Peter returns to the changing room and leaves the skirt and leotard as he found them. It all seemed so innocent when he removed them from the hook an hour ago, just as the tap shoes he’s been wearing seem innocent enough… to him at least. It doesn’t matter as long as they’re tap shoes, he thought as he carefully wound his pop socks around his outstretched fingers, and put them with the tap shoes in his bag.

Back in his own clothes, he exits the changing room and joins his sister. They leave the studio and walk around the block to the car park where their mother should be waiting. Another couple of girls from the tap dancing class wave a greeting to Peter as they climb into their parent’s car. Shyly he waves back and comments that they haven’t changed out of their dance gear.

“Lots of them don’t.” Sally replied. “I think the skirts are a bit short for street wear.” she adds glancing around the car park. “No sign of mum.” she observes, before suggesting they wait on the wall. After a brief silence, and sensing that her brother is still feeling a little embarrassed, she asks. “So, apart from the mix up… did you enjoy it?”

“Yeah.” he replied. “I enjoyed it right up until I realised that I wasn’t supposed to wear the leotard that was hanging in the changing room!”

Sally grinned the broadest of grins. “So… you enjoyed it all the way from the beginning to the end?” Peter glumly nodded. “That’s great!” she said.

“You could have said something at the beginning though.” he replied.

“I know… but I didn’t know how to say it.” Sally replied. “Nobody else said anything so I thought it best not to say anything either.”

“I honestly thought that’s what we wore.” Peter stated, trying to convince himself that it wasn’t my fault!

“Well I’m glad you did.” Sally replied. “I was a bit worried how they’d react with a new boy joining… but you got off scot free.”

“What are they normally like?” he asked.

“Normally they’re fine if it’s just girls… but a few months ago a boy joined and nobody was nice to him. They’d stare and whisper and gossip about him… then push him over when Miss Baxter wasn’t looking, and claim he slipped or fell… he stopped coming after a few weeks.” Sally told him. “But he did seem to think he was better than us girls just because he was a boy…. ’til we put him in his place”

Peter gulped at ‘we put him in his place’ yet was thankful he’d not been treated that way, so far. “You think I should wear the same thing next week then?” he asked as the words ‘they’re fine if it’s just girls’ rattled around his skull.

“Yes. I think you should… but it’s up to you.” Sally replies. “Here’s mum.” she said, jumping off the wall.

“Did you enjoy yourself Peter?” his mother asked as he climbed onto the back seat. He told her he did and Sally told her how impressed Miss Baxter was with his dancing, and that he could come back next week. “Oh that’s good.” his mother replied. “Although it’ll be a while before I can afford to get you some tap shoes of your own… and some dance-wear.” she added.

“That’s OK.” Peter replied. “I’ve got Sally’s shoes and…” he cut himself short, not sure if he should tell his mother about the mix-up in the changing room.

“You don’t mind wearing girl’s shoes for now?” his mother asked. “I mean I would buy you some of your own but if you’re going to give up after a couple of months it’ll be a waste of money.” she explained.

“No they’re fine I guess.” he replied.