“Girls wake up,” Eiko said. I opened my eyes and saw her standing next to the bed. “You two were so cute, I just had to take a picture.” 

     I felt my face go warm as I remembered how close Yuna and I slept last night. 

     “Morning,” Yuna said with a yawn, she opened her eyes and realized she was lying on top of me “Sorry.” She hastily untangled herself and sat up.

     I sat up as well and said softly, “It’s ok. Ms. Eiko, why am I here?” 

     “Your friend Kaito dropped you off. He said it was too far for him to carry you to your house,” she said as she left the room, 

     I blushed and looked for her phone. 

     “Since you’re here, why don’t we have breakfast?” Yuna said. 

     “I’d like that, but I don’t have any clothes with me.” 

     “It’s ok you can wear some of mine. I have something you’d look great in.” Yuna jumped out of bed and started rummaging through her drawers. I watched her with a smile. “There it is.” She stood up and held up a dress. 

     “I don’t know...” I wasn't sure if I was ready to wear a dress. 

     “Please,” she begged, holding up her hands to her chin. 

     “Ok, 'cause you asked me to.” 

     “Yay,” she said, jumping with happiness and handing it over.

     I stood up and took off my clothes. “How do I…?” 

     “Oh, that one goes over your head.” 

     I lifted it up over my head, holding my arms straight up and letting it fall down around me. I glanced at the mirror and did a little twirl, the sky-blue dress looked amazing on me. Once again defeated by Yuna’s fashion sense. It really did make me look pretty though, I blushed and Yuna squealed.

     “I knew it would look amazing on you. Do you want it?” 

     “Are you sure?” 

     “Yea, it doesn’t really fit well anymore. Plus, it looks so much better on you.” 

     “You’d be really pretty in a dress too,” I said without thinking. My face grew warm once I realized what I had said.

     Yuna blushed too and stammered “Th...th...thank you.”  

     The two girls stood in silence, unable to look at each other for a few seconds before Yuna’s mom called from the other room. 

     “We should go eat,” Yuna said, and they both left the room. 

     “Sit at the table girls. Asuka dear, that dress looks wonderful on you. Your face is red, are you feeling well? Yours is too Yuna…” She paused then smiled with a mischievous grin and went back to preparing breakfast.

     “Who else is coming to the beach?” Asuka asked

     “Well Mei’s grandma lives not too far away, so she’ll be able to come. Mana went overseas with her parents. And Misaki went to visit family but she should be back before the trip.”

     “That's good, I'm looking forward to hanging out with everyone again.” 

     “Where do Mana and Misaki go to school?”

     “We used to be in elementary school together but they go to a girls school now.”

     “Hurry and eat girls, we have a busy day,” Eiko said.

 

***** 

 

     “Asuka what do you think about this one?” Yuna asked excitedly. 

     “It’s so cute, what do you think about this?” I had really been enjoying shopping with her. 

     “I think it suits you. Let’s try them on. “ 

     I went into one of the changing rooms and Yuna went into another. After changing into the swimsuit I examined how it looked in the mirror. I was hesitant at first but it really does suit me. It was a two-piece with nice colors, a pink and blue swirling pattern, with frills on the top around the chest and butt.

     “Lemme see,” I heard Yuna say.  

     “How is it?” 

     “It looks great.”  

     I examined her swimsuit. She picked a two-piece as well. Hers was multi-colored, with a skirt around the bottom. She smiled and said, “I love yours too, it suits you.” 

     I gave her a smile then went back into the room to put back on my dress.

     “Do you have what you two are getting?” Eiko asked. 

     “Yea Mom,” Yuna said as we walked up to the register to pay. 

     “What else should we do? Im having a lot of fun right now.” I don’t want to go home right now. 

     As we left the store Yuna pointed at a photo booth, “Let's take pictures.” She took my hand and led me over. “After you,” she said opening the curtain. Yuna went up to the console and we took pictures. “See now we can do stuff like drawing and adding stickers,” she smiled and grabbed the pen as she started drawing over the pictures. 

     “That’s so cool! Can I try?” Yuna handed me the pen and I added a couple of things. 

     “That's cute.” 

     "Here, I’m done,” I said, my hand brushing Yuna’s as I handed the pen back. 

     “Th..thanks,” she said looking at me, her face flushed. My hand shook slightly as my heart beat hard in my chest. What's up with me? 

     “Look, these stickers are really cute,” I said, pointing at the screen with a smile. Yuna watched me, unable to tear her gaze away. She gave me a strange look when I smiled at her and said “I’m glad you’re my friend.” 

     “I’m glad too. You look so happy like your eyes are sparkling,” Yuna said with a smile. She put some finishing touches on the pictures, then printed them out. 

     “Girls over here,” Eiko said when she saw us exit the booth waving us over. “Having fun?” We both nodded and smiled. “Good, it's time to go back home.”  

     Both of us protested as Eiko stood up and led us away. 

 

***** 

 

     “I’m back,” I said walking through the front door. The house was oddly quiet as I closed the door behind me. I took off my shoes and grabbed something to drink from the fridge. There was a note on it that said Mom would be back later and that there was food in the fridge. I wasn’t hungry yet so I went to my room and put away what I bought. I turned on my computer and sat down at it.

     “Dad’s not here again,” I said to myself as I looked for a video to watch. Just as I found one the door was thrown open with a loud bang. My heart began to hammer in my chest as I jumped up and slid under my bed. In my panic, I left my phone on my dresser. There were heavy footsteps outside my room. I slid back as far as I could as my door handle started turning. It opened and I saw someone's feet as they walked in.

     There was grumbling and the smell of alcohol the person stood in the center of my room before they let out a yell and began tearing the posters off my walls. He was shouting incoherently as he ripped them off and tore them to shreds before dropping them on the floor. Then he walked to the bookshelf and began to throw the manga off the shelf. Scattering them across the ground.

     With a grunt and groan he left my room and I heard my parent's door close. I slid out from under my bed and quietly made my way to the front door. I grabbed my phone and was about to put on my shoes when I saw my dad come out of his room.

     “I knew I saw you in a dress…” he said, his voice dark and angry. There was a look I’d never seen on his face before as he took several unsteady steps toward me. “Take it off now or I'll rip it off,” he yelled as he lunged toward me.

     I scream a loud shrill piercing scream that I didn't even think I was capable of making as I turn and ran out of the house. He chased me for a bit screaming at me to come back. But I could barely hear him over the pounding in my ears. I heard him fall but I didn't risk turning around to see if he was still chasing me. I just continued to run, the ground was hurting my feet. My lungs were burning as I struggled to breathe.

     By the time I reached Yuna’s house, the adrenaline had begun to wear off. I was dripping with sweat as my whole body began to shake. I pressed the intercom and Eiko’s voice came through.

     “Hello.”

     “Hi Ms. Eiko,” I started to say but my voice shook, “can I…”

     “I'm coming down, stay there,” she interrupted. Less than a minute later the door opened. “What happened?” Eiko asked out of breath.

     I rushed forward and hugged her. The tension I had felt was released as I started crying. “Can I come in…”

     They went inside, Yuna standing at the door. She hugged me the moment I walked in. “What happened?” she asked. I shook her head, just hugging her tighter. “Tell me later then.” 

     I held her a moment longer before letting go. “I’m sorry I came back so soon,” I said as I sat down on the couch.

     Yuna sat down next to me, “It’s ok, Mom looked really worried when she heard you.”

     “She sounded like she just escaped someone. What happened?”

     “When I got home I went to my room. And Dad came home. He got mad at the dress you gave me. And I ran away…” I said with a haunting look in her eyes. Purposely leaving out the details. Though Eiko eyed me suspiciously. “Can I stay here until my mom comes home?”

     Eiko sighed and said, “You’re more than welcome to.”

     “Thank you.”

 

*****

 

     “I’m sorry Yuna,” I said, “thank you for walking me home.”

     “I don't mind.”

     We walked up to my front door, and I stood there with my hand on the doorknob, shaking in fear. Yuna placed a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and opened the door.

     “I’m back,” I said nervously.

     “Take care,” Yuna said to me as she started walking back home.

     “Welcome home sweetie,” Mom said from the other room. “Are you alright?”

     “Yea I’m ok… is Dad home?”

     “No, he’s out.” 

     I let out a sigh of relief, “I’ll be in my room.” I opened my door expecting there to be a mess. But it was apparently cleaned up. It had all been picked up and was gone. My bookshelf was empty, I checked my dressed but nothing was missing. There was a note on my desk, the handwriting was shaky and hard to read.

     “Stop acting like a girl and be a man.”

     Why? Why is Dad doing this to me? “It’s not like I asked for this to happen,” I said to myself lying down on my bed. I wish I could just be normal… Standing up a few minutes later I wiped the tears from my eyes, I've been crying a lot lately… With a deep breath, I opened my door and went out to the living room.

     “Are you feeling well?” her mom asked.

     “Yea just a little tired,” I said. “What are you looking at?”

     “I found the photo albums. You were so cute as a kid.”

     I sat down next to Mom and looked at them. There were a lot of Hinata, but there weren't many of me. “How many pictures are there of me?” I asked.

     Mom flipped back to the beginning of the book. “These are just after you were born. The nurses thought you were just the most adorable baby,” she said pointing at a picture of her in the hospital holding me. “Here's when you started walking,” she pointed to another. But I was distracted by a picture on the other page.

     “Mom, who's that girl?” I asked, pointing at a picture of a little girl standing behind her leg as she held a baby.

     “Huh?” She looked at the picture. “That's you.”

     “Me? Then who are you holding?”

     “I'm holding your cousin.”

     “But… Why do I have long hair? And why am I wearing a dress?”

     “Well, when you were little you would get upset when we cut your hair. So we let it grow out.”

     “But why the dress?!?”

     “It was cute, when we went shopping you really liked it and kept asking. We let you try it on and you refused to take it off. So we bought it, and you wore it every day.”

     “I don't remember that.”

     “Of course not, you were only three. After you started elementary you cut off all your hair. The school said some boys were teasing you about it. You were so upset about it at the time, but when you didn’t grow it back out we thought you must not have grown out of it.”

     “Did I have other girl clothes?” 

     “You loved to dress up. Though as you got older your father started refusing to buy them for you. When you turned into a girl I thought that it might have been my fault. For letting you wear girl clothes and have long hair. But seeing you so happy again is making me glad.”

     “Mom…” I began. Hugging her as I started crying. “I wanted to grow my hair but I was afraid.” 

     “How are you feeling lately? Do you like being a girl?”

     “I,” she paused and shook her head, “do, but I don’t. I've been having fun, but also it's been scary.” 

     “If you want to be a girl, then you should be a girl. And don't let what anyone says get to you. I'm going to start getting dinner ready.”

     “Ok Mom,” I said before flipping through the pictures.