown strangely proud of his accomplishments. His daily posts began to gather likes and comments, offering him a sense of achievement that was both novel and exhilarating for someone who had always been a bit of a slacker. Despite the steep learning curve, he had gained a newfound respect for the artistry behind a well-executed look, marvelling at how routinely many seemed to manage this task each morning.

On Friday evening, as Tommy prepared for another feminine addition to his daily life, Monica dropped onto the sofa beside him with a bright grin. "I've got some good news for you, Tammy," she declared. "I may have found you a job."

Tommy's eyes sparkled with hope. "Really?" he burst out, excited by the thought of walking flat-footed again without the constant sound of his swishing legs.

"Yeah, it's through the temp agency I mentioned before," Monica continued enthusiastically. "My friend Claire manages it. I ran into her today and mentioned you needed work. She told me that if you go meet with her on Monday, she can almost certainly find you something."

Tommy's lips, brightly painted, curled into a smile. "Thanks, Mon," he said gratefully. "That's brilliant. I just need to find something to wear, and get rid of these ridiculous lashes, then..."

"Woah, hang on there," Monica cut in. "Before you get too excited, she's expecting Tammy, not Tommy."

Tommy slumped back, his initial excitement deflating as he gazed down at his pantyhosed thighs pressed neatly together. "Oh, great, I should have known," he sighed.

There was a moment of reflective silence, during which the young, feminized man fully grasped the seriousness of his situation. If he didn't start earning some money soon, he might never get back to his old life. Resolved, Tommy looked up at Monica with a look of determination mixed with uncertainty. "I’ll meet with your friend,” he declared.

"Amazing!" Monica exclaimed, excitedly clapping her hands before reaching for her phone. As Monica began to type a confirmation message to Claire, Sarah moved in, placing the dreaded hat onto her little brother's lap. "Perhaps by next week, you'll have made some cash, Tammy," she said with a wicked smile. "But right now, it's forfeit time."

Delving in with his hand, Tommy slowly stirred the contents of the hat with his pink nails, his heart racing. Finally, he pulled out two slips of paper and read his options: 'Get a new hairdo, Sarah’s choice of style,' and 'Get a spray tan,' an option he had seen before. His frown deepened as he considered the choices, instantly knowing which one he would choose.