Mistaken Identity Ch. 03

Janice becomes a schoolgirl

The strength of purpose Janice had last week, when throwing her husband out, was short lived. Living alone was turning out to be more difficult than she thought. It would take time getting used to the loneliness, decision making, and a lack of direction.

After having Bernard looked after her, to the point of being controlled, she felt lost without him. Bernard had strongly influenced her, and before that, her father. Maybe she shouldn't have been so harsh with him, as there was no going back now. Making a fool of him hadn't been a good idea. Hitting him was even less of a good idea, though it had felt good, and continued to every time she thought of it.

Now that she had to think for herself it showed how far he'd taken over her life. When he decided to leave her, he wanted half the value of her parents house, and that was being greedy. It was not deserved at all, as it had been left to her, with the mortgage paid up.

He was right about one important thing, she needed a job to live. Getting fit and keeping up this new confidence was necessary, so starting at a local gym seemed a good idea.

Feeling a bit stiff from yesterday's unaccustomed workout, Janice prepared for today's session. The exercises generated energy, warding off mental lethargy, or so she hoped. It had been embarrassing in the changing room at first, but no one took any notice of her. How different that had been in high school, where the girls laughed at her underdeveloped bust, and small size.

It seemed she had at last matured, and joined the adult world. Perhaps it was her attitude, demonstrating a new found confidence. The assertiveness classes had ended, and the reward had come when standing up to her domineering husband. It was his problem being possessive, not hers.

'Damn! I left my tracksuit at the gym,' she exclaimed.

The new fitness regime included jogging there and back, but this was halted before it even got started properly. Searching through cupboards in the spare room, meant finding interesting old things, though not what she needed. It was about time she cleared out his old stuff, and maybe some of the joint possessions too. Making a clean break would be best.

At the back of a draw she pulled out a painting overall, or environmental friendly suit, as it was labelled. It was made of tough paper, and was still wrapped in cellophane. It had been bought when they first moved in. The size was for a child, which she ignored as usual. It fit well, not tight or too baggy, so it would do if not studied too closely. No one would see her at this time in the morning, as most had left for work. Once at the gym it could be thrown away, and she would change into the new yoga pants and loose top.

It was hot out there, and the one piece suit would have her sweating straight away. Deciding not to wear underwear brought on a smile. Only a short time ago she was obsessive over wearing a padded, push up bra. For once, having small breasts was an advantage, as she didn't need to wear a sports bra. Carefully looking in a mirror confirmed panties weren't needed. In the gym locker she had clean underwear, so no problem.

No one was around when she crossed a road to the park. A sprint through a parking lot, then a slower careful jog across a field. Halfway to a track leading through the woods, an unexpected cloudburst soaked her. The suit was quickly soaked through, and clung to her small frame.

Once under cover of a large tree, she examined the suit and cursed. In some places it clung to her body, and sagged in others. She didn't have much on top to show, but didn't like the way it clung to her thighs.

'Damn! This thing is made to wear inside while painting. Why in hell did I do such a stupid thing,' she murmured to the tree.

About to plod back across the field to home, she suddenly halted. A group of men were carrying something onto the field. Backing up and hiding behind some bushes, she watched for a while, until realising they were there to put up a marquee. The way they were arguing over how to accomplish the job, meant it would take some time.

In frustration, she moved on down a trail, fairly certain it ran in the right direction. After a few minutes she heard voices, and veered off along a side trail. It became overgrown, so she had to push her way through. A thorn caught the suit, and ripped it from a shoulder. Turning back only exasperated the entanglement. Too anxious to notice, she was now heading in the wrong direction.

Janice wished she had some weight behind her to force a way through the bushes. Instead she had a light petite figure, and felt useless in this situation. At least her long hair had been tied up out of the way. At last she stumbled onto another trail, and it stopped raining. The muddy path didn't look much, meaning it was hardly used. Even she could tell that. Her body was scratched from pushing through the undergrowth, yet it wasn't that which worried her.

Looking back the way she had come, there were shreds of white paper fluttering among the bushes. Pieces of paper around the stretchy wrist and ankle cuffs, were all that was left of the suit! Janice stood still, unmoving from shock! She had been aware of the suit tearing, but not this much! Now she was lost in the woods, naked!

'Shit! What do I do now?' she whined.

Right then she wished there was someone to tell her what to do, even her husband would do. Being told what to do was comforting, especially when lost, naked, exhausted, and feeling hopeless! Her own decision making was in tatters, like the outfit. There was no option, except to carry on. Carefully following the trail led her to a clearing bounded by a fence on one side. This was another housing complex, the other side of the park, and a long way from home.

Over the high fence was a house, yet not necessarily safety, or comfort. Walking along the muddy path, following backyard fences, was easier than going through the woods. Peering over the fence at each house passed, showed everyone was out at work.

'What the hell?' she whispered.

A rare rotary clothes line gently turned in the breeze. Clothes were drying now the sun was out. Janice nearly clapped her hands and jumped for joy. Hesitantly opening the gate, it was a relief to find it didn't squeak. She silently waited, expecting at any moment to be shouted at.

Tiptoeing down a path to the line, she held her breath all the way. Of course, there wouldn't be clothing in her small size, there never was. Anything to cover her nakedness would be welcome. Feeling negative, it wasn't expected that a towel, or sheet, would be conveniently hanging there.

Janice was right and wrong. She looked with glee at a small top, and skirt!

Whipping them off the line, showering pegs in the air, she sprinted for the gate and down the path. Out of puff, she took a side track into the woods. Careful not to dirty the skirt in mud, she pulled it on and zipped it up, then buttoned the white blouse. She found they were a tight fit but covered her nakedness enough to make her smile, and feel lucky.

The clothes were damp, but not wet, as they had been sheltered from the rain, and dried off in the sun. Wearing a tight blouse revealing her little breasts, had always been impossible. Never would she ever wear such a short skirt, especially without panties, but nevertheless, she was pleased to be wearing something.

After covering up her nakedness, Janice clapped her hands in happiness. She could either make her way home and change, or even go straight to the gym!

Which way? Walking the fence might not be a good idea, in case the owner of these clothes was met. The forest track would do, as she was completely lost anyway. The track cut a corner off the park, and she unexpectedly appeared next to the administration office. A quick walk to the main road would orient her, and she could decide whether to go home, or on to the gym, whichever was closest.

'Sorry!' she exclaimed, on bumping into someone.

History was repeating itself!

A bunch of teenagers were waiting to board a bus. Pushing through the excited bunch of teens, she was almost past them when a man grabbed her arm.

'Where do you think you're going, girl?' Mathew asked.

'Sorry, sir,' Janice spluttered.

It was always the same. A person of authority had her capitulating to whatever suited them. He didn't wear a uniform, but he had that strong determined voice men of authority used. The same was true with dominant people her own age. Learning to be less passive and to be confident, was a lesson well learned, though putting aside years of habit was impossible.

'Get on the bus, girl. Hurry up and do as you are told!' the teacher scolded Janice, and the others.

The teacher hadn't given her a chance to explain. A skirmish between some boys, distracted the teacher's attention. At that moment she realised she was wearing the same colours as the school uniform. Damn! She'd stolen a school uniform!

While the teacher wasn't looking, she decided to unobtrusively sidle away. A girl much bigger than her, grasped her arm, and propelled her further into the bus.

'I don't know where you came from, but you're just in time.' Margaret quietly spoke.

Janice didn't understand. She spluttered something about it being a mistake, but what and why was difficult to explain.

'Just shut up and sit down on a fucking seat, bitch!' Margaret fiercely told her.

'Ruby, make a run for it, before that idiot spots you,' Margaret told her friend.

Janice surrendered to the girl's forceful command. She tried to pull away from the girl, desperate to get off the bus, but it was too late. The teacher got on and shouted at her to take a seat.

Made to sit down among a bunch of school kids, while dressed like one of them, she felt small and insignificant. Janice was twenty-six, yet she still looked like a young teen. This was worse than when on vacation. It was her worse nightmare, going back to high school with all that bullying and derision about her slim build. A shiver of fear rattled her backbone. If the big girl sitting next to her was anything to go by, these eighteen-year-olds were far rougher than when she was at school.

She tried to talk to the teacher, but he was too busy shouting at others, telling them to sit down and keep quiet. This wasn't like her well-to-do high school. These were rough kids. As the bus pulled away, she stared out the window, watching with regret the park building disappear. They were heading for the city, and probably a tough inner-city high school.

She had to do something! In a panic she stood up to protest a garbled explanation.

'Look I don't want to sit here. I want to get off the bus. You must not treat me like this, I'm an adult,' Janice protested, trying her best to sound mature.

'Fine! You don't want to sit there, you can sit at the back with the boys,' Mr Findlay said.

The teacher didn't want to hear complaints. Putting her with the boys sometimes worked, as both would go quiet and furtive, or they might make more noise than ever. He pushed her down the bus to a spare seat, to see what happened.

The boys lifted her up, to pass her over each other's laps, into the corner seat. As she was passed along, she felt hands all over her naked bottom half. She tried to keep her legs together, but they still managed to feel her private places.

'Stop it! Please! Let me go! You can't do that! No! Stop that right now!' she protested.

One of them bumped her ass onto a friends lap, then another, passing her back again, until she was in the middle seat. Each of them had wrapped their hands around her breasts, and voiced their disappointment.

'She's got hardly any tits. Feel them and you'll see,' Andy commented.

Sitting between two boys, they held her legs apart, and were teasing her thighs ready to touch her down there. They tickled her thighs, and pulled her knees wider apart. Without panties she felt very vulnerable.

'No! Please, don't!' she whispered.

The guys were laughing at her, and making too much noise. The teacher walked back to find out what the ruction was about. Janice sank into the seat trying to pull the little skirt down, and cover with an arm her inadequate breasts. Her nipples were showing through the blouse revealing how turned on she was.

She had always been ashamed of her figure, and it left her feeling pathetic as usual. All the earlier confidence had been knocked away, leaving her feeling like a naughty little schoolgirl. After all these years the torment landed heavily upon her and dominated her thoughts, as though she belonged here once more.

'Sir, they wouldn't let me go. I can't sit here, sir,' she complained.

It would be terrible revealing to a man her age that these boys had been touching her down there, and were laughing at her small breasts. As soon as they arrived at school, she would try and prove she wasn't a schoolgirl, and get a lift home.

It would be highly embarrassing if the principal found out she'd been touched up by a group of schoolboys. It might even be a police matter, if she were accused of masquerading as a schoolgirl to entice the boys.

'You're the trouble here, girl. Down to the front, and leave those boys alone. I don't care where you sit, just sit down,' he ordered, when she complained.

'I've got to go home, I don't want to be here,' she pathetically said.

'Look girl, I'm the teacher, you're the kid. I want to go home, so don't complain to me! Stop talking now! I will decide where you go, and it's definitely back to school. I'm in charge here not you, girl, so sit down, now!' he told her.

She was just a child to him, without the slightest adult status, or any authority at all. Wearing a schoolgirl uniform had stripped her of all the self determination she had worked for recently. He was in charge of the outing, counting them out of school, and counting them back in again. No one was getting off the bus until safely in school.

'She's a new girl, sir. I'll be her mentor, if that's alright, sir,' Margaret offered.

'Good! Good for you, Margaret,' Mathew said.

He looked at Margaret wondering where this new found politeness had sprung from.

Margaret wanted to keep an eye on Janice, needing to keep the girl quiet.

'Don't say anything, or you'll be for it, understood!' Margaret harshly spat.

Grabbing a wrist, she expertly twisted it, letting Janice know it would be unwise to cross her.

'Oww! Sure, whatever you say,' Janice murmured.

Years ago, she learnt how to deal with bullies in high school, and that was to give in to them.

'My friend Ruby, needs to get away from school. She was going to run into the woods, but that wouldn't have given her much of a chance. Then you turned up. As long as you keep your head down this afternoon, she'll not be reported missing until tomorrow morning. That means I'm stuck with you for the rest of the day,' Margaret explained.

Janice looked at the big strong girl and gulped.

'Alright, whatever,' was all she could say.

At least she was safe from the boys while Margaret looked after her. Once they got off the bus, a way out of this mess would have to be found. Oh! Shit! The teacher wouldn't be counting an extra student, because Ruby had run away. That had been one of her cards to play, but it had been taken from her. Still, they should have everyone's Id, and they didn't have her photo in this school.

****

The place was locked up tight, as good as a prison. It was designed to keep drug pushers out, and students in. As they filed through a security gate, they were checked for weapons, and drugs. When getting off the bus Janice thought she could slip away, but the teacher marched her to a classroom with everyone else.

Trying to get the teacher's attention, and remonstrate with him, she was told to behave herself and not make a fuss. She slumped into a seat next to Margaret.

'If you try that again, I'll thrash you in the toilets,' Margaret warned.

During the lesson, Janice felt the years slip away, as though she had never been away from high school. It didn't take long to sink into thinking of herself as one of them, and to become a teenager again. It was surprising how easy it was to settle back into the familiar classroom atmosphere. Especially when surrounded by students, all with the same attitude, waiting for home time.

The bell rang, indicating it was time for the next lesson. Not knowing where to go, she followed Margaret, or rather the girl kept her close. An outside door swung open, and Janice panicked. Running for an open door would do no good, unless it led onto the outside world. Nevertheless, she illogically pinned her hopes on escape.

'Stop running in the corridor! I'm warning you girl, misbehave and you'll spend an hour in detention after school,' Mr Mathews informed her.

'Sorry, sir,' she automatically responded.

At least that habit quickly returned to get her out of trouble.

'What class are you supposed to be in, girl?' the teacher asked.

'Miss Barn, sir. Athletics practice, sir,' Janice sighed.

'Get on with it then, girl,' he told her.

There was no way she could talk back to a teacher, while in such a nervous state. Explaining that she was not a schoolgirl had been tried, and had been an absolute failure. Teachers had heard all sorts of strange excuses from students, and didn't give a damn. Practicing what to say would at least give a coherent explanation about why she was here, if given the chance to speak.

The longer she was here, the less likely anyone was going to believe her. The alternative was to wait until the end of school. Passively waiting for things to turn out right was one of her least impressive attributes. The strategy often worked, with less trouble, and less expenditure of energy.

In the sports hall, Miss Barn looked Janice up and down.

'Nothing to wear will not get you out of a practice session. Get that blouse and skirt off! Come on girl! Jump to it,' the teacher shouted.

Intimidated to hell, Janice jumped as ordered, and dropped the skirt in front of the other girls also changing.

'What! Why aren't you wearing underwear? Are you a dirty slut, girl? Is this because you were with the boys at the park this morning?' Miss Barns asked, looking at Janice as though she were dirt.

'She was at the back of the bus, with the boys, miss,' Margaret explained.

'What has it got to do with you, Margaret?' the teacher asked.

'Mr Findlay made me her mentor, Miss Barn. Sorry, Miss Barn,' Margaret said.

'Well! It looks like the blind are leading the blind. Mr Findlay has some funny ideas. At least you are being a good girl, Margaret, so it has done some good. You'll have to wear something from lost property. Don't blame me if you don't look modern or in fashion, or whatever you girls call it now. It will be an incentive to make sure you remember to bring your kit,' Miss Barn said, in a no nonsense voice.

Janice remembered what this meant and hung her head low, following the teacher to the office. She emerged wearing a short navy blue gym slip, or pleated jumper, with a slit up the side. A tight t-shirt under the straps, revealed she had nothing much of a bust.

Margaret was with her as a guide and mentor, a protector, and thankfully made no comment about her body. Preferring to be lithe, rather than skinny, she held ready a comeback at anyone who laughed at her.

'Are you sure you're in twelfth grade, you look more like a tenth grader,' one of the girls taunted her.

'You'll be bounced out of school on your ass, if you don't shut the fuck up,' Margaret forcefully said.

'If anyone picks on you tell me. I'll soon sort them out, okay, Ruby,' Margaret loudly spoke, emphasising Janice's new name.

'Thanks Margaret,' Janice sincerely said.