By the end of his second week Peter felt a lot more accustomed to wearing a skirt. He is also far less hostile towards wearing his white knee socks too. He knew that he was still making heads turn on the way to and from school, but the same goes for the boys wearing their culottes. In spite of the fact that plenty of girls insisted his skirt looks better than the culottes the other boys wear, Peter still wishes that he could wear the proper boy’s uniform instead of his sister’s hand-me-downs. But knowing that money is in short supply, and that his mother does the best she can with what little she has, Peter doesn’t pester her for a pair of culottes. “They look more or less the same as this anyway.” he tells himself as he removes his skirt that Friday evening.
After five weeks of the new uniform rules, stepping into a skirt every weekday morning feels completely normal to Peter. It’s only when he gets to school where the other boys in his year all wear the box pleated culottes does he begin to feel a little self-conscious. It’s really only the fifth formers that give him any grief about his skirt and hairless legs, but they also give the other boys grief for wearing culottes, so nothing would really change if he didn’t have to wear his sister’s old skirts.
Thankfully his mother did buy him a proper boy’s swimming costume, which fits far better and is much more comfortable than his sister’s old swimsuit (he’d tried it on out of curiosity a few weeks ago). Actually wearing a swimsuit similar to the girl’s isn’t half as bad as he’d expected either. For a start, there’s no chance of it accidentally coming off as swimming trunks have been known to do. The fact that Peter is now the fastest swimmer amongst the boys is put down to his hairless legs… but in reality, the strongest swimmers had all transferred to Central Comprehensive. In a bid to improve their speed, a small handful of boys turned up to the next swimming session with shaved legs too! But Peter is still the fastest swimmer amongst the boys, and very proud of it.
One afternoon when he gets home from school, his mother announces that she has a surprise for him. “What is it?” he excitedly asks as he takes the Oxfam carrier bag from her and roots inside.
“I’ve been trawling the charity shops almost daily hoping to find you a pair.” his mother says as he unfolds a pair of the boy’s box pleated shorts. “I do hope they fit.” she smiles. Although the regulation school shorts are also very girlie, Peter is over the moon that he no-longer has to wear a skirt for school. “Well, you’ve only go one pair Peter, so you’ll still have to wear one of your skirts when they’re in the wash.” his mother tells him.
For a brief moment, Peter feels a little disappointed that his skirts aren’t entirely a thing of the past (yet), but the reality of the situation quickly kicks in. “Oh well… I don’t mind wearing a skirt now I’m used to it.” he replied. “But thanks for these.” he says, holding up his new (to him) culottes. “I won’t have to sit with my knees together all day.” he smiles.
The following day, Peter is as proud as punch to finally be walking to school wearing the boy’s uniform. This is met with approval from the boys in his class, but not from the girls… but Peter doesn’t care… he’s just happy to feel like one of the lads again. Without making too much of a song and dance about it, most of the few boys that remain at Ashford Academy tend to agree that the new uniform isn’t that bad. “Once we’re through the gates it’s fine.” Tom admits. “It’s just the walk to and from school that I dread.” he adds. Of course many of the fifth form boys still taunt and tease all the boys below them, but it’s like water off a duck’s back now. In a few more weeks they’ll have finished their exams and will be gone for good, taking their long trousers with them. The warm spring sun beats down on Peter as he walks home that afternoon. A couple of girls from his class walk part of the way with him. “Aren’t you glad you’re not wearing long pants on a day like this?” Daisy asks.
Peter looks up at the sun then down at his legs and recalled just how clammy his polyester school trousers could get. “Yeah.” he replied. “I wish I hadn’t worn knee socks today.” he added as he glanced down to check the tops were level. They weren’t so he paused to pull one up an inch or so.
“You’re so fussy.” Angela said as she and Daisy halted whilst Peter sorted his socks out.
“They just look wrong if they’re not level.” Peter said as they set off walking again. “It is kind of nice wearing these when it’s this warm.” he added, briefly taking hold of his culotte shorts. “It’s winter I’m not looking forward too.”
“Well think yourself lucky we can wear tights now.” Daisy replied. “It’s freezing in knee socks when it’s really cold.”
“I don’t like the idea of wearing tights.” Peter said.
“You will in December.” Daisy knowingly informed him. “In fact I think boys should be banned from wearing tights for their first winter… just so they know what us girls have had to put up with all these years.”
Angela wholeheartedly agreed. “You boy’s don’t know how lucky you are.” she added.
They soon parted company and Peter walked the rest of the way home alone. His mother asked him if he’d enjoyed wearing his new culottes today, and Peter said he had. “Some of the girls were a bit disappointed though… Sandra Winters said I’d gone over to the ‘dark side’.” he said with a grin.
A few days later, Peter’s culottes are in the wash and he has no choice but to don one of his skirts again. He does this reluctantly, but during that day he realises that he actually prefers wearing a skirt. The culottes are OK when he’s stood up, but when sitting down the box pleats bunch up, making them look awkward and unsightly. They also sometimes ‘choke’ him after being seated for long periods, something that doesn’t happen with a skirt.
Peter spends a few weeks alternating between his shorts and a skirt. The early heatwave continues long into May, so much so that the whole county has been subjected to a hosepipe ban. Whilst his friends who attend Central Comprehensive complain about it being far too hot in their poorly ventilated classrooms, and not much better in the school yard, Peter and Tom stress that although their school uniform isn’t great to look at, it is far more comfortable on hot summer days than long pants could ever be. “Yeah.. I think I’d rather swelter in pants to be honest.” Anthony retorts.
Tom does have a little whine about wearing the culottes. “Sometimes it feels like they’re slicing my balls.” he says, causing both Anthony and Callum to grimace.
“That’s why I wear a skirt most days.” Peter replied.
“Don’t they do that?” Tom asked, before thinking about it and adding. “Course not!” After a moment thinking, Tom said, “I don’t think I’d have the guts to wear a skirt… and I can’t imagine asking my mum for one.” he chuckled.
“I didn’t have any choice.” Peter replied. “But now I have a choice, I prefer the skirt.. even if it is a tiny bit more girlie than the ‘clots’.”
“You two are weird.” Anthony said. “We should be talking about what we’re going to do at half term and you two are talking about school uniform!” He was being more jovial than spiteful and the comment was well received. The conversation did switch to what they’d get up to at half term, which is only a few days away.