---

Image Credits: Title Picture purchased and licensed for publishing from

123rf.com. The model(s) in this image is in / and are no way connected with this story nor supports nor conveys the issues and situations brought up within the story. The model(s) use is solely used for the representation of looks of the main character(s) of this particular story. ~Sephrena

Divider licensed for use in publishing from Photoshopgraphics.com ~Sephrena.

Legalities: Archiving and reposting of this story *unchanged* is permitted provided that: 1) You must have contacted the author, Kayla, and have asked permission first and received said permission to host this particular work. 2) No fee be charged, either directly or indirectly (this includes so-called "adult checks") or any form of barter or monetary transfers in order to access viewing this work *and* (3) PROVIDED that this disclaimer, all author notes, legalities and attribution to the original author are contained unchanged within the work. 4) The author of this work, Kayla, must be provided free account access at all times the work is hosted in order to modify or remove this work at her sole discretion.

The characters, situations, and places within this work are fictional. Any resemblance between actual people (living or dead), places, or situations is entirely coincidental.

This work is the copyrighted material of the respective author. ~Kayla.

---

 
 

 
 
Chapter 3
 
Sunday morning was like any other for Randy. His mom had left at six am to go to work and he would be at home by himself for most of the day.

He woke up, crawled out of bed, and looked into the mirror. He vaguely saw Kelly's sleepy face staring back at him under his dark hair. He sighed, and headed to the bathroom.

Once he had finished, he walked into his sister's bedroom. There, Randy sat down at the vanity table and then started on the little makeup that he needed. Satisfied, he grabbed a white wool sweater, white blouse and black pleated skirt his sister's closet and laid them gently down on her bed. He hooked on the starter bra and slid the panties from her dresser up over his legs until it rested comfortably into place. He next donned the blouse and then the skirt. After smoothing out the skirt, Randy opened the bottom right dresser drawer and pulled out a pair of white knee-high stockings and slid them up each leg. Then, he meticulously laced up the calf high boots.

Kelly, now feeling more comfortable and assertive, slipped on her white sweater and looked over at her wig.

The finishing touch!

She went and gently lifted her wig up off of the wig stand on the dresser and slipped it over top of her head. Then, while looking in the mirror, she secured her wig by the headband and with a couple of hairpins.

Kelly was now complete.
 

 
Kelly left the house and walked over to the bus stop. Every year, on this day, was a sad one for Kelly. The memories were a part of her.

The bus pulled up with the air brake hissing and a pop - stopping the bus. The doors folded open and Kelly boarded. She sat down in her seat, keeping her skirt smoothed; so different from how she would plop down as her boy self. Kelly leaned against the window, staring out at nothing as the bus began to roll along.
 
 
After a while, the bus arrived at her stop. Kelly had been lucid enough to stop staring towards the end of the ride to notice that she was here. She stood up and exited the bus.

She breathed in deeply and then walked towards the cemetery. Her vision began to blur some as she neared row fifteen, stone thirty-six. On it, read 'Katie Ann Bishop 1999-2010.'

Kelly's voice cracked with emotion “Hey sis! How’s it going?” She placed a folded towel down on the ground in front of the headstone that she pulled out from her handbag and kneeled down on it.

“Gosh! It’s been a while.” Kelly choked out as she looked at the color picture of Katie's smiling face embedded in the stone. Kelly gently pressed her fingers against her sister's picture.

“As you can see, I finally got my courage back to become Kelly again.”

She felt warm water running from both of her eyes. She couldn't it in any longer.

“I miss you so much!!” She sobbed as she leaned forward and rested her head against her sister's image, as if trying to hug her.
 
 
After some time, Kelly pulled out a tissue and began to dab at her face. Most of her makeup had run off, but she didn't care.

“You know that boy I’ve been trying to get the courage to talk to? I went out on a date with him yesterday and kissed him.” Kelly half-giggled while sniffling. “I really like Tommy. He is smart, his personality is great, and he can definitely fight!” Kelly giggled at remembering last Saturday in the theater lobby. Tommy's ability to fight had really inspired within her a new found awe of him. She inhaled deeply.

“He is everything I want in someone to be with.”

Kelly looked down at the ground.

“But I’m scared!! I'm really scared!! I’m scared that I’ll be found out... and become a laughing-stock... of the town!”

She closed her eyes and leaned her head to rest it against her sister's stone. “I'm scared sis. I'm scared Tommy wouldn't like me if he knew! And then mom would hate me...”

Kelly clasped her hands together and held them to her heart. “I don’t want to hurt Tommy! But I don’t know how to tell him without him beating me... or getting angry. Then... then...he will never want to see me again!”

She clenched her eyes until spots of light dazzled her vision.

“I just don’t know Kate. How did I ever get into this mess?”

Kelly slumped against Kate’s grave stone, crying.

“Sis... please... help me.”
 
 
Kelly sat there for a long while after her cry. She let the strands of her wig hair get teased by the slight breeze. The clouds overhead slowly blew along, changing shape and size as they moved. She looked around: listening to the occasional bird chirping, the cars passing by way back towards the street, and feeling the sun on her skin.

Still no closer to a solution for her dilemma, she frowned. Kelly stood up and packed her towel back into her handbag.

Then, she bent forward and lightly kissed the top of her sisters grave stone. “I'll always love you.”

She turned and started to walk away. Kelly stopped suddenly and turned to look back.

Her sister's smiling face on the grave stone stared back at her.
 

 
Kelly was walking along the pathway from the burial plots to the cemetery entrance that faced the street, when her phone rang.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Kelly?” It was Tommy!

Kelly paused a moment and regained her composure of voice. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Not much. Would you like to meet me and my mom at Pizza Hut?” he asked.

An electric tingle passed straight down her spine as she realized there was a Pizza Hut right in front of her across the street! She looked over at it and saw a smiling Tommy waving to her through one of the big windows.

Kelly, trying to shake off that shiver of fear, wondered if Tommy had watched her back in the cemetery? She hoped not. It had to be a coincidence.

“Kelly?” Tommy's voice was still coming through her phone, reminding her that she was still on a call with him. “Come on over. It's our treat. We will wait for you before we order.”

“Coming.”
 
 
She smiled as she walked in.

“Hey Tommy!” she said as she sat down.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Tommy’s mom said.

Kelly saw a beautiful woman with long black hair and in her late thirties. She had a few tattoos that were noticeable and looked like she could handle herself pretty well in a fight.

“I’m Samantha Jones, Tommy’s mother, and you must be Kelly?” she inquired as they shook hands. “Tom told me you were pretty, but he didn’t do you justice.”

“MOM!” Tommy squirmed from embarrassment.

“I’m just kidding around.” she laughed.

“Thank you, Miss Jones.” Kelly said.

“Call me Sam. Everybody else does.”
 
 
The three talked for a while before they were done eating.

Kelly learned a lot about Tommy and his mother as well as their past.
 
 
Before they were about to leave, Kelly had to use the restroom. Sam also said she had to and followed along with her. Kelly hurried to the stall to relieve herself. Once done, she saw that Sam had waited at the sinks for her and was adjusting her makeup in the mirror.

As Kelly washed her hands, Sam got this funny look on her face.

“You know it’s not right to deceive Tommy like that,” she said as she was touching up her mascara.

“What do you mean?” Kelly gave Sam a weird look and pulled out a couple of paper towels, drying her hands off. Inside, she was feeling a knot grow within her stomach.

“I know you’re a boy.”
 
 
Kelly started shaking, stumbled back and fell. Kelly hit tried to grab the sink edge as she was falling down when Sam reached out and caught her. Sam gave a tug and pulled Kelly back upright.

“What are you going on about? I am sorry, I slipped...” Kelly was starting to say when Sam cut her off.

“Look I don’t care.”

Kelly stared at Sam as she turned back to the mirror and started to touch up her hair. Kelly was scared and felt trapped. After a catching her breath, she finally resigned herself to ask, “How? How did..I mean how...”

“Did I know?” Sam finished for her as she looked at Kelly in the mirror. “Because girls don’t have this.” Sam faced her and pointed her finger to the barely noticeable bulge in Kelly’s neck.

“Other than that, you seem like a complete girl.” Sam calmly said as she went back to work on her hair.

Kelly was incredulous that she had been exposed and by no less than Tommy's mother! What was she going to do now?

“You don’t care that I’m a boy? I mean... well... that I am boy, outwardly?” Kelly asked.

“I haven’t seen Tommy this happy since, well...” she paused and had that far away look that came over her face, “since his dad died.”

“That... and... Tommy’s Aunt Carol use to be his Uncle Bobby.” Sam said as she put her hair brush away and pulled out her tube of lipstick.

Kelly was absolutely fascinated. So Tommy's family had someone who was just like her in it!

“So your sister use to be your brother?”

“Mmmm hmmm.” Sam was running a light streak of lipstick on each lip and puckered her lips. “I love my sister just like I loved my brother. And I know all the crap he went through before she was happy. So honestly, I really have no problem with you being who you are. But Tommy, on the other hand, I don’t know about.”

Sam put her lipstick away in her purse and faced Kelly.

Kelly frowned. She felt awful guilty.

“I know. I hate lying by deception and not telling him yet. But other than you, I don't know anyone who would be accepting of me. I think you know what would happen to me if I were exposed to anyone, even in school. I have to be so careful about I am doing and where. Tommy is sweet and caring... and I like him!”

Kelly clasped both her hands together in front of her and mustered what determination she had to say her piece.

“I was trying to find a way and a time to tell him. Just I don't know how. And I'm really afraid, that when I do tell him... he won't want anything to do with me.” Kelly's eyes started to water again.

“I just don’t want to hurt him!” Kelly leaned on the counter staring down into the sink.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. “Look, you’re a sweet girl and I can tell you really care about my son. And whether you know it or not, he really does care about you. Take your time with him and make sure the time is right when you do tell him. Timing is everything.”

Sam pulled Kelly's left hand into hers and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I know my son, and to be honest, I don’t think you being a boy is going to matter that much to him.”

Kelly looked up into Sam's face.

“You don’t?” Kelly asked.

Samantha chuckled. “I’m not saying that Tommy is gay, but I know he knows a pretty girl when he see’s one. And you are one very pretty girl. Besides, he might be a little more accepting then you think.”

Kelly, still feeling truly awful, lowered her head and softly said, “I’m very sorry I lied to Tommy.”

“It’s okay hon.” Sam again reassured her, "I understand the situation that people such as yourself have to go through and face every day. You have to do things to hide, and to survive. That's understandable. And when you care about someone, sometimes you do things that aren’t right at the moment, but in the end, if that person really cares about you, it will all turn out okay.”

“It’s just... I’ve liked him for a very long time. I think... I really lo...” Kelly paused.

“Love him?” Sam finished for her.

“Yes.” Kelly blushed.

They were silent for a minute while that truth of that statement sunk into the both of them.

“But if he finds out who I really am,” Kelly exclaimed, showing desperation in her voice, “I just know... I know... that he will beat the hell out of me!”

“Watch your language dear.” Sam sternly stated. “He won’t beat you, no matter what. Because I’ve raised him to be better than that. He will never raise his hand to a girl, and if he somehow does, he’ll have me to answer to!“

Samantha flexed her hands into fists.

Kelly blinked.

“By the way Kelly, what’s your real name? If you don’t mind my asking?”

Kelly gulped. A cold sensation washed throughout her. “Well you’ve called my house before. You even threatened to blister my hind end a few times.”

Kelly clenched her eyes shut braced for the impact of what she thought would be a very hard blow to her face.

Sam looked at her funny.

Slowly it dawned on her just who Kelly was.

Kelly, not feeling the impact of a blow, much less a slap, opened her eyes.

Sam mouthed the word 'Randy' to her.

Kelly nodded her head slowly.

“Oh my gosh! You're THAT....” and Sam whispered in a hushed tone, “Randy?!!”

Kelly again nodded. “Yes ma’am.”

Kelly knew she had just blew it and was trying to sink into the floor.

“Alright spill! I want to know everything!” Sam demanded.
 
 
Then it all came out: how Kelly came to be, the time after Katie’s death, the trying to suppress her feelings for Tommy, having to see him every day, all of it! Even the crush she‘s had on Tommy since the first day they met! She revealed it all. She even spoke of her light bullying of Tommy in her boy form; because she was so frustrated at how she felt and couldn't express it to him. It was driving her crazy.

Sam finally had to pull a crying Kelly into a motherly hug. “You poor thing. You’ve been through so much.”

“Well this is a pickle” Samantha mused as she gently rocked Kelly. “My son is unknowingly in love with his bully and his bully is head over heels in love with him. This could be a problem.”

Finally, Sam gave Kelly a pat on her back. “Look we’ve been in here almost an hour. So why don’t we go have a nice day at the park, then me and you will talk later while I drive you home. Sound okay to you?”

“Yes Ma’am,” Kelly said.

“Please don’t call me that. It makes me feel old.” Sam said as they were walking out together. “And I'm still young.”
 

 
Tommy was still sitting there at their table.

“There you two are. What happened in there? I thought I was going to have to call a search party or something.” Tommy said.

“Oh, we just had some girl talk that we had to do.” Sam said while looking over at Kelly.

Kelly just nodded, but just remained silent. Tommy took her hand and all three exited the Pizza Hut.

As they piled into their old pickup truck, Tommy could tell that something was different about her. She seemed more relaxed but somewhat sad at the same time. He even noticed that her eyelids were slightly puffy too.
 
 
At the park, they pulled up over by the lake. Tommy and Sam got out and pulled out some fishing gear from the truck bed. Kelly slid down then shut the door on her side and joined them as they all headed down to the water.

Sam sat on the bank and watched the kids as they fished.

“So young and to have gone through so much,” she thought. “But she’s not the only one who’s gone through a lot. I hate lying to her, but some things need time before they can come out. Kelly needed to know I won’t judge her. I just hope Tommy has the sense in him I know he has.”

Sam looked at the picture she had in her hand. It showed a skinny tattooed guy with long black hair with his arm wrapped around a very pretty blond girl. The memories of that night in Georgia came flooding back.

“I miss you...” Sam whispered as a lone tear fell on the girl's face.
 

 
It was getting late. Tommy had caught two small minnows and had them in his catch basket. Kelly almost had one herself, but dropped her pole into the water when the fished tugged hard on the line. It had startled her. The splash of water on her at first had shocked her, then both her and Tommy laughed as he waded in a little to retrieve the pole.

Kelly pulled the towel in her handbag out, and after she dried off, they packed on up and drove on towards home.

They weren’t far from Tommy’s and Sam’s house so they dropped Tommy off first.

“Kelly, I'll see you next Saturday?” Tommy asked.

Kelly smiled. “Sure.”

Tommy gave a goofy grin. “Cool beans! See you then!”

Tommy shut the truck door and waved goodbye to her as he jogged up to the front door.

Sam and Kelly drove on to her house.
 

 
“Did you have fun today?”Sam inquired.

“Yes. Thank you very much for it. And thank you too, you know...for not telling.” Kelly softly replied.

“It’s not my place to tell dear. I do want you to, of course, when the time comes. Tommy might be mad at first, but he will come around.”

“I hope so. I really do.” Kelly whispered as she brought both her knees together and folded her arms against her.

Sam could see the nervousness within Kelly.

“Does your mom know about Kelly yet?” Sam asked.

“No. I haven’t told anyone yet, well, other than you.”

“So have you thought about how you're going to tell him?” Sam asked.

“I don’t know.” Kelly blurted. “It's not exactly like I have ever done this before. This has only been my second time out with him. And I’m scared!”

“It’s best to get this behind you dear. And the sooner the better, before you get in too deep.” Sam said.

Kelly glared back at Sam. “I already said that I don't know how too! What would have me do?”

Sam thought about it for a minute as she slowed at a corner and turned.

“How about this. I’ll put the idea of a proper date somewhere nice in Tommy’s head. I'll forward him the money so you both can have a good time. Then when you and him go out, I’ll trail along in case he does blow a gasket. If he does, I'll help calm him down so that you can explain it to him. You won't be going it alone. I'll be there. Sound like a winner to you?”

“You know what? I think that’s a great idea!” Kelly admitted.

“We can make it a fancy date. You want to go all dressed up, right?” Sam prodded while smiling.

Kelly nodded and blushed.

“Well I'll think of a good place and a good area the two of you can go to and put the suggestion to Tommy. If you get cold feet, there will always be another time. But it would be best to get this out of the way so that the two of you can start being honest with each other. Honesty and trust.”

Sam brought the truck to a gentle stop at Kelly's driveway.

Kelly saw that her mom wasn't home yet. Good.

She got out, and waved at Tommy's mother as she drove off.
 

 
Kelly had a lot on her mind that night as she lay in her bed.

“Miss Samantha is right. I have to tell him. If nothing else, maybe we can at least be friends.” she thought as she drifted off to sleep.

It was a restless night.

---

 
 
To Be Continued...