A Boy With Girly Hair - Part 18

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Sleepover

The silence felt like forever. Even the show we were watching hit a quiet moment, which certainly didn’t help the awkwardness of this real-life situation. By complete accident, I had let out a little moan while Spiro was brushing my hair.

What else could I say it felt good! What guy (or girl) doesn’t like their long hair being brushed, especially by someone with as deft hands as the boy handling mine.

Thinking quick on my feet, I thought it best to just break the silence and make the first comment.

I repeated the same moan, on purpose this time, but towards the tail end, cleverly turned it into a yawn.

“Oh, is anyone else getting tired?”

I thought it best to hop up from my seat and stretch my legs. I needed to physically distance myself from Spiro if I was going to gain any real credibility about not having moaned. Daisy kept staring at me, wondering what the heck possessed me to make a noise like that, but Spiro was there to ease the pain.

“I’m definitely getting sleepy too. It’s been a busy night!” Spiro said, much to my relief.

Whether or not he actually meant to change the subject away from my moan, it worked well, because Angelica was right there with us. The reality show only had a few minutes left, and once it was over she noted it was time to head upstairs to bed.

We made our way to the basement stairs but Angelica stopped me.

“Oh, Sam, we don’t have any extra beds upstairs Daisy’s already taking the guest, and Spiro’s claimed the futon down here.”

“Well can’t he just share the bed with me?” Daisy asked.

Huh? Daisy had never made that request before. We’ve had several sleepovers either at her house or my house over the years, but never before have we shared a bed.

Angelica was hesitant, “I seriously doubt my parents would allow that… they already are making Spiro stay downstairs as they typically like to separate the boys and the girls by floor. It’s so dumb that he wasn’t even able to use the guest room.”

The basement was totally frigid, and I’m not the kind of person who can sleep well in the cold, especially when I’m wearing these flimsy girl's pajamas. Sure, I felt warmer under the blanket while watching the show, but I had been mooching off of Spiro for his body heat. In my mind, I was ready to do anything I could to not have to sleep in the basement.

“Let’s just go upstairs and try. Maybe they won’t notice,” I proposed.

“Won’t notice what?”

“Well” I paused for a moment. I can’t believe I was about to even suggest this. “Maybe… they won’t notice that I’m not actually a girl.”

Angelica immediately looked skeptical. “Wait, but we introduced you to them when we walked in the house. How could they not know? You were wearing a button-down, tie, and pants. Literally textbook boy clothes.”

“But you’re forgetting how quick it was,” Spiro added, unprompted. “They said, what, two words to us? Plus he had his hair styled in space buns and I’m gonna be honest, when I met you at the dance I thought you could’ve been a girl from behind…” then he reminded me, “Not that I didn’t dig the look!”

And not that I could mention this aloud, but from the obvious success of the Sammi_Jaclyn32 Instagram account, my feminine hair does have a tendency to fool people.

“Never would I say I’m a fan of pretending to be a girl… but damn I do not want to sleep in this freezing basement.”

Whether or not Angelica believed my claim that I have no interest in pretending to be a girl, considering how I was dressed and my freshly brushed hair, she agreed to give it a shot.

We wished Spiro good night and he wished us good luck.

Angelica stopped us near the top of the stairs.

“So here’s what you’re going to do. You’ll go straight to the guest room. Do not talk to my parents, do not pass go, do NOT collect $200.”

If I wasn’t so nervous, I would’ve enjoyed her monopoly reference.

She continued, “Even though I know they’ll say yes, I need to confirm you can stay the night, so I’ll try to do it as quick as possible and then come upstairs to join you. Plan?”

Before we could even respond, Angelica was making her way to the living room where her parents were. Daisy and I took this opportunity to slip upstairs to the guest room.

The guest room was plain, as many guest rooms tend to be. Centered against the wall was a queen size bed with a light green comforter spread and a pair of bedside tables on either side.

“So should we just go to bed?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m pooped,” Daisy exclaimed as she leaped onto the bed and snuck right under the covers. I decided to join.

The bed was incredibly cozy, just as I’d hoped, and certainly beat sleeping in the basement.

“So was that an actual moan you made with Spiro? It sure sounded like one. And be honest.”

I took a big sigh, “It… it just slipped out. I don’t know why though! Maybe it just felt good to have my hair brushed by someone. I just hope I didn’t startle Spiro.”

“Spiro doesn’t notice anything, Angelica kept whispering complaints to me the whole night. She didn’t mention it specifically, but I think you were taking up the spot she wanted to have with him. He’s super into her but I don’t show it super well.”

“Really?” I asked, “Because he doesn’t seem interested in her at all… Not to say he doesn’t like Angelica as a friend, but maybe he’s got another girl on his mind?”

“Hmm, I guess so,” Daisy admitted, “I hope they get together. They’d be such a cute couple.”

Suddenly three firm knocks were made on the door. I wasn’t sure if it’d be Angelica or her parents, so I tucked myself almost entirely under the covers to pretend I was asleep already.

“WOW, that was a close call,” Angelica said. Thankfully it wasn’t her parents… “They could have sworn they saw a boy, but I lied and said you were actually a girl.”

“Really? They bought it?” Daisy said, perking up.

Angelica sat on the bed with us, “Yeah I had to straight-up tell my dad that you weren’t wearing a gray shirt, but actually a gray dress. They were utterly confused, but I think we’re in the clear.”

I felt relieved. Even though I was in a near-stranger’s house attempting to fool 2 adults that I was of a completely different gender, this situation felt somehow more comforting than the one before it. I hate the feeling that I’m being investigated.

“Well, I’ll let you two get some shut-eye,” Angelica said, “it’s been a long day. And hey, Sam, thanks for being such a good sport through all of this. Most guys are repulsed by the notion of having to wear a girl's pajamas and have their hair brushed by another boy, but you’re different. I like that.”

She smiled at me and left before I could refute anything. I supposed she was right, considering I never really pushed back against wearing the pajamas. If a normal boy were in this situation, I’m sure he’d scratch or claw his way out of having to wear anything remotely feminine. But I’ve been through so much recently. I let my sister do my hair, I’ve modeled women’s hairstyles and gotten paid for it. I’ve worn makeup and gone out for lunch in a dress. Though much of this was done to appease and feel close with my sister, Jenna, there’s an inherent risk involved in continually participating in these risky activities, yet I never seem to get punished for them.

Despite how much I insist otherwise, I am indeed not like most boys.

After removing her makeup and washing her face, Daisy turned off the lights and got back in bed. There was plenty of room to where we were not touching outside of the accidental brush of the leg, but it still felt strange to be sharing a bed with her especially while wearing the exact same pajamas.

“Goodnight Daisy,” I said.

“Mm goodnight Sammi,” she said, dozing off.

That was the first time Daisy had ever referred to me as Sammi outside of me intentionally putting on a persona. Why would she do this?

Daisy’s mother was coming to pick her up early in the morning, and her mother had offered a ride for me as well. Fortunately for us, Angelica explained that her parents were going out to breakfast with friends of theirs and wouldn’t be returning to the house for at least another hour. That meant I wasn’t going to have to sneak out in a homecoming dress or anything silly like that.

The four of us were waiting in the kitchen for Daisy’s mother to come grab us. Daisy and I had put our angelica enjoyed a cup of black coffee while the rest of us settled for juice.

“Oh! I realized I never stripped the bed,” Daisy suddenly caught. “I’ll go do that right now.”

Angelica gave her a thankful smile, and the two of them retreated back upstairs to clear the room.

“See, I already stripped my bed  like a responsible adult.” Spiro joked. I laughed. “So Sam, got anything fun planned this week?”

“Homecoming,” I replied, “there’s a whole week of themed days at school, and a big day on Saturday. I’m particularly pumped for the 5k, but there’s also a pep rally and football game.”

“Oh, that’s cool. What’s your school again?”

“Willowbrook. Why?”

Spiro slammed his glass down. “No way! We’re playing you guys next week! We’re your Homecoming opponent.”

What a crazy coincidence. I went to a pretty big public high school, and it's typical to either schedule the Homecoming opponent as a big rival or a small school you can comfortably beat upon. I knew Spiro went to a tiny school, so it seems like the latter.

“So I guess I’ll be seeing you on the field! Not playing, of course…”

“Haha, yeah I wouldn’t expect so. Though maybe you could be punter or kicker with those strong legs of yours!”

“Hey, I’ll take the compliment,” I said bashfully. I then gave a hearty laugh. Spiro laughed too.

I must have messed up my hair when laughing, because Spiro reached towards my face and, ever so delicately, took a few loose strands and tucked them behind my ear.

“Hey, I don’t want to see you mess up my wonderful brushing after all!”

I didn’t know how to respond to that sudden, intimate-ish gesture, but he did. “Give me your number? Maybe we can hook up before or after your Homecoming.”

I paused for a second. I gave him a slightly puzzled look as if I hadn’t heard him correctly.

“You know, meet up? Hang out?” Spiro handed me his phone, unlocked and open to the new contacts.

I took it and typed in my name. He smiled.

Daisy came back downstairs, announcing her mother was outside. “Ready?” she asked.

We all gave each other hugs goodbye, with a wish to see each other soon.

Daisy’s mother obviously had no idea what a night I’d just been through, and I had no desire to tell her any specifics of my hair or outfits. Daisy didn’t either, it was clear. I think it was understood that this would not be public knowledge, and likely just put out of my mind.

But throughout the entire car ride home, I could not help but think about Spiro’s little tuck of my hair behind my ear. It racked my brain.

why would he do that?