A Hodgson Girl: Last Week of School

Emery was not even sure how he had ended up sitting in the wooden chair. Violet had claimed they had let him sleep in since there was less prep for today, but the sun had still been barely above the horizon by the time he was in a training bra and panties, stepping into a skirt as his sisters giggled and assured him he would in fact be spending the entire day at Hodgson.

“And this time, there's no field trip. It's just a day at school.”

“It's my summer vacation!”

“Nope.” Violet said. “Hodgson goes until Friday and it's only Tuesday.” She attacked his hair.

“Ow! Not so hard!”

“Your hair's gotta be perfect. They'll do uniform checks.”

“I can't go all day at a girls’ school.”

“You made it through yesterday, didn't you?”

“But-”

“You're a Hodgson Girl.” Lucy said firmly. “And that's that.”

- H -

Sitting in the backseat, Emery's stomach tied itself in knots as, this time, they did not drive past Hodgson. They drove right through the gate and stopped in front of the brick building. Seeing his face, Violet patted his bare knee.

“Sorry, Emery. No fun field trip today. Just a normal day at school.”

“This isn't my school!”

“We'll walk in with you.” Lucy said, fixing his skirt. “Won't we, Violet?”

“It'd be an honor to escort such a cute little girl!”

Emery had to stand beside the car as they made him slip his arms into the straps of a lilac colored backpack before making sure his skirt, blazer, and hair ribbons were all perfect.

“Our little sister is all set.” Emery glared. Why was he so nervous? Sure, it was going to be embarrassing when they inevitably realized he was a boy, but this would all be over soon.

“Where are we going?” Emery asked, sneering as he saw girls everywhere.

“To the office.” Violet said. “It's your first real day, so we don't know your teacher.”

“Aren't you taking this a little far?” Emery asked.

“Oh, it's only a little far?” Lucy asked. “So the uniform and hair isn't that bad?”

“That's not what I meant.”

Emery stood there, horrified as his sisters spun a tale to the receptionist about how and why he was only showing up to his first day during the last week of school.

“I won't keep you two ladies.” She said. “I can take Emily from here.”

“Bye, Emily.” Violet said, sticking her tongue out at him as they left him in the office.

“Just a little bit of paperwork and then you'll be all set, sweetheart.” Emery felt his heart race. This was his only chance.

"No, you can't-"

"Young lady, here at Hodgson, students do not interrupt adults. Have a seat and sit quietly while I get you entered into the system. Then I'll escort you to your classroom.” He was so stunned, he sat down. This was real. Four full days at a girls school. “And there we go! Looks like your mom and dad already registered you in the system.”

“What? How?” The woman frowned.

“This is your address, correct?” He checked and nodded. “Here at Hodgson, you answer yes ma’am with a curtsy.”

“Uh, yes, ma’am.” She tutted as he tried to curtsy.

“Mrs. King will work on that with you.” She stood up, murmuring to herself. “Honestly, third grade and unable to curtsy?” This was his chance.

“Third grade, ma’am? I'm supposed to be in fifth grade.” I finished it last week, even.

“Computer says third grade and so does your blazer.” The woman replied at once. “Come along, Emily. You'll like it here. In no time, you'll be a proper young lady and a real Hodgson Girl.”

The school day felt more like a school week. The receptionist had been right. Mrs. King worked on curtsies with him and every other girl in the class. Curtsies weren't even the only thing! At his actual school, you could slouch. At Hodgson, you had to spend every single minute with your back straight, knees together. It was almost a relief that the third grade curriculum was all review for him since he had to focus so much on his posture.

“I'm not going to let you slack off just because it's the last week of school.” Dr. Scott, the music teacher, had said, forcing Emery to sing scales to better gauge his vocal talents. Cody Aaronsen had once told him he sang like a girl, but to have an actual music teacher think he was one…. And having to curtsy to thank him!

Finally, the end of the day arrived. Violet and Lucy stood outside the main steps of Hodgson, waiting for their brother to emerge. He looked about the same, though it was still amusing to see him in the undeniably girly uniform.

"I can't believe I made it through a whole day in that place."

“They didn't kill you?” Violet said, her lips twisting into a smile.

"I'm sure you were great.” Lucy said. “Three days left!"

"What?"

"You must've heard the last day of term is Friday. You can't have an absence this late in the year!"

"MY school is out for the summer!"

"You're not dressed as a public school kid though. You're a Hodgson Girl!”

1“What are you even doing here?” He grunted.

“It's your first day, so we had to pick you up.”

“Where's the car?”

“Oh, we walked. It's almost summer, you know.” Emery glared. He knew this was all a ploy to make him stay in this uniform longer.

“Be as mad at us as you want.” Violet said. “It's not our fault you passed as a girl all day long.”

“All we did was your hair and clothes.” Lucy added as they walked.

“Whatever. I'm ready to change.” He fumed for half a block and then added “I just finished fifth grade and now I'm in third, thanks to you two!”

“Well, that means it shouldn't take long for you to do your homework. And the uniform stays on until homework is done and we've checked it over.”

“What!?”

“Just more of an incentive to get it done. You don't want to know what Hodgson does to girls who don't turn in their homework. Even little third grade girls.”

“And it's not like it's hard homework, is it?”

“Is little Emery struggling with third grade?”

“No! The only thing that's hard is wearing a skirt all day. And the hair.”

“It's your uniform, so it's not changing. Now, start your homework or you'll wear it all night!” Emery snarled and marched off.

“He's not slouching as much.” Lucy whispered to her sister, who nodded.

“By Friday, he might just have the Hodgson walk.” Even just saying it, she felt her back straighten.

It did not take long for Emery to get through his math and grammar worksheets, but then, he had what he had been dreading.

“Is that what I think it is?” Lucy asked, snatching up the royal blue notebook with the Hodgson seal on it. “Is it?” She looked directly at Emery.

“Yeah,”Emery sighed. "It's a Hodgson Diary. I gotta write how I was a Hodgson Girl today." He shuddered.

“It's easy.” Lucy said reassuringly. “It's writing practice and it's really just "I was honest by... I was kind by... Etc”

"Bit of advice?” Violet said, not even bothering to hide the fact she was admiring all the photos she'd taken of Emery doing homework in his uniform. “Ham it up. Talk about how you helped some old lady on the way home and curtsied for her."

“Maybe not that!” Lucy exclaimed, making a face. “But something.” Emery muttered something very unbecoming of a Hodgson Girl and began to write.

“Done.” He declared, but his sisters weren't ready to let him loose yet. Lucy pulled him, on his chair, away from the table and into the center of the dining room.

“You sit right there in the proper Hodgson fashion.” Lucy instructed, his face making it clear he knew what she meant. “Only while we look over your homework.” Emery crossed his ankles, folded his hands, and stared at his sisters.

“Stay just like that.” Violet said around her phone as she snapped photo after photo. “Move too much and I'll make you recite the Hodgson Pledge.” She looked to her sister. “They gotta still do that, right?”

They made a show of triple checking his homework, commenting on what a smart girl he was for knowing four times eighty, before finally allowing him to run upstairs. They only saw him again after he had changed, begrudgingly asking for help to get the ribbons out of his hair.

Emery went to bed that night still haunted by memories of his daylong ordeal. He felt as though he had only just fallen asleep when he was pulled out of bed to get dressed for another day at Hodgson.

“It's really not fair.” He muttered in the backseat. “Not only do they go an extra week, every day starts earlier and ends later.”

“It's the patented Platinum Standard Hodgson education.” Lucy said, smiling at him. She yawned. “Tomorrow, Vi, you should drive our little sister alone. These early mornings stink!”

The school day was almost identical to Tuesday, though Emery had to stand at the front of his class and read his Hodgson Diary entry to everyone. It's like she knows I'm a guy. He thought as he curtsied to the class.

“What's this?” Lucy asked as Emery pulled Wednesday's homework out of the lilac backpack.

“Apparently,” he said acidically. “Mrs. King doesn't like my handwriting.” He would not tell his sisters that she had told him the way he wrote Emily looked more like Emery. “So I need to work on my penmanship.”

“Only two days left.” Lucy cooed, rubbing his shoulder.

Thursday and Friday seemed to pass at a crawl, even compared to Tuesday and Wednesday. Emery's last day at his actual school had been more of a party than a school day. Not so at Hodgson. He started to worry that he had misunderstood and there would be another week of this until Dr. Scott finally told them to have a good summer after they sang Daisy Bell. He did not even mind having to curtsy with the rest of the class.

“Finally free.” He exclaimed as he walked up to Violet and Lucy. He saw their barely contained laughter. “That is the end, right?”

“Of course.” Lucy said, touching the back of his head to point him toward home. “He really has no idea he's walking like a Hodgson Girl, does he?” Violet snorted and shook her head.

“Guess it only took four days. Imagine.” She smirked, her voice trailing off.

Violet and Lucy watched Emery walk in front of them, his mind running rampant with thoughts of summer and finally being a boy.

"So," Lucy murmured. "How do we get him enrolled in the fall?" Violet smiled knowingly at her sister. "Are we really gonna let him be a boy all summer?"

"Sure!” Violet said. “It'll just make it all the sweeter when he goes back to Hodgson in August."

"I suppose we did always hide our uniforms away for the summer.” Lucy mused fondly. “Our little sister's taking after us!”