Adoption Adjustment ch 8

‘No, no, no, no, no! THIS. CANNOT. BE. HAPPENING!’ Kennedy thought as he looked from himself to the mirror in the bathroom. He had a yellow and white headband on his head that matched the dress he now wore. He was wearing an eight year old girl's dress, panties, socks and shoes. The old bat had done this to him and looked so pleased with herself for doing it. Kennedy swallowed hard, his upset stomach forgotten, as he picked up his discarded jeans and the shirt. Sure the shirt was also Abby’s, but it was a thousand, no, a million times better than what he was wearing now. Soon as he had them in his hands though, the older woman gave him that frustrating smile of hers, she was enjoying his humiliation. She wasn’t the first adult to do so; he once had a foster mother that made him beg her to prepare him something to eat. It was only when she was in her cups, but he clearly remembered her laughing at him, pinching his cheeks.

“You are a great helper, Kennedy, good job.” Joleen said, taking the clothes from the girl’s grasp and throwing them in the trash. They were covered in puke and what looked like chocolate, there was no helping the garments.

“No, no, no, no, no!” Kennedy held out his hand, reaching for the clothes as they fell into the filthy park’s trash can.

“It is okay, no need to be upset. I promise your Mom won’t be upset at you. Everyone gets sick, I promise everything will be okay.” He knew everything would not be okay, his heart started to beat, faster and faster as his body trembled. Kennedy had his eyes locked on the trash can where his jeans, the last of his male clothes, were. He didn’t even notice when the older woman had taken his hand and started to lead him out of the bathroom. His head just swiveled to keep the can in his sights, him not reacting at all until he lost sight of it, as they passed through the heavy metal door to the outside. At that second, Kennedy became very much aware of where he was and how everyone was going to see him, making him pull his hand from her and run back inside.

“Is there something else that is wrong, dear?”

“I… I… I can’t go out there like this!” Joleen pressed her lips together in a firm line. The girl was obviously a tomboy and didn’t want others to see her in a dress, heaven knows why when she looked so adorable, but from other children she had dealt with that had grown up in the foster care system, she knew it was more common for them to have a lower self esteem and she was sure the kid not feeling well just made things worse.

“You look pretty as a picture, Kennedy. I am willing to bet you get more than a few compliments, now come on. Take my hand and let's go back so we watch your new friends finish the game. I bet you are excited to see if your team wins after you got the first goal of the game. You were doing so well, you are such a brave girl, playing when you were feeling sick.” Kennedy shook his head, feeling a psychic stab every time she referred to him as a female.

“Kennedy, we don’t have time for you to act like a little madam. I would love it if you could trust me, but I am the adult here and you are going to have to listen to me.” Kennedy could sense her mood changing, it made him want to hide or just comply so she wouldn’t be mad, wouldn’t yell, wouldn’t do something worse, but he just couldn’t go out there looking like this; it would be the end of his life if he did. His thoughts, his emotions and the situation caused his lip to quiver.

“NO, I’M NOT GOING!” He yelled, making a move to dash into a bathroom stall, before he was caught by the elbow and pulled back. His eyes opened wide in panic as he felt a firm hand come down on his rear end, causing his entire body to freeze up. The blow wasn’t hard enough to cause him any pain, but the acoustics in the bathroom made it sound like a much harder slap than it was.

“I do not have time for a tantrum right now and you are much too old to be having one. Now come along before you make me cross, little miss.” Kennedy had been hit much harder than that, but the blow was enough to remind him of what could happen, what had happened in the past, making all the fight drain from his body. Joleen was happy the light slap was enough to get the girl’s attention, she didn’t want to have to do anything more drastic than that, but if the girl was trying to run and lock herself in a bathroom stall, telling her she had to stand with her nose in the corner wasn’t going to be an effective method to get her to stop.

Leaving the bathroom, she sat Kennedy down at one of the wooden tables with bench seats that had plenty of shade and an unobstructed view of the soccer field where the children continued their game. “You be a good girl and sit here, I will be back with some water for you to sip on and if you don’t give me any more trouble, I will not tell your Mom about you throwing a tantrum.” Kennedy nodded. “A good little girl.” His stomach was feeling much better after what she had given him, but that phrase still made it twist itself almost into a knot. He didn’t want to be hit again and he really didn’t want Miss Miah to know about any of this. Then a tiny smile crossed his face, the woman kept referring to her as his Mom.

Miss Miah had said how she wanted to adopt him, make him a true member of the family, and he hoped for it. She was attractive, an honest to God MILF, but most of all, she really was kind to him. He wanted it to happen, he had hope. The little fire in him that wanted something better for himself was soon covered up by darker thoughts, making him frown. No one he had been with had really wanted to help him, or even really want him. Some wanted the money from the state, one wanted a playmate for their kid, most of the time he had no idea. He would be fine if she didn’t actually want him, she might just be playing nice with him so she could get a few extra dollars to get things for her girls. He only had a year left before he would be free to do whatever he wanted.

Kennedy paid no mind to the kids running about, how the pirate looking guy had to keep ushering one kid back onto the field as he thought of his current home life. ‘What would she buy with the money she was getting thanks to him being there? Their house made it look like she was already well off. Maybe some clothes for her girls? She had told him she was taking him shopping, but that hadn’t happened. She had said they would decorate his room the way he wanted, but that hadn’t happened. Maybe she would buy a few more puzzles, he really didn’t like puzzles, they were boring, but…it had been fun sitting at the dinner table with the three others doing it all together and getting a mug of hot cocoa. Ken shook his head. ‘Miss Miah wasn’t the type to use him, but it didn’t mean she didn’t need the money. She left today on a day off to go work and that could mean she needed the money and if so that could mean she couldn’t afford to decorate his room or get him new clothes. Ken kicked  his feet up off the ground, holding them together in the air, moving his feet a little before letting them fall, his eyes watching as they did. ‘I’m sitting here dressed in… a DRESS!’ The recent swat to his ass had him compliant, but he really couldn’t let anyone see him like this. ‘How am I just sitting here out in the open!’

“Can I sit here?” Kennedy blinked a few times, his mind felt slow and his eyelids heavy and he hadn’t really noticed. Kennedy didn’t even notice the kid motioning to his right side when they asked. The voice had pulled him out of his thoughts however and made him realize how suddenly tired he was, that and a spike of panic went through him that someone had noticed him out here dressed like he was pretending to be a girl. He was just about to get up and go hide hoping the old woman didn’t notice and now it was too late! The person talking to him was that girl from before, the one he had hit in the face with the soccer ball. Brown shorts, a green T-shirt, dark brown hair that was almost black that was wild, almost touching her shoulders and would probably go past it if she were to brush it out Kennedy figured. His hair had been much longer than he thought when Miss Miah took a brush to it, getting the knots out hurt, and he disliked how it looked, but he loved her brushing his hair… Kennedy’s attention refocused on the girl, after getting side tracked. Her large eyes were brown, but had this golden quality to it almost, he was sure they would captivate boys’ attention when she got older. Looking at her now, with that pink cast on her right hand, it made him feel a bit guilty for kicking the ball into her face, even if she had kicked him in the shin, she was a kid and he was almost an adult.

“No.” Kennedy said firmly, he needed to get rid of the kid first, then he was going to go through bags if he had to in order to get out of this dress.

“That spot doesn’t look as clean, good call. Thanks!” Kennedy heard excitement in her voice, it wasn’t nearly as high pitched as some of the other girls he had encountered today and she was decently tall for a squirt. It was incredibly annoying to tell someone no to a question, for them to turn around and ignore the answer. “You look nice in your dress.”

“Pffff, it is Abby’s dress.” ‘Keep calm Ken, keep calm. She thinks you are a girl, think, think, think. She has already sat down, do I just get up and walk away? What if she follows? Shit, shit! He pointed off to Abby as she played soccer, well, was on the field. She seemed to have enough of kicking and had picked up the ball and karate chopped it so it flew past a few other kids. “If you like it you can have it.” ‘I really don’t want to trade clothes, but hers would be a lot better than what I’m wearing now! God am I really trying this?’

“I’m betting she would be mad if you gave it away and…” The kid laughed, holding the back of their head with their good hand. “I can’t imagine what my Mom would think if I showed up wearing it. I’m Max by the way?” ‘Okay, okay, okay that didn’t work, what else can I do?’

“Kennedy, but everyone calls me Ken or… they should.” Kennedy went to hold out his right hand, but changed it to his left to not try and shake hands with the kid's broken arm. How old are you?” ‘Could I get her to find me something instead?’

“Nice to meet you Ken! I’m thirteen and I’m in class with Kenzie. It sounds like you can’t get people to call you Ken, don’t worry I will if that is what you want to be called. I think Kennedy is a pretty name, but…” Max laughed again. “But I understand, my parents call me Maximus most of the time. Saying it is the name of the name of a great Roman general or something that is an ancestor, but I think they just liked that old movie about the gladiator.”

“Maximus?” Kennedy said in a small voice, realizing now that he had thought this was a girl because of the pink cast, when it was a thirteen year old boy, who was taller than him. Not by a lot, he was still about two inches shorter than McKenzie, but it still hurt sitting next to a thirteen year old boy who was three inches taller than his five foot height. “That is a boy's name and, umm you have a pink cast.”

“Yep! Hey, can I show you something!?” Kennedy let out a long yawn when he opened his mouth to speak. ‘The medicine is making me tired, whatever that pink pill was to help him feel better was working, but it was also making his body demand sleep.

“Sure, but then I have a favor to ask.” Kennedy replied, it hadn’t been longer than a minute from when he realized how tired he was, but even in that short time the need for sleep had gone up. Kennedy figured if he let the boy… How could he have made that mistake? Let him show something off and then he would get him to go find some gym pants or something from someone. ‘Jeez I’m tired’ Kennedy forced his eyes open wide to fight off the feeling. He wasn’t some child like those on the field, needing a nap and he definitely wasn’t going to take one out here when the actual kids weren’t.

“Okay, close your eyes and hold out your finger.” Kennedy did as he said, it was much easier to close his eyes than keep them open. As he closed them he felt something surround the index finger on his left hand. Opening his heavy eyelids back up, he saw his left hand was attached to Max’s left hand by their index fingers via a chinese finger trap. On instinct he tried to pull his hand away, Max doing the same while laughing. Kennedy frowned, moving his hand towards the kid after his mind told him the initial instincts were downright stupid. He had seen this little thing before and all you had to do was press your fingers closer together to get out, but as he pushed his hand closer to Max the kid kept pulling his hand back. ‘No, you stupid kid!’

“Look, we are stuck together!” Kennedy had ended up scooting closer to the boy on the bench as he tried to get his hand out of the trap, but froze completely like he had earlier when the single smack from the spanking happened in the bathroom. Only this time the cause was so much worse. Kennedy felt Max kiss him on the cheek! ‘I thought he was a girl and he still thinks I’m a girl and he kissed me!’

“You are really pretty, wanna get married when we grow up?” Kennedy’s eyes practically bugged out of his head.

“No, I am not going to marry you or any other boy!” Max just smiled, laughing, he went to move his hand to the back of his head, but it only caused Kennedy to be pulled closer to him.

“Oh, I get it you don’t like boys yet, don’t worry I’m not going anywhere and I wont bring it up again… till we get older.” Gritting his teeth Kennedy responded, without moving his jaw.

“Joy.” The words came out flat, but gave him the chance to get his finger out of the toy when Max stopped pulling his hand away.

“So what do you like doing for fun? You are what, eleven? Or…” Max looked at the dress she was wearing, remembering McKenzie’s little sister was close to four years younger. “Nine? Oh and you asked about this.” Max said, raising the hand covered in the pink cast.

“I’m seventeen and I’m not a little girl! And I don't like to do nothin!”

“So a young woman. Well I like to run around outside, I find sticks that could look like swords and sand them down and spray-paint them to be silver and use my Dad’s electrical tape to make handles and sword fight. I’m the best with my friends that do it too! I ended up breaking my arm, well the bone near my wrist… did you know that you have two bones in your arm here?” Max waved his pink cast covered arm. “Well I broke one of them, it went through the skin and… well I was told I shouldn’t talk about that. It grosses some people out.”

A gurgle came from Kennedy’s stomach as it churned, mostly settled, but a spike of anxiety came to him when he told this boy that he not only wasn’t a girl, but was seventeen and he just took it in stride, then declaring him a young woman. He felt more exposed now that he had said who and what he was, a teenage boy dressed up as a little girl and this kid hadn’t even really believed him. If he had… a second wave of panic came through him of people thinking he was some kind of pervert, the kind that would be on the Catch A Predator show. It felt like someone had a volume control knob, turning up his fear as Max kept looking at him with those brownish golden eyes. “Yeah best if I don’t talk about that.” Max said pretty sure he shouldn’t have brought it up to a girl at all. “Yeah well, the doctor only had the pink wrap for the cast in the room I was in and the lady doctor said how it isn’t for boys and would be back.” Kennedy felt Max lean closer, his shoulder touching his own. “Colors don’t care if you are a boy or girl so I had her use the pink and ya know what. The color doesn’t care but more girls talk to me now then they did before.”

“I’m, umm, actually ten and, umm, that sounds boring but I would be way better than you at sword fighting.” Kennedy blew out a long breath after blurting that out in the middle of the boys rambling. Max didn’t seem to believe him when he told him the truth, but picturing him telling adults just made him think about Chris Hansen stepping out from behind a tree with camera men for his show to catch him as if he was the predator on his show. The stick, sword fighting running around with a sword, wood or not, swinging them at one another sounded fun. The sticks would still hurt, so it would feel real, so long as it wasn’t with people feet taller than him or twice as wide and with a desire to swing it like a bat to hurt him… no, the more he thought about it, the more he didn’t like the idea of the pretend sword fighting.

“Yeah!? Want to come over sometime and sword fight? I never met a girl who wants to sword fight before.” Kennedy shook his head, moving one hand over his body to hold his other forearm. Thoughts of getting Max to do anything for him were forgotten, he needed to just go. He couldn’t run from the park, he had nowhere to go, leaving the only other option hiding in the bathroom till it was time to go. Maybe he could fish out his pants if some of the disgusting things in the trash hadn’t gotten on them yet.

“That’s okay, we could play video games, I got that new Avatar War game. My Mom said it was too violent for someone my age, but my Dad let me get it when I said I would pay for half of it with the allowance I had saved. He told her that if I was mature enough to save my money, then I was mature enough for a video game. The best part was he didn’t actually make me pay for any of it! It is so fun! You get to choose an avatar of a god and fight other gods!” Kennedy had played the game before, or an older version of it, two additions ago once at an arcade when the people he was staying with dropped him off in an arcade while they went bowling. It was fun, not nearly as fun as the racing game, but that took more quarters and he had to ration what they had given him. It was maybe one of the most fun nights he had ever had, able to play anything he wanted.

The topic changed Kennedy’s priorities, he was still going to run off, but he wanted to know a little about the game before he did. “Does the new one still have the girl who can fly and shoot lightning?” Max nodded quickly, suddenly getting animated hearing that the cute girl next to him knew about the game.

“Oh yeah, yeah, but she isn’t a girl. She is the avatar of Tempestas I think umm a Roman god. They made her flying cost magic and it so so cool, she has storm clouds come and she can fly around! I like playing at Pluto or ahhh Hades, his story is that he doesn’t want to be there, that he has too much work to do, but can’t let his brother win.” Kennedy continued to talk to him about the video game and a few others he had, becoming enraptured when he wasn’t stifling a yawn at some of the new moves and how to do them. He had only learned a little bit when he played the game at the arcade.

“The two of you are looking like you are having fun.” Both Max and Ken turned to look at the five foot five redhead that stood in front of them with a sly smile on her face as she looked at her feminized foster brother. She was only coming this way to get a drink as the soccer game they were playing was coming to an end so they could break for lunch. She hadn’t even realized the girl with strawberry blonde hair in the yellow dress was Kennedy till she had gotten closer. This was the same brash boy who had locked her in the basement, but she wasn’t sure anyone would think of Kennedy as a boy at all.

“We were talking about Avatar War and Ken said she would come over to play it with me!” The boy said with enthusiasm.

“Planning a play date with an older boy, Kennedy?” The way she said it in a teasing manner reminded the blue eyed boy of the reality of the situation. Max thought he was a girl, he looked like a girl right now and this boy had kissed his cheek and said he wanted to marry him like he was saying that he was in love or something.

“Umm McKenzie it isn’t what you think.” Kennedy pinched the skirt of the yellow dress, his stomach starting to feel like it was falling like it had earlier when he jumped from the swing set as he looked at the thirteen year old through his half lidded eyes, even as caught up in the conversation as he was the medicine created desire had been winning, Max doing most of the talking.

“I have a pool and I bet my older sister would like the company too. She skipped a year and even though she is fifteen is in tenth grade, but she says no one from her classes will hang out with her. The two of you both act alike so I bet you would be great friends.

“Kennedy and I both like making new friends.” McKenzie said looking at the boy in the yellow dress, that sly smile still on her face. “But what do you mean by we act alike?” Her blue green eyes sliding over to Max.

“You know, you are both bossy. She tells me what to do at home and you are telling me and just about everyone what to do and how to do it in class.” Max said with a shrug and no malice in his voice.

“Yeah well if you did things correctly I wouldn’t have to tell you what to do. You were the one asking me just the other day what page we were on for our reading, if you paid more attention I wouldn’t need to help. Besides!” McKenzie raised her hands, slapping them against her thighs, her voice raising just a little bit. “You don’t even listen to me most of the time!”

“McKenzie…” Kennedy said in a small voice, he didn’t want her attention on him, he didn’t want anyone’s attention. He had got caught up in a stupid conversation when he should have been running. He saw the girl's attention move to him, but she held out one finger telling him to wait while she talked to her classmate. Kennedy closed his mouth feeling like he was in no position to do anything and wondering how many eyes were on him now, but not daring to look.

Max shrugged again, smiling as he stood up. “That is because you aren’t in charge, just like Bria isn’t in charge of me.” McKenzie was about to tell him that it was fine, that she didn’t need to help him anyways, but something else came to mind seeing how close the two were sitting together a moment ago.

“What if Kennedy asked you to do something?” Max looked back at the blonde girl, smiling and a light blush coming to his cheeks.

“That is different, she is cute and…” He didn’t get any further as the taller girl talked over him.

“Wait, are you saying I’m not cute?!” Max waved both his good arm and the broken one in front of him.

“No, I’m not saying that at all! Half the boys in class would jump off a bridge if you did it first just so they could keep looking at you.” Any indignation, true or false McKenzie had, felt vanished as a blush came to her cheeks. She was giving him a hard time, and no way were boys looking at her. She was plain compared to some of the girls in her class who liked to dress up. She didn’t even wear a dress for the last picture day.

“Oh, umm okay.” She looked away from the shorter boy, holding her hands together in front of her, suddenly not sure what she was supposed to do with them as she stood there. “It is lunch time and we are supposed to get cleaned up and Kennedy needs to tinkle.” She reached over with both hands pulling the small boy in a dress to his feet, happy to have something to do with her hands and wondering suddenly what she normally did with them when standing around and talking or why she was suddenly worried about it. “We will be back!”

“Where are we going!? I don’t need to go to the bathroom and did you say tinkle?” Kennedy cried, not truly sure what was just happening with the weariness he was fighting.

“I need to wash my hands before lunch and girls don’t go to the bathroom by themselves, and little girls don’t go pee , they go tinkle.” Kennedy frowned, pinching the hem of the dress he wore with one hand as the girl pulled him along by the other. ‘But I’m not a girl!’ He thought while a whimper escaped his lips.