The Girls of Summer: 2

 

Hunter is facing a summer of solitude due to his condition, but maybe there is hope for attending a
different summer camp? Attending would mean some changes, though...
I am truly thrilled that you enjoyed Chapter 1. I hope that you enjoy Chapter 2 as well!

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Author's Note: *Mary Ellen's usage of the word "Hunny" is short for Hunter - not slang for honey.
Thank you all for so many positive and supportive comments! ~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 2 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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Chapter 2
 

"No. I'm just not going, dad. I'm not doing it," Hunter was adamant at the breakfast table the next morning. Bob and Joyce were surprised to see him downstairs so early during the first week of summer vacation, but Bob was glad that he had a moment to discuss baseball camp with him before leaving for work.

"I hate to see you do this, pal," Bob said as he ate his toast and drank his coffee. "I know how much you loved going last year. We can talk to the councilors and work something out, I'm sure. You're just cutting off your nose to spite your face, right now. You have a medical condition, son. That is all. People deal with their medical conditions. They don't lock themselves away and hide from the world."

Hunter was still wearing the kitty cat pj's he'd worn to bed and Bob couldn't help but sneak glances at his chest every now and then. Geez, did he get bigger over night, or was Bob just seeing things clearly for the first time? This conversation was quickly becoming moot. The more Bob looked at his son, the more he knew that the kid could never survive ten days at an all-boys-sleep-away-sports-camp. Those breasts would show unless the were bound and if they did that, his rash would never heal.

"I'm not going, dad. The other guys will eat me alive."

Bob took a deep, resigned breath and spoke on his exhale. "Alright, then. I'll call the camp this morning and tell them you won't be coming. We'll lose a pretty healthy deposit and you'll miss out on something you enjoy, but... if that's what you want, then that's what I'll do." He knew he was coming down a little hard on the boy under the
circumstances, but he felt like it was the right way to parent at the moment. A little 'tough love' so the boy might try other things this summer.

"It's not what I want, dad, but I won't go like this."

"Ok." Bob stood and grabbed his sports coat and the messenger bag he used as a briefcase and prepared to leave. He kissed his wife, then kissed the top of Hunter's head. "Do what your mother tells you, today. I don't want to hear about any fights. Remember, we're doing what the doctor said had to be done."

"Yes, sir." Hunter nodded, looking very put upon.

Bob and Joyce exchanged concerned glances and Bob left for work.

Joyce waited until Hunter finished eating his Corn Chex cereal before she spoke. After he said 'no thanks' to some toast or some fruit, Joyce got to the matter at hand. "Hunter... last night, your dad and I picked up a few things for you - to help you, that is - and this morning I'd really like it if you and I could calmly go through everything and see how everything fits. Ok?"

He nodded, sullenly.

"Good morning," Mary Ellen chirped as she entered the kitchen, already wearing her one piece bathing suit, her hair brushed beautifully and not wearing any makeup. Even without makeup, though, she had that healthy, girl-next-door look that just looked wonderful.

"Hi, sweetheart," her mother said, showing a worried smile.

"You look nice, Hunny," Mary Ellen complimented as she gave her stepbrother a hug. "Your hair's a little wild this morning, but that's probably because I brushed it so much last night." She laughed a little at his disheveled hair, then ran her fingers through it a bit in a failed attempt to tame it. "Are you going to come swimming this morning?"

Hunter shrugged and looked at Joyce who said, "Before he does anything else, I need your brother to try on some of the clothes we bought him last night."

"Oh, ok." Mary Ellen nodded, grabbing a pre-made yogurt smoothie from the fridge. "I can help if you want."

"Well... it might be easier if you let us do this privately, Mae. Some of the clothes are kind of... personal and..."

"I'd rather have Mae help me, if that's ok, mom," Hunter said, probably more abruptly than he'd intended. "I mean... if it's ok with you."

"Ok." Joyce looked at her daughter and then at Hunter. "Is there a reason you'd rather not have me help you?"

Hunter looked a little embarrassed. "I don't know, mom... it's just that... Mae is a little... cooler about these things. I mean... everything seems kind of life and death with you right now and... I'm sorry... I'm just a little more comfortable with Mae. Sorry."

That did make sense, of course. The kids were very close and Joyce supposed that she should be grateful for that at this particular moment. Although, when she thought back to Mary Ellen's frantic revelation of Hunter's condition two nights earlier and then the conversation she and Bob had had with her in their bedroom the previous night, it felt as if Mae was the one who was seeing things in life and death terms, not her. Regardless, the important thing was that they get Hunter into the supportive, moisture wicking clothing with as little drama as possible.

"Alright." She smiled at her children. "That's great. Thank you, Mary Ellen, for helping and Hunter... thank you for being honest with me." She picked up some papers from the doctor's office and reread the instructions. "Before you try on anything, though, Mae could you, maybe, take a damp wash cloth and just clean off his rash area? It says that it should be cleaned a few times a day. I think you can hold off on putting on any more cream, though - especially if he's going swimming."

"Absolutely!" Mary Ellen grinned, happy to be helping.

About ten minutes later, the two step-sibling were in Mary Ellen's room with all the bags from the night before. Mary Ellen had suggested they go into her room because, not only was it a little bigger, but also because she had a queen sized bed that would give them more room to lay everything out.

"Wow," she said as she used a moist face cloth to wipe the areas clean where Hunter's rash had been treated. "Whatever is in that cream is working really well. All the little cuts are closing up already. It looks a lot better."

Hunter could see himself in the mirror mounted on Mary Ellen's closet door and he could see that his rash was much less inflamed. But as he stood there, shirt off and arms held over his head while his stepsister wiped him clean, his eyes spent more time looking at his breasts than any other part of his body.

And for some reason, that morning he found them more fascinating than hateful.

When she was done, Mary Ellen used a dry towel to make sure Hunter was dry before applying a little flower scented powder as well. Then she began laying the articles in the bags on the bed. She could tell by the look on his face, that Hunter was having mixed feelings about trying on these items.

"Relax, Hunny. They won't bite." She pointed at the piles she'd created. "Look: these are camisole's. Just tee shirts, really, but with some extra support. These are some very plain sports bras, nothing fancy. These are running tops with built in shelf-bras that will look like regular tee shirts and these are swim tops."

"What are those?" Hunter asked, pointing at the last pile.

"Umm... bike shorts and yoga pants."

"Why did mom buy me stuff like that?" Hunter wondered aloud.

"I don't know." Mary Ellen shrugged and patted his back. "We'll try on the other stuff first, though. Ok?" She held up the simplest, least threatening cami. "Come on. Let's start with this."

He felt the slightly silky material of the garment and shook his head. "I don't know if I can, Mae. It's all so... girly."

Mary Ellen nodded and thought for a moment. "Hey... How about we play a game? For right now, you know... while we're trying on these clothes... let's just pretend that we're sisters, ok? So, instead of you being my little brother, we'll pretend that you're my little sister and I'm teaching you about clothes, the way an older sister would. How about it?"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "That's stupid."

"Yeah, but it could be fun for a few minutes. Right?" He didn't say anything. He just stared at the clothes on her bed. "Come on. Let me have some fun."

"I don't know," Hunter half laughed. "Seems kinda lame."

"It's better than fighting with mom, though, isn't it?"

That made the boy laugh. "Yeah. I guess."

"Then, come on, little sister. I'm going to teach you all about bras."

Rather than start with the camisole's, Mary Ellen picked up one of the beige, fairly style-less sports bras and explained it's workings to her stepbrother. "See, the material is very stretchy, but the inside is soft against your sensitive parts. It holds your 'girls' nice and tight, though, so when you run or bounce, 'the girls' stay tight to your chest."

She had Hunter hold up his arms and she slid the stretchy garment onto him, showing him how to adjust 'the girls' into their cups. It did bother Hunter that he filled the cups quite nicely, but Mary Ellen made such a big deal over how nice his breasts looked in the bra, that he just laughed and let her have her fun.

It didn't take long for Hunter to realize that having some fun with Mary Ellen was a lot better than getting lectures from his mom. So, for the next twenty minutes, he pretended to be her little sister and even felt comfortable asking her some questions about how some of the tops looked, what situations would call for these clothes and what kind of clothes would go with the ones he was wearing.

"Hey, mom?" Mary Ellen asked when she hurried downstairs after trying on almost all of the clothes. "What are the bike shorts and yoga pants for?"

Joyce was still in the kitchen, washing up a few glasses left from breakfast and the night before. "Oh... Dr Clemente said that his rash was so bad, that she was afraid that he could have break outs in other parts of his body. So, she suggested that he wear moisture wicking material anywhere that moisture could gather - Under his breasts, his arm pits and around his groin. So, I picked those up."

"Oh, ok," her daughter nodded. "Oh, by the way - you only bought Hunter one swim top."

"No." Joyce thought for a moment. "I bought three, didn't I?"

"No, the one with the pink and blue palm trees is a swim top, but the other two are tankini's. Do you want me to just use the tops?"

"Oh." Joyce shook her head, realizing she'd have to return them. "I guess I was in a hurry. No. No, don't use it if he just needs a top. I'm sure we could get a top cheaper than the whole ensemble." She stopped her daughter as she headed back towards the stairs. "So... how is it going up there? I haven't heard any shouting."

Mary Ellen smiled. "Everything is fine. We've tried on everything except that bike shorts - and the tankini's, of course."

"Wow," Joyce muttered in mild disbelief. "That's great. Thanks, Mae."

"Not a problem." Her daughter smiled. "To tell you the truth, we're having fun. We're pretending that Hunny is my little sister and I'm teaching her the finer points of bras."

Joyce stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter. "And that's working?"

"Yeah."

Joyce nodded and held up one finger to tell Mary Ellen to wait a moment. She hustled out of the room and returned a moment later with a small bag. "See if you can get him to try this on. The woman I spoke to in the lingerie department at Kaufman's said that this was a very popular brand of bra for younger girls because it's so comfortable."

Mary Ellen opened the bag and saw the rather standard looking bra designed for a young girl entering womanhood and she looked at her mother with a bit of skepticism. The reason for that skepticism was the very 'standard' nature of the bra. It had thin straps that looked to be fairly comfortable, a narrow, two hook-and-eye strap across the back, but the cups had a lace appliqué along the edges and there was a tiny, pink bow on the band between the two cups.

"I know," Joyce nodded, "but hear me out. I think the key to getting him wearing the underwear he needs right now is keeping everything as gender-neutral as girls' underwear can be - BUT - I think that the key to KEEPING him wearing the clothes is making him comfortable. The saleswoman said this was the most comfortable and popular bra for girls his age, so... Just see if you can get him to try it on. Please."

"Ok," Mary Ellen nodded, "I'll try, but no promises."

"I know."

When she got back to her bedroom, Mary Ellen found her stepbrother wearing a peach colored, sleeveless tee shirt with rather wide arm holes that showed off the strap of the built in bra as it passed under his arm pits. The built in bra also created a bit of a bust for him and the way that his tee shirt hung made that bust more obvious. The color was certainly not a color that she'd ever seen used in boy's clothing, either. He was looking in the mirror and, from where Mary Ellen stood, he looked like a girl with a bit of a tomboy look to her - certainly not like a boy, though - and the way he was shifting from side to side to see how his bust looked, was not a very boyish manner of inspecting one's body, either.

"You look very pretty in that, sis," she teased as she entered.

"You can see my boobs, can't you?"

She moved to his side and looked into the mirror with him. "Hunny... I think you're going to have to accept the fact that, at least for a while, you're going to have those girls on your chest, no matter what you do. So, why not just celebrate them and enjoy how they look? Like... say, 'Hey, world. Look at how good I look!' What do you say?"

He shrugged. "I'm kinda getting the feeling that the only way I'm going to be able to do anything this summer is to start dressing like this. Like a girl."

Mary Ellen wrapped her arms around Hunter's tiny shoulders. "There's a lot worse that could happen, Hunny. A girl at my school was in a car accident this year and lost her leg. A boy got some kind of cancer and had to quit school so he could have treatments. If you compare those things to having some pretty tatas and having to wear some soft, pretty, comfortable clothes, it's not that bad, is it?"

"I guess not," he sighed. "I'll still need to avoid the guys from the park, though. Maybe this will all straighten itself out before school starts."

She kissed the top of his head. "I hope so, but... until then... do you really mind being my little sister?"

Hunter looked at the smile on his sister's face and chuckled at how excited she looked. "I guess not. As long as the guys don't ever find out."

"Ok." Mary Ellen smiled and then explained why the bike pants and yoga pants had been purchased. "We can try those on later, though. Let's look at that swim top again, though, and maybe we can go swimming."

She helped Hunter out of the tee shirt and was about to pick up the swim top, but stopped and then acted as if the bag her mother had given her was an afterthought. "Umm... Hunny... mom bought you one more bra that you need to try on. Ok?"

He shrugged and she pulled out the lacy item.

"Whoa," he said and he looked scared. "That's got a lot of..."

"I know," Mary Ellen stopped him, "but no one will ever see it but you and me, and if you're going to have to wear girls' clothes, then why not wear something pretty and comfortable?"

He thought for a moment, then quietly said, "Ok. I guess."

"Ok." She smiled and helped him get the the delicate item on correctly. When it was on and adjusted, Mary Ellen asked, "That's not too bad, now is it?"

In fact, it was pretty wonderful. The elastic feel of the band was much less binding than the firm feeling of the sports bras and the very soft padding of the cups gently hugged his new and sensitive breasts much more comfortably than anything he'd tried on before. "No. It's not bad. It's kinda..." he looked at his reflection and the pretty lace bra with the adorable pink bow and he was speechless.

"Nice?" Mary Ellen asked. "Does it feel nice?"

He nodded.

"Then wear it, Hunny. No one will know and no one will care. Alright?"

He nodded.
 

~^~
 

"Mom! We'll be in the pool!" Mary Ellen called as they passed through the house and she opened the slider to go out to the patio.

"Ok." Joyce called from her desk where she did a couple of hours of billing work for a local medical office everyday.

Around eleven, she finished up her work for that day and she decided to make a cup of tea. She could hear laughter coming in through the windows, so she knew the kids were enjoying themselves in the pool. She grabbed the electric kettle and went to the sink to add water. When she looked out the window over the sink, she saw Mary Ellen on the diving board. Her daughter took a few hurried steps to the end of the board and she bounced high and did a flip before entering the water with grace.

"That was great!" Hunter applauded from the shallow end. "I'll try it again."

Joyce looked at the boy and noticed that he was not wearing the short sleeved swim top with the pink and blue palm tree print, but rather was wearing a sleeveless, dark blue top with horizontal white stripes along the side to create a somewhat slimming affect. Yes, she remembered buying the top, but Mae had said that two of the swim tops were actually two-piece swimsuits.

Then Hunter lifted himself out of the shallow end and headed for the diving board and it became very obvious that Mary Ellen had not been wrong. Her stepson was actually wearing a tankini style swimsuit - the horizontal striped blue and white top and the solid blue panty - and to tell the truth, he looked rather lovely in it.

Her first impulse was to run out and find out how this had come about, or at least tell Hunter how nice he looked, but instead, she just watched, fascinated by what she saw. Hunter, who typically just swam laps to work on strength and speed, was following Mary Ellen's instructions in order execute the kind of dive that incorporated the gymnastics that Mae had been doing for years.

And he was doing quite well.

Joyce sipped her tea and watched for a good long while, but when her cup was empty, she wandered casually out onto the patio and sat on a lounge chair with her Kindle and pretended to read and ignore her children.

Eventually, they got out of the pool and joined their mother on the patio, drying themselves with oversized, fluffy, white towels before sitting on lounge chairs as well.

"How's the water?" Joyce asked.

"Perfect." Mary Ellen grinned, waiting for her mother to bring up Hunter's suit. "You should get your suit on and come in for a little while."

"Maybe I will, a bit later," Joyce smiled, "but, of course, I would look like a dumpy old lady compared to you two."

"Yeah, right," Mary Ellen laughed. Her mother was a very fit and attractive woman.

"That's a very pretty swimsuit, Mae," Joyce said nonchalantly. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh, this?" She said, knowing where the conversation was headed. "I got it when we were at the beach last summer. I got it at that place near the fried fish place we went nearly every night. Remember?"

"Oh, yes. Now that you mention it, I do recall. That was a nice place. Lots of pretty suits."

Mary Ellen just smiled and waited.

"And Hunter," Joyce said with a casual air, "do you like your new suit?"

"I guess," Hunter said, sounding a little embarrassed. "Mae and I were kind of pretending that I was her... well... anyway, she said she'd show me how to do some of those fancy dives she can do if I wore one of the new suits so that my trunks didn't come off when I dove in - like they did last time I tried."

"That's fine," Joyce said, maternally. "Can I see how it fits?"

He sighed and stood, coming to his stepmother's chair side. Joyce inspected the way the two piece suit fit the boy. The top fit snuggly and seemed to mold his figure just a little bit femininely - of course that may have just been because it also displayed the shape of his breasts rather nicely. She also noticed that there was not a noticeable bulge where one should be. That was a little worrying. Perhaps Mary Ellen had told him to tuck it away or something.

"Turn and let me see the back," she instructed him.

Hunter turned and she inspected the way the bottom of the suit fit his rear quite nicely, too. In fact, it seemed to offer some shape and support back there and he had the beginnings of a bubble shaped bottom. Also worrying, but then again... maybe it was the shaping nature of the panty-type bottom that gave him the round bottom and smooth crotch.

She ran a finger under the hem of the elastic leg hole to feel the fit. This was a move that she'd done a hundred times to Mary Ellen. A maneuver that allowed her to see if the fit was correct, while also adjusting the bottoms to ensure that her bottom was completely covered. Mary Ellen was very familiar with her mother's hands doing things like that, but it surprised Hunter and he let out a little squeal of, "Mom! What are you doing?"

Both Mary Ellen and Joyce laughed at his reaction.

"I'm just checking that it's not too tight, Hunter," Joyce giggled. "Is the suit comfortable?"

"Yeah," Hunter replied, still sounding a bit shocked. "It's very comfortable."

"Good." Joyce smiled. "At least we've dealt with one difficult issue."
 

~^~
 

Bob came home at his usual time and parked in the driveway, noting that Joyce's car was not in its usual spot. He grabbed his work things and went into the kitchen where no food was being prepared.

"Joyce?" He called.

"On the patio!" Came a reply.

Bob went out through the slider and found his wife reading and looking very pleased with herself.

"Hey." He smiled. He sat on one of the patio chairs and looked around. "So... how was your day?"

"Better than we could have possibly expected." She smiled. "Mae took the lead and Hunter tried on everything without a single gripe. He even went a little further than we expected and tried on a few of Mae's old things that definitely fit him better than his own clothes."

"Really?" Bob nodded. "That's... excellent, I guess." He looked around. "Sooo... where are the kids?"

"Picking up dinner from the Ming Dynasty. They were both so good all day that I treated them to Chinese for supper."

"Sounds good." Bob nodded.

"We're home!" Mary Ellen called from the kitchen. "We're setting everything up in the TV room so we can watch a movie tonight! Come and get it!"

Bob stood and offered his beautiful wife a hand. Joyce stood and smiled at her husband. When she reached the slider, she said, "Before we go in...When you see Hunter, just smile and be supportive, ok? He's come a long way today."

Bob gave Joyce a confused look and then said, "Of course. When have I ever not been supportive?"

She stretched up and kissed his cheek. "Yeah... well... Take a breath. And let's go in."

When they walked into the TV room, Mary Ellen and Hunter were setting out the food and dining implements on a large table on the side of the room. Bob expected to see his son wearing one of the outfits they'd bought him the previous evening. Instead, he saw his son, his hair combed in such a way that it stuck up in messy waves. It was unkempt, but it also had more volume than usual. Besides the hair, instead of one of the tops they'd bought the night before, he was wearing a short sleeve, V necked, hooded, lightweight cotton top with matching short shorts. Both were made of lightweight cotton material, with a very pale grey background and fairly undefined, vertical lines of fairly pale purple and fuchsia. It was an outfit that Bob recognized. In fact he remembered the afternoon that Joyce and Mary Ellen had done the tie dye project that created the ensemble. Joyce was disappointed that the colors hadn't set as deeply as she'd hope, but Mary Ellen loved the final product and wore the outfit almost constantly the entire summer she was eleven years old. By the next summer, she'd out grown it. Bob had no idea that the outfit was still around. Either Joyce or Mary Ellen must have held on to it for sentimental reasons.

'Why was Hunter wearing it?' was the question that ran through Bob's head, though. Just then, Hunter leaned across the table to grab a plate and, despite his desire not to do so, Bob caught a glimpse of the boy's bra through the V neck opening. Of course, Bob knew that Hunter needed to wear a bra for the time being, but the bra he was wearing was not one of very plain, sports bras that they'd bought. It was the lacy bra that Joyce bought him. At the time of the purchase, neither of them thought they'd ever get Hunter to wear the item. Now, barely twenty hours later, the boy was wearing the prettiest bra Joyce had bought him and that bra was making his breasts look full and perky through the top's thin material.

"Oh, hey," Bob said and he snapped his fingers, "you know what I need? Joyce, we have some low sodium soy sauce in the fridge, don't we?"

Joyce looked a little surprised, but responded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we do."

"Great." He nodded. "Can you give me a hand finding it?" He turned and left the room.

"Ok. Sure," Joyce replied, a bit confused. She looked at the kids and said, "We'll just be a minute."

When she got to the kitchen, Bob already had the low sodium soy sauce in his hand. "Oh, you found it," Joyce said and turned to go back, but Bob grabbed her arm.

"Why the hell is 'the boy' wearing Mary Ellen's old outfit?"

"Because he needs to get out of the house this summer and he's not going to be able to do that looking like a boy with breasts," Joyce hissed, sounding more angry than Bob expected. "'The boy' has been incredibly cooperative today and less than an hour ago I told him how proud you would be of him. Now, you listen to me, Bob... when we go back in there, the first thing you're going to do is find a way to compliment 'the boy,' and be as supportive as possible. Alright?"

Bob knew that Joyce was a strong willed woman, but she'd never used such a scolding tone with him before.

"Yeah... alright," he mumbled. Then he followed his wife back into the TV room.

When they returned to the TV room, the kids had their food on paper plates and were sitting in their usual places on the 'L' shaped, sectional sofa. Bob and Joyce went to the big table and put helpings of rice, vegetables and some protein on their plates and joined the kids.

The movie they'd chosen to watch was a superhero movie that they'd missed in the theater, but had just started streaming on a service they had. When everyone was seated, Mary Ellen started the movie and they all got into the story.

Eventually, Hunter got up to get some more food and passed his father on the way.

"That fits you well," Bob said, as casually as possible.

Hunter looked at himself and then gave his father a small smile. "Oh... Thanks."

"I always liked that outfit." He looked at Mary Ellen and said, "I remember the day that you and your mom dyed it. It was just about this time of year. I think you had an end of year field day or something and you and some of your friends wanted to make a cool outfit to all wear together. So you and your mom made a mother/daughter project of dying it. You loved the results and your mom wanted to go out and buy another plain tee-shirt-and-short-set and do it again."

Mary Ellen smiled at the story and nodded as she chewed. "I'm glad I kept it. It fits Hunny really well, now. I think I was a little taller then him when I wore it, but I think he has me beat in the boob-age department."

Joyce cleared her throat and caught her daughter's eye. Then she shook her head, warning her daughter not to bring up Hunter's chest growth in such a casual way.

Hunter plopped back down on the couch next to his stepsister and began to eat more of his rice.

"What?" Mary Ellen screwed up her face at her mother. "Hunny and I have talked about this all day. There's no shame in what's happening to him, guys. He's just got boobs. So do I. So do you. Heck, Mr Rodney, my Chemistry teacher lost a lot of weight last year and he has boobs, too. We can see them because they sag under his shirts. He should be wearing a bra, too. Hunny doesn't mind, do you Hunny?"

Hunter shrugged and swallowed the rice. "I guess that I just have to pretend that I'm Mae's little sister for a few weeks, until this goes away. Then I can go back to being me."

Bob looked at Joyce and mouthed 'A few weeks?'

Joyce shrugged in response.
 

~^~
 

"A few weeks?" Bob said to Joyce in the privacy of their bedroom a few hours later.

Joyce shrugged. "I... have no idea where he got that idea. Dr Clemente was very clear - This could last a few months or a several years, OR it might last all the way through puberty and he'd have to deal with them surgically when he was eighteen or twenty or whenever puberty ends for him. No one EVER said 'a few weeks.'"

Bob shook his head. "Maybe we should take him to another doctor to be sure." He sat on the bed and gave his face a brisk rub, then let out an exasperated sigh. "Hell, maybe we should be taking him to a psychologist or something. He seemed almost too comfortable in those clothes tonight."

Joyce sat down next to him and thought for a moment. "I don't know what the right thing to do is, Bob. If Dr Clemente is right and we make a big deal out of a few months or awkwardness, then that might do more harm than good for the boy."

"'The Boy,'" Bob shook his head. "You know, I've called him 'the boy' since the day he was born. I have to tell you, babe, I was... now, don't get me wrong, I love my son and I will always love my son, but... when I walked in and saw him in that outfit tonight... wow... I kind of freaked out inside. I really don't know how to process this."

Joyce nodded. "Then you probably shouldn't look at him in his new pj's."
 

~^~
 

It was day four in a bra and Hunter was getting used to the feeling. He'd worn one of the sports bras one time and it was fine, but... the nice bra with the lace on it was a lot more comfortable. He felt awkward asking his stepmother to buy him another bra like that, but she didn't make a big deal out of it at all. She just smiled and said, "Sure, Hunter." And later that day, several more bras like that showed up - two more in white, one in baby blue, one in beige and one in black and all with lace appliqués and a little pink bow in the middle.

Mary Ellen had helped him get dressed in another outfit and took him out to lunch at a drive up place a few towns over. He'd never been there before, but he was excited to be out for a ride with Mary Ellen and to have a hot dog with everything on it - even if he did have to wear a pair of light blue bike shorts with a pink smock-type top that kind of showed off the shape of his bra a little too well.

"Thank you," Mary Ellen said to the girl at the 'PICK UP ORDERS HERE' window. She grabbed some ketchup packets as Hunter took the tray. They both turned to head back to the car when a beautiful girl with dark skin and brilliantly bright red hair stepped in front of them.

"Hey! I thought it was you guys!" Effie said with a huge smile.

It took Hunter a moment to recognize the girl. It had been a few months since he'd seen Mary Ellen's friend and the shockingly bright red hair was new. It made her look different.

"Ef!" Mary Ellen smiled and hugged her friend. Then she spotted Hunter, who had gone pale. She grabbed the tray from him before he could drop it and she sputtered, "Oh, you know... I mean... this is..."

"Yeah, I know Hunter." Effie smiled down at the boy. "How you doing, Bud? I like the new look. Is there something I need to know, or is this just a fun thing to do on a summer day?"

Mary Ellen looked around. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah. I was driving by and saw you at the window."

"Alright, then." Mary Ellen gave a small smile and said, "Look... Hunter has developed... a medical issue, ok? Come on and sit in my mom's car with us and I'll explain, but... Ef... please don't say anything to anyone else. Alright?"
 

~^~
 

"How's it going at home... With your son, I mean?" Veronica asked, stopping by Bob's office that morning.

"Oh, hey, Ronnie," Bob said. He sat up straighter in his chair and shrugged. "Ok, I guess. I think he's adjusting better than I am. I'm doing my best to be supportive, though."

She nodded. "I'm sorry, Bob. I have been thinking about Hunter a lot. I can't imagine what kind of upset this must be causing for the poor kid. How are you dealing with school in fall?"

Bob chuckled. "School in the fall? Ronnie, I don't know how we're going to get to July. I had to cancel his baseball camp, Joyce doesn't think we should take our yearly vacation at the beach... I just don't know how we're going to maintain normalcy if his... you know... grow any bigger. I mean..." he took out his phone and held up a photo of Hunter wearing his sister's tie-dyed-tee-shirt-and-shorts-set from several nights earlier. "...look."

Veronica's eyes widened as she looked at the photo. "THAT'S Hunter?" She shook her head. "Why is he dressed so girly?"

"I had the same reaction, Ronnie, but honestly, when he wears his own clothes... he kind of looks even more odd. Those breasts of his are hard to hide. That's why baseball camp is out. He says he's uncomfortable showing up with breasts and Joyce has convinced me that, with his small stature and fairly pronounced breast size, it could be dangerous for him to be among all those bigger boys overnight."

"What a shame," Veronica said. She said her goodbyes and headed down out the door. She was gone about six minutes before she came back in and said, "Hey, Bob... I was just thinking..."
 

~^~
 

"So what? You have bazzingas. Who cares?" Effie said from the backseat of Joyce's car. She was patting Hunter's shoulder through the opening between the seats. "Frankly, the more I think about it, the more I kind of like the idea of guys having to deal with breasts, too. I love mine! Have you played with your nipples, yet?"

"Come on, Ef. He's only twelve," Mary Ellen said, defensively.

"Yeah, well, my little brother is only ten and he's been pulling on his little toy for years. If he had that AND a pair of titties to play with, the kid would never leave his room."

Hunter knew what they were talking about, but he was too embarrassed to join in the conversation.

"Don't worry about it, though, Hunter," Effie laughed. "You just be you and let the world deal with it. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok." He nodded from the front seat, but he knew that Effie's sentiment was much easier said than done.

"I get why you don't want to hang with your guy friends, though," Effie continued. "Boys are such pigs about these things. Especially when they are like eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen... At least once they're juniors or seniors in high school they seem to have a little control. Not much, but a little."

Mary Ellen chuckled at that, but she saw how sad Hunter looked and patted his bare leg. He gave her a brave smile, but she knew he'd heard enough. "You know, Ef... I think I should get Hunter home. He's had a tough day. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Sounds cool," she said, opening the car door and getting out. She stood and looked into Hunter's window. "Don't worry, dude. I won't tell anyone your secret. Keep the faith." She stood and walked away.

"You want some ice cream for dessert?" Mary Ellen asked Hunter.

"Nah," he said, with a head shake. "I just want to go home."

"Ok." Mary Ellen smiled and turned on the car's engine.
 

~^~
 

The dinner table was strangely quiet that evening. Mary Ellen had told Joyce about the meeting they'd had with Effie and Joyce had brought Bob up to date about it, too. Hunter was a little more sullen than he had been for the last few days and they were all trying to just be quiet and supportive.

"Oh, hey, I think I might have some good news," Bob said, kind of out of the blue.

"What's that?" Joyce asked.

He got up and went to where he'd left the messenger bag he used as a brief case and returned with a trifold flier of some kind. He handed it to Hunter and said, "Here. Take a look."

"What is it?" Joyce asked, looking over Hunter's shoulder.

"It's a baseball camp," Hunter said, confused.

"Softball, actually," Bob corrected.

"Dad... this is just for girls." Hunter looked up, confused.

"Yeah, I know, but... I was thinking... under the circumstances... maybe it'd be a good camp for you. It's a day camp, so you come home every night. It's way over at that regional high school where Mae did her gymnastics competition last year, so no one would know you. And best of all, there are coaches there who specialize in helping girls... well... kids... develop their throwing, running, batting skills while the gir... kid's... breasts... I mean... bodies... are developing and, you know, messing with their athletic form. I think it might be a perfect fit for you, pal."

"Dad... I'm not a girl. I play baseball, not softball. This is SO not a perfect fit." Hunter put the flier down and Mary Ellen picked it up.

"Wait, now, think about it," Bob said. "You're pretending to be a girl all the time, anyway, right? So, I know someone who knows the woman who runs the camp and she says that her friend would be very open to having you come. You'd just have to maintain your... disguise... while you're there."

Hunter stood abruptly and stormed out of the room.

"Hunter!" Joyce called to him. "Hunter... come back baby.

He didn't and seconds later, they heard his bedroom door slam.

"What were you thinking?" Joyce said, shaking her head.

"I was THINKING that we might be able to help him salvage part of his summer. Cripes, wouldn't it be better if he was out in the fresh air doing what he loves, rather than stuck in the house or sulking by the pool all summer? I was TRYING to help."

"By calling your son a girl!? Seriously!? You think that was a good idea."

"I didn't call him a girl, Joyce. I simply offered to pay for an alternative camp that would allow MY son to do what he loves. You've already got him wearing girls' clothing. I wasn't suggesting that he do anything he isn't already doing."

"I'VE got him wearing...! Unbelievable!" Joyce balled up her napkin and slapped it onto the table as she stood.

"Where are you going?" Bob asked.

"I'm going to see OUR son and make sure he's ok."

Bob sighed. "No. I'll go up."

"Hold on," Mary Ellen said. "Mom... This camp is pretty awesome. Fifteen days working with coaches from three different top notch sports colleges, they get to play a game against another camp at a Triple-A ballpark and they work with a pitching coach from the Boston Red Sox. If it weren't for the 'pretending to be a girl' part, Hunny would be all over this."

Both parents stared, in silence, at Mary Ellen for a moment.

"See," Bob said. "It's a great opportunity."

Joyce let out a frustrated breath and sat back down. "Ok... before we discuss this... how did you find out about this place?"

"Veronica's daughter, Wanda, went last year," Bob explained.

"Wanda?" Joyce shook her head. "Wanda... who knows Hunter... Wanda would be attending this camp, too?"

Bob signed. "Yeah... she would, but that is a good thing. It's a long drive to the camp and we could alternate days with Ronnie to get the kids there and back."

"But, Bob..." Joyce shook her head. "You just promised Hunter that NO ONE would know him and then you tell me that he'd be commuting with a girl that already knows him - knows him well enough to make his life miserable if she wanted to, but not well enough for us to be one hundred percent sure that she'd keep his secret."

"Look." Bob held up both hands to calm her down. "I'm very sure that Ronnie would prep Wanda correctly and that neither of them would ever say a word. I wouldn't have suggested this unless I felt that both of them were trustworthy."

Joyce shook her head. "If you say so...."

Bob nodded and touched Joyce's arm. "Thank you." He thought for a moment, then said, "I guess I should go talk to him."

He was about to get up, but Mary Ellen stopped him by saying, "Dad. Let me."
 

~^~
 

"No dresses or anything like that, right?" Hunter asked his stepsister. "Just... jeans and shorts and tee shirts. Right?"

"Why would you have to wear a dress?" Mary Ellen laughed. "It's a softball camp! Why would a bunch of girl-jocks who get together to play softball need to wear dresses?"

Hunter nodded. "I guess, but... what would I have to do to pass as a girl?"

Merry Ellen looked him over carefully. "Well... I think your hair is long enough so that you could get it cut a little cuter, and a hair cut is easy to fix later."

He nodded. That didn't sound too bad.

"And we should probably trim your eyebrows just a little," Mary Ellen continued. "I mean, most girls your age don't have overly plucked brows, but your brows are a little too bushy. They need a little attention, but we could make sure that it's not too drastic."

He nodded, again.

"I can bring you to the earring place and have your ears pierced, too."

"My ears?" Hunter said, a little shocked and he unconsciously covered each ear with his hands. "Do I really have to do that?"

Mary Ellen gave a shrug. "Name one girl in your class who doesn't have pierced ears."

He thought for a moment. "None, I guess."

"So, yeah... we'll need to get your ears pierced." She looked him over some more. "Your body is fine, you'll need some jeans and maybe a few other athletic things, of course, and you already have the yoga pants and bike shorts, so I think that's about it. Not too bad, right?"

Hunter thought for a long, long time before he asked, "And you'll help me, right? Teach me how to fool people into thinking I'm a girl?"

Mary Ellen smiled and gave her stepbrother a hug. "By the time I'm done with you, Hunny, you'll think you're a girl, too." She was pleased that her joke made Hunter smile. "So? Are you going to do it?"

Hunter thought about it. "I think... maybe, but... I want to think about it. I'll make up my mind in the morning."
 

~^~
 

"Just coffee, Joyce," Bob said as he tied his tie at the kitchen table. "I took too long in the shower this morning. I have to get going in a few minutes."

"Why don't I put an English muffin in the toaster and you can eat it on the way?" Joyce suggested.

"Last time I tried to eat an English muffin on the way to work, I ended up with a big butter stain on my shirt," Bob chuckled. "I'll get something from the vending machine if I'm hungry before lunch."

"Like heck you will," Joyce scolded. She grabbed something from the counter and put it on the table next to Bob's travel cup of black coffee. "Take a banana with you."

Bob smiled and took a sip of his coffee, the stood back up. "Alright. I gotta run. Love ya."

"Love you, too," Joyce said, returning Bob's kiss.

"Hey... umm... dad?"

The voice was small and nervous and came from the hallway, but it was loud enough to stop Bob. "Hey, pal." He smiled at his son, who was wearing a lace covered camisole and a pair of shorts as pajamas. "What's up?"

"Umm..." the boy looked scared. "About this softball camp... umm... if it's ok with you... and mom... umm... I think I might want to do it... if that's ok with you."

Bob hid his shock, but smiled at his wife. "You THINK you want to, pal? I need you to KNOW you want to do it before I ask my friend to call in a favor."

"Yeah..." Hunter looked at the floor, the wall, the ceiling, his hands... anything but his father. "...I... I know I want to do it, dad. If... it's ok with you."

"Well, alright then." Bob seemed very happy with his son's decision. "We'll make the call this morning, then." He enjoyed the moment a few seconds longer before he said, "Oh, Geez, I'm really late, now. Bye guys. Love you both. I'll call later." And he hustled out the door.

Joyce smiled a sad smile at her stepson and crossed the room to touch his soft, round face. "You made a very brave choice, Hunter. Are you sure you're ready to go this far? To pretend to be a girl for three weeks? In amongst a whole bunch of other girls? That's a pretty tall order. I hope you're very sure about this, because once you commit to doing this, there's no turning back until camp is over."

Hunter chewed on his bottom lip as he thought about what his stepmother said. "I'm sure, mom. I... really wanted to do the baseball camp, but I can't. This seems pretty good, though. The coaches all look great and if I can get some help with my swing from them, that would be great. That way, when I'm back to normal, I'll be an even player and maybe I can make varsity for the high school team while I'm still in middle school."

Joyce nodded. "Sit down, honey. Let's talk."

When they were seated at the kitchen table, Joyce spoke with as much delicacy as possible. "Hunter... when we talked to Dr Clemente the other day, she was very clear about your condition. She said that your chest growth may slow down or stop in as little as a couple of months or so... but that doesn't mean that your breasts will just... disappear... baby. That's going to take awhile. Your body is going to have to
redistribute... extra... weight... over time. Chances are, baby, that come the fall, you'll still have to deal with your... breasts. You do understand that, right?"

"But... I thought she meant that I'd be normal again in a few months..." Hunter muttered, visibly upset.

"Baby... you're normal now. Medical conditions like this... they are normal, honey. Sometimes... life just throws us curve balls like this and we just have to deal with them."

Hunter put an elbow on the table and his chin in his hand and he stared at the wood grain pattern on the table for a solid minute before he made any sound... and when he did make a sound... that sound was a sniffle.

"Are you ok, Hunter?" Joyce asked.

He shook his head, but his eyes stayed focused on the table. "I can't go to school in the fall wearing a bra, mom. I can't." He sniffled again. "The guys will kill me, mom. They'll... eat me alive. I can't do it. It's bad enough being the smallest kid in my grade. If they see that I'm wearing a bra... I just can't do it."

Joyce reached across and patted his shoulder. "I know it's hard, baby, but look how far you've come in just a few days. There's still a long time till school starts again. Let's just keep taking one step at a time, ok, and let's see where the summer takes us. Then... we'll figure things out." She leaned in and kissed the top of his head. "I promise you, baby... your dad and I will never put you in a dangerous position. Never. And no matter what happens, we will be right there with you to help you deal with whatever problems come up. Ok?"

He sniffled again.

"Ok?" She asked again.

Finally, he nodded, even though it was a sad nod. "Ok."
 

~^~
 

"No, Sky, I promise. He's a really great kid. He'll be well behaved and do exactly what you ask. He's just got this issue that is making it hard for him to participate in the camp he intended to go to."

Veronica listened to the person on the other end of her phone call and looked at her friend, Bob, who sat nervously on the other side of her desk and waited for her to fill him in.

She nodded as she listened. "He's twelve. Kind of small for twelve, even if he was a girl, but he's a talented fielder and a pretty good batter." She listened. "Yes, that's right. He'd be in group A." She listened. "No. Never played softball except in gym class, but he's been playing baseball on his school team and last year he played in the local little league." She listened again. "Oh, Skylar, that's wonderful. Thank you. No, no no... the day you meet him, he'll look just like every other first year girl at camp. I promise." She looked at Bob and smiled. "Here. Let me pass the phone to his father and you can talk to him."
 

~^~
 

"That's great, Bob," Joyce said, breathing a sigh of relief. God, she couldn't imagine the disappointment if the camp director hadn't let Hunter go to that softball camp. Especially after they'd built it up as such a great opportunity. "I'll tell him as soon as he gets home."

"Where is he?" Bob asked, a little surprised that he'd gone out without Joyce.

"Right now, I think he's at the mall with Mae getting his ears pierced so they're healed in time to go to camp. Then they're going over to see that girl, Effie. Her mom runs that beauty salon over by the high school. The one where Mae got her hair done for my sister's wedding. She offered to give Hunter a more appropriate hair cut. Something appropriate for a sporty sixth grade girl that a sixth grade boy could wear as well."

"Ears pierced, huh?" Bob chuckled. "Twelve years ago, when I found out I had a son, I never saw that coming."

Joyce didn't laugh at that. "He's going through a lot, Bob. Try not to make a big deal out of the earrings when you see them. Ok?"

"Yeah, sure. I won't." Bob sounded contrite. "Hey. Ronnie wants to talk for a minute. Hang on."

That was odd. Joyce knew Veronica, but they'd never really talked on the phone before.

"Hi, Joyce, it's Ronnie," the voice on the phone said.

"Hi, Veronica," Joyce replied. She'd never really gotten into the habit of calling her 'Ronnie.'

"Joyce, I was just thinking... Maybe it'd be a good idea if we got Wanda and Hunter together for lunch at some point in the next few days. It would probably help both of them if they were to know each other a little better before camp started. And to... you know... get them both used to the new Hunter. What do you think?"

"Ok, sure," Joyce agreed. "Tomorrow's Saturday. How about tomorrow? Would you like to come here?"

"You know," Veronica said in that professional voice of hers, "I think it might be best if we went to a restaurant."

Joyce sighed. "Gee, Veronica, I'm not really sure if that's a great idea. Hunter is still pretty shy about being in public looking how he does."

"Yes. That's my point," Veronica agreed. "If this is going to work, he can't be shy. How about Crowley's at eleven, before there's a crowd? It's downtown, in the business district, so it's not that crowded on a weekend, anyway."

Even though she'd phrased it as a question, Veronica was establishing the date and time and she expected an agreement, not a conversation.

"Oh... ok," Joyce replied.

"Great. See you then," Veronica said, then disconnected.

"Ok... bye," Joyce said to the dead air, shaking her head. "Saturday at eleven it is, I guess. Nice talking to you..."
 

~^~
 

The piercing hadn't hurt nearly as much as Hunter had anticipated. In fact, it really hadn't hurt a all. There was a momentary pressure on his earlobe and the sound of a 'snap' from the piercing tool and that was it. Then his ear had a small, pink stone decorating it. Mary Ellen had bought him three more pairs of stud earrings to wear when he was allowed to change earrings, and she bought herself several pairs, too. It was fun shopping with her. She asked his opinion about everything and discussed fashion and colors and... everything... with him. He'd never felt so included in his whole life.

Then they drove over to pick up Effie and went to her mother's salon. That was a new experience for Hunter. He kind of expected the place to look more or less like the barber shop he visited a couple of times a year, but it was very different. There was a lot more talking and the women who worked there seemed to fuss over their customers endlessly, rather than the 'Next!' attitude at the barber shop.

"He's going to be going to a softball camp in a couple of weeks, mom, and he needs to look like any of the other girls there," Effie explained.

Her mom, Gloria, nodded and looked at Hunter's face very closely. "Is this a permanent change or just for the summer?"

"Just for the summer," Mary Ellen answered.

Gloria nodded. "Well... he's got a cute face. We'll thin the eyebrows just a little. He's too young for makeup, but a little, light pink lip gloss is pretty common for girls his age, so that might help. Maybe get a lip gloss that plumps up a little." She pondered a moment. "Well, we have a little length to work with, that's good. I'm thinking just some bangs and we trim it in a nice, neat shape that covers his ears and comes to the base of his neck. Lots of possibilities from there if he decides to grow it out and easy to cut if he goes back to being a boy at some point."

Hunter was about to say that he was still a boy, but Gloria focused her attention on Mary Ellen. "If I show you how to brush it out every day, will you be able to help him maintain the look?"

"Of course," Mary Ellen beamed, happy to be helpful.

Gloria looked some more. "I don't love the color." It was said more to herself than anyone else. "It's too mousy. I was thinking highlights, but now that I look at it more... I'm thinking... something really playful... like... electric blue."

"Ooh," Mary Ellen said. "I think I need to check with my mom about that."

Joyce was not in favor of something quite so shocking, but she did approve a natural brownish-red that Mary Ellen told her was very natural looking and wouldn't attract an undo amount of attention.

When Gloria was done, Hunter's eyebrows had been trimmed to a nice, neat shape that wouldn't look too out of place on a boy, his shaggy, mousy hair had been dyed a natural russet color and it had been layered and brushed into a full and quite cute bob with playful bangs that framed his face in an adorably feminine way. Between his new figure and the improvements to his ears, face and hair made that day, Hunter looked completely different from the boy who'd been in sixth grade just a week earlier.

"So, what do you think?" Gloria asked Hunter as she allowed him to look into the mirror for the first time.

"I hardly look like me," Hunter said, fascinated by the reflection.

"That's a good thing, right?" Mary Ellen asked. "I mean, you don't want to have people recognize you, so... this is a good thing."

"Yeah, but... it's like I'm a different person, now."

Effie patted his shoulder. "Now, you can make a new start, Hunter. Be a different person. That's something most people never get to do. Enjoy a different life for a while. Enjoy being a girl."

He shook his head as he stared and listened. "I can't believe I look so... real. Like, a real girl."
 

~^~
 

When Bob came home that evening, he found a stranger helping out in his kitchen emptying the dishwasher with Mary Ellen. A girl of twelve or thirteen years old wearing a sage colored pull over shirt with puffy little balls for sleeves that barely covered the tops of her thin arms. She had russet colored hair that was cut into a playfully messy bob, bright pink earrings that peeked out from under that hair at times, and she was wearing a very short pair of denim shorts that exposed her thin legs that traveled down to a pair of yellow flip flops.

He looked around for his wife, who wasn't in the kitchen or living room. He stuck his head into the back office and found Joyce there, doing some work on her computer.

"Hey." He smiled at the sight of her. "How's it going?"

Joyce stood and accepted a hug from the man she loved. "It's going pretty well, actually. Everyday I expect a huge fight and, so far, no fight has come. So... everything is going pretty well."

"That's great." Bob smiled and hugged her again. "So... who's Mary Ellen's friend?"

Joyce stepped back and looked in the direction of the kitchen, which was not in her sight line. "Friend? I didn't know that she had a friend over. Is it Effie? They were with her earlier."

Bob shook his head. "No. Not Effie. This is a younger girl. Reddish hair... about 'yay high"..."

Joyce giggled. "That... is our son. He had his cut and dyed today."

Bob looked unsteady and sat down in Joyce's desk chair. "THAT was Hunter!?" He nearly gasped the words. "Jesus, Joyce, I didn't even recognize him! How is that possible?"

Joyce gave him a warning, "Shh," as she closed the office door. "Keep your voice down, Robert."

Bob ran his hands through his hair and took a deep breath. "Joyce... this is going too far... That didn't even look like a boy, let alone Hunter."

"You mean Hunter, the boy with the plump breasts on his chest? Bob, Hunter hasn't looked like a boy for months. He just hid it from us."

"Yeah, Joyce, but... God Almighty, have you looked at him? This is crazy!"

Joyce folded her arms and looked irritated. "Alright... now, I'm confused. YOU wanted Hunter to go to this softball camp, right? YOU wanted him to blend in, right? Well, guess what, Bob... the reason he looks like a girl is so he WILL blend in. That's what YOU wanted. Now, explain to me why your so freaked out by this."

Bob shook his head to clear it. "You... just couldn't understand, Joyce. I'm his father. He's my SON for crying out loud and I let him get transformed into... what?... a little girl, I guess. That's not what I intended."

"Yes, it is, Bob. That's exactly what you intended. If you wanted him to fit in at a camp with a lot of other little girls, then you intended for him to look just like any of them."

He shook his head. "Joyce... I can't explain how shocking that was for me. I mean... he's not YOUR son..."

"NOT MY SON!?" Joyce snapped, somehow yelling and whispering simultaneously.

Bob's head snapped up to look at his wife. "Well... you know what I mean..."

"No. I don't know what you mean, actually. Look, Bob, I was at the hospital with you and Kate the day that Hunter was born and aside from you, NO ONE mourned Kate's death more than me. For crying out loud, Bob - I TAUGHT YOU how to take care of that child when you were nearly comatose with grief. That boy spent more time with Mary Ellen and me in the first year of his life than he spent with you! Maybe he didn't come out of my womb, but Hunter is every bit as much MY CHILD as Mary Ellen is and I am at least as concerned about his well being as you - Maybe even more so, now that I think about it."

"Ok, that came out wrong..."

"No, Bob, it didn't. This is not the first time that you've thrown the sainted memory of Kate at me in one way or another."

"I didn't even mention, Kate!" Bob was less quiet than Joyce.

"No - you just said that I'M NOT HIS MOTHER!" Joyce fumed. "Tell you what, Bob. You go show Hunter a photograph of Kate and a photograph of me and ask him which one raised him, which one changed his diapers, which one held him when he had a bad dream, which one has told him how much she loves him every goddamned day of his life, Bob, and see what his answer is."

"Come on, hon." Bob shook his head. "You know that I didn't mean it to come out that way. I know how much you love Hunter. I only meant..."

"That I'm not his mother. Yeah. I get it." She turned and gripped the door handle, but stopped and turned to face him once more. "You know, Bob... if you had your way, Hunter would be headed to an all boys, sleep over camp in a week, where I guarantee you he'd be at least sexually harassed and quite possibly worse. Now, when I've tried to help him fit in with your new cockamamie idea, you thank me by saying the cruelest thing possible to me. I'm fed up, Bob. I really am. Now, I'm going to smile and go be with MY kids. MY SON AND YOUR DAUGHTER - no one's step-children, just OUR children. I suggest that you sit here until you get your shit together, then you plaster a smile on your face, come out to the kitchen and either tell OUR son how pretty he looks, OR you say nothing at all, because I promise you, if you say anything negative to him, I am telling you that the next few months will be a lot more difficult for him AND, so help me God, if things are miserable for him because of you, I will see to it that your life is miserable, too. Have I made myself very clear?"

He nodded. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, so disappointed in him. "I'm sure you are. Now, don't make it any worse for Hunter." She took a deep breath and wiped her watery eyes. "Don't come out until you're ready to be a good father to MY son." She opened the door, smiled, and left Bob to think."
 

~^~
 

"So, after dinner, I'm taking Hunny shopping to get him something to wear to lunch tomorrow," Mary Ellen said as she cut into the large chicken pie that sat in middle of the table. She passed her stepfather a piece, then set about getting a piece onto her mother's plate. "Nothing expensive. We'll go to Target or something like that. I think he needs a more grown-up look than my old clothes give him. After all, I was only ten or eleven when I wore the clothes he's wearing now, and those are five or six years out of style, too."

Joyce took her plate of chicken pie from her daughter and nodded. "Ok, but don't go crazy. We've spent a lot of money lately. Let's just be careful about how much is going onto my credit card."

"Ok," Mary Ellen said with a smile, "but look at the results of today's expenses!" She squeezed Hunter's cheeks in her right hand. "Suddenly, my little brother is the cutest little sister in the neighborhood."

Hunter blushed and Joyce looked at Bob, who had been fairly quiet since coming out of the office.

"Ummm... yeah..." Bob said. "Hunter, you look very nice."

"Thanks, dad," the boy said, still looking embarrassed.

When the conversation stopped there, Joyce looked at her husband and raised her eyebrows high. Bob knew what that meant. He had to do some more work to calm things down that evening. "Did you..." he started, but stopped, not sure what to say. So, he went with the first thing he could think of. "Umm... did you enjoy your trip to the hair salon?"

That seemed like an odd question to Hunter. "I guess... I mean... all the ladies were really nice and I think they did a good job of making me look different."

"They certainly did," Bob smirked, but realized that his reaction might irritate his wife. "Tell you what." He pulled out his wallet and pulled out a bunch of twenty dollar bills. "Put away your mother's credit card and use this tonight. Buy whatever you need and get something fun for each of you to enjoy, ok."

Mary Ellen took the money, still smiling. "Thanks, dad. I'll bring you the change."

"That's ok," Bob smiled. "You guys have fun."
 

~^~
 

"This is nice!" Mary Ellen bubbled, picking up a rose colored top. It was sleeveless and looked like it would fit Hunter beautifully. "And it's on sale! Bonus!"

"It's got lace on the shoulders," Hunter said, looking at the garment as if it would bite him.

"'It's got lace on it,'" Mary Ellen teased in a funny voice meant to badly mimic Hunter. "It's got a teeny tiny bit of lace on each shoulder. It's not a bridal gown. Besides, you're a girl now. Lace is pretty. Enjoy it."

"I don't know," he hemmed and hawed a bit.

"At least try it on. I've got two other tops, too, and three pairs of shorts. This pair with the little stars all over it, these with the vertical, beige stripes and these with the rainbow stripes. Ready to try everything on?"

"Can't I get a regular pair of jean shorts?" He asked.

"Sure!" Mary Ellen smiled. "I'll grab a pair on the way to the changing room."

They went to the jean-shorts area and Mary Ellen grabbed a pair, which, to Hunter's despair, also had lace on the leg openings. When he groused about the decorations, Mary Ellen put her arm around his shoulder and guided him towards the changing rooms singing an old ska song she'd heard on a playlist.

"'Cause I'm just a girl.
Oh, little ole me.
Well, don't let me out of your sight.
Oh, I'm just a girl.
Pretty and petite.
So, don't let me have any rights."

"God, you're so weird," Hunter said, shaking his head, but smiling at his stepsister's silliness.

"Yeah, I'M the weird one," Mary Ellen laughed. "I have a little brother pretending to be a girl, but, yeah, I'M the weird one."
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 3

 

Hunter prepares for softball camp with the support of his family and his friend, Wanda.
When camp begins, of course, there are complications.

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Author's Note:Thank you for your comments. They mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoy where the story takes us.~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 3 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

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Chapter 3
 

Crowley's Restaurant was a place designed for twenty-something business people who liked to grab a decent lunch, then play a little air hockey, or a classic video game on a classic console, or throw some skee-ball before heading back to the office. It wasn't a place that either Joyce or Veronica had ever been before, but Veronica had figured it'd be a good place for Wanda and Hunter to get to know each other.

"Well, look at you!" Veronica grinned as Joyce and Hunter approached the table. Veronica put her arms around Hunter and gave him a big hug, something she'd never done before and he didn't expect. "You look amazing, Hunter. I love the hair. Oh, and look! Earrings! Oh, you're adorable!"

Hunter sighed, hoping no one was looking at them, even though the restaurant was nearly empty.

When she was finished, Wanda stepped up to Hunter and gave him a much less aggressive, friendly hug. "Hi, Hunter," the girl said. She was obviously finding the situation just as awkward as Hunter was. "You really do look great." She smiled nervously and nodded. Finally, she let out a nervous laugh and said, "I really have to say, Hunter... I didn't expect you to look like this. I thought you'd look like Hunter in a dress or something, but... even though I know you, I just see a girl when I look at you. Shit, Hunter, you're actually pretty cute!"

"Hey! Language!" Veronica scolded her daughter. Then she looked at Joyce and shook her head. "Honest to God, Joyce... these kids! They can't say a sentence without putting a swear in it."

"I know," Joyce laughed. "Hunter's the same way."

"Alright, you two," Veronica said to Wanda, "you two go play some games. We moms need to talk and you two need to need to get reacquainted. Here," she handed a plastic card with the restaurant's logo on it to Wanda. "Just put this into the slot of any of the games and we'll pay for whatever you spend on the way out. Now, go have fun."

Hunter hesitated a moment, but Joyce gave him a gently shove to indicate that he needed to follow Wanda. So he did.

The two women sat at the table.

"Well, I have to admit, Hunter is going to have no problem passing as a girl at camp," Veronica smiled. "Why don't I fill you in on the day to day routine at camp?"

"That would be great," Joyce smiled as she took out her phone and opened the 'Notes' app so she could jot down important things.
 

~^~
 

"I like your outfit," Wanda said with a friendly tone as Hunter followed her to an air hockey table.

Hunter looked down at the rose colored top and jean shorts, both of which had a little lace trim on them. He'd not really wanted to wear these lace adorned items that day, but his stepmother and Mary Ellen insisted that this was the nicest, casual outfit and, being a twelve year old boy or girl, adolescents didn't always have final say in how they'd be presenting themselves.

"Oh, thanks," the boy said, a bit embarrassed. "I like yours, too." That wasn't just a feigned compliment, either. After a week of intensive shopping with Mary Ellen, Hunter had started taking note of how girls and women dressed. Wanda was wearing a very tight, athletic looking, dark green top with a very sporty, white skirt that looked like something a female golfer would wear. "I like that skirt," he said, honestly. It also came out in such a casual way that it almost seemed odd to Wanda. "It looks nice on you."

Wanda smiled a grateful smile and giggled a little. "Well, thank you, Hunter. I like this skirt, too. Well, it's really a skort, but I like the way it fits me. It feels kind of grown up."

"A skort?" Hunter asked, confused by the term. "What do you mean?"

"You know. A skort," she seemed surprised to have to explain, but then realized that Hunter was new to girls' fashions. "It's a pair of shorts with a skirt on top of it. It feels like shorts, but looks like a skirt."

"Ah," he nodded and picked up an air hockey mallet and got ready to play.

Wanda picked up her mallet and grabbed a puck. She was about to put the plastic card into the slot to start the game, but she stopped and looked at her opponent. "So... how did you end up getting those?"

"Getting what?"

"Your titties. How did you end up growing those. I mean, you're a boy, right? How does a boy end up with boobs?"

Her casualness made Hunter snicker a little. He shrugged. "I don't know. They just grew. My doctor says they'll PROBABLY go away, but maybe not. If they don't go away on their own, they'll have to take them off with surgery when I'm like eighteen or something."

"So... it's like a hormonal thing or something?"

He nodded. "I guess."

Wanda played with a puck for a minute. "What about boys?"

"What about them?" Hunter waited for the game to begin.

"Do you like them. Like - are you into boys?"

Hunter looked around to be sure no one else could hear. "No. Of course not." In fact, he wasn't 'into' girls, either. At that point in his life, Hunter had yet to have so much as a crush on anyone else.

Wanda looked a little disappointed. "That's too bad. A lot of the conversation at softball camp is about boys. I guess I'll have to help you with some things you can say to join in." She sighed. "It's too bad, though. You're cute. I could get you a date if you wanted one."

Hunter laughed. She had to be joking, right? Who cared? "Do you want to play air hockey?"

"I do. Do you know how?"

"Of course," Hunter shook his head. Girls! They sure could talk. He was looking forward to playing the game, though. He'd impress her with his eye/hand coordination and win in record time.

"Ok," she smiled, inserted the card and the air began to blow through the holes in the tabletop. Wanda grabbed her mallet and started the puck on its slow bounce from her left side to her right. Hunter prepped himself for her serve and kept his eye on the puck. Until...

Wanda's slap shot sent the puck to the bumper on Hunter's left hand side and before he could even move his hand into the line of fire, it ricocheted off of that bumper and slid easily into the goal he was defending. He blinked in disbelief at how quickly the piece of plastic had rocketed past him.

"One nothing," Wanda said, proudly. "Your serve."

Ok. That was freakish, but he could kick her butt. She was just a girl, after all. Boys were naturally better at games and sports. He pulled the plastic puck out of the receiver area and set it on the table, gently bouncing it from one side bumper to the other, as Wanda had done. He judged his angle of attack and fired the puck at his chosen spot with all the might he could muster. Unfortunately, Wanda was quicker than his puck. Her hand guided her mallet in such a way that as the puck was about to pass, she moved her mallet with blinding speed and the puck shot back into Hunter's goal before he could react.

"Two nothing," Wanda gloated, just a tiny bit. It didn't matter, though, because no matter what he did, Hunter could not score off this girl, and defending his goal was an even less successful endeavor. In short: She wiped the floor with him.

She did the same thing with the 'Dance Fever' game and Skee-bowl.

"So, what position do you play?" Hunter asked as they headed back to the table where the moms were waiting.

"I'm usually a pitcher, but since you can't pitch every day for the fifteen days of camp, I bounce around, too. I prefer infield to outfield, but I'll do whatever the coach tells me to do. How about you?"

He gave a small shrug. "I usually play in the outfield - right field or center. I played third base for a few games last year and I really liked that. There's more action in the infield and the ball moves a lot faster. I'd like to give that a try, if they let me."

"Have you ever played softball before?" Wanda asked

"Yeah. In gym class."

Wanda laughed at that. "So, the answer is 'no.' You've never played softball for real. Like, with girls who REALLY play softball."

"I guess not," he shrugged, "but I've played little league baseball. Same thing, right?"

Wanda smirked and shook her head. "I think we'd better play some softball this week before we go to camp. If you show up and throw a softball like it's a baseball, you're going to look pretty silly. I'm going to have to teach you how to throw like a girl. And bat like a girl, too, come to think of it."

Hunter didn't respond. He felt like she was being kind of uppity for no real reason.

"What d'ya think?" Wanda asked. "You want to get together and play some ball?"

Hunter was feeling a little beaten up by the number of games he'd lost to Wanda that day, but he knew how to play baseball and softball was just baseball for girls, right? He'd show her that he had some real athletic talent playing a game that was meant for boys.

"Sure," he smiled. "I'd love to play some ball."

"Ok. Let's talk to our moms about it."
 

~^~
 

The 'ping' of the aluminum bat hitting the softball wasn't as exciting to Bob as the 'crack' of a solid ash bat striking a baseball, but it was still nice to have his son back to playing ball - something that both father and son loved doing. It was a warm Sunday morning and Ronnie was bringing Wanda over pretty soon. Bob thought it might be a good idea to throw a few pitches for Hunter so that he'd be warmed up and confident when he started working with Wanda. Mary Ellen was acting as an outfielder, chasing down the ball when Hunter sent them out into the field behind their backyard.

'Ping!' Hunter hit another one a good long way.

"Well, alright!" Bob said, clapping his throwing hand into the new softball glove they'd bought for Hunter to take to camp. "You got a hold of that one!"

Mary Ellen retrieved the ball and threw it back to Bob, not quite reaching their 'pitchers mound.' The mound was actually just one of two pieces of two-by-four lumber that Bob had dug into the ground that morning. He'd read that the league rules set the pitcher's mound forty feet away from home plate for under fifteen players and forty three feet away for players over fifteen. So one piece of two by four had been dug into the ground at each of those distances from 'home plate.' He'd driven a tent peg through an old Frisbee to act as home plate, then measured out the correct distance for the two pitcher's 'rubbers.'

"You're really getting the hang of this," Bob smiled. "Here comes another." Bob wound up a bit and threw the ball in, across the plate, using an overhand pitch, just as he would with a baseball. He'd started by throwing his pitches underhand, but the arc of the pitch made it too easy for Hunter to hit. He figured he'd switch to a more manly pitch. After all, if Hunter could hit the ball coming at him in a straight line, he'd find it easy to hit whatever kind of underhand pitch Wanda was going to throw at him.

'Ping!' The ball shot in a beautiful arc over Bob's head and out into the field where Mary Ellen was waiting. She hustled in towards where the ball was going to land and managed to get a glove under it and caught it.

"You're out!" She called in from the field.

Bob laughed and gave her a thumbs up. "Good hit, champ!" He said, looking back towards home plate.

"Bob!" Joyce shouted from the back deck. "Veronica and Wanda are here!"

"Great!" Bob shouted back. "Send them out here."

Wanda came jogging over to their makeshift ball field. She was wearing a form fitting purple tee shirt with a sporting goods company's logo on it and a pair of plain, black yoga pants, nearly the same outfit that Hunter was wearing. The only differences were that Hunter's tee shirt was loose and orange, and, of course, Wanda, who was a year older than Hunter, filled out her outfit in a more womanly way. In a very much more womanly way, actually, and that was something of which Hunter took note and something that made him both oddly excited and oddly jealous at the same time.

She jogged straight to Hunter and greeted him with a warm, friendly hug. "Hi. How's it going? Are you getting the hang of hitting a bigger ball."

After the shock of being hugged passed, Hunter said. "Yeah. It's going good."

"Cool!" She grinned. "Let me see you hit a couple."

"Yeah, ok," he said and took up his batting stance by the Frisbee. He motioned to his father to throw a pitch. Bob wound up and threw a nice one that would have crossed the plate, but Hunter hit it out into the field. He watched it fly and drop, then looked at Wanda with a slightly smug smile.

"Nice," she said, looking out to the field where Mary Ellen was chasing down the ball. "Would you mind if I give a few pointers that the coaches will probably give you on day one, anyway?"

"That'd be great!" Hunter said, proud of his hit.

Wanda took the bat from him and took her position beside 'home plate.'

"First, your stance is too casual. If the pitchers throws a fastball, you'd never get your bat around in time to hit it. Put your feet shoulder length apart, bend your knees just a little and keep your legs flexed so you have support for the power in your core, the bat is off your shoulder and your arms are flexed and ready to swing at any second. You have to be a spring ready to pop. You cannot be at all relaxed. Ok?"

"Yeah, ok." Hunter kind of giggled at the advice. He'd heard pretty much the same thing before and felt he'd done what she'd said already.

Then, Wanda took her batting pose and, somehow, she seemed to grow. She seemed so strong as she stood there, looking just as she'd described - like a spring ready to pop - heck, she looked like she was ready to explode.

"Throw me a pitch," she said to Bob.

"Ok," Bob said. "Hunter, grab a mitt and catch for us."

"I won't need a catcher," Wanda announced with infinite confidence.

"Alright," Bob smiled.

He tossed the ball the way he'd been doing all morning, but instead of hitting the ball, Wanda reached out with her bare right hand and caught it as it approached the plate. She looked at Bob and said, "Don't hold back because I'm a girl. Throw a real pitch." She threw the ball back.

Bob was taken aback both by the way that the five foot four thirteen year old girl had just caught what he considered to be a pretty hard throw in her bare hand, but also by her allegation that he was holding back.

He shook his head and wound up, throwing the ball as hard as he felt he could while maintaining control of its path. It felt like he'd just released the ball when the metal bat 'pinged' and the ball took flight over his head and out... out... out... out into the field, far past the area where Mary Ellen had been prowling while Hunter had been hitting.

"Holy Moses," Bob muttered.

"Whoa," Mary Ellen said, amazed.

"Holy shit," Hunter said, wide eyed. He looked at Wanda. Yeah, she was taller than him, but so were all of the guys from the park he played ball with, too, and they could never hit a baseball, let alone a softball, anywhere close to that far. "Shit, Wanda," he said, looking back at her, "you're like The She-Hulk or something! How did you do that?"

She giggled a little. "I hope I'm cuter than The She-Hulk, but I did it by focusing all my strength on hitting the ball and understanding how fast it's coming in, where it'll be when it reaches me and making sure I make contact at just the right point to send it straight to center field because that's the shortest route for a home run. It's easy if you practice... no... I take that back. It's POSSIBLE if you practice... a lot."

"Can you do that every time!?"

She laughed at that. "Off your dad? Probably. Off a girl who knows how to pitch? No, but I do ok." She could see that she'd made and impression on Hunter and she saw an opening to get past his 'I'm better because I'm a boy' attitude, so she asked, "Would you like me to get you started? Of course the coaches at camp will do it better than I can, but I can show you the basics."

'Yeah!" Hunter was more than happy to learn, now.

After about twenty minutes of adjusting his stance, critiquing his swing and discussing his concentration, Hunter was hitting the ball a little further and placing the ball closer to center field with each hit.

"Your doing great, Hunter!" Wanda shouted as she gave him a hug. It's funny, Hunter had known Wanda his whole life and never really thought of her as anything more than the daughter of someone his dad worked with. Now, he saw her as this athletic beauty who, more than anything, he wanted to please. "Now, it's time to teach you how to hit a real softball pitch."

She headed to the 'mound' leaving Hunter at the plate.

"Can I pitch a few to him?" She asked Bob.

"Sure," he shrugged and stepped to the side.

Wanda looked at him, wondering why he was just standing there by the pitcher's mound. "Umm... maybe you should catch for me," she suggested.

"Ok," Bob half-laughed, "but neither of you has missed a pitch so far."

Wanda smirked at him. "Yeah, but... I think a catcher would be helpful."

Bob headed for the plate and picked up the old catcher's mitt he'd brought out when they were setting things up.

"How's it going, slugger?" He asked Hunter. Despite the well coiffed hair that stuck out from under his Houston Astro's ball-cap (he liked the big 'H' on the cap because he felt it stood for Hunter instead of Houston), the little pink earrings in his ears, the pink lipstick and, of course, the ever present breasts that had created this situation, playing ball - even softball - with Hunter was kind of like having his son back.

"It's going good," he said, with a huge smile. "She's kind of amazing, isn't she, dad?"

Bob punched the catcher's mitt on his left hand and laughed. "Yeah, she is a good batter, that's for sure."

"I can't wait to get to camp, now."

"Hey, that's great, son," Bob said, with genuine enthusiasm. He squatted down behind the plate and held his mitt at the height of Hunter's stomach. "All set!" He called to Wanda.

Hunter assumed his modified batting position and prepared.

Wanda wound up and fired an underhand pitch past Hunter that was faster than anything he'd ever seen thrown in his direction. Even though it crossed the plate in exactly a perfect strike, it actually scared Hunter to be so close to something moving so fast and he stepped back a bit to avoid being near it. The sound of the impact when the pitch hit Bob's mitt was almost as loud as a hit off the bat would have been, but the loudest sound was Bob's yowl when his brain registered the intensity of the pain in his hand.

"Ow!" He howled. "Christ! I think you broke my hand!"

Wanda smiled from the mound and put her hands on her hips. "I couldn't have at that speed. Maybe that glove is just too worn out. Why don't you use that new softball glove you were using before. It has more webbing."

Bob threw the ball back and then replaced the catcher's mitt with the new softball glove.

"Why did you step back?" Wanda asked Hunter.

He shrugged. "I was afraid it was going to hit me."

Wanda shook her head. "Hunter... that was probably a forty eight or forty nine mile an hour pitch. There are girls at camp who can throw a sixty five or higher. The coaches can get up into the seventies or eighties. Don't back away. Watch the pitch and hit the ball. I'll send in a few that are a little slower to start, but don't be a sissy. Hit them."

The word 'sissy' really hit Hunter hard. He stepped into the box and took a solid stance. When the ball came in, he swung and caught a bit of it, but not a lot. It popped up a little and would have landed foul of the first base line on a real field.

"Alright, that's a start," Wanda nodded. "A little more concentration and a little more girl-power on the swing and that ball will go straighter."

She wound up and sent another medium speed lob across the plate. This time Hunter got more of it and sent a line drive towards second base, but Wanda's quick hands pulled it out of mid-air.

"There you go," she said, encouragingly. "Try to get under it a little though."

He nodded and resumed his power stance.

The ball came in and he swung, catching all of it this time and sending it on a long arc into the field. Mary Ellen, who had been roaming a good distance away while Wanda had been batting, had to hustle in towards the infield to pick up the ball, but it was a respectable hit.

"Well, alright, alright, alright!" Wanda shouted. "Now, let's see if you can hit one with a little heat on it."
 

~^~
 

By mid afternoon, Bob, Hunter and the girls were hot and sweaty from playing softball for hours. If it was up to them, Hunter and Wanda would have played for another five hours, but Joyce and Veronica announced that it was time to call it a day and cool off in the pool. Hunter and the girls went to change into their swim suits, while Bob chose to go take a shower, then have a beer and watch the Red Sox on TV.

"Locking himself in his man-cave, I see," Veronica laughed when Bob announced his intentions.

Joyce smiled, but waited until Bob was out of earshot before she spoke. "I think Bob is finding it hard to see Hunter looking the way he does. Don't get me wrong, he's trying to be supportive and it was his idea to disguise Hunter this way, but when he sees 'the boy' looking little, and cute and sporting a bathing suit that shows off those breasts of his... I think it makes Bob a bit uncomfortable."

Veronica would have responded, but just then, Hunter and the girls exited the house in their swim suits. Mary Ellen and Wanda were both wearing very attractive two piece suits - nothing too daring, but very flattering, and Hunter emerged with a one piece swimsuit that Joyce had never seen before. It was white with dark blue piping around the arm and leg holes, a scoop neck, and narrow, dark blue, horizontal lines that were placed about an inch and a half apart for the length of the suit. The only other decoration was a three inch tall image of an anchor that was embroidered onto the front of his left hip. It gave the suit a bit of a nautical look. Like he was wearing a little sailor's dress of some kind.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Joyce said as he passed. "Where did this come from?"

"Oh," Hunter said, "Mae picked it up on sale at Kohl's. It fits good."

"Turn slowly so I can see," she instructed and he did. As she had done with the tankini, she slid her fingers into the rear of the leg holes to adjust the stretchy material over his rump. When he completed his slow spin, she said, "It does fit well. Do you like this style?"

He shrugged. "It's the first time I've worn it."

Joyce nodded, but took note of the fact that the suit's built in bra and deep, scooped neckline gave her stepson a bit more cleavage than she expected to see. Also, the sleek design of the suit showed a more feminine frame than the looser tops of the tankinis had. He didn't look at all boyish, now. She touched his hip, by the bottom of the suit. "It looks very nice, Hunter. Make sure you don't get too much sun, ok."

Hunter smiled. "Ok, mom."

Joyce and Veronica sat at the table under a shady umbrella and sipped on their wine and watch as the kids began playing and making noise in the pool.

When it was clear that the kids wear not listening to them, Veronica asked, "May I ask you a question about Hunter's condition?"

Joyce nodded. Veronica and Wanda were helping them quite a bit. She could share some details of this odd situation.

"I know that Hunter has gynaecomastia, but those breasts are not what most boys develop with that condition. Those are girls' breasts. And, in that suit, his hips and bottom looked to be fuller than I'd expect for a boy his age. Is there more to his situation than Bob has told me?"

"Yes and no," Joyce sighed. 'It's a hormonal imbalance causing the breast growth, but it's also wreaking havoc with other things, like his height and the way his body is developing. I know that Bob is hoping for a growth spurt that will kickstart Hunter's testosterone, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. Frankly, I have no idea how far his body will develop into a girl's form. I don't think the doctor knows either. I'm just as worried about Bob as I am about Hunter."

Veronica nodded and looked at the feminine form of her friend's son. "I noticed," she said, casually, "or rather - I didn't notice any outline of a penis in the crotch of that suit. He does have one, doesn't he?"

Joyce chuckled at the oddness of the question. "He does, but it's not much to talk about. Nothing has changed... well... developed... there, I mean. And beyond that - Mae put him into panties a few days ago and she showed him a video about how to tuck himself down there. I've seen him in panties and I think that the tucking is a full time thing, now. I am a little concerned that the tucking of his penis will cause the same problems that binding his breasts had caused. So far, though, he's fine."

Veronica shook her head and looked at Hunter as he did a gymnastic dive off of the diving board. "What a shame," she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

Veronica looked at Joyce apologetically. "I'm sorry I was just thinking out loud."

"And what were you thinking?"

"Just that... Well, you said that this is impacting his growth, so he'll probably always be a small boy, which isn't an easy thing to be. When I said 'What a shame,' what I meant was, what a shame he can't stay like he is. He's an absolutely precious little girl. I just was thinking... it's shame he has to grow up. All of them, really. It would be so nice if we could just keep them all like they are right now. Young, beautiful, carefree little girls."

Joyce nodded. "From your lips to God's ears." She watched her stepson even more closely. "Hunter was always a little moody before. Now... he seems thrilled to do anything as long as he is with his sister and he seems to be really happy with Wanda, too. Part of me thinks that we've only just met the real Hunter. I just wish Bob could see who she really is."

It was a solid minute or more before Joyce realized that she'd said 'she' when referring to her stepson.
 

~^~
 

Every day that week, Hunter and Wanda got together to practice. Mary Ellen drove them where they needed to go. Sometimes they worked on throwing exercises at Wanda's house. Sometimes they worked on hitting exercises at the softball field behind a local community college. Sometimes they worked in Bob and Joyce's backyard. It didn't matter, where they worked, Wanda was a fierce task master and Hunter was an eager student. Every afternoon, the three of them ended up in the pool with Joyce sitting on the patio watching them.

By Wednesday, all three of the kids were growing closer as friends. At Mary Ellen's suggestion, they all went together to see a movie at a cinema that was located in a mall down the highway, a few towns away. Not only was the theater a safe distance from home, but it offered food service in the theaters, as well. So the kids could go see the movie and have dinner at the same time. It was a big deal for all of them and both Joyce and Veronica were happy that the kids were doing something together.

So, the kids headed off for a four thirty in the afternoon film, unsure of which film they'd see until they got to the theater. They all had chicken fingers and fries with a soft drink and a small popcorn delivered to their seats and they enjoyed a ridiculous comedy that made them all laugh.

They were out of the movie by six thirty and, instead of going straight home, they decided to have some fun shopping - not buying much of anything since they didn't have much money with them. They did pick up a few little things, though. There was a buy-one-get-one-free sale on lingerie at one of the department stores at one end of the mall. Mary Ellen bought two packs of panties for herself and, much to his embarrassment, she bought two for Hunter as well.

"You didn't think I knew you wore panties?" Wanda asked, surprised. "Hunter, we've been doing athletic stuff together for days. Every time one of us bends over, the other sees the tops of our panties. It's no big deal. Honestly, I don't even think of you as a boy anymore."

He knew that was meant as a compliment, but the words did sting Hunter just a bit, too.

It didn't matter, though. After getting past that little bit of male pride, Hunter got into the flow and enjoyed talking color, style and fashion with the girls.

Eventually, they even talked Hunter into trying on some nice tops. He went into the dressing rooms and changed, then came out and showed off each top, some of which Mary Ellen liked enough to take pictures of to show her mother. Maybe mom would give them a few dollars so they could come back and buy Hunter a few nice things to wear when he went out, if need be.

The fifth store that they entered was a discount place that specialized in moderate quality, casual clothes. Both Mary Ellen and Wanda shopped there frequently and even Hunter had a decent pair of jeans that Joyce had picked up for him there. They picked up a few tops for Hunter to try on and Wanda grabbed some summer dresses and a romper. Mary Ellen didn't find anything that interested her, so she waited outside the dressing rooms to critique the clothing.

"It's pretty busy," Wanda pointed out. "The dressing rooms are pretty big here. Mom and I always go in together to try things on. Why don't we share one so that the paying customers don't get ticked off."

"Umm... you think that's be ok? I mean... you know..."

Wanda smiled. "Oh, come on, Hunter. You've see me in my bikini. My underwear covers more than that does. Besides, like I said, I think of you like a girlfriend. I don't mind if you don't mind."

"Ok," Hunter agreed.

When they got to the front of the line, Wanda told the lady at the counter that she and Hunter would share a room. The woman nodded and said, "Use room six. It's the biggest."

"Thank you," Wanda said and steered Hunter into the room.

First, Hunter tried on a top and went out to show Mary Ellen how it looked. While he was out of the room, Wanda tried on a dress. When Hunter returned, Wanda went out and showed it to Mary Ellen. This kind of alternating fashion shows for Mary Ellen went on until Hunter went out to model his last top. As he returned to the dressing room, he found Wanda in a state of undress, pulling a light pink, flowered romper off.

"Geez, this is way too small for me," she shook her head as she stood in her bra and panties and looked at the tags in the back of the romper. "Oh, for crying out loud. I took the wrong size." She began to put the romper back on the hanger when she stopped and looked at Hunter. "Hey... this will fit you. Try it on."

Hunter stood with his top in his hand, his comfortable, lace covered bra with the little bow in between the cups, supporting his plump breasts. "I... I don't think I should."

"Why not?"

He looked at the garment. "It's... it's almost a dress."

Wanda laughed. "What are you talking about? It's a romper. It's nothing like a dress. It's more like a pair of shorts with a blouse attached. Come on... just try it on. It'll be fun." She held the romper out to him.

"I don't know..."

Wanda let out a long, exasperated sigh. "Hunter... you are going to spend at least the next three weeks pretending to be a girl. Do you really think that this little piece of clothing is going to be the only girly thing you're expected to wear in that time? Come on. Just try it on. It'll be fine, I promise."

All that kind of made sense. It wasn't really a dress and the only people who'd know he'd even tried it on were Mary Ellen and Wanda.

Mary Ellen looked at the time her phone. It had been a longer wait than she'd expected. Either Hunter or Wanda should have come out with a new outfit by now. Or, if they were done, they should have both come out. Since Hunter didn't have a phone, she was about to text Wanda, but as she called up her contact information, Wanda walked out of the dressing rooms in her street clothes and smiling a big smile.

"Where's Hunter?" Mary Ellen asked.

"He's coming," Wanda grinned, "but don't freak, ok?"

"Why should I..." she didn't finish the question, because at that moment, Hunter stepped out of the dressing rooms wearing a light pink, flowered romper that had little fringes of white lace along the hems of the very short sleeves and very wide leg openings. It fit him really well and it looked so good on him! "Oh, my God," she said, quietly. "How did you get him into that?"

"It wasn't all that hard," the younger girl smiled. "I just told him that this might be a good alternative to a dress if he needed to wear something nice in the next few weeks. He wasn't exactly excited to try it on, but he gave in pretty easily."

"I need to send my mother a picture of this," Mary Ellen said, excited.

"Come on, Mae," Hunter whined as his stepsister approached with her cell phone out and pointed in his direction. "You're not going to show anyone those pictures are you?"

"I'm sending just this one to mom, Hunny," Mary Ellen explained. "When she sees you in this, she's going to want to get it for you."

And she did. As soon as Joyce saw the picture, she told Mary Ellen to use the credit card Joyce had given her for emergencies to buy the romper. In fact, her reply-text had read, 'THAT IS PERFECT FOR HIM. USE THE CARD I GAVE YOU. DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT BUYING THAT. IF YOU CAN GET HIM ANOTHER, GO AHEAD AND BUY TWO."

She only bought the one, though. Hunter wasn't interested in trying on any more. They did convince him to keep it on for the rest of their time at the mall, though.

Before they left, they stopped at the food court and got a little snack. Mary Ellen had a small fry and soft drink from Burger King, Wanda had a smoothie from a smoothie stand and Hunter got a kid-sized chocolate and vanilla swirl soft serve cone from another place.

As they sat there chatting and enjoying their last stop of the day, someone approached and said, "Wanda?"

Wanda looked up at a very handsome guy in his twenties who was walking with an equally attractive woman of the same age.

"Hey! Austin!" Wanda said, waving to the guy as he and his companion approached.

"I thought that was you!" The man named Austin smiled his handsome smile. "Maya," he said to the girl next to him, "this is Wanda. My star pitcher. I've told you about her, haven't I?"

"Only every single day since the softball season began," the woman chuckled. "Hi, Wanda. I'm Maya. I'm this guy's fiancé. Nice to meet you." She extended her hand, which Wanda accepted and shook.

"Oh," Wanda said, looking around, "these are my friends, Mae and Hunter. Guys, this is Austin. He's the coach of my softball team - not at school, but in the league I played in this spring."

"And every spring until you graduate," Austin smiled.

"I hope so," Wanda smiled back. "Hey, you should see Hunter play. She's getting really good. She's going to camp with me next week."

"Cool," Austin nodded. "Which camp?"

"The camp over at the regional high school."

"The camp over at the regional high school? Whoa, that's a tough camp! You'll learn a lot, but they'll beat you up pretty good. Don't get me wrong - I'm not criticizing them. They produce great athletes and I'll be happy to have you improve under their tutelage, but they will work you hard over there."

"I know," Wanda smiled. "I went last year, too."

"Ok," Austin smiled. "That explains a lot."

Wanda chuckled at that.

Austin looked at Hunter and squinted a bit. "I'm sorry, Hunter, but do I know you?"

"No. I don't think so," he said, but that was a lie. In fact, Austin had been a coach at the camp he'd attended the previous summer. Hunter had recognized him immediately and he'd been afraid that the older guy would recognize him.

"Huh..." Austin thought. "You look familiar." He thought for a moment more, then shrugged it off. "Oh, well. We have to get going. Will you all be going to camp next week?"

"Just me and Hunter," Wanda explained.

"Well, have a great time and work hard. Hunter, you should try out for our team next year."

"Maybe," Hunter nodded, trying not to give Austin too good a look at his face.

"Hey, I'll be able to come see your last game at the big park in the city!" Austin said. "I'll see you guys there. Have a good night."

They left and Mary Ellen looked at her stepbrother. "Do you know him?"

Hunter nodded. "Kinda. He coached at camp last year."

"So what?" Wanda laughed. "He'll never make the connection. You're much cuter now."

Hunter nodded. "I guess. I also guess that it's too late to go to camp under a different name, huh? I mean, he knows my name is Hunter, now, so if he comes to the last game..."

"That's ok," Mary Ellen smiled. "I've met a couple of girls named Hunter before. It's one of those names that can go either way."

Hunter nodded. "Yeah? Ok."
 

~^~
 

"Alright, girls," the coach assigned to Group A shouted. "Form a straight line along this white line in the grass!" They were on the school's football field, and spread out from the ten-yard-line to a little beyond the twenty-yard-line, facing across the narrow part of the field. "We're starting every day with some speed training. Across the field from you there are twenty tennis balls for each of you. When I blow my whistle, run across the field, grab one ball, run back here, drop the ball into the basket behind you and repeat the process until all twenty of your tennis balls are in your basket. Now, remember the first thing I said. This is SPEED TRAINING, so get moving and stay moving. The object is to be fast. Questions? No questions? Good. Here we go!"

She blew the whistle and everyone ran across the field. At first, it didn't seem like a big deal. Just get the twenty balls back into the basket, but after a few laps across the field, Hunter began to realize that the distance across the field was wider than he'd anticipated. By lap seven or eight, he felt like some of the girls were pulling ahead of him, so he pushed harder so as not to be the last one to have gathered all his balls.

Eventually, he lost track of everyone else and was just concentrating on getting through his own pain and retrieving all the balls. The world became his breathing and those stupid, yellow balls.

Finally, he grabbed the last one and dug down deep and found some extra strength and made a push for his basket, dropping the last one in. He stood and tried to slow his labored breathing. Eventually, he was returning to a normal feeling and he took stock of how many others in his group were still gathering balls. Of the twelve girls, including him, in the group, it looked like seven were done and a the rest were still hustling across the field.

Wanda came over to Hunter and offered a high-five. "You did great!" She said. "You came in seventh. That's great for a first timer - especially since you're one of the youngest people in the group."

He nodded his thanks as he bent over, his hands on his knees, and continued to breathe deeply.

"Hey, Short-Stuff," the coach said, coming up behind them, "you need to report to Coach Skylar's office."

It took Hunter a moment to realize that he was the person she was referring to as Short-Stuff. He nodded. "Ok, coach. Thank you, coach." He thought for a moment. "Umm... coach... where is Coach Skylar's office?"

The coach, who was a college student, pointed towards the nearby gymnasium. "Go in through the glass doors and turn left. You'll see her name on the sign outside of her office."

"Yes, coach. Thank you, coach." He headed in that direction, walking slowly so as to recover from the speed exercise.

"You're not walking, are you, Short-Stuff?" The coach shouted. "We don't walk here. Move that hiney of yours, Short-Stuff! HUSTLE!"

"Yes, coach!" He shouted as he ran towards the gym.

When he entered the gymnasium building, the coolness of the air inside hit his sweaty clothes and he realized how much he'd been sweating already and he'd only been at camp for a little over three quarters of an hour.

He turned left and headed down the hall. Coach Skylar's office was just a few doors down. The door was propped open, so he stepped in and cleared his throat, causing the woman at the desk to look up from her computer. She smiled and asked, "Hunter?"

He nodded, "Yes, coach."

She stood and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come with me. The nurse needs to see you."

That sent a chill down his spine, but he didn't really have a choice. So, he allowed himself to be guided down the hall. They had only walked a few doors down when Coach Skylar said, "In here."

"Hi, Sky," the older woman in the nurse's scrubs smiled. "So... is this Hunter?"

"This is him," Coach Skylar nodded, again surprising Hunter. He'd been told that he'd never be referred to as a boy while at camp.

The nurse patted the exam table next to her. "Ok, my dear. Up you go."

Hunter pulled himself up onto the exam table and waited. "Take off your shirt, please," the nurse said. Hunter looked at Coach Skylar, but she wasn't leaving, so he pulled the sweaty, light blue tee shirt off, revealing the beige sports bra below.

The nurse began by using her stethoscope to listen to his lungs. She asked a lot of questions, then had him stand to get a weight and height. "Forty nine inches and forty nine pounds," the doctor announced, shaking her head a bit. "You're definitely a little on the small side, my dear," she said to Hunter. Then she looked at the other woman. "She's kind of little for the rigors of this camp, Sky. Your call."

Coach Skylar nodded, then looked at Hunter, who looked frightened. "Don't worry, Hunter. I'm not sending you home, but I am concerned. When I was asked to include a boy in the camp, I had my reservations, of course, but I also expected a very different looking boy. I figured we'd be telling girls not to bother the butch looking tomboy. Instead, I'm concerned that they might plow right over you."

Hunter shook his head. "They won't, coach. I'm tougher than I look. Honest."

Coach Skylar snickered at that. "I bet you are." She looked at him for a moment or two, then she looked to the nurse, "What about his breasts?"

"What about them," the nurse asked. "They're a little ahead of schedule for a girl of her age and size, but if she's taking hormones..."

"I'm not!" Hunter cut her off. "Sorry, but I'm not taking anything. I didn't ask to look like a girl. I just do."

The nurse raised her eyebrows. "Really? Well, In that case... they are still a little ahead of schedule for a girl her age and size, but her bra fits well. I might have gone a little bigger in the cup, but as long as she's comfortable, it's a good bra. What are you wearing sweetheart? An A cup?"

He shrugged. "A 'B,' I think."

"It looks a little tight, but my guess is she's in-between cups right now, so it's fine. If she grows anymore, though, her mom will have to buy a better fitting bra for her."

Those were not words that Hunter wanted to hear, but he just sat and waited. God, why did women talk about bras so much!?

Coach Skylar nodded. "Ok, put your shirt back on, sweetheart." She watched him pull the sweaty shirt back on and then said, "Now, listen, Hunter... this is the last time that I will ever refer to you as a boy. I don't know what the deal is at home, but while you're here, you're just one of the girls, understood?"

"Yes, coach."

"Good," she nodded. "Now, I watched you doing the first part of your speed work this morning and I can see you have a lot of heart, but if you start getting hurt or teased because of your size, I want you to come to me immediately. Understood?"

"Yes, coach."

She had to admit, he was a cute kid. The little bob haircut didn't hurt, either. "Alright, sweetheart. Get back to your group. I think they'll be on field C at this point, doing some batting assessment."

"Yes, coach. Thank you, coach." He looked at the nurse. "Thank you, ma'am."

"You're very welcome, my dear," the nurse smiled at his politeness. "Off you go."

He turned and hustled out of the room and into the hallway.

"You think he'll be ok?" The coach asked the nurse.

"I think so, but I'll tell you one thing... If I were that child's mother, and I didn't want her to become a very pretty young lady over the next few years, I'd get her to an endocrinologist pretty damned quickly. I've seen lots of boys and girls that age who haven't developed secondary sexual features, but that girl..."

"That boy," Coach Skylar corrected.

"I know what I said," the nurse crossed her arms and shook her head. "That girl, that little girl, is never going to be a boy without some very aggressive intervention."
 

~^~
 

"That's lunch!" Coach Marie, the coach of Hunter's group called. He'd learned her name after he returned from the nurse's office. "Let's go, ladies! Everyone into the cafeteria." She clapped her hands rhythmically as Hunter and the girls jogged past.

When they got into the air condition of the building each group member let out a sigh. It was a hot day and they were all sweating a lot.

Lunch consisted of a choice of three items - pasta, chicken fingers or a vegetarian option that looked like a hamburger. Hunter chose the chicken fingers, always a favorite, then grabbed a bottle of a sports drink and a bottle of water. He took everything on a tray and looked around the room for an empty table.

"Hi," a much older girl said. "Come sit with us."

"Oh, thanks," Hunter smiled, "but I'm looking for my friend."

"Here I am," Wanda said. She'd gotten her food and was also looking for a table.

"Oh, ok," the older camper said. "Why don't both of you come join us."

"Ok. Great," Wanda said, then she leaned down and said to Hunter, "It's kind of a tradition that the older girls welcome the younger ones on the first day."

They followed the Group D girl to the table where her lunch was waiting and they all sat down. Another girl brought over two other members of Group A to join them. Hunter had been with the Group A girls all day and they were all very fit and fairly pretty little girls, but these girls, the Group D girls, they were all seventeen and eighteen years old, very athletic, most had fairly long hair in ponytails, and all of them were gorgeous - even without makeup.

"Are you guys taking care of my ladies?" Coach Marie asked the older girls as she walked by. The Group D girls all smiled and said they were.

"Take special care of Short-Stuff, here," the coach teased, patting Hunter on the shoulder. "This little spitfire has some talent."

Hunter was actually surprised to hear the coach offer any praise. So far, she'd been kind of mean to everyone.

"I understand that you've been working with our littlest camper," Coach Marie smiled at Wanda.

"Just for a week or so," she smiled, proud of her work and her friend.

Coach Marie smiled and gave Wanda a pat on the shoulder, too. "Good work, Wanda. Keep it up." Then she looked at Hunter. "Do what she says. She's our star."

The coaches walked away and the one of the Group D girls said, "Wow! Compliments from Coach Marie. You guys must be doing something right! I'm Ruthie," she smiled. "I gather you're Wanda and you're Short-Stuff, huh?"

"I'm Hunter," Hunter said.

Ruthie smiled. "Hunter? Cool name for a girl, but I like Short Stuff, better. Besides, if the coaches give you a nickname, it's always because they like you. Be proud of it."

Hunter shrugged, but he would rather not be continually reminded that, even though he was a boy amongst a slew of girls, he was the smallest camper by far.

"Hey, Ruthie," a girl said walking up to the table, "do you have a band-aid ? My sneaker gave me a cut on the back of my foot." Hunter and Wanda recognized the girl as Sarah, a girl from Group A.

"I told you to wear taller socks," Ruthie shook her head as she pulled a band aide out of a fanny-pack she was wearing around her waist.

"Hey, guys," Sarah smiled and waved to Hunter and Wanda.

"Hey," they both replied, but Wanda continued, "Are you guys sisters?"

"Can't you tell?" Ruthie teased. She was lanky and blonde and Sarah was a little bit broader and much darker with slightly swarthy skin and jet black hair.

The younger sister rolled her eyes. "One of us doesn't bleach our hair. Can you tell which one?"

That made them all laugh. "Hey, you guys are both really good," Sarah said. She gave Wanda a head jerk. "I only got two hits off of you. Usually, I hit, like, a lot more."

Wanda smiled. "We'll see. Maybe tomorrow you'll get lots of hits off me."

"You bet your ass I will."

"Knock it off," Ruthie laughed, giving the back of her little sister's head a dope-slap. "Be nice."

Sarah smiled, then said, "I'll be right back." She hurried to where her tray was waiting, grabbed it and hurried back to sit beside her sister. "So... where do you guys go to school?"

Conversation kicked off from there and by the end of lunch, the three Group A members had become fast friends.
 

~^~
 

"So, how did it go?" Joyce asked as Wanda and Hunter entered the house followed by Mary Ellen who'd picked them up.

"It was great, mom!" Hunter gushed. "I never worked so hard in my life, but we learned so much and I did really well! Oh, and mom! Wanda's like the biggest deal at camp! All the coaches watch her and talk about how great she is."

"Wow!" Joyce laughed. "And that was only day one!"

"I know. It was great!" Hunter smiled broadly. "We made a new friend, too. Her name is Sarah and her sister, Ruthie, is in Group D, the oldest group. Sarah is really good, too! I can't wait to go back tomorrow!"

"That's great!" Joyce said, giving him a hug. "Ugh! You smell sweaty. Why don't you guys get changed and take a dip in the pool before Wanda's mom gets here. Then you can shower for about an hour... or for how everything long it takes until we get you clean."

"Ok, mom," Hunter grinned and he and Wanda ran up the stairs to change.

"Aren't you going to go swimming?" Joyce asked Mary Ellen.

"Yeah, I am," she said, but she came over to the table where her mother sat and said, "You should have seen him when I picked them up, mom. I've never seen him so excited. All the girls were calling him Short Stuff..."

"Oh, that's awful!"

"No, mom. He loved it! All the girls were fawning all over him. He was like a little social butterfly."

Joyce looked towards the stairs and smiled. "That's wonderful."

Mary Ellen smiled, too. "It really was. Oh, here," she handed a Manila envelope to her mother. "All the girls had to bring this home for their parents. It's got all the schedule information for the next three weeks."

"Oh, thanks, honey, and thanks for being the chauffeur today."

"No problem, mom. I really enjoyed watching them play for a while and just seeing Hunter happy was awesome, too."
 

~^~
 

"Here they are," Bob joked as he and Veronica came out onto the patio and joined Joyce at the table. "So, preliminary reports are... what? Positive? Negative?"

"Very positive," Joyce smiled. "They both had a great day." She pointed to the kids in the pool having fun. "They're still wound up."

"Huzzah!" Bob said as he raised both hands over his head and did a bit of Rocky dance to celebrate.

"Yeah, it's a big victory, but take a seat. There is a problem that we need to discuss."

Veronica pulled out a seat and sat down as well. "As long as they're happy," she said, "we can help him with anything. Right?"

Joyce looked dubious. "They sent home this itinerary of everything that's happening for the next three weeks."

"Yeah?" Bob said, looking at the calendar. "And?"

"And..." Joyce said, shaking her head. "Look at the third Thursday evening. The night before they play at the stadium."

"What?" Veronica said, shocked. "They didn't do that last year!"

"Yeah," Joyce nodded. "I called Coach Skylar and asked about it. She said that last year they couldn't get the hall they used for the evening, so they didn't do it. She seemed really excited to be hosting it again this year, though."

"Wait," Bob said, looking at the calendar. "What's a 'Daughter Dance?'"

Joyce explained. "It's what we used to call a 'Daddy/Daughter Dance,' but since families aren't all dad/mom/kids and a dog anymore, they just call it a Daughter Dance. The child can go with a father or mother or uncle... whatever. The point is, it's a semi-formal dance."

"Which means, what?" Bob asked, not really all that aware of social mores of these kinds of things.

"Which means," Veronica explained, "the men wear suits and ties and the girls wear nice dresses."

"Yeah, but this is the twenty-first century," Bob scoffed. "The girls can wear trousers, right?"

Joyce shook her head. "I read the description of the event. It specifies dresses. It even discourages skirts."

"So..." Bob shrugged, "poor Hunter is sick that night. We really wanted to go, but... stomach bug or a low fever... what can you do?"

Veronica looked at him and shook her head. "So, Hunter is fine at practice on Thursday, is sick Thursday night, then shows up at the stadium to play on Friday? Bob, they'll never let him play if they think he's been sick."

"Alright, alright," Bob folded his arms and thought. "He's happy now, right? So, let's not say anything about it until we have to."

"We have to say something tonight or tomorrow, Bob," Joyce said. "Besides the fact that there will be conversations about this at camp..." she took a breath, "... he's going to need to go dress shopping and that doesn't happen with just one quick trip to the mall. It takes time."

Bob shook his head. "Dresses... Jesus... we're buying our son dresses. What kind of parents are we?"
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 4

 

Hunter loves softball camp and he's making lots of new friends, but with new friends comes new complications.

---

 
Author's Note: Thank you for your comments. They mean a lot to me. I hope you enjoy where the story takes us.~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 4 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 4
 

The discussion regarding the 'Daughter Dance' took place at breakfast and Hunter was not happy about the whole idea. Bob finally said he'd call Coach Skylar and discuss things with her to see if they could reach some kind of compromise. That at least calmed things down enough to get Hunter to relax a bit and go back to camp.

As things turned out, Bob had a busy day at work and the phone call to the head coach got put on a back burner. He'd have to deal with that the another day.

Hunter, on the other hand, had another great day at softball camp. Speed training had gone really well and he was feeling as if, even after just a couple of days, he was developing more speed and stamina than he'd had before. The constant encouragement from the Coach Maria helped a lot, too.

On the first day of fielding practice, Hunter had played right field and he'd done fine. So on that second afternoon, when the coach called out positions, he expected another outfield assignment. The outfield spots were the first positions called, though, and he wasn't called. As each of the infield positions was filled, he assumed he'd be sitting this scrimmage out - until the last position was called.

"At third base..." Coach Marie shouted. "Short Stuff. Give it a try."

Hunter was thrilled! Infield! That meant more action. Yes!
 

~^~
 

About an hour before the end of the day on the fourth day of camp, Mary Ellen arrived and sat in the bleachers to watch Hunter play. She was surprised to see him at third base, but everything seemed to be going very well for him there. If she had any doubts that he was doing well, those doubts we set aside by the constant shouts of other players and coaches. "Way to go, Short Stuff!" "Alright, Short Stuff!" "Yeah! That's the way to hustle, Short Stuff!"

She could tell that he was in his glory playing with these girls. She could also tell that his game had already improved from the way that he had played the previous week with Wanda.

"Are you Short Stuff's sister?" a woman asked as she approached Mary Ellen.

Mary Ellen laughed. "Yes. I'm Hunter's sister. I'm Mae."

The woman extended her hand. "I'm Skylar. I wonder if I could impose one you to bring this note home to your parents?"

"Of course," Mary Ellen said, happy to help. "I can't believe how well Hunter is fitting in here. Last year he loved the baseball camp, but he... I mean... she... didn't really connect with the other kids. Everyone seems to like her here." She was embarrassed that she hadn't consistently used feminine pronouns to ensure that Hunter's disguise was protected.

Skylar snickered. "It's ok. I run the camp. I know all about Hunter. And, yes... she is fitting in beautifully. Everyone likes her. She's almost like the camp mascot. Even the older girls know who she is and are always supporting her. She's a very unifying presence. I love having her here."

"Really!? Oh, well, thanks!" Mary Ellen smiled, tucking the envelop Skylar had given her into her purse.

They said their goodbyes and Skylar left Mary Ellen to watch the scrimmage.

When it was time to go, Mary Ellen lost track of Hunter for a few moments, but then saw him riding piggy back on an older girl from Group D up the hill from the ball field. The Group D girl was singing a popular song and Hunter was joining in when he knew the words.

"Alright, Short Stuff," the Group D girl said as she arrived at the bleachers, "end of the line."

"Thanks, Lucy!" Hunter giggled as he climbed from her back to the bleachers.

"No problem, Short Stuff. Hey... you did really good today." She gave the little player a fist bump.

Hunter was actually blushing at the compliment. "Thanks," he said, obviously thrilled to get the praise of an older girl. "Your home run was awesome. Congratulations."

The girl, who's name was, obviously, Lucy, smiled and gave Hunter a hug. "Aww, thanks, Short Stuff. See you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok. See you tomorrow."

Mary Ellen got up and walked down the bleachers to meet her stepbrother. She was thrilled to see him so happy. As the girls were leaving, dozens of them stopped by Hunter to give him a high five or a hug or to say something sweet to him. She couldn't believe how popular he seemed to be with everyone.

"Hey, Short Stuff," she laughed as she reached him. "It looks like you've had a great day!"

"I did," he giggled. "We had a coach from the softball team at UConn come in today. She was amazing. She even picked me to be part of the batting clinic. She taught me SO MUCH! She's coming back later in the camp schedule, too. I can't wait!"

"Great," Mary Ellen said, putting her arms around Hunter's little shoulders. "Hey, where's Wanda?"

"Oh, she's with Sarah. They carried some equipment back inside. She'll be right out."

As if on cue, Wanda and another girl came jogging out of the school gymnasium.

"Is Sarah in your group, too?" Mary Ellen asked.

"Yeah. She's really cool. She plays first base and she's really funny. The coaches call Sarah and Wanda and me 'The Three Musketeers' because we always hang out together. She's like our best friend."

"Really? So you have a new friend?"

Hunter looked around. "I got a lot of new friends. Sarah's probably the best one, though."

"Hey, Short Stuff," the girl named Sarah said high-five-ing Hunter. "I'll see you tomorrow." She gave him a big hug. "Love you guys." She said to Hunter and Wanda.

"Love you, too!" Hunter said.

"See ya!" Wanda said.

"Hey!" Sarah stopped and turned as an idea came to her. "You guys want to do a Zoom tonight? You know - meet up online?"

"Cool! What time?" Wanda asked.

"Seven thirty?" Sarah suggested.

"Awesome! Send me a link and I'll send it to Hunter."

"Will do! Gotta run or Ruthie will be mad! Talk to ya tonight!" Sarah turned and hurried away.

"Alright," Mary Ellen said. "Let's go."

Hunter and Wanda talked nonstop all the way home. They were obviously enjoying not only the camp activities, but all the girls and, most importantly, being with each other. Mae had never seen her brother this happy.

When they walked into the house, Hunter retold the entire day's events to his mother. Once again talking about the coach from UConn and how great she was.

Pretty quickly, Hunter and Wanda had run upstairs to get changed into their swimsuits and, just as Bob and Veronica arrived, Mary Ellen handed her mother the envelope from Skylar. Joyce thanked her daughter for driving once again and Mae went upstairs to get changed.

Joyce opened the envelope as she spoke. "Wait until Hunter tells you about his day. He had the time of his life and I get the impression that he's making friends right and left. I've never seen the boy so hap..." she stopped mid-word and her smile faded as she read the note from Skylar.

"What's that?" Bob asked, concerned.

"It's from the head coach at the camp."

"Oh. Skylar? That's my friend who set this all up," Veronica said to Bob.

"Is everything alright?" Bob asked.

Joyce shook her head. "Well, she starts by saying how much everyone loves Hunter, but... then she wrote: 'I feel that I need to tell you that I had our camp nurse take a look at Hunter because he was so much smaller than the rest of the campers and we wanted to be sure he could handle the rigors of our daily routine. Even our nurse found Hunter to be a charming and funny young person, but after he'd left, my nurse said that she had concerns about his health. His hormonal issues, that is. I feel obliged to tell you that she said that if Hunter were her child, she would get him to an endocrinologist immediately. She feels that ignoring his problem may make it impossible for his body to develop as a male in the future. I have struggled with deciding whether or not I should mention this to you, and of course, all decisions regarding Hunter's health are yours and yours alone, but I trust my nurse's judgement and I just wanted to make you aware of what she said. Regards. Coach Skylar.'"

Joyce looked up at her husband and his colleague, not sure what to say.

"But Dr Clemente said to wait it out, right?" Bob asked.

Joyce's face suddenly dissolved into tears. "Bob... we have to take him to someone. Look at him. This is getting to be too much. I love having another girl to dress and take care of, but... he's a boy, Bob! But, God, I don't know if he's ever going to be a boy again if we ignore this for too long."

Just then, all three teenagers came barreling down the stairs, headed to the pool.

"Hi, daddy!" Mary Ellen said as she passed and when Hunter followed, he said the same thing.

Bob looked at the boy in his one piece swimsuit and he saw Joyce's point.

"Let's get a referral from Dr Clemente to see someone ASAP," Bob said, shaking his head.
 

~^~
 

Camp the next day was going great until mid-afternoon when Coach Marie shouted, "Hey, Short Stuff! Come on in!"

Hunter hustled into the caged off area beside the playing field that was referred to as 'the dugout.'

"Yes, coach?" Hunter said with a smile.

The coach pointed over to the bleachers where Coach Skylar was talking to Hunter's stepmother. "Looks like you're leaving early, today, Short Stuff."

"I am?" Hunter said, surprised. "Nobody said anything about that."

Coach Marie shrugged. "No big deal, Short Stuff. Grab your gear and we'll see you Monday."

Hunter grabbed his square athletic backpack with the two bats sticking out of it and began walking up the hill towards his stepmother. The fact that she'd shown up almost two hours early filled him with concern.

"We don't walk here, Short Stuff," Coach Marie shouted at him.

"Sorry, coach," Hunter called behind him and he ran up the hill to the two women.

"Here's our little star," Coach Skylar smiled. "Did you have a good day, Short Stuff?"

"I did until now," Hunter said. "What's going on, mom?"

"No big deal, sweetie," Joyce said. "You have a doctor's appointment today, that's all."

"I do?" Hunter thought back to that morning. No one had said anything. "I didn't know that."

"I guess we just forgot to tell you," Joyce smiled and shrugged. "Come on. We need to go."

Hunter looked back at the field. "But, mom... it's Friday. I won't see the girls again until Monday and I didn't get to say goodbye."

"I'll say goodbye for you," Coach Skylar smiled. Then she looked at Joyce and said, "I'll bring Wanda to Veronica's office after camp." She returned her gaze to Hunter. "You have a great weekend, Short Stuff. I'll see you on Monday."

"Ok, Coach," he said, but the fact that no one had told him about this appointment and the fact that Coach Skylar was suddenly driving Wanda home combined to fill him with dread.
 

~^~
 

"Can you take off your shirt for me, Hunter?" Dr Raymond asked.

"I'm afraid he's a little sweaty and stinky," Joyce said, as she helped her stepson remove his top.

"Oh? What have you been doing today, Hunter?"

"I came directly from softball camp," Hunter said.

"Softball?" The doctor nodded as he felt around Hunter's neck carefully. "Do you also play baseball?"

"Yeah," the boy said, sounding frightened.

"Actually, until recently, Hunter was all about baseball," Bob said, sounding almost apologetic. The little exam room was very crowded with Bob, Joyce, Hunter, Dr Raymond and a nurse all crammed inside. "This year, though... well... circumstances being what they are... we felt that softball might be the best choice for The Boy."

The doctor nodded, but concentrated on the patient, carefully feeling for problems. Finally, the moment that Hunter was afraid would arrive, did in fact arrive. "Can we take off the sports bra, please?"

Joyce went to help Hunter, but he held his arms tightly to his sides.

"It's ok, baby," she whispered. "The doctor just needs to see you so that he can help you."

Reluctantly, he relaxed his arms and let his stepmother remove the damp sports bra.

Then, the unthinkable happened. The doctor began touching him... there... on his breasts. He wasn't groping him or anything. He was obviously examining him, but it was still shocking and degrading and Hunter hated it.

"It's ok, baby," Joyce whispered. "He's just making sure you're ok."

"I know," Hunter whispered back, "and I'm not a baby. I just don't like it."

"None of us ever do," Joyce rubbed his back to offer comfort.

Finally, the doctor stepped back and looked at Hunter from head to toe one last time. "So..." he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, "when did you first notice that your breasts were growing?"

Hunter shrugged. "I don't know. I guess around the beginning of the school year."

"And you didn't tell your parents?"

Hunter shook his head.

"When did they get big enough that you felt the need to start binding them down?"

Hunter wanted to crawl under the carpet at this point. "Around... Halloween, I guess."

Th doctor thought for a moment. Then he looked at Joyce. "How bad was the rash when you first saw it?"

"Terrible. His skin was inflamed and there was weeping from a lot of little cuts. He scared the life out me."

The doctor nodded some more, then finally smiled and looked at Hunter. "Ok, young fellow, I think you can get dressed, now. We should have some of the results from the bloodwork by now. Of course, we won't get everything back for a few days - maybe a week for some of it. Claire," he asked the nurse, "could you help Hunter get dressed. Mom and dad, I'd like to chat for a minute in my office across the hall.

"Of course," the nurse smiled at Hunter as the rest of the people left the room. She picked up the sports bra, which was a bit rolled up from being pulled off, and shook it to make the material relax a bit. "Here. Let me help you get this on."

"I can do it myself," Hunter said, feeling very put upon.

"I'm sure you can, but you heard the doctor. If I don't help you, I could lose my job."

Hunter laughed at that and let her help him get his bra and top back on. She had just pulled his tee shirt down and straightened it out when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Nurse Claire said while still looking at Hunter.

"Sorry to bother you," another nurse said, sticking her head into the exam room, "but do you know where the extra large blood pressure cuff is? I need it in exam room seven."

"I think I do," Claire said. "Will you be ok here by yourself for a few minutes?" She asked Hunter.

He shrugged. "Yeah. Sure."

"I'll be right back," she said as she winked at Hunter and touched the tip of his nose before leaving with the other nurse.

As the door was closing, Hunter caught a bit of a conversation coming from across the hall. At first, it was just the fact that it was his stepmother's voice that caught his attention. Then it was her worried tone. Then it was what she said.

"...but you can't just sit there and tell us that there is nothing you can do."

Before the door could close, Hunter grabbed the handle and stopped it from swinging shut. He kept it open about three inches and he focused his hearing towards the doctor's office.

"Please, stay calm, Joyce," the doctor said in a business like voice. "I didn't say that there is nothing we can do. We can start him on male hormones, yes, but there are problems inherent in that. Since his female hormone levels are so high, a drastic introduction of male hormones could shock his system and cause liver or kidney damage, and other problems that we won't be able to remediate later."

"Such as?" Bob asked.

"Well, it's not uncommon that, when male hormones are introduced to a child, the child's body thinks that the patient has suddenly aged to the point of manhood and causes the patient's body to cease its growing. So, the patient's growth ceases immediately. Now, Hunter is only four foot one, so I'd be afraid to introduce that therapy at this point."

"How about surgery?" Bob asked. "You know... to remove the breasts?"

"I can't recommend it," Dr Raymond said. "Besides the obvious risks inherent in any surgical procedures, Hunter's breast growth is far from done. Surgery could be very harmful and still not contribute to solving the problem."

Joyce sounded like she was crying when she asked, "So what do we do? Just continue to treat him like our daughter? What about school? His friends? Our family? His relatives? How is he supposed to handle all of that? He's just a little boy."

"I understand your concerns," the doctor said, "and I know that there are a lot of difficult times ahead, but I want you to remember that this is not a life threatening condition. It is an unfortunate thing to have happened to your son, but I have to say... he seems to be adjusting very well."

"Because he is surrounded by girls who don't know that he's a boy!" Joyce said, speaking as if the doctor was refusing to hear her. "They are accepting him as one of their own, not as a boy with breasts."

"Well," the doctor said in an off handed way, "that is one way to handle this."

"What are you suggesting?" Bob asked.

"Hiding in plain site is not a horrible idea," the doctor said. "He's already doing a great job at that. I think the only thing you really need to do is to get a grip on the pronouns. Call him your daughter and... eventually... you'll get used to it."

"Seriously?" Bob snapped. "Look at all of these degrees on your wall and your only suggestion is 'get used to it?'"

The doctor cleared his throat. "Bob... Joyce... I am trying to be pragmatic at this point. Now, once I get all of his lab work back, I will have a better idea of what we're dealing with. At that point, I will consult with his pediatric doctor and some colleagues and get back to you with any ideas that we come up with..."

"You're not eavesdropping, are you?" Nurse Claire said, surprising Hunter and stepping in front of the small opening in the doorway he'd been maintaining.

"No," he said, pretending to smile. "I just opened the door to see where my mom and dad are."

"They'll be back in minute, sweetheart," Claire said, stepping into the room and closing the door behind her.
 

~^~
 

It was very quiet on the ride home. Joyce was streaming some old music through her phone and into the car's sound system. Mostly stuff that Hunter knew from riding around with her, but nothing that he had no real connection to. So, he just stared out the window.

"You can put on whatever you'd like," Joyce said.

"What?" Hunter was so lost in thought that he honestly had not heard her.

"The music," Joyce smiled at him. "You can listen to whatever you'd like."

He nodded a little. "Thanks. This is fine."

They drove on for a bit with no more conversation. They stopped for a red light and a group of teenaged girls crossed the street in front of them. Hunter looked at them and how they seemed to not have a care in the world. They were laughing and playfully pushing at each other... just having fun. It didn't seem like that bad a life.

"Mom?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Am I a girl now?"

The question came out of the blue and hit Joyce like a sledge hammer. She stuttered on her reply. "Well... no, sweetheart... not exactly a girl..."

"But not exactly a boy, either. Right?"

When the light turned green, Joyce pulled through the intersection and into a parking lot at a drug store. When the car was in park, she thought for a moment, then said, "Hunter... no matter what happens, you'll always be Hunter. YOU are YOU no matter what. And YOU are a kind, smart, wonderful person. Mary Ellen and dad and I... we'll always be right here beside you. No matter what happens."

"Yeah, but... What am I supposed be, mom? A boy? A girl? I don't really know what I am supposed to be."

Joyce's head slumped a bit. "Hunter... sweetie... I really don't know what to say. This is a temporary thing..."

"That's not what the doctor said."

Joyce turned quickly to look at her stepson. "You heard what the doctor said?"

The boy with the pretty, red, hair cut into a bob appropriate for a sporty little girl nodded.

"You shouldn't have done that, baby."

"He was talking about me, mom, and he said that my breasts are going to get bigger and that means I have to be a girl for... I don't know how long, but for a long time, right? So... am I a girl, then?"

"Baby... sweetheart..." Joyce searched for what to say. "I... I think that your father and I need to sit down and discuss what to do before I say anything."

Hunter whimpered as a tear ran down his face. "So... what? You guys will decide if I'm a boy or a girl and I have no say in it? Is that fair?"

"No, honey..."

"No! None of this is fair, mom! I'm a freak and I just want to be a regular kid. I didn't ask to be this, mom! I didn't ask for these things to just appear on my chest! This isn't fair!"

"I know," Joyce said and nodded. She gave him a moment. Then, "Listen, baby... you're right. This isn't fair, but neither is it fair that some kids go to bed hungry every night - or that some kids don't have families who love and care for them. Hunter, in the grand scheme of things, what's happening to you isn't the worse possible thing in the world. It's just... a problem. And life is all about dealing with problems."

He sniffled a bit. "I know, but when camp is over, I won't have any friends at all. The guys at my school will laugh at me and the girls will know I'm a boy and won't want me to hang out with them. I'll be all alone again, but it'll be worse. Instead of being the little kid, I'll be the little freak that everyone picks on."

Joyce reached over and took his little hand in hers. "Let's not just look at the dark side of this, Hunter. Let's just take baby steps and take every challenge as it comes. Alright? Now, I've known you for twelve years, baby, and I know that even though you are small, you are strong. Even Coach Skylar thinks your a little powerhouse. So, let's not panic. Ok?"

Hunter stifled a little more. "Ok," he said, but he still felt the entire weight of the world pushing down on him.
 

~^~
 

Bob was late getting home.

Joyce figured it was because he had left during the day to go to see the doctor with her and then had to make up some work time, but when Veronica called at five forty five and told her that Bob never came back to the office, she began to worry.

The reason for Veronica's call concerned her, too. Apparently, a girl at softball camp had become very friendly with both Wanda and Hunter. The girl, who's name was Sarah, was having a big party to celebrate her bat mitzvah the following weekend, on Saturday, and when Skylar had brought Wanda back from camp, Wanda had been given two invitations to the party - One for Wanda and one for Hunter. Veronica said that she'd drop off the invitation the next day.

This invitation concerned Joyce because it would involve Hunter dressing well, which meant... Screw it... She'd deal with that on Saturday. She'd dealt with enough already that day. And where the hell was Bob?

She picked up her phone and touched Bob's contact picture. It went to voice mail. She listened to the outgoing message and said, "Hi, Bob... I'm just wondering where you are. I'm a little concerned at this point. It's getting late. Please give me a call. Thanks."

He didn't call.

It was past eight when he stumbled in the front door stinking of beer and things much stronger than that.

"Hi," he mumbled as he came in.

Joyce looked at him and shook her head. "You have got to be kidding me. Seriously, Bob!? Your child has one of the worst days of his life and you choose that day to go get drunk? What the hell is wrong with you?" Thank God the kids were on the patio watching a show through some streaming service on Mary Ellen's computer.

"Yeah, that's the question of the day, isn't it?" Bob slurred. "What's wrong with ME? What's wrong with my genetics that made my son the way he is? Everyone else I know has sons and daughters. Not me! I've got a son that looks like my daughter! I've got a son with tits bigger than my stepdaughter's. I've got a son wearing bras and getting his hair done. So, the big question is - What the hell IS wrong with ME?"

Joyce looked to the sliding door to be sure it was closed. The windows were closed and the air conditioners were running, so there was no way that the kids could have heard Bob's outburst, but he could get louder and the kids could come in at anytime.

When she spoke to Bob, it was in an angry whisper. "Now, you listen to me, Robert. I don't know what got into you, but I have had my hands full with real problems around this house, today, and the last thing I need is a drunk husband wallowing in self pity over things that have nothing to do with him."

"Nothing to do with me?" Bob said in the same angry whisper. "MY SON has nothing to do with me?"

"His condition has nothing to do with you, and you know it. So what if he's different than your friends' sons. He's still YOUR son and it's high-time that you started acting like HIS father. He needs your help right now and instead of being his father, you're off drinking in some dingy bar and feeling sorry for yourself."

Bob wanted so badly to take a self-righteous attitude and put his wife in her place, but... she was right and he knew it. He knew how to be a good parent, and this wasn't how to do it, but... goddamnit, he was upset and needed to deal with it one way or another. He had been having a hard time doing the right thing lately. He hung his head and nodded. Why did she always have to be right, though? "Yeah... Yeah... I know." He shook his head and looked around. He was still drunk, but Joyce's words were sobering him up quickly. He shook his head and headed to the couch.

"Oh, don't you dare sit down down here where the kids can see you," Joyce scolded. "Mary Ellen just got Hunter smiling again. If they walk in here and see you in this state, all of that will be undone."

Bob looked out through the sliding door. From where he stood then, he could see Mary Ellen sitting on the cushioned-love-seat-rocker with Hunter sitting beside her. Mary Ellen's arm was around Hunter's shoulders and they looked very peaceful together, their faces bathed in the glow of the computer screen. He shook his head and headed to the stairs.

"I'm sorry," he said as he reached the bottom step.

Joyce shook her head. "I know, but Bob... we need to be united in helping our son through this. You can't just leave me to deal with everything and run off and get drunk. It's not fair to anyone. Not to me. Not Mae and certainly not to Hunter. You're a better man than that."

"I hope so," he shook his head. "I'm going to shower and watch TV in bed. I'll see you when you come up."
 

~^~
 

"I'm going to keep hitting ground balls to your left," Wanda said from the home-plate/Frisbee out behind Hunter's house. "You're playing third base, so most of the hits you'll need field will be grounders and usually on your left."

"Maybe you should throw some pop-ups in, too," Hunter said from the yard-furniture-seat-cushion he was using as 'third base.'

"Ok, but no line drives," Wanda smiled. "Mae is too lazy to be our fielder today."

Mary Ellen was laying on a lounger chair near the pool. She was wearing a bikini and relaxing, her closed eyes aimed towards the warm summer sun. "Hey!" She said, without moving a muscle. "I've been your chauffeur and your ball-retriever for two weeks. I deserve a morning off."

Wanda smiled and looked at Hunter. "Ready?"

"You know it!" he replied.

Joyce was rinsing out a pitcher at the sink, watching the kids through the window. She filled the pitcher with water and scooped some powdered lemonade mix into the pitcher and began stirring. When it had dissolved, she poured some into two glasses that had some crushed ice in them. She put the pitcher into the refrigerator and brought the two glasses to the kitchen table where Veronica was sitting.

"Are you going to let him go to the bat mitzvah party, then?" Veronica asked.

Joyce sighed. "'Let' him go? I don't know. I think I'll have to make it his decision."

"What are we all so serious about?" Bob asked coming down the stairs looking pretty good for a guy who'd really tied one on the previous night.

Joyce held up the card stock invitation and Bob looked at it. "A bat mitzvah party? Looks like fun. What's the problem?"

"Well, besides the obvious issue that Hunter has no clothing nice enough to wear to an event like that, read the italicized print at the bottom." Joyce said, frustrated that Bob never seemed to take in all the information given to him.

He read aloud. "All guests must adhere to Pine Crest Country Club dress code standards. All male guests must wear suits or sports coats with dress slacks and tie. All female guests must wear dresses or skirts and blouses appropriate for the Country Club's high standard of presentation." He half laughed. "That's nuts. They can't enforce that."

"It's a ritzy private country club, Bob. Of course they can enforce that," Joyce shook her head, feeling too tired for an argument this early in the morning.

"Ok..." Bob shrugged, having solved the problem, "so we just don't tell him he was invited."

"Wanda's going, Bob," Veronica said, feeling Joyce's frustration. "He's bound to find out. You don't think that this girl, Sarah, won't ask Hunter why he's not coming? From what Wanda tells me, the three of them are all joined at the hip all day at camp."

"Ok, we tell him," Bob shrugged, dropping the invitation back onto the table, "but we tell him it's not something we want him to attend."

"Come on, Bob!" Joyce said with more vehemence than she'd intended. "He's a lonely little boy who is suddenly popular. A new friend offers him an invitation to a party and you don't think he's going to want to go? Yesterday, I told him we have to face each challenge as it comes. Meanwhile, you just want to say 'no' to anything that requires him to get girlier. May I remind you that it was your idea to send him to that camp? Now that he's there and happy, you want to create problems. Please! Just! Start! Thinking! About! Hunter's! Feelings!"

Bob sighed. "So... we tell him. He says he wants to go... Then what?"

"Then I take him to get the proper clothes to attend," Joyce said. "And when he comes home, you tell him how nice he looks and act like his father."

There was silence for a solid minute.

"You know," Veronica finally said, breaking the silence, "this might not be a horrible thing. I mean... Bob... don't get me wrong. Your feelings are entire valid and you have every right to be concerned about the impact of Hunter attending an event dressed in feminine clothing, but... think about it... He HAS to attend the Daughter Dance the night before the final games at the ball park, right? So getting him dressed up and having him go out - on his own - to a fancy event like this might help prepare him for the Daughter Dance."

"That had occurred to me, too," Joyce nodded.

Bob swallowed his male-pride and shrugged. "So... we tell him... he says 'yes'...and... we bring him dress shopping... shoe shopping... maybe a trip to the salon... maybe the nail salon... Anything else?"

"Well," Joyce looked at Veronica for support, "he's never worn a dress, so it would make sense to have him wear a dress of skirt around the house for the rest of the week so he doesn't look awkward at the party."

"Once you pick out shoes," Veronica added, "he should wear those around, too. Girl's flats fit differently than boy's shoes and even a kitten heel is going to feel different for him."

"Good point," Joyce nodded.

Bob nodded that he understood the situation, but part of him felt that his wife was enjoying dressing his son up a bit too much and that she was treating him a bit too much like their new daughter.
 

~^~
 

"So, there's no way I could go unless I wear a dress?" Hunter asked as his family and Veronica and Wanda sat around the outside table eating lunch.

"Or a skirt and blouse," Mary Ellen corrected.

Hunter nodded and stared at his hog dog, suddenly not all that hungry. "Are you going?" he asked Wanda.

"Yeah," she laughed, as if the answer were obvious. "To tell you the truth, I don't want to wear a dress any more than you do, but it's just part of the game. Think of it as a uniform."

"I'd rather wear a dress than a stuffy suit coat and tie," Mary Ellen contributed.

"The decision is yours, Hunter," Joyce said. "We won't tell you to go or stay home. This is just another one of those challenges we discussed yesterday."

The boy nodded, then looked at his father. "Dad? What do you want me to do?"

Bob thought of a few things that he felt a good father should say, things about a man being a man, but he reconsidered them and said, "Well, buddy... I want you to do what you want to do. I mean, is this girl a friend of yours?"

"Yeah," Hunter said. "Sarah hangs out with me and Wanda all the time. We do Zoom dates after dinner sometimes - the three of us. She's really cool."

Bob nodded, feeling a little defeated. "Then... I gather you want to go the party?"

"I do, but... a dress?" He shifted in his seat. "I guess that really does make me a girl, doesn't it?"

"Oh, don't be stupid," Wanda laughed, causing everyone to look at her with shock and anger on their faces.

"What?" Wanda laughed, looking at all of them. "A dress doesn't make someone a girl. A dress makes someone look like they're wearing a dress. That's all." She looked at the boy and smiled. "Hunter, when I told you that I don't think of you as a boy any more, I meant that as a compliment. But it's got nothing to do with your hair or your boobies. It's because I'm so comfortable with you. It's like you're just another one of my girlfriends. Honestly, I wish you could be as comfortable with yourself as I am with you."

"Wow," Mary Ellen said with a little laugh. "Listen to the Baby Buddha, here." She touched Wanda's shoulder in a friendly way. "All kidding aside, though, Hunny, if you want to go to the party, go to the party. Yeah, you'll have to wear a skirt or a dress, but so what? I mean, seriously - You have a body that will look cute in those kinds of clothes, everyone at the party will already think you're a girl and... come on, let's be real... you already wear a bra and panties everyday. Those are at least as girly as a dress, right?"

"I guess," Hunter shrugged.

"And think of how cute you looked in that romper you got the other day," Wanda said, sounding helpful.

"Couldn't I wear that?" Hunter asked, causing all the females around him to laugh.

"To a country club!?" Veronica said, still laughing hard. "Absolutely not, Hunter. That's far too casual for a party like this one."

He thought a little longer. "Ok, but can we maybe get a dress that isn't too... you know."

Joyce laughed. "Don't worry, sweetie. We'll find something pretty and comfortable that you'll be comfortable wearing."

"Ok," he nodded. "Then I'll go." He looked at Wanda and said, "You won't leave me alone while we're there, will you?"

She made an 'X' over the left side of her chest. "Cross my heart."
 

~^~
 

Sunday afternoon found Joyce, Mary Ellen, Wanda, Veronica and Hunter at a huge mall that was about an hour away from their homes. The two moms had decided that this was the best place to buy dresses, and since both Wanda and Hunter needed something 'nice' to wear to the bat mitzvah party as well as more formal dresses to wear to the Daughter Dance, they hoped that they might be able to buy everything they needed at this location with just one trip.

The stores they were shopping in were much fancier than the usual stores Hunter entered. The Walmarts, Targets, Old Navys, and other places he had gone to with his sister and friend were all kind of the same. These stores were nicely organized and divided into dozens of departments. The stores even smelled nicer - Like perfume.

The biggest difference was the number of saleswomen who were floating around, offering suggestions and assistance. They kind of made hunter's head spin. Every time he turned around, there was another saleswoman asking his mother if she needed any help.

Eventually, one of the saleswomen led them all to an area of dresses which she said would be very appropriate for a bat mitzvah party at a country club. Joyce and Veronica thought that the dresses looked perfect, while Wanda and Mary Ellen got very excited about the youthful fashions.

"This will look beautiful on you," Mary Ellen said, holding a very short, very tight fitting dress up to Wanda's shoulders.

"Under no circumstances," Veronica insisted.

"Aww, mom!" Wanda said, wanting to at least try on the far too revealing dress.

"You're thirteen, Wanda," Veronica laughed, "not thirty. That dress is designed for a much older girl... or a thirteen year old girl with an irresponsible mother."

Joyce thought that was much funnier than the kids did.

"You know, mom," Wanda sulked just a bit, "I'm sure things were different when you were a kid, but nowadays, thirteen year olds don't dress like little girls, like they did back in the fifties when you were thirteen."

"The fifties!?" Veronica looked shocked. "How old do you think I am?"

Wanda just shook her head and went back to looking at dresses.

"I thought you didn't like wearing dresses," Hunter said to Wanda.

"I don't like being told that I HAVE TO wear dresses," Wanda smirked. "Actually, I like looking more grown up and the right dress can do that for me - provided my mom doesn't make me wear a little girl's party dress."

"Do you see anything you like, baby?" Joyce asked Hunter.

"This isn't too bad," he said, pointing to a mannequin that was wearing a navy blue jumper dress with a wide skirt and what looked like an ordinary white tee shirt beneath.

Joyce looked at the dress and smiled. "That would look lovely on you, dear, but it's really not nice enough for this kind of event."

"Besides, that dress would make you look nine years old," Mary Ellen smiled. "Come here and let's find a dress for a twelve year old."

The saleswoman spoke to Joyce and Veronica to be sure that she had guided them to the correct section of the department. "We do have more formal dresses, if that's what you're looking for."

Joyce nodded. "We'll look at those after we've found dresses for them to wear to a young teenager's get together. After we've found something nice for that event, we will need something for them to wear to a formal dance."

The saleswoman nodded. "I see. If I may... the youngest girl seems a bit leery about dressing up. Is this a first time for her?"

Joyce chuckled. "Yeah, it is. I'm afraid my son is experiencing a lot of firsts this summer."

"You son?" the saleswoman asked.

"My son?" Joyce said, feigning confusion when she realized her error. "No, no. I meant 'my daughter.' I'm sorry. I must have been thinking of a few items I need to pick up for my son as well. No. The oldest, Mary Ellen, and the youngest, Hunter, are my daughters."

"And the one with the attitude is mine," Veronica laughed.

The saleswoman smiled at the two women. "Might I make a suggestion for the little one?"

"Of course," Joyce said, anxious for any help.

"Well, I've had my share of tomboys come through this department over the years, and I've found that if we dress them in something simple, soft and comfortable, they're more than happy to wear it. I know from experience how hard it is to pretty-up some of these girls who have spent the first part of their lives acting like boys. I've got three girls and my middle one... that child was always in jeans and sneakers and covered in mud! When it came time for her elementary school commencement ceremony, she insisted that she wasn't going to wear a dress. Of course, I insisted that she was wearing one right back at her. It was a two week battle royal until I brought home a soft, skater dress that she finally agreed to wear. And, honestly, that was a turning point for her. She loved that dress so much that she let me dress her up more and more frequently until she finally was very comfortable in the most feminine of clothing. If you'd like, I could find something like that for... what's the little girl's name?"

"Hunter."

"Hunter?" the saleswoman said. "What a charming name for a little girl."

The woman walked into the next aisle and rummaged through a rack of dresses and finally returned with a white, skater dress with a pattern of hibiscus flowers in a half dozen different, bright colors.

"Fell how soft this is," the saleswoman said, offering the skirt to both Joyce and Veronica.

"Oh, that's wonderful," Veronica said.

"It is," Joyce agreed, "but do you happen to have it in a less flowered pattern?"

"We don't. I'm sorry," the saleswoman said. "If the skater dress is too short for comfort for her, though, I do have it in the same material, but in a swing dress style. Most girls her age, though, prefer the shorter skirt."

It was a lovely dress. Bright and cheerful with a V neck, tiny, very short sleeves, a high waist and a subtly pleated skirt that flared out in a wide, pretty A shape that would definitely give Hunter a suggestion of wider hips. Joyce guessed that the skirt would reach to just about four inches above her son's knees. Girlish rather than womanly and probably cute as heck.

"Mom, look at this one!" Wanda said, excitedly, holding up a formfitting sheath dress that was modest enough, but would show off Wanda's shape a bit more than Veronica would prefer.

Veronica sighed and shook her head. "Alright. Try it on and we'll see."

"Thanks, mom!" Wanda said and then she happily skipped to the changing rooms.

Joyce reached over and touched Mary Ellen's shoulder. "Any luck?" she whispered.

"Not yet," Mae whispered back.

Joyce held up the dress that the saleswoman had picked out. "What do you think?"

Mary Ellen nodded and whispered, "It's perfect."

Joyce looked at the dress once more. "Give me a minute to get into a dressing room, then bring him over. I think he'll like it."

Mary Ellen watched her mother walk to the dressing rooms. She stopped and picked up plain, gray dress on the way and then stopped to speak to the changing room attendant for a second, indicating Mary Ellen and Hunter as they spoke. The attendant nodded and Joyce entered a room.

"Come on, Hunny," Mary Ellen said to the boy.

"Where are we going?"

"Mom wants us in the changing room." She took the boy by his hand and led him to the changing area, where Joyce was waiting.

''Now, sweetheart, I know you're resistant to this, but I think we've found a very nice and comfortable outfit for you. So, step in here and let's try it on without any dramatics. Ok?"

"Alright," Hunter muttered and entered the room.

Joyce had hidden the colorful, skater dress behind the larger, dreary dress she'd picked up along the way. It only took a minute or so to get Hunter stripped to his bra and panties.

"Now, sweetheart," Joyce said as if speaking to a five year old, "we're going to play a little game, now. I want you to close your eyes, then Mae and I will help you into the outfit. I don't want you to open your eyes until I tell you to, though, ok? I want you to try on the clothes and before you see yourself in the outfit, I want to ask you some questions. After I'm done with the questions, I'll tell you to open your eyes. Ok?"

Hunter glanced at the drab, gray dress on the hanger. At least it was plain, but it did look like it was made for a much older person. It also looked kind of big for him, but what did he know about dresses.

"Ok," he concurred and when told to close his eyes, he did so.

He followed directions to raise his arms. He felt some very light and airy material being lowered over him. It was odd, he thought, that the heavy looking material of the dress on the hanger felt this soft. He felt Mary Ellen and his stepmother adjusting the dress on his frame. He flinched a bit when his stepmother adjusted the area around his new breasts. He felt his stepsister raise the zipper up his back along the length of his spine.

"Why is the zipper in the back?" he asked.

"I don't really know," Joyce answered, having never really given it much thought. "It's just the way clothes are made for girls and women."

"There's two layers to the skirt," Mary Ellen said to her mother. "I don't think he'll need a slip."

"We'll see," Joyce shrugged. "If we get this one, I'll hang it in front of the window to see how transparent it is and then make that decision."

When the zipper was secured and the dress hanging properly, Joyce said, "Now, keep your eyes closed and tell me how that feels."

With his eyes still closed, he gave them a little shrug. "Ok, I guess. I mean... the top part is a little tight, but not uncomfortable." He ran his hands along the material below his breasts, "But from here down, I feel kinda... naked."

He heard Mary Ellen giggle a little at that.

"The top isn't too tight, is it?" Joyce asked, fingering the arm opening.

"No. It feels kind of comfortable, actually."

He felt someone touching the skirt of the dress. "It's really soft, isn't it?" Mary Ellen asked.

Hunter ran his fingers over the bodice. "Yeah. Really soft. What's it made of?"

"Just cotton," Joyce said. "Just like your tee shirts. It'll breathe well on a hot day."

"It's a lot softer than a tee shirt," Hunter said, his fingers still feeling the bodice.

"Well, that's because it's made for a girl to wear. Certainly you've noticed that girl's clothes are softer than boy's clothes. It's also made to be a lot more delicate than a tee shirt. So one expects you to be playing third base in this, sweetheart." Joyce laughed.

That made Hunter smile a little and he nodded. "True."

"Feel the skirt," Mary Ellen said, guiding his hand down below the bodice. "It's even softer there."

"Wow," Hunter nodded, his eyes still closed. "That is soft." As he gained a little courage, he reached around his lower parts with both hands. "There's a lot of material down here."

Joyce laughed. "Yes there is, sweetheart. That's the way the dress is designed. The bottom kind of blossoms out to look pretty."

That made sense, but when Hunter considered the dull, gray dress on the hanger, he remember it as being a pretty straight and uninteresting thing. This felt... nice? Fancy? Different, anyway.

"Now, listen to what I'm saying, Hunter," Joyce said, playing with his bobbed, rust-dyed hair. "In a moment, I'm going to let you open your eyes, but before you do, I want you to remember that YOU said you wanted to go to this party and that YOU agreed to dress appropriately - and appropriately means looking like a well dressed, pretty, young lady. Is all of that clear?"

He nodded and pictured the grey dress in his mind's eye. The simple, unadorned garment wasn't too girly, as far as dresses went. In his mind's eye, he pictured exactly how he'd look in the gray dress. "That's clear, mom. I understand."

He felt Mary Ellen turn him a bit, so he'd face the mirror, he assumed. Then, oddly, she hugged him and whispered, "You look perfect in this Hunter. Just perfect."

That was weird.

He heard Joyce take a deep breath and exhale. "Alright, baby... open your eyes."

He did.

And what he saw made no sense. In the reflection, there was mom and Mary Ellen, but in-between was someone he didn't know. A girl with a familiar face, but instead of wearing the dull gray dress, that girl was wearing a white dress with a wide, fairly short skirt, teeny, tiny sleeves that just capped the tops of slender arms and a V neckline the showed a bit of cleavage. Beyond all that, the dress was covered in bright flowers printed in primary colors. The girl looked very pretty in the dress, but also confused - and the it struck him who the girl was.

"Well," Joyce asked, still playing with his hair, "what do you think?"

He just stared at the reflection.

"You look very pretty, Hunny," Mary Ellen added.

"Well?" Joyce asked again.

"Mom..." the boy sputtered. "...I... I... mom... No. No, no, no. I can't wear this!" He was calm and quiet, but the sound of fear dripped from his words.

Joyce seemed surprised. "Well, why not. You said it was soft and comfortable. What's wrong with it."

"Mom! It's covered in roses!" he said, looking a little panicked.

"Those are hibiscus's, Hunter, not roses. They're the same flowers that are on your father's Hawaiian shirts," Joyce corrected, calmly.

"They're still flowers, mom, and these girls at camp... they're not the kind of girls that wear flowery things! They're athletes, mom. They'll laugh at me if I show up in this."

"Oh, don't be silly," Joyce scoffed. "If there are any other girls from camp there, they'd have to dress up, too, and an awful lot of girl's clothing have flowers on them. It's not 'girly,' Hunter, it's just pretty."

"And this!" he said, running his hands over the dress' skirt. "It looks like it's inflated!"

"It's just the style, sweetheart," Joyce half-laughed. "It's very popular right now."

"And, mom... Look!" He pointed to the lower part of the V neck of the bodice. "You can see that I have tits!"

"Alright!" Joyce said, suddenly sounding much more stern. "We have had this discussion way too many times, Hunter. That is a rude and vulgar word and the next time you use it, there will be dire consequences. Do you understand me? It'll start with a good hard slap across that pretty face of yours and end up with loss of privileges - Like an end to that softball camp! Do you understand me?"

The harshness of her voice and the threat of losing the camp he'd come to love snapped Hunter out of his panic. "Yes, ma'am." He calmed down and looked at the carpeted floor.

"Now, look at me," Joyce commanded. When he did, she pointed to the scoop neck of her casual top. "See this? This is called cleavage, Hunter, and girls and women have it, and... at least for the time being... so do you. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Look at your sister." He did and he noticed that her tank top did reveal a little bit of the space between her mammaries as well. "Do you see her cleavage?"

"Yes, ma'am," he sulked.

"Now, look at yourself in the mirror. Yes, you can see a little cleavage - A LITTLE, Hunter. That's all. Enough to make you look just a little bit more grown up. A little more... ladylike, for lack of a better term. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It's actually quite attractive. Isn't it?"

Now that he'd calmed down a bit, he realized there was only a little bit of cleavage showing, but... damn... it was still HIS cleavage and no matter what anyone said, it was still embarrassing for him to have it at all, let alone show it off.

"Yes," he finally muttered in order to end the conversation.

"Yes, what?" Joyce asked, not sure what he was agreeing to.

"Yes... it is attractive."

He did look a little defeated, though.

In an effort to brighten the mood, Mary Ellen cleared her throat. "If I could make a suggestion... Why don't we go show Wanda how you look and ask her what she thinks. We could even take a picture and send it to your friend, Sarah, and ask her if it's appropriate for the party. What do you say?"

He nodded and looked at himself once more in the mirror. 'Himself.' That was a laugh.

When they walked out onto the sales floor, Wanda was standing in front of a three panel mirror, looking at herself in a different dress than the one she'd taken into the changing room. This one was also a form fitting shift dress, but it was a rich blue color with sprigs of little yellow flowers printed seemingly at random all about it. What made Hunter stop in his tracks, though, wasn't the fact that Wanda, one of the toughest tomboys he knew, was wearing a flowered dress, it was the way that the dress emphasized her developing, womanly shape. He noticed for the first time that she had impressive, firm breasts, toned arms and the hips and buttocks of a really pretty teenager. In short - his best friend was a lot hotter than he'd thought! Not that he was attracted to her in any sexual way - he was, after all, still only twelve years old and dealing with of a lot of his own issues - but the way the dress showed off these assets made Hunter worry that his development into womanhood might mimic hers in a year or so.

"I love it, mom," Wanda was saying to Veronica as she shifted from side to side in the mirror to check the fit of the dress. "You found the perfect dress!"

"That's why I'm here," Veronica smiled. "You look very pretty in it. So... is this the one for the bat mitzvah?" She asked the question as she turned to see the approach of Hunter and his family. "Oh, my," she said, touching a hand to the flat of her chest above her breasts, "that is just perfect for him."

"Her, mom," Wanda said, stepping past her mother to see her friend more clearly. "Wow!" She smiled. "You don't look anything like that sweaty kid we fall Short Stuff, now, Hunter! You look amazing!"

"It's too girly," he pouted.

"Why?"

"It's got flowers all over it!"

Wanda laughed. "So does mine."

"Yeah, but you're a girl."

"And so are you, as far as anyone else is concerned. Don't be a whiny brat. Come look in the mirror. Let's see how we'll look next Saturday."

She took his hand and tugged him into the area in front of the three panel mirror.

"Look at us, Hunter." Wanda was bubbling with excitement. "We are F-ing hot!"

Even though she'd not said the actual word, she received a warning about her language from her mother.

"You're hot," Hunter said, looking into the mirror. "I look like a little girl."

"With cassabas like those?" the older girl teased. "Hardly!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Veronica said, frustrated, as usual, by her daughter's vocabulary.

Wanda just smiled. "Trust me, Hunter... you look hot. If you were a boy and you saw a girl who looked like you, you'd turn to your friend and say, 'She's hot.' Trust me."

"Yeah... if I was a boy..."

"Mae had an idea in the dressing room," Joyce said and then indicated to Mary Ellen to take over.

"Yeah, I thought we could take a picture on your phone, Wanda, and send it to your friend, Sarah, to see if she thought that Hunter's dress was, you know, appropriate for the party."

"That's a great idea!" Wanda said, ecstatic. She grabbed her phone from her purse, which hung from her mother's shoulder, and handed it to Mary Ellen. "Take it with me in it too. I'd like her opinion as well."

Mary Ellen took the photo and handed the phone back to Wanda, who checked the photo, then sent it in a text message to their friend Sarah with this attached, 'YO, BABE! HUNTER AND I ARE DRESS SHOPPING FOR YOUR PARTY. NEED YOUR INPUT. ARE THESE DRESSES COOL?'

It took less than a minute for a response. 'COOL? THOSE DRESSES ARE ON FIRE! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN HIDING THAT BODY OF YOURS, BABE? SO HOT! TELL HUNTER HER DRESS REMINDS ME OF RUTHIE'S HANG ON. I'LL SEND A PIC.'

Wanda laughed at the text and said, "Sarah says they're good." She showed the text to Hunter. A moment later her text alert chimed. She looked at her phone.

'HERE'S A PIC OF BIG-SISTER'S DRESS. TELL HUNTER SHE LOOKS BETTER IN HERS THAT RUTHIE DOES, THOUGH. HAHAHA.'

The dress in the picture was similar to Hunters in that it was white with flowers on it, but these flowers really were roses and the skirt on the dress looked like it would sit a bit lower on Ruthie's legs.

"Ask her if mine is too short," Hunter said, looking at the picture.

Wanda typed the question in and the answer came back, 'NO WAY! RUTHIE HAS TO WEAR HERS TO TEMPLE AND ALL THAT. SHE'S BEEN PISSY ABOUT HOW LONG IT IS ALL WEEK. HUNTER'S IS PERFECT.'

Wanda read everyone the response.

"Well?" Joyce said, crossing her arms, "You said that it's soft and comfortable and all your friends think you look great in it? Can we move on to the more formal dresses for the Daughter Dance, now? We still have shoes to get as well."

Hunter finally shrugged. "I guess."

The search for the perfect dress for the more formal dance was more difficult, though. Joyce had hoped that, having been successful in finding the perfect party dress for her stepson, he might be more open to the styles available for formal dresses designed for twelve year olds.

He wasn't.

He was horrified by the lace covered confections, or the silky material, or the fit and flare concepts that had stretchy tops that emphasized his breasts, or the long skirts that seemed impossible to move in.

He just hated them all.

Joyce was particularly disappointed in his reaction to a dark purple fit and flare dress that she loved. The top was a stretchy, lacy mesh with a very modest scoop neckline. It was sleeveless and had a very short, flared skirt that showed off his toned legs beautifully. She just knew that if she could get him to wear that dress with a pair of nice, low heels, he would look stunning.

But he was adamant and she knew she couldn't push him any harder that day.

When Wanda had found a dress, in that same fit and flare style, that Joyce liked a lot, they decided that a formal dress for Hunter that day was a lost cause.

"Alright," Joyce said with a defeated sigh. "Mae, take your... sister... to the shoe department. I'll be right along. I just want to thank the saleswoman for being so helpful."

"Ok," Mary Ellen agreed and she left the department with Hunter, Wanda and Veronica.

"I'm sorry she didn't find anything she liked," the saleswoman said with a sympathetic smile.

"Oh, I think she did," Joyce said, glancing at the pile of clothing on the changing room rack, "she's just too stubborn to admit it."

Joyce moved the hangers a bit and pulled out that adorable purple dress. "Did you like this on Hunter?" she asked the saleswoman.

"I thought it was perfect."

"Me too." Joyce shook her head. "Ring it up for me, please. I'll pay for it now and pick it up tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am," the saleswoman said with a smile.
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 5

 

As Hunter, with the support of most of his family, begins to become more accepting of
his situation, his father, Bob, is having problems coming to terms with losing his son.

---

 
Author's Note: Your support is a wonderful inspiration for me.
I look forward to any comments you might have to offer.~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 5 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 5
 

Bob held a tiny shoe in his hands. The shoe itself wasn't all that tiny, but the lack of leather that formed the top of the shoe, made it look tiny. It had a small toe box section and a raised section above the one inch, tapered heel. Other than that, there was just a thin leather strap that crossed the wearer's foot, just in front of the ankle.

He looked at his wife, a bit disgusted. "This is a shoe for my son to wear?"

Joyce rolled her eyes at her husband. "Yes, Bob, and I suggest that you get used to it. I don't know how to deal with this situation other than to encourage Hunter to embrace it and be proud of himself."

"Yeah," he said, but the shoe was such a feminine shoe! "I thought buying the pink sneakers last week was a big step," he said, shaking his head. "This isn't a step. This is a leap."

"So is the dress," Joyce pointed out, "and he needs to be prepared to wear it on Saturday. That's why I sent the girls shopping with him at Savers. From here on, at least through the end of camp, if he's not wearing his softball gear or a bathing suit, he will be in a dress or a skirt. That's the only way he'll be able to cope at these two events."

Bob glanced from his wife to Veronica who sat beside her. "What if this was your son, Ronnie? Would you go this far?"

Veronica nodded. "Well... yes. I think Joyce is right. He can't hide in his room. He needs to embrace all of this. Bob, your son is changing - maybe forever. I think it's better for everyone if he accepts that. I think it'll help if you did as well."

He turned to his wife, again. "You're enjoying having another little girl, aren't you?"

"What?" Joyce was surprised by the question.

"Come on," Bob smiled a serpent's smile, trying to coax and answer from his wife that would allow him to go on an attack. "You loved doing all this mother/daughter stuff with Mary Ellen and now you get to relive all of that with my son..."

"Our son, Bob! Our son, Goddamnit!" Joyce snapped. "How many times are we going to have this conversation!?"

"Ok... OUR son, but... can you honestly sit there and tell me that you're not enjoying dressing Hunter up like he's your little doll?"

"Are you out of your mind, Robert? Do you seriously think I want that child to suffer the way that he is? Are you accusing me of something? Because if you are, I wish to God that you would just come out and say so."

"All I am saying," Bob said, shaking his head as if Joyce was the one who was being unreasonable, "is that you seem to be enjoying introducing Hunter to the world of feminine clothes... and hair... and everything else.'

"Bob, be fair," Veronica said. "I know this is none of my business, but you're acting as if all of this was Joyce's decision. Remember, I was the one who suggested softball camp, and I mentioned it to you, not Joyce. You thought this was a great idea when it was all about your little boy getting better at playing baseball, didn't you? But once it became complicated, you suddenly became a martyr."

"You're right," Bob said, causing both women to relax a bit. But then he continued, "This is none of your business." He stood and ran his hand through his hair. "Or maybe it's none of my business." He headed towards the front door.

Joyce looked at Veronica, then at Bob. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going out" he replied without turning.

"Out where?"

He turned. "I'm going to find some other men to be with before I find myself wearing a dress, too."

"Bob, come back here!" Joyce stood and watched in disbelief as the man she thought she knew as well as herself walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him.
 

~^~
 

"Legs together." "Sit straighter." "Cross your legs at the ankles." "Smooth your dress before you sit."

It was constant and exhausting, but apparently he was supposed to master all of these small skills before the party on Saturday. He was wearing what his mother called a floral print, handkerchief hem, casual dress. It was different than anything he'd seen Mary Ellen or Wanda trying on when they'd gone shopping. The sleeveless arm holes had a ruffled fringe on them. There was a shallow, scoop neck and the hem, which at times came close to his ankles and at other times sat well up on his thighs, represented a style known as a handkerchief hem. It also fit him incredibly loosely so that once it draped over his breasts, it kind of hung down loosely in front of him in a shapeless way that everyone seemed to refer to as 'adorable,' for some reason.

He thought it made him look like a pudgy child.

"Come to dinner, kids," Joyce called them to the table as she placed a platter of corn on the cob and a bowl of mashed potatoes on the table and Veronica placed platter of chicken she'd fried next to it.

"Sit up straight, Hunny," Mary Ellen instructed her stepbrother. "Young ladies have to have nice posture, especially when wearing a dress."

Hunter sighed and sat up straighter.

"There you go!" Joyce praised. "In a few days, this will all be second nature."

Sure it would.

"So... where's dad?" Hunter asked.

"He..." Joyce thought for a second. "... had to go into work."

"Late on a Sunday afternoon?" Hunter sounded skeptical.

Joyce's smile wavered for a second. "Yes... now... dig in."

Dinner was mostly silent. Bob's absence cast a pall on the evening.

When dinner was done, Hunter and Wanda helped Mary Ellen clear the table. At one point, while Hunter was near the sink and Wanda was near the table, Mary Ellen whispered something in Wanda's ear - this maneuver was something that both mother's saw. Wanda looked at Hunter for a second, then said, "Umm... hey, mom... would it be ok if we washed the dishes later? I'd really like to throw the ball around a little before it gets dark. My arm is feeling a little tight."

Veronica looked from her daughter to Mary Ellen who gave her a nod. "Oh... I guess that'd be ok," she said, "but remember to leave enough time to do the dishes before we have to leave."

"Thanks, mom!" Wanda said, then she grabbed Hunter by the hand. "Come on, Short Stuff. Let's go play catch."

Seconds later, they were on the patio, grabbing their softball gloves and a ball before heading out into the yard.

"What's that all about?" Joyce asked her daughter.

Mary Ellen sat down. "Where's dad?"

Joyce cleared her throat. "He's at..." the look on Mary Ellen's face told her that her daughter wasn't buying the story. "... I don't know. He said he was going out. That's all I know."

"Is this because he can't deal with Hunter's issues right now?" Mary Ellen asked with a serious tone.

"You knew about that?" Joyce asked, surprised by her daughter's question.

"Mom... he's been a basket case since Hunter put on his first bra."

Joyce sighed. "You're too smart for your own good, you know that?"

Mary Ellen smiled. "Would you mind if I talked to him when he gets home?"

Joyce returned her daughter's smile. "That's very sweet of you, Mae, but I think this is something I need to deal with."

"Look, mom... the way I see it... Dad isn't seeing the big picture regarding Hunny. I've seen the way he shuts down when you talk to him. Maybe he'll listen to me, though. Please. Just let me try."

Joyce reached across the table and squeezed her daughter's hand. "I'll think about it, sweetie. Thank you, though."
 

~^~
 

Joyce woke to the sound of water running. She opened her eyes and realized it was the shower in the en suite lavatory off of their bedroom. She glanced at the clock. 4:35am? What was Bob doing up so early? She looked at his side of the bed. It hadn't been used. She shook her head and waited for him to come out of the lavatory.

When at last the door opened and he appeared, fully dressed, Joyce asked in a low voice, "Why are you up so early?"

He glanced at her as he grabbed a pair of shoes and sat in a chair to put them on. "I didn't mean to wake you."

She sat up against the headboard. "Did you even come to bed last night?"

"Nope," he said, moving to his other shoe.

"Where did you sleep, then?"

"I my car. I needed to shower, shave and get ready for work, though. Sorry I woke you."

Joyce was getting fed up with his evasive answers. "Bob... it's not even five o'clock, yet. Your office doesn't open for four hours. Why are you getting ready to leave, now?"

He stood and picked up his sports coat. "I know you need both cars today, so I'll use an Uber to get to work."

He started to head for the door, but Joyce stopped him. "So... do you just plan on avoiding your son for the rest of your life?"

He looked at her and shook his head. "I don't have a son, anymore. I will be home tonight, though. I'll see you all then."

He walked out the door and she listened as he went down the stairs.
 

~^~
 

"Yo, Short Stuff!" Ruthie called to Hunter as he climbed out of the car.

"Hi, Ruthie!" Hunter smiled and waved as the older girl approached their car. Mary Ellen was opening the trunk so Hunter and Wanda could get their gear.

"I saw a picture of you in your dress for Sarah's party," she smirked. "Our dresses look enough alike that we'll look like twins. I hope everyone can tell us apart."

Hunter put his backpack onto his back and he laughed at Ruthie's teasing. "Yeah, right! Like anyone would ever confuse someone as pretty as you with a kid like me."

"Come on. Jump up!" Ruthie instructed and Hunter climbed up onto her back, piggyback style.

"Hey, guys!" Sarah bubbled as she appeared. "It's really cool that you're coming to my party on Saturday! Im stoked."

"Me, too," Wanda said, receiving a hung from her friend.

"Well, since no one is introducing me - I'm Hunter's sister, Mary Ellen," Mae smiled at the two girls.

Ruthie looked at Mary Ellen and said, "Hey... weren't you in the district drama competition?"

"Yeah, I was. Were you?"

"I was on crew, but I remember you. You were like the ghost of the guys dead girlfriend, right?"

"Wow. Yeah. What a memory."

Ruthie, who was standing there chatting with Hunter still clinging to her back, said, "No. you were a riot. That's why I remember you. I'm Ruthie. I'm Sarah's sister."

"Nice to meet you," Mary Ellen said, with a wave. Offering her hand didn't make much sense, since Ruthie had Hunter's legs in her hands. "You know, Hunter can walk on her own. You don't have to be her personal transportation."

"Oh, Short Stuff doesn't weigh anything," Ruthie bounced up and down to prove her point. "Besides, she's good luck. We rub her head and carry her around for luck. Right, Short Stuff?"

"That's right!" Hunter grinned at his stepsister. "I'm good luck!"

"You're a brat," Mary Ellen laughed. She leaned in and gave Hunter's cheek a sisterly kiss. "Be good. I gotta go."

"Nice meeting you," Ruthie said, turning around. Mary Ellen was going to respond, but Ruthie was already running full blast towards the ball fields. The sound of Hunter's giggling on her back lingered behind them.
 

~^~
 

"Hi," Joyce said to the saleswoman working at the customer service counter. "I bought a dress for my daughter yesterday and I was told I can pick it up here. Here's my receipt."

"Just a moment," the woman said. She disappeared into a back room.

The customer service desk was right next to the shoe department. While she waited, Joyce looked at the selection of footwear. She was just browsing, but she overheard a shoe department salesperson saying to another salesperson, who, it appeared, he was training. "A lot of times, people are looking for heels for younger girls - you know, like ten or twelve year olds. Anyway, they want something comfortable, easy to walk in and fashionable. In that case, I always recommend this line. They've got up to a three inch heel, which is more than enough for anyone, they’re really well priced and I’m told that they’re easy to wear for hours on end."

Joyce took note of what style and company the salesman was talking about.

"Ma’am," the woman at the service desk said, catching Joyce’s attention. "I have your daughter’s dress for you.
 

~^~
 

"Ok, that about wraps everything up," Veronica said to her assembled colleagues. "Any questions? No? Alright. Thanks, everyone. Have a good day."

There were the usual sounds of a meeting ending – groans as people stood, the beginnings of conversations, papers being organized, things like that.

"Oh, Bob!" Veronica said as she organized her paperwork. "A word, please."

"Sure," Bob said with a smile meant for all the other people in the room, but he had a feeling this was not a conversation he wanted to have. Technically, Ronnie was his supervisor, but she had never pulled rank on him before and certainly not in front of other people.

When the room was empty except for the two of them, Veronica sat and motioned towards a chair by way of offering it to Bob.

"Thanks, but I think I’d rather stand," he said.

"Bob..." Veronica spoke slowly, choosing her words. "Last night... I stayed with Joyce until past eleven. I had to wake Wanda up to take her home. You... you didn’t call her... you didn’t check in at all. Joyce and the kids were worried sick. That’s not like you."

"Ronnie... with all due respect... this is between my wife and me and this conversation is kind of inappropriate for a supervisor to be having with her subordinate."

"That is true," Veronica nodded, "but I didn’t think I was talking to a subordinate. I thought I was talking to a friend. Someone I’ve known for decades and thought I knew."

"Well, if you knew him as well as you thought, you’d know that he likes to keep his personal life – personal."

Veronica’s eyes opened wide. "Seriously? Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in your office making phone calls to the director of the softball camp our kids love so much. Was that because you were keeping your personal life ‘personal,’ or was that because we were friends and you had shared your family’s troubles with me?"

Bob shook his head and walked to the door. He opened it and said, "And that was the worst mistake I ever made." He left the conference room.

Veronica shook her head as she watched him walk away.

"Oh, Bob," a colleague said as she passed Bob in the hall, "there was a woman looking for you. I put her in your office."

"What?" he asked, a little befuddled. He didn’t have the kind of job that required people to come talk to him. "Who is she?"

"I dunno," his colleague laughed. "She was looking for you, so I put her in your office. That’s all I know."

As soon as he rounded the corner and could see through the windows of his office, he stopped and let out a huge sigh. Then he felt a wave of frustrated anger as he surged forward to deal with this intrusion.

"Hi, daddy." Mary Ellen smiled a friendly smile as he entered. "A lady told me I could wait in here. I hope you don’t mind."

"What are you doing here, Mae?" he asked, testily.

"I’m here to talk to you."

"We can talk at home."

"Not if you’re not there – or if Hunter might overheard."

Bob grunted, put his computer down on his desk and took out his phone. He held in a button for a few seconds, then said, "Set timer for five minutes."

"Five minutes and counting," the phone replied.

Bob sat down. "Five minutes, Mae."

"Dad... I came all the way down here to talk to you and you’re turning on your timer? That’s kind of cold."

"Mae... this is where I work. I can’t have these kinds of discussions at work, but since you came all the way down here, I’m giving you five minutes." He held up both of his palms. "The floor is yours."

Mary Ellen shook her head. "Fine... Why are you being this way?"

"What way?"

"THIS way! And the way you’re being at home. Last week, when you played ball with Hunter, you were fine – until you realized that he wasn’t as good as Wanda. In fact, my whole life, you always bent over backwards to be Hunter’s cool dad. Now... you’re acting like you’re afraid to even look at him. That’s ‘the way’ that I’m talking about."

Bob looked uncomfortable for a moment, then said, "Did your mother send you here?"

Mary Ellen laughed. "No. She definitely didn’t. In fact, she told me that this was between you and her and I shouldn’t get involved."

"That seems very sensible," Bob nodded. "Let’s take her advice, shall we?" He put his hands on his desk as if he was about to stand.

"No," Mary Ellen said flatly.

Bob relaxed his arms and crossed them across his chest. "No?" He looked at her with a look that said, ‘Remember who you’re talking to.’

"No, dad. Look... for most of my life, you have been my father. The man I looked up to more than anyone else in the world. Whenever I’d introduce you, I’d say ‘this is my dad!’" She waited a moment. "But whenever you’d introduce me... it’s always been ‘This is my stepdaughter.’"

Bob felt uncomfortable. "Well... Mae... you ARE my stepdaughter, so..."

"Really? After all these years of being my father, I’m still your stepdaughter? Huh... I guess I’ve been giving you too much credit, dad – sorry.... Stepdad. I assumed that, since I loved you, you loved me in return. My mistake." She stood and glanced at the phone on his desk. "Look at that. There’s still a minute and a half left. I’ll leave that for you to enjoy on your own."

"Mae..."

"You know, at least this thing with Hunter has helped me to realize that it’s not me that you don’t love... it’s all girls."

"Come on, now, you know that’s not true." As he finished that sentence, the alarm on his phone’s timer went off.

"Yeah, sure," the teenager said sadly. "You know, dad... this isn’t the conversation I wanted to have. I know my time is up, but before I leave, just let me point out that, even though you seem repelled by Hunter’s new attributes, he still loves you and needs you, and having you behaving the way you are is only going to drive him away. Maybe he’s not the rough and tumble son you dreamed of having, but he’s a really good kid, dad... and you’re throwing him aside because he’s not as cool as other guys’ sons. Well... I think that stinks. That’s... not what I wanted to say, either, but I think it probably needed to be said."

She left him in his office looking stunned.

He stared at his desk calendar for thirty seconds or more before his brain began working again. "Fuck," he whispered. Then, as he spoke the next series of words, they rose in volume like a musical crescendo. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, Fuck, Fuck, FUCK, FUCK, FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

He slammed his hand on his desk as he rose and ran to the door. He turned into the hallway and he could see his stepdaughter... FUCK... his daughter... at the elevators in the lobby. He ran full throttle down the hall and through the glass doors, arriving as the doors to the elevator were closing with Mae on the inside of the elevator car. At the very last second, he threw his hand into the narrowing opening, forcing the doors to open, again.

Mary Ellen looked angry and miserable standing alone, surrounded by the shining, polished metal walls of the elevator.

"Mae..." he said, but then couldn’t think of what to say next. So he just stared at her for a few seconds. "Christ, Mae... have I always been this big an asshole?"

Mary Ellen looked around the narrow car. "No... but you have been lately."

He nodded, resigned to the truth.

"Mae... sweetheart... come on back to my office... please."

"Are you going to set another timer?"

"No..." he said, embarrassed. What a jackass-move that had been. "Come on... please... come back."

Mary Ellen wiped her eyes and nodded. She stepped out of the elevator and turned towards the office entrance.

"Mae..." Bob said, his eyes a bit watery, too. "Mae... I’m so sorry. Honest to God, sweetheart, you are the best daughter I could ever have dreamed of having. I’m so sorry that I never told you that."

Mae looked around at the carpeting and nodded.

"Come here, please," Bob asked, his arms open.

It took a few seconds for Mary Ellen to move forward, but eventually Bob was embracing her.

"Mae... I really do love you," Bob said, his voice cracking a bit. "I truly do. I am so, so sorry."

"It’s ok," Mary Ellen said into his chest, but Bob could feel her trembling. "It doesn’t matter, though. Right now, we need to focus on Hunter."
 

~^~
 

Joyce arrived home just after one in the afternoon. She walked around to the trunk of her car and pushed the button on her fob for the lid to open. She had the purple dress over her arm, the new shoes she’d just gotten (and hoped that they’d fit Hunter comfortably). Her purse was over her shoulder and the key to the front door was in her hand as she closed the lid down with a firm thud.

She was walking up the front path when a truck with the name of a local florist and the letters ‘FTD’ emblazoned on the side. Must be for a neighbor.

The truck driver got out of the truck and grabbed a tall vase of deep red roses. "Excuse me!" He shouted to stop her from closing the door behind her. "Is this 183 Maple?"

"Yes," Joyce nodded.

"Then these are for you," the driver said, holding out the tall, crystal vase.

"What?" Joyce blinked at the driver. "Just... give me a second to put this stuff down." She stepped into the house and put everything down, then returned to the door.

"Are you sure it’s for me?" She had been married to Bob for over a decade and he’d never once sent her flowers.

"Number 183," the driver smiled.

"Ok," Joyce smiled back. "Thanks."

She took the vase with the two dozen long stemmed roses and looked for the card.

She found it and opened the little envelope. "Joyce, Please forgive me. I love you and the kids with all my heart. I’ve been an ass. I know that. I’m sorry. Bob."
 

~^~
 

On Thursday at camp, they had softball games competing between the groups. They drew lots to see which team would play which. When the captain from group B drew group C as their opponent, all the girls in group D began whooping and hollering and applauding because they, the biggest girls, knew that they would be playing against group A, the youngest girls.

Sarah took the lead of the group A girls. "You think you’re going to walk all over us, don’t you? Well, you’re not. We’re going to win this game."

"Not likely," Ruthie shouted back, enjoying teasing her little sister. "You’ll be lucky to get a girl on base... and that’ll probably be because you were walked." She high fived her friends.

"Alright, Group D," Coach Skylar said. "Remember, you’re supposed to be the more mature girls here. Now, I don’t expect you to take it easy on the Group A girls, but I do expect you to be respectful of the younger campers. Understood?"

"Yes, coach!" The oldest girls shouted in reply.

"And you, group A girls." Coach Skylar turned to face the youngest girls. "I expect you to play fairly and try your hardest." Then she knelt down and called the little girls into a tight huddle. Then she whispered, "And I expect you to work as a team and kick their butts!"

"Yes, Coach!" all the Group A girls, including Hunter, shouted.

"Alright, ladies!" Coach Skylar shouted to everyone. "Let’s play ball!"

The game between groups B and C moved along quickly. The group C girls were older and a little stronger than the other team, but Group B held their own until the last inning when Group C surged ahead, winning by a score nine to six.

There was something a little comical in the appearance of the Group A team challenging the Group D girls. The seventeen and eighteen year old girls dwarfed their opponents. The most startling dichotomy being when a Group D girl stood near the tiny Group A third base player named Hunter.

By the top of the fourth inning, Group D was leading four to one and the older girls couldn’t help but rub it in a little. When a Group D girl named Addy made it to third base ahead of the throw to Hunter, she smiled down at him and said, "Enjoying yourself, Short Stuff?" Then she pulled off Hunter’s hat and rubbed his hair for good luck.

"Hey!" Hunter protested, all business during a game.

She winked at him. "Oh, don’t be a spoil sport. I need a little luck."

Until that moment all of the ‘Short Stuff’ and ‘rub her for luck’ stuff had been funny, but now it felt like it had when the boys at school treated him differently because he was small. Now, he was determined to teach these girls in Group D a lesson. He didn’t think Group A could win, but they had to make sure this game didn’t end up in a runaway thrashing by the older girls.

Then it happened. The Groups D girl at bat hit a high pop fly towards the third base line. Hunter moved into the grassy area and spread his arms.

"I got it!" he shouted.

The ball seemed to hang in the air forever, and when it finally came down, he caught it handily.

"She’s running!" Coach Marie yelled.

Addy, who was probably the fastest girl at camp, had waited until the ball was caught, then tagged up and ran for home plate. Hunter saw what was happening and fired the ball to the catcher, who caught it and turned to tag Addy. Addy saw that the catcher had the ball and there was no way around her, so she turned and headed back to third base. The catcher fired the ball back to Hunter, who caught it and ran down the baseline towards Addy. Addy took advantage of her height and turned to run back to home plate, assuming Hunter couldn’t even see the catcher over her head. Hunter stepped off the baseline and fired the ball back to the catcher. Addy saw the ball again and turned once more, running full tilt back to third base.

At this point, Hunter reached to his left and caught the catcher’s throw. He had Addy dead to rights and he knew it.

He stepped forward to tag Addy, but she was moving too fast to stop. She didn’t mean to plow into the little third base player, but she was focused on getting back to the bag safely and didn’t even know Hunter had stepped in front of her until she felt the impact of the smaller player bouncing off her body.

"Damn," Addy muttered, knowing she’d been tagged out, so her side was going to have to move to the field. It was just about that time that she noticed everyone running onto the field. She turned and saw little Hunter sprawled unconscious on the grass.

"What the..." Addy said, more to herself than anyone else. It took a moment, but then she realized what must have happened and she ran to the little third base player in three long strides, while muttering, "Oh, shit! Oh, shit! Don’t be hurt!" The whole way.

There were already a few girls around Hunter by the time Addy got there. Wanda was kneeling, tapping her friends face and screaming, "Hunter! Hunter!"

Addy was about to kneel down, too, but Sarah appeared, running from her position in at first base, and pushed the bigger girl away with a shocking amount of force. "Don’t touch her!" she screamed.

"Im sorry," Addy said, a bit befuddled, sprawled on the ground herself, now. "I didn’t mean to hurt her." She sat up and tried to move closer to Hunter.

"Let me in to see her," Coach Marie demanded as she arrived. She bent down and took control of the situation. "Get a hand towel and a bottle of water from the cooler, she instructed one girl who ran as fast as she could to retrieve the items and returned.

The Coach poured some water onto the towel and began dabbing the wet cloth on Hunter’s forehead. "Hey... Hunter," she said, gently. "Hunter? Come on, Short Stuff. Don’t just lay there. Come on sweetie. Come on. Open your eyes."

The nurse and Coach Skylar arrived next.

"Alright, girls," Coach Skylar instructed, "step back. Everyone take two steps back and let her breathe."

The nurse knelt and pulled something out of her bag. She touched Wanda’s shoulder. "Let me work on her, honey," the nurse said.

"But..." Wanda looked at the nurse and it was clear to the nurse that this child was scared to death. "She’s going to be ok, right?"

"I’ll take good care of her. I promise," the nurse said with a gentle smile that failed to put Wanda at ease.

The nurse cracked a vial of smelling salts and ran it under Hunter’s nose. The reaction was immediate.

He sprung up from a lifeless form on the ground and sat up wide eyed and looking around. "Did I tag her out!?" he nearly shouted with excitement.

Wanda didn’t give anyone a chance to answer. She reached in and hugged him harder than he could ever remember being hugged.

"Oh, thank God!" she said excitedly. "Are you ok?"

"I think so," he said, confused as to how everyone had gotten so close to him so quickly. "What’s going on?"

That made everyone laugh.

"Can you stand?" the nurse asked.

"I guess." He shrugged and stood. There were a couple of seconds of unsteadiness, but then he felt fine.

Coach Skylar nodded, happy he wasn’t badly hurt. She put her arm around his shoulders. "Alright, Short Stuff. Come on inside with me and sit for the rest of the day."

Hunter stopped and looked at the Coach. "No, Coach, please. I want to keep playing."

"Hunter," she chuckled, "you were just hit so hard that you flew five feet through the air and ended up unconscious. You’re done for today."

Hunter looked from the Coach to all the other players. "Coach... please..." he whispered. "I’m ok. I swear. Please. Don’t make me quit. I don’t want them to think I’m a sissy."

"Sweetheart, no one is going to think..."

"Yes, they will, coach. Until today, everyone has liked me. If I don’t get back on the field and play, then I’m just going to be the littlest person in camp. The fragile little one that everyone has to be careful of." He glanced at all the other girls who were all still looking in their direction. "Please, coach. Let me play. I just want to be like everyone else. Not the frail little toy that everyone has to look out for. Please."

Coach Skylar knew the rules – She’d written them, after all – but she also knew that young athletes weren’t really as fragile as the rules indicated. The rules were there to insure safety and protect the camp from litigation, not to support a young athlete who was determined to be better a better athlete than she was when she arrived at camp. This little girl – no – this tiny, feminine boy – was one of those young athletes. He... no... she... definitely she... wanted to be better. To be the best she could be. To make those big girls in Group D respect her. If the rules couldn’t be bent or broken for this child, then there was no point in having someone making decisions about implementing those rules.

The head coach nodded and smiled at the littlest camper. "Ok. Alright. Now listen... I’ll make a deal with you. I will let you back on the field, but I am calling your mom to let her know what happened. Now, if she says you’re benched for the rest of the day, then that’s that – you’re benched for the day. Ok?"

"Ok, coach," he nodded, feeling relieved. He knew his mother well enough to know that she’d be hesitant to bench him if she knew that he felt ok. "Thank you, coach."

He turned and jogged back to the field to the sound of all the girls applauding his return. Wow! He’d been knocked down dozens of times playing baseball, but the boys always viewed his injuries, no matter how minor or severe, as an inconvenience. They were usually happier if he just left.

Addy met him as he ran. "Hey... umm... Short Stuff... look... I’m really, really sorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m really, really sorry. Honest. Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I’m fine!" he said, dismissing what he’d just experienced as no big deal.

Addy gave him a gentle hug. "Good. Are you ready to play?"

"You bet your ass, I am," he said, causing Addy to laugh out loud.

It was Group A’s turn at bat. Hunter wouldn’t bat until the fourth slot, and with Group D’s pitching being as good as it had been that day, he didn’t know if he’d get up to the plate that inning.

Before the first batter was up, though, Coach Maria called the team into a huddle. She knelt in the center and looked each of them in the eye as she spoke.

"Alright, listen-up. I don’t care that you’re the youngest girls in this camp. I know you. Each and every one of you. And I know that you can beat those girls IF you play like a team. So, our first three batters are Julie, Wanda and Colleen. Now, you three. What is your goal?"

"To get on base, coach," all three said in unison.

"That’s right. To get on base. Not to swing for the bleachers. Not to be a hero. Just to get on base. Now, if you see that sweet, perfect pitch coming your way, don’t hesitate to send it all the way to Canada, but the GOAL is to get on base. We need to get as many batters up to the plate as possible and to do the work that needs to get done. Am I making myself clear?"

"Yes, coach!" they all said in unison.

"Whose the number four batter?" Coach Marie asked.

"I am coach," Hunter said.

She smiled at him. "What’s your goal, Short Stuff?"

"To get on base, coach."

"That’s my girl," she smiled and rubbed his shoulder. Hunter could tell that she was proud of him for not leaving the field after being plowed over by Addy. Then she looked around at all their little faces. "You are little, but mighty ladies. Am I right!?"

"YES, COACH!"

"Well, alright, then! Let’s stick to the plan, load those bases and score some runs. Now, let’s go!" The girls dispersed and went to their places. Julie to the batter’s box, Wanda to the on deck circle, ready to go to the batter’s box, Colleen to the opening of the team area, ready to move to on deck.

Julie watched a strike go past her on the first pitch, a ball on the second, but then, when the third pitch came along, she shoot it back as a line drive, dead center between the first and second base players. She made it to first easily.

Then Wanda stepped into the batter’s box and let the first ball whizz past her as a strike as well. The second one was a little to the outside of the plate, but she managed to get a piece of it and send a low pop to right field, just shy of the foul line. It was close enough to the infield that the right fielder couldn’t get under it. She fired the ball to first base, but Wanda was too fast and arrived safely. As the the ball was headed to first, Julie rounded second and headed to third. The first base player threw the ball as hard as she could, but Julie arrived at third without too much trouble.

That put Colleen at bat and Hunter on deck.

Colleen was probably the biggest girl in Group A. She was nearly fourteen and she was a very muscular for a girl her age. Hunter had seen her climb a rope in the gym with no problem whatsoever. It had taken Hunter like six minutes to reach the top.

Colleen’s stance was perfect. It was exactly what Wanda and the coaches had taught Hunter. She looked serious and powerful as the first pitch was thrown. It was a fastball – a very fastball – and when Colleen’s bat connected with the sphere, it went soaring into the air, straight past the outfield and into the no-man’s land beyond. It was a three run, home run and Hunter felt a surge of relief pass through him. The idea of stepping up to bat with the bases loaded scared the bejeezus out of him.

Hunter high-fived each base runner as they passed. Colleen was the last to pass and Hunter heard her speak to the coach. "Sorry, coach. I saw a big hit and I took it."

"Oh, shut up," Coach Marie laughed as she patted the girl on her back. ‘Come on, now, Short Stuff," she said, clapping her hands encouragingly as only an athletic coach can

Hunter stepped up to the plate and stood as tall and as powerfully as he could. The ball came in and it was thrown slow and wide."

"Ball!" the umpire called.

Hunter stepped out of the box and looked at the catcher. "Can you tell her not to walk me?" He asked.

The catcher laughed and shrugged. "I’ll ask for a real pitch, Short Stuff, but she’ll do what she wants."

The next pitch was just like the first.

"Ball 2!"

Hunter stepped out of the box. He shook his head and looked at the catcher again. "Beth," he said quietly. "Please... tell her not to treat me like a baby. If she does, then everyone else will, too."

The catcher thought for a moment, then looked at the umpire. "Time."

"Time!" the umpire called.

Beth ran out to the pitchers mound and spoke to the pitcher. The pitcher looked past Beth at Hunter and nodded.

Beth ran back and squatted behind the plate. "I hope you’re happy, Short Stuff. She’s not going to hold back. I think you might have hurt her feelings a little."

Hunter took his place in the batter’s box and tried to make all four foot one of himself look powerful. The pitcher wound up and fired a fastball in that came very close to hitting Hunter, causing him to jump backwards.

"Strike!" the umpire called.

That’s when Hunter heard the shouts from his teammates. "What’s wrong with you!?" "Are you nuts!?" "You almost killed her!" "You think that’s funny!?"

"Time!" Coach Skylar called and she headed to the mound, signaling for the Group D coach to join her.

"How old are you?" the camp director asked the pitcher when they were all assembled.

"Eighteen," the pitcher replied.

"How old is she?" Coach Skylar indicated Hunter.

The pitcher shrugged. "Thirteen?"

"Twelve," Skylar said, angrily. "She’s twelve and you know it. You also know that when we scrimmage between groups, the older girls need to be cautious of the younger. Damnit, Betsy, you’re a smart girl and you know better than to throw that kind of heat at a twelve year old."

The girl nodded, contrite.

"Now, look," Skylar continued, "I’ve already had to call that child’s mother once today and I’m not going to do it again. For Christ’s sake, Betsy, if you hit someone that small with a pitch that fast, you could kill her. Use some common sense."

"Coach, she asked for me to not walk her. She wanted real pitches. I gave her a real pitch."

"For another eighteen year old. Were you trying to scare her because she didn’t want your charity walk? Now, this conversation is ending. You can either throw to her the way you have been throwing to every other member of her team since this game began, or you can sit on the bench and watch someone else pitch the rest of this game."

The pitcher looked to her team coach. "Don’t look at me. Coach Skylar is being a lot nicer about this than I planned on being. I was just going to pull you without a discussion."

The girl let out an exasperated sigh and nodded. "Ok. I’ll slow down the fastballs. Can I pitch the rest of my stuff to her?"

"You can, but you know the rules about pitching inside to a batter, right?" her own coach asked.

"Yes, Coach."

"Good," Coach Skylar nodded. She turned and walked away. The other coach gave the pitcher a very authoritative look that said, ‘Watch it,’ and then walked away as well.

The game resumed.

The pitcher threw again. It was fast, but nothing like the last pitch. It seemed to be a perfect pitch and Hunter took his swing, but at the last second, the ball suddenly sunk lower than his bat and hunter’s bat swished across the plate without making any contact.

"Strike two!" the umpire shouted.

The catcher tossed the ball back to the pitcher and the pitcher smirked at Hunter.

"Maybe you should have taken the walk," the catcher said.

Hunter shook his head and prepared for the next pitch. It came in just a bit too wide for Hunter’s reach, but it looked kind of close to the plate. He held his bat in place cringed as he waited for the umpire’s decision on the pitch.

"Ball 3!"

Hunter let out a breath. He wasn’t out, yet.

"This is it, Short Stuff," the catcher said. "The three-two pitch."

Hunter knew she was right. Barring a foul ball, this was it.

The pitcher wound up and sent in the same sinking pitch he’d fallen for before, but this time Hunter was ready. The hours upon hours of learning to hit Wanda’s crazy pitches paid off, and he connected in a big way. It wasn’t a home run or anything like that, but it shot out of the infield at a height just above the reach of the shortstop and landed in left field far enough in front of the fielder to give Hunter time to reach first base easily.

The first base player stayed serious until the ball was out of play. Then she turned to Hunter and said, "Nice hit, Short Stuff." She held out a fist for Hunter to bump with his. "You ok? From before, I mean."

Hunter couldn’t believe that an opponent was asking him this. "Yeah. I’m good."

The girl smiled down on him. "Tough little tomboy, huh?"

Hunter just shrugged.

The next grounded out, but Hunter made it to second base.

The next sent a line drive into center field giving Hunter the opportunity to make it to third.

The next hitter hit a high pop fly that just barely went into the outfield. The second base player, short stop and center fielder all converged on where it was about to land. When at last it came down, the second base player caught it, but it turned her around with her back to the plate for just a couple of seconds. Hunter saw his opportunity and he tagged up and ran for home. The harried throw from the second base player was just to the first base side of home plate and allowed Hunter just enough time to cross the plate before the catcher could tag him.

"Safe!" the umpire shouted.

Beth, the catcher took just a second or two to be ticked off at herself for not making the play, but then she called to Hunter, who was headed to his bench. "Hey, Short Stuff!"

Hunter turned and looked at the catcher.

The catcher stepped towards Hunter and offered a high five, that Hunter happily responded to. When their hands made contact, though, Beth gripped his for a moment and smiled down at him. "You’ve got balls for a little girl, Short Stuff. I’ll give you that. Way to play!"

Hunter was suddenly much more proud of his run than before. "Yeah. You too, Beth. Way to play." He started to go, but stopped and said, "Oh, and you play like you go balls, too."

The phrase that the older girls said to each other almost without thinking seemed so odd coming out of the mouth of this child that it made Beth guffaw. "Thanks, Short Stuff." She winked at him and walked back to her position behind the plate.

The score was Group A: Five. Group D: 4

As it turned out, Group A didn’t score any more runs that day, but they came together as a team after Hunter had been knocked down and their game improved a great deal. Defensively, they rallied their skills and worked as a tightly woven unit to prevent Group D from scoring another run. At first, Hunter and the other girls thought that Group D was actually backing off a bit – maybe not letting Group A win, but taking it a little easy on them. But then they started to see the frustration on the faces of the Group D girls and the younger team knew that they were winning for real and that pushed them to play even harder.

At the end of the seventh, and last, inning, it turned out that Group A’s one run lead was enough to win. So, even though he did not know it at the time, Hunter had scored the decisive, winning run. The youngest girls were thrilled with their victory, but they did feel just a little bad that the older girls were given a stern tongue lashing by their coach after their defeat.

Whatever embarrassment the Group D girls felt though was washed away quickly, and when Coach Skylar called for everyone to sit on the hillside that lined one side of the field so that she could speak to them all, the Group D girls grabbed hold of the Group A girls and had them sit with them. Hunter found himself sitting between the spread legs of Addy, the girl who’d knocked him down, and leaning back against her as Coach Skylar spoke.

"Alright, girls, listen up!" Coach Skylar shouted in her slightly hoarse coach’s voice. "One week from today is our last day on this field. It’s also the day of our ‘Daughter’ dance. So – if you’ve actually read your camp daily agenda, which I know you haven’t - you’d know that it’s a half day of camp. You’ll be dismissed from camp BEFORE LUNCH, so we won’t be eating together. That will give you time to go home, shower all of that nasty sweat off of your filthy bodies, spend some time getting ready and then re-emerge as beautiful young ladies in the grand ballroom at the Marriott with your adult date for the night. Now, that date can be a father, a mother, an aunt or an uncle, a mentor, a role model – anyone you chose, but you can only bring one date and you really should let that person know TODAY so that they have a chance to prepare for the evening. Right?"

"Right, coach!" the mass of girls shouted in military unison.

Skylar smiled. "Excellent. Now, on Friday of next week, we will be competing against the girls from the Longview Softball Camp at the Triple A League ball park in the city. All the information about that day is also in the information packet that you all received on day one. You can invite as many people to that as you’d like. There is a tendollar fee to enter the park. That’s pretty cheap. Our Group D girls will meet their Group D girls, Group C against Group C, etc. Now, we’ve never played Longview before, but they have a reputation for being tough players. So we need to be pumped and ready for those games. Any questions about that event? "

There weren’t.

"Alright. Then, tomorrow we are holding our clinic with a batting coach from the Boston Red Sox. So – come ready to swing those bats!"

"Yes, Coach!" the girls shouted and clapped and hooted and howled.

When the din had died down, the head coach said, "Now, get out of here. Get some rest and we’ll meet back here in the morning."

The girls all cheered and clapped.

Addy put her arms around the littlest camper and asked, "You’re really ok, right?"

"Yeah, I’m fine," Hunter laughed. "You’re not as strong as you think."

"Well, that’s a good thing, I guess." She swung Hunter from side to side before she pushed him into a seated position beside her and she stood up, then offered Hunter a hand standing, too.

She put her arm around his shoulders as they headed up the hill. "So, do you have your dress for next week?"

Hunter shook his head. "No. We went shopping, but I hated everything my mom picked out.’

"Why?’

He shrugged again. "I dunno. Everything she wanted me to wear was all... lacy and... girly."

"So what!?" Addy laughed. "That’s the point of a semi-formal dance. After three weeks of seeing each other as sweaty athletes, we get to dress up and enjoy being girls."

He looked up at the bigger girl. She was one of the toughest, most accomplished athletes at the camp and everyone looked up to her. She pushed herself hard and she expected everyone around her to do the same. Hunter had to ask – "Do you enjoy being a girl?"

"What? Are you kidding? Of course I do! I mean, I love hauling ass around the bases and lifting weights and running track and all of that, but the biggest benefit to all of that is that it makes my body hard and fit. I love getting dressed up and being a girl!" She smiled a goofy smile and tickled Hunter as she said, "And I love how I make boys drool when I put on a dress that shows all of this off." She strutted a little in a mocking impression of a fashion model. "So... you don’t want to be a girl? Is that it? Would you rather be a boy?"

Those were bigger questions than she knew. Hunter didn’t really WANT to be anything except normal. Why was that such a hard thing for him to be. Having said that, if the truth be told, he’d hung out with guys for eleven years and always felt like an outsider – and if the guys knew that he’d grown breasts, then they’d rip him to shreds. He’d only been a girl for a couple of weeks and he really liked being with these girls a lot. They were serious athletes, more serious than a lot of the boys he’d been to camp with the previous year, and more importantly – they were nice to him. He suspected, although he had no desire to confirm it, that if he were to tell them that he was really a boy who had just sprouted these boobies without wanting them, they’d be fine with it and just keep on being nice to him.

"I don’t know," Hunter shrugged. "I just don’t wear dresses. My mom is making me wear skirts at home all week so I’ll be ready to wear a dress for this party I’m going to on Saturday night, but... I don’t really hate them or anything... I just don’t want to get too girly. That’s all."

"Oh, are you going to Sarah’s bat mitzvah party on Saturday?" Addy asked, a little excited.

Hunter nodded.

"Me too! Ruthie gets to invite a couple of friends to hang with and she invited me. Hey! We’ll see each other dressed up! That’ll be cool, right!?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Hunter said, considering how beautiful Addy would look and how silly he might look in comparison. He spotted Mary Ellen up ahead and he waved. "That’s my sister."

Addy nodded. Then she stopped and squatted down to Hunter’s level. "Listen, my little friend, before I say goodbye, let me give you a little advice – We’re in a really cool place as girls right now. We can act anyway we want and it’s all cool. We can be tough or sweet or aggressive or pretty or anything else we want and no one will question us. The thing is, though – once we become women, those options narrow down a bit. Especially if we become moms. So, take some chances while you’re still a girl, ok? Do all the boy stuff that you’re doing, but try all the girl stuff, too. Look how lucky you are! You’re twelve and you already have a nice set of tatas to flaunt! Look at your sister."

He did and Addy kept talking. "She’s beautiful, right? There’s the same DNA inside you. Someday soon, you’ll be as beautiful as her. Enjoy it."

"Umm... she’s my step sister," Hunter smirked. He was kind of happy to poke a hole in Addy’s superior tone. "Sorry, but we do not share the same DNA."

Addy smiled at his comeback. "Ok. You get my point, though, right? Do you have a dress for Saturday?"

He nodded.

"Good. Come looking pretty and I’ll help you learn how to enjoy yourself when you’re wearing a ‘girly’ dress. Ok?" She grabbed him and began to tickle him, again.

"Ok, ok, ok!" He giggled.

"Ok." Addy smiled and stood. She took Hunter’s hand and walked him to Mary Ellen. "Hi, I’m Addy."

"Hi. I’m Mae." Mary Ellen smiled and shook the other girl’s hand. "I’m Hunter’s sister."

"And I’m her assailant." Addy smiled as she told her long and apologetic story of her accidental assault on Hunter earlier that day.
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 6

 

Hunter realizes a few things about himself and gets dressed up to attend his friend's
bat mitzvah party. I am so happy that so many of you are enjoying this story. I truly
appreciate you letting me know that you're reading and what you think about the story.
For those of you who feel that characters have reached resolution already or that
Hunter's health is being neglected, all I can suggest is - read on. Thank you!!!

---

 
Author's Note: I have taken suggestions from the comments that have been given
and thank you for them! I am working on improving some of these stories! And please, keep leaving
more reviews for me!

ps: The usage of the word Hunny is slang for "Hunter" not honey. ~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 6 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 6
 

Bob had been trying hard to be a good dad, but it was difficult to see his boy, the child he’d expected to carry on his legacy as a high school and college athlete, fade into girlhood. Everyday, when he came home from work, Hunter was either wearing one of those one piece bathing suits that Joyce and Mary Ellen seemed to find so cute on him – the ones that required that he tuck his-little-self away completely so that the only bulges on his body were the ones provided my those damned breasts that just seemed bigger every day – OR he was wearing a skirt and being told how to walk about in a maidenly fashion. So, Bob had taken to smiling a lot, offering the right amount of encouragement required to keep Joyce happy and watching Sports Center alone instead of sitting by the pool with his family.

He wanted to be supportive – he really did – but it was just so damned hard.

That Thursday evening, when he got home, Hunter was wearing the flowered romper that Mary Ellen had gotten him at the mall. It was better than a skirt, sure, but it was so delicate and so female.

For some reason, Veronica and Wanda did not stay for dinner that evening, as had become the custom since camp had started. From what Bob had understood from his conversations with Ronnie during the day, dinner at his house had been the plan, but something had apparently come up between leaving the office and arriving at home and Ronnie rushed out the door with her daughter in tow, saying something about some vague appointment she’d completely forgotten about.

“I got a call from the endocrinologist’s office, today,” Joyce said quietly to Bob in the back office, while Hunter and Mary Ellen set the table.

“And?” Bob asked, concerned.

“They’d like permission from you to get copies of Kate’s medical history.”

It took Bob a few seconds to process that. “Kate’s medical history? Who would even have that? I mean, she’s been gone for over a decade…”

“They said that her primary care doctor should have copies of everything. They just need your permission to contact them.”

“O…ok…” Bob shrugged, “but why?”

“Because she was Hunter’s biological mother, Bob, and Hunter’s body isn’t developing the way it should be. They want to see if there’s anything in Kate’s medical history that may have caused something like this to have occurred in Hunter. That’s all.”

“Ok,” Bob said. That all made sense. “Tell them I said it was fine.”

Joyce stopped him before he could walk away. “Bob. This requires a signature on a release form. You’re going to have to call them, make the arrangements to have them send you the required documents, then sign the paperwork and return it. Can you handle that?”

“Yeah, of course I can,” he pretended to be insulted. “I’ll call them tomorrow.”

“Dinner’s ready!” Mary Ellen called from the other room.

“Great! I’m starving,” Bob said as he took his seat at the head of the table. His heart sank a bit when he saw that dinner was to consist entirely of a large Cesar Salad with just a little bit of cold chicken on top. “Oh, good,” he teased. “Rabbit food.”

“We all had a busy day today,” Joyce said, shaking her head. “There was no time to cook and we needed to use up some left overs.”

Bob smiled and nodded. ‘Just be nice and supportive,’ he told himself.

“So… how was camp, today?” He asked Hunter, expecting the usual shrug and ‘good’ replay, but instead, Hunter broke into a long and involved story that included a game between his group and the oldest girls and how his group won the game and, even though he didn’t know it at the time, had scored the winning run by beating a throw to the plate… and… and… and… It was a very long and involved story.

“Wait, wait…” Bob said at one point. “You were knocked unconscious by another camper? Actually unconscious and they didn’t send you home?”

“They wanted to,” Hunter smiled, “but I begged Coach Skylar and she let me stay and play.”

“Did they even call you!?” Bob asked his wife.

“Oh, yeah. They called me.” Joyce smiled at the boy. “Skylar told me the whole story and said that he was fine. He’d just had the wind knocked out of him and he wanted to stay and finish the game. Knowing how determined Hunter can be, I said it was ok.”

“Huh,” Bob grunted. “That doesn’t sound like you.”

Joyce just smiled. “Things are different this summer. All the girls were taking good care of him. Isn’t that right, Hunter?”

Hunter nodded and smiled.

When the epic story of that game was over, there was a bit of a lull in the conversation as they all went back to eating. Mary Ellen looked at her stepbrother and waited until he looked up and she could make eye contact with him. She raised her eyebrows at him and then looked to Bob, telling Hunter that he should talk to his father at that time.

“Umm… dad…?” Hunter started.

“Yes?” Bob said, glancing up, expecting an addendum to the softball game saga.

“Umm…” Hunter looked a little scared, but he gathered his courage and cleared his throat. “Umm… next week… on Thursday… there’s that dance thing for the camp… you know what I’m talking about?”

Bob nodded, chewed his salad and dabbed his lips with his napkin, waiting for his mouth to be empty. “Yes. I know about that.”

“Well…” Hunter looked at his plate for a few minutes. “Umm… would you… be willing… to go with me to that?”

“Oh… umm…” Bob sat back and looked at everyone. Hunter was still looking at his food, but Mary Ellen and Joyce were smiling at Bob as if this was a very important moment, but he couldn’t understand why. “Well… Hunter… I kind of expected that you’d want mom to go with you to that. Wouldn’t that be better?”

“Oh,” Hunter nodded and played with his lettuce. “Ok… I guess…”

Mary Ellen looked at her little, feminine stepbrother and she could see his heart breaking and that was causing her own heart to break right along with his.

Joyce scowled at her husband. Bob responded with a shrug and the mouthed word, ‘What?’

“Well,” Joyce tried to keep the door between father and son open, “is that what you want, Hunter? Do you want me to take you, or would you rather that dad takes you.”

Hunter shrugged. “Whatever, I guess.”

“Look, sweetheart, if you’d prefer…”

Hunter dropped his fork, pushed his chair back and headed to the sliding door. “I said, whatever, mom. I don’t even care. I don’t even want to go, anyway. The whole thing is just stupid.” He slid the door open stepped out and closed it hard behind him.

“Dad! What’s wrong with you!?” Mary Ellen exclaimed as she stood to follow Hunter into the back yard.

When she was gone, Joyce looked at Bob and shook her head. “Well, I hope you’re happy, Bob!”

“What just happened?” Bob said, surprised that everyone was mad at him. “I honestly assumed he’d rather you went to this thing with him instead of me.”

Joyce stood and gathered the half-empty dishes together. “Do you have any idea how difficult that was for him, Bob? It took every ounce of courage that that little boy had to ask you to go with him, and you shot him down without even a thought. How could you be so mean to your own son!?”

“Ok, just stop, please. First off, my SON just invited me to a daddy/daughter dance. That’s a bit odd, Joyce, and I’m sorry if it caught me by surprise. I just thought that since this was a dress-up thing, he’d be more comfortable doing it with you. That’s all. God, Joyce, he’s as bad as Mae was at that age. I don’t know what to say around him. Whatever I say either ticks him off or makes him cry.”

“How does someone as obtuse as you get through a day?” Joyce asked, amazed. “Don’t you have any empathy for what that boy is going through?“

“Of course I do! I…” something occurred to him. “Wait… why would it take every ounce of his courage to talk to me about this? Did I ever give him a reason to be afraid of me?”

“Do you think he’s blind, Bob? Do you think he doesn’t see how disappointed you are because he isn’t living up to your expectations? I mean… for heaven’s sake… didn’t you hear the pride in his voice when he told you about his team beating the older team? You didn’t even congratulate him! You just asked about whether or not they called me about an accident that he was embarrassed about. Then, knowing how much he’s already disappointing you, he asked you to take him to the dance, and you just pulled the rug right out from under the poor kid.”

Bob sighed. Didn’t she understand that he’d been working all day and needed to relax when he got home? Lately, whenever he was in this house, it was just one problem after another! And why the hell didn’t she call him and prep him for this kind of thing!?

“Alright, I’m sorry if my response wasn’t quite what you expected, but you have to understand that I’m not really sure if I’m ready to…” he sensed that things weren’t going the way he wanted, so he just stopped talking.

“What? Ready to what?” Joyce persisted. “Ready to see your son in a nice dress? Well, too goddamned bad, Bob, because after talking to the endocrinologist today, I’m getting the distinct impression that things are worse than they’ve led us to believe. In fact, I think things might get more ‘girly’ for Hunter before they get ‘boyish,’ and you need to get with the program.”

“I’m trying, Joyce, I really am…”

“Well, stop trying and start doing, Bob. He needs your support, not your judgement. I know that, between the two of us, he’s only got your DNA, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s MY little boy – or maybe, MY little girl, I don’t know for sure, but I know that I will always love him OR her, no matter what – BUT AS FOR YOU – YOU’RE REALLY STARTING TO TICK ME OFF!”

She took the plates to the sink.
 

~^~
 

“Hey,” Mary Ellen said, tenderly, as she sat on the double seated swing on the patio and put her arm around her stepbrother. “You ok?”

Hunter let out a sarcastic chuckle. “No. I’m not ok.”

Mary Ellen pulled him closer and he rested his head on her shoulder. “What can I do to help?”

Another chuckle came from Hunter. “Maybe a knife or something.”

She tried not to sound too alarmed by that answer. She stayed calm and asked, “A knife? Why would you need a knife?”

“I don’t know… maybe to cut these things off, or to cut off… you know…”

A cold chill ran down Mary Ellen’s spine. “You don’t mean that, Hunny. I mean… you’d never really do something like that… would you?”

“No,” Hunter muttered as he dissolved into tears and buried his eyes in Mary Ellen’s shoulder. “I just wish I wasn’t like this, Mae. I’m not a boy and I’m not a girl and I don’t know what to do about anything. Mom treats my like I’m a girl. Dad treats me like I’ve got a contagious disease or something. I’ll never be able to go back to school like this. My friends who are boys would never… who am kidding? I never really had any friends who are boys.”

Mary Ellen kissed his head. “You seem to have a lot of friends who are girls.”

He nodded a little. “They’d probably hate me is they knew the truth, though.”

“Oh… I don’t think so. They’re your friends, Hunter. They’d still be your friends if they knew.”

He shrugged and sat back in the swing-seat. He wiped his eyes and sniffled back his tears. “I just wish…” he stopped there.

“What do you wish, Hunny?”

“Don’t laugh, ok?’

“Of course not. You can tell me anything. You know that.”

“I just wish… I’d been born a girl so that none of this ever happened.”

Mary Ellen was very surprised to hear this particular wish. “A girl?” She asked calmly. “You wish you’d been born a girl?”

He nodded. “Pretty screwed up, isn’t it?”

“No, sweetie, no. It’s not. You’re body is doing all kinds of things to you right now and… I understand. I really do.”

It was silent for a solid minute or so, but then a thought occurred to Mary Ellen. Something that had been living on the edges of her brain for a week or so at that point, but something she didn’t think was possible. Now, that thought pushed to the front of her consciousness and she knew she had to ask her little brother – the little boy who had the cute, red-dyed bobbed hairdo, who was wearing the adorable, flowered romper with the ruffled hems and his breasts pressing out from underneath the soft material – a question she never expected to have to ask.

“Hunny…” she spoke as quietly as she could. “…if… if you could make a choice… to live the rest of your life as a boy… or a girl… which would you choose?”

Hunter looked at the ground and the tears began again.

“Hunny?” She asked. “Which would you choose?”

He just cried.

“Hunny? I want to help you, but you have to tell me. Which would you choose?”

Finally, he looked at her and the desperation in his eyes was heartbreaking. “I… I don’t want to be a boy anymore.”

“No?”

He shook his head. “I know that makes me a fairy or a queer or something, but… I just want to be with the girls. To be one of them. That’s all. I’m sorry. I know that is going to make everyone mad, but… I’m so sorry… it’s just how I feel.”

“Oh, Hunny…”

“And look at me, Mae! Look at me! My body even wants to be a girl! And I want to do it, too! I want to go all the way and look like a who I’m supposed to be, but… then Dad will hate me… and… mom will hate me BECAUSE dad will hate me… and… I just wish I wasn’t me right now!”

Mary Ellen wrapped her arms around him and hugged him with all her might as he sobbed helplessly into her shoulder. She shh-ed him and told him it was ok. That everyone loved him and he would be fine. Both of them had their eyes closed when someone touched Mary Ellen’s shoulder, startling her a bit.

“Sorry,” Bob said, quietly. “Can you give me a few minutes with Hunter?”

Mary Ellen looked at her stepbrother and thought for a moment. Then she looked back at her stepfather and gave her head a sad shake to indicate ‘no’ was her answer.

“It’ll be ok, Mae. I promise,” Bob said, sadly.

Mary Ellen sighed and kissed Hunter’s head once more. “I’ll be right inside if you need me,” she whispered and he nodded.

When Mary Ellen had vacated her seat, Bob sat next to his son and put his arm around his shoulder. “I guess I really messed things up yet again, huh?”

Hunter shook his head. “Not you... Me. I mess everything up just by being alive.”

“Hunter… that’s not true. You… you’re a great kid, buddy. You’ve got lots of talent and it seems like you’ve got lots of new friends… Pal… I just… never expected to have to be a dad to someone as special as you. Things have just changed so quickly and I’m… I’m an older guy, buddy. It just takes me a little longer than it does for mom.”

Hunter nodded. “Ok.”

“So… about that dance next Thursday…”

“Yeah, forget about that, dad. I’m not going.”

“Of course you’re going. It’s part of the camp, right? A night for you to have fun with your friends.”

Hunter looked at him and shook his head. “But, dad… I’d… have to wear a fancy dress and all that.”

“And you’ll look great,” Bob said, giving his shoulders a shake.

“Dad, come on. You don’t want me to do this, I know that.”

Bob bit his lip and pondered what to say for a moment. “Look, sport…”

“Dad…” Hunter stood. His eyes were welling up again. “Calling me ‘Sport,’ and ‘Buddy,’ and ‘Pal’… it’s kinda making things worse for me. It’s kinda like you think I’m going to be… a boy… again… and… I don’t think I am.”

“Hunter, of course you’re going to go back to being a boy. This is just a temporary thing…” he stopped because Hunter abruptly turned to face Bob and lowered the top of his romper to expose his breasts.

“No I’m not, dad. Look. I’m shorter than any of the boys my age. I’m even shorter than all the girls at camp – but, dad, these,” he gripped his breasts, “are bigger than most of the girls in my group. Even some of the older girls have commented on them. They say I’m little, but I’m big where it counts. Dad… I’m scared and I don’t really know what to do, but… I don’t think I’m PRETENDING to be a girl anymore. I think I’m pretending that I might be a boy again someday.”

Bob nodded, looking a bit shocked and dismayed by Hunter’s words and actions. “Pull your top up, Hunter,” he said, quietly.

The boy did as he was told.

“Hunter…” Bob said, patting the seat beside him so the boy would sit again. When he was seated and Bob had his arm around his shoulders again, he said, “Maybe you’re right. I just don’t know. There’s no question that you’ve drawn a short straw as far as all of this goes, but we’re going to figure it all out. Ok? No matter what, we’re going to be here with you the whole time.”

Hunter stared straight ahead for a while before he said, “But, dad… What if I really am a girl now?”

Bob scoffed a little. “Hunter… you’re not a girl. Yeah, your breasts are bigger than they should be, but there’s more to being a girl than…”

“Dad! I’m not an idiot! I know about penises and vaginas. But I also know how to use Google, Dad, and I know that my boobs aren’t like other guys with this gyno-whatever stuff! Mine are firm and round and I have big nipples, too. I mean, you just saw them, right!? You must have noticed that they looked like they belonged on a girl.”

In fact, Bob had noticed and then looked away quickly. “Alright, Hunter. I know you’re confused and upset. I understand that and I wish that I could make it all go away, but I can’t. But I will tell you this: You are my son and I love you and I’m proud of you. If for any reason, you end up being my daughter… none of that will change. I will still love you and I will still be proud of you. Ok?”

Hunter nodded.

“Now… your mom tells me that she has been encouraging you to take small steps, right?”

He nodded again.

“Ok, so let’s do this. Let’s put the ‘Daughter Dance’ on hold for today. You’ve got a big day of camp tomorrow and then the bat mitzvah party on Saturday. Let’s concentrate on that event first. Then, if you want to go to the ‘Daughter Dance,’ and you’d like me to escort you, we’ll figure that out, too. Ok?”

Another nod.

“Alright. Let’s go in and watch a little TV before bedtime. The Red Sox are on.”

“Ok,” Hunter stood and walked with his father. “Maybe we’ll see the coach who’s coming to talk to us tomorrow.”

“Maybe,” Bob smiled. “That would be pretty cool, huh?”
 

~^~
 

“Hey, can I come in?” Hunter jumped and covered himself, embarrassed to be caught by his stepsister while looking at himself in the mirror. He had been standing in just a pair of cotton panties and looking at himself in his mirror.

“Yeah,” he said, hurrying to grab a pajama top.

“No. Hold on,” Mary Ellen said, with a smile. “I bought you something the other day and… well… here.” She held out a bag from a local department store.

Hunter looked into the bag and saw a neatly folded white garment with a lot of lace on it. “What’s this?”

“It’s a nightgown,” Mary Ellen said, reaching into the bag and pulling the folded parcel out.

“I’ve never worn a nightgown to bed,” he said as his stepsister shook the nightie loose. “Wow,” he laughed. “It’s like… It’s got so much lace… It’s like a wedding dress or something.”

Mary Ellen laughed. “I bought it, like, a week ago because I thought it’d look cute on you, but… well… I didn’t think you’d like it. Now… you said you wanted to be a girl, so… how about we try something REALLY girly?”

It was white and had a wide, lace ruffle around the neck line. That ruffle was wide enough to extend to the ball shaped, lace sleeves that ended in smaller lace ruffles. The gown itself was a simple, translucent gown that would cover him to just above his knees. Then it had a lace ruffle around its hem as well.

“It is very pretty,” he admitted, “but won’t I look kind of stupid in that?”

“No, Hunny. See, that’s where you keep misunderstanding the situation. You spend all day with all those girls in their athletic gear and you fit in perfectly, right? Well, I promise you, at least half of those girls are going home and wearing things like this to bed. It’s one of the benefits of being a girl. You get to be as tough and as pretty as you want.”

He looked at the beautiful nightie for a long, long moment and considered what the implications of putting it on might be. Yes, he wanted to be a girl, but… What did that really mean? And how would his parents react if they ever found out.

“Want to at least try it on?” She asked.

Finally, he nodded. “But if I look stupid, I’m taking it off.”

Mary Ellen giggled. “Ok.”

She held the nightgown open and eased it over his head and down his body. It fit just the way she’d hoped. The ball shaped sleeves made his already slender arms look tiny and thin and the gown hung from his shoulders and breasts in a sweet, girlish-nearly-womanly way.

“Well?” Hunter asked. “Do I look stupid?”

“Not at all,” Mary Ellen said in a voice that told him she was telling the truth. “Come sit on the bed with me.”

He did and Mary Ellen reached to his nightstand and grabbed a hairbrush she’d bought him a week or two ago. She scooted behind him and started brushing his hair in a gentle, sisterly way.

He closed his eyes and let her brush. It felt nice.

“I was thinking,” Mary Ellen said, quietly. “For Saturday… you have that nice dress to wear… I was thinking that you might want to wear one of my nicer necklaces and maybe some matching earrings. Would you like that?”

His eyes still closed and the sensation of the brush running through his bobbed hair making him relax for the first time in a long time, thought about things and finally said, “Thanks, Mae. That would be nice.”

It was at that moment that Mary Ellen looked to the doorway and noticed her mother standing there, leaning on the door molding and watching. Her smile seemed a little sad at first, but when she noticed her daughter looking at her, Joyce’s smile widened into a look of approval.

Mary Ellen continued brushing and talking. “I have a pendent with a garnet in it that has a pair of matching, pendent earrings. Those would be nice. We’ll try those first, ok?”

Joyce glanced down the corridor and saw Bob coming up the stairs. She held a finger to her lips and motioned for him to come look.

Bob turned into the room and saw the picture before him. A beautiful eighteen year old girl enjoying a sororal moment with her younger sister. There was no boy in that room. It wasn’t just the nightgown. It wasn’t just the hair cut. It wasn’t an issue of clothing or accessories. There were two girls sitting on the bed just enjoying being sisters.

Bob smiled along with his wife, but in the pit of his stomach, something was gnawing at him.
 

~^~
 

“Ok! Next!” Coach Ken, the visiting batting coach from the Boston Red Sox smiled and clapped his hands, encouraging the next person to move quickly. When Hunter stood and hurried to the batter’s box, the rest of the camp was clapping and encouraging with hoots and whistles and calls of “Short Stuff!” “Show him what you’re made of, Short Stuff!” Etc.

“Short Stuff, huh?” Coach Ken said, smiling. “Ok. Let me see your stance.”

Hunter took his place and assumed his batting stance.

“Alright,” the coach smiled and spoke loudly so everyone could hear. “Let’s talk about the obvious disadvantages. Our batter is small, making her a someone weaker batter…” that elicited some ‘boos’ and ‘uh ohs’ from the rest of the camp. The batting coach chuckled at that response. “I’m not being mean, I’m just telling it like it is. Smaller batters have a strength and reach disadvantage. I think we can all agree with that.”

He looked at Hunter smiled. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Hunter.”

He nodded. “Alright, so Hunter has a nice stance. Well prepped and ready to swing. That’s good. Now, here are a few ADVANTAGES for a smaller batter. First of all, Hunters strike zone is smaller than say,” he pointed to Ruthie, “you’ll do. What’s your name?”

“Ruthie.”

“Alright, Ruthie, come stand by Hunter.” When she had arrived, Coach Ken continued. “Now, remember everyone, the strike zone on any batter is roughly the distance between the batter’s shoulders and knees. Now, I’m six foot three, so my strike zone is fairly large.” He demonstrated the size of his strike zone.

“Now, Ruthie is, I’m guessing, five nine or so?” Ruthie nodded. “So Ruthie is about six inches shorter than me, so her strike zone is proportionately smaller. Now, Hunter is about two feet smaller than me, so her strike zone is A LOT smaller than mine. That limits the area into which our pitcher, Wanda, can pitch the ball. So, Wanda, throw a strike into Hunter’s strike zone. Hunter, don’t swing.”

Wanda threw the pitch and it crossed the plate at just about the height of Hunter’s belly button.

“Excellent. Now, throw a strike that’s just a little high and outside. Make sure it’s a strike, though.”

Wanda caught the ball when the catcher returned it and threw a pitch in that was a little high and outside.

“Ooh,” Coach Ken smirked. “That looked like a ball to me. See, Hunter’s height – or lack there of – makes it a challenge for the pitcher to throw a lot of her favorite pitches. Ok, this time, Wanda, give Hunter a good pitch and Hunter, let me see your swing.”

“You mean you want me to hit it?” Hunter clarified.

“Yeah, sweetheart,” Coach Ken laughed. “I want you to try to hit it.”

Wanda smiled at Hunter. She knew that he liked a nice slider coming in on the outside corner of the plate, so that’s what she served up for him.

Hunter saw the pitch coming and knew exactly where it was headed. He took the swing and connected solidly with the ball. It rocketed into the outfield and the left fielder grabbed it on its first bounce. The rest of the campers applauded and whistled.

Coach Ken looked shocked. “Well, shoot fire,” he gaped. “I have to admit it, Short Stuff, I never expected that.” He looked at Coach Skylar and Coach Marie. “Is this how she always bats?”

Coach Skylar smiled and nodded. Coach Marie didn’t smile, but kept her arms folded across her chest and said, “Never sell my girls short, Coach. As we always say: They may be small, but they are mighty.”

“I can see that,” he laughed.

They spent the rest of the day working with Coach Ken, running batting and fielding drills as he offered critiques. It didn’t take long for the Coach to realize that all of the girls had been working their butts off for the first two weeks of camp and that they were all fairly talented girls and if they lacked anything in talent, they made up for it in hard work and effort.

Hunter knew pretty well that he was a better than average player, but he was not the best player on his team by a long shot. He did love the game, though, and he really loved playing it with these girls. He loved how passionately they played and he loved how they supported each other. That was so different than any experience he’d had playing ball with boys.
 

~^~
 

“It’s bath oil, sweetheart. It’ll soften your skin and make it more sensitive so that your clothes will feel even nicer,” Joyce explained as Hunter looked at the tub. He was about to take a bath, something he couldn’t remember having done since he was very young.

“Can I have a little privacy, at least?” He asked.

“Sweetheart,” Joyce smiled, “it wasn’t that long ago that I was bathing you every night. Even though it’s been a few years, I know every inch of your body. Here’s the thing, though… I need to look at your body to make sure that all of those awful rashes are healed or healing. I’m sorry if that feels intrusive, but I know you don’t want those cuts opening up again. And remember that Dr Clemente said that we need to check all the areas that collect moisture. Now, you’ve been playing softball everyday for weeks. I need to make sure that everything is ok.”

Hunter let out a defeated sigh. “God, this is so embarrassing.”

“I know,” Joyce’s smile grew warmer. “I promise I’ll make it as un-embarrassing as possible.”

He shook his head and, reluctantly, removed his robe. He stood naked before his stepmother and said, “Well?”

Joyce began her inspection, but his rash was not what interested her. Earlier, she’d spoken to Dr Raymond, Hunter’s endocrinologist, and he had some questions about Hunter’s development that Joyce could not answer. So – she needed to see him naked.

“You still have a little rash back here,” Joyce said, looking at her stepson’s backside. “I’m just going to take a picture to send to the doctor.”

“Oh, mom, please, no! Don’t take pictures of my butt.”

She picked up her phone and opened the camera app. “Don’t worry. It’ll be a close up. No one will see your butt.”

Another frustrated sigh.

“Ok, let me see under your breasts.”

“Oh, man…”

Hunter looked at the ceiling while Joyce inspected and discreetly took some pictures.

He let out a surprised noise when she touched his penis. “Mom! What are you doing?”

“You’ve been sweating, Hunter, and you’ve been tucking yourself into the gusset of your panties where sweat gathers. I am just checking.” She said, as she took the last of her pictures for the endocrinologist. “Well, you definitely look better. Go ahead and jump into the tub. Here.” She handed him something that she pulled out of a small plastic bag.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a shower cap. Put it on and tuck in all of your hair.”

“But… I’m not taking a shower.”

“No, but you ARE taking a bath with oils in it and if you get oil in your hair, then you’ll have to take a shower to wash your hair and that will defeat the purpose of the oil.”

Hunter shook his head, removed the shower cap from the packet and put it on. Joyce tucked in any stray hairs.

“Won’t I have to shower and wash my hair at some point?”

“They’ll wash your hair tomorrow at the salon.”

“Salon?” Hunter was surprised. “I’m going to the salon again?”

“You’re going tomorrow AND Thursday,” Joyce said, sounding very self satisfied.

“Why?”

“Because you want to look nice at the party tomorrow and at the dance on Thursday. That’s why.”

Hunter sat in the very warm water, but continued talking. “That’s nuts! I didn’t have to go to the barber before every party I went to.”

Well, these are fancier parties,” she smiled and grabbed a face cloth from the closet. “And when a young lady goes out, she has to look nicer than a young man.”

“Mom, these girls are ball players, just like me. I guarantee that they are not going to get all dolled up for a party.”

“And I guarantee you that you are wrong. And to prove it – Wanda is going with you to both appointments. Here. Use this face cloth and wash your face and neck. Make sure all of your sink gets bath oil on it.” He took the cloth. “And besides… I bet that after you have had professionals pampering you and making you look all nice and pretty, you’ll learn to like it just like every other young lady does.”

She turned and left him to soak.

He thought his stepmother was crazy. He knew those girls. They weren’t going to show up looking like Barbie Dolls. He did have to give her credit regarding the bath, though. This was really nice. And it smelled really nice, too.
 

~^~
 

“Never!?” Effie asked, looking over the back seat at Wanda and Hunter in the back. “How did you get to be twelve and thirteen years old and never have a REAL mani/pedi done?”

“I’ve had my nails done,” Wanda said, sounding very mature and experienced. “I’ve never gone to a nail salon like this though. You know – where it takes a couple of hours to do everything and they treat you like a princess.”

“Well you two are in for a treat, then,” Mary Ellen’s friend smiled and chuckled. “You are going to feel things you have never felt before.” She looked at Hunter. “You’re going to find out how wonderful it is to be truly taken care of.”

“Ok,” Hunter shrugged and smiled. He was wearing a blousy, cotton, plain blue skirt and a light weight, front buttoned, sleeveless, yellow top that hung loosely on him. At first he was concerned about going out wearing a skirt. He’d worn them around the house all week, but going out was different. He was afraid of what people might think, but since Wanda was wearing a very similar outfit, he felt ok about it by the time they left the house.

Mary Ellen was taking them to their appointments that day. Joyce and Bob had a social obligation to attend that morning and afternoon. That was fine with Hunter. Mary Ellen was more fun and less pushy than his mom, anyway. In fact, Joyce asked Mae to deal with Hunter that morning because Mae seemed to get Hunter to do whatever she asked, while he tended to balk at Joyce’s suggestions more frequently. Joyce hoped that, if Mary Ellen could get Hunter to cooperate, get prettied up and enjoy being dressed up and looking cute at Sarah’s party, then maybe she’d stand a chance of getting him to relax and enjoy the full experience on Thursday evening.

It definitely worked.

“Oh, this is heaven!” Wanda moaned as her feet soaked in the salty water solution at the nail salon. “My feet feel so good!”

“I know,” Hunter agreed, sitting back in his stuffed chair and enjoying the jets massaging his feet with the warm water.

“See,” Effie smiled and shook Hunter’s forearm. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he agreed.

“I’m going to go with that bright sage color on both my fingers and toes,” Mary Ellen told the nail technician who came over to chat about their choices. “Both of the girls will take Baby Pink and Effie… what do you want?”

“I’m going with the bright yellow,” Effie smiled.

“Any extensions,” the technician asked.

“No, I’m growing mine out and Effie already has ‘Freddie Kruger Nails.’

“None for the young ladies?” The tech asked.

Wanda held out her hands, her fingers fanned open. “I’d love to try long nails.”

“Don’t you think that would interfere with your fastball?” Mary Ellen smirked and chuckled at the girl next to her.

“No, not my fast ball. It would interfere with my curveball, though.”

Mary Ellen laughed. “Well, maybe we can come back after the softball season is over.”

“Softball season is never over,” Wanda sighed. “It just moves indoors in the winter.”

That caught Hunter’s attention. “Really!? You play all year round?”

Wanda nodded. “It’s the regional league. You remember Austin, the guy we met at the mall? It’s the league he coaches me in. We play in that big, white tent kind of thing down by the the college. It’s an indoor football/soccer/baseball/softball facility. All the colleges in the area use it for practice in bad weather, too.”

“Wow, that sounds awesome,” Hunter smiled. “How do you join the league?”

“There are tryouts in August,” Wanda said, happy her friend might want to join her league. “If you want to try out with me, I’ll let you know when we get the tryout notices.”

“Yeah! I really want to do that!” Hunter grinned.

“It is a league for girls, Hunny,” Mary Ellen leaned over and whispered.

“I know,” he nodded.

“Then… you’d have to be living as a girl as long as your in the league.”

Hunter shrugged. “I know.”

“Ok,” Mary Ellen said.

The manicure was just as glorious as it had been the first time Hunter had experienced it, but the pedicure… the pedicure was AMAZING! Having someone working on his toes was a level of elegance that he had never experienced. Sometimes it hurt a little, but then it felt wonderful. And when the technician was done, Hunter had well shaped, bright pink finger and toe nails that matched Wanda’s and he loved them!

Their stop at the hair salon was brief. A little trim – very little – a shampoo and a blowout and brush out. A little bit of hairspray to hold it all in place and Wanda and Hunter were ready to go.

When they got back to Hunter’s house, Veronica had arrived and was on the patio with Joyce enjoying a glass of white wine.

“Where’s dad?” Mary Ellen asked.

“He’s playing golf with a couple of guys from work,” Joyce said.

“Why aren’t you playing?” Wanda asked her mother.

Veronica chuckled. “Oh, you know how men are. They hate to lose to a girl.”

“It doesn’t bother me when I lose to girls,” Hunter shrugged. “If they play better than me, they deserve to win. What’s the big deal?”

“Exactly!” Veronica laughed. “You are a special kid, Hunter.”

He shrugged. Sometimes, grownups could be so weird.

By late afternoon, it was time to get ready for the party.

“I’ll get Hunny ready,” Mary Ellen said to her mother, quietly.

Joyce nodded. “I left a new bra and panty set on the bed next to the dress and a slip.”

“A slip?” Mary Ellen seemed surprised. “Even I hardly ever wear a slip.”

Joyce smirked. “I am aware. I held that dress up to the sunlight and it’s pretty shear and I’d like to be sure his first venture into dressing up doesn’t end up in an embarrassing moment. You can get him to wear it, I’m sure.”

“I’ll try,” she said, then called Wanda and Hunter to go upstairs.

Wanda grabbed the garment bag her mother had brought with her and went into Mary Ellen’s room to change, while Mary Ellen and Hunter went into his room.

Mary Ellen handed him a pair of lacy, silky panties, which he put on and tucked himself into.

“What do you think?” She asked her little stepbrother.

“About what?”

“The panties,” she said. “They’re a lot silkier than your usual panties. Do you like them?”

In fact, he did, but it seemed weird to say so. “Yeah… they’re fine.”

Mary Ellen smiled knowingly as she helped him onto his new bra. It was not the typical sports bra, or tee shirt bra, or even the comfy bras that he wore everyday. This was a really nice bra and it had a little lift to it to emphasize the wearer’s assets. She fastened the back for him and adjusted the straps a bit.

“Pretty nice bra, isn’t it?” She asked.

At that moment, Hunter was touching the bra and admiring the silk and lace all over its surface. There was no point in denying it. “It is,” he said, trying to sound a bit noncommittal.

Mary Ellen held up the slip and bunched it up to slide over his head.

“What’s that?” He asked, genuinely curious.

“It’s a slip,” she explained. “Kind of like a long tee shirt. You wear it under your dress so the light doesn’t shine through the lightweight dress material.”

He squinted at it. “I’ve never seen one before. Do you wear them?”

“Occasionally,” she said, with a nonchalant shrug. “When I get dressed up, I usually wear one.” It was a fib, but so what? She had worn a slip a few times. That qualified as ‘occasionally,’ right?

He shrugged and stepped forward, allowing Mary Ellen to drop the silky garment over his shoulders. She straightened it out and smoothed it on his body. It was a thin, soft nylon slip with just a little lace around the hem and the cups that encased his bra and his breasts within.

“It’s like I’ll be wearing two dresses,” Hunter mused, more to himself than his sister, feeling the way the slip hung on him. “I never wore a dress before and now I’m going out wearing two.”

That made his stepsister smile a bit. “It’s just underwear, Hunny.” That was easier than she expected. Of course, if her mother had gotten him dressed, then she would have over explained everything and gotten frustrated with any resistance. “It’s just like a tee shirt or a cami.” She affirmed. “Now, step into your dress.” She held the dress low and Hunter stepped into it. Mary Ellen drew the soft cotton material up his body, careful not to catch his slip on the way. When she’d brought it all the way up, Hunter put his arms into the sleeveless arm holes and he waited while his big stepsister zipped up the back of the dress, tightening the bodice in, comfortably tight, around his torso.

Mary Ellen took a moment to tie the narrow sash, that sat along the dress’s waist, into a pretty bow in the back.

“Can you manage your shoes yourself?” Mary Ellen asked.

Hunter nodded and took the little, white sandals with the one inch kitten heel and slipped them onto his feet, then he ran the narrow straps through the little buckles and secured them to his feet.”

“Whoa,” Wanda said, entering the room, “you look great!”

Hunter looked down at the pretty, flowered dress, then back at Wanda and asked. “Do I? I don’t look like a boy in a dress, do I?”

“Are you kidding?” Wanda laughed. “You look beautiful, Hunter. I mean it. You look really, really pretty.”

“So do you,” Hunter responded, a bit relieved by his friend’s words. “Seriously. You look really pretty and really grown up.”

“Aww, thanks,” Wanda grinned, smoothing her form fitting outfit.

“One more thing,” Mary Ellen said, leaving the room and returning seconds later with something in her hand and a necklace hanging from her finger. “Come her and let me change out your earrings.”

Carefully, she removed Hunter’s pink training studs from his ears and replaced them with small, garnet pendants. They felt odd, but not bad at all. It was just… weird… to have something dangling from his ears.

“And this goes around your neck.” Mary Ellen turned him so his back was facing her and she put the garnet necklace around his neck. When it was on, she turned him to face her again. “Well… I have to say, until a few weeks ago, I never expected to be sharing jewelry with my little brother.” She smiled and touched his cheek. “And I never thought I would ever see my little brother looking so pretty.”

Hunter smiled. It was nice to be told that he looked nice. The few times he’d ever had to get dressed up in a boys’ sports coat, his mother always told him he looked handsome, but she always had a funny grin on her face when she said it, so he always assumed that she thought he looked funny.

“She’s telling you the truth, Hunter. You look great,” Wanda said, with genuine affection.

“Hey! You guys!” Joyce yelled from downstairs. “Come on down so we can take a few pictures! Hunter, your dad is here!”

Hunter grimaced a little. “Do you think dad will be ok with how I look?”

“He’s going to love it,” Mary Ellen smiled.

“Seriously,” Wanda added. “How could he not?”

They went down the stairs and entered the kitchen to the sounds of the two women gasping dramatically.

“Oh, you both look so grown up and beautiful!” Veronica said, first.

“Oh, you’re both just perfect,” Joyce joined. They both hurried to touch and hug their own child.

“What do you think, dad?” Mary Ellen asked her stepfather.

“What do I think?” Bob asked, looking serious. Then, realizing that his gut response was not what everyone wanted to hear, he smiled, not a huge smile, but the same smile that fathers have smiled for generations when they see their daughters as women, even young women, for the first time. “You both look… amazing.” He walked to his son who was wearing the pretty, soft, flowered dress and hugged him – not tightly like Joyce had, but in a paternal embrace. “You look beautiful.”

Hunter blushed. “Thanks, dad.”

After a few pictures were taken, Mary Ellen ran upstairs and put on a clean, casual dress. She drove Hunter and Wanda to the country club where the bat mitzvah was taking place. When they arrived, she walked them in and spoke to the host parents, introducing herself and her younger charges. When Wanda and Hunter had been properly introduced, Mary Ellen bent down and kissed her pretty, little stepbrother on the cheek. “Ok. I’ll be back by ten. Until then, you’re on your own. Have a great time. If you’re nervous, stick close to Wanda. Ok?”

“Hey, Short Stuff! Hey, Wanda!” Ruthie called before Hunter could even nod his answer. Ruthie was tall and athletic and beautiful, even without makeup, but now that she was made up and her hair was wavy and flowing down her back, she was absolutely breath taking. “Oh, my God, Short Stuff!” She teased. “We are actually wearing the exact same dress!”

They weren’t. The prints were somewhat similar, but Ruthie’s dress hugged every curve of her body, while Hunter’s was conservative and youthful. He smiled at her, though and said, “Not really. I look like a little girl and you look like a model.”

“Well,” she smiled, “let’s be real. You ARE a little girl and,” she struck a pose, “I could be a model.” She laughed. “No kidding, though, you two girls clean up really nicely.”

Then she noticed Hunter’s stepsister. “Oh, hey… Mae, right?”

“Right. Ruthie, right?”

“Yeah. Hey… you want to hang out here for the party? We’ve got mountains of food and you might even know someone here.”

“No, that’s ok,” Mary Ellen begged off. “I’ve got a few errands to run while the girls are here. I’ll be back, later.” She really just wanted to give Hunter space to enjoy himself as a girl that night. So she said her goodbyes and left.

“Sarah is visiting with her grandparents at their table right now,” Ruthie said to Hunter and Wanda, “but you two are actually sitting at the table with my friends. Come on.”

Ruthie led them across the dance floor to a table at the far end of the hall. As they approached, Hunter spotted several older girls standing by the table, chatting and laughing. They had amazing bodies and were dressed to the hilt. Disappointed that they were not sitting with Sarah, Hunter was just starting to feel bad about the evening when one of the girls at the table turned and looked at him and Wanda.

“Short Stuff!?” The girl said, surprised. “And Wanda!? Shit, you two look great!”

It took a moment for Hunter’s brain to figure out who this beauty queen was, but in a moment or two, he realized it was Addy from camp. The girl who’d accidentally knocked Hunter down on the third base line the other day. As each of the other girls turned , each seemed thrilled to see them and it took Hunter a moment or two to recognize each of them.

Izzy, the other Group D pitcher, not the one who’d been chastised for pitching too fast and too close to Hunter, Beth, the Group D catcher, and Lucy, the Group D short stop who was always nice to all the girls in the younger groups and made sure that no one ever sat alone during lunch.

Each looked absolutely beautiful in dresses that showed off their fit, strong bodies and each made a big deal out of Hunter and Wanda’s arrival and appearances.

“Wanda! You look like you’re twenty five years old. Damn, you’re a fox, girl!” One of them said to Wanda.

“Geez, Short Stuff,” another said to Hunter, “you look a lot different dressed like that! Such a pretty girl!”

Wanda received friendly hugs from each girl, but Addy, who was a very strong girl, picked Hunter right up off the floor and set him down so that he was standing on a banquet chair. Even then, his head was only about shoulder high to the older girls.

The older girls made such a big deal out of Hunter and how nice he looked that he was actually giddy with the compliments. He loved the way the older girls treated him at camp – as if he was their favorite little sister – and that was how they were treating him that night, too. He was positively lightheaded with joy when Sarah showed up.

“Hey, Wanda! Hunter! You came! Cool!” The bat mitzvah girl bubbled. “Come on! I want to show you some stuff.”

Hunter jumped down from the chair, his skirt inflating during his descent, but his hand flew down in time to retain his modesty. He and Wanda ran behind Sarah as she hurried from one place to another, speaking nonstop.

“We have a DJ playing music all night. He starts when we start eating. The food is over there. It’s a buffet. Take whatever you want to eat. There’s a booth over there where they’re going to make us all custom tee shirts – we can pick whatever we want on them. There’s a soft serve ice cream machine back there that we can use to make our own sundaes or whatever for dessert. Oh, these are my grandparents. Grandma, grandpa, Bubbee and Zaydee, these are my best friends at camp. Oh, this is my Aunt Rhoda, my Aunt Kyra, my Uncle Judah and my Uncle Steve. These are my friends from softball…”

On and on the excited girl went, showing off the event to her friends, and her friends to everyone present.

By the time they’d finished their rounds, the hall had filled with people and the DJ announced that it was time to start the buffet line. Tables should go up by number.

“Come on, Sarah,” Sarah’s mother said, gently. “We’re table one. We need to go get our dinner.”

“Ok, mom,” Sarah smiled. “I’ll see you guys after dinner.”

Wanda led Hunter back to their table, table twenty one, and they joined the girls from Group D while Sarah and Ruthie joined their family for dinner.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” the DJ said, as table one walked up to get their food. “My name is DJ Kevin and I’ll be here all evening providing music for your entertainment. We’re going to start with some relaxing music while you enjoy your dinner. Then we’ll kick off the dance music when you’re all filled up on this delicious food.”

He started playing some music that sounded very old to Hunter. The singer had a low relaxing voice as he sang,
“The summer wind,
came blowing in,
from across the sea…”

“Oh, Sinatra,” Lucy shook her head. “My grandfather LOVES Sinatra. He plays him all the time.”

The next song sounded a little newer.
“I like the way your sparking earrings lay,
against your skin so brown.
And I’d like to sleep with you in the dessert tonight.
With a million stars all around…”

“See this is my grandfather’s music,” Izzy said. “You get in his car and it’s all The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker…”

“Marshall Tucker!?” Beth laughed. “Is that a real band name?”

“I guess,” Izzy shrugged.

“Wow – it sounds like Eminem’s drag name!” Beth joked, causing everyone to laugh, including Hunter, who wasn’t sure what the joke actually was, but sensed it was a little dirty and he wanted to be included.

As the older, quieter music played, the girls were chatting about camp when a young man came over, bent low and kissed Lucy’s cheek. “Hey, Luce,” he said with a big grin, “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“Sam!” Lucy said, surprised. “I didn’t expect to see you here, either!”

The young man shrugged. “My dad and Sarah’s dad are business partners, so we were invited. Why are you here?”

“Oh,” Lucy realized she hadn’t addressed that. “I play softball with Sarah’s sister, Ruthie. Well, with Sarah, too, now that she goes to the same camp.”

Addy cleared her throat, almost comically loudly, to get Lucy’s attention.

Lucy turned and saw all her friends staring at her and her handsome visitor. “Oh… sorry…” she giggled. “Sam, this is Addy, Izzy, Beth, Wanda and Hunter. Guys, this is Sam. He’s my cousin.”

“Well, we’re not REALLY cousins,” Sam smiled. “My dad is Lucy’s godfather, so we’re connected that way.”

“We do spend holidays and vacations together, though,” Lucy explained, with a smile. “Just like real cousins.”

Sam looked up and waved across the room. “I’d better get going. Mom’s signaling for me to join them to get in line. We’ll talk later, ok? Hey… you’re going to dance with me, right?”

Lucy laughed and waved to Sam’s family. “Of course,” she giggled as he left.

“Oh, my God, he’s gorgeous!” Wanda said when Sam was nearly out of ear shot.

“He is, Lucy,” Addy said. “Are you two dating?”

“What!?” Lucy looked shocked. “He’s my cousin!”

“No, he’s not,” Izzy said, looking across the dance floor at the handsome young man. “He told us your families are just close friends.”

“Yeah – very close,” Lucy laughed. “I spend more time with him and his brothers than I do with my real cousins. Nah… I couldn’t date him. I like him too much already.”

“You’re crazy,” Beth said, almost sadly. “He’s really into you. He even asked you to dance.”

“Of course he did,” Lucy laughed. “We learned how to dance together. So what?’

“So what!?” Wanda seemed shocked. “He’s into you, Lucy! And he’s gorgeous!”

“Wait! Wait! Wait!” Addy said, as something occurred to her. “Did you say he has brothers?”

“Yeah. Two,” Lucy nodded.

“Are they as gorgeous as him?” Addy asked with urgency. “I mean – do any of us have a chance with them?”

Lucy laughed. “Well… maybe Wanda and Hunter might. Look.” She pointed across the dance floor where Sam was in line with his parents and two younger boys. The bigger of the two younger boys looked to be about thirteen or fourteen and the younger a year or so younger.

“Damn!” Addy said, dramatically.

“I don’t know,” Izzy teased, “they’re cute. I’d give them a shot.” The others laughed at that.

“What do you think, Wanda?” Beth asked. “See anything you like?”

Wanda was looking at the middle brother. “I don’t know. He is cute.”

“I’ll introduce you, if you want,” Lucy grinned. “He’s an honor student and plays lacrosse.”

“Hmmmmmm,” Wanda said, still looking. “Maybe. Maaaayyyyyybeeee.”

That made all the older girls chuckle.

“How about you, Hunter?” Lucy teased. “Want me to introduce you to Brian? The youngest brother? Also an honor student, plays volleyball and he plays guitar, too.”

“Ooo…” Addy teased. “A little renaissance man. What do you say, Short Stuff?”

Hunter looked across the dance floor at the boy in question and… he had questions. Questions like: How was he supposed to feel about this situation? If he looked like a girl, should he be attracted to that, admittedly very good looking, young man? He’d always liked the way girls looked and acted, but he’d never felt any kind of sexual attraction to a girl – or a boy for that matter. He just didn’t know what he was suppose to feel.

“No, that’s ok,” he finally answered with a blush.

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Addy, who was sitting right next to him, teased. “I bet he’d love you. After all, the best things come in small packages, right?” She suddenly tickled Hunters sides, causing him to keel over and giggle in surprise and because of the tickling sensation.

“I don’t think Hunter is into boys just yet,” Wanda said with a friendly smile, trying to keep the girls from teasing him too much, but it only really seemed to wind them up even more.

“You’re not?” Izzy asked, a big smile on her face. “Are you a softball stereotype, Hunter? A lesbian checking out all of her teammates?”

In truth, Hunter wasn’t even sure what a lesbian was. He’d heard the word a few times, but never looked into it’s meaning. In the context of Izzy’s sentence, though, he got the impression that a lesbian was a girl who liked girls and, since he knew how his baseball playing teammates felt about boys who liked boys, he figured he should steer them away from thinking he was a lesbian.

“I… I just haven’t thought about boys, I guess,” he finally shrugged.

“Come on,” Wanda said, defensively. “She’s only twelve. She’s not ready for boys yet.”

“Yeah, well, you’re only thirteen and I get the feeling you’re boy crazy,” Addy laughed.

“And besides,” Beth teased, “she’s built like a little brick house. I didn’t look that good at twelve and I was following every cute boy I saw around.”

“She was,” Lucy laughed, teasing her friend and looking at the younger members of the party. “You should have seen her – drool dripping off her chin… it was tragic.”

“Yeah. Thank God she out grew it,” Addy added.

“Hey, I haven’t outgrown anything,” Beth said. “I’m just more of a lady now and I keep a lot of my emotions inside.”

Everyone laughed at that.

Finally it was their turn to get food. The food was excellent! There was roast beef and chicken and fish and vegan lasagna and potatoes and carrots and asparagus and beets and pasta salad and all kinds of desserts… Hunter took a little sample of each and had a nice meal for himself. Some of the older girls, though, ate like they hadn’t eaten in a month. Huge portions of everything went into their mouths.

“How can you guys eat like that and stay looking so pretty?” Hunter asked, honestly wondering.

“We’re athletes,” Izzy laughed. “Food is fuel. We burn it off on the field.”

Because they were the last table to get their food, the DJ began to get the festivities started before they’d finished their meals. “Alright,” he said with practiced enthusiasm, “let’s get things started on the dance floor. Can I have the guest of honor and her dad on the dance floor, please?”

Sarah had a huge smile plastered onto her pretty face as she and her father took to the floor.

“She may be a woman, now,” the DJ said, “but she’ll always be your little girl, right dad?”

“That’s for sure,” Sarah’s father said. He was smiling, too and you could see that he was very proud of Sarah’s accomplishment.

“That’s right,” the DJ said. “So, let’s give Sarah and her dad a little time on the dance floor together.”

They started dancing as the music started to play. Hunter didn’t really know the song, but he knew he’d heard it in movies or TV shows or something like that. Maybe it was in a grocery story. The singer had a gravelly voice, but the words were pretty.

“I see trees of green
Red roses too
I see them bloom
For me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world…”

People began standing to get pictures and to see better. Hunter had been enjoying watching his friend dancing with her dad, but soon he couldn’t see the dance floor at all.

“Here,” Addy said, effortlessly lifting Hunter up and placing him on his chair in a standing position.

Hunter’s view was still blocked, so Addy lifted him again and had him stand on the table while she kept an arm around his waist.

“Can you see now?” She asked.

“I can see great,” Hunter smiled, looking just slightly down to make eye contact with Addy.

When the dance ended, everyone applauded and the DJ said, “Alright! Let’s get this party started! Here’s an oldie but a goodie that you all want to hear, so we might as well play it now so you all start dancing!”

A very distinctive horn line began playing through the speakers and everyone, including everyone at Hunter’s table, let out whoops of excitement as they headed for the dance floor. Hunter had no idea what song was playing or why everyone was so excited, but when Addy’s arm around his waist tightened and lifted him so she could carry him to the dance floor, he knew that he was about to experience dancing for the first time.

“Young man – There’s no need to be down, I said
Young man – Pick yourself off the ground, I said
Young man – ‘Cause you’re in a new town
There’s no
need
to
be
unhappy…”

By this time, Hunter was in the center of a crowded dance floor, trying to emulate the dance moves that Wanda and the older girls were doing around him. He was actually doing quite well, and having a good time.

Then, suddenly, the band on the recording played four very short notes in a row and everyone on the dance floor shouted “Hey, hey, hey, hey!” with the horn blasts.

Lucy grabbed Hunters hands from behind and guided them into the letter formations as the song sang,
“it’s fun to stay at the
Y.M.C.A.
It’s fun to stay at the
Y.M.C.A.”

Lucy released his arms and Hunter continued to make the letters as the song required. Within a few moments, Sarah had joined them and was dancing with them as well. They were all bouncing and swaying and imitating each other’s dance moves and having a great time. Hunter’s mind was flooded with feelings of excitement, of the sensations of the slip and dress moving on his body, of friendship from these girls who just accepted him into their group without judging him for his size, of the thump of the bass and drums from the sound system, and of joy – pure, unadulterated joy at being able to be a part of everything!

Y.M.C.A. led into Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake It Off,’ which led into Stevie Wonder’s ‘Superstition,’ which led into Wild Cherry’s ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy’ and on and on and Hunter and the girls stayed on the dance floor enjoying the energy and pure excitement that can only exist for young people.

Eventually, though, the DJ played a slower song:
“I found a love,
for me.
Oh, darling just dive right in
and follow my lead…”

With a sad groan, the group turned to return to their table to cool off and have a drink of water, when suddenly Sam appeared in front of Lucy.

“Wanna dance,” he asked with a huge smile.

“Sure,” Lucy smiled and took his hand.

Then, Sam’s middle brother appeared in front of Wanda. “Hi. I’m Sam’s bother, Wes. Wanna dance?”

Wanda was surprised, but happy to be asked. She blushed as she answered, “Sure.” She giggled and took his hand.

Hunter hadn’t taken two steps before Sam’s youngest brother stepped in front of him. The boy was a little nervous, but spoke politely. “Hi. I’m Sam’s brother, Brian. W… Would you like to dance?”
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 7

 

The big semi-formal dance looms large in Hunter's psyche as Mary Ellen tries to find
him some much needed help.

---

 
Author's Note: Once again, I am humbled by the number of supportive comments and emails.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you all enjoy where this story takes us.

ps: The usage of the word Hunny is slang for "Hunter" not honey. ~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 7 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 7
 

Hunter stood shocked for a moment, not knowing what to do or say, until Izzy came up behind him and said, "Yes, she would love to dance with you, Brian. Thank you so much for asking in such a gentlemanly manner." She reached down and guided Hunter's hand into Brian's who, then turned to assume a slow dance position. Hunter, however had no idea what to do, so he stood there like a manikin, unmoving.

Izzy jumped in again and placed Hunter's left hand on Brian's right shoulder, then turned his right hand to properly take Brian's hand in his. Since Brian was a solid head and shoulder taller than Hunter, both of Hunter's hands were raised somewhat high to assume the correct dancing position.

Brian, who seemed to have some experience with these things, took Hunter's right hand in his left and he placed his right hand on Hunter's lower back.

"I... I don't know how to dance like this," Hunter said, truthfully, hoping to be let off the hook, but Brian just smiled.

"It's easy. I'll lead you," he said. "Just follow me."

At first, Hunter moved nervously and robotically, but eventually, he relaxed.

"What's your name?" Brian asked.

"Oh... Hunter," he replied. "I'm sorry... I should have told you that, huh?"

Brian shrugged. "No big deal? What grade are you in?"

"Ummm... I just finished sixth grade. You?"

"Me too!" Brian sounded excited to have this in common. "Do you change schools for seventh grade?"

"Yeah," Hunter said, relaxing and enjoying being led around the dance floor. "I'm going to the middle/high school in the fall."

"Cool! Me too," the boy smiled. "I'm going to Welton in the fall, are you?"

"No, I'm going to Roosevelt," Hunter said, more than a little relieved that they would not be attending the same school in the fall.

Brian nodded and seemed to run out of things to talk about for a moment. He smiled down at Hunter, though, and Hunter felt an odd warmth from the combination of that smile and the feeling of Brian's hand on his back.

"I like your dress," Brian said, after a lull.

"Yeah?" Hunter asked, surprised. He'd never complimented a girl's dress once before this week, so this compliment seemed odd, coming from a boy.

"Yeah," he smiled, knowing he'd hit on a subject that his dance partner might want to talk about. "It's very pretty. I like the flowers on it and the way you look in it." He smiled, a little embarrassed. "I sound stupid, don't I? Sorry. I just think you're... pretty."

Now it was Hunter's turn to be embarrassed. "Oh... thanks... you're very nice."

Ed Sheeran's voice disappeared from the DJ's speakers at that point and Hunter was actually sad that the dance was ending.

"Well..." he sputtered, not sure of what to say. "Thanks for the dance, Brian. It was... nice."

Brian smiled. "Thank you and, yeah, it was nice. Maybe we could dance again, later."

Hunter smiled. "Ok. I'd like that."

"I'm going to take a ten minute break," the DJ announced, "but we'll kick up our heels again after that."

Hunter and Brian parted ways and Hunter headed back to the table where the older girls all had big grins of their faces.

"I think Short Stuff has a boy friend," Addy said with a glint in her eye.

"Well?" Izzy asked. "Did you enjoy yourself?"

Hunter blushed, but eventually nodded.

"Awwwww..." they all teased.

"He's cute isn't he?" Lucy asked, not teasing at all.

"I guess," Hunter blushed a deep red.

"Aww, leave her alone," Beth said, giving Hunter a hug. "Let her enjoy her first dance." She patted his hair. "You did have fun, though, right?"

It took a moment, but Hunter nodded and smiled as he blushed again.
 

~^~
 

A slower song was playing when Mary Ellen arrived to pick up her charges. She knew she was a little early, but she didn't want Hunter and Wanda to be waiting outside for her. She looked around the room, but didn't see Hunter at first.

She'd actually spent the evening not running errands, but sitting outside a McDonald's and using her computer and the McDonald's wifi to look up therapists in their area who specialized in helping people in similar to Hunter. She found nine, did some further research on each and narrowed that down to three. She'd make some calls on Monday and get a psychological councilor to help her little brother. If her parents weren't going to do anything, she would.

"Like a river flows
Surely to the sea..."

Elvis crooned as she caught sight of Wanda on the dance floor, dancing with a handsome young man. She smiled at the sight of her younger friend as she was led around the room. Then, she caught sight of another boy, a little younger than Wanda's partner, but dressed similarly and with a similar hair cut to him. When the boy's partner came into view, Mary Ellen's jaw dropped open at the sight of her little brother in the arms of the handsome young man, both smiling and both looking dreamily at each other. 'Wow,' she thought. 'Wow...' She was amazed, but then the next thought that entered her head was, 'Thank God I came to pick them up and not mom... or dad.'

"Hi," the bat mitzvah girl's mother said, spotting Mae at the side of the the room. She held out two rather full plastic bags, similar to the bags that you might get at a convenience store. "You're picking up the two girls from Sarah's group at camp, right?"

"Yes," Mary Ellen smiled. "Wanda and Hunter."

The woman smiled. "Well, these are theirs. They each made a couple of tee shirts and there are a few little things from Sarah's dad and me to thank them from coming. They certainly seem to have had a great time. I think they'll both sleep well, tonight."

Mary Ellen took the bags and thanked the woman. The song ended and the DJ announced the last song of the night and the frantic, choppy rhythms of the band 'Walk The Moon' blasted out of his speakers.

"Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me.
I said you're holding back
She said shut up and dance with me..."

Mary Ellen turned to see if Hunter was leaving the dance floor, but... no. He certainly was not. In fact, he seemed to be surrounded by girls from the camp and three boys, all of whom were bouncing up and down and shouting the refrain of the song every time it came around. He was completely enthralled with the song and the movement and each time they all shouted 'Shut up and dance with me,' he leapt into the air, shouting and pumping his arms into the air, just like all of the other girls. She watched as his dress bounced with him, amazed at how happy her moody little brother looked.

When, at last, the song ended, Hunter's male friend said goodnight to him and Hunter hurried to what must have been his table to say goodnight to the bigger girls there. He hardly ever touched the ground during the goodbyes. One girl would pick him up and hug him, put him down and the next girl would do the same. He was like a rag doll, being loved by each of the older girls.

When the last girl had said goodbye, Wanda and Hunter ran to see the girl that Mary Ellen recognized as Sarah and the hugged her, congratulated her and thanked her for having them as guests. Then, finally, they ran to Mary Ellen, waiting near the exit.

The ride home, with Wanda and Hunter in the backseat, was a blur of laughter and talk as they related story after story to Mary Ellen.

When they arrived home, it just continued as those stories were retold to their parents until, at last, Veronica said, "Alright, alright, alright - it's time to get you home and to bed."

"Oh, mom, really?" Wanda whined.

"What? You don't want to go home?" Veronica asked with mock surprise. "I would have thought that you'd be desperate to get out of that dress and into something comfortable."

"No, I love this dress!" Wanda insisted. "I never want to take it off."

"Yeah, I bet," Veronica laughed. "Come on, now. Grab your stuff and let's go."

When they left, Hunter said his goodnights to his parents, then headed up the stairs with Mary Ellen following, to help him get ready for bed.

"You had a good time, then?" she asked as she unclasped his bra and slid it down his arms.

He was all smiles. "I had a great time, Mae."

"Even though you had to wear a dress?"

He shrugged. "It wasn't that bad, really. After a while, I didn't really notice it at all."

She smiled as she held a robe open for him. "That's great. Let's take your makeup off before you put on your nightie."

Hunter was in bed by eleven fifteen and Mary Ellen retreated to her bedroom where she caught up on her texting and reading of both social media and the novel she'd started on her Kindle app. Usually, reading helped her go to sleep, but that night she was wide awake and kept reading for quite a long time.

It was just past one in the morning when there was a tap on her bedroom door. She turned and saw Hunter in his light weight, but very lacy night gown.

"Can I come in and talk to you?" he asked.

Mary Ellen put down her iPad and tapped the bed beside her. "Of course, Hunny. Climb in."

He climbed up in to her bed, which was much bigger and softer than his, and he sat so that he was held on a pillow and half leaning against her seated form. Mary Ellen put an arm around him, happy to have him snuggle up with her. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"Sometimes it takes a long time to relax after you have a good time." She patted his hair.

"That's not it," he said, quietly.

"Oh?" Mary Ellen snuggled him in a little tighter. "Is something wrong?"

He nodded.

"What is it?"

He sighed. "If I tell you, you can't tell mom and dad, ok?"

"We'll, yeah, of course, Hunny. You know you can tell me anything."

Hunter thought for a moment before he spoke. "Mae... I... I made up my mind. I don't think I want to be a boy any more."

"Oh," Mary Ellen nodded. Certainly, this wasn't a huge surprise, but she still didn't know quite what to say. She did know, though, that letting him sit there in silence was not going to help. "Is this just because you had such a good time tonight?"

He shook his head. "No. I've been thinking about a lot, but... I guess I just made up my mind tonight. Not at the party, but... in bed, just now, while I was thinking about everything." He turned his body a bit so he faced her more, then he buried his face in her soft chest and she could feel him shaking. "Mae... I'm so scared to tell mom and dad, but... I just don't want to go back to what I was. I was never this happy before and now..."

"And now you are," Mary Ellen finished the sentence for him.

"Yeah," he nodded. "But mom and dad are going to hate me when I tell them."

"No, Hunny, they won't. I promise. They will understand."

"Mom, maybe, but dad... I doubt it."

She kissed his head and hugged him a bit tighter. "Dad loves you, Hunny. It may take a day or two, but he'll understand. I'm sure he will."

Hunter shook his head. "No. He'll hate me."

She laid her head on his. "Well, I guess we'll just have to tell him together and we'll find out. It doesn't matter, though, because I'll be there with you and you know that I love you, right?"

He nodded. "You won't tell them before I'm ready, though, right?"

"No," she smiled down at him. "But when the time comes, I'll be there with you."
 

~^~
 

Joyce woke up a little late for a Sunday morning. Usually, she was up early to make a nice Sunday breakfast for them, but she'd been stressed about Hunter's first party all day Saturday, so once she'd fallen asleep, she didn't wake up until after nine thirty.

Bob had woken early to go golfing, his usual Sunday routine, and the house was still oddly quiet for mid morning.

She got up and put on her robe before going out into the hall. She peeked into Hunter's room and found the bed clothes had been pulled down, but no Hunter. He must be downstairs, but he knew better than to leave his bed unmade. She'd have to have a word with him this morning at some point.

She peeked into Mary Ellen's room before going downstairs, and she stopped and stared. Mae was in bed, sound asleep, which she had half expected, but she was spooned around the tiny form of Hunter. Her arm was draped over his midsection and both of them were as soundly asleep as a human could be. She stared in wonder at the sight. What the heck was this all of this about? She loved that the kids got along so well, but this was beyond getting along well. Had Hunter had a nightmare or something? Oh, well... she'd find out soon enough.

She went down stairs.
 

~^~
 

Monday came too quickly, but Hunter was excited to get to camp. They were being issued their uniforms to wear at Friday's game that morning. He was very excited to have a real uniform. The previous year, at baseball camp, they'd only had a tee shirt to distinguish each group. The same was true of his school team. Just tee shirts and jeans.

When they arrived at the camp, Hunter was out the door before the car was fully stopped.

"Hunter!" Mary Ellen yelled after him. "Come back! You need your bag!"

He returned immediately, but not on his own propulsion. Instead, he was on the back of a Group D girl who Mary Ellen had spoken to recently at camp and she was pretty sure she'd seen her at the bat mitzvah part, too.

Hunter was laughing as they arrived back at the car. "Hey, Wanda," the Group D girl said.

"Hey, Addy," Wanda smiled.

"Hi, Mae," Addy said to Mary Beth. "I'm Short Stuff's personal transport today."

Mary Ellen smiled and shook her head. "I get it. I'm Hunter's personal chauffeur most days."

Addy went to grab the backpack, but Mary Ellen stopped her. "Hunter - you know the rules. If you want to haul this much equipment around, then you have to carry it yourself."

"Oh, ok," he sighed, climbing down from Addy's back.

Wanda and Addy both chuckled at Hunter being chastised for such a minor infraction. He pulled the backpack with two bats sticking up out of it from the trunk and he put it on his back.

"All set?" Addy asked.

"Yep," Hunter nodded.

Addy winked at him. "All aboard." She bent over and Hunter climbed back onto her back, backpack and all.

"Alright!" Hunter bubbled as he climbed up on the bigger girl's back.

Mary Ellen shook her head as she watched them jog towards the field.
 

~^~
 

"Hi, Joyce... Dr Frank Raymond here. How are you?" the voice on the telephone asked.

"Well, I WAS having a pretty good day until now," she said with a bit of a sardonic chuckle. "I have to assume that a call from my son's endocrinologist in the middle of the day can't be good news."

"Well," the voice said, "it is news. Whether it's good or bad is open to interpretation, I suppose. Look, Joyce, I've consulted with some colleagues about Hunter's case and I think we may have uncovered a few leads that may help us with his case."

"Oh... well, that's good, I suppose," Joyce said, taking a seat at the kitchen table and grabbing a pad of paper and a pen to take notes. "Did you get the pictures I sent you?"

"Yes," the voice answered. "In fact they were very helpful. Thank you. Now... about Hunter..."

Dr Raymond spoke and Joyce wrote things down:

Condition is not terminal.
Liver and kidney functions fine.
Testosterone levels almost undetectable
Testicular development behind schedule
Puberty issues
Stunted growth - height and development
Then she gasped as she wrote:

May not be reversible at this time.
May need to consider other developmental options
"I'm sorry that I don't have better news," Dr Raymond said through the phone, "but we all need to keep focused on what the best outcome for Hunter is going to be - and also remember that he is only twelve years old. He has a long life ahead of him and we want to be sure that the choices we make at this point are the right ones and that the consequences of those choices are the least intrusive to his life."

"Forgive me," Joyce said, "but are you implying that telling a twelve year old boy that he is going to have to live the rest of his life as a girl isn't going to be intrusive in his life?"

"What I'm saying," the doctor said, "is that if we just pick an average life span as a reference, Hunter could have another sixty five or seventy years ahead of him. And since he's only been fully aware of sexual differences for four or five years, should he choose to take the easiest course, which would be to surrender to his bodily development and accept a female sexuality, then Hunter can still have a long and fulfilling life. That's what I'm saying, Joyce."

She nodded and sniffled back a few tears. "Ok. I understand. Thank you for calling, Doctor."

"If I might suggest... it's may be easier if you brought Hunter into the office and I could explain things. That way there's no resentment directed towards you and your husband."

Joyce sighed. "I will talk to my husband and let you know. Thank you."

The call ended and Joyce stared at the table for a solid minute before her brain started working again. Oddly, breaking the news to Hunter was not her biggest concern. Breaking the news to Bob, though... that was.
 

~^~
 

Hunter thought that the uniforms were really cool. The camp colors were orange and white, so each group's uniform was a pair of stretchy, white pants with an orange stripe up the side and orange knee socks with three white stripes going around the shins. Each heavy weight tee shirt was a different color, with the 'team name' on each in bold, old fashioned, baseball team script. Group D wore black shirts with 'The Dragons' written on them. Group C wore white shirts with 'The Crushers' written on them. Group B wore orange shirts with 'The Bashers' written on them. Group A wore purple shirts with 'The Aces' written on them.

After lunch, every team member tried on their uniform and threw a few balls and took a few swings in them to make sure they were all comfortable in the new clothing.

"We have to take them off!?" Hunter asked, shocked when he was told to get changed. "But they're so cool!"

Wanda and Sarah laughed. "They can't get dirty before the big game," Sarah explained. "You wouldn't want to go out into a perfectly green, professional ball field with dirt all over your white pants, would you?"

"What if we promise to be careful with them?"

Wanda put her arm around her friend's shoulder. "I don't think they'll let us wear them, even if we promise to keep them clean."

They went into the locker room and got changed in their individual cubicles. When he came out and returned to the field, groups C and D were trying out their uniforms and Hunter took note of how the uniforms fit each of them. The way the stretchy team pants hugged their feminine figures and accentuated the shape of their bottoms and thighs. But, rather than fantasize about them sexually, he wondered if that's what he'd look like when he got to be their age. They seemed so perfect. So... strong, yet beautiful. He wondered if there was any way that he could ever look like them.
 

~^~
 

"I'm sorry," the psychologist said over the phone, "but let me get this straight. You are calling about your stepbrother?"

"Yes," Mary Ellen confirmed.

"And how old are you?"

"Eighteen," Mae fibbed. She'd be eighteen in a few months, so... what difference did it make?

"And are you your stepbrother's guardian?"

"No," she admitted. "We have a mom and dad and I'm sure that they will agree to having Hunter come talk to you, but they're... a little... overwhelmed, I guess is the right word. I guess you could say that I'm doing the ground work for them."

"I see," the psychologist said. "So - you have two parents at home. One is a step parent and one is a biological parent to each of you. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"And your stepbrother... Hunter... is having problems with his stepparent?"

"Oh, God, no!" Mary Ellen almost laughed. "My mom is being as supportive as she can be. She's freaked out, but she's doing everything she can. It's my dad - well, my stepdad - Hunter's dad - who can't handle any of this."

"I see," the voice said. "And are Hunter and his father in direct, open conflict over all of this?"

"No," she said, pretty sure that she hadn't indicated that that had been the case.

"I see," he said again. "Well, it is a difficult time of year to start a new patient... Can we possibly have Hunter come in to talk, say, on September eighth at ten fifteen?"

"Oh... it'll take that long to get him in to see you?"

"I'm very heavily booked for the summer."

"I see," Mae said, not meaning to mimic the psychologist.

"Is that a problem?" he asked, sensing her concern.

"Well..." she considered what to say, but eventually blurted out, "Look, I don't want to make too big a deal about this, but the other day... he did talk about getting a knife and cutting off his breasts or his penis. I mean... he was just being dramatic, and I'm sure he didn't mean it, but he did say it and... well... it kind of scared me."

When the voice spoke again, it sounded more concerned than before. "So, Hunter actually threatened physical harm to himself?"

"Yeah, but he was just upset and being... well, being Hunter. He says things like that."

"When someone says things like that, they might actually mean it, Miss..."

"Just call me Mae," she said.

"Well, Mae... I'm going to suggest that you get Hunter to an emergency room immediately and that you request that they have him detained for a thirty day evaluation."

"What? Thirty day evaluation? Why?"

"Because he threatened to do harm to himself, Mae. What if he should redirect that aggression towards you, next time? You need to go to wherever that child is right now and take him to the nearest emergency room immediately! Not in an hour. Not tomorrow. Now. Then you have them call..."

Mary Ellen disconnected the call. Thirty days in a mental ward of a hospital!? Hunter? No. No, she couldn't do that. She just couldn't. She took a breath and called the next number on her list
 

~^~
 

"No chance at all that this could all be reversed?" Bob asked Joyce, a little unable to process what she'd just told him.

"That's what the doctor said," Joyce confirmed. The kids were out in the pool. Veronica was there as well, but she was a constant part of the equation lately, anyway. There wasn't much chance of having this conversation without her being there.

"What about male hormones?" he asked. "Hell, there's a guy at my golf course who looks great and he actually was a female until he was in his twenties. Why can't we do that for Hunter?"

"We could," Joyce sighed. What frustrated her the most was that she knew that Bob knew the answers to these questions. "Remember what the doctor said in his office? Hunter's body could be badly harmed by the use of hormones. With his current condition, his body could react very badly to that kind of therapy. His kidneys and liver and spleen... all of his internal organs could be adversely impacted by hormone therapy - AND - the hormones could confuse his growth. So, instead of a growth spurt that might get him into the five foot to five foot three area, which is what they are anticipating, he could end up being more or less the same size that he is for the rest of his life."

"Yeah, but he'd be a boy, at least." Bob shrugged.

"Alright," Joyce folded her arms, "I need you to start thinking differently, Robert. Being a girl or a woman is not exactly a punishment, you know. I'm very happy being a female and I'm sure that Veronica is too."

"I certainly am," Veronica nodded.

"That's not what I meant," he started to explain, but Joyce jumped in.

"I know exactly what you meant. You meant that Hunter would be better off as a four foot, one inch tall man that the world looked at like a circus freak, than a slightly shorter than normal woman who could live a normal life."

"Normal life," Bob scoffed. "How normal would it be? He wouldn't be a REAL woman. He doesn't have a uterus or a vagina... He wouldn't have a period! He'd just LOOK like a woman. It's not the same thing."

"No, you're right," Joyce nodded. "He wouldn't have a uterus or a period, although that could change if medical science finds a way, but my cousin Sophia had to have a radical hysterectomy when she was only fourteen years old. So, in all the time you've known her, she hasn't had a uterus or a period. Do you think of her as anything other than a woman?"

Bob shook his head.

"And as for a vagina..." Joyce continued. "From what I understand, doctors are very capable of changing his sex organs. I understand that going from male to female is actually a much more successful procedure than going from female to male."

"I think you're right, Joyce," Veronica offered. "I saw a documentary, I think it might have been on Frontline - anyway, they showed the whole procedure. They do a thing called a penectomy where they remove the boy's penis. They do another procedure to remove his testes, too. Anyway, they use those to rebuild the area and create a vagina, clitoris and labia. It was amazing to watch. I mean, I can be a little squeamish, but this was so interesting. Do you know that most of the doctors who do this kind of work are women? They said that women have a better grasp of how the final organs should look and feel, and that they..."

"Ok" Bob held up his hands in the classic 'please, just stop' position. "Enough. I really do not want to hear about it."

"Well, I am afraid that we will have to discuss these things, soon," Joyce said, frankly.

"Alright," Bob nodded, "but... we don't have to do it tonight, do we? Let's let the boy enjoy his last week of camp. That will give me the opportunity to get my head around all of this before we talk to him. Then we'll... figure all this out."
 

~^~
 

"Thank you for calling me back," Mary Ellen said into her phone, as she stepped away from the fenced in back yard and into the driveway, closing the gate behind her.

"Not a problem," the woman on the phone said, calmly. "I got all the information you gave to my assistant and I do have a few questions."

"Of course."

"Now, am I to understand that your stepbrother has fully developed breasts and a functioning penis?"

Well, yes, he does have well developed breasts. They are bigger than mine were at twelve. And yes, he does have a penis. Fully functioning? I mean... he pees through it. Is that what you mean?"

The doctor snickered a bit at that. "No. What I'm asking is, is it fully formed? Have his testes dropped? Does he masturbate and ejaculate?"

Mae thought for a moment and looked around to be sure that no one was near by. "Ummm... no. It's not fully formed. He looks pretty much the same as he did when he was a baby down there, and... to be honest, I don't think that Hunny has ever masturbated. He may have, of course, but... I kind of doubt it."

"I see," the doctor said, making Mary Ellen wonder if psychologists were taught to say that in college. "Alright, Mae," the doctor said, "I think I understand your concerns and your parents are perfectly justified in their confusion and concern. I agree that your stepbrother's threat to himself was probably hyperbolic, but having spoken those words, we know that he at least has considered harming himself in some way. I would like to see Hunter as quickly as possible. How would next Monday at eleven work?"

"Oh... that would be great!"

"Ok, but two things will have to happen before that appointment."

"Of course. Anything."

"First, I will be emailing you the paperwork your parents will need to fill out in order for me to treat Hunter."

"No problem."

"And second... I would like to see you and your parents to discuss how everyone feels about your brother's situation."

"Oh..." that surprised Mary Ellen. "I guess we could try to..."

"How about Wednesday at noon? I will come by your house. I have the address. Tell your parents to expect me and why I'm coming."

"Wednesday? Like... the day after tomorrow Wednesday? But... my dad works..."

"He can take an early lunch. This is important. Mae - I don't want to toot my own horn, but I know what I'm doing and I'm the best person to help Hunter through this. Tell your parents - Wednesday at noon. I'll see you then."

The call ended leaving Mary Ellen no way of delaying a conversation with her parents. She knew that, in the next few hours, she had to do two things: 1) Get her parents to agree to meet the doctor, and 2) Look up what hyperbolic meant.
 

~^~
 

"Can I ask you a serious question?" Wanda asked as she and Hunter floated around the pool on chaise lounges style rafts.

"I guess," Hunter shrugged.

"Did you like being all dressed up last Saturday night?"

He thought for a moment. "Not at first. At first, I felt really awkward and a little silly, but... when I got used to it... yeah... I really did like it."

"I thought so," Wanda laughed. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"Well, I got a text from that boy, Wes... You know... from the party. Anyway, he asked me out next week and I said yes. So, Tuesday, we're going to a movie."

"That's great!" Hunter said.

"Yeah, well... his little brother Brian asked for your cell number so he could text you..."

"Well, that would be hard, because I don't have a cell phone."

"I know," Wanda smiled, "and I told him that, but you do have an email and... he asked me for it. Should I give it to him?"

Hunter felt an odd sense of embarrassment mixed with fear, excitement and joy wash over him. The problem was, though, he didn't know how to answer the question.

"Well?" Wanda asked after a silence. "Should I?"

"Ummm..." Hunter thought for a moment. "Ummm... why do you think he wants it?"

Wanda laughed. "Why do you think he wants it? He likes you and wants to stay connected. Maybe chat now and then or maybe even..." she smiled and looked at Hunter and raised her eyebrows up and down a few times, "date..." She let that word hang there.

"Date...?" he sputtered. "But... I'm a..."

"Yeah, but he doesn't know that," Wanda smiled.

When Hunter didn't answer, Wanda asked, "Well? Should I give him your email address?"

He bit his lip and thought for a moment before nodding.

"Excellent!" Wanda smiled. "One more question?"

He'd been lost in thought about the pros and cons of reconnecting with Brian. When he regained his senses, he said, "Yeah. Sure."

"What happens next week?"

The question made no sense to him. "Next week?"

Wanda nodded. "Next week. After camp is over and you're back to doing what you want... Who will you be then?"

The color ran out of hunter's face. "I... I don't know..."

Wanda took her friend's hand in hers. "Who do you want to be?"

He thought for a moment, then said. "Me."

"And... who are you?" Wanda persisted, not realizing how much Hunter had been thinking about this very thing for the last few days.

Hunter looked down at his breasts, his one piece bathing suit and his smooth legs that led to his pretty, pink toenails. "This is me," he finally said.

"The girl who went to camp with me?"

He nodded.

"Have you told your parents?"

He shook his head. "I told Mae, but she promised not to say anything. I think... I think I'll wait until camp is over. Then I'll tell them. I guess that I'm hoping that, after they see how good I am with the girls at the game on Friday, they'll understand."

Wanda squeezed his hand. "I'll help, if you want."

Hunter nodded and forced a smile, but his eyes were watery. "Thanks."
 

~^~
 

"Wednesday?" Bob asked, shocked that Mary Ellen had circumvented both Joyce and him and contacted a councilor on her own. "Not possible. I can't just leave work. Especially not if I'm going to be at the game on Friday. I can't do it."

"Bob, please..." Joyce tried to speak.

"And on whose authority did you contact this quack doctor!?" Bob asked, accusingly. "If your mother and I felt that your stepbrother needed a councilor, we would have contacted one on our own."

"She's not a quack, dad! I did a lot of research. She's probably the best person in this field in this part of the state. Hunter needs to see her and she won't see him unless you cooperate."

"That wasn't my question," Bob was on the attack. "Who gave you the authority to even make that phone call?"

"Bob, she's just trying to help..."

"Did I ask for her help? Do I look like I am incapable of dealing with my own son? Did I, in anyway indicate that..."

"Oh, Jesus Christ will you please just SHUT UP!?" Mary Ellen screamed, shocking both adults into silence.

Bob put his hands on his hips and tried to form an attack plan, but before he could, his stepdaughter spoke with a clarity and confidence he'd never seen before.

"Mom.. Dad... I know that you both love Hunter and I know that you're both doing your best, but you don't know everything he's said to me and I can't tell you any of it because I promised Hunny I wouldn't say a word. What I will tell you though is that he needs to see a psychologist and he needs to see one NOW. Not in a month or in a year... NOW. You want to research doctors, fine, but you'll see that this doctor is Hunter's best choice. So, is Wednesday inconvenient for you? Well, tough! Your son - or maybe your daughter, I don't know - but - HUNTER needs you for one hour - one stinking, little hour. So, I am not cancelling the appointment, dad. The doctor will be here at noon and I expect both of you to be there, too. If that's too much of a burden for you, then fine. I'll explain to the doctor that your work is more important than your child."

She turned and stormed out the door, into the driveway to cool down.

"What the hell was that!?" Bob said, shocked at what had just transpired.

"That was the voice of reason, Bob," Joyce said, wiping a tear from her cheek, "and I wish to God I'd been the one to say all of that."
 

~^~
 

"Hey, mom..." Hunter said, Tuesday morning, sounding a little sheepish, as he came down to breakfast.

"Yes, dear?" Joyce said, turning from the sink to see her stepson standing in the kitchen wearing a pair of calf-length, bright blue, Lycra athletic pants and a tight fitting tank top with roses printed all over it. It was a very different look from the nervous-tomboy look Hunter usually favored. "You look... very nice today."

Hunter looked down at himself. "Oh... thanks. Since the uniforms have stretchy pants, I thought I should get used to wearing them."

"Oh... well... that makes sense," Joyce smiled and nodded.

"The thing is, though, mom...." Hunter shifted from one foot to the other for a moment. "We never... I mean... I never... I mean... I don't have a dress to wear Thursday night. You know... to wear to the... that thing... on Thursday."

Joyce couldn't help but smiled at his nervousness. It was just too damned cute. She nodded at Hunter, though and asked, "Did you like the purple dress we tried on the last time we went shopping?"

Hunter sighed. "I did. I guess we should have bought it then, but I don't think I was ready to wear it that day. I'm sorry."

"It's ok, baby," she patted his cheek. "Do you want to wear that dress Thursday night?"

He looked down and nodded.

"Sit and eat your Cheerios," she smiled and she went to the hall closet and pulled out a garment bag. When she returned to the table, she pulled down the bag's zipper and showed it's contents to Hunter. "I liked it too much to leave it behind," she said, a bit proudly. "I even got shoes to go with it."

Hunter blushed and smiled. "Thank you, mom," he muttered, embarrassed.

She kissed the top of his head. "That's what moms do, Hunny." It almost felt funny for her to use that nickname after so long. "We'll try it all on tonight. Ok?"

"Ok, mom. Oh, hey! I just realized - that dress is perfect! It's the same color as my uniform shirt. How cool is that?"

Joyce smiled. "Yeah. How cool is that?"
 

~^~
 

Tuesday and Wednesday at camp were wonderfully brutal. Hunter had never been worked so hard. With the coaches' encouragement, he ran harder and faster than he'd ever run before, was more thoughtful and precise as a hitter and he ran fielding drills as if his life depended on them.

Finally, they gathered at the end of the day, on Wednesday, and they all sat on the bleachers to hear Coach Skylar speak.

"Alright, girls, listen up! You have worked hard for the last three weeks and it shows. Each of your teams have become well oiled machines and all of your coaches agree with me when I say that you are one of the most talented and hardworking groups of girls it has ever been our privilege to work with."

All the campers whooped and applauded.

"Having said all of that, we still have two big days ahead of us. Tomorrow we have some scrimmages to play. Groups A & B will face off on Field One and Groups C & D will be playing on Field 2. Then the winners of each of those games will face each other in a final game here. We'll be ending the day at eleven thirty tomorrow and then reconvening at six at the 'Daughter Dance.' That will end at nine thirty so that you can all head home and get a good night's sleep before our big games on Friday at the 'triple A' ball park in the city. You all need to report to the stadium no later than ten thirty Friday morning. Any questions? No? Good! Go have a good afternoon and come back here ready to kick some butt tomorrow."

More whoops and whistles and the girls all headed up the hill to the parking lot. Hunter was jogging between Wanda and Sarah, and they were all discussing the upcoming games until they crested the hill and were headed to their individual cars. That's when Sarah asked, "Hey, did you guys get new dresses for tomorrow night, or are you wearing what you wore Saturday? My parents are making me wear the same dress. It's so embarrassing!"

Wanda laughed. "Yeah, but your dress was beautiful. I bet they spent a lot of money on that."

Sarah shrugged. "I guess, but you guys have already seen it."

"Oh, shut up," Wanda gave her arm a playful slap. "I do have a different dress to wear, though. Hunter, are you wearing the same dress?"

Hunter shook his head. "Nope. I'm wearing that purple dress I tried on when we went shopping."

"Oh, cool!" Wanda smiled. "I didn't think you got that dress."

"I didn't, but my mom went back and bought anyway. So, that's what I'm wearing."

Wanda looked at Sarah and smirked. "She didn't like it at first because it's all lacy and really pretty. Wait till you see her in it. She'll look like a movie star."

Sarah smiled down at Hunter. "It really doesn't matter. You're the most popular girl in camp, anyway."

"What are you talking about?" Hunter scoffed. "Addy, Ruthie and all the other girls in Group D are the popular ones. They're all so tall and beautiful. I'm just a little Group A nobody."

"Well you're a nobody that all the Group D girls like. So that makes you the most popular girl in camp." Sarah was about to continue when they heard Ruthie calling.

"Hey, Sarah!" she called. "Come on! Mom's holding up traffic!"

Sarah nodded at her sister. "Gotta run, besties. See you tomorrow!"

Wanda and Hunter sat on a short, concrete block wall and waited for their ride to arrive. They talked about nothing for a few minutes, until Wanda asked, "Are you looking forward to getting all dressed up again tomorrow night?"

"I guess," Hunter shrugged.

"Oh, come on," Wanda nudged him. "It's ok to be excited. Getting all dressed up and looking pretty is one of the perks of being a girl. You're a girl, now. You're allowed to enjoy it."

Hunter looked dubious. "I'm not a girl, yet. I'm not sure how much my dad is going to like it when he sees me dressed up."

"He was ok on Saturday."

"He wasn't my date on Saturday. Tomorrow, he has to go with me and do all the stuff that other dads do with their daughters. I don't know if he'll be ok with it for the whole evening."

Wanda nodded, but smiled. "Well, we'll just have to make sure that you're so pretty that his Grinchy heart will melt at the sight of you."

"Here comes your mom," Hunter said, standing and grabbing his backpack. "Huh... I wonder where Mae is."
 

~^~
 

"I need to get back to the office," Bob said, standing to leave. "I agreed to an hour and I've been gone nearly two. I need to get back."

"That's fine," the doctor said, rising from their living room couch to shake Bob's hand. "Thank you for your insight into your son's state of mind." She was younger than any of them expected. Early thirties, attractive and confident.

"Look," Bob said, feeling even more hopeless after this meeting than he did before, "I just don't want anybody rushing into anything, ok? I don't want Hunter castrated at twelve and have him regret it at twenty. Ok?"

"Then we're on the same page," the doctor said, giving Bob a friendly smile. "And... no one is talking about castrating Hunter. All we want to do is help him find his way. I'll start meeting with him on Monday and we'll see how things progress from there. Ok?"

He nodded and went out the door. He got into his car and pushed the ignition button and sat in his driveway for a good few minutes thinking. God, this was all so messed up. How could things have possibly gotten this far out of hand? What kind of a father was he to allow his only son to be so radically changed? What kind of a man was he?
 

~^~
 

"He looks adorable in that dress," Veronica said with a smile, as Hunter and Wanda were scrambling back up the stairs so he could take off the clothes he'd be wearing the next evening. Everything fit beautifully, including the shoes that Joyce had bought without having him try them on.

"He does," Joyce agreed.

"Do you think he'll miss this if he decides to be a boy?"

Joyce sighed. "Honestly, I don't think that being a boy is a realistic option for Hunter. I can't imagine how difficult it will be for him to accept that, but... Well, to be honest, I never dreamed I'd ever have to have a conversation like that with one of my children. I guess Bob is right about waiting until after camp is over, but... it's going to be a tough weekend, I'm afraid."
 
 
To Be Continued...<

The Girls of Summer: 7

 

A big couple of days for Hunter. A big dance, a big game and a big talk with his dad.
It's a lot for a little kid whose already going through a lot. Thank you, thank you,
thank you for all your comments and support. Honestly, I was afraid that this story
may not connect with a lot of people. Hunter is a much younger protagonist than I
ever created before. I'm so happy that he has captured your hearts the same way
that he captured mine.

---

 
Author's Note: Once again, I am humbled by the number of supportive comments and emails.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you all enjoy where this story takes us.

ps: The usage of the word Hunny is slang for "Hunter" not honey. ~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 7 has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 7
 

Thursday was a perfect day to play softball! The sun was up and shining, but it was a little cooler than it had been with the high temperature of the day expected to be just under eighty degrees. Hunter's first game of the day had been a bit of an upset. Group A had taken on Group B and, shockingly, Group A had won with a score of seven to three. Even so, Coach Marie had lectured them about the three runs they'd given up and told them that she expected more concentration when they took on the winner of the Group C/D game - which ended up being Group D.

The Group A -v- Group D game was a much more contentious event than anyone could have expected, with the final result being Group D winning two to one, but both teams were really proud of their performances on the field. Even Coach Marie was thrilled that her team had held the much bigger and more experienced girls to just a one run victory.

As they left the field that day, a lot of girls were taking pictures of themselves and their friends to remember their time on those fields. Hunter was being called hither and yon to be in pictures with this girl and that girl and that girl and that girl...

Finally, Mary Ellen had to go and take him by the hand. "Sorry, girls," she smiled, "but Short Stuff needs a shower and to get to the salon to get ready for tonight."

The girls were all shouting their goodbyes and Hunter shouted back that he'd see them all that night.

"Alright - Hunter, into the shower in mom and dad's room. Wanda, into the one in the hallway between my room and Hunter's," Mary Ellen ordered as soon as they all entered the house.

"And no dilly dallying," Joyce called behind them. "Get rid of that dirt and sweat and then get out and get dressed to go to the salon." She clapped her hands, just like the coaches did, as the two youngest ran up the stairs. "Chop, chop! Be quick!"

Twenty minutes later, both softball players came running back down the stairs in casual clothes. Hunter had a choice of anything in his closet to wear, but he was wearing a light blue sundress with white lace around the modest neckline. He looked lovely, but since dresses had been a source of argument until just a few days ago, it did surprise his stepmother. "Let's go," Joyce demanded, holding the front door open, motioning theatrically that they should exit the house. Moments later, Joyce was behind the wheel with Mary Ellen in the passenger seat and Wanda and Hunter strapped-in in the backseat.

The women at the hair salon were waiting and happy to have their two, young customers returning.

It only took moments for the two friends to be reclined in their chairs with capes draped across them and their hair being washed, yet again, by the stylists so that they could do their jobs correctly.

An hour later, their hair looked beautiful and their makeup was perfect and feminine. As had happened on Saturday, the makeup made Wanda look a little older and a bit sexy, while it made Hunter look just a little younger and more innocent. They'd done a little extra work on his eyes, so that they looked a bit bigger than usual and kind of popped.

Hunter's hair was done a bit differently that night, too. This time, they'd used a curling iron to give him big, vertical curls on the sides of his head, then they brushed and relaxed those curls a bit so that his hair was full and wavy. It looked very different than he'd ever seen his hair before. The curls made his hair fall into his face a bit, so in order to stop that, his stylist put two, very pretty hair clips into his hair - one on each side. Because Joyce had told the stylist that Hunter's dress was purple, the clips had pretty purple, faux stones on them that sparkled in his red hair.

"Oh, my," Joyce said, her hand on her heart. "You've out done yourself. Hunter... you look... just beautiful, baby. Just beautiful."

The next stop was the nail salon. This time, Wanda got bright red polish to match her dress and Hunter's nails were done in a deep, shining purple. Even before he'd put on his dress, the way that the nail polish matched the sparking glass gems in his hair clips already looked beautiful.

They were back home at four forty-five. Veronica had left work early to help Wanda with her dress and was waiting for them when they arrived.

"Have you heard from Bob today?" Veronica asked Joyce quietly, as they walked towards the front door.

"No," Joyce replied becoming concerned. "Why?"

Veronica shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just imagining things, but he just seemed... off today."

"'Off' how?"

"Like he had a lot on his mind, I guess."

Joyce just shook her head and turned to the kids. "Let's go, girls! Dresses, on. Now!"

So, up the stairs to Bob and Joyce's room went Veronica and Wanda, while Mary Ellen took Hunter's hand and led him up to her room.

They started with the elegant underwear that Joyce had gotten for him. Silk and lace, dark purple boy shorts that seemed to offer his little bottom a bit of shape. Then came the matching bra, which seemed to lift and shape his breasts in a way that no other bra he'd worn had ever done.

"Whoa," he said, looking down at himself. "Have they gotten bigger?"

"Maybe," Mary Ellen smiled. "You are at 'that age' when they can grow quickly, but this bra is designed to display and... enhance... your bust line."

"It makes me bigger?" he asked.

"No. It displays what you have better. That's all."

Mary Ellen had him step into his cute, new, one inch, strappy sandals and by that time, Mary Ellen had pulled down the zipper on his dress. She carefully lowered it over his head, then pulled the zipper up his back. Then she turned him to face her. His cleavage was just barely visible under the sheer lace of the stretch-to-fit top, and it gave him a feminine look that was undeniable. This was a very pretty young woman.

"Wow," Mary Ellen said, shaking her head and smiling. "Hunny... I never expected you'd look this nice... ever. You're absolutely beautiful." She kissed his head. "Hang on."

She hurried to her jewelry box and found a necklace with a silver chain and a small amethyst pendant.

"This will be perfect," she smiled as she placed the purple necklace around his neck and attached the clasp in the rear.

"So..." she looked at her little stepbrother, looking so girlish and pretty. "Tonight's a big night for you, isn't it?"

Hunter nodded. "I guess."

She looked at him some more. "Hunter... after daddy sees you like this... he will understand when you talk to him. I'm sure of it."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "I hope so. Between the dance tonight and the game tomorrow... I just hope he gets it."

She put one hand on each of his cheeks. "He will. Ready to go down and see mom?"

He nodded.

They went down the stairs to find Joyce and Veronica speaking quietly. They looked a bit concerned until Joyce turned and saw Hunter in all of his feminine splendor. Once again, she was an emotional wreck as she fussed over Hunter and took picture after picture of him and Wanda. Some in the house and some outside by the big, flowering bushes.

Finally, Veronica said, "I think we'd better get going, girls."

Hunter looked around. "Where's dad? He's supposed to take me."

"He'll meet your there, baby," Joyce said. "He got held up at work, but he's going to meet you there." At least, that's what he'd told her and that was what Joyce was praying he'd actually do. God, look at this child! He'd been through so, so, so much and here he was - smiling and dressed beautifully for his father. She just prayed that Bob wouldn't let them all down.

"Ok, ladies," Veronica said, grabbing her purse. "Let's get a move on."

Hunter and Wanda climbed carefully into the backseat and smoothed their dresses before buckling in. Veronica and Joyce stood a good twenty feet from the car and Joyce whispered, "Call me if Bob is a no-show. Ok?"

Veronica nodded. "I think he'll be there, Joyce. I really do. I know this has been a lot for him to deal with, but I think he'll come through."

Joyce nodded her head, nervous about the next hour or so. "God, I hope so. Just in case, I have my little black dress ready to go. If he doesn't show up, let me know and I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Ok," Veronica agreed. She gave Joyce a reassuring smile, followed by a friendly hug, "but I think he'll be there."

On the way to the function hall, Veronica glanced into the mirror and said, "Hey, girls, I need to call a client. Ok"

"Sure, mom," Wanda said. Then she and Hunter began talking about that games they'd played that day.

Veronica put her Bluetooth Airpods in and then pushed Bob's contact number.

"Hey, Ronnie," Bob said as he picked up. "What's up?"

Veronica's voice remained upbeat and businesslike while she spoke to her friend. "Oh, hi! I was just calling to check in with you and make sure that everything was on schedule for our upcoming delivery."

"What?" Bob asked, confused.

"Our delivery is on schedule and I just want to be sure that you'll be able to accept delivery on time."

"Delivery?" he thought for a moment. "Oh... Hunter. Ummm... look, Ronnie, I am kind of caught up with things here at the office. After you left, all hell broke loose here, and..."

"I don't think that is the case, sir," Veronica interrupted. "In fact, I think that we are still able to make this whole deal work, if you are willing to cooperate and live up to your obligations."

Bob heaved a heavy sigh. "Ronnie... you don't understand. I don't want to sound like a jerk, and believe me, I am trying to support my son, but... taking him to a father/daughter dance?... this is asking a lot..."

"Oh, no sir, I understand, fully and I also understand that you made a specific agreement to make good on this delivery. Now, I am very sympathetic to your situation, but I am afraid that I must insist that you make yourself available to accept delivery."

He grunted on the other end of the phone. "Fine. I'll be there as soon as I can finish up..."

"Now," Veronica said, flatly and quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Now," she repeated in the same tone. "The package is en route and you need to accept delivery - on time and looking happy about it."

Another grunt. "Ok." He sounded defeated. "I'll leave now. I'll be there in a half hour."

"It'll only take you ten minutes to get to the delivery site," Veronica said, happy to have made her point.

"Alright, Ronnie. You win. I'll be there in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Very good, sir. Thank you," she said and ended the call.

Then she noticed a full service gas station up ahead with a few cars waiting for service. This looked like a good way to kill a little time and give Bob the chance to get to the hall. "Hey, kids, I'm just going to pull in here and get some gas."

"Ok," Wanda said, in no way concerned about the minor change of plans.

She waited in line for a good six or seven minutes before she said. "You know what? I don't know what I was thinking. I've got plenty of gas. Let's just get going." She pulled out and headed to the function hall once again. Wanda and Hunter just looked at each other, amused by Veronica's strange behavior, but not concerned about anything.
 

~^~
 

Mary Ellen was ironing Hunter's uniform while watching a show that was streaming on her computer.

"I don't think that those need ironing, sweetheart," Joyce said. "I mean, they're athletic clothes, so I don't think they need much maintenance."

Mary Ellen shrugged. "I just want everything to be perfect for his game tomorrow."

Joyce smiled at her daughter and rubbed her back a bit. "You and Hunter have gotten very close over the past month, haven't you?"

Mae lifted the tee shirt to check for wrinkles and shrugged. "I don't know... I mean, we've always been pretty close." She put the shirt onto a hanger.

"I know, but... it's more like... you're sisters, now."

Mary Ellen looked at her mother with a bit of concern. "I guess, but... that's what Hunter needs right now. Right?"

Joyce nodded. "He does indeed." She thought for a moment before saying, "Mae... if Hunter had to make a difficult decision, you'd want to help him, right?"

"Of course."

"Well... come take a seat and let's talk."
 

~^~
 

Bob arrived at the function hall as quickly as he could, but his mood was a little darker than he would have preferred for an event like this. He needed to push all that aside. He would rather not be here, but now that he was, it was time to man up and get through the evening.

He entered the hall and was met by two very fit looking twenty-something women with clipboards. "May I help you?" One of them asked.

"Oh, yes," he put on his best business smile. "I'm here to meet a friend."

"And who might that be?" The woman asked.

At that moment, he noticed Veronica standing by a table, looking off towards the dance floor. "Never mind. I see her," he said and started to walk towards her, but one of those women stepped in front of him.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'll need to know the name of the camper you are escorting this evening."

"Oh," he said, a bit flustered. "I misunderstood. Ummm... I'm here with Hunter."

The woman suddenly smiled. "Oh, Short Stuff!? Oh, she'll be so happy you're here. She seemed disappointed when she arrived and you weren't here, yet."

"Oh?" Bob found that concerning.

"Enjoy your evening," the girl said and stepped aside.

He crossed to Veronica. As he reached her, she smiled, then pointed. "Look."

He followed her finger and saw a large group of girls on the dance floor, all dancing. It looked like a nice evening to Bob, but that was about all.

"Where's Wanda and Hunter?" he asked.

"Right there," Veronica said, shocked he didn't see them.

Bob looked again. "Oh," he said as he spotted Wanda, but then he realized that he knew the very pretty little girl in the purple dress dancing next
to her. "That's not..."

"It is," Veronica smiled. "Doesn't she look pretty tonight?"

Bob just stared for a moment or two. "Yes... yes SHE does." He was truly astounded at the look of his son. His curly, red hair, his doll-like makeup, his fit and flare, lace covered dress that seemed to emphasize his feminine breasts, his cute shoes - he was a very pretty little girl and Bob knew at that moment that he was probably never going to see his son again.

Part of him felt terrible about that, but part of him was very happy that Hunter was accepting the situation with so much grace and, maybe even a little joy. There, on the dance floor, was his wallflower son, in the midst of a huge group of girls, all of whom seemed to love him, dancing up a storm and singing at the top of his lungs. It was a beautiful sight to see. Not something he'd ever expected to see, but beautiful none the less.

The song ended and Coach Skylar shouted, "Alright, girls, let's all go back to our tables and we can serve dinner. Then you can have some more fun."

The girls all headed back towards the tables and when Hunter spotted Bob, a big smile appeared on his face. "Dad!," he said. "You came!"

"Of course I came, Hunny. I told you I'd be here." Bob was then more than a little shocked when Hunter threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks for coming, dad. It means a lot,"

Suddenly, Bob felt terrible about the way he'd been behaving recently. What difference did it really make if Hunter was his son or his daughter? He loved Hunter and Hunter loved him. End of story. He could get past this, right?

They grabbed their meals and Bob and Hunter joined Wanda and Veronica and Sarah and her father, Aaron, at a table.

"This is a really nice event," Veronica said, looking around. "All the girls look so beautiful."

"It really is nice," Aaron agreed. "A little hectic when you have more than one in camp, though. My wife is sitting with my older daughter and her friends.

"I wonder why they do it the night BEFORE the big game," Bob said. "I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to do it tomorrow night."

"Ahh... I can answer that," Aaron said, dabbing his lips with a napkin. "The first year they held a banquet, some of the teams lost their games, so the banquet was more like a funeral dinner than a celebration. This way, everyone is happy... at least for the time being."

"Makes sense," Bob laughed.
 

~^~
 

"Wow," Mary Ellen said, when her mother had finished telling her what the endocrinologist had told her. "So... if Hunter should decide to be a girl... everyone would be ok with that?"

"It might be his easiest choice," Joyce said, sadly. "That poor child... No one should ever have to make a choice like this, but for a little boy who didn't even think about being a girl, this is going to be so hard on him. Honest to God, Mae, I haven't slept a wink in the last week thinking about what we're going to say to him."

Mary Ellen took her mother's hand in hers. "Look, mom... I told Hunny I wouldn't say a word about this, but right now, it seems like staying quiet is the wrong thing to do. So... please don't tell dad anything about this, and never tell Hunny I told you, PLEASE, but... Remember, Sunday morning, when you found Hunter sleeping in my bed? Well... he couldn't sleep that night because he was afraid to talk to you and dad."

"Afraid?" Joyce didn't want her little boy to ever be afraid to talk to her. "Why? What did he want to talk about?"

Mary Ellen took a deep breath, and then told her mother a story.
 

~^~
 

'It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.
It's fun to stay at the Y.M.C.A.'

One of the younger coaches was acting as DJ for the night and the music blasted into the hall through a borrowed PA system. All of the campers and most of their parents were on the dance floor doing all the cheesy moves that go with the song. Even Bob was dancing with Hunter. Hunter had never seen his dad act this way! He looked like he was having as much fun
as his friends were.

"Wow, dad!" Hunter shouted as they danced. "How do you know this dance?"

Bob laughed. "Sweetheart, this song is older than I am. I've heard it at every party I've ever been to."

"Really?" Since Hunter had first encountered the song at the bat mitzvah party, he thought it was a fairly new song.

Bob stopped dancing and put his hands on his hips. "Yeah... really! I know that you think that your mother and I used to put on our powdered wigs and danced the minuet while a string quartet played, but that's not true. We grew up to all the songs you've been listening to tonight." He went back to dancing, but the song ended and the sax solo that begins Wham!'s 'Careless Whisper' began.

"Now, see - this is the 'guilty feet' song," he said to his son.

"Guilty feet?"

"Listen and learn, my dear," Bob smiled. "May I have this dance?" he bowed low in imitation of a courtly dancer in a movie.

"Ok," Hunter shrugged.

Bob took his pretty son into a dance position and began to guide him. "You've done this before, haven't you?" he asked.

"Yeah... a little," Hunter said without wanting to discuss his dances with Brian.

Bob didn't care. He was enjoying dancing with the small girl in his arms. "No I'm never gonna dance again," Bob sang, a little out of tune. "Guilty
feet have got no rhythm.... See? Guilty feet!" he laughed.

Hunter smiled at his dad's joke, he was thinking, though, and this seemed like a moment that would never come again. He stopped dancing and took Bob's hand to guide him. "Dad. Come with me."

"What's the matter, baby?" Bob asked, drifting into nicknames he'd used when Mary Ellen was as small and as cute as Hunter.

Hunter heard what he said and knew he had to talk to his dad right then and there.

"It's... It's just..." he couldn't say what he wanted near so many people. "Please... just come with me." He turned and led a more confused, but cooperative Bob off the dance floor and back to their abandoned table.

When they reached the table, he asked Bob to sit. Even seated, Bob's head was higher than Hunter's.

"Dad..." the child said, looking petrified. "I... I... I need to say... something."

Bob nodded. "Ok, Hunter. What do you want to say?"

"Dad... I don't... I don't want..." he looked around. "See all these girls, dad? They're... well... I'm... one of them, now... and I don't want that to change."

Bob looked around. There was no question that all of these girls seemed to like each other and they all seemed to like Hunter. "So... are you saying you want to go to this camp again next year?"

"No... well... yes... I mean... yes, I do want to go to this camp again next year, but... dad... I didn't ask for breasts or to be small or any of this, but... now that this is how I am..." a tear ran from the corner of his eye. "Dad... I don't want to... I can't go back to..."

"Being a boy?" Bob asked, hoping that Hunter would calm down. Instead, Hunter's face dissolved into sadness and he buried it in his father's strong chest.

"I'm sorry, dad," he cried. "I'm so, so sorry."

Bob had dreaded this moment so much and for so long. The moment when his son might say what he most feared. That he would want to give up his birthright - his sex - being a boy, becoming a man. Every fiber of his being told him this was wrong - that is... until his child looked at him with a broken heart and told him, not in just words, but in every breath he took, as his sad eyes looked up into his own, that he could only live one way - as a female. Then Bob knew that none of it mattered. None of the foolish things he'd worried about, lashed out because of, and none of the sleepless nights mattered. What mattered was that Hunter was in pain and that he, Bob, had the power to ease that pain, just by holding his child and telling him - or her - what the hell difference did it make? - that he was loved, that he was normal and that everything would be ok.

"Sorry?" Bob held him tighter. "Hunter... there is no need for you to be sorry. Hey... come on... I understand. It's what your body is telling you. I understand. Don't worry, sweetheart. Please, baby, take a breath. Come on, honey. Daddy's here. Everything will be ok."

Not only did he understand, Bob was very relieved to hear Hunter say these things. It meant that he wouldn't have to have the conversation he was dreading. He knew that his son was gone. Now, he could concentrate on raising another daughter. Right now, though... he just needed to calm Hunter down.

"Hey... hey... come on, Hunny. Take a deep breath. Come on. A deep breath and try to relax a little. Everything is going to be fine. I promise. Everything is ok."

Hunter took a deep breath and then another and he began to gain control of himself.

"There you go," Bob smiled and kissed the child's forehead. "Feel better?"

Hunter nodded, his face wet with tears and blurred with running makeup.

"Short Stuff?" Sarah said, concerned, coming up beside her friend. "What's going on? Are you ok?"

Hunter nodded and a wet smile broke out on his face. "I'm ok, now. I just..." he sniffled. "I'm ok."

"Oh, my," Veronica said as she arrived. She squatted down and looked into Hunter's face. "Are you ok, sweetheart?"

He let out a big breath and nodded.

She leaned in and whispered, "Did you and your dad just have a talk?"

He nodded again.

"And was he upset?" she whispered again.

Hunter shook his head from side to side.

Veronica smiled sweetly, relieved. "Let's go to the ladies' room for a minute and get you cleaned up. Ok?"

Hunter took her hand and she led him to the 'family' restroom and she sat on the padded bench on the side. She smiled sweetly at Hunter, as he stood in front of her. "Are you and your dad ok?"

He nodded and smiled.

"So?" she asked gently as she used a makeup wipe from her purse to clear away some mascara that had run down Hunter's cheek. "What happens next? After this week, when we come to visit, will we be seeing Hunter the baseball player or Hunter the softball player?"

"Softball," he answered in a quiet voice.

She nodded. "That's kind of what I expected. And you made that decision all by yourself?"

He nodded as much as he could with Veronica holding his chin.

"I'm glad, Hunter. You've always been a good boy, but... I think you'll be a happier girl."

He smiled just a little bit.

Veronica did an admirable job of fixing his face and when they opened the door to leave the restroom, they found Sarah and Wanda waiting in the hall.

"Is everything ok?" Sarah asked, very concerned.

"I kept telling her you were fine," Wanda said. "I figured you and your dad just had, like, an emotional moment or something like that. Right?"

"She's fine," Veronica said, with a smile that told Wanda that she'd done the right thing.

"I'm ok," Hunter said. "Thanks for waiting for me."

Sarah shook her head and leaned in close to whisper into Hunter's ear. "Hormones, right? Man, periods are such a bitch sometimes."

Hunter couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Definitely a hormone thing," he giggled.

They made their way back to the main room where Bob was waiting, looking a little concerned. "Are we ok?" he asked both Hunter and Veronica.

"She's wonderful," Veronica smiled.

Just then, through the speakers came the aggressive sounds of Rihanna's song 'S&M' causing all of the camp girls to let out a cheer and head to the dance floor.

"Come on, Short Stuff," Addy said, running up to where Hunter and the rest were gathered by the door. "Time to shake that booty of yours."

Just then, Ruthie appeared out of nowhere, too, and took Sarah and Wanda by the hands and pulled them towards the dance area. "Dad said that Short Stuff was crying. Is everything ok?" The older girl asked her younger sister and her friend.

"I guess," Sarah replied.

"Everything is good, now," Wanda said.
 

~^~
 

"So... he just TOLD YOU he wanted to be a girl!?" Joyce asked after Bob had assured he that everything had gone well that evening.

"Well, you make it sound simpler that it was. Poor Hunter was really upset when he told me..."

Joyce held up her hand. "I think the days of us calling Hunter 'he' are over. I think, in order to make things easier for her, we just need to stop thinking of her that way."

Bob nodded, but he didn't look at all dejected as he had during every previous recent conversation about his child's sexual identity. "Agreed. So... She was very upset when she told me, but after a good cry and Ronnie's makeup repair session, everything was great."

"I'm so glad," Joyce smiled. For a moment, she thought about telling Bob about her conversation with Mary Ellen earlier, but there didn't seem to be any point in that, so she just gave him a hug.

"Oh... sorry," Mary Ellen said from the doorway. "Am I interrupting a romantic interlude?"

"Yeah, very funny," Bob chuckled. "What's up?"

"Well, Hunny's already asleep. She conked out on my bed while I was hanging up her dress. I'm not going to wake her, though. I'll just sleep on my side of my bed. Ok?"

"Ok," Joyce smiled. "Thank you for helping her get ready for bed."

Mary Ellen nodded. "So... she told me that she told you about her decision to continue to be a girl."

Bob nodded.

"And that's ok with you?" His stepdaughter asked, cautiously.

"It's fine with me," Bob smiled. "Look, I know I've been a bit of a jackass lately, but after seeing Hunter all dressed up and looking so pretty tonight... he... sorry... she really didn't need to tell me anything. I already knew that my son was gone and I had a new daughter. But when she actually told me... well... what could I do? I guess I love my kids more than I realized. I only hope that she's half as wonderful as my oldest daughter is."

A smile crossed Mary Ellen's face then. "Thanks, dad."

He opened one arm and pulled her in to join him and Joyce in a group hug. "I'm a pretty lucky guy."
 

~^~
 

"It's so fucking green!" Izzy said as they entered the Triple A ball park where that day's games would take place.

"Hey! Language!" The Group D coach scolded, but even she felt that same sensation of awe whenever she entered a professional ballpark.

"Sorry, coach," Izzy said, embarrassed by the reprimand. "It's just... amazing. You know what I mean?"

"Of course I know what you mean, but we're here to show them our best selves. Not to be crass little brats. Right?"

"Right, coach."

All the girls looked very smart in their new, clean uniforms, each with their own team color. Standing there on that field, Hunter felt even more amazed by the hugeness of the place than he expected. He'd been there a dozen times or more to see the local 'AAA' team play, but he'd never stood on that field before.

"Alright, girls, listen up!" Coach Skylar said in her loud voice. "I've just spoken to the head coach from the other camp and I have the play order. It's Group B first, Group C second, Group A third and finally, Group D. We're following the same rules as always: Six innings per game. No ties - we'll add an inning or two in the case of a tie score at the end of normal play - everything else is as it always has been. Our dugout is on the third base line, so we're the visitors. Let's stow our gear and
get ready. Group B you're on the field for warmups. Everyone else, once your gear is stowed, you'll all be sitting in the first two rows behind the dugout. Now, let's go!"

The girls all followed instructions and within two minutes, and Group B was on the field warming up. They knew they only had twenty minutes before the other camp took over the field, so they made the most of their time.

When the other camp showed up, Hunter was surprised to see all of the girls wearing the same uniform. The tops and bottoms were the same color, all in a garish safety greenish-yellow tone that was nearly blinding in the bright summer sunshine. The name 'The Cougars' was written in a kind of futuristic script across their chests.

"Hey! Pitcher!" One of the other campers yelled at the Group B pitcher. "Is that all you've got. Did they really teach you to throw like a girl at that camp!? Come on, Barbie Doll - show us what you've got!"

"Ignore her, Mandy," the Group B coach said. "She's just trying to throw you off."

"Geez, our coaches would kill us if we yelled something like that," Sarah said to her friends in the stands.

"Yeah, but their coach is laughing," Wanda pointed out.

"They look really tough," one of the Group D girls said.

"Not as tough as we are," Hunter said, and she meant it.

The girls in the stands saw a very ticked off Coach Skylar headed across the field though. She spoke to the head coach of the other camp and pointed to the girl who'd mouthed off. After a moment or so, the other head coach just shrugged and looked away as if Coach Skylar wasn't there.

Coach Skylar turned and stormed back towards the third base line. The other camp's head coach said something to her campers that caused them all to laugh. That seemed to entitle the loud mouthed girl to get even louder.

"'The Bashers' huh?" she laughed, reading the Group B team name off of their orange jerseys. "More like the lame ass bitches if you ask me."

The other camp all laughed at that.

"TIME'S UP! EVERYONE OVER HERE!" the Group B coach yelled and the girls all cleared the field. "You ok, Mandy?" she asked the pitcher on the way past.

"I'm good, coach," Mandy nodded.

"So, what are you going to do when the game starts?"

"Play my own game, Coach. Do what my team and I practiced and throw my pitches."

The Coach smiled and winked at her. "That's my girl!"

When they opened the doors to the ball park, the seats filled up pretty quickly. It wasn't a sell out by a long shot, but Hunter was shocked that so many people were there.

And they were noisy.

Really noisy.

It was almost scary.

As the visitors, the Group B Bashers were batting first. They were a good team, but they had been beaten by Group A recently, so Hunter didn't quite know what to expect. It was a long at-bat, though. When The Bashers had scored three runs, the Cougars pulled their pitcher and replaced her with a girl with a wicked fastball. The thing was, though, that's about all she had - a fast ball. She struck out the first batter she faced, but the Group B coach told her girls what to look for and the rest of the the
inning turned into a fly-fest, with batter after batter hitting into the outfield.

When, at last, they'd managed to strike out a third batter, the Score was six to zero going into the bottom of the first inning.

The game, which should have lasted forty five minutes to an hour was called at an forty-eight minutes with the score of Bashers 12, Cougars 2.

"Why'd they call the game off?" Hunter asked.

"When one team gets a ten run lead they call the game to save the other team the embarrassment of losing by more than that."

You could see that the other camp's coaches were all as angry as hornets when then next group took the field. After a brief warm up for both sides, the game started. The Group C 'Crushers' looked very striking in their solid white uniforms with the bright orange lettering.

The first Crusher at the plate had to jump back and fell to the ground to avoid getting hit by the first fastball pitch that passed over the batters box, rather than the plate.

Coach Skylar called 'time' and went to the umpire to hold a conversation with both the ump and the coach from the other camp. It was a very heated discussion, and finally it ended with Coach Skylar storming back to the dugout, the umpire taking her place back behind home plate and the other team's head coach talking to her pitcher before leaving the field.

When the batter was in the batter's box again and the pitch was thrown, the batter from The Crushers once again found herself on the ground to avoid being hit by another fast ball thrown at her head.

"That's it!" The umpire shouted. "You're out of the game!" she pointed to the pitcher and then to the exit.

At that pronouncement, every greenish-yellow player started running onto the field, screaming and yelling about the unfairness of the umpire's decision.

"Clear the field!" Coach Skylar screamed in a voice louder than anyone thought possible and all of the Crushers on the field followed her instruction. Then Coach Skylar turned to the bench and the rest of the camp beyond and shouted, "If ONE OF YOU tries to engage in this kind of stupidity, I swear to God, I will make damned sure that you never play softball again! Am I making myself perfectly clear!?"

"Yes, Coach!" Every girl from her camp responded in a clear, unison bark.
 

~^~
 

"What the hell is all of this?" Bob said to Joyce from the stands. "I thought this was just a nice, friendly game between two camps of girls who liked softball."

"It seems like a battle between a bunch of well trained athletes and an angry mob," Veronica said. "I don't know where this other camp is from, but those girls are vicious."

"And they're all bigger than Hunter," Mary Ellen muttered, concerned about her little sister. Some parents of girls in Hunter's camp were already headed to the field to grab their daughters and take them home. One girl, a Group D girl in a black shirt with the team name 'Dragon' written on it, was arguing with her father about leaving, but he won the argument and stormed off with the girl. "Mom, we should just get her and go before she gets hurt."

"That might be a good idea," Joyce nodded. "What do you think, Bob?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I really don't. I mean - I don't want Hunter hurt, but I would really like to see her work with her team to teach those other girls a lesson in humility. I think we should hold off on pulling her. Let's see what happens next."

Bob hoped that he'd made the right decision.
 
 
To Be Continued...

The Girls of Summer: 9 Final

 

The game continues - as does Hunter's life.

I am so, so, so happy that Hunter touched so many hearts. Thank you all for reading
and for so many comments and emails. I really enjoyed these characters and I'm so
happy that you did, too. Please stay well! See you all next time!

---

 
Author's Note: If you enjoyed my story, please consider leaving me a review?
I do enjoy reading them!

ps: The usage of the word Hunny is slang for "Hunter" not honey. ~Clara.
 
This version of The Girls of Summer: 9 Final has been updated with many corrections towards spelling and grammar.~Sephrena.
 
Image Credit: Image created through the use of ai at https://perchance.org/beautiful-people .~Sephrena.

---

 
Chapter 9
 

When the other team didn't clear the field quickly enough, the umpire disqualified them and was going to end the tournament right then and there, but after talking to the two head coaches, he awarded the Group C Crushers a win and agreed to allow the competitions between the youngest teams and then the one between the oldest teams to proceed.

You would have expected The Crushers to have been thrilled by their fairly effortless win, but the girls were horribly disappointed to have not gotten a chance to show the skills they'd learned at camp.

The Group A 'Aces' took the field to warm up in their purple tops and white pants. Even from his location at third base, Hunter could sense the anger coming from the other team's dugout, all the way across the field. They were all trying to stare down one player or another and several were staring right at Hunter.

The game began and The Cougar's pitcher threw pretty well for a thirteen year old, but the Aces had been well trained and hitter after hitter got a piece of something and when the score was Aces 3 and Cougars 0, the coach of The Cougars pulled the pitcher and replaced her with a much bigger girl.

"TIME!" the umpire called and signaled for the coaches to meet her on the mound.

Hunter, who was the next person to be in the on-deck-box, was out of the dugout warming up and was close enough to overhear what was being said.

"How old is this girl?" the Umpire asked.

"What difference does that make?" the head coach of the other camp asked. "They're all wearing the same uniform, aren't they? My girls are all one big team."

"How old are you?" the Ump demanded of the pitcher.

"I'm sixteen," the girl pitching admitted.

"Are you ok with this?" the umpire asked Coach Skylar.

"Am I ok with cheating? No," Skylar made clear, which prompted a groan from the other coach, "but my girls have worked their asses off to play a good game here today. If this girl promises to throw a good, safe game, then we're ok with her pitching. But if she bullies my girls like that last girl did, I won't be just calling the league supervisors to complain, I'll be calling the cops to have you arrested for endangering my players AND I'll be calling the local news outlets to let them know what kind of an operation you're running over there."

The other coach just rolled her eyes and shook her head.

The umpire spoke directly to the pitcher. "Since there's no sense in talking to your coach, I'm going to talk to you. If you're going to pitch to twelve and thirteen year olds, then you do so knowing that you're too strong to throw anything too fast or too close to them. Understood? One pitch near their heads or at their feet and you are gone and the rest of the games are done. This is all resting on you and how you behave. Do you understand me?"

The pitcher nodded.

"I need you to say it out loud," the Ump insisted.

"Yeah," the pitcher said.

The umpire let put a frustrated grunt. "I'm going to ask you one more time and I expect a polite, well spoken response or we are done for the day. Now... If you behave the way some of your teammates have behaved today, I will end this entire event. Do. You. Understand. What. I. Am. Saying?"

"Yes, ma'am," the pitcher said. "I understand what you are saying."

"Excellent. Then let's play ball."

As it turned out, the pitcher was actually quite good. She had a lot of tools in her tool box. She struck out the first batter she faced. The next batter got a piece of a pitch, but it popped up to the short stop and no one advanced.

So, as Hunter took the batter's box, there were two outs and the bases were loaded. Not a situation Hunter wanted to be in with so many people watching.

"Move in!" the couch from the other camp shouted. "Little batter! Everyone move in! Waaaaay in!"

All the outfield moved to just behind the infield and the infielders moved forward onto the grass.

"Time!" Coach Marie called and ran out to talk to Hunter.

"How are doing Short Stuff?" she asked with a knowing smirk.

Hunter shrugged. "Ok, I guess."

She winked at him. "That other coach... she's just a bully. She's calling in her girls to make you feel bad. Are you going to let her get to you?"

"No, coach."

"Atta girl," Coach Marie smiled. "Now... you just need to get on base, right? And remember what that clinician said about you having an advantage because your strike zone is so small, right? So - if she walks you, great. A runner comes home. If you have a chance to take a good swing, take it, but make sure it gets the ball into the outfield behind those girls. Got me?"

Hunter nodded.

"Alright, Short Stuff," she smiled. "You know what to do. Just do your job and we'll do fine."

"Ok, Coach," Hunter smiled.

Coach Marie patted her on the back. "That's my Short Stuff. Now - let's kick their asses."

Hunter smiled and stepped back into the batter's box.

The pitcher wound up and let go of a sinker that almost got past the catcher.

"Ball one," the umpire called.

The pitcher shook off a few signs from the catcher, then threw a fast ball that rocketed past Hunter and straight into the catcher's mitt.

"Strike one!"

Hunter got a piece of the third pitch, but it fouled off to the right.

"Strike two!"

The next pitch went wide.

"Ball two!"

To Hunter, felt like she had been in the batter's box for a year at this point.

Another pitch that she got a piece of, but another foul ball.

The umpire waved it foul, but said nothing.
 

~^~
 

Bob let out an anxious breath. "Lord, I might have a heart attack pretty soon." He said, actually panting a bit.

"She's doing great, though," Mary Ellen said, equally stressed by the game.

"It's a big moment for her," Veronica pointed out. "She's either going to be very happy or very upset by whatever happens now."

Joyce never looked away from Hunter in the batter's box.

"Are you ok, mom?" Mary Ellen asked.

"Yeah," she said, still focused on the game. "I may throw up, but I'm ok."

"Alright, baby!" Bob shouted towards the field. "You're doing great! Come on, little girl! Show everyone what you're made of!"

Mary Ellen's head spun towards her stepfather, shocked at what he'd just said. Yelling out 'little girl' like that without a second thought! She noticed that Veronica was looking at him too. The two of them made eye contact and they smiled at each other.

Then something very unusual caught Mary Ellen's ear. The sound of a young man yelling, "Come on, Hunter! You've got this!" She turned and saw a fairly good looking, clean cut kid, about Hunter's age, across the aisle and back three rows. He was with a group that appeared to be his mother and father and a couple of brothers, all dressed in Red Sox jerseys. Mary Ellen thought that the boy may have been at the bat mitzvah party, but with a ball cap on, it was hard to be sure.
 

~^~
 

Another pitch went wide.

"Ball three!"

Two outs, a 3/2 count and bases loaded. A position that every athlete dreams of, but it was scaring the bejesus out of Hunter at that moment.

Another pitch, just on the outside of the plate and another foul ball.

The sweat was rolling down the sides of Hunter's face.

Another foul tip that rolled away.

"Relax and just do your job, Short Stuff," Coach Marie shouted.

"Haha," the catcher laughed, "Short Stuff. That's pretty funny."

Hunter got ready for the pitch.

"Because you're so short," the catcher said. "What are you, like, nine?"

Hunter buckled down and prepped for the pitch. This time, when the pitch came in, Hunter's swing was firm and level, but maybe just a fraction of a second earlier than he'd intended. So, instead of sending the ball towards second base and center field, it shot off into left field - high enough to clear the infield and the outfielders who were crowding the infield. The left fielder turned and ran towards the ball, which was far out in the field and rolling towards the left field wall.

Hunter took off for first base as the runner on third base headed home. When she rounded first, the left fielder hadn't reached the ball, yet, so off towards second base, Hunter headed.

The left fielder sent the ball home, but by the time the catcher got it, two runs had scored and another member of The Aces was on third base and Hunter was on second.
 

~^~
 

"YES!!!" Bob screamed. "That's my little girl!!!" he shouted. "You're amazing!"

Joyce was screaming, too - nothing very coherent, just screaming - but in a second, she and Bob were hugging and bouncing up and down with excitement.

Three rows back and across the aisle, that boy was jumping up and down with the same excitement! "Yeah!" the boy shouted. "That's the way to do it, Hunter!"

Mary Ellen watched each display with fascination. The world had changed so quickly!
 

~^~
 

Two batters later and Hunter crossed home base when Sarah hit a double into deep center field. He'd never been so relieved to step on home plate and jog back to his dugout.

"Hey, Short Stuff," Coach Marie said as she passed. "Nice work. You did you're job."

"Thanks, Coach," Hunter smiled.
 

~^~
 

"Unbelievable!" Bob shouted as Hunter crossed home plate. "This game is going to kill me! I swear to God, I'm not going to get through this game at this rate."

"You never acted like this when Hunny played baseball," Mary Ellen pointed out.

"Baseball was nothing like this!" Bob pointed out. "You're amazing, baby!" he yelled at the top of his lungs towards the field.
 

~^~
 

The rest of the game proved to be less dramatic, but still exciting. The final score was Aces 9 and Cougars 1. The two teams lined up in the traditional manner to congratulate each other, but this was done mostly for the benefit of the umpire. Each player said "Good game," to each player on the other team, but it was obvious that the girls in the Cougars uniforms didn't mean it.

Group A cleared the dugout bench to make room for Group D and headed for their seats in the stands, but Coach Skylar stopped Hunter on the way by. "Stay here," she said, so Hunter stayed with the coach.

As the Group D girls bounded down from the stands, Addy grabbed hold of Hunter's hand and said, "Follow me, Short Stuff."

She led Hunter through the dugout and into the clubhouse room beyond where she produced a black Jersey with the word 'Dragons' emblazoned across the chest, but the shirt was small enough to fit Hunter.

"What's this for?" Hunter said, a big smile on his face.

"You're our good luck charm, Short Stuff." She winked, playfully. "We want you on the bench with us."

Moments later, Addy and Hunter emerged from the restroom and stepped back into the dugout to a round of applause from the rest of The Dragons.

Coach Skylar smiled and patted Hunter's head. "The girls asked us to get you a Group D shirt. Are you ok, sitting with them for the game?"

"Are you kidding!? This is awesome!" Hunter bubbled.

Soon, the game started and, as with the previous matchups, the girls from Hunter's camp came out strong, scoring three runs in their first at bat.

The Dragons took the field and The Cougars were up at bat. Izzy took the mound and threw to the first batter, striking her out. The next batter hit a single and ran to first base, arriving safe at first.

The third batter arrived in the batter's box with an attitude. "You throw me that weak ass crap and I'll hit it right back at you," she boasted and pointed at Addy as if she was Babe Ruth pointing to where she'd planned to hit a home run.

Izzy smirked and wound up, firing in a curve ball that batters rarely hit, but this time... the batter did. She hit a line drive straight back at Izzy striking her square in the lower rib cage and knocking her off of her feet.

"STAY HERE!" Coach Skylar shouted to the team as she and all the other coaches ran to the mound.
 

~^~
 

"Oh, no," Joyce gasped as she watched the pitcher collapse. Then she saw a man running down the stadium stairs as quickly as he could, headed for the field. He must be the pitcher's father.

"Is she ok?" Mary Ellen asked no one in particular.

"God, I hope so," Bob said.

"I think she may be done for today, though," Veronica said.
 

~^~
 

"Are you ok, Izzy?" Coach Skylar asked.

"Hard... to... breathe..." Izzy said, holding onto her abdomen.

The camp nurse and a medic that worked at the park showed up simultaneously. Each went to work, cooperating with each other. They spoke quickly and asked Izzy lots of questions before they looked up at Coach Skylar and said, "I'm pretty sure she's broken a rib... maybe more than one. We need an ambulance to take her to the hospital."

"Isabell! Isabell! Izzy!" The man from the stands pushed past the coaches. "Honey... are you ok?"

Izzy was able to catch her breath by that time. "I'm ok, daddy," she gasped. "It just hurts... kinda a lot."

"She'll be ok," the camp nurse assured Izzy's father. "I'm pretty sure she's got at least one broken rib, but I don't think there was any other damage. If a rib is broken, then she'll have to wear a compression belt for a few weeks and she'll have a softball sized black and blue bruise for a few weeks as well, but she should be fine. I think an X-ray is in order just to be certain that she's ok."

"Ok," her father nodded. "She's broken a rib before, when she fell off of a horse. I'll take her to the hospital."

"Well, I'm afraid that we need her to go by ambulance," the park medic explained. "Insurance regulations... you understand."

He nodded. "Can I go with her?"

"Well, yes, but is there someone else here who can drive your car to the hospital? You'll need it later."

"Shoot... no. Umm... listen, Ummm... Izzy's cousin Becca is in Group D, too. Can she travel with Izzy in the ambulance?"

Becca was a utility infielder for Group D and usually sat on the bench waiting to be used.

"Yes, of course," Coach Skylar nodded and sent another coach to tell Becca to get ready to leave.

Very soon, the nurse and medic had Izzy standing and walking off the field to the cheers of campers and fans alike.

Each of her team mates, and Hunter, offered her a fist bump or gentle hug on the way past.

"Alright, girls," the Group D coach said, getting their attention. "Izzy's going to be fine. Betsy, you're pitching. Let's focus and finish this game the way we intended."

"Ummm, coach," Ruthie said, "Betsy's parents took her home back when it looked like a fight might break out."

"You're kidding?" the coach said. When Ruthie shrugged, the coach turned to Coach Skylar. "What do we do?"

"We use another pitcher. Let me talk to the ump."

It was obvious from her body language that the other team's coach wasn't happy about using a pitcher from another of the camp's team, but since they had already done the same thing, the ump allowed it.

"She said she'd allow it this one time," Coach Skylar explained to the Group D coach. "From here on out, though, the only players allowed to replace the players on the field are those in the correct uniform and already on the bench. No exceptions for either side. I think the ump is just fed up and ready to call it a day."

"Understandable," The Group D coach nodded. "So... who do I use as my pitcher?"

Coach Skylar thought for a moment, then yelled up into the stands, "Wanda! Come on down."

The rest of the campers in the stands whooped and cheered as Wanda climbed back down to the field.

"Think you're up to another few innings?" Coach Skylar asked.

"You bet I am, Coach!" Wanda said, thrilled to be in a Group D game. She looked at Hunter who offered a big thumbs up.

"Alright..." Coach Skylar smiled. "Let's get back to work."

The Dragons retook the field with a new pitcher who was wearing a purple jersey with the word 'Aces' written on her chest.

"Oh lord," Veronica said, staring at the field in amazement. "Move over, Bob. I think I'm going to have a heart attack, too."
 

~^~
 

The batter who'd sent the line drive into Izzy's ribs had been held at second base by the umpire. She was angry that she'd not been allowed to round the bases, but the umpire had been firm in his decision that he'd stopped play when the pitcher had been hurt, so the runner had to stay on second base.

Wanda took a deep breath and threw her first pitch. The batter swung and missed and Wanda knew that she could handle this. So what if the girls were older than her. She could do this.

She struck out the first batter, but the next one managed to hit a slow ground ball towards first base. The first base player ran in and grabbed the ball and was able to tag out the runner on her way to first. Then she spun around and, seeing the Cougar base runner sprinting towards third, fired the ball across the diamond. In a perfect, fluid motion, the Dragon defending third base snatched the speeding ball from the air and brought her glove forward to apply the tag and complete the inning-ending double-play. Rather than attempting to dodge or slide, the Cougar girl ran full force into the third base player, knocking her to the ground with a hard thud.

"Out!" the official at third base called, causing the base runner to shout and begin arguing, which brought the other camp's coaches running out to join in the argument.

Hunter got up and ran to the edge of the dugout.

"Hold up, Short Stuff!" Coach Skylar warned. "Let them play out their drama their way. We'll stay put."

"But coach!" Hunter pointed to the third base player. "She's not getting up!"

Coach Skylar stood, looked at her player sprawled out on the grass and muttered a curse as she ran full throttle across the field. "Everyone into the dugout!" she ordered in order to ensure that no fights broke out. All the Group D girls ran to their dugout, while Coach Skylar knelt beside the girl.

"Come on Brenda, come on!" she muttered as she tapped the girl's face.

Brenda's eyes opened and she looked a little dazed. "Is she out?" she asked.

"She is," Coach Skylar laughed. "How do you feel?"

"Ok, I guess," the girl said and she sat up. "A little dizzy, but I'm ok." She went to stand, but she realized that her right knee really hurt. "I must have twisted it, Coach. I'm sorry."

"Well, I think you're done for today." Coach Skylar helped the girl stand and the assistant coach led her back to the dugout.

The coach joined the conversation with the field official and the home plate umpire and discussed the situation. Eventually, Coach Skylar shook her head and she headed back to the dugout, but stopped and talked to the Group D coach on the way.

Finally, they reached the dugout and ordered everyone into a circle so she could talk to them.

"Alright, girls, here's where we stand. The umpire says that the obvious attack on one of our players was fair play. So, she is not going to call the game off."

"Good," most of the girls mumbled.

"Yeah, well, we're in a spot, then. When Izzy left, our utility infielder, Becca, left with her. Now, with Brenda out for the game and Becca, Izzy and Betsy all gone home or to the hospital, we are down to just eight players."

"Can't we grab someone from Group C?" Addy asked.

Coach Skylar shook her head. "The ump says that the only replacement we can make is to use a player that has been in uniform and on the bench for the entire game." Coach Skylar's eyes wandered to Hunter. It didn't take but a few seconds for every girl in the dugout to be looking at Hunter as well.

"Me?" Hunter said, surprised. "You want ME to play with Group D? In an actual game!?"

"It's that or forfeit," Coach Skylar said.

"Come on, Short Stuff," Ruthie said. "You know you wanna do it!"

"Hell, ya, I wanna do it!" Hunter said, jumping up, excited.

"Alright," Coach Skylar smiled at her littlest camper. "Now, the rest of you, listen to me. As far as you are concerned, Hunter is made of glass. Protect her. Make sure that those bullies don't get a shot at this little girl. Understood!?"

"Yes, Coach!" all the girls shouted.

"Ok. Let's get to work!"

The girls all ran back onto the field, with Hunter taking the third base position. That caused a lot of laughter to rise up from the Cougars' dugout. Even some rude remarks and pointing.

The umpire pulled off her mask and walked towards Hunter, motioning Coach Skylar out onto the field.
 

~^~
 

"Oh, my God," Joyce said. "Are they putting Hunter into a game with the older girls?"

"Looks that way," Mary Ellen said.

"Why would they do that?" Joyce sounded somewhat panicked.

"I think they're running out of players," Bob said.

"Why don't they just call the game off?" Joyce asked, looking around for support. "I mean, those other girls have been have been hurting our girls all day."

"Hey," a parent in front of them turned and looked angry, "it's a tough game! If your little princesses can't stand the heat, then they need to get the fuck out of the kitchen."

"Who do you think you're talking to?" Joyce said with an angry look.

"Ok. Everyone calm down," Bob said. "It's just a game for the girls."

"Yeah, well the next time you blame my kid for your kid not being able to play like a grownup..." the woman in front of Joyce wouldn't back down.

Bob held up his hands. "Alright. Let's just watch the game."

The woman scowled at them and turned around.

"Hey look!" The sound of a young man caught Mary Ellen's attention. Probably because it came from the same area from which the younger boy's voice had come before. "Brian's girlfriend is on the field with Ruthie's team!"

Mary Ellen turned and looked at the group. The oldest boy, who was probably her age, had made the remark. The second oldest boy gave the youngest a rough pat on his head, pushing the youngest boy's Red Sox cap down onto his eyes. "Brian's girlfriend is a star!" the middle boy said.

"She is," the one named Brian said with a huge smile. "You guys are just jealous."

'Brian's girlfriend?' Was that a real possibility? No. Hunter had either been at camp or with her or one of their parents every minute of every day for the last month. Except for at that dance... hmmm. How many dances had they had together? This was interesting.
 

~^~
 

"She has been in a team uniform and sitting on our bench for the entire game," Coach Skylar insisted to the umpire. "You have let the girls on that team run roughshod all over this field all day while my girls have behaved themselves and never once engaged in a conflict with them. And now, two of my girls have been hurt. You can't just hand them a win for being bullies."

The umpire, frankly, agreed with the coach, but that little girl on third base was so much smaller than the rest of the girls on the field. To be honest, she had thought the same thing when the little girl had been playing with the girls her own age. Now, the comparison in size between the third base player and the rest of the girls was almost comical. She had performed well with her team though...

"Alright... I'll allow her to play, BUT if she gets hurt, that's all on you. Agreed?"

"Absolutely!" Coach Skylar agreed. Then she said a silent prayer that nothing happened to the little one they called Short Stuff.

"Play ball!" the umpire called as she took her place behind home plate.

Wanda sent a tough-to-hit sinking pitch across the plate, but the batter got some metal onto it and sent what would have been a knee high line drive into the area between the short stop and third base. Lucy hurried to her right with no chance of getting her glove in front of the ball, but she pulled up to a quick stop when she heard the thwack of the ball slamming into Hunter's glove.

"Out!" called the umpire and that retired the other side.

"Look at you!" Lucy smiled and laughed. "Holy sh... sorry... Holy crap, Short Stuff! Look what you did!" She picked up Hunter and carried her back to the dugout, causing Hunter to laugh hysterically.

All the girls high-fived and fist bumped Hunter and Wanda.

They were able to keep The Cougars scoreless for all six innings, but The Dragons only managed to score one more run, so the game ended with a score of Dragons 4 and Cougars 0. Hunter managed to get on base with an unintentional walk in the fifth inning, but never crossed home plate in that game.

And he couldn't have cared less.

Hunter was just thrilled to have had the chance to play with all the powerful, beautiful girls in Group D.

As the game ended, the girls all gathered on the field outside of the dugout to say their goodbyes. Hunter and Wanda and Sarah had a tearful three-way hug that lasted for two solid minutes. They all promised to keep up their online meetings during the school year and they'd all come back to camp the next year.

After getting hugs from dozens of girls, Hunter turned to grab her backpack, but between her and the bag was the smiling face of Brian from the bar mitzvah party.

"Brian!?" Hunter was surprised. "Why are you here?"

"To watch you guys play!" the boy said. "We had tickets before because of Sarah and Ruthie, but... WOW, HUNTER! YOU'RE AMAZING!"

Hunter laughed, dimples appearing on those smooth cheeks. "No. I'm not even that good compared to most of the girls."

"Yeah, sure," Brian smiled, and then, almost as if he couldn't stand to wait a moment longer, he leaned forward and hugged Hunter.
"Congratulations! What a great game! Well, all the games were great! What a great day!"

"Thanks," Hunter laughed.

He released Hunter as they heard his mother calling him. He smiled and shook his head. "I gotta go. Ummm... I know you don't have a phone, but... can I... ummm... email you or... something?"

Hunter smiled a big, very pretty smile. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes sparkled, playfully. "I guess... sure."

Brian nodded. "Cool. Cool."

"Brian! Let's go!" his dad called.

"Oops! Gotta run. Bye!"

"Bye," Hunter answered and watched Brian disappear into the stands.

"Well, well, well," Mary Ellen said, putting her arm around Hunter's shoulders. "Aren't you a quick worker?"

Hunter blushed, but the smile never diminished. "Hi! Ummm... Mom and dad didn't see that, did they?"

Mary Ellen laughed. "No. I don't think so. They're talking to your coaches. He's cute, though."

Hunter bit her lip, again. "I guess."

"You guess!?" Mary Ellen laughed as she leaned down and tickled her little sister.

"Ok! Stop!" Hunter laughed. "Yeah... he's cute. Ok? He's very cute."

"That's better." Mary Ellen laughed some more.

"There's our major leaguer!" Bob said, rushing over and picking Hunter up off of her feet and hugging her hard. "Oh, my God! You scared the liver and lights out of me, Hunter! I swear, I must have had four heart attacks in the last three and a half hours! Just ask your mother."

"It's true," Joyce said, patting Hunter's shoulder while Bob still held her. "Hunny... you were so great on that field today."

"Thanks, mom. I learned a lot at camp."

"It showed," Bob said. "We just had a long talk with Skylar. She says that you are definitely the most improved camper this year and she can't wait for you to come back next year."

"I can't wait until next year, either," Hunter smiled. "This was the best camp I've ever been to."

Joyce moved a bit so she could look into Hunter's eyes. "So... you really want to come back next year? Even if that means being a girl... full time?"

Hunter nodded. "Mom... I already told dad... I don't think I'm really a boy. I think I'm really a girl and... that's how I want to live."

Joyce kissed his cheek. "I think that's a good choice, Hunny. I really do."

"Who's up for ice cream!?" Bob said.

"I am!" Hunter shouted and squirmed out of Bob's arms and back onto the field.

"Alright, then... where are we going?"

"Jensen's Farm!" Hunter said, as if there was no other place else to get an ice cream cone. "Can Wanda and her mom come, too?"

"We can invite them," Bob said, taking Hunter's hand. They headed up the stairs into the stands.

"So?" Mary Ellen said to her mother. "I have a little sister forever, then?"

"Looks that way," Joyce smiled. "That seems to be the healthiest way to go. Of course, there will be some changes. I don't know if going to the local public middle school is a good idea. We'll have to find someplace comparable with Hunter's new life. She's going to need your help, too, but... you've already been a lot of help."

Mary Ellen shrugged. "It's fun, mom. I love having a little sister. She could use a little guidance when it comes to boys, too."

"Boys!?" Joyce said surprised. "You don't think that Hunter's just going to suddenly like boys, do you?"

Mary Ellen smiled knowingly. "I think Hunter's going to enjoy her new life, mom."
 

~^~
 

It was the first day of softball camp. The morning had been shockingly strenuous for the Group A girl and she was hoping to find a place to sit on her own and take a break while she ate lunch. She stepped into the regional high school's cafeteria and looked for a secluded place to catch her breath and eat. All these girls, even a lot of the girls in Group A, seemed so much bigger and more experienced than her. It wasn't what she expected and it kind of scared her a little.

'Hi," an older girl said, appearing out of nowhere. She wasn't all that tall, may just an inch or two taller than the Group A girl's five foot height, but she looked a lot more mature. She was very pretty, with long, rusty red hair and breasts that were larger than a lot of the other girls. Not too big, but bigger than most. "Come on and eat with me," the older girl said, then guided the younger girl to a table and helped her get organized.

"So, what's your name?" the older girl asked.

"Kayla," the younger replied.

"Hi, Kayla," the older girl smiled very warmly. "My name is Hunter. How is your first day going?"

"Ok," Kayla shrugged. "It's a lot harder than I thought it'd be."

Hunter smiled. "I know, but believe me... it's all worth it."

"Hey, Short Stuff!" another beautiful, older girl said. At first, Kayla thought this new girl was teasing her, until the girl named Hunter responded.

"Hey, Sarah! Whose your friend?"

"This is Melody," Sarah smiled. "Mel, this is my friend, Short Stuff. She's one of our best players. This is her first year in Group D, just like me, but it's her seventh year at camp. Also, the same as me. She's one of my best friends."

"Hi," Melody smiled, nervously.

"Hi, Melody," Hunter smiled. "This is my friend, Kayla. Kayla, this is Melody."

The girls nodded. They'd seen each other that morning on the field, but hadn't talked to each other.

"Oh, and here's the third Musketeer," Sarah laughed. "Wanda! Over here!"

Wanda looked amazing in a form fitting, Lycra sports top and yoga pants.

"Hey, guys! This is my new friend Bri," Wanda smiled. "Bri, these are my best friends in the world, Sarah and Hunter - but you can call Hunter 'Short Stuff.' We all do."

"Hey, Bri," Hunter smiled and took the girl's tray, putting it on the table for her so that she could pull a chair out. "These are our friends Kayla and Melody. So, let's talk about what camp is going to be like."

When lunch ended, the three Group A girls went away happier than they'd been at the start of lunch. The three Group D girls smiled as they watched them leave.

"Man, I love being one of the 'big girls!'" Hunter said.

"You'll never be a 'big girl,'" Wanda laughed as she put her arm around her much smaller friend's shoulders.

"Seriously!?" Hunter said, wide-eyed with mock insult. "Short jokes!? Still!?"

"It never gets old," Wanda laughed.

"I think they'll enjoy camp. Don't you?" Sarah said. "It's so overwhelming on the first day, but it's better with friends."

"Maybe they'll be best friends for the rest of their lives... just like us," Hunter smiled.

"Yeah... until boys get in the way," Wanda teased.

"Hey... are you talking about Brian!?" Hunter asked. "Because Brian's been around almost since I met you guys."

"Well," Wanda laughed, "Brian's with you, Benji is with Sarah and I've got Chris. Don't get me wrong, I love the boys, but... I miss being with you guys all the time. This is my last year at camp. How am I going to get along without you two when I go to college in the fall?"

"We'll just have to get together on Zoom every night like we used to," Hunter shrugged.

"Geez... think about it..." Sarah shook her head. "Just a few years ago we all met up in camp, just like those three. Think about how much we've been through since then! So many good parties!"

Wanda nodded. "Ruthie's wedding."

"Mae's graduation," Hunter smiled.

"Our combined Sweet Sixteen party," Sarah said to Hunter.

'My high school graduation party just a few week ago," Wanda said.

"Hunter's SRS surgery last August," Sarah said, with a giggle.

"Hey!" Hunter said, looking around to be sure no one had heard. Then she smiled and giggled. "That was no party for me!"

Sarah laughed. "I still can't believe you didn't tell me about your wiener for almost a year."

"It was just a birth defect," Hunter smiled. "Let's never talk about it again."

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Coach Skylar said, her hands on her hips. "I have four teams on the fields and here are my three most experienced players standing around chit-chatting."

"Sorry, coach," all three said in unison as they gathered the table rubbish and hurried to throw it away.

As they passed the coach, headed for the door, Coach Skylar said, "Short Stuff. Stay back."

Hunter stopped and turned around to face the head coach.

"How are we doing, Short Stuff?" Coach Skylar asked.

Hunter smiled, touched by the coach's concern. "I'm good, Coach. Really good."

"All healed?"

"All healed."

"Big change?"

Hunter shrugged. "Not really."

The Coach smiled. "Are you happier now?"

Hunter took a deep breath and thought for a moment. "I'm... complete, now, Coach. I'm who I'm supposed to be."

"Come here," the stern coach said, and when Hunter came close, she hugged her tightly. "You know," she said, "no other camper has ever worried me more or made me more proud to have known her than you, Hunter. You were the bravest little boy I'd ever met and you are the most amazing young woman I have ever known. I expect you to be a leader for these girls, now."

"I'll do my best, Coach," Hunter smiled.

"Ok," the coach smiled, feeling happy that she'd said what she'd wanted to say, but also a bit awkward about having just showed so much emotion. "Go join the other musketeers and help whip this year's Group D into a team for me."

"Yes, Coach," she smiled and started to go, but she stopped at the door. "Coach?"

"Yes, Short Stuff?"

"Thanks... I mean... thanks for everything. I mean... My whole life would be different if it weren't for you."

The Coach smiled. "I'm sure that's not true."

"No... it is. Everything... all my friends... my school... having the courage to be who I truly am... that's all because of you. Without you and this camp... I'd still be... well... who knows who or what I'd be? Thank- you coach. I just want you to know how much I love this camp and... you. Thank you."

Coach Skylar stood with watery eyes and looked at her star third base player. "I love you, too, Hunter. You're a hell of girl."

 
THE END
 

For now