Sadly for Mindy, Billy had to leave. James and him are going to eat supper at Billy's grandparents, like they often do. Not James' parents. His former in-laws, who want to see their grandkid but can't since Billy's mother barely cares about her son.

Clark, however, had to leave because his parents had planned to have supper with friends of theirs and Clark was invited.

My parents almost decided to bail too, but when Clara invited them over for supper and a board game, both my parents couldn't resist. Great food and some fun?

Lisa and Jake, Lucy's parents, decided to eat in the dinner and invited Lucy with them, but she felt blue without Clark, so I invited her to hang out with us. Well, Mindy and I.

"Whatever", she said.

But she followed us to the pool, and we all went in it.

Mindy, however, was also blue. Is it me or are boys causing more trouble than they are worth?

"Girls, it's a nice day, we are in the pool, let's focus on the positive"

"You can't get it", says Mindy

"Because I don't have a boy? Well, you didn't have one last week and you were happy", I tell her

"Oh, I'll see Clark tonight. That's not why I am down", says Lucy

"Then why?"

"Because this is our last weekend here this year. We'll be back for Halloween, but it won't be the same"

"Wait, why?", says Mindy

"It's the same every year"

"I never noticed", Mindy says

"We rent cabins, and while the cost is a little lower off season, our parents consider it isn't worth it due to the weather being less... cooperative", says Lucy

"You could come for a sleepover", says Mindy, hopeful.

"With Clark? I don't think your parents or our parents would like that, and while I love naturism and I like you girls, I prefer Clark. Plus, we hang out nude in our rooms, and no offense to you, but it's more fun"

"So what is the problem?", I said

She sighed.

"I can have conflicting emotions. I can be happy I will be close to Clark, but sad I won't be here with him, and lonely that he left before me"

I nodded.

"I am just sad I didn't see Billie enough for my tastes", says Mindy

"Can we talk girl to girl, or woman to woman, if you prefer that phrasing?", says Lucy

"Sure", says Mindy, all excited. I knew how she idealized Lucy.

"Each relationship grows at a certain speed. The younger the partners, the slower it goes. Clark and I were kids, so it took years before anything occurred. I know you see yourself as being mature and serious, Mindy, and I don't want to infantilize you, you are mature for your age"

"Ouch, for my age", says Mindy

I remain silent. Lucy said she saw me as being more mature than Mindy and I can sort of see it, which is saying a lot as I am a year younger in school, even if l was born only a few months later.

"I am serious. Compare yourself to girls in your grade, not with me"

"I think I get it"

I certainly did.

"But being naturists, you just skipped a bunch of steps in the discovery of each other. At least, of your bodies"

"I guess I get that too"

"Well, here is the thing. Non-naturists, like my friend Emily, take months of flirting even when in a relationship. It took about 2 months for her new boyfriend to see her in a bikini, and then, another month just to see her in a bra. "

"He saw her in a bra?", says Mindy

"Long story. They were in my basement"

"Ah, and many were nude?"

"Many were nude. She just removed her blouse. And yet, before he came, she used to be nude"

"Really? That is so cool"

"She isn't a naturist. She just, ok, usually it was just with our female friends and Clark, but still, she only agreed to remove her blouse after seeing he wasn't checking me out. I was the only nude girl at that moment"

"Just at the moment?"

"One of our friends later undressed. She usually did, but this time, she wanted to wait and see how Emily's boyfriend reacted to me"

"Understandable"

"Did you ever bring them here?", I asked

"Oh no. They are not willing to try naturism. Nudity among friends is one thing, but with strangers?"

"How did you get them to try?", I asked.

"Can I answer that later and finish my point?"

"Oh, right, sorry"

"No worries. It was a great question. I will get back to it", says Lucy, smiling and all happy.

"I think I am getting your point. I was thinking while you were talking. Can I venture a guess?", says Mindy

"Sure", replies Lucy, and I take my eyes off the older teenager and look at Mindy.

"So, because of naturism, the wonder of our bodies is all in the open, so I can't just use clothes to prolong the courting period, like wearing a shorter skirt or a deeper cleavage, so that slowly, he gets to see more skin on my body while maintaining some mystery. But now, being naturists, everything is visible"

"More or less. But again, the pressure to see is lowered. I was told that kids raised as naturists, on average, are sexually active about 2 years later than textiles.", says Lucy.

"Really?", says Mindy

"My father-in-law explained that most kids are curious about the other sex", Lucy start, slowly. Right, Robert, her father-in-law told me the same thing.

But, it also means another thing that will be late for me.

"But they don't get to see nude bodies of the opposite sex outside of sexuality.", finished Lucy.

"Hold on", says Mindy

"You are a naturist from birth, I am not sure if you can understand", says Lucy

"No, I get that part. I mean, they see the same gender?", says Mindy

"They change in locker rooms. Shower together in the gym, have sleepovers", says Lucy

"Hold on. We don't have communal showers at our school in the locker rooms", says Mindy.

It's true, and neither did my grade school.

"Oh, mine does", she says.

I think back to the non-landed club. That's her school. And indeed, there was a large shower area.

"And non naturists shower there too?", says Mindy, with eyes wide open.

"Well, not all of them. Some do not. I don't care, as you may imagine, and a few others don't either. Some with a towel from their locker to the shower and then back, but others, like me, don't wrap themselves either way and yet, wouldn't be caught dead in a naturist setting. Jackie, for example, has no problem being nude in the locker rooms and shower, doesn't hesitate to skinny-dip, even in mixed company but talks down to me about naturism. Even while we are both skinny-dipping together or in showering next to each other."

"I don't get that"

"I didn't either. I think that for her, the locker room is an appropriate place for nudity. The pool at a skinny-dipping party also. But once we get out of the pool, she quickly puts her bikini back on, while I remain nude with a lot of the participants"

"What's the ratio?", I ask

"Good question. Probably two thirds of the guys remain nude after, and a third of the girls. Roughly. But I count Clark and I in there, and we are usually the first nude. I mean, twice Jackie thanked me for turning a boring party to a skinny-dipping one, so she doesn't fully hate me, you know?", Lucy says, smiling.

"Could I come next time?", says Mindy

I send a killer look to Mindy, but she is all eyes for Lucy, who I could sense tensing up.

"It's only for kids from my school, you know?", says Lucy

"So Billy could go and invite me over?", says Mindy. I kick her under the water, but she sends me a dirty look, and returns to Lucy.

"It's usually for older kids, you know? I don't make the invites. Well, unless it's at my place, but the last time I invited people over, the crowd was too thin to actually count as a party"

Could Lucy not be as popular as we thought?

"Really?"

"I learned that people, even those who see me as a good friend and place me at the top of their invite list, were afraid to come in case it wasn't actually clothing optional"

"Was it?", Mindy asks

"Of course! But no clothing was actually worn. Those that came, came because they wanted an excuse to be nude longer. Mostly some guys. And no, none of them want to actually be naturists"

"That is sad to hear"

"I'll excuse myself for the toilet. I will be back soon ladies", she says, swimming away from our little corner and leaving the pool without bothering to dry up.

So cool...

But Mindy tells me. "What the fuck, Julie. I was making a plan!"

"I know, and it was so obvious it was making Lucy ill at ease. If she wanted to invite you, she would have"

"Julie, haven't you noticed how Julie and Clark ask for what they want? They invited themselves to our walk, they asked us to play pinball. Cool people ask, I was tired of being a wallflower, you know?"

"I know, but we aren't cool teenagers. You are a cool tween, but not a cool older teen. We are lucky to be friends with her, you can't just invite yourself in her life like that"

"Didn't you hear?"

"What?"

"It's her last weekend until Halloween. If we do nothing, we lose her. I've been working for years to connect with her, and now that I do, I don't intend to lose that connection"

"Fine, but don't invite yourself to her things. Find something else"

"You know, that's a good idea. She just got out of the sanitary block. God, she is so hot", says Mindy

I look at Lucy and don't see it. Well, intellectually I do. But I guess I am starting to be more attuned with my lack of sexuality.

She jumps into the water and gets back to us.

"Sorry ladies. Where were we? I sort of lost track of the conversation", she says.

Which I instantly recognized as a rule of cool. She was giving a way out for Mindy. Did she even really need to pee?

"I forgot, but Julie and I were talking about Portal. I know it's your last official weekend with your parents here, but would Clark and you like to sometimes come here and teach Portal, and perhaps hang in the pool afterward?", says Mindy.

Now, that is more acceptable.

"You know, I will ask Clark, but it would be my pleasure. I don't know how often we will manage to come, but we will do what we can", she added.

We talked about school a little, but I admit, I sort of drifted a little. I felt, rightly so, like this conversation marked the end of an era.

I wouldn't semi-randomly bump into Lucy and Clark anymore to hang out and receive wisdom. In fact, I wouldn't even spend most of my weekends at Mindy, since often, she would hang out with Billy.

But that's all for later. Right now, at that moment, it felt like the last day of school before summer. When the whole class promises to stay in touch while away while knowing they won't, all while promising to reunite at the end of the summer by fate had the classes scrambled so that you aren't close to some of your friends and make new ones.

This conversation felt, emotionally, like that. Like Mindy grasping at straws to keep the relationship with Lucy alive all while knowing that perhaps, this was the last moment the three of us would connect, as girls, together.

It went on for a few more minutes, but I knew, deep down, that the magic we felt recently was gone, Mindy, I was sure, felt it too.

As for Lucy, I bet she knew it was coming well in advance, but didn't show it. She was too cool for that.

Lucy's parents came by the pool, already dressed, and asked Lucy to say goodbye.

We did. We hugged, and like that, Lucy was out of my life for a few weeks.

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