1.

"Please tell me this isn't what I think it is?" Mom asked as she held the bra up by the strap. I was frozen in shock, hoping beyond hope that the bra was all I'd accidentally dropped in the laundry.

Of course, the only thing that crossed my mind was, "What do you think it is?"

She rolled her eyes. "What I think is that you brought a girl home at some point and she forgot her clothes."

I felt relief wash over me. She just thought I'd brought a girl home. If she found out what it actually was, I'd be screwed. She'd probably kick me out or kill me if she found out I was a crossdresser. This little event just told me that I needed to find a better hiding place for my clothes. "Yeah, Gabby Larson, last week. She's got a nice little birthmark under the left one."

She rolled her eyes again. "I don't wanna think about what you do with your girlfriend, Kenneth, just make sure the next time you've got one here that she takes all her clothes back."

I smiled. "Yeah, Mom."

She tossed the lacy undergarment at me and left my room. I finally let out the breath I didn't realize (or even understand how) I was holding in. I shut and locked my door, then opened my closet and pulled my foot locker out. I carefully folded the bra and put it away, then returned the foot locker to its rightful place. I shut it back up in my closet and unlocked my door.

Four years. Four years, I'd been getting away with my crossdressing, and it had almost come crashing down on me just because I'd been stupid. I reached for my phone and texted Gabby. Almost caught. You're my exit strategy. She'd know what it meant, as she'd helped me and kept my secret ever since I realized I enjoyed crossdressing. I had to admit, I had a little bit of a crush on her, because she was such a great friend. I should probably ask her out at some point.

The door opened again, and I nearly dropped my phone. Mom stood there, holding onto a laundry basket. "By the way, your cousin will be here tomorrow."

"Which one?" I asked.

"Amanda, remember? We talked about this last night?"

Well, I woulda remembered if not for the near panic attack of losing my favorite hobby. Amanda was my favorite cousin, even though I hadn't seen her since she finished that surprise transition she'd sprung on the family. I probably wouldn't even recognize her now. I didn't know why her sister wasn't coming, but Melanie and I were never very close. Probably had something to do with her being older than Amanda and I.

"Oh, yeah. Do I need to set up the spare room?"

"I took care of that. Just... Don't treat her any different than you used to, okay? Aunt Sarah tells me that there are still some people that treat her badly."

I rolled my eyes. "She's my cousin, Mom. Just because she's not a guy anymore doesn't mean I'm suddenly gonna treat her bad." Hell, a part of me wondered if she crossdressed before that sex change.

"Good. Tomorrow, you meet her at the bus station."

I nodded. "Yeah, I will."

2.

The sun was hitting me hard. It was close to a hundred degrees, and there wasn't a whole lot of shade outside the bus station. I tried going inside for the air conditioning, but they wouldn't let me in. I stood underneath a tree that looked like it had seen better days twenty years ago, but most of the limbs were dead now.

Amanda's bus was supposed to arrive at eight fifteen, but it was a good twelve minutes late. I was starting to regret that pair of panties I had put on, now. They felt wonderful, but the sweat was worse than wearing briefs. I kept having to adjust them every few minutes just to stay comfortable.

Finally, I saw the bus pull into the station, and then five minutes later, people started spilling out of the building. I walked over to the building and recognized Amanda as soon as she walked outside. She looked like a lot like Melanie, but a little more endowed, and somewhat more feminine. Her brown hair had streaks of pink in it, like some anime girl. I almost wanted to laugh, but I was too busy being surprised at just how... Natural she looked. If I had never met her, I'd assume she was born female.

"Hey! Kenny!" she shouted, waving. I wasn't exactly far away, so I didn't understand why she was shouting. "Long time, no see!"

I laughed now. "Yeah, especially since you look like a girl now."

"Uh, I am a girl now. But, you've got a point. How's stuff with you and your mom?"

"Pretty good. How's everybody out there reacted to your... Change?"

She shrugged. "Some better than others. Steve helps, though."

"Steve? That goofy guy you hang out with all the time?"

"He happens to be my boyfriend."

I felt stupid now. "Oh."

"And as far as 'goofy' goes, he's outrageously sweet and that makes up for it."

I picked up the duffel bag she'd set beside her. "Well, I've got Mom's car right now, so let's get going. This heat is killin' me."

She nodded. "Yeah. Just be glad you don't have to wear a bra." She used her hand to fan at her exposed cleavage. "The girls are hot and that gets sorta annoying after awhile."

I laughed again. I almost wondered if it would be a good idea to tell her about the crossdressing.

3.

“So, were you gay?” I asked. The car was being an asshole again. Good thing I actually knew how to fix it. If Mom hadn’t dated that guy who worked at Autozone, this would actually be a problem for me. “No offense, or anything, but I didn’t think people just suddenly started liking their old gender when they had a sex change.”

Amanda was leaning against the side of the car, arms folded under her breasts. “To be honest, I don’t actually know. I mean, I do like guys, but I think I’m just attracted to Steve because he’s my best friend.”

“But, no attraction to girls at all?”

She shook her head. “Not unless admiring them as competition counts.” She smirked. “You got a motive behind these questions?”

I started to blush. “Uh, no.”

“Are you gay?”

“No! I’ve got the hots for girls, pure and simple. It just seemed odd that you didn’t leave the hetero bandwagon even after the opposite genderbecame the one you used to be.”

She smacked me on the head. “Hetero bandwagon…” I heard my text ringtone. “You’re phone’s ringing.”

“Yeah, grab it for me, will ya?”

She reached in and grabbed my phone off the dashboard. “Somebody named Gabby, asking ‘Has she ever seen the foot locker’.”

Oh, crap. “Uh, gimme that, please.”

“This wouldn’t be the same Gabby you’ve had a crush on for most of your life, would it?”

“It is, but gimme the phone.”

She held the phone away from me as I went to take it from her. “Foot locker?”

“Yeah, y’know. That one my dad left me when he, well, left.”

“The one that just sits in your closet being neglected?”

“Yeah, that one.”

She tossed the phone back in the car. “Your mom would know all about that foot locker. Why is it so secret?”

“It’s not important.”

She was full-on smiling now. “Oh, it sure seems important.”

I sighed. “It’s not, okay? Now let’s get going, I got the fan belt back on.”

She opened the passenger side door and sat down. “Yeah, let’s go, because I want in on this foot locker secret.”

I felt the color drain from my whole body. Great. Gabby waits twelve hours to respond to my text, now my cousin’s gonna know I’m a crossdresser.

4.

I was grateful that Mom was down the road at her friend Stacy’s, because pulling out the foot locker would be frightening enough with Amanda alone. If Mom were home, I’d be downright scared. Even so, I locked the door behind us, opened my closet and pulled the foot locker out. “You gotta promise me you’ll never talk about this to anybody but me and Gabby.”

She nodded. “Believe me, I’m good at secrets. Show me.”

I took a deep breath, unlocked the foot locker and opened it. For some reason, I closed my eyes, as if I was walking into a firing squad. Time felt like it was dragging by, and when I finally opened my eyes, Amanda was sitting there poking through all my clothes.

“Where do you get the money to afford this stuff? These are better brands than I wear!”

That breath I’d been holding in fell out in a wash of relief. “You don’t think I’m… Weird?”

She looked amused. “I’m transgender and you’re a crossdresser, if you’re weird, then so am I.”

“And you’re not gonna tell anybody?”

“Good with secrets, remember?” She flashed me a warm smile. “Besides, you’re my favorite cousin, I wouldn’t tell anybody anyway.”

I plopped down on my bed. “Oh, thank God. I was afraid for a minute.”

She pulled out a bright orange demi bra that I only wore once. “Seriously, where does the money for this come from?! If I could wear stuff this nice, I’d be really happy!”

I laughed nervously. “Well, anything that fits, you can have.”

She shook her head. “Nope, this is your stuff, I’ll just have to scrounge up enough to buy it myself.”

I put the clothes away, locked up the foot locker and put it back in the closet. “Thanks, Amanda.”

“You can call me ‘Amy’, y’know.”

“Thanks, Amy.”

“No problem.” She sat down on the bed beside me and hugged me. “We’re family. And, if the mood strikes me, you can be kind of a dress-up doll for me.”

I shook my head. “No.”

“Either way, we’re family. So, do you just crossdress, or are you actually curious about being female?”

I shrugged. “I don’t really know. I mean, the idea seems interesting, because I like the clothes and would kinda like the body to go with them, but… It just seems frightening.”

She put her arm around my shoulder. “Frightening is a word for it. Also, enlightening, wonderful, silky, warm…”

“Warm?”

“Blankets feel warmer now, I can’t explain it.”

“I just… I don’t know. Besides, it’s not like it can happen overnight, and then what if I wanna be a guy again?”

She looked as if she wanted to say something, but before she did, we both heard the front door open. “Oh, your mom’s home.”

5.

“That is some amazing surgery, sweetie,” Mom said, admiring Amy. “How’d they do it?”

Amy shrugged. “Medical magic and Mom’s got good friends.” Something seemed wrong about how she said that. “She sends her love, by the way.”

“On that subject, how’s it feel to be the little sister now? Your mom would tease me a lot when we were going up.”

“Melanie and I have… Interesting moments. I’m a dress-up doll for her more often than I wanna be.”

Mom nodded. “I know what it’s like being the tomboy little sister.”

“Well, I’m not too much of a tomboy. I don’t go out of my way to wear skirts or dresses, but I don’t exactly shy away from cute things, either.” She ran a hand through her hair. “After all, I did have Mel put these pink streaks in.”

“I did something similar. I had your mom bleach my hair.” Mom laughed. “For a boy, of course.”

I was starting to get hungry. “Uh, so what’re we havin’ for lunch?” I asked.

Mom shook her head. “You’re a big boy now, go find something.”

Amy said, “Is that Italian place I like still open?”

“As a matter of fact, it is. Let’s get going, then.”

6.

That Italian place that Amy liked was literally called ‘That Italian Place’, a joke on the part of the owners. Mr. and Mrs. Traversa had the nicest little restaurant in town, and I meant little. Seven tables, and two ceiling lights, the rest of the dining room was lit by candles, real old-world like.

I always got lasagna, Mom always got spaghetti and Amy - when she was Adam - always got pizza. Her taste buds must have changed slightly, because she was ordering the lasagna for the first time since the place opened.

“What? It looked good. It always looks good, I’m just addicted to their pizza.” Amy dug into her lasagna as soon as it hit the table. Mrs. Traversa looked as surprised as I was. “I should bring my boyfriend next time, get him to bring me here.”

Mom popped a meatball in her mouth. “Boyfriend, huh?”

“Yeah. My best friend, Steve.”

“And he’s fine with your being transgender?”

Amy nodded. “Yep. We’ve been friends forever, it just sorta grew naturally.”

I scooped some lasagna into the gullet. “So, do you two…” I said, suggesting the question I had no intention of outright asking.

“That’s none of your business.” She took a sip of the white wine that the Traversas really shouldn’t have been serving minors. “The answer is no, anyway, but it’s still none of your business.”

Mom nodded to me. “At least you had the decency to hide the question, Kenny.”

I chuckled. “No problem.”

“Why didn’t you ask your friend Gabby to lunch, honey?”

I wolfed down one of the pieces of garlic toast that came to the table. “She prefers Mexican to Italian food.”

“Then why doesn’t she ever come over when I make tacos?”

I shrugged. “I ask. She just doesn’t come.” I took a gulp of my glass of wine. “How long you stayin’, Amy?”

Amy held up her hand in a Hold on gesture, then swallowed her food. “Just a couple of days. The house is getting sprayed for roaches. Mom and Dad are having a third honeymoon in two years, Mel’s at her friend’s place, and Steve is visiting relatives back east. Said friend of Melanie’s is also a friend of mine, and Steve’s sister, but they wouldn’t let me stay with them for fear that I’d root around Steve’s room looking for stuff he bought me. Joke’s on them, I know every nook and cranny of Steve’s room, and I wouldn’t actually have to look.”

Mom laughed. “Word from the wise here, your boyfriend’s sister will never let you stay at their house while you’re dating.”

“I figured that out already. Stephanie’s outrageously cliche when it comes to dates, too. Steve has to pay, even when I’ve got more money saved up for the date than he does.”

“Enjoy it. A boy who pays is a boy who stays.” Mom glanced over at me. “You keep that in mind, too, Kenny.”

I took another drink. “Yeah. Bag a guy who’ll always pay for me, that sounds like good advice, Ma.”

“You know what I mean. You make enough from working with Uncle Terry, when you take Gabby out on a date, you should be able to pay.”

“We’re not actually dating, Mom. She’s just a friend, right now.”

“A friend you’ve been in love with since she first showed up in elementary school.”

I shook my head. “I also had a crush on Christy Forsythe, remember?”

“So did all the other boys in your class after she walked into the locker room topless.”

Amy turned red. “Oh… I wasn’t the only one who did that…”

I burst out laughing, probably confusing the other two sets of people at tables in the place.

7.

“You’re being quiet,” Gabby said. She wasn’t even looking at me, she was fixing her makeup while we sat there, just parked at the lake. “How are you this quiet when your cousin came to stay with you for a couple days?”

I shrugged. “Maybe because all we did was go to lunch and she crashed on the spare bed after a four hour bus trip?”

“Still. She knows now, right?”

“Yeah, she knows, why?”

Because now you can get crossdressing advice from somebody who actually crossed the threshold between crossdresser and transgender, this should be a gold mine for you!”

I rested my hand on the steering wheel. “I don’t know if Amy actually was a crossdresser.”

“I’ve seen her Facebook pictures, she dresses way too good to not have crossdressed.”

I laughed. “Nah, she says Melanie helps her out with that.”

“About her for a second, are those implants or did she go with hormones? Because her tits are huge.”

“I didn’t ask, because that would just be rude. Amy’s the closest thing to a sister I have, and I’m not gonna ask her crazy ass questions like that.”

“Oh, cool, so I can ask her when we get back to your place.”

I sighed. Somehow, my best friend and my transgender cousin being in the same room with me didn’t seem all that good. “Just so long as nothing weird happens.”

“Please, you’re thinking too much about this.” She reached for my shirt. “Are you wearing a black bra under here? You’re lucky this shirt is dark, otherwise that thing’d be showing itself off even under your clothes.”

8.

Gabby and I walked into my room, where I found Amy doing something with her tablet. Gabby immediately shut the door and locked it, while Amy just… Well… Laid on my bed doing something with her tablet.

“Amanda, nice to meet you, I’m Gabby,” she held out her hand.

Amy looked up. “Nice to meet you, too. I’ll shake your hand in a second.”

Gabby looked surprised. “Um… Why do I gotta wait?”

“Emailing somebody important. Just… Two… There!” She sat forward and shook Gabby’s hand. “You can call me Amy, by the way.”

I took my shirt off. “What was that email about?” I asked. Amy and Gabby were both staring at me. “What?”

Amy shook her head. “I’ve got the rack to show it off, but he has all the cute bras…” Gabby broke into laughter.

I blushed. “Yeah, yeah, what was the email?”

She turned to Gabby. “You keep his secret pretty well, mind keeping mine, too?”

Gabby nodded. “Yeah, I don’t mind.”

“Okay, now this is gonna sound absolutely crazy, but it’s all true. I didn’t get sexual reassignment surgery.”

“You mean you’ve still got the dick?”

Amy shook her head. “No, I’ve got a vagina, but it’s not cosmetic. I’m one hundred percent genetically female, and a sorceress did it to me.” She looked over at me. “And she’s willing to make you female for a day if you want to.”

I felt my mouth hang open. Crazy didn’t even begin to cover how this sounded.