I sigh loudly and sit down. I turn to Mom and ask, “So, what now?”

  She arches an eyebrow and asks, “You’re absolutely positive this is what you want?”

  I snort and roll my eyes as I adamantly state, “I’m certain.”

  Her lips quirk for a moment, but then she says, “First, don’t snort; it’s undylike, and second, don’t roll your eyes at me, young dy.”

  She frowns when she notices the way I'm sitting. “You can’t sit like that. Either cross your legs or cross your ankles and keep your knees together. Only easy women expose their nethers to everyone, and my daughter isn’t an easy woman, is she?”

  Blushing furiously, I gnce down as I mumble, “No. Sorry,” and I cross my legs.

  She pats my shoulder reassuringly. “There’s no reason to apologize... Baby, you know you can’t go back to school like this.”

  I nod slowly, though the thought hadn’t even occurred to me until she mentioned it. “That might be true, but I’m not going back as Jake either.”

  A gentle smile spreads across her face. “I’m not expecting you to do that, darling. You be yourself, and I’ll handle the logistics.” She pauses as she gnces at Dad’s office. “As for your father, well, I’m hoping he’ll come around.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” I ask quietly.

  Her smile falters for a moment, but she quickly regains her composure. “Then we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, let’s focus on what we need to do for you.” She reaches out and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear as she asks, “Are you going to tell Kelly Anne?”

  “I don’t want to lose my only friend, so I don’t have a choice.”

  “Mhmm,” she murmurs. “I assumed you would. Well, there’s no time like the present, and it isn’t as if she’s never seen you in a dress before. Why don’t you call and invite her to come over? You two can py games and have a nice, long chat.”

  I let out a small smile and nod. If anyone won’t be surprised, it’ll be Kelly Anne. I’m fairly sure she’s known all along who I truly am. Hence, she never even batted an eye as she dressed me, and we went out together as girls.

  “Okay, I’ll call her now.”

  I head upstairs to my room. Closing the door behind me, I pick up my phone off the desk and take a breath. Unlocking my phone, I scroll through my meager contact list and tap on Kelly Anne’s name. The phone rings once, twice, three times before her bright, cheerful voice fills my ear.

  “Hey, Jake! What's up?”

  I wince at her use of my deadname but push through. “Hey, Kelly Anne. Are you free? We could py a game, and I have something important we need to discuss.”

  There's a pause on the other end of the line, and I can almost hear the gears turning in her head. “Sure. Give me fifteen minutes, and I’ll be there. Love ya!”

  “Love ya, too,” I mutter.

  We end the call, and I walk over to turn on the TV and boot up my X Station, and then plop down on my bed as I wait for her to show up. A few minutes ter, the doorbell rings, and my heart skips a beat. I hop up and smooth down my skirt, taking a deep breath before making my way to the door. I swing it open to see Kelly Anne standing there. The moment she sees me, she gasps, and her mouth falls open in an 'O.' A bare second ter, she has a huge smile on her pretty face. She looks me over, her gaze lingering on the small bulges beneath the bodice of my dress.

  She nods approvingly. “You look very cute... So, are you here to stay or just visiting?”

  “Definitely staying,” I reply firmly. “Oh, and please don’t call me Jake again. I’m Jackie, or more properly, Jacqueline Annette.”

  Her smile widens, and she nods. “Jackie,” she repeats, trying the name on for size. “Welcome to the neighborhood,” she says with a wink, and I can't help but giggle. It’s both strange and satisfying to hear her call me by my name so easily. She steps inside, and I lead her upstairs to my room.

  After I close the door behind us, we take a seat on the floor and lean back against the bed. “So… do you want to expin? I mean, I’ve known for a while, but…”

  I take a deep breath, my hands fidgeting with the hem of my skirt. “You know what the accident did to me.” She nods in agreement. “And I told you about the AIS.” She merely nods again. “Well, it turns out that people have both male and female hormones, and since I can’t make or take testosterone, I’m slowly developing like a female would.” I reach up and cup my small breasts. “These are all me, not padding, nothing but me.”

  I smile as I tell her what the tests showed and what the doctor said. Then I take a breath and say, “I told my mom in the doctors office that I’ve always been a girl, and she was cool with it. After dinner, I told my dad, and well, I’m not too sure he’s going to accept me as his daughter. You know how he’s always been.”

  Kelly Anne listens intently, her eyes soften and she reaches out to take my hand and hold it as I expin. When I finish, she murmurs, “I’m so proud of you, but I have to say it was well past time for you to tell them you’re trans. I can tell how happy you are now, before…” She sighs and says, “Before I was so worried you’d do something stupid.”

  I nod as a lump forms in my throat. “I thought about it,” I mutter as I look at the floor.

  She reaches out and takes my chin to lift it. She’s smiling, but there’s a certain sadness written in it. “I know… You’re my best friend in the world. Believe me, I knew. I love you, Jackie and I couldn’t bear to see you hurting. Why do you think we’d py dress up and then go py? I was doing what I could to make you happy.”

  She pulls me against her and wraps me within her arms. I melt into her embrace, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. She means more to me than I can put into words. We sit like that for a while, neither of us speaking, just basking in the comfort of our friendship.

  Finally, I pull back and wipe my eyes, not even realizing I’d started crying. “Thank you,” I whisper.

  She squeezes my hand. “Anytime, always, and forever.” She suddenly grins. “My first advice to you is to use waterproof mascara. You look like a raccoon.”

  I giggle, feeling both embarrassed and amused. “I guess I have a lot to learn about makeup,” I admit, reaching up to wipe my eyes again.

  Her grin widens. “Stop it~” she drawls as she grabs my hand. “You’re only making it worse. We don’t wipe our eyes when we’re wearing makeup; we blot with tissue or a kerchief.” She grabs her purse, removes a wet wipe, and removes the smudged mascara.

  I giggle again at her mock-serious tone. “I suppose I’ll need a crash course in all things girly, won’t I?”

  She nods emphatically. “Abso-posi-tutely!” Her eyes sparkle as she says, “And who better to teach you than your fabulously fashionable best friend?” We burst into giggles for a while. As our ughter subsides, her expression turns more thoughtful. “So, what’s next? HRT?”

  I nod. “Not immediately. Dr. Jalil is referring me to a psychotherapist, and she’ll have to write the prescription for it.” I gnce down at my small breasts and then at her much fuller ones. “Hopefully, that’ll happen soon.”

  Kelly Anne nods understandingly. “That makes sense, and don't worry, you’ll get there. Everyone develops at their own pace.” She pauses, a mischievous glint in her eye. “In the meantime, we can get you some padded bras if you want.”

  “Maybe…” I murmur wistfully as I imagine myself with a fuller bust.

  She leans in. “Oh, we should totally have another girls day out, and then you can spend the night with me.”

  My heart skips a beat. “What about your mom?” I ask, remembering how she stopped allowing sleepovers when we were 7.

  Her grin gets wider. “Trust me. She’ll take one look at you and be cool with it.”

  I smile tentatively, hope blossoming in my chest. “Really?”

  She alters her voice to mimic a stereotypical valley girl. “Like, oh my gosh, you’re, like, totally adorbs, girl!”

  We begin giggling again. When they taper off, I lean forward and softly kiss her, then softly state, “I love you. You’re the entire reason I’m still here.” She arches an eyebrow, so I smile and then state, “That wasn’t, like, an I love you, love you. I just... love you. You know?”

  Kelly Anne's face softens, and she pulls me into another hug. “I know exactly what you mean. I love you, too.” We sit in comfortable silence for a moment before she pulls back, a hint of excitement in her eyes. “So, about that girls’ day?”

  I nod eagerly. “Yes, please. A girls day with my best friend sounds like just what I need.”

  We spend the next hour pying Call of Battle co-op against other teams on my X Station, our trash talking to the other teams, ughter, and shouts of victory fill the room. It feels so normal, so right, to be sitting here with her like this—to finally, at long st, be just two girls hanging out. As we wait for the next battle to begin, I gnce at her, admiring the way she naturally embodies the grace and confidence I so want to possess.

  “Hey, Jackie?” She asks, setting down her controller.

  I look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah?”

  Her cheeks flush a bit as she looks at me. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Shoot,” I reply, wondering what she’s going to ask.

  Her gaze drops to my crotch. “How do you hide your... uh, you know?”

  I blush furiously and gnce down for a moment. I shake my head as I look back up and mutter, “I don’t need to hide anything.”

  She tilts her head and asks, “Really?”

  “Really,” I reply with a firm nod. “Are you curious?”

  Her eyes widen slightly, and her cheeks flush a shade of pink. “I... yeah, I guess I am. If you're comfortable sharing, that is.”

  I consider it for a moment, but we don’t really have any secrets. I mean, she’s been totally nude around me more than once, though I was always careful to turn away so she couldn’t see that. Standing up, I reach under the hem of my dress and slide my panties down, then lift my hem to expose myself as I blush furiously.

  “Now you know. There’s not really anything to hide, but I still hate it.”

  Her gaze is fixed on my crotch, and she nods solemnly. “I knew you were badly hurt, but I didn't realize that there was nothing there.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s complicated. The doctors did their best, but they only salvaged the gns.” I release my hem and pull my panties back up. “Look, can we change the subject? This is very uncomfortable for me.”

  She quickly nods, her eyes snapping back up to my face. “Of course, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

  As I sit back down beside her, I smooth my skirt and tuck my legs back underneath me. “It’s okay. I’d have never shown anyone else.”

  She reaches out and squeezes my hand. “Thanks for trusting me enough to share that.”

  I give her a weak smile and nod, though my cheeks still burn. Thankfully, we return to beating down other teams until her phone chimes. She taps the screen, gnces at it, and says, “That’s Mom. She says it’s time for me to come home.”

  I nod, feeling a twinge of disappointment. “Okay. Thanks for coming over. It really means a lot to me.”

  She stands up and stretches, then pulls me to my feet and into a tight hug. “Anytime, Jackie. You know I’m always here for you.” She pulls back and gives me a serious look. “I mean that. Day or night, if you need me, just call.”

  “I will,” I promise, feeling warmth spread through my chest.