I saw the package laying on my bed.

"Go ahead and open it," Meg said.

It was a journal. The first page contained a note:
 
 
"Collin, I hope you won't be offended, but you've been like a little sister to me. I want you to write down your thoughts on the journey you're on, and share them with me while I'm at The Rock School.

Love Meg."
 
 
"I'm not offended," I whispered as we embraced, both of us in tears.

I slipped the journal into my suitcase. We were both packed. Our mothers were coming in a couple of hours. It was the changing of the guard. We were leaving. Jack and Maya were staying.

"Let's go see Lindsey and Mauve," Meg said. "They're probably waiting on us."

"Don't you two look like twins," our grandmother said as we came through the den.

Meg found two of grandma's hippie vests and found matching shirts and beads. She made two cutoff blue jean shorts and put peace signs on the pockets.

"Thanks, grandma, I consider it a complement," Meg said.

"And Collin, I swear you look a lot like a girl with that ponytail and those earrings," grandma said.

"Oh come on grandma," Meg said. "Boys wear ponytails and earrings."

"Yeah, you're a little old fashion," I chimed in.

We went to the mall the day before. We settled for matching earrings. They were light blue stars.

"Gender neutral, but pretty," Meg said.

We grabbed our bikes one final time from the shed. Maya's pink bike had grown on me. It really didn't matter to me if the tires on my "boys" bike ever got fixed. We raced down the gravel driveway and down the road. Lindsey and Mauve were riding down the road in the opposite direction.

"Race you guys to the dock" Lindsey shouted.

We parked our bikes next to the dock and walked out over the river. We talked about our races. Meg's skinny dipping incident. And Mauve and me in matching tankinis.

"Next year, we're wearing matching bikinis," Mauve said with a laugh.

"Yeah," I said with a laugh, not knowing if she was being serious or not. Deep down, I guess, maybe I was hoping she was.

The four of us exchanged gifts. Meg and I picked out lockets for Lindsey and Mauve at the mall during our shopping excursion. Meg and Lindsey gave us friendship bracelets.

"Thank you, mi amiga," Mauve said.

"Thank you, girlfriend," I said as we embraced.

"You're a pretty good girlfriend for a boy," Mauve whispered.

"You're so sweet, mi amiga," I whispered back.

"We'll see each other over Thanksgiving and Christmas break, I'm sure," Meg reassured Lindsey.

Just then we saw our aunt's van drive down the road. Our mothers were already waiting.

"Oh boy, we get to spend two weeks with dorkapotamus," Mauve said about Maya.

"Mauve, that's not nice," Lindsey said. "You're talking about their cousin."

"That's okay," Meg said. "She is sort of a dork."

"Yeah, and she can't hear us," I said.

"I'm sure you'll have a good time with her though," Meg said.

"Yeah, and maybe Jack, too," I said.

"Yeah, right, like that's going to happen," Mauve said. "Yeah, I'm sure he's going to ditch the boys for us."

Did I mention I loved Mauve's sarcasm?

#####

Meg and came down our grandmother's steps a final time, our arms loaded with luggage.

"Are you sure you're my little boy?" mom said, grabbing my cheeks. "What's with the ponytail and the earrings?"

"I knew it, Meg did turn you until a girl," Jack said.

"Oh come on," I said defiantly. "Boys wear ponytails and earrings."

"He's just being stylish," Meg said.

"Well, look at you," my aunt said to Meg. "Matching ponytails, earrings and hippie clothes. You guys really did have a good time together, didn't you?"

Meg and I laughed.

"We're going to have a lot more fun during our two weeks next year," Meg said.

"Wait a second!" our cousin Maya chimed in. "It's bad enough I'm going to be stuck with Jack this summer, but next summer, too?"

"Yes," our grandmother said. "They've already requested it. And I got so much work out of them, I promised they could be here for the same weeks next year."

"Well, it's time we get loaded up," my mother said.

"Okay mom, just a sec," I said, giving Meg a final hug.

"You take care little sis," Meg whispered. "We'll chat every night while I'm at The Rock."

"Okay, big sis," I whispered. "You'll do well up there I know."

#####

"We're all dressed, come on in," a voice said after I knocked on the girls dressing room.

"Madame Kathryn said you guys need to hurry, the second act is about to start," I said to Meg as she finished putting on her makeup.

"We're almost done!" Meg said. "Oh my God Collin, you look so cute!"

I modeled my silk coat that came down almost to my knees, and my white tights.

"And you did your makeup all by yourself," she asked, noticing my base, red lips, red cheeks and eye liner.

I shook my head yes.

"You look beautiful," I said to Meg, who was all decked out in her pink dress and pink tight tights, along with her makeup.

Stage makeup, that's what we're wearing before anybody gets any wrong ideas.

Did I mention that I talked mom into letting me take ballet at the same school as Meg? We're in the middle of our first performance of the seven shows we're doing over the next four days.

I'm in the Chinese Tea Dance. Meg's in Waltz of the Flowers.

It's part of our big Nutcracker Adventure.

But I'll save that for another story.