Since Reginald and Paulette were so merciful, they decided to let their daughters go right to bed when they got back from the Homecoming football game. But they woke them both up early the next morning for a little chat.

"Okay," Reginald said when they'd sat both Genesis and Ramona down in the living room. "So what happened at the football game last night...I'd like to say it was unacceptable, but the truth is, you could've handled it a lot worse. Ramona, I appreciate you taking Genesis into a more secluded area before chewing her out. And Genesis..." He paused, clearly feeling awkward. "I am not a woman, but I know you don't have a lot of control over what happens during your monthly cycle. And, on top of that, you said you did try to stop yourself from vomiting while you were cheerleading."

"I did," said Genesis.

"That's good," said Reginald. "But what's been going on between the two of you...it has to stop. Now. Your stepmom and I have put up with your constant arguing up until this point, but it has to stop. You are sisters now. You have to learn to live with each other, or else our family might get ruined all over again."

"But you're the ones who decided to get married when you knew perfectly well that Gene and I hated each other," Ramona countered.

"We also knew perfectly well that both of you have troubled pasts," Paulette replied. "We hoped that, if you cared to talk with one another, you might be able to put aside your differences. But we are very disappointed that you haven't thought to do that yet."

Neither Genesis nor Ramona said anything. They had a feeling their parents were building up to something bigger, and that they weren't going to like that something.

"However," said Reginald, "It happens that Paulette and I have a business trip scheduled this coming weekend. At first, we were considering taking one or both of you with us, but we've decided that we'll instead leave you home by yourselves."

Genesis didn't know what she was expecting, but it sure as hell wasn't this. "What?"

"We're going to leave you home alone," said Reginald. "Perhaps that'll be an opportunity for you to take some time to work out your differences."

"You think?"

"Of course. You'd be surprised at how well people can bond when they're isolated with one another."

Genesis slumped in her seat. Ordinarily, she would've been happy to be left on her own for a whole weekend, but with Ramona? Ugh. Being locked in the house with her for two days felt more like a punishment.

"And you don't have to worry about food," Paulette added. "We'll leave the fridge stocked for you."

"I wasn't worried about the food," Genesis said to herself.

"May I be excused?" Ramona asked. "I have to get my stuff ready for school."

"Yes, you may," said Paulette. "But Genesis, there's something else we wanted to talk to you about."

"And what was it?"

"It's about the pain you went through yesterday," said Paulette. "Your dad and I thought maybe you should see a gynecologist."

"What's a gynecologist?"

"It's a type of doctor trained to deal with the female reproductive system," Paulette explained. "Usually, they help treat diseases associated with your uterus or ovaries, but they can also help you deal with heavy or painful periods. In your case, a gynecologist might be able to help you reduce the pain you experience during your period."

"I mean...yeah, that would be helpful," said Genesis, "But does it really matter? It's not like I'm gonna be a woman for the rest of my life. Mirna said once she felt like the time was right, she'd turn me back into Gene. And then I won't have to deal with periods anymore."

"Maybe, but we don't know when that time will be," said Reginald. "So it's best to try to deal with the pangs of womanhood until that day comes."

"Alright," Genesis sighed. "I guess I'll go to a gy...gy..."

"Gynecologist," Paulette repeated, more slowly so Genesis would understand.

"Right, thanks."

"And don't worry," Paulette added. "Even Ramona's been to one before."

"Uh...okay, I guess."

***

The following week at school was pretty uneventful, especially since a.) Wallace Mendoza had been sentenced to juvenile detention, meaning he couldn't creep on Genesis anymore, and b.) Genesis wasn't doing cheerleading anymore. At first she kind of regretted having walked out on it, since it meant she wouldn't get to see Charlotte on a daily basis any longer. But she had gotten Charlotte's phone number, so...maybe she could reach out and see if she wanted to hang? That seemed like a good idea, but Genesis didn't feel motivated to do it for some reason. Maybe because she was dreading the weekend so much.

Before Genesis or Ramona knew it, Friday afternoon had come. When she and Ramona got home from school, they found their parents packing up the last of their stuff. "Okay," Reginald said when he'd zipped up his suitcase. "Paulette and I are gonna be gone until Sunday morning. You two have the whole house to yourselves. You can do whatever you want together-watch a movie, do a puzzle, play games, whatever. Just try not to get in any fights."

"And one other thing," Paulette added. "Don't have anyone over."

Genesis bit her lip. "Got it," she said.

"Right then." Reginald shouldered his backpack, then gave Genesis a hug. "You have fun being home alone."

"Bye, Mom," Ramona said as she hugged her mother. "I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you too," said Paulette. Then she and Reginald took their bags and went out the door.

For a minute, Genesis and Ramona just stood there, listening to the sound of their parents' car drive off. "So...what are we gonna do?" Genesis asked.

Ramona smiled. "Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "We throw a party and invite everyone we know."

"What?" said Genesis. "Your mom just said not to have anyone over!"

"Which obviously means that's what we're gonna do," said Ramona. "Look, this is our golden opportunity. Our parents are gone, so we'll be able to do whatever we want without them breathing down our necks. We can throw a huge party without them telling us what we can and can't do!"

When Genesis said nothing, Ramona tried a different tack. "Look. Your dad, and my mom, wanted us to do something fun together, right? Throwing a party is something fun."

"Okay, I guess," said Genesis. "So who are we gonna invite?"

"I'm gonna invite all my best friends," Ramona said as she got out her phone. "Modesty Lyn, Gidget Chapman, Patricia Adams..."

"Could I invite Charlotte Shetty?"

"Of course!" said Ramona.

Genesis pulled out her phone and, for the first time, started typing a text message to Charlotte's phone number. Hey Charlotte, Genesis texted. Party at my place tonight.

Cool! I'll be there, Charlotte texted back.

***

Genesis and Ramona spent the next little while getting things ready for the party. They got out a couple folding tables and scraped together as many snacks as they could from the pantry. Ramona also got out an old karaoke machine, which Genesis didn't even know they had. Ramona also produced a disco ball that she hung from the ceiling.

The first person to knock on their door was Ramona's friend Modesty Lyn. Modesty was a pretty Asian girl with short black hair, rounded cheeks, and shiny red lipstick highlighting her lips. "Hey Ramona," Modesty said, hugging Ramona.

"Thanks for coming, Modesty," said Ramona. "Is your brother still bringing the pizza?"

"Yes, he is," said Modesty. Her brother worked at the local Domino's Pizza, which gave him an employee discount. At Ramona's behest, Modesty had asked her brother to get them a bunch of pizzas with the promise that she'd reimburse him for it later.

"Great," said Ramona.

After that, people started to come in one after another. To Genesis' surprise, a lot of them were girls she didn't really know. It seemed like once Ramona started inviting people over, word got around that the school's resident "popular girl" was hosting a party, and everyone wanted a part of it. So much that when Modesty's brother came with the pizza, he had to circle to the other end of the block because of how many cars were parked across the street.

Genesis was surprised at how much she enjoyed the party. There were so many people there, and there was a lot of good food, and they had their music cranked up so high, it was probably pissing off the neighbors. But fuck the neighbors, Genesis thought. They were throwing the best party ever, and they weren't gonna let up anytime soon.

Charlotte finally showed up at 8:15 PM. When she came in the door, Genesis promptly hugged her. "Hi Charlotte," said Genesis.

"Hi," said Charlotte. "This is an awesome party."

"Thanks," said Genesis. "It was Ramona's idea."

Charlotte looked around at the people bopping to the music, eating food, and slipping into the bathroom to make out. "Do your parents know about this?" Charlotte asked.

"No," said Genesis. "But hey, at least me and Ramona aren't fighting each other. We're actually having fun at this party."

"Oh yeah," Charlotte agreed. She looked over at Ramona, who was using the karaoke machine to belt out a rather good rendition of Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend." Ramona looked to be having the time of her life, singing the song with great gusto.

When she'd sang the final "No way/no way/hey hey!" line, Ramona looked over at Genesis. "Hey Genesis!" she called. "How about you have a turn?"

"Me?" Genesis was surprised, but she wasn't about to pass it up. "Sure!"

"Alright!" said Ramona. "Let's hear it for my stepsister Genesis!" She handed the microphone to Genesis.

Genesis thought for a moment, not sure what she was going to sing. But the next song on the karaoke machine was Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero." Genesis felt her stomach jump when she saw it. When she was Gene, he hadn't been the biggest fan of Tay Tay, but now...well, it looked like she had no choice. So when she heard the first few notes, she started to sing.

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser
Midnights become my afternoons
When my depression works the graveyard shift
All of the people I've ghosted just stand there in the room

To Genesis' surprise, the lyrics flowed really well off her tongue. She felt even more empowered when some of the other people started singing along with her. By the time she got to the chorus, Genesis was singing at the top of her lungs with the rest of the partygoers. When she'd finished the song, Genesis raised her hands as everyone cheered.

"That was awesome!" Ramona said. Then she did something Genesis never would've expected. She hugged her.

No way, Genesis thought. Ramona Dunby was actually hugging her! But she was feeling so exhilarated, she didn't bother trying to break free. She hugged Ramona back and pretended like their rivalry had never happened.

Unfortunately, her euphoria was short-lived. Right when Ramona let go of Genesis, Genesis felt her phone vibrating. She pulled it out and, with a jolt of dread, saw that it was her father. "Quick! Stop the music!" she cried.

"What's wrong?" Charlotte asked.

"My dad's calling me," said Genesis.

"Don't answer!" Ramona protested, her voice filled with panic.

"I have to!" said Genesis. "Or else it'll look suspicious! So everyone, shut up!"

Quick as a wink, everyone froze in their tracks. Even Harry Carson, who'd been about to take a bite of pizza, froze before he could put the pizza in his mouth. Charlotte hastily reached over and unplugged the karaoke machine. Once it was completely silent, Genesis answered her phone. "Hey Dad," she said in the calmest voice she could muster.

"Hey Genesis," said Reginald from the other end of the phone. "How's it going at home?"

"It's going great." Genesis frantically tried to think of a cover-up, but then her eyes fell on the piece of pizza hovering outside Harry's mouth. "Me and Ramona went out and got pizza."

"Oh, you did?"

"Yeah. You know her friend's brother works at Domino's, so we decided to go there."

"Nice," said Reginald. "What are you doing now?"

"We're...watching a movie," said Genesis.

"What movie?"

"Uh..." Genesis looked over at Ramona and mouthed "What movie?"

"How should I know?" Ramona said in an undertone.

"The Hunger Games," Genesis blurted out. She wasn't sure why she answered that. It was just the first thing that popped into her head.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. Earlier I saw an ad for a new movie coming out in a couple months, so I decided I-uh, we-might as well watch the old ones again."

"That sounds fun," said Reginald.

"What about you?" Genesis asked. "How'd your meetings go?"

"Pretty well," said Reginald. "Paulette's still at her meeting, but I'm back at our hotel now. We're both gonna go to our conference first thing tomorrow, though."

"Cool," said Genesis. "Well...I should probably let you go now. You've gotta get your sleep for that conference."

Reginald laughed. "Sure thing," he said. "Have fun!"

"I will."

"I love you."

"Love you too, Dad. Bye." Genesis hung up, then let out a sigh of relief. "That...was...close," she said.

For a few seconds, there was still tension lingering in their air. The tension was broken when Ramona said "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start back up again!" And with that, there was an earsplitting roar as everyone immediately started partying again. And Harry Carson took the chance to finally stuff his piece of pizza into his mouth.

***

The party kept going strong until 12:30 AM. That was when the people started to clear out. By 1:00 in the morning, Genesis, Ramona, Charlotte, and Modesty were the only ones left.

"Wow," said Charlotte. "That was quite a party."

"I know," said Ramona. "I told you it would be awesome."

"So...should we leave now?" Charlotte asked.

"If you're ready to go, then it's okay," said Genesis.

"No, I can stay a little longer," said Modesty. She glanced at the back door and had an idea flash into her mind. "Your house has a pool out back, right?"

"Right."

Modesty lowered her voice, then asked "Want to go skinny dipping?"

Ramona smiled mischievously. "Sure," she said. "You?"

Genesis was surprised by this turn of events, but she nodded.

"I'm in too," said Charlotte.

"Alright then," said Ramona. She and the other three girls went outside and took off the pool cover. Then they all looked at each other with an awkward "Who's going to undress first?" silence.

Since Modesty was the one who'd suggested it, she decided to go first. She took off her shirt and shorts, then went for her underwear. Once she was fully naked, she walked up onto the diving board and jumped off. Modesty splashed into the pool, then came up for air. "Whoo-hoo!" she exclaimed. "Who's next?"

"Me," said Ramona. Genesis felt a little uncomfortable watching her stepsister of all people strip down to her naked body, but she seemed so confident about it, she didn't give it much thought. The nude Ramona did not go off the diving board, and instead jumped in right from the pool deck.

Charlotte went next. Genesis had seen her in her underwear quite a few times in the cheerleader changing room, but seeing Charlotte actually take off her bra and underwear was something different. Her boobs looked so much rounder, and her ass seemed to jiggle even more. If Genesis was still Gene, he would definitely have wanted some of that hairy pussy Charlotte was flaunting.

"Cannonball!" Charlotte bellowed. She bounced off the diving board, curled into a cannonball position, and splashed into the water.

"Alright," said Genesis. "My turn." She took off her shirt and put it down on the pool deck. She slid down her shorts, then laid them down with her shirt. Then she reached back and unclipped her bra. She slowly slid the bra down her arms and stuck out her chest for Ramona, Charlotte, and Modesty to see.

"Nice boobs!" Charlotte complimented.

"I know," Genesis said with a smile. She took both sides of her panties and pulled them down. She immediately felt a breeze on her vagina, but she didn't care. This was the time to flaunt her hot, sexy, feminine body. She proudly marched up to the end of the diving board and dove into the water. She relished the feeling of being completely, fully naked and swimming in the pool. Oh man, it felt so good. Becoming a girl had been worth it just for this.

Genesis came up and swam up to join Ramona, Charlotte, and Modesty. "Having fun?" Ramona asked.

"Yeah," Genesis answered.

"I told you it was a good idea," said Modesty.

"I've never even gone skinny dipping before," said Charlotte. "I thought it would be awkward, but no! It's really fun!"

Ramona smiled at Genesis. "You glad we threw this party?" she asked.

"Yes," Genesis said with complete sincerity. "I really am."

"I told you it would be worth it," Ramona said with a wink.

As she continued swimming naked in the pool, Genesis could not stop smiling. She was doing the unthinkable-actually having fun with Ramona! A week ago, she wouldn't have thought such a thing was possible, but here it was coming true. Maybe Reginald was right. Maybe Genesis and Ramona really weren't so incompatible. Genesis was just having so much fun, she couldn't seem to think about anything else-not even Mirna.

To be continued...