---

 
 
Nikki Meets the Kendalls - Part 1
 
Nicky's favourite place in the world was Bandit Island, a small islet in the furthest part of the lake. Bandit Island didn't take its name from any criminal or robber, but from the name of some captain, Jack Bandit, that long ago had decided to set his home there. No one lived there anymore, but the mansion and the other buildings, including a small unused chapel, were still there, in perfect state. The island had a small quay, big enough to dock a couple of small ships, and had enough trees and vegetation so that no one could really see from the shore of the lake that anyone would be there.

The island was private property, Nicky knew it, everyone knew it. That's why no one was ever there, and that was the reason that Nicky found it so attractive. Sometime, a few times a year, someone came to take care of the facilities, cleaned up the place a bit, and eventually made some reparations, and were gone again. As long as no one knew he was there, the island was all his.

Nicky had left his bike hidden near some of the banks of the lake that were further away from both the town and the road, had taken a small boat that he kept there, half concealed, and had paddled towards the island. It was already early afternoon, but he used to do that often, and he was quite confident that he wouldn't be found.

After concealing the boat again, enough that it wouldn't be seen from the shore, he went quietly into the tiny island, towards the small shed in which he kept his things.

Nicky was 15, almost 16, and he was usually left alone by his parents. The area was usually calm and troubleless, he knew it by heart, he was carrying his mobile phone and his parents trusted him, even when they didn't have a clue where he went, when he was out. They considered that, being outside, was one of the healthiest things for a growing boy.

Nicky took out one of the travel bags he kept hidden there, opened it and took out of it a colourful sundress, a cami and some panties, along with a couple of lovely sandals, took his own clothes of and stared dressing up. The first times he had dressed up in the island he had been so scared that had entered the small shed to do so. No one was ever around, no one could see him from anywhere, and he had learnt to love to dress up right there, in the open.

He was so happy to be able to be himself again. He smiled. The day was warm and bright, and he was free to be a girl. He went towards the playground, in the garden, sat on one of the swings and started pushing herself happily.

~o~

He heard some noise from the lake, but he dismissed it quickly. There were often noises coming from the lake, and it was certainly expected that people might want to get to the lake on such a lovely saturday afternoon. You could often see boats around when it was that good, but no one ever came to the island. In days like this, Nicky usually got to the island early, while people were eating and no one would be riding across the lake on a boat.

It was too late when he discovered his mistake. A young girl, maybe about 13 years old, came running from the path that lead to the quay, and suddenly stopped surprised when she noticed him.

"Alice, how many times I told you not to run!", shouted some lady from afar.

Nicky stood still as the young girl came towards him. Another even younger girl came from the path, followed by a young woman pushing a baby stroller, and a teenage boy. A woman and an older man came appeared too.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?", asked the first girl.

Nicky wasn't even able to articulate a single word.

"It's okay, don't be scared. My name is Alice. Who are you?"

"I'm... Nicky..."

"Glad to meet you, Nikki", said Alice, offering her hand.

The meeting was suddenly interrupted by the woman coming towards them, followed by the youngest girl, while the other kids stayed aside, watching curious. You could clearly see the resemblance between them. They seemed to be all close family, probably siblings, their mother, and maybe the grandfather.

"What are you doing here, young lady? Who are you?", asked the woman, "What's your name?"

"Nicky, Ma'am"

"Nikki? Short for Nicole?", she added in a stern tone, Nicky just nodded. "Nicole what?"

"Faulkner, Ma'am", he added, staring at the floor.

"Mom, leave her alone!", interrupted Alice, "She wasn't breaking anything or doing anything wrong! You're going to make her cry!"

"Faulkner? Nicole Faulkner? Are you Jane and Mike's daughter?"

"Mom!"

Nicky nodded again, almost in the verge of tears.

"This is private property, you know? This house is ours"

Nicky bit her lip and nodded.

"I know. I shouldn't be here. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do anything bad. I'll go home now, I didn't mean..."

The woman's face softened. "Sorry, Nicole, I didn't mean to scare you. We just weren't expecting anyone here, you know? You can stay here for a while with us if you want. You can help us bring things from the boat if you want, and I'll invite you to some lemonade later, how does that sound?"

"I'd like that, Ma'am"

"I'm Amy Kendall. You can call me Ms. Kendall, if you want. You already met Alice, didn't you?". She nodded again.

"This young lady here is Emily", she introduced the younger girl, who should be about 7 or 8 years old, "that is my daughter Elizabeth with baby Kevin, that handsome young man is Thomas, and this is my father, William"

"Nice to meet you", offered his hand the older man.

~o~

After helping them to bring many boxes from the boat and put them inside the house, Amy made some lemonade for all of them, as promised. Nicky was starting to feel more comfortable among them, but was still afraid and didn't talk much. Alice seemed to be taken by her, and little Emily was also around them most of the time.

Amy was already taking care of the baby, while their grandfather had gone into the house to open the window covers, open the water and essentially making the house inhabitable.

~o~

"You're not really a girl, are you?", asked the older sister, who seemed to be in her early twenties.

"Beth!", exclaimed Alice annoyed, "Don't be rude!"

"Well, it's obvious that he isn't. What's your story, young man? Why are you wearing a girl's dress?"

She stared at him tenderly but firmly. Nicky was unable to even open her mouth. He couldn't handle it anymore and started to cry softly.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you cry, sweetie", said Beth, hugging him. "It's gonna be okay, don't worry. There, there."

Beth dried his tears while Alice and little Emily observed them.

"Do you want to be a girl, honey?", asked the older girl softly, in an encoraging tone. He just nodded.

"It's okay, love. You can be as much a girl as you want to be while with us. Friends?"

Nicky nodded silently.

~o~

"Nicole, will you want to have dinner with us?", asked Ms. Kendall. "How did you manage to get to the island, by the way?"

"Well, I kind of, have a boat, but I hid it a bit. I didn't want people to know I was here. I know it's your home and stuff, I just didn't think anyone lived here and..."

Ms. Kendall put a finger over his lips. "It's okay, dear, I know. You can come whenever you want, now that we know each other, I've already seen that you have made friends with the girls. If you want, I can call your mom and tell her that you'll be having dinner with us."

"That's okay, Ms. Kendall. I can text her."

Amy shook her head, smiling. "That should be okay".

~o~

The day was slowly coming to an end, and Nicky had to eventually get back home. He certainly couldn't get back into his boys clothes, not with the Kendalls around. Fortunately all his clothes were carefully hidden, so they wouldn't find them. He would have to eventually come for them. His most immediate problem would be to get back home in his cute dress, without either his parents nor his siblings find out.

Nicky had a brother and a sister, James and Samantha, but he didn't have a deep relation with them. Not that they treated him badly or anything like that, but he usually kept to himself and didn't usually interact too much with them most of the time.

It had been different when he was a little kid, he used to play a lot with his sister, who was slightly younger than him, and were both spoiled to the bone by their older brother.

Fortunately, Nicky entered their house through the back entry and changed into male clothes without anyone noticing.

~o~

Nicky wasn't really looking forward to Sunday morning. He would have to go to Church with his family, and it could happen that he might meet the Kendalls there. The previous day seemed almost like a dream, they had been so nice to him. He certainly didn't want them to see him wearing male clothes.

He managed to get just in time, and escaped quickly just after the service was over. His family was already used to his behaviour, so they just let him go. They would have to be around for a while, though, as his parents and his siblings liked to meet their friends and get up to date with them. He didn't like that.

He sat on one of the benches that were covered from the view by some trees. He had seen Amy Kendall talking with his mother, and didn't expect anything good coming from that. He would cross that bridge when he came to it, he didn't have to be suffering watching them.

He was surprised by Alice, who appeared suddenly from nowhere.

"Hi Nikki! I was wondering where you were!". She hugged him.

He blushed. There he was, unmistakebly dressed up as a boy in his Sunday best, and she didn't even make a comment.

"Will you come to visit us later? Mom thought you might want to."

"Maybe", he answered. "I'd like to go. I'd have to change, though", he added, signaling at his clothes.

"Yeah, true!", laughed Alice. "I was wondering why you were wearing those male clothes. I thought you were going to come in a dress, like the rest of us."

"I wish! I can't. My parents don't know about me. Please, don't tell them anything about yesterday!"

"I think it might be too late for that, girlfriend. They were talking about that with my mom before I went to search for you."

End of Part 1
 
 

---

 
"Yeah, true!", laughed Alice. "I was wondering why you were wearing those male clothes. I thought you were going to come in a dress, like the rest of us."

"I wish! I can't. My parents don't know about me. Please, don't tell them anything about yesterday!"

"I think it might be too late for that, girlfriend. They were talking about that with my mom before I went to search for you."
 
 
Nikki Meets the Kendalls - Part 2
 
"He is a nice kid, but he's going through some rough times. Teen years can be hard on some", Jane Faulkner was explaining to Amy Kendall about his son, Nicholas. Amy nodded. Jane kept talking.

"He used to hang out with his sister and her friends all the time when they were younger. He was so charming, he used to smile a lot, he was always ready to help in any way he could. He used to adore his sister, they were really close. James, their older brother, always said that they could be twins."

"So, what happened?", asked Amy with curiosity.

"That they became teenagers. That's what happened. It's cute when a little boy hangs out with the girls. It's good too. It will help him understand women much better when he grows up. But you know young girls, they also need their space. He was always with them, that's not normal. The poor girls didn't need to have a boy always with them. I told them to talk to him about it, and he understood it. In any case, they weren't so similarafter all. They are so different now. Sam is very social, and Nicholas has become kind of a loner. I don't even know if he has any close friends now, he doesn't share too much with us, or with any of his siblings anymore. Boys can change a lot when they grow up."

~o~

Nicky was nervous about what Ms. Kendall could have told his mom. Everything was falling to pieces. Alice was talking to him, but he could only have half of his mind on her conversation. At least being outside kept him away from the potential parental earthquake.

"You're not even paying attention, girl!", exclaimed Alice, noticing that Nicky seemed to be daydreaming.

"Sorry, I'm worried about what your mom might be telling mine"

"Don't worry, they'll be cool."

"I don't know, Alice. My mom doesn't even know that I'm a girl."

"How can she not know? Gosh, it's pretty obvious!"

Nicky smiled and hugged her. He really liked that girl.

"Lets go and find out. I'll take care of you."

It was funny watching the 13 year old girl encouraging Nicky. He was almost 16 after all. But, despite the age difference, it somehow seemed natural. Alice took his hand and pulled him.

~o~

"He wasn't hurting anyone. He wasn't really doing any damage. He didn't even try to enter the house, he kept to the gardens. It'll be okay to give him some space to make up his mind about his life, his future and all that stuff that gets overwhelming for teenagers", was trying to explain Amy.

"Oh, there they are!" she exclaimed with a smile when she saw the kid with her daughter.

"Come here immediately, young man!", ordered Jane to her son with an angry look on her eyes. "Amy has been explaining to me what you have been up to lately, and I'm very disappointed on you. I thought I brought you better than that!"

She continued, "You would deserve a serious punishment. Amy has talked me out of it, so you should really be thankful to her."

Amy grabbed Jane's arm to calm her down. "It's okay, He's invited to come to the island whenever he wants. He seems to get on pretty well with my kids already, and I'm sure he will be careful and helpful too."

"You'd better be, young man! Whatever Amy tells you. you do. I don't want to hear that you weren't on your best behaviour."

"Yes, mom", he nodded, ashamed. Alice tightened her grip on his hand to show him that she was there for him, and pulled him again towards the other kids.

Alice's sister Beth seemed to be getting along quite well with Nicky's brother James and with his friends. Tom, Alice's brother, had baby Kevin on his arms and was making him laugh.

Samantha, Nicky's sister, was slightly older than Alice. She was talking with some of her friends. As soon as Nicky noticed that Alice was targeting them, he pulled back, to show his friend that he didn't want to go there. ALice looked at him. He seemed afraid to go with them.

"Come on, it's just your sister and her friends. I want to meet them."

"Go with them, I'll be with your brothers."

"What's wrong, girlfriend?", asked Alice. Something didn't seem totally right.

"Nothing, I just don't feel like going with them, that's all."

~o~

Thoughout the days, Nicky became close friends with the Kendall kids. Amy had made it very clear that he was welcome there whenever he wanted, as well as his brother and sister. She had also told him in a quick conversation that she hadn't said a word to his mom about him wearing girly clothes, but that she felt that he should eventually had to tell her.

Alice had offered to store Nikki's clothes in one of her wardrobes. They had become really close friends in a very short time, and it was obvious that they were almost a sister for each other. Jane had been right, once out of his inner self-imposed emotional imprisonment, he was a very charming and expressive kid. He was very girly too, but it didn't really matter at all, as he was already a girl for all of them.

That didn't happen always. Whenever his siblings were around, specially Samantha and her closest friend, Rose, Nicky closed in on himself and almost didn't speak a word.

"What's the problem with your sisters?" asked Beth to James once. They seem to avoid each other as much as they can.

"My sisters?", he replied surprised, "Oh! Nicky?"

Beth nodded.

"They used to get along famously.Nicky has always been quite girly, you know? They were almost twins! Sometimes Nicky even let Sam dress him up as a girl. You should have seen him, he was very pretty."

"Trust me, I can imagine that", she grinned, knowingly. "What happened?"

"Well, they kind of expelled him from their group. They said that having a boy with them all the time scared the other boys. They were starting to become young ladies, you know? He took it quite badly."

"What did he do, then?"

"He stopped going out with them totally. He started to ride his bike more, going on his own, stay in his room. At the beginning he still talked with me and with our parents, and as he kept growing up, that seemed to stop too. He rarely speaks at all at home. You should have seen him three years ago, he was a totally different kid. I wish he was back."

"I think I might be able to show you a little miracle, then, if you're up to it", she offered, mysteriously.

~o~

Beth had been totally right. They had hidden themselves in the island, without any of the kids knowing. Nicky was dressed in a cute lavender dress, smiling, laughing, playing around and essentially being happy. James was amazed.

"That's my Nicky. He was like that all the time. What is he doing with a dress? Does he often dress up like that here?"

"James," started Beth. "Have you considered that your little brother might be really your little sister inside?"

His jaw dropped. "Really?"

She nodded, and proceeded to tell him many things about Nikki that he didn't know at all.

"It kinds of make sense now. He.. She was rejected as a girl by her own sister... she could have said something too, you know? Like telling Samantha how she really felt. That could have changed it all."

~o~

"Nikki, come here please", said Ms. Kendall an afternoon. "I need to talk with you about something."

The young girl came.

"I think it might be a good idea to tell your mother about you liking to dress up as a girl. I'm sure she will be understanding. She is worried about you, you know?"

"We can explain it to her, to your dad too. I'll help them understand. It is okay, you're not hurting anyone. There's nothing wrong with pretending to be a girl if it makes you happy."

Pretending?

"Please, tell me that you will consider it. I'm sure it will work. Even if it doesn't, if they need some time to process it, you can stay here with us. My kids adore you, you know?"

"I love them to bits too. I'm so happy to have met all of you!", she said with a big smile and bright eyes. Amy hugged her.

"Then think about it. Your parent's won't love you any less because of your little perversion. They'll understand it."

Perversion? Nikki's face became livid all of a sudden.

She didn't consider him a girl, she thought he was a pervert!

"I... I have to go... Sorry ma'am... I have to go".

She went towards the quay and started running, his anxiety as high as never before. She threw up. She couldn't think. She got the boat and started rowing towards the shore, away from the island."

End of Part 2
 

---

 
"Then think about it. Your parent's won't love you any less because of your little perversion. They'll understand it."

Perversion? Nikki's face became livid all of a sudden.

She didn't consider him a girl, she thought he was a pervert!

"I... I have to go... Sorry ma'am... I have to go".

She went towards the quay and started running, his anxiety as high as never before. She threw up. She couldn't think. She got the boat and started rowing towards the shore, away from the island."
 
 
Nikki Meets the Kendalls - Part 3
 
"You told her what??", exclaimed Beth when her mother was telling what has happened. "Are you stupid or something?".

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady. I'm your mother!".

Beth threw up her hands in indignation.

"I wasn't trying to be mean or to hurt him!", exclaimed her mother, "I was just trying to tell him that his parents would be okay with it, that they wouldn't throw him away or disown him or anything! That I understood how he felt! I like that kid, honest!"

"Her! Not him! And it seems that you don't have a clue about how she feels after all!"

She stared at the floor.

"I guess you're right, Beth. I'm so sorry, I really didn't want to hurt him... her"

Beth sighed. "I'll try to find her."

~o~

"Where's Nikki?", asked Alice to her sister, "Why did she go away like that?"

Nikki's escape had been watched by all of the Kendall kids, but it was so sudden that none of them could really understand what was happening until she was already gone.

"Did something happen between mom and her? What happened?". They had all seen Amy talking to her right before her face turned suddenly pale and she fled away. They knew that something had happened.

"She's not picking up her phone calls.", interrupted Tom. "Should we go after her?"

"She might need some space", added Beth. "I'm worried about her though. I wish I could talk to her."

"I want her to come back!", stated little Emily. "Can you tell her to come back, please?". She wasn't exactly sure of what was going on, but she could sense that something was wrong.

"We'll bring her back, kitten", said Beth, hugging her. "It will be okay, don't worry".

~o~

Beth phoned Nikki's brother, James, to tell him about what had happened. They were becoming quite good friends. They had talked a lot about Nikki's situation, how to help her open up about her feelings, and how they would support her no matter what. Beth had been absolutely right in her first impression about James: he was a caring brother that adored his two younger sisters.

"Keep an eye on her, please. You should have seen her face when she run away, she seemed so heartbroken. She deserves something better.How can my mom be so stupid?"

"I'll try to talk to her when she comes home. I hope so, at least. It's not easy to talk to her anymore, she is not easy to engage in a conversation. I loved to see her opening up so much to your siblings. I hope that what has happened hasn't ruined it."

As much as it hurt, James knew her sister well enough to know that she would avoid talking about whatever she felt to anyone in the family, and he feared that she would eventually extend that to the Kendalls too.

As expected, Nikki didn't go to the island the following days. He kept going out of his home every afternoon with her bike, as she always did, and got lost without giving any explanation about where she went and what she did. James knew that she wasn't hanging out with the Kendalls anymore, as Beth and him were keeping each other informed.

Samantha didn't know much about who she still considered her brother Nicky.

She was 14 going on 15, a year younger than Nicky, and though they had been really close when younger, they didn't even talk too much to each other nowadays. It had been nice that they were so close when little kids, and Sam missed him lots, but she also knew that things change between boys and girls when they become older, and she was a girl, and he was a boy.

She had managed to build an emotional wall between Nicky and him, and she worked hard to refuse having any interest in anything related to him. This wall was somehow cracking since they shared Alice Kendall as a common friend.

Alice asked lots of things about him, and about when they were younger, and she seemed to have a deep interest in him, but not as dating material. She knew for sure, she had already asked her explicitly. She was much younger than him, in any case, though.

Alice had told her that Nicky was not going to the island anymore,but didn't tell her why. She didn't even tell her that her brother was in fact her sister. It was so wierd that Sam or their parents hadn't ever noticed how girlish he was. There is probably no one more blind than those who don't want to see.

The funniest thing was that neither Samantha nor their parents had noticed anything unusual, and weren't even aware that something was going on. He was grumpy as always, he stuck to himself in his room all the time he was at home, he went alone with his bike every afternoon. Only James knew better.

~o~

The Kendalls didn't get to see Nicky again until Sunday, at Church. Nikki escaped again as soon as the ceremony finished, staying out of the way of the kids, teens and adults that were trying to socialize afterwards.

"I need some time with her, alone", asked Alice to Beth and James. "Please, can you make sure that no one comes to bother us?"

"We will. Go ahead, Alice."

Nikki was sitting on top of a stone, within some trees, and out of sight. She had some earphones on and was listening to music at a somehow high volume, while she was reading a book. She did that often, it helped her not to think about stuff.

"Hi, girlfriend", said Alice, pressing the button to stop the music.

Nikki removed her earphones and looked at her. She wanted to say some nasty things to throw her away. Didn't she know he was a freak? A pervert? Her own mother had told him so. Alice was a nice girl, she didn't deserve nasty, but she wanted everyone to leave her alone.

Alice hugged her suddenly. "I missed you, Nikki".

Nikki's facade suddenly fell, she hugged back her friend and started to cry.

End of Part 3
 

---

 
Nikki was sitting on top of a stone, within some trees, and out of sight. She had some earphones on and was listening to music at a somehow high volume, while she was reading a book. She did that often, it helped her not to think about stuff.

"Hi, girlfriend", said Alice, pressing the button to stop the music.

Nikki removed her earphones and looked at her. She wanted to say some nasty things to throw her away. Didn't she know he was a freak? A pervert? Her own mother had told him so. Alice was a nice girl, she didn't deserve nasty, but she wanted everyone to leave her alone.

Alice hugged her suddenly. "I missed you, Nikki".

Nikki's facade suddenly fell, she hugged back her friend and started to cry.
 
 
Nikki Meets the Kendalls - Part 4
 
"Where's Nikki?", asked little Emily to her sister Beth, who was still with James. "I wanted to say hi but she got out too fast"

"Shh,,,", said her sister, putting her finger over Emily's tiny mouth. "Alice is cheering her up. Do you want to go with them?"

"Yes!", exclaimed the little one enthusiastically.

"That way", she added, grinning, pointing towards where the other girls were, while winking an eye to James.

"Nikki! Nikki!", she run towards here the girls were. "Where have you been? I missed you!"

Beth didn't join them until later, and she was delighted watching them talking and laughing all together again.

Amy Kendall came a bit later.

"Honey, can we talk?", she said as she approached Nikki. She looked at her, and nodded with aprehension.

"I'm so sorry about what I said the other day. I wasn't thinking.I didn't know anything at all. Will you be able to forgive me?"

Nikki stared at her, still doubtful.

"I talked with Beth. I was stupid. I didn't want to hurt you and that's just what I did. I'm really ashamed. I know noe that you're a girl. I wish I was able to regain your trust somehow."

Nikki jumped into Amy's arms and she hugged her tenderly.

As soon as Beth told him that Nikki was in a better mood, Tom went to talk to her too. He found this girl, or boy, quite intriguing. She was sweet, one of the sweetest girls he new once you coud get through her thick protective armour. He still didn't know what to make of her, but she was funny and nice to be with. He had become a bit protective of her lately and had been worried during the last days.

~o~

Nikki had started to go back to the island after they hade made up with her and, although the trust had not been fuly restored yet, she had started to go back to the island with the Kendalls quite often. All of that ended suddenly the first time Alice brought Nikki's sister Samantha and her friends. As soon as Nikki heard them coming from the quay, she rushed out of his dress and into his own clothes before any of them could see her.

Alice and Samantha had started to become friends too. Samantha, Nikki's sister, was 14, just a bit older than Alice, and had a nice group of friends. They were pretty, very social and quite popular among their peers. It was quite a contrast with the self isolation that Nikki forced onto himself. It was quite obvious that Nikki wasn't comfortable among her sister and specially among her friends.

Amber, a tall brunette, smiled and waved hi to Nikki from afar as she saw her. Millie, a cute blonde, just gave Nikki a quick glance. Rose, a stunning redhead who was a bit ahead of the others in her development, didn't even look her way, and moved towards Tom. Sam followed suit.

Beth didn't have good vibes from this girl. The other ones seemed quite nice, but Rose just somehow didn't seem too nice. She couldn't say exactly what, but she didn't trust that girl. Unfortunately, she somehow seemed to lead the group. She would have to wait until some conflict might appear before having an opinion, though. Beth was certain thay you can learn more of a person when there's trouble than when things are going okay. Everybody seems to be nice when things are good, but it's in the bad times when they show their real face. And she had the feeling that they might not count on Rose unconditionally when she might get a better benefit from doing something else. Alice and Samantha were too young to realize that, but she knew better.

As soon as Samantha and her friends started to come to the island to spend some afternoons with Alice and Tom, Nikki stopped going. Tom didn't specially dislike the girls, but more often than not he used to get away with other friends. It was obvious that Rose liked Tom, and it was also equally obvious that Tom didn't want anything with her.

After some days, and when they were alone, Alice approached Samantha about her brother.

"Have you seen Nikki? We haven't seen him for days", she asked.

Sam shook her head. "No. I don't know much about his whereabouts. He usually keeps to himself, I don't really see him much."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you got along. At least you used to, as far as I've been told."

"Yes, but that was when we were kids. He has changed a lot since then. And me too."

"Why did you stopped doing things with each other? May I ask?"

"Well, he's a boy.. At our age is not cool to be carrying a boy with us. It was nice to have him around when I was a little girl, but now we need some space."

"Because he is a boy?"

"Well, yes. When we were little, it was always Julia, Amber, Nicky and me together. Then Julia's family moved like two years ago, and we started to hang out with Millie and Rose. Rose is a blast, and she knows how to handle boys. It has been great since she is with us. Nicky just doesn't fit in with us anymore."

"Oh, I see."

"And it's not just us. Mom says the same. He should make some friends of his own and, you know, play some sports with them, learn to be a bit more rough and stuff, like other boys do. He has to learn to be a man, otherwise he will become a sissy. Imagine having a sissy brother, it would be terrible. So it's much better for him too."

"Did your mom tell you that?"

"Not only her, Rose thinks that too!"

"And Millie and Amber?"

"No, they think he was happier when he was with us. In any case, it's he who doesn't even talk to us anymore. He didn't take it too well when we told him to leave us alone and that we didn't want a boy with us all the time, and then he stopped talking to us and started to avoid us, which was okay for us so we can ignore him too."

"And you don't miss him?"

Sam stopped, thoughtfully.

"Yes, I kind of miss him. I wish we didn't have to grow up and he wasn't so grumpy and quiet all the time. He was the loveliest bro when we were kids. We were inseparable, like twins. I kind of miss that. But as mom says, neither he nor I are little kids anymore."

Alice simply nodded, thinking whether Samantha's point of view would change or would still be the same if she knew that Nikki was a girl. She didn't say anything, though.

End of Part 4
 

---

 
"And you don't miss him?"

Sam stopped, thoughtfully.

"Yes, I kind of miss him. I wish we didn't have to grow up and he wasn't so grumpy and quiet all the time. He was the loveliest bro when we were kids. We were inseparable, like twins. I kind of miss that. But as mom says, neither he nor I are little kids anymore."

Alice simply nodded, thinking whether Samantha's point of view would change or would still be the same if she knew that Nikki was a girl. She didn't say anything, though.
 
 
Nikki Meets the Kendalls - Part 5
 
Things had started to settle on some kind of routine again. Beth was becoming quite a close friend to Nikki's brother James, while Alice had started going out quite often with Samantha and her friends. As none of them really liked to stay confined to the island, they often went out in town. That suited Nikki perfectly, while she had started to get on famously well with Amy after the issues they have had, and both little Emily and baby Kevin were totally taken by her.

Tom didn't have a social life as intense as his two sisters Beth and Alice. He had started to hang about with some of the kids in town too, but he was also quite homely and liked to spend some of the afternoons at home, in the island. Nikki liked him, he was smart, funny and cheerful. The island wasn't really that big, but there was enough space to wander around through the trees, talking about all and nothing and watching the lake together.

He was very fond of his baby brother Kevin. He often carried him around, played with him, talked to him and even took care of him whenever he needed, which was certainly quite unusual for a teenage boy. He often excused himself by saying that the boys in the family had to stick together. He really loved taking careof his baby brother, and it showed.

The only problem was that whenever Tom stayed the afternoon in the island, Nikki knew that sooner or later her sister Sam, Alice and their friends would end up coming around too. It was quite obvious that Rose had her eyes fixed on Tom. Nikki avoided dressing girly those days, and she tried to be ready to leave whenever they were about to come. As close as she might have felt to those girls when she was younger, she didn't feel comfortable among any of them anymore.

Despite all that, Nikki was just openly happy and joyful. And it was quite obvious that she was, as she was often laughing and smiling. Despite the difference in age, she liked to spend time with little Emily and whomever of her friends might come around. Amy usually let them play, or came out with different activities and games to keep them busy and they had fun all together.

~o~

"Hey, gorgeous!", called James from the path to the quay. Nikki jumped up from where she was sit, smoothed her dressed and run to hug her big brother. James hugged her back sweetly and kissed her on the forehead.

"How is my lovely little sister doing today?"

"Great! I was teaching the girls how to make friendship bracelets using string! Aren't they lovely?", explained Nikki to her older brother while she showed him some of the results of their activities.

James laughed. "Wow! They are certainly lovely! I didn't know you knew how to make them, poppet! When did you learn?"

Nikki went back towards the younger girls, picked up a book and carried it back to where James was. Beth was looking amused from slightly behind, as well as two other friends with them, who smiled too.

James and Beth were very careful with whom they brought to the island whenever they knew that Nikki was around, and she knew it, so there had never been any issues with any of their friends.

"She doesn't even look like a teenager when she is playing with the girls, does she?", asked James to Amy. "I hope she's behaving herself and not being a pest."

"Don't worry, she's an angel. She's adorable, and she keeps the girls entertained the whole afternoon."

~o~

Nikki didn't really have much interaction with her own family, with the exception of James; and even that, only lately. her parents practically ignored her, and she couldn't care less about them. It was thus a surprise when, one afternoon after coming home, they told her that they needed to talk to her.

"Nicholas", started his father, Michael. "Do you have something to tell us, son?"

"About what?", asked Nikki back, surprised.

"Well, a couple of people have been wondering about you, you know?"

Nikki shrugged.

"There's no easy way to ask this, sport", interjected her mother, Jane. "I hope to not upset you with this question, but I really need to ask: are you gay, Nicky?"

Nikki gasped, surprised. "Sorry, what?"

"It is okay if you are, there's nothing wrong with it. We love you no matter what, you already know that, don't you, honey?", added her mother again. "You know that we will be on your side you no matter what. Just try to be careful that it doesn't show too much, we don't want everyone to know, do we?"

"Son, it is perfectly okay if you like boys, there's nothing wrong with that. If that's the case, I mean. Everyone is born just as they are, and it wouldn't be right to force anyone into someone they're not. Maybe if you just joined the boys more in sports or hanging out with them it would be less obvious and you could seem more normal."

"Mum, dad, like, what's wrong with you two? I'm not gay, okay?"

"You're not?", asked her mother again. "Oh, I thought you..."

Nikki could not longer endure the conversation, turned around and rushed towards his room. Why couldn't they leave her alone?

~o~

The next couple of Sundays Nikki started to notice some weirdness towards him from the kids around. They had been ignoring each other for ages, but suddenly she noted that some were furtively watching her, some were murmuring and there were some snickers. She was wondering whether it might be her imagination when Beth came to her, took her hand gently and led her away.

"Lets go out of here. You don't need to tolerate this, sweetie:"

"Tolerate what?", asked Nikki. "What's happening?"

"The rumors and gossips, Nikki. Come on, lets go."

After that, Nikki simply stopped going to church on Sundays. She had expected more opposition from her parents, but they simply kept silent about that. "Better for all of us", thought Nikki.

~o~

"Is it true that you fancy Tom, Nikki?", asked Emily once they were playing together with some other girls.

"Why would you ask that, poppet?", she asked back.

Emily shrugged. "Well, you're a girl, and you talk to him a lot, and you both go around walking together alone whenever he's here And he fancies you too!"

"And you're jealous when Rose talks to him", added Annelle, one of Emily's friends.

"I'm not jealous!"

"Yes you are, Nikki", confirmed Emily. "Maybe just a bit. Just a tiny bit. But you are. Don't deny it!"

Nikki looked down and nodded. "Yeah, I may be a tiny bit sometimes."

She became reflective for a brief moment. Then suddenly asked:

"Wait, Emily! ... You said that he fancies me too?"

"Uh huh. Yes he does", she nodded and then grinned mischievously. "Would you become my sister if you were his girlfriend?"

End of Part 5