Women's Studies Ch. 12

"Are you shitting me?" Kennedy nearly shouted. "What is this, the 1950's? She has a ticket and an ID."

We were leaving for spring break, and I just knew I should have dressed more androgynously, maybe some baggy jeans and a sweatshirt. My breasts would have been impossible to hide, and it was definitely too warm out for that kind of clothing, but it would've made things a lot easier.

"I'm sorry miss," The TSA Agent said to Kennedy. "But this ID is for a man."

"For fucks sake!" Kennedy yelled. "We're going to miss our flight!"

Taking a deep breath, I prepared to explain myself. I was absurdly uncomfortable because we had been holding up the line for a few minutes now, and everyone was staring at me. Before I could speak, Abigail came to my rescue.

"Listen," Abigail began, stepping closer to the TSA Agent. "My name is Abigail Lockwood, and yes, that Lockwood. Here is my Platinum Flier's card, and my personal identification. My friend here is transgendered. I'm sure if it's absolutely necessary, she'll show you her penis. However, if you continue to make a scene out of this I will make a phone call, and in 45 minutes to an hour you'll be unemployed, not to mention unemployable in any position that doesn't require you to ask me if I want fries with that," Abigail said in a freakishly calm but firm voice. "Now, do we need to find a private room so she can whip it out for you, or are we done here?"

By the time Abigail was finished, the TSA Agent was looking around sheepishly, and Kennedy and I were staring open-mouthed and speechless. Abigail had been developing a more assertive side lately, but this was simply spectacular.

"These three are good," The TSA guy said gesturing to us, and casting a weary look at Abigail before stepping back over to the security line.

While Abigail kept a steady eye on the now nervous TSA agent, Kennedy and I quickly retrieved our bags, grabbing Abigail's as well, before returning to her and gently ushering her along.

"Holy shit!" Kennedy whispered, her voice thick with excitement. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know," Abigail said, looking a lot less confident now. "I think I might throw up."

"Wherever it came from, thank you," I said squeezing her hand.

Having narrowly avoided what would have been a humiliating pat down by an over-weight middle-aged airport cop, I was more than happy when Kennedy forced us to pick up our pace to a near jog through the terminal. For the first time today, I was glad for the flats I was wearing in place of the cute heels I would have preferred. The last thing this vacation needed was for me to faceplant before it even started.

We had planned on getting to the airport early, but Kennedy avoided packing until the night before. When morning came, and we were supposed to be leaving, she kept remembering things that she had forgotten, putting us in an unfashionably late position. With the hiccup at security, we only had about fifteen minutes to make it all the way to our terminal. It sounds like a lot of time, but in an airport this size, we were cutting it close.

We made it to our gate out of breath, and with a few minutes to spare. Thanks to a generous upgrade from Mr. Lockwood, we were immediately escorted into first class. I had made a small fuss about it when I'd heard what he'd done, but sinking into one of those big comfy seats, in a secluded part of the plane, and being brought preflight champagne while a bunch of loud, raucous college students piled into coach behind us, left me feeling grateful. Five hours of enduring that, while we were all no doubt hit on by any guy within screaming distance, would have been tiring.

Abigail, obviously used to flying, downed two glasses of champagne quickly before takeoff, and as soon as we were safely in the air, announced that she was going to take a nap. Kennedy and I, however, decided to indulge in our taste of the high life, and continued to drink and fiddle with everything in sight. For Kennedy, that included me.

With easy access from the seat next to mine, she lifted the armrest and slid closer, then proceeded to grope and kiss me, to what I assume was a real treat to the other two men that shared the first class cabin with us. No matter how hard she tried though, she couldn't entice me to join the mile-high club with her. It had been very tempting, and Kennedy made her case well, but I just wasn't sure if I could go through with it.

It turns out I was a nervous flier. Who knew? This was after all, my first time in an airplane. It wasn't anything crippling, but I was a little nervous about the slight shudders of minor turbulence. So, while Kennedy eventually admitted defeat, and cuddled into me for a catnap, I thought about our vacation.

Cancun, Mexico. The most cliché spring break destination, and for good reason. Or at least that's how Skylar put it when she offered it up after hearing us discuss what we wanted to do for our break. Audrey had said good things as well. I tried to convince my sister to come along with us, but they had a Playboy thing in Daytona this year that she was making big bucks off of, much to Kennedy's dismay.

Turbulence withstanding, I should have felt incredibly relaxed right now, but I didn't. Last week I had finally been let off of academic probation, and no longer had to see a counselor twice a week. I had my breasts, which still surprised me every morning when they were there. I was still bummed about Danny, but there wasn't much I could do about that, and he hadn't tried to ruin me, so that was something. What had me off kilter was something my sister had said to me in a conversation we'd had on the phone two days ago.

"I really want you to have fun on this trip," Audrey pleaded over the phone. "You've never gotten a chance to do anything like this before. Take full advantage of everything."

"Well, that's the plan," I said, wondering exactly how boring she thought I was when she wasn't around.

"What I mean is, say yes to everything," she clarified. "Don't think, just do...unless it's drugs. Don't do those," she laughed. "Sure, you're going to want to relax and drink your ass off, but there is so much there, Mayan ruins, hidden waterfalls, the most breathtaking underwater caverns...and so much more. Just say yes!"

"Even to the gang bangs, and the girls gone wild bunch?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sure," she said simply. "If you want to get fucked silly, do it. As far as showing off the ta-ta's, you've got some now. And some pretty damn good ones too!"

"I was joking," I laughed nervously.

"I wasn't," she said seriously. "Think about who you are. Not the person you pretend to be at school because you're afraid of what might happen if people found out. I'm talking about the person you could be without that. You talk about hating having to hide who you are...well, where you're going, you won't have to. Instead of Lexi, the girl hiding a penis, you could be Lexi, the hot fun girl that has a little something extra up her skirt!"

"Did you forget how well that went with Danny?" I asked rhetorically. "No thanks."

"That was one guy, and a horrible sample size," she scoffed. "What about Josh? Or Kennedy and Abigail? Or me even? We're proof that that idiot doesn't speak for society as a whole."

"With Josh it was different," I sighed.

"Why?" Audrey asked. "Because he was your longtime friend? Or because he was gay? You don't think there will be gay people there? The gays...they're everywhere honey," she laughed.

"He's not gay!" I said a little more defensively than I intended. "He's bisexual."

"Whatever. All I'm saying is, try and consider this a trial run for what your life could be like. Be open. Be your real self," she tried in earnest.

"I'll think about it," I promised.

I knew what she was getting at, but I wasn't sure who my true self was. To be honest, I had never been my true self. Maybe in those moments alone with Kennedy and Abigail, but that was different. They were my lovers, my best friends and confidants. I already knew I was safe around them. It was my fear of how other people might see me that held me back. I keep flashing back to Danny's reaction when I told him the truth about me. Somewhere in my thoughts I had drifted asleep and I woke to a somewhat violent shudder of the plane as the flight attendant announced that we would be arriving shortly.

After landing, and a tedious line at customs, we picked up our rental car and set out for our hotel. Being in a foreign country, neither Abigail, nor I, felt comfortable driving, but Kennedy had no such compunctions. As far as I could tell, she took no exception to a foreign land and drove with her usual slightly manic demeanor.

We passed through downtown Cancun on our way to the hotel zone. There was something about the streets, and the colorful shops that told you that you were well and truly out of the States. The buildings themselves weren't that different, but there was just a feel in the atmosphere.

From what Abigail explained, downtown was more for the locals than it was for tourists. Most of the fun we were looking for would be happening in the Zona Hotelera, or the Hotel Zone. It was a long thin strip of land off of the mainland, referred to as The Seven for its distinctive shape.

As soon as we reached The Seven, I could see the difference. In the middle of the day, there were thousands of people out and about, crowding the walks, and even more on the beautiful beaches. Luxury hotels dominated the skyline, and there was a feel of a huge party in the warm humid air.

After fighting the spring break traffic, we finally arrived at our hotel and discovered our first shock.

"What do you mean we don't have a room here?" Abigail asked. "I booked it two weeks ago."

"I'm looking at my screen, and there's nothing for an Abigail Brooks," the receptionist said calmly.

"That's impossible, because I have a confirmation email stating that I already paid the deposit on the room," Abigail said, digging her phone out of her purse.

Kennedy and I watched on, guarding our pile of bags on the bellhop trolley next to us. This wasn't looking good. If they really didn't have a room for us, then we might be forced to sleep in our car the entire week. Being spring break, the whole city was packed with college students looking for the biggest party of the year.

"Um...let me get my supervisor," The receptionist said after looking over the email on Abigail's phone.

"Brooks?" Kennedy asked as the receptionist stepped away.

"Yeah, it was the only way my dad would let me come alone," Abigail shrugged. "He's afraid of something happening to me because of who I am. You wouldn't believe what it took to keep him from sending security along with me."

"I never even thought of that," Kennedy said. Her entire body language instantly became tighter as she scanned the people around us, as if one of them would possibly hurt her friend.

"Relax, Love," Abigail said, laying her hand on Kennedy's arm. "Nothing's going to happen. My dad is just a worrywart. And if anything does happen, he'll send Liam Neeson after us. I'm just worried about where we're going to sleep tonight."

A few minutes later the receptionist returned with her supervisor.

"I'm sorry Miss," he stated apologetically. "Every room in the hotel is occupied. I'm not sure how this happened, but we don't have a room for you."

"What are we supposed to do now?" I asked cutting in.

"We can refund you your deposit immediately and you can find accommodations at another hotel," he said. "I'm so sorry for the mix up."

"Another hotel?" Kennedy asked. "It's spring-fucking-break! If you don't have a single room to spare, do you really think anyone else will?"

Abigail was upset, Kennedy was pissed off, and I was worried as we hauled our luggage back to our car in the parking lot. While Kennedy and I loaded the bags back into the car, Abigail shucked off her white blouse, revealing a tiny, skin-tight tank top, and took a seat on the hood of our car as she went to work on her phone, making calls. After each call ended, she appeared to be more and more worried, until after the eighth call, when a strange look crossed her face. She made one more call, and as soon as she asked if they had any rooms, a big smile lit up her face.

"I found a place!" she said, sliding down off the hood of the car as she hung up the phone.

"Really?" I asked, perking up.

"Where?" Kennedy asked on top of me.

"Hop in!" she directed. "It's just down the street!"

La Blanc. The name itself meant nothing to me, but the hotel spoke for itself. It was gorgeous! We pulled up and valets rushed to open our doors and grab our luggage. The entire place screamed of luxury and affluence.

"You see, every place I was calling was completely booked," Abigail explained as we walked through the hotel lobby. "There were no rooms anywhere, not even the cheap motels, so I asked the last place where the most expensive hotel was, and this was it. I figured most college kids wouldn't be willing to pay top price and cut into their drinking money."

"How much does this place cost?" I asked.

"About twelve hundred," Abigail replied coolly.

"That's not bad," Kennedy observed.

"A night," Abigail clarified.

"Holy hell!" Kennedy said shocked.

"That's insane!" I added.

"Don't worry about it," Abigail said pulling a black credit card out of her wallet. "This one's on Daddy."

"Your dad is going to flip!" I said putting my hand over Abigail's to stop her. "We can find another place..." I began, realizing that we were likely at the last place with a room. "I could at least help pay for it," I said wincing, thinking about the price. I still had a small chunk of change left from my amazing night at the casino, but after therapy and breasts...it wouldn't survive this.

"Not a chance!" Abigail said pulling her hand away from mine quickly.

"I'm with Lexi," Kennedy said. "I say we at least try and find another place before we go this route."

"Call me spoiled, but I'd rather not waste any more of my vacation," Abigail shrugged. "It's not a big deal. Really! My dad figured I would be spending way more than I have been. And this card is technically for emergencies. I'd say this qualifies."

Kennedy and I stared at each other uncomfortably for a few moments. We did our best to always pay our own way in our friendship. The last thing either of us wanted was for Abigail to think that we were her friends because of her money. Well, that and our pride.

"No more objections?" Abigail asked looking from Kennedy and then to me. "Good!" she said quickly, spinning away from us to approach the front desk.

The check-in process went by fairly quickly, and in no time at all we were being shown to our room on the top floor. There were only three rooms on the entire floor, and we had a butler to see to our needs. I had gotten a few glimpses of the lifestyle that Abigail grew up around, but a butler?

After showing us around our massive suite, and apologizing for there being only one bed for the three of us, Abigail passed him a generous tip and he left us to our own devices.

"A damn butler?" Kennedy asked, echoing my own thoughts as soon as the door closed behind him.

"What?" Abigail asked defensively. "I didn't choose this place. I would've been just as happy cramming ourselves into one of the small rooms at the hotel we were supposed to stay at."

"Holy hell!" Kennedy exclaimed again, ignoring Abigail as she peeked her head into the bathroom. "I could swim laps in this bathtub!"

Listening to Kennedy go on about how absurdly luxurious our room was seemed to be making Abigail uncomfortable. I knew Kennedy didn't really mean anything by it, but I was more than sure that what Kennedy saw as absurd extravagance, Abigail saw as completely normal, only highlighting how different our lives really were. I had seen a few glimpses before, for Kennedy, this was her first view into the Lockwood lifestyle.

"Don't worry about her. She'll wear herself out eventually," I said, putting my arm around Abigail and giving her a kiss on her reddening cheek. "We really will find a way to make this up to you."

"Will you cut that out?" Abigail said getting a little annoyed. "You guys don't owe me anything. You want to know something?" she began, fidgeting awkwardly as she avoided looking at me just as Kennedy rushed out onto our ocean side balcony. "I get an allowance," she paused. "Three thousand dollars a week. I barely ever spend a fraction of it. It's not really my money, I didn't work for it. I didn't earn it. It's just given to me because of who my dad just happens to be. So, yeah, every time we go out and it's your turn to buy drinks, I get this wave of anxiety because all I want to do is take care of it, but I don't. This time, I'm taking care of it."

Eventually Kennedy settled down...somewhat, and then we were all standing around our lavish hotel room wondering what was next.

"What do you guys want to do first?" Abigail asked.

We had planned on coming to Cancun for weeks now, but the extent of our plans had only reached as far as laying on the beach and getting wasted.

"Can we go to the beach?" Kennedy asked hopefully. "I've never been to one before."

"Never?" Abigail asked.

"Unless you count the Great Lakes, then no," Kennedy replied.

"I've never been either," I added.

"I guess we're going to the beach then," Abigail smiled, opening one of her bags to look for her bathing suit.

A few minutes later, when Abigail ducked into the bathroom to freshen up, Kennedy moved closer to me. "So, have you thought about it?" she asked quietly, eyeing the bathroom door suspiciously.

"Have I thought about what?" I asked, not understanding why Kennedy was trying to be so secretive.

"About what your sister said," she clarified. "She told me what you guys talked about."

"She told you?" I asked, a little surprised. "When did you two start talking?"

"I got her number from your phone a few weeks ago," she said, a little color filling her cheeks. "I wanted to know when she planned on making good on her promise. And of course she told me about your conversation."

The promise she spoke of was a chance to sleep with my sister. It was surprising that Kennedy had waited this long to reach out to her. The crush she had on Audrey was nothing short of God-like worship, and Kennedy had wanted to sleep with her long before we even met.

"So, are you going to do it?" she asked again.

"I don't know," I said truthfully as I rummaged through one of my bags. "To be honest, I don't even know who I really am. How am I supposed to be myself when I don't even know?"

"What are you talking about?" Kennedy asked. "Of course you know who you are."

"It sounds simple, doesn't it?" I sighed. "Since all of this happened, I've been hiding, lying to everyone."

"You don't lie to us," Kennedy shrugged.

"That's different," I said. "You both already know me. It's the people I don't know that worry me. What do I tell them? Do I just say, hey my name's Lexi and I have a penis?"

"That's one way to do it!" Kennedy chuckled. "You don't have to come right out and say it I guess, but just don't be afraid to tell people. Some of them might surprise you."

"What are you guys talking about so quietly?" Abigail asked as she came back in the room.

"Nothing," I said casually.

"Audrey thinks Lexi should use this vacation to relax and be herself," Kennedy said, giving me a look. "She's always hiding who she is back home. She never gets the chance to just be herself."

"That sounds like an amazing idea!" Abigail exclaimed as she began peeling off her clothes in front of us. "You should do it!"