At the end of the day, Marge came with Edith to our bus.

"I told my mother I would be going over to Edith's place", says Marge

"Did you tell her about our house rules?", I asked

"She didn't ask"

Fair enough!

We ended up all sitting on the same bus bench. It's not meant for three people, but Marge and I are slim enough to fit, even if tight. I laughed, this would never be tolerated at Mindy's resort, but because we wore clothes, it was.

Marge wasn't saying anything, and Edith was reviewing a reading assignment, so I was stuck with my thoughts. Sure, I could have spoken to Marge, but like, she was quiet, and smiling. What can I say? I guess I did have some social anxiety. Back then, today, I have absolutely no social anxiety of any sorts.

I don't assign ringtones to the few people I am comfortable calling me directly, such as Edith, my parents, Marge, Mindy, her parents, and I don't jump in panic when my regular ringtone begins. I do not wait for the Amazon delivery guy to leave to get my package. In college, I could easily talk to the people I didn't know next to me in the cafeteria, and I never wear headphones just to pretend I couldn't hear people talking to me.

Never.

Fine, I do all of these things. All the time.

We stopped at my house, well, the one shared by Edith and me.

My parents were away for work. It's rare. I told Marge that they work from home, but I guess that their shipment they had to work for took longer than expected.

I can have friends over even if they are not there, and it appears that Marge could be at Edith's home without her guardians.

Edith did the tour of the home for Marge, as I followed.

"It's cool that you have a television with a Wii in your room. I can't have a television in my room", she said.

I showed her the basement, Edith was always weary of going there. Like this wasn't really part of the house for her.

Marge was weirdly interested in the business setup and asked a ton of questions, many of which I didn't know the answer to, never having asked myself about them.

"Maybe ask my parents when they come in?"

"Sure", she says, smiling.

"What do you want to do?", asked Edith.

"I like video games, but I came to make sure you were alright. If you want to talk, I can listen. Julie there or not. I don't mind otherwise"

"What do you think, Edith?", I asked.

"Video games are fine. Maybe some Nintendoland? I am not in a mood to talk right now"

She wouldn't be until the stitches were out in a few days later, but even then, it was very gradual.

"I have it at home. I like it. I play with my mother"

"Not with your father?"

"He doesn't play video games", Marge said.

Oh well, a father who doesn't play video games, but his wife does?

We sat down on the couch, I distributed Wii remotes, since the Wii U also uses Wii remotes, but Marge looked confused.

"Are you okay?"

"I believed that you were nude at your home, but you are not, and now, I am confused"

"I didn't want to impose my nudity on you, not right away"

"Oh, that's nice of you, but I don't mind. This is your home"

So, I gave her the Wii U controller.

"Can you pick a game, I will undress in my room and be right back"

Nervously, I ran to my room, and undressed. I don't know why this was more stressful for me. Because I would be the first nude girl she would see, and I wasn't a woman yet? No, I am not convinced that was it. I think it's simply that I didn't understand her yet.

I brought a towel, and sat next to Edith. They were playing a quick game of The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest.

They were already midway, so I just sat down and waited.

"Sorry that we began without you", says Edith

"No worries, Marge mainly came to see you"

"I did, but I like you, Julie. Why are you sitting on a towel"

"It's to avoid leaving sweat or marks on the couch"

"Oh, makes sense. So if I go to Mindy's house, I would need to bring a towel?"

"You can borrow one. Naturists have a ton of towels"

"Right"

The next game was Pikmin adventure, but it was time for Edith to have the game pad. Those two were cooperative games. Edith, Mindy and I usually played the competitive ones, like Mario chase, Luigi's ghost Mansion, my favorite, or Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, which was Edith's favorite.

The rest of the games are solo.

Once we finished, it's my turn with the game pad, but Marge proposed Zelda again, since I didn't play yet.

So we did, and it was fun.

And it was weird.

With Mindy and Edith, the three of us were very vocal, with Mindy often yelling and Edith laughing.

But today, I know Edith is still recovering, but Marge is giving us nothing. No words, no noise, she plays in complete silence during the game.

Not that I mind! I am introverted, so this suits me. It's a refreshing change of pace!

We alternated between the two games, until my parents came back home.

Don't worry, we have a second door inside, with curtains in the windows so that even if the external door is opened, no one can peek inside.

I proposed to pause the game to make presentations.

"Mom, Dad, we have Marge over. She is in Edith's class, and she is the one who took notes for her"

My mother seemed concerned.

"Hi Marge, did Julie warn you about, well... her nudity?"

"Oh yes, she told me about your house rules. I am fine with it. I even reminded her, as she was not wanting to impose on me."

"That's very progressive of you"

"I was also told you prefer to be nude at home, unless you have non-naturist guests. Well, I am not a naturist, but I respect your house rules, so do not hesitate to undress as I wasn't there".

"That's very gracious of you", said my mother, looking at my father, who seemed just as confused as she is.

"Can I ask some questions about your workplace?"

"Sure"

"Maybe you can undress, I can finish my game with your daughter and I could come ask you my questions, if you don't mind, and if Edith and Julie do not mind"

My mother laughed a little. "No, we don't mind. What kind of questions?"

"I see on your walls a series of graphs, they were professionally printed, but I don't know of a printer that big"

"Oh, we have a plotter", she said.

"What is that?"

"Were you serious about letting us undress?"

"I am. I am always serious."

"Ok, let us undress, finish your game, and well, I'll show you our plotter if you really want to. I will be in the basement, but my husband needs to do things in the bedroom for me. Julie, can you come help for a second?"

"I need to do something?", says my father, but my mother hushed him.

I ended up saying, "Sure, girls, you can reset the game and make a new one"

Edith confirmed, and I followed my parents to their bedroom.

"Julie, do you know anything about that girl, that out of the ordinary?"

"She follows rules, she talks weird. She is loyal, and honest. Edith likes her a lot, and she seems to like me. She really did remind me to undress, and was very casual about it"

"And what do I need to do?", says my father.

"Nothing, just stay here, dressed or not, until the girl leaves"

"Why?", he said.

"Don't you see it?", my mother said.

"See what?"

"Steven, that girl is so obviously on the spectrum"

"You think so?"

"She speaks with no emotions, doesn't look at people in their eyes, need rules, cannot break them. Don't you see it?"

My father looks at her puzzled.

"Can someone tell me what is happening?", I said.

"Kiddo, I can't be certain, but I think that she is on the autism spectrum disorder. I don't know how deep, I don't know if she has a diagnosis, and it doesn't make her a bad friend. Just, we have to be careful with naturism, as she might not be neurotypical"

"I don't know what any of this means, mom", I said.

"It means her brain could be wired a little differently than ours. Doesn't make her a bad person, some are actually better people because they don't lie or cheat. But, it's harder for them to make their own opinions", she said.

"Oh. I had no idea"

"Want me to talk to her when are downstairs?", she offered.

"I could help", I said

"I think I should handle this one on my own", my mother insisted.

"I trust you mom, but I like that girl but so far, she is more a friend of Edith"

"And now, I act as Edith's mother. Should I undress or not?"

"She seemed to press that I do. Since it's the rules of the house"

"Why can't I help?", said my dad

"Because the poor girl sees herself nude in the mirror, but not a man. Give her a chance"

"Sure", my father said, confused.

We both left the bedroom, nude, leaving my dressed father behind.

"So, Marge, do you want to see our plotter?"

"I would love to!"

I took Marge's remote and sat next to Edith.

"Do you know what a plotter is?", asked Edith

"It's a big printer that uses pens to print instead of, like, a print head or whatever. The pen slides left and right, and the paper back and front, and it's super wide and in theory, can print on like, unlimited length of paper", I tell Edith.

My parents had printed banners for my birthdays or Christmas parties, and I helped them. I remember as a kid, both then and now, loving the sound the plotter made when changing pen. It was a very satisfying click.

I also loved to see drawings being made! The paper and the pen would move wildly.

Today, I know how expensive this plotter was, and when it broke, my parents were sad. It was, you guessed it, an import attempt by the Taiwan-based manufacturer who had gone bankrupt between sending the sample, and my parents receiving it. No, it wasn't that fast, it just took 4 months to get it as it was stuck in customs. They had sent it in a last effort to get a distributor.

Edith too learned to love the plotter, and we even made a banner for her room reminding her how much she was welcomed here, how much we loved her, and how much this was her room, not just a place we lend her.

We played quite many games, to the point where I was worried, but eventually, my dad, still dressed, came to listen to the basement, and came to see us.

It took five more minutes for Marge and my mom to get back in the living room, only this time, Marge was fully nude!

I looked at her, shocked, and thought back to my talk with Robert.

Marge isn't tall, she isn't quite as short as I am, but we are close. It was clear she has breasts, but I thought she might be at Mindy's development steps. Well, she is closer to Lucie, but didn't shave her body.

I am almost jealous at how thick her pubis is covered, and how her legs and arms already have the hair of a woman. It seems that if I have late-onset puberty, Marge has early onset puberty. I recall what Robert said, and that means the poor girl might never be tall.

"You are right, I am used to it", said Marge

"You don't have to remain nude, you know? This was your decision. You can go downstairs to get dressed or just to rest anytime you want", says my mom.

"As you said, I am comfortable within the rules. This is within the rules of this house"

"Well, you have to sit on a towel, let me get one for you"

I look at her. "Are you ok, Marge?"

"I am more than ok. Your mother opened my eyes."

"So you think she is right?"

"I think she is. I will ask my mother for a test"

Edith speaks up. "Can someone tell me what is going on?"

"Oh, Kylie thinks I might be on the autism spectrum disorder"

"But you don't have tantrums, or obsessions. And you are full on empathy?", says Edith

"You know other people on the spectrum?", I ask her.

"A boy in elementary school. He was a handful", says Edith

But my mother, who wasn't that far and is back with a towel, explains.

"Women on the spectrum tend to be more punished than boys for acting out, so that do what is called masking. They try to please everyone, and focus on whatever they are doing to avoid exploding. They look like they are perfect, so they are liked, so they keep going it, but feel miserable"

"How do you know, mom?"

"My cousin"

"My aunt?"

"No, Kiddo, that's one step too close. Your aunt is my sister. You don't know her, I barely do. I mostly heard about her from the grapevine. She was only diagnosed in her late 20s, and only because she couldn't fit into a workplace like she could fit at school"

"That's sad", I said

"I don't want that to happen to me. I am always exhausted trying to please everyone", says Marge.

I reply, without thinking. "Marge, you don't have to try to please us. You can have your own emotions and ideas. We let you pick games, didn't we?"

"Oh yeah. That was nice. I don't like competition games much. I don't see what is fun in that"

Marge sat on the towel, grabbed a remote, and we played a few more cooperate games, with Marge smiling more.

Soon, she had to get dressed to leave, and my father offered to drop her to her home, which was appreciated by her.

As soon as they were gone, I turned inquisitive, but my mother wanted to respect Marge's privacy. Which is fair.

She did talk a little more about her cousin, but she didn't know her much, so it ended with her joining us to play Nintendoland.

When my father came back, he undressed and my mother proposed that he cook supper. Excited, after looking at his ingredients, he made us his homemade shepherd pie, in mushroom soup. You might wonder, how does he have fresh ground beef in the fridge?

He doesn't! My dad had forgotten too often ground beef in the fridge, and it's only good 24 hours uncooked. So, now, he simply... cooks it the day after he buys it and keeps a bunch in a sealed container. That way, he can use it up to 4 days after cooking it, making it last almost a week. He built up a ton of recipes with ground beef that he uses. He is not as fancy as my mom is, and he far from Clara, but you never go hungry when my dad cooks.

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