Crystal sat next to Mike on the bus going to school, “How was the rest of your summer vacation?”

Mike smiled, “It was pretty uneventful after you and Lins left.”

Lindsay blushed a little. “Things did get pretty spicy.”

Mike laughed and shook his head. “Not exactly what I meant. Apart from babysitting It just wasn’t as much fun without you guys. Hey, think we’ll have any classes together this year?” he asked, changing the subject.

Lindsay shrugged. “I promised Crys I’d take Home-Ec if you do too.”

Mike smiled, “I planned on it. Mom and Dad are always too busy to cook, so I figure the more I know the better off I am feeding myself.” he laughed. “Plus I learned to bake bread from Aunt Sarah this summer. It was fun.”

“That’s the spirit,” Crystal giggled. “And you’ve seen what Lindsay eats. It’s a miracle she hasn’t had a heart attack from the amount of sodium in her diet. I think you’d both benefit.”

“I had to take Auto mechanics last year, and they said I couldn’t take it again, so Home-Ec is a good alternative.” Mike said.

“Ugh. That’s so lame that they won’t let you take a shop class twice. Then again they won’t let me take it once - something about not trusting me with an arc welder,” Lindsay giggled. She was as much the typical, almost stereotypical, skater punk as ever, from head to toe, except for her long blonde hair that, despite the bandana, she kept clean and well cared-for.

“You guys are coming over tonight right?” Crystal asked as the bus rolled to a stop. As they got off the bus she leaned closer to Mike, holding his hand as two older boys passed by. She let go immediately after and sighed to herself. “Sorry.”

“What’re friends for?” Mike answered with a smile. Inside he was kicking himself for not kissing her that night under the fireworks, but it was too late now. “Anyway I’d love to come over. I already miss being myself,” he sighed.

Lindsay smiled, “You should so tell your parents Mike.”

“I don’t think so,” Mike said with a bit of a laugh. “Maybe when I’m 18, and they can’t disown me anymore. I can barely talk to my parents let alone about something like that. At least Crystal’s and your Moms are okay with it, not to mention Aunt Sarah.”

“She thinks you look good,” Crystal said. “All the more reason to tell yours.”

“You know how Dad is,” Mike sighed. “He already thinks I’m gay because I don’t play football.”

“Well um... You kind of are,” Lindsay chimed in with a giggle, causing Mike to blush, hoping no one heard that.

“Let’s go get our class schedules already,” Crystal said, changing the subject before she started blushing too.

As they approached the main office, a raven-haired girl with light blue eyes ran up to them and practically knocked Crystal over hugging her. It was Rachel, one of Crystal’s “cheerleader friends”, although she had always been nice to Mike and Lindsay too, they just traveled in slightly different social circles.

“Crys! Hey!” she bubbled excitedly.

“You’d think they hadn’t seen each other for a year,” Lindsay whispered just loud enough for Mike to hear, and both laughed quietly.

“She is a bit of a ditz.” Mike laughed as he whispered it out loud. Both Crystal and Rachel stopped mid-conversation, turning to stare at Mike.

“I resemble that remark,” Rachel said with a giggle as she lightly swatted Mike’s arm and then hugged him. “I’ll see you guys around. Crys, practice tomorrow night!” she added as she raced off.

“Amazing,” Lindsay mused. “Any other guy would’ve been decked. You? You get a freaking hug. How do you do that?” she teased.

“It’s a talent,” Mike and Crystal said in unison, and all three laughed.

~oOo~

“Hey mom, I’m going to get off the bus at Crystals if that’s ok?” Mike asked his mom over his crappy Android cellphone.

“Oh that’s fine sweetie. We have a business dinner tonight so we won’t be home until late anyway. Give Angela a hug from me.”

“Sure thing mom.” Mike smiled and hung up, “Looks like im at your house anyway, mom and dad are out tonight.”

“Yay!” Crystal said excitedly as their stop came up. She waited until after the three of them were off the bus to add, “I picked up a new outfit for you that I’ve been dying to see you in.”

“I’m surrounded by girly girls,” Lindsay groaned playfully. “Are you sure you want me along? I mean if you two want to be alone tonight that’s really not a problem.”

Crystal laughed, “Come on, you know you miss Mika too!”

“Yeaaah,” Lindsay giggled. “I even got her an early birthday present. It’s down in my bag,” she added with a grin, tugging on the shoulder strap of her heavy backpack.

“Oh yeah? What did you get me?” Mike gushed almost into full girl mode as they approached the door.

Lindsay, giggling, held out her backpack for Mika to hold it while she fished out a shoe-box sized present wrapped in bright pink wrapping paper. She exchanged the box for her backpack again. “You’ll have to open it and see.”

Mika practically squealed, tearing the wrapping paper aside. She lifted the lid, pushing the tissue packaging aside to find a pair of open toe 3” white wedge sandals with three little pink flowers along the top leather piece.

“I saw them, and I thought, ‘Mika would love these!’.”

“I do!” Mika said excitedly as she hugged Lyndsey. Crystal giggled.

“Looks like my Mom’s not home yet Mika, go ahead and change so she can see the new outfit when she gets here.”

“Truth,” Mika answered as she munched on a pizza bagel. She was stretched out on Crystal’s Princess style bed wearing a white cardigan sweater with the sleeves pushed up and a knee length pink skirt with her new wedge heels. Lindsay pouted.

“I wasn’t going to make you run around the house topless, honest.”

Crystal laughed. “This time.”

Lindsay stuck out her tongue. “Fine. That night on the hill, when I kissed Lisa for the first time... Were you totally jealous?” she asked, rather than asking what both Crystal and Mika were expecting.

“Oh God you’re evil!” Mika giggled out as Crystal’s Mom knocked on the bedroom door. “No, I wasn’t jealous. I thought it was sweet!”

“It’s open,” Crystal called over her shoulder from the comfort of her pink and purple tie dyed bean bag chair. Her mom peeked inside and smiled, holding up a fresh tray of pizza bagels.

“I come bearing goodies,” she teased. “Mika I love those shoes,” she added both genuinely and warmly.

“Thanks!” Mika bubbled excitedly. “Lindsay gave them to me for my sixteenth birthday. It’s probably the only sweet sixteen gift I’ll get though,” she sighed. “God what I’d give for a real sweet sixteen like you guys.”

“Well, you can have a sweet sixteen sleepover here if you’d like?” Angela replied with a sly grin. “You’re practically family. I’m sure your Mom won’t mind.”

“Yeah but I can’t tell her what it’s about, she just wouldn’t understand that.” Mika sighed.

Angela set the tray down and walked over to Mika as she sat up, and pulled her into a hug. “I wish I could adopt you. Lawrence thinks the world of you - even if we are separated - and so do I,” she said with a chuckle. “Just a couple more years though then you won’t have to hide this pretty face anymore.”

Mika blushed, but nodded. She could swear she didn’t remember them being separated, but it sounded right, for some reason, so she ignored it. “Thanks ‘Mom’,” she teased, causing Angela to laugh softly.

“I’ll bring up some more soda if you girls want, and then I’ll leave you be. I hope to get another chapter on my novel finished tonight.”

Crystal giggled, “She's writing a Lesbian Romance novel without any experience.”

Angela stopped at the door and glanced back at Crystal with a grin. “You know the author of ‘Memoirs of a Geisha’ was a middle aged white guy.” She paused and winked. “Sometimes not having experience leaves your mind free to imagine.” She trailed off, leaving Mika and Crystal slack-jawed, and Lindsay laughing hysterically, as she closed the door behind her.

“And you two say MY Mom is the coolest! I would kill to have your Mom Crys,” she finally managed to giggle out.

“I’d take either of your Moms,” Mika finally managed, laughing a little. “Oh... um... Any chance of getting an advance copy of that novel?” she added playfully.

“Maybe.” Crystal giggled, “Your actual birthday is what in two more months?”

“Yeah. Feels like two years,” Mika whined. “I wish I was born in August or September like you and Lyn. My parents haven’t even hinted at whether or not I can get a car yet.”

“You should soo bug them about it.” Lyn smiled.

“Maybe I’ll ask for a pink convertible,” Mika laughed, polishing off another pizza bagel. “Thanks for tonight by the way. It’s not even about the clothes for me. It’s just ... I don’t know, getting to be me. This summer was the most amazing time of my life.”

Mika finished changing back to Mike and walked downstairs, “See you Mom.” he teased in a semi depressed tone.

“Don’t forget your purse,” Angela called back casually.

“I left it in my locker,” Mike said with a laugh. Angela’s comment lifted his spirits just enough to make him smile as he left out the door. It was a quiet walk home on a peaceful late-summer evening. His parents had just gotten home when he walked into his bedroom.

“Hey,” his mother, Mary, said warmly as she peeked around the bedroom door. “I think this is yours?” she added, holding up the box that Mika’s new wedges had come in, as if it was perfectly normal. “You left them on the sofa,” she added casually.

“Um.. “ Mike blushed deeply. He left them at Crystal’s house for safekeeping. He never kept any of Mika’s things here. More importantly though, she knew now. “Did dad see them?” was all he could ask.

“He rolled his eyes,” Mary laughed. “But you know this whole ‘Mika’ thing is just going to take some getting used to for him. It’s not that he doesn’t love you,” she said as she stepped inside, placing the box on the bed so she could hug him.

“How long have you known Mom?” Mike hugged her tight crying softly.

“Since you told us,” Mary answered, a little confused. “Don’t tell me you forgot the agreement while you were visiting your Aunt Sarah? You wanted to keep going to school as Mike, but at home and on weekends you’d be Mikaela? She called to say she’d send along the things you left, and your new furniture too by the way.”

Mike felt overwhelmingly confused now. He never told them anything about his secret life as Mika, and certainly never made any such agreements, but he wanted to believe this was all true. “Oh.. Yeah I forgot about that, sorry mom.”

“Did you have a bad day at school sweetie?” she asked. “You seem all out of sorts tonight. Don’t tell me you had a fight with Crys or Lin?”

“Oh no everything fine with them.” Mike smiled, his spirits lifting a little. “It’s just weird.” he shrugged.

“Well, I’ve got something that’ll cheer you up.” She paused and grinned just a little bit. “I was going to wait until closer to your birthday, but I can’t resist. I want you to start thinking about the kind of car you want when you get your license.”

Mike let a small giggle slip. “You’ve been talking to Angela haven’t you?”

Mary smiled sheepishly and nodded. “She called and told me she overheard you girls talking tonight, and it made me realize I shouldn’t be keeping something that important a secret. Honestly she’s been such a big help through all this.”

“Thanks Mom,” Mike sighed - a little relieved and a little bit happier, as he hugged her again. “I’m going to take a bath and then change into Mika for the night if that’s okay.”

“Sure thing sweetie. I’ll be downstairs if you need anything,” she answered and walked to the door. She paused to grin back at him. “If my big boats for feet were as dainty as yours I’d borrow those new heels some time,” she teased, causing Mike to laugh as she pulled the door closed behind her.